The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form Read online

  White No I’m not. Are you?

  Black No more than what a man should be. Even a man with a powerful belief. I aint a doubter. But I am a questioner.

  White What’s the difference?

  Black Well, I think the questioner wants the truth. The doubter wants to be told there aint no such thing.

  White (Pointing at bible) You dont think you have to believe everything in there in order to be saved?

  Black No. I dont. I dont think you even have to read it. I aint for sure you even got to know there is such a book. I think whatever truth is wrote in these pages is wrote in the human heart too and it was wrote there a long time ago and will still be wrote there a long time hence. Even if this book is burned ever copy of it. What Jesus said? I dont think he made up a word of it. I think he just told it. This book is a guide for the ignorant and the sick at heart. A whole man wouldnt need it at all. And of course if you read this book you goin to find that they’s a lot more talk in here about the wrong way than they is about the right way. Now why is that?

  White I dont know. Why is it?

  Black I’d rather hear from you.

  White I’ll have to think about it.

  Black Okay.

  Silence.

  White Okay what?

  Black Okay go ahead and think about it.

  White It might take me a little longer than you to think about something.

  Black That’s all right.

  White That’s all right.

  Black Yes. I mean they’s two ways you can take that remark but I’m goin to take it the good way. It’s just my nature. That way I get to live in my world instead of yours.

  White What makes you think mine’s so bad?

  Black Oh I dont know as it’s so bad. I know it’s brief.

  White All right. Are you ready?

  Black I’m ready.

  White I think the answer to your question is that the dialectic of the homily always presupposes a ground of evil.

  Black Man.

  White How’s that.

  Black That’s strong as a mare’s breath, Professor. Wouldnt I love to lay some of that shit on the brothers? Whoa. Now. Just the two of us here talkin. In private. What did you just say?

  White Your question. The bible is full of cautionary tales. All of literature, for that matter. Telling us to be careful. Careful of what? Taking a wrong turn. A wrong path. How many wrong paths are there? Their number is legion. How many right paths? Only one. Hence the imbalance you spoke of.

  Black Man. I’ll tell you what, Professor. You could go on television. Goodlookin man such as yourself. Did you know that?

  White Stop.

  Black I’m serious. I wasnt even all that sure you was a professor till you laid that shit on me.

  White I think you’re having fun at my expense.

  Black Aint done no such a thing, Professor.

  White Well. I think you are.

  Black Honey, I swear I aint. I couldnt say a thing like you just got done sayin. I admire that.

  White And why do you keep calling me honey?

  Black That’s just the old south talkin. They aint nothin wrong with it. I’ll try and quit if it bothers you.

  White I’m just not sure what it means.

  Black It means you among friends. It means quit worryin bout everthing.

  White That might be easier said than done.

  Black Well yes it might. But we just talkin here. Just talkin.

  White What else?

  Black What else what?

  White Any other heresies?

  Black At this juncture?

  White At this juncture. Yes.

  Black Yeah, but I aint tellin you.

  White Why not?

  Black Cause I aint. Shouldnt of told you what I did.

  White Why not?

  Black You settin here at my table dead to God as the fallen angels and you waitin on me to lay another heresy on you to clutch to your bosom and help shore you up in your infidelity and I aint goin to do it. That’s all.

  White Dont then.

  Black Dont worry. I aint.

  White I have to go.

  Black Ever time the dozens gets a little heavy you got to go.

  White What’s the dozens?

  Black It aint really even the dozens. It’s really just a discussion.

  White What’s the dozens.

  Black It’s when two of the brothers stands around insultin one another and the first one gets pissed off loses.

  White What is the point of it?

  Black Winnin and losin is the point of it. Same as the point of everthing else.

  White And you win by making the other guy angry.

  Black That’s correct.

  White I dont get it.

  Black You aint supposed to get it. You white.

  White Then why did you tell me?

  Black Cause you asked me.

  White So if I find you a bit irritating and decide to leave then I lose.

  Black Well, like I said, this aint even the dozens. We just talkin.

  White But that’s what you think.

  Black Oh yeah, that’s what I think.

  White Well how long do you think I might have to stay before I could leave without losing?

  Black That’s kindly hard to say. I guess the best way to put it might be that you’d have to stay till you didnt want to leave.

  White Stay until I didnt want to leave.

  Black Yeah.

  White And then I could leave.

  Black Yeah.

  The professor runs one hand alongside his head and then holds the back of his neck, his head down and his eyes closed. He looks up.

  White Why is it called the dozens?

  Black Dont know.

  White What sorts of insults?

  Black Oh, you might say somethin about the other man’s mama. That’s a sensitive area, you might say. And he might lose it and come after your ass but when he done that it’s like he’s sayin that what you just got done tellin about his mama was true. It’s like he sayin: You aint supposed to know that about my mama and you damn sure aint supposed to of told it and now I’m fixin to whip your ass. You see what I’m sayin?

  White I suppose.

  Black Well, probably not.

  White And is this something you do with your friends?

  Black Me? No. I dont play the dozens.

  White Tell me something.

  Black Sure.

  White Why are you here? What do you get out of this? You seem like a smart man.

  Black Me? I’m just a dumb country nigger from Louisiana. I done told you. I aint never had the first thought in my head. If it aint in here then I dont know it.

  He holds the bible up off the table and lays it down again.

  White Half the time I think you’re having fun with me. I dont see how you can live here. I dont see how you can feel safe.

  Black Well you got a point, Professor. About bein safe anyways.

  White Have you ever stopped any of these people from taking drugs?

  Black Not that I know of.

  White Then what is the point? I dont get it. I mean, it’s hopeless. This place is just a moral leper colony.

  Black Damn, Professor. Moral leper colony? Where my pencil at?

  He pretends to rummage through the kitchen table drawer.

  White Well it is.

  Black I aint never goin to want you to leave. Put that in my book.

  White In your book?

  Black In the Moral Leper Colony. Damn, I like the sound of that.

  White You’re kidding me.

  Black You know I aint writin no book.

  White Well I still dont get it. Why not go someplace where you might be able to do some good?

  Black As opposed to someplace where good was needed.

  White Even God gives up at some point. There’s no ministry in hell. That I ever heard of.

  Black No there aint. That’s well put. Ministry is for the liv
in. That’s why you responsible for your brother. Once he’s quit breathin you cant help him no more. After that he’s in the hands of other parties. So you got to look after him now. You might even want to monitor his train schedule.

  White You think you are your brother’s keeper.

  Black I dont believe think quite says it.

  White And Jesus is a part of this enterprise.

  Black Is that okay with your

  White And he’s interested in coming here to this cesspool and salvaging what everybody knows is unsalvageable. Why would he do that? You said he didnt have a lot of free time. Why would he come here? What would be the difference to him between a building that was morally and spiritually vacant and one that was just plain empty?

  Black Mm. Professor you a theologian here and I didnt even know it.

  White You’re being facetious.

  Black I dont know that word. Dont be afraid to talk down to me. You aint goin to hurt my feelins.

  White It means. I guess it means that you’re not being sincere. That you dont mean what you’re saying. In a cynical sort of way.

  Black Mm. You think I dont mean what I’m sayin.

  White Sometimes. I think you say things for effect.

  Black Mm. Well, let me say this for effect.

  White Go ahead.

  Black Suppose I was to tell you that if you could bring yourself to unlatch your hands from around your brother’s throat you could have life everlastin?

  White There’s no such thing. Everybody dies.

  Black That aint what he said. He said you could have life everlastin. Life. Have it today. Hold it in your hand. That you could see it. It gives off a light. It’s got a little weight to it. Not much. Warm to the touch. Just a little. And it’s forever. And you can have it. Now. Today. But you dont want it. You dont want it cause to get it you got to let you brother off the hook. You got to actually take him and hold him in your arms and it dont make no difference what color he is or what he smells like or even if he dont want to be held. And the reason you wont do it is because he dont deserve it. And about that there aint no argument. He dont deserve it. (He leans forward, slow and deliberate.) You wont do it because it aint just. Aint that so?

  Silence.

  Black Aint it?

  White I dont believe in those sorts of things.

  Black Just answer the question Professor.

  White I dont think in those terms.

  Black I know you dont. Answer the question.

  White I suppose there’s some truth in what you say.

  Black But that’s all I’m goin to get.

  White Yes.

  Black Well. That’s all right. I’ll take it. Some is a lot. We down to breadcrumbs here.

  White I really have to go.

  Black Just stay. Just a little. We can talk bout somethin else. You like baseball? Tell you what. Why dont I fix us somethin to eat?

  White I’m not hungry.

  Black How about some coffee then?

  White All right. But then I’ve got to go.

  Black (Rising) All right. The man says all right.

  He runs water in the kettle at the sink and pours the water into the percolator.

  Black You see I wouldnt be this rude under normal circumstances. Man come in my house and set at my table and me not offer him nothin? But with you I figure I got to strategize. Got to play my cards right. Keep you from slippin off into the night.

  He spoons coffee from a can into the percolator and plugs the percolator in.

  White It’s not night.

  Black Depends on what kind of night we talkin bout.

  He comes back to the table and sits.

  Black Let me ask you kindly a personal question.

  White This will be good.

  Black What do you think is wrong with you that has finally narrowed all your choices down to the Sunset Limited?

  White I dont think there’s anything wrong with me. I think I’ve just been driven to finally face the truth. If I’m different it doesnt mean I’m crazy.

  Black Different.

  White Yes.

  Black Different from who?

  White From anybody.

  Black What about them other folks tryin to off theyselves?

  White What about them?

  Black Well, maybe them is the folks that you is like. Maybe them folks is your natural kin. Only you all just dont get together all that much.

  White I dont think so.

  Black Dont think so.

  White No. I’ve been in group therapy with those people. I never found anyone there that I felt any kinship with.

  Black What about them other professors? They aint no kinship there?

  White (Disgustedly) Good god.

  Black I’m goin to take that for a no.

  White I loathe them and they loathe me.

  Black Well now wait a minute. Just cause you dont like em dont mean you aint like em. What was that word? Loathe?

  White Loathe.

  Black That’s a pretty powerful word, aint it?

  White Not powerful enough, I’m afraid.

  Black So how come you be loathin these other professors?

  White I know what you’re thinking.

  Black What am I thinkin?

  White You’re thinking that I loathe them because I’m like them and I loathe myself.

  Black (Sitting back in his chair) Damn, Professor. If I had your brains aint no tellin what all I might of done. I’d of been a drug king or somethin. Ride round in a Rolls Royce.

  White You’re being facetious again.

  Black No I aint. I wasnt the first time. Let me ask you this.

  White All right.

  Black Is you on any kind of medication?

  White No.

  Black They aint got no medication for pilgrims waitin to take the Sunset?

  White For suicidal depression.

  Black Yeah.

  White Yes. They do. I’ve tried them.

  Black And what happened?

  White Nothing happened.

  Black You didnt get no relief.

  White No. I think the coffee’s percolated.

  Black I know. Does these drugs work for most folks?

  White Yes. For most.

  Black But not for you.

  White Not for me. No.

  Black (Rising) And what do you make of that?

  White I dont know. What am I supposed to make of it?

  Black (Crossing to kitchen counter) I dont know, Professor. I just tryin to find you some constituents out there somewheres.

  White Constituents?

  Black (Unplugging percolator and getting down cups) Yeah. You like that?

  White Is that a word they use on the streets?

  Black Naw. I learned that word in the jailhouse. You pick up stuff from these jailhouse lawyers and then it gets used around. Be talkin bout your constituents. Some other cat’s constituents. Your wife’s constituents. You use cream and sugar?

  White No. Just black.

  Black Just black.

  White Why do I have to have constituents?

  Black I aint said you got to. I just wondered if maybe you do and we just aint looked hard enough.

  He brings the percolator and the cups to the table and pours.

  Black They could be out there. Maybe they’s some other drugproof terminal commuters out there that could be your friends.

  White Terminal commuters?

  Black Got a nice sound to it, aint it?

  White It’s all right.

  Black (Sitting) Nobody.

  White Nobody. No.

  Black Hm.

  White I’m not a member. I never wanted to be. I never was.

  Black Not a member.

  White No.

  Black Well. Sometimes people dont know what they want till they get it.

  White Maybe. But I think they know what they dont want.

  Black I dont know, Professor. I try and go by what I see. The simpl
est things has got more to em than you can ever understand. Bunch of people standin around on a train platform of a mornin. Waitin to go to work. Been there a hundred times. A thousand maybe. It’s just a train platform. Aint nothin else much you can say about it. But they might be one commuter waitin there on the edge of that platform that for him it’s somethin else. It might even be the edge of the world. The edge of the universe. He’s starin at the end of all tomorrows and he’s drawin a shade over ever yesterday that ever was. So he’s a different kind of commuter. He’s worlds away from them everday travelers. Nothin to do with them at all. Well. Is that right?

  White I dont know.

  Black I know you dont. Bless your heart. I know you dont.

  They sip their coffee.

  Black You ride that subway ever day, Professor?

  White Yes.

  Black What do you think about them people?

  White On the subway?

  Black On the subway.

  White I try not to think about them at all.

  Black You ever speak to any of em?

  White Speak to them?

  Black Yeah.

  White About what?

  Black About anything.

  White No. God no.

  Black God no?

  White Yes. God no.

  Black You ever curse em?

  White Curse them?

  Black Yeah.

  White Why would I do that?

  Black I dont know. Do you?

  White No. Of course not.

  Black I mean where they cant hear it.

  White What do you mean?

  Black Maybe just under your breath. In your heart. To yourself.

  White Because?

  Black I dont know. Maybe they just in your way. Or you dont like the way they look. The way they smell. What they doin.

  White And I would mutter something ugly under my breath.

  Black Yeah.

  White I suppose.

  Black And how often do you reckon you might do that?

  White You really dont get to interrogate me, you know.

  Black I know. How often?