Baby Doll & Tiger Tail (6 page)

[
Pause
.]

Your mind’s a blank on the subject?

BABY DOLL
: Look here, now. . . .

SILVA
: You find it impossible to remember just what your husband disappeared for after supper? You can’t imagine what kind of an errand he went out on, can you?

BABY DOLL
: No! No! I can’t!

SILVA
: But when he returned—let’s see—the fire had just broken out at the Syndicate Plantation.

BABY DOLL
: Mr. Vacarro, I don’t have the slightest idea what you could be driving at.

SILVA
: You’re a very unsatisfactory witness, Mrs. Meighan.

BABY DOLL
: I never can think when people—stare straight at me.

SILVA
: Okay, I’ll look away then.

[
Turns his back to her
.]

Now, does that improve your memory any? Now are you able to concentrate on the question?

BABY DOLL
: Huh?

SILVA
: No? You’re not?

[
Grins evilly
.]

Well—should we drop the subject??

BABY DOLL
: I sure do wish you would!

SILVA
: Sure, there’s no use crying over a burnt-down gin. And besides, like your husband says—this world is built on the principle of tit for tat.

BABY DOLL
: What do you mean?

SILVA
: Nothing at all specific. Mind if I. . .?

BABY DOLL
: What?

[
Silva approaches the swing where she sits
.]

SILVA
: You want to move over a little and make some room?

BABY DOLL
[
shifting slightly
]: Is that room enough for you?

SILVA
: Enough for me. How about you?

BABY DOLL
: Is it strong enough to support us both?

SILVA
: I hope. Let’s swing a little. You seem all tense. Motion relaxes people. It’s like a cradle. A cradle relaxes a baby. They call you “Baby,” don’t they?

BABY DOLL
: That’s sort of a pet name.

SILVA
: Well in the swing you can relax like a cradle. . . .

BABY DOLL
: Not if you swing it so high. It shakes me up.

SILVA
: Well, I’ll swing it low then. Are you relaxed?

BABY DOLL
: I’m relaxed enough. As much as necessary.

SILVA
: No, you’re not. Your nerves are all tied up.

BABY DOLL
: You make me nervous.

SILVA
: Just swinging with you?

BABY DOLL
: Not just that.

SILVA
: What else then?

BABY DOLL
: All them questions you asked me about the fire.

SILVA
: I only inquired about your husband—about his leaving the house after supper.

BABY DOLL
: Why should I have to explain why he left the house? Besides, I did. I think I explained that to you.

SILVA
: You said that he left the house before the fire broke out.

BABY DOLL
: What about it?

SILVA
: Why did he leave the house?

BABY DOLL
: I explained that to you. I explained that to you.

SILVA
: What was the explanation? I forgot it.

[
Baby Doll’s face is beaded with sweat. To save her life she can’t think, can’t think at all
.]

BABY DOLL
[
just to gain a moment
]: Oh, you’re talking about my husband?

SILVA
: That’s who I’m talking about.

BABY DOLL
: How should I know!!!

SILVA
: You mean where he went after supper.

BABY DOLL
: Yes!! How should I know where he went.

SILVA
: I thought you said you explained that to me.

BABY DOLL
: I did! I explained it to you!

SILVA
: Well, if you don’t know, how could you explain it to me?

BABY DOLL
[
turning
]: There’s no reason why I should explain things to you.

SILVA
: Then just relax.

[
They swing
.]

As I was saying, that was a lovely remark your husband made.

BABY DOLL
: What remark did he make?

SILVA
: The good neighbor policy. I see what he means by that now.

BABY DOLL
: He was talking about the President’s speech.

SILVA
: I think he was talking about something closer to home.
You do me
a good turn and
I’ll do you
one. That was the way he put it.

[
Delicately he removes a little piece of lint from her arm
.]

SILVA
: There now!

BABY DOLL
[
nervously
]: Thanks.

SILVA
: There’s a lot of fine cotton lint floating around in the air.

BABY DOLL
: I know there is. It irritates my sinus.

SILVA
: Well, you’re a delicate woman.

BABY DOLL
: Delicate? Me? Oh no. I’m a good-size woman.

SILVA
: There’s a lot of you, but every bit of you is delicate. Choice. Delectable, I might say.

BABY DOLL
: Huh?

SILVA
[
running his finger lightly over her skin
]: You’re fine fibered. And smooth. And soft.

BABY DOLL
: Our conversation is certainly taking a personal turn!

SILVA
: Yes! You make me think of cotton.

[
Still caressing her arm another moment
.]

No! No fabric, no kind of cloth, not even satin or silk cloth, or no kind of fiber, not even cotton fiber has the ab-so-lute delicacy of your skin!

BABY DOLL
: Well! Should I say thanks or something?

SILVA
: No, just smile, Mrs. Meighan. You have an attractive smile. Dimples!!

BABY DOLL
: No. . .

SILVA
: Yes, you have! Smile, Mrs. Meighan! Come on! Smile!

[
Baby Doll averts her face
,
smiles helplessly
.]

There now. See? You’ve got them!

[
Delicately, he touches one of the indentations in her cheek
.]

BABY DOLL
: Please don’t touch me. I don’t like to be touched.

SILVA
: Then why do you giggle?

BABY DOLL
: Can’t help it. You make me feel kind of hysterical, Mr. Vacarro. . . Mr. Vacarro. . .

SILVA
: Yes?

BABY DOLL
[
a different attack, more feminine, pleading
]: I hope you don’t think that Archie Lee was mixed up in that fire. I swear to goodness he never left the front porch. I remember it
perfectly now. We just set here on the swing till the fire broke out and then we drove into town.

SILVA
: To celebrate!

BABY DOLL
: No, no, no!

SILVA
: Twenty-seven wagons full of cotton’s a pretty big piece of business to fall into your lap like a gift from the gods, Mrs. Meighan.

BABY DOLL
: I thought you said we would drop the subject.

SILVA
: You brought it up that time.

BABY DOLL
: Well, please don’t try to mix me up anymore, I swear to goodness the fire had already broke out when he got back.

SILVA
: That’s not what you told me a moment ago.

BABY DOLL
: You got me all twisted up. We went in town. The fire broke out and we didn’t know about it.

SILVA
: I thought you said it irritated your sinus.

BABY DOLL
: Oh my God, you sure put words in my mouth. Maybe I’d better make us some lemonade.

[
She starts to get up. Silva pulls her down
.]

What did you do that for?

SILVA
: I don’t want to be deprived of your company yet.

[
He lightly switches her legs with his crop
.]

BABY DOLL
[
twisting
]: Mr. Vacarro, you’re getting awfully familiar.

SILVA
: Haven’t you got any fun-loving spirit about you?

BABY DOLL
: This isn’t fun.

SILVA
: Then why do you giggle?

BABY DOLL
: I’m ticklish!

SILVA
: Ticklish!

BABY DOLL
: Yes, quit switching me, will you?

SILVA
: I’m just shooing the flies off.

BABY DOLL
: They don’t hurt nothing. And would you mind moving your arm?

SILVA
: Don’t be so skittish!

BABY DOLL
: All right! I’ll get up then.

SILVA
: Go on.

BABY DOLL
[
trying
]: I feel so weak.

[
She pulls herself away from him
.]

Oh! My head’s so buzzy.

SILVA
: Fuzzy?

BABY DOLL
: Fuzzy and buzzy. My head’s swinging around. It’s that swinging. . . . Is something on my arm?

SILVA
: No.

BABY DOLL
: Then what are you brushing?

SILVA
: Sweat off. Let me wipe it. . . .

[
He brushes her arm with his handkerchief
.]

BABY DOLL
[
laughing weakly
]: No, please don’t. It feels funny.

SILVA
: How does it feel?

BABY DOLL
: Funny! All up and down. You cut it out now. If you don’t cut it out I’m going to call.

SILVA
: Call who?

BABY DOLL
: That nigger who’s cuttin’ the grass across the road.

SILVA
: Go on. Call then.

BABY DOLL
: Hey!

[
Her voice is faint, weak
.]

Hey, boy, boy!

SILVA
: Can’t you call any louder?

BABY DOLL
: I feel so funny! What’s the matter with me?

SILVA
: You’re just relaxing. You’re big. There’s a lot of you and it’s all relaxing! So give in. Stop getting yourself all excited.

BABY DOLL
: I’m not—but you. . . .

SILVA
: I!???

BABY DOLL
: Yes. You. Suspicions. The ideas you have about my husband. . . suspicions.

SILVA
: Suspicions? Such as. . .

BABY DOLL
: Such as he burnt your gin down.

SILVA
: Well?

BABY DOLL
: He didn’t.

SILVA
: Didn’t he?

BABY DOLL
: I’m going inside. I’m going in the house.

[
She starts in. He follows close beside her
.]

SILVA
: But you’re afraid of the house! Do you believe in ghosts, Mrs. Meighan? I do. I believe in the presence of evil spirits.

BABY DOLL
: What evil spirits you talking about now?

SILVA
: Spirits of violence—and cunning—malevolence—cruelty—treachery—destruction. . . .

BABY DOLL
: Oh, them’s just human characteristics.

SILVA
: They’re evil spirits that haunt the human heart and take possession of it, and spread from one human heart to another human heart the way that a fire goes springing from leaf to leaf and branch to branch in a tree till a forest is all aflame with it—the birds take flight—the wild things are suffocated. . . everything green and beautiful is destroyed. . . .

BABY DOLL
: You have got fire on the brain.

SILVA
: I see it as more than it seems to be on the surface. I saw it last night as an explosion of those evil spirits that haunt the human heart—I fought it! I ran into it, beating it, stamping it, shouting the curse of God at it! They dragged me out, suffocating. I was defeated! When I came to, lying on the ground—the fire had won the battle, and all around was a ring of human figures! The fire lit their faces! I looked up. And they were illuminated! Their eyes, their teeth were SHINING!! SEE! LIKE THIS!

[
He twists his face into a grotesque grimace of pleasure. He holds her. They have arrived at the door to the interior of the house
.]

Yeah! Like this! Like this!!

[
He thrusts his grimacing face at her. She springs back, frightened
.]

BABY DOLL
: Hey! Please! Don’t do that! Don’t scare me!

SILVA
: The faces I saw—were grinning! Then I knew! I knew the fire was not accidental!

[
He holds her fast at the door
.]

BABY DOLL
[
weakly
]: Not accidental?

SILVA
: No, it was not accidental! It was an expression, a manifestation of the human will to
destroy
.

BABY DOLL
: I wouldn’t—feel that way—about it. . . .

SILVA
: I do! I do! And so I say I believe in ghosts, in haunted places, places haunted by the people that occupy them with
hearts overrun by demons of hate and destruction. I believe his place, this house is haunted. . . . What’s the matter?

BABY DOLL
[
now thoroughly shaken
]: I don’t know. . . .

SILVA
: You’re scared to enter the house, is that the trouble?

BABY DOLL
[
calling
]: Aunt Rose. Aunt Rose!!

[
No answer
.]

That old woman can’t hear a thing.

SILVA
: There’s no question about it. This place is haunted.

BABY DOLL
: I’m getting—I’m getting so thirsty, so hot and thirsty!