could make H. Trewe, Esquire, a brand-new man. You come like a challenge.
HARRY
Think I keep to myself too much?
JACKSON
If! You would get your hair cut by phone. You drive so careful you make your car nervous. If you was in charge of the British Empire, you wouldn’ta lose it, you’da misplace it.
HARRY
I see, Jackson.
JACKSON
But all that could change if you do what I tell you.
HARRY
I don’t want a new life, thanks.
JACKSON
Same life. Different man. But that stiff upper lip goin’ have to quiver a little.
HARRY
What’s all this? Obeah? “That old black magic”?
JACKSON
Nothing. I could have the next beer?
HARRY
Go ahead. I’m drinking Scotch.
( JACKSON takes the other beer, swallows deep, smacks his lips, grins at HARRY )
JACKSON
Nothing. We will have to continue from where we stop this morning. You will have to be Thursday.
HARRY
Aha, you bastard! It’s a thrill giving orders, hey? But I’m not going through all that rubbish again.
JACKSON
All right. Stay as you want. But if you say yes, it go have to be man to man, and none of this boss-and-Jackson business, you see, Trewe … I mean, I just call you plain Trewe, for example, and I notice that give you a slight shock. Just a little twitch of the lip, but a shock all the same, eh, Trewe? You see? You twitch again. It would be just me and you, all right? You see, two of we both acting a role here we ain’t really really believe in, you know. I ent think you strong enough to give people orders, and I know I ain’t the kind who like taking them. So both of we doesn’t have to improvise so much as exaggerate. We faking, faking all the time. But, man to man, I mean …
( Pause )
that could be something else. Right, Mr. Trewe?
HARRY
Aren’t we man to man now?
JACKSON
No, no. We having one of them “playing man-to-man” talks, where a feller does look a next feller in the eye and say, “Le’ we settle this thing, man to man,” and this time the feller who smiling and saying it, his whole honest intention is to take that feller by the crotch and rip out he stones, and dig out he eye and leave him for corbeaux to pick.
( Silence )
HARRY
You know, that thing this morning had an effect on me, man to man now. I didn’t think so much about the comedy of Robinson Crusoe, I thought what we were getting into was a little sad. So, when I went back to the room, I tried to rest before lunch, before you began all that vindictive hammering …
JACKSON
Vindictive?
HARRY
Man to man: that vindictive hammering and singing, and I thought, Well, maybe we could do it straight. Make a real straight thing out of it.
JACKSON
You mean like a tradegy. With one joke?
HARRY
Or a codemy, with none. You mispronounce words on purpose, don’t you, Jackson?
( JACKSON smiles )
Don’t think for one second that I’m not up on your game, Jackson. You’re playing the stage nigger with me. I’m an actor, you know. It’s a smile in front and a dagger behind your back, right? Or the smile itself is the bloody dagger. I’m aware, chum. I’m aware.
JACKSON
The smile kinda rusty, sir, but it goes with the job. Just like the water in this hotel:
( Demonstrates )
I turn it on at seven and lock it off at one.
HARRY
Didn’t hire you for the smile; I hired you for your voice. We’ve the same background. Old-time calypso, old-fashioned music hall:
( Sings )
Oh, me wife can’t cook and she looks like a horse
And the way she makes coffee is grounds for divorce …
( Does a few steps )
But when love is at stake she’s my Worcester sauce …
( Stops )
Used to wow them with that. All me own work. Ah, the lost glories of the old music hall, the old provincials,
HARRY
Think I keep to myself too much?
JACKSON
If! You would get your hair cut by phone. You drive so careful you make your car nervous. If you was in charge of the British Empire, you wouldn’ta lose it, you’da misplace it.
HARRY
I see, Jackson.
JACKSON
But all that could change if you do what I tell you.
HARRY
I don’t want a new life, thanks.
JACKSON
Same life. Different man. But that stiff upper lip goin’ have to quiver a little.
HARRY
What’s all this? Obeah? “That old black magic”?
JACKSON
Nothing. I could have the next beer?
HARRY
Go ahead. I’m drinking Scotch.
( JACKSON takes the other beer, swallows deep, smacks his lips, grins at HARRY )
JACKSON
Nothing. We will have to continue from where we stop this morning. You will have to be Thursday.
HARRY
Aha, you bastard! It’s a thrill giving orders, hey? But I’m not going through all that rubbish again.
JACKSON
All right. Stay as you want. But if you say yes, it go have to be man to man, and none of this boss-and-Jackson business, you see, Trewe … I mean, I just call you plain Trewe, for example, and I notice that give you a slight shock. Just a little twitch of the lip, but a shock all the same, eh, Trewe? You see? You twitch again. It would be just me and you, all right? You see, two of we both acting a role here we ain’t really really believe in, you know. I ent think you strong enough to give people orders, and I know I ain’t the kind who like taking them. So both of we doesn’t have to improvise so much as exaggerate. We faking, faking all the time. But, man to man, I mean …
( Pause )
that could be something else. Right, Mr. Trewe?
HARRY
Aren’t we man to man now?
JACKSON
No, no. We having one of them “playing man-to-man” talks, where a feller does look a next feller in the eye and say, “Le’ we settle this thing, man to man,” and this time the feller who smiling and saying it, his whole honest intention is to take that feller by the crotch and rip out he stones, and dig out he eye and leave him for corbeaux to pick.
( Silence )
HARRY
You know, that thing this morning had an effect on me, man to man now. I didn’t think so much about the comedy of Robinson Crusoe, I thought what we were getting into was a little sad. So, when I went back to the room, I tried to rest before lunch, before you began all that vindictive hammering …
JACKSON
Vindictive?
HARRY
Man to man: that vindictive hammering and singing, and I thought, Well, maybe we could do it straight. Make a real straight thing out of it.
JACKSON
You mean like a tradegy. With one joke?
HARRY
Or a codemy, with none. You mispronounce words on purpose, don’t you, Jackson?
( JACKSON smiles )
Don’t think for one second that I’m not up on your game, Jackson. You’re playing the stage nigger with me. I’m an actor, you know. It’s a smile in front and a dagger behind your back, right? Or the smile itself is the bloody dagger. I’m aware, chum. I’m aware.
JACKSON
The smile kinda rusty, sir, but it goes with the job. Just like the water in this hotel:
( Demonstrates )
I turn it on at seven and lock it off at one.
HARRY
Didn’t hire you for the smile; I hired you for your voice. We’ve the same background. Old-time calypso, old-fashioned music hall:
( Sings )
Oh, me wife can’t cook and she looks like a horse
And the way she makes coffee is grounds for divorce …
( Does a few steps )
But when love is at stake she’s my Worcester sauce …
( Stops )
Used to wow them with that. All me own work. Ah, the lost glories of the old music hall, the old provincials,
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