The Iceman Cometh (15 page)

Sure he is. I don’t mean dat. Anyways, it’s all right. I told Schwartz, de cop, we’s closed for de party. He’ll keep folks away.

Aggressively again
.

I want a big drink, dat’s what!

CHUCK

Who’s stoppin’ yuh? Yuh can have all yuh want on Hickey

JOE

Has taken a glass from the table and has his hand on a bottle when
HICKEY’S
name is mentioned. He draws his hand back as if he were going to refuse
—
then grabs it defiantly and pours a big drink
.

All right, I’s earned all de drinks on him I could drink in a year for listenin’ to his crazy bull. And here’s hopin’ he gets de lockjaw!

He drinks and pours out another
.

I drinks on him but I don’t drink wid him. No, suh, never no more!

ROCKY

Aw, bull! Hickey’s aw right. What’s he done to you?

JOE

Sullenly
.

Dat’s my business. I ain’t buttin’ in yours, is I?

Bitterly
.

Sure, you think he’s all right. He’s a white man, ain’t he?

His tone becomes aggressive
.

Listen to me, you white boys! Don’t you get it in your heads I’s pretendin’ to be what I ain’t, or dat I ain’t proud to be what I is, get me?

Or you and me’s goin’ to have trouble!

He picks up his drink and walks left as far away from them as he can get and slumps down on the piano stool
.

MARGIE

In a low angry tone
.

What a noive! Just because we act nice to him, he gets a swelled nut! If dat ain’t a coon all over!

CHUCK

Talkin’ fight talk, huh? I’ll moider de nigger!

He takes a threatening step toward
JOE
,
who is staring before him guiltily now
.

JOE

Speaks up shamefacedly
.

Listen, boys, I’s sorry. I didn’t mean dat. You been good friends to me. I’s nuts, I guess. Dat Hickey, he gets my head all mixed up wit craziness.

Their faces at once clear of resentment against him
.

CORA

Aw, dat’s aw right, Joe. De boys wasn’t takin’ yuh serious.

Then to the others, forcing a laugh
.

Jees, what’d I say, Hickey ain’t overlookin’ no bets. Even Joe.

She pauses
—
then adds puzzledly
.

De funny ting is, yuh can’t stay sore at de bum when he’s around. When he forgets de bughouse preachin’, and quits tellin’ yuh where yuh get off, he’s de same old Hickey. Yuh can’t help likin’ de louse. And yuh got to admit he’s got de right dope—

She adds hastily
.

I mean, on some of de bums here.

MARGIE

With a sneering look at
ROCKY
.

Yeah, he’s coitinly got one guy I know sized up right! Huh, Poil?

PEARL

He coitinly has!

ROCKY

Cut it out, I told yuh!

LARRY

Is staring before him broodingly. He speaks more aloud to himself than to them
.

It’s nothing to me what happened to him. But I have a feeling he’s dying to tell us, inside him, and yet he’s afraid. He’s like that damned kid. It’s strange the queer way he seemed to recognize him. If he’s afraid, it explains why he’s off booze. Like that damned kid again. Afraid if he got drunk, he’d tell—

While he is speaking
,
HICKEY
comes in the doorway at rear. He looks the same as in the previous act, except that now his face beams with the excited expectation of a boy going to a party. His arms are piled with packages
.

HICKEY

Booms in imitation of a familiar Polo Grounds bleacherite cry
—
with rising volume
.

Well! Well!! Well!!!

They all jump startledly. He comes forward, grinning
.

Here I am in the nick of time. Give me a hand with these bundles, somebody.

MARGIE
and
PEARL
start taking them from his arms and putting them on the table. Now that he is present, all their attitudes show the reaction
CORA
has expressed. They can’t help liking him and forgiving him
.

MARGIE

Jees, Hickey, yuh scared me outa a year’s growth, sneakin’ in like dat.

HICKEY

Sneaking? Why, me and the taxi man made enough noise getting my big surprise in the hall to wake the dead. You were all so busy drinking in words of wisdom from the Old Wise Guy here, you couldn’t hear anything else.

He grins at
LARRY
.

From what I heard, Larry, you’re not so good when you start playing Sherlock Holmes. You’ve got me all wrong. I’m not afraid of anything now—not even myself. You better stick to the part of Old Cemetery, the Barker for the Big Sleep—that is, if you can still let yourself get away with it!

He chuckles and gives
LARRY
a friendly slap on the back
.
LARRY
gives him a bitter angry look
.

CORA

Giggles
.

Old Cemetery! That’s him, Hickey. We’ll have to call him dat.

HICKEY

Watching
LARRY
quizzically
.

Beginning to do a lot of puzzling about me, aren’t you, Larry? But that won’t help you. You’ve got to think of yourself. I couldn’t give you my peace. You’ve got to find your own. All I can do is help you, and the rest of the gang, by showing you the way to find it.

He has said this with a simple persuasive earnestness. He pauses, and for a second they stare at him with fascinated resenful uneasiness
.

ROCKY

Breaks the spell
.

Aw, hire a church!

HICKEY

Placatingly
.

All right! All right! Don’t get sore, boys and girls. I guess that did sound too much like a lousy preacher. Let’s forget it and get busy on the party.

They look relieved
.

CHUCK

Is dose bundles grub, Hickey? You bought enough already to feed an army.

HICKEY

With boyish excitement again
.

Can’t be too much! I want this to be the biggest birthday Harry’s ever had. You and Rocky go in the hall and get the big surprise. My arms are busted lugging it.

They catch his excitement
.
CHUCK
and
ROCKY
go out, grinning expectantly. The three girls gather around
HICKEY
,
full of thrilled curiosity
.

PEARL

Jees, yuh got us all het up! What is it, Hickey?

HICKEY

Wait and see. I got it as a treat for the three of you more than anyone. I thought to myself, I’ll bet this is what will please those whores more than anything.

They wince as if he had slapped them, but before they have a chance to be angry, he goes on affectionately
.

I said to myself, I don’t care how much it costs, they’re worth it. They’re the best little scouts in the world, and they’ve been damned kind to me when I was down and out! Nothing is too good for them.
Earnestly
.

I mean every word ofthat, too—and then some!

Then, as if he noticed the expression on their faces for the first time
.

What’s the matter? You look sore. What—?

Then he chuckles
.

Oh, I see. But you know how I feel about that. You know I didn’t say it to offend you. So don’t be silly now.

MARGIE

Lets out a tense breath
.

Aw right, Hickey. Let it slide.

HICKEY

Jubilantly
,
ASCHUCK
and
ROCKY
enter carrying a big wicker basket
.

Look! There it comes! Unveil it, boys.

They pull off a covering burlap bag. The basket is piled with quarts of champagne
.

PEARL

With childish excitement
.

It’s champagne! Jees, Hickey, if you ain’t a sport!

She gives him a hug, forgetting all animosity, as do the other girls
.

MARGIE

I never been soused on champagne. Let’s get stinko, Poil.

PEARL

You betcha my life! De bot’ of us!

A holiday spirit of gay festivity has seized them all. Even
JOE MOTT
is standing up to look at the wine with an admiring grin, and
HUGO
raises his head to blink at it
.

JOE

You sure is hittin’ de high spots, Hickey.

Boastfully
.

Man, when I runs my gambling’ house, I drinks dat old bubbly water in steins!

He stops guiltily and gives
HICKEYA
look of defiance
.

I’s goin’ to drink it dat way again, too, soon’s I make my stake! And dat ain’t no pipe dream, neider!

He sits down where he was, his back turned to them
.

ROCKY

What’ll we drink it outa, Hickey? Dere ain’t no wine glasses.

HICKEY

Enthusiastically
.

Joe has the right idea! Schooners! That’s the spirit for Harry’s birthday!

ROCKY
and
CHUCK
carry the basket of wine into the bar. The three girls go back and stand around the entrance to the bar, chatting excited among themselves and to
CHUCK
and
ROCKY
in
the bar
.

HUGO

With his silly giggle
.

Ve vill trink vine beneath the villow trees!

HICKEY

Grins at him
.

That’s the spirit, Brother—and let the lousy slaves drink vinegar!

HUGO
blinks at him startledly, then looks away
.

HUGO

Mutters
.

Gottamned liar!

He puts his head back on his arms and closes his eyes, but this time his habitual pass-out has a quality of hiding
.

LARRY

Gives
HUGO
a pitying glance
—
in a low tone of anger
.

Leave Hugo be! He rotted ten years in prison for his faith! He’s earned his dream! Have you no decency or pity?

HICKEY

Quizzically
.

Hello, what’s this? I thought you were in the grandstand.

Then with a simple earnestness, taking a chair by
LARRY
,
and putting a hand on his shoulder
.

Listen, Larry, you’re getting me all wrong. Hell, you ought to know me better. I’ve always been the best-natured slob in the world. Of course, I have pity. But now I’ve seen the light, it isn’t my old kind of pity—the kind yours is. It isn’t the kind that lets itself off easy by encouraging some poor guy to go on kidding himself with a lie—the kind that leaves the poor slob worse off because it makes him feel guiltier than ever—the kind that makes his lying hopes nag at him and reproach him until he’s a rotten skunk in his own eyes. I know all about that kind of pity. I’ve had a bellyful of it in my time, and it’s all wrong!

With a salesman’s persuasiveness
.

No, sir. The kind of pity I feel now is after final results that will really save the poor guy, and make him contented with what he is, and quit battling himself, and find peace for the rest of his life. Oh, I know how you resent the way I have to show you up to yourself. I don’t blame you. I know from my own experience it’s bitter medicine, facing yourself in the mirror with the old false whiskers off. But you forget that, once you’re cured. You’ll be grateful to me when all at once you find you’re able to admit, without feeling ashamed, that all the grandstand foolosopher bunk and the waiting for the Big Sleep stuff is a pipe dream. You’ll say to yourself, I’m just an old man who is scared of life, but even more scared of dying. So I’m keeping drunk and hanging on to life at any price, and what of it? Then you’ll know what real peace means, Larry, because you won’t be scared of either life or death any more. You simply won’t give a damn! Any more than I do!

LARRY

Has been staring into his eyes with a fascinated wondering dread
. Be God, if I’m not beginning to think you’ve gone mad!

With a rush of anger
.

You’re a liar!

HICKEY

Injuredly
.

Now, listen, that’s no way to talk to an old pal who’s trying to help you. Hell, if you really wanted to die, you’d just take a hop off your fire escape, wouldn’t you? And if you really were in the grandstand, you wouldn’t be pitying everyone. Oh, I know the truth is tough at first. It was for me. All I ask is for you to suspend judgment and give it a chance. I’ll absolutely guarantee—Hell, Larry, I’m no fool. Do you suppose I’d deliberately set out to get under everyone’s skin and put myself in dutch with all my old pals, if I wasn’t certain, from my own experience, that it means contentment in the end for all of you?