Читать книгу Betrayal - Harold Pinter - Страница 10

1977

SCENE ONE

Pub. 1977. Spring.

Noon.

EMMA is sitting at a corner table. JERRY approaches with drinks, a pint of bitter for him, a glass of wine for her.

He sits. They smile, toast each other silently, drink.

He sits back and looks at her.

JERRY Well . . .

EMMA How are you?

JERRY All right.

EMMA You look well.

JERRY Well, I’m not all that well, really.

EMMA Why? What’s the matter?

JERRY Hangover.

He raises his glass.

Cheers.

He drinks.

How are you?

EMMA I’m fine.

She looks round the bar, back at him.

Just like old times.

JERRY Mmm. It’s been a long time.

EMMA Yes.

Pause.

I thought of you the other day.

JERRY Good God. Why?

She laughs.

JERRY Why?

EMMA Well, it’s nice, sometimes, to think back. Isn’t it?

JERRY Absolutely.

Pause.

How’s everything?

EMMA Oh, not too bad.

Pause.

Do you know how long it is since we met?

JERRY Well I came to that private view, when was it—?

EMMA No, I don’t mean that.

JERRY Oh you mean alone?

EMMA Yes.

JERRY Uuh . . .

EMMA Two years.

JERRY Yes, I thought it must be. Mmnn.

Pause.

EMMA Long time.

JERRY Yes. It is.

Pause.

How’s it going? The Gallery?

EMMA How do you think it’s going?

JERRY Well. Very well, I would say.

EMMA I’m glad you think so. Well, it is actually. I enjoy it.

JERRY Funny lot, painters, aren’t they?

EMMA They’re not at all funny.

JERRY Aren’t they? What a pity.

Pause.

How’s Robert?

EMMA When did you last see him?

JERRY I haven’t seen him for months. Don’t know why. Why?

EMMA Why what?

JERRY Why did you ask when I last saw him?

EMMA I just wondered. How’s Sam?

JERRY You mean Judith.

EMMA Do I?

JERRY You remember the form. I ask about your husband, you ask about my wife.

EMMA Yes, of course. How is your wife?

JERRY All right.

Pause.

EMMA Sam must be . . . tall.

JERRY He is tall. Quite tall. Does a lot of running. He’s a long distance runner. He wants to be a zoologist.

EMMA No, really? Good. And Sarah?

JERRY She’s ten.

EMMA God. I suppose she must be.

JERRY Yes, she must be.

Pause.

Ned’s five, isn’t he?

EMMA You remember.

JERRY Well, I would remember that.

Pause.

EMMA Yes.

Pause.

You’re all right, though?

JERRY Oh . . . yes, sure.

Pause.

EMMA Ever think of me?

JERRY I don’t need to think of you.

EMMA Oh?

JERRY I don’t need to think of you.

Pause.

Anyway I’m all right. How are you?

EMMA Fine, really. All right.

JERRY You’re looking very pretty.

EMMA Really? Thank you. I’m glad to see you.

JERRY So am I. I mean to see you.

EMMA You think of me sometimes?

JERRY I think ofyou sometimes.

Pause.

I saw Charlotte the other day.

EMMA No? Where? She didn’t mention it.

JERRY She didn’t see me. In the street.

EMMA But you haven’t seen her for years.

JERRY I recognised her.

EMMA How could you? How could you know?

JERRY I did.

EMMA What did she look like?

JERRY You.

EMMA No, what did you think of her, really?

JERRY I thought she was lovely.

EMMA Yes. She’s very . . . She’s smashing. She’s thirteen.

Pause.

Do you remember that time . . . oh God it was . . . when you picked her up and threw her up and caught her?

JERRY She was very light.

EMMA She remembers that, you know.

JERRY Really?

EMMA Mmnn. Being thrown up.

JERRY What a memory.

Pause.

She doesn’t know . . . about us, does she?

EMMA Of course not. She just remembers you, as an old friend.

JERRY That’s right.

Pause.

Yes, everyone was there that day, standing around, your husband, my wife, all the kids, I remember.

EMMA What day?

JERRY When I threw her up. It was in your kitchen.

EMMA It was in your kitchen.

Silence.

JERRY Darling.

EMMA Don’t say that.

Pause.

It all . . .

JERRY Seems such a long time ago.

EMMA Does it?

JERRY Same again?

He takes the glasses, goes to the bar. She sits still. He returns, with the drinks, sits.

EMMA I thought of you the other day.

Pause.

I was driving through Kilburn. Suddenly I saw where I was. I just stopped, and then I turned down Kinsale Drive and drove into Wessex Grove. I drove past the house and then stopped about fifty yards further on, like we used to do, do you remember?

JERRY Yes.

EMMA People were coming out of the house. They walked up the road.

JERRY What sort of people?

EMMA Oh . . . young people. Then I got out of the car and went up the steps. I looked at the bells, you know, the names on the bells. I looked for our name.

Pause.

JERRY Green.

Pause.

Couldn’t see it, eh?

EMMA No.

JERRY That’s because we’re not there any more. We haven’t been there for years.

EMMA No we haven’t.

Pause.

JERRY I hear you’re seeing a bit of Casey.

EMMA What?

JERRY Casey. I just heard you were . . . seeing a bit of him.

EMMA Where did you hear that?

JERRY Oh . . . people . . . talking.

EMMA Christ.

JERRY The funny thing was that the only thing I really felt was irritation, I mean irritation that nobody gossiped about us like that, in the old days. I nearly said, now look, she may be having the occasional drink with Casey, who cares, but she and I had an affair for seven years and none of you bastards had the faintest idea it was happening.

Pause.

EMMA I wonder. I wonder if everyone knew, all the time.

JERRY Don’t be silly. We were brilliant. Nobody knew. Who ever went to Kilburn in those days?Just you and me.

Pause.

Anyway, what’s all this about you and Casey?

EMMA What do you mean?

JERRY What’s going on?

EMMA We have the occasional drink.

JERRY I thought you didn’t admire his work.

EMMA I’ve changed. Or his work has changed. Are you jealous?

JERRY Of what?

Pause.

I couldn’t be jealous of Casey. I’m his agent. I advised him about his divorce. I read all his first drafts. I persuaded your husband to publish his first novel. I escort him to Oxford to speak at the Union. He’s my . . . he’s my boy. I discovered him when he was a poet, and that’s a bloody long time ago now.

Pause.

He’s even taken me down to Southampton to meet his Mum and Dad. I couldn’t be jealous of Casey. Anyway it’s not as if we’re having an affair now, is it? We haven’t seen each other for years. Really, I’m very happy if you’re happy.

Pause.

What about Robert?

Pause.

EMMA Well . . . I think we’re going to separate.

JERRY Oh?

EMMA We had a long talk . . . last night.

JERRY Last night?

EMMA You know what I found out . . . last night? He’s betrayed me for years. He’s had . . . other women for years.

JERRY No? Good Lord.

Pause.

But we betrayed him for years.

EMMA And he betrayed me for years.

JERRY Well I never knew that.

EMMA Nor did I.

Pause.

JERRY Does Casey know about this?

EMMA I wish you wouldn’t keep calling him Casey. His name is Roger.

JERRY Yes. Roger.

EMMA I phoned you. I don’t know why.