Saturday night finds Burt spending the evening at Libby's...as usual. Her mom makes hamburgers and french fries...as usual. Afterwards, Burt and Libby sit on the couch (Dottie is upstairs knitting) watching television and eating popcorn...as usual. At 9 PM Your Show of Shows comes on...as usual, a live program featuring a variety of comedic skits starring Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner and Howard Morris, among others. Burt and Libby laugh a lot...as usual.
After dropping off Burt, Harvey drives to the house of his girlfriend, Anne. Every Saturday night she cooks him a wonderful dinner, just what he wants, a big, thick steak, well done with boiled potatoes. Anne makes herself a smaller steak, medium. It wasn't as if Harvey didn't want to take her out, but she prefers to stay at home.
Anne is a comely woman about Harvey's age. She is an only child who never married. A music teacher by profession (with a grand piano at home), Anne almost never needs to go out.
"I love the way you cook my steak, Anne. There isn't a restaurant in town that can touch you. But once in a while I'd like take you out."
"Thanks. I'd like to accept your offer, but..."
Another voice is heard, a faint one from upstairs, calling out for "mommy."
"Excuse me, Harvey, I'll be right back."
It's Anne's mother, who is bedridden and whose mind is gone.
When she returns, Harvey can't resist saying what he has said to her before.
"Anne, you deserve more. Your mother, the woman who raised you, the woman you feel compelled to take care of is dead. That shell of a human being upstairs is not your mother. She is occupying the body of your mother, but not her mind nor her soul. She doesn't even know your name. She thinks you are her mother. If you need help putting her in an institution, I can do that. You can have a life, deserve a life. Now you are chained to her and this house. It is such a waste."
"I appreciate what you say, but I cannot abandon my mother. That woman upstairs is still my mother."
Later, Harvey arrives in front of Libby's house and honks the horn of his car. Within seconds, Burt is out the door, running to join his father.
No comments:
Post a Comment