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judge by first impressions.
    In that Southern State, however, a boy died, a black boy, who everyone said, I don't know, some . . . some . . . a
    G: Some sharecropper's son.
    F: The no, son, of no, son of a doctor . . . a poor boy, HE WOULD BE PRESIDENT. Everyone said in twenty years. Who worked at this, who worked at that, at those accomplishments, which, here below ( Pause. )
    Here below . . .
    And one says, “What are they trying to Hide?”
    What overcome? As I would overcome, or they, if I had,with those, as reported, twenty-hour days, but they said, “Here . . . ” and changed the lives of everyone who came in contact with the boy, “Perhaps here we have found an instance of a perfect man.” Why did he die so young? What would it matter had he lived, who moved so many by his . . . and the answer is . . . the answer is: That human misery is lifted only by this—it would, it would, it would seem . . . O . . . by an act of love, who knew him knew that, and I thought: “How sad.” An outpouring . . . a sainted reminiscence of the boy, over the years . . . now, who could keep that up? How it would, how inevitably, induce shame, induce guilt in those . . . how do we know he only had one parent . . .
    G: one . . . ?
    F: One parent living.
    G: How do we know that?
    F: I'm . . . I think that I read it. I'm not, what I meant to say: It seems . . . what strikes me in the boy is, of c . . . is the mythic
    G: The Good Die
    F: . . . excuse me: Maj . . . the maj . . . the majesty of it. Its strength come ( Pause .) From repetition. It is a tale that we know. The psych, the psycho . . . the unconscious aspect of one parent dead, a man on one leg who overcomes his . . . whose internal strength who . . . when the governor came He said the Good Die Young. He cried. ( Pause. ) You felt here was a good man. You felt everyone who read the piece was better for it. Oneself most of all. One wished one knew him. We would have slighted him, of course. We would have cut him. ( Pause .) Maybe not.
    G: We would have cut him on the street.
    F: Well. That doesn't . . . no. That doesn't alter the power of the tale. Here is another one: the woman trying to escape, A southern Clime. A dictator. Her Father's Fortune confiscated. She, herself, in fear. For her life. Flees. The documents, the gold itself, inside a sealed trunk. The trunk in safety, inaccessible except to her. But it can be located. Herlife can be saved. The man who aids her escape will reap her love and share her fortune.
    Who would not support her?
    And so he does so. You know the rest.

Two Conversations

     

    Two Conversations, Two Scenes, and Yes But So What were first presented at The Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York as part of the Marathon 1983 Festival of One-Act Plays on May 6, 1983, with the following cast directed by Curt Dempster:
    Two Conversations
Two Scenes
Yes But So What
Dan Ziskie
Peter Phillips
David Rasche
James Rebhorn
Ann Spettel
Frank Girardeau
Deborah Hedwall
Diane Venora
Melodie Somers
Peter Maloney
Jude Ciccolella
    After dinner conversation . A and B, two women. C and D, two men .

     

    One
    C ( Hands D a note ): Read it.
    D: “I can't come today be . . . ”
    A: Who is this?
    C: That's our house . . .
    D: It's the house cleaner . . .
    C: Read it.
    D: “I can't come today because something has happened to me.” Is this the . . . ?
    C: Yes.
    D: Last week . . . ?
    C: Yes.
    D: He . . . he came, he came, didn't . . .
    C: He came to leave the note.
    D: I'd . . . do you mind if I tell . . .
    A: You two have the same . . . ?
    C: We gave him to them. He . . .
    D: He was a wonderful . . .
    C: You've seen him here.
    A: No. I don't . . .
    B: What does he look like?
    D: Thirty-five. Small, thin, balding . . .
    C: This man does such fantastic work . . .
    B: What hap . . . ?
    C: Apparently . . . well, tell them about . . .
    D: I got a phone call. ( Pause .) I was at the office, I was between . . . this was, when . . . ?
    C: Last . . .
    D: Last Monday. He'd been at