Clybourne Park Read online

  LINDSEY

  I agree.

  KEVIN

  ’Cuz, I’m not a lawyer.

  STEVE

  I’m not a lawyer.

  LINDSEY

  But, Kathy’s a lawyer.

  STEVE

  (re: TOM)

  And he’s the one with the time issue.

  KEVIN

  Long as we’re out by four.

  STEVE

  (okay, but)

  It’s three-thirty.

  KATHY

  We’ll be done by four.

  LINDSEY

  (to KEVIN & LENA)

  Sorry about all this.

  STEVE STEVE

  Crazy.

  (All turn vaguely to TOM, who gestures apologetically and mouths “Sorry.” LENA sighs, fans herself.)

  KEVIN

  (small talk)

  When’s the baby due?

  LINDSEY

  Oh. Um, November.

  KEVIN

  In time for turkey.

  LINDSEY

  I know.

  KEVIN

  Boy or girl?

  (STEVE is about to answer.)

  LINDSEY

  No no no. I don’t want to know. Ask Steve. Steve saw the ultrasound. (fingers in ears, eyes closed) La la la la la la la la la la la …

  (STEVE mouths the word “boy,” then touches LINDSEY’s knee.)

  LINDSEY

  (fingers out of ears, eyes open)

  …la la la - either way as long as it’s healthy.

  KEVIN

  Knock wood.

  LINDSEY

  But something tells me it’s a girl.

  (Pause. Feet tap. KATHY takes out her phone, dials a number, listens.)

  LINDSEY

  (to LENA)

  You guys have kids?

  LENA

  Three.

  LINDSEY

  Wow.

  LENA

  Mmm.

  LINDSEY

  How great for you.

  LENA

  Yes.

  LINDSEY

  Congratulations.

  LENA

  Thank you.

  (KATHY starts to check messages.)

  STEVE

  (beat, then to KEVIN)

  So Kyle Hendrickson?

  KEVIN

  (remembering

  Kyle Hendrickson.

  STEVE

  Kyle Hendrickson – who, may I add, kicked my ass in the tenth grade?

  LINDSEY

  Who is this?

  KEVIN

  (laughing)

  Wait wait wait. Little Kyle Hendrickson – ?

  STEVE

  Like the one solitary black dude in my entire high school.

  KEVIN

  Kicked your ass?

  STEVE

  Publicly kicked.

  KEVIN

  Kyle Hendrickson’s like, what? Like five-two?

  LINDSEY

  Wait. When?

  STEVE

  (to KEVIN)

  Five-five. J.V Wrestling team. Tenth grade.

  KEVIN

  I think that might officially make you – ?

  STEVE

  A pussy?

  KEVIN

  Think it might.

  LINDSEY

  (to STEVE)

  Who are you talking about?

  STEVE

  Okay. Remember I ran into a guy?

  LINDSEY

  No.

  STEVE

  Remember last week? I said a guy from middle school?

  LINDSEY

  No.

  STEVE

  I was meeting you downtown – oh, and he told me the joke?

  LINDSEY

  Right?

  STEVE

  The joke I told you?

  LINDSEY

  I don’t remember.

  STEVE

  The joke about – well, neither do I, at the moment but it was a joke we both thought was funny?

  LINDSEY

  Okay?

  STEVE

  Anyway. That guy: That is Kyle Hendrickson. Who he works with.

  LINDSEY

  (to LENA)

  Glad we cleared that up.

  STEVE

  Oh oh oh.

  LINDSEY

  What?

  STEVE

  Wait.

  LINDSEY

  What?

  STEVE

  Wait.

  LINDSEY

  What?

  STEVE

  The joke. It’s about a guy? Remember? Guy who goes to jail?

  LINDSEY

  No.

  STEVE

  White-collar criminal goes to jail, remember? And and and they put him in a cell with – ?

  LINDSEY

  (realizing, privately to STEVE)

  Oh Oh Oh. No.

  STEVE

  What?

  LINDSEY

  Hm-mm.

  STEVE

  What?

  LINDSEY

  Let’s –

  (changing subject, to LENA)

  How old are your kids?

  STEVE

  (to LINDSEY)

  Whatsamatter?

  KEVIN

  (to LINDSEY)

  Nine, ten and twelve.

  LINDSEY

  Wow.

  STEVE

  (to LINDSEY)

  What’s your problem?

  LINDSEY

  Steve.

  STEVE

  I was telling the joke.

  LINDSEY

  Later.

  STEVE

  You said remind me what joke —

  LINDSEY

  Okay.

  STEVE

  (laughing)

  But now I’m not allowed to tell it?

  LINDSEY

  (quietly)

  Stop a second.

  STEVE

  (to KEVIN)

  Anyway. Two guys stuck in a jail cell -

  LINDSEY

  Steven?

  LENA

  (finally having had enough)

  I’m sorry, and I don’t mean to keep interrupting but can somebody please explain to me what it is we’re doing here?

  (Pause. TOM turns. All feel the chill from LENA.)

  TOM

  (quietly into phone)

  Just send me the fucking document.

  (KATHY and TOM discreetly hang up.)

  LENA

  I mean, I know I’m not the only person who takes the situation seriously and I don’t like having to be this way but I have been sitting here for the last fifteen minutes waiting for a turn to speak –

  (All overlap, quietly chastened.)

  TOM

  Hey. Sorry ‘bout that.

  KEVIN

  No one’s taking turns.

  LINDSEY

  I’m so sorry. I really am.

  KATHY

  Well, Tom was on the phone, I thought.

  LENA

  (continuous)

  – and meanwhile it seems like nothing is even remotely getting accomplished.

  LINDSEY

  I agree.

  (A truck horn sounds outside.)

  KEVIN

  (to LENA)

  So go ahead and say what you -

  LENA

  (with a tense smile, to KEVIN)

  And could you please not tell me when to – ?

  KEVIN

  I’m not telling –

  LENA

  (continuous)

  They were having a conversation and –

  KEVIN

  (overlapping)

  And now they stopped.

  LENA

  (continuous)

  – I try not to intrude –

  KEVIN

  Just being friendly.

  LENA

  (continous)

  – on other peoples’ conversations when they’re in the middle of them.

  (to the others)

  I’m not trying to be unfriendly.

 
LINDSEY

  No, it’s us.

  KEVIN

  No it’s not.

  LINDSEY

  No, it is.

  KEVIN

  You’re being friendly.

  LENA

  I’m being friendly.

  LINDSEY

  (to KEVIN, re: LENA)

  She’s being friendly.

  STEVE

  I’m being friendly.

  KEVIN

  If anybody’s not being friendly -

  LENA

  Well, maybe the friendly thing to do would be for us to respect each other’s time, would that be all right?

  STEVE

  Yeah. Sure.

  LINDSEY

  Yes. Totally.

  KATHY

  Was it me?

  Was it?

  TOM

  Sorry. Really.

  LENA

  Thank you.

  (All murmur quietly.)

  STEVE

  (to KEVIN) Was I disrespectful?

  LINDSEY

  So glad someone has the balls to finally say it.

  KATHY

  ’Cuz, seriously, I thought we’d stopped.

  TOM

  No, you guys? was my fault. That was me.

  (Horn sounds again.)

  LINDSEY

  (to LENA)

  Anyway.

  LENA

  Anyway All right. (taking her time) Well … I have no way of knowing what sort of connection you have to the neighborhood where you grew up?

  (Horn again. LINDSEY turns to STEVE.)

  LINDSEY

  (rapid whisper)

  Just shut the door. just shut the fucking –

  (STEVE jumps up and exits to shut the kitchen door.)

  LINDSEY

  Sorry. (continuing LENA’s last line) The neighborhood where – ?

  LENA

  And some of our concerns have to do with a particular period in history and the things that people experienced here in this community during that period -

  (STEVE returns to the circle, sits.)

  STEVE

  (whispering to LENA)

  Sorry.

  LENA

  – both good and bad, and on a personal level? I just have a lot of respect for the people who went through those experiences and still managed to carve out a life for themselves and create a community despite a whole lot of obstacles?

  LINDSEY

  As well you should.

  LENA

  Some of which still exist. That’s just a part of my history and my parents’ history - and honoring the connection to that history - and, no one, myself included, likes having to dictate what you can or can’t do with your own home, but there’s just a lot of pride, and a lot of memories in these houses, and for some of us, that connection still has value, if that makes any sense?

  LINDSEY

  Total sense.

  LENA

  For those of us who have remained.

  LINDSEY

  Absolutely

  LENA

  And respecting that memory; that has value, too. At least, that’s what I believe. And that’s what I’ve been wanting to say.

  (All nod solemnly for several seconds at LENA’s noble speech.)

  STEVE

  Um. Can I ask a - ?

  LINDSEY

  (to STEVE)

  Let her finish.

  STEVE

  (to LENA)

  Sorry.

  LENA

  I was finished.

  LINDSEY

  (to LENA)

  Sorry.

  STEVE

  Right. So, um … Huh. (how to say it?) So, when you use the word value, um – ?

  LENA

  Historical value.

  TOM

  You read the petition.

  STEVE

  Yeah.

  TOM

  Spelled out pretty clearly.

  STEVE

  Right.

  (to LENA)

  But, what I mean is – So, you don’t literally mean … monetary value. Right?

  (LENA stares.)

  LENA

  My great-aunt –

  STEVE

  Or maybe you do.

  LENA

  – was one of the first people of color to - in a sense, she was a pioneer –

  STEVE

  No, I understand - and correct me if – but my understanding was that the value of these properties had gone up.

  KATHY

  They have.

  STEVE

  (to KEVIN & LENA)

  Yours included.

  KEVIN

  That’s true.

  STEVE

  Way up.

  TOM

  And we’d all like to keep it that way.

  STEVE

  But – You’re not suggesting, are you, that, when we build our house – ?

  (LINDSEY puts a hand on STEVE.)

  LINDSEY

  (to LENA)

  Look, I for one – I am really grateful for what you said, but this is why we sometimes feel defensive, you know? Because we love this neighborhood.

  STEVE

  We do.

  LINDSEY

  We completely do, and we would never want to to to to carelessly –

  STEVE

  Run roughshod.

  LINDSEY

  – over anyone’s – And I totally admit, I’m the one who was resistant, especially with the schools and everything, but once I stopped seeing the neighborhood the way it used to be, and could see what it is now, and its potential?

  LENA

  Used to be what?

  LINDSEY

  What do you mean?

  LENA

  What it “used to be”?

  STEVE

  (helpfully, to LENA)

  What you said. About the history of – ?

  LINDSEY

  Historically. The changing, you know, demographic – ?

  STEVE

  Although originally –

  (to LINDSEY)

  – wasn’t it German, predominantly?