The Stonemason (11 page)

W
ORKER
What's his name, Ben?

M
AMA
Edward. His name is Edward.

SCENE VI

The kitchen at night. Papaw is sitting at the table, his bible and his teacup at his elbow. He is leaning forward with his head cradled in his arms apparently asleep. Ben enters the kitchen and smiles to see him and goes to the sink and fills the kettle and puts it on the stove.

B
EN
Papaw?

He turns the heat on under the kettle and comes to the table and puts his hand on the old man's arm.

B
EN
Papaw.

He puts his hand over the old man's hand.

B
EN
Papaw?

He sits down, holding the old man's hand. Tears run down his cheeks.

B
EN
(
Almost whispering
) Oh Papaw. I didn't want you to go. (
Shaking his head
) I didn't want you to go.

SCENE VII

Papaw's bedroom, stage right. A small iron bed with a nightstand and a lamp. Papaw is lying on the bed and Ben is sitting in a chair alongside the bed. Ben is asleep with his head resting on the bed in the crook of his arm. He is holding Papaw's hand. The lights come up and it is morning and he wakes. There are steps on the stairs and Mama enters the kitchen humming a spiritual and turns on the kitchen lights and begins to prepare breakfast. Ben puts his left hand on the old man's hand and withdraws his right hand from the old man's grasp and stands and looks down at him and bends and kisses him on the forehead and turns and goes into the kitchen as Mama finishes humming the piece. Mama turns and sees him standing there.

B
EN
Mama.

She shakes her head no. Her mouth is trembling.

B
EN
Mama.

M
AMA
Oh no. Benny. Benny. Oh no. Not that man. No.

B
EN
Mama.

M
AMA
(
Shaking her head no
) No. No.

Ben crosses the floor and puts his arms around her and she begins to wail openly.

M
AMA
Oh Lord Jesus no don't take that sweet man. Don't take him. Don't take him.

B
EN
Mama. Mama. He's already gone, Mama.

SCENE VIII

The church interior again, stage left. The family stands in front of the pew and the minister stands before them reading from the bible. The ladies wear veiled hats.

M
INISTER
And he called his son Joseph and said unto him If now I have found grace in thy sight put I pray thee thy hand under my thigh and deal kindly and truly with me. Bury me not I pray thee in Egypt. But I will lie with my fathers and thou shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place. And he said I will do as thou hast said.

SCENE IX

The kitchen, mid day. Mama is on the telephone. A car pulls in the driveway. Mama looks out the window. The car door opens and closes.

M
AMA
Well. I got to go, Louise. Here comes Ben in the middle of the day. I expect he be wantin somethin to eat. Well.

She hangs up the phone and Big Ben enters the kitchen. He is dressed in a light colored suit with a shirt and tie. He looks at her without expression.

M
AMA
Honey did you want somethin to eat?

He crosses the room and exits and goes up the stairs.

M
AMA
I'm goin to fix you some of that pepper steak.

The light comes on stage right which is Big Ben and Mama's bedroom. There is a double bed and a night table and a door which leads to the bathroom offstage. Big Ben enters and sits on the bed. He takes an envelope out of his pocket and tears it in several pieces and puts the pieces on the table. He opens the table drawer and takes out a revolver and puts it on the table. He rises and goes into the bathroom and turns on the light. It is a very white light that comes from the bathroom and there is the sound of water running and then he comes back into the room and begins to undress. He puts his watch and billfold on the table. He hangs his suit carefully on a hanger together with his tie and lays it across the bed. He crumples his shirt and throws it in the corner and he takes off his shoes and takes off his socks and garters and puts them in the shoes and puts the shoes under the bed. Then he rises, dressed only in very clean white shorts and undershirt and takes up the revolver and goes into the bathroom and shuts the door. Mama has been busy at the stove. She is reaching up to the shelf for the pepper when the sound of the shot reaches her. She freezes, then lowers her hand and turns to look at the door stage left. She crosses the kitchen.

M
AMA
Ben? Ben?

She crosses to the door.

M
AMA
Ben? That was outside wasn't it? That was outside wasn't it honey?

She exits and goes up the stairs.

— CURTAIN —

ACT V

SCENE I

The kitchen. It is empty. The woodstove remains although the stove pipe is lying in the floor. The windows have been boarded over. Ben's pickup pulls into the drive and the truck door opens and closes and the kitchen door opens and Ben enters. He leaves the door open. He stands in the kitchen and looks around, then goes out and up the stairs. The light comes on stage right where the naked iron bedstead is the only piece of furniture left in Big Ben's bedroom. Ben comes through the room and comes around the bed and sits slowly on the bedsprings and looks out, his hands clasped, his elbows on his knees. The light comes on at the podium.

B
EN
The big elm tree died. The old dog died. Things that you can touch go away forever. I don't know what that means. I don't know what it means that things exist and then exist no more. Trees. Dogs. People. Will that namelessness into which we vanish then taste of us? The world was before man was and it will be again when he is gone. But it was not this world nor will it be, for where man lives is in this world only.

Ultimately there is no one to tell you if you are justified in your own house.

The people I know who are honorable never think about it. I think of little else.

If I'd ransomed everything and given it all to him would it have saved him?

No.

Was I obligated to do so?

Yes.

Why did you not?

Ben sitting on the bed, lowers his head.

B
EN
Papaw. Papaw. Why were you everything to me and nothing to him?

SCENE II

Stage left. Ben is standing on the porch of a small frame house. It is night and the porch light is on. He taps at the door (again). The door opens and
MARY WEAVER
—a woman in her midforties, not unattractive, looks out at him. She is wearing a housedress but she is well groomed.

B
EN
Hello. Are you Mary Weaver?

She studies him. She nods her head.

M
ARY
I guess you're Benny.

B
EN
Yes mam.

M
ARY
I cain't do nothin for you child. Let the dead sleep.

B
EN
I just wondered if I could talk to you for a minute.

M
ARY
What would be the use in it?

Ben looks away. He gestures futilely. He is almost crying.

B
EN
I'm not here to bother you Mrs Weaver.

She shakes her head resignedly. She looks up at him. She pushes open the door.

M
ARY
Come on in.

He enters and she closes the door and goes past him to a kitchen table with two chairs.

M
ARY
You want a glass of iced tea?

B
EN
Yes mam. That would be fine.

She goes past him just offstage. She returns with a pitcher and two glasses.

M
ARY
And quit callin me mam. I ain't that old. This is done got sugar in it.

B
EN
That's all right.

M
ARY
Well set down.

She pours the glasses. He sits. She takes her cigarettes from her housedress pocket and puts them on the table and sits down.

B
EN
Thank you.

He sips the tea. She watches him. She sighs and reaches for the cigarettes.

M
ARY
What did you want me to tell you?

B
EN
Anything that you'd be willing to. About my father. Anything...

M
ARY
You talk like he died fore you was born.

She lights a cigarette and studies him through the smoke.

M
ARY
I knew when I seen you standin there you didn't know what it was you wanted.

B
EN
I guess I don't. It's just that you're about the only person he knew that I didn't and I kept thinking that there must be somebody... there must be somebody ...

M
ARY
I don't know why that poor man killed hisself.

B
EN
No. I guess you don't.

M
ARY
Do you?

B
EN
(
Shaking his head
) No.

They sit. She smokes.

B
EN
I don't know anything about him. You live with someone all your life. All their life... My sister's boy. Fifteen years old. I thought he was just a troublesome kid. He was involved in things I hardly knew existed. The things I found out I couldn't believe. Yet they were so. They were so.

M
ARY
Do you want to know what kind of man your father was? I knew him for ten years. Did you want to know that he was kind and sweet and generous? And a real man too. Because he was. Or did you come here to find out about yourself.

He looks at her. He smiles. His eyes are wet.

B
EN
I don't know. Maybe.

M
ARY
What did he say about me. What did he say about me.

B
EN
No.

M
ARY
He never liked to talk about things once they was over and done with. I see you don't favor him in that respect leastways.

She carefully stubs out the cigarette.

M
ARY
It wasn't the money. Been the money he been dead years ago. He always had money troubles. Died owin me four hundred dollar.

B
EN
I'll see that you get it.

M
ARY
What for? You don't owe it. I don't want it noway.

B
EN
He never talked about his family?

M
ARY
Very seldom. Very seldom. Only thing I ever remember him to say that told me a little about his deeper thought was that he'd had two brothers and a sister and they was all dead. Him bein the baby of the family I think he felt alone in the world someway. He was not a happy man, Benny. Never was. If he had of been I wouldn't of had him.

B
EN
Did his father dying have anything to do with it?

M
ARY
I believe it did. But not the way you might think.

Ben looks at her. She lights another cigarette.

M
ARY
I think maybe when his daddy died that give him leave to go on and do what he done.

B
EN
You don't think he could of done it with his father alive.

She blows out smoke and shakes her head.

M
ARY
No. No way.

B
EN
But not his wife and children.

M
ARY
Not his wife and children. Maybe it ought to be the same thing, but it ain't. You ought to know about that. That's why you here ain't it? Cause you cain't get around that daddy? Cain't get around that daddy.