A Raisin in the Sun (10 page)

(
GEORGE MURCHISON
ignores the remark
)

WALTER
(To
RUTH
) Well, they look crazy as hell—white shoes, cold as it is.

RUTH
(
Crushed
) You have to excuse him—

WALTER
No he don’t! Excuse me for what? What you always excusing me for! I’ll excuse myself when I needs to be excused! (
A pause
) They look as funny as them black knee socks Beneatha wears out of here all the time.

RUTH
It’s the college
style
, Walter.

WALTER
Style, hell. She looks like she got burnt legs or something!

RUTH
Oh, Walter—

WALTER
(
An irritable mimic
) Oh, Walter! Oh, Walter! (To
MURCHISON
) How’s your old man making out? I understand you all going to buy that big hotel on the Drive? (
He finds a beer in the refrigerator, wanders over to
MURCHISON
,
sipping and wiping his lips with
the back of his hand, and straddling a chair backwards to talk to the other man
) Shrewd move. Your old man is all right, man. (
Tapping his head and half winking for emphasis
) I mean he knows how to operate. I mean he thinks
big
, you know what I mean, I mean for a
home
, you know? But I think he’s kind of running out of ideas now. I’d like to talk to him. Listen, man, I got some plans that could turn this city upside down. I mean think like he does.
Big
. Invest big, gamble big, hell, lose
big
if you have to, you know what I mean. It’s hard to find a man on this whole Southside who understands my kind of thinking—you dig? (
He scrutinizes
MURCHISON
again, drinks his beer, squints his eyes and leans in close, confidential, man to man
) Me and you ought to sit down and talk sometimes, man. Man, I got me some ideas …

GEORGE
(
With boredom
) Yeah—sometimes we’ll have to do that, Walter.

WALTER
(
Understanding the indifference, and offended
) Yeah—well, when you get the time, man. I know you a busy little boy.

RUTH
Walter, please—

WALTER
(
Bitterly, hurt
) I know ain’t nothing in this world as busy as you colored college boys with your fraternity pins and white shoes …

RUTH
(
Covering her face with humiliation
) Oh, Walter Lee—

WALTER
I see you all all the time—with the books tucked under your arms—going to your (
British A—a mimic
) “clahsses.” And for what! What the hell you learning over there? Filling up your heads—(
Counting off on his fingers
)—with the sociology and the psychology—but they teaching you how to be a man?
How to take over and run the world? They teaching you how to run a rubber plantation or a steel mill? Naw—just to talk proper and read books and wear them faggoty-looking white shoes …

GEORGE
(
Looking at him with distaste, a little above it all
) You’re all wacked up with bitterness, man.

WALTER
(
Intently, almost quietly, between the teeth, glaring at the boy
) And you—ain’t you bitter, man? Ain’t you just about had it yet? Don’t you see no stars gleaming that you can’t reach out and grab? You happy?—You contented son-of-a-bitch—you happy? You got it made? Bitter? Man, I’m a volcano. Bitter? Here I am a giant—surrounded by ants! Ants who can’t even understand what it is the giant is talking about.

RUTH
(
Passionately and suddenly
) Oh, Walter—ain’t you with nobody!

WALTER
(
Violently
) No! ’Cause ain’t nobody with me! Not even my own mother!

RUTH
Walter, that’s a terrible thing to say!

(
BENEATHA
enters, dressed for the evening in a cocktail dress and earrings, hair natural
)

GEORGE
Well—hey—(
Crosses to
BENEATHA;
thoughtful, with emphasis, since this is a reversal
) You look great!

WALTER
(
Seeing his sister’s hair for the first time
) What’s the matter with your head?

BENEATHA
(
Tired of the jokes now
) I cut it off, Brother.

WALTER
(
Coming close to inspect it and walking around her
) Well, I’ll be damned. So that’s what they mean by the African bush …

BENEATHA
Ha ha. Let’s go, George.

GEORGE
(
Looking at her
) You know something? I like it. It’s sharp. I mean it really is. (
Helps her into her wrap
)

RUTH
Yes—I think so, too. (
She goes to the mirror and starts to clutch at her hair
)

WALTER
Oh no! You leave yours alone, baby. You might turn out to have a pin-shaped head or something!

BENEATHA
See you all later.

RUTH
Have a nice time.

GEORGE
Thanks. Good night. (
Half out the door, he reopens it. To
WALTER
) Good night, Prometheus!

(
BENEATHA
and
GEORGE
exit
)

WALTER
(
To
RUTH
) Who is Prometheus?

RUTH
I don’t know. Don’t worry about it.

WALTER
(
In fury, pointing after
GEORGE
) See there—they get to a point where they can’t insult you man to man—they got to go talk about something ain’t nobody never heard of!

RUTH
How do you know it was an insult? (
To humor him
) Maybe Prometheus is a nice fellow.

WALTER
Prometheus! I bet there ain’t even no such thing! I bet that simple-minded clown—

RUTH
Walter—

(
She stops what she is doing and looks at him
)

WALTER
(
Yelling
) Don’t start!

RUTH
Start what?

WALTER
Your nagging! Where was I? Who was I with? How much money did I spend?

RUTH
(
Plaintively
) Walter Lee—why don’t we just try to talk about it …

WALTER
(
Not listening
) I been out talking with people who understand me. People who care about the things I got on my mind.

RUTH
(
Wearily
) I guess that means people like Willy Harris.

WALTER
Yes, people like Willy Harris.

RUTH
(
With a sudden flash of impatience
) Why don’t you all just hurry up and go into the banking business and stop talking about it!

WALTER
Why? You want to know why? ’Cause we all tied up in a race of people that don’t know how to do nothing but moan, pray and have babies!

(
The line is too bitter even for him and he looks at her and sits down
)

RUTH
Oh, Walter … (
Softly
) Honey, why can’t you stop fighting me?

WALTER
(
Without thinking
) Who’s fighting you? Who even cares about you?

(
This line begins the retardation of his mood
)

RUTH
Well—(
She waits a long time, and then with resignation starts to put away her things
) I guess I might as well go on to bed … (
More or less to herself
) I don’t know where we lost it … but we have … (
Then, to him
) I—I’m sorry about this new baby, Walter. I guess maybe I better go on and do what I started … I guess I just didn’t realize how bad things was with us … I guess I just didn’t really realize—(
She starts out to the bedroom and stops
) You want some hot milk?

WALTER
Hot milk?

RUTH
Yes—hot milk.

WALTER
Why hot milk?

RUTH
’Cause after all that liquor you come home with you ought to have something hot in your stomach.

WALTER
I don’t want no milk.

RUTH
You want some coffee then?

WALTER
No, I don’t want no coffee. I don’t want nothing hot to drink. (
Almost plaintively
) Why you always trying to give me something to eat?

RUTH
(
Standing and looking at him helplessly
) What else can I give you, Walter Lee Younger?

(
She stands and looks at him and presently turns to go out again. He lifts his head and watches her going away from him in a new mood which began to emerge when he asked her “Who cares about you?”
)

WALTER
It’s been rough, ain’t it, baby? (
She hears and stops but does not turn around and he continues to her back
) I guess between two people there ain’t never as much understood as folks generally thinks there is. I mean like between me and you—(
She turns to face him
) How we gets to the place where we scared to talk softness to each other. (
He waits, thinking hard himself
) Why you think it got to be like that? (
He is thoughtful, almost as a child would be
) Ruth, what is it gets into people ought to be close?

RUTH
I don’t know, honey. I think about it a lot.

WALTER
On account of you and me, you mean? The way things are with us. The way something done come down between us.

RUTH
There ain’t so much between us, Walter … Not when you come to me and try to talk to me. Try to be with me … a little even.

WALTER
(
Total honesty
) Sometimes … sometimes … I don’t even know how to try.

RUTH
Walter—

WALTER
Yes?

RUTH
(
Coming to him, gently and with misgiving, but coming to him
) Honey … life don’t have to be like this. I mean sometimes people can do things so that things are better … You remember how we used to talk when Travis was born … about the way we were going to live … the kind of house … (
She is stroking his head
) Well, it’s all starting to slip away from us …

(
He turns her to him and they look at each other and kiss, tenderly and hungrily. The door opens and
MAMA
enters
—WALTER
breaks away and jumps up. A beat
)

WALTER
Mama, where have you been?

MAMA
My—them steps is longer than they used to be. Whew! (
She sits down and ignores him
) How you feeling this evening, Ruth?

(
RUTH
shrugs, disturbed at having been interrupted and watching her husband knowingly
)

WALTER
Mama, where have you been all day?

MAMA
(
Still ignoring him and leaning on the table and changing to more comfortable shoes
) Where’s Travis?

RUTH
I let him go out earlier and he ain’t come back yet. Boy, is he going to get it!

WALTER
Mama!

MAMA
(
As if she has heard him for the first time
) Yes, son?

WALTER
Where did you go this afternoon?

MAMA
I went downtown to tend to some business that I had to tend to.

WALTER
What kind of business?

MAMA
You know better than to question me like a child, Brother.

WALTER
(
Rising and bending over the table
) Where were you, Mama? (
Bringing his fists down and shouting
) Mama, you didn’t go do something with that insurance money, something crazy?

(
The front door opens slowly, interrupting him, and
TRAVIS
peeks his head in, less than hopefully
)

TRAVIS
(
To his mother
) Mama, I—

RUTH
“Mama I” nothing! You’re going to get it, boy! Get on in that bedroom and get yourself ready!

TRAVIS
But I—

MAMA
Why don’t you all never let the child explain hisself.

RUTH
Keep out of it now, Lena.

(
MAMA
clamps her lips together, and
RUTH
advances toward her son menacingly
)

RUTH
A thousand times I have told you not to go off like that—

MAMA
(
Holding out her arms to her grandson
) Well—at least let me tell him something. I want him to be the first one to hear … Come here, Travis. (
The boy obeys, gladly
) Travis—(
She takes him by the shoulder and looks into his face
)—you know that money we got in the mail this morning?

TRAVIS
Yes’m—

MAMA
Well—what you think your grandmama gone and done with that money?

TRAVIS
I don’t know, Grandmama.

MAMA
(
Putting her finger on his nose for emphasis
) She went out and she bought you a house! (
The explosion comes from
WALTER
at the end of the revelation and he jumps up and turns away from all of them in a fury
.
MAMA
continues, to
TRAVIS
) You glad about the house? It’s going to be yours when you get to be a man.

TRAVIS
Yeah—I always wanted to live in a house.

MAMA
All right, gimme some sugar then—(
TRAVIS
puts his arms around her neck as she watches her son over the boy’s shoulder. Then, to
TRAVIS
,
after the embrace
) Now when you say your prayers tonight, you thank God and your grandfather—’cause it was him who give you the house—in his way.

RUTH
(
Taking the boy from
MAMA
and pushing him toward the bedroom
) Now you get out of here and get ready for your beating.

TRAVIS
Aw, Mama—

RUTH
Get on in there—(
Closing the door behind him and turning radiantly to her mother-in-law
) So you went and did it!

MAMA
(
Quietly, looking at her son with pain
) Yes, I did.

RUTH
(
Raising both arms classically
) PRAISE GOD! (
Looks at
WALTER
a moment, who says nothing. She crosses rapidly to her husband
) Please, honey—let me be glad … you be glad too. (
She has laid her hands on his shoulders, but he shakes himself free of her roughly, without turning to face her
) Oh Walter … 
a home … 
a home. (She comes back to
MAMA
) Well—where is it? How big is it? How much it going to cost?

MAMA
Well—

RUTH
When we moving?

MAMA
(
Smiling at her
) First of the month.

RUTH
(
Throwing back her head with jubilance
) Praise God!

MAMA
(
Tentatively, still looking at her son’s back turned against her and
RUTH
) It’s—it’s a nice house too … (
She cannot help speaking directly to him. An imploring quality in her voice, her manner, makes her almost like a girl now
) Three bedrooms—nice big one for you and Ruth.… Me and Beneatha still have to share our room, but Travis have one of his own—and (
With difficulty
) I figure if the—new baby—is a boy, we could get one of them double-decker outfits … And there’s a yard with a little patch of dirt where I could maybe get to grow me a few flowers … And a nice big basement …

RUTH
Walter honey, be glad—

MAMA
(
Still to his back, fingering things on the table
) ’Course I don’t want to make it sound fancier than it is … It’s just a plain little old house—but it’s made good and solid—and it will be
ours
. Walter Lee—it makes a difference in a man when he can walk on floors that belong to
him …

RUTH
Where is it?

MAMA
(
Frightened at this telling
) Well—well—it’s out there in Clybourne Park—