1977
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
Mmn. 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 of you 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.
JERRY
What a funny thing. We were such close friends, weren't we? Robert and me, even though I haven't seen him for a few months, but through all those years, all the drinks, all the lunches … we had together, I never even gleaned … I never suspected … that there was anyone else … in his life but you. Never. For example, when you're with a fellow in a pub, or a restaurant, for example, from time to time he pops out for a piss, you see, who doesn't, but what I mean is, if he's making a crafty telephone call, you can sort of sense it. Well, I never did that with Robert. He never made any crafty telephone calls in any pub I was ever with him in. The funny thing is that it was me who made the calls – to you, when I left him boozing at the bar. That's the funny thing.
Pause
When did he tell you all this?
EMMA
Last night. I think we were up all night.
Pause
JERRY
You talked all night?
EMMA
Yes. Oh yes.
Pause
JERRY
I didn't come into it, did I?
EMMA
What?
JERRY
I just –
EMMA
I just phoned you this morning, you know, that's all, because I … because we're old friends … I've been up all night … the whole thing's finished … I suddenly felt I wanted to see you.
JERRY
Well, look, I'm happy to see you. I am. I'm sorry … about …
EMMA
Do you remember? I mean, you do remember?
JERRY
I remember.
Pause
EMMA
You couldn't really afford Wessex Grove when we took it, could you?
JERRY
Oh, love finds a way.
EMMA
I bought the curtains.
JERRY
You found a way.
EMMA
Listen, I didn't want to see you for nostalgia, I mean what's the point? I just wanted to see how you were. Truly. How are you?
JERRY
Oh what does it matter?
Pause
You didn't tell Robert about me last night, did you?
EMMA
I had to.
Pause
He told me everything. I told him everything. We were up … all night. At one point Ned came down. I had to take him up to bed, had to put him back to bed. Then I went down again. I think it was the voices woke him up. You know …
JERRY
You told him everything?
EMMA
I had to.
JERRY
You told him everything … about us?
EMMA
I had to.
Pause
JERRY
But he's my oldest friend. I mean, I picked his own daughter up in my own arms and threw her up and caught her, in my kitchen. He watched me do it.
EMMA
It doesn't matter. It's all gone.
JERRY
Is it? What has?
EMMA
It's all all over.
She drinks.
