CHRONICLES OF HALDEN, II
The
Banner
 |
a
dramatic
tetralogy
by
Robin Gordon |
Part
1: Sid: Act II
- Auksford, 2010
-
Links:
Act
I
--- Act
III
--- The
Banner: Index
--- Robin
Gordon's works: Index
---
Auksford
Index
ACT
II, SCENE 1
The
squalid
living room of the Thatcher house. Sid is lounging on a
battered couch, reading. Jake enters muttering.
Jake:
If I wasn’t an old man I’d show him. If I
was twenty
or thirty years younger I’d give him what for.
I’d
teach him. Great bully, picking on an old man.
I’m an
old man.
Sid:
What
are you muttering about?
Jake:
I’m an old man!
Sid:
A
lean and slippered pantaloon, sans hair, sans teeth, sans eyes, sans
… everything.
Jake:
I’ll give you sans
everything, you little
bugger! It’s
all on account o’ you!
Sid:
What
is? Do try to talk coherently, father.
Jake:
Don’t you take that tone of voice with me!
I’m not
having it. Think you’re so bloody superior,
don’t
you. Well I
know
different. I’ve looked after you since you were a
babby,
washing your dirty nappies, watching you running home from school
pissing yourself with fright comes some lad’s threatened to
thump
you, and I know what you were up to when you went sneaking into the
coalhouse to play with yourself. Pretending you’re
some
fancy great poet and reading all them fancy books. The only
thing
you’ve got in common with them poets is that you’ve
never
done a day’s work in your life.
Sid:
Look
who’s talking!
Jake:
What
have you been up to with young Jim Gormley?!
Sid:
What?
Jake:
You
heard! What have you been up to with young Gormley?
Sid:
…?
Jake:
Come on! You’ve got a tongue in your head,
haven’t
you? You’ve usually got enough to say for
yourself.
If you’ve been up to summat I want to know about it.
Sid:
I
don’t know what you mean.
Jake:
You
know!
You
know!
Sid:
What
are you talking about, father?
Jake:
Don’t you come the innocent with me!
You’re a bugger!
Sid:
WHAT?!
Jake:
You’re a bugger!
That’s what you are. I know all about it.
I’ve heard. Everyone knows.
Sid:
What
… are
… you … talking … about?
Jake:
If I
wasn’t an old man …
Sid
[exasperated]:
Huh!
Jake:
If I
wasn’t an old man I’d … I’d
cut ’em off for you.
Sid:
What?!
Jake:
Ya
dirty la’al bugger! Should have ’em cut
off!
Sid:
A
dunno what you’re on about.
Jake:
Where did you take him?
Sid:
Who?
Jake:
Gormley’s lad.
Sid:
Kim?
Jake:
Jim!
His
name’s Jim!
Sid:
He
likes me to call him Kim.
Jake:
It’s him!
He’s led you on, hasn’t he? Young
Gormley. Little nancy-boy Kim. He’s led
you on.
Sid:
What?
Jake:
He’s led you on. That’s it! A
lad’s got
to have something. You didn’t know what you were
doing. He’s so like a girl,
that Kim
Gormley.
Jake
looks at
Sid for corroboration. Pause.
Sid:
It’s not true.
Jake:
What?
Sid:
It’s not true. I’ve never …
Jake:
Never?
Sid:
Never!
Jake:
You’ve never been
wi’ Jim Gormley?
Sid:
No! Not with him, not with anybody! I’m
not …
Jake:
Oh.
Pause.
Jake:
Albert Gormley says you have.
Sid:
He’s a liar!
Jake:
He
says you’re after his lad.
Sid:
A’ll kill ’im!
Jake
[pathetically]:
He thumped
me. A’m an old man, you know.
A’m not young any
more. A can’t stand up to people like A used
to.
A’m an old man!
Sid:
Yeah.
Jake:
You’ll ’ave to see ’im.
Sid:
Eh?
Jake:
Albert Gormley. You’ll ’ave to speak to
’im. Tell ’im ’e
can’t knock an old man
about like that.
Sid:
I
can’t tell ’im.
Jake:
You’ll ’ave to. You’ll
’ave to tell
’im about you an’ ’is lad. Tell
’im
there’s nothing in it.
Sid:
What
good will that do?
Jake:
You
know what they think o’ queers round ’ere.
Sid:
So
what?
Jake:
Listen, if you don’t see him and tell him, he’ll
put it
about that you’re after his lad. He’ll
tell
everybody. They’ll all get to hear of it.
You
wouldn’t want that.
Sid:
Why
should I care what the lower orders think?
Jake:
Listen, ya daft la’al bugger, they’re not lower orders,
they’re your neighbours. They’re people
you’ve got to live with.
Sid:
Huh!
Jake:
Well I don’t give much for your chances if them lads in that
gang
get to hear about it. That’s given you summat to
think
about, hasn’t it? They’ve been looking
for a chance
to get you; this’ll be just what they want. Well,
it’s up to you. I wash me hands of it.
Jake
goes off
into the kitchen.
Sid:
Bloody hell! What do I care what the bloody neighbours think?
– Bourgeois morality, that’s what it is.
Can’t
see further than the end of their own snotty, running noses.
Why
should I
have to justify
myself to a pack of senseless yobs? – Thick!
That’s
what they are: thick as two short planks. – I can’t
meet a
friend and talk about art and music and poetry and things like that
without them calling us queer. – They know nothing about
culture,
nothing! All they know is their own dirty selves, watching
telly
and getting drunk and crawling about in their own spewed vomit and
hating anybody that tries to raise himself out of it.
They’ve always had it in for me. They
were always
picking on me at school, calling me nancy-boy and trying to pull my
trousers off – just cos I was interested in bettering
meself. They’ve always had it in for all of we who
doesn’t fit in wi’ their ways. – Well,
what’s
it got to do with them? What’s it got to do with
Albert
Gormley? Why should I take it from them? They
won’t
stop me seeing my friend. I’ve got a right to go
round with
whoever I want, and no-one’ll stop me, not Albert Gormley
–
not anyone.
[Pause]
He could take it out on Kim. There’s
nothing he wouldn’t do. He’s a big
brute, vicious … When he’s drunk
… Knocks his
wife about … He’s already threatened Kim
… What am
I going to do. Kim couldn’t stand being knocked
about like
that.
[Pause]
Then there’s King’s gang … erm
… [with
tragic decision]: I
can’t let him take it out on
Kim. I’ll have to see him. [He calls]:
Father!
Jake
[from
the kitchen]:
What d’you want?
Sid:
I’m going to see Albert Gormley.
Exit
Sid. Enter Jake from the kitchen looking both cunning and
uncertain, half proud, half fearful. He dries his hands on
the
grimy towel he is carrying, but does not speak.
ACT
II, SCENE 2
A
street. Sid and Jim meet.
Jim:
Hi! I was on me way round. A’m sorry
A’m a bit
late. It was me Mam. We’ve still got time
to get
there before the main picture starts though.
Sid
[in
a tone of high tragedy]:
Wait for me, Kim!
Jim:
What?
Sid:
One
day you will understand.
Jim:
Eh?
Sid:
Don’t think badly of me, Kim, however things turn
out.
Always remember: I did it for the best – I did it for you!
Jim:
What
are you talking about?
Sid:
It is
a far, far better thing that I do now than I have ever done.
Jim:
I
don’t understand.
Sid:
One day, Kim, one day it will all be clear to you. One day
you
will know. One day you will understand. If I should
hurt
you, forgive me. Remember, I shall always be your friend,
whatever happens. [He
clasps Jim by the hand].
I shall return when I
have accomplished my task. Wait
for me,
Kim! Wait
for me.
Exit
Sid.
Jim:
I
don’t understand.
ACT
II, SCENE 3
A
street. Steve, Pete and Andy.
Pete:
Bloody great evening this
is!
Andy:
Nothing to do. Nowhere to go.
Pete:
I might just as well ’ave stayed at ’ome, with me
ol’
man soring his head off in front of telly and me ol’ jane
moaning
on about her rotten, stinking, aching feet and ’er rotten,
stinking arthritis and ’er rotten, stinking varicose veins.
Steve
[in
a woman’s voice]:
Oh me feet! Oh me feet! A’ve been
trailin’
roun’ them shops all day lookin’ for summat A can
afford
…
Pete
[in
a woman’s voice]:
Money goes nowhere these days.
Steve
[woman’s
voice]:
Nowhere at all.
Pete
[woman’s
voice]:
Why don’t you hand over your pay packet …
Steve
[woman’s
voice]:
… dole packet …
Pete
[woman’s
voice]
… dole packet like other husbands. You
don’t care about me …
Steve
[woman’s
voice]:
… scrimping an’ saving …
Pete
[woman’s
voice]:
… working me fingers to the bone …
Steve
[woman’s
voice]:
… slaving over a hot stove …
Pete
[woman’s
voice]:
… with my
feet!
Steve
[woman’s
voice]:
You never give me enough!
Pete:
Well, at least you can get it regular when you’re
married. We never get it at all!
Steve:
Except King and Ronno.
Pete:
Yeah! We have to do whatever them tarts tell us,
jus’ so
King can get his oats. We could’ve ’ad
some fun
tonight.
Andy:
We
still might. Look!
Pete:
It’s Jim Gormley, la’al Kim!
Andy:
Let’s get ’im!
Jim
is hanging round at the corner, waiting as he thinks Sid told
him. Pete and Andy rush over, jeering, and push and jostle
him. Steve follows more slowly.
Jim:
Hey! Gerroff!
Pete:
Oh,
sorry, Miss. A didn’t see ya.
Andy:
What
a thing to do: knocking a lady into the gutter!
Steve:
Aw
leave ’im alone. A don’t see what
you’ve got against ’im.
Pete:
There’s a lot you don’t see, Howe!
Andy:
What
are you doing here? Waiting for your boyfriend?
Pete:
Is
he going to give you a big kiss when he comes?
Andy:
Is
he going to come when he gives you a big kiss?
Steve:
Let
’im go.
Andy
[singing]:
He’s waiting for his sweetheart,
his
sweetheart, his sweetheart.
He’s
waiting for his sweetheart
on
a dark autumn night.
Steve:
Let
him go.
Pete:
We
should take his knickers off! Are you
going to help
us, Howe?
Steve:
No
A’m not.
Pete:
Right! Well we know what you are, don’t
we? Poofter!
Steve:
A
don’t see what you’ve got against him.
Pete
[mimicking
Steve]:
“A don’t see what you’ve got against
him.” He’s a friend o’ Sid
Thatcher’s,
inn’e? And Sid Thatcher’s a queer.
Andy
[singing]:
Sid Thatcher is a queer,
Sid
Thatcher is a queer,
Ee-aye-addio
Sid Thatcher is a queer.
Jim:
Is it
because he reads books?
Pete:
Eh?
Andy:
It
talks!
Jim:
Is that why you say he’s queer? Because he reads
books and
likes poetry and good films – because he’s cultured
and
sophisticated?
Pete:
Is
that what they call it now?
Jim:
A know not many people round here go in for culture, but it’s
not
all that queer to like it. I mean, it’s a way of
bettering
yourself, isn’t it. It’s a way of getting
on.
Pete:
Whass’e talking about?
Jim:
A mean, we all have to read books at school, like for O-levels and
that, so if it’s not queer to read books at school, why is it
queer to read them after you’ve left?
Pete:
What’s beuks got to do wid it?
Steve:
A
told you he didn’t know.
Pete:
We’ll have to tell ’im then.
Jim:
I
mean, even if it is queer in Swarrell, it’s quite normal in
Oxford and Cambridge and places like that.
Steve,
Pete
and Andy burst out laughing. Jim is bewildered.
ACT
II, SCENE 4
The
Leg and Leper. Alice behind the bar, Gormley and Ted at a
corner
table, two middle-aged drinkers at the next table, three young men at
the bar, other drinkers.
Gormley:
A
can’t get it out of me mind.
Ted:
Let
it rest, Albert.
Gormley:
It’s upset me.
Ted:
Not
half as much as it upset Old Jake.
Gormley:
Not that. It’s just this whole bloody
mess. A mean,
A’ve got to face it, Ted: my son just isn’t normal.
Ted:
He’ll grow out of it.
Gormley:
Will he? When I think of him going round wi’ that
little poof Sid Thatcher …
Ted:
Ay.
Gormley:
It’s his mother to blame. A’ve told
’er
an’ told ’er: no good’ll come
o’ giving the lad
fancy ideas. O’Levels! What good are
bloody O-Levels
in a place like Swarrell?
Ted:
Maybe
she wants him to get a white-collar job.
Gormley:
A
bloody pen-pusher?
Ted:
Ay.
Gormley:
That’s all he’s good for – a bloody
homosexual pen-pusher.
Enter
Sid. The drinkers look up. As Sid passes the three
young
men at the bar one covers his arse with his hands and backs against the
bar in mock-fear of being sodomised. The other two
snigger.
Sid tensely pretends not to notice and continues towards
Gormley.
The two middle-aged drinkers bend forward to speak quietly, avoiding
involvement. The others watch, some covertly, most
openly.
Sid arrives at Gormley’s table.
Gormley:
Hold me down, Ted, or A’ll swing for him. As sure
as the Lord made little apples, A’ll swing for him.
Sid:
Excuse me, Mr Gormley.
Gormley:
What do you
want?
Sid:
I
believe you have been making certain allegations concerning your son,
Jim, and I.
Gormley:
A’ll kill him! A’ll brek ’is
bloody neck!
Ted
holds
Gormley back.
Sid:
Well … er … I thought I’d better let
you know that
there is no truth in these allegations. Kim and I are just
good
…
Gormley:
Grrrrh!
Gormley
leaps
up and grabs Sid by the throat.
Gormley:
What
did you call
my son?! What
did you call my son?!
Sid
[choking]:
Crrrrr … nothing … arrrgh … I
… nothing …. crrr … gerroff
…
Gormley:
You called ’im Kim!
Sid:
Arrrrh … he likes
me to call him Kim.
Gormley
shakes
him.
Gormley:
If I ever catch you within a hundred mile of our Jim again
A’ll break every bone in your body!
Sid:
Aarrrrgh!
The
two
middle-aged drinkers at the next table look up agitatedly as if about
to rise and intervene.
Gormley:
Do you hear me?!
Gormley
shakes
Sid even more violently. The two drinkers hurry to stop him.
First Drinker:
Hey now, easy, easy. You’ll kill
him if
you’re not careful.
Gormley:
A’ll bloody kill
’im all right!
First Drinker:
Now, come on now. Come on. You’ve given
’im a fright. That’s all that’s
needed.
Alice:
Let
him go! Please, Mr Gormley! A’ve got the
licence to think of.
First Drinker:
He’s nearly passed out. Let him get some air, for
the Lord’s sake.
The
two
drinkers pull at Gormley’s arms to make him let go of Sid.
Gormley:
A’ll break ’is flamin’ neck!
First Drinker:
Let go, man!
The First Drinker pulls Gormley’s arm
free. Sid gasps
for air. Gormley clutches at him again. Sid flails
wildly. The two drinkers stagger back. Gormley
closes with
Sid again, looking as if he is determined to kill him. Sid
continues flailing wildly.
Sid:
HELP!! GERROFF!
Alice:
Stop it!
Sid:
GERROFF! GERROFF! AARRRGH! STOP IT!
Alice:
I’m going to call the police!
The
two drinkers recover their balance and lunge forward to drag Gormley
off Sid. Ted grabs one of the drinkers to pull him away from
Gormley. One of the young men at the bar nods to his
companions
and they dive into the fray. There is a chaotic
struggle.
The others crane forward to see.
The two
drinkers pull Gormley out. He comes to his senses and stands
breathing heavily while Ted and the three young men overpower Sid, who
is eventually held immovable. There is a heavy silence apart
from
Sid’s sobs.
Gormley:
A’ll not ’ave ’im sniffin’
round my lad!
Gormley
unbuckles his heavy leather belt.
Gormley:
Bend ’im over that table!
Ted
and the
young men obey.
Gormley:
Get his trousers down!
They
hesitate.
Gormley:
GET ’IS TROUSERS
DOWN!
Ted
fumbles under Sid’s belly. Sid lies still and
unresisting,
giving an occasional, almost silent sob. There is total
silence
as Ted pulls Sid’s trousers down. Gormley, who has
removed
his belt, moves forward, and, taking deliberate ail, gives Sid six
slow, carefully measured lashes across his buttocks.
Gormley:
If Jake Thatcher had taken a strap to him when he was a kid, he might
have saved us all a lot of trouble. Get ’im out of
my sight!
Gormley
turns away and puts on his belt. Sid, released, slides to the
floor. The two drinkers help him up. Alice comes
out from
behind the bar.
Alice:
Poor lad! Bring him into the back room.
Sid:
No! No! Lemme go!
Sid
struggle
free of their helping hands and stumbles to the door, clutching his
still unfastened trousers.
ACT
II, SCENE 5
The
street
outside the Leg and Leper. Mrs Gormley and Mrs Howe.
Mrs Gormley:
A know what it’ll be like if A don’t find
him. I
get
the blame for everything. Albert thinks it’s all my
fault. A mean, A try
to give Jim some sense of decency, and this
is all the thanks A get.
Mrs Howe:
It’s the same with our Steve – well, not quite the
same,
but you know what A mean. Ah’ve tried,
A really
have.
Mrs Gormley:
We’ve kept him on at school an extra year so he can get his
O-levels, so he can get a good job – a nice
job, A mean.
Mrs Howe:
A know.
Mrs Gormley:
Albert wanted him to leave school soon’s ’e could.
Mrs Howe:
Our Steve was always good at his school work. He could have
made something of himself …
Mrs Gormley:
Well, you know what Albert thinks about it – and now
there’s that Sid Thatcher.
Mrs Howe:
He should be put away!
Mrs Gormley:
And Albert blames me!
A don’t know what A’ve done to deserve it.
Mrs Howe:
There he is!
Mrs Gormley
[alarmed]:
Albert?
Mrs Howe:
Sid Thatcher.
Sid
runs out
of the “Leg and Leper”, scurries across the road
and takes refuge in the shadows of a nearby back lane.
Mrs Gormley:
Is Jim there?
Mrs Howe:
No …
Mrs Gormley:
Come on!
Mrs
Gormley
runs after Sid. Mrs Howe follows. Mrs Gormley grabs
Sid by the arm.
Sid:
GERROFF!!!
Sid
swings wildly at Mrs Gormley. She stumbles and clutches at
him
for support. They fall to the ground struggling.
Sid is
terrified and trying to get away from this new attack. Mrs
Gormley hangs on to him and he hits at her wildly.
Sid:
Gerroff! Help! Gerroff! Gerroff!
Mrs Gormley screams
loudly and
continuously.
Mrs Howe:
Help! Police! Help! Murder!
Mrs
Howe grabs at Sid to pull him away from Mrs Gormley. All she
succeeds in doing is pulling his trousers down. This makes
Sid
struggle even harder.
Mrs Howe:
Aaaargh! Help! Rape! RAPE!!
Help! Police! RAPE!!
Enter
Jim, Steve, Pete and Andy, running.
Pete:
What’s gan on?
Mrs Howe:
HELP! RAPE!!!
Jim:
Mam!
Mrs Howe:
Help! He’s raping her!
The
boys drag
Sid to his feet. He grabs his trousers and pulls them up.
Jim:
Sid!
Mrs Gormley:
Jim! Oh! Don’t look at me!
Don’t let him see me like this! Not like this!
Jim:
Mam! What …?
Mrs Gormley:
Don’t look at me, Jim! Oh, the shame!
Mrs Howe
[helping
her up and speaking in
a tone the boys are not meant to hear]:
He
didn’t …?
Mrs Gormley:
No, thank God.
Jim:
What
did ’e do?
Mrs Gormley:
Nothing. Never mind. It’s all right.
Mrs Howe
[full
of hatred]:
He tried to rape
her!
Pete:
Him?!!
Jim
hurls
himself at Sid, beating him with his fists.
Jim:
I
hate you! I hate you!
The
force of Jim’s attack knocks Sid and the boys holding him off
balance. Mrs Gormley stretches out her hand towards Jim and
tries
to move forward.
Mrs Gormley:
Jim!
She
stumbles and falls. Everyone turns to help her except
Sid.
He seizes his chance to flee. Pete and Andy make a grab for
him,
but too late.
Mrs Gormley:
Let him go. He’s not worth it.
Jim:
A’ll get ’im! A’ll get
’im for
this! Don’t worry, Mam, A’ll get
’im!
Mrs Howe:
The police …
Mrs Gormley:
No! Albert mustn’t find out!
It’s all
right. There’s no harm done – but
we’ve got to
get home before Albert comes.
They
crowd
round her, then set off to take her home.
Jim:
A’ll get’im!
Exeunt
omnes.
