Harold Pinter Plays 2 (10 page)

Maybe they’ll get me down to Sidcup tomorrow. If I get down there I’ll be able to sort myself out.

Pause.

I’ve been offered a good job. Man has offered it to me, he’s … he’s got plenty of ideas. He’s got a bit of a future. But they want my papers, you see, they want my references. I’d have to get down to Sidcup before I could get hold of them. That’s where they are, see. Trouble is, getting there. That’s my problem. The weather’s dead against it.

ASTON
quietly
exits,
unnoticed.

Don’t know as these shoes’ll be much good. It’s a hard road, I been down there before. Coming the other way, like. Last time I left there, it was … last time … getting on a while back … the road was bad, the rain was coming
down, lucky I didn’t die there on the road, but I got here, I kept going, all along … yes … I kept going all along. But all the same, I can’t go on like this, what I got to do, I got to get back there, find this man—

He
turns
and
looks
about
the
room.

Christ! That bastard, he ain’t even listening to me!

BLACKOUT.
DIM LIGHT THROUGH THE WINDOW.
It
is
night.
ASTON
and
DAVIES
are
in
bed,
DAVIES
groaning.
ASTON
sits
up,
gets
out
of
bed,
switches
on
the
light,
goes
over
to
DAVIES
and
shakes
him.

ASTON.
Hey, stop it, will you? I can’t sleep.

DAVIES.
What? What? What’s going on?

ASTON.
You’re making noises.

DAVIES.
I’m an old man, what do you expect me to do, stop breathing?

ASTON.
You’re making noises.

DAVIES.
What do you expect me to do, stop breathing?

ASTON
goes
to
his
bed,
and
puts
on
his
trousers.

ASTON.
I’ll get a bit of air.

DAVIES.
What do you expect me to do? I tell you, mate, I’m not surprised they took you in. Waking an old man up in the middle of the night, you must be off your nut! Giving me bad dreams, who’s responsible, then, for me having bad dreams? If you wouldn’t keep mucking me about I wouldn’t make no noises! How do you expect me to sleep peaceful when you keep poking me all the time? What do you want me to do, stop breathing?

He
throws
the
cover
off
and
gets
out
of
bed,
wearing
his
vest,
waistcoat
and
trousers.

It’s getting so freezing in here I have to keep my trousers on to go to bed. I never done that before in my life. But that’s
what I got to do here. Just because you won’t put in any bleeding heating! I’ve had just about enough with you mucking me about. I’ve seen better days than you have, man. Nobody ever got me inside one of them places, anyway. I’m a sane man! So don’t you start mucking me about. I’ll be all right as long as you keep your place. Just you keep your place, that’s all. Because I can tell you, your brother’s got his eye on you. He knows all about you. I got a friend there, don’t you worry about that. I got a true pal there. Treating me like dirt! Why’d you invite me in here in the first place if you was going to treat me like this? You think you’re better than me you got another think coming. I know enough. They had you inside one of them places before, they can have you inside again. Your brother’s got his eye on you! They can put the pincers on your head again, man! They can have them on again! Any time. All they got to do is get the word. They’d carry you in there, boy. They’d come here and pick you up and carry you in! They’d keep you fixed! They’d put them pincers on your head, they’d have you fixed! They’d take one look at all this junk I got to sleep with they’d know you were a creamer. That was the greatest mistake they made, you take my tip, letting you get out of that place. Nobody knows what you’re at, you go out you come in, nobody knows what you’re at! Well, nobody messes me about for long. You think I’m going to do your dirty work? Haaaaahhhhh! You better think again! You want me to do all the dirty work all up and down them stairs just so I can sleep in this lousy filthy hole every night? Not me, boy. Not for you boy. You don’t know what you’re doing half the time. You’re up the creek! You’re half off! You can tell it by looking at you. Who ever saw you slip me a few bob? Treating me like a bloody animal! I never been inside a nuthouse!

ASTON
makes
a
slight
move
towards
him.
DAVIES
takes
his
knife
from
his
back
pocket.

Don’t come nothing with me, mate. I got this here. I used it. I used it. Don’t come it with me.

A
pause.
They
stare
at
each
other.

Mind what you do now.

Pause.

Don’t you try anything with me.

Pause.

ASTON.
I … I think it’s about time you found somewhere else. I don’t think we’re hitting it off.

DAVIES.
Find somewhere else?

ASTON.
Yes.

DAVIES.
Me? You talking to me? Not me, man! You!

ASTON.
What?

DAVIES.
You! You better find somewhere else!

ASTON.
I live here. You don’t.

DAVIES.
Don’t I? Well, I live here. I been offered a job here.

ASTON.
Yes … well, I don’t think you’re really suitable.

DAVIES.
Not suitable? Well, I can tell you, there’s someone here thinks I am suitable. And I’ll tell you. I’m staying on here as caretaker! Get it! Your brother, he’s told me, see, he’s told me the job is mine. Mine! So that’s where I am. I’m going to be his caretaker.

ASTON.
My brother?

DAVIES.
He’s staying, he’s going to run this place, and I’m staying with him.

ASTON.
Look. If I give you … a few bob you can get down to Sidcup.

DAVIES.
You build your shed first! A few bob! When I can earn a steady wage here! You build your stinking shed first! That’s what!

ASTON
stares
at
him.

ASTON.
That’s not a stinking shed.

Silence.

ASTON
moves
to
him.
It’s dean. It’s all good wood. I’ll get it up. No trouble.

DAVIES.
Don’t come too near!

ASTON.
You’ve no reason to call that shed stinking.

DAVIES
points
the
knife.

You stink.

DAVIES.
What!

ASTON.
You’ve been stinking the place out.

DAVIES.
Christ, you say that to me!

ASTON.
For days. That’s one reason I can’t sleep.

DAVIES.
You call me that! You call me stinking!

ASTON.
You better go.

DAVIES.
I’LL STINK YOU!

He
thrusts
his
arm
out,
the
arm
trembling,
the
knife
pointing
at
ASTON
’
S
stomach.
ASTON
does
not
move.
Silence.
DAVIES
’
arm
moves
no
further.
They
stand.

I’ll stink you.…

Pause.

ASTON
. Get your stuff.

DAVIES
draws
the
knife
in
to
his
chest,
breathing
heavily.
ASTON
goes
to
DAVIES
’
bed,
collects
his
bag
and
puts
a
few
of
DAVIES
’
things
into
it.

DAVIES.
You ain’t … you ain’t got the right … Leave that alone, that’s mine!

DAVIES
takes
the
bag
and
presses
the
contents
down.

All right … I been offered a job here … you wait …
(He
puts
on
his
smoking-jacket.)
..
you wait … your brother … he’ll sort you out … you call me that … you call me that … no one’s ever called me that …
(He
puts
on
his
overcoat.)
You’ll be sorry you called me that .… you ain’t heard the last of this …
(He
picks
up
his
bag
and
goes
to
the
door.)
You’ll be sorry you called me that.…

He
opens
the
door,
ASTON
watching
him.

Now I know who I can trust.

DAVIES
goes
out.
ASTON
stands.

BLACKOUT.

LIGHTS UP.
Early
evening.

Voices
on
the
stairs.

MICK
and
DAVIES
enter.

DAVIES.
Stink! You hear that! Me! I told you what he said, didn’t I? Stink! You hear that? That’s what he said to me!

MICK.
Tch, tch, tch.

DAVIES.
That’s what he said to me.

MICK.
You don’t stink.

DAVIES.
No, sir!

MICK.
If you stank I’d be the first one to tell you.

DAVIES.
I told him, I told him he … I said to him, you ain’t heard the last of this man! I said, don’t you forget your brother. I told him you’d be coming along to sort him out. He don’t know what he’s started, doing that. Doing that to me. I said to him, I said to him, he’ll be along, your brother’ll be along, he’s got sense, not like you—

MICK.
What do you mean?

DAVIES.
Eh?

MICK.
You saying my brother hasn’t got any sense?

DAVIES.
What? What I’m saying is, you got ideas for this place, all this … all this decorating, see? I mean, he’s got no right to order me about. I take orders from you, I do my caretaking for you, I mean, you look upon me … you don’t treat me like a lump of dirt … we can both … we can both see him for what he is.

Pause.

MICK.
What did he say then, when you told him I’d offered you the job as caretaker?

DAVIES.
He … he said … he said … something about… he lived here.

MICK.
Yes, he’s got a point, en he?

DAVIES.
A point! This is your house, en’t? You let him live here!

MICK.
I could tell him to go, I suppose.

DAVIES.
That’s what I’m saying.

MICK.
Yes. I could tell him to go. I mean, I’m the landlord. On the other hand, he’s the sitting tenant. Giving him notice, you see, what it is, it’s a technical matter, that’s what it is. It depends how you regard this room. I mean it depends whether you regard this room as furnished or unfurnished. See what I mean?

DAVIES.
No, I don’t.

MICK.
All this furniture, you see, in here, it’s all his, except the beds, of course. So what it is, it’s a fine legal point, that’s what it is.

Pause.

DAVIES.
I tell you he should go back where he come from!

MICK
(turning
to
look
at
him).
Come from?

DAVIES.
Yes.

MICK.
Where did he come from?

DAVIES.
Well … he … he.…

MICK.
You get a bit out of your depth sometimes, don’t you?

Pause.

(Rising,
briskly.)
Well, anyway, as things stand, I don’t mind having a go at doing up the place.…

DAVIES.
That’s what I wanted to hear!

MICK.
No, I don’t mind.  

He
turns
to
face
DAVIES
.

But you better be as good as you say you are.

DAVIES.
What do you mean?

MICK.
Well, you say you’re an interior decorator, you’d better be a good one.

DAVIES.
A what?