The Iceman Cometh (25 page)

Well, so long—

He stops and looks back
—
with frightened irascibility
.

Bejees, where are you, Hickey? It’s time we got started.

HICKEY

Grins and shakes his head
.

No, Harry. Can’t be done. You’ve got to keep a date with yourself alone.

HOPE

With forced fuming
.

Hell of a guy, you are! Thought you’d be willing to help me across the street, knowing I’m half blind. Half deaf, too. Can’t bear those damned automobiles. Hell with you! Bejees, I’ve never needed no one’s help and I don’t now!

Egging himself on
.

I’ll take a good long walk now I’ve started. See all my old friends.

Bejees, they must have given me up for dead. Twenty years is a long time. But they know it was grief over Bessie’s death that made me—

He puts his hand on the door
.

Well, the sooner I get started—

Then he drops his hand
—
with sentimental melancholy
.

You know, Hickey, that’s what gets me. Can’t help thinking the last time I went out was to Bessie’s funeral. After she’d gone, I didn’t feel life was worth living. Swore I’d never go out again.

Pathetically
.

Somehow, I can’t feel it’s right for me to go, Hickey, even now. It’s like I was doing wrong to her memory.

HICKEY

Now, Governor, you can’t let yourself get away with that one any more!

HOPE

Cupping his hand to his ear
.

What’s that? Can’t hear you.

Sentimentally again but with desperation
.

I remember now clear as day the last time before she—It was a fine

Sunday morning. We went out to church together.

His voice breaks on a sob
.

HICKEY

Amused
.

It’s a great act, Governor. But I know better, and so do you. You never did want to go to church or any place else with her. She was always on your neck, making you have ambition and go out and do things, when all you wanted was to get drunk in peace.

HOPE

Falteringly
.

Can’t hear a word you’re saying. You’re a God-damned liar, anyway!

Then in a sudden fury, his voice trembling with hatred
.

Bejees, you son of a bitch, if there was a mad dog outside I’d go and shake hands with it rather than stay here with you!
The momentum of his fit of rage does it. He pushes the door open and strides blindly out into the street and as blindly past the window behind the free-lunch counter
.

ROCKY

In amazement
.

Jees, he made it! I’d a give yuh fifty to one he’d never—

He goes to the end of the bar to look through the window
—
disgustedly
.

Aw, he’s stopped. I’ll bet yuh he’s comin’ back.

HICKEY

Of course, he’s coming back. So are all the others. By tonight they’ll all be here again. You dumbbell, that’s the whole point.

ROCKY

Excitedly
.

No, he ain’t either! He’s gone to de coib. He’s lookin’ up and down.

Scared stiff of automobiles. Jees, dey ain’t more’n two an hour comes down dis street, de old boob!

He watches excitedly, as if it were a race he had a bet on, oblivious to what happens in the bar
.

LARRY

Turns
on
HICKEY
with bitter defiance
.

And now it’s my turn, I suppose? What is it I’m to do to achieve this blessed peace of yours?

HICKEY

Grins at him
.

Why, we’ve discussed all that, Larry. Just stop lying to yourself—

LARRY

You think when I say I’m finished with life, and tired of watching the stupid greed of the human circus, and I’ll welcome closing my eyes in the long sleep of death—you think that’s a coward’s lie?

HICKEY

Chuckling
.

Well, what do you think, Larry?

LARRY

With increasing bitter intensity, more as if he were fighting with himself than with
HICKEY
.

I’m afraid to live, am I?—and even more afraid to die! So I sit here, with my pride drowned on the bottom of a bottle, keeping drunk so I won’t see myself shaking in my britches with fright, or hear myself whining and praying: Beloved Christ, let me live a little longer at any price! If it’s only for a few days more, or a few hours even, have mercy, Almighty God, and let me still clutch greedily to my yellow heart this sweet treasure, this jewel beyond price, the dirty, stinking bit of withered old flesh which is my beautiful little life!

He laughs with a sneering, vindictive self-loathing, staring inward at himself with contempt and hatred. Then abruptly he makes
HICKEY
again the antagonist
.

You think you’ll make me admit that to myself?

HICKEY

Chuckling
.

But you just did admit it, didn’t you?

PARRITT

Lifts his head from his hands to glare at
LARRY
—
jeeringly
.

That’s the stuff, Hickey! Show the old yellow faker up! He can’t play dead on me like this! He’s got to help me!

HICKEY

Yes, Larry, you’ve got to settle with him. I’m leaving you entirely in his hands. He’ll do as good a job as I could at making you give up that old grandstand bluff.

LARRY

Angrily
.

I’ll see the two of you in hell first!

ROCKY

Calls excitedly from the end of the bar
.

Jees, Harry’s startin’ across de street! He’s goin’ to fool yuh, Hickey, yuh bastard!

He pauses, watching
—
then worriedly
.

What de hell’s he stoppin’ for? Right in de middle of de street! Yuh’d tink he was paralyzed or somethin’!

Disgustedly
.

Aw, he’s quittin’! He’s turned back! Jees, look at de old bastard travel!

Here he comes!

Hope passes the window outside the free-lunch counter in a shambling
,
panic-stricken run. He comes lurching blindly through the swinging doors and stumbles to the bar at
LARRY
’s
right
.

HOPE

Bejees, give me a drink quick! Scared me out of a year’s growth! Bejees, that guy ought to be pinched! Bejees, it ain’t safe to walk in the streets! Bejees, that ends me! Never again! Give me that bottle!
He slops a glass full and drains it and pours another
—
To
ROCKY
,
who is regarding him with scorn
—
appealingly
. You seen it, didn’t you, Rocky?

ROCKY

Seen what?

HOPE

That automobile, you dumb Wop! Feller driving it must be drunk or crazy. He’d run right over me if I hadn’t jumped.

Ingratiatingly
.

Come on, Larry, have a drink. Everybody have a drink. Have a cigar, Rocky. I know you hardly ever touch it.

ROCKY

Resentfully
.

Well, dis is de time I do touch it!

Pouring a drink
.

I’m goin’ to get stinko, see! And if yuh don’t like it, yuh know what yuh can do! I gotta good mind to chuck my job, anyways.

Disgustedly
.

Jees, Harry, I thought yuh had some guts! I was bettin’ yuh’d make it and show dat four-flusher up.

He nods at
HICKEY
—
then snorts
.

Automobile, hell! Who d’yuh tink yuh’re kiddin’? Dey wasn’ no automobile! Yuh just quit cold!

HOPE

Feebly
.

Guess I ought to know! Bejees, it almost killed me!

HICKEY

Comes to the bar between him and
larry,
and puts a hand on his shoulder
—
kindly
.

Now, now, Governor. Don’t be foolish. You’ve faced the test and come through. You’re rid of all that nagging dream stuff now. You know you can’t believe it any more.

HOPE

Appeals pleadingly to
LARRY
.

Larry, you saw it, didn’t you? Drink up! Have another! Have all you want! Bejees, we’ll go on a grand old souse together! You saw that automobile, didn’t you?

LARRY

Compassionately, avoiding his eyes
.

Sure, I saw it, Harry. You had a narrow escape. Be God, I thought you were a goner!

HICKEY

Turns on him with a flash of sincere indignation
.

What the hell’s the matter with you, Larry? You know what I told you about the wrong kind of pity. Leave Harry alone! You’d think I was trying to harm him, the fool way you act! My oldest friend! What kind of a louse do you think I am? There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Harry, and he knows it! All I’ve wanted to do is fix it so he’ll be finally at peace with himself for the rest of his days! And if you’ll only wait until the final returns are in, you’ll find that’s exactly what I’ve accomplished!

He turns
to
HOPE
and pats his shoulder
—
coaxingly
.

Come now, Governor. What’s the use of being stubborn, now when it’s all over and dead? Give up that ghost automobile.

HOPE

Beginning to collapse within himself—dully
.

Yes, what’s the use—now? All a lie! No automobile. But, bejees, something ran over me! Must have been myself, I guess.

He forces a feeble smile
—
then wearily
.

Guess I’ll sit down. Feel all in. Like a corpse, bejees.

He picks a bottle and glass from the bar and walks to the first table and slumps down in the chair, facing left-front. His shaking hand misjudges the distance and he sets the bottle on the table with a jar that rouses

HUGO
,
who lifts his head from his arms and blinks at him through his thick spectacles
.
HOPE
speaks to him in a flat, dead voice
.

Hello, Hugo. Coming up for air? Stay passed out, that’s the right

dope. There ain’t any cool willow trees—except you grow your own in a bottle.

He pours a drink and gulps it down
.

HUGO

With his silly giggle
.

Hello, Harry, stupid proletarian monkey-face! I vill trink champagne beneath the villow—

With a change to aristocratic fastidiousness
.

But the slaves must ice it properly!

With guttural rage
.

Gottamned Hickey! Peddler pimp for nouveau-riche capitalism!

Vhen I lead the jackass mob to the sack of Babylon, I vill make them hang him to a lamppost the first one!

HOPE

Spiritlessly
.

Good work. I’ll help pull on the rope. Have a drink, Hugo.

HUGO

Frightenedly
.

No, thank you. I am too trunk now. I hear myself say crazy things. Do not listen, please. Larry vill tell you I haf never been so crazy trunk. I must sleep it off.

He starts to put his head on his arms but stops and stares
at
HOPE
with growing uneasiness
.

Vhat’s matter, Harry? You look funny. You look dead. Vhat’s happened? I don’t know you. Listen, I feel I am dying, too. Because I am so crazy trunk! It is very necessary I sleep. But I can’t sleep here vith you. You look dead.

He scrambles to his feet in a confused panic, turns his back on
HOPE
and settles into the chair at the next table which faces left. He thrusts his head down on his arms like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand. He does not notice
PARRITT
,
nor
PARRITT
him
.

LARRY

To
HICKEY
with bitter condemnation
. Another one who’s begun to enjoy your peace!

HICKEY

Oh, I know it’s tough on him right now, the same as it is on Harry. But that’s only the first shock. I promise you they’ll both come through all right.

LARRY

And you believe that! I see you do! You mad fool!

HICKEY

Of course, I believe it! I tell you I know from my own experience!

HOPE

Spiritlessly
.

Close that big clam of yours, Hickey. Bejees, you’re a worse gabber than that nagging bitch, Bessie, was.

He drinks his drink mechanically and pours another
.

ROCKY

In amazement
.

Jees, did yuh hear dat?

HOPE

Dully
.