Death of a Salesman (14 page)

WILLY: I’m keeping strict accounts.

CHARLEY: I’ve got some work to do. Take care of yourself. And pay your insurance.

WILLY [
moving to the right
]: Funny, y’know? After all the highways, and the trains, and the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive.

CHARLEY: Willy, nobody’s worth nothin’ dead. [
After a slight pause
] Did you hear what I said?

[WILLY
stands still, dreaming.
]

CHARLEY: Willy!

WILLY: Apologize to Bernard for me when you see him. I didn’t mean to argue with him. He’s a fine boy. They’re all fine boys, and they’ll end up big—all of them. Someday they’ll all play tennis together. Wish me luck, Charley. He saw Bill Oliver today.

CHARLEY: Good luck.

WILLY [
on the verge of tears
]: Charley, you’re the only friend I got. Isn’t that a remarkable thing? [
He goes out.
]

CHARLEY: Jesus!

STANLEY [
putting the table down
]: That’s all right, Mr. Loman, I can handle it myself. [
He turns and takes the chairs from
HAPPY
and places them at the table.
]

HAPPY [
glancing around
]: Oh, this is better.

STANLEY: Sure, in the front there you’re in the middle of all kinds a noise. Whenever you got a party, Mr. Loman, you just tell me and I’ll put you back here. Y’know, there’s a lotta people they don’t like it private, because when they go out they like to see a lotta action around them because they’re sick and tired to stay in the house by theirself. But I know you, you ain’t from Hackensack. You know what I mean?

HAPPY [
sitting down
]: So how’s it coming, Stanley?

STANLEY: Ah, it’s a dog’s life. I only wish during the war they’d a took me in the Army. I coulda been dead by now.

HAPPY: My brother’s back, Stanley.

STANLEY: Oh, he come back, heh? From the Far West.

HAPPY: Yeah, big cattle man, my brother, so treat him right. And my father’s coming too.

STANLEY: Oh, your father too!

HAPPY: You got a couple of nice lobsters?

STANLEY: Hundred percent, big.

HAPPY: I want them with the claws.

STANLEY: Don’t worry, I don’t give you no mice. [HAPPY
laughs.
] How about some wine? It’ll put a head on the meal.

HAPPY: No. You remember, Stanley, that recipe I brought you from overseas? With the champagne in it?

STANLEY: Oh, yeah, sure. I still got it tacked up yet in the kitchen. But that’ll have to cost a buck apiece anyways.

HAPPY: That’s all right.

STANLEY: What’d you, hit a number or somethin’?

HAPPY: No, it’s a little celebration. My brother is—I think he pulled off a big deal today. I think we’re going into business together.

STANLEY: Great! That’s the best for you. Because a family business, you know what I mean?—that’s the best.

HAPPY: That’s what I think.

STANLEY: ’Cause what’s the difference? Somebody steals? It’s in the family. Know what I mean? [
Sotto voce
] Like this bartender here. The boss is goin’ crazy what kinda leak he’s got in the cash register. You put it in but it don’t come out.

HAPPY [
raising his head
]: Sh!

STANLEY: What?

HAPPY: You notice I wasn’t lookin’ right or left, was I?

STANLEY: No.

HAPPY: And my eyes are closed.

STANLEY: So what’s the—?

HAPPY: Strudel’s comin’.

STANLEY: Geez, how’d ya know?

HAPPY: I got radar or something. [
Staring directly at her profile
] Oooooooo . . . Stanley.

STANLEY: I think that’s for you, Mr. Loman.

HAPPY: Look at that mouth. Oh, God. And the binoculars.

STANLEY: Geez, you got a life, Mr. Loman.

HAPPY: Wait on her.

STANLEY [
going to the girl’s table
]: Would you like a menu, ma’am?

GIRL: I’m expecting someone, but I’d like a—

HAPPY: Why don’t you bring her—excuse me, miss, do you mind? I sell champagne, and I’d like you to try my brand. Bring her a champagne, Stanley.

GIRL: That’s awfully nice of you.

HAPPY: Don’t mention it. It’s all company money. [
He laughs.
]

GIRL: That’s a charming product to be selling, isn’t it?

HAPPY: Oh, gets to be like everything else. Selling is selling, y’know.

GIRL: I suppose.

HAPPY: You don’t happen to sell, do you?

GIRL: No, I don’t sell.

HAPPY: Would you object to a compliment from a stranger? You ought to be on a magazine cover.

GIRL [
looking at him a little archly
]: I have been.

[STANLEY
comes in with a glass of champagne.
]

HAPPY: What’d I say before, Stanley? You see? She’s a cover girl.

STANLEY: Oh, I could see, I could see.

HAPPY [
to the
GIRL]: What magazine?

GIRL: Oh, a lot of them. [
She takes the drink.
] Thank you.

HAPPY: You know what they say in France, don’t you? “Champagne is the drink of the complexion”—Hya, Biff!

[BIFF
has entered and sits with
HAPPY.]

BIFF: Hello, kid. Sorry I’m late.

HAPPY: I just got here. Uh, Miss—?

GIRL: Forsythe.

HAPPY: Miss Forsythe, this is my brother.

BIFF: Is Dad here?

HAPPY: His name is Biff. You might’ve heard of him. Great football player.

GIRL: Really? What team?

HAPPY: Are you familiar with football?

GIRL: No, I’m afraid I’m not.

HAPPY: Biff is quarterback with the New York Giants.

GIRL: Well, that is nice, isn’t it? [
She drinks.
]

HAPPY: Good health.

GIRL: I’m happy to meet you.

HAPPY: That’s my name. Hap. It’s really Harold, but at West Point they called me Happy.

GIRL [
now really impressed
]: Oh, I see. How do you do? [
She turns her profile.
]

BIFF: Isn’t Dad coming?

HAPPY: You want her?

BIFF: Oh, I could never make that.

HAPPY: I remember the time that idea would never come into your head. Where’s the old confidence, Biff?

BIFF: I just saw Oliver—

HAPPY: Wait a minute. I’ve got to see that old confidence again. Do you want her? She’s on call.

BIFF: Oh, no. [
He turns to look at the
GIRL.]

HAPPY: I’m telling you. Watch this. [
Turning to the
GIRL] Honey? [
She turns to him.
] Are you busy?

GIRL: Well, I am . . . but I could make a phone call.

HAPPY: Do that, will you, honey? And see if you can get a friend. We’ll be here for a while. Biff is one of the greatest football players in the country.

GIRL [
standing up
]: Well, I’m certainly happy to meet you.

HAPPY: Come back soon.

GIRL: I’ll try.

HAPPY: Don’t try, honey, try hard.

HAPPY: Isn’t that a shame now? A beautiful girl like that? That’s why I can’t get married. There’s not a good woman in a thousand. New York is loaded with them, kid!

BIFF: Hap, look—

HAPPY: I told you she was on call!

BIFF [
strangely unnerved
]: Cut it out, will ya? I want to say something to you.

HAPPY: Did you see Oliver?

BIFF: I saw him all right. Now look, I want to tell Dad a couple of things and I want you to help me.

HAPPY: What? Is he going to back you?

BIFF: Are you crazy? You’re out of your goddam head, you know that?

HAPPY: Why? What happened?

BIFF [
breathlessly
]: I did a terrible thing today, Hap. It’s been the strangest day I ever went through. I’m all numb, I swear.

HAPPY: You mean he wouldn’t see you?

BIFF: Well, I waited six hours for him, see? All day. Kept sending my name in. Even tried to date his secretary so she’d get me to him, but no soap.

HAPPY: Because you’re not showin’ the old confidence, Biff. He remembered you, didn’t he?

BIFF [
stopping
HAPPY
with a gesture
]: Finally, about five o’clock, he comes out. Didn’t remember who I was or anything. I felt like such an idiot, Hap.

HAPPY: Did you tell him my Florida idea?

BIFF: He walked away. I saw him for one minute. I got so mad I could’ve torn the walls down! How the hell did I ever get the idea I was a salesman there? I even believed myself that I’d been a salesman for him! And then he gave me one look and—I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been. We’ve been talking in a dream for fifteen years. I was a shipping clerk.

HAPPY: What’d you do?

BIFF [
with great tension and wonder
]: Well, he left, see. And the secretary went out. I was all alone in the waiting-room. I don’t know what came over me, Hap. The next thing I know I’m in his office—paneled walls, everything. I can’t explain it. I—Hap, I took his fountain pen.

HAPPY: Geez, did he catch you?

BIFF: I ran out. I ran down all eleven flights. I ran and ran and ran.

HAPPY: That was an awful dumb—what’d you do that for?

BIFF [
agonized
]: I don’t know, I just—wanted to take something, I don’t know. You gotta help me, Hap, I’m gonna tell Pop.

HAPPY: You crazy? What for?

BIFF: Hap, he’s got to understand that I’m not the man somebody lends that kind of money to. He thinks I’ve been spiting him all these years and it’s eating him up.

HAPPY: That’s just it. You tell him something nice.

BIFF: I can’t.

HAPPY: Say you got a lunch date with Oliver tomorrow.

BIFF: So what do I do tomorrow?

HAPPY: You leave the house tomorrow and come back at night and say Oliver is thinking it over. And he thinks it over for a couple of weeks, and gradually it fades away and nobody’s the worse.

BIFF: But it’ll go on for ever!

HAPPY: Dad is never so happy as when he’s looking forward to something!

[WILLY
enters.
]

HAPPY: Hello, scout!

WILLY: Gee, I haven’t been here in years!

HAPPY: Stanley!

[STANLEY
stands by, waiting for an order.
]

BIFF [
going to
WILLY
with guilt, as to an invalid
]: Sit down, Pop. You want a drink?

WILLY: Sure, I don’t mind.

BIFF: Let’s get a load on.

WILLY: You look worried.

BIFF: N-no. [
To
STANLEY] Scotch all around. Make it doubles.

STANLEY: Doubles, right. [
He goes.
]

WILLY: You had a couple already, didn’t you?

BIFF: Just a couple, yeah.

WILLY: Well, what happened, boy? [
Nodding affirmatively, with a smile
] Everything go all right?

BIFF [
takes a breath, then reaches out and grasps
WILLY’S
hand
]: Pal . . . [
He is smiling bravely, and
WILLY
is smiling too.
] I had an experience today.

HAPPY: Terrific, Pop.

WILLY: That so? What happened?

BIFF [
high, slightly alcoholic, above the earth
]: I’m going to tell you everything from first to last. It’s been a strange day. [
Silence. He looks around, composes himself as best he can, but his breath keeps breaking the rhythm of his voice.
] I had to wait quite a while for him, and—

WILLY: Oliver?

BIFF: Yeah, Oliver. All day, as a matter of cold fact. And a lot of—instances—facts, Pop, facts about my life came back to me. Who was it, Pop? Who ever said I was a salesman with Oliver?

WILLY: Well, you were.

BIFF: No, Dad, I was a shipping clerk.

WILLY: But you were practically—

BIFF [
with determination
]: Dad, I don’t know who said it first, but I was never a salesman for Bill Oliver.

WILLY: What’re you talking about?

BIFF: Let’s hold on to the facts tonight, Pop. We’re not going to get anywhere bullin’ around. I was a shipping clerk.

WILLY [
angrily
]: All right, now listen to me—

BIFF: Why don’t you let me finish?

WILLY: I’m not interested in stories about the past or any crap of that kind because the woods are burning, boys, you understand? There’s a big blaze going on all around. I was fired today.

BIFF [
shocked
]: How could you be?

WILLY: I was fired, and I’m looking for a little good news to tell your mother, because the woman has waited and the woman has suffered. The gist of it is that I haven’t got a story left in my head, Biff. So don’t give me a lecture about facts and aspects. I am not interested. Now what’ve you got to say to me?

WILLY: Did you see Oliver?