Brian Friel Plays 2 (51 page)

Angela
Will you let the girl finish her story?

Trish
Haven’t seen him for over a week. Last heard from him two days ago from Limerick –

Terry
Cork.

Trish
– where the Aeolians – Michael Robinson and himself – they’ve been giving Beethoven recitals in schools and colleges there.

Terry
Knew she’d get it wrong.

Frank
(
to
Terry
)
Please.

Trish
But these concerts, I know, are finished. Why isn’t he here?

Terry
Playing with the Dude Ranchers.

Trish
Why isn’t he here for his wedding?

Terry
Finishing a tour in County Cork.

Trish
Terry, the Aeolians were in Limerick doing a series of –

Terry
The Aeolians had broken up three months before you got married.

Trish
Don’t you think I might –?

Terry
George was working full-time with the Ranchers when you and he got married.

Trish
Terry –

Frank
Those details don’t –

Terry
That’s why George packed in the Aeolians – to make some money – so that you and he could get married. Right, George?

Angela
So what? The point of Trish’s story is –

Terry
(
to
Trish
)
You asked me to take George on. Don’t you remember?

Trish
So that when we –?

Terry
And that’s when the Ranchers really took off. When he packed in the Aeolians and joined the Ranchers. He made the Ranchers. We would never have come to anything without George.

Trish
(
totally
bewildered
)
But how could I? … God … And when did –?

Terry
You’ve forgotten – that’s all. (
He
hugs
her
quickly.
)
I’d signed George up three months before your wedding.

Angela
And all this has nothing to do with the story. The point is that he did turn up at Saint Theresa’s – and only ten minutes late. Well done, George.

Terry
(
to
Tris
h
)
I didn’t mean to –

Trish
But how could I have –?

Frank
Certainly did turn up. On a motorbike – right? Soaked through and purple with cold.

Angela
With the wedding-suit in a rucksack on his back.

Frank
Changed in the organ-loft – remember?

Trish
Oh my God, how could that have happened?

Angela
That was a good day.

Frank
Great day.

Terry
(
to
Trish
)
Sorry.

Frank
A wonderful day … God … what a day that was …

Angela
Well done, Trish. A great story. The best story yet. Very well done.

Silence.
Again
they
withdraw
into
themselves.
Berna
now
climbs
from
the
catwalk
up
to
the
top
wall.
As
she
does
she
sings,
without
words
,
‘
O
Mother,
I
Could
Weep’.
She
walks
along
the
top
of
the
wall.
Terry
now
sees
her.

Terry
Berna, please come down from there.

Frank
Berna.

Terry
That is dangerous, Berna.

Trish
(
to
Terry
)
For God’s sake bring her down!

Angela
Berna, love –

Terry
(
commanding
)
Come down, Berna! At once!

Berna,
still
singing,
is
now
at
the
end
of
the
wall.
Without
looking
at
anybody
she
jumps
into
the
sea.

Frank
Berna!

Terry
Jesus!

Angela
Berna!

Terry
Oh Jesus Christ …!

Angela
(
sings
)

You are ‘wise and wonderful’, George: you’re the only one of us that slept all night.

George
Did I?

Angela
For an hour. And you snore.

George
Sorry. (
He
beckons
her
to
him.
)
If I ever decide to go, I want your children to have this (
accordion
)
.

Angela
You are going –

George
One of them might take it up.

Angela
George, that’s –

George
Bit battered but it’s working all right.

Angela
That’s a lovely thought. (
She
kisses
him.
)
Thank you.

George
If
I
ever decide to go.

Terry
Where did Frank say he was going?

Angela
To take photographs, he said. Probably to beat the head off poor old Carlin.

Pause.

Terry
Listen to those birds.

Angela
Larks, are they?

Terry
‘And they heard the song of coloured birds.’ You wouldn’t believe me.

Angela
They’re larks, Terry. Ordinary larks.

George
begins
to
play
‘Skylark’
very
softly.

Exactly, George.

Terry
Has it a name, that game?

Angela
It’s called: how close can you get without
touching it? Anybody got the time?

Terry
Just after seven.

Berna
(
looking
at
her
watch
)
Stopped. Salt water finished it.

Angela
When does the minibus come for us?

Terry
Half an hour or so.

Berna
takes
off
her
watch,
shakes
it
and
holds
it
to
her
ear.

Berna
That’s that.

She
casually
tosses
it
into
the
sea.
Only
Trish
sees
this.

Terry
There must be hundreds of them (
birds
)
.
And they
are
coloured.

Trish
(
quietly
)
You put the heart across us, Berna, jumping into the sea like that.

Berna
Are you nearly finished? (
Hair-dressing
.)

Trish
You shouldn’t have done that.

Berna
I wanted a swim.

Trish
It was a naughty thing to do. It was a cruel thing to do.

Berna
I told you – I wanted a swim.

Trish
Particularly cruel to Terry.

Berna
Oh, poor Terry. (
She
stands
up
abruptly.
) That’s fine, Trish. Thank you. (
to
Angela
)
May I play?

Angela
Of course.

Terry
Well, would you look at that! Carlin has lit his fire again! (
He
laughs.
)
What a strange man.

Angela
(
to
Berna
)
There are stones over there.

Terry
Maybe he’ll come for us after he’s had his breakfast. What do you think?

Trish
(
wearily
)
Terry.

Angela
(
to
Trish
)
Going to play?

Trish
Yes.

Terry
We still have time for a quick dart out and straight back. We’d do it in less than an hour.

Trish
D’you know what I would love? A cup of strong tea!

Terry
There’s still a chance. Why not? I’m offering five to one against. Three to one. Any takers?

George
has
come
to
the
last
line
of
‘
Skylark
’
.
Trish
sings
the
line.

Trish
Now. Tell me what to do.

The
music
stops.

Angela
The aim is to get as close as possible to that bottle. But every time you touch it you lose a point.

Trish
You
lose
a point? What sort of a makey-up game is that!

Terry
Looks wonderful in this light (
the
island
)
.
I’m not giving up. Two to one against. Even money.

Trish
We should all be exhausted, shouldn’t we? But I feel … exhilarated. Play something exhilarating, George.

He
plays
‘
Regina
Caeli
’
right
through.

(
immediately
he
begins
)
That’s not exhilarating, is it?

Angela
(
to
Trish
)
Your throw.

Berna
Is there a chill in the air?

Trish
(
preparing
to
throw
)
Right.

Berna
reaches
out
to
take
her
scarf
from
the
lifebelt
stand.

Angela
(
quickly
)
No; take mine. It’s warmer. Like a hall stand, isn’t it? Good one, Trish. You have the hang of it.

Berna
drapes
Angela’s
scarf
around
her
shoulders.
Frank
enters.

Frank
Well–well–well! What Eden is this? And what happy people have we here, besporting themselves in the sunlight?

Terry
(
coming
down
)
We thought we had lost you.

Frank
For you, George. Found it in the sand dunes back there.

The
music
stops.

George
Yes?

Frank
Interesting, isn’t it? Polished flint-stone. The head of an axe, I think.

George
Thank you.

Frank
That’s the hole for the handle. Beautifully shaped, isn’t it?

George
Lovely.

Terry
Where did you find it?

Frank
Just behind the pier. Probably buried in the sand at one time. Then the sand shifted.

Terry
May I see it?

George
Thank you, Frank.

Frank
Some weapon. That’s a lethal edge there.

Terry
And the weight of it.

Frank
We’ll make a handle for it; and on your next tour, if audiences aren’t appreciative enough – (
He
mimes
striking
with
the
axe.
)

Terry
That
is
sharp.

Frank
Meant for business, that weapon.

Terry
Did you get some good pictures?

Frank
Don’t talk to me about pictures! Tell you all in a moment.

He
goes
to
Berna
and
presents
her
with
a
bunch
of
wild
flowers.

For you, my lady. (
He
kisses
her.
)

Berna
Oh, Frank.

Angela
Aren’t they pretty? Look at that blue.

Trish
You got them around here?

Frank
Just over the sand dunes.

Trish
(
to
George
)
He’s a
real
gentleman.

Frank
(
to
Berna
)
And d’you know what? – I could eat you in that dress.

Berna
They’re beautiful, Frank. Thank you.

Frank
Welcome.

Angela
Now – Berna (
the
game
)
.

Trish
You want to know how it’s really done, girls? Just watch this.

They
continue
playing.

Terry
Lovely flowers. Thank you.

Frank
The place is full of them.

Terry
We thought maybe you’d gone to chastise Mr Carlin.

Frank
Just before daybreak there was a white mist suspended above the island; like a white silk canopy. And as the sun got up you could see the mist dissolve and vanish. So of course I thought: Oileán Draíochta emerging from behind its veil – capture this for posterity!

Terry
Did you get it?

Frank
Two bloody spools of it. Wasted all my film.

Angela
(
to
Trish
)
Not bad. Not bad.

Trish
Not bad? Wonderful!

Berna
Very close, Trish. Good one.

Trish
I think this could well be my game. Want to play, Frank?

Frank
(
to
all
)
Listen to this. You won’t believe what I saw out there, Trish.

Trish
What?

Brief
pause.

Berna
What did you see, Frank?

Frank
looks
at
them.
He
is
not
sure
if
he
will
tell
his
story.

Frank
Just as the last wisp of the veil was melting away, suddenly – as if it had been waiting for a sign – suddenly a dolphin rose up out of the sea. And for thirty seconds, maybe a minute, it danced for me. Like a faun, a satyr; with its manic, leering face. Danced with a deliberate,
controlled, exquisite abandon. Leaping, twisting, tumbling, gyrating in wild and intricate contortions. And for that thirty seconds, maybe a minute, I could swear it never once touched the water – was free of it – had nothing to do with water. A performance – that’s what it was. A performance so considered, so aware, that you knew it knew it was being witnessed; wanted to be witnessed. Thrilling; and wonderful; and at the same time – I don’t know why – at the same time … with that manic, leering face … somehow very disturbing.

Berna
Did you get pictures of it?

Frank
Nothing. You’d almost think it waited until my last shot was used up before it appeared. Thirty seconds, maybe a minute … Unbelievable. (
embarrassed
laugh
) Another apparition, Terry.

Terry
Maybe.

Pause.
Frank
is
now
embarrassed
at
his
own
intensity
and
because
the
others
are
all
staring
at
him.
He
laughs
again.

Frank
So I saw a porpoise or a dolphin or something leap out of the water and dance about a bit. Wonderful!

Trish
I love dolphins. I think they are terrific. (
briskly
) Right. Who’s next?

Angela,
Trish
and
Berna
play
their
game.

Frank
Left them speechless, didn’t it? – my Bally beg epiphany.

Terry
Sorry I missed that.

Frank
(
to
George
)
Upset me, that damn thing, for some reason.

Berna
nods
and
smiles.

Terry
Drink?

Frank
(
gesturing
no
)
Could have done with one back there. It really was a ceremonial dance, Terry – honest to God. And they look so damned knowing – don’t they? – with those almost human faces … I’m getting to like this (
jacket
)
.