do. I didnât do anything wrong and . . .
SHORY: You didnât have to! [DAVE stares at SHORY.] A man is a jellyfish. The tide goes in and the tide goes out. About what happens to him, a man has very little to say. When are you going to get used to it? DAVID stands staring.
PAT: You better go home and sleep, Dave. Sleep is a great doctor, you know.
SHORY [ gently ]: He said it, Dave. Enter J.B. in a hurry.
J.B.: Where is Dan? Whereâs the Marmon?
PAT: He didnât come here.
J.B.: That ox! I tell him Iâll drive it over for him. No, Dan Dibble donât allow anybody behind the wheel but himself. I go into the house to tell Ellie Iâm goinâ and when I come out heâs gone. [ Starts to go right. ] That seven passenger moron . . .
DAVID: He probably decided to go back home to Burley.
J.B.: No, Iâm sure heâs tryinâ to get here. Rugged individualist! Iâll find him on some dirt road some place . . . [ He shuts up abruptly as a door slams outside. ] All look right.
DAVID [ alarmed ]: Hester!
He quickly goes off right. For an instant AMOS, PAT, and SHORY are galvanized. AMOS goes off and returns immediately supporting DAN DIBBLE who is shaking all over and seems about to collapse in distress.
DIBBLE [ on entering ]: God help me, God in Heaven help me . . . Enter DAVID and J.B. helping HESTER . She is sobbing on DAVID âs arm and heâs trying to lift her face up.
DAVID: Stop crying, whatâ the matter? Hester, stop it, what happened? J.B.!
DIBBLE [ goes prayerfully to HESTER]: I couldnât see him, Miss, how in the world could I see him? His car had no lights . . . HESTER âs loud sob cuts him off.
DAVID [ to DAN]: What happened? What did you do?
DIBBLE: Oh, God in Heaven, help me . . .
J.B. [ goes to him, pulls his hands down ]: Dan . . . stop that. . . . For Peteâs sake, what happened?
DIBBLE: This girlâs father . . . an old man . . . I couldnât see him . . . He was pushing a car without lights. There were no lights at all, and he walked out from behind just as I came on him.
But for HESTER âs subsiding sobs, there is silence for a moment. She looks at DAVID , who looks once at her, then comes to life.
DAVID [ to DAN]: Where is he now?
DIBBLE [ points upstage ]: I took him to his house . . . she was there. It happened a few feet from his house.
DAVID [ horrified ]: Well, why didnât you get a doctor! [ He starts for the back door. ]
HESTER: No . . . heâs dead, Davey.
Almost at the ramp, DAVID stops as though shot. After an instant he turns quickly. He comes as in a dream a few yards toward her, and, as in a dream, halts, staring at her.
Heâs dead.
DAVID stares at her. Then turns his head to PAT , AMOS, SHORY, DAN . . . as though to seek reality. Then looking at her once more he goes to the nail barrel and sits.
DAVID [ whisper ]: Iâll be darned. [ Goes to HESTER . . . after a moment. ] Iâm so sorry.
HESTER: It was nobodyâs fault. Oh that poor man!
PAT [ goes to DAVID]: You better . . . come home, David.
DAVID [ he gets up, goes to HESTER , takes her hand ]: Hess? I really am sorry.
HESTER looks at him, a smile comes to her face. She thankfully throws her arms around him and sobs.
Donât Hess . . . donât cry anymore. Please Hess . . . John, take her to your house for tonight, heh?
J.B.: I was going to do that. [ Takes HESTER âs arm. ] Come on, baby. Iâll tend to everything.
DAVID: Goodnight, Hess. You sleep, heh?
HESTER: You mustnât feel any fault, Davey.
DAVID: I could have gotten him started, thatâs all. He said . . . [ A filament of sardonic laughter. ] . . . donât touch anything I own.
HESTER: It wasnât your fault! You understand? In any way.
DAVID [ nods inconclusively ]: Go to bed, go ahead.
J.B. [ leading HESTER off ]: Weâll get you home, and youâll sleep.
DIBBLE [DAN follows them until he gets to the right edge. Turning to