Seven Guitars

Vera and Louise are making flowers out of crepe paper to sell for Mother’s Day. Louise comments that Ruby and her “fast behind” (71) need to find a job so she can support herself. Vera mentions that she’s considering going to Chicago with Floyd. Louise warns her that Floyd might seem like he can change, but he’ll eventually go back to being the same man. Vera suggests that she can return to Pittsburgh if Chicago doesn’t work out, but maybe she can be someone else in Chicago. Louise replies, “Wherever you go you got to carry you with you. You ain’t gonna all of a sudden be a different person just cause you in a different city” (72). Ruby enters, holding a letter. She explains that Floyd has introduced her around as his cousin. One man had offered to take Ruby to Harlem, which makes Louise scoff. Ruby tells them that Floyd planned to go to the pawn shop that afternoon. The letter, forwarded by Ruby’s mother, is from Elmore.

Ruby scorns, “He had the nerve to write me. I can’t stand no jealous man” (73). Louise replies, “All men are jealous. Especially if you make them that way” (74). Ruby insists that Elmore had been jealous for no reason. He had become abusive, so she had left him. Once she was with Leroy, she had told him that Elmore was jealous. Leroy was unconcerned because he loved Ruby. He asked Ruby if she loved him, but Ruby had admitted that she didn’t love either Elmore or Leroy. The two men had fought, despite Ruby’s assertions that she had no intention of belonging to anyone. Later, Elmore had claimed he was looking for Leroy to apologize, so Ruby directed him to the barbershop where Elmore had shot and killed him. Ruby describes Elmore as a man who was trying to take all of her, which Vera can empathize with. Louise accuses Ruby of complaining while most women wish that they could get the attention of one man. Ruby reveals that she is pregnant. She hopes that Leroy is the father, but it could also be Elmore.

Floyd and Canewell enter, excited because T.L. Hall booked them to play at the Mother’s Day dance at the Blue Goose and gave Floyd half of the advance up front and the other half tomorrow. Furthermore, Hall scheduled a date for them to record in Chicago on June 10th and the record company was “enthusiastic about the prospect” (75)! Floyd begs Vera to come with him to Chicago. Canewell has agreed to go, although he clarifies that he doesn’t plan to stay after the record is finished. Louise tries to change the subject. Floyd announces that he had also ordered an expensive headstone for his mother, engraved with decorative roses. Floyd had paid with the cash he had received for the dance plus five dollars from selling his old guitar, and the gravestone ought to be finished by Mother’s Day.

Hedley enters, holding a letter and heatedly exclaiming, “Hedley don’t go nowhere!” (76), and crumples the letter. Hedley rages about his father, who had taken care of everyone’s horses, including the doctor. But when his father became ill, the doctor didn’t come out to take care of him for three days. Upon learning that the man died two days earlier, the doctor asked Hedley’s mother if he could pray for him, and she refused. Hedley crushes the letter with his foot and proclaims, “The white man cannot help me! […] It is a plot against the Black man! Hedley don’t go nowhere!” (76), and exits. Everyone turns questioningly to Louise. Retrieving the letter, Louise explains that since Hedley refuses to go to a sanitarium for his tuberculosis, she called the board of health. The letter is ordering Hedley to report to them and be tested. Everyone agrees with Louise’s actions except Floyd, who argues that Hedley has the right to choose to die if he doesn’t want to trust white people to help him. Hedley reenters, wearing his hat and coat. They all watch as he leaves the yard.

Floyd is alone onstage, agitated and pacing. Canewell enters, and Floyd explains that T.L. Hall, who had promised to meet Floyd at the pawn shop with the rest of his advance, didn’t show up. Floyd had searched for his manager in his usual spots, but he was nowhere to be found. Without the money, Floyd can’t reclaim his guitar or Red’s drums, both of which they need to play at the Blue Goose. Additionally, Floyd owes the rest of the money for his mother’s gravestone, and he planned to buy Vera a new dress to wear when they play. Canewell comments, “Her man got a hit record but he ain’t got no hit record money. If you had listened to me…” (79). Floyd, tired of hearing this, angrily blames Canewell for the fact that they only recorded one hit instead of several since Canewell had walked out. Canewell counters that Floyd, with his name on a hit record, shouldn’t still be as poor as Canewell, exclaiming, “You a big man, Floyd. People supposed to treat you like a big man” (79).

Canewell advises Floyd to demand that the Blue Goose give him a percentage of the dance’s income, and to order T.L. Hall to stop “turning [his] big money into little money” (79)—that Floyd deserves most of the money and Hall should only earn a small part. Canewell insists that Floyd doesn’t want to be poor in Chicago, and that Vera doesn’t want to live like that either. Floyd questions what Canewell knows about Vera and what she wants, and Canewell replies that he has known Vera longer than Floyd and Vera doesn’t fit in Chicago or with Floyd. Floyd disagrees, insisting that all of Chicago isn’t the same and Vera can always come back to Pittsburgh, but she deserves the opportunity to see the city for herself. Red enters and is surprised that Floyd hasn’t heard the news: T.L. Hall was arrested for selling more than $50,000 dollars of fake insurance. Softly, Floyd says that his opportunities have been taken away, one by one, but he will get to Chicago even if he has to buy his own cemetery and kill everyone he meets. Floyd asserts that he is supposed to have something in life, and he means to get what he deserves. Floyd exits and Canewell follows, calling after him.

Sitting with Louise and Ruby, Vera makes more crepe flowers as the women listen to Red talking about a simpler time when it hadn’t been a problem to have a rooster or leave the front door unlocked. He claims that his bad luck started when he broke a mirror three years ago, and he expects to suffer for four more years. Red has had to pawn his gun, which makes him feel unsafe. Mrs. Tillery has been warned by the dogcatcher that her dog needs a license, and they debate whether that ought to be necessary. Red replies that the government is starting to require licenses for everything. Vera asks Red to repeat once again what Floyd had said. Red does, explaining that he and Canewell had each searched for Floyd in different parts of town, and he is waiting for Canewell to return and meet up as planned. Vera was up all night, worrying about Floyd and hoping that he would come back. Canewell enters and announces that he hasn’t been able to find Floyd either.

They discuss how T.L. Hall, and Louise disparages him for scamming so much money from people who are already poor. Canewell replies, “There’s lots of poor people. Mr. T.L. Hall say he didn’t want to be one. Selling that fake insurance might have been his only chance not to be poor” (85). Suddenly, there is noisy upheaval rising in Mrs. Tillery’s yard. A woman howls and a menagerie of farm animals protest loudly. Canewell goes to investigate, followed by Red. Vera watches from the fence, describing Mrs. Tillery on her knees with several people gathered around her. Hedley enters singing cheerfully and holding something inside the apron he carries. He explains that he had gone to see Joe Roberts, “the black bossman” (86). Hedley starts dancing and tries to get Louise to join him, but she refuses. Vera asks Hedley about what he is carrying in his apron.

Hedley tells everyone that when he was a child in school, he had learned about Toussaint L’Ouverture, a Haitian general who had fought against French colonialism. His teacher, Miss Manning, harshly admonished her students because they never grow up to fight the white man. She promised, “But I will tell you of a Black boy who was a man and made the white man run from the blood in the street” (86). Hedley went to his father and asked why he didn’t fight like Toussaint L’Ouverture. Hedley’s father responded by kicking him in the face. When the Black nationalist activist Marcus Garvey came along, Hedley explains, “he give me back my voice to speak” (87) and proved that his teacher had been wrong. Hedley had tried to apologize to his father on his deathbed, but he was too late. Hedley was devastated until his father appeared in a dream, offering forgiveness and promising to “send Buddy Bolden with some money for [Hedley] to buy a plantation” (87). Upon receiving the letter, Hedley had gone to see Joe Roberts and explained everything. Hedley shows everyone the machete that Roberts had given him, exclaiming, “Now Hedley ready for the white man when he come to take him away” (87).

Hedley sits alone onstage with his machete. He sings to himself, “Ain’t no grave can hold my body down” (88). He begins to pace around the yard, raving, “The black man is not a dog!” (88), swearing that he will be a force of nature, the “Lion of Judah” (88). Ruby enters and attempts to calm Hedley down. Hedley continues to rant. Gently, Ruby takes his machete. Hedley clutches at her, kissing her roughly and grappling with her clothing. Ruby says, “Slow down, baby. It’s all right. Ruby help you” (89). The stage directions say Ruby “lifts her dress and gives herself to him out of recognition of his great need” (90).

At dusk, Floyd digs in the garden and buries something. Holding a guitar case and a dress box, he calls out to Vera. Vera appears in the window, admonishing Floyd for having been missing for two days. Exuberantly, Floyd shows Vera his shiny new guitar—the same type that Muddy Waters plays. He invites her watch him play it at the Blue Goose and holds up the beautiful new dress he has bought her. Astonished, Vera asks where he had gone and how he had obtained such nice things. Floyd refuses to give details, telling her vaguely that he “took a chance” (91) because he couldn’t risk not making it to Chicago. He had also paid off his mother’s tombstone.

Floyd pulls out two bus tickets to Chicago, explaining that he confirmed his recording studio appointment and has reserved the finest hotel. He asks Vera to marry him. Vera is reluctant. Floyd declares that he had thought that Pearl believed in him, but when his record wasn’t released at first, she had left and shown that she didn’t. He swears that he will never make the same mistake again. Vera shows him that she has also bought a bus ticket, one-way from Chicago to Pittsburgh. She explains that she plans to keep it in her shoe and “walk around on it” (93) in Chicago, hoping that she doesn’t ever need it. Floyd agrees, “Well that’s all right” (93), and they hold each other happily.

Louise waits impatiently for Vera to finish dressing for the show at the Blue Goose. When Vera finally enters, Louise tells her that Ruby had shocked her by accompanying Hedley to church. Additionally, Ruby has persuaded Hedley to go to the sanitarium. Louise is confounded, but Vera suggests, “Ruby seem like she got a way about her that the men take to” (94). Louise suspects that Ruby and Hedley might have become involved. Ruby enters alone and explains that Hedley went to speak to a friend after church. Louise demands details, but Ruby can only come up with the name Bridge. Louise clarifies that Ruby misheard the name Jim Breckenridge, who sells moonshine. Louise worries about Hedley, who has seemed mentally unstable and has been coughing up blood. Ruby expresses hope that Hedley will survive to see her baby. She plans to tell him that he is the father, because “he’s the only man who ever wanted to give [her] something” (95) and Hedley badly wants to be a father. If she has a son, Ruby will name the baby King.

Canewell enters, carrying a newspaper. He compliments the women and explains what he has learned about the commotion they heard from Mrs. Tillery’s yard. Mrs. Tillery had been weeping because her son had been killed while trying to rob a loan office. He reportedly had two accomplices who had fled with money. They discuss whether Willard “Poochie” Tillery landed in heaven or hell. Louise exits upstairs. After a moment, Vera tells Canewell that she and Floyd are going to get married. Canewell replies that he loves Vera, and that his love for her makes him so full it is visible to others on the street, even if she doesn’t love him back. He adds, “I think you and Floyd ought to go ahead and see what you all can make of it” (98). Louise reenters as a rooster crows, and Vera notes that Mrs. Tillery had gotten a new one. Canewell calls to Floyd to hurry. Red arrives, dressed in a nice new suit, and Louise insinuates that there is something intimate going on between them. Floyd enters, dressed to perform and carrying his guitar. They are only waiting for Ruby, who enters in a red dress. Floyd, Red, and Canewell stop and stare at her.

Floyd, Vera, Louise, and Canewell return from the Blue Goose, Canewell and Louise marveling at the packed, enthusiastic crowd and high on the energy of the show. Louise begins to sing and then says good night. She assumes that Hedley is probably asleep upstairs, expressing good-natured annoyance that Red had ignored her all night. Canewell notices that the roots of the goldenseal plant have been exposed and searches for a shovel to rebury them. Floyd agrees to help and hurries Vera into the house. She exits, and Canewell produces a stack of money from the dirt. Floyd attempts to grab it, insisting that it’s his money, but Canewell exclaims that since he found it, it’s his money now. They grapple for it until Floyd produces his gun.

Canewell backs up as Floyd cocks the hammer. Suddenly, Canewell realizes that Floyd is one of the robbers. Canewell gives him the money and leaves. Alone onstage, Floyd counts the cash. Hedley enters and, seeing Floyd, becomes overjoyed and delirious, exclaiming, “Buddy… you come. You come, Buddy. Oh, how I wait for you” (103). Floyd protests, but Hedley tries to take the money. Floyd fights him off and pushes him down. Then, he helps Hedley up. Hedley exits and Floyd starts burying the money. Hedley returns with his machete and cuts Floyd’s throat, ranting, “This time, Buddy… you give me the money” (104).

The last scene picks up after Floyd’s funeral. Floyd’s song, “That’s All Right,” emanates from Vera’s apartment. Red declares, “Floyd ‘Schoolboy’ Barton” (104). Louise comments that Hedley is falling asleep, which he denies. According to Louise, the police have been investigating and questioning, but don’t have any answers about who killed Floyd. Canewell says that they had seemed as if they were trying to accuse him but had thankfully moved on from that idea. Ruby enters with a blanket to cover Hedley and asks Red to take her out to buy her a beer. Red promises to buy two. Louise offers to teach Red to play pinochle if he returns and Red agrees. Louise leads Vera off to help with the dishes and Vera describes seeing the angels at the funeral, waving goodbye to Floyd as he was carried off into the sky. Alone with Hedley, Canewell starts singing “I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden,” and Hedley responds, just as he did with Floyd. This time, Hedley says, “He give me this” (107), holding up “a handful of crumpled bills. They slip from his fingers and fall to the ground like ashes” (107). Hedley sings the first line of the song over and over.