Baby Doll & Tiger Tail (18 page)

Ruby Lightfoot’s song can be heard as lights come up to reveal early evening. She sings her song as Two Bits sneaks up to the porch to place Archie Lee’s jug on the steps. Both are aware of what goes on inside
.

The interior of the nursery is slowly illuminated to reveal Silva curled up in the crib stroking Baby Doll who sits on the floor beside the crib. Their post-coital love play is underscored by the music
.

When sensuality is dramatized it is more effective with less dependence on the spoken word, and this is especially true when both performers are visually exciting
.

SILVA
[
caressing her casually as he would a pet cat
]: Baby Doll. . .

[
Pause as Ruby sings
.]

BABY DOLL
: Don’t call me that.

[
Pause as Ruby sings
.]

SILVA
: That’s what your husband calls you.

[
Ruby’s song concludes
.]

BABY DOLL
: That’s mainly why I don’t like it. That ole stinker treats me like a—
thing!

SILVA
: You don’t like being called by a little name of endearment?

BABY DOLL
: Not one that Archie Lee calls me.

SILVA
: Well, there’s a good many names I’ve heard used around here.

BABY DOLL
: Such as what?

SILVA
: Precious, honey-darlin’, sweetie-pie—pussy pie. . .

BABY DOLL
: You’re makin’ fun of me, now. I’ve lost your respect, haven’t I?

SILVA
[
dreamily, with deep satisfaction
]: Not a bit, you’ve gained it, in exchange for that slip of paper that will make it plain as day even to blind-folded justice that Archie Lee Meighan burnt down the Syndicate gin.

BABY DOLL
: That’s all you wanted from me?

SILVA
: It’s certainly not all that I got, eh,
Bambina? Bambino mia
.

BABY DOLL
: Bam
what
, what’s that you called me?

SILVA
:
Bambina mia
’s Italian for my baby. Do you like it?

BABY DOLL
: We-ell, it’s. . . it’s. . .

SILVA
: More appropriate, now? In private?

BABY DOLL
: —How’m I gonna explain these marks that you’ve put on me?

SILVA
: Don’t explain them. Just put some cold cream and some talcum on them before you go down to supper.

[
He rises and stretches sensually and crosses to a window. His sculptural torso is framed by moonlight
.]

—The cotton-picking moon is out and it’s full. Hound dogs are baying at it. And Archie Lee is somewhere on the road from Memphis.

[
He turns toward her
.]

—Are you tired,
bambina?

BABY DOLL
: No, not a bit. I feel real relaxed. . . . Once my daddy, when my daddy was livin’, he took me to this doctor in town and tole the doctor he thought I was sufferin’ from—what was it? Oh, yais, pernicious anemia. . . yeah.

SILVA
: A vitality crisis?

BABY DOLL
: Hmmm-Mmmm. But the doctor said, “Mr. McCorkle, your daughter is at a stage in her life when she’s just waitin’ for somethin’ to stimulate her nature.”

[
Pause
.]

Daddy didn’t like that.

[
Silva laughs softly
.]

SILVA
: What do you think you was waiting for,
Bambina?

[
Pause
.]

BABY DOLL
:
—You
. . .

[
Juke-box music comes from Ruby Lightfoot’s place in the near distance
.]

Are we gonna have more afternoons like this?

SILVA
[
imitating her drawl
]: Wouldn’ surprise me a-tall—

BABY DOLL
: You didn’ answer my question.

[
She crosses to him. He draws her into his arms
,
thrusts his pelvis against hers
,
grinding slowly
.]

SILVA
: “Time on my hands, you in my arms,

Nothin’ but love in vi-iiew. . . .”

Isn’t that how the song goes?

BABY DOLL
: You still haven’t answered my question.

SILVA
[
standing still
]: This is a waiting country, but there’s plenty of time, oh, yes, we’ll have plenty of time, for making lemonade on hot afternoons, for making love and for—

[
He laughs into her hair
.]

—“Time on our hands—” Oh, I think we’re going to have time, plenty of it. It will take quite a while to construct a new gin at the Syndicate Plantation and till it is constructed and in operation I will still be bringing my wagons of cotton to Archie Lee’s decrepit but still functioning gin.

BABY DOLL
: You are awful, I love it. . .

[
They kiss. Archie Lee’s pickup is heard on the road
.]

SILVA
: Listen. I suggest we prepare ourselves to receive your husband. How do you feel about that?

[
We hear Archie’s pickup crash into garbage cans in the backyard
.]

BABY DOLL
: —Depressed!

SILVA
: No need to be.

ARCHIE
[
offstage
]: BABY DOLL! BABY DOLL! Where the hell is ever’body!

SILVA
[
laughing
]: This might turn into a highly inflammable night in our lives! You greet him first.

BABY DOLL
: Oh. . .

SILVA
: Don’t worry—I’ll accept his invitation to supper!

ARCHIE
[
coming into view
]: BABY DO-OOLL!!!

SILVA
[
before leaping out bedroom window
]: Hey! Your wrapper!

ARCHIE
: Hey! Anybody living here? Anybody still living in this house?

[
Archie Lee enters the yard; he removes a pair of thick-lensed glasses to swab his face with his shirt tail, then rubs the glasses. Suspicious, angry, something violent and dangerous is growing in his heart. He mutters to himself. He hears the soft chuckle of Ruby Lightfoot
.]

ARCHIE
[
with his glasses off
]: Who’s that? [
He puts the glasses on
.] Aw. Ruby. What you doin’ here?

RUBY
: Waitin’ t’ be paid fo’ that gallon of sorghum molasses Two Bits set on your porch las’ night and tonight.

ARCHIE
: You know my credit’s good.

RUBY
: I seen the fire. Oh, yeah.

ARCHIE
[
viciously
]:
Shuddup!
—I am married to a respectable young lady so I’d be much obliged if you’d not come onto the front yard in that kind of outfit. My Baby Doll would be shocked. Now
GIT
outta here! I said GIT!

[
She laughs mockingly as she eludes his attempt to grab her. He snorts. He takes a long gulp of the contents of the jug. Two Bits seizes the chance to run past Archie Lee after Ruby, startling the flustered redneck. Aunt Rose Comfort is lighted in the kitchen dining-room area. She has not yet discovered that the stove isn’t burning
.]

ARCHIE
[
turning into the house
]: BABY DOLL! —Thought I’d smell something cookin’ for supper in here!

AUNT ROSE
: Oh! It’s you, Archie Lee!

ARCHIE
[
entering the kitchen area
]: Who the hell else didja think it might be?

AUNT ROSE
: I didn’t hear you arrive. It’s been such an unusual afternoon. I paid a call on a sickly friend of mine at the county hospital.

ARCHIE
: Eatin’ chocolates, huh?

AUNT ROSE
: She was in this see-through tent to help her breathe oxygen, but while I was with her it turned itself off somehow and she. . . she. . . she. . . . Little Precious is gone, and I want you to know that they accused me of turning off the machine. There was this big fuss about it till I told who I was, that I was Miss Rose Comfort McCorkle devoted to Little Precious and jus’—

ARCHIE
: Eatin’ choc’lates while she kicked the bucket.

[
He notices the sound above
.]

Wha’s my Baby Doll?

AUNT ROSE
: I think that she’s been restin’.

ARCHIE
: —CHRIST!

[
He shouts up the stairs
.]

HEY!

[
He starts up the stairs. Baby Doll appears on them in her flimsy wrapper
.]

—What’s the meanin’ of this?

BABY DOLL
: Meanin’ of what?

ARCHIE
: You drest that way?

BABY DOLL
: I just had me a bath and when I heard you down here, I couldn’t wait to see you, you know that.

ARCHIE
: What’s them marks on your body?

BABY DOLL
: Aw, them’s mosquito bites. I scratched ’em— Lemme
go!

ARCHIE
: Ain’t I told you not to slop around here like that???!!

AUNT ROSE
[
alarmed by the shout
,
appears in the door to the kitchen
,
crying out thin and high
]: Almost ready, now, folks, almost ready!!

[
She rushes back into the kitchen with her frightened cackle. There is a crash of china from the kitchen
.]

ARCHIE
: The breakage alone in this kitchen could ruin a well-to-do man. Whew!
Twen
-ty
sev
-en
wa
-gons
full
of
cot
-ton!
Some day’s work!

[A
dog howls. Baby Doll utters a breathless laugh
.]

What’re you laughin’ at, honey? Not at me I hope. I’m all wo’n out an’ I want a little appreciation not—silly giggles like that!

BABY DOLL
: You’re not the only one’s—done a big day’s—work.

ARCHIE
: Who else that you know of?

[
There is a pause. Baby Doll’s laughter spills out again
.]

You’re laughin’ like you been on a goddam jag.

[
Baby Doll laughs
.]

What did you get pissed on? Roach poison or citronella? I think I make it pretty easy for you, workin’ like a mule skinner.

[
Baby Doll says: “Sure
(laughs). . .
you make it easy!” while Archie continues.
]

I’ve yet to see you lift a finger. Even gotten. . . too lazy t’ put you’ things on. Round the house ha’f naked all th’ time. All you can think of is “Give me a Coca-Cola!” Well, you better look out. They got a new bureau in the guvamint files. It’s called U.W. A. Stands for Useless Wimmen of America. Tha’s secret plans on foot t’ have ’em shot!

AUNT ROSE
: Almost ready, folks, almost ready!

BABY DOLL
: How about men that’s destructive? Don’t they have secret plans to round up men that’s destructive and shoot them too?

ARCHIE
: What destructive men you talkin’ about?

BABY DOLL
: Men that blow things up and burn things down because they’re too evil and stupid to git along otherwise.
Because fair competition is too much for ’em. So they turn criminal. Do things like arson. Willful destruction of property by fire.

[
She steps out on the porch. Night sounds. A cool breeze tosses her damp curls. She sniffs the night air like a young horse. . . . The porch light, a milky globe patterned with dead insects, turns on directly over her head
.]

ARCHIE
: Who said that to you, where’d you git that from?

BABY DOLL
: Turn that porch light off, there’s men on the road can see me.

ARCHIE
: Who said
arson
to you? Who spoke of willful destruction of— YOU never known them words. Who SAID ’em to yuh?

BABY DOLL
: Sometimes, Big Shot, you don’t seem t’ give me credit for much intelligence! I’ve been to school, in my life, and I’m a—magazine reader!

[
She shakes off his grip and starts down the porch steps
.

[
There is a group of men on Tiger Tail Road. One of them gives a wolf whistle. At once, Archie Lee charges down the steps—crying out
—]

ARCHIE
:
Who gave that whistle??
Which one of you give a wolf-whistle at my wife?

[
Ruby Lightfoot announces her return with characteristic flamboyance
.]

RUBY
:
Hey, there, Daddy, Ruby’s back!

ARCHIE
:
Didn’t I tellya to keep your ass
—?

RUBY
[
drawing a knife
]: Don’t say it! Don’t gimme no mouth, I’m back for cash that you’ve had time to collect off that fine new client of yours. Two Bits, go make the collection off him, he knows the bill and the bill refuses to wait!

BABY DOLL
: Has she come back with more liquor for Archie Lee to celebrate—?

ARCHIE
[
turning to Baby Doll with his hand lifted
]:
Shut your goddam
—

BABY DOLL
: His criminal action las’ night?

[
Meighan slaps her viciously. Two Bits exits running in response to the violent slap
.]

RUBY
: Hey, now!

BABY DOLL
: That’s the last time you’ll lay a hand on me!

ARCHIE
: I’ll lay more’n a hand on you in less’n three hours. . . . You will be age twenty and I will celebrate plenty!

[
Ruby laughs and Archie whirls back to face her
.]

Now, you, moonshiner, haul your ass off my property! Back to the bayou with it!

RUBY
: Moonshiner, who? Don’t lay that name on me! Though, I suspects that’s all you gonna be layin’ tonight. . .