Tea and Sympathy (16 page)

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

Well.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

Probably for the first time you're proud of him because the school police
found him out of bounds with a . . .

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

I shouldn't have expected you to understand. Bill will see what I mean.

 

 

(BILL starts down the stairs.)

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

Yes. He probably will.

 

 

(BILL comes in the room.)

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

Bill.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Hello, Herb.

 

 

(HERB looks from LAURA to BILL. Notices the coldness between them.)

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

I was just up seeing Tom.

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

Yes. I intend to go up after we've seen the Dean. How is he?

 

 

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

All right.

 

 

 

 

HERB
(Expansive)

 

 

Sitting around telling the boys all about it.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

No, he's in his room alone. The others are going to the tea dance at
the Inn. Laura . . .

 

 

(Sees LAURA is leaving the room)

 

 

Oh, Laura, I wish you'd stay.

 

 

(LAURA takes one step back into the room.)

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

I was telling your wife here, trying to make her understand the male
point of view on this matter. I mean, how being kicked out for a thing
like this, while not exactly desirable, is still not so serious. It's
sort of one of the calculated risks of being a man.

 

 

(He smiles at his way of putting it.)

 

 

 

 

BILL
(Preparing to tell HERB)

 

 

Herb?

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

Yes, Bill. I mean, you agree with me on that, don't you?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Yes, Herb, only the situation is not exactly as it was reported to you
over the phone. It's true that Tom went to this girl Ellie's place,
and it's true that he went for the usual purpose. However . . . however,
it didn't work out that way.

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

What do you mean?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Nothing happened.

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

You mean she . . . she wouldn't have him?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

I mean, Tom . . . I don't know . . . he didn't go through with it.
He couldn't.

 

 

(He looks at LAURA)

 

 

It's true. The girl says so. And when it didn't work, he tried to kill
himself with a knife in the kitchen, and she struggled with him, and
that brought the school cops, and that's that.

 

 

(LAURA turns away, shocked and moved. MR. LEE sits down in a chair
bewildered)

 

 

I'm sorry, Herb. Of course the fact that he was with Ellie at her place
is enough to get him expelled.

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

Does everyone know this?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Well, Ellie talks. She's got no shame . . . and this is apparently
something to talk about.

 

 

 

 

LAURA
(To Mr. Lee)

 

 

Do you still think it will make a good smoking-car story?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

What do you mean?

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

Why did he do it? Before, maybe he could talk it down, but to go do a
thing like this and leave no doubts.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

In whose mind?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Laura, please.

 

 

 

 

LAURA
(Angry)

 

 

You asked me to stay.

 

 

 

 

BILL
(Flaring back at her)

 

 

Well, now you've heard. We won't keep you.

 

 

 

 

LAURA
(Knowing, without asking)

 

 

Why did you want me to hear?

 

 

 

 

BILL
(Going to her)

 

 

I wanted you to know the facts. That's all. The whole story.

 

 

(LAURA stands in the alcove.)

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

Bill, Bill! Maybe thcre's some way of getting to this girl so she wouldn't
spread the story.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

I'm afraid it's too late for that.

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

I don't know. Some things don't make any sense. What am I going to do now?

 

 

 

 

LAURA
(Re-entering)

 

 

Mr. Lee, please don't go on drawing the wrong conclusions!

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

I'm drawing no conclusions. This sort of thing can happen to a normal
boy. But it's what the others will think . . . Added to the Harris
business. And that's all that's important. What they'll think.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

Isn't it important what Tom thinks?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Herb, we'd better be getting on over to the Dean's . . .

 

 

 

 

HERB
(Indicating upstairs)

 

 

Is he in his room?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Yes.

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

Packing?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

No.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

I told him to come to you to talk things over. Did he?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

No.

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

What am I going to say to him now?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

We're expected at four.

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

I know. But I've got to go up . . . Maybe I should have left him with
his mother. She might have known what to do, what to say . . .

 

 

(He starts out)

 

 

You want to come along with me?

 

 

 

 

BILL
(Moving to hall)

 

 

All right.

 

 

 

 

LAURA
(Serious)

 

 

Bill, I'd like to talk with you.

 

 

 

 

BILL
I'll be back.

 

 

(Goes with HERB to the landing. LAURA exits, taking off her jacket.)

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

Maybe I ought to do this alone.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

He's probably locked in his bedroom.

 

 

(HERB goes up the stairs and inside the study. BILL stays in the
hall. TOM, as he hears his father knocking on the bedroom door,
stiffens. HERB tries the door handle.)

 

 

 

 

HERB
(Off, in the study)

 

 

Tom . . . Tom . . . it's Dad.

 

 

(TOM gets up, but just stands there)

 

 

Tom, are you asleep?

 

 

(After a few moments, he reappears on the landing. He is deeply hurt
that his son wouldn't speak to him)

 

 

I think he's asleep.

 

 

 

 

BILL
(Making a move to go in and get TOM)

 

 

He can't be . . .

 

 

 

 

HERB
(Stops)

 

 

Yes, I think he is. He was always a sound sleeper. We used to have to
drag him out of bed when he was a kid.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

But he should see you.

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

It'll be better later, anyhow.

 

 

(He starts down the stairs, troubled, puzzled.)

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

I'll go right with you, Herb.

 

 

(They re-enter the study, and BILL goes out through the alcove.
HERB stays in the master's study.)

 

 

 

 

TOM
(When his father is downstairs, he opens his bedroom door and faintly
calls)

 

 

Dad?

 

 

(HERB looks up, thinking he's heard something but then figures it must
have been something else. RALPH, STEVE and PHIL come crashing down the
stairs, dressed for the tea dance, ad libbing comments about the girls at
the dance. TOM closes his door. When they have gone, he opens it again
and calls "Dad" faintly. When there is no response, he closes the door,
and goes and lies on the bed.)

 

 

 

 

BILL
(Re-entering)

 

 

Laura, I'm going to the Dean's now with Herb. I'm playing squash with
the headmaster at five. So I'll see you at the dining room at six-thirty.

 

 

 

 

LAURA
(Entering after him)

 

 

I wish you'd come back here after.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Laura, I can't.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

Bill, I wish you would.

 

 

 

 

BILL
(Sees that there is some strange determination in LAURA'S face)

 

 

Herb, I'll be with you in a minute. Why don't you walk along?

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

All right . . . Good-bye, Laura. See you again.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

You'll see her in a couple of days at the reunion.

 

 

 

 

HERB

 

 

I may not be coming up for it now . . . Maybe I will. I don't know.
I'll be walking along. Good-bye, Laura. Tell Tom I tried to see him.

 

 

(He goes out.)

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Now, Laura, what's the matter? I've got to get to the Dean's rooms to
discuss this matter.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

Yes, of course. But first I'd like to discuss the boys who made him do
this . . . the men and boys who made him do this.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

No one made him do anything.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

Is there to be no blame, no punishment for the boys and men who taunted
him into doing this? What if he had succeeded in killing himself? What
then?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

You're being entirely too emotional about this.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

If he had succeeded in killing himself in Ellie's rooms, wouldn't you
have felt some guilt?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

I?

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

Yes, you.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

I wish you'd look at the facts and not be so emotional about this.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

The facts! What facts! An innocent boy goes swimming with an instructor
. . . an instructor whom he likes because this instructor is one of
the few who encourage him, who don't ride him . . . And because he's an
off-horse, you and the rest of them are only too glad to put two and two
together and get a false answer . . . anything which will let you go on
and persecute a boy whom you basically don't like. If it had happened
with Al or anybody else, you would have done nothing.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

It would have been an entirely different matter. You can't escape from
what you are . . . your character. Why do they spend so much time in
the law courts on character witnesses? To prove this was the kind of
man who could or couldn't commit such and such a crime.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

I resent this judgment by prejudice. He's not like me, therefore, he
is capable of all possible crimes. He's not one of us . . . a member of
the tribe!