Fences Page #14

bono:
Yeah. I know what you mean. That’s all they care

about . . . that money. They don’t care about

what’s right.

(pause)

N*gger, why you got to go and get some hard

wood? You ain’t doing nothing but building a little

old fence. Get you some soft pine wood. That’s

all you need.

troy:
I know what I’m doing. This is outside wood. You

put pine wood inside the house. Pine wood is inside

wood. This here is outside wood. Now you

tell me where the fence is gonna be?

bono:
You don’t need this wood. You can put it up with

pine wood and it’ll stand as long as you gonna be

here looking at it.

troy:
How you know how long I’m gonna be here, n*gger?

Hell, I might just live forever. Live longer than

old man Horsely.

bono:
That’s what Magee used to say.

troy:
Magee’s a damn fool. Now you tell me who you

ever heard of gonna pull their own teeth with a

pair of rusty pliers.

bono:
The old folks . . . my granddaddy used to pull

his teeth with pliers. They ain’t had no dentists

for the colored folks back then.

troy:
Get clean pliers! You understand? Clean pliers!

Sterilize them! Besides we ain’t living back

then. All Magee had to do was walk over to Doc

Goldblum’s.

They start to work . . . or not.

bono:
I see where you and that Tallahassee gal . . .

that Alberta . . . I see where you all done got

tight.

troy:
What you mean “got tight”?

bono:
I see where you be laughing and joking with her

all the time.

troy:
I laughs and jokes with all of them, Bono. You

know me.

bono:
That ain’t the kind of laughing and joking I’m

talking about.

Cory comes out from the house.

cory:
How you doing, Mr. Bono?

troy:
Get that saw from Bono and cut some wood. He

talking about the wood’s too hard to cut.

(to Bono)

Stand back there, Jim, and let that young boy

show you how it’s done.

bono:
He’s sure welcome to it.

Cory goes to Bono, who hands him the

saw. Cory saws fast finishing in

seconds, puts the next board in place

and saws.

bono:
Whew-e-e! Look at that. Big old strong boy. Look

like Joe Louis. Hell, must be getting old the way

I’m watching that boy whip through that wood.

cory:
I don’t see why Mama want a fence around the

yard noways.

troy:
Damn if I know either. What the hell she keeping

out with it? She ain’t got nothing nobody want.

bono:
Some people build fences to keep people out . . .

and other people build fences to keep people in.

Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you.

troy:
Hell, n*gger, I don’t need nobody to tell me my

wife loves me. Cory . . . go on in and see if you

can find that other saw.

cory:
Where’s it at?

troy:
I said find it! Look for it till you find it!

Cory goes into the house. Troy turns

to Bono . . .

troy:
What’s that supposed to mean? Wanna keep us in?

bono (bono leads troy out of earshot): Troy . . . I done

known you seem like damn near my whole life. You

and Rose both. I done know both of you all for

a long time. I remember when you met Rose. When

you was hitting them baseballs out the park. A

lot of them old gals was after you then. You had

the pick of the litter. When you picked Rose, I

was happy for you. That was the first time I knew

you had any sense. I said . . . My man Troy

knows what he’s doing . . . I’m gonna follow

this n*gger . . . he might take me somewhere. I

been following you too. I done learned a whole

heap of things about life watching you. I done

learned how to tell where the sh*t lies. How to

tell it from the alfalfa. You done learned me a

lot of things. You showed me how to not make the

same mistakes . . . to take life as it comes

along and keep putting one foot in front of the

other.

(pause)

Rose a good woman, Troy.

troy:
Hell, n*gger, I know she a good woman. I been

married to her for eighteen years. What you got

on your mind, Bono?

bono:
I just say she a good woman. Just like I say

anything. I ain’t got to have nothing on my mind.

troy:
You just gonna say she a good woman and leave

it hanging out there like that? Why you telling

me she a good woman?

bono:
She loves you, Troy. Rose loves you.

troy:
You saying I don’t measure up. That’s what you

trying to say. I don’t measure up ’cause I’m seeYou saying I don’t measure up. That’s what you

trying to say. I don’t measure up ’cause I’m seeing

this other gal. I know what you trying to say.

bono:
I know what Rose means to you, Troy. I’m just

trying to say I don’t want to see you mess up.

troy:
Yeah, I appreciate that, Bono. If you was messing

around on Lucille I’d be telling you the same

thing.

bono:
Well, that’s all I got to say. I just say that

because I love you both.

Troy takes this in.

troy:
Hell, you know me . . . I wasn’t out there looking

for nothing. You can’t find a better woman

than Rose. I know that. But seems like this woman

just stuck on to me where I can’t shake her loose.

I done wrestled with it, tried to throw her off

me . . . but she just stuck on tighter. Now she’s

stuck on for good.

bono:
You’s in control . . . that’s what you tell me

all the time. You responsible for what you do.

troy:
I ain’t ducking the responsibility of it. As

long as it sets right in my heart . . . then I’m

okay. ’Cause that’s all I listen to. It’ll tell

me right from wrong every time. And I ain’t

talking about doing Rose no bad turn. I love

Rose. She done carried me a long ways and I love

and respect her for that.

bono:
I know you do. That’s why I don’t want to see

you hurt her. But what you gonna do when she find

out? What you got then? If you try and juggle both

of them . . . sooner or later you gonna drop one

of them. That’s common sense.

troy:
Yeah, I hear what you saying, Bono. I been trying

to figure a way to work it out.

bono (leaning in . . .): Work it out right, Troy. I

don’t want to be getting all up between you and

Rose’s business . . . but work it so it come out

right.

troy:
Aw hell, I get all up between you and Lucille’s

business. When you gonna get that woman that refrigerator

she been wanting? Don’t tell me you

ain’t got no money now. I know who your banker is.

Mellon don’t need that money bad as Lucille want

that refrigerator. I’ll tell you that.

bono:
Tell you what I’ll do . . . when you finish

building this fence for Rose . . . I’ll buy Lucille

that refrigerator.

troy:
You done stuck your foot in your mouth now!

Troy stands up, grabs up a board and

begins to saw. Bono starts to walk out

of the yard.

troy:
Hey, n*gger . . . where you going?

bono:
I’m going home. I know you don’t expect me to

help you now. I’m protecting my money. I wanna

see you put up that fence by yourself. That’s

what I want to see.

(climbing the steps)

You’ll be here another six months without me.

troy:
N*gger, you ain’t right . . .

bono:
When it comes to my money . . . I’m right as

fireworks on the Fourth of July.

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