down. What can I get you?
M ASON Not a thing, thank you.
B EN I can give you coffee or tea or a beer. Or a Coke.
M ASON No thanks. Really.
B EN ( Getting down teabags ) Well I'm just getting ready to have a cup of tea. Do you drink tea?
M ASON Well, yes.
B EN Good.
He gets down cups.
B EN What sort of work do you do, Mason?
M ASON I'm an insurance claims adjuster.
B EN ( Pouring water in the cups ) Claims adjuster. You want lemon?
M ASON No thank you.
Ben brings the cups to the table and takes a chair opposite Mason. He sips his tea.
B EN There's sugar there.
M ASON This is fine.
B EN Well, you look sober and industrious. Have you ever been married?
M ASON No.
B EN ( Smiling ) You can stop me any time you want.
M ASON ( Smiling ) That's okay.
B EN Does she like you?
M ASON I beg your pardon?
B EN Does she like you? Carly. Does she like you?
M ASON ( Laughing a little nervously ) Well. I don't know. Maybe you should ask her.
B EN But you hope she likes you.
M ASON Yes.
Ben smiles and sips his tea. Mason smiles.
M ASON You didn't ask me if I like her.
B EN I know you like her. I knew you liked her when I saw you in there sitting on the sofa.
Mason smiles. Footsteps on the stairs overhead.
B EN Here she comes. I'll ask her.
M ASON Ask her what?
B EN If she likes you.
M ASON Hey, come on.
B EN You said I should ask her.
M ASON ( Smiling ) Hey, don't fool around.
Carlotta comes in the kitchen. Ben laughs. Mason pushes back his chair and rises.
M ASON Hi.
C ARLOTTA ( Looking at Ben ) Ben, you leave him alone.
B EN Hey Babe. Mmm, you look good.
He turns to Mason.
C ARLOTTA Ben.
B EN ( Laughing ) Hey, we were getting along like a house afire. Weren't we, Mason.
M ASON Yes. We were.
B EN I think this is one of the better ones you've had in here all week.
C ARLOTTA You know, I don't think I could bring myself to actually shoot you. But poison's not out of the question.
Ben regards her more seriously.
B EN You're such a pretty lady.
Carlotta is a little flustered. She turns to Mason.
C ARLOTTA Are you ready?
M ASON Mmm-hmm. Ben, good to see you.
Ben rises and they shake hands.
B EN You all have a good time.
Ben watches them exit out the kitchen door.
SCENE III
The kitchen at night. Ben at the kitchen table with his cup of tea and his notebook. The light comes on at the podium and Ben takes his place there.
B EN That summer Papaw and I contracted work on our own, just working evenings and weekends. We still worked on the house at the farm too but we were building old style stone chimneys and fireplaces for people and we'd take them on field trips and show them the old work and if they had souls in their bodies they would see all that we showed them and we were amazed at how quickly a love and a reverence for reality could be restored in them. They'd talk about what they wanted and Papaw would say little and smoke his pipe and they would look at some old chimney standing in a field and they would look at Papaw and they would grow more quiet themselves and then they would stop talking altogether and we would drive back and they'd ask us when we could begin. Sometimes if a client was really interested we'd take him all over the county. We'd show him work that Papaw had done eighty years ago. We'd show them walls and cellars and chimneys and houses and springhouses and bridges. Some of those old cellars and footings contain enormous stones and Papaw says it's because the houses were built first and you had scaffolding and teams of oxen and tackle and men and you could use the big stones but when you were building a wall you were pretty much on your own and you did it as you could. Most of the old slave walls as they are called were built in the winter when farm work was light. But I've seen stones in cellars and in the base of chimneys that would weigh two thousand pounds. I've seen old bridge piers built of rubble stone weighing two and three tons apiece and no two stones alike and laid
M ASON Not a thing, thank you.
B EN I can give you coffee or tea or a beer. Or a Coke.
M ASON No thanks. Really.
B EN ( Getting down teabags ) Well I'm just getting ready to have a cup of tea. Do you drink tea?
M ASON Well, yes.
B EN Good.
He gets down cups.
B EN What sort of work do you do, Mason?
M ASON I'm an insurance claims adjuster.
B EN ( Pouring water in the cups ) Claims adjuster. You want lemon?
M ASON No thank you.
Ben brings the cups to the table and takes a chair opposite Mason. He sips his tea.
B EN There's sugar there.
M ASON This is fine.
B EN Well, you look sober and industrious. Have you ever been married?
M ASON No.
B EN ( Smiling ) You can stop me any time you want.
M ASON ( Smiling ) That's okay.
B EN Does she like you?
M ASON I beg your pardon?
B EN Does she like you? Carly. Does she like you?
M ASON ( Laughing a little nervously ) Well. I don't know. Maybe you should ask her.
B EN But you hope she likes you.
M ASON Yes.
Ben smiles and sips his tea. Mason smiles.
M ASON You didn't ask me if I like her.
B EN I know you like her. I knew you liked her when I saw you in there sitting on the sofa.
Mason smiles. Footsteps on the stairs overhead.
B EN Here she comes. I'll ask her.
M ASON Ask her what?
B EN If she likes you.
M ASON Hey, come on.
B EN You said I should ask her.
M ASON ( Smiling ) Hey, don't fool around.
Carlotta comes in the kitchen. Ben laughs. Mason pushes back his chair and rises.
M ASON Hi.
C ARLOTTA ( Looking at Ben ) Ben, you leave him alone.
B EN Hey Babe. Mmm, you look good.
He turns to Mason.
C ARLOTTA Ben.
B EN ( Laughing ) Hey, we were getting along like a house afire. Weren't we, Mason.
M ASON Yes. We were.
B EN I think this is one of the better ones you've had in here all week.
C ARLOTTA You know, I don't think I could bring myself to actually shoot you. But poison's not out of the question.
Ben regards her more seriously.
B EN You're such a pretty lady.
Carlotta is a little flustered. She turns to Mason.
C ARLOTTA Are you ready?
M ASON Mmm-hmm. Ben, good to see you.
Ben rises and they shake hands.
B EN You all have a good time.
Ben watches them exit out the kitchen door.
SCENE III
The kitchen at night. Ben at the kitchen table with his cup of tea and his notebook. The light comes on at the podium and Ben takes his place there.
B EN That summer Papaw and I contracted work on our own, just working evenings and weekends. We still worked on the house at the farm too but we were building old style stone chimneys and fireplaces for people and we'd take them on field trips and show them the old work and if they had souls in their bodies they would see all that we showed them and we were amazed at how quickly a love and a reverence for reality could be restored in them. They'd talk about what they wanted and Papaw would say little and smoke his pipe and they would look at some old chimney standing in a field and they would look at Papaw and they would grow more quiet themselves and then they would stop talking altogether and we would drive back and they'd ask us when we could begin. Sometimes if a client was really interested we'd take him all over the county. We'd show him work that Papaw had done eighty years ago. We'd show them walls and cellars and chimneys and houses and springhouses and bridges. Some of those old cellars and footings contain enormous stones and Papaw says it's because the houses were built first and you had scaffolding and teams of oxen and tackle and men and you could use the big stones but when you were building a wall you were pretty much on your own and you did it as you could. Most of the old slave walls as they are called were built in the winter when farm work was light. But I've seen stones in cellars and in the base of chimneys that would weigh two thousand pounds. I've seen old bridge piers built of rubble stone weighing two and three tons apiece and no two stones alike and laid