The Stonemason(5)

BIG BEN You better get you some sand.

MAMA Don't you keep him out in this all day. You hear?

Ben opens the door.

MAMA And let Bossy out.

BEN (To the dog) Let's go.

The dog looks at him.

BEN Let's go, I said.

The dog climbs slowly out of the box and goes to the door and looks out.

BEN Hit it.

The dog goes out. Ben and Papaw turn up their collars and pull on their caps and let down the earflaps. Ben watches the dog out in the snow.

BEN Mama, what are you going to do about this dog?

MAMA Ain't nothin wrong with that dog.

BEN He raises his leg to take a pee and then falls over in it.

MAMA You don't need to be worryin bout that dog. That dog's just fine.





SCENE III

The exterior of the old stone farmhouse. Ben and Papaw bring stones from offstage and pile them among the stones in front of the house. The light comes on at the podium and Ben speaks from there.

BEN To get stone for the house we also pull down old walls that are about to be bulldozed. Often we are given the stone just to haul it away. My grandfather says that you might learn how a watch is made by taking one apart or you might even be able to learn how to build a house by tearing one down. But tearing down stonework tells you nothing. The old masons would quit work if you stopped to watch them, but I don't think you could learn by watching. You couldn't learn it out of a book if there were any and there are not. Not one. We were taught. Generation by generation. For ten thousand years. Now in the memory of a single man it's been set aside as if it never existed. As if it had no value at all. He knows this and yet it seems not to bother him.

Maven is right to be jealous of him. I know that he's going to die and I despise every hour not spent in his company.

The podium light dims to black. At the house Ben goes offstage to bring a stone from the truck. The old man pauses to relight his pipe.

PAPAW I didn't see no school busses out.

BEN (Returning with a stone) Soldier was probably trying to stay out of a school that wasn't going to run anyway. I don't know what to do about him.

PAPAW (Sucking at his pipe and throwing the match aside) Well. They was a boy killed at that school. Maybe he shows pretty good sense.

BEN Maybe you're right. I knew that school was just a drug exchange center so I don't know why I should be surprised now that the murders have started. I know he's making Carlotta crazy.

PAPAW Well, the boy's daddy ain't around.

BEN I think it's his daddy that's most of his problem now.

PAPAW Well. Landry ain't much shakes. But it take a pretty sorry daddy to be worse than no daddy at all.

BEN I take it you don't rate him that sorry.

PAPAW A man that will work they's always hope for him. He can always change his ways.

BEN Well, he does work. What about a man that won't work?

PAPAW (Shaking his head) I don't believe they's nothin you can do for him. If they is I never saw it. (He looks offstage) That's the last one ain't it?

BEN That's the last one. You want some tea?

PAPAW Well that would be all right. Too early to eat dinner.

Ben exits briefly offstage. Sound of the truck door opening and slamming and he returns with the thermos and cups and they sit down on the stones and Ben pours the tea.

BEN So tell me what happened about the man's house.

PAPAW Oh well. They done had it made up to go out there. They wasn't no use to consult with me.

BEN Is that what they call a crowbar lien?

PAPAW Well. I've heard it called that.

BEN But they did it anyway.

PAPAW Oh yes. They went out there and pulled it down. They had some big bars and they pried the stones out of the lower courses till it give way. They was lucky it didn't fall on em.

BEN Did you think they were wrong?

PAPAW I thought the man ought to of paid us what he owed us. Tearin it down didn't get nobody paid though. It didn't benefit nobody.

BEN Maybe it made them feel better.

PAPAW Maybe. I expect it depend on how you feel in the first place. Stonework ain't like somethin you sell to a man and he don't pay you you can take it back. Even a house, you could tear it down and get the lumber. Get the brick. But the mason fits the stones for the place where they're to go and that's where they're at. They ain't nothin to take back. You just has to destroy it. You destroy you own work you ain't got much use for it to start with, paid or not paid.

BEN Might it not keep somebody else from not paying you?

PAPAW It might. It might keep some from hirin you too. They's lots of work in this world that ain't never paid for. But the accounts gets balanced anyway. In the long run. A man that contracts for work and then don't pay for it, the world will reckon with him fore it's out. With the worker too. You live long enough and you'll see it. They's a ledger kept that the pages don't never get old nor crumbly nor the ink don't never fade. If it don't balance then they ain't no right in this world and if they ain't then where did I hear of it at? Where did you? Only way it won't is you start retribution on you own. You start retribution on you own you'll be on you own. That man up there ain't goin to help you. Ain't no use even to ask.