Read Online Harold Pinter Plays 2 by Harold Pinter - Free Book Online
Authors: Harold Pinter
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where he goes to, where’s he go, he never tells me. We used to have a bit of a chat, not any more. I never see him, he goes out, he comes in late, next thing I know he’s shoving me about in the middle of the night.
Pause.
Listen! I wake up in the morning … I wake up in the morning and he’s smiling at me! He’s standing there, looking at me, smiling! I can see him, you see, I can see him through the blanket. He puts on his coat, he turns himself round, he looks down at my bed, there’s a smile on his face! What the hell’s he smiling at? What he don’t know is that I’m watching him through that blanket. He don’t know that! He don’t know I can see him, he thinks I’m asleep, but I got my eye on him all the time through the blanket, see? But he don’t know that! He just looks at me and he smiles, but he don’t know that I can see him doing it!
Pause.
(Bending , close to MICK .) No, what you want to do, you want to speak to him, see? I got … I got that worked out. You want to tell him … that we got ideas for this place, we could build it up, we could get it started. You see, I could decorate it out for you, I could give you a hand in doing it … between us.
Pause.
Where do you live now, then?
MICK . Me? Oh, I’ve got a little place. Not bad. Everything
laid on. You must come up and have a drink some time. Listen to some Tchaikovsky.
DAVIES. No, you see, you’re the bloke who wants to talk to him. I mean, you’re his brother.
Pause.
MICK. Yes … maybe I will.
A door bangs.
MICK rises, goes to the door and exits.
DAVIES. Where you going? This is him!
Silence.
DAVIES stands, then goes to the window and looks out.
ASTON enters. He is carrying a paper bag. He takes off his overcoat, opens the bag and takes out a pair of shoes.
ASTON. Pair of shoes.
DAVIES (turning). What?
ASTON. I picked them up. Try them.
DAVIES. Shoes? What sort?
ASTON. They might do you.
DAVIES comes down stage, takes off his sandals and tries the shoes on. He walks about, waggling his feet, bends, and presses the leather.
DAVIES. No, they’re not right.
ASTON. Aren’t they?
DAVIES. No, they don’t fit.
ASTON. Mmnn.
Pause.
DAVIES. Well, I’ll tell you what, they might do … until I get another pair.
Pause.
Where’s the laces?
ASTON. No laces.
DAVIES. I can’t wear them without laces.
ASTON. I just got the shoes.
DAVIES. Well now, look that puts the lid on it, don’t it?
I mean, you couldn’t keep these shoes on right without a pair of laces. The only way to keep a pair of shoes on, if you haven’t got no laces, is to tighten the foot, see? Walk about with a tight foot, see? Well, that’s no good for the foot. Puts a bad strain on the foot. If you can do the shoes up proper there’s less chance of you getting a strain.
ASTON goes round to the top of his bed.
ASTON. I might have some somewhere.
DAVIES. You see what I’m getting at?
Pause.
ASTON. Here’s some. (He hands them to DAVIES .)
DAVIES. These are brown.
ASTON. That’s all I got.
DAVIES. These shoes are black.
ASTON does not answer.
Well, they can do, anyway, until I get another pair.
DAVIES sits in the chair and begins to lace his shoes.
Maybe they’ll get me down to Sidcup tomorrow. If I get down there I’ll be able to sort myself out.
Pause.
I’ve been offered a good job. Man has offered it to me, he’s … he’s got plenty of ideas. He’s got a bit of a future. But they want my papers, you see, they want my references. I’d have to get down to Sidcup before I could get hold of them. That’s where they are, see. Trouble is, getting there. That’s my problem. The weather’s dead against it.
ASTON quietly exits, unnoticed.
Don’t know as these shoes’ll be much good. It’s a hard road, I been down there before. Coming the other way, like. Last time I left there, it was … last time … getting on a while back … the road was bad, the rain was comingdown, lucky I didn’t die there on the road, but I
Pause.
Listen! I wake up in the morning … I wake up in the morning and he’s smiling at me! He’s standing there, looking at me, smiling! I can see him, you see, I can see him through the blanket. He puts on his coat, he turns himself round, he looks down at my bed, there’s a smile on his face! What the hell’s he smiling at? What he don’t know is that I’m watching him through that blanket. He don’t know that! He don’t know I can see him, he thinks I’m asleep, but I got my eye on him all the time through the blanket, see? But he don’t know that! He just looks at me and he smiles, but he don’t know that I can see him doing it!
Pause.
(Bending , close to MICK .) No, what you want to do, you want to speak to him, see? I got … I got that worked out. You want to tell him … that we got ideas for this place, we could build it up, we could get it started. You see, I could decorate it out for you, I could give you a hand in doing it … between us.
Pause.
Where do you live now, then?
MICK . Me? Oh, I’ve got a little place. Not bad. Everything
laid on. You must come up and have a drink some time. Listen to some Tchaikovsky.
DAVIES. No, you see, you’re the bloke who wants to talk to him. I mean, you’re his brother.
Pause.
MICK. Yes … maybe I will.
A door bangs.
MICK rises, goes to the door and exits.
DAVIES. Where you going? This is him!
Silence.
DAVIES stands, then goes to the window and looks out.
ASTON enters. He is carrying a paper bag. He takes off his overcoat, opens the bag and takes out a pair of shoes.
ASTON. Pair of shoes.
DAVIES (turning). What?
ASTON. I picked them up. Try them.
DAVIES. Shoes? What sort?
ASTON. They might do you.
DAVIES comes down stage, takes off his sandals and tries the shoes on. He walks about, waggling his feet, bends, and presses the leather.
DAVIES. No, they’re not right.
ASTON. Aren’t they?
DAVIES. No, they don’t fit.
ASTON. Mmnn.
Pause.
DAVIES. Well, I’ll tell you what, they might do … until I get another pair.
Pause.
Where’s the laces?
ASTON. No laces.
DAVIES. I can’t wear them without laces.
ASTON. I just got the shoes.
DAVIES. Well now, look that puts the lid on it, don’t it?
I mean, you couldn’t keep these shoes on right without a pair of laces. The only way to keep a pair of shoes on, if you haven’t got no laces, is to tighten the foot, see? Walk about with a tight foot, see? Well, that’s no good for the foot. Puts a bad strain on the foot. If you can do the shoes up proper there’s less chance of you getting a strain.
ASTON goes round to the top of his bed.
ASTON. I might have some somewhere.
DAVIES. You see what I’m getting at?
Pause.
ASTON. Here’s some. (He hands them to DAVIES .)
DAVIES. These are brown.
ASTON. That’s all I got.
DAVIES. These shoes are black.
ASTON does not answer.
Well, they can do, anyway, until I get another pair.
DAVIES sits in the chair and begins to lace his shoes.
Maybe they’ll get me down to Sidcup tomorrow. If I get down there I’ll be able to sort myself out.
Pause.
I’ve been offered a good job. Man has offered it to me, he’s … he’s got plenty of ideas. He’s got a bit of a future. But they want my papers, you see, they want my references. I’d have to get down to Sidcup before I could get hold of them. That’s where they are, see. Trouble is, getting there. That’s my problem. The weather’s dead against it.
ASTON quietly exits, unnoticed.
Don’t know as these shoes’ll be much good. It’s a hard road, I been down there before. Coming the other way, like. Last time I left there, it was … last time … getting on a while back … the road was bad, the rain was comingdown, lucky I didn’t die there on the road, but I
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