JOSHUA: You walk outta here, you turn your back on this Union, and I swear to God, I will cut you out of it like a boil!
Scotty and Calvin exit.
GREG: Jesus, Josh, what do you think you’re doin’ . . . ?
MIKE: Blue Star’s the biggest damn local in the district.
JOSHUA: All right, let’s not panic here.
MIKE: What’re we gonna do if they wildcat?
JOSHUA: It’s not gonna come to that
MIKE: How do you know?!
JOSHUA: Because I won’t let it! I’ll deal with Blue Star. Let’s us get this contract out to the rest of the men. The Union needs it, fellas, and we need it a lot worse’n anybody knows. The truth is, we’re a fuckin’ house of cards these days, and if this district goes, all the rest’ll fall. The Union needs our support—now, which side are we on? Are we gonna get behind it?
The Men look at one another warily.
MIKE: We keep goin’ to the well like this, Josh, the well’s gonna run dry.
JOSHUA: Just one more time.
MIKE: I’ll do what I can, Josh.
CHUCK: Hell, we’ll all do what we can, but if those men walk out, I can’t promise you our men won’t join’em.
The men exit, sullen and subdued.
STUCKY: You okay, Mr. Rowen?
JOSHUA: Get me a drink, would ya?
STUCKY: Yes sir.
LANA: Mebbe you oughta slow down a little.
JOSHUA: I need a drink, Lana, not a lecture! Get James Talbert Winston on the phone.
Lana goes to the phone, dials.
A wildcat strike at Blue Star. Jesus.
LANA: Mr. Winston, please. . . . I’m calling for Joshua Rowen. . . . Uh-huh. . . .
JOSHUA: Is he there?
Lana shakes her head no.
LANA: No. No message. (She hangs up.) He just left. She thinks he’s on his way down here already.
STUCKY: Here’s your drink, Mr. Rowen.
JOSHUA (to Lana): Call Franklin Biggs. Tell’im to get over here. He’s gonna fuck up the whole thing.
STUCKY: You want me to do somethin’ here, Mr. Rowen?
LANA: Mr. Biggs, please.
JOSHUA: Go down to Blue Star and see how serious they are about this. Stucky! I don’t want to give anybody down there an excuse to make trouble. Don’t start nothin’—just find out what’s goin’ on.
Stucky exits.
LANA: Franklin? It’s Lana Toller for Joshua Rowen.
JOSHUA: Gimme that. Franklin? You better get over to the Union Hall, we gotta problem. I’ll explain when you get here.
He hangs up.
LANA: What do you think’s gonna happen?
JOSHUA: I don’t know.
LANA: Josh . . . what . . . what Calvin said—is that true?
JOSHUA: What are you sayin’ to me, Lana? You know what . . . Jesus, what do you think you’re askin’ me?
LANA: It’s just . . . I have friends down there . . . I mean, I know people . . . I’m askin’ you, did you know there was a problem down there?
Beat.
JOSHUA: Blue Star needed time, and I didn’t have anything else to trade’em.
LANA: You knew?
JOSHUA: You think James Talbert Winston was gonna help us outta the goodness of his heart? That’s how things get done, Lana.
LANA: It don’t have to be that way.
JOSHUA: No? Franklin was right there, and he didn’t like it any better’n I did. What choice did we have?
The phone rings. Lana picks it up.
LANA: Hello. . . . Oh, hello, Mrs. Rowen.
She looks at Joshua, who shakes his head.
I don’t know, it’s . . . pretty busy right now . . . lemme see . . . (She covers tbe phone.) Josh?
JOSHUA: Tell her I’m not here.
LANA: She’s pretty upset, Josh.
JOSHUA: Take a message and tell her I’ll call her back!
LANA (to the phone): He’s right here.
She extends the phone toward Joshua. He looks at her, takes the phone.
JOSHUA: Hello, Margaret. . . . No, I’m okay. . . . Yeah, we had some problems, but everything’s okay now. I gotta . . . Look, Margaret, I just can’t talk right now, I’ll call you later. . . . There’s no need to do that. . . . Look, there’s nothin’ you can do here, Margaret, don’t—
He puts the phone down.
She’s comin’ down here.
LANA: What’re you gonna tell her?
JOSHUA: It’s none of your goddamn business!
LANA: No, I guess not.
She picks up her coat and heads for the door.
JOSHUA: Oh, come on, Lana—where the hell do you think you’re goin’?
LANA: I thought . . . I don’t know what I thought, Josh. I thought I was part of somethin’ here. . . . I thought we were—
JOSHUA: Look, Lana—
LANA: No. I been watchin’ you, Josh—with Scotty, and the men, and me. . . . It’s got to where I forget what it is I thought . . . we thought . . . we were doin’. I can’t do this.
She leaves. Beat. Joshua gets a drink. James enters witb sberiff RAY BLANKO.
JAMES: Joshua?
JOSHUA: You heard?
JAMES: Security called me as soon as they got to the mine.
RAY: Hey, Josh.
JOSHUA (indicating Ray): I see you came loaded for bear.
JAMES: I’m not gonna take any chances here. We had a deal, Joshua. You agreed to it.
JOSHUA: I know.
JAMES: Then call this off!
JOSHUA: I can’t.
JAMES: Look, are you in charge of this district or not? Put that damn local in trusteeship and take it over and I’ll bring in a new crew. I will not permit this, Joshua—the National won’t permit this.
JOSHUA: The National won’t care if you “voluntarily” close your mine.
JAMES: If I what?!
JOSHUA: Shut it down and Calvin and Scotty haven’t got a cause. Shut it down and hose it, like you should’ve done a month ago.
JAMES: I can’t stop now! I close it or they close it, it doesn’t make any goddamn difference, I’m fucked!
Stucky enters.
STUCKY: I didn’t see Calvin, Mr. Rowen, he was already down in the mine, but I talked to Scotty up at the gate. They’re all comin’ out, startin’ at midnight.
JAMES: Jesus fuckin’ Christ.
STUCKY: Mr. Rowen, Scotty said to be sure and tell you that once the men come up, they’re not leavin’. They’re gonna occupy the tipple and make sure no other crews go down there.
JAMES: Great. Ray, get your men ready—
JOSHUA: Ray! Nobody leaves, Stucky. Shut it down, James! You go down there in force, it’ll be a fuckin’ bloodbath.
JAMES: Well, they shoulda thought of that before! Now, that’s private property and I want those men outta there! I’ll meet you down at the gate in five minutes.
JOSHUA: I’m not goin’. (Beat.) Scotty’s right.
JAMES: With you or without you, Joshua, it doesn’t make a damn bitta difference to me.
Suddenly there is a tremendous explosion nearby. One of the windows shatters under the force of the blast. A loud horn begins to wail.
JOSHUA: Get down! / RAY: Jesus! / JAMES: What the hell?!
JAMES: God damn it! You see that! They fuckin’ bombed my operation!
Ray has pulled his gun out and is looking cautiously through the shattered window.
JOSHUA: That wasn’t a bomb, James. That was one o’ the mines.
JAMES: Sweet Jesus.
JOSHUA: The phone’s dead. Ray, get on your car radio and get an ambulance ’n’ the fire department out here. James, get your ’mergency generator runnin’ down there. Stucky, go get things started.
Ray, James, and Stucky exit. Joshua looks through the window. There are muffled explosions in the distance.
Jesus God have mercy.
Beat. Franklin enters.
FRANKLIN: I got here as quick as I could. What the hell’s goin’ on?
JOSHUA: We don’t know for sure. Scotty was leadin’ a walkout. There was some kinda explosion.
FRANKLIN: Where is Scotty?
JOSHUA: Stucky saw’m up at the gate—he should be okay.
FRANKLIN: What’re we gonna do, Josh?
Outside, a gasoline generator starts up. Stucky staggers in, canying a badly wounded man in his arms.
JOSHUA: Christ almighty! Sit’im down there. Franklin, hand me that first-aid kit offa that file cabinet. Where’d you find’im?
STUCKY: ’Bout fifty yards this side of the mantrap. Figure he musta been thrown twenty, mebbe thirty feet.
The man is burned along one side of his body and is bleeding from both his ears and his mouth. He moans.
JOSHUA: Easy now—easy. Breathe this.
He shoves smelling salts under the man’s nose. The man jerks upright.
Did you see what happened?
No response.
Did you see what happened?
FRANKLIN: He can’t hear you, Josh.
The man pats his breastpocket. Joshua pulls out a piece of paper.
JOSHUA: He’s gotta sign-in sheet. Least we know who’s down there.
Joshua turns the list over and scribbles a note. He shows his written question to the man and hands him the pen.
Did you see what happened?
The man tries to write. Joshua turns to Stucky.
Get out there and get ready for the rescue crews. I’ll be out inna minute. Stucky?
He pulls Stucky aside.
Make sure my boy’s okay, huh? Keep an eye out for’im.
Stucky exits. James enters.
JAMES: God. That’s Bob Smalley—he’s one o’ my mine guards. Is he gonna be okay?
JOSHUA: I think so. Stucky went to get some help. He hadda crew list on him, so at least we’ll know how many are missin’.
JAMES: I coulda told you that. Night shift in gallery seventeen is twenty-two men. Could he tell you what happened?
JOSHUA (to Franklin): All we got is a note. Can you read it?
Franklin looks at Bob’s scrawl.
FRANKLIN: It just says “dust.”
Stunned silence.
JOSHUA (to James): You son of a bitch.
Ray enters.
RAY: Mr. Winston, emergency crews are on their way—should be here in a coupla minutes. I’m gonna wait for ’em up here and then guide’em on down.
JAMES: That’s good, Ray.
RAY: We also gotta news crew from Channel Seven here, chompin’ at the bit.
JAMES: A news crew!
RAY: I can keep’em up the road apiece for a while, but when the rest of ’em get here, somebody’s gonna have to talk to ’em.
JAMES: How the hell did they get here so fast?!
RAY: They were coverin’ a sixteen-wheeler turned over on the highway. They heard the explosion ’n’ just followed their noses.
JOSHUA: Well, send’em on down, Ray.
Ray starts to leave.
JAMES: Wait a minute, Ray!
JOSHUA: What’re you gonna do, James—pretend you don’t have a problem down there? Go on, Ray, go get’em!
RAY: Mr. Winston?
JAMES: Ten minutes, Ray, and then you let’em go as far as here.
RAY: You got it.
Ray leaves.
JAMES: Okay, Joshua, you got all the answers—what do you think we oughta say to these people?
JOSHUA: What do you mean, “we”? You’re gonna tell’em the truth—you had a dust problem and you didn’t take care of it.
JAMES: Don’t you forget, Joshua, you are in this every bit as deep as I am!
JOSHUA: It was your operation!
JAMES: And they were your men! You coulda pulled’em out anytime!
JOSHUA: You are not gonna lay this on the Union!
JAMES: I am not gonna be the fall guy here, Joshua. If I go, I am gonna take the Union with me—the whole damn thing!
Beat. He gestures toward Bob.
We shouldn’t be talkin’ ’bout this in front of him.
FRANKLIN: He can’t hear you, his eardrums are bust.
JAMES: And how about you, Franklin—how are your eardrums?
FRANKLIN: You don’t have to worry about me, James—we’re all in this together now.
JAMES: That’s all I’m sayin’, Joshua. We’re all in this together, so we might as well be smart about it.
Stucky enters.
STUCKY: Mr. Rowen, sheriff said to tell you he’d appreciate it if you could meet the rescue crews down at the mine. Also that another news crew arrived and they’re all gettin’ pretty restless—somebody’s gotta talk to ’em. What do you want me to say?
JOSHUA: Tell’em I’ll be out there in a few minutes. Help this guy over to the medics, will you, Stucky?
Stucky helps Bob out. Franklin glances at the crew list while Joshua gets a drink.
JAMES: What do you wanta do, Joshua?
JOSHUA: Just shut up for a minute!
Joshua downs the drink.
FRANKLIN: Josh. Scotty’s name is on here.
JOSHUA: What?
FRANKLIN: He was the last one.
JOSHUA: Lemme see.
Beat.
FRANKLIN: Josh?
JOSHUA: Why did he go back in there?
Beat. Margaret enters.
MARGARET: Joshua?
Joshua is still stunned. He looks at her in disbelief.
JOSHUA: What are you . . . doin’ here?
MARGARET: The phone’s been ringin’ off the hook all night. . . . What happened? People askin’ for you or for Scotty. . . . Then, drivin’ over, I heard the explosion . . . well, I guess everybody in Howsen County heard it. Are you all right?
Beat.
JOSHUA: There’s nothin’ you can do here, Margaret.
MARGARET: You mean, “Go away, Margaret.” That’s what he means. Like if he ignores me long enough, I’ll just fade away. . . .
JOSHUA: Margaret . . . please . . . go home, we’ll handle this.
MARGARET: Will you? Is that what you fellas are doin’—you “handlin’ it”?
JOSHUA: You’re not . . . feelin’ well, Margaret.
MARGARET: No. Josh, I’m not “not feelin’ well.” I’m drunk. Now where’s Scotty?
Beat.
Where’s Scotty? What is it? What aren’t you tellin’ me?
JOSHUA: Scotty . . . was down at the mine.
Beat.
MARGARET: What was he doin’ there?
JOSHUA: He was takin’ the men out.
MARGARET: Why?
JOSHUA: It was . . . unsafe.
MARGARET: Why were they down there?
Beat. Joshua moves toward her, as if to embrace her.
Don’t touch me! No. Don’t . . . touch. What did you do, Josh?
FRANKLIN: Margaret, nobody knew this was gonna happen. . . .
MARGARET: What did you do?
JAMES: It was an accident, Margaret.
MARGARET: You killed him.
JOSHUA: No.
FRANKLIN: That ain’t fair, Margaret.
MARGARET: SHUT UP! All of you, just shut up! God, I am so sick of all you! (She starts to cry, then laughs.) It’s funny, what . . . you think . . . I see’im . . . doesn’t matter how big they . . . they always stay this little boy . . . here . . . (She taps her chest.) . . . and you think . . . you always think . . . Where’s my Scotty, Josh? Where is he? What did you do?
Margare
t exits. Beat.
FRANKLIN: Joshua?
JAMES: I’m sorry, Joshua. Jesus, I’m so sorry.
JOSHUA (to James): I can’t . . . do this. . . .
JAMES: Look . . . Joshua . . . you’re right—you shouldn’t have to face those guys out there right now. You let me go talk to ’em, okay?
Stucky enters.
STUCKY: We can’t hold’em back much longer, Mr. Rowen.
JAMES: That’s okay, Stucky—I’ll come out and make a statement.
STUCKY: They wanta hear Mr. Rowen.
JAMES: It’s all right, Stucky. Josh ’n I agreed that I would—
STUCKY: Those are Union men in that mine, and their people wanta hear from the leadership! Mr. Rowen?
Beat.
JOSHUA: Okay, Stucky.
JAMES (panicked): Joshua . . . ?!
Stucky exits as Ray enters.
RAY: Mr. Winston, somebody’s gotta talk to ’em now!
JAMES: I’ll just say a few words, Joshua, and then you come out.
James turns helplessly to Franklin.
Franklin . . . ?
James and Ray exit upstage, where they are immediately surrounded by the REPORTERS.
REPORTERS: What happened, Mr. Winston? . . . How many men are down there.? . . . What’s goin’ on, Mr. Winston? . . . Over here, sir! . . . What happened?
JAMES: We don’t know a whole lot more’n you people about what happened down in gallery seventeen, but rest assured, we are gonna find out.
FRANKLIN: What’re you gonna say, Joshua?
JAMES: In the meantime, our hearts and our prayers—
JOSHUA: I don’t know.
JAMES: —go out to their loved ones.
FRANKLIN: What’s the . . . the important thing here, Josh?
JAMES: I would like to say that our primary concern . . . at Blue Star has always been the welfare of our men, and I think that right now . . . the most important thing is to do everything we can for the men still trapped in that mine.
FRANKLIN: Joshua?
JAMES: Now, Joshua Rowen, the president of UMW District sixteen . . . will be out here any minute and he will have more to say about that.
FRANKLIN: Josh?
Stucky enters again.
STUCKY: Mr. Rowen? We gotta go, Mr. Rowen.
Joshua and Stucky step outside. They are immediately surrounded by the Reporters. James comes and stands next to Joshua.
REPORTERS: Mr. Rowen, what happened? . . . Over here, Mr. Rowen! . . . What’s the story, Mr. Rowen! . . . This way! Over here! . . . How many men are still in there?! . . . Is there any chance of them bein’ alive?! . . . Were there any survivors?! . . . Was this a safe operation, Mr. Rowen?! etc.
The Kentucky Cycle Page 20