The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form Read Online Free

of God. They just wanted it on their resumé.
White
   
Resumé?
Black
   
Resumé. You had brothers in there that had done some real bad shit and they wasnt sorry about a damn thing cept gettin caught. Of course the funny thing was a lot of em did believe in God. Maybe even more than these folks here on the outside. I know I did. You might want to think about that, Professor.
White
   
I think I’d better go.
Black
   
You dont need to go, Professor. What am I goin to do, you leave me settin here by myself?
White
   
You dont need me. You just dont want to feel responsible if anything happens to me.
Black
   
What’s the difference?
White
   
I dont know. I just need to go.
Black
   
Just stay a while. This place is got to be more cheerful than you own.
White
   
I dont think you have any idea how strange it is for me to be here.
Black
   
I think I got some idea.
White
   
I have to go.
Black
   
Let me ask you somethin.
White
   
All right.
Black
   
You ever had one of them days when things was just sort of weird all the way around? When things just kindly fell into place?
White
   
I’m not sure what you mean.
Black
   
Just one of them days. Just kind of magic. One of them days when everthing turns out right.
White
   
I dont know. Maybe. Why?
Black
   
I just wondered if maybe it aint been kindly a long dry spell for you. Until you finally took up with the notion that that’s the way the world is.
White
   
The way the world is.
Black
   
Yeah.
White
   
And how is that?
Black
   
I dont know. Long and dry. The point is that even if it might seem that way to you you still got to understand that the sun dont shine up the same dog’s ass ever day. You understand what I’m sayin?
White
   
If what you’re saying is that I’m simply having a bad day that’s ridiculous.
Black
   
I dont think you havin a bad day, Professor. I think you havin a bad life.
White
   
You think I should change my life.
Black
   
What, are you shittin me?
White
   
I have to go.
Black
   
You could hang with me here a little while longer.
White
   
What about my jailhouse story?
Black
   
You dont need to hear no jailhouse story.
White
   
Why not?
Black
   
Well, you kind of suspicious bout everthing. You think I’m fixin to put you in the trick bag.
White
   
And you’re not.
Black
   
Oh no. I am. I just dont want you to know about it.
White
   
Well, in any case I need to go.
Black
   
You know you aint ready to hit the street.
White
   
I have to.
Black
   
I know you aint got nothin you got to do.
White
   
And how do you know that?
Black
   
Cause you aint even supposed to be here.
White
   
I see your point.
Black
   
What if I was to tell you a jailhouse story? You stay then?
White
   
All right. I’ll stay for a while.
Black
   
My man. All right. Here’s my jailhouse story.
White
   
Is it a true story?
Black
   
Oh yeah. It’s a true story. I dont know no other kind.
White
   
All right.
Black
   
All right. I’m in the chowline and I’m gettin my chow and this nigger in the line behind me gets into it with the server. Says the beans is cold and he throws the ladle down in the beans. And when he done that they was beans splashed on me. Well, I wasnt goin to get into it over some beans but it did piss me off some. I’d just put on a clean suit—you know, khakis, shirt and trousers—and you only got two a week. And I did say somethin to him like hey man, watch it, or somethin like that. But I went on, and I’m thinkin, just let it go. Let it go. And then this dude says somethin to me and I turned and looked back at him and when I done that he stuck a knife in me. I never even seen it. And the blood is just flyin. And this aint no jailhouse shiv neither. It’s one of them italian switchblades. One of them black and silver jobs. And I didnt do a thing in the world but duck and