Read Online Remember Ronald Ryan by Barry Dickins - Free Book Online Page A

moment? It’s my mother on the phone. [ On the phone ] Mother, Ron isn’t here. No, he’s not in jail. He works for Mobil. The children are fine apart from mumps, measles, croup, chickenpox and just a touch of gastro. How’s your health? How’s Daddy? When are you coming over to see us? Why don’t you come over? Please thank Daddy for renting one of his houses to us. Don’t you miss me? I miss you. We’re doing it hard. Come over to Richmond to see how the other side lives. Alright, how the other half lives. Stop picking on me, would you? Stop riding me! Oh, the pumpkin’s all burnt now. Kids, come and lick it off the ceiling! ’Bye, Mother.
    A burly POLICEMAN kicks the door in.
    DETECTIVE : [ entering, grabbing DOROTHY by the throat ] Where are the hidden diamonds? Where are they? Come on. Show me. Show me, you moll! Where are the diamonds? Slut!
    DOROTHY : Ron doesn’t work in diamonds. He never touches jewellery. He speculates on property. Thousands of men’s suits with no pants to them. That sort of thing.
    DETECTIVE : Where are the diamonds?
    He shoves DOROTHY over.
    Where are they? Come on, slut!
    The DETECTIVE hurls the fridge door open and casts a couple of trays of iceblocks under the hot water tap. He holds them up to the light. He flicks through them and iceblocks go all over the floor.
    DOROTHY : [ in tears ] I use the ice to give my kids a cold drink. A cold drink each in summer time.
    DETECTIVE : Shut up. This is where they are always hidden because they’re safe in the ice, they think. It’s an old crim lurk. You know all about crim lurks. You’re old.
    Recorded effect of children wailing loudly.
    Where’s Ron? Where is he? My protector!
    DOROTHY : Out pulling up tree stumps. He’s gone back to tree stumping and sleeper cutting.
    DETECTIVE : Butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth, would it, Mrs Ryan? You’re so nice and nice, aren’t you, eh?
    DOROTHY : You can’t come in here without a warrant. Where’s your warrant?
    The DETECTIVE pulls a drawer out of the cupboard, searches it.
    DETECTIVE : How’s it feel to wear stolen clothes? Where’d this dress come from? That must’ve cost two and six. Hey!
    DOROTHY : Ron bought it for me. He bought it for me, I told you!
    DETECTIVE : He never bought anything in his life. Is your wedding ring stolen too? Put it in the bag! And all the other stolen stuff. Haven’t you got a conscience? Where were you brought up? In a brothel? In a brothel, hey!
    DETECTIVE SLATER enters through the chaos. DOROTHY embraces him.
    SLATER : What a mess! I didn’t know hurricanes came to Richmond. What’s the go here?
    DOROTHY : Oh, Mr Slater. Oh, Mr Slater. Someone decent! At last someone decent.
    SLATER : What’s the mess all about? Who did this to you, Dorothy? Dorothy, you look terrified!
    POLICEMAN : Oh, how lovey dovey. Excuse me whilst I chuck!
    The POLICEMAN mimes something.
    SLATER : Did you do this to her? You’re a disgrace to humanity and the Victorian Police Force. You’re a disgrace to everything.
    DOROTHY : Ron isn’t here, Mr Slater. He’s never here. I don’t know where he is. I’ve had it.
    SLATER : Don’t cry, girl. Come on, girl. Come along, little thing.
    He embraces her. DOROTHY weeps bitterly into his arms.
    DOROTHY : He seemed so normal. I live in a tornado.
    POLICEMAN : Is Ryan into diamonds? Is he? He’d do anything to satisfy his gambling habit, wouldn’t he? He’d stoop to murder.
    SLATER : Now you listen to me, you bag of shit. You clean up this terrible mess right now or I’ll kick you to death. Get the idea? You’ve got no right to torment and abuse this respectable young lady. Have you? Now you say sorry.
    DETECTIVE : I’m sorry, lady.
    The DETECTIVE cleans up the home. He washes up the mucky dishes and replaces the iceblock mixture and puts the trays of ice back in the fridge. Blackout.
    DOROTHY