The Cryptogram (6 page)

In
trial
 … in
adversity
 … (
Pause
) and you can’t, you can’t go always look …

DONNY
: Go Looking for
answers
 …

DEL
: No.

DONNY
: … you’re absolutely right …

DEL
: In intro
spec
tion. (
Pause
.)
You know, at times of
trial
 …

DONNY
: hmm …

DEL
: Do you hear what I’m telling you?

DONNY
: Yes.

DEL
: … and they come for us all.

DONNY
: … Oh, Lord.

DEL
: Yes. They do. Then many times the answer comes. In reaching out. Or, do you know what? In getting drunk.

DONNY
: … in drinking.

DEL
: Be. Because, you know? Then you forget. (
Pause
.) And I don’t
give
a damn. (
Pause
.) In this
shithole
. (
Pause
.) Well. I’m not going to
dwell
upon it. (
Pause
.) You drink, and then, when you
remember
again—this is the good part—when you
remember
again … (
Pause
.) It’s later on. And time has dulled your, your … you know, for whatever portion of time that, that you for
got
. (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: “You should get married.”

DEL
: “It would have to be someone nice.”

DONNY
: “We’ll find them for you.”

DEL
: “Would you?” (
Pause
.) Although we joke about it. (
Sighs
.) Do you want me to go and look at John?

DONNY
: He’s going to be alright.

DEL
: Are
you
alright, though?

DONNY
: Yes.

DEL
: I’m sorry that I didn’t find Robert.

DONNY
(
simultaneous with
“find”): … That’s

DEL
: I
looked
for him, but …

DONNY
: That’s al …

DEL
: I Didn’t find him. I suppose I thought that—in, you know, in addition to the things I said—that it wasn’t a good
idea
to have him come here. But what business is that of
mine
? (
Pause
.) None. None, really.

DONNY
: That’s alright.

DEL
: None at all. But I
looked
for him. (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: (
Long pause
.)
Well
 …

DEL
: Worse things have happened, I suppose. (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: … mmm.

DEL
: It’s such a shock.

DONNY
: However much we …

DEL
: What?

DONNY
: I’m sorry?

DEL
: However much …?

DONNY
: We could have anticipated it.

DEL
: How could we?

DONNY
: He tried to tell you.

DEL
: What do you mean?

DONNY
: He gave you the knife.

DEL
: I don’t understand.

DONNY
: The Odd Gesture. (
Pause
.) Isn’t it.

DEL
: I don’t understand.

DONNY
: You don’t understand the Gesture?

DEL
: No.

DONNY
: It was his going-away present. (
Pause
.) Going away. (
Pause
.) Big German knife. His war memento. Do you know the Meaning of it?

DEL
: … meaning …

DONNY
: You know what it’s for.

DEL
: The knife.

DONNY
: Yes.

DEL
: (
Pause
.) To cut things.

DONNY
: I mean the specific …

DEL
: The specific
purpose
? No. No. I mean,
no
.

DONNY
: It’s a
pilot’s
knife …

DEL
: … yes. I know that …

DONNY
: If he was forced to
parachute
 …

DEL
: Yes.

DONNY
: The pilot would use it to cut the
cords
. If his parachute snagged.

DEL
: Huh. If it snagged. On, on what?

DONNY
: On a tree.

DEL
: Oh, you mean when he landed.

DONNY
: Yes.

DEL
: Huh. (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: And that’s the meaning. (
Pause
.)

DEL
: … yes …

DONNY
: When he was forced to abandon …

DEL
: Yes. (
Pause
.) When he was forced to
abandon
his … (
Pause
.) He looked for
safety
, and the knife, it cut … It “released” him.

DONNY
: Yes. That’s right.

DEL
: … as
any
tool …

DONNY
: And he gave it to you.

DEL
: He can be very generous. Is that alright? To …

DONNY
: Yes. No. He can. (
Pause
.)

… what am I going to do? You tell me. Yes. He could be generous.
I
don’t know.

DEL
: … he was opening a can. With it. And I said … actually, he saw me looking at the knife. And he wiped it. And gave it to me. (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: When you were at the Camp. Last week.

DEL
: That’s right—(
Pause
.)

DONNY
: Tell me what you talked about.

DEL
: What we talked about. In the Woods.

DONNY
: Yes.

DEL
: We talked about you.

DONNY
: About
me
…?

DEL
: Yes. (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: What did he say?

DEL
: How happy he had been.

DONNY
: Really.

DEL
: That’s what he said.

DONNY
: How can you understand that. (
Pause
.) How in the world …

DEL
: I’m so sorry.

DONNY
: Did you know he was leaving me?

DEL
: No.

DONNY
: Did you think that he was?

DEL
: No.

DONNY
: No? You didn’t?

DEL
: How could I?

DONNY
: … he didn’t …?

DEL
: No. He didn’t what …?

DONNY
: Give you a sign …?

DEL
: A sign. No.

DONNY
: How can we understand … how … 
men
, you know. How … men …

DEL
: I’m going to
tell
you something.

It’s funny for two grown men to go camping anyway. (
Pause
.) I don’t care. (
Pause
.) Huh. I was born a
city
boy. (
Pause
.) (
He displays knife
.) And now I’m a Forester. (
Pause
.) I’m a Ranger … did you know there’s a Fraternal Group called the Catholic Order of Foresters?

DONNY
: Yes.

DEL
: You knew that?

DONNY
: Yes. Sure.

DEL
: I wonder what they do. (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: Did you say he gave that knife to you when you went camping?

DEL
: Yes. (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: When the two of you went camping. Last …

DEL
: Last week. That’s right. (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: He gave the knife to you.

DEL
: Yes. He was opening a can of … (
Pause
.) Why? (
Pause
.) Why did you ask?

DONNY
: I saw it in the attic. When I went up there. To put the things away.

DEL
: (
Pause
.) What things?

DONNY
: When I took the camping things up. Last week. (
Pause
.) After your trip. When you came back.

DEL
: I don’t understand.

DONNY
: When you came back, last week, Robert and you.

DEL
: … yes …

DONNY
: From your Trip.
I went up. To put his things away. And the knife was up there. (
Pause
.) It was already in the attic.

DEL
: Well, maybe he went up there first, to put it back.

DONNY
: … What?

DEL
: I’m saying, maybe Robert went there first to put it back. When we came back. When we came back from
camping
. (
Pause
.) I’m sure that’s what occurred. (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: You’re saying that he went upstairs to put it back.

DEL
: Yes. Because it was precious to him.

DONNY
: I don’t understand.

DEL
: It was a
war
memento. I’m saying that it was so
precious
to him that he went, and
left
the stuff … for
you
to put
away, but went upstairs and put the
knife
into the trunk himself. (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: Then how did
you
get it? (
Pause
.)

DEL
: What?

DONNY
: How did you get the knife?

DEL
: He gave it to me.

DONNY
: I don’t understand.

DEL
: He gave it to me.

DONNY
: How could he give it to you?

DEL
: What?

DONNY
: You said he gave it to you when you were camping. (
Pause
.) How could he give it to you when you were
camping
, when it was here in the trunk when you both came back? (
Pause
.)

DEL
: There must be two knives. (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: I … I don’t understand.

DEL
: There must be two knives.

DONNY
: What?

DEL
: I bet if you went in the trunk to look right now you’d see. There was another knife.

DONNY
: Yes. No. Wait … When did Robert give the knife to you?

DEL
: I
thought
 … isn’t it funny? I was sure he gave the knife to me while we were camping. I guess I’m mistaken. (
Pause
.) Huh. (
Pause
.) Unless, no … Huh!… I … I don’t know. (
Pause
.) It’s a mystery to me. Unless …

DONNY
:
Wait!

DEL
: What?

DONNY
: He came upstairs. He came up. To the attic!

DEL
: Who?

DONNY
: I was putting the things away. He said. Yes. “Leave the trunk open.” (
Pause
.) He
got
it from the trunk. When you came back. He didn’t
put
it there. He went up there to
get
it. (
Pause
.)

DEL
: That could happen.

DONNY
: What do you mean?

DEL
: Well, that, that’s not so unusual.

DONNY
: What isn’t.

DEL
: … for someone to do that. (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: Did he do that?

DEL
: It’s possible. I think he did. Yes. I think
that’s
. Um, that’s
exactly
what he did. I
think
. (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: Why did you lie to me?

DEL
: I didn’t lie. It was a slip of memory.

DONNY
: Why did you lie?

DEL
: If I did I
assure
you, it was, um,
you
know …

DONNY
: What?

DEL
: It was …

DONNY
: You didn’t go camping.

DEL
: Who?

DONNY
: You and Robert.

DEL
: That’s ridiculous!

DONNY
: You never went.

DEL
: That’s …

DONNY
: … Yes …?

DEL
: Be, because, be … what are you
saying
to me? Am, am I to be
accused
of this!

DONNY
: Of what?

DEL
: Well, that’s my point.

DONNY
: What did you do?

DEL
: I. Why do you say
that
? For god
sake
!

DONNY
: What did you do? I’ll ask Robert.

DEL
: You can’t find him!

DONNY
: What do you mean?

DEL
: He won’t tell you. (
Pause
.) Alright. (
Pause
.) But: I want to
tell
you something: I knew that I should not take that knife.

DONNY
: Why did you take it?

DEL
: Be, because he
gave
it to me.

DONNY
: Why? (
Pause
.)

DEL
: Huh. Well, that’s the
question
. (
Pause
.)
That’s
what you’d like to
know
. (
Pause
.)
Isn’t
it? Yes. So you could say, “Old Del, who we thought was so Loyal” … I know what you mean. Be
lieve
me. (
Pause
.) Believe me.

DONNY
: Why did he give the knife to you?

DEL
: You don’t want to know.

DONNY
: I do.

DEL
:
Believe
me, you don’t. (
Pause
.) To shut me up. Alright? There. Are you
happy
? I told you you wouldn’t be.

DONNY
: To shut you up about what? (
Pause
.)

DEL
: Because we didn’t go.

DONNY
: What?

DEL
: We didn’t
go!
Do I have to
shout
it for you …? We stayed
home
. What do you
think
? He’d traipse off in the
wilds
 … with
me
…? To talk about
life
? Are you
stupid
? Are you
blind
? He wouldn’t spend a
moment
with me. Some poor geek … “Here’s my Old Friend Del …” You’re
nuts
, you’re
stupid
if you think that’s what went on. (
Pause
.) He used my
room
, alright? He said, “Del, can I Use Your Room?” Is that so weird? There. Now I’ve told you. Now you can sleep easier. I
told
you not to ask. Don’t tell me I didn’t tell you. (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: He used your room.

DEL
: That’s absolutely right.

DONNY
: Why? (
Pause
.)

DEL
: To go there with a woman. (
Pause
.) And now, and now you know the truth, How weak I am. How “Evil” I am. He said, “I have some things to do,” “I want it to seem like I’m gone.”
I
spent the week,
I
slept in the, in my, my nook in the
library
. In
fishing
clothes … and don’t you think
that
looked stupid! (
Pause
.) I … I, actually, I’ve been waiting for this. I knew that I should tell you. This is the only bad thing I have ever done to you. I’m sorry that it came out like this. Indeed I am. (
Pause
.) But we can’t always choose the, um … (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: Get out. (
Pause
.) Get out.

(
DEL
exits
.) (
Pause
.)

(
DONNY
starts to cry
.)

DONNY
: (
Pause
.) Bobby. Bobby. Bobby. (
JOHN
appears in bathrobe
.) (
Pause
.)

JOHN
: Are you dead?

DONNY
: What?

JOHN
: Are you dead? (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: Why do you say that?

JOHN
(
simultaneous with
“that”): I heard you calling.

DONNY
: Go back to bed, John.

JOHN
: I heard voices …

DONNY
: … you should go back to bed.

JOHN
: … and I thought they were you. (
Pause
.)

DONNY
: It was me.

JOHN
: And so I said, “…  there’s someone troubled.” And I walked around. Did you hear walking?

DONNY
: No.

JOHN
: … and so I went outside. I saw a candle. In the dark.

DONNY
: Where was this?

JOHN
: In my room. It was burning there.