Buried Child Read Free

know about it.
    DODGE: She knows!
    HALIE'S VOICE: Dodge, are you talking to yourself down there?
    DODGE: I'm talking to Tilden!
    HALIE'S VOICE: Tilden's down there?
    DODGE: He's right here!
    HALIE'S VOICE: What?
    DODGE:
(Louder.)
He's right here!
    HALIE'S VOICE: What's he doing?!
    DODGE:
(To
tilden.) Don't answer her.
    TILDEN: (
To
DODGE.) I'm not doing anything wrong.
    DODGE: (
To
TILDEN.) I know you're not.
    HALIE'S VOICE: What's he doing down there?
    DODGE: (
To
TILDEN.) Don't answer. Whatever you do, don't answer her.
    TILDEN: I'm not.
    HALIE'S VOICE: Dodge!
(The men sit in silence,
DODGE
lights a cigarette,
TILDEN
keeps husking corn, spits tobacco now and then in the spittoon.)
Dodge! He's not drinking anything, is he? You see to it that he doesn't drink anything! You've gotta watch out for him. It's our responsibility. He can't lookafter himself anymore, so we have to do it. Nobody else will do it. We can't just send him away somewhere. If we had lots of money we could send him away. But we don't. We never will. That's why we have to stay healthy. You and me. Nobody's going to look after us. Bradley can't look after us. Bradley can hardly look after himself. I was always hoping that Tilden would look out for Bradley when they got older. After Bradley lost his leg. Tilden's the oldest. I always thought he'd be the one to take responsibility. I had no idea in the world that Tilden would be so much trouble. Who would've dreamed? Tilden was an All-American, don't forget. Don't forget that. Fullback. Or quarterback. I forget which.
    TILDEN:
(To
HIMSELF.) Halfback.
    DODGE: Don't make a peep. Just let her babble, (TILDEN
goes on husking.)
    HALIE'S VOICE: Then when Tilden turned out to be so much trouble, I put all my hopes on Ansel. Of course Ansel wasn't as handsome, but he was smart. He was the smartest probably. I think he probably was. Smarter than Bradley, that's for sure. Didn't go and chop his leg off with a chain saw. Smart enough not to go and do that. I think he was smarter than Tilden, too. Especially after Tilden got in all that trouble. Doesn't take brains to go to jail. Anybody knows that. ‘Course then when Ansel passed, that left us all alone. Same as being alone. No different. Same as if they'd all died. He was the smartest. He could've earned lots of money. Lots and lots of money.
    DODGE: Bookoos. ( HALIE
enters slowly from the top of the staircase as she continues talking. Just her feet are seen at first as she makes her way down the stairs a step at a time. She appears dressed completely in black, as though in mourning. Black handbag, hat with a veil, and pulling on elbow-length black gloves. She is about sixty-five with pure white hair. She remains absorbed in what she's saying as she descends the stairs and doesn't really notice the two men who continue sitting there as they were before she came down, smoking and husking.)
    HALIE: He would've took care of us, too. He would've seen to it that we were repaid. He was like that. He was a hero. Don't forget that. A genuine hero. Brave. Strong. And very intelligent.
    TILDEN: Ansel was a hero?
    HALIE: Ansel could've been a great man. One of the greatest. I only regret that he didn't die in action. It's not fitting for a man like that to die in a motel room. A soldier. He could've won a medal. He could've been decorated for valor. I've talked to Father Dewis about putting up a plaque for Ansel. He thinks it's a good idea. He agrees. He knew Ansel when he used to play basketball. Went to every game. Ansel was his favorite player. He even recommended to the City Council that they put up a statue of Ansel. A big, tall statue with a basketball in one hand and a rifle in the other. That's how much he thinks of Ansel.
    TILDEN: Ansel was a hero? (DODGE
kicks him.
HALIE
reaches the stage and begins to wander around, still absorbed in pulling on
her gloves, brushing lint off her dress and continuously talking to herself as the men just sit)
    HALIE: Of course,