Tea and Sympathy (5 page)

 

Tom?

 

 

(BILL looks around in the direction of the voice, but says nothing.)

 

 

 

 

LAURA
(Comes on)

 

 

Oh, Bill. Tom was down trying on his costume. I thought . . . You're early.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Yes. I want to catch the Dean before he leaves his office.

 

 

(LAURA goes up to him to be kissed, but he's too intent on the phone,
and she compromises by kissing his cheek)

 

 

Hello, this is Mr. Reynolds. Is the Dean still in his office?

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

What's the matter, Bill?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Nothing very pretty. Oh? How long ago? All right. Thanks. I'll give him
a couple of minutes, then I'll call him home.

 

 

(Hangs up)

 

 

Well, they finally caught up with Harris.

 

 

(He goes into the next room to take off his iacket.)

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

What do you mean, "caught up" with him?

 

 

 

 

BILL
(Off stage)

 

 

You're going to hear it anyhow . . . so . . . last Saturday they caught
him down in the dunes, naked.

 

 

 

 

LAURA
(Crosses to close door to hall)

 

 

What's wrong with that?

 

 

 

 

BILL
(Enters and crosses to fireplace and starts to go through letters propped
there. He has taken off his jacket)

 

 

He wasn't alone.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

Oh.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

He was lying there naked in the dunes, and one of the students was lying
there naked too. Just to talk about it is disgusting.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

I see.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

I guess you'll admit that's something.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

I can't see that it's necessarily conclusive.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

With a man like Harris, it's conclusive enough.

 

 

(Then casually)

 

 

The student with him was --

 

 

 

 

LAURA
(Interrupting)

 

 

I'm not sure I care to know.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

I'm afraid you're going to have to know sooner or later, Laura. It was
Tom Lee.

 

 

(TOM rises from bed, grabs a towel and goes out up the stairs.
LAURA just looks at BILL and frowns.)

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Some of the boys down on the Varsity Club outing came on them . . .
or at least saw them . . . And Fin Hadley saw them too, and he apparently
used his brains for once and spoke to the Dean.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

And?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

He's had Harris on the carpet this aftemoon. I guess he'll be fired.
I certainly hope so. Maybe Tom too, I don't know.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

They put two and two together?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Yes, Laura.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

I suppose this is all over school by now.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

I'm afraid so.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

And most of the boys know.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Yes.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

So what's going to happen to Tom?

 

 

 

 

BILL
(Takes pipe from mantelpiece and cleans it)

 

 

I know you won't like this, Laura, but I think he should be kicked out.
I think you've got to let people know the school doesn't stand for even
a hint of this sort of thing. He should be booted.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

For what?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Look, a boy's caught coming out of Ellie Martin's rooms across the river.
That's enough evidence. Nobody asks particulars. They don't go to Ellie's
rooms to play Canasta. It's the same here.

 

 

 

 

LAURA
(Hardly daring to suggest it)

 

 

But, Bill . . . you don't think . . . I mean, you don't think Tom is . . .

 

 

(She stops. BILL looks at her a moment, his answer is in his silence)

 

 

Oh, Bill!

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

And I'm ashamed and sorry as hell for his father. Herb Lee was always
damned good to me . . . came down from college when I was playing football
here . . . helped me get into college . . . looked after me when I was
in college and he was in law school . . . And I know he put the boy in
my house hoping I could do something with him.

 

 

(He dials number.)

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

And you feel you've failed.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Yes.

 

 

(He pauses)

 

 

With your help, I might say.

 

 

(Busy signal. He hangs up.)

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

How?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Because, Laura, the boy would rather sit around here and talk with you
and listen to music and strum his guitar.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

Bill, I'm not to blame for everything. Everything's not my fault.

 

 

 

 

BILL
(Disregarding this)

 

 

What a lousy thing for Herb.

 

 

(He looks at a small picture of a team on his desk)

 

 

That's Herb. He was Graduate Manager of the team when I was a sophomore
in college. He was always the manager of the teams, and he really wanted
his son to be there in the center of the picture.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

Why are you calling the Dean?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

I'm going to find out what's being done.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

I've never seen you like this before.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

This is something that touches me very closely. The name of the school,
its reputation, the reputation of all of us here. I went here and my
father before me, and one day I hope our children will come here, when
we have them. And, of course, one day I hope to be headmaster.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

Let's assume that you're right about Harris. It's a terrible thing to
say on the evidence you've got, but let's assume you're right. Does it
necessarily follow that Tom --

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Tom was his friend. Everyone knew that.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

Harris encouraged him in his music.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Come on, Laura.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

What if Tom's roommate, Al, or some other great big athlete had been
out with Harris?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

He wouldn't have been.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

I'm saying what if he had been? Would you have jumped to the same
conclusion?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

It would have been different. Tom's always been an off-horse. And now
it's quite obvious why. If he's kicked out, maybe it'll bring him to
his senses. But he won't change if nothing's done about it.

 

 

(LAURA turns away. BILL starts to look over his mail again)

 

 

Anyway, why are you so-concerned over what happens to Tom Lee?

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

I've come to know him. You even imply that I am somewhat responsible
for his present reputation.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

All right. I shouldn't have said that. But you watch, now that it's out
in the open. Look at the way he walks, the way he sometimes stands.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

Oh, Bill!

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

All right, so a woman doesn't notice these things. But a man knows a
queer when he sees one.

 

 

(He has opened a letter. Reads)

 

 

The bookstore now has the book you wanted . . .
The Rose and The
Thorn
. What's that?

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

A book of poems. Do you know, Bill, I'll bet he doesn't even know the
meaning of the word . . . queer.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

What do you think he is?

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

I think he's a nice sensitive kid who doesn't know the meaning of the word.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

He's eighteen, or almost. I don't know.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

How much did you know at eighteen?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

A lot.

 

 

(At the desk he now notices the Canada literature)

 

 

What are these?

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

What?

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

These.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

Oh, nothing.

 

 

 

 

BILL
(He throws them in wastebasket, then notices her look)

 

 

Well, they're obviously something.

 

 

(He takes them out of wastebasket.)

 

 

 

 

LAURA
(The joy of it gone for her)

 

 

I was thinking we might take a motor trip up there this summer.

 

 

 

 

BILL
(Dialing phone again)

 

 

I wish you'd said something about it earlier. I've already invited some
of the scholarship boys up to the lodge. I can't disappoint them.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

Of course not.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

If you'd said something earlier.

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

It's my fault.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

It's nobody's fault, it's just -- Hello, Fitz, Bill Reynolds -- I was
wondering if you're going to be in tonight after supper . . . Oh . . .
oh, I see . . . Supper? Well, sure I could talk about it at supper. . . .
Well, no, I think I'd better drop over alone. . . . All right. I'll see
you at the house then . . . Good-bye.

 

 

(LAURA looks at him, trying to understand him. BILL comes to her to speak
softly to her. Seeing him come, she holds out her arms to be embraced,
but he just takes her chin in his hand.)

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

Look, Laura, when I brought you here a year ago, I told you it was a
tough place for a woman with a heart like yours. I told you you'd run
across boys, big and little boys, full of problems, problems which for
the moment seem gigantic and heartbreaking. And you promised me then
you wouldn't get all taken up with them. Remember?

 

 

 

 

LAURA

 

 

Yes.

 

 

 

 

BILL

 

 

When I was a kid in school here, I had my problems too. There's a place
up by the golf course where I used to go off alone Sunday afternoons
and cry my eyes out. I used to lie on my bed just the way Tom does,
listening to phonograph records hour after hour.

 

 

(LAURA, touched by this, kneels at his side)

 

 

But I got over it, Laura. I learned how to take it.

 

 

(LAURA looks at him. This touches her)

 

 

When the headmaster's wife gave you this teapot, she told you what she
tells all the new masters' wives. You have to be an interested bystander.