Tea and Sympathy (4 page)

 

 

Oh. Hello, sir.

 

 

(HARRIS closes the door to the bedroom. TOM regards this action with
some nervousness.)

 

 

 

 

HARRIS

 

 

Well?

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

(Has dumped some clothes from a chair to his bed. Offers chair to HARRIS)

 

 

Sir?

 

 

 

 

HARRIS

 

 

What did you tell the Dean?

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

What do you mean, Mr. Harris?

 

 

 

 

HARRIS

 

 

What did you tell the Dean?

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

When? What are you talking about, sir?

 

 

 

 

HARRIS

 

 

Didn't the Dean call you in?

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

No. Why should he?

 

 

 

 

HARRIS

 

 

He didn't call you in and ask you about last Saturday afternoon?

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

Why should he? I didn't do anything wrong.

 

 

 

 

HARRIS

 

 

About being with me?

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

I'm allowed to leave town for the day in the company of a master.

 

 

 

 

HARRIS

 

 

I don't believe you. You must have said something.

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

About what?

 

 

 

 

HARRIS

 

 

About you and me going down to the dunes and swimming.

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

Why should I tell him about that?

 

 

 

 

HARRIS
(Threatening)

 

 

Why didn't you keep your mouth shut?

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

About what? What, for God's sake?

 

 

 

 

HARRIS

 

 

I never touched you, did I?

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

What do you mean, touch me?

 

 

 

 

HARRIS

 

 

Did you say to the Dean I touched you?

 

 

 

 

TOM
(Turning away from HARRIS)

 

 

I don't know what you're talking about.

 

 

 

 

HARRIS

 

 

Here's what I'm talking about. The Dean's had me on the carpet all
afternoon. I probably won't be reappointed next year . . . and all
because I took you swimming down off the dunes on Saturday.

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

Why should he have you on the carpet for that?

 

 

 

 

HARRIS

 

 

You can't imagine, I suppose.

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

What did you do wrong?

 

 

 

 

HARRIS

 

 

Nothingl Nothing, unless you made it seem like something wrong. Did you?

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

I told you I didn't see the Dean.

 

 

 

 

HARRIS

 

 

You will. He'll call for you. Bunch of gossiping old busybodies! Well . . .

 

 

(He starts for the door, stops, turns around and softens. He comes back
to the puzzled TOM)

 

 

I'm sorry . . . It probably wasn't your fault. It was my fault. I should
have been more . . . discreet . . . Good-bye. Good luck with your music.

 

 

(TOM hasn't understood. He doesn't know what to say. He makes a helpless
gesture with his hands. HARRIS goes into the other room on his way out.
Three boys, about seventeen, come in from the downstairs hall door and
start up the stairs. They're carrying books. All are wearing sports
jackets, khaki or flannel trousers, white or saddle rubber-soled shoes.)

 

 

 

 

AL

 

 

I don't believe a word of it.

 

 

 

 

RALPH
(He is large and a loud-mouthed bully)

 

 

I'm telling you the guys saw them down at the dunes.

 

 

 

 

AL
(He is TOM'S roommate, an athlete)

 

 

So what?

 

 

 

 

RALPH

 

 

They were bare-assed.

 

 

 

 

AL

 

 

Shut up, will you? You want Mrs. Reynolds to hear you?

 

 

 

 

RALPH

 

 

Okay. You watch and see. Harris'll get bounced, and I'm gonna lock my
room at night as long as Tom is living in this house.

 

 

AL

 

 

Oh, dry up!

 

 

 

 

RALPH

 

 

Jeeze, you're his roommate and you're not worried.

 

 

 

 

HARRIS
(Comes out the door and starts down the stairs)

 

 

Hello.

 

 

(He goes down stairs and out.)

 

 

 

 

AL

 

 

Sir.

 

 

 

 

RALPH

 

 

Do you believe me now? You aren't safe. Believe me.

 

 

 

 

STEVE
(He is small, RALPH'S appreciative audience. He comes in the front door)

 

 

Hey, Al, can I come in watch Mrs. Morrison nurse her kid?

 

 

 

 

RALPH

 

 

You're the loudest-mouthed bastard I ever heard. You want to give it away.

 

 

 

 

STEVE

 

 

It's time. How about it, Al?

 

 

 

 

AL
(Grudgingly)

 

 

Come on.

 

 

(TOM hears them coming, and moves to bolt his door, but STEVE and RALPH
break in before he gets to the door. He watches them from the doorway.
STEVE rushes to the bed and throws himself across it, looking out the
window next to the bed. RALPH settles down next to him.)

 

 

 

 

AL
(To TOM as he comes in)

 

 

Hi. These horny bastards.

 

 

 

 

STEVE

 

 

Al, bring the glasses.

 

 

(AL goes into sitting room.)

 

 

 

 

RALPH

 

 

Some day she's going to wean that little bastard and spoil all our fun.

 

 

 

 

STEVE

 

 

Imagine sitting in a window . . .

 

 

 

 

TOM
(Has been watching this with growing annoyance)

 

 

Will you guys get out of here?

 

 

 

 

RALPH
(Notices TOM for the first time)

 

 

What's the matter with you, Grace?

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

This is my damned room.

 

 

 

 

RALPH

 

 

Gracie's getting private all of a sudden.

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

I don't want a lot of Peeping Toms lying on my bed watching a . . . a . . .

 

 

 

 

STEVE

 

 

You want it all for yourself, don't you?

 

 

 

 

RALPH

 

 

Or aren't you interested in women?

 

 

 

 

AL
(Comes back in with field glasses)

 

 

Shut up!

 

 

(Looks out window, then realizes TOM is watching him. Embarrassed)

 

 

These horny bastards.

 

 

 

 

STEVE
(Looking)

 

 

Geeze!

 

 

 

 

RALPH
(A bully, riding down on TOM)

 

 

I thought you were going to play ball with us Saturday.

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

I didn't feel like it.

 

 

 

 

RALPH

 

 

What
did
you feel like doing, huh?

 

 

 

 

AL

 

 

Will you shut up?

 

 

 

 

STEVE

 

 

Hey, lookit.

 

 

(Grabs glasses from AL. AL leaves room.)

 

 

 

 

TOM
(Climbing over STEVE and RALPH and trying to pull the shade)

 

 

I told you to get out. I told you last time . . .

 

 

 

 

RALPH
(Grabbing hold of TOM, and holding him down)

 

 

Be still, boy, or she'll see, and you'll spoil everything.

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

Horny bastard. Get out of here.

 

 

 

 

RALPH

 

 

Who are you calling a horny bastard?

 

 

(He grabs hold of TOM more forcefully, and slaps him a couple of times
across the face, not trying to hurt him, but just to humiliate him. STEVE
gets in a few pokes and in a moment, it's not in fun, but verging on
the serious)

 

 

You don't mean that now, boy, do you . . . Do you, Grace?

 

 

(He slaps him again.)

 

 

 

 

AL
(Hearing the scuffle, comes in and hauls RALPH and STEVE off TOM)

 

 

Come on, come on, break it up. Clear out.

 

 

(He has them both standing up now, TOM still on the bed.)

 

 

 

 

RALPH

 

 

I just don't like that son of a bitch calling me a horny bastard. Maybe
if it was Dr. Morrison instead of Mrs. Morrison, he'd be more interested.
Hey, wouldn't you, Grace?

 

 

(He tries to stick his face in front of TOM, but AL holds him back.)

 

 

 

 

AL

 

 

Come on, lay off the guy, will you? Go on. Get ready for supper.

 

 

(He herds them out during this. When they have left the room, TOM gets
up and goes to bureau and gets a handkerchief. He has a bloody nose.
He lies down on the bed, his head tilted back to stop the blood.)

 

 

 

 

AL
(In doorway)

 

 

You all right?

 

 

 

 

TOM

 

 

Yeah.

 

 

(RALPH and STEVE go up the stairway singing in raucous voices, "One Night
of Love." The downstairs outside door opens, and BILL REYNOLDS enters
the hall with a student, PHIL. BILL is LAURA'S husband. He is large and
strong with a tendency to be gruff. He's wearing gray flannel trousers,
a tweed jacket, a blue button-down shirt. He is around forty.)

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Okay, boy, we'll look forward to --

 

 

(He notices RALPH still singing. He goes to the bend in the stairs
and calls)

 

 

Hey, Ralph. . . . Ralph!

 

 

 

 

RALPH
(Stops singing up out of sight)

 

 

You calling me, Mr. Reynolds, sir?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Yeah. Keep it down to a shout, will you?

 

 

 

 

RALPH

 

 

Oh, yes, sir. Sorry, I didn't know I was disturbing you, Mr. Reynolds.

 

 

 

 

BILL
(Comes back and talks with PHIL at the bend in the stairway)

 

 

Phil, you come on up to the lodge around . . . Let's see . . . We'll open
the lodge around July first, so you plan to come up say, July third,
and stay for two weeks. Okay?

 

 

 

 

PHIL

 

 

That'll be swell, sir.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Frank Hocktor's coming then. You get along with Frank, don't you? He's
a regular guy.

 

 

 

 

PHIL

 

 

Oh, sure.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

The float's all gone to pieces. We can make that your project to fix
it up. Okay?

 

 

 

 

PHIL

 

 

Thanks a lot, Mr. Reynolds.
(He goes on up the stairs.)

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

See you.

 

 

(He comes in and crosses to phone and starts to call.)

 

 

 

 

LAURA
(Off stage)