black drawers, curved chairs with cushioned seats, armchairs in oatmeal tweed, a beech frame settee with a woven sea-grass seat, white-topped heat-resistant coffee table, white tile surround. Yes. Then the bedroom. What’s a bedroom? It’s a retreat. It’s a place to go for rest and peace. So you want quiet decoration. The lighting functional. Furniture … mahogany and rosewood. Deep azure-blue carpet, unglazed blue and white curtains, a bedspread with a pattern of small blue roses on a white ground, dressing-table with a lift-up top containing a plastic tray, table lamp of white raffia… ( MICK sits up.) it wouldn’t be a flat it’d be a palace.
DAVIES. I’d say it would, man.
MICK. A palace.
DAVIES. Who would live there?
MICK. I would. My brother and me.
Pause.
DAVIES. What about me?
MICK (quietly). All this junk here, it’s no good to anyone. It’s just a lot of old iron, that’s all. Clobber. You couldn’t make a home out of this. There’s no way you could arrange it. It’s junk. He could never sell it, either, he wouldn’t get tuppence for it.
Pause.
Junk.
Pause.
But he doesn’t seem to be interested in what I got in mind, that’s the trouble. Why don’t you have a chat with him, see if he’s interested?
DAVIES. Me?
MICK. Yes. You’re a friend of his.
DAVIES. He’s no friend of mine.
MICK. You’re living in the same room with him, en’t you?
DAVIES. He’s no friend of mine. You don’t know where you are with him. I mean, with a bloke like you, you know where you are.
MICK looks at him.
I mean, you got your own ways, I’m not saying you ain’t got your own ways, anyone can see that. You may have some funny ways, but that’s the same with all of us, but with him it’s different, see? I mean at least with you, the thing with you is you’re…
MICK. Straightforward.
DAVIES. That’s it, you’re straightforward.
MICK. Yes.
DAVIES. But with him, you don’t know what he’s up to half the time!
MICK. Uh.
DAVIES. He’s got no feelings!
Pause.
See, what I need is a clock! I need a clock to tell the time! How can I tell the time without a clock? I can’t do it! I said to him, I said, look here, what about getting in a clock, so’s I can tell what time it is? I mean, if you can’t tell what time you’re at you don’t know where you are, you understand my meaning? See, what I got to do now, if I’m walking about outside, I got to get my eye on a clock, and keep the time in my head for when I come in. But that’s no good, I mean I’m not in here five minutes and I forgotten it. I forgotten what time it was!
DAVIES walks up and down the room.
Look at it this way. If I don’t feel well I have a bit of a lay down, then, when I wake up, I don’t know what time it is to go and have a cup of tea! You see, it’s not so bad when I’m coming in. I can see the clock on the corner, the moment I’m stepping into the house I know what the time is, but when I’m in !It’s when I’m in … that I haven’t the foggi est idea what time it is!
Pause.
No, what I need is a clock in here, in this room, and then I stand a bit of a chance. But he don’t give me one.
DAVIES sits in the chair.
He wakes me up! He wakes me up in the middle of the night! Tells me I’m making noises! I tell you I’ve half a mind to give him a mouthful one of these days.
MICK. He don’t let you sleep?
DAVIES. He don’t let me sleep! He wakes me up!
MICK. That’s terrible.
DAVIES. I been plenty of other places. They always letme sleep. It’s the same the whole world over. Except here.
MICK. Sleep’s essential. I’ve always said that.
DAVIES. You’re right, it’s essential. I get up in the morning, I’m worn out! I got business to see to. I got to move myself, I got to sort myself out, I got to get fixed up. But when I wake up in the morning, I ain’t got no energy in me. And on top of that I ain’t got no clock.
MICK. Yes.
DAVIES (standing, moving). He goes out, I don’t know
DAVIES. I’d say it would, man.
MICK. A palace.
DAVIES. Who would live there?
MICK. I would. My brother and me.
Pause.
DAVIES. What about me?
MICK (quietly). All this junk here, it’s no good to anyone. It’s just a lot of old iron, that’s all. Clobber. You couldn’t make a home out of this. There’s no way you could arrange it. It’s junk. He could never sell it, either, he wouldn’t get tuppence for it.
Pause.
Junk.
Pause.
But he doesn’t seem to be interested in what I got in mind, that’s the trouble. Why don’t you have a chat with him, see if he’s interested?
DAVIES. Me?
MICK. Yes. You’re a friend of his.
DAVIES. He’s no friend of mine.
MICK. You’re living in the same room with him, en’t you?
DAVIES. He’s no friend of mine. You don’t know where you are with him. I mean, with a bloke like you, you know where you are.
MICK looks at him.
I mean, you got your own ways, I’m not saying you ain’t got your own ways, anyone can see that. You may have some funny ways, but that’s the same with all of us, but with him it’s different, see? I mean at least with you, the thing with you is you’re…
MICK. Straightforward.
DAVIES. That’s it, you’re straightforward.
MICK. Yes.
DAVIES. But with him, you don’t know what he’s up to half the time!
MICK. Uh.
DAVIES. He’s got no feelings!
Pause.
See, what I need is a clock! I need a clock to tell the time! How can I tell the time without a clock? I can’t do it! I said to him, I said, look here, what about getting in a clock, so’s I can tell what time it is? I mean, if you can’t tell what time you’re at you don’t know where you are, you understand my meaning? See, what I got to do now, if I’m walking about outside, I got to get my eye on a clock, and keep the time in my head for when I come in. But that’s no good, I mean I’m not in here five minutes and I forgotten it. I forgotten what time it was!
DAVIES walks up and down the room.
Look at it this way. If I don’t feel well I have a bit of a lay down, then, when I wake up, I don’t know what time it is to go and have a cup of tea! You see, it’s not so bad when I’m coming in. I can see the clock on the corner, the moment I’m stepping into the house I know what the time is, but when I’m in !It’s when I’m in … that I haven’t the foggi est idea what time it is!
Pause.
No, what I need is a clock in here, in this room, and then I stand a bit of a chance. But he don’t give me one.
DAVIES sits in the chair.
He wakes me up! He wakes me up in the middle of the night! Tells me I’m making noises! I tell you I’ve half a mind to give him a mouthful one of these days.
MICK. He don’t let you sleep?
DAVIES. He don’t let me sleep! He wakes me up!
MICK. That’s terrible.
DAVIES. I been plenty of other places. They always letme sleep. It’s the same the whole world over. Except here.
MICK. Sleep’s essential. I’ve always said that.
DAVIES. You’re right, it’s essential. I get up in the morning, I’m worn out! I got business to see to. I got to move myself, I got to sort myself out, I got to get fixed up. But when I wake up in the morning, I ain’t got no energy in me. And on top of that I ain’t got no clock.
MICK. Yes.
DAVIES (standing, moving). He goes out, I don’t know
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