Raisin in the Sun - Lorraine Hansberry [23]
WALTER (Violently flinging the coat after her) And you turn mine too, baby! (The door slams behind her) That was my biggest mistake—
MAMA (Still quietly) Walter, what is the matter with you?
WALTER Matter with me? Ain’t nothing the matter with me!
MAMA Yes there is. Something eating you up like a crazy man. Something more than me not giving you this money. The past few years I been watching it happen to you. You get all nervous acting and kind of wild in the eyes—(WALTER jumps up impatiently at her words) I said sit there now, I’m talking to you!
WALTER Mama—I don’t need no nagging at me today.
MAMA Seem like you getting to a place where you always tied up in some kind of knot about something. But if anybody ask you ’bout it you just yell at ’em and bust out the house and go out and drink somewheres. Walter Lee, people can’t live with that. Ruth’s a good, patient girl in her way—but you getting to be too much. Boy, don’t make the mistake of driving that girl away from you.
WALTER Why—what she do for me?
MAMA She loves you.
WALTER Mama—I’m going out. I want to go off somewhere and be by myself for a while.
MAMA I’m sorry ’bout your liquor store, son. It just wasn’t the thing for us to do. That’s what I want to tell you about—
WALTER I got to go out, Mama—
(He rises)
MAMA It’s dangerous, son.
WALTER What’s dangerous?
MAMA When a man goes outside his home to look for peace.
WALTER (Beseechingly) Then why can’t there never be no peace in this house then?
MAMA You done found it in some other house?
WALTER No—there ain’t no woman! Why do women always think there’s a woman somewhere when a man gets restless. (Picks up the check) Do you know what this money means to me? Do you know what this money can do for us? (Puts it back) Mama—Mama—I want so many things …
MAMA Yes, son—
WALTER I want so many things that they are driving me kind of crazy … Mama—look at me.
MAMA I’m looking at you. You a good-looking boy. You got a job, a nice wife, a fine boy and—
WALTER A job. (Looks at her) Mama, a job? I open and close car doors all day long. I drive a man around in his limousine and I say, “Yes, sir; no, sir; very good, sir; shall I take the Drive, sir?” Mama, that ain’t no kind of job … that ain’t nothing at all. (Very quietly) Mama, I don’t know if I can make you understand.
MAMA Understand what, baby?
WALTER (Quietly) Sometimes it’s like I can see the future stretched out in front of me—just plain as day. The future, Mama. Hanging over there at the edge of my days. Just waiting for me—a big, looming blank space—full of nothing. Just waiting for me. But it don’t have to be. (Pause. Kneeling beside het chair) Mama—sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass them cool, quiet-looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back and talking ’bout things … sitting there turning deals worth millions of dollars … sometimes I see guys don’t look much older than me—
MAMA Son—how come you talk so much ’bout money?
WALTER (With immense passion) Because it is life, Mama!
MAMA (Quietly) Oh—(Very quietly) So now it’s life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life—now it’s money. I guess the world really do change …
WALTER No—it was always money, Mama. We just didn’t know about it.
MAMA No … something has changed. (She looks at him) You something new, boy. In my time we was worried about not being lynched and getting to the North if we could and how to stay alive and still have a pinch of dignity too … Now here come you and Beneatha—talking ’bout things we ain’t never even thought about hardly, me and your daddy. You ain’t satisfied or proud of nothing we done. I mean that you had a home; that we kept you out of trouble till you was grown; that you don’t have to ride to work on the back of nobody’s streetcar— You my children—but how different we done become.
WALTER (A long beat. He pats her hand and gets up) You just don’t understand, Mama, you just don’t understand.
MAMA Son—do you know your wife is expecting another baby? (WALTER