Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (13 page)

[
Big Mama has a dignity at this moment: she
almost stops being fat.
]

DOCTOR BAUGH
[
after a pause, uncomfortably
]:

Yes?—Well—

BIG MAMA:

I!!!—
want to
—knowwwwwww .
. . .

[
Immediately she thrusts her fist to her
mouth as if to deny that statement.

[
Then, for some curious reason, she snatches
the
withered corsage from her breast and hurls it on the floor and
steps on it with her short, fat feet.
]

—
Somebody must be
lyin'!—I want to know!

MAE:

Sit down, Big Mama, sit down on this sofa.

MARGARET
[
quickly
]:

Brick, go sit with Big Mama.

BIG MAMA:

What is it, what is it?

DOCTOR BAUGH:

I never have seen a more thorough examination than Big Daddy Pollitt was given in all
my experience with the Ochsner Clinic.

GOOPER:

It's one of the best in the country.

MAE:

It's
THE
best in the country—bar
none!

[
For some reason she gives Gooper a violent
poke as she goes past him. He slaps at her hand without removing his eyes from
his mother's face.
]

DOCTOR BAUGH:

Of course they were ninety-nine and nine-tenths percent sure before
they even started.

BIG MAMA:

Sure of what, sure of what, sure
of—what?—what!

[
She catches her breath in a startled sob.
Mae kisses her quickly. She thrusts Mae fiercely away from her, staring at the
doctor.
]

MAE:

Mommy, be a brave girl!

BRICK
[
in the
doorway, softly
]:

“
By the light, by the light, Of the
sil-ve-ry mo-ooo-n
. . . “

GOOPER:

Shut up! —Brick.

BRICK:

—Sorry . . . .

[
He wanders out on the
gallery.
]

DOCTOR BAUGH:

But now, you see, Big Mama, they cut a piece off this growth, a specimen of the
tissue and—

BIG MAMA:

Growth? You told Big Daddy—

DOCTOR BAUGH:

Now wait.

BIG MAMA
[
fiercely
]:

You told me and Big Daddy there wasn't a thing wrong with him but—

MAE:

Big Mama, they always—

GOOPER:

Let Doc Baugh talk, will yuh?

BIG MAMA:

—little spastic condition of—

[
Her breath gives out in a
sob.
]

DOCTOR BAUGH:

Yes, that's what we told Big Daddy. But we had this bit of tissue run through
the laboratory and I'm sorry to say the test was positive on it.
It's—well—malignant . . . .

[
Pause.
]

BIG MAMA:

—Cancer?! Cancer?!

[
Dr. Baugh nods gravely.
]

[
Big Mama gives a long gasping
cry.
]

MAE
and
GOOPER:

Now, now, now, Big Mama, you had to know . . . .

BIG MAMA:

WHY DIDNT THEY CUT IT OUT OF HIM? HANH?
HANH?

DOCTOR BAUGH:

Involved too much, Big Mama, too many organs affected.

MAE:

Big Mama, the liver's affected and so's the kidneys, both!
It's gone way past what they call a—

GOOPER:

A surgical risk.

MAE:

—Uh-huh . . . .

[
Big Mama draws a breath like a dying
gasp.
]

REVEREND TOOKER:

Tch, tch, tch, tch, tch!

DOCTOR BAUGH:

Yes, it's gone past the knife.

MAE:

That's why he's turned yellow,
Mommy!

BIG MAMA:

Git away from me, git away from me, Mae!

[
She rises abruptly.
]

I want Brick! Where's Brick? Where is my
only son?

MAE:

Mama! Did she say
"only
son"?

GOOPER:

What does that make
me?

MAE:

A sober responsible man with five precious children! —
Six!

BIG MAMA:

I want Brick to tell me! Brick! Brick!

MARGARET
[
rising
from her reflections in a corner
]:

Brick was so upset he went back out.

BIG MAMA:

Brick!

MARGARET:

Mama, let
me
tell you!

BIG MAMA:

No, no, leave me alone, you're not my blood!

GOOPER:

Mama, I'm your son!
Listen to
me!

MAE:

Gooper's your son, Mama, he's your first-born!

BIG MAMA:

Gooper never liked Daddy.

MAE
[
as if
terribly shocked
]:

Thai's not TRUE!

[
There is a pause. The minister coughs and
rises.
]

REVEREND TOOKER
[
to Mae
]:

I think I'd better slip away at this point.

MAE
[
sweetly and
sadly
]:

Yes, Doctor Tooker, you go.

REVEREND TOOKER
[
discreetly
]:

Goodnight, goodnight, everybody, and God bless you all . . . on this place. . . .

[
He slips out.
]

DOCTOR BAUGH:

That man is a good man but lacking in tact. Talking about people giving memorial
windows—if he mentioned one memorial window, he must have spoke of a dozen,
and saying
how awful it was when somebody died intestate, the
legal wrangles, and so forth.

[
Mae coughs, and points at Big
Mama.
]

DOCTOR BAUGH:

Well, Big Mama. . . .

[
He sighs.
]

BIG MAMA:

It's all a mistake, I know it's just a bad dream.

DOCTOR BAUGH:

We're gonna keep Big Daddy as comfortable as we can.

BIG MAMA:

Yes, it's just a bad dream, that's all it is, it's just an awful
dream.

GOOPER:

In my opinion Big Daddy is having some pain but won't admit that he has
it.

BIG MAMA:

Just a dream, a bad dream.

DOCTOR BAUGH:

That's what lots of them do, they think if they don't admit
they're having the pain they can sort of escape the fact of it.

GOOPER
[
with
relish
]:

Yes, they get sly about it, they get real sly about it.

MAE:

Gooper and I think—

GOOPER:

Shut up, Mae!—Big Daddy ought to be started on morphine.

BIG MAMA:

Nobody's going to give Big Daddy morphine.

DOCTOR BAUGH:

Now, Big Mama, when that pain strikes it's going to strike mighty hard and Big
Daddy's going to need the needle to bear it.

BIG MAMA:

I tell you, nobody's going to give him morphine.

MAE:

Big Mama, you don't want to see Big Daddy suffer, you know you—

[
Gooper standing beside her gives her a
savage poke.
]

DOCTOR BAUGH [
placing a package on the table
]:

I'm leaving this sniff here, so if there's a sudden attack you all
won't have to send out for it.

MAE:

I know how to give a hypo.

GOOPER:

Mae took a course in nursing during the war.

MARGARET:

Somehow I don't think Big Daddy would want Mae to give him a hypo.

MAE:

You think he'd want
you
to do it?

[
Dr. Baugh rises.
]

GOOPER:

Doctor Baugh is goin’.

DOCTOR BAUGH:

Yes, I got to be goin’. Well, keep your chin up, Big Mama.

GOOPER [
with
jocularity
]:

She's gonna keep
both
chins up, aren't you
Big Mama?

[
Big Mama sobs.
]

Now stop that, Big Mama.

MAE:

Sit down with me, Big Mama.

GOOPER
[
at door
with Dr. Baugh
]:

Well, Doc, we sure do appreciate all you done. I'm telling you, we're
surely obligated to you for—

[
Dr. Baugh has gone out without a glance at
him.
]

GOOPER:

—I guess that doctor has got a lot on his mind but it wouldn't hurt him
to act a little more human. . . .

[
Big Mama sobs.
]

Now be a brave girl, Mommy.

BIG MAMA:

It's not true, I know that it's just not true!

GOOPER:

Mama, those tests are infallible!

BIG MAMA:

Why are you so determined to see your father daid?

MAE:

Big Mama!

MARGARET
[
gently
]:

I know what Big Mama means.

MAE
[
fiercely
]:

Oh, do you?

MARGARET
[
quietly
and very sadly
]:

Yes, I think I do.

MAE:

For a newcomer in the family you sure do show a lot of understanding.

MARGARET:

Understanding is needed on this place.

MAE:

I guess you must have needed a lot of it in your family, Maggie, with your
father's liquor problem and now you've got Brick with his!

MARGARET:

Brick does not have a liquor problem at all. Brick is devoted to Big Daddy. This
thing is a terrible strain on him.

BIG MAMA:

Brick is Big Daddy's boy, but he drinks too much and it worries me and Big
Daddy, and, Margaret, you've got to cooperate with us, you've got to
cooperate with Big Daddy and me in getting Brick straightened out. Because it will
break Big Daddy's heart if Brick don't pull himself together and take
hold of things.

MAE:

Take hold of
what
things, Big Mama?

BIG MAMA:

The place.

[
There is a quick violent look between Mae
and Gooper.
]

GOOPER:

Big Mama, you've had a shock.

MAE:

Yais, we've all had a shock, but . . .

GOOPER:

Let's be realistic—

MAE:

—Big Daddy would never, would
never,
be foolish
enough to—

GOOPER:

—put this place in irresponsible hands!

BIG MAMA:

Big Daddy ain't going to leave the place in anybody's hands; Big Daddy
is
not
going to die. I want you to get that in your
heads, all of you!

MAE:

Mommy, Mommy, Big Mama, we're just as hopeful an’ optimistic as you are
about Big Daddy's prospects, we have faith in
prayer
—but nevertheless there are certain matters that have to be
discussed an’ dealt with, because otherwise—

GOOPER:

Eventualities have to be considered and now's the time. . . . Mae, will you
please get my briefcase out of our room?

MAE:

Yes, honey.

[
She rises and goes out through the hall
door.
]

GOOPER
[
standing
over Big Mama
]:

Now Big Mom. What you said just now was not at all true and you know it. I've
always loved Big Daddy in my own
quiet way. I never made a show
of it, and I know that Big Daddy has always been fond of me in a quiet way, too, and
he never made a show of it neither.

[
Mae returns with Gooper's
briefcase.
]

MAE:

Here's your briefcase, Gooper, honey.

GOOPER
[
handing
the briefcase back to her
]:

Thank you. . . . Of ca'use, my relationship with Big Daddy is different from
Brick's.

MAE:

You're eight years older'n Brick an’ always had t'carry a
bigger load of th’ responsibilities than Brick ever had t'carry. He
never carried a thing in his life but a football or a highball.

GOOPER:

Mae, will y’ let me talk, please?

MAE:

Yes, honey.

GOOPER:

Now, a twenty-eight thousand acre plantation's a mighty big thing
t'run.

MAE:

Almost singlehanded.

[
Margaret has gone out onto the gallery, and
can be heard calling softly to Brick.
]

BIG MAMA:

You never had to run this place! What are you talking about? As if Big
Daddy was dead and in his grave, you had to run it?
Why,
you just helped him out with a few business details and had your law practice at the
same time in Memphis!

MAE:

Oh, Mommy, Mommy, Big Mommy! Let's be fair! Why, Gooper has
given himself body and soul to keeping this place up for the past five years since
Big Daddy's health started failing. Gooper won't say it, Gooper never
thought of it as a duty, he just did it. And what did Brick do? Brick kept
living in his past glory at college! Still a football player at
twenty-seven!