The Sunset Limited - part I

"So, what am I supposed to do with you, Professor?"

"Why are you supposed to do anything?"

"Well, like I said, this ain't none of my doing. When I left outta here to go into work this morning, you weren't no part of my plans, but...here you is."

"That doesn't mean anything. Everything that happened, doesn't mean something else."

"What's it mean, then?"

"It doesn't mean anything. You run into people, and maybe some of them are in trouble or something, but it doesn't mean you are responsible for them. Anyway, people who are always looking after perfect strangers are very often the people who won't look out for the ones they are supposed to look out for, in my opinion. ... If you are just doing what you're supposed to, you don't get to be a hero"

"And that would be me?"

"I don't know. Would it?"

"I can see where there might be some truth in that, but in this particular case, I got to say, I don't know what sort of person I was supposed to be on the lookout for, or what I was supposed to do when I found him. In this particular case, I didn't have but one thing to go by-"

"And that was?"

"There he is, standing there. And I can look at him and say, he don't look like my brother, but there he is. So maybe you better look again."

"And that's what you did?"

"Well, I got to say, you were pretty hard to ignore. Your approach was pretty direct."

"I didn't approach you. I didn't even see you."

"What I don't understand, is how you come to get yourself in such a fix."

"Yeah"

"You alright, you sleep last night?"

"No."

"Well... when did you decide today was the day? Was there something special about it?"

"No... Well, today is my birthday, but I certainly don't regard that as special."

"Hmm - Well, happy birthday, Professor."

"Thank you."

"So you seen that your birthday was coming, and you decided that was a good day?"

"Who knows? Maybe birthdays are dangerous- like Christmas, ornaments hanging from the tree, wreaths from the door, and bodies from the steampipes, all over America..."

"That don't say much for Christmas, do it?"

"Christmas is not what it used to be."

"I believe that to be a true statement, I surely do."

"I got to go."

"You always put your coat on like that?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"I ain't say nothing was wrong with it, I'm just asking if that's your regular method-"

"I don't have a regular method. I just put it on"

"Mmm-hmm"

"That's what? Effeminate?"

"I''m just studying the ways of professors."

"Well, I've got to go."

"Let me get my coat."

"Get your coat? Where you going?"

"Going with you."

"What do you mean? Going with me where?"

"Going with you, where ever it is you're going."

"No you're not."

"Yeah, I am."

"I'm going home."

"Alright."

"What do you mean, Alright, you're not going home with me."

"Sure I am. Let me get my coat"

"You can't go home with me."

"Oh, what, you can go home with me, but I can't go home with you?"

"No. I mean no, that's not it. You can't go home with me."

"Why not? You live in an apt? They don't let black folk in there?"

"No. I mean, yes, yes of course they do. Look, no more jokes. I've got to go, I'm very tired."

"Okay, long as you don't run into no hassle about getting me in there."

"You're serious. "

"I think you know I'm serious. "

"You can't be serious."

"I'm serious as a heart attack."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Me? I ain't got no choice."

"Of course you do. You have a choice"

"No, I ain't"

"Who appointed you my guardian angel?"

"You know who appointed me your guardian angel. Now look, I didn't ask for you to jump into my arms down in the subway this morning."

"I didn't jump in your arms."

"No."

"Well, how'd you get there, then? ... What, now we ain't going?"

"Do you Really think Jesus is in this room?"

"No. I don't think he's in this room. I Know he's in this room. It's the way you put it, Professor. It'd be like me asking you if you think you put your coat on."

"It's not the same thing. It's a matter of agreement. If you and I say that I have my coat on, and Cecil says that I am naked and have green skin and a tail, we might want to think about where we should put Cecil so that he doesn't hurt himself."

"Who's Cecil?"

"He's not anybody. He's just a hypothetical. There's not any Cecil. He's just a character I made up to illustrate a point."

"Made up?"

"Yes"

"So, his view of things don't count?"

"No. That's why I made him up. I could have changed things up, I could have made you the one who didn't think I was wearing a coat."

"And was green, and all that other shit you said?"

"Yes."

"But you didn't?"

"No."

"You load it all off on Cecil."

"Yes."

"But Cecil can't defend hisself, on account of he ain't in agreement with everyone else so his word don't count. Aside from the fact that you made him up."

"Where is this going?"

"I'm just trying to find out about Cecil."

"I don't think so.