Blood Knot and Other Plays by Athol Fugard

Blood Knot and Other Plays by Athol Fugard

Author:Athol Fugard
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781559366878
Publisher: Theatre Communications Group


ACT TWO

The same, about an hour later.

Three or four suitcases and the same number of boxes—all opened —clutter the stage, their contents spilling out on to the floor, gathered together in piles, etc., etc.

Hester is sitting on a suitcase, a photo album open on her lap. She is studying a loose photo in her hands. Johnnie stands to one side holding another, as yet unopened box from his father’s room.

A pair of crutches are leaning against a chair.

JOHNNIE. What about that Jansen girl? What was it? Gertrude! Gertrude Jansen!

[Hester, still studying the photo, shakes her head.]

She married a De Villiers.

HESTER. Give me some other names.

JOHNNIE. Bet you anything you like it’s Gertrude.

HESTER. I said no. Now come on. Who were the others?

JOHNNIE. Let me see, sayeth the blind man. I’ll give it to you in alphabetic order. A. Abel. The Abel boys. Ronnie and Dennis. No good. B. Blank. C . . . C. D. . . .

HESTER. Her brother worked at G.M.

JOHNNIE. I’ve got it. Carrol. Jessie Carrol.

HESTER. That’s the one!

JOHNNIE. Jessica Carrol.

[Places the box beside Hester and studies the photo over her shoulder]

Yes, that’s her.

HESTER. She hated me.

JOHNNIE. Doesn’t look like it.

HESTER. She hated my guts.

JOHNNIE. Got her arm through yours. Smiling. You too.

HESTER. Because we were having this picture taken! But she hated me all right. That time when I got the job at the Astoria Café—she also tried for it, but they took me. So she hated me more. And Stevie Jackson. He was supposed to be her boyfriend, but when he came home on leave it was me he was always running after and taking to Happy Valley. That’s when she started telling everyone I had a price. So I buggered her up.

JOHNNIE. I remember now. Daddy was going to send you to reformatory for fighting in the streets.

HESTER. She started it. Scandalizing my name.

JOHNNIE. Hell of a thought, isn’t it? Girls’ reformatory! All the tough ones together.

HESTER. Who else was there? Me, her, the Abels, Stevie, Gertrude. There was about ten of us.

JOHNNIE. Magda Swanepoel.

HESTER. Yes.

JOHNNIE. Legransie.

HESTER. The Valley Road gang!

JOHNNIE. That’s only eight. Me! Nine. . . .

HESTER. YOU weren’t.

JOHNNIE. Wasn’t I?

HESTER. You were too small.

JOHNNIE. I joined in the games.

HESTER. You mean you got in the way. Games! What could you play? Nothing. You were a nuisance. Always hanging around! We cook up an idea for something to do and off we go; and then somebody says: Your little brother is following us, Hester. I look back and there you are, trying to hide behind a lamp-post.

JOHNNIE. You used to throw stones at me.

HESTER. Not really.

JOHNNIE. You did, you know.

HESTER. I mean I never really aimed at you.

JOHNNIE [persistent in his memory]. Once or twice. . . .

HESTER. When you wouldn’t go back!

JOHNNIE. . . . they came quite close.

HESTER. ‘Whereyou going, Hester?’ ‘Can I come with, Hester?’

JOHNNIE. Because you were supposed to look after me.

HESTER. Didn’t I?

JOHNNIE. Not always.

HESTER. What you complaining about? You’re still alive.

JOHNNIE. That’s true.

HESTER. You messed up some good times for me, my boy.



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