CON spreads his hands in resignation .)
LIZZY : But listen to this – this’ll kill you – Mother’s here, see? And Agnes is here and I’m here. And Agnes leans across Mother to me – you know – and she says in this helluva loud voice – she says – ( Laughs ) – this really does kill me – she says – in this whisper of hers – and you know the size of Bailtefree chapel; couldn’t swing a cat in that place –( Suddenly anxious. ) That chapel’s still there, isn’t it? It hasn’t fell down or nothing, has it?
CON : ( Dryly ) Unless it fell down within the last couple of hours. We drove up there this morning. Remember?
LIZZY : ( Relieved ) Yeah. So we did. Fine place. Made me feel kinda – you know – what the hell was I talking about?
BEN : Agnes leaned over to you and said –
( LIZZY puts her arm around him and kisses the crown of his head .)
LIZZY : Thanks, Ben. A great friend with a great memory! I’ll tell you, Gar, Ben Burton’s one hundred per cent. The first and best friend we made when we went out. ( To CON .) Right, honey?
CON : Right.
LIZZY : Way back in ’37.
CON : ’38.
LIZZY : ( Loudly ) October 23rd, 19 and 37 we sailed for the United States of America, ( CON spreads his hands .) Nothing in our pockets. No job to go to. And what does Ben do?
CON : A guy in a million.
LIZZY : He gives us this apartment. He gives us dough. He gives us three meals a day – until Bonzo ( CON ) finally gets himself this job. Looks after us like we were his own skin and bone. Right, honey?
CON : Right.
LIZZY : So don’t let nobody say nothing against Ben Burton. Then when he ( CON ) gets this job in this downtown store –
CON : First job was with the construction company.
LIZZY : Would you please desist? ( CON spreads hands .) His first job was with Young and Pecks, hauling out them packing cases and things; and then he moved to the construction company, and then we got a place of our own.
PUBLIC : You were telling us about that morning.
LIZZY : What’s he talking about?
PUBLIC : The day my father and mother got married.
LIZZY : That day! Wasn’t that something? With the wind howling and the rain slashing about! And Mother, poor Mother, may God be good to her, she thought that just because Maire got this guy with a big store we should all of got guys with big stores. And poor Maire – we were so alike in every way, Maire and me. But he was good to her. I’ll say that for S.B. O’Donnell – real good to her. Where the hell is he anyhow? Why will S.B. O’Donnell, my brother-in-law, not meet me?
CON : He ( PUBLIC ) told you – he’s away at a wedding.
LIZZY : What wedding?
CON : Some local girl and some Dublin doc.
LIZZY : What local girl? You think I’m a stranger here or something?
CON : ( To PUBLIC ) What local girl?
PUBLIC : Senator Doogan’s daughter.
PRIVATE : Kathy.
LIZZY : Never heard of him. Some Johnny-hop-up. When did they start having senators about this place for Gawd’s sakes?
BEN : ( To PUBLIC ) You have a senate in Dublin, just like our Senate, don’t you?
LIZZY : Don’t you start telling me nothing about my own country, Ben. You got your own problems to look after. Just you leave me to manage this place, okay?
BEN : Sorry, Elise.
LIZZY : Ben! ( She kisses the top of his head .) Only that I’m a good Irish-American Catholic – ( To PUBLIC ) and believe me, they don’t come much better than that-and only that I’m stuck with Rudolph Valentino ( CON ) I’d take a chance with Ben Burton any day ( Kisses him again .) black Lutheran and all that he is.
( MADGE appears at the door of the shop. She refuses to look at the visitors. Her face is tight with disapproval. Her accent is very precise .)
MADGE : Are there any Clarions to spare or are they all ordered?
PUBLIC : They’re all ordered, Madge.
LIZZY : Doing big deals out there, honey, huh?
MADGE : Thank you, Gareth.
( MADGE withdraws .)
LIZZY : ‘Thank you, Gareth!’
( She giggles to
LIZZY : But listen to this – this’ll kill you – Mother’s here, see? And Agnes is here and I’m here. And Agnes leans across Mother to me – you know – and she says in this helluva loud voice – she says – ( Laughs ) – this really does kill me – she says – in this whisper of hers – and you know the size of Bailtefree chapel; couldn’t swing a cat in that place –( Suddenly anxious. ) That chapel’s still there, isn’t it? It hasn’t fell down or nothing, has it?
CON : ( Dryly ) Unless it fell down within the last couple of hours. We drove up there this morning. Remember?
LIZZY : ( Relieved ) Yeah. So we did. Fine place. Made me feel kinda – you know – what the hell was I talking about?
BEN : Agnes leaned over to you and said –
( LIZZY puts her arm around him and kisses the crown of his head .)
LIZZY : Thanks, Ben. A great friend with a great memory! I’ll tell you, Gar, Ben Burton’s one hundred per cent. The first and best friend we made when we went out. ( To CON .) Right, honey?
CON : Right.
LIZZY : Way back in ’37.
CON : ’38.
LIZZY : ( Loudly ) October 23rd, 19 and 37 we sailed for the United States of America, ( CON spreads his hands .) Nothing in our pockets. No job to go to. And what does Ben do?
CON : A guy in a million.
LIZZY : He gives us this apartment. He gives us dough. He gives us three meals a day – until Bonzo ( CON ) finally gets himself this job. Looks after us like we were his own skin and bone. Right, honey?
CON : Right.
LIZZY : So don’t let nobody say nothing against Ben Burton. Then when he ( CON ) gets this job in this downtown store –
CON : First job was with the construction company.
LIZZY : Would you please desist? ( CON spreads hands .) His first job was with Young and Pecks, hauling out them packing cases and things; and then he moved to the construction company, and then we got a place of our own.
PUBLIC : You were telling us about that morning.
LIZZY : What’s he talking about?
PUBLIC : The day my father and mother got married.
LIZZY : That day! Wasn’t that something? With the wind howling and the rain slashing about! And Mother, poor Mother, may God be good to her, she thought that just because Maire got this guy with a big store we should all of got guys with big stores. And poor Maire – we were so alike in every way, Maire and me. But he was good to her. I’ll say that for S.B. O’Donnell – real good to her. Where the hell is he anyhow? Why will S.B. O’Donnell, my brother-in-law, not meet me?
CON : He ( PUBLIC ) told you – he’s away at a wedding.
LIZZY : What wedding?
CON : Some local girl and some Dublin doc.
LIZZY : What local girl? You think I’m a stranger here or something?
CON : ( To PUBLIC ) What local girl?
PUBLIC : Senator Doogan’s daughter.
PRIVATE : Kathy.
LIZZY : Never heard of him. Some Johnny-hop-up. When did they start having senators about this place for Gawd’s sakes?
BEN : ( To PUBLIC ) You have a senate in Dublin, just like our Senate, don’t you?
LIZZY : Don’t you start telling me nothing about my own country, Ben. You got your own problems to look after. Just you leave me to manage this place, okay?
BEN : Sorry, Elise.
LIZZY : Ben! ( She kisses the top of his head .) Only that I’m a good Irish-American Catholic – ( To PUBLIC ) and believe me, they don’t come much better than that-and only that I’m stuck with Rudolph Valentino ( CON ) I’d take a chance with Ben Burton any day ( Kisses him again .) black Lutheran and all that he is.
( MADGE appears at the door of the shop. She refuses to look at the visitors. Her face is tight with disapproval. Her accent is very precise .)
MADGE : Are there any Clarions to spare or are they all ordered?
PUBLIC : They’re all ordered, Madge.
LIZZY : Doing big deals out there, honey, huh?
MADGE : Thank you, Gareth.
( MADGE withdraws .)
LIZZY : ‘Thank you, Gareth!’
( She giggles to
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