King Hedley II

King is watering his seeds. Stool Pigeon enters the yard with two jugs of water. He is sure that terrible changes are afoot, and that God brought Aunt Ester home to him before wreaking havoc on his wayward people. King tells Stool Pigeon that he is going to be one of Aunt Ester’s pallbearers. Stool Pigeon quotes from the Bible about people making graven images and worshiping idols. He thinks that Aunt Ester was the only one who saw the truth, and now that she had died, the community will no longer have the benefit of her wisdom. Now more than ever, he is sure, the people need wisdom. Stool Pigeon thinks that she died from grief, that the hundreds of years of Black history in America became too much for her to bear.

Mister enters the yard and asks if the lights are still out at King’s and Stool Pigeon’s. Stool Pigeon tells him that the lights went out all over the city when Aunt Ester died. Mister has sold two more refrigerators. He asks if King has seen Pernell’s cousin, and King responds that he’s been looking for him, but hasn’t found him yet. King points out that there are small seedlings growing in his dirt patch, despite Ruby’s claim that he wouldn’t be able to get anything to grow in that corner of the yard. Mister wonders if it wouldn’t be better to sell television sets, but King counters that everyone already has a television set, and that people tend to wait around until the time is just right to replace their refrigerator. The new, heavily discounted models that he and Mister are offering are perfect. Mister wants to withdraw some of his portion of their profits to buy some new furniture, but King reminds him that the two are supposed to go in on a video store together. They can only afford the store with all their combined earnings. King reveals that Tonya is pregnant and says he wants his child to grow up with “something.” The two men agree to rob a jewelry store so that they have enough money to meet their current needs and to buy their video store together. King begins to reminisce about his former girlfriend Neesi. The two had been close, but she was killed in a car accident. His life with Tonya has helped to ease the pain of her loss, but he still misses her.

Stool Pigeon enters carrying a bundle of newspaper. A West End house has collapsed and he is sure that it is the work of God, who was only waiting for Ester to die before bringing his wrath down on the city. Ruby enters and complains about Stool Pigeon storing so much old newspaper in his house. She thinks that it is a fire hazard. She asks about flowers for Ester, and King and Mister agree to help cover the cost.

Mister gets ready to leave and tells King that he’ll see him on Wednesday. Ruby interjects, asking what they have planned on Wednesday. King loses his temper, and tells her that his life is none of her business. He accuses her of ignoring her parental duties and reminds her that she left him in the care of Mama Louise when she went off to East St. Louis to sing in a band.

Elmore enters, looking like a “consummate hustler.” His clothes, although worn, are sharp, and he is smiling. He asks Ruby how she’s been, and although she notes that she’s been just fine without him, she leaves to go fry him some chicken. He stays behind to talk to Mister and King, and asks them what they’ve been up to. They explain about the refrigerators, and Elmore finds out that King is selling them for a white man he met in the penitentiary, and that the merchandise is brand new and high quality. He wants in on the scheme, and points out that instead of a video store, they could open up a chicken shop with a gambling saloon in back.

Stool Pigeon enters. He tells them that violence is escalating in the city. He reads a headline about a drive-by shooting, and the three men talk about the changing nature of urban life. Elmore posits that honor is important, and that modern men lack honor. King agrees that violence used to be the result of serious conflict between two people, but that these days it seems that people get killed over nothing. They talk about the need to carry a gun for protection. Stool Pigeon posits that it is God who truly calls the shots, but Elmore will have none of that argument. He has little use for God and thinks that men are in charge of their own lives, not God.

Tonya enters, visibly upset. She tells King that she doesn’t want another baby. She had Natasha at 17 and she is now 35. She doesn’t want to do it again. She thinks that he is still in love with Neesi. He explains that Neesi is gone, and that he is invested in his marriage. He wants to do right by Tonya. Tonya sighs. She worries that Natasha is about to repeat her mistakes, and she wonders what kind of future is possible for young men in their community. She doesn’t want to have a child just for it to have its own babies too soon or die by violence. She leaves, even more upset than when she came in. King hollers after her that she just can’t get an abortion without consulting him.

Ruby tries to tell King to stop pushing Tonya away, but he will not listen to her. He exits and Tonya returns. Ruby and Tonya talk about the situation, and Ruby is more receptive. She shares with Tonya that she wanted to abort her pregnancy with King. She went to see Aunt Ester, thinking based on what she’d heard in the neighborhood that Ester was an abortionist. Ester instead convinced her to keep the pregnancy.