The Man Who Had All the Luck (10 page)

J.B. [
touched and fearing
PAT
's continuing indefinitely
]: For God's sake, let's all have a drink!

DAVID: Comin' up! [
Goes out door.
]

HESTER [
pointing outside. To
J.B.]: I'll bring Ellie in! Why don't you come to the game with us, Mr. Dibble? [
She starts across to the door.
]

J.B. [
a little embarrassed, stops
HESTER]: Better leave her, baby. You know how she is about alcohol. Let's not start anything.

GUS: Shory likes a drink. I'll bring him in. [
He goes out left.
]

PAT: Plenty of room in Dave's car, Mr. Dibble. [
He studies
DIBBLE,
automatically massaging
AMOS
's arm.
]

J.B. [
holds his hand out to
HESTER]: What do you think of this?

HESTER: A wedding ring! You're giving Ellie a new ring?

J.B. [
warmly
]: No, this is for me. Since we decided to adopt a baby I been feeling like we're newlyweds.

HESTER [
flings her arms around him
]: You're such a silly man!
Enter
SHORY
, pushed in by
GUS.

SHORY [
to
J.B.]: Hey, Poppa, don't start nothin' you can't finish.

Enter
DAVID
with drinks on a tray
.

HESTER [
three-quarters joking, but only that much. To
SHORY]: And you've got a filthy mind.

SHORY: Madam, don't flatter me. [
To
DAVID,
who has been watching
HESTER
since
SHORY
came in.
] Hey, husband, where's that drink?

DAVID: Come on, everybody. Before we go! [
Gives out the drinks. . . . Raises his glass.
] A toast! To everybody's luck—everybody's!

GUS [
to
AMOS]: And the next World Series! [
Starts to drink.
]

DAVID: Wait! Make one big toast . . . to all our hearts' desires. For Amos! For Dad . . .

GUS: To David and Hester! To their prosperity, their shop, their tractor station, their farm . . .

DIBBLE [
suddenly struck with the idea
]: And their mink!

HESTER [
quick complaint
]: No . . .

DAVID [
he looks at
HESTER
. Her face softens toward him
]: Not the mink now! From today on everything is coming true! To our children.

GUS: To their children.

J.B.: Their children.

HESTER [
softly
]: And in this year. Say that.

DAVID [
their eyes meet for an instant, and hold
]: In this year . . . everything our hearts desire . . .
all of us
: in this year.
All drink.

PAT [
looks at watch
]: Hey! We're late! We're getting drunk and the whole world is waiting for us out there! Come on!
They all rush out yelling and laughing as . . . Curtain.

 

Presently,
DAVID
, followed by
DAN DIBBLE,
comes in through the front door.
DAVID
crosses to the desk and removes a large checkbook. He pauses over it, pen in hand.

 

DAVID: It's a fortune. I never wrote a check this big in my life. DIBBLE: You never got so much for so little, David. You'll have prize stock, the finest breeding mink alive. The rest's up to you. DAVID: Mr. Dibble, I never thought I'd see my hand shaking.

The door at lower left opens and
PAT
appears. He closes the door gently behind him.

DAVID: Still asleep?

PAT: Shhh, I always make him take a long nap after a game. DAVID: Aren't you going to eat anything?

PAT: I couldn't eat anything now. I'll eat after Belfast gets here. [
He sits on the couch.
] I was watchin' Amos just now asleep on the couch, and it suddenly struck me. Did you ever notice what a powerful face he has?

DAVID [
as he writes check
]: He's great. After that game today there ain't a man in the world can doubt it. He's just great.

PAT: Didn't he look noble out there?

DAVID: Noble enough to vote for.

DAVID [
as he tears out check
]: Here's your check, Mr. Dibble. [DIBBLE
takes it.
]

DIBBLE: You'll never regret it, David.

DAVID: I hope not.

DIBBLE: Well, I'll be runnin' along now. You call me as soon as you get your cages ready and I'll bring 'em over. [DAVID
has walked him to the front door.
] Goodnight.

DAVID: G'night.

DIBBLE
exits.
DAVID
turns back into the room.

PAT: You know why I'm extra glad? I think you were beginning to take it too hard, Dave. I was going to have a talk with you. Because I never had a doubt he'd scale the heights.

DAVID: I just didn't like the idea of me getting everything so steady, and him waiting around like . . . I mean you get to wondering if your own turn isn't coming.

PAT: Like what do you mean?

DAVID: A loss . . . a big unhappiness of some kind. But he's on his way now. I know it, Pop.

The door opens and
J.B.
enters with a grand new valise. He is slightly drunk. In one hand he has a slip of paper.

J.B.: Surprise! [PAT
springs up with finger to his lips.
]

PAT: Shhh!

J.B. [
whispers
]: Surprise! Wake him up. [
Pointing to valise.
] Surprise . . .

PAT: After a game he's got to sleep an hour or he's peevish. [
Pointing at watch.
] Wait a few minutes.

DAVID: Wait'll he sees the initials.

PAT [
violently
]: Ssh! [
To
J.B.
. . . threatening.
] If he's peevish . . . !
The door opens and
AMOS
stands in the doorway.

J.B.: Hey Amos . . . [
Holding up valise.
] Surprise.

AMOS: Aw . . . ! [AMOS
takes the valise and fingers it happily.
]

J.B.: It's a token of our affection from . . . just a minute now . . . [
Straightens the slip of paper.
] Hester, Shory, Gus, Dave, Ellie, and me, and Belle. [
Indicating upstage.
]

AMOS [
fondling the valise
]: Gee, you should'na done it.

J.B. [
with growing flourish and sentiment
]: No, you don't realize the traveling you'll do. [
Looks into the distance.
] Shibe Park, Commiskey Field, Sportsman's Park—Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, St. Louis. . . . And when you're packing up after a nice no-hitter, you'll give us a thought in the old home town. [
To clinch it, he taps a buckle.
] Solid brass.

AMOS [
feverish in glory
]: Give me that list. [
Takes it out of
J.B.
's hand.
] When I get my first paycheck I'm gonna send you all a big present! Say . . . ! [
Starting to take
PAT's
wrist to look at his watch.
] What time . . . ?

PAT [
holding onto his arm
]: You heard what he said in the locker room. He's got to finish some long-distance phoning, and then he'll be here. Come on. I'll rub you down. HESTER
enters as they start for the stairs.

HESTER: John, you better go outside. Ellie's going home.

J.B. [
frightened and hurt
]: Why? [
To all.
] Am I so drunk?

DAVID: Hurry up, maybe you can catch her.

J.B.: Come with me, Dave . . . tell her . . .

DAVID: Get washed, Ame . . . you want to look nice now. Be right back.

DAVID
and
J.B.
go out.

HESTER [
looking at the door
]: Why must he always do that? [
To
PAT
who is rummaging in his old valise.
] I'll get you some towels. Come on up.

PAT: Oh, no, we carry our own. You never can tell about strange towels. [
He folds one over his arm.
AMOS
is looking out of the window.
]

HESTER [
ready to laugh
]: Well, I wasn't going to give you a dirty towel, you stupid.

PAT: For twenty-one years I've kept him practically sterilized. I ain't layin' him low with an infection now. Come on, Amos, get washed.

AMOS
and
PAT
exit up the stairs as
J.B.
enters, followed by
DAVID. J.B.
is drunk, unsteady but not staggering. He barges in, comes directly to
HESTER
and takes her hand, speaks very close to her face, as though to discern her reactions better.

J.B.: Hester, you got to go home for me. [
He goes to window helplessly.
]

DAVID: Maybe she was only fooling, John . . .

J.B.: No! But . . . [
To
HESTER.] Somebody's got to go home for me! [
And suddenly he bursts into uncontrolled sobbings.
]

HESTER: What in the world . . . !

DAVID [
angrily
]: John! [
Shakes him, then seats him.
] John! Are you going to cut that out?

HESTER [
going to
J.B.]: What happened? What did she say?

J.B. [
stops sobbing, sits swaying backward and forward, very slightly in his chair
]: All these years . . . we could've had children . . . all these weary, weary years.

HESTER: What are you talking about?

J.B. [
pointing waywardly toward the door to the outside
]: Just told me . . . she made it up about the doctor . . . made it all up. We could've had two kids by now. [
Looks at
DAVID.] She wouldn't. She wouldn't. Because I drink, she says. A drunkard, she says! They'll wipe my name off my mail box like I never lived!

HESTER: Come upstairs and lie down. You make me so mad I could choke you! You could have everything in the world and you drink it away.

J.B.: If I had a boy . . . I wouldn't have touched a drop.

HESTER: Oh, push! [
She tries to move him to the stairway.
]

J.B.: I'm only a failure, Dave. The world is full of failures. All a man needs is one mistake and he's a failure.

DAVID
turns his head, a little annoyed.

DAVID [
impatiently
]: I know, John. [
Looks out window again.
]

J.B.: You are the only man I ever knew who never makes a mistake. You understand me. Look at me! I am saying something.

DAVID [
now turns full to him
]: What are you talking about?

J.B.: I'm not as drunk as I look, David! You're a good man, yes. You know how to do. But you've had a phenomenal lot of luck in your life, Dave. Never play luck too hard. It's like a season, and seasons go away.

HESTER: Come up or you'll pass away.

Enter
PAT
downstairs with watch in hand.

PAT: My watch says eight-thirty, where is he? He told you no later than eight o'clock, didn't he?

DAVID: Which means he's half an hour late. That's what it means, doesn't it?

PAT: I don't know what to tell Amos. I made him take another shower.

DAVID [
with growing fear
]: He pitched the greatest game of his life today, what more does he need to be told? That man'll be here.

PAT: Maybe he was kidding us. He looked like he might be that type.

DAVID: Are you going to stop that?

PAT: . . . And Amos did look a little nervous in the eighth inning with those two men on base.

DAVID: But they didn't score! Now will you just stop. [PAT
, hurt looks at him, then goes to the stairs.
] Dad, what you want me to do; I can't grow him in my back yard, can I? SHORY
enters pushed by
GUS
. At the stairs,
PAT
turns, starts to speak, then goes up and out.

SHORY [
as the door shuts
]: I'm getting my aches and pains. I came in to say goodnight. . . . Party's breakin' up anyway out there.

DAVID: No, wait a little. I don't want everybody pulling out. [
He goes to window as . . .
]

SHORY: The man told you seven-thirty, what're you making believe he said eight? You told me as he said seven-thirty, didn't you?

DAVID [
his fury is at the scout. He keeps searching out of the window
]: He could've got a flat maybe.

SHORY: It don't take an hour to change a flat, Dave.

DAVID [
tensely. He turns
]: Don't go away. Please.

Enter
HESTER.

[
To
HESTER.] The folks are starting to go. [
Moving her back to the door.
] I want a party here when the scout leaves. Keep them here.

HESTER: It's not the world coming to an end. I don't want you acting this way. It's no fault of yours what happens to him. [
She grasps him
.] Why do you act this way? Davey . . .

DAVID: I don't get it, I swear to God I don't get it. [
Strides to the window. He seems about to burst from the room.
]

SHORY: Get what?

DAVID: Everything is so hard for him. [
Turns to them suddenly, unable to down his anxiety.
] I want to ask you something. All of you, and you too, Hess. You know what I can do and what I can't do, you . . . you know me. Everything I touch, why is it? It turns gold. Everything.

HESTER: What's come over you? Why . . . ?

DAVID [
with extreme urgency
]: It bothers me, it . . . [
To all.
] What is it about me? I never . . . I never lose. Since we were kids I expected Amos to rise and shine. He's the one, he knows something, he knows one thing perfect. Why? Is it all luck? Is that what it is?