Strike A Light - Part 3

Strike A light - Part 3

 

Pitch turns off the radio . There is a silence in the Davis home . A silence that has been in place for a long time now in the efforts not to say anything part of the everyday struggle to keep things going as best as anyone could through it all. Times are hard but the miners and their families have to stick together and getting help and support from all over the country .
Pitch sits down and stares into the empty fireplace . Putting his feet up he takes a book from the floor and starts to read it . Alice sits and grabs her knitting from a basket and begins to click away with the needles . Softly she sings away to herself .

Pitch-: "Is there any chance you could change the tune . You've been humming the same number for two weeks now . I starting to sing it in my sleep Mother ."

Alice-:"Jesus wept . How do you expect me to change my tune . How can I keep from singing ."

Pitch-"It's not the singing , it's just the song ."

Alice '" How long do you think they're going to keep up with the strike ? The whole country is talking and we're on our knees . When are you going back to work son ?

Pitch-"I don't know when Mother ."

Alice-"Can't you find another job ?

Pitch "No ."

Alice -"Can't you get off your backside for just once and go and have a look for work somewhere ?

Pitch-" You don't understand the ethics of it all Mother ."

Alice-"So you're blaming ethics for being out of a job . Ethics to you is just another word for lying around reading books and newspapers . You;'ve read the same pages over and over again for the past twelve months ."

Pitch-"I need time to let it all sink in ."

Alice '" Sink in you say . I'll give you something to sink in . We have no food left after tomorrow . The rent is overdue . We have no heating because there is no coal since you all decided to go on strike ."

Pitch-" Jesus wept Mother . I can't get another job . Can't you see ."

Alice '"Oh I see everything all right . I see how you're being chewed up and spat out by people who are only in it for what they can get out of it ."

Pitch-"It's us against them Mother . As long as we stand together we will win .
So long as the strike is on we're in boots and all . If I got another job I'd be worse than a scab on all the lads . We have to see this through .

Alice '"We're down in the pits Pitch and there seems no way out ."
Pitch:-"I know its hard , but we must suffer on ."

Alice-"Jesus Wept .Haven't we suffered enough ?

Pitch-" There is a price we all have to pay . Its cost many miners job already ."

Alice-All right then tell me will it all be worth it in the end ?

Pitch-" The rights of man are always worth fighting for ."

Alice '" As far as I can remember there has always been a fight in this place for one thing or another ."

Pitch-" Then you must understand . If I was to get into the ring for a title fight . How would the crowd react if I threw the towel in or if I took a dive ?

Alice '"Pitch you know my feelings about boxing . So lets talk about something else ..

Pitch-" What's for dinner tonight then ?
Alice '"Spuds and greens ."

Pitch- "Sounds delicious ."(Sarcastically)

Alice '"Oh shut up ." (She laughs )

Pitch-" We're had spuds and greens for the past six months ."

Alice '"You'll eat them and enjoy them .

Pitch-"We'll both end up like vegetables after all this is over ."
:
Alice-"Thank God we have a dinner set in front of us tonight . There are many going without !

Pitch-"Well tell me where they are and I'll give them mine ."(He laughs)

Alice '" That's not very funny . Now scald the tea pot will you ."

Pitch-"Is there anything we could have with a cup of tea like a pastry or some chocolate . I'm not a greedy man but all I'm thinking of is cake ."

Alice '"Put away those thoughts and on your way into the kitchen put that talk box on for me will you?"

Pitch '"Ok Mother ?"
But as Pitch went over he tripped and fell smashing the radiogram into pieces . Pitch was at the brink of screaming but softly Alice distracts the issue by making a joke of it .

Alice '"Well that's jsut waht we need Pitch . So now we have a hole in the floor ."
(They both started laughing in frustration )

Pitch-"Good morning Mother ."

Alice "So it is , or isn't it evening .?"

Pitch-:Good morning anyway ."

Alice '"Aw shut up ."

Pitch-"You loved that talk box . Didn't you ."

Alice '"It gave me some comfort all right ."

Pitch-"Tell me Mother . What would you say to a talk box with pictures on it ?

Alice '"Are you trying to tell me that I can see the people talking to me ?

Pitch-"I sure am and in living colour too ."

Alice '"I'd say you were having me on . As a matter of face I might even say that would be a miracle .

Pitch-Well then, welcome to the miracle of television ."

Alice -"Tele what .

Pitch-'It's called television or TV for short and I know where I can get my hands on one ."

Alice "How much do these TV's cost .

Pitch-"About one hundred pounds."

Alice '"It certainly would be a miracle then son ."

Pitch '"Miracles do happen ."

Alice '" The miracle we all need is for the strike to end ."

Pitch '"Sure that's a fact . Maybe there's still a miracle or two on the way ."

There's a knock upon the front door and Pitch goes to answer it .

Alice '"Who is it son ."

Pitch-"It's Mr Spicer the union delegate from Durham deep ."

Alice '"Ask him in . Maybe it's the good news we're all hoping for ."

Enter Pitch and Mr Spicer .

Mr Spicer '"Hello Mrs Davis how are things ?"

Alice '" Well things depend on what you're here for ."

Mr Spicer '"Well I'm sorry to say there's no break in the strike action yet ?

Alice '"Well them things are as always depressing and morbid . Pitch was just about to make some tea . Have you time for a cup ?"

Mr Spicer '" I'd love a one Mr Davis ."

Alice '"Tell you what Pitch why don't you stay here with Mr Spicer and I'll make the tea . You'll probably need to catch up with all the latest news .

Pitch '"That's fine ."

Alice '" That's milk and sugar Mr Spicer ?"

Mr Spicer -"That's right Mrs Davis ."

Alice '"Then excuse me . I have to go into town as we have none in the house . I won't be too long ."

Mr Spicer '"Ok . See you Mrs Davis . Off you go and enjoy the walk . It's nice and fresh outside .

Alice '"I might be a more than a little while . Is that all right ?"

Mr Spicer '"No problem . I have a bit of business to discuss with Pitch so take your time . There's no hurry ."

Alice '"Right then I see . Maybe I'll call into the church and say a prayer that this strike will end soon ."

Mr Spicer '"Now that is a great idea ."

Alice grabs her coat and hat and heads for the door .

Pitch-"I'm sure you haven't said any prayers then ."

Mr Spicer '"Well you know why I'm here Pitch ."

Pitch-"What's the job ?"

Mr Spicer '" One only . I need his hands and face smashed up . Make it lokk convincing . Like the other jobs you fixed for us . Ok "

Pitch '"Who is he ?"

Mr Spicer '"Have you forgot the no name policy with this job . He's a man who likes to drive trucks through the picket lines . That's all you need to know and another things see of you can do something a bout his kneecaps .OK "

He hands Pitch an envelope .

Pitch '"Is it all there ."

Mr Spicer '" I don't want him driving trucks for a while ok . The address and the money are inside the envelope ."

Pitch-"Sure thing . I'll make sure he's off the road until the strike is over ."

Mr Spicer '"I don't like him ."

Pitch '" I feel the same . He's a bloody scab ."

Mr Spicer '"That's right . A bloody scab !"

Pitch-" He'll get a face lift ' I'll make him understand ."

Mr Spicer '"Nothing permanent though Pitch ok ? "

Pitch '"He doesn't know how lucky he is . After I've finished with him he'll never want to sit in another truck ever again ."

Mr Spicer-" I don't want any comebacks . Right ?"

Pitch-"Have I slipped up yet ?"

Mr Spicer '"Not yet and don't think of starting now ."

Pitch-"Don't worry Mr Spicer ."

Mr Spicer '" You're a good man Pitch . Tell you what . The next job you do for me there will be a n extra hundred . Call it a bully boy bonus " (They both burst out laughing )

Pitch '" The miracle of television ?

Mr Spicer-"What ?"

Pitch '" Aw . TV you know . "

Mr Spicer '"No . I've no interest in it .

Pitch-"Have you another job coming up ?"

Mr Spicer '" Yeah . At the end of the week ."

Pitch-"I'll take all you have at the moment Mr Spicer ."

Pitch pulls a pair of black leather gloves and slips them on to his hands .
He makes a tight fist and sits down .
Mr Spicer pulls a seat next to him and they sit looking at the floor .

Mr Spicer '"Why did you quit boxing . You were King of the ring around here Pitch . We all thought you could go all the way ."

Pitch-" Awh I got fed up with it ? Three punches and that was it . All over you know . It was beginning to bore the stuffing out of me ."

Mr Spicer '"Kid Davis . Wasn't it ?

Pitch-"Yeah . That was my name . That's right . The next title holder .
The next world champ . Always the next something ."

Mr Spicer '"These days there's not many local lads like you left Pitch ."

Pitch-" These days my hands are doing better things ."

Mr Spicer-"You miss your Dad still don't you ?"

Pitch '"I've learned to put it all under my belt ."

Mr Spicer '"Did your Mum ever find out about Kid Davis ."

Pitch-" Are you kidding ?

Mr Spicer-"What about all the newspaper articles and photos.? "

Pitch '"You know Mum can't read and she would never know me with my gloves and shorts on ."

Mr Spicer '"I've kept all those cuttings . The write ups about the title fight . The pictures and the ring reports ."

Pitch-" Do me a favour and keep them safe will you ?"

Mr Spicer '"Fair play to you Pitch . I know you left the ring because you feared your Mum might find out about your boxing career ."

Pitch-" You know what . Sometimes I get so upset with those loud mouths down at the pub that I'd like to rearrange their faces for them . The only thing is they know who I am . They know my fists are registered and I can't lay a finger on any of them ."

Mr Spicer '"If you ever went for them Pitch , I wouldn't want to try and stop you . I suppose you know it must get you down when they blab on . "

Pitch '"If I made a swing at any of them . I'd be in court answering charges and them Mum would find out about Kid Davis . That would kill her you know and I don't want that ."

Mr Spicer '" How does it feel when I get you these odd jobs Pitch ?"

Pitch stands up makes a fist and shapes up . He throws a few combinations .
Together , left jab, right cross followed by another left jab and a right uppercut

Pitch-" See these hands . That's why I have to be very careful . I'm serious .
I mean like deadly serious ."

Enter Alice on stage carrying a bag of groceries . She can't see Pitch over the bag of groceries and Pitch quickly pulls off the gloves and sits down .

Alice '" Trust me to miss the bus - I had to run all the way up the hill .
I never saw who the driver was . But I know he must have saw me .

Alice puts the bags down and takes off her coat .

Pitch-"Sit down Mum you look exhausted . Let me make the tea. "

Mr Spicer '"I'm really sorry Mrs Davis but I'll have to pass on the tea . Ijust remembered I have a miners meeting to attend "

Alice -"Are you sure now ?"

Mr Spicer-Thanks anyway maybe another time .I hoe I haven't caused you any trouble ."

Alice '"No trouble Mr Spicer I had to go to the supermarket anyway ".

Pitch-"I'll show you out then ."

Mr Spicer and Pitch make their way to the door .

Alice "See you next time and I hope it will be soon with some good news ."

Mr Spicer '"Thanks Mrs Davis and keep your prayers going . That's the kind of thing we need . All the best . I'll see you at the meeting them Pitch .Ok ? "

Pitch-"What . Ooh ah ok then . See you there at the meeting . Is it at the same time and place as the last one .

Mr Spicer-"The very same place Pitch . Bye all "

Mr Spicer walka away .

Alice '" Good . He's gone the time waster ."

Pitch '"I'm going to have a bath ."

Alice '"It will have to be in cold water again ."

Pitch-"That's ok . I'm getting use to it now .'

Alice '"Right . I'll have some dinner ready by the time you get out ."

Pitch-"I'll have to go out after dinner to the meeting ?"

Alice '"Where is it at then ?"

Pitch '"Its down at the Nags Head again ."

Alice '"Can't they find a quieter place for a miners meeting than in there ?"

Pitch '" Its all there is ."

Alice '" There just seems to be an awful lot of meeting lately ."

Pitch-"I haven't noticed ."

Alice '"I just wish there would be some outcome or some conclusion ."

Pitch-"Its all right Mother . I feel the same way too ."

Alice '"Its just the conflict with the miners is not any where near being resolved . The strike action has not helped us at all ."

Pitch-" It is getting better every day ."

Alice '" Jesus Wept ! Getting better. "

Pitch '" That's right Mother ."

Alice starts to sing You'll never walk alone .

Alice '" When you walk through a storm hold your head up high and don't be afraid of the dark ¦."

Suddenly all the lights on stage all turned off .

Pitch '"Don't panic Mother . It's probably another power cut ."

Alice '" Can you find a candle son ?"

Pitch '"Its ok . I've got a candle ."

There's a flicker of candlelight on stage . Pitch places the candle on the mantle piece . The stage lights slowly come back on .

Alice-"For a moment I thought we were in trouble ."

Pitch-"Well its all right now see . It's better to light a candle that to curse the darkness they say ."

Alice '" Who said that ."

Pitch-"I think it must have been the electric company ."

Alice '"Go and have that bath now . Ok ?"

Pitch-"I've changed my mind . I had a wash while you were out so I'll just put the groceries away for you and head on to the meeting . Keep my dinner on a plate and I'll have it when I come home later on ."

Alice '"Comb your hair before you go out ."

Pitch-"I'm going to a miners meeting at the Nags Head Mother ."

Alice '"Its matters not ."

Pitch-' What's the point ?"

Alice- " The point is, no son of mine is going out this door with untidy hair ."

Pitch '" Ok "

Pitch wets his fingers and runs his hand through his hair .

Alice '"Pull your trousers up ."

Pitch-"Bye Mum ."

Pitch straightens his trousers and lifts the bag of groceries then makes an exit. Alice takes a seat and looks up at the ceiling .

Alice '"Bob . He's all grown up now . Our little boy Pitch.. Pitch . What's ever going to become our big son Pitch ?
She takes up her knitting and begins to weave her needles as she talks aloud to some unseen presence there .

Four thousand miners out on strike . Hard times indeed . It's a angry crowd they are too . People get that way when hunger takes a hold . The pains of poverty . Jesus Wept for the suffering of it all , betrayed by those who keep
them digging , punished by those who keep us poor .Dark days indeed over Durham . Many heads are hanging low and many smiles have ran away .
You're right son we have to fight for what is right . Go on Pitch take a stand and make your way through the struggle until you stand at the top of the pile .
A man who has overcome his hardships . Look at me Bob I'm smiling back at you . I'm proud of you and our boy Pitch . I'm waiting to see the sun shine again through the dark clouds that have covered our town .

Alice stops talking as a knock raps the front door . She runs her hands through her hair and gets up to answer the door .

Enter Mr French on stage .

Mr French '" Its nice to see you again Alice . How have you been ?

Alice '"For goodness sake Mick it's been a while since I saw you last .

Mr French -"It must have been at my retirement dinner ."

Alice '"That seems so long ago . How have you been ?"

Mr French-" Ok I guess . I've been thinking about you and thought I'd give you a surprise visit , I hope you don't mind ?

Alice '"Not at all . Its good to have some company . Come and sit down .

Mr French -I have a proposal to put to you Alice ."

Alice '"Is it something to do with the miners strike ?

Mr French '"No ."

Alice-" Ok then . Is there a problem ?

Mr French-" Well the problem is I am in love with you ."

Alice '"Since when ?"
Mr French '" For as long as I can remember ."

Alice -" I am touched but really since I married Bob there has never been anyone else .

End Of Part 3