[Music up and down]
[Creaking of a rocking chair]
MONAGHAN. Huh?
CHILD MONAGHAN. Can you stop
rocking for a minute?
[Rocking stops]
Can you put down your paper?
[Rustle of paper]
I—I read the weather report for
tomorrow.
MONAGHAN. The weather report…
CHILD MONAGHAN. Yeh. It says fair
and cool.
MONAGHAN. What of it?
CHILD MONAGHAN. I was wondering.
Supposing you and me we went on
a boat tomorrow. You know, I see
the water every day when I go down
to the docks to play, but I never sat
on it. I mean in a boat.
MONAGHAN. Oh. Well, we might take
the ferry on the Jersey side. We
might do that.
CHILD MONAGHAN. Yeh, but there’s
nothing to see in Jersey.
MONAGHAN. You can’t go to Europe
tomorrow.
CHILD MONAGHAN. No, but couldn’t
we go toward the ocean? Just…
toward it?
MONAGHAN. Toward it. What—what is
it on your mind, boy? What is it
now?
CHILD MONAGHAN. Well…I…
MONAGHAN. Oh, you want to take the
Staten Island ferry. Sure, that’s in
the direction of the sea.
CHILD MONAGHAN. No, grampa, not
the Staten Island ferry.
MONAGHAN. You don’t mean— [Breaks
off ] Boy!
CHILD MONAGHAN. All the kids are
going tomorrow with Georgie’s old
man.
MONAGHAN. You don’t believe me any
more.
CHILD MONAGHAN. I do, grampa, but…
MONAGHAN. You don’t. If you did
you’d stay clear of the Statue of
Liberty for love of your life!
CHILD MONAGHAN. But, grampa, when
is it going to fall down? All I do is
wait and wait.
MONAGHAN. [With some uncertainty]
You’ve got to have faith.
CHILD MONAGHAN. But every kid in
my class went to see it and now the
ones that didn’t are going tomorrow.
And they all keep talking about it
and all I do…Well, I can’t keep
telling them it’s a swindle. I—I wish
we could see it, grampa. It don’t
cost so much to go.
MONAGHAN. As long as you put it that
way I’ll have to admit I’m a bit
curious meself as to how it’s
managed to stand upright so long.
Tell you what I’ll do. Barrin’ wind,
we’ll chance it tomorrow.
CHILD MONAGHAN. Oh, gramp!
MONAGHAN. But! If anyone should ask
you where we went you’ll
say—Staten Island. Are y’on?
CHILD MONAGHAN. Okay, sure. Staten
Island.
MONAGHAN. [Secretively] We’ll take the
early boat, then. Mum’s the word,
now. For if old man Sheean hears that
I went out there I’ll have no peace
from the thief the rest of m’life.
[Music up and down]
[Boat whistles]
CHILD MONAGHAN. Gee, it’s nice ridin’
on a boat, ain’t it, grampa?
MONAGHAN. Never said there was
anything wrong with the boat.
Boat’s all right. You’re sure now
that Georgie’s father is takin’ the
kids in the afternoon.
CHILD MONAGHAN. Yeh, that’s when
they’re going. Gee, look at those
two sea gulls. Wee!—look at them
swoop! They caught a fish!