Scene Thirteen

The Lover's Last Quarrel

Music Cue: All Of Me - Scene: Hilton Hayworth's home.

The music plays. Hayworth is sitting head down as if exhausted. Patricia is facing the mirror, buttoning her blouse. While picking up her apron to tie Jessica enters and quietly watches. Patricia picks up her hat and while putting it back on she sees Jessica in the mirror. She leaves head down and obviously ashamed of being caught. Hayworth is unaware that Jessica is in the room. She is dressed as if she has just entered from out doors. She stands directly in front of Hayworth. He sees her feet and looks up - startled.

Hayworth: Oh! I didn't see you come in.

She slaps his face

Jessica: Pig!

Hayworth: Christ!

Jessica: Of all the nerve! Having sex with her in our house.

Hayworth: What are you talking about?

Jessica: Don't….don't even try to lie you filthy disgusting bastard. I heard every moan and every little squeal.

Hayworth: You were listening?

Jessica: Yes I was listening. You pig! You make me sick!

She attempts to slap him again but he intercepts her arm. Hayworth gets up still with a firm grip on her arm.

Jessica: Let go of me!

Hayworth: Ha! I'm surprised, Jessica.

Jessica: I said, let go of me!

Hayworth: I'm not surprised that you were listening...that's the kind of thing you probably enjoy. At least that's what I've been told.

Jessica: Let go! You're hurting me.

Hayworth: What I am surprised at is the fact that you were even here in the house. I thought you would still be in St. Martha's with Michael Roberts.

Jessica: Let go!

Hayworth: Thought I didn't know, did you? After six years of running around with this guy you really thought I wouldn't find out. Ha! Good catch though Jessica. The Robert family is a pretty wealthy lot. Perfectly suited for a gold digger like you.

Jessica: I said let go of me! Let go or I'll scream!

Hayworth: Scream? Ha! Go ahead Jessica. You scream! Scream all you want.

Jessica: Stop it!

She begins crying

Jessica: Stop! Stop it!

His hand is clenched in a fist.

Hayworth: Shut up!

He pulls his hand back to strike. Blackout

Jessica: Please don't hit me!

Scene Fourteen

Ode To A Housefly

Sound Cue. A fly buzzing - Scene: Morrison's room.

Lights rise. The sound cue begins in darkness and overlaps the top of the scene and fades. Morrison is drawing and is annoyed by the housefly buzzing around in his room. He watches it and suddenly grabs it out of mid air. With the fly cupped in both hands he recites the following poem.

It odd the way the housefly
will fly aroun' a house
and never give a thought
to where tomorrow he might go
and it odd the way his wings can wing
and take him anywhere
but still is even odder why he wishes to stay here
and the way he prays his little hands tooged'ah now dat's odd
as if a stupid housefly would even have a God
becau' after all he just a housefly
wit' wings and prayers and germs
and surely he can't have a brain
becau' if he did he would have learned
dat no mattah wings to carry you
be you stupid be you odd
there come a time when your wings are silenced
by the hand a' God

He opens his hands and sets the fly free.

Lights fade

Scene Fifteen

A Heavenly Choir Of Angels

Music Cue: The Christmas Song - Scene: Christmas Choir

Music begins in the darkness and fades as lights rise upon the choir. The three women, Morrison, Mister Barmen, Patricia the Maid and all extras from the downtown scenes are there. Everybody is talking.

Father Peck: Quiet please....hello? People? I said be quiet!

They are

Thank you! Mister Barmen?

Barmen: What?

Father Peck: Step forward please.

Barmen: Why?

Father Peck: Just step forward.

He does

Father Peck: May mee mi mo moo!

Barmen: Aww, do I have to?

Father Peck: Mister Barmen?

Barmen: (badly) Tsk! May mee mi mo moo.

Father Peck: Again Mister Barment but this time in key please.

Barmen: (again badly) May mee mi mo moo.

Father Peck: Tsk, tsk, tsk! Pitiful. Ok everyone, from the top. One...two...three...four...

They sing, off key, Angels We Have Heard On High.

Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o'er the plains
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strain
Gloria, in excelsious dayo
Gloria, in excelsious dayo

Father Peck stops the song. Missus Smith's hand goes up.

Father Peck: We only have a week before the pageant and I have to say people that we need to work a little harder. Some of your voices have to come up….of course there are others whose voices have to come down. Missus Smith?

Missus Smith: Am I singing loud enough?

Father Peck: Yes you are, and I thank you for that.

Missus Smith: You're welcomed.

Father Peck: And, as a matter of fact, you know, maybe…just maybe you could tone it down just a little bit. Do you think you could do that?

Missus Smith: I think so.

Father Peck: Good. You work on that for our next rehearsal. And Patricia, I can hear you sing if I listen real close and when I do listen real close I can tell you have a beautiful voice so why don't you use it.

Patricia: I'm trying. I just have a bit of a problem getting above the others.

Father Peck: Yes, yes, I can see where that could be a problem. Now, Morrison, you're fine and Mister Barmen, well, if you could work on your breathing just a little in your spare time.

Barmen: It's the cigarettes.

Father Peck: Yes, I realize that.

Barmen: I smoke two packs a day.

Father Peck: Yes, you told me. Now, I find that you start off strong but by the time you reach the end of a line you fade out.

Barmen: I stop.

Father Peck: What do you mean, you stop?

Barmen: I run out of breath so I stop singing.

Father Peck: Mr. Barmen, please, you're supposed to take another breath. I mean that's what our breathing exercises are for. Find those spaces that allow you to take a breath. You take your breath and then you continue singing.

Missus Gordon's hand goes up

Barmen: But the spaces aren't big enough.

Father Peck: Pardon?

Barmen: The spaces aren't big enough. Perhaps, if we slowed the song down a little it would make the breathing spaces bigger?

Father Peck: Ha! Can I get back to you on that? Missus Gordon?

Missus Gordon: I find we're too close together. I need more room to sing.

Father Peck: We are going to have 22 small children dressed as angels walking on stage during this song and….

Missus Gordon: But what if…..

Father Peck: And…every one of them are going to have cardboard wings attached to their backs so we are going need all the room we can spare.

Missus Jeffrey: Couldn't the children use the floor instead of the stage?

Father Peck: The children are going to use the stage.

Missus Jeffrey: But if they used the floor we could….

Father Peck: The children are not going to be denied their moment in the limelight Missus Jeffrey. They are going to use the stage! Alright?

Missus Jeffrey: Sigh! If you say so.

Barmen: Father?

Father Peck: Yes, Mister Barmen.

Barmen: Can I have a cigarette?

Father Peck: Not in the Church Mister Barmen. You know my rules, no food, no drinks, no smoking…not inside the church.

Barmen: Well, that's a stupid rule.

Father Peck: If you think for one moment that I'm going to debate it with you, you're wrong. Now could we get on with our rehearsal?

Barmen: Can I go outside and have one?

Father: No!

Barmen: But I'm hooked. I can't help it.

Father Peck: Could you wait just another fifteen minutes until rehearsal is over?

Barmen: No, I can't. I need one now.

Patricia raises her hand

Father Peck: Tsk! Go ahead. Go have your cigarette! Patricia?

Patricia: I have to leave now.

Father Peck: But rehearsal isn't over.

Patricia: But it's important.

Father Peck: Sigh! Alright! Go! Everybody, just….just go!

Missus Gordon: When is our next rehearsal?

Father Peck: Our next rehearsal, our last rehearsal is Wednesday.

Missus Gordon: Will you have our gowns for us to try on?

Father Peck: Yes, I'll have the gowns. Now everybody out! I'm locking the back entrance and shutting off the lights.

Missus Gordon: Have a nice evening Father Peck.

Father Peck: You too Missus Gordon.

Barmen, Patricia and Morrison exit as does Father Peck.

Missus Smith: Now I wonder where she's going that it's so important.

Missus Jeffrey: Who?

Missus Smith: Patricia the maid. I bet she's got a date with Hilton Hayworth.

Missus Gordon: Oh will you stop that. Patricia's a good girl. There's nothing going on between her and Hilton Hayworth.

Missus Smith: I can just picture them now.

Missus Jeffrey: We're in church for God's sake.

Missus Smith: Oh yes, sorry! I forgot.

Missus Gordon: Besides, Hilton Hayworth has more important things on his mind to deal with.

Missus Smith: Like what?

Missus Gordon: What do you mean, like what? He's got all that lawyer stuff to deal with.

Missus Smith: Oh, yes. The lawyers!

Missus Jeffrey: Ha! Why would Hilton Hayworth be concerned about lawyers? He pretty much owns every lawyer from Beldune to Paulston.

Missus Smith: The story I heard is that Jessica got herself a lawyer from St. Martha's.

Missus Gordon: I heard that too.

Missus Jeffrey: Hmmm! St. Martha's, you say? That's where her boyfriend is from.

Missus Smith: Well, well, well, isn't that interesting.

Missus Gordon: So I guess we know who's going to be paying her legal expenses.

Missus Smith: Well, I hope he's got a lot of money because she'll be needing ten lawyers if she's going to go up against Hilton Hayworth.

Missus Jeffrey: You imagine! Getting a lawyer. Ha! What's she trying to prove anyway?

Missus Gordon: Who knows what she's trying to prove. Grasping at straws, that's what she's doing. Humph! A lawyer…you imagine! Some women think they can go out and change the world, just like that.

Missus Jeffrey: Well, I think she's crazy to leave him in the first place.

Missus Smith: I heard he was beating her.

Missus Gordon: I heard he found out about her and the boyfriend.

Missus Jeffrey: Well dear, tell me who hasn't heard about that. I would suspect that he's the reason the marriage is over.

Missus Smith: And I also heard that this fellow from St. Martha's isn't the only man she's been seeing on the side.

Missus Gordon: You tell lies.

Missus Smith: Cross my heart, so help me God! If it's lies from me, it's lies to me. I'm just saying what I heard.

Missus Jeffrey: I heard she wants the house and everything that's in it.

Missus Smith: Well, God knows she deserves at least that.

Missus Gordon: Deserves it? Ha! She deserves nothing, and that's what she'll get. You mark my words! She'll end up out in the streets.

Missus Jeffrey: I still say she should have stuck with it.

Missus Smith: Stuck with it? Are you joking? Until when?

Missus Jeffrey: Well, until he died at least. That way she would have inherited the estate.

Missus Smith: Not if there was another living and breathing Hayworth alive she wouldn't.

Missus Jeffrey: Hmmm! I wonder what Patricia the maid thinks of all this?

Missus Smith: Ha! She's probably with Hayworth right now as we speak licking her chops. Dreaming about being the next Missus Hilton Hayworth.

Missus Gordon: Will you please leave Patricia alone?

Missus Smith: Oh go 'way! It's all over town.

Missus Gordon: Yes, because Jessica Hayworth has been spreading it all over town, that's why it's all over town.

Missus Smith: Bah! Patricia the maid..you talk about her as if she's a nun for God sake! She's just another servant girl in search of greener pastures...greener pastures...where the wild youn stallion roam.

Missus Gordon: Here she goes...I'm leaving...goodbye.

Missus Jeffrey: Wait up.

Smith looks skyward.

Missus Smith: Dear Lord…is it me? Do I just not understand this new generation of young women? All they're concerned about is money and sex…and sex with ugly men too, Lord…how can they live with themselves….?

Blackout

Lord?…..hello?...hello…ah, could'a….could someone turn the lights back on please…..Father Pecker, are you still here?……hello?