he'd still be alive today if he hadn't married into the Catholics. The Mob. How in the world he never opened his eyes to that is beyond me. Just beyond me. Everyone around him could see the truth. Even Tilden. Tilden told him time and again. Catholic women are the devil incarnate. He wouldn't listen.
TILDEN: I don't remember that. I must've been gone somewhere.
HALIE: He was blind with love. Blind. I knew. Everyone knew. The wedding was more like a funeral. You remember? All those Italians. All that horrible black, greasy hair. The rancid smell of cheap cologne. I think even the priest was wearing a pistol. When he gave her the ring I knew he was a dead man. I knew it. As soon as he gave her the ring. But then it was the honeymoon that killed him. The honeymoon. I knew he'd never come back from the honeymoon.
(She stops abruptly and stares at the corn husks. She looks around the space as though just waking up. She turns hard and looks hard at
TILDEN
and
DODGE,
who continue sitting calmly. She looks again at the corn husks. Pointing to the husks)
What's this in my house?
(Kicks husks)
What's all this mess? (TILDEN
stops husking and stares at her. To
DODGE.) And you encourage him! (DODGE
pulls the blanket over himself again.)
DODGE: You're going out in the rain for a little soiree.
HALIE: It's not raining now, is it? (TILDEN
starts husking again.)
DODGE: Not in Florida it's not.
HALIE: We're not in Florida!
DODGE: It's not raining at the racetrack.
HALIE: Have you been taking those pills? Those pills always make you talk crazy. Tilden, has he been taking those pills? Those teeny little blue pills.
TILDEN: He hasn't took anything.
HALIE:
(To
DODGE.) What've you been taking?
DODGE: It's not raining in California or Florida or at the racetrack. Only in Illinois. This is the only place it's raining. All over the rest of the world it's bright golden sunshine. (HALIE
goes to the night table next to the sofa and checks the bottle of pills.)
HALIE: Which ones did you take? Tilden, you must've seen him take something.
TILDEN: He never took a thing.
HALIE: Then why's he talking crazy?
DODGE: Crazy. Crazy, crazy, crazy.
TILDEN: I've been here the whole time.
HALIE: Then you've both been taking something!
TILDEN: I've just been husking the corn.
HALIE: Where'd you get that corn anyway? Why is the house suddenly full of corn?
DODGE: Bumper crop! Unexplainable.
HALIE:
(Moving center.)
We haven't had corn here for over thirty years.
TILDEN: The whole back lot's full of corn. Far as the eye can see. Like an ocean.
DODGE: (
To
HALIE.) Things keep happening while you're upstairs, ya know. The world doesn't stop just because you're upstairs. Corn keeps growing. Rain keeps raining.
HALIE: I'm not unaware of the world around me! Thank you very much. It so happens that I have an overall view from the upstairs. A panorama. The backyard's in plain view of my window. And there's no corn to speak of. Absolutely none!
DODGE: Tilden wouldn't lie. If he says there's corn, there's corn.
HALIE: What's the meaning of this corn, Tilden?!
TILDEN: It's a mystery to me. I was out in back there. And the rain was coming down. And I didn't feel like coming back inside. I didn't feel the cold so much. I didn't mind the wet. So I was just walking. I was muddy but I didn't mind the mud so much. And I looked up. And I saw this stand of corn. In fact I was standing in it. Surrounded. It was over my head.
HALIE: There isn't any corn outside, Tilden! There's no corn! It's not the season for corn. Now, you must've either stolen this corn or you bought it.
DODGE: He doesn't have a red cent to his name. He's totally dependent.
HALIE:
(To
TILDEN.) So you stole it!
TILDEN: I didn't steal it. I don't want to get kicked out of Illinois. I was kicked out of New Mexico and I don't want to get kicked out of Illinois.
HALIE: You're going to get kicked out of this house, Tilden, if you don't tell me where you got that corn! (TILDEN
starts
TILDEN: I don't remember that. I must've been gone somewhere.
HALIE: He was blind with love. Blind. I knew. Everyone knew. The wedding was more like a funeral. You remember? All those Italians. All that horrible black, greasy hair. The rancid smell of cheap cologne. I think even the priest was wearing a pistol. When he gave her the ring I knew he was a dead man. I knew it. As soon as he gave her the ring. But then it was the honeymoon that killed him. The honeymoon. I knew he'd never come back from the honeymoon.
(She stops abruptly and stares at the corn husks. She looks around the space as though just waking up. She turns hard and looks hard at
TILDEN
and
DODGE,
who continue sitting calmly. She looks again at the corn husks. Pointing to the husks)
What's this in my house?
(Kicks husks)
What's all this mess? (TILDEN
stops husking and stares at her. To
DODGE.) And you encourage him! (DODGE
pulls the blanket over himself again.)
DODGE: You're going out in the rain for a little soiree.
HALIE: It's not raining now, is it? (TILDEN
starts husking again.)
DODGE: Not in Florida it's not.
HALIE: We're not in Florida!
DODGE: It's not raining at the racetrack.
HALIE: Have you been taking those pills? Those pills always make you talk crazy. Tilden, has he been taking those pills? Those teeny little blue pills.
TILDEN: He hasn't took anything.
HALIE:
(To
DODGE.) What've you been taking?
DODGE: It's not raining in California or Florida or at the racetrack. Only in Illinois. This is the only place it's raining. All over the rest of the world it's bright golden sunshine. (HALIE
goes to the night table next to the sofa and checks the bottle of pills.)
HALIE: Which ones did you take? Tilden, you must've seen him take something.
TILDEN: He never took a thing.
HALIE: Then why's he talking crazy?
DODGE: Crazy. Crazy, crazy, crazy.
TILDEN: I've been here the whole time.
HALIE: Then you've both been taking something!
TILDEN: I've just been husking the corn.
HALIE: Where'd you get that corn anyway? Why is the house suddenly full of corn?
DODGE: Bumper crop! Unexplainable.
HALIE:
(Moving center.)
We haven't had corn here for over thirty years.
TILDEN: The whole back lot's full of corn. Far as the eye can see. Like an ocean.
DODGE: (
To
HALIE.) Things keep happening while you're upstairs, ya know. The world doesn't stop just because you're upstairs. Corn keeps growing. Rain keeps raining.
HALIE: I'm not unaware of the world around me! Thank you very much. It so happens that I have an overall view from the upstairs. A panorama. The backyard's in plain view of my window. And there's no corn to speak of. Absolutely none!
DODGE: Tilden wouldn't lie. If he says there's corn, there's corn.
HALIE: What's the meaning of this corn, Tilden?!
TILDEN: It's a mystery to me. I was out in back there. And the rain was coming down. And I didn't feel like coming back inside. I didn't feel the cold so much. I didn't mind the wet. So I was just walking. I was muddy but I didn't mind the mud so much. And I looked up. And I saw this stand of corn. In fact I was standing in it. Surrounded. It was over my head.
HALIE: There isn't any corn outside, Tilden! There's no corn! It's not the season for corn. Now, you must've either stolen this corn or you bought it.
DODGE: He doesn't have a red cent to his name. He's totally dependent.
HALIE:
(To
TILDEN.) So you stole it!
TILDEN: I didn't steal it. I don't want to get kicked out of Illinois. I was kicked out of New Mexico and I don't want to get kicked out of Illinois.
HALIE: You're going to get kicked out of this house, Tilden, if you don't tell me where you got that corn! (TILDEN
starts
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