Brian Friel Plays 1 (31 page)

(
TINA
can
control
her
laughter
no
longer
– she
explodes
.)

TOM
:
Terrific, Tina! Everybody join in!

(
The
laughter
is
infectious.
They
laugh
so
much
we
can
hardly
hear
what
they
are
saying.
)

MIRIAM
:
Noblesse
oblige
!

TOM
:
Lovely, Frank.

HELEN
:
Is there really no film in it?

TINA
:
Hold me up! Hold me up!

TOM
:
(
Clicking,
clicking
)
Terrific, terrific! Stay where you are! 

(
ANNA
is
staring
at
the
others
as
if
she
had
came
out
of
a
dream.
SIR
goes
to
her
and
takes
her
arm,
leading
her
off.
)

SIR
:
I told you, didn’t I? ‘Frank does not hear her and she goes back to her room and cries.’

ANNA
:
(
Crying
)
It wasn’t despair.

SIR
:
I know.

ANNA
:
And it wasn’t hate – no, not hate for him.

SIR
:
You’ll tell us later.

ANNA
:
It wasn’t even loneliness –

SIR
:
Later – later – you’ll do it
later
exactly as it’s here. Now go back to your room.

ANNA
:
I’m sorry.

SIR
:
No harm done.

ANNA
:
Did I mess it all up?

SIR
:
You shuffled the pages a bit – that’s all. But nothing’s changed.

(
Throughout
this
ANNA
–
SIR
exchange
the
others
have
stood
with
frozen
smiles.
Now
that
ANNA
has
gone
off
they
are
released
again.
)

TOM
:
There! Thank you – thank you – thank you.

FRANK
:
Right – off we go, Tom. Let’s move – let’s move.

(
FRANK
goes
into
the
house
and
hall.
The
others
drift
into
the
living-room.
)

TOM
:
(
Camera
)
Can I leave this here?

TINA
:
I’ll look after it.

HELEN
:
When will we get copies?

MIRIAM
:
Have you never seen his pictures?

FRANK
:
(
Calling
upstairs
) Anna! We’re all set.

MIRIAM
:
If you get a word with the Taoiseach, Father, tell him we’re still waiting for the sewage out at Killclooney.

TOM
:
The very first thing I’ll say to him.

MIRIAM
:
Just to give him an appetite.

(
ANNA
comes
downstairs.
FRANK
stands
at
the
bottom
with
his
hands
outstretched.
)

FRANK
:
Beautiful.

ANNA
:
I’m nervous, Frank.

FRANK
:
You are beautiful. (
Calls
) Look! Everybody look! Look what I’m bringing to the reception!

(
The
others
move
out
to
the
hallway.
)

TOM
:
Terrific, Anna, terrific!

FRANK
:
And look – look – (
jewellery
). And this, isn’t this elegant (
Dress
)?

ANNA
:
Frank, I –

FRANK
:
And what about that (
hair
)? Your handiwork, isn’t it, Helen?

HELEN
:
You’re going to be late, Father.

FRANK
:
Let them wait.

ANNA
:
Please, Frank.

FRANK
:
All in all – beautiful!

ANNA
:
Please –

FRANK
:
And she says she’s nervous! My darling, they’ll never have seen a sight like it in the mess – in any mess – in all their puny lives. (
Briskly
) We’re away. Don’t wait up for me.

(
BEN
enters
left.
Very
diffident,
very
hesitant,
as
if
he
might
turn
and
run
away.
He
looks
into
the
living-
room
– but
the
others
have
now
moved
out
to
the
front
of
the
house.
)

TOM
:
We’re off. God bless.

(
They
are
all
off stage
now
– except
HELEN
,
who
is
standing
at
the
front
door.
)

FRANK
:
Are we taking my car or yours?

TOM
:
It doesn’t matter – either.

TINA
:
Take your own, Daddy.

(
The
car
moves
off.
We
hear
TINA
and
MIRIAM
calling
goodbyes.
HELEN
waves
from
the
door.
BEN
moves
closer
to
the
home.
HELEN
turns
and
comes
into
the
living
-room.
)

SIR
:
‘Benedict Butler – Ben – twenty – four years of age. Only son of Frank and Louise. His father wanted him to go for a commission, but his mother wanted him to be a doctor. Was a first – year medical student at University College, Dublin, when his mother died.’

BEN
:
(
Softly
) Helen. 

(
HELEN
is
standing
looking
at
the
photographs
on
the
mantelpiece.
She
has
her
back
to
him.
)

SIR
:
‘Shortly after her death his health broke down and he never went back to college. Now fully recovered; the only
after-effect
being a stammer which afflicts him occasionally when he is tense.’

BEN
:
Helen.

SIR
:
‘As he looks into the living-room he imagines for a second that the figure at the mantelpiece is his mother.’

BEN
:
She had her back to me. She didn’t hear me. And I stood outside in the garden and just watched her.

Everything – her hair, her neck, her shoulders, the way she moved her arms – precisely as I remembered.

(
HELEN
is
now
fingering
the
glass
ornament.
)

Not a sound except the tap – tap – tap of her stick as she moved about. And for a second my heart expanded with an immense remembered love for her, and then at once shrank in terror of her. And then suddenly she turned and came towards the open door, and I saw it wasn’t – it
w-w-w-wasn’t –

(
HELEN
has
turned
and
has
moved
to
the
open
door.
She
is
startled
to
see
a
man
staring
in
at
her.
)

HELEN
:
Who –? (
Loud
) Ben!

(
He
responds
as
if someone
– a
stranger
– had
called
him.
)

BEN
:
(
Quickly,
confined
)
Yes? Yes?

(
HELEN
runs
out
and
throws
her
arms
around
him.
)

SIR
:
(
Rising
) Thank you. (
Claps
his
hands
twice
to
interrupt
the
action.
)
That’s fine – that’s fine. We’re moving along very nicely. (
Sees
that
BEN
and
HELEN
are
still
locked
in
an
embrace.
)

SIR
:
Thank you.

(
They
separate.
)

Yes, very nicely indeed.

(
As
soon
as
he
claps
his
hands,
TINA
,
ANNA
,
FRANK
and
TOM
appear.
)

Now, we’ll leave it there, I think, and move straight on to the point when –

ANNA
:
‘The point of no return’.

SIR
:
The –?

ANNA
:
It’s your phrase; you used it to Father Tom.

SIR
:
‘The point of no return’ – you’re quite right; so I did. Wasn’t that very histrionic of me! Oh, no; heavens, no. We’re nowhere near that – that decisive point yet.

ANNA
:
Then let’s skip all the rest and go straight to it.