Fences
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| August Wilson |
TROY You just now coming in here from leaving this morning?
CORY Yeah, I had to go to football practice.
TROY Yeah, what?
CORY Yessir.
TROY I ain't but two seconds off you noway. The garbage sitting in there overflowing . . . you ain't done none of your chores . . . and you come in
here talking about "Yeah."
CORY I was just getting ready to do my chores now, Pop . . .
TROY Your first chore is to help me with this fence on Saturday. Everything else come after that. Now get that saw and cut them boards.
(CORY takes the saw and begins cutting the boards. TROY continues working. There is a long pause.)
CORY Hey, Pop . . . why don't you buy a TV?
TROY What I want with a TV? What I want one of them for?
CORY Everybody got one. Earl, Ba Bra . . . Jesse!
TROY I ain't asked you who had one. I say what I want with one?
CORY So you can watch it. They got lots of things on TV. Baseball games and everything. We could watch the World Series.
TROY Yeah . . . and how much this TV cost?
CORY I don't know. They got them on sale for around two hundred dollars.
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TROY Two hundred dollars, huh?
CORY That ain't that much, Pop.
TROY Naw, it's just two hundred dollars. See that roof you got over your head at night? Let me tell you something about that roof. It's been over ten
years since that roof was last tarred. See now ... the snow come this winter and sit up there on that roof like it is . . . and it’s gonna seep inside. It's
just gonna be a little bit . . . ain't gonna hardly notice it. Then the next thing you know, it's gonna be leaking all over the house. Then the wood rot
from all that water and you gonna need a whole new roof. Now, how much you think it cost to get that roof tarred?
CORY I don't know.
TROY Two hundred and sixty-four dollars . . . cash money. While you thinking about a TV, I got to be thinking about the roof . . . and whatever else
go wrong around here. Now if you had two hundred dollars, what would you do . . . fix the roof or buy a TV?
CORY I'd buy a TV. Then when the roof started to leak . . . when it needed fixing ... I'd fix it.
TROY Where you gonna get the money from? You done spent it for a TV. You gonna sit up and watch the water run all over your brand new TV.
CORY Aw, Pop. You got money. I know you do.
TROY Where I got it at, huh?
CORY You got it in the bank.
TROY You wanna see my bankbook? You wanna see that seventy-three dollars and twenty-two cents I got sitting up in there.
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CORY You ain't got to pay for it all at one time. You can put a down payment on it and carry it on home with you.
TROY Not me. I ain't gonna owe nobody nothing if I can help it. Miss a payment and they come and snatch it right out your house. Then what you
got? Now, soon as I get two hundred dollars clear, then I'll buy a TV. Right now, as soon as I get two hundred and sixty-four dollars, I'm gonna have
this roof tarred.
CORY Aw . . . Pop!
TROY You go on and get you two hundred dollars and buy one if ya want it. I got better things to do with my money.
CORY I can't get no two hundred dollars. I ain't never seen two hundred dollars.
TROY I'll tell you what . . . you get you a hundred dollars and I'll put the other hundred with it.
CORY Alright, I'm gonna show you.
TROY You gonna show me how you can cut them boards right now.
( CORY begins to cut the boards. There is a long pause.)
CORY The Pirates won today. That makes five in a row.
TROY I ain't thinking about the Pirates. Got an all-white team. Got that boy . . . that Puerto Rican boy . . . Clemente. Don't even half-play him. That
boy could be something if they give him a chance. Play him one day and sit him on the bench the next.
CORY He gets a lot of chances to play.
TROY I'm talking about playing regular. Playing every
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day so you can get your timing. That's what I'm talking about.
CORY They got some white guys on the team that don't play every day. You can't play everybody at the same time.
TROY If they got a white fellow sitting on the bench . . . you can bet your last dollar he can’t play! The colored guy got to be twice as good before he
get on the team. That’s why I don't want you to get all tied up in them sports. Man on the team and what it get him? They got colored on the team and
don't use them. Same as not having them. All them teams the same.
CORY The Braves got Hank Aaron and Wes Covington. Hank Aaron hit two home runs today. That makes forty-three.
TROY Hank Aaron ain't nobody. That's what you supposed to do. That’s how you supposed to play the game. Ain't nothing to it. It's just a matter of
timing . . . getting the right follow-through. Hell, I can hit forty-three home runs right now!
CORY Not off no major-league pitching, you couldn't.
TROY We had better pitching in the Negro leagues. I hit seven home runs off of Satchel Paige. You can't get no better than that!
CORY Sandy Koufax. He's leading the league in strikeouts.
TROY I ain’t thinking of no Sandy Koufax.
CORY You got Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette. I bet you couldn't hit no home runs off of Warren Spahn.
TROY I'm through with it now. You go on and cut them boards.
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(Pause.) Your mama tell me you done got recruited by a college football team? Is that right?
CORY Yeah. Coach Zellman say the recruiter gonna be coming by to talk to you. Get you to sign the permission papers.
TROY I thought you supposed to be working down there at the A&P. Ain't you suppose to be working down there after school?
CORY Mr. Stawicki say he gonna hold my job for me until after the football season. Say starting next week I can work weekends.
TROY I thought we had an understanding about this football stuff? You suppose to keep up with your chores and hold that job down at the A&P.
Ain't been around here all day on a Saturday. Ain't none of your chores done . . . and now you telling me you done quit your job.
CORY I'm gonna be working weekends.
TROY You damn right you are! And ain't no need for nobody coming around here to talk to me about signing nothing.
CORY Hey, Pop . . . you can't do that. He's coming all the way from North Carolina.
TROY I don't care where he coming from. The white man ain't gonna let you get nowhere with that football noway. You go on and get your book-
learning so you can work yourself up in that A&P or learn how to fix cars or build houses or something, get you a trade. That way you have something
can't nobody take away from you. You go on and learn how to put your hands to some good use. Besides hauling people's garbage.
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CORY I get good grades, Pop. That's why the recruiter wants to talk with you. You got to keep up your grades to get recruited. This way I’ll be going
to college. I'll get a chance . . .
TROY First you gonna get your butt down there to the A&P and get your job back.
CORY Mr. Stawicki done already hired somebody else 'cause I told him I was playing football.
TROY You a bigger fool than I thought ... to let somebody take away your job so you can play some football. Where you gonna get your money to
take out your girlfriend and whatnot? What kind of foolishness is that to let somebody take away your job?
CORY I'm still gonna be working weekends.
TROY Naw . . . naw. You getting your butt out of here and finding you another job.
CORY Come on, Pop! I got to practice. I can't work after school and play football too. The team needs me. That's what Coach Zellman say . . .
TROY I don't care what nobody else say. I'm the boss . . . you understand? I'm the boss around here. I do the only saying what counts.
CORY Come on, Pop!
TROY I asked you ... did you understand?
CORY Yeah . . .
TROY What?!
CORY Yessir.
TROY You go on down there to that A&P and see if you can get your job back. If you can't do both . . . then you
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quit the football team. You've got to take the crookeds with the straights.
CORY Yessir.
(Pause.) Can I ask you a question?
TROY What the hell you wanna ask me? Mr. Stawicki the one you got the questions for.
CORY How come you ain’t never liked me?
TROY Liked you? Who the hell say I got to like you? What law is there say I got to like you? Wanna stand up in my face and ask a damn fool-ass
question like that. Talking about liking somebody. Come here, boy, when I talk to you.
( CORY comes over to where TROY is working. He stands slouched over and TROY shoves him on his shoulder.) Straighten up, goddammit! I asked
you a question . . . what law is there say I got to like you?
CORY None.
TROY Well, alright then! Don't you eat every day?
(Pause.) Answer me when I talk to you! Don't you eat every day?
CORY Yeah.
TROY Nigger, as long as you in my house, you put that sir on the end of it when you talk to me!
CORY Yes . . . sir.
TROY You eat every day.
CORY Yessir!
TROY Got a roof over your head.
CORY Yessir!
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TROY Got clothes on your back.
CORY Yessir.
TROY Why you think that is?
CORY Cause of you.
TROY Aw, hell I know it's 'cause of me . . . but why do you think that is?
CORY
(Hesitant.) Cause you like me.
TROY Like you? I go out of here every morning . . . bust my butt . . . putting up with them crackers every day . . . cause I like you? You about the
biggest fool I ever saw.
(Pause.) It's my job. It's my responsibility! You understand that? A man got to take care of his family. You live in my house . . . sleep you behind on
my bedclothes . . . fill you belly up with my food . . . cause you my son. You my flesh and blood. Not 'cause I like you! Cause it's my duty to take care
of you. I owe a responsibility to you! Let's get this straight right here . . . before it go along any further ... I ain't got to like you. Mr. Rand don't give
me my money come payday cause he likes me. He gives me cause he owe me. I done give you everything I had to give you. I gave you your life! Me
and your mama worked that out between us. And liking your black ass wasn't part of the bargain. Don't you try and go through life worrying about if
somebody like you or not. You best be making sure they doing right by you. You understand what I'm saying, boy?
CORY Yessir.
TROY Then get the hell out of my face, and get on down to that A&P.
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