A View From the Bridge: A Play in Two Acts

  Eddie is gone. The phone is glowing in light now. Light is out on Alfieri. Eddie has at the same time appeared beside the phone.

  EDDIE: Give me the number of the Immigration Bureau. Thanks. He dials. I want to report something. Illegal immigrants. Two of them. That’s right. Four-forty-one Saxon Street, Brooklyn, yeah. Ground floor. Heh? With greater difficulty: I’m just around the neighborhood, that’s all. Heh?

  Evidently he is being questioned further, and he slowly hangs up. He leaves the phone just as Louis and Mike come down the street.

  LOUIS: Go bowlin’, Eddie?

  EDDIE: No, I’m due home.

  LOUIS: Well, take it easy.

  EDDIE: I’ll see yiz.

  They leave him, exiting right, and he watches them go. He glances about, then goes up into the house. The lights go on in the apartment. Beatrice is taking down Christmas decorations and packing them in a box.

  EDDIE: Where is everybody? Beatrice does not answer. I says where is everybody?

  BEATRICE, looking up at him, wearied with it, and concealing a fear of him: I decided to move them upstairs with Mrs. Dondero.

  EDDIE: Oh, they’re all moved up there already?

  BEATRICE: Yeah.

  EDDIE: Where’s Catherine? She up there?

  BEATRICE: Only to bring pillow cases.

  EDDIE: She ain’t movin’ in with them.

  BEATRICE: Look, I’m sick and tired of it. I’m sick and tired of it!

  EDDIE: All right, all right, take it easy.

  BEATRICE: I don’t wanna hear no more about it, you understand? Nothin’!

  EDDIE: What’re you blowin’ off about? Who brought them in here?

  BEATRICE: All right, I’m sorry; I wish I’d a drop dead before I told them to come. In the ground I wish I was.

  EDDIE: Don’t drop dead, just keep in mind who brought them in here, that’s all. He moves about restlessly. I mean I got a couple of rights here. He moves, wanting to beat down her evident disapproval of him.

  This is my house here not their house.

  BEATRICE: What do you want from me? They’re moved out; what do you want now?

  EDDIE: I want my respect!

  BEATRICE: So I moved them out, what more do you want? You got your house now, you got your respect.

  EDDIE—he moves about biting his lip: I don’t like the way you talk to me, Beatrice.

  BEATRICE: I’m just tellin’ you I done what you want!

  EDDIE: I don’t like it! The way you talk to me and the way you look at me. This is my house. And she is my niece and I’m responsible for her.

  BEATRICE: So that’s why you done that to him?

  EDDIE: I done what to him?

  BEATRICE: What you done to him in front of her; you know what I’m talkin’ about. She goes around shakin’ all the time, she can’t go to sleep! That’s what you call responsible for her?

  EDDIE, quietly: The guy ain’t right, Beatrice. She is silent. Did you hear what I said?

  BEATRICE: Look, I’m finished with it. That’s all. She resumes her work.

  EDDIE, helping her to pack the tinsel: I’m gonna have it out with you one of these days, Beatrice.

  BEATRICE: Nothin’ to have out with me, it’s all settled. Now we gonna be like it never happened, that’s all.

  EDDIE: I want my respect, Beatrice, and you know what I’m talkin’ about.

  BEATRICE: What?

  Pause.

  EDDIE—finally his resolution hardens: What I feel like doin’ in the bed and what I don’t feel like doin’. I don’t want no—

  BEATRICE: When’d I say anything about that?

  EDDIE: You said, you said, I ain’t deaf. I don’t want no more conversations about that, Beatrice. I do what I feel like doin’ or what I don’t feel like doin’.

  BEATRICE: Okay.

  Pause.

  EDDIE: You used to be different, Beatrice. You had a whole different way.

  BEATRICE: I’m no different.

  EDDIE : You didn’t used to jump me all the time about everything. The last year or two I come in the house I don’t know what’s gonna hit me. It’s a shootin’ gallery in here and I’m the pigeon.

  BEATRICE: Okay, okay.

  EDDIE: Don’t tell me okay, okay, I’m tellin’ you the truth. A wife is supposed to believe the husband. If I tell you that guy ain’t right don’t tell me he is right.

  BEATRICE: But how do you know?

  EDDIE: Because I know. I don’t go around makin’ accusations. He give me the heeby-jeebies the first minute I seen him. And I don’t like you sayin’ I don’t want her marryin’ anybody. I broke my back payin’ her stenography lessons so she could go out and meet a better class of people. Would I do that if I didn’t want her to get married? Sometimes you talk like I was a crazy man or sump’m.

  BEATRICE: But she likes him.

  EDDIE: Beatrice, she’s a baby, how is she gonna know what she likes?

  BEATRICE: Well, you kept her a baby, you wouldn’t let her go out. I told you a hundred times.

  Pause.

  EDDIE: All right. Let her go out, then.

  BEATRICE: She don’t wanna go out now. It’s too late, Eddie.

  Pause.

  EDDIE: Suppose I told her to go out. Suppose I—

  BEATRICE: They’re going to get married next week, Eddie.

  EDDIE—his head jerks around to her: She said that?

  BEATRICE: Eddie, if you want my advice, go to her and tell her good luck. I think maybe now that you had it out you learned better.

  EDDIE: What’s the hurry next week?

  BEATRICE: Well, she’s been worried about him bein’ picked up; this way he could start to be a citizen. She loves him, Eddie. He gets up, moves about uneasily, restlessly. Why don’t you give her a good word? Because I still think she would like you to be a friend, y’know? He is standing, looking at the floor. I mean like if you told her you’d go to the wedding.

  EDDIE: She asked you that?

  BEATRICE: I know she would like it. I’d like to make a party here for her. I mean there oughta be some kinda send-off. Heh? I mean she’ll have trouble enough in her life, let’s start it off happy. What do you say? Cause in her heart she still loves you, Eddie. I know it. He presses his fingers against his eyes. What’re you, cryin’? She goes to him, holds his face. Go ... whyn’t you go tell her you’re sorry? Catherine is seen on the upper landing of the stairway, and they hear her descending. There ... she’s comin’ down. Come on, shake hands with her.

  EDDIE, moving with suppressed suddenness: No, I can’t, I can’t talk to her.

  BEATRICE: Eddie, give her a break; a wedding should be happy!

  EDDIE: I’m goin’, I’m goin’ for a walk.

  He goes upstage for his jacket. Catherine enters and starts for the bedroom door.

  BEATRICE: Katie? ... Eddie, don’t go, wait a minute. She embraces Eddie’s arm with warmth. Ask him, Katie. Come on, honey.

  EDDIE: It’s all right, I’m—He starts to go and she holds him.

  BEATRICE: No, she wants to ask you. Come on, Katie, ask him. We’ll have a party! What’re we gonna do, hate each other? Come on!

  CATHERINE: I’m gonna get married, Eddie. So if you wanna come, the wedding be on Saturday.

  Pause.

  EDDIE: Okay. I only wanted the best for you, Katie. I hope you know that.

  CATHERINE: Okay. She starts out again.

  EDDIE: Catherine? She turns to him. I was just tellin’ Beatrice ... if you wanna go out, like ... I mean I realize maybe I kept you home too much. Because he’s the first guy you ever knew, y‘know? I mean now that you got a job, you might meet some fellas, and you get a different idea, y’know? I mean you could always come back to him, you’re still only kids, the both of yiz. What’s the hurry? Maybe you’ll get around a little bit, you grow up a little more, maybe you’ll see different in a couple of months. I mean you be surprised, it don’t have to be him.

  CATHERINE: No, we made it up already.

 
EDDIE, with increasing anxiety: Katie, wait a minute.

  CATHERINE: No, I made up my mind.

  EDDIE: But you never knew no other fella, Katie! How could you make up your mind?

  CATHERINE: Cause I did. I don’t want nobody else.

  EDDIE: But, Katie, suppose he gets picked up.

  CATHERINE: That’s why we gonna do it right away. Soon as we finish the wedding he’s goin’ right over and start to be a citizen. I made up my mind, Eddie. I’m sorry. To Beatrice : Could I take two more pillow cases for the other guys?

  BEATRICE: Sure, go ahead. Only don’t let her forget where they came from.

  Catherine goes into a bedroom.

  EDDIE: She’s got other boarders up there?

  BEATRICE: Yeah, there’s two guys that just came over.

  EDDIE: What do you mean, came over?

  BEATRICE: From Italy. Lipari the butcher—his nephew. They come from Bari, they just got here yesterday. I didn’t even know till Marco and Rodolpho moved up there before. Catherine enters, going toward exit with two pillow cases. It’ll be nice, they could all talk together.

  EDDIE: Catherine! She halts near the exit door. He takes in Beatrice too. What’re you, got no brains? You put them up there with two other submarines?

  CATHERINE: Why?

  EDDIE, in a driving fright and anger: Why! How do you know they’re not trackin’ these guys? They’ll come up for them and find Marco and Rodolpho! Get them out of the house!

  BEATRICE: But they been here so long already—

  EDDIE: How do you know what enemies Lipari’s got? Which they’d love to stab him in the back?

  CATHERINE : Well what’ll I do with them?

  EDDIE: The neighborhood is full of rooms. Can’t you stand to live a couple of blocks away from him? Get them out of the house!

  CATHERINE: Well maybe tomorrow night I’ll—EDDIE: Not tomorrow, do it now. Catherine, you never mix yourself with somebody else’s family! These guys get picked up, Lipari’s liable to blame you or me and we got his whole family on our head. They got a temper, that family.

  Two men in overcoats appear outside, start into the house.

  CATHERINE: How’m I gonna find a place tonight?

  EDDIE: Will you stop arguin’ with me and get them out! You think I’m always tryin’ to fool you or sump’m? What’s the matter with you, don’t you believe I could think of your good? Did I ever ask sump’m for myself? You think I got no feelin’s? I never told you nothin’ in my life that wasn’t for your good. Nothin’! And look at the way you talk to me! Like I was an enemy! Like I—A knock on the door. His head swerves. They all stand motionless. Another knock. Eddie, in a whisper, pointing upstage. Go up the fire escape, get them out over the back fence.

  Catherine stands motionless, uncomprehending.

  FIRST OFFICER, in the hall: Immigration! Open up in there!

  EDDIE: Go, go. Hurry up! She stands a moment staring at him in a realized horror. Well, what’re you lookin’ at!

  FIRST OFFICER: Open up!

  EDDIE, calling toward door: Who’s that there?

  FIRST OFFICER: Immigration, open up.

  Eddie turns, looks at Beatrice. She sits. Then he looks at Catherine. With a sob of fury Catherine streaks into a bedroom.

  Knock is repeated.

  EDDIE: All right, take it easy, take it easy. He goes and opens the door. The Officer steps inside. What’s all this?

  FIRST OFFICER: Where are they?

  Second Officer sweeps past and, glancing about, goes into the kitchen.

  EDDIE: Where’s who?

  FIRST OFFICER: Come on, come on, where are they? He hurries into the bedrooms.

  EDDIE: Who? We got nobody here. He looks at Beatrice, who turns her, head away. Pugnaciously, furious, he steps toward Beatrice. What’s the matter with you?

  First Officer enters from the bedroom, calls to the kitchen.

  FIRST OFFICER: Dominick?

  Enter Second Officer from kitchen.

  SECOND OFFICER: Maybe it’s a different apartment.

  FIRST OFFICER: There’s only two more floors up there. I’ll take the front, you go up the fire escape. I’ll let you in. Watch your step up there.

  SECOND OFFICER: Okay, right, Charley. First Officer goes out apartment door and runs up the stairs. This is Four-forty-one, isn’t it?

  EDDIE: That’s right.

  Second Officer goes out into the kitchen.

  Eddie turns to Beatrice. She looks at him now and sees his terror.

  BEATRICE, weakened with fear: Oh, Jesus, Eddie.

  EDDIE: What’s the matter with you?

  BEATRICE, pressing her palms against her face: Oh, my God, my God.

  EDDIE: What’re you, accusin’ me?

  BEATRICE—her final thrust is to turn toward him instead of running from him: My God, what did you do?

  Many steps on the outer stair draw his attention. We see the First Officer descending, with Marco, behind him Rodolpho, and Catherine and the two strange immigrants, followed by Second Officer. Beatrice hurries to door.

  CATHERINE, backing down stairs, fighting with First Officer; as they appear on the stairs: What do yiz want from them? They work, that’s all. They’re boarders upstairs, they work on the piers.

  BEATRICE, to First Officer: Ah, Mister, what do you want from them, who do they hurt?

  CATHERINE, pointing to Rodolpho: They ain’t no submarines, he was born in Philadelphia.

  FIRST OFFICER: Step aside, lady.

  CATHERINE: What do you mean? You can’t just come in a house and—

  FIRST OFFICER: All right, take it easy. To Rodolpho: What street were you born in Philadelphia?

  CATHERINE: What do you mean, what street? Could you tell me what street you were born?

  FIRST OFFICER: Sure. Four blocks away, One-eleven Union Street. Let’s go fellas.

  CATHERINE, fending him off Rodolpho: No, you can’t! Now, get outa here!

  FIRST OFFICER: Look, girlie, if they’re all right they’ll be out tomorrow. If they’re illegal they go back where they came from. If you want, get yourself a lawyer, although I’m tellin’ you now you’re wasting your money. Let’s get them in the car, Dom. To the men: Andiamo, Andiamo, let’s go.

  The men start, but Marco hangs back.

  BEATRICE, from doorway: Who’re they hurtin’, for God’s sake, what do you want from them? They’re starvin’ over there, what do you want! Marco!

  Marco suddenly breaks from the group and dashes into the room and faces Eddie; Beatrice and First Officer rush in as Marco spits into Eddie’s face.

  Catherine runs into hallway and throws herself into Rodolpho’s arms. Eddie, with an enraged cry, lunges for Marco.

  EDDIE: Oh, you mother’s—!

  First Officer quickly intercedes and pushes Eddie from Marco, who stands there accusingly.

  FIRST OFFICER, between them, pushing Eddie from Marco: Cut it out!

  EDDIE, over the First Officer’s shoulder, to Marco: I’ll kill you for that, you son of a bitch!

  FIRST OFFICER: Hey! Shakes him. Stay in here now, don’t come out, don’t bother him. You hear me? Don’t come out, fella.

  For an instant there is silence. Then First Officer turns and takes Marco’s arm and then gives a last, informative look at Eddie. As he and Marco are going out into the hall, Eddie erupts.

  EDDIE: I don’t forget that, Marco! You hear what I’m sayin’?

  Out in the hall, First Officer and Marco go down the stairs. Now, in the street, Louis, Mike, and several neighbors including the butcher, Lipari—a stout, intense, middle-aged man—are gathering around the stoop.

  Lipari, the butcher, walks over to the two strange men and kisses them. His wife, keening, goes and kisses their hands. Eddie is emerging from the house shouting after Marco. Beatrice is trying to restrain him.

  EDDIE: That’s the thanks I get? Which I took the blankets off my bed for yiz? You gonna apologize to me, Marco! Marco!

  FIRST OFFICER, in the doorway w
ith Marco: All right, lady, let them go. Get in the car, fellas, it’s over there.

  Rodolpho is almost carrying the sobbing Catherine off up the street, left.

  CATHERINE: He was born in Philadelphia! What do you want from him?

  FIRST OFFICER: Step aside, lady, come on now ...

  The Second Officer has moved off with the two strange men. Marco, taking advantage of the First Officer’s being occupied with Catherine, suddenly frees himself and points back at Eddie.

  MARCO: That one! I accuse that one!

  Eddie brushes Beatrice aside and rushes out to the stoop.

  FIRST OFFICER, grabbing him and moving him quickly off up the left street: Come on!

  Marco, as he is taken off, pointing back at Eddie: That one! He killed my children! That one stole the food from my children!

  Marco is gone. The crowd has turned to Eddie.

  EDDIE, to Lipari and wife: He’s crazy! I give them the blankets off my bed. Six months I kept them like my own brothers!

  Lipari, the butcher, turns and starts up left with his arm around his wife.

  EDDIE: Lipari! He follows Lipari up left. For Christ’s sake, I kept them, I give them the blankets off my bed!

  Lipari and wife exit. Eddie turns and starts crossing down right to Louis and Mike.

  EDDIE: Louis! Louis!

  Louis barely turns, then walks off and exits down right with Mike. Only Beatrice is left on the stoop. Catherine now returns, blank-eyed, from offstage and the car. Eddie calls after Louis and Mike.

  EDDIE: He’s gonna take that back. He’s gonna take that back or I’ll kill him! You hear me? I’ll kill him! I’ll kill him! He exits up street calling.