Raisin in the Sun - Lorraine Hansberry [13]
RUTH (Angrily) I feed my son, Lena!
MAMA I ain’t meddling—(Underbreath; busy-bodyish) I just noticed all last week he had cold cereal, and when it starts getting this chilly in the fall a child ought to have some hot grits or something when he goes out in the cold—
RUTH (Furious) I gave him hot oats—is that all right!
MAMA I ain’t meddling. (Pause) Put a lot of nice butter on it? (RUTH shoots her an angry look and does not reply) He likes lots of butter.
RUTH (Exasperated) Lena—
MAMA (To BENEATHA. MAMA is inclined to wander conversationally sometimes) What was you and your brother fussing ’bout this morning?
BENEATHA It’s not important, Mama.
(She gets up and goes to look out at the bathroom, which is apparently free, and she picks up her towels and rushes out)
MAMA What was they fighting about?
RUTH Now you know as well as I do.
MAMA (Shaking her head) Brother still worrying hisself sick about that money?
RUTH You know he is.
MAMA You had breakfast?
RUTH Some coffee.
MAMA Girl, you better start eating and looking after yourself better. You almost thin as Travis.
RUTH Lena—
MAMA Un-hunh?
RUTH What are you going to do with it?
MAMA Now don’t you start, child. It’s too early in the morning to be talking about money. It ain’t Christian.
RUTH It’s just that he got his heart set on that store—
MAMA You mean that liquor store that Willy Harris want him to invest in?
RUTH Yes—
MAMA We ain’t no business people, Ruth. We just plain working folks.
RUTH Ain’t nobody business people till they go into business. Walter Lee say colored people ain’t never going to start getting ahead till they start gambling on some different kinds of things in the world—investments and things.
MAMA What done got into you, girl? Walter Lee done finally sold you on investing.
RUTH No. Mama, something is happening between Walter and me. I don’t know what it is—but he needs something—something I can’t give him anymore. He needs this chance, Lena.
MAMA (Frowning deeply) But liquor, honey—
RUTH Well—like Walter say—I spec people going to always be drinking themselves some liquor.
MAMA Well—whether they drinks it or not ain’t none of my business. But whether I go into business selling it to ’em is, and I don’t want that on my ledger this late in life. (Stopping suddenly and studying her daughter-in-law) Ruth Younger, what’s the matter with you today? You look like you could fall over right there.
RUTH I’m tired.
MAMA Then you better stay home from work today.
RUTH I can’t stay home. She’d be calling up the agency and screaming at them, “My girl didn’t come in today—send me somebody! My girl didn’t come in!” Oh, she just have a fit …
MAMA Well, let her have it. I’ll just call her up and say you got the flu—
RUTH (Laughing) Why the flu?
MAMA ’Cause it sounds respectable to ’em. Something white people get, too. They know ’bout the flu. Otherwise they think you been cut up or something when you tell ’em you sick.
RUTH I got to go in. We need the money.
MAMA Somebody would of thought my children done all but starved to death the way they talk about money here late. Child, we got a great big old check coming tomorrow.
RUTH (Sincerely, but also self-righteously) Now that’s your money. It ain’t got nothing to do with me. We all feel like that—Walter and Bennie and me—even Travis.
MAMA (Thoughtfully, and suddenly very far away) Ten thousand dollars—
RUTH Sure is wonderful.
MAMA Ten thousand dollars.
RUTH You know what you should do, Miss Lena? You should take yourself a trip somewhere. To Europe or South America or someplace—
MAMA (Throwing up her hands at the thought) Oh, child!
RUTH I’m serious. Just pack up and leave! Go on away and enjoy yourself some. Forget about the family and have yourself a ball for once in your life—
MAMA (Drily) You sound like I’m just about ready to die. Who’d go with me? What I look like wandering ’round Europe by myself?
RUTH Shoot—these here rich white women do it all the time. They don’t think