Raisin in the Sun - Lorraine Hansberry [47]
MAMA There is always something left to love. And if you ain’t learned that, you ain’t learned nothing. (Looking at her) Have you cried for that boy today? I don’t mean for yourself and for the family ’cause we lost the money. I mean for him: what he been through and what it done to him. Child, when do you think is the time to love somebody the most? When they done good and made things easy for everybody? Well then, you ain’t through learning—because that ain’t the time at all. It’s when he’s at his lowest and can’t believe in hisself ’cause the world done whipped him so! When you starts measuring somebody, measure him right, child, measure him right. Make sure you done taken into account what hills and valleys he come through before he got to wherever he is.
(TRAVIS bursts into the room at the end of the speech, leaving the door open)
TRAVIS Grandmama—the moving men are downstairs! The truck just pulled up.
MAMA (Turning and looking at him) Are they, baby? They downstairs?
(She sighs and sits. LINDNER appears in the doorway. He peers in and knocks lightly, to gain attention, and comes in. All turn to look at him)
LINDNER (Hat and briefcase in hand) Uh—hello … (RUTH crosses mechanically to the bedroom door and opens it and lets it swing open freely and slowly as the lights come up on WALTER within, still in his coat, sitting at the far corner of the room. He looks up and out through the room to LINDNER)
RUTH He’s here.
(A long minute passes and WALTER slowly gets up)
LINDNER (Coming to the table with efficiency, putting his briefcase on the table and starting to unfold papers and unscrew fountain pens) Well, I certainly was glad to hear from you people. (WALTER has begun the trek out of the room, slowly and awkwardly, rather like a small boy, passing the back of his sleeve across his mouth from time to time) Life can really be so much simpler than people let it be most of the time. Well—with whom do I negotiate? You, Mrs. Younger, or your son here? (MAMA sits with her hands folded on her lap and her eyes closed as WALTER advances. TRAVIS goes closer to LINDNER and looks at the papers curiously) Just some official papers, sonny.
RUTH Travis, you go downstairs—
MAMA (Opening her eyes and looking into WALTER’S) No. Travis, you stay right here. And you make him understand what you doing, Walter Lee. You teach him good. Like Willy Harris taught you. You show where our five generations done come to. (WALTER looks from her to the boy, who grins at him innocently) Go ahead, son—(She folds her hands and closes her eyes) Go ahead.
WALTER (At last crosses to LINDNER, who is reviewing the contract) Well, Mr. Lindner. (BENEATHA turns away) We called you—(There is a profound, simple groping quality in his speech)—because, well, me and my family (He looks around and shifts from one foot to the other) Well—we are very plain people …
LINDNER Yes—
WALTER I mean—I have worked as a chauffeur most of my life—and my wife here, she does domestic work in people’s kitchens. So does my mother. I mean—we are plain people …
LINDNER Yes, Mr. Younger—
WALTER (Really like a small boy, looking down at his shoes and then up at the man) And—uh—well, my father, well, he was a laborer most of his life.…
LINDNER (Absolutely confused) Uh, yes—yes, I understand. (He turns back to the contract)
WALTER (A beat; staring at him) And my father—(With sudden intensity) My father almost beat a man to death once because this man called him a bad name or something, you know what I mean?
LINDNER (Looking up, frozen) No, no, I’m afraid I don’t—
WALTER (A beat. The tension hangs; then WALTER steps back from it) Yeah. Well—what I mean is that we come from people who had a lot of pride. I mean—we are very proud people. And that’s my sister over there and she’s going to be a doctor—and we are very proud—
LINDNER Well—I am sure that is very nice, but—
WALTER What I am telling you is that we called you over here to tell you that we are very proud and that this—(Signaling to TRAVIS) Travis, come here. (TRAVIS crosses and WALTER draws