1975

SCENE THREE

Flat. 1975. Winter.

Jerry and Emma. They are sitting.

Silence.

JERRY What do you want to do then?

Pause.

EMMA I don’t quite know what we’re doing, any more, that’s all.

JERRY Mmnn.

Pause.

EMMA I mean, this flat . . .

JERRY Yes.

EMMA Can you actually remember when we were last here?

JERRY In the summer, was it?

EMMA Well, was it?

JERRY I know it seems—

EMMA It was the beginning of September.

JERRY Well, that’s summer, isn’t it?

EMMA It was actually extremely cold. It was early autumn.

JERRY It’s pretty cold now.

EMMA We were going to get another electric fire.

JERRY Yes, I never got that.

EMMA Not much point in getting it if we’re never here.

JERRY We’re here now.

EMMA Not really.

Silence.

JERRY Well, things have changed. You’ve been so busy, your job, and everything.

EMMA Well, I know. But I mean, I like it. I want to do it.

JERRY No, it’s great. It’s marvellous for you. But you’re not—

EMMA If you’re running a gallery you’ve got to run it, you’ve got to be there.

JERRY But you’re not free in the afternoons. Are you?

EMMA No.

JERRY So how can we meet?

EMMA But look at the times you’re out of the country. You’re never here.

JERRY But when I am here you’re not free in the afternoons. So we can never meet.

EMMA We can meet for lunch.

JERRY We can meet for lunch but we can’t come all the way out here for a quick lunch. I’m too old for that.

EMMA I didn’t suggest that.

Pause.

You see, in the past . . . we were inventive, we were determined, it was . . . it seemed impossible to meet . . . impossible . . . and yet we did. We met here, we took this flat and we met in this flat because we wanted to.

JERRY It would not matter how much we wanted to if you’re not free in the afternoons and I’m in America.

Silence.

Nights have always been out of the question and you know it. I have a family.

EMMA I have a family too.

JERRY I know that perfectly well. I might remind you that your husband is my oldest friend.

EMMA What do you mean by that?

JERRY I don’t mean anything by it.

EMMA But what are you trying to say by saying that?

JERRY Jesus. I’m not trying to say anything. I’ve said precisely what I wanted to say.

EMMA I see.

Pause.

The fact is that in the old days we used our imagination and we’d take a night and make an arrangement and go to an hotel.

JERRY Yes. We did.

Pause.

But that was . . . in the main . . . before we got this flat.

EMMA We haven’t spent many nights . . . in this flat.

JERRY No.

Pause.

Not many nights anywhere, really.

Silence.

EMMA Can you afford . . . to keep it going, month after month?

JERRY Oh . . .

EMMA It’s a waste. Nobody comes here. I just can’t bear to think about it, actually. Just . . . empty. All day and night. Day after day and night after night. I mean the crockery and the curtains and the bedspread and everything. And the tablecloth I brought from Venice. (Laughs.) It’s ridiculous.

Pause.

It’s just . . . an empty home.

JERRY It’s not a home.

Pause.

I know . . . I know what you wanted . . . but it could never . . . actually be a home. You have a home. I have a home. With curtains, et cetera. And children. Two children in two homes. There are no children here, so it’s not the same kind of home.

EMMA It was never intended to be the same kind of home. Was it?

Pause.

You didn’t ever see it as a home, in any sense, did you?

JERRY No, I saw it as a flat . . . you know.

EMMA For fucking.

JERRY No, for loving.

EMMA Well, there’s not much of that left, is there?

Silence.

JERRY I don’t think we don’t love each other.

Pause.

EMMA Ah well.

Pause.

What will you do about all the . . . furniture?

JERRY What?

EMMA The contents.

Silence.

JERRY You know we can do something very simple, if we want to do it.

EMMA You mean sell it to Mrs Banks for a small sum and . . . and she can let it as a furnished flat?

JERRY That’s right. Wasn’t the bed here?

EMMA What?

JERRY Wasn’t it?

EMMA We bought the bed. We bought everything. We bought the bed together.

JERRY Ah. Yes.

Emma stands.

EMMA You’ll make all the arrangements, then? With Mrs Banks?

Pause.

I don’t want anything. Nowhere I can put it, you see. I have a home, with tablecloths and all the rest of it.

JERRY I’ll go into it, with Mrs Banks. There’ll be a few quid, you know, so . . .

EMMA No, I don’t want any cash, thank you very much.

Silence. She puts coat on.

I’m going now.

He turns, looks at her.

Oh here’s my key.

Takes out keyring, tries to take key from ring.

Oh Christ.

Struggles to take key from ring.

Throws him the ring.

You take it off.

He catches it, looks at her.

Can you just do it please? I’m picking up Charlotte from school. I’m taking her shopping.

He takes key off.

Do you realise this is an afternoon? It’s the Gallery’s afternoon off. That’s why I’m here. We close every Thursday afternoon. Can I have my keyring?

He gives it to her.

Thanks. Listen. I think we’ve made absolutely the right decision.

She goes.

He stands.