Viewing page 19 of 64
This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.
32 MR. PARKER What is it? THEO Whiskey——corn whiskey——you want some? MR. PARKER (Hovers.) Well, I'll try a little bit of it out, but we better not let Adele see us. THEO (Starts unscrewing cork from jug.) That girl sure puts a scare in you, Pop, and I remember when you wouldn't take no stuff off Mama, Adele, or nobody. MR. PARKER God is the only person I fear. THEO (Stops unscrewing the jug.) God! Damn, you're all alike! MR. PARKER What are you talking about, boy? THEO You, the way Mama was——ask you any question you can't answer, and you throw that Bible stuff at us. MR. PARKER I don't get you. THEO For instance, let me ask you about the black man's oppressions, and you'll tell me about some small nation in the East rising one day to rule the world. Ask you about pain and dying, and you say, "God wills it." . . . Fear?——and you'll tell me about Daniel, and how Daniel wasn't scared of them lions. Am I right or wrong? MR. PARLER It's all in the book and you can't dispute it. THEO You wanta bet? If that nation in the East ever do rose, how can I be sure they won't be worse than the jokers we got running things now?-Nobody but nobody wills me to pain and dying, not if I can do something about it. That 33 goes for John, Peter, Mary, J.C., the whole bunch of 'em! And as for ol' Daniel: sure, Daniel didn't care nothing about them lions-but them lions didn't give a damn about him either! They tore him into a million pieces! MR. PARKER That's a lie! That's an ungodly, unholy lie! (Takes his Bible from the shelf.) And I'll prove it! THEO What lie? MR. PARKER (Moving from the counter, thumbing through Bible.) You and those bastard ideas of yours. Here, here it is! (Reading from Bible.) "And when he came near unto the den to Daniel, he cried with a pained voice; The King spoke and said to Daniel: 'O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?' Then said Daniel unto the King: 'O King, live forever! My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me; for as much as before him innocence was found in me, and also before thee, O King, have I done no hurt.' Then was the King exceeding glad, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found up him, because he trusted his God!!!" (Slams the book closed, triumphant.) THEO Hollywood, Pop, Hollywood! MR PARKER. Damn you! How I ever brought something like you into this world, I'll never know! You're no damn good! Sin! That's who your belief is! Sin and corruption! With you, it's nothing but women! Whiskey! Women! Whiskey! (While he is carrying on, Theo pours out a glass of corn and puts it in Mr. Parker's hand.) Women! Whiskey! (Takes a taste.) Whisk—— Where did you get this from? (Sits on throne.) THEO (Slapping Bobby's hand.) I knew you'd get the message, Pop—— I just knew it!
