Raisin in the Sun - Lorraine Hansberry [18]
BENEATHA Asagai doesn’t care how houses look, Mama—he’s an intellectual.
MAMA Who?
BENEATHA Asagai—Joseph Asagai. He’s an African boy I met on campus. He’s been studying in Canada all summer.
MAMA What’s his name?
BENEATHA Asagai, Joseph. Ah-sah-guy … He’s from Nigeria.
MAMA Oh, that’s the little country that was founded by slaves way back …
BENEATHA No, Mama—that’s Liberia.
MAMA I don’t think I never met no African before.
BENEATHA Well, do me a favor and don’t ask him a whole lot of ignorant questions about Africans. I mean, do they wear clothes and all that—
MAMA Well, now, I guess if you think we so ignorant ’round here maybe you shouldn’t bring your friends here—
BENEATHA It’s just that people ask such crazy things. All anyone seems to know about when it comes to Africa is Tarzan—
MAMA (Indignantly) Why should I know anything about Africa?
BENEATHA Why do you give money at church for the missionary work?
MAMA Well, that’s to help save people.
BENEATHA YOU mean save them from heathenism—
MAMA (Innocently) Yes.
BENEATHA I’m afraid they need more salvation from the British and the French.
(RUTH comes in forlornly and pulls off her coat with dejection. They both turn to look at her)
RUTH (Dispiritedly) Well, I guess from all the happy faces—everybody knows.
BENEATHA You pregnant?
MAMA Lord have mercy, I sure hope it’s a little old girl. Travis ought to have a sister.
(BENEATHA and RUTH give her a hopeless look for this grandmotherly enthusiasm)
BENEATHA How far along are you?
RUTH Two months.
BENEATHA Did you mean to? I mean did you plan it or was it an accident?
MAMA What do you know about planning or not planning?
BENEATHA Oh, Mama.
RUTH (Wearily) She’s twenty years old, Lena.
BENEATHA Did you plan it, Ruth?
RUTH Mind your own business.
BENEATHA It is my business—where is he going to live, on the roof? (There is silence following the remark as the three women react to the sense of it) Gee—I didn’t mean that, Ruth, honest. Gee, I don’t feel like that at all. I—I think it is wonderful.
RUTH (Dully) Wonderful.
BENEATHA Yes—really. (There is a sudden commotion from the street and she goes to the window to look out) What on earth is going on out there? These kids. (There are, as she throws open the window, the shouts of children rising up from the street. She sticks her head out to see better and calls out) TRAVIS! TRAVIS … WHAT ARE YOU DOING DOWN THERE? (She sees) Oh Lord, they’re chasing a rat!
(RUTH covers her face with hands and turns away)
MAMA (Angrily) Tell that youngun to get himself up here, at once!
BENEATHA TRAVIS … YOU COME UPSTAIRS … AT ONCE!
RUTH (Her face twisted) Chasing a rat.…
MAMA (Looking at RUTH, worried) Doctor say everything going to be all right?
RUTH (Far away) Yes—she says everything is going to be fine …
MAMA (Immediately suspicious) “She”—What doctor you went to?
(RUTH just looks at MAMA meaningfully and MAMA opens her mouth to speak as TRAVIS bursts in)
TRAVIS (Excited and full of narrative, coming directly to his mother) Mama, you should of seen the rat … Big as a cat, honest! (He shows an exaggerated size with his hands) Gaaleee, that rat was really cuttin’ and Bubber caught him with his heel and the janitor, Mr. Barnett, got him with a stick—and then they got him in a corner and—BAM! BAM! BAM!—and he was still jumping around and bleeding like everything too—there’s rat blood all over the street—
(RUTH reaches out suddenly and grabs her son without even looking at him and clamps her hand over his mouth and holds him to her. MAMA crosses to them rapidly and takes the boy from her)
MAMA You hush up now … talking all that terrible stuff … (TRAVIS is staring at his mother with a stunned expression. BENEATHA comes quickly and takes him away from his grandmother and ushers him to the door)
BENEATHA You go back outside and play … but not with any rats. (She pushes him gently out the door with the boy straining to see what is wrong with