The second act begins with PIERRETTE’s entrance. Hence the last six speeches of Act One are repeated now. The door opens suddenly and PIERRETTE GUÉRIN comes in.
PIERRETTE:
Hi, everybody!
THE OTHERS:
Pierrette!
LINDA:
Great! It’s Aunt Pierrette!
ANGÉLINE:
Omigod, Pierrette!
GERMAINE:
What are you doing here? I told you I never wanted to see you again.
PIERRETTE:
I heard that my big sister, Germaine, had won a million stamps, so I decided to come over and have a look. (She sees ANGÉLINE.) Well, I’ll be goddamned! Angéline! What are you doing here?
Everyone looks at ANGÉLINE.
ANGÉLINE:
My God! I’m caught.
GERMAINE:
What do you mean, Angéline?
GABRIELLE:
How come you’re talking to Mlle Sauvé?
ROSE:
You oughta be ashamed!
PIERRETTE:
Why? We’re real good friends, eh, Géline?
ANGÉLINE:
Oh! I think I’m going to faint! (She pretends to faint.)
RHÉAUNA:
Good heavens, Angéline!
ROSE:
She’s dead!
RHÉAUNA:
What?
GABRIELLE:
Don’t be ridiculous! Rose, you’re getting carried away again.
PIERRETTE:
She hasn’t even fainted. She’s only pretending. (PIERRETTE approaches ANGÉLINE.)
GERMAINE:
Don’t you touch her!
PIERRETTE:
Mind your own business! She’s my friend.
RHÉAUNA:
What do you mean, your friend?
GERMAINE:
Don’t try to tell us Mlle Sauvé is a friend of yours!
PIERRETTE:
Of course she is! She comes to see me at the club almost every Friday night.
ALL THE WOMEN:
What!
RHÉAUNA:
That’s impossible.
PIERRETTE:
Ask her! Hey, Géline, isn’t it true what I’m saying? Come on, stop playing dead and answer me. Angéline, we all know you’re faking! Tell them. Isn’t it true you come to the club?
ANGÉLINE:
(after a silence) Yes, it’s true.
RHÉAUNA:
Oh, Angéline! Angéline!
SOME OF THE WOMEN:
Dear God, this is dreadful!
SOME OTHER WOMEN:
Dear God, this is horrible!
LINDA, GINETTE & LISE:
Holy shit, that’s great!
The lights go out.
RHÉAUNA:
Angéline! Angéline!
Spotlight on ANGÉLINE and RHÉAUNA.
ANGÉLINE:
Rhéauna, you must understand…
RHÉAUNA:
Don’t you touch me! Get away!
THE WOMEN:
Who would have thought… such a horrible thing!
RHÉAUNA:
I’d never have thought this of you. You, in a club. And every Friday night! It’s not possible. It can’t be true.
ANGÉLINE:
I don’t do anything wrong, Rhéauna. All I have is a Coke.
THE WOMEN:
In a club! In a nightclub!
GERMAINE:
God only knows what she does there.
ROSE:
Maybe she tries to get picked up.
ANGÉLINE:
But I tell you, I don’t do anything wrong!
PIERRETTE:
It’s true. She doesn’t do anything wrong.
ROSE, GERMAINE & GABRIELLE:
Shut up, you demon. Shut up!
RHÉAUNA:
You’re no longer my friend, Angéline. I don’t know you.
ANGÉLINE:
Listen to me, Rhéauna, you must listen! I’ll explain everything and then you’ll see!
ROSE, GERMAINE & GABRIELLE:
A club! The fastest road to hell!
ALL THE WOMEN:
(except the girls) The road to hell, the road to hell! If you go there, you’ll lose your soul! Cursed drink, cursed dancing! That’s the place where our men go wrong and spend their money on women of sin!
ROSE, GERMAINE & GABRIELLE:
Women of sin like you, Pierrette!
ALL THE WOMEN:
(except the girls) Shame on you, Angéline Sauvé, to spend your time in this sinful way!
RHÉAUNA:
But, Angéline, a club! It’s worse than hell!
PIERRETTE:
(laughing heartily) If hell’s anything like the club I work in, I wouldn’t mind eternity there!
ROSE, GERMAINE & GABRIELLE:
Shut up, Pierrette. The devil has your tongue!
LINDA, GINETTE & LISE:
The devil? Come on! Get with the times! The clubs are not the end of the world! They’re no worse than any place else. They’re fun! They’re lots of fun. The clubs are lots of fun.
THE WOMEN:
Ah! Youth is blind! Youth is blind! You’re gonna lose yourselves and then you’ll come crying to us. But it’ll be too late! It’ll be too late! Watch out! You be careful of these cursed places! We don’t always know when we fall, but when we get back up, it’s too late!
LISE:
Too late! It’s too late! Omigod, it’s too late!
GERMAINE:
I hope at least you’ll go to confession, Angéline Sauvé!
ROSE:
And to think that every Sunday I see you at Communion… Communion with a sin like that on your conscience!
GABRIELLE:
A mortal sin!
ROSE, GERMAINE & GABRIELLE:
How many times have we been told… It’s a mortal sin to set foot in a club!
ANGÉLINE:
That’s enough. Shut up and listen to me!
THE WOMEN:
Never! You’ve no excuse!
ANGÉLINE:
Rhéauna, will you listen to me! We’re old friends. We’ve been together for thirty-five years. You mean a lot to me, but there are times when I want to see other people. You know how I am. I like to have fun. I grew up in church basements and I want to see other things. Clubs aren’t all bad, you know. I’ve been going for four years and I never did anything wrong. And the people who work there, they’re no worse than us. I want to meet people, Rhéauna! Rhéauna, I’ve never laughed in my life!
RHÉAUNA:
There are better places to laugh. Angéline, you’re going to lose your soul. Tell me you won’t go back.
ANGÉLINE:
Listen, Rhéauna, I can’t! I like to go there, don’t you understand. I like it!
RHÉAUNA:
You must promise or I’ll never speak to you again. It’s up to you. It’s me or the club. If you only knew how much that hurts, my best friend sneaking off to a nightclub. How do you think that looks, Angéline? What will people say when they see you going there? Especially where Pierrette works. It’s the lowest of them all! You must never go back, Angéline, you hear? If you do, it’s finished between us. Finished! You ought to be ashamed!
ANGÉLINE:
Rhéauna, you can’t ask me not to go back… Rhéauna, answer me!
RHÉAUNA:
Until you promise, not another word!
The lights come up. ANGÉLINE sits in a corner. PIERRETTE joins her.
ANGÉLINE:
Why did you have to come here tonight?
PIERRETTE:
Let them talk. They love to get hysterical. They know damn well you don’t do anything wrong at the club. In five minutes, they’ll forget all about it.
ANGÉLINE:
You think so, eh? Well, what about Rhéauna? You think she’ll forgive me just like that? And Mme de Courval, who’s in charge of recreation for the parish, also president of the Altar Society at Our Lady of Perpetual Help! You think she’ll continue speaking to me? And your sisters, who can’t stand you because you work in a club! I’m telling you it’s hopeless! Hopeless!
GERMAINE:
Pierrette!
PIERRETTE:
Listen, Germaine, Angéline feels bad enough. So let’s not fight, eh? I came here to see you and paste stamps and I want to stay. And I don’t have the plague, okay? Just leave us alone. Don’t worry. The two of us’ll stay out of your way. After tonight, if you want, I’ll never come back again. But I can’t leave Angéline alone.
ANGÉLINE:
You can leave if you want, Pierrette…
PIERRETTE:
No, I want to stay.
ANGÉLINE:
Okay, then I’ll go.
LISETTE:
Why don’t they both leave!
ANGÉLINE gets up.
ANGÉLINE:
(to RHÉAUNA) Are you coming? (RHÉAUNA doesn’t answer.) Okay. I’ll leave the door unlocked…
She goes toward the door. The lights go out. Spotlight on ANGÉLINE SAUVÉ.
ANGÉLINE:
It’s easy to judge people. It’s easy to judge them, but you have to look at both sides of the coin. The people I’ve met in that club are my best friends. No one has ever treated me so well… Not even Rhéauna. I have fun with those people. I can laugh with them. I was brought up by nuns in the parish halls who did the best they could, poor souls, but knew nothing. I was fifty-five years old when I learned to laugh. And it was only by chance. Because Pierrette took me to her club one night. Oh, I didn’t want to go. She had to drag me there. But, you know, the minute I got in the door, I knew what it was to go through life without having any fun. I suppose clubs aren’t for everyone, but me, I like them. And of course, it’s not true that I only have a Coke. Of course, I drink liquor! I don’t have much, but still, it makes me happy. I don’t do anyone any harm and I buy myself two hours of pleasure every week. But this was bound to happen someday. I knew I’d get caught sooner or later. I knew it. What am I going to do now? Dear God, what am I going to do? (pause) Damn it all! Everyone deserves to get some fun out of life! (pause) I always said that if I got caught I’d stop going… But I don’t know if I can… And Rhéauna will never go along with that. (pause) Ah, well, I suppose Rhéauna is worth more than Pierrette. (She gives a long sigh.) I guess the party’s over…
She goes off. Spotlight on YVETTE LONGPRÉ.
YVETTE:
Last week, my sister-in-law, Fleur-Ange, had a birthday. They had a real nice party for her. There was a whole gang of us there. First there was her and her family, eh? Oscar David, her husband, Fleur-Ange David, that’s her, and their seven kids: Raymonde, Claude, Lisette, Fernand, Réal, Micheline, and Yves. Her husband’s parents, Aurèle David and his wife, Ozéa David, were there, too. Next, there was my sister-in-law’s mother, Blanche Tremblay. Her father wasn’t there ’cause he’s dead… Then there were the other guests: Antonio Fournier, his wife, Rita, Germaine Gervais, also Wilfred Gervais, Armand Campeau, Daniel Lemoyne and his wife, Rose-Aimée, Roger Joly, Hormidas Guay, Simmone Laflamme, Napoleon Gauvin, Anne-Marie Turgeon, Conrad Joanette, Léa Liasse, Jeanette Landreville, Nona Laplante, Robertine Portelance, Gilbert Morrissette, Lilianne Beaupré, Virginie Latour, Alexandre Thibodeau, Ovila Gariépy, Roméo Bacon and his wife, Juliette, Mimi Bleau, Pit Cadieux, Ludger Champagne, Rosaire Rouleau, Roger Chabot, Antonio Simard, Alexandrine Smith, Philémon Langlois, Eliane Meunier, Marcel Morel, Grégoire Cinq-Mars, Théodore Fortier, Hermine Héroux, and us, my husband, Euclide, and me. And I think that’s just about everyone…
The lights come back up.
GERMAINE:
Okay, now let’s get back to work, eh?
ROSE:
On your toes, girls. Here we go!
DES-NEIGES:
We’re not doing badly, are we? Look at all I’ve pasted…
MARIE-ANGE:
What about all you’ve stolen…
LISETTE:
You want to hand me some more stamps, Mme Lauzon.
GERMAINE:
Sure… coming right up… Here’s a whole bunch.
RHÉAUNA:
Angéline! Angéline! It can’t be true!
LINDA:
(to PIERRETTE) Hi, Aunt Pierrette.
PIERRETTE:
Hi! How’re you doing?
LINDA:
Oh, not too hot. Ma and I are always fighting and I’m really getting sick of it. She’s always bitching about nothing, you know? I’d sure like to get out of here.
GERMAINE:
The retreats will be starting pretty soon, eh?
ROSE:
Yeah! That’s what they said last Sunday.
MARIE-ANGE:
I hope we won’t be getting the same priest as last year…
GERMAINE:
Me, too! I didn’t like him either. What a bore.
PIERRETTE:
Well, what’s stopping you? You could come and stay with me…
LINDA:
Are you kidding? They’d disown me on the spot!
LISETTE:
No, we’ve got a new one coming this year.
DES-NEIGES:
Oh yeah? Who’s it gonna be?
LISETTE:
A certain Abbé Rochon. They say he’s excellent. I was talking to l’Abbé Gagné the other day and he tells me he’s one of his best friends…
ROSE:
(to GABRIELLE) There she goes again with her l’Abbé Gagné. We’ll be hearing about him all night! You’d think she was in love with him. L’Abbé Gagné this, l’Abbé Gagné that. Well, if you want my opinion, I don’t like l’Abbé Gagné.
GABRIELLE:
I agree. He’s too modern for me. It’s okay to take care of parish activities, but he shouldn’t forget he’s a priest! A man of God!
LISETTE:
Oh, but the man is a saint… You should get to know him, Mme Dubuc. I’m sure you’d like him… When he speaks, you’d swear it was the Lord himself talking to us.
THÉRÈSE:
Don’t overdo it…
LISETTE:
And the children! They adore him. Oh, that reminds me, the children in the parish are organizing a variety night for next month. I hope you can all make it because it should be very impressive. They’ve been practising for ages…
DES-NEIGES:
What’s on the programme?
LISETTE:
Well, it’s going to be very good. There’ll be all sorts of things. Mme Gladu’s little boy is going to sing…
ROSE:
Again! I’m getting sick of that kid. Besides, since he went on television, his mother’s got her nose in the air. She thinks she’s a real star!
LISETTE:
But the child has a lovely voice.
ROSE:
Oh yeah? Well, he looks like a girl with his mouth all puckered up like a turkey’s ass.
GABRIELLE:
Rose!
LISETTE:
Diane Aubin will give a demonstration of aquatic swimming… We’ll be holding the event next door to the city pool, it will be wonderful…
ROSE:
Any door prizes?
LISETTE:
Oh yes, lots. And the final event of the evening will be a giant bingo.
THE OTHERWOMEN:
(except the girls) A bingo!
Blackout.
When the lights come back up, the women are all at the edge of the stage.
LISETTE:
Ode to Bingo!
While ROSE, GERMAINE, GABRIELLE, THÉRÈSE, and MARIE-ANGE recite the “Ode to Bingo,” the four other women call out bingo numbers in counterpoint.
ROSE, GERMAINE, GABRIELLE, THÉRÈSE & MARIE-ANGE:
Me, there’s nothing in the world I like more than bingo. Almost every month we have one in the parish. I get ready two days ahead of time; I’m all wound up, I can’t sit still, it’s all I can think of. And when the big day arrives, I’m so excited, housework’s out of the question. The minute supper’s over, I get all dressed up, and a team of wild horses couldn’t hold me back. I love playing bingo! I adore playing bingo! There’s nothing in the world can beat bingo! When we arrive at the apartment where we’re going to play, we take off our coats and head straight for the tables. Sometimes it’s the living room the lady’s cleared, sometimes it’s the kitchen. Sometimes it’s even the bedroom. We sit at the tables, distribute the cards, set up the chips and the game begins!
The women who are calling the numbers continue alone for a moment.
ROSE, GERMAINE, GABRIELLE, THÉRÈSE & MARIE-ANGE:
I’m so excited, I go bananas. I get all mixed up, I sweat like a pig, screw up the numbers, put my chips in the wrong squares, make the caller repeat the numbers, I’m in an awful state! I love playing bingo! I adore playing bingo! There’s nothing in the world can beat bingo! The game’s almost over. I’ve got three more tries. Two down and one across. I’m missing the B14! I need the B14! I want the B14! I look at the others. Shit, they’re as close as I am. What am I gonna do? I’ve gotta win! I’ve gotta win! I’ve gotta win!
LISETTE:
B14!
THE OTHERS:
Bingo! Bingo! I’ve won! I knew it! I knew I couldn’t lose! I’ve won! Hey, what did I win?
LISETTE:
Last month we had Chinese dog doorstops. But this month, this month, we’ve got ashtray floor lamps!
THE OTHERS:
I love playing bingo! I adore playing bingo! There’s nothing in the world beats bingo! What a shame they don’t have ’em more often. The more they have, the happier it makes me! Long live the Chinese dogs! Long live the ashtray floor lamps! Long live bingo!
Lights to normal.
ROSE:
I’m getting thirsty.
GERMAINE:
Oh God, I forgot the drinks! Linda, get out the Cokes.
OLIVINE:
Coke… Coke… Yeah… Yeah, Coke…
THÉRÈSE:
Relax, Mme Dubuc. You’ll get your Coke like everyone else. But drink it properly! No spilling it like last time.
ROSE:
She’s driving me up the wall with her mother-in-law…
GABRIELLE:
Forget it, Rose. There’s been enough fighting already.
GERMAINE:
Yeah! Just keep quiet and paste. You’re not doing a thing!
Spotlight on the refrigerator. The following scene takes place by the refrigerator door.
LISE:
(to LINDA) I’ve got to talk to you, Linda…
LINDA:
I know, you told me at the restaurant… But it’s hardly a good time…
LISE:
It won’t take long and I’ve got to tell somebody, I can’t hide it much longer. I’m too upset. And Linda, you’re my best friend… Linda, I’m going to have a baby.
LINDA:
What! But that’s crazy! Are you sure?
LISE:
Yes, I’m sure. The doctors told me.
LINDA:
What are you gonna do?
LISE:
I don’t know. I’m so depressed! I haven’t told my parents yet. My father’ll kill me, I know he will. When the doctor told me, I felt like jumping off the balcony…
PIERRETTE:
Listen, Lise…
LINDA:
You heard?
PIERRETTE:
Yeah! I know you’re in a jam, kid, but… I might be able to help you…
LISE:
Yeah? How?
PIERRETTE:
Well, I know a doctor…
LINDA:
Pierrette, she can’t do that!
PIERRETTE:
Come on, it’s not dangerous… He does it twice a week, this guy.
LISE:
I’ve thought about it already, Linda… But I didn’t know anyone… And I’m scared to try it alone.
PIERRETTE:
Don’t ever do that! It’s too dangerous! But with this doctor… I can arrange it, if you like. A week from now you’ll be all fixed up.
LINDA:
Lise, you can’t do that!
LISE:
What else can I do? It’s the only way out. I don’t want the thing to be born. Look what happened to Manon Belair. She was in the same boat and now her life’s all screwed up because she’s got that kid on her hands.
LINDA:
What about the father? Can’t he marry you?
LISE:
Are you kidding! I don’t even know where he is. He just took off somewhere. Sure, he promised me the moon. We were gonna be happy. He was raking it in, I thought everything was roses. One present after another. No end to it. It was great while it lasted… but goddamn it, this had to happen. It just had to. Why is it always me who ends up in the shit? All I ever wanted was a proper life for myself. I’m sick of working at Kresge’s. I want to make something of myself, you know, I want to be somebody. I want a car, a decent place to live, nice clothes. My uniforms for the restaurant are all I own, for Chrissake. I never have any money, I always have to scrounge, but I want that to change. I don’t want to be cheap anymore. I came into this world by the back door, but by Christ I’ll go out by the front! Nothing’s gonna stop me. Nothing. You watch, Linda, you’ll see I was right. Give me two or three years and you’ll see that Lise Paquette is a somebody. And money, she’s gonna have it, okay?
LINDA:
You’re off to a bad start.
LISE:
That’s just it! I’ve made a mistake and I want to correct it. After this I’ll start fresh. You understand, don’t you, Pierrette?
PIERRETTE:
Sure, I do. I know what it is to want to be rich. Look at me. When I was your age, I left home because I wanted to make some money. But I didn’t start by working in a dime store. Oh no! I went straight to the club. Because that’s where the money was. And it won’t be long now before I hit the jackpot. Johnny’s promised me…
ROSE, GERMAINE & GABRIELLE:
Goddamn Johnny! Goddamn Johnny!
GINETTE:
What’s going on over here?
LISE:
Nothing, nothing. (to PIERRETTE) We’ll talk about it later…
GINETTE:
Talk about what?
LISE:
Forget it. It’s nothing!
GINETTE:
Can’t you tell me?
LISE:
Look, will you leave me alone?
PIERRETTE:
Come on, we can talk over here…
GERMAINE:
What’s happening to those Cokes?
LINDA:
Coming, coming…
The lights come back up.
GABRIELLE:
Hey, Rose, you know that blue suit of yours? How much did you pay for it?
ROSE:
Which one?
GABRIELLE:
You know, the one with the white lace around the collar?
ROSE:
Oh, that one… I got it for $9.98.
GABRIELLE:
That’s what I thought. Imagine, today I saw the same one at Reitman’s for $14.98.
ROSE:
No kidding! I told you I got it cheap, eh?
GABRIELLE:
I don’t know how you do it. You always find the bargains.
LISETTE:
My daughter Micheline just found a new job. She’s started to work with those FBI machines.
MARIE-ANGE:
Oh yeah! I hear those things are tough on the nerves. The girls who work them have to change jobs every six months. My sister-in-law, Simonne’s daughter, had a nervous breakdown over one. Simonne just called today to tell me about it.
ROSE:
Omigod, I forgot, Linda, you’re wanted on the phone!
Linda runs to the phone.
LINDA:
Hello? Robert? How long have you been waiting?
GINETTE:
Tell me.
LISE:
No. Beat it, will you? I want to talk to Pierrette… Go on, get lost!
GINETTE:
Okay, I get the message! You’re happy to have me around when there’s nobody else, eh? But when someone more interesting comes along…
LINDA:
Listen, Robert, how many times do I have to tell you, it’s not my fault! I just found out!
THÉRÈSE:
Here, Mme Dubuc, hide these!
ROSE:
How are things at your place, Ginette?
GINETTE:
Oh, same as usual, they fight all day long… Nothing new. My mother still drinks… And my father gets mad… And they go on fighting…
ROSE:
Poor kid… And your sister?
GINETTE:
Suzanne? Oh, she’s still the brainy one. She can’t do anything wrong, you know? “Now there’s a girl who uses her head. You should be more like her, Ginette. She’s making something of her life”… Nobody else even counts, especially me. But they always did like her best. And, of course, now she’s a teacher, you’d think she was a saint or something.
ROSE:
Hey, come on, Ginette. Isn’t that a bit much?
GINETTE:
No, I’m serious… My mother’s never cared about me. It’s always, “Suzanne’s the prettiest. Suzanne’s the nicest”… Day in, day out till I’m sick of it! Even Lise doesn’t like me anymore!
LINDA:
(on the phone) Oh, go to hell! If you’re not gonna listen, why should I talk? Call me back when you’re in a better mood! (She hangs up.) For Chrissake, Aunt Rose, why didn’t you tell me I was wanted on the phone? Now he’s pissed off at me!
ROSE:
Isn’t she polite! You see how polite she is?
Spotlight on PIERRETTE GUÉRIN.
PIERRETTE:
When I left home, I was head over heels in love, I couldn’t even see straight. No one existed for me but Johnny. He made me waste ten years of my life, the bastard. I’m only thirty now and I feel like sixty. The things that guy got me to do! And me, the idiot, I listened to him. Did I ever. Ten years I worked his club for him. I was a looker, I brought in the customers, and that was fine as long as it lasted… But now… now I’m fucked. I feel like jumping off a bridge. All I got left is the bottle. And that’s what I’ve been doing since Friday. Poor Lise, she thinks she’s done for just ’cause she’s pregnant. She’s young, I’ll give her my doctor’s name… He’ll fix her up. It’ll be easy for her to start over. But not me. Not me. I’m too old. A girl who’s been at it for ten years is washed up. Finished. And try telling that to my sisters. They’ll never understand. I don’t know what I’m gonna do now. I don’t know.
LISE:
I don’t know what I’m gonna do now. I don’t know. An abortion, that’s serious. I’ve heard enough stories to know that. But I guess I’m better off going to see Pierrette’s doctor than trying to do it myself. Ah, why do these things always happen to me? Pierrette, she’s lucky. Working in the same club for ten years, making a bundle… And she’s in love! I wouldn’t mind being in her shoes. Even if her family can’t stand her, at least she’s happy on her own.
PIERRETTE:
He dumped me, just like that! “It’s finished,” he said. “I don’t need you anymore. You’re too old and too ugly. So pack your bags and beat it.” That son of a bitch! He didn’t leave me a nickel! Not a goddamn nickel! After all I did for him. Ten years! Ten years for nothing. That’s enough to make anyone pack it in. What am I gonna do now, eh? What? Become a waitress at Kresge’s like Lise? No thanks! Kresge’s is fine for kids and old ladies, but not for me. I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I just don’t know. And here I’ve gotta pretend everything’s great. But I can’t tell Linda and Lise I’m washed up. (Silence.) Yeah… I guess there’s nothing left but booze… Good thing I like that…
LISE:
(interspersed throughout PIERRETTE’s last speech) I’m scared, dear God, I’m scared! (She approaches PIERRETTE.) Are you sure this’ll work, Pierrette? If you only knew how scared I am!
PIERRETTE:
(laughing) ’Course it will. It’ll be fine, kid. You’ll see…
The lights come back up.
MARIE-ANGE:
It’s not even safe to go to the show anymore. I went to the Rex the other day to see Belmondo in something, I forget what. I went alone, ’cause my husband didn’t wanna go. Well, all of a sudden, right in the middle of the show this smelly old bum sits down next to me and starts grabbing my knee. You can imagine how embarrassed I was but that didn’t stop me. I stood up, took my purse and smashed him right in his ugly face.
DES-NEIGES:
Good for you, Mme Brouillette! I always carry a hatpin when I go to the show. You never know what’ll happen. And the first one who tries to get fresh with me… But I’ve never used it yet.
ROSE:
Hey, Germaine, these Cokes are pretty warm.
GERMAINE:
When are you gonna stop criticizing, eh? When?
LISE:
Linda, you got a pencil and paper?
LINDA:
I’m telling you, Lise, don’t do it!
LISE:
I know what I’m doing. I’ve made up my mind and nothing’s gonna make me change it.
RHÉAUNA:
(to THÉRÈSE) What are you doing there?
THÉRÈSE:
Shh! Not so loud! You should take some, too. Two or three books, she’ll never know.
RHÉAUNA:
I’m not a thief!
THÉRÈSE:
Come on, Mlle Bibeau, it’s not a question of stealing. She got these stamps for nothing and there’s a million of ’em. A million!
RHÉAUNA:
Say what you will, she invited us here to paste her stamps and we’ve got no right to steal them!
GERMAINE:
(to ROSE) What are those two talking about? I don’t like all this whispering…
She goes over to RHÉAUNA and THÉRÈSE.
THÉRÈSE:
(seeing her coming) Oh… Yeah… You add two cups of water and stir.
RHÉAUNA:
What? (noticing GERMAINE) Oh! Yes! She was giving me a recipe.
GERMAINE:
A recipe for what?
RHÉAUNA:
Doughnuts!
THÉRÈSE:
Chocolate pudding!
GERMAINE:
Well, which is it? Doughnuts or chocolate pudding? (She comes back to ROSE.) Listen, Rose, there’s something fishy going on around here.
ROSE:
(who has just hidden a few books in her purse) Don’t be silly… You’re imagining things.
GERMAINE:
And I think Linda’s spending too much time with Pierrette. Linda, get over here!
LINDA:
In a minute, Ma…
GERMAINE:
I said come here! That means now. Not tomorrow!
LINDA:
Okay! Don’t get in a flap… So, what do you want?
GABRIELLE:
Stay with us a bit… You’ve been with your aunt long enough.
LINDA:
So what?
GERMAINE:
What’s going on between her and Lise there?
LINDA:
Oh… Nothing…
GERMAINE:
Answer when you’re spoken to!
ROSE:
Lise wrote something down a while ago.
LINDA:
It was just an address…
GERMAINE:
Not Pierrette’s, I hope! If I ever find out you’ve been to her place, you’re gonna hear from me, got that?
LINDA:
Will you lay off! I’m old enough to know what I’m doing! (She goes back to PIERRETTE.)
ROSE:
Maybe it’s none of my business, Germaine, but…
GERMAINE:
Why, what’s the matter now?
ROSE:
Your Linda’s picking up some pretty bad habits…
GERMAINE:
You can say that again! But don’t worry, Rose, I can handle her. She’s gonna straighten out fast. And as for Pierrette, it’s the last time she’ll set foot in this house. I’ll throw her down the goddamn stairs!
MARIE-ANGE:
Have you noticed Mme Bergeron’s daughter lately? Wouldn’t you say she’s been putting on weight?
LISETTE:
Yes, I’ve noticed that…
THÉRÈSE:
(insinuating) Strange, isn’t it? It’s all in her middle.
ROSE:
I guess the sap’s running a bit early this year.
MARIE-ANGE:
She tries to hide it, too. It’s beginning to show, though.
THÉRÈSE:
And how! I wonder who could have done it?
LISETTE:
It’s probably her stepfather…
GERMAINE:
Wouldn’t surprise me in the least. He’s been after her ever since he married her mother.
THÉRÈSE:
It must be awful in that house. I feel sorry for Monique. She’s so young…
ROSE:
Maybe so, but you must admit, she’s been looking for it, too. Look how she dresses. Last summer, I was embarrassed to look at her! And you know me, I’m no prude. Remember those red shorts she had on, those short shorts? Well, I said it then, and I’ll say it again, “Monique Bergeron is gonna turn out bad.” She’s got the devil in her, that girl, a real demon. Besides, she’s a redhead… No, you can say what you like, those unwed mothers deserve what they get and I got no sympathy for ’em.
LISE starts to get up.
PIERRETTE:
Take it easy, kid!
ROSE:
It’s true! It’s their own damn fault! I’m not talking about the ones who get raped. That’s different. But an ordinary girl who gets herself knocked up, uh! uh!… She gets no sympathy from me. It’s too goddamn bad! I tell you, if my Carmen ever came home like that, she’d go sailing right through the window! Not that I’m worried about her, mind you. She’s not that kind of girl… Nope, for me unwed mothers are all the same. A bunch of depraved sluts. You know what my husband calls ’em, eh? Cockteasers!
LISE:
I’ll kill her if she doesn’t shut up!
GINETTE:
Why? If you ask me, she’s right.
LISE:
You shut your trap and get out of here!
PIERRETTE:
Isn’t that a bit much, Rose?
ROSE:
Listen, Pierrette, we know you’re an expert on these matters. We know you can’t be shocked. Maybe you think it’s normal, but we don’t. There’s one way to prevent it…
PIERRETTE:
(laughing) There’s lots of ways. Ever heard of the pill?
ROSE:
It’s no use talking to you! That’s not what I meant! I’m against free love! I’m a Catholic! So leave us alone and stay where you belong, filthy whore!
LISETTE:
I think perhaps you exaggerate, Mme Ouimet. There are occasions when girls can get themselves in trouble and it’s not entirely their fault.
ROSE:
You! You believe everything they tell you in those stupid French movies!
LISETTE:
What have you got against French movies?
ROSE:
Nothing. I like English ones better, that’s all. French movies, they’re too realistic, too farfetched. You shouldn’t believe what they say. They always make you feel sorry for the girl who gets pregnant. It’s never anyone else’s fault. Well, do you feel sorry for tramps like that? I don’t! A movie’s a movie and life’s life!
LISE:
I’ll kill her, the bitch! Stupid fucking jerk! She goes around judging everyone – and she’s got the brains of a… And as for her Carmen. Well, I happen to know her Carmen and believe me, she does a lot more than tease! She oughta clean her own house before she shits on everyone else.
Spotlight on ROSE OUIMET.
ROSE:
That’s right. Life is life and no goddamn Frenchman ever made a movie about that! Sure, any old actress can make you feel sorry for her in a movie. Easy as pie! And when she’s finished work, she can go home to her big fat mansion and climb into her big fat bed that’s twice the size of my bedroom, for Chrissake! But the rest of us, when we get up in the morning… When I wake up in the morning he’s lying there staring at me… Waiting. Every morning, I open my eyes and there he is, waiting! Every night, I get into bed and there he is, waiting! He’s always there, always after me, always hanging over me like a vulture. Goddamn sex! It’s never that way in the movies, is it? Oh no, in the movies it’s always fun! Besides, who cares about a woman who’s gotta spend her life with a pig just ’cause she said yes to him once? Well, I’m telling you, no fucking movie was ever this sad. Because movies don’t last a lifetime! (Silence.) Why did I ever do it? Why? I should have said no. I should have yelled no at the top of my lungs and stayed an old maid. At least I’d have had some peace. I was so ignorant in those days. Christ, I didn’t know what I was in for. All I could think of was “the Holy State of Matrimony”! You gotta be stupid to bring up your kids like that, knowing nothing. My Carmen won’t get caught like that. Because I’ve been telling her for years what men are really worth. She won’t be able to say I didn’t warn her! (on the verge of tears) She won’t end up like me, forty-four years old, with a two-year-old kid and another one on the way, with a stupid slob of a husband who can’t understand a thing, who demands his “rights” at least twice a day, 365 days a year. When you get to be forty and you realize you’ve got nothing behind you and nothing ahead of you, it makes you want to dump everything and start all over… But women… women can’t do that… They get grabbed by the throat, and they stay that way, right to the end!
The lights come back up.
GABRIELLE:
Well, I like French movies. They sure know how to make ’em good and sad. They make me cry every time. And you must admit, Frenchmen are a lot better looking than Canadians. They’re real men!
GERMAINE:
Now wait just a minute! That’s not true.
MARIE-ANGE:
Come on! The little peckers don’t even come up to my shoulder. And they act like girls! Of course, what do you expect? They’re all queer!
GABRIELLE:
I beg your pardon. Some of them are men! And I don’t mean like our husbands.
MARIE-ANGE:
After our husbands, anything looks good.
LISETTE:
You don’t mix serviettes with paper napkins.
GERMAINE:
Okay, so our husbands are rough, but our actors are just as good and just as good-looking as any one of those French fairies from France.
GABRIELLE:
Well, I wouldn’t say no to Jean Marais. Now there’s a real man!
OLIVINE:
Coke… Coke… More… Coke…
ROSE:
Hey, can’t you shut her up? It’s impossible to work! Shove a Coke in her mouth, Germaine. That’ll keep her quiet.
GERMAINE:
I think I’ve run out.
ROSE:
Jesus, you didn’t buy much, did you? Talk about cheap!
RHÉAUNA:
(as she steals some stamps) Oh, what the heck. Three more books and I can get my chrome dustpan.
ANGÉLINE:
(comes in) Hello… (to RHÉAUNA) I’ve come back…
THE OTHERS:
(coldly) Hello…
ANGÉLINE:
I went to see Father Castelneau…
PIERRETTE:
She didn’t even look at me!
MARIE-ANGE:
What does she want with Mlle Bibeau?
DES-NEIGES:
I’m sure it’s to ask forgiveness. After all, Mlle Sauvé is a good person and she knows what’s right. It’ll all work out for the best, you’ll see.
GERMAINE:
While we’re waiting, I’m gonna see how many books we’ve filled.
The women sit up in their chairs. GABRIELLE hesitates, then speaks.
GABRIELLE:
Oh, Germaine, I forgot to tell you. I found a corset-maker. Her name’s Angélina Giroux. Come over here, I’ll tell you about her.
RHÉAUNA:
I knew you’d come back to me, Angéline. I’m very happy. You’ll see, we’ll pray together and the Good Lord will forget all about it. God’s not stupid, you know.
LISE:
That’s it, Pierrette, they’ve made up.
PIERRETTE:
I’ll be goddamned!
ANGÉLINE:
I’ll just say goodbye to Pierrette and explain…
RHÉAUNA:
No, you’d best not say another word to her. Stay with me and leave her alone. That chapter’s closed.
ANGÉLINE:
Whatever you say.
PIERRETTE:
Well, that’s that. She’s won. Makes me want to puke. Nothing left for me to do here. I’m getting out of here.
GERMAINE:
Gaby, you’re terrific. I’d almost given up hope. It’s not everyone can make me a corset. I’ll go see her next week. (She goes over to the box that is supposed to hold the completed books. The women follow her with their eyes.) My God, there isn’t much here! Where are all the booklets? There’s no more than a dozen in the box. Maybe they’re… No, the table’s empty! (Silence. GERMAINE looks at all the women.) What’s going on here?
THE OTHERS:
Well… Ah… I don’t know… Really…
They pretend to search for the books. GERMAINE stations herself in front of the door.
GERMAINE:
Where are my stamps?
ROSE:
I don’t know, Germaine. Let’s look for them.
GERMAINE:
They’re not in the box and they’re not on the table. I want to know what’s happened to my stamps!
OLIVINE:
(pulling stamps out from under her clothes) Stamps? Stamps… Stamps… (She laughs.)
THÉRÈSE:
Mme Dubuc, hide that… Goddamn it, Mme Dubuc!
MARIE-ANGE:
Holy Sainte Anne!
DES-NEIGES:
Pray for us!
GERMAINE:
But her clothes are full of them! What the… She’s got them everywhere! Here… and here… Thérèse… Don’t tell me it’s you.
THÉRÈSE:
Heavens, no! I swear, I had no idea!
GERMAINE:
Let me see your purse.
THÉRÈSE:
Really, Germaine, if that’s all the faith you have in me.
ROSE:
Germaine, don’t be ridiculous!
GERMAINE:
You too, Rose. I want to see your purse. I want to see all your purses. Every one of them!
DES-NEIGES:
I refuse! I’ve never been so insulted!
YVETTE:
Me neither.
LISETTE:
I’ll never set foot in here again!
GERMAINE grabs THÉRÈSE’s bag and opens it. She pulls out several books.
GERMAINE:
Ah hah! I knew it! I bet it’s the same with all of you! You bastards! You won’t get out of here alive! I’ll knock you to kingdom come!
PIERRETTE:
I’ll help you, Germaine. Nothing but a pack of thieves! And they look down their noses at me!
GERMAINE:
Show me your purses. (She grabs ROSE’s purse.) Look at that… And that! (She grabs another purse.) More here. And look, still more! You too, Mlle Bibeau? There’s only three, but even so!
ANGÉLINE:
Oh Rhéauna, you too!
GERMAINE:
All of you, thieves! The whole bunch of you, you hear me? Thieves!
MARIE-ANGE:
You don’t deserve all those stamps.
DES-NEIGES:
Why you more than anyone else?
ROSE:
You’ve made us feel like shit with your million stamps!
GERMAINE:
But those stamps are mine!
LISETTE:
They ought to be for everyone!
THE OTHERS:
Yeah, everyone!
GERMAINE:
But they’re mine! Give them back to me!
THE OTHERS:
No way!
MARIE-ANGE:
There’s lots more in the boxes. Let’s help ourselves.
DES-NEIGES:
Good idea.
YVETTE:
I’m filling my purse.
GERMAINE:
Stop! Keep your hands off!
THÉRÈSE:
Here, Mme Dubuc, take these! Here’s some more.
MARIE-ANGE:
Come on, Mlle Verrette. There’s tons of them. Here. Give me a hand.
PIERRETTE:
Let go of that!
GERMAINE:
My stamps! My stamps!
ROSE:
Help me, Gaby, I’ve got too many!
GERMAINE:
My stamps! My stamps!
A huge battle ensues. The women steal all the stamps they can. PIERRETTE and GERMAINE try to stop them. LINDA and LISE stay seated in the corner and watch without moving. Screams are heard as some of the women begin fighting.
MARIE-ANGE:
Give me those, they’re mine!
ROSE:
That’s a lie, they’re mine!
LISETTE:
(to GABRIELLE) Will you let go of me! Let me go!
They start throwing stamps and books at one another. Everybody grabs all they can get their hands on, throwing stamps everywhere, out the door, even out the window. OLIVINE DUBUC starts cruising around in her wheelchair singing “O Canada.” A few women go out with their loot of stamps. ROSE and GABRIELLE stay a bit longer than the others.
GERMAINE:
My sisters! My own sisters!
GABRIELLE and ROSE go out. The only ones left in the kitchen are GERMAINE, LINDA, and PIERRETTE. GERMAINE collapses into a chair.
GERMAINE:
My stamps! My stamps!
PIERRETTE:
(putting her arms around GERMAINE’s shoulders) Don’t cry, Germaine.
GERMAINE:
Don’t talk to me. Get out! You’re no better than the rest of them!
PIERRETTE:
But…
GERMAINE:
Get out! I never want to see you again!
PIERRETTE:
But I tried to help you! I’m on your side, Germaine!
GERMAINE:
Get out and leave me alone! Don’t speak to me. I don’t want to see anyone!
PIERRETTE goes out slowly. LINDA also heads toward the door.
LINDA:
It’ll be some job cleaning all that up!
GERMAINE:
My God! My God! My stamps! There’s nothing left! Nothing! Nothing! My beautiful new home! My lovely furniture! Gone! My stamps! My stamps!
She falls to her knees beside the chair, picking up the remaining stamps. She is crying very hard. We hear all the others outside singing “O Canada.” As the song continues, GERMAINE regains her courage. She finishes “O Canada” with the others, standing at attention, with tears in her eyes. A rain of stamps falls slowly from the ceiling…
END