Black Suppose I was to give you my word that I wouldnt listen to none of your bullshit.
White So what am I, a prisoner here?
Black You know bettern that. Anyway, you was a prisoner fore you got here. Death Row prisoner. What did your daddy do?
White What?
Black I said what did your daddy do. What kind of work.
White He was a lawyer.
Black Lawyer.
White Yes.
Black What kind of law did he do?
White He was a government lawyer. He didnt do criminal law or things like that.
Black Mm hm. What would be a thing like criminal law?
White I dont know. Divorce law, maybe.
Black Yeah. Maybe you got a point. What did he die of?
White Who said he was dead?
Black Is he dead?
White Yes.
Black What did he die of?
White Cancer.
Black Cancer. So he was sick for a while.
White Yes. He was.
Black Did you go see him?
White No.
Black How come?
White I didnt want to.
Black Well how come you didnt want to?
White I dont know. I just didnt. Maybe I didnt want to remember him that way.
Black Bullshit. Did he ask you to come?
White No.
Black But your mama did.
White She may have. I dont remember.
Black Come on, Professor. She asked you to come.
White Okay. Yes.
Black And what did you tell her?
White I told her I would.
Black But you didnt.
White No.
Black How come?
White He died.
Black Yeah, but that aint it. You had time to go see him and you didnt do it.
White I suppose.
Black You waited till he was dead.
White Okay. So I didnt go and see my father.
Black Your daddy is layin on his deathbed dyin of cancer. Your mama settin there with him. Holdin his hand. He in all kinds of pain. And they ask you to come see him one last time fore he dies and you tell em no. You aint comin. Please tell me I got some part of this wrong.
White If that’s the way you want to put it.
Black Well how would you put it?
White I dont know.
Black That’s the way it is. Aint it?
White I suppose.
Black No you dont suppose. Is it or aint it?
White Yes.
Black Well. Let me see if I can find my train schedule.
He opens the table drawer and rummages through it.
Black See when that next uptown express is due.
White I’m not sure I see the humor.
Black I’m glad to hear you say that, Professor. Cause I aint sure either. I just get more amazed by the minute, that’s all. How come you cant see yourself, honey? You plain as glass. I can see the wheels turnin in there. The gears. And I can see the light too. Good light. True light. Cant you see it?
White No. I cant.
Black Well bless you, brother. Bless you and keep you. Cause it’s there.
They sit.
White When were you in the penitentiary?
Black Long time ago.
White What were you in for?
Black Murder.
White Really?
Black Now who would claim to be a murderer that wasnt one?
White You called it the jailhouse.
Black Yeah?
White Do most blacks call the penitentiary the jailhouse?
Black Naw. Just us old country niggers. We kind of make it a point to call things for what they is. I’d hate to guess how many names they is for the jailhouse. I’d hate to have to count em.
White Do you have a lot of jailhouse stories?
Black Jailhouse stories.
White Yes.
Black I dont know. I used to tell jailhouse stories some but they kindly lost their charm. Maybe we ought to talk about somethin more cheerful.
White Have you ever been married?
Black Married.
White Yes.
Black (Softly) Oh man.
White What.
Black Maybe we ought to take another look at them jailhouse stories. (He shakes his head, laughing soundlessly. He pinches the bridge of his nose, his eyes shut.) Oh my.
White Do you have any children?
Black Naw, Professor, I aint got nobody. Everbody in my family is dead. I had two boys. They been dead for years. Just about everbody I ever knowed is dead, far as that goes. You might want to think about that. I might be a hazard to your health.
White You were always in a lot of trouble?
Black Yeah. I was. I liked it. Maybe I still do. I done seven years hard time and I was lucky not to of done a lot more. I hurt a lot of people. I’d smack em around a little and then they wouldnt get up again.
White But you dont get in trouble now.
Black No.
White But you still like it?
Black Well, maybe I’m just condemned to it. Bit in the ass by my own karma. But I’m on the other side now. You want to help people that’s in trouble you pretty much got to go where the trouble is at. You aint got a lot of choice.
White And you want to help people in trouble.
Black Yeah.
White Why is that?
The black tilts his head and studies him.
Black You aint ready for that.
White How about just the short answer.
Black That is the short answer.
White How long have you been here?
Black You mean in this buildin?