Inge - Come Back, Little Sheba

The living room somehow manages to convey the atmosphere of the twenties, decorated with cheap pretense at niceness and respectability. The general effect is one of fussy awkwardness. The furniture is all heavy and rounded-looking, the chairs and davenport being covered with a shiny mohair. The davenport is littered and there are lace antimacassars on all the chairs. In such areas, houses are so close together, they hide each other from the sunlight. What sun could come through the window, at right, is dimmed by the smoky glass curtains.

In the kitchen there is a table, center. On it are piled dirty dishes from supper the night before. Woodwork in the kitchen is dark and grimy. No industry whatsoever has been spent in making it one of those white, cheerful rooms that we commonly think kitchens should be. There is no action on stage for several seconds. DOC comes downstairs to kitchen. His coat is on back of chair, center.

He straightens chair, takes roll from bag on drainboard, folds bag and tucks it behind sink. He lights stove and goes to table, fills dishpan there and takes it to sink. Turns on water, tucks towel in vest for apron. He goes to chair and says prayer. Then he crosses to stove, takes frying pan to sink and turns on water. MARIE , a young girl of eighteen or nineteen who rooms in the house, comes out of her bedroom (next to the living room), skipping airily into the kitchen. Her hair is piled in curls on top of her head and she wears a sheer dainty negligee and smart, feathery mules on her feet.

She has the cheerfulness only youth can feel in the morning. MARIE (Goes to chair, opens pocketbook there) Hi! DOC Well, well, how is our star boarder this morning? MARIE Fine. DOC Want your breakfast now? MARIE Just my fruit juice. Ill drink it while I dress and have my breakfast later. DOC (Places two glasses on table) Up a little early, arent you? MARIE I have to get to the library and check out some books before anyone else gets them. DOC Yes, you want to study hard, Marie, learn to be a fine artist some day. Paint lots of beautiful pictures.

I remember a picture my mother had over the mantelpiece at home, a picture of a cathedral in a sunset, one of those big cathedrals in Europe somewhere. Made you feel religious just to look at it. MARIE These books arent for art, theyre for biology. I have an exam. DOC Biology? Why do they make you take biology? MARIE (Laughs) Its required. Didnt you have to take biology when you were in college? DOC Well yes, but I was preparing to study medicine, so of course I had to take biology and things like that.

You seeI was going to be a real doctor thenonly I left college my third year. MARIE Whats the matter? Didnt you like the pre-med course? DOC Yes, of course I had to give it up. MARIE Why? DOC (Goes to stove with roll on plateevasive) Ill put your sweet roll in now, Marie, so it will be nice and warm for you when you want it. MARIE Dr. Delaney, youre so nice to your wife, and youre so nice to me, as a matter of fact, youre so nice to everyone. I hope my husband is as nice as you are.

Most husbands would never think of getting their own breakfast. DOC (Very pleased with this) uh you might as well sit down now and yes, sit here and Ill serve you your breakfast now, Marie, and we can eat it together, the two of us. MARIE (A light little laugh as she starts dancing away from him) No, I like to bathe first and feel that Im all fresh and clean to start the day. Im going to hop into the tub now. See you later. Delaney. Delaney.