The Shoe Box (3)
SCENE 3 52. Inside WENDY’Sshoe box. WENDY sits on the floor in her shoe box, She has the banjo beside her. There is a shoe box filled with letters. WENDY Yes, Sammy is gone now. He is gone to prison. He writes me these letters, that is he dictates to the prison chaplin, for he cannot read nor write and I put them in a shoe box, where I keep them. (SAMMY enters right and sits in a chair.) WENDY (Reads a letter) Dear Wendy, things are so bad in this place. I cry every night and every day. I don’t remember a thing that happened with Johnny Miller. They say I killed him cold blooded. I don’t recall. I miss you and Fancy and Mam and Charlene. I miss my banjo. I can’t make music and the joy is gone out of my life. They won’t let me have my banjo. They say I am being punished and when I die, I’ll go to hell and be punished some more. Won’t this world be enough, I ask. But, you SAMMY Know how much I love you all and miss you all. I will try to live through this so I can come out just as good as Johnny Miller did. How did he stand it here? It’s an awful place. WENDY It’s an awful place. (She picks the banjo up and hands it to SAMMY to play. He plays THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE.) WENDY Play it, Sammy! (She dances) (FANCY, CHARLENE, PAP and MAM enter.) FANCY Yes, as I supposed, we’re in the shoe box again. WENDY 53. Mommie, you’re dead, you died. In the flu epidemic. FANCY Oh, yes child, I did. But, I’d been on my way to the grave since our Sammy went to jail. I loved him. I tried to be strong for you girls. It took the life out of me, what I had to do. I never recovered. WENDY No, you never did recover, Mommie. MAM You are stronger than you mother, Wendy! You’ve got spunk. WENDY Spunky is my nick name. MAM Yes, it is. PAP You know, when Fancy found out she was going to have you, she tried out a coat hanger first. FANCY Pap! But, Wendy, you didn’t die. I didn’t loose you and I knew from the good Lord that you would make it through any misfortune that life might throw at you. WENDY Mommie! FANCY But, you was born, and I loved you. Even if you was that no count Johnny Miller’s bastard child. WENDY I miss you Mam and Mommie, so much. MAM Yes, and I got to missing my Pap. I caught up with the no account bastard one night. I had the pneumonia you see. WENDY Yes, very bad the doctor said. He said you wouldn’t make it. MAM He was right. PAP 54. I waited for this old woman to die. I hated to watch as she suffered. No doctor there to ease her pain. I held my hand over her mouth. MAM Then I left this world. PAP We was united in the next. WENDY Charlene, what are you doing here? You live so far away, in your nice home with the nice garden. CHARLENE Brain anurishm. Last night. Sudden. No hope. No surgery. No time. WENDY I’ll cry for you. CHARLENE If you must. You remember I hated you when we was little. WENDY You surely did. CHARLENE Well, you should know. I did. And you still come here to this rediculous shoe box! You have a nice home in Richmond. WENDY And a nice husband and three kids, two dogs and a cat. CHARLENE And blue window curtains? WENDY Of course. SAMMY Gosh, Wendy, I’d love to see your home. Is there room for me? WENDY Yes, a room with blue window curtains. (JOHNNY enters right.) 55. FANCY Johnny Miller. As I live and breathe. JOHNNY In the flesh, so to speak. WENDY I think a lot about you Uncle Johnny. I wonder if you are in heaven, or hell. JOHNNY Doesn’t matter. You all won’t let go of me. I’m still here. FANCY I had my reasons, for killing you. JOHNNY None good enough to take my life, though. WENDY I know. Thank you for the pretty, blue ribbons. JOHNNY You are welcome, Pretty Miss. SAMMY I want to tell you that I love you Wendy. WENDY I know that. SAMMY One day, I’ll be free and then we can be together. Just like we were as children. WENDY Just the same. PAP Why on earth Johnny Miller. You’re dead and burried. What the Sam hell are you doing here? JOHNNY Visiting my daughter. PAP 56. If I could shoot you dead, I would. JOHNNY I don’t doubt it, has your aim improved Pap? PAP I had good enough aim for an old man when I shot your no count brother. WENDY Enough! I’ve got enough household chores to keep me busy today. Doctor appointments for the children’s school vaccinations to keep. I just stopped for a cup of coffee and found myself here inside this old shoe box. And you all showed up. You’ll never give me any peace, will you all? CHARLENE Never. FLARIE Shut up, Charlene. WENDY I just want to tell you all, that this is my last visit here. The world moves on. There are injustices and hate. But, beauty and love, is there too. I loved you all and I know that you loved me. CHARLENE I didn’t. FANCY Charlene! WENDY And maybe we saw some of what the world could offer us, instead of our daily poverty. In the shoe box. FANCY Sammy? SAMMY Yes, Fancy. FANCY When you die and come over to the other side. I want to talk to you. I’ve got some things I want to tell you, Son. SAMMY When they hang me? 57. FANCY Yes, when they hang you. I want to tell you something. Something important, Sammy. SAMMY OK Fancy, I’ll pay good attention and you can tell me. FANCY That’s fine, Sammy. And maybe we can all find some peace at last. Curtain SCENE 2 5. The porch outside the shack. YOUNG FANCY sits in a rocker, looking up at all the stars in the sky. FANCY Oh, my look at all those stars in the sky. There is the big dipper! Amazing. Some even hiding behind Big Mountain over there. And look, the north star. My, oh my. God’s creation. (YOUNG JOHNNY enters right.) Gazing at the stars, Fancy? Well, yes, over there is the Big Dipper. And the north star as well, as you said. FANCY As close to heaven as you’ll ever get, Johnny Miller? JOHNNY Now, now. Be nice. I came over to talk is all. FANCY What in the world could we talk about Johnny Miller. JOHNNY First off, please call me Johnny. After all, you are the mother of my brother’s daughter, Charlene. We’re family. (FANCY gets up as if she is going back inside. JOHNNY holds her arm.) JOHNNY You don’t look like you are mourning Jimmy. You have a pretty dress on and smell like nice perfume. You’ve been out dancing tonight! Well, my my. I thought you was crying your eyes out all this time. The funeral was just three weeks ago. FANCY My tears are my business, Johnny Miller! And I don’t see none from you! Where are your tears for your brother. JOHNNY I don’t have any, Fancy. They are gone. Cried them all out. FANCY Yes, you did. I believe you. I’m sorry Johnny. Perhaps, we can be friends. 6. JOHNNY Oh, you mean, what do they call it? Platonic friendship. I think I read an article about that in some magazine. That’s balogna. FANCY No, it isn’t. I believe that men and women can be friends. JOHNNY But, that can’t be for us. Your crazy father shot and killed my brother. Three bullits. Dead. My mother cried and cried. FANCY Pap killed my man, too, you know. Dead. JOHNNY So, forget the friendship thing. FANCY I’m going inside now. Nice seeing you Johnny. (JOHNNY grabs her and kisses her.) JOHNNY Now, you see the way it is between us. FANCY Johnny, you let me go. Pap will shoot you. JOHNNY I wouldn’t doubt it. Blackout A light is on JOHNNY and FANCY. They are sitting on a picnic cloth with a picnic basket. FANCY holds a baby wrapped in a blanket. JOHNNY brings her an ice cream cone. FANCY Oh, I am so happy today Johnny. The baby is happy today and I am, too. JOHNNY 7. Little Wendy. Little Wendy. FANCY Johnny, when is we getting married? The baby is four months old now. I want to get married soon. Pap won’t let you set foot inside the house, unless you marry me. I’ve got fields to be plowed soon. You are the man. I need you to work the farm. I never got my strength back after this baby. You know I almost died in childbirth. JOHNNY You whine. Listen, Wendy. I have plans. And I have to wait and see how these plans go. FANCY And do these plans include robbing houses? JOHNNY Quiet. FANCY They was all right about you, Johnny Miller. Goodbye. JOHNNY Well, fine with me. Blackout A YOUNGER SHERIFF BIXBY is sitting on the porch with FLARIE. BIXBY A nice day for sitting on the front porch. FANCY Yes, indeed. BIXBY No cares, no fuss. A lazy day. FANCY Just a lazy, carefree day. BIXBY The crickets are chirpin’. I love to hear crickets chirp in the Fall. Such a happy sound. FANCY 8. Would you like some more cider? BIXBY No thank you, FANCY. I’ll just put my arm around you here. Now, that’s nice. FANCY Just nice. BIXBY That was a wonderful pie for supper. You can cook, Fancy O’Brian! FANCY Well, now, Mam taught me to cook. BIXBY Well, you are one great cook! FANCY Thank you for the compliment. BIXBY Little Wendy got pie all over her! FANCY Yes, she is learning to hold a spoon. BIXBY Such a sweet baby. Not, too fat though. FANCY What a time, I’ve had with that child. Every illness. BIXBY Perhaps, she is predisposed. FANCY Very disposed. BIXBY Shame about her daddy. Your Pap had set his mind on rescuing you! FANCY Rescuing me and saving my honor. He killed my man, and there ain’t another man for me. BIXBY Well, now, maybe we can rimidy that. 9. (BIXBY kisses FANCY.) FANCY You are one fine kisser Bixby. You musta had lots of practice, to get that good. That’s what the girls in town say about you. You’re just fine. BIXBY Well, only one girl matters to me and you know that Fancy. FANCY Oh, Bixby… BIXBY (Making a joke) My horse Anabell. FANCY Your old scrawny horse Anabell. You stup.. stupid..stupify me, Bixby. BIXBY That was just a joke, Flarie. Just a joke. You are so sensitive about things. FANCY Yes, I grew up sensitive. My Mam made me that way. BIXBY She lets you go to town to do the shopping, now, don’t she? FANCY Yes, and thank God. She would go up to people, people that I knew and tell them things about me. Things that were personal and I wanted to keep to myself. BIXBY Like what? FANCY Like none of your business, Mr. Sheriff. BIXBY OK, OK, nothing official. Just a question is all. FANCY Well, I guess I am just too sensitive. (FLARIE and BIXBY laugh together.) BIXBY But, hey there Sweetie, I know what you need to make you feel better. (BIXBY fondles her.) 10. FANCY Bixby, stop that. Not now. BIXBY Worried that your Pap will come out and shoot me dead on this here porch. FANCY Yes, right. Dead on. BIXBY Right. FANCY Hey, but listen here. Come back some time soon. I’ll cook us a good country meal. Kiss me before you go. BIXBY OK, if you insist. (BIXBY kisses her. JOHNNY enters right.) FANCY Johnny! What are you doing on Pap’s property! BIXBY Johnny Miller. What do you think you are doing here? JOHNNY Well, I came to see Fancy. For I miss her. FANCY Johnny, oh Johnny! (They kiss passionately.) JOHNNY Forgive me? I miss you and the baby. Forgive me. Fancy All is forgiven, Johnny. BIXBY Well, this don’t beat all. JOHNNY Goodbye sheriff Bixby! FANCY Goodbye Bixby. 11. BIXBY Fancy, you are a whore. Everything they say about you is the truth. I’ll never see you again. (BIXBY exits left.) JOHNNY Say, I got something for you and the baby. (JOHNNY hands her a huge wad of bills.) JOHNNY Now, before you say anything. It is for you and the baby. FANCY All this money, where did you get it? JOHNNY Let’s just say that it is an investment. In our future. FANCY An investment? JOHNNY An investment. FANCY I owe the doctor a small fortune. Wilma has been ill. The doctor has been patient. JOHNNY Now, you can pay him. Buy good food for you both. FANCY Yes, that would be nice. JOHNNY And something pretty to wear. A hat. FANCY A hat? JOHNNY You know, a bonnet. You remember, something with ribbons. You are still young. Not a crazy old woman like that Mam. FANCY Not old yet. Not crazy either. Johnny what if something happens to you. You get caught, turned in, something. JOHNNY 12. Flarie, don’t you fret over these things. I forbid it. (JOHNNY kisses her passionately. PAP, shot and now a ghost suddenly comes out onto the porch.) FANCY Pap. JOHNNY Pap. PAP I thought I heard talking out here. JOHNNY Let me explain, Pap. FANCY Don’t hurt him! I invited him here. PAP Fancy, you did no such a thing! FANCY I did so. I wanted to hire him to help with picking tobacco next year. PAP We can’t afford no help. You is stupid child. (MAM comes to the door.) MAM Fancy always was the stupedist youngin’ I ever had. She has half a mind instead of the whole. Would forget her head, if it wasn’t screwed on tight. PAP Shut up old woman. Crazy woman. But, it is true, Flarie, sometimes you don’t think of the consequences of your actions. Your youngins need a father. You need to start thinking how you is going to find a good father. JOHNNY She has. PAP If you mean your sorry self Johnny Miller, I do not think so. 13. JOHNNY Well, I got both legs and I can plow. I am not a worthless one legged old man, who has his only daughter out plowing fields that a strong, healthy man should be doing. PAP Hey, son. Don’t tell me how to run my farm. I am a better man with one leg than you are with two. That’s the God’s truth. JOHNNY Hey, old man, I can take you. FANCY Hey, the two of you, stop this now! You are waking the girls and the dead as well, I expect. JOHNNY Fancy, I’d better go before my temper gets the better of me. FANCY Yes, you should go now Johnny Miller. (JOHNNY kisses her and exits right.) FANCY Pap, why do you hate that Johnny Miller so. PAP I don’t hate that boy. I fear him, though. FANCY Fear him? Why? PAP He is one of those people in the world who think that they can make their own rules. Do things their own way. They forget that there are consequences to their actions. FANCY Consequences to their actions. PAP Yes, Lord. FANCY Let’s go inside, Pap. 14. PAP In a minute. (FANCY goes inside.) PAP Yes, indeed, consequences to your actions, Johnny Miller. Take one wrong step, one wrong turn and I will blast a hole through you. (PAP takes his gun and pretends to fire it.) Blackout MAM sits on the porch. SAMMY blows bubbles. SAMMY Mam, I wonder where all the bubbles go. Do they go right over Big Mountain there. Does the wind and the sun carry them so high. MAM Oh, Lord Sammy. All the way to Washington, D.C. I expect. Such a long way. We couldn’t walk that fur. SAMMY And the pretty colors. Goodness. I never seen such pretty colors. They just glow. MAM Yes, I remember that they did just that! SAMMY Go, go little bubbles. Over Big Mountain and all the way to Washington D.C. MAM 1 Till they see old Mr. Roosevelt himself. SAMMY Till they see old Mr. Roosevelt himself. MAM 15. And pop on his pipe! Ha! SAMMY And pop on his pipe! Ha! MAM Onwards and upwards, Sammy! They’ll go! (WENDY comes out on the porch.) WENDY What’s so much fun! SAMMY I’m blowing bubbles. Wanna try? WENDY Sure. Let me try. I love blowing bubbles. SAMMY Mam says that they land on old Mr. Roosevelt’s pipe. Pop! WENDY Mam, you didn’t tell him such a thing! SAMMY Just think, they go over Big Mountain and such a long way aways. WENDY Oh, I wish I could go so far! Over Big Mountain. Higher, higher, little bubbles. Higher! MAM Now, now. Remember that they are only little bubbles. They fly for awhile, and then they burst. They only last a tiny bit. (SAMMY begins to weep.) SAMMY Why doesn’t anything beautiful ever last. Why can’t I make them last, Mam? MAM Sammy, they is only bubbles. Bubbles is fragile. They just don’t last. WENDY You’ve just got to appreciate how beautiful they are right now, don’t you Mam? 16. MAM Yes, indeed. And that is the way you’ve got to live your lives, Children. One moment at a time. Soon enough, all the moments will run out on you. For, we are as fragile as those bubbles. SAMMY Mam would you like to blow some bubbles? Go on, try it. MAM Well, boy, I guess I will. (MAM blows bubbles.) WENDY Wow, Mam, that is super! MAM Super, huh? SAMMY Yeah, just supper. That one is higher than the trees there. Oh, the wind is carrying it up and up. WENDY And up and up. MAM Well, what do you know about that. It might just land on old Mr. Roosevelt’s pipe after all.
Copyright © 2002 Teresa Ann Salyer |