Tea and Sympathy Read online

  (He gets down from footstool.)

  LAURA

  Not necessarily. Look, I'll show you how simple it is.

  (She assumes the dancing position)

  Hold your left hand out this way, and put your right hand around my --

  (She stops, as she sees him looking at her)

  Oh, now you're kidding me. A boy your age and you don't know how to dance.

  TOM

  I'm not kidding you.

  LAURA

  Well, then, come on. I had to teach my husband. Put your arm around me.

  (She raises her arms.)

  TOM (Looks at her a moment, afraid to touch this woman he loves. Then to pass it off)

  We better put it off. We'd look kind of silly, both of us in skirts.

  LAURA

  All right. Take it off, then. No, wait a minute. Just let me stand off and take a look . . .

  (She walks around him)

  You're going to make a very lovely girl.

  TOM

  Thank you, ma'am . . .

  (He kids a curtsy, like a girl, and starts out of his costume. MR. HARRIS, a good-looking young master, comes in the hallway and starts up to Tom's room. On the landing, he knocks on Tom's door.)

  LAURA

  I wonder who that is?

  TOM

  All the other fellows have late afternoon classes.

  LAURA (Opens the door wider, and looks up the stairs)

  Yes? Oh, David.

  HARRIS (Turns and looks down the stairs)

  Oh, hello, Laura.

  LAURA

  I just was wondering who was coming in.

  (TOM proceeds to get out of the costume.)

  HARRIS

  I want to see Tom Lee.

  LAURA

  He's down here. I'm making his costume for the play.

  HARRIS

  I wonder if I could see him for a moment?

  LAURA

  Why yes, of course. Tom, Mr. Harris would like to see you. Do you want to use our study, David? I can go into the living room.

  HARRIS

  No, thanks. I'll wait for him in his room. Will you ask him to come up?

  (He opens the door and goes in.)

  LAURA (Is puzzled at his intensity, the urgency in his voice. Comes back in the study)

  Tom, Mr. Harris would like to see you in your room. He's gone along.

  TOM

  That's funny.

  LAURA

  Wait a minute . . . take this up with you, try it on in front of your mirror . . . see if you can move in it . . .

  (She hands him skirt of costume)

  When Mr. Harris is through, bring the costume back.

  TOM (Anxious over what HARRIs wants to see him about)

  Yeah, sure.

  (He starts out, then stops and picks up a cookie. He looks at her lovingly)

  Thanks for tea.

  LAURA

  You're welcome.

  (TOM goes to the door as HARRIS turns to the desk. He stands in the door a moment and looks at her back, then he turns and shuts the door and heads upstairs. HARRIS has come into TOM's bedroom, and is standing there nervously clenching and unclenching his hands.)

  TOM (Off stage, presumably in the study he shares with his roommate)

  Mr. Harris?

  (LAURA wanders off into the other part of the house after looking for a moment at the Canada vacation material on the desk.)

  HARRIS

  I'm in here.

  TOM (Comes in a little hesitantly)

  Oh. Hello, sir.

  (HARRIS closes the door to the bedroom. TOM regards this action with some nervousness.)

  HARRIS

  Well?

  TOM

  (Has dumped some clothes from a chair to his bed. Offers chair to HARRIS)

  Sir?

  HARRIS

  What did you tell the Dean?

  TOM

  What do you mean, Mr. Harris?

  HARRIS

  What did you tell the Dean?

  TOM

  When? What are you talking about, sir?

  HARRIS

  Didn't the Dean call you in?

  TOM

  No. Why should he?

  HARRIS

  He didn't call you in and ask you about last Saturday afternoon?

  TOM

  Why should he? I didn't do anything wrong.

  HARRIS

  About being with me?

  TOM

  I'm allowed to leave town for the day in the company of a master.

  HARRIS

  I don't believe you. You must have said something.

  TOM

  About what?

  HARRIS

  About you and me going down to the dunes and swimming.

  TOM

  Why should I tell him about that?

  HARRIS (Threatening)

  Why didn't you keep your mouth shut?

  TOM

  About what? What, for God's sake?

  HARRIS

  I never touched you, did I?

  TOM

  What do you mean, touch me?

  HARRIS

  Did you say to the Dean I touched you?

  TOM (Turning away from HARRIS)

  I don't know what you're talking about.

  HARRIS

  Here's what I'm talking about. The Dean's had me on the carpet all afternoon. I probably won't be reappointed next year . . . and all because I took you swimming down off the dunes on Saturday.

  TOM

  Why should he have you on the carpet for that?

  HARRIS

  You can't imagine, I suppose.

  TOM

  What did you do wrong?

  HARRIS

  Nothingl Nothing, unless you made it seem like something wrong. Did you?

  TOM

  I told you I didn't see the Dean.

  HARRIS

  You will. He'll call for you. Bunch of gossiping old busybodies! Well . . .

  (He starts for the door, stops, turns around and softens. He comes back to the puzzled TOM)

  I'm sorry . . . It probably wasn't your fault. It was my fault. I should have been more . . . discreet . . . Good-bye. Good luck with your music.

  (TOM hasn't understood. He doesn't know what to say. He makes a helpless gesture with his hands. HARRIS goes into the other room on his way out. Three boys, about seventeen, come in from the downstairs hall door and start up the stairs. They're carrying books. All are wearing sports jackets, khaki or flannel trousers, white or saddle rubber-soled shoes.)

  AL

  I don't believe a word of it.

  RALPH (He is large and a loud-mouthed bully)

  I'm telling you the guys saw them down at the dunes.

  AL (He is TOM'S roommate, an athlete)

  So what?

  RALPH

  They were bare-assed.

  AL

  Shut up, will you? You want Mrs. Reynolds to hear you?

  RALPH

  Okay. You watch and see. Harris'll get bounced, and I'm gonna lock my room at night as long as Tom is living in this house.

  AL

  Oh, dry up!

  RALPH

  Jeeze, you're his roommate and you're not worried.

  HARRIS (Comes out the door and starts down the stairs)

  Hello.

  (He goes down stairs and out.)

  AL

  Sir.

  RALPH

  Do you believe me now? You aren't safe. Believe me.

  STEVE (He is small, RALPH'S appreciative audience. He comes in the front door)

  Hey, Al, can I come in watch Mrs. Morrison nurse her kid?

  RALPH

  You're the loudest-mouthed bastard I ever heard. You want to give it away.

  STEVE

  It's time. How about it, Al?

  AL (Grudgingly)

  Come on.

  (TOM hears them coming, and moves to bolt his door, but STEVE and RALPH break in before he gets to the door. He wat
ches them from the doorway. STEVE rushes to the bed and throws himself across it, looking out the window next to the bed. RALPH settles down next to him.)

  AL (To TOM as he comes in)

  Hi. These horny bastards.

  STEVE

  Al, bring the glasses.

  (AL goes into sitting room.)

  RALPH

  Some day she's going to wean that little bastard and spoil all our fun.

  STEVE

  Imagine sitting in a window . . .

  TOM (Has been watching this with growing annoyance)

  Will you guys get out of here?

  RALPH (Notices TOM for the first time)

  What's the matter with you, Grace?

  TOM

  This is my damned room.

  RALPH

  Gracie's getting private all of a sudden.

  TOM

  I don't want a lot of Peeping Toms lying on my bed watching a . . . a . . .

  STEVE

  You want it all for yourself, don't you?

  RALPH

  Or aren't you interested in women?

  AL (Comes back in with field glasses)

  Shut up!

  (Looks out window, then realizes TOM is watching him. Embarrassed)

  These horny bastards.

  STEVE (Looking)

  Geeze!

  RALPH (A bully, riding down on TOM)

  I thought you were going to play ball with us Saturday.

  TOM

  I didn't feel like it.

  RALPH

  What did you feel like doing, huh?

  AL

  Will you shut up?

  STEVE

  Hey, lookit.

  (Grabs glasses from AL. AL leaves room.)

  TOM (Climbing over STEVE and RALPH and trying to pull the shade)

  I told you to get out. I told you last time . . .

  RALPH (Grabbing hold of TOM, and holding him down)

  Be still, boy, or she'll see, and you'll spoil everything.

  TOM

  Horny bastard. Get out of here.

  RALPH

  Who are you calling a horny bastard?

  (He grabs hold of TOM more forcefully, and slaps him a couple of times across the face, not trying to hurt him, but just to humiliate him. STEVE gets in a few pokes and in a moment, it's not in fun, but verging on the serious)

  You don't mean that now, boy, do you . . . Do you, Grace?

  (He slaps him again.)

  AL (Hearing the scuffle, comes in and hauls RALPH and STEVE off TOM)

  Come on, come on, break it up. Clear out.

  (He has them both standing up now, TOM still on the bed.)

  RALPH

  I just don't like that son of a bitch calling me a horny bastard. Maybe if it was Dr. Morrison instead of Mrs. Morrison, he'd be more interested. Hey, wouldn't you, Grace?

  (He tries to stick his face in front of TOM, but AL holds him back.)

  AL

  Come on, lay off the guy, will you? Go on. Get ready for supper.

  (He herds them out during this. When they have left the room, TOM gets up and goes to bureau and gets a handkerchief. He has a bloody nose. He lies down on the bed, his head tilted back to stop the blood.)

  AL (In doorway)

  You all right?

  TOM

  Yeah.

  (RALPH and STEVE go up the stairway singing in raucous voices, "One Night of Love." The downstairs outside door opens, and BILL REYNOLDS enters the hall with a student, PHIL. BILL is LAURA'S husband. He is large and strong with a tendency to be gruff. He's wearing gray flannel trousers, a tweed jacket, a blue button-down shirt. He is around forty.)

  BILL

  Okay, boy, we'll look forward to --

  (He notices RALPH still singing. He goes to the bend in the stairs and calls)

  Hey, Ralph. . . . Ralph!

  RALPH (Stops singing up out of sight)

  You calling me, Mr. Reynolds, sir?

  BILL