The Angel. In a corner we see JOSEPH, who is hooked up to a saline drip, on wheels. We last saw JOSEPH having a drink in The Angel with CRYSTAL in The One About The Veil. His health has evidently taken a turn for the worse. With him is his old friend LENNY, who is in his early 60s and is from Wales. Elsewhere, we see some people playing darts and, glimpsed in another room, a pool table.
LENNY
What did you bring me here for?
JOSEPH
Why, what's wrong with it?
LENNY
I was just wondering why we came here,
in particular.
JOSEPH
It's my local. It's where I drink.
LENNY
You don't fancy something different?
JOSEPH
No. I don't.
LENNY
A change of scenery.
JOSEPH
What are you driving at, Lenny?
LENNY
Well .. (He looks around the pub)
JOSEPH
Go on, spit it out.
LENNY
Given that I've come all this way, I
thought we could go up west.
JOSEPH
I hate it up west.
LENNY
No you don't.
JOSEPH
Yes I do.
LENNY
You used to love it up there. We'd
have some great times.
JOSEPH
(A flash of anger) Don't do that, Lenny.
Everyone does that and I fucking hate it.
LENNY
Where I come from, there's nothing to do.
It's enough to drive you up the wall, yeah?
I've travelled a long way to see my old
friend. I thought I'd not make it in time, if
I'm perfectly honest with you. But you
came back .. from the brink. Quite
unexpectedly, I'll have you know. They'd
given up on you. They were calling it a day.
JOSEPH
That's what they do. There's nothing
unexpected in that.
LENNY
They didn't think you had the strength.
They thought you'd given up the ghost.
JOSEPH
It's character. Character that pulls you
through those situations.
LENNY
And God.
JOSEPH
God has nothing to do with it.
LENNY
I'd be long gone if I didn't have God on
my side. I mean that, Joseph.
JOSEPH
You're either talking shit like that to get a
reaction. Or you're not the Lenny I knew.
(He takes a slug of beer)
