Harold Pinter Plays 2 (4 page)

ASTON.
Why’s that?

DAVIES.
You see, what it is, you see, I changed my name! Years ago. I been going around under an assumed name! That’s not my real name.

ASTON.
What name you been going under?

DAVIES.
Jenkins. Bernard Jenkins. That’s my name. That’s the name I’m known, anyway. But it’s no good me going on with that name. I got no rights. I got an insurance card here.
(He
takes
a
card
from
his
pocket.)
Under the name of Jenkins. See? Bernard Jenkins. Look. It’s got four stamps on it. Four of them. But I can’t go along with these. That’s not my real name, they’d find out, they’d have me in the nick. Four stamps. I haven’t paid out pennies. I’ve paid out pounds. I’ve paid out pounds, not pennies. There’s been other stamps, plenty, but they haven’t put them on, the nigs, I never had enough time to go into it.

ASTON.
They should have stamped your card.

DAVIES.
It would have done no good! I’d have got nothing anyway. That’s not my real name. If I take that card along I go in the nick.

ASTON.
What’s your real name, then?

DAVIES.
Davies. Mac Davies. That was before I changed my name.

Pause.

ASTON.
It looks as though you want to sort all that out.

DAVIES.
If only I could get down to Sidcup! I’ve been waiting for the weather to break. He’s got my papers, this man I left them with, it’s got it all down there, I could prove everything.

ASTON.
How long’s he had them?

DAVIES.
What?

ASTON.
How long’s he had them?

DAVIES.
Oh, must be … it was in the war … must be … about near on fifteen year ago.

He
suddenly
becomes
aware
of
the
bucket
and
looks
up.

ASTON.
Any time you want to … get into bed, just get in. Don’t worry about me.

DAVIES
(taking
off
his
overcoat).
Eh, well, I think I will. I’m a bit … a bit done in.
(He
steps
out
of
his
trousers,
and
holds
them
out).
Shall I put these on here?

ASTON.
Yes.

DAVIES
puts
the
coat
and
trousers
on
the
clothes
horse.

DAVIES.
I see you got a bucket up here.

ASTON.
Leak.

DAVIES
looks
Up.

DAVIES.
Well, I’ll try your bed then. You getting in?

ASTON.
I’m mending this plug.

DAVIES
looks
at
him
and
then
at
the
gas
stove.

DAVIES.
You … you can’t move this, eh?

ASTON.
Bit heavy.

DAVIES.
Yes.

DAVIES
gets
into
bed.
He
tests
his
weight
and
length.

Not bad. Not bad. A fair bed. I think I’ll sleep in this.

ASTON.
I’ll have to fix a proper shade on that bulb. The light’s a bit glaring.

DAVIES.
Don’t you worry about that, mister, don’t you worry about that.
(He
turns
and
puts
the
cover
up).

ASTON
sits,
poking
his
plug.

The
LIGHTS
FADE
OUT
.
Darkness.

LIGHTS
UP
.
Morning.

ASTON
is
fastening
his
trousers,
standing
by
the
bed.
He
straightens
his
bed.
He
turns,
goes
to
the
centre
of
the
room
and
looks
at
DAVIES
.
He
turns,
puts
his
jacket
on,
turns,
goes
towards
DAVIES
and
looks
down
on him
.
He
coughs.
DAVIES
sits
up
abruptly.

DAVIES.
What? What’s this? What’s this?

ASTON.
It’s all right.

DAVIES
(staring).
What’s this?

ASTON.
It’s all right.

DAVIES
looks
about.

DAVIES.
Oh, yes.

ASTON
goes
to
his
bed,
picks
up
the
plug
and
shakes
it.

ASTON.
Sleep well?

DAVIES.
Yes. Dead out. Must have been dead out.

ASTON
goes
downstage
right,
collects
the
toaster
and
examines
it.

ASTON.
You … er.…

DAVIES.
Eh?

ASTON.
Were you dreaming or something?

DAVIES.
Dreaming?

ASTON.
Yes.

DAVIES.
I don’t dream. I’ve never dreamed.

ASTON.
No, nor have I.

DAVIES.
Nor me.

Pause.

Why you ask me that, then?

ASTON.
You were making noises.

DAVIES.
Who was?

ASTON.
You were.

DAVIES
gets
out
of
bed.
He
wears
long
underpants.

DAVIES.
Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute, what do you mean? What kind of noises?

ASTON.
You were making groans. You were jabbering.

DAVIES.
Jabbering? Me?

ASTON.
Yes.

DAVIES.
I don’t jabber, man. Nobody ever told me that before.

Pause.

What would I be jabbering about?

ASTON.
I don’t know.

DAVIES.
I mean, where’s the sense in it?

Pause.

Nobody ever told me that before.

Pause.

You got hold of the wrong bloke, mate.

ASTON
(crossing
to
the
bed
with
the
toaster).
No. You woke me up. I thought you might have been dreaming.

DAVIES.
I wasn’t dreaming. I never had a dream in my life.

Pause.

ASTON.
Maybe it was the bed.

DAVIES.
Nothing wrong with this bed.

ASTON.
Might be a bit unfamiliar.

DAVIES.
There’s nothing unfamiliar about me with beds. I slept in beds. I don’t make noises just because I sleep in a bed. I slept in plenty of beds.

Pause.

I tell you what, maybe it were them Blacks.

ASTON.
What?

DAVIES.
Them noises.

ASTON.
What Blacks?

DAVIES.
Them you got. Next door. Maybe it were them Blacks making noises, coming up through the walls.

ASTON.
Hmmnn.

DAVIES.
That’s my opinion.

ASTON
puts
dorm
the
plug
and
moves
to
the
door.

Where you going, you going out?

ASTON.
Yes.

DAVIES
(seizing
the
sandals).
Wait a minute then, just a minute.

ASTON.
What you doing?

DAVIES
(putting
on
the
sandals).
I better come with you.

ASTON.
Why?

DAVIES.
I mean, I better come out with you, anyway.

ASTON.
Why?

DAVIES.
Well … don’t you want me to go out?

ASTON.
What for?

DAVIES.
I mean … when you’re out. Don’t you want me to get out … when you’re out?

ASTON.
You don’t have to go out.

DAVIES.
You mean … I can stay here?

ASTON.
Do what you like. You don’t have to come out just because I go out.

DAVIES.
You don’t mind me staying here?

ASTON.
I’ve got a couple of keys.
(He
goes
to
a
box
by
his
bed
and
finds
them.)
This door and the front door.
(He
hands
them
to
DAVIES
.)

DAVIES.
Thanks very much, the best of luck.

Pause.
ASTON
stands.

ASTON.
I think I’ll take a stroll down the road. A little … kind of a shop. Man there’d got a jig saw the other day. I quite liked the look of it.

DAVIES.
A jig saw, mate?

ASTON.
Yes. Could be very useful.

DAVIES.
Yes.

Slight
pause.

What’s that then, exactly, then?

ASTON
walks
up
to
the
window
and
looks
out.

ASTON.
A jig saw? Well, it comes from the same family as the fret saw. But it’s an appliance, you see. You have to fix it on to a portable drill.

DAVIES.
Ah, that’s right. They’re very handy.

ASTON.
They are, yes.

Pause.

You know, I was sitting in a café the other day. I happened to be sitting at the same table as this woman. Well, we
started to … we started to pick up a bit of a conversation. I don’t know … about her holiday, it was, where she’d been. She’d been down to the south coast. I can’t remember where though. Anyway, we were just sitting there, having this bit of a conversation … then suddenly she put her hand over to mine … and she said, how would you like me to have a look at your body?

DAVIES.
Get out of it.

Pause.

ASTON.
Yes. To come out with it just like that, in the middle of this conversation. Struck me as a bit odd.

DAVIES.
They’ve said the same thing to me.

ASTON.
Have they?

DAVIES.
Women? There’s many a time they’ve come up to me and asked me more or less the same question.

Pause.

ASTON.
What did you say your name was?

DAVIES.
Bernard Jenkins is my assumed one.

ASTON.
No, your other one?

DAVIES.
Davies. Mac Davies.

ASTON.
Welsh, are you?

DAVIES.
Eh?

ASTON.
You Welsh?

Pause.

DAVIES.
Well, I been around, you know … what I mean … I been about.…

ASTON.
Where were you born then?

DAVIES.
(darkly).
What do you mean?

ASTON.
Where were you born?

DAVIES.
I was … uh … oh, it’s a bit hard, like, to set your mind back … see what I mean … going back …. a good way … lose a bit of track, like … you know.…

ASTON
(going
to
below
the
fireplace).
See this plug? Switch it on here, if you like. This little fire.

DAVIES.
Right, mister.

ASTON.
Just plug in here.

DAVIES.
Right, mister.

ASTON
goes
towards
the
door.

(Anxiously).
What do I do?

ASTON.
Just switch it on, that’s all. The fire’ll come on.