The Man Who Had All the Luck by Arthur Miller Page A

. . . [ Holding up valise. ] Surprise.
    AMOS: Aw . . . ! [AMOS takes the valise and fingers it happily. ]
    J.B.: It’s a token of our affection from . . . just a minute now . . . [ Straightens the slip of paper. ] Hester, Shory, Gus, Dave, Ellie, and me, and Belle. [ Indicating upstage. ]
    AMOS [ fondling the valise ]: Gee, you should’na done it.
    J.B. [ with growing flourish and sentiment ]: No, you don’t realize the traveling you’ll do. [ Looks into the distance. ] Shibe Park, Commiskey Field, Sportsman’s Park—Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, St. Louis. . . . And when you’re packing up after a nice no-hitter, you’ll give us a thought in the old home town. [ To clinch it, he taps a buckle. ] Solid brass.
    AMOS [ feverish in glory ]: Give me that list. [ Takes it out of J.B. ’s hand. ] When I get my first paycheck I’m gonna send you all a big present! Say . . . ! [ Starting to take PAT’s wrist to look at his watch. ] What time . . . ?
    PAT [ holding onto his arm ]: You heard what he said in the locker room. He’s got to finish some long-distance phoning, and then he’ll be here. Come on. I’ll rub you down. HESTER enters as they start for the stairs.
    HESTER: John, you better go outside. Ellie’s going home.
    J.B. [ frightened and hurt ]: Why? [ To all. ] Am I so drunk?
    DAVID: Hurry up, maybe you can catch her.
    J.B.: Come with me, Dave . . . tell her . . .
    DAVID: Get washed, Ame . . . you want to look nice now. Be right back.
    DAVID and J.B. go out.
    HESTER [ looking at the door ]: Why must he always do that? [ To PAT who is rummaging in his old valise. ] I’ll get you some towels. Come on up.
    PAT: Oh, no, we carry our own. You never can tell about strange towels. [ He folds one over his arm. AMOS is looking out of the window. ]
    HESTER [ ready to laugh ]: Well, I wasn’t going to give you a dirty towel, you stupid.
    PAT: For twenty-one years I’ve kept him practically sterilized. I ain’t layin’ him low with an infection now. Come on, Amos, get washed.
    AMOS and PAT exit up the stairs as J.B. enters, followed by DAVID. J.B. is drunk, unsteady but not staggering. He barges in, comes directly to HESTER and takes her hand, speaks very close to her face, as though to discern her reactions better.
    J.B.: Hester, you got to go home for me. [ He goes to window helplessly. ]
    DAVID: Maybe she was only fooling, John . . .
    J.B.: No! But . . . [ To HESTER.] Somebody’s got to go home for me! [ And suddenly he bursts into uncontrolled sobbings. ]
    HESTER: What in the world . . . !
    DAVID [ angrily ]: John! [ Shakes him, then seats him. ] John! Are you going to cut that out?
    HESTER [ going to J.B.]: What happened? What did she say?
    J.B. [ stops sobbing, sits swaying backward and forward, very slightly in his chair ]: All these years . . . we could’ve had children . . . all these weary, weary years.
    HESTER: What are you talking about?
    J.B. [ pointing waywardly toward the door to the outside ]: Just told me . . . she made it up about the doctor . . . made it all up. We could’ve had two kids by now. [ Looks at DAVID.] She wouldn’t. She wouldn’t. Because I drink, she says. A drunkard, she says! They’ll wipe my name off my mail box like I never lived!
    HESTER: Come upstairs and lie down. You make me so mad I could choke you! You could have everything in the world and you drink it away.
    J.B.: If I had a boy . . . I wouldn’t have touched a drop.
    HESTER: Oh, push! [ She tries to move him to the stairway. ]
    J.B.: I’m only a failure, Dave. The world is full of failures. All a man needs is one mistake and he’s a failure.
    DAVID turns his head, a little annoyed.
    DAVID [ impatiently ]: I know, John. [ Looks out window again. ]
    J.B.: You are the only man I ever knew who never makes a mistake. You understand me. Look at me! I am saying something.
    DAVID [ now turns full to him ]: What are you talking