(The lights come up on the station the following day. DOUB and TURNBO sit in chairs. FIELDING leans against the wall by the phone. Everyone is silent and in a solemn mood. The silence swells. FIELDING breaks the silence.)
FIELDING
Becker was all right by me. We had our run-ins and all, but he was all right by me.
(The phone rings. FIELDING answers it.)
Hello? (pause) Yeah.(pause) All right. Be right there.
(He hangs up the phone.)
I got a trip.
(FIELDING exits.)
TURNBO
When is the funeral, you know?
DOUB
It ain’t been set yet.
TURNBO
I wonder if he had any insurance.
DOUB
What you care whether the man had any insurance!
TURNBO
I was just wondering. I’m allowed to wonder. I got something on my mind I just say it. Ain’t nothing wrong …
DOUB
Turnbo, shut up!
Ain’t no sense in me staying here and trying to talk to a damn fool!
(TURNBO gets up and exits. DOUB sits staring at the wall. The phone rings.)
DOUB (into phone)
Ain’t no cars here today.
(He hangs up the phone as YOUNGBLOOD enters.)
YOUNGBLOOD
Hey, Doub.
DOUB
Youngblood.
YOUNGBLOOD
Where’s everybody?
DOUB
Fielding went on a trip.
YOUNGBLOOD
I seen Turnbo out there sitting in his car.
DOUB
He was in here running off at the mouth.
(YOUNGBLOOD and DOUB sit for a moment in silence.)
YOUNGBLOOD
You couldn’t find a nicer man than Becker. You know? Always keeping things straight. Always worried about somebody else. Always looking out for you.
DOUB
Yeah.
(SHEALY enters.)
SHEALY
Hey, Doub. Youngblood.
DOUB
You heard?
Yeah, I heard it on the news last night. Man work all them years down there and ain’t nothing happened. Retire … and go back to work one day … and that’s the day the bolt decides to break. I can’t understand it. It don’t make no sense to me. I went to see Lucille and take her some money. She hit for a quarter a couple of days ago.
DOUB
How’s she taking it?
SHEALY
She’s taking it pretty good. Considering how it happened. Sudden and all.
DOUB
I’ll have to get by and see her.
(PHILMORE enters. He is sober and somber.)
SHEALY
Hey, Philmore.
PHILMORE
I’m sorry about Mr. Becker. I heard he got killed in an accident down at the mill. He was a nice man.
DOUB
Yeah. Thanks.
PHILMORE
You all need any pall-bearers?
DOUB
As soon as the arrangements are made, I will let you know. Don’t nobody know too much right now.
PHILMORE
If you do … let me know. I’ll take off work.
(DOUB shakes PHILMORE’s hand.)
DOUB
Thanks Philmore. Thanks for coming around.
(PHILMORE exits. SHEALY goes into his pocket.)
Here go ten dollars for flowers.
DOUB
All right.
YOUNGBLOOD
Here’s mine.
SHEALY
You know that boy hit for three dollars yesterday.
DOUB
Who?
SHEALY
Becker’s boy. Hit on that three nineteen.
DOUB
Anybody seen him?
SHEALY
Lucille say she ain’t heard from him.
DOUB
I wonder do he know?
(FIELDING enters.)
FIELDING
Hey, Shealy.
DOUB
We taking ten dollars for flowers, Fielding.
(FIELDING goes into his pocket and counts out eight dollars to DOUB.)
FIELDING
Loan me two dollars, Youngblood.
DOUB
Here, I’ll put it with the four dollars you owe me.
(TURNBO enters.)
FIELDING
What four dollars I owe you?
You know you borrowed four dollars off the man the other day. See, Doub, that’s why I wouldn’t loan him nothing.
FIELDING
I don’t know nothing about no four dollars.
DOUB
That’s all right, goddamn it! I know! You just give me six back. Give me ten dollars Turnbo.
TURNBO
Ten dollars for what?
DOUB
For flowers. Everybody’s putting in ten dollars.
FIELDING
How the hell you figure I owe you six dollars?
DOUB
I ain’t studying you.
TURNBO
Oh, all right. Did Youngblood give you his?
DOUB
Nigger why don’t you mind your business! For one time, huh?
FIELDING
Hey, Doub … what I got to give you six back for?
TURNBO
This is my business. I want to make sure everybody pay.
DOUB
Let me take care of that.
YOUNGBLOOD
You ain’t got to worry about my business.
TURNBO
I ain’t worried about your business. I just say …
(The door opens and BOOSTER enters. Everybody falls silent.)
BOOSTER
Hey fellas, my old man around?
(BOOSTER notices something is wrong.)
Hey, what’s the matter?
(BOOSTER notices everybody looking at him.)
What you all sitting around looking at me for?
TURNBO
Ain’t you heard?
BOOSTER
Heard what?
DOUB
Boy, don’t you know your daddy’s dead?
(The phone rings. BOOSTER moves toward DOUB.)
BOOSTER
Hey man! What you talking about? Huh? What you talking about?
(He turns toward FIELDING.)
What’s he talking about my daddy dead?
(He moves toward DOUB.)
What you talking about man?
DOUB
He got killed down at the …
(BOOSTER punches DOUB in the face. YOUNGBLOOD, TURNBO, and SHEALY grab BOOSTER.)
BOOSTER
What you talking about nigger! (They wrestle BOOSTER to the ground.) Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! That nigger tell me my daddy’s dead! Let me go. That nigger tell me my daddy’s dead.
(The lights go down to black.)