Dear
(A Play in Two
Acts)
Translated By Fadwa Fadel
Act One
Scene One
(On
the street at the front door of a second-hand stamp shop, on the right is a lamp
post. (Its top cannot be seen.)
[Henry
Selmer emerges – in his thirties - then his secretary Mrs. Cope – in her
forties.]
Mrs. Cope: Are
you going to give me the keys so I can lock it up myself?
Henry: I’ll do it. Thank you Mrs.
Cope. Goodbye.
Mrs. Cope: Don’t
forget to take two aspirins to get rid of your headache!
Henry: I
will. Goodbye Mrs. Cope. [She leaves.]
[Henry locks the door and turns to the right to
head home. A voice calls from behind him.]
The voice: Mr.
Selmer! One moment please.
[Henry waits as Randal arrives.]
Randal: I
won’t keep you long. I’m Frank Randal.
Henry: Hello
Mr. Randal. It’s closing time, and I’m afraid that I
can’t re-open for you.
Randal: You
don’t have to. This won’t take long. I
have three kinds of charity tickets [showing him the tickets.]
Whether you buy or not, that’s
not the issue. The point that I want to discuss pertains to my understanding of
prices. How could one reduce costs as
much as possible to maximise profits?
Henry:
Mr. Randal, are you all right?
Randal: When
you hear the second part, my ideas will make sense.
Henry: I
mean this deep wound on your front, are you OK? Would you like me to bring you
some disinfectant from the shop to clean it?
Randal: [Feels
his front.] It’s nothing to worry about, just normal fighting for parking, it
happens every day. Let’s suppose you price a cube of butter at twenty pence, to
make a fifty pence profit per kilo. Yet with a little technique, which nobody
can object to, you can sell it to your customers for four quid!
Henry: I’m
sorry Mr. Randal; you’ve come to the wrong person.
Randal: Who
said that?
Henry: I
don’t sell butter. I run a shop that sells second-hand stamps, as you can see.
Randal: Do
you think that I came here with my eyes closed? I know that you sell this old
stuff. Just think about my proposal. Four quid for each kilogram of butter that you can buy from the
farmer for less than twenty pence. Four quid!
Henry: Forgive
me. I have to get back home.
Randal: You’ll
change your mind when you hear the second part of my plan.
Henry: Please
…
Randal: Henry!
You always miss rare opportunities because of your hastiness.
Henry: I’ll
buy one of your charity tickets, just to make your coming here seem worthwhile.
Randal: Who
cares about these damn tickets! I’m offering you the magic key to getting rich.
Your first billion within two years, then more billions will follow. A billion
generates billions. Don’t tell me that if I leave you now, these dusty old
stamps will make you happy!
Henry: I’m
happy, really.
Randal: Of
course, because you only know one side of happiness, a naive side. This is a
time of great wealth, the time of multibillionaires. It means flying with more
than one wing. If one breaks, a thousand other wings will be there to soar with
in this world of power, wealth and happiness.
Henry: I
love my work. It’s the work of my father and his fathers.
Randal: Leave
your ancestors in their graves! If they were alive, they would kick your ass,
because of this hesitation. What does one shop for old stamps mean!? You could
buy all the stamp shops in the world and run them from
Henry: Mr.
Randal, don’t waste your time arguing. We are a family that hates greed.
Randal: You
use old words to describe modern motives. This is your weakness. You still have
the image of a greedy businessman with a double chin, flabby belly and dirty
nails in your mind. Henry, this image belongs to the past. Nowadays, the businessman is a handsome
gentleman with nails that glow they are so clean! He is the head of a modern family and is a
faithful husband.
Henry: Why
did you come to me? Why don’t you choose someone else?
Randal: You
have a small capital that you could start with. In addition to that, old stamp
sellers descend from families who haven’t starved or been overfed, and this is
very important.
Henry: I
don’t like what you’re saying. None of it. I smell an
evil spirit behind your temptations.
Randal: [Waving
the charity tickets.]
Don’t forget that I dedicate some of my time to good causes. But tell me, if
you don’t have any money, how can you work for a noble aim? I mean the
important, good causes!
Henry: Who
are you?
Randal: You
will know when we reach a deal.
Henry: [Thinking.] No thanks. I’m satisfied at this point,
and one valuable virtue is enough for me: honour.
Randal: Henry!
Honour is an old thing. It’s a game of trickery that
was played by kings and generals. Now is the time of wealth that brings glory.
Any miserable wretch can make it and enjoy it until the end of his life. Honour?
Which old-fashioned concept are you talking about? [Persistently.] This is a time of great chaos. It
is the time of conmen. You’re standing on your head and you don’t understand
what’s going on in this world. You don’t even know what’s going on in the town
you live in!
Henry: Mr.
Randal! Please.
Randal: Henry,
you only have this life. It is your only chance! To be wealthy or to live like
the other mice!
Henry: [Insistently.] Please … [He
turns to leave.]
Randal: OK.
[Drawing a gun and putting it on Henry’s temple.]
Henry: What
are you doing?
Randal: I
have revealed my plan to you. A plan that has consumed every
moment of fear, hope, agony, and anxiety. Every moment
of envy and jealousy, every moment of anger in my life.
Henry: You
won’t change my mind by threatening me.
Randal: [The
tickets fall and scatter on the ground.] Why not? If you prefer dust to gold! Henry!
Food is the easy way to riches, because the stomach, this ugly hole, is the
only voice that remains inside the human. Come. [Grabbing Henry by his arm and pushing him to
the right, with the gun still on his head.] Look at that crowd. It’s a drugged and
unconscious creature with one face, one shape and a blind brain apportioned to
three daily meals. It is an enormous power that devours. All of the factories
and farms are unable to keep up with the speed at which it chews. If you give
it cheap and quickly digestible food, you can play with its destiny, just like
a cat with a mouse.
Henry: You
can’t force me to do something I don’t want to do.
Randal: Listen
then. Listen to this noise, this clamor. The world is moving backwards. People
have become horrible, and it isn’t safe outside, ten million in one city. An odd mixture of two legged creatures!
Henry: Leave
me alone…
Randal: Ten
million digesting stomachs! The only thing that can upset them
is if they stop devouring.
Henry: You
can’t do that …
Randal: Ten
million enemies
competing with you for life, for a loaf of bread. Each one of them is greedy,
envying his neighbour for his house, his new car, his
job and even his accumulated debts. And as the number of people increases
around them, the greediness grows inside them. So, don’t tell me that you’re
happy and safe with this miserable shop.
Henry: [Still
under Randall’s control, looking and listening to the noise.]
Randal: Henry! The butter. If you knew how to buy the butter for twenty pence and sell it for four quid, you’d earn the first billion within two years. The first billion that makes you taste real life, you’d enjoy the power around you; which would inspire you to keep doubling each new billion added to your name. Then, you can be whatever you like; to be the law, the state, the church or life itself and, you can even be GOD[RH1] … if your soul sparkled in one of those serene moments.
Henry: That’s
enough.
Randal: No!
You’ll hear what you have closed your ears to.
Henry: Please…this
is hurting me.
Randal: Put
yourself among this crowd. The herd of three meals a day.
What would make you different from them? Nothing.
Nothing at all, and one day when the tax officer discovers a small mistake in
your books, or a smart dealer cheats you, [blowing] shooooh!
… your shop will blow with the wind, and you’ll be
left standing alone and vulnerable. [He takes the gun away
from Henry’s head.]
Henry: [Thinking
while he’s listening to the noise on the street and looking to the left.] Randal!
Randal: What?
Henry: [Confused.] You are pushing me towards
something inhuman.
Randal: Inhuman?
[Laughing.] Henry!
Humanity nowadays, is just a job like any other job, a job that made the
stars, celebrities and the wealthy. Their books that weep for humanity are
earning thousands of pounds. Look at what their stupid tears did. They put the
thief, the murderer and the fraud, in one boat with the innocent, the poor and
the gentle.
Henry: [Puzzled.] Randal?
Randal: I’ve
told you my opinion. Now you can keep being part of the rubbish, or progress to
a better position. [Getting ready to leave.]
Henry: [Shouting.] Randal! Let me think about it.
Randal: You’re
wasting my time. [He
heads to the left to leave.]
Henry: [Shouting.] Randal…!
Randal: What?
Henry: What
is the second part of your plan?
Randal: Why
have you changed your mind?
Henry: You’ll
know soon enough.
Randal: I
don’t like this. [Moving towards the right to
leave.]
Henry: [Grabs
the gun and puts it on Randal’s temple.] You won’t leave here before you tell me.
Randal: You
won’t get anything before I know your reasons.
Henry: The
main reason is Ch’ien-Lung.
Randal: What
is that?
Henry: [Takes
a photograph from his pocket and shows it to him.] This is the rarest stamp in the world. It is a
portrait of the Chinese Emperor Ch’ien-Lung. It was
engraved on wood in the Eighteenth Century. It is unique and there is no other
copy of it. I want to have it.
Randal: It
is just a picture without a frame.
Henry: But
the original is printed in stamp size. The experts value it as the most
expensive stamp in the world. Now, tell me the second part of your plan.
Randal: No.
Henry: Why
not?
Randal: Because
you’ll just want to bury your head in the sand.
Henry: It
is just the beginning.
Randal: You
don’t fool me! If you want to begin, you have to follow my rules. Good-bye. [Makes to leave.]
Henry: [Calling upon him.] Randal!
Randal: What?
Henry: You’re
damned.
Randal: And
you’re a coward, who’s tied himself to the old banalities. Don’t shout after me
if I turn to go!
Henry: Ok.
Randal: So
you completely agree?
Henry: Yes.
What’s the second part of the plan? How does it begin?
Randal: Very
easily. Even honour will not be strong enough to
resist it.
Scene Two
The same place, at night.
Singing
from above:
Hunter shelter from the rain,
A rabbit came once and again,
Away away, the hunter
said,
A giant leopard will find you,
So my day will terribly end…
Another
voice from faraway:
Who is there?
[Diamond and Jewel enter, Africans, in their
twenties.]
Diamond: Nobody
here mates, I told you!
Jewel: But
I heard a white voice singing.
Diamond: Stop
being scared mate.
Jewel: [Angrily] Don’t call
my carefulness fear. I don’t like this. I heard a white man chattering.
Diamond: The
whites’ ghosts are always raving at night, mate. I didn’t say you were scared.
[Metal tools creaking. Both of them shrink down.]
Jewel: [Whispering.] See?
Diamond: Shhh…
Jewel: I
don’t like their chattering.
Diamond: [Startled.] I said shut up.
Jewel: You
are also scared mate!
Diamond: Who?
Me? Shit.
Jewel: Let’s
go.
Diamond: Yes,
let’s go.
[Freezing at their place, as they
hear something moving down the street. Khan and Zahid enter
– they are also in their twenties.]
Khan Hi...
Diamond: They
are just two Asian squirrels. [Then
he and Jewel laugh.]
Hi guys. What’s your name, mate?
Khan: Nobody.
Diamond: [He
offers his hand.] Nice to meet you. My name is also nobody. What do you
think about a quick job for a pint of beer?
Khan: What’s
your plan?
Zahid: [Whispering
to Khan.] I don’t trust blacks.
Khan: Let’s
listen first.
Diamond: The
till of the snack shop down the street, or a passenger coming out of the tube
station.
Jewel: [Whispering
to Diamond.] Why
did you tell them our plan, mate? They’ll do it themselves.
Diamond: Shut
up. I know these scary squirrels. They only steal from their own people; I just
want to push them away.
Jewel: I
hate the smell of Asians it stinks of dishonesty. You know it!
Diamond: One
moment. [Then to Khan.] What did you say, mate?
Khan:
Sorry, we don’t rob.
Diamond: [Hits
Jewel on his head.] I told you! [Then
to Khan.]
Come on mate, don’t play with me, why are you here then?
Khan: We
were just passing by.
Diamond: Oh
mate, you didn’t pass by this place for no reason. Did you?
Khan: We
have no reason, I said.
Diamond: Are
you looking for a BMW to go back home with? [Gives
him a set of keys.] Help yourself, and then give them
back to me.
Khan: I
don’t need your help. I have my own car.
Diamond: Stolen
or bought?
Khan: I
said my own car! I found a job two months ago, so I bought a Suzuki Jeep.
Diamond: Wow!
If I worked one day, I wouldn’t waste the money on buying a car. [Shaking the set of keys in front of Khan’s face.] All right, don’t tell me that
you’re here at this time of night just looking for romantic sights … you two
Asian squirrels!
Khan: [Threateningly] Don’t say
that again! Or...
Jewel: Or
what?? [The atmosphere gets tense; each one puts his hand on
his hidden sidearm to get ready.]
[The same creaks, frightening
them all.]
Jewel: Something
is worrying me mate! Don’t tell me it’s the whites’ ghosts hitting each other
with hammers at night.
[Robin and his group are arriving –
Robin and his girlfriend Jenny, then Tracky.]
Robin: The
church is full with priests but no one is praying! Hi boys.
Diamond: Hi
Robin.
Robin: Do
you know me?!
Diamond: Last
weekend we were at the same pub, mate!
Jenny: [Talking
nicely to Jewel.]
Do you have some of it, love?
Robin: Shut
up!
Jenny: [Gets the change out of her
bucket.] I don’t
have any more!
Jewel: Sorry
love, this is nothing.
Robin: Jenny,
you need a kick, do you know?
Khan: Oi girl, we have a bit of cannabis, do you want some?
Jenny: Go
on then, love.
Khan: [Counts the change in her
hand.] It’s not
enough.
Jenny: I
asked for one puff, love, not half a kilo!
Khan: I
know. Five quid each.
Jenny: What,
are you crazy?
Khan: This
is the evening price, girl.
Jenny: Have
you opened your corner shop now? Take this quid and give me one.
Khan: Sorry.
You can’t get it easily at this time.
Robin: [Shouting to her.] Jenny!
Jenny: Go
on, just a puff.
Robin: [Gives
her his can of beer.] Take this for now.
[Zahid and khan
withdraw backwards.]
Khan: OK
guys, we’re late, bye …
Diamond: Don’t
disturb the good vibes at the tube entrance, squirrel brothers. Remember, it is
my portion for tonight.
[Khan and Zahid leave
and head to the left.]
Robin: OK
boys, what’s going on? Are you waiting for
something? The milk your mothers have made for you will
be getting cold.
Diamond: Oh
mate! We’re not those kind of guys. If you have a
target then, we can work together.
Jenny: Why
not Robin! [Then to Jewel while she stretches out her hand with
the change.] A small toke.... For
good faith, love.
[Robin looks at her angrily.]
Jewel: This
is not enough, love. It doesn’t cover the cost.
Tracky: Robin!
Tell them about the Mire’s house that’s surrounded by alarms, and let’s see if
their legs are as fast as they appear to be.
Diamond: You’re
dealing with hard men, mate. Tell us your plan and we’ll go first/we’ll take
charge/we'll take control.
Tracky: Robin!
Robin: I
don’t like working with these tossers.
Jenny: Robin,
give me some change.
Robin: Finish
your beer and we’ll see.
Jenny: [Throwing
the can at the wall and shouting.] I don’t want
this thing, it spins my head, I told you Robin. I
can’t walk without it, and you’re not doing anything, just rambling and
rambling and rambling on these dirty roads.
Robin: Calm
down Bitch.
Jenny: [Loudly.] I need it...!
[Robin beats her.]
Jewel: Honestly, I bought it from the dealer
for ten quid!
[A woman’s voice heard from faraway, worrying
them all.]
The voice: Help,
help …
Jenny: What
is that voice? It reminds me of someone, a person I’ve talked to before. [Squeezes her head trying to remember, as she makes to
leave to the left.]
Robin: Where
are you going?
Jenny: Oh
damn! My head is full of straw, straw and nothing else.
[Silence in the street again.]
Robin: OK
boys; are you ready to work together?
Diamond: What
do you have?
Robin: Look
over there, the old Mire’s house is on the corner, its
ground windows are easily shattered. Two bops on the nose and the old biddy
will tell us about her savings.
Diamond: Oh
mate, what do you expect from those coffin dodgers, twenty quid or thirty? Oh
mate. With one scam in the tube I’d get triple, without the annoying screams.
We want fast and safe burglaries[RH2].
Robin: You
want something that you can run after, like a rabbit.
[Sound of a dragging bag. Jewel panicky pushes
himself towards Diamond.]
Jewel: Let’s
leave this place mate.
Isabelle’s
voice singing:
The right hand grips a bouquet,
The left hand’s full of scents,
From
Williams’ bright hands carry for me.
Flowers and fragrance.
Every morning and afternoon…
[Isabelle enters – in her fifties - pulling a
big bag. She’s mad about picking the rubbish up from the streets.]
Jenny: I’ve
remembered! It’s Isabelle!
Diamond: Who’s
she?
Tracky: The
crazy Isabelle.
Diamond: What
is she doing?
Tracky: Cleaning
the roads, don’t you see?
Jenny: Hi
Isabelle!
Isabelle: Hello
good boys. You’re not throwing trash on
Jenny: Of
course not. Were you crying?
Isabelle: Two
bad boys attacked me.
Jenny: Who
were they?
Isabelle: I
don’t know. I told them, take this bread if you’re hungry, but they were after
the change in my pockets.
Diamond: The
squirrels, for sure.
Isabelle: I
told them that I don’t care about money; there is enough bread for all of us.
They didn’t believe me, and then they began to search my pockets. I was afraid
that they might go further, you know.
Jenny: I’m
sorry for you Isabelle …
Isabelle: [Whispering
to Jenny.] I called for Williams to protect me, but he went to hunt foxes in
Jenny: I’m
sure of that.
Isabelle: You’re
a good girl; don’t throw rubbish on the ground. [Starts
picking up the litter.]
Jewel: [Teasing.] Is she one of the night cleaning crew, or what?
Diamond: Idiot!
Don’t you see that she’s self-employed?
[Laughing with Jewel.]
Jenny: Isabelle,
you’re really beautiful.
Isabelle: Thank
you. Williams used to say to me “You’re beautiful like
Diamond: This
is the strangest kind of madness I’ve ever seen! Woman, what’s the difference
if this damn city is clean or dirty? Who cares?
Isabelle: Don’t
say that gentleman. I feel so sad when I see this filth on the streets and in
front of houses.
Diamond: Ever
since I opened my eyes,
Isabelle: Please
mister,
Jewel: She’s
really funny. Hey … Woman, here’s something to mess with.
[He gets the dirty used tissues out from his
pocket, spits on them and throws them on the ground. Isabelle picks them up
mechanically.]
Isabelle: Be
good boys, and put rubbish in its place.
Jewel: [Carrying
on with his game.]
Here, there, here, woman.
Tracky: [He
also fancies playing the game, and starts to pick up rubbish from the ground
and throws it in front of and behind her, while she spins around.] Here … here…woman!
Jenny: [Warning.] Stop it, you idiots.
Jewel: She
enjoys her work, don’t you see?
Jenny: Stop
it you fools, don’t you know who she is?
Jewel: Who?
Jenny: Silly
boy. She was the most beautiful woman in
Jewel: So
what? She’s a crazy woman now. We can
have fun with her for a while.
Jenny: You’re
selfish and a savage. [She kicks him.]
Diamond: Stop
doing that. Stop it.
Robin: [To
his mates.] OK
boys, Mire has switched off her lights, let’s check out the area before we get
started.
[Robin and his mates leaving.]
Diamond: Jewel,
come on, let’s go. [They leave.]
[Isabelle, alone. After she finishes cleaning the
place, puts a weary old mat beside a wall and goes to sleep. The lamp switches
on at the top of the post, the light spreads across
the street.]
The
same voice as at the beginning of the scene:
Away away, the hunter
said,
A giant leopard chasing you,
So my day will terribly end…
[An electrician climbs down from the lamp post,
after he’s finished his work, and settles on the ground.]
The electrician: I didn’t see anything. I
didn’t hear anything. It doesn’t matter to me. Stretch your work hours during
the day to get overtime hours at night. That’s my principle. [As
he makes to move, the light turns off again.] OK, tomorrow we’ll see what the real problem
is.
Scene Three
A big office that
overlooks the
[Henry comes in, followed by his secretary Mrs.
Cope.]
Henry: Reschedule
the meeting with the supermarkets managers to this afternoon. I want to meet
Mr. McQueen alone and I don’t know how long the meeting is going to take. [Sitting behind his desk.]
Mrs.Cope: Would you have a look at these
papers before Mr. McQueen comes?
Henry: Sure.
[Whilst reviewing and signing some papers.] Write to the milk supplier and tell
him that we won’t be buying their milk from next month onwards, as we’ll buy
the factory and the cows, if they make us a good offer. Tell Mr. Clement that
the clothes in our factories should also be subjected to the same principle as
the butter, and we insist on that.
Mrs. Cope: OK, I’ll do that.
Henry: And,
when Mr. Boyd arrives, let him in directly. [He gives her the papers that
he has just finished.]
And don’t bring the tea even if I ask for it. I want him to be obsessed with
the taste of the milk and cookies during the negotiations.
Mrs. Cope: All right.
Henry: That’s
all. Thank you Mrs. Cope. [She leaves.]
[Janet - Henry’s wife - comes in, kisses her
husband, and heads towards the window to look at the view of the river.]
Henry: How
was your journey?
Janet: The
same awful traffic jam.
Henry: I
think we need another method.
Janet: What’s
on your mind?
Henry: I’ll
tell you at the right time. The photographer might arrive at any moment.
Janet: Henry,
you know, I’m starting to get bored of this. Photos at home, photos in the
garden, photos in your office, photos with the kids and photos without them…
Henry: This
is part of our new life, darling.
Janet: It’s
too much, and so silly.
Henry: You
look at it this way because your eyes can’t bear the flashes and lights, but
you know it is at the heart of my business. People like to know about our
private life, and often when we smile for them in pictures, they flock to my
projects and markets.
Janet: Their
demands never stop. That’s what worries me.
Henry: Sooner
or later, we’ll govern their passions and demands, darling.
Janet: That
is an illusion. They’ll keep hunting for every single detail about our lives
and nothing will stop their curiosity.
Henry: For
us, their curiosity revives their desire in our product.
Janet: You
made me feel like a fool. Last time my eyes hurt me when you allowed the
photographer to use a strong light.
Henry: I
shouldn’t tell the photographer what to do. It’s his work. Janet
my dear, why don’t we discuss this matter seriously?
Janet: How?
Henry: You
need to have your eyes checked Janet.
Janet: My
eyes are all right. They’re just sensitive to flashes. You know that.
Henry: I
know, but I’m thinking of an advanced check up in the
Janet: Why
is that?
Henry: I
have received some information from a specialist about a minor operation that
uses laser radiation, which would end your problem, once and for all.
Janet: A
laser operation for a little sensitivity?!
Henry: It
only takes three hours. We’ll be beside you, the kids and I.
Janet: I
don’t want to take the risk.
Henry: The
best expert would supervise the operation.
Janet: Please!
Henry: And
then all the TV or newspaper interviews wouldn’t seem so awful for you.
Janet: Why
you are insisting?
Henry: I’m
trying to simplify things for you. That’s all.
Janet: You
know that my eyes are fine except with those damned lights, why... Why do you
want to expose them to this risk?
Henry: There
is no danger, believe me. I’m willing to pay half a million dollars for this
operation!
Janet: Oh…
No, this whole matter frightens me.
Henry: We
have to look forward… Janet! My God! You don’t understand what I’m saying! We have to cope with our life, to enjoy it to
the greatest extent possible.
Janet: We
do enjoy it, so why should we take extreme measures? What’s beyond this?
Henry: Something
bigger. More happiness, if we could just accept/understand the new situation.
Janet: No
Henry, please. I’ve accepted so many things that I didn’t like, that I wasn’t
even convinced by. Keep me away from [RH3]this eye surgery and from standing
in front of the camera lights.
Henry: Lights
are part of our new lifestyle darling.
Janet: But
it’s an odd lifestyle, isn’t it?
Henry: It
seems odd because you haven’t really accepted it.
Janet: I
can’t.
Henry: We’ll
be isolated from the others because of this.
Janet: We
are not isolated, we have friends and relatives, we love them and they love us.
Henry: I
mean isolated from [RH4]the lives of the rich and VIPs and
prevented from winning their friendship too.
Janet: What
can I do? I don’t like those people.
Henry: They
are human beings too. If they are wealthy it doesn’t mean that they are aliens.
Janet: Sometimes
I don’t get you.
Henry: Why?
Janet: You’ve
lost a lot of your kindness since you began earning these millions from the
food stores.
Henry: I
didn’t lose anything, my dear. You’ve just become obstinate.
Janet: Don’t
you see how fast you’re hurtling forwards?
Henry: This
is the rule of business; you have to grow quickly so no one bigger than you can
swallow you.
Janet: Who
said that?
Henry: Randal.
Janet: Randal
again? [Pause.] Anyway, the photographer hasn’t come yet; I
have to go to the school.
Henry: [Speaking
to Mrs. Cope by phone.] Mrs. Cope, have you heard anything from the photographers? OK then.
Thank you. [To Janet.] They will arrive within half an hour. The
traffic delayed them.
Janet: I
can’t wait. I have to go.
Henry: Give
them a ring please.
Janet: No,
I’ve been absent too many times.
Henry: We
agreed that this job was just to occupy your time, not to be an obstacle for my
big projects.
Janet: I
like teaching and mixing with my colleagues and the kids and if I agreed to
something in a moment of excitement, that does not mean leaving my job.
Henry: Half
an hour please.
Janet: I
can’t Henry. Have a nice day. [Kisses him and leaves.]
Henry: [Alone
looking at the river.] Does she really love her job, or does she just want to enjoy the money
without having to change her habits?
Mrs. Cope: [At the door.] Mr. Boyd.
Henry: Let
him in.
[Mr. Boyd comes in – in his sixties.]
Mr. Boyd: Mr.
Selmer. Good morning.
Henry: Good
morning to you Mr. Boyd. [To Mrs. Cope.] Tea for Mr. Boyd
please.
Mrs. Cope: Of course. [Leaves
and shuts the door.]
Mr. Boyd: A young man, as I expected!
Henry: I’m
a little over thirty.
Mr. Boyd: [Kidding.] Not more than four years!
Henry: [Laughing.] Your eyes don’t deceive you.
Mr. Boyd: Anyway,
don’t push yourself closer to the abyss of old age … Frankly, I don’t have any
problems with the young businessmen, but I have started feeling like a stranger
among them, not just because of my age, but also because of the money that
grows in their hands so quickly. Is this great opportunity to get to know you,
a chance to talk about the corn as well?
Henry: Yes
it is, if you don’t mind.
Mr. Boyd: Of
course not, because behind some of my business there is something, call it
excitement, or love. The things that I
deal with, I touch with my hand to figure out its size and its shape, and
sometimes I smell it, and corn is one of these things. Therefore, you’ll find
that I am very happy while we’re talking about corn.
Henry: I’m
ready, and we can start talking about the good background of our work. [RH5]
Mr. Boyd, I have a big project to support charity associations.
Mr. Boyd: Charity?
Henry: Yes,
feeding a huge number of homeless people who believe in the churches in order
to get a hot sip of soup during winter. You won’t participate financially, but
I’m sure that you’ll look upon my approach with kindness in some way.
Mr. Boyd: How
is that?
Henry: I
want to buy your farms.
Mr. Boyd: I
sell the products from my farms, not the farms themselves.
Henry: I
want the corn and the land.
Mr. Boyd: Why
is that?
Henry: It
is essential to my project.
Mr. Boyd: Don’t
tell me that you’ll turn all the crops into a soup for charity!
Henry: [Smiling.] Not exactly.
Mr. Boyd: Part
of them?
Henry: A
small part of them.
Mr. Boyd: I
get it. In this case you won’t leave me any role to play, according to what you
have said.
Henry: On
the contrary, it will be a prominent role.
Mr. Boyd: I
thought of myself as a stranger among young businessmen, now I’ve discovered
that I’m artless too. Mr. Selmer, let’s talk about two of my farms.
Henry: I
want them all.
Mr. Boyd: I
haven’t said I would sell and you have already put down your conditions?
Henry: Because
I know that you have thought about selling some of them, I want them all. I
have a great offer.
Mr. Boyd: Mr.
Selmer, I like feeling the things I own and, appreciating their existence. Corn
is one of these things. The sight of the spikes of corn spread out over large
expanses of land, the smell that is left on my hands after grabbing a bunch of
it. How valuable this is to me! You might consider it as a weakness, but I
inherited it from my agricultural family.
Henry: I
can imagine.
Mr. Boyd: No,
if you’ve seen how I walk or sleep, sometimes, between the spikes of corn, even
at this age. You might say that I am mad, but I like it, and I don’t care what
you might say, so, I’ll keep three farms … for my madness and business, and
we’ll talk about the rest.
Henry: I’ll
offer you double of what Murphy offered you.
Mr. Boyd: [Astonished.] Why do you want to own all the corn
in
Henry: The
soup Mr. Boyd. I want all the soup to go to the English people from one door:
this door and only this door.
Mr. Boyd:
You can’t do that. It’s
impossible.
Henry: Impossible!
I am highly experienced with this word. Mr. Boyd, you’ll stand beside me in
front of the TV cameras, to announce – as partners - the donation of soup to
church kitchens in
Mr. Boyd: I
won’t need these games. I have enough experience to manage on my terms.
Henry: This
is one of the conditions of the deal.
Mr. Boyd: I’ll
sell you some of my farms but not myself.
Henry: I
want them both.
Mr. Boyd: No,
this is too much.
Henry: Triple
of what Mr. Murphy offered?
Mr. Boyd: It
seems that you don’t want to understand that people have a need for these
little things, which sustain them.
Henry: I
realise one thing – and you know it - that the price
of corn will decrease by half, and you’ll find it very difficult to buy fuel
for your machines.
Mr. Boyd: Tell
me, did you order the tea from The Grand Hotel?
Henry: Oh,
I’m sorry. [By phone.] Mrs. Cope, the tea please.
Mr. Boyd: OK,
let’s save time. Leave me three farms.
Henry: All
of them.
Mr. Boyd: [Talking to himself]
I thought that I would drive this boy with only two fingers.
Henry: [Smiling.] What did you say?
Mr. Boyd: Mr.
Selmer, we have to look at our human weakness fairly!
Henry: In
business we have to avoid such words; fair, honest, moral … because they push
us into situations that we can’t step back from easily.
Mr. Boyd: I
need to take a tablet to balance the sugar in my blood. [Gets
the bottle of tablets out of his pocket and swallows one of them.] Leave me two of them.
Henry: All
of them.
[Pause.]
Mr. Boyd: [Standing
up.] There is one
farm down the hill, it has a special significance to me, and I don’t have to
tell you why. If you don’t want to exclude it from the deal, then there will
not be a deal.
Henry: OK.
[By phone.] Mrs. Cope, the tea please.
Now.
Mr. Boyd: Thank
you. [Gets up.] I’ll have my tea at home.
Henry: Do
you want a lift? I’m on my way to the opening of my new supermarket in the
Mr. Boyd: OK.
I was thinking of taking a taxi.
Henry: Give
me a couple of minutes and I’ll be ready.
Mr. Boyd: Driving
among those kids makes me feel humiliated therefore I don’t use my car any
more, only on Sundays.
Henry: You’re
right. [Gesturing to him to get out.]
Please.
Mr. Boyd: Thank
you. One thing Mr. Selmer!
Henry: Please.
Mr. Boyd: It’s
about good causes. What does God mean to you?
Henry: What
does God mean? God means time; the time I spend
working, the time that I enjoy, and the time that I live on this earth.
Scene Four
The same office. Henry is sleeping on the sofa after
working all night.
[Mrs.
Cope comes in carrying her handbag.]
Mrs.
Cope: He’s working, always working, day and night, every two hours he asks me
to get the latest bank statement to see if he’s earned his first billion yet.
Poor Mr. Selmer, his father! He was satisfied with the little he had and he was
happy with his life and his business. He used to say to me: Dear Donna, a real
smile for the customers, I don’t want to clear out their pockets, a little
smile from them is quite enough to give me peace of mind, so I can relax while
having my dinner with my family. This boy has changed a lot, and keeps changing
every day.
[She
wakes Henry up.]
Mr. Selmer, Mr. Selmer...
Henry: What?
Mrs. Cope: Good morning. It’s eight o’clock.
Henry: [Sits at the edge of the
sofa.] Good morning
Mrs. Cope … what time did you say it was?
Mrs. Cope: Eight o’clock. I’ll make you a cup
of coffee.
Henry: Before
that, I’d like you to take the work that I did last night. [Searching
among the files on the coffee table.] It was a fruitful night for the poultry
project. This plan is for the typist; ask her to prepare copies for the
marketing management staff, and to arrange a meeting with them at 7 o’clock.
Mr. Cope: OK
sir.
Henry: I’m
seeing Mr. Woodward, one of the agriculture commission directors, for a
business dinner today. Write that down in your agenda.
Mrs. Cope: Sure.
Henry: [Standing behind the window
and looking down at the street.] Mrs. Cope, do you remember the old woman that we sometimes saw sleeping
in front of the stamp shop in Hammersmith?
Mrs. Cope: Yes I do.
Henry: Last
night when I was coming back from the restaurant, I found her sleeping beside
the door of the building. What’s brought her to the city?
Mrs. Cope: Looking for the warm in the cracks
of the pavements.
Henry: That’s
what I thought too. Pay for someone to move her away, to
Mrs. Cope: OK Sir. But can I know why, in case
I get asked?
Henry: We
sell processed food. I don’t want the African businessmen who are coming next
week to see this ugly scene in front of the building and you might as well do
something about the rubbish that hasn’t been collected.
Mrs. Cope: We can’t do anything about that. I’ve
tried to do something, but it was useless.
Henry: In
that case … ask the management to move the office up to the next floor. Let
them do it this weekend.
Mrs. Cope: OK.
Henry: We
should work according to this principle: As the rubbish increases around us, we
move one more floor up from the ground. Now give me ten minutes to wash my
face.
[He goes
to an attached room, then he stops when he notices Mrs. Cope is still there.]
Henry: What?
Mrs. Cope: I don’t know how to say this … but
you’re exhausting yourself with work! With the appointments that I arranged
yesterday, you’ll run from one place to another without any break.
Henry: I
appreciate that, Mrs. Cope, and don’t worry about me. The human being is one of
nature’s powerhouses, like trees, mountains, air. Like rivers, digging their
way through the rocks, deeply and widely, to become longer and longer until
they are giants and nothing can obstruct them. So, please don’t repeat this
exhausting story every day.
Mrs. Cope: OK sir.
Henry: [Near
the
[After a
while, Alison appears at the doorway. Thirty-five years old. First her head
appears, and then she enters.]
Alison: Wow
… what a luxurious office! And this beautiful view! The so shy Henry, the big
idealist who teased me about talking about ambition and money… look at what he
owns now! A whole floor crowded with employees and secretaries, who was expecting that!
[Mrs.
Cope comes in with the coffee.]
Mrs. Cope: Who are you?
Alison: My
name is Alison.
Mrs. Cope: What
are you doing here?
Alison: I
just wanted to see Henry. Don’t be angry, he knows me very well, I was his
class mate and …
Mrs. Cope: It’s incredible. Who let you in?
Alison: Take
it easy. I got in with one of the employees who pointed your desk out to me.
But you weren’t there, so I thought I’d surprise him.
Mrs. Cope: Oh … It’s horrible! You shouldn’t
have done that.
Alison: I’m
sorry if I went a bit far.
Mrs. Cope: A bit! Oh my god, what has happened
to people’s behaviour!
Now you will have to wait in my office to see if I can book you an appointment
on another day.
Alison: I’m
sure that he won’t shoot you if he finds me here without an appointment!
Mrs. Cope: How dare you! Please … out.
[Henry
comes out of the attached room.]
Henry: What’s
going on?
Mrs. Cope: This lady sneaked into your office …
Alison: [At
the same time.] Hi!
Henry: Alison
…
Alison: I
came to see you without an appointment, that’s all.
Mrs. Cope: What rudeness!
Henry: It’s
Ok Mrs. Cope.
[Mrs. Cope goes out angrily.]
Alison: Aren’t
you going to ask how am I?
Henry: You’ve
surprised me with this visit. How are you doing?
Alison: I’m
happy to see you again. It’s been a long time.
Henry: Yes.
You haven’t changed a bit.
Alison: Nor
you. You still look after your appearance. I always liked the colours you chose. But those flecks of
grey in your hair…
Henry: Really!
Alison: I
was always pleased for you every time I saw your picture and your news on the
front page in
Henry: Yes,
why not? You were in
Alison: Yes
I was. Though I’ve had plenty of bad luck, believe me, I haven’t given up yet.
Henry: I
know that you are not a person who accepts the little of what life gives. Would
you like some coffee?
Alison: No,
thank you. [Pause.] I’m sure that you are happy with her.
Henry: Who?
Alison: Your
wife!
Henry: Yes
…
Alison: But
why does she look panicky standing beside you in the pictures?
Henry: So,
you really were tracking us.
Alison: The
media follows you everywhere.
Henry: Janet’s
eyes are very sensitive to the lights. She has eventually agreed after
resisting for a long time to have laser surgery in the
Alison: Tell
me … [laughing] without lying, is she really supporting you as
it appears in your pictures?
Henry: Yes,
she is, in some ways. We have two children, a boy and a girl.
Alison: I
know. The media tells us everything about your life; therefore I buy the
newspaper every day. [Pause.] To be honest, your pictures made my life
really miserable.
Henry: I’m
sorry about that.
Alison: But
you never asked about me did you? No, no, I don’t want to embarrass you.
Henry: Alison,
it was teenage stuff and that time is over now.
Alison: I
looked at it that way… before those damned pictures started burning/torturing[RH6] my mind every day.
Henry: I
hope the past hasn’t disappointed you.
Alison: Disappointment?
No, it’s something else, it wasn’t you. The fact is that your parents rejected
me. Passionately rejected me and pushed you, because of heir values/morals to
marry another woman. But when I started reading about the huge profits that you
were making, I started asking why you agreed to your parents’ wishes then? Why
did you yield without any sign of disagreement? How come they considered my
ambitions to be worse than what you’re doing now?
Henry: Alison
…
Alison: No,
no need to apologise or to justify anything.
[The telephone rings.]
Henry: [Answers.] Yes Mrs. Cope! OK, a bit later. [Puts the handset down.] Alison, now we don’t believe in
what they call fate. But we should admit that what happened then just confused
our young minds, that’s all.
Alison: I
said no justifications.
Henry: I
just want to clarify …
Alison: No,
I can get in and out your mind without your help. I don’t need clarifications.
We’ve got the same nature, I was braver than you but less fortunate, that’s
all. You became a millionaire in less than five years, and you are expected to
be a billionaire soon. I’m happy for your success, believe me.
Henry: Please
then, let me give you a hand to overcome what you call bad luck. I can support
you in any project you would like to do in
Alison: I
have left
Henry: How?
Just tell me.
Alison: Find
me a job, here, in
Henry: In
Alison: I
meant this office.
Henry: Why
exactly here?
Alison: I
want to stand beside you, to support you in your work. That’s what really
attracted me more than anything else.
Henry: Alison!
…
Alison: Forget
the past. We are similar, you know that, we’re twins but nature planted us in
two different wombs. I won’t compete with your wife for the fame, let her look
after her silly teaching job, just use her for the lights and cameras after you
have repaired her sickly eyes. But I’ll be an extra eye in your head, taking
care of your business. Trust me Henry.
Henry: But
…
Alison: Let
us forget the past. I’ve learned, toured, experienced many jobs and I’ve met
different kinds of people, and I have realised that
the world is so small, you can put all its treasures and money in one pocket,
all you need to have is a strong liver and a big stomach, a stomach as big as a
whale’s … and I’m sure that you do.
Henry: [Thinking
consciously.] …
Alison: You’ll
reach it alone, no doubt, but not as quickly as you want. I’m the one who could
clear out the heavy and hard rocks from your path. What is making you afraid
and hesitant to accept me beside you?
Henry: I
don’t know … Or maybe it’s the new idiom that you are using.
Alison: [Laughing.] But you know that I was always
interested in books and reading. It’s only twelve years ago
how could you forget that about me?
Henry: And
there you were ratting the pupils’ behavior to the
headmaster for an extra portion of biscuits, even though your mother filled
your bag with biscuits and cake!
Alison: [Laughing.] Because getting
their portion amused me. Besides, I have never ratted on you, and you, yourself often enjoyed their biscuits, have you forgotten
that? It was you who used to say that all parents’ tales about punishment on
doomsday were ridiculous. Have you forgotten? Henry! You enjoyed all my
takings, and kept your hands clean. You have no right to sit in the priest
chair now.
[The
phone rings incessantly.]
Henry: [By
phone.] Yes Mrs.
Cope. Another moment please. No, I’m fine. [Puts the handset down.] OK, let’s work together. Which
department do you want?
Alison: Any
small desk close to your office, and tell your
emaciated secretary that I can come in and out of this door whenever I like.
Henry: Certainly.
Alison: See
you tomorrow then. [Goes out.]
Henry: She’s
intelligent, ambitious, but she moves like a tornado, that’s what frightens me.
Anyway, she is beneficial for me and I can move her as I like. [Hold his head suddenly.] Aah …the
dizziness again! [Sits behind his desk searching among the
files, while still holding his head.] Where is Mr. Boyd’s file? Let’s
try her with it tomorrow. That’s it, old Mr. Boyd is a stubborn man, I’ll see
what can she do with him.
[Mrs.
Cope goes in with the medicine and a cup of water.]
Mrs. Cope: You’re supposed to have your bedtime
medicine Mr. Selmer! Are you suffering from a headache?
Henry: It’s
a sort of dizziness this time.
Mrs. Cope: In that case you have to follow the
doctor’s instructions.
Henry: [Takes
the medicine.] Thank you Mrs. Cope.
Mrs. Cope: Next time, would you mind if I bring
you your medication, even during meetings?
Henry: Of
course not. Thank you for this, you are as faithful to me as you were to my
father.
Mrs. Cope: It’s my duty.
Henry: Why
do you call it a duty? I can’t find that sort of faithfulness, even when I pay
for it.
Mrs. Cope: It was to Mr. Selmer, because he
taught me a lot in this life.
Henry: [Smiles.] This is the issue then! [Pauses.] One thing still confuses me, Mrs. Cope. As I
paid people for their services, their faith declined, why?
Mrs. Cope: Work these days has become
merciless, that’s why, only those with a hyena’s
nature are attracted to it. Would you like to postpone your visit to the new
supermarket until you are better?
Henry: No,
I’ll go. I want to see the customers queuing at the tills. I want to see how
interested they are in the soup. As you know, I have put a lot into this
project. I enjoy watching the movements of the cashier’s hands and hearing the
noisy scanners. I know that you don’t like business, because you used to work
as an assistant for my father, then for me at the stamp shop. But business
doesn’t only mean profits. Behind it, there is the excitement of competing
against others for the profit and the winning. Grasping a bargain that others
are gambling and maneuvering to get. It’s more than the money that comes from
the projects themselves. Ordinary people don’t understand the essence of
business, so they call profits greediness. It’s not like that. The attraction
comes with the wheeling and dealing while playing with the money. Now, what
shall we do?
Mrs. Cope: Ten minutes, interview for the TV,
while you’re moving between the employees’ desks.
Henry: OK,
I’ll follow you. [She goes out. Henry puts on his jacket and follows
her.]
[Pause. Janet comes in, followed by Mrs. Cope.]
Mrs. Cope: Come in please, it will be over any
minute now.
Janet: Thank
you.
Mrs. Cope: Would you like a cup of tea?
Janet: No,
thanks. [Pause.] Mrs. Cope, I’m embarrassed to ask,
did Henry really spend last night here? I mean ... he gets back home so late
these days and, sometimes he stays at the office.
Mrs. Cope: Yes, actually. Don’t let this upset
you. He’s obsessed with work. I was thinking about calling you Mrs. Selmer.
Janet: What
about?
Mrs. Cope: About my staying here. I’m thinking
of resigning.
Janet: Why?
Mrs. Cope: The work has become more than I can
handle. Mr. Selmer needs a young woman for his secretary. I’ve worked with this
family for thirty years and I have to admit that I don’t mind them at all,
they‘ve been so generous with me, but I’ve started feeling my age, my legs
can’t stand the running around all day.
Janet: Have
you told Henry about this?
Mrs. Cope: Not yet. I wanted to tell you first
so you could understand my reasons.
Janet: So
don’t tell him, please. He needs you; I also rely on your being here.
Mrs. Cope: But he really needs a young woman, someone
more active and patient than me. We began with one supermarket. Now I can’t
even count the number of supermarkets, factories, farms, restaurants, and the
companies he runs. This is too much for a woman of my age.
Janet: Don’t
do this now, please. Ask him to employ more people under your supervision. I’m
sure he’ll do that. Henry depends on you.
Mrs. Cope: I don’t know if I can manage to do
all this work.
Janet: Please.
By the way, who’s Alison? Is she his new assistant? She calls him even at
weekends; he talks to her about business a lot.
Mrs. Cope: God help us with this sort of women.
She moves like a hungry fox seeking food, but once she gets it she leaves it
looking for something else. Mr. Selmer relies too much on her advice.
Janet: I’ll
tell you something in private Mrs. Cope; I have
problems with Henry. [Laughing.] He finds me stubborn, but he,
himself doesn’t accept any discussion about his demands and wishes. If he wants
something, I’m supposed to accept it straight away, and if I discuss it with
him, he considers me to be rebellious. He is so hard, but I don’t want my
family to be ruined, therefore I put up with him.
Henry;
the kind, the tolerant, now only hears what he wants, and if I say I don’t like
this, he pours money over me to convince me. I’m so tired, but I can’t leave
him alone now. Mrs. Cope, you’ve always been part of the Selmer family, I’m
sure you will not leave him now, will you? The doctor says that the headache
he’s suffering from is serious and it’s caused by his tiredness.
[Henry comes in.]
Henry: Hello
sweetheart. [Then to Mrs. Cope] Tell the central bakery that the TV crew will
visit them this afternoon to film the new way of making bread and biscuits.
Mrs. Cope: OK [She goes out.]
Henry: I’m
glad that you’re here. I have prepared something; I hope it’ll please you.
Janet: What?
Henry: [Looking
at his watch.] Just
wait for a couple of minutes. I intended to meet you at the school.
Janet: Henry,
I’ve lost my job at the school.
Henry: Really!
Janet: They
told me this morning that there were going to be some redundancies.
Henry: I’m
sorry about that darling.
Janet: But
I’m the only one out of the whole staff who has been sacked.
Henry: I’m
really sorry.
Janet: I’m
so sad.
Henry: I
don’t think you need to be that sad.
Janet: You
know how much I love teaching, and how it fills my time! Do something … please.
Henry: What
can I do?
Janet: You
gave Mr. Smith a donation for the school.
Henry: I
had forgotten that. But that wouldn’t allow me to interfere.
Janet: Why
wouldn’t it? If you just talk to him, he’ll reverse the decision.
Henry: Please
Janet!
Janet: Henry,
my dismissal isn’t normal, even the teachers found it really weird that I’m the
only one who has been targeted by this decision!
Henry: Forget
about this job sweetheart, you can do many things; I’ll fill your time with
useful social engagements, enjoyment and tourism. So don’t be depressed about
this job. What about making your stay in
Janet: Not
before talking to Mr. Smith.
Henry: Two
months with the kids in a yacht sailing around the Western coast, from
Janet: No
Henry, you have to do something, I know that you can.
[Helicopter noise getting gradually closer
until it becomes a clamor.]
Janet: Why
don’t you want to do anything about … thi … s …
Henry: What?
Janet: I
said … why don’t you care about …
Henry: This
is a surprise for you … listen …
Janet: What?
Henry: This
… helicopter … for you …
Janet: Damn
… what is all this noise for? I can’t hear you.
Henry: This
is for us ...
Janet: What?
Whose happiness are you talking about? Even the kids, they don’t see you at
night, don’t you see that the matter has become worse?
Henry: I
bought it for us …
Janet: [Speaks
loudly so he can hear.] We’ve
become worse ... Worse … worse…
Henry: [Goes
to the window and waves to the helicopter pilot to land on the roof. The noise
stops gradually.]
This helicopter is for us. I prepared this surprise this morning. What do you
think?
Janet: Oh
my god! Why?
Henry: You’re
asking why instead of showing some happiness? I’ve bought so we have our own
transport. I‘ve bought it to solve the transportation difficulties, so I can
get back home quicker.
Janet: You
can go home in the limousine, if you just free yourself from work a bit
earlier. Can’t you? Oh my god!
Henry: Come.
[Pulls her hand.] Let’s go upstairs to see it up close. Come on
... [While he’s getting his jacket.] We’ll fly around
[They go out. The lights go down.]
Act Two
Scene One
[The same place at night. The lights are dimmed, while Henry
is sleeping at his desk. The view of
[Alison’s voice from outside.]
Alison: Henry
… Henry! [Goes in quickly.] Henry…! Are you sleeping? Oh ... Poor Henry, it’s eleven o’clock.
Henry: [Wakes
up.] Who? Alison!
Alison: I
have tracked down three quarters of the
Henry: [Switches
on the table lamp.]
Have the owners agreed?
Alison: All
of them.
Henry: Great!
How did you do it?
Alison: They
just gave up under my persistence, so the three agreed, one after the other. [With
a theatrical movement.] Henry Selmer, I now put in your hands the biggest part of the
Henry: You
are brilliant. You’ve achieved a lot within six months.
Alison: I’m
not going to reveal the rest of my plans until the right moment.
Henry: [Gets
a bottle of whisky out of the drawer.] We should celebrate what you’ve achieved so
far. Tell me, what happened with the old farmer Mr. Boyd?
Alison: I
roasted him on the fire, and you’ll look after the rest.
Henry: Such
people have grown up on the land; it is not easy to uproot his soul from it.
Alison: Sooner
or later he’ll knock on your door.
Henry: [Gives
her a glass.]
Cheers!
Alison: Cheers!
[Pauses.]
Alison: Do
you want me to begin with the new Blue Moon Company’s shares?
Henry: Not
now.
Alison: Say
yes, and I’ll bring you three quarters of their shares within two weeks!
Henry: Not
before proper investigation about their business.
Alison: Henry,
you need to be much braver.
Henry: I
don’t lack the bravery. I’ve achieved a lot within five years and my desk is
full of projects and new ideas.
Alison: That’s
right, but after achieving your first billion, you have to penetrate the big
castles. The small projects shatter a man’s mind; wear him down with slow
growing profits, while the giant initiatives make him focus on the little that
makes great profits. Ambition and even more ambition lead to the big prizes in
business.
Henry: When
I’m working my head is always filled with the image of customers fighting to
get to my tills.
Alison: Don’t
just think about the customers in
Henry: [Dreaming.] Yes, that’s what was crossing my
mind but I’m afraid to think about it, and sometimes I can’t get a clear image
of it.
Alison: Each
ambition clarifies itself, and the big ambition doesn’t clarify anything except
its big target.
Henry: You’re
right. Light my way and I’ll walk all the required steps.
Alison: That’s
what I want to hear.
Henry: [Raises
his glass to hers.]
Drink to forthcoming success!
Alison: Cheers!
[Pause.]
Henry: Tell
me, except for my pictures in the media, what made you leave
Alison:
Henry:
Alison: The
city. The noise, the people, and the loneliness the individual feels there.
Henry: But
you’re not a Londoner.
Alison: Don’t
mention Londoners.
Henry: To
whom?
Alison: To
Henry:
Alison: Yes.
‘Dear
Henry: That’s
funny!
Alison: Hundreds
and hundreds of letters, and when we moved eventually, I was shocked by
Henry: So,
your love of
Alison: I
don’t know what to call it exactly. In the last two years, I have realised that
Henry: Which
woman?
Alison: A
strange woman came my way at night. Her hair… she had huge, dense hair, and
chicken pox marks deeply engraved on her face. “What are you doing here, you
stupid woman?” She shouted every time she saw me. “What are you doing here, you
stupid woman?” The same words, the same accusing voice every time she came
across me, when I was going back home or when I went out with friends, “What
are you doing here…?”
Henry: Was
she local?
Alison: No.
The same words, the same voice, nothing could stop her; neither ignoring her
nor being with others, she used to throw out her words and keep her eyes fixed
on me when I walk away. She was always drinking beer with one hand and hugging
some empty cans into her huge bosom with the other hand. The words began to
persecute me, whirring in my head throughout the rest of the night and during
the following day.
Henry: Why
didn’t you complain about her to the police?
Alison: Ooh
Henry! What can the police do about a few words said at night by a drunken
homeless woman?
[Pause.]
Henry: Would
you like some more whisky?
Alison: No,
thanks.
[Henry
pours some for himself, while Alison walks towards the window and stands
there.]
Alison: Look,
Henry: I
feel comfortable here, where all my work, papers and files are close to me.
Everything I own is within my sight, so I can reach out to any of it to review
it or recalculate it or rethink about it. Here, I feel safer.
Alison: So,
not with your wife?
Henry: Janet?
No. Though my being late upsets her, and the kids also miss me, sometimes I
sleep here. [Smiling.] Quite often actually. When I’m fully occupied
with something, a new project or an improvement or a deal about to be achieved
… I feel happy. So I can’t resist staying among my papers, files and my laptop.
I stay here until I start feeling sleepy on this sofa or I until I go with
heavy eyelids to the little bed in the room next door. [Smiling.] I thought it was the traffic that
made me stay, but now I don’t even use the helicopter, unless it’s for travelling between cities.
Alison: Maybe
this is an excuse to run away.
Henry: Janet
doesn’t annoy me. She used to, but now she is quieter. And after a long period
of resistance, she has agreed to have an operation in
Alison: You
are talking as if you’re separated.
Henry: [Strongly.] No, definitely not. We are not
separated. Why do you think this?
Alison: Why
all this panic? It’s just a woman’s intuition.
[Pause.]
Henry: It’s
a horrible feeling. You’ve learnt a lot about life.
Alison: [Sadly.] A little, just a little, and the
cost was massive that no one could possibly understand it.
Henry: You
are still young, and I know how ambitious you are, one day you’ll achieve all
your hopes.
Alison: Now?
What for?
Henry: [He
notice her tears.] Are these tears or what? They are tears. You
are crying, Alison, what has happened?
Alison: Nothing.
Henry: I
can’t believe this. I always said to myself that this was a girl who would
never cry, because she was born without tears. [Holds her shoulders.] What’s the matter?
Alison: Nothing.
Henry: Tell
me, I can help you. You know that.
Alison: [Bitterly.] Do you think that you can?
Henry: Definitely.
I can do everything.
Alison: No,
Henry.
Henry: [Laughing.] You don’t know what I can do. Now,
at this moment I can do anything for you, by phone.
Alison: Forget
it.
Henry: I’d
like to do many things for you. Not just because you’re assisting me, and
opening new profit channels for me, but also because I still remember the old
days with fondness[RH7]. [Pulling
her slightly towards him.] Alison, did you consciously love me with all your heart[RH8]?
Alison: You
called it a teenage emotion, so why are you fumbling that old grave now?
Henry: It
seems now that you did. I also loved you, deeply.
Alison: Maybe
you did, but not deeply as you say.
Henry: Yes,
deeply.
Alison: Don’t
stir up the past please … it’s just the heat of the moment. You can’t love
anything except yourself.
Henry: Don’t
be cruel.
Alison: We
were both cruel. Who was crueler than the other doesn’t matter any more.
Henry: [Pulling
her towards him more.] I love you.
Alison: Shut
up Henry.
Henry: And
I can imagine how your body was blooming for me, every part of it was blooming
for me so desirably, so I kept longing for you every day, and pining for you…
Alison: [Trying
to free herself from him.] Henry …!
Henry: That’s
why I loved you so deeply [Kisses her.]
Alison: Get
away from me ...
Henry: And
I couldn’t bear your absence, I can remember clearly now ...
Alison: Get
away. [Pushing him away firmly as she
moves away.]
Henry: Why?
I want you as before …
Alison: Don’t
come any closer ... be careful, I have slept with a lot of men.
Henry: I
don’t care. [Rushing towards her.] I don’t care, I want you …
Alison: No,
no. [Freeing herself from him
again.] Idiot.
Henry: Why?
Are there …?
Alison: I’m
soiled by death. Don’t come near me..
Henry: What’s
wrong with you?
Alison: [After
taking a deep breath.] It’s aids, Henry... I’ve got aids. I’m ill …
I’m dying.
Henry: How
… when … where did you find out?
Alison: Here,
at the hospital.
Henry: Is
their diagnosis definite?
Alison: Definite,
like death.
Henry: Ooh.. [Throwing himself on the
sofa. While she keeps standing sadly facing the
window.]
Scene Two
The same place. Morning.
[Janet is sitting on a chair, facing the
window, putting on dark sunglasses. After a while, Mrs. Cope comes in with tea
and biscuits.]
Mrs. Cope: I’ve made you a cup of tea, please
eat some biscuits.
Janet: I
have no appetite to eat.
Mrs. Cope: Tea at least.
Janet: The
atmosphere is smothering in here! .
Mrs. Cope: The whole business is
smothering.
Janet: [With
a bitter smile.]
Business…! How naive I was when I sat at home six years ago, dreaming of his
success in the business. Women run after their dreams with half open eyes and,
when they wake up, they find a disaster has occurred.
Mrs. Cope: You
are too brave to say such things Mrs. Selmer!
Janet: No,
I was always weak, in my ambitions, my dreams … it’s too late now to fix what
has been destroyed … I have lost everything, even the kids … my zest for life;
both of them are following their own sick desires: drugs, travelling,
sex and relationships that change between dusk and dawn, Their Father spends
countless pounds on them so carelessly, as if he wants to use his money to get
away from them. All he is interested in is business. [Searching
with a shaky hand for the tea on the table.]
Mrs. Cope: [While she is carrying the cup and putting it in
Janet’s hand.]
Here, Mrs. Selmer.
Janet: Thank
you. I feel sorry for you because I asked you to stay despite you wanting to
resign.
Mrs. Cope: I also feel sorry for him. His
health is getting worse; the work seems to be killing him mercilessly. Since
this lady arrived two years ago, he has started raving like someone who talks
in his sleep. He says something consciously then he interrupts himself
unconsciously to add and subtract numbers.
[Alison
comes in, the signs of illness clearly visible on her face.]
Alison: Hello
Mrs. Selmer.
Janet: Who
are you?
Alison: I’m Alison.
Janet: Alison! What a nasty joke. I eventually meet you, though from behind dark
glasses!
Mrs. Cope: Excuse
me Mrs. Selmer; if you need anything please call me. [She goes out,
uncomfortable from Alison’s presence.]
Janet: Thank
you.
Alison: I’m
sorry for what happened to your eyes.
Janet: It’s
kind of you. So, you’ve come back to him at last. The media talks about how
clever you are … in business … and other things.
Alison: [Laughing.] The media… That
pitiful mishmash of people’s lives.
Janet: I
know that you don’t accept photographers around you, or is this just another
game to get their attention?
Alison: Believe
me, I don’t care about anything in this life any more.
Janet: [Sarcastically.] Of course I’ll believe you, because
obviously everyone here is only speaking the truth. I’m sure he’s happy now.
Now that he’s found out who can stand beside him at every business gathering or
media call. I even failed to be a wife who could be a statue for the
photographers. I admit that I don’t fit into his new lifestyle, or even this
whole mad world … you do.
Alison: [Laughing.] …
Janet: Brilliant.
Even your mocking manner …
Alison: I’m
not mocking you Mrs. Selmer; I’m mocking the disparity between the truth and
your thoughts.
Janet: Do
you know, sometimes I touch your picture in the newspaper, passing my
fingertips over the paper to figure out your features. Then I move my fingers
over the picture to guess what your figure is like … tall, slim, big eyes and
full lips, I’m right, aren’t I?
Alison: The
wife always considers any woman who approaches her husband to be an
irresistible star. Mrs. Selmer, I’m not what your fears and suspicions make me
out to be. I’m not.
Janet: Modest!
Don’t admit your beauty; this is also part of your prettiness, no doubt.
Alison: Not
even that.
Janet: Don’t
abuse my blindness. Since you came back to him, he doesn’t even come home
except for odd visits.
Alison: Henry
can’t live away from his office. This place has become his temple, he’s afraid
of going away from it for even an hour to get his dinner.
Janet: I
don’t believe you. Mrs. Cope told me that you’re the only one who has got a
copy of his office keys.
Alison: Forget
about what the goat that’s tied to the Selmer family’s fence says. Henry has
made his office his altar, and he has to worship there. His staying there is to
worship.
Janet: Don’t
tell me that you only came back here for a job and a salary.
Alison: Not
even that. I’m here under a special sentence … to achieve for Henry what I
failed to achieve for myself.
Janet: This
assures me that you’re still in love with him!
Alison: No.
I was, at the beginning I mean. After that, I haven’t been in love with any
man. I was just using them for my own purposes. I don’t trust them any more,
including Henry.
What
can I do? When I realised what my purpose in life was
I felt like we were all standing in an endless vacuum, where there wasn’t even
a single post to lean on, except this bloody desire to own everything we see.
We opened our eyes to find life full of glittering and seducing things, and
nobody advised us that these things are meaningless. Nobody told us that these
things are no more than trivial dolls which won’t give us any happiness …
rather; they habituate the human with inanity and selfishness. So, we thought
that the fight to get them would give our life some value, to make it more
meaningful until we pass away to the unknown.
Janet: Although,
your passing won’t come without having done a great
deal of damage beforehand.
Alison: I
don’t want to despise your dilemma, but believe me, what you’ve lost doesn’t
even equate to a little of what I’ll lose. You’re a rich man’s wife, who
employs tens of servants and drivers to serve you, and you’re a domestic woman
in your nature, you don’t like moving and travelling.
So, you won’t miss a lot of what’s going on outdoors. Life in its comprehensive
meaning is so ugly, but in
[Henry comes in, looking at some papers in his
hands.]
Henry: We’ll
link the three floors together by an interior lift, so the employees can move
faster between departments. The engineer will put a plan into operation to do
it within two weeks; it’s amazing isn’t it? [He notices Janet.] Janet, you are here?
Alison: Excuse
me [She goes out.]
Henry: [Kissing
Janet.] I have
prepared myself for a beautiful party at home to celebrate our wedding
anniversary.
Janet: Was
that included in today’s agenda?
Henry: Don’t
be so condemning, especially on such an occasion.
Janet: No,
I won’t be from now on, forever.
Henry: What
do you mean?
Janet: I
came to talk about divorce.
Henry: What?
Have you lost your mind?
Janet: No,
not that too, although you have made me lose so many things one by one. It’s
better to get separated officially, as we’re living in two different places any
way.
Henry: Don’t
exaggerate. My absence is for work. That doesn’t mean that I don’t love you or
that I’m not thinking of you anymore. [Gets a necklace out of his
pocket.]
Yesterday I bought you a valuable present for this occasion. I might have been
delayed or absent more than you expected but I can always rely on your
understanding and appreciation of my work circumstances. [Lifts
her hand to kiss it warmly, then he puts the necklace in it.]
Janet: What
is its brightness worth after you’ve planted this darkness in my eyes? [Lets the necklace fall down on the
table.]
Henry: Janet!
Janet: You’ve
destroyed me.
Henry: I
don’t blame you if can’t forgive me, but if you only knew the sadness that I
still feel about what happened to your eyes.
Janet: That’s
true, on the day it happened, but I’ll carry that sadness forever.
Henry: Even
at this very moment, I feel bitter sadness when I see you.
Janet: You
became a liar with a firm tongue! It seems that this is also part of the
demands of your business.
Henry: [With
a little sadness.]
Not with you.
Janet: Why
not? Who lies once, won’t ever be honest, ever.
Henry: [Strongly.] No…
Janet: Yes.
Yesterday I discovered that you were behind my dismissal from the school, two
years ago. You bribed Mr. Smith to sack me.
Henry: Oh…
Janet: Which
faked “oh” is this?
Henry: I
did that for you.
Janet: [Stands
up.] Another lie!
You won’t hesitate to gamble with my life if your business requires it.
Henry: Don’t
say that.
Janet: Why?
You know how much I like teaching and being with the children and the
colleagues, so why did you do it?
Henry: Because
I hate it to be said that Mrs. Selmer is working for nine hundred pounds a
month. I have explained that to you many times.
Janet: So,
it wasn’t for me! What else do I not know about? I want a whole list before we
separate. Come on … what else is there?
Henry: There
is nothing else.
Janet: I
won’t leave before I know. [Stumbles while she
tries to reach his desk.]
Henry: What
are you looking for?
Janet: Your
papers!
Henry: Why
do you want them?
Janet: [Opens
the drawers and gets the files and papers out of them.] If a glimmer of light could emerge
from this darkness I
would show you how many lies these papers hide.
Henry: What
are you doing? [Takes some papers back, while she gets out the others
and scatters them here and there.]
Janet: I
want to know how much you paid Mr. Smith! To find out the real reason you came
to
Henry: Stop
doing that. Stop it! What has happened to you?
Janet: You
hide all your life in these drawers. I
want to put it in front of you so you can add up your lies.
Henry: [Shouting.]
Stop it! You’re
throwing all my work on the floor, what do you want? [His
anger increases.] I
work and struggle for us, for you, for the kids, not just for me.
Janet: What
a disgusting lie this is! Who asked you to do all this filth in our name, hmm?
Who begged you to fill his empty stomach? Who! Don’t you hear what people are
saying about the corruption in your supermarkets? Do you know the shame I feel
when I hear them talking about your greed in the media?
Henry: Oh…
damn it! You don’t know that businesses can’t succeed unless some temptations
block the way.
Janet: Who
said that? Randal! Who planted the
aridity in your heart? Randal! Who is
Randal Henry? You listen to Randal’s advice and follow his instructions, and
you always repeat to me what Randal thinks and what Randal says. Why can’t I
see this Randal for once!
Henry: [Moves
away.] That’s
enough …
Janet: [Stumbles
on the furniture while she’s trying to reach him.] Who is Randal? Why have you hidden him for all
these years? [Holds him by his collar and shouts.] Who is he?
Henry: [Gets
rid of her roughly and cries in her face.] I am Randal, he is I, Randal is here, inside
me and he has grown and grown until he became ten times myself.
Janet: You?
Henry: It’s
me. The Henry that you wanted, the small and content one, is finished …
finished. I am … Henry, I mean Randal. No, I am Henry, whose name is equivalent
to a small mountain of money, and tomorrow it will be equivalent to fifty
mountains!
Janet: Oh
my god!
Henry: Yes.
I’m Henry … Henry who could do anything, to make anyone happy or to destroy
anyone who could buy any company, buy any government … go to any planet …, who
could divert any river course and spark off wars or extinguish their flames
within a moment … all this means nothing to you, and you blame me for these small
lies and tricks that everybody does nowadays.
Janet: [Calling.] Mrs. Cope, Mrs. Cope! [Goes in the wrong direction as she is looking for the
door.]
[Mrs. Cope comes in.]
Mrs. Cope: Yes.
Janet: Give
me a hand please. Get me away from here.
Mrs. Cope: This
way Mrs. Selmer.
Janet: [Turns
towards Henry.]
Henry! I’ll leave your palace. I’m going back to my old flat in Hammersmith. [Follows Mrs. Cope outside.]
[Henry collects the scattered papers on the
table and the desk.]
Henry: [He
holds his head for a while, as he feels a headache.] What has happened to this world?
Even my wife doesn’t want to appreciate the favour I
am doing for people by providing food that saves them time! Why does she
believe that efficiency and effort must be free?
[A loud knock on the door, then Mr. Boyd
appears pushing the door open with his stick.]
Mr. Boyd: Forgive
me Mr. Selmer, I use this stick to help me walk, and instead of my hand
sometimes. What’s happened? It looks as if an earthquake has hit the place!
Henry: [Leaves
the rest of the papers as they are.] Come in please, don’t mind this chaos, have a
seat. I hope that your leg is not too bad.
Mr. Boyd: Oh
… no, definitely not. It was just a fall, it’s not very painful, but it means
something important. Let me explain; I was having my afternoon shower when I
suddenly felt my body was out of my control, and I fell over in the bath.
Henry: Sorry
about that.
Mr. Boyd: Don’t
worry, I’m a farmer; I used to climb trees and walk on fences in my childhood.
I learned how to make my feet tread firmly with an accurate and hidden
controller linked to my blood stream. To be honest, when I fell over in the
bath I realised that the confidence we have in our
strength and our balance on this planet is based on a great illusion. Are you following me
Mr. Selmer?
Henry: Not
yet …
Mr. Boyd: OK.
When your foot slips a little from its position, you’ll lose any chance of
controlling any other organ in your body. You’ll feel totally disabled, and you
won’t be able to do anything except follow the blind heaviness that drags you
down, and you won’t even remember how you fell. Mr. Selmer, why you are
insisting on having my last piece of land?
Henry: Firstly,
my business in that area requires a new soup factory to reduce the
transportation expenses. Secondly, you can buy another bigger piece of land
with what I’m offering you, isn’t that enough?
Mr. Boyd: I
thought that we had agreed as gentlemen that I could keep that land.
Henry: We
can make a new deal to satisfy you. There is no lasting agreement in the business
world. The length of the agreement determines the benefits for each side, Mr.
Boyd.
Mr. Boyd: You
don’t want to consider any moral element in your dealings; this is where we
essentially differ in our concept of business.
Henry: There
is only one business concept. Moral elements would have their place in one’s
mind only if they could move the value of a small piece of land to a bigger
one.
Mr. Boyd: I
need that small piece of land, so why don’t you find another one and leave me
in peace!
Henry: I
don’t understand why you’re refusing such a large amount of money for such a
small piece of land.
Mr. Boyd: I’m
not blaming you; everyone has his own heart.
Henry: Heart?
Do you think that a small handful of nerves and blood could influence our
decisions instead of the mind? To end this matter, I’ll give you a huge piece
of land near
Mr. Boyd: I
came to say no. Not to haggle about the land.
Henry: [Impatiently.] What does this trivial piece of
land with its old trees mean to you, to make you reject all that I’m offering
you? [Opens a file on his laptop.] Come here and look, Mr. Boyd. [Mr.
Boyd stays where he is.]
Your corn-supply
contract will end in three years time.
Mr. Boyd: Who
said that?
Henry: And
you have overdue debts.
Mr. Boyd: The
bank manager approved an extension of the payment period.
Henry: And
your oldest son has lost his shares with BASM insurance company, so he can’t
help you any more.
Mr. Boyd: [Beats
the ground with his stick.] Who allowed you to store my personal information in this damn machine?
Henry: I’ll
be very straight with you. The bank will not extend the payment period next
year.
Mr. Boyd: The
manager trusts my word. I’ve been dealing with him for thirty years now, why
would he refuse my claim?
Henry: He
will not respond any more, if my interests require it.
Mr. Boyd: What
do you mean?
Henry: 50%
of the bank shares have become mine, and he will listen to my request.
Mr. Boyd: This
is madness!
Henry: No,
this is business.
[Pause.]
Mr. Boyd: I
hate to be forced by anyone to talk about my private matters, besides, this
land with its old trees means a lot to me. Those pear trees, I planted them
with my own hands over forty years ago, and I was born in that cottage and grew
up in it and so many beautiful things happened to me there. Often, when I get
tired of the
Henry: Sooner
or later you’ll have to sell it very cheaply.
Mr. Boyd: Really
I’m not thinking of selling it under any circumstances.
Henry: [After
thinking.] We’ll
sort out the personal part of this issue.
Mr. Boyd: How?
Henry: You
can enter the land at any time, and for any period of time. Are you happy with
that?
Mr. Boyd: Oh
my god! You don’t want to understand, and maybe you can’t!
Henry: I’m
doing my best to explain to you my need to have your small piece of land.
Mr. Boyd: But
you can … if you saw that the entire world was about to sink, you’d be able to
step backwards, I guess, just a little from your urgent need, can’t you Mr.
Selmer?
Henry: Why
should it be me who steps back … and not you? [Silence.] I’ll tell you something Mr. Boyd, I
was thinking like you, of the little steps that might please this person or
upset the other, until I found myself surrounded by a huge ocean of chaos,
violence and evil. I then realised that I’m no more
than a small island that people sneer at. These people misinterpreted my
morality as weakness, so they treated me without any respect.
I’m
not against you personally - believe me. It’s just one thing … I could step
back, but I know that a retraction wouldn’t heal anything… wouldn’t save the
world from being drowned. Only one thing would happen, only one thing … my work
would be damaged. Therefore, do me a little favour by
accepting the offer, and don’t waste my time and yours.
Mr. Boyd: [Hitting
the desk angrily.] You
are just a little insect with a practiced tongue. Take the land. Take its pear
trees. Even without them, I can imagine its breeze and its grassy smell, and
the taste of its fruit, and feel happiness, while you… you are an empty memory,
you have nothing, you are poor, foolish and miserable, because you buy things
and sell them without seeing them or feeling them or even having any passion
towards them.
[Pushes the papers with
his stick.]
That’s all you own. You oppress the customers and steal their money just to
collect papers. How miserable you are, Mr. Selmer!
[Opens the door with his stick and goes out,
while Alison enters in a hurry.]
Alison: [Locks
the door without observing the chaos.] Henry! I’ve succeeded, I’ve done it … I need
one million pounds and you’ll strike it big.
Henry: What
are you saying?
Alison: The
African mango. Get me one million pounds in cash quickly, before fear grasp the
girl’s heart and she refuses the deal.
Henry: Alison,
what are you talking about? What’s this about the African mango?
Alison: Do
you remember the idea of fabricating a relationship between mango skin and a
cure for cancer that I told you about three months ago?
Henry: Yes
…
Alison: I
convinced a doctor to do some research and find out that some elements in mango
skin help to destroy cancer cells. Of course he was doubtful about finding any
correlation, but he eventually agreed to register the research in the lab, and
a few minutes later, the lab technician called to tell me that she would agree
to fabricate the results that we want.
Henry: Fabricate?
Alison: Yes,
Henry. The plan will be as follows:
You’ll
monopolise the whole African mango resources and its
imports to add some of this fruit to the ingredients of the soup; during that
time we’ll urge the media to write horrible reports about cancer. Later on,
I’ll ask the lab technician to send the results to our doctor and I’ll
encourage him to reveal the relationship between cancer and the African mango
to the media before sending the results to the university labs for
investigation.
It’ll
be a great hit, a real hit. We only need six months to make at least ten
billion pounds, Henry! Ten billion at least, I’m sure, ten billion.
Henry: [Dreaming.] Ten billion!
Alison: Ten
billion. Selmer’s soup will reach the furthest point in the world and maybe
even fifteen billion if we can delay the university investigations.
Henry: Fifteen
billion! Fantastic! This is real business.
Alison: I
told you.
Henry: Fifteen
billion, then we could fly higher and higher.
Alison: Definitely.
[There is knocking at the door.]
Henry: Who
is that?
Mrs. Cope: [From
the outside.] It’s
medicine time, Mr. Selmer.
Henry: Later…
Mrs. Cope.
Alison: [Notices
the shattered files and papers for the first time.] What’s this chaos?
Henry: What?
Alison: Your
stuff is everywhere!
Henry: Don’t
worry about that. Alison, we can delay the university investigations for any
period of time.
Alison: Before
that we have to work fast.
Henry: From
tomorrow, my target will be all the mango farms in
Alison: Because
you can buy a tonne of it for only ten pence.
Henry: You’re
brilliant. [Makes to kiss her cheek, but he steps back at the
last minute. Pause.] Don’t you think that we’re going too far with
this idea?
Alison: I’ve
been spinning this yarn for three months now. Don’t let fears delay your
dreams. It’s my dream too.
Henry: What
if they discover it eventually, after a year or maybe six months?
Alison: This
fruit doesn’t kill people anyway, and don’t forget that finding a remedy for
cancer is everyone’s game nowadays.
Henry: [Worried.] What about the law...? The
government…?
Alison: No
one will pay any attention; they’ve got other things to worry about.
Henry: In
that case, why don’t we make the report come from the university directly? I
can manage that!
Alison: You
need months for one hit before people lose their enthusiasm. A small doctor is
enough to stir their hopes.
Henry: Ten
billion! Don’t you think that this is too much? It could inflame people’s
curiosity.
Alison: No.
Henry, don’t go back to your hesitation. Any businessman today has a billion;
this figure doesn’t make an impression on anyone these days.
Henry: You’re
right. [Pause.] But the university’s influence will be more
important.
Alison: What
are you thinking of? Oh … no.! This trick wouldn’t last long. Listen Henry, I
gave you my dream for free, because I’m finished, don’t let others race ahead
of you[RH9].
Henry: No,
I assure you. Eventually, people will be fighting to get into my markets … all
over the world.
[There is a knock at the door again.]
Mrs. Cope: [From
outside.] Mr.
Selmer, the medicine.
Henry: [Goes
towards the door, then he turns back to Alison.] Listen! What about a million pound donation to
the university to get us access to its admin from now on?
Alison: Why
not? Make it five million.
Henry: Five?
It’s too much.
Alison: Henry!
Billions and billions will enter your treasury!
Henry: You’re
right. Billion and billions! It will be a real hit! [Thinking.] I regret so much!
Alison: What
about?
Henry: I
shouldn’t have listened to my parents. If I’d married you, I might own half of
Alison: [Remembers
her situation, so she feels weak and sad.] And I might not have ended up like this. But
there is no time for regrets.
Henry: You
can go anywhere in the world for treatment, I’ll pay, or do anything for that.
Alison: My
skin has begun to peel and this is a sign of the end.
Henry: Don’t
give up!
Alison: [Laughing
bitterly.] Don’t
say this …
Henry: [Despairingly] Ah. If I could do something, just
to reduce your sadness! [She smiles.] Don’t consider it to be ridiculous, but I’m
thinking of depositing ten million in your account if this plan succeeds.
Alison: Shut
up Henry!
Henry: I
want to do something …
Alison: Forget
about that. In
[Another knock on the door.]
Mrs. Cope: [From the outside.] Mr. Selmer, your medicine!
Henry: [Loudly.] I said later …
Mrs. Cope: I’m late; I have to go!
Henry: Put
it on your desk and go. [To Alison.] Is it true that if I had refused,
you would have avoided this destiny?
Alison: Yes.
Henry: But
I was afraid that we might have had endless arguments.
Alison: No.
I told you that we are twins, and the twin is the only creature who doesn’t
argue or fight with his twin. Love and sex might fizzle out between us faster
than with others, but the ambition will bond us together forever, because it’s
the strongest thing inside us.
Henry: You
said that I’m selfish!
Alison: But
I didn’t say that I’m free of selfishness! Although, there is one difference
between us; that you almost accept what happens to you as if it is fate, no
matter where it takes you. [Henry holds his head.] Are you Ok?
Henry: Yes.
[Pauses, then he feels the sofa cover, then the
edge of the desk and other objects.]
Alison: What
are you doing?
Henry: Mr.
Boyd said that I don’t feel the things that I own, and they live in one place
while I live in another.
Alison: This
is true.
Henry: How
could I?
Alison: Nobody
can teach you. You can learn how to use things, but nobody can teach you how to
create a relationship with them.
Henry: Nobody,
even if I paid him a lot?
Alison: Nobody.
This is one of mankind’s dilemmas, and
anything else that has been said with regards to this
is an illusion.
Henry: But
I feel happy when my markets and farm increase and bring me more profits.
Alison: This
is the happiness of profit, but you’re a stranger among everything you own, and
nobody can change that. We are slaves of our nature, just genetic blocks of
flesh, and from now on, there will be neither
religions nor saviors. Real human loneliness will begin. [Henry wants to hold her hand, and she warns him to beware.] [Pause.] Sometimes I feel that I need a hand
to hold or for it to hold mine. Any hand, that of a man, woman or child. A persisting need that burns like hell. If I could have a
brief touch and feel the hand it would give me a bit of warmth for a moment,
but I forbid myself, restrain myself, saying: “it’s not fair to punish others
for my mistakes, and what for … a tender touch?”
Henry: [Squeezes
his head.] My head
is getting dizzy.
Alison: What?
Henry: A
horrible pain … [Becomes weak suddenly, and loses his balance.]
Alison: [Going
towards him.] Are
you OK?
Henry: No
…
Alison: Henry
… what’s happening to you?
Henry: The
furniture and papers are spinning around me.
Alison: [She
remembers.] The
medicine! [She opens the door and goes out, her voice heard from
outside.] The
medicine! Where did she put it? [Noise of stuff falling
on the floor.]
Where did she put it?
Henry: My
head … [Goes to the desk and sits on the chair.]
[Alison comes in running.]
Alison: I’ve
found it. I’ve found it, Henry! Drink, open your mouth, try
to drink, open your mouth Henry. [He drinks.] Good, you’ll be alright, you’ll be fine, I’m
sure.
Henry: I
can’t see …
Alison: You’ll
be OK …
Henry: I
… Ca… [His head falling on the desk.]
Alison: Henry!
Come on … you’re getting weaker, come on, I’ll take you to the hospital in my
car. [She
helps him to stand up] Come on ... Stand up Henry … get yourself up, a bit more, come on! A
couple of steps and we’ll reach the lift … [Walks him towards the door, while he’s falling down
on his knees and standing up. They go out, and her voice can still be heard
from outside.] Come
on … you’ll be fine Henry... Henry! Henry…! [Sound of something heavy falling, then silence.]
[After a while, Isabelle’s singing is heard as
she is approaching.]
The right hand grips a bouquet,
The left hand’s full of scents,
From
Williams’ bright hands carry for me,
Flowers and fragrance,
Every morning and afternoon…
[Questioning.] Why all this chaos? [She
appears and stands at the doorway with her big bag.] Oh dear … Look at this, I said that,
the place is warm, but I’ll find so many things to do!
[She gets her brush out and begins sweeping the
papers.]
* * *
