342
BUMMIDGE:
She never said that!
BELLA:
Go on, please, Imogen. .
SAUL BELLOW
IMOGEN :
What do you want with
him,
Bella? He's going to turn into
a fat selfish old fool. . . .
BELLA:
Right, Mother. I know he's coarse and unattractive, a big
show-off. But I've had a few bad disappointments, and I'm not get–
ting younger. I go out with these
types
around . . . and they don't
really send me either. I think I'll have this one. He doesn't know
a thing about love, but for some reason my heart is fastened on
him.
BUMMIDGE:
Imogen, pay no attention. Whose therapy is it, anyway!
Whose payroll are you on? Mother
Bo~er
said, I won't let . ..
MOTT:
(Pushes his way in)
I won't let you marry my child
if
you don't
love her...
BUMMIDGE :
Mrs. Boxer ... I don't know ... I'm still very young.
BELLA:
And then you started to blubber, and I slapped your face.
BUMMIDGE:
That's true. I wept. Louie! Me! I wept.
MOTT:
It shows you were emotionally pretty open.
BELLA:
And then I said, here's something to
cry
about.
(She slaps
him)
BUMMIDGE:
(Holding his cheek)
I feel it all ... This
is
very rich
material.
BELLA:
I'll freshen your memory some more. You said, isn't there
somebody else she can marry? And my father nearly killed him.
BUMMIDGE:
I knew there was something else. He choked me. Sheldon,
choke me. Hurry, don't break the action. Choke!
SHELDON
puts his hands about his throat.
I'm not feeling it.
SHELDON:
I'm sorry
boss,
but I'm a bodyguard. My instinct is to de–
fend you.
Enter Western Union messenger.
BUMMIDGE :
Somebody must choke me.. . . You
(to messenger)
I want
you to choke me.
MESSENGER:
It'll give me great pleasure.
(He brutally chokes
BUM–
MIDGE)
BUMMIDGE:
Ahg!
(SHELDON
and
MOTT
have difficulty getting the
messenger's fingers loose)
SHELDON:
What's the matter, you out of your mind?
MESSENGER:
No. He asked for it. I just le:arned to grab all opportuni–
ties. You've got to
be
prepared, work fast. In and out. It's my
career.
