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.