Waiting For Lefty

Lights dim on the meeting, and a spotlight focuses on a small playing space. The following scene depicts the conversation that Joe had with his wife prior to the meeting. The rest of the men remain visible in the unlit parts of the stage. Fatt continues to smoke his cigar, occasionally blowing smoke into the spotlit scene. Edna enters. She is exhausted but pretty and about 30 years old, staring grimly at Joe as he arrives home. After a silent moment, Joe asks where the furniture has gone, and Edna informs him that it has been repossessed for failure to make payments. Joe insists that this must have been a scam or a mistake, but Edna, unmoved, tells him that it was allowed by the contract he signed. Joe tries to embrace Edna, but she pushes him away. They argue, and Edna tells him to lower his voice lest he wake the children, who she had put to bed early in hopes that they wouldn’t notice the lack of dinner. One of their children, Emmy, won’t be able to return to school if Edna can’t pay to have her shoes repaired. Joe pleads for her understanding, asserting that he has been working nonstop and consumed nothing but coffee all day. There’s no money and no other jobs, and rent is due tomorrow.

At a loss, Joe begs Edna to tell him what to do. Edna demurs and then suggests that Joe and his friends go on strike for better pay, which her father had done successfully during the war. Joe asserts, “Strikes don’t work!” and Edna retorts, “Who told you?” (9). Joe reminds her that they would then have zero income for the duration of the strike, and that the meager $6 to $7 per week he brings in is something and at least pays the rent. Edna says that the bosses are still making money, or they wouldn’t keep all the taxis running. They’ll keep reducing pay, and the workers will accept it because it’s better than nothing. Edna laments that their kids are sickly and don’t get proper nutrition, exclaiming, “My God, Joe—the world is supposed to be for all of us” (10). Joe shushes her so she doesn’t wake the children, and Edna replies, “I don’t care, as long as I can maybe wake you up” (10). Edna complains about the union that does nothing. Joe insists that they’re making plans: “The guys at the top would shoot you for a nickel. […] Don’t you wanna see me alive?” (10-11). After a moment, Edna admits that she doesn’t if he won’t try to change things. Edna says that she doesn’t plan to go down with Joe. She takes her apron off and Joe asks where she is going.

Edna reminds him of a former boyfriend, Bud Haas, who still carries a torch for her and keeps a photo of her inside his watch. Bud is well-off, and Edna suggests that she may have been seeing him behind Joe’s back—at least she admits that she would leave Joe for Bud “like a shot” (11). The other union members surrounding the scene mutter and murmur in agreement to each other that Edna would leave, that sometimes women did in these situations. Bitterly, Joe tells her to go to Bud, accusing her of sleeping with him while he’s at work. But Edna pushes on, asserting that Joe’s boss has destroyed his life and made him weak: “He’s making a jelly-fish outa you and putting wrinkles on my face” (12). Joe calls her a red, still doubtful about what he can do as one man. But Edna cries joyfully that hundreds or thousands or millions of men could stand up and fight. Inspired, Joe, announces that he’s off to find Lefty Costello. He pauses for a moment to ask about Bud, but Edna excitedly urges him to go. The scene fades back into Joe’s speech. He concludes, “We gotta walk out!” (13) before returning to his seat.

Fayette, a wealthy industrialist, shows Miller, a lab assistant, an impressive office. Miller expresses awe. Fayette offers Miller a cigar and then a drink, and Miller declines both. Fayette approves, noting that he prefers his skilled workers to be sober—although for the rough laborers, they make less trouble when they’re drinking. Fayette praises Miller and tells him that he is raising his salary by $20 per month and moving him into a laboratory. Miller is thrilled by this, mentioning that his wife will be pleased and excited to learn that he will be working with Dr. Brenner, “an important chemist” (14). Fayette warns him that he’s working on a top-secret project and will need to move into the building for the duration. Miller agrees, but then Fayette elaborates that he will be working on the creation of a poison gas for the next war, which could happen at any moment.

Looking down, Miller says that the last war had killed 12 million men and left 20 million injured or missing. Fayette says, “That’s not our worry. If big business were sentimental over human life there wouldn’t be big business of any sort!” (15) Miller mentions that he lost his brother and two cousins in World War I. He reminisces about them, and Fayette changes the subject. Fayette adds that Miller will need to secretly report to Fayette on Dr. Brenner’s progress. Insulted by this offer, Miller refuses. Fayette raises the offer to $30 and then $40 more a month, but Miller insists that he isn’t a spy. Fayette reminds him that he would be doing significant work for his country, but Miller insists that he would rather dig ditches. Fayette retorts that that’s common work for foreigners, and Miller muses, “But sneaking—and making poison gas—that’s for Americans”? (17) Miller refuses to change his mind, even knowing that he’ll lose his current job. Fayette asks, “No hard feelings?” (17), but Miller says, “Sure hard feelings! I’m not the civilized type, Mr. Fayette” (17), and punches him in the face.