thieves.
SHELLY: Try to drink this, okay? Don't spill it.
DODGE: What is it?
SHELLY: Beef bouillon. It'll warm you up.
DODGE: Bouillon! I don't want any goddamn bouillon! Get that stuff away from me!
SHELLY: I just got through making it.
DODGE: I don't care if you just spent all week making it! I ain't drinking it!
SHELLY: Well, what am I supposed to do with it? I'm trying to help you out. Besides, it's good for you.
DODGE: Get it away from me! (SHELLY
stands up with the cup and saucer.)
What do you know what's good for me anyway?
(She looks at
DODGE,
then turns away from him, crosses to the staircase, sits on the bottom step, and drinks the bouillon,
DODGE
stares at her.)
You know what'd be good for me?
SHELLY: What?
DODGE: A little back rub. A little contact.
SHELLY: Oh no. I've had enough contact for a while. Thanks anyway.
(She keeps sipping the bouillon, stays sitting. Pause as
DODGE
stares at her.)
DODGE: Why not? You got nothing better to do. That fella's not gonna be back here. You're not expecting him to show up again, are you?
SHELLY: Sure. He'll show up. He left his horn here.
DODGE: His horn?
(Laughs.)
You're his horn?
SHELLY: Very funny.
DODGE: He's run off with my money! That's what he did. He's not coming back here.
SHELLY: He'll be back. This is where he's from. He knows that. He's convinced. And so am I.
DODGE: You're a funny chicken, you know that?
SHELLY: Funny?
DODGE: Full of hope. Faith. Faith and hope. You're all alike, you hopers. If it's not God then it's a man. If it's not a man then it's a woman. If it's not a woman then it's politics or bee pollen or the future of some kind. Some kind of future.
SHELLY: Bee pollen?
DODGE: Yeah, bee pollen.
(Pause.)
SHELLY:
(Looking toward the porch.)
I'm glad it stopped raining. (DODGE
looks toward the porch then back to
SHELLY.)
DODGE: That's what I mean. See, you're glad it stopped raining. Now you think everything's gonna be different. Just ‘cause the sun comes out.
SHELLY: It's already different. Last night I was scared.
DODGE: Scared a what?
SHELLY: Just scared.
DODGE: Yeah, well we've all got an instinct for disaster. We can smell it coming.
SHELLY: It was your son. Bradley. He scared me.
DODGE: Bradley?
(Looks at
BRADLEY.) He's a pushover. ‘Specially now. All ya gotta do is take his leg and throw it outthe back door. Helpless. Totally helpless, (SHELLY
turns and stares at
BRADLEY
’s wooden leg, then looks at
DODGE.
She sips bouillon.)
SHELLY: You'd do that?
DODGE: Me? I've hardly got the strength to breathe.
SHELLY: But you'd actually do it if you could?
DODGE: Don't be so easily shocked, girlie. There's nothing a man can't do. You dream it up and he can do it. Anything. It boggles the imagination.
SHELLY: You've tried, I guess.
DODGE: Don't sit there sippin’ your bouillon and judging me! This is my house!
SHELLY: I forgot.
DODGE : You forgot? Whose house did you think it was?
SHELLY: Mine, (DODGE
just stares at her. Long pause. She sips from the cup.)
I know it's not mine but I had that feeling.
DODGE: What feeling?
SHELLY: The feeling that nobody lives here but me. I mean everybody's gone. You're here, but it doesn't seem like you're supposed to be.
(Pointing to
BRADLEY.) Doesn't seemlike he's supposed to be here either. I don't know what it is. It's the house or something. Something familiar. Like I know my way around here. Did you ever get that feeling? (DODGE
stares at her in silence. Pause.)
DODGE : No. NO, I never did. I get lost in the hallway sometimes, (SHELLY
gets up. Moves around the space holding the cup.)
SHELLY: Last night I went to sleep up there in that room.
DODGE: What room?
SHELLY: That room up there with all the pictures. All the crosses on the wall.
DODGE: Halie's room?
SHELLY: Yeah. Whoever “Halie” is.
DODGE: She's my wife.
SHELLY : So you remember her?
DODGE: Whadya mean? ‘Course I remember her. She's only been gone a day—half a day. However long it's
SHELLY: Try to drink this, okay? Don't spill it.
DODGE: What is it?
SHELLY: Beef bouillon. It'll warm you up.
DODGE: Bouillon! I don't want any goddamn bouillon! Get that stuff away from me!
SHELLY: I just got through making it.
DODGE: I don't care if you just spent all week making it! I ain't drinking it!
SHELLY: Well, what am I supposed to do with it? I'm trying to help you out. Besides, it's good for you.
DODGE: Get it away from me! (SHELLY
stands up with the cup and saucer.)
What do you know what's good for me anyway?
(She looks at
DODGE,
then turns away from him, crosses to the staircase, sits on the bottom step, and drinks the bouillon,
DODGE
stares at her.)
You know what'd be good for me?
SHELLY: What?
DODGE: A little back rub. A little contact.
SHELLY: Oh no. I've had enough contact for a while. Thanks anyway.
(She keeps sipping the bouillon, stays sitting. Pause as
DODGE
stares at her.)
DODGE: Why not? You got nothing better to do. That fella's not gonna be back here. You're not expecting him to show up again, are you?
SHELLY: Sure. He'll show up. He left his horn here.
DODGE: His horn?
(Laughs.)
You're his horn?
SHELLY: Very funny.
DODGE: He's run off with my money! That's what he did. He's not coming back here.
SHELLY: He'll be back. This is where he's from. He knows that. He's convinced. And so am I.
DODGE: You're a funny chicken, you know that?
SHELLY: Funny?
DODGE: Full of hope. Faith. Faith and hope. You're all alike, you hopers. If it's not God then it's a man. If it's not a man then it's a woman. If it's not a woman then it's politics or bee pollen or the future of some kind. Some kind of future.
SHELLY: Bee pollen?
DODGE: Yeah, bee pollen.
(Pause.)
SHELLY:
(Looking toward the porch.)
I'm glad it stopped raining. (DODGE
looks toward the porch then back to
SHELLY.)
DODGE: That's what I mean. See, you're glad it stopped raining. Now you think everything's gonna be different. Just ‘cause the sun comes out.
SHELLY: It's already different. Last night I was scared.
DODGE: Scared a what?
SHELLY: Just scared.
DODGE: Yeah, well we've all got an instinct for disaster. We can smell it coming.
SHELLY: It was your son. Bradley. He scared me.
DODGE: Bradley?
(Looks at
BRADLEY.) He's a pushover. ‘Specially now. All ya gotta do is take his leg and throw it outthe back door. Helpless. Totally helpless, (SHELLY
turns and stares at
BRADLEY
’s wooden leg, then looks at
DODGE.
She sips bouillon.)
SHELLY: You'd do that?
DODGE: Me? I've hardly got the strength to breathe.
SHELLY: But you'd actually do it if you could?
DODGE: Don't be so easily shocked, girlie. There's nothing a man can't do. You dream it up and he can do it. Anything. It boggles the imagination.
SHELLY: You've tried, I guess.
DODGE: Don't sit there sippin’ your bouillon and judging me! This is my house!
SHELLY: I forgot.
DODGE : You forgot? Whose house did you think it was?
SHELLY: Mine, (DODGE
just stares at her. Long pause. She sips from the cup.)
I know it's not mine but I had that feeling.
DODGE: What feeling?
SHELLY: The feeling that nobody lives here but me. I mean everybody's gone. You're here, but it doesn't seem like you're supposed to be.
(Pointing to
BRADLEY.) Doesn't seemlike he's supposed to be here either. I don't know what it is. It's the house or something. Something familiar. Like I know my way around here. Did you ever get that feeling? (DODGE
stares at her in silence. Pause.)
DODGE : No. NO, I never did. I get lost in the hallway sometimes, (SHELLY
gets up. Moves around the space holding the cup.)
SHELLY: Last night I went to sleep up there in that room.
DODGE: What room?
SHELLY: That room up there with all the pictures. All the crosses on the wall.
DODGE: Halie's room?
SHELLY: Yeah. Whoever “Halie” is.
DODGE: She's my wife.
SHELLY : So you remember her?
DODGE: Whadya mean? ‘Course I remember her. She's only been gone a day—half a day. However long it's
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