When yr married.
But its such a pricey luxury.
When yr up against the wall
Yll take a poke from some poor slob.
The child Im growing will be my salvation.
Who knows, he may grow up to rule the nation.
And my husband, blind with happiness,
Will never guess
The enemy in his army.
First Lady
Thank you. Here. Spend this for me.
She gives them money and goes.
Waiting Woman #1
Rich folk.
Waiting Woman #2
Yeah.
SCENE 15
Hesters home. She sits in a big tin tub.
Canary scrubs her back, giving her a bath.
Canary
Am I scrubbing you too hard?
Hester
Hester
Canary
Theyre reconciled again. Word is she went to her daddy crying and he put out more money. And they spent last night together. I lay in his bed waiting and he was with her.
Oh, what money can do.
(Rest)
Warm water sweet soap and gentle scrubbing. Does it feel good?
Hester
I could cut her head off.
Canary
Inhale. Soap smells good, dont it?
Hester
Youd put sleeping powder into her bedtime snack. I’d sneak into her big house, find her room, and cut her head off.
Hesters backdoor bell rings.
Canary
Yr A is weeping. You got folks out there. 3 a minute ago but now only 2. The “Closed” signs on the door. Hester aint helping no one but herself today.
Hester
I could follow her on one of her afternoon constitutionals and jump out from behind a tree and strangle her with my bare hands.
Canary
Freedom Fund confirmed hes dead but I dont believe them and you shouldnt believe them neither. If hes dead whose been writing you all these years? Theyve just misplaced him. He’ll turn up. Yll see.
Hester
Take my knife and stab her till theres nothing left of her but wounds. Then we’d be equal.
Canary
The Fund says yr due for a full refund.
(Rest)
I dont believe hes dead. But you could take the money anyway. You could retire.
Hester
I could slit her throat.
Canary
(Rest)
Do you know how many men and women they got locked up? More thans walking free in the streets thats how many. Its a wonder they aint lost them all. Prisoners get lost all the time, I’ll bet. Sounds crazy but thats what kind of crazy world we live in. Something crazy happening every day. Like, just the other day, I seen yr mark. Not on you. On someone elses arm.
Hester
Whose?
(Rest)
Whose?!?!
Hester
Canary
Canary
—. Cant remember.
Hester
I’ll get back at her. Im not a mother otherwise.
(Rest)
I’ll get her. And yll help me.
Canary
Lemmie towel you off.
Hester
I’ll get her and yll help me. We’ll get her together.
Canary
We dont need to do nothing like that. We’ll take our bad luck on the chin.
Hester
Take my bad luck on my chin. No. My chin aint big enough.
Canary
Lets get you dressed.
Hester
Yll help me.
Canary
No. If I help you I’d have to give up the Mayors bed. Theyd put all the blame on me. Anyway, what can we do? Just us 2?
Hester
I’ll get Butcher to help. You and me and him makes 3. 3s the charm.
Canary
Idunno—
Hester
“Hes dead,” they said. “According to our records, hes been dead for years,” they said. “Sorry for the mix-up,” they said. “Yll get a full refund,” they said. A full refund aint enough.
(Rest)
Yll help me.
Canary
I’ll help you. Whats the plan.
Hester
I dont got one yet.
Canary
Ah.
Hester
I’ll think of something. And yll help.
Canary
(Rest)
Sure.
Hester
Good.
The backdoor bell rings.
Hester
(Rest)
Is tonight all right?
Canary
Tonight?!
Hester
Yes.
The back bell rings again. And again.
Canary
Hester
Canary
Hester
Canary
Tonights fine.
Hester
We’ll kidnap her and toss her off a cliff! How does that sound?
(Rest)
Wait here. Be ready. I’ll talk to Butcher.
Canary
I remember whose arm it was. That Monster convict.
Remember I told you I saw him at the sea lookout?
Hester
Hes an evil person.
Canary
With a scar like yours.
Hester
Which goes to show that mothers all over the world bite their sons. Boy tried to be good his whole life and now his mother weeps. I wonder what that evil Monsters mothers doing right now. Dancing, I bet.
The bell rings again and again and again.
Hester
I wont be gone for long. Be ready.
Hester leaves. Canary sits there.
SCENE 16
The Hunters walk across the stage.
First Hunter
Peoplev seen em.
Third Hunter
That streetwalker gave us a piece of his shirt.
Second Hunter
Plus that anonymous tip: “ocean overlook at midnight.”
First Hunter
We’ll catch him before morning. The dogs have the scent.
Third Hunter
Cept theyre going around in circles.
Second Hunter
We’ll catch him tonight. We’ll show him what it means to be a Hunter.
They continue on their way.
SCENE 17
Butchers place. Meat hanging around on meat hooks.
Butcher at his butchers block hacking away at a piece of meat. Hester sitting there watching.
Butcher
This is violent. I know. It must be upsetting to you after everything thats happened. Its an order for Hizzoner.
Hester
You delivering it?
Butcher
Hes picking it up himself. Its his day to rub shoulders with the people.
Hester
I dont want him to rub my shoulder.
Butcher
Stand over there when he comes. He wont notice you.
(Rest)
I was on my way over. I got some flowers for you back in the meat cooler. You should be in bed—
Hester
I need yr help.
Butcher
Ask away. Wait: here he comes.
As Hester steps into the shadows, the Mayor enters with his basket.
Butcher
Good to see you, sir.
Mayor
The local butcher at his chopping block. Hard honest worker. Thats what I like to see.
Butcher
Ive got yr order right here.
Mayor
Im passing out cigars. Have one.
Butcher
Thank you.
Mayor
My First Lady and I are expecting. A child.
Hester
(A child.)
Mayor
You heard ri
ght.
Hester
(A child!)
Mayor
Thats right. She begged me to keep it hush-hush but I cant help myself. I feel that its my duty to share the news.
Butcher
Congratulations.
Hester
(A child!)
Mayor
My wife with child. That makes me a father.
Butcher
Congratulations.
Hester
(A child.)
Mayor
I want to weep.
Hester
((You will.))
Mayor
Whadyasay?
Butcher
Nothing.
(Rest)
Yr meat.
Mayor
Thank you. Until next week.
Butcher
Until next week.
Mayor leaves. Hester comes out of hiding.
Butcher
They finally got lucky.
Hester
Hester
Butcher
Hester?
Hester
Sweetheart.
Butcher
I wish them luck.
Hester
So do I.
Butcher
After everything thats happened?
Hester
I wish them luck.
Butcher
Yr an angel.
Hester
I need yr help.
Butcher
Anything my angel wants. But first:
(Rest)
I earn a good living. And I still have my looks. There are a lot of women who wink at the Meat Man and I know what theyre thinking. Word is Im a catch.
He stands at his butcher block and sings “A Meat Man Is a Good Man to Marry”:
Butcher
A Meat Man is a good man to marry
The wife of a Meat Man dont worry
The children will never go hungry
Always plenty of meat in the tummy.
A Meat Man, his livestock are friendly
They go to the slaughter full knowing
He will kill them and carve them most kindly
In our stomachs theyll help us keep growing.
With me yr mate, everyday we’ll have steak
Gizzards, chittlins and chops
Come on, lets tie the knot.
Pork, beef, mutton, yll be my only one
Pig tails and feet and snouts
We’ll kiss day in and out.
Make me yr ball and chain
We’ll dine on fried brain.
And what could ever beat a honey-dear
Who can make a silk purse from a sow’s ear?
The wife of a Meat Man is happy
All her days are so sunny and easy.
All her nights full of hot heavy breathing
And love
Cause a Meat Mans the best man to marry.
Butcher
Hester
He leaves his butcher block and comes over to her.
Butcher
Marry me.
Hester
I need yr help. With the First Lady.
(Rest)
I wanna talk to her is all.
Butcher
And you want me to help you think of what to say.
Hester
Shes shy about being seen with me. Her position, you know and everything thats happened. She wants to come to my house but dont want no one to know.
(Rest)
I need you to drive your truck. Tonight. Say some of the order was forgotten and yr delivering it. Canary will be waiting there with her. The First Lady aint been feeling well as of late so she may be—foggy, but dont let that stop you.
Dont let nothing stop you. She wants to talk tonight. Shes real insistent. And she dont want no one knowing. Bring her to me, let us talk then take her home again thats all.
Butcher
Whatll you talk about?
Hester
Just chitchat. Woman to woman stuff. I have a feeling she wants to apologize. Maybe even give me some sort of—payment for my hardships. Go get her around 11. Itll be dark. No onell see. Then take her home around midnight.
(Rest)
We need to have a talk, her and me, thats all, just a talk, woman to woman, her and me. Yll help?
Butcher
Sure.
(Rest)
Then we’ll get married.
Hester
Then we’ll get married.
He tries to hug her. She gently pulls away.
Hester
Mmnot ready for touching yet. I need to go home.
Butcher
I’ll walk you.
Hester
No thanks.
(Rest)
After me and her talk. We can be together then.
He tries to kiss her cheek. She goes. He goes back to his chopping block but just stands there.
SCENE 18
3 Freshly Freed Prisoners singing “Hard Times”:
Freshly Freed Prisoners
I done hard time on this earth
Hard time on the rock pile
Hard time behind the bars
And now at last Im home.
Is there a face that knows my face?
A voice that knows my name?
Hard times in these free streets
If no one welcomes me.
Hard Times Hard Times
Hard Times Hard Times
Hard Times, if ya followed me this far,
I’ll just lay down and die.
SCENE 19
Hesters place. Its dark. The room is dimly lit.
She readies her tools.
Hester
Ready yr tools, Hester. Prepare yr instruments. Sharpen yr knives, clean yr hoses, boil yr water, check the strength of yr straps. Itll be easy. She wont feel nothing. Not right away. And she’ll wake up tomorrow bloody and wondering whered the baby go? But no. She wont know.
(Rest)
Rip her child from her like she ripped mine from me.
(Rest)
Shes expecting. But shes not expecting this.
Someone stands in her back doorway.
Hester
Im closed tonight. Yll have to come back tomorrow.
Monster comes in.
Hester
Tell yr wife Im closed.
Monster
Im lost.
Hester
I cant help you tonight.
Monster
I got out of prison just now. You heard us singing.
Hester
I heard. Huh. You look familiar. A little. Im real busy just now—
Monster
I got out of jail alive. Ive got the personal effects of a friend of mine who died in there. I promised him I’d bring them to his mother. They gave me directions but I lost my way.
Hester
Where ya headed?
Monster
“The Rich Girls House.” She must be a rich woman now but “The Rich Girls House” was all he said.
Hester
Go back to the square. Someonell point the way.
Monster
My friends mother. She works for them. Scrubbing floors.
Hester
Scrubbing floors.
Monster
Yeah.
(Rest)
He was Smith. Her too.
(Rest)
Why are you staring?
Hester
No reason.
Monster
Yr circling me.
Hester
You look familiar.
Monster
Yr busy. I’ll leave you—
Hester
Wait! His effects. Lemmie see. Just a peek. Im curious.
Monster
Theres not much. Just a tin cup. And a spoon. See?
He shows her the cup and spoon.
Hester
(Rest)
Tin cup and spoon, you dont look li
ke Boy Smith at all but yll have to be enough to remember him by.
(Rest)
Dear son. This is all thats left.
(Rest)
Im his mother. Im his dead mother because hes dead.
Monster
He told me you worked at the Rich—
Hester
The dead Boys dead mother works for herself now. Shes an aborter. Dont hang yr head shes not yr mom. My fucking A. He woulda hated what his mother has become.
Monster
No.
(Rest)
I’ll tell you stories about him.
Hester
Not now. Its a busy night for me.
(Rest)
My A. My tin cup. My spoon. And you. I know you.
Monster
Yr sons alive.
Hester
I heard you described.
Monster
He needs yr help.
Hester
Posters hung all over town.
Monster
Hes as alive as I am.
Hester
Yr Monster! Help! Help!
Monster
Quiet!
Hester
Let go of me! Help!
Monster
Shut up! Shut up!
He subdues her.
Monster
Look. My mark.
(Rest)
You marked me years ago. Its just like yours. Look.
Hester
I marked my son. He was good and then he died. Youve got an ugly scar and yr looking for a hiding place.
Monster
The letters you wrote him—me. Ive got them all.
Hester
Because he gave them to you.
Monster
Because you wrote them to me. I know them all by heart. I’ll recite, you read along.
Hester
Cant. Dont need to. Monster. Evil! Thats what you are. Ive heard the news. Go on, kill me! Do what ever it is you do! Get it over with!
He releases her.
Monster
(Rest)
The Red Letter Plays Page 12
