Clybourne Park Read online

Page 4


  (significantly, to ALBERT)

  It’s just that I’m afraid we’re going to be late.

  ALBERT

  (not getting it)

  Late for what?

  FRANCINE

  The place we gotta be?

  ALBERT

  The place?

  FRANCINE

  Remember?

  ALBERT

  (to FRANCINE)

  The – What’re you – ?

  FRANCINE

  (to BEV)

  I’m sorry.

  ALBERT

  (to FRANCINE)

  Said two minutes is all.

  FRANCINE

  (quiet, pointedly)

  Well, I’ve got my hands full.

  ALBERT

  I just said I can put them in the –

  FRANCINE

  (testily, as they start to go)

  I can put them in the car. I can do that.

  BEV

  Did you get the chafing dish?

  FRANCINE

  No ma’am, thank you, though.

  ALBERT

  (to BEV and JIM)

  Be right back.

  (ALBERT opens the door to reveal KARL LINDNEK, about to ring the bell. He is an oddly formal and uncomfortable-seeming man.)

  KARL

  Ah. Unexpected. Uhhh …?

  BEV

  Hello, Karl.

  KARL

  (relieved)

  Ah, Bev Voila.

  ALBERT

  (to KARL, squeezing past)

  Excuse us, if you don’t mind?

  KARL

  (to ALBERT, formally)

  Not at all. After you, sir.

  (KARL makes my for ALBERT and FRANCINE to pass.)

  ALBERT

  (to FRANCINE, as they exit, barely audible)

  What is the matter with you?

  KARL

  (from the door, seeing him)

  Ah. Jim, too. Hello, lad.

  JIM

  Karl.

  BEV

  (unenthusiastically)

  Come on in, Karl.

  ARL

  (as if working out a puzzle)

  Uhhh … Yes. Could do that. However, You’ll recall, Bev, that Betsy currently happens to be, uh, how shall we say – ?

  BEV

  Ohhh, is it almost that time?

  KARL

  Uh, point being, that she did accompany me.

  BEV

  What do you - you mean she’s in the car?

  KARL

  She is.

  BEV

  Well, for heaven’s sake, Karl! Don’t leave her out in a hot car.

  KARL

  Well, that was my thinking.

  BEV

  Bring her in with you.

  KARL

  Will do.

  BEV

  Of all things.

  KARL

  (as he goes)

  Back in a flash.

  (As KARL exits again, RUSS descends the stairs in a clean shirt and shoes. BEV and JIM allow him to silently pass by them. He walks to the chair and collects the ice cream carton.)

  BEV

  You changed your shirt.

  (RUSS continues into the kitchen without responding. As soon as he is gone:)

  JIM

  (quietly)

  BEV

  (whispering)

  I know I’m being silly. I know I am, but – (cont’d.)

  JIM

  (overlapping)

  Not at all. Not in the least.

  BEV

  (continuous whisper)

  – it’s just that after two and a half years you’d think that with time, because that’s supposed to be the thing that helps, isn’t it? A little bit of time – (cont’d.)

  JIM

  (overlapping)

  A great healer.

  BEV

  (continuous whisper)

  – and I thought with the new job and the move I thought somehow he would start to let go of –

  (RUSS returns from the kitchen. BEV goes silent. He goes to a door beneath the stairs, opens it, pulls a string to turn on a light, and exits.)

  BEV

  (calling after him)

  Where are you going, the basement?

  RUSS

  (from off)

  Yup.

  BEV

  Are you looking for something?

  RUSS

  (farther)

  Yup.

  (The front door opens. KARL escorts his wife BETSY, who is eight months pregnant, and who also happens to be totally deaf.)

  KARL

  Here we are, then.

  BEV

  Oh, there she is!

  BETSY

  Hehhyoooh, Behhhh. (tr. Hello, Bev.)

  BEV

  (over-enunciating for BETSY’s benefit)

  Well just look at you! My goodness. You are just the biggest thing.

  BETSY

  Ah nohhh! Eee toooor. Ah so beee!!! (I know! It’s true. I’m so big!!!)

  KARL

  Took the liberty of not ringing the bell.

  BEV

  Betsy, you know Jim.

  JIM

  Indeed she does.

  BETSY

  Hah Jeee. (Hi Jim.)

  (JIM shows off his sign language skills to BETSY, finger-spelling the last word.)

  BEV

  Oh, well, now look at that. Look at them go. What is that about? Somebody translate!

  BETSY

  (laughing, to KARL)

  Huhuhuuh!! Kaaaaa!!

  JIM

  (chuckling along)

  Uh-oh! What did I do? Did I mis-spell?

  (BETSY signs to KARL.)

  KARL

  (chuckles)

  Uh, it seems, Jim, that you, uh, told Betsy that she was expecting a storm!!

  BEV

  No! He meant stork! You meant stork, didn’t you?

  BETSY

  (pantomimes umbrella)

  Ahneemah-umbrayah! (I need my umbrella!)

  (All laugh.)

  BEV

  Her umbrella! I understood that!

  KARL

  Have to check the weather report!

  BEV

  A storm, I’m going to tell that to Russ.

  JIM

  (conceding his mistake)

  Must have rusty fingers!!

  (All chuckle.)

  BETSY

  (to KARL, asking for translation)

  Kaaaah?

  KARL

  (speaks as he signs)

  Uh, Jim says his fingers are rusty.

  (BETSY laughs and covers her mouth.)

  BEV

  See? She understands.

  BETSY

  (to JIM, pantomimes washing hands)

  Jeee, mehbbe yew neeee sooohh!! (Jim, maybe you need soap!!)

  (More polite laughing.)

  BEV

  (explaining to JIM)

  Soap. For the rust on your –

  JIM

  (to BEV)

  No, I understood

  (RUSS emerges from the basement, carrying a large shovel.)

  KARL

  And there’s the man himself! Thought he’d absconded!

  BEV

  (to RUSS)

  The Lindners are here.

  BETSY

  Hehhyoooo, Ruuuuhhh. (Hello, Russ.)

  RUSS

  Betsy.

  (to BEV)

  Ya seen my gloves anywhere?

  KARL

  (re: the shovel)

  Tunneling to China, are we?

  RUSS

  (to BEV)

  Pair of work gloves?

  BEV

  (to KARL)

  Do you know I just got through saying how Russ and I never entertain and here it is a regular neighborhood social!

  KARL

  Well, we shan’t be long.

  BEV

  Karl, do you suppose Betsy would like a glass of iced tea?

  KARL

  (she doe
s not see him)

  Bets- ?

  (to BEV)

  Point to me.

  BEV

  (to BETSY, over-enunciated)

  Betsy, look at Karl.

  (BETSY looks at KARL.)

  KARL

  (to BETSY, signing simultaneously)

  Bev wants to know if you want some iced tea to drink?

  BETSY

  Ohhh, yehhhpeee. Dahhnyoo, Behhh. (Yes please. Thank you, Bev.)

  RUSS

  (to BEV)

  Know the gloves I’m talking about?

  BEV

  Well, Karl’s here. I thought you were going to talk to Karl.

  (FRANCINE and ALBERT have entered and started up the stairs.)

  RUSS

  (seeing ALBERT and FRANCINE)

  ’The heck’s going on?

  BEV

  Nothing. Now, we two girls are going to the refreshment stand, so you boys’ll have to manage on your own.

  KARL

  Have no fear.

  BEV

  (while exiting, as before)

  So how are you feeling, Betsy? Are you tired?

  BETSY

  Noooo, ahhhh fiiieee, Behhhh, reeeee. (No, I’m fine, Bev, really.)

  (BETSY and BEV exit to the kitchen.)

  KARL

  Now, Russ, Bev tells me you’re indisposed, and normally I’d – (realizes) Ah. Not contagious, is it?

  RUSS

  Is what?

  KARL

  Hate for Betsy to, uh, come into contact with any –

  RUSS

  Not contagious.

  KARL

  Can’t be too careful. Or possibly one can. Anyway, hate to commandeer your Saturday afternoon here, a man’s home, as they say, but, as we haven’t seen your face at Rotary of late I thought I might – (cont’d.)

  RUSS

  (overlapping)

  What’s on your mind, Karl?

  KARL

  (continuous)

  – intrude upon the sanctity of - what’d you say?

  RUSS

  What’s on your mind?

  KARL

  Ah. Well. Firstly – May I sit?

  RUSS

  Yeah, yeah.

  JIM

  Karl, I will be taking my leave.

  KARL

  Not on my account?

  JIM

  Parish business.

  KARL

  Uh, well, truth to tell, Jim, we might actually benefit from your insight, here?

  JIM

  (looks at watch)

  Uhhhhh –

  KARL

  If it’s not pressing?

  JIM

  Actually –

  KARL

  Not to usurp your authority, Russ. Your castle. You are the king.

  RUSS

  What’s on your mind?

  KARL

  (as he sits on a box)

  Is this safe?

  RUSS

  Anywhere.

  KARL

  No breakables? And Jim?

  JIM

  (sits, looking at RUSS)

  Uhh … minute or two.

  KARL

  Good. Good good good. So.

  (BEV opens the kitchen door.)

  BEV

  Iced tea for you, Karl?

  KARL

  Ah. Problem being that I do have some sensitivity to the cold beverages, so my question would be is the tea chilled, by which I mean has it been in the Frigidaire?

  BEV

  (enduring him)

  No, Karl.

  KARL

  Then, if I might have a serving minus the ice? That would suit me fine.

  BEV

  All right, Karl.

  (BEV closes the door.)

  KARL

  Anyway Russ, if you don’t mind, I will proceed directly to, dare I say, the crux. So. First and foremost, as far as matters of community are concerned, I’ve always maintained –

  (BEV and BETSY enter from the kitchen with glasses of iced tea.)

  BEV

  All right, you boys.

  KARL

  (panicky about BETSY)

  What’s – ? Is something – ?

  BEV

  (handing KARL his tea)

  She’s fine, Karl.

  KARL

  Is that tea, she’s drinking?

  BEV

  Yes, Karl.

  KARL

  Slow sips. Small sips.

  BEV

  All right, Karl.

  (BETSY and BEV V sit at the dining table, amay from the men. They begin to communicate via pad and pencil.)

  RUSS

  You were saying?

  KARL

  (glasses off, mops brow)

  Tad overwrought, I suppose. (lowers voice) What with Betsy’s condition, but … well, given our history of two years ago, I don’t know, Russ, if you knew the details of that.

  RUSS

  Some, yup.

  KARL

  And Jim: Source of great comfort for us during all of that.

  (beat, then to RUSS)

  It was the umbilical cord. Nature of the problem.

  RUSS

  I knew that.

  KARL

  Wrapped around the … (indicates his neck) Exactly. So, no one at fault. No one to blame. But these tragedies do come along. As you and Bev well know.

  JIM

  What’re you hoping? Boy or girl?

  KARL

  Ah, no. Touch wood. No tempting fate.

  JIM

  There you go.

  KARL

  (back to RUSS)

  Not to compare our little … setback … to what the two of you endured, but –

  RUSS

  Something about a crux?

  KARL

  Right you are. Well: To backtrack. I take it, Russ, you’re aware that the Community Association meets the first Tuesday of each month? And as I’m sure you know, Don Skinner is part of the steering committee. And somehow it came to Don’s attention at this late juncture that Ted Driscoll had found a buyer for this house and I have to say it did come as something of a shock when Don told us what sort of people they were.

  RUSS

  What sort of people are they?

  (Beat. KARL stares at RUSS.)

  KARL

  Well. (chuckles) Uhh … Huh. I suppose I’m forced to consider the possibility that you actually don’t know.

  RUSS

  Don’t know what?

  KARL

  Well, I mean. That they’re colored.

  RUSS

  Who are?

  KARL

  The family. It’s a colored family.