Tell Me Who My Enemy Is – a four-act closet drama

By Lawrence G. Taylor

The scene is an outdoor café near a lake. It is early autumn in the 70s in Stockholm. Berry an Afro-West Indian and two Swedish cronies Gun and Kerstin are socialising. Sam, the Afro-American in time, encroaches on the trio. The black men have conflicting views about how it is to live in Sweden. Berry is belligerent towards Sam: suspects him to have something up his sleeve. Sam, on the other hand, is calm and collected though contemptuous. The girls are puzzled by the bickering between the two men.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lawrence G. Taylor
• Release date: Jul 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9798201008727

Lawrence G. Taylor

I was born in Guyana, left there for the UK; worked and studied in London, before taking up residence in Sweden in autumn 1969. In the 70s, I tried my hand at writing fiction, mostly short stories, a four-act closet drama, a novella, and an unfinished novel. I spent two years nurturing the ambition to become an author of some repute. But the going was tough, with no financial security for the future. I shelved the idea of earning a living through writing and got a job as a hospital porter. Later, I got a BA (Eng. & Edu.). After a summer job at a psychiatric hospital, I decided to do a 4-term course for mental-health carers, Following that I completed the first of two stages of psychotherapy education and several short courses in cognitive therapy. After retirement, I did part-time mental health counselling work for several years. In February 2016, my debut book appeared: Strangers In Another Country, a collection of two short stories and two novellas, available in ebook and paperback. On 9th Dec. 2016, I published a novella, The Eternal Struggle: An Amorous Story. In March 2017, Two Girls in a Café, a short story appeared. Making Sense Of Past Time - a Novel available in paperback, and ebook format. Tell Me Who My Enemy Is - a four-act closet drama published this summer (2018). The Ballad of Calle and Maja - a short story published Nov 2018. Getting it Right, if Ever – Romance Novella was published 22nd Aug -19 Four Bittersweet Romances & A Four-Act Closet Drama was published 3rd Nov 2019. In 2020, I published a short story, Darker Than Blue --This Mortal Coil. MY BOOKS ARE UPDATED (Dec 2020). I have a Twitter account @lgt41 and a blog page: lgt41blog.wordpress.com. I’m a hobby photographer, and you can view several of my images at https://www.foap.com/community/profiles/lgt41 I sincerely hope you find my stories enjoyable, and a review of my books would be much appreciated. Lawrence G. Taylor

Book preview

This closet drama or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the author's express written permission except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, and dialogue in the stories are the products of the author's imagination and are used fictitiously. Purely coincidental are any resemblances to persons living or dead. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CHARACTERS:

Berry, an Afro-West Indian, is in his mid-forties, tall and skinny, with a cheerful disposition, flamboyant and smartly dressed.

Kerstin, a Swede in her late twenties, is politically radical and shabbily dressed.

Gun, a Swede in her early thirties, tall and slim, and bespectacled, serious-minded, bohemian attire.

Sam, an Afro-American , is in his thirties; light-skinned, has a short and wiry physique; his appearance is untidy, unkempt bushy reddish hair; and a phlegmatic disposition.

Act 1: Berry’s Complaint: I’m no Einstein, nor an idiot!

Scene: Stockholm 1973 – an afternoon in early fall

An outdoor café in a park near a lake – three friends met for a drink. They’ve been there for a while.

Berry, smiling to himself, browses through the evening newspaper Expressen and sips at a large jug of beer in his show-off way. At times, his eyes shift discreetly at female passers-by alongside the foreground (of the stage) and in a manner sufficient to suggest his sexual desire.

Gun sits cross-legged, her face is relaxed, off & on, drinks her coffee, and occasionally frowns while browsing Kerstin’s Vi (a magazine with cultural and societal topics).

Kerstin drinks fruit juice from a straw and is lost in thought.

BERRY (folding the ’paper and putting it into a handbag): That’s it! (Stretches out his arms and yawns.)

(Kerstin and Gun look at him.)

GUN: That’s it. What?

BERRY: The fading light of a lovely Saturday, but the sun is still with us. (Kerstin and Gun attend to the sun.) Soon the chilly climate will be with us.

GUN (turns her attention back to the magazine): I’m looking forward to the autumnal foliage, minus the rain and wind.

BERRY: As a schoolboy, I enjoyed the heavy rainfall, subsequent severe flooding, and being allowed to stay home from school. 

KERSTIN: The forecast tomorrow says sun, with some chance of an afternoon shower.

BERRY: Still have faith in weather forecasts, do you?

KERSTIN: (shrugging shoulders): They aren’t always wrong.

BERRY (matter-of-factly): I find weather reports highly unreliable. Last Sunday, the forecast said warm weather; I got a good soaking in the afternoon. And that was no joke (laughs).

KERSTIN: I remember being off duty and enjoying the morning weather. Tomorrow I work, and I wouldn’t be bothered by the weather. (Berry chuckles.)

BERRY: Working, are you?

KERSTIN: Not enthusiastic about working every other weekend.

BERRY: I understand. I’ve only one weekend in five. You’re still lucky that Erik works on the same weekends.

KERSTIN: Yes, he says the same.

BERRY: Gun, you’re lucky: Not bothered by weekend work!

GUN: (looks up, screws up slightly her bespectacled face) Fortunate? In a way, yes. But my weekends can hardly be described as all fun and games: too many things to do. I’d at times fancy a free weekday in exchange for Sunday. (She reverts to the magazine.)

BERRY: (intending to be witty) I always imagined working in a bank, sitting all day long, with a pen in my hand, as something parallel to light work. No physical exertion. I would want such a job if I had the brains for it (laughs).

GUN: (gives him an astonished look) You’d try working in a bank, having to concentrate all day: on calculations and transactions. (Her attention goes back to her magazine.)

KERSTIN: Berry, all jobs carry their share of boredom.

BERRY: What can you expect from a