Henry, Annie and Brodie.
In the blackout the music gives way to recorded dialogue between Annie and Billy, who speaks with a Scottish accent.
Billy (voice) Wait for me.
Annie (voice) Yes, I will.
Billy (voice) Everything’s got to change. Except you. Don’t you change.
Annie (voice) No. I won’t. I’ll wait for you and for everything to change.
Billy (voice) That could take longer, (laughs) I might have to do it myself.
By this time, light has appeared starting with the faint glow from the television screen.
Brodie, alone in the living-room, is twenty-five, wearing a cheap suit. He is holding a tumbler of neat scotch, his attention engaged by the television set and particularly by the accompanying video machine. From the television the dialogue has been followed by the echoing clang of a cell door, footsteps, credit music. Brodie turns the volume down.
Henry enters from the kitchen carrying a small jug of water for Brodie’s scotch. In the room there is wine for Henry and another glass for Annie.
Brodie speaks with a Scottish accent.
Brodie Very handy, these machines. When did they come out?
Henry Well, I suppose they were coming out about the time you were going in.
Brodie You can set them two weeks ahead.
Henry Yes.
Brodie How much?
Henry A few hundred. They vary.
Brodie I’ll have to pinch one sometime.
Henry If you leave it a bit, they’ll probably improve them so that you can have it recording concurrently with your sentence.
Brodie looks at Henry without expression.
Brodie Annie looked nice. She’s come on a bit since Rosie of the Royal Infirmary. A good-looking woman.
Henry doesn’t answer. Annie enters from the kitchen with a dip, peanuts, etc. on a tray. She puts the tray down. Henry pours wine into a third glass.
Just saying you looked nice.
Annie Oh, yes?
Brodie The pretty one was supposed to be me, was he?
Annie Well …
Brodie He’s not a pansy, is he?
Annie I don’t think so.
Henry hands her the glass of wine.
Thank you.
Henry (to Brodie, indicating the TV) What did you think?
Brodie I liked it better before. You don’t mind me saying?
Annie It did work.
Brodie You mean getting me sprung?
Annie No, I didn’t mean that.
Brodie That’s right. I got sprung by the militarists.
Henry I don’t think I follow that.
Brodie Half a billion pounds for defence, nothing left for prisons. So you get three, four to a cell. First off, they tell the magistrates, for God’s sake go easy, fine the bastards. But still they keep coming – four, five to a cell. Now they’re frightened it’s going to blow up. Even the warders are going on strike. So: ‘Give us the money to build more prisons!’ ‘Can’t be done, laddie, we’re spending the money to keep the world free, not in prison.’ So they start freeing the prisoners. Get it? I’m out because the missiles I was marching against are using up the money they need for a prison to put me in. Beautiful. Can I have another?
He holds up his empty glass for Annie. Slight pause. Henry stays still.
Annie Please help yourself
Brodie does so.
Brodie Early release. There was eight of us just on my corridor, (to Henry) Not one of them a controversial TV author. I don’t owe you.
Henry Is it against your principles to say thank you for anything, even a drink?
Brodie Fair enough. You had a go. You did your best. It probably needed something, to work in with their prejudices.
Henry Yes, they are a bit prejudiced, these drama producers. They don’t like plays which go ‘clunk’ every time someone opens his mouth. They gang up against soap-box bigots with no idea that everything has a length. They think TV is a visual medium, (to Annie, puzzled) Is this him?
Brodie Don’t be clever with me, Henry, like you were clever with my play. I lived it and put my guts into it, and you came along and wrote it clever. Not for me. For her. I’m not stupid.
Annie (to Henry) No, this isn’t him.
Brodie Yes, it bloody is. That was me on the train, and this is me again, and I don’t think you’re that different either.
Annie And that wasn’t him. (She points at the TV.) He was helpless, like a three-legged calf, nervous as anything. A boy on the train. Chatting me up. Nice. He’d been in some trouble at the camp, some row, I forget, he was going absent without leave. He didn’t know anything about a march. He didn’t know anything about anything, except Rosie of the Royal Infirmary. By the time we got to London he would have followed me into the Ku Klux Klan. He tagged on. And when we were passing the war memorial he got his lighter out. It was one of those big chrome Zippos – click, snap Private Brodie goes over the top to the slaughter, not an idea in his head except to impress me. What else could I do? He was my recruit.
Henry You should have told me. That one I would have known how to write.
Annie Yes.
Brodie Listen – I’m still here.
Annie So you are, Bill. Finish your drink, will you?
Brodie Why not?
Brodie finishes his drink and stands up.
I can come back for some dip another time.
Annie No time like the present.
Annie picks up the bowl of dip and smashes it into his face. She goes to the hall door, leaving it open while she briefly disappears to get Brodie’s coat.
Henry has stood up, but Brodie isn’t going to do anything. He carefully wipes his face with his handkerchief.
Henry Well, it was so interesting to meet you. I’d heard so much about you.
Brodie I don’t really blame you, Henry. The price was right. I remember the time she came to visit me. She was in a blue dress, and there was a thrill coming off her like she was back on the box, but there was no way in. It was the first time I felt I was in prison. You know what I mean.
Annie stands at the door holding Brodie’s coat. He takes it from her, ignoring her as he walks out. She follows him, and the front door is heard closing. Annie returns.
Henry I don’t know what it did to him, but it scared the hell out of me. Are you all right?
She nods.
Annie Are you all right?
The phone rings. Henry picks it up.
Henry Hello, (into the phone, suddenly uncomfortable) Oh, hello. Did you want to speak to Annie?
Annie No.
Henry (suddenly relaxes) Well, that’s fantastic, Max! (to Annie) It’s your ex. He’s getting married, (to phone) Congratulations. Who is she?
Henry ferries this over to Annie with an expressive look, which she returns. Annie moves to Henry and embraces his shoulders from behind. She leans on him tiredly while he deals with the phone.
Oh, I think you’re very wise. To marry one actress is unfortunate, to marry two is simply asking for it.
Annie kisses him. He covers the mouthpiece with his hand.
(Into phone) Really? Across a crowded room, eh?
Annie I’ve had it. Look after me.
He covers the mouthpiece.
Henry Don’t worry. I’m your chap.
(Into phone) Well, it’s very decent of you to say so, Max.
(To Annie) ‘No hard feelings?’ What does he mean? If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t be engaged now.
Annie disengages herself from him with a smile and goes around turning out the lights until the only light is coming from the bedroom door.
(Into phone) No. I’m afraid she isn’t … She’ll be so upset when I tell her … No, I mean when I tell her she missed you … No, she’ll be delighted. I’m delighted, Max. Isn’t love wonderful?
Annie finishes with the lights and goes out into the bedroom. Henry is being impatiently patient with Max on the phone, trying to end it.
Henry Yes, well, we look forward to meeting her. What? Oh, yes?
Absently he clicks on the little radio, which starts playing, softly, ‘I’m a Believer’ by the Monkees. He is immediately beguiled. He forgets Max until the phone crackle gets back through to him.
Sorry. Yes, I’m still here. (He turns the song up slightly.)