Rathmines Road
Page 4
You fucking animal!
How dare you!
How dare you hit my husband!
RAY goes straight over and hits EDDIE again.
EDDIE. Stop… stop it.
She’s got it wrong.
It wasn’t me…
RAY hits him again.
I swear!
It wasn’t me.
RAY hits him again. But they are weak ineffectual hits. LINDA looks to DAIRNE.
LINDA. Do something!
Do something!
He’ll kill him…!
DAIRNE. I really don’t think that he will.
LINDA jumps on RAY’s back.
LINDA. Hit him back.
Hit the bastard back, Eddie!
EDDIE. I can’t…
RAY staggers with LINDA still on his back.
SANDRA picks up a bottle.
RAY. Sandra!
She smashes it over EDDIE’s head.
The entire stage goes black except a spotlight on SANDRA’s face with her eyes closed.
SANDRA. I close my eyes.
The most primal reflex.
The most childish reflex.
To close my eyes.
Close my eyes to the blood on my legs, on my face.
Close my eyes to the laughter still out there at the party.
Close my eyes to the voices that ask where I am going.
I just close.
Close up.
Close down.
Close.
Beat.
The lights come back up. The stage is empty except for SANDRA.
She sits on the couch.
She has her arms wrapped tightly around herself.
She is breathing in the same practised manner as earlier, trying to calm herself.
RAY enters. He stands.
RAY. They’ve left. They’re gone.
SANDRA. Are you sure?
RAY. Yes. Almost took the front gate with them as they drove away.
SANDRA. Okay…
RAY. Are you okay?
SANDRA. No.
RAY. You know you could have killed him with that bottle?!
SANDRA. I wish I did.
RAY. She said that they are going to the police.
SANDRA. I’m going to the police.
RAY. What?
SANDRA. I should have gone years ago.
RAY. Sandra…
SANDRA. Yes?
RAY. Sandra.
How could you have kept this from me?
SANDRA. Stop…
RAY. How could you keep… how could you have kept that from me…?
SANDRA. No one knew.
RAY. No one?
SANDRA. No.
RAY. Why?
SANDRA. For Christ’s sake, Ray!
RAY. Why?
SANDRA. Why are you shouting at me?
RAY. I’m not shouting at you.
You are shouting at me and I’m trying…
I’m just trying to understand what the hell… what just happened here?!
SANDRA. So am I.
RAY (going over to her).…Sandra.
She stands up quickly.
Jesus!
SANDRA. It’s all right.
RAY. Is it? It doesn’t feel all right…
SANDRA. He raped me.
Eddie Dunne raped me.
That’s what happened.
That’s what happened, Ray.
And Jay Blake.
All three of them.
No, not Donal.
But the other two.
At that party.
And I didn’t want them.
I didn’t know them.
I didn’t know that they were there.
RAY. Fuck…
SANDRA. It was a game.
Some sort of student game they used to play…
I know it happened…
With others… to others…
I know.
It was all over the campus.
But I never… I NEVER said yes…
And I NEVER wanted them, Ray.
But they just did it anyway.
Did me anyway.
And then left me on the floor.
RAY. This… this is… fuck it’s awful…
SANDRA. I know.
And I’m sorry.
RAY. Why are YOU sorry?
It’s not YOU that should be sorry.
SANDRA. I couldn’t
I could never tell, Ray.
I could never tell anyone ever.
You need to understand that.
I hope you understand that.
Because…
Because I couldn’t bring it home.
Bring that home… here.
How could I?
When Mammy was already sick… with cancer… and we… the house… we were all in such a stupor with it… I… I was in a daze.
Please tell me that you understand that.
RAY. I do…
SANDRA. Because I was afraid.
Because it was at a party.
And I had been with Donal but only with him.
I didn’t know the other two.
I didn’t know that they were there.
You have to believe me…
RAY. Please, Sandra… please…
You don’t have to say it all again…
SANDRA. But I do.
I do. Don’t you see.
Or else it disappears.
And I almost don’t believe it myself…
Even then.
Even at that time…
If it wasn’t for the bruises… for my nose.
I had to go to the hospital for my nose.
RAY. You had to go to the hospital?
SANDRA. Yes.
RAY. So they’d have your records…
SANDRA. No.
Yes.
Maybe.
But sure I didn’t tell them what happened.
RAY. You didn’t?
SANDRA. No.
I didn’t tell them.
Of course I didn’t tell them.
I might have had to go to the police.
And they might have called to the house.
How could I do that to Mammy?
No. No.
I couldn’t tell them.
I didn’t tell them.
I just said I fell down the stairs.
Running for the phone.
A phone call.
RAY. Right.
SANDRA. So they fixed my nose.
But I’ve always hated it.
Haven’t I.
You know how I hate my nose.
RAY. I just wish that you’d have told me.
SANDRA. How, Ray?
When, Ray?
And what would I say?
What would I?… No.
No.
I did what I had to do.
I sucked it up.
I stayed quiet.
I did my exams.
Then I went away.
I closed.
RAY. Right.
SANDRA. He raped me. They raped me, Ray.
Rape. Rape. Rape.
Rape. Rape. Ray.
Rape.
That’s what it is, isn’t it?
When you say no.
When you beg no.
When you…
With all your being.
With all your might… your fight…
…resist.
Fuck…
Finally… I’ve said it.
Beat.
RAY stands up.
RAY. Okay.
SANDRA. Okay?
RAY. I hear you. I understand.
SANDRA. Do you? Do you really?
RAY. Yes I do.
And we will go to the police.
If that’s what you want.
SANDRA. If that’s what I want?
RAY. But he swears it isn’t him.
Just so you know.
He swears it isn’t true.
SANDRA. It is true, Ray.<
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DAIRNE enters with two small old-world electric-bar heaters.
DAIRNE. I found these two yokes upstairs.
So I thought that if I plugged them in… it might be warmer… or I could make tea… or I could help… or I could just go home… whatever you need. Whatever you think?
SANDRA. I think… I think I need to get out of here actually.
RAY. Sandra…?
SANDRA. I think I need some air… some air, Ray… five minutes… please.
She leaves abruptly.
RAY and DAIRNE are left looking at each other.
DAIRNE. Well…
RAY. Well what?
DAIRNE. Em.
Eh.
I don’t know really.
RAY. What the hell is going on?
DAIRNE. I honestly don’t know…
RAY. Did you know?
Did you know about this? (Shouting.)
Did you know about it?!
DAIRNE. No!
RAY. But you were… she said you were…?
DAIRNE. We were friends.
Yes.
But I wasn’t at that party…
At least I don’t think I was!
RAY. You don’t think you were?
DAIRNE. I’d have to ask her… I’d have to ask Sandra… I mean it’s… it was years ago.
RAY. Do you think it’s true?
DAIRNE. What?
RAY. Do you think it happened?
DAIRNE. Jesus!
RAY. He said… Eddie said and she said that she was drinking…
DAIRNE. This is your wife, Ray!
RAY. Exactly.
My wife.
Sandra is my wife.
DAIRNE. And you don’t believe her?
RAY. I never said that… I just don’t know that it was him… or that it was… I mean… there’s never… she’s never… and I’ve never had any reason to think… to feel. I mean that would affect you wouldn’t it? Something like that. Rape! That would affect everything? You couldn’t keep it… you couldn’t just keep that down could you?
DAIRNE. People do, Ray.
People keep all kinds of shit… ‘down’…
RAY. But he said.
Eddie Dunne.
He insisted it wasn’t him.
DAIRNE. He’s hardly likely to ‘insist’ on anything else now, is he?
RAY looks at DAIRNE.
RAY. I don’t know… I’m lost, totally lost.
DAIRNE. Okay…
RAY. Because she says… Sandra says that she’s going to go to the police.
DAIRNE. Does she?
RAY. Do you think that’s wise?
DAIRNE. I don’t know, Ray… I’m not… I’m not exactly well-versed in this kind of thing.
RAY. Well-‘versed’?
DAIRNE. Well-anything!
Well-experienced!
I mean… I haven’t a fucking clue…
That’s what I’m trying to say.
RAY. But she has no proof.
There is no proof.
What is she going to say to the police?
DAIRNE. I don’t know…
You need to ask Sandra, not me.
RAY. I love Sandra.
I love her…
DAIRNE. Well, that’s good… that’s important… it feels important right now.
RAY. Why did I tell you that?
Why on earth did I just tell you that?
DAIRNE. I’m not quite sure.
RAY. I don’t even know you… and you’re… you’re actually a man.
DAIRNE. No. I’m not.
RAY. You were a man when you went out with Sandra.
DAIRNE. I wasn’t. I amn’t and I never went out with Sandra…
RAY. But she said… that woman… Linda… she said…
DAIRNE. Don’t mind her.
She’s crazy… crazed!
RAY. She said that you were ‘screwing’?
DAIRNE. We weren’t.
She was… Sandra was like a sister to me.
RAY. A sister! But I’ve never even heard of you?
I’ve never met you?
DAIRNE. I went away…
RAY. You went away?
DAIRNE. That’s what we did then… if we…
…if you…
Ireland was a different place, wasn’t it?
People… young people… people like me…
…we just went away.
RAY puts his head in his hands.
RAY. Fuck.
I need a drink.
He pours a gin.
DAIRNE. So do I please.
RAY pours DAIRNE a gin.
Thank you.
I don’t know why I feel like I’ve done something wrong?
RAY. You haven’t done anything wrong.
DAIRNE. No, Eddie… Eddie’s the fucker that’s done something wrong.
RAY. Eddie Dunne.
They drink.
But if she knew him.
If she knew who they were.
Why didn’t she report it?
DAIRNE. I don’t know.
I’m sure she was frightened…
RAY. He said that he is going to the police!
DAIRNE. Eddie?
RAY. Yeah! They said they were going straight to the police from here!
DAIRNE. You’ll probably all meet them at the station.
RAY puts his head in his hands.
RAY. Jesus… I can’t believe this.
DAIRNE. I can’t believe this either.
I can’t believe I wasn’t there.
I should have been there.
She was my guardian angel.
RAY. Your what?
DAIRNE. I know it sounds corny but that’s who Sandra always was to me.
RAY. An angel?
DAIRNE. She accepted me. And she was the only one around here who did. The only one to stick by… since we were kids.
RAY pours another drink for himself. DAIRNE sticks out her glass.
I think it was when we were about nine… and everything was changing… boys played with boys … and boys played football and had fights but I still wanted to hang out with the girls. I still wanted to play their games. But that wasn’t allowed so I got the shit kicked out of me every day until one sunny morning Sandra Byrne blew a gasket… Sandra Byrne walked right up to the lads in the yard and took my hand and pulled me out from under them and said, ‘David’s my friend so you had better leave him alone,’ and she said that I was to come with her and she was beautiful so they all liked her so they left me alone. She was my armour, my protector, my angel from that day.
Makeovers.
Sleepovers.
She never left me out.
I always wanted to be just like her!
I wanted to climb inside that beautiful girl and be her, be Sandra Byrne.
Talk like her.
Laugh like her.
Walk in her espadrilles.
I modelled myself on Sandra Byrne.
Even followed her out to UCD… to London!
RAY. So where did you fucking disappear to?
I never even heard of you until tonight?
DAIRNE. I don’t know…
I didn’t mean to disappear but…
I don’t know… we had a few crazy years in London and then I got that gig in New York.
I kind of thought she’d come over but…
And I never knew about this.
Never knew…
No one did.
Bright car headlights suddenly shine into the room.
RAY. Who the hell could that be?
Oh my God do you think it’s the police?
DAIRNE. Eddie Dunne won’t go to the police, Ray.
Eddie Dunne won’t pull this shit down on his head.
RAY. You think?
DAIRNE. I know.
I know cowards.
RAY. So who the hell is it?
SANDRA runs into the room.
SANDRA. It’s them!
RAY. Who?
SANDRA. Linda and him… him… they are in the drive… they are in the driveway right now…
RAY. You’re joking.
SANDRA. Do I look like I’m joking? Get them out, Ray. Get them away. Please, I don’t want them here.
She is shaking.
RAY looks out the window.
RAY. Fucking hell… it is them?
DAIRNE. I don’t believe it…
EDDIE is now standing at the window with a bandage over his head.
SANDRA. Don’t let him in.
Don’t let him in!
RAY. Okay.
Okay, love.
Don’t worry.
I’ll handle it.
EDDIE knocks on the window.
DAIRNE stands up and shouts to the window.
DAIRNE. Fuck off!
Fuck off out of here, you bastard.
RAY exits.
RAY. I’ll get rid of him, I promise.
As RAY exits, LINDA enters from the kitchen:
LINDA. You’ve got to talk to us.
SANDRA. Get out.
LINDA. No. Not until we sort this out.
DAIRNE. She doesn’t want you here.
LINDA. I don’t give a shit.
She can’t go throwing around accusations.
SANDRA. It’s not an accusation.
He knows it’s true.
LINDA. Like hell he does.
DAIRNE. Do you know it’s true?
LINDA. What?
DAIRNE. You heard me.
Slight pause.
LINDA. It’s nonsense is what it is and I don’t know what’s driving it… what’s driving you, Sandra, because you’ve been away a long time.
SANDRA. Yes I have.
I’ve been away a long time.
LINDA. And this is fucking serious.
SANDRA. I know it’s serious, Linda…
LINDA. Because this isn’t only Eddie you’re fucking with. This is me… and my life… and my daughters’ lives… have you thought about that?
SANDRA. What?
LINDA. My daughters are in third class.
And my daughters love their daddy.
And my daughters are two great kids.
And if this gets out… if even a hint of this… this shit you’re spouting leaves this room… then their life, their home, their world collapses… it collapses, Sandra… and I know you know that.
I know you understand that.
SANDRA. Don’t… don’t lay that on me…
LINDA. They are nine years old.
SANDRA. I said… don’t lay that on me, Linda!
LINDA. And you are a mother yourself…
DAIRNE. You bitch.
LINDA. This… You… you will destroy their life.
SANDRA. I have… I have no intention…
I have nothing against them or you.
LINDA. Then bury this.
Stop this.
Stop it now.
SANDRA. But it has been ‘buried’ too long…
LINDA. And it hasn’t done you any harm, has it?
SANDRA gasps.
I mean you have a life.
You have a husband.
Children.
You’re on your feet.