Play With a Tiger and Other Plays. Doris Lessing

voice of an American girl, outside on the stairs.]

      [JANET STEVENS comes in. She is a neat attractive girl of about 22. She is desperately anxious and trying to hide it.]

      JANET: Are you Anna Freeman?

      ANNA: Yes. And this is Tom Lattimer.

      JANET: I am Janet Stevens. [she has expected ANNA to know the name] Janet Stevens.

      ANNA: How do you do?

      JANET: Janet Stevens from Philadelphia. [as ANNA still does not react] I hope you will excuse me for calling on you like this.

      ANNA: Not at all.

      [JANET looks at TOM. ANNA looks at TOM. TOM goes to the window, turns his back.]

      JANET [still disbelieving ANNA]: I thought you would know my name.

      ANNA: No.

      TOM: But she has been expecting you all afternoon.

      JANET [at sea]: All afternoon?

      ANNA [angry]: No, it’s not true.

      JANET: I don’t understand, you were expecting me this afternoon?

      ANNA: No. But may I ask, how you know me?

      JANET: Well, we have a friend in common. Dave Miller.

      TOM [turning, furious]: You could have said so, couldn’t you, Anna?

      ANNA: But I didn’t know.

      TOM: You didn’t know. Well I’m going. You’ve behaved disgracefully.

      ANNA: Very likely. However just regard me as an unfortunate lapse from the straight and narrow on your journey to respectability.

      [TOM goes out, slamming the door.]

      ANNA [politely]: That was my – fiancé.

      JANET: Oh, Dave didn’t say you were engaged.

      ANNA: He didn’t know. And besides, I’m not ‘engaged’ any longer.

      [A silence. ANNA looks with enquiry at JANET, who tries to speak and fails.]

      ANNA: Please sit down, Miss Stevens.

      [JANET looks around for somewhere to sit, sits on a chair, smiles socially. Being a well brought up young lady, and in a situation she does not understand, she is using her good manners as a last-ditch defence against breaking down.]

      [ANNA looks at her, waiting.]

      JANET: It’s this way, you see Dave and I … [At ANNA’S ironical look she stops.] … What a pretty room, I do so love these old English houses, they have such …

      [ANNA looks at her: do get a move on.]

      JANET: My father gave me a vacation in Europe for passing my college examinations. Yes, even when I was a little girl he used to promise me – if you do well at college I’ll give you a vacation in Europe. Well, I’ve seen France and Italy now, but I really feel most at home in England than anywhere. I do love England. Of course our family was English, way back of course, and I feel that roots are important, don’t you?

      ANNA: Miss Stevens, what did you come to see me for?

      JANET: Dave always says he thinks women should have careers. I suppose that’s why he admires you so much. Though of course, you do wear well. But I say to him, Dave, if you work at marriage then it is a career … sometimes he makes fun because I took domestic science and home care and child care as my subjects in college, but I say to him, Dave marriage is important, Dave, I believe that marriage and the family are the most rewarding career a woman can have, that’s why I took home care as my first subject because I believe a healthy and well-adjusted marriage is the basis for a healthy nation.

      ANNA: You’re making me feel deficient in patriotism.

      JANET: Oh, Dave said that too … [she almost breaks down, pulls herself together: fiercely] You’re patronizing me. I don’t think you should patronize me.

      ANNA: Miss Stevens, do let’s stop this. Listen to me. I haven’t seen Dave for weeks. Is that what you came here to find out?

      JANET: I know that you are such old friends. He talks about you a great deal.

      ANNA: I’ve no doubt he does. [She waits for JANET to go on, then goes on herself.] There’s a hoary psychological joke – if I can use the word joke for a situation like this – about the way the betrayed women of the heartless libertine get together to lick their wounds – have you come here to make common cause with me over Dave? Because forgive me for saying so, but I don’t think you and I have anything in common but the fact we’ve both slept with Dave. And that is not enough for the basis of a beautiful friendship.

      JANET: No! It wasn’t that at all, I came because … [she stops]

      ANNA: I see. Then you’ve come because you’re pregnant. Well, how far have you got?

      JANET: Five months.

      ANNA: I see. And you haven’t told him.

      ANNA: I knew if I told him he’d give me money and … well I love him. It would be good for him to have some responsibility wouldn’t it?

      ANNA: I see.

      JANET: Yes, I know how it looks, trapping a man. But when I was pregnant I was so happy, and only afterwards I thought – yes, I know how it looks, trapping a man, but he said he loved me, he said he loved me.

      ANNA: But why come and tell me? [as JANET doesn’t answer] He’s ditched you, is that it?

      JANET: No! Of course he hasn’t. [cracking] I haven’t seen him in days. I haven’t seen him. Where is he, you’ve got to tell me where he is. I’ve got to tell him about the baby.

      ANNA: But I don’t know where he is.

      JANET: You have to tell me. When he knows about the baby he’ll … [as ANNA shrugs] Ah come on now, who do you think you’re kidding? Well I’ve got his baby, you haven’t. You can’t do anything about that, can you. I’ve got his baby, I’ve got him.

      ANNA: Very likely.

      JANET: But what can I do? I want to be married. I’m just an ordinary girl and I want to be married, what’s wrong with that?

      ANNA: There’s nothing wrong with that. But I haven’t seen Dave, and I don’t know where he is, and so there’s nothing I can do. [finally] And you shouldn’t have come to me.

      [JANET goes out.]

      ANNA [almost in tears]: Oh Christ. [stopping the tears, angrily] Damn. Damn.

      [She goes to window. At once MARY comes in.]

      MARY: Well who was she? [ANNA turns her back to hide her face from MARY.] Was she one of Dave’s girls? [ANNA nods. MARY moves so that she can see ANNA’S face.] Well, you knew there was one, didn’t you? [ANNA nods.] Well, then? [ANNA nods.]

      ANNA: All right, Mary.

      [MARY is in a jubilant mood. She has been flirting with HARRY. Now, seeing ANNA is apparently all right, she says what she came in to say.]

      MARY: Harry and I are going out. There’s a place he knows we can get drinks. I told him you wouldn’t be interested. [The telephone starts ringing.] Aren’t you going to answer it? [as ANNA shakes her head] Odd, we’ve known each other all these years. He’s really sweet, Harry. You can say what you like, but it’s nice to have a man to talk to for a change – after all, how many men are there you can really talk to? [The telephone stops.] Anna, what are you in this state for?

      ANNA: What I can’t stand is, the way he makes use of me. Do you know