Goodnight Children Everywhere and Other Plays

by Richard Nelson

  ALICE: What’s everyone . . .? Do you know what time it is? I think it’s—

  ELIZABETH: We’re having tea.

  (No one knows what to say. Sophie comes in, having put on the kettle.)

  SOPHIE: The kettle’s on.

  ALICE: You, too? What’s going on?

  SOPHIE: I was just telling everyone—there was a tree limb, banging against the roof. Did you hear it? (Beat) You must have, Alice. It woke me up.

  (Beat.)

  ALICE: I did hear it. Thank you. (Goes to the table and picks up a bottle) Alfred wants a . . . drink. I ran into him—in the hall. I’d been asleep. And then I suppose the tree limb . . .

  PAUL: Sounded like a very big limb.

  (Alice yawns.)

  ALICE: I promised to bring this . . . He’s waiting. Goodnight. Remember, tomorrow is going to be a long day as well. (Turns to leave)

  ELIZABETH: Alice, when do we decide who gets what?

  PAUL: This is not the time—

  GEMMA: It’s the middle of the night, Elizabeth!

  ELIZABETH: I want to know!!

  (Beat.)

  ALICE: What’s there to get?

  ELIZABETH: There are chairs. Silverware. Plates. Photographs and frames. Books. Table.

  ALICE (Turning away): Take what you want, Elizabeth.

  ELIZABETH (Irrational now): How dare you speak to me like that!

  GEMMA: Stop it, Elizabeth!

  PAUL (Same time): Leave her alone!

  ELIZABETH: I only want what is fair!! This was my father!! Do you understand that, woman?! So how are we going to divide his things?! What is so wrong with that question?! Do we divide into three? In four . . .?

  ALICE: Is that what you want to ask me?!! Is it?!!! Or do you want to know why I— Do you think I didn’t know you could hear?! I’ve lived in this house for two years and I know what can be heard!! But I didn’t care! Why? Because I don’t give one fuck what you—kids—think of me!! Why should I?!

  ELIZABETH (Nearly in tears): I don’t know why I’m listening to this. What have I done?

  TOM: I think we should stop before—

  ELIZABETH (To Alice): What you don’t understand is I’m not interested in you, Alice. My question had to do with chairs, tables, there are lamps, rugs . . .

  ALICE: He was so disappointed in all of you!!

  ELIZABETH (Desperately trying to stay calm): Books, there’s his car, garden equipment—

  TOM (Putting his hand on Elizabeth’s arm): I think you should talk about all this in the morning.

  ELIZABETH (Suddenly all of her anger comes out, directed at Tom): Who the hell are you? You little son of a bitch, you don’t even belong here. This has nothing to do with you!! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! (Starts to sob. No one knows what to do. Pause)

  TOM: I think I’ll take a walk.

  PAUL: Tom, she didn’t mean—

  TOM: I know. I didn’t take it personally. But I could use some air.

  (He goes out. Elizabeth cries.)

  ALICE: I’m sorry. We’ll discuss everything. The house—that was your father’s. It’s yours. I have a few things . . . I’ll make a list of what they are. (Sits and pours herself a drink)

  (Sophie goes to Elizabeth and puts her arms around her.)

  SOPHIE: It’s all right.

  (She pats Elizabeth. Short pause.)

  ELIZABETH: I’m sorry about . . . (Gestures toward where Tom exited) But it really is none of his business. What is he doing here anyway? (Blows her nose)

  (Tom returns, unseen by anyone.)

  Alice said on our walk that she can’t get rid of him. She doesn’t know why he stayed. He didn’t even know Father. You’d think he’d know he didn’t belong.

  ALICE: I put him in the study for Christ sake. You’d think he’d have taken the hint.

  (She laughs, as does Elizabeth. Then slowly they realize Tom is there and heard all this. No one knows what to say. Short pause.)

  TOM: It’s—raining. Outside. Just started. (Beat) I think I’ll go to bed now. Goodnight. (Goes)

  (Elizabeth sniffles. Alice takes a sip of her drink.)

  ALICE: I’m drunk.

  SCENE 7

  The kitchen. An hour later.

  Gemma sits at the table, staring into space. Elizabeth sits, going through Harry’s photo album that Alice had left on the table. From upstairs, we hear Alice screaming; the realization of what Harry did has hit her and she sounds like a wounded animal.

  Gemma and Elizabeth pretend to ignore the screams.

  Alfred enters from the hallway, obviously upset. He wears only his underpants.

  ALFRED (Entering): Where’s Alice’s purse? Have you seen—? (Grabs the purse) Is this it? (Opens it, digs around and pulls out a bottle of prescription pills)

  (Alice screams again.)

  ELIZABETH (Looking through the album): Can’t you do something?

  ALFRED: It’s all just hit her. She needs to sleep.

  (He goes back into the hall with the pills. Alice screams again. Pause.)

  ELIZABETH (Holding the album): Look at this. I tell you there are pictures of us I’ve never even seen before. You must be no more than six.

  (Gemma, distracted, nods.)

  Here’s one of Paul. (Beat) I’m thinking of keeping this. The whole thing.

  GEMMA: Oh God, Liz—!

  ELIZABETH: I want it. She can’t know who half the people are.

  GEMMA: She’ll make you copies. It’s Alice’s! (Reaches over the table for the album)

  ELIZABETH (Pushing her off; over this): She can’t appreciate it like we can!

  GEMMA (Over this): It’s not yours to take!

  (They struggle over the album.)

  ELIZABETH (Over this): Let go! I want to take it!

  GEMMA (Over this): Give it to me!!

  (Finally Gemma gets the album. Tom has entered to see the end of this fight. He wears pajamas now. Elizabeth and Gemma breathe heavily for a moment.)

  ELIZABETH (To Gemma): I don’t understand you.

  (They notice Tom for the first time. Beat.)

  TOM (To Elizabeth): I’m still here. Sorry. There’s no bus service at two o’clock in the morning.

  (He crosses the room and goes off to the sink. Gemma sighs.)

  GEMMA: What that man must think of us.

  ELIZABETH: Who cares? (Gets up and leaves)

  (Beat.)

  GEMMA (After her): Goodnight, Liz! Goodnight.

  (Beat. Tom enters, on his way back to the hall. He carries a roll of paper towels.)

  (As he passes her) So—you teach acting.

  (He stops.)

  That must be very interesting. I love the theatre. In London I used to go all the time. I remember when I first came to the States—

  TOM: Gemma, I’m tired.

  GEMMA (Over this): Uncle Alfred had invited me— I grabbed at the chance. I needed to get away. Perhaps like you needed to get away from New York and come up here—

  TOM (Turning): Alice invited me for this weekend. I didn’t ask to come.

  GEMMA: I’m sure she did, I didn’t mean—

  TOM: I had to get out of quite a few other commitments. It wasn’t easy.

  GEMMA: No.

  TOM: I had other places I could have gone to. And then when—your father . . . What the hell was I supposed to do? I would have felt like I was abandoning—

  GEMMA (Over this): You don’t have to explain.

  TOM (Continuing): I couldn’t even get to the bus station. Alice wasn’t going to take me. How could I ask—? I told her I’d only be in the way. With all of you coming— I asked her to let me leave. You think I’d want to put myself through—?! (Stops himself)

  (Short pause.)

  GEMMA: Thank God you stayed. You’ve been such a help.

  TOM: I’m not hurt. I’m fine. You don’t have to say anything. (Beat) There’s a bus at nine. I found a schedule in your father’s desk.

  (Pause.)

  GEMMA: What were we—? The theatre.

&n
bsp; TOM: Gemma.

  GEMMA: Anyway, I arrived here and I saw a show in New York. And there was this actor, long hair down to—almost growling, spitting as he talked. I remember thinking, is this acting? The growling, I mean. Then after about a year of living in the States, I began to realize I could not imagine there was anything else. Why do you have all those paper towels?

  TOM: Alfred got sick in the study. Remember?

  GEMMA: And no one cleaned—?

  TOM (Over this): I don’t mind!

  (Beat.)

  GEMMA: What you must think of us.

  TOM (What has been on his mind): About the cremation, Gemma. Alice said to me—before any of you got here, when she had no one else to talk to—she said that Harry probably would not have wanted to be cremated. But it was something she believed in, so—she went ahead and did it. (Beat) She asked me if I thought that was OK. (Beat) I don’t mean to criticize Alice. But someone should know, I thought. Not that there’s anything you can do about it now. I’m only saying, that sometimes Alice can say one thing to you and another thing to me. I wanted you to know that. (Beat) For Christ sake go to bed. (Turns to leave)

  GEMMA (Desperate): So where in London do you come from, Tom?

  (Beat. He stops. From upstairs Alice screams a few times, still like a wounded animal.)

  Where did you live?

  TOM: Chiswick.

  GEMMA: That’s not too far from— Do you know Eel Brook Common? In Fulham, off the King’s—

  TOM: A friend of mine and I used to play tennis there.

  GEMMA: My God, he knows our common!

  TOM: There’s a court—

  GEMMA: Two! And a playground. It’s not a very big common. Not that many people know it, in London.

  TOM: Why should they!

  (Beat.)

  GEMMA (Half to herself): That common is so close to where we lived!

  (He turns to go.)

  Tom! Ever since we got here, I’ve been wanting to tell someone.

  (He stops to listen.)

  I’ve got good news! I’ve been looking for the chance too . . . (Beat) I’m engaged.

  (He turns back to her. Short pause.)

  TOM: Congratulations—

  GEMMA: He’s American!

  TOM: Why are you telling me—?

  GEMMA: Like your girlfriend!

  (Beat.)

  TOM: I’m sure your family would be very interested in—

  GEMMA: He’s from New Mexico. He’s even part Mexican, but his family has been here— Years and years.

  TOM (Over this): Why do I care about your—?

  (Alice screams in the distance. This stops them both.)

  GEMMA (Referring to the scream): What a night. She’s realized what she’s lost. She’s scared. God, let her sleep. (Turns back to Tom) My fiancé. He’s big, you think of them as small—the Mexicans—but not him. He’s tall. (Beat) Can’t read at all, I think. He’s my gardener. Or works for the man who does my garden. He doesn’t know shit about art, music . . . As thick as a brick shithouse, his expression. A big dumb American like you see at the beach. (Beat) I love the way he feels. His body. And he’s a nice man. Warm. Open. (Short pause) When I told father—he went crazy. (Laughs to herself) He said—what the hell is wrong with me? (Beat) He said—he’d given me culture. He’d educated me. He’d taught me right from wrong. I don’t know what that had to do with— But it’s what he said. Good from evil. Beauty from ugliness. And now—I do this— terrible thing. I told him he wasn’t being fair. At least he should meet— But he just kept screaming at me: “Where have we gone wrong?” “Where have we gone wrong?” (Beat) “How did we get here?” (Beat) I didn’t understand. But I’d never heard him shout like that—not at me. (Beat) “The barbarians are sweeping over us and all we do is kiss their ass.” His words. I don’t know what they mean. (Beat) I tried to calm him down. Usually I could find a way, but this time it was impossible. It just kept coming out. The anger. At everything. At me . . . I warned him, Tom—if he did anything to himself, I’d hate him forever! (Short pause) This was yesterday—this conversation. When I called—he was in his study. He’d been reading he said and—I could hear—listening to music.

  TOM: Yesterday afternoon?

  (Short pause.)

  GEMMA: At first, when Alice phoned with the news—I blamed myself. I even thought I’d killed him. (Beat) I know that’s unfair to me. I did nothing wrong. I was one thing maybe—a final straw to someone’s . . . problem. It’s taken me until now—to accept that it really had nothing to do with me.

  (A single scream from Alice in the distance.)

  (To Tom) Did it?

  TOM: No. I’m sure it didn’t.

  GEMMA (Suddenly relieved): I’ve put myself through so much today. (Stands) He should have been happy, dammit! With my news! I tried to tell him, Tom—we change. You have to. (Starts to leave) Thank you. I’ll try and go to sleep now. Goodnight. (Goes)

  TOM: Goodnight.

  (Short pause. Tom hesitates, then picks up the roll of paper towels he’d set on the table, and he too heads into the hall, as Alice screams again.)

  SCENE 8

  The kitchen. Morning.

  Alice, Alfred, Gemma, Elizabeth and Sophie are sitting at the table. Alfred is in a black suit, the women in black dresses. Two or three are drinking coffee. The table has been cleared of the papers, etc., and is very neat. In the center of the table is an urn—Harry’s ashes.

  SOPHIE (Telling a story): There’s a man—he’s American of course. And he’s standing in line to get into Buckingham Palace.

  ALFRED: For the tour?

  SOPHIE (Nodding): And he asks the guard. (American) “When will we see the queen?” The guard says she’s in Scotland. The man is beside himself, he says, “The queen should be here! When I go to Disneyland Mickey’s there!”

  (She laughs loudly, the others smile politely.)

  My daughter told me that.

  ALFRED (To no one): Speaking of Disneyland, at least we don’t have one stuck in the middle of our country. (Laughs)

  ALICE: Anyone want more coffee?

  (Paul enters, also in a black suit.)

  PAUL (Entering): He’s going to stay.

  ALICE: Thank heaven!

  ALFRED (Same time): I would think—

  GEMMA (Same time): To leave now.

  ELIZABETH (Same time): Who did he think was going to take him to the station?

  (Beat.)

  ALICE: And Harry’s suit?

  ELIZABETH (To Alice): What about Father’s—?

  ALICE (Over this): He hadn’t brought a suit, of course. He was coming for a weekend!

  PAUL: I rolled up the cuffs. He’ll be OK. (Sits)

  SOPHIE (To Paul): I told them about the queen and Mickey Mouse. They found it very funny.

  ALICE: Thank God, it’s a beautiful day. Did anyone else see the sunrise this morning, or was I the only one up?

  (Tom enters, wearing one of Harry’s black suits, which is a few sizes too large. The others look at him.)

  TOM (After a moment): I don’t want to look foolish.

  (No response.)

  GEMMA: Sit down and have some coffee. Make room— Let Tom sit . . .

  TOM (Sitting): I didn’t even bring a tie.

  ALFRED (To Tom): I never got to hear all your accents. I hear you do a very funny Midwest. Our dean’s from the Midwest. (Laughs to himself)

  TOM: I don’t think I feel like—

  ALFRED: I had a student stand up in class once, and say, (American) “You’re nothing. Shut up!” (Laughs)

  TOM: Paul told me the story—

  ALFRED: He had a Midwest accent.

  ALICE: We were just saying—it’s a beautiful day.

  GEMMA: It’s not going to rain.

  TOM: It rained last night.

  ALFRED: Did it? When we went for our walk—

  TOM: Later. I stepped out for a moment. And it was raining. Then I came back in. The guests are due in . . .? (Looks at his watch)

&n
bsp; ALICE: If you see a young woman, blond, very attractive—Harry’s star pupil, the violinist—snub her. (Short pause) I’m terrible with names. Everyone—if I don’t introduce you . . .

  (Pause. Tom notices the urn.)

  TOM: Is that the . . .?

  ALICE: I picked it up this morning. It was waiting for me. Do you want to look inside?

  TOM: I don’t think I need—

  ALICE (To everyone): The man at the funeral home, not the funeral director, but the little man who sits by the guest book—I think he works there. Anyway, he said to be sure, that when we throw the ashes—to keep our mouths closed.

  (The others turn away.)

  It’s good advice! (Beat) Obviously there’d been a bad experience . . .

  SOPHIE (Standing and collecting the cups): If we’re not going to have anymore cof—

  GEMMA: Tom never got—

  TOM (Over this): I’m fine.

  (Short pause as Sophie carries the cups off to the sink.)

  ELIZABETH (To Gemma): Did you know that father called her— Fifi?

  ALICE (Nodding to the urn): They had a catalog. I had no idea what Harry’d want. I picked that one out. It’s nice, isn’t it?

  (Everyone quickly agrees that the urn is nice.)

  A couple were quite gaudy. (Shrugs)

  (Gemma notices Elizabeth looking at something on her lap.)

  GEMMA (To Elizabeth): What are you looking at?

  ELIZABETH (Holding up the photo album): Has everyone seen these photos—?

  (Gemma grabs the album and hands it to Alice.)

  GEMMA: Maybe you could make a few copies for us.

  ALICE: Just say which ones you want.

  GEMMA: Thank you.

  (Alice starts to look through the album. Sophie returns from the sink, and goes and stands behind Paul, putting her hands on his shoulders.)

  PAUL (To everyone): Excuse me, if we have a minute . . . Sophie and I’d like to clear something up. (Beat) Yesterday—and God it was only yesterday when we arrived, wasn’t it? (Shakes his head in amazement) When Sophie and I arrived— Elizabeth. Well, Sophie felt that you— When she came up to you to hug you? To console you? She says you turned away from her and ran to hug me.

  ELIZABETH: Oh God! I don’t remember—

  PAUL: I didn’t exactly see this either, but she says—

  SOPHIE (To Elizabeth): You sort of pushed me away—to get to Paul.