Scene 2
Poolside at the Hotel Nacional an hour later. A few TOURISTS
lounge about in bathing gear. Among them is LINDA. A dejected ADELINE wanders
on in the same outfit she was wearing to tour Havana.
LINDA
Hello, Miss Adams.
ADELINE
Hello.
LINDA
Enjoying Havana?
ADELINE
(with irony)
Charming.
LINDA
It's a strange place if you've never been here before. Like another
planet.
ADELINE
(to herself)
One with half a moon.
LINDA
Uh-oh. Look what we have here.
(A middleaged scrawny Latin, RAMON, saunters on in a bathing
suit. HE strolls arrogantly, seductively. The effect is ludicrous.)
ADELINE
Oh, dear.
LINDA
Poor thing. It passed him by twenty years ago.
ADELINE
What did?
LINDA
Gigolism. Is that a word? Gigolodom? Yet he's still at it. Isn't he
a scream?
ADELINE
If you're in your 20s. In your 40s, it's not so funny.
LINDA
But he still expects to be paid. He thinks he's devastating…as devastating
as the one who's coming.
(ARMANDO AGRAMENTES appears in as tight and as brief a bathing
suit as was permitted in 1937. HE swaggers, conscious of being stared at.
RAMON sees him, snorts and retires downstage right. ARMANDO saunters downstage
left. The eyes of BOTH dart face front as if cruising the audience.)
LINDA
This one is the current King.
ADELINE
How do you know? I mean, that they're gigolos?
LINDA
But it's so obvious. Look at him swagger. His behind looks like two
rolling cantaloupes.
ADELINE
You young people today are so much more sophisticated than we were.
LINDA
And he's quite notorious.
ADELINE
He lives at the hotel?
LINDA
Good heavens, no! He couldn't afford to live here…only to cruise the
pool every afternoon. American women, beware!
ADELINE
How about British women?
LINDA
You're safe, Miss Adams. He's only interested in money…lots of it. And
these Latins can sniff it out. They're like anteaters with mustaches.
ADELINE
What a clever girl you are.
(Lights dim. Spot falls on Adeline.)
ADELINE
They both get paid. But this one is sad and ridiculous. And that one
is magnificent. I wonder if the sad and ridiculous one would be interested
in someone equally as sad and ridiculous even if she has no money. Or does
the world work that way?
(Lights come up again. ARMANDO sees something, pursues it offstage
left. RAMON disappears in the opposite direction.)
LINDA
Ah, their sniffers are at work…both these little darlings. And oh, look!
Look what's coming! Can you believe this?
(BONITA COLEMAN enters from the right. She is wearing the same
full-length mink only it is thrown about her shoulders and beneath it is
a bathing suit. She also sports a diamond choker and four diamond bracelets.
She seats herself on the lounge chair next to Adeline giving her a perfunctory
smile.)
LINDA
I can't stand it! I'm going to find Chick. This he has to see.
(ADELINE scrutinizes Bonita, her mind clicking away. BONITA
catches her staring and smiles again in that same mechanical way.)
ADELINE
Bonita Coleman, isn't it?
BONITA
That's right, sweetie.
(SHE is disinterested in continuing the conversation. WAITER
appears carrying a tray. ADELINE, who has been watching something face
front which we cannot see, gets up, goes to WAITER, whispers in his ear.
SHE pulls out a couple of bills and hands them to him.)
WAITER
Sí, señora.
(HE exits stage right. ADELINE returns to the deck chair.)
ADELINE
Enjoying Havana, Miss Coleman?
BONITA
This place stinks to high heaven.
ADELINE
(partly to herself)
Someone stood you up, too?
BONITA
No one stood me up! What the hell you talking about? No one ever stands
me up.
ADELINE
Sorry.
(WAITER reappears.)
WAITER
Telephone for Miss Bonita Coleman. Telephone for Miss Bon…
BONITA
Over here.
WAITER
Telephone for you.
BONITA
Well, connect it here!
WAITER
Sorry, señorita. Only telephones in lobby.
BONITA
I never heard uh such a thing! What kinda crummy joint is this?
ADELINE
You go ahead. I'll watch your coat for you.
(BONITA grunts, follows WAITER offstage. ADELINE waits until
she is out of sight, then seats herself in Bonita's place so that the mink
touches her shoulders. ARMANDO swaggers back on stage. HE sees the mink
first, then Adeline. HE makes a beeline toward her and flashes a dazzling
smile.)
ARMANDO
Buenas dias, señora.
ADELINE
Señorita.
ARMANDO
Ah, but it cannot be. A woman as lovely as you cannot be a señorita.
ADELINE
In England we do things differently.
ARMANDO
Ah, you are English! I am so glad.
ADELINE
You like the English?
ARMANDO
I adore the English. They have such…
(regarding the mink)
class.
ADELINE
Don't we though? In broad daylight when the temperature is 92 and the
humidity is stifling.
ARMANDO
My English…it is sometimes difficult to understand. May I be seated,
lovely lady?
ADELINE
I'm terribly sorry. I have a friend who just stepped away…
ARMANDO
Another English lady?
ADELINE
No! An English man.
ARMANDO
You did not come to Havana alone then?
ADELINE
No…I mean, yes. I did come alone.
ARMANDO
All the way from England?
ADELINE
Oh, no…I mean yes. For the week.
ARMANDO
Really?
ADELINE
Oh, he's coming back. My friend. I see him now.
(SHE rises nervously.)
ARMANDO
Then tonight. You shall be my guest…alone.
ADELINE
Your guest?
ARMANDO
At the Casino Espagnol. I dance there.
ADELINE
(aside)
He's a Spanish dancer, too.
ARMANDO
You have not given me your answer.
ADELINE
Yes. I'll be there. But please you must go. My friend will be very upset.
ARMANDO
The first show begins at ten.
(bowing and kissing her hand)
Adieu, lovely lady.
ADELINE
Yes. Goodbye.
(As HE exits, he passes BONITA, who is entering, and gazes longingly
at her jewels.)
BONITA
Can ya feature that! There wasn't anyone on the telephone.
ADELINE
Can you feature that?
BONITA
I'll never stay in this crummy hotel again.
(LINDA returns but without Chick.)
LINDA
I can't find Chick anywhere.
(glancing toward Bonita, slyly)
Have you been having fun?
ADELINE
I don't know if I have or not. But I think after all these years I'm
beginning to learn something about the world.
LINDA
(under her breath)
I wish I had my camera.
ADELINE
Miss Slabey. You do know Havana well, don't you?
LINDA
Fairly well.
ADELINE
I was just wondering. Is there some place here one can rent a mink?
BLACKOUT
