.
The VA, of course. They take pretty good care of me, I'm forced to admit.
I still go to see them about three times a year for my back.
They take good care of you in the hospital.
The guys at A.A., I don't see them much anymore.
Thank God. They took pretty good care of me.
I hated those sonofabitches. . . .
Frank over at the place. He took care of me for a while.
Five there, ten here . . . he gave me a job. Knows the restaurant business like the back of his hand.
I've been a very lucky guy.
CAROL : You've got a lot of friends, Bernie.
BERNIE : Always have.
For some reason.
You take pretty good care of yourself.
CAROL : Got to.
BERNIE : Yeah.
CAROL : The A.A. are the ones who put us in touch with you.
Gerry went.
He said they seemed like very nice people.
BERNIE : Very contrite.
You still go to church?
CAROL : No. Nobody goes to church anymore. (Pause.)
You still go to church?
BERNIE : I never went to church. Since I was a kid.
Easter.
CAROL : We should both go
Renew our faith.
Gerry goes to church.
BERNIE : Yeah? Does he mean it?
CAROL : Who knows.
BERNIE : He might mean it. You never know. . . .
Some of ‘em mean it.
Scene II
BERNIE : Goddamn, it's good to see you.
It's good to see you.
CAROL : This apartment is very nice.
BERNIE : I did it myself. Leslie, my friend, she helped. Quite a lot, actually . . . to put the place in the state it's in now.
But the basic place . . . I furnished it.
Fixed it up.
Been here two years plus. . . .
I'm glad you like it.
CAROL : Our place is quite nice. You'll like it a lot. When you come see it. You have to come out. Very soon.
I did it myself.
It's so comfortable.
It's a real home, you know?
It's just five rooms.
It gets a little cramped when the kids are there.
Gerry's kids.
They sleep in the living room. . . .
They're good kids.
Gerry has a study.
We're very comfortable there.
BERNIE : You got a doorman?
CAROL : Yes. . . .
The building's very safe.
Lots of light and air.
We're thinking of building a house. (Pause.)
This place really is lovely, Bernie.
BERNIE : What can I tell you.
Scene III
CAROL (sees bomber group picture) : Are you in there?
BERNIE : Yeah.
CAROL : I'm going to pick you out.
BERNIE : That's a long time ago.
CAROL (indicates) : There!
BERNIE : That's me.
I haven't changed, huh?
CAROL : Bernie Cary. Army Air Corps.
BERNIE : Butch. They called me Butch then.
CAROL : Why?
BERNIE : . . . I couldn't tell you to save my life.
Those were strange times.
CAROL : What's this?
BERNIE : It's a medal.
Sit down. Sit down. It's nothing.
I fought. I did my bit.
If you want to know about your father I was a tail gunner.
I shot a machine gun. Big deal.
They had a life expectancy of—you know what?—
Three missions. Three.
What the hell. You can get killed in a steel mill, right?
But I'm no hero.
They put you in a plane with a gun, it pays to shoot at the guys who are trying to kill you.
Where's the courage in that. . . .
But you didn't have to take anything.
From nobody.
That was all right.
Anybody get wise—some wiseass Lieutenant— I say:
“Shove it, Champ. I'm a fuckin’ tail gunner on a B-17,
and I don't take no shit from some chicken Lieutenant.”
And I didn't. From Anybody.
So what does that make me.
You would like England.
CAROL : I've been there.
BERNIE : You've been there? What? With your new husband?
CAROL : With him and by myself.
BERNIE : Where else you been?
CAROL : Jamaica. Around the States.
BERNIE : See America First, huh?
I worked a year in San Francisco. In a body shop.
CAROL : I've been in San Francisco.
BERNIE : Some fine people in San Francisco.
CAROL : Oh, yes.
BERNIE : And a lot of assholes.
CAROL : Lot of assholes all over.
BERNIE : Aah, people are people, you know?
Tell me about your new husband.
CAROL : I want to know about you.
BERNIE : And I want to know about you.
So. Does he love you?
I swear I'll kill the sonofabitch, so tell me the
The VA, of course. They take pretty good care of me, I'm forced to admit.
I still go to see them about three times a year for my back.
They take good care of you in the hospital.
The guys at A.A., I don't see them much anymore.
Thank God. They took pretty good care of me.
I hated those sonofabitches. . . .
Frank over at the place. He took care of me for a while.
Five there, ten here . . . he gave me a job. Knows the restaurant business like the back of his hand.
I've been a very lucky guy.
CAROL : You've got a lot of friends, Bernie.
BERNIE : Always have.
For some reason.
You take pretty good care of yourself.
CAROL : Got to.
BERNIE : Yeah.
CAROL : The A.A. are the ones who put us in touch with you.
Gerry went.
He said they seemed like very nice people.
BERNIE : Very contrite.
You still go to church?
CAROL : No. Nobody goes to church anymore. (Pause.)
You still go to church?
BERNIE : I never went to church. Since I was a kid.
Easter.
CAROL : We should both go
Renew our faith.
Gerry goes to church.
BERNIE : Yeah? Does he mean it?
CAROL : Who knows.
BERNIE : He might mean it. You never know. . . .
Some of ‘em mean it.
Scene II
BERNIE : Goddamn, it's good to see you.
It's good to see you.
CAROL : This apartment is very nice.
BERNIE : I did it myself. Leslie, my friend, she helped. Quite a lot, actually . . . to put the place in the state it's in now.
But the basic place . . . I furnished it.
Fixed it up.
Been here two years plus. . . .
I'm glad you like it.
CAROL : Our place is quite nice. You'll like it a lot. When you come see it. You have to come out. Very soon.
I did it myself.
It's so comfortable.
It's a real home, you know?
It's just five rooms.
It gets a little cramped when the kids are there.
Gerry's kids.
They sleep in the living room. . . .
They're good kids.
Gerry has a study.
We're very comfortable there.
BERNIE : You got a doorman?
CAROL : Yes. . . .
The building's very safe.
Lots of light and air.
We're thinking of building a house. (Pause.)
This place really is lovely, Bernie.
BERNIE : What can I tell you.
Scene III
CAROL (sees bomber group picture) : Are you in there?
BERNIE : Yeah.
CAROL : I'm going to pick you out.
BERNIE : That's a long time ago.
CAROL (indicates) : There!
BERNIE : That's me.
I haven't changed, huh?
CAROL : Bernie Cary. Army Air Corps.
BERNIE : Butch. They called me Butch then.
CAROL : Why?
BERNIE : . . . I couldn't tell you to save my life.
Those were strange times.
CAROL : What's this?
BERNIE : It's a medal.
Sit down. Sit down. It's nothing.
I fought. I did my bit.
If you want to know about your father I was a tail gunner.
I shot a machine gun. Big deal.
They had a life expectancy of—you know what?—
Three missions. Three.
What the hell. You can get killed in a steel mill, right?
But I'm no hero.
They put you in a plane with a gun, it pays to shoot at the guys who are trying to kill you.
Where's the courage in that. . . .
But you didn't have to take anything.
From nobody.
That was all right.
Anybody get wise—some wiseass Lieutenant— I say:
“Shove it, Champ. I'm a fuckin’ tail gunner on a B-17,
and I don't take no shit from some chicken Lieutenant.”
And I didn't. From Anybody.
So what does that make me.
You would like England.
CAROL : I've been there.
BERNIE : You've been there? What? With your new husband?
CAROL : With him and by myself.
BERNIE : Where else you been?
CAROL : Jamaica. Around the States.
BERNIE : See America First, huh?
I worked a year in San Francisco. In a body shop.
CAROL : I've been in San Francisco.
BERNIE : Some fine people in San Francisco.
CAROL : Oh, yes.
BERNIE : And a lot of assholes.
CAROL : Lot of assholes all over.
BERNIE : Aah, people are people, you know?
Tell me about your new husband.
CAROL : I want to know about you.
BERNIE : And I want to know about you.
So. Does he love you?
I swear I'll kill the sonofabitch, so tell me the
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