The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form (2 page)

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Authors: Cormac McCarthy

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White		Forty times a hundred is four thousand.
Black		(Almost laughing) I’m just messin with you, Professor. Give me a number. Any number you like. And I’ll give you forty times it back.
White		Twenty-six.
Black		A thousand and forty.
White		A hundred and eighteen.
Black		Four thousand seven hundred and twenty.
White		Four thousand seven hundred and twenty.
Black		Yeah.
White		The answer is the question.
Black		Say what?
White		That’s your new number.
Black		Four thousand seven hundred and twenty?
White		Yes.
Black		That’s a big number, Professor.
White		Yes it is.
Black		Do you know the answer?
White		No. I dont.
Black		It’s a hundred and eighty-eight thousand and eight hundred.
They sit.
White		Let me have that.
The black slides the pad and pencil across the table. The professor does the figures and looks at them and looks at the black. He slides the pencil and paper back across the table and sits back.

White		How do you do that?
Black		Numbers is the black man’s friend. Butter and eggs. Crap table. You quick with numbers you can put the mojo on you brother. Confiscate the contents of his pocketbook. You get a lot of time to practice that shit in the jailhouse.
White		I see.
Black		But let’s get back to all them books you done read. You think maybe you read four thousand books.
White		Probably. Maybe more than that.
Black		But you aint read this one.
White		No. Not the whole book. No.
Black		Why is that?
White		I dont know.
Black		What would you say is the best book that ever was wrote?
White		I have no idea.
Black		Take a shot.
White		There are a lot of good books.
Black		Well pick one.
White		Maybe War and Peace.
Black		All right. You think that’s a better book than this one?
White		I dont know. They’re different kinds of books.
Black		This War and Peace book. That’s a book that somebody made up, right?
White		Well, yes.
Black		So is that how it’s different from this book?
White		Not really. In my view they’re both made up.
Black		Mm. Aint neither one of em true.
White		Not in the historical sense. No.
Black		So what would be a true book?
White		I suppose maybe a history book. Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire might be one. At least the events would be actual events. They would be things that had happened.
Black		Mm hm. You think that book is as good a book as this book here?
White		The bible.
Black		The bible.
White		I dont know. Gibbon is a cornerstone. It’s a major book.
Black		And a true book. Dont forget that.
White		And a true book. Yes.
Black		But is it as good a book.
White		I dont know. I dont know as you can make a comparison. You’re talking about apples and pears.
Black		No we aint talkin bout no apples and pears, Professor. We talkin bout books. Is that Decline and Fall book as good a book as this book here. Answer the question.
White		I might have to say no.
Black		It’s more true but it aint as good.
White		If you like.
Black		It aint what I like. It’s what you said.
White		All right.
The black lays the bible back down on the table.

Black		It used to say here on the cover fore it got wore off: The greatest book ever written. You think that might be true?
White		It might.
Black		You read good books.
White		I try to. Yes.
Black		But not the best book. Why is that?
White		I need to go.
Black		You dont need to go, Professor. Stay here and visit with me.
White		You’re afraid I’ll go back to the train station.
Black		You might. Just stay with me.
White		What if I promised I wouldnt?
Black		You might anyways.
White		Dont you have to go to work?
Black		I was on my way to work.
White		A funny thing happened to you on your way to work.
Black		Yes it did.
White		Will they fire you?
Black		Naw. They aint goin fire me.
White		You could call in.
Black		Aint got a phone. Anyways, they know if I aint there I aint comin. I aint a late sort of person.
White		Why dont you have a phone?
Black		I dont need one. The junkies’d steal it anyways.
White		You could get a cheap one.
Black		You cant get too cheap for a junky. But let’s get back to you.
White		Let’s stick with you for a minute.
Black		All right.
White		Can I ask you something?
Black		Sure you can.
White		Where were you standing? I never saw you.
Black		You mean when you took your amazin leap?
White		Yes.
Black		I was on the platform.
White		On the platform.
Black		Yeah.
White		Well I didnt see you.
Black		I was just standin there on the platform. Mindin my own business. And here you come. Haulin ass.
White		I’d looked all around to make sure there was no one there. Particularly no children. There was nobody around.
Black		Nope. Just me.
White		Well I dont know where you could have been.
Black		Mm. Professor you fixin to get spooky on me now. Maybe I was behind a post or somethin.
White		There wasnt any post.
Black		So what are we sayin here? You lookin at some big black angel got sent down here to grab your honky ass out of the air at the last possible minute and save you from destruction?
White		No. I dont think that.
Black		Such a thing aint possible.
White		No. It isnt.
Black		Well you the one suggested it.
White		I didnt suggest any such thing. You’re the one put in the stuff about angels. I never said anything about angels. I dont believe in angels.
Black		What is it you believe in?
White		A lot of things.
Black		All right.
White		All right what?
Black		All right what things.
White		I believe in things.
Black		You said that.
White		Probably I dont believe in a lot of things that I used to believe in but that doesnt mean I dont believe in anything.
Black		Well give me a for instance.
White		Mostly the value of things.
Black		Value of things.
White		Yes.
Black		Okay. What things.
White		Lots of things. Cultural things, for instance. Books and music and art. Things like that.
Black		All right.
White		Those are the kinds of things that have value to me. They’re the foundations of civilization. Or they used to have value. I suppose they dont have so much any more.
Black		What happened to em?
White		People stopped valuing them. I stopped valuing them. To a certain extent. I’m not sure I could tell you why. That world is largely gone. Soon it will be wholly gone.
Black		I aint sure I’m followin you, Professor.
White		There’s nothing to follow. It’s all right. The things that I loved were very frail. Very fragile. I didnt know that. I thought they were indestructible. They werent.
Black		And that’s what sent you off the edge of the platform. It wasnt nothin personal.
White		It is personal. That’s what an education does. It makes the world personal.
Black		Hm.
White		Hm what.
Black		Well. I was just thinkin that them is some pretty powerful words. I dont know that I got a answer about any of that and it might be that they aint no answer. But still I got to ask what is the use of notions such as them if it wont keep you glued down to the platform when the Sunset Limited comes through at eighty mile a hour.
White		Good question.
Black		I thought so.
White		I dont have an answer to any of that either. Maybe it’s not logical. I dont know. I dont care. I’ve been asked didnt I think it odd that I should be present to witness the death of everything and I do think it’s odd but that doesnt mean it’s not so. Someone has to be here.
Black		But you dont intend to stick around for it.
White		No. I dont.
Black		So let me see if I got this straight. You sayin that all this culture stuff is all they ever was tween you and the Sunset Limited.
White		It’s a lot.
Black		But it busted out on you.
White		Yes.
Black		You a culture junky.
White		If you like. Or I was. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I have no beliefs. I believe in the Sunset Limited.
Black		Damn, Professor.
White		Damn indeed.
Black		No beliefs.
White		The things I believed in dont exist any more. It’s foolish to pretend that they do. Western Civilization finally went up in smoke in the chimneys at Dachau but I was too infatuated to see it. I see it now.
Black		You a challenge, Professor. Did you know that?
White		Well, there’s no reason for you to become involved in my problems. I should go.
Black		You got any friends?
White		No.
Black		You aint got even one friend?
White		No.
Black		You got to be kiddin me, Professor. Not one?
White		Not really. No.
Black		Well tell me about that one.
White		What one?
Black		The not really one.
White		I have a friend at the university. Not a close friend. We have lunch from time to time.
Black		But that’s about as good as it gets.
White		What do you mean?
Black		That’s about all you got in the way of friends.
White		Yes.
Black		Mm. Well. If that’s the best friend you got then I reckon that’s your best friend. Aint it?
White		I dont know.
Black		What did you do to him.
White		What did I do to him?
Black		Yeah.
White		I didnt do anything to him.
Black		Mm hm.
White		I didnt do anything to him. What makes you think I did something to him?
Black		I dont know. Did you?
White		No. What is it you think I did to him?
Black		I dont know. I’m waitin on you to tell me.
White		Well there’s nothing to tell.
Black		But you didnt leave him no note or nothin. When you decided to take the train.
White		No.
Black		Your best friend?
White		He’s not my best friend.
Black		I thought we just got done decidin that he was.
White		You just got done deciding.
Black		You ever tell him you was thinkin about this?
White		No.
Black		Damn, Professor.
White		Why should I?
Black		I dont know. Maybe cause he’s your best friend?
White		I told you. We’re not all that close.
Black		Not all that close.
White		No.
Black		He’s your best friend only you aint all that close.
White		If you like.
Black		Not to where you’d want to bother him about a little thing like dyin.
White		(Looking around the room) Look. Suppose I were to give you my word that I would just go home and that I wouldnt try to kill myself en route.
Black		Suppose I was to give you my word that I wouldnt listen to none of your bullshit.
White		So what am I, a prisoner here?
Black		You know bettern that. Anyway, you was a prisoner fore you got here. Death Row prisoner. What did your daddy do?
White		What?
Black		I said what did your daddy do. What kind of work.
White		He was a lawyer.
Black		Lawyer.
White		Yes.
Black		What kind of law did he do?
White		He was a government lawyer. He didnt do criminal law or things like that.
Black		Mm hm. What would be a thing like criminal law?
White		I dont know. Divorce law, maybe.
Black		Yeah. Maybe you got a point. What did he die of?
White		Who said he was dead?
Black		Is he dead?

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