Clybourne Park Read online

  RUSS

  Oh, boy, now. That’s a nice setup.

  JIM

  I betcha.

  RUSS

  And spacious, that’s the thing. And carpeted? And I got a look at that office they’re putting me in. Tell you what I thought to myself, I thought what the heck do ya do with all this space? Corner office. Windows two sides. But the space is the primary – That is just an … extravagant amount of space.

  JIM

  Elbow room.

  RUSS

  Other thing is, once we get situated up in the new place. The time it takes? Driveway to the parking lot? Know what that’s gonna take me?

  JIM

  Five minutes.

  RUSS

  Six and a half.

  JIM

  Close enough.

  RUSS

  Timed it. Door to door.

  JIM

  Roll outa bed and boom.

  RUSS

  And Tom Perricone. I don’t know if you know Tom. Colleague of mine. Now, he’s going to relocate to that same office and they live right down here offa Larabee. You know what that’s gonna take him on the expressway?

  JIM

  That’s a drive.

  RUSS

  Thirty-five minutes. And that’s no traffic.

  JIM

  Well, Judy and I are sure gonna miss having you two around.

  RUSS

  Well … Yeah.

  (Awkward pause.)

  JIM

  (lowers voice, secretively)

  And how’s Bev doing?

  RUSS

  Oh, you know. Bev loves a project.

  JIM

  Keep her occupied.

  RUSS

  The mind occupied.

  JIM

  What, does she worry a lot?

  RUSS

  No. No more than –

  JIM

  About you?

  RUSS

  Me? No.

  JIM

  Ya seem good to me.

  RUSS

  I meant – you know how she gets.

  JIM

  Sure.

  RUSS

  Overexcited.

  JIM

  I can see that.

  RUSS

  Worked up over things. Minor things.

  JIM

  Things like?

  RUSS

  Oh, you know.

  JIM

  Not calling yourself a minor thing, are you?

  RUSS

  (beat, slightly irritated)

  No, I didn’t – I meant things like –

  JIM

  (chuckles)

  Do you consider yourself a minor thing?

  RUSS

  Jim, I didn’t – Well, actually, in the grand scheme of things I don’t think any one of us is, uh … particularly – did Bev ask you to come over?

  JIM

  Nope.

  RUSS

  I mean, good to see you. Great to see you.

  JIM

  I mean, we ran into each other coupla days ago. Got to talking.

  RUSS

  Uh-huh.

  JIM

  Little about you. Since she cares about you.

  RUSS

  Right. Right.

  (RUSS looks for BEV.)

  RUSS

  ’The heck’s she’s doing in there?

  JIM

  Everybody cares about you, Russ.

  RUSS

  Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yup. Well. Tell ya what I think. And I’m not a psychiatrist or anything but I do think a lotta people today have this tendency, tendency to brood about stuff, which, if you ask me, is, is, is - well, short answer, it’s not productive. And what I’d say to these people, were I to have a degree in psychiatry, I think my advice would be maybe, get up offa your rear end and do something.

  JIM

  Huh.

  RUSS

  Be my solution.

  JIM

  Uh-huh.

  RUSS

  Of course, what do I know?

  JIM

  I think you know plenty.

  (Beat. RUSS looks toward kitchen.)

  RUSS

  (calling)

  Hey, Bev?

  JIM

  Like, I think you know your son was a good man, no matter what. Hero to his country. Nothing changes that.

  RUSS

  Yup yup yup.

  JIM

  And I also think you know that sometimes talking about things that happen, painful things, maybe –

  RUSS

  Uh, you don’t happen to have a degree in psychiatry either, do you, Jim?

  (JIM stares.)

  RUSS

  No? Just checking.

  JIM

  We all suffer, you know. Not like you and Bev, maybe, but –

  RUSS

  But, see, since what I’m doing here is, see, since I’m just minding my own business – (cont’d.)

  JIM

  (overlapping)

  But it doesn’t hurt –

  RUSS

  (continuous)

  – sorta seems to me you might save yourself the effort worrying about things you don’t need to concern yourself with and furthermore – (cont’d.)

  JIM

  (overlapping)

  He’s in a better place, Russ.

  RUSS

  (cont’d.)

  – if you do keep going on about those things, Jim, well, I hate to have to put it this way, but what I think I might have to do is … uh, politely ask you to uh, (clears his throat) …well, to go fuck yourself.

  (Pause.)

  JIM

  Not sure there’s a polite way to ask that.

  (RUSS rises to exit.)

  RUSS

  (embarrassed)

  Okay? So.

  JIM

  I just can’t believe Kenneth would’ve wanted his own father to –

  RUSS

  (maintaining calm)

  Yup. Yup. So, you can go fuck yourself okay?

  (BEV enters with JIM’s iced tea.)

  BEV

  So wait. So if it’s Napoli in Italian, then wouldn’t adding an “E” before the “A” just seem superfluo- What’s happening?

  JIM

  Bev, I believe I will hit the road.

  BEV

  What are you – ? Russ?

  RUSS

  Going upstairs.

  BEV

  What happened?

  JIM

  Not to worry.

  BEV

  (to RUSS)

  What did you do?

  JIM

  Another time.

  BEV

  (to RUSS)

  Come back here.

  JIM

  (overlapping, to BEV)

  No no. Russ made his feelings clear in – (cont’d.)

  BEV

  (overlapping, quietly to RUSS)

  Why are you being like this?

  JIM

  (continuous)

  – no uncertain terms.

  RUSS

  (to BEV)

  Going up, now.

  JIM

  Terms maybe more appropriate for the locker room than the –

  BEV

  (to JIM)

  I told you so. I told you what it’s like. And he uses these ugly words in other people’s presence and I’m not some kind of matron, but what in the world is wrong with civility?

  RUSS

  Honey? I am not going to stand here with you and Jim and discuss –(cont’d.)

  BEV

  (overlapping)

  Well, you’re being ugly, and I don’t like ugliness.

  RUSS

  (continuous)

  – private matters, matters that are between me and the memory of my son –

  BEV

  (to JIM, overlapping)

  I think his mind has been affected, I really do.

  RUSS

  (continuous, overlapping)

  – and if the two of you want to talk about Kenneth
on your own time, if that gives you some kind you comfort –

  BEV

  And what’s wrong with comfort? Are we not allowed any comfort anymore?

  RUSS

  Well, Kenneth didn’t get a whole lotta comfort, did he?

  BEV

  He was sick, Russ! And for you to use nasty words to Jim –

  JIM

  Nothing I haven’t heard before.

  RUSS

  (moving upstairs)

  Changing my shirt.

  JIM

  I was in the service, too, you know.

  RUSS

  (bitter laugh)

  Oh right. And tell me again. How many people did you kill?

  BEV

  Oh, for God’s sake, stop it!!

  RUSS

  Sat behind a desk, didn’cha? Goddamn coward.

  (The doorbell rings. All stand in silence. BEV covers her mouth. At the front door, we can see ALBEKT peer through a small window.)

  ALBERT

  (from off)

  Hello?

  (And still no one moves.)

  ALBERT

  Anybody home?

  (BEV looks at JIM. JIM moves to open the door.)

  JIM

  Afternoon.

  ALBERT

  (to JIM)

  Uh, how d’you do? I’m just here to –

  BEV

  Francine? Albert’s here.

  FRANCINE

  (calling, from off)

  Yes ma’am. I’m coming.

  BEV

  She’s on her way.

  ALBERT

  Thank you, ma’am.

  (JIM does not know whether to invite ALBERT in or not. He turns to BEV. RUSS turns and exits up the stairs. BEV turns back to ALBERT.)

  BEV

  Albert, would you like to wait inside?

  ALBERT

  Uh. All right, thank you, ma’am.

  BEV

  I bet it’s warm out there, isn’t it?

  ALBERT

  Ohhh, yes it is.

  BEV

  Can I offer you some iced tea?

  ALBERT.

  No. Thank you, though.

  BEV

  Well, I’m sure she’ll be right along.

  JIM

  Thank you.

  (ALBERT sits near the door, but within earshot of JIM and BEV.)

  JIM

  (whispering because of ALBERT)

  I think maybe it’s time for me –

  BEV

  (rapidly, whispering)

  Oh please don’t go, please don’t, I just don’t want to be alone with him right now. It makes me feel so alone – (cont’d.)

  JIM

  (overlapping)

  You’re not alone.

  BEV

  (continuous)

  – the way he sits up all night long. Last night he was just sitting there at three in the morning – (cont’d.)

  JIM

  (overlapping)

  I know I do.

  BEV

  (continuous)

  – and I say to him say don’t you feel sleepy? Do you want to take a Sominex, or play some cards maybe, and he says I don’t see the point of it as if there has to be some grand justification for every single thing that a person –

  (And now she notices ALBERT rising and heading for the door.)

  BEV

  (to ALBERT)

  – Wait. Yoo-hoo?

  ALBERT

  (having overheard)

  S’all right.

  BEV

  Something wrong?

  ALBERT

  No no.

  BEV

  She said she’s on her way.

  ALBERT

  I can wait outside.

  BEV

  (calling off)

  Francine?

  FRANCINE

  (from off)

  I’m coming.

  BEV

  There she is.

  (FRANCINE enters in street clothes, with a two large bags of hand-me-downs, She stops to put on her earrings.)

  FRANCINE

  I’m sorry. I guess I’m moving a little slower than usual.

  BEV

  And here’s Albert waiting so patiently, If only I had door-to-door service like Francine!

  FRANCINE

  So, I’ll see you Monday, then.

  BEV

  Albert, isn’t this place just a catastrophe?

  ALBERT

  Oh, yes it is.

  BEV

  (to ALBERT)

  I tell you, I don’t know what I would do without a friend like Francine here, and on a Saturday, I mean she is just a treasure. What on earth are we going to do up there without her?

  ALBERT

  Well, I trust ya’ll can sort things out.

  BEV

  (to FRANCINE)

  Oh, and maybe Monday we can see about that big trunk, why don’t we?

  FRANCINE

  We’ll make sure and do that.

  BEV

  I’d do it myself but I’m not a big strapping man like Albert here.

  JIM

  Afraid I’ve gotta exempt myself –

  BEV

  Oh no no no no no. Francine and I can manage.

  ALBERT

  What’s it, a trunk, you said?

  FRANCINE

  (with a shake of the head to dissuade ALBERT)

  A footlocker.

  ALBERT

  Where’s it at?

  BEV

  No no no no no we just need to bring it down the stairs.

  ALBERT

  I don’t mind.

  BEV

  Oh, thank you, but no.

  FRANCINE

  (to BEV)

  But definitely Monday.

  ALBERT

  These stairs, here?

  BEV

  Oh no no no – I mean, it wouldn’t take but two minutes.

  FRANCINE

  (to BEV, re: her bags)

  It’s just I got these things here to take care of.

  ALBERT

  I can put them in the car.

  JIM

  Oh, got yourself a car?

  ALBERT

  Yes sir.

  JIM

  (looking out the window)

  Whatzat, a Pontiac?

  ALBERT

  Yes, sir.

  FRANCINE