Charles sighs and goes to his case. He picks it up and heads over to the chest of drawers.

Bert (watching Charles put his clothes away)     You read the storyplay yet?

Charles    The story, yes, I’ve –

Bert    What you think?

Charles    I think it’s very well written.

Bert    That mean you like it?

Charles    Yes, yes, I wouldn’t be out here if I didn’t believe it had artistic merit.

Bert laughs and lies back on the bed. Charles sighs and continues putting his belongings away.

Charles    Have I said something funny?

Bert    . . . artistic merit?

Charles    Well, yes, yes, it’s very –

Bert    It ain’t your fucken Shakespeare, right? Alas, poor Tin Woodsman, I knew him well. Piece o’ sophomore shit you ask me. You ask me it’s a fucken waste o’ time piece o’ shit.

Charles    I must, really, I mean, I must say I find your language . . . well . . .

Bert    Yeah?

Charles    I . . . I don’t want us to get off on the wrong foot here.

Bert     Wrong foot? What’re you trying – spit it out, uh, just spit it, OK.

Charles    . . . Well . . . well, what I mean is, I mean I’m unused to it.

Bert    American? You’re not – you’re unused to the American language, you don’t understand me, right? That it, Charlie? You don’t understand me?

Charles    No, I mean, I mean yes I understand you, I understand, it’s just, don’t take this the wrong way.

Bert    I won’t, what is it, what’re you trying to say? You wanna spit it out for me?

Charles    I find it very coarse.

Bert    American?

Charles    I don’t –

Bert    You find American coarse?

Charles (closing the drawer)     Yes, I mean, no, I mean –

Bert    Sounds to me you don’t know what you mean.

Charles    It’s the . . . you know, the – must you use vulgarities?

Bert    Like midget? You mean like midget, right?

Charles fingers his temples, exasperated. He takes a deep breath. He goes to the bed and looks up at Bert.

Charles    I think we’ve got off on the wrong foot here. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together and I, I think it only right and proper that we try to get along. I’m just not, I mean, I find it very . . . well, it’s very off – its off-putting.

Bert laughs at Charles.

Bert    . . . I’m fucken shitting you, kid. I know what you mean, I know what you’re trying to say . . . Charlie?

Charles    Yes?

Bert    No sweat, OK? I get it, Charlie. You find it – what’s that again? – coarse, right?

Charles    Well, yes, yes if you must –

Bert    I like it, I like it, Charlie, fucken coarse, great word, don’t you go worrying about my coarse language, OK?

Charles    Um . . .

Bert lies back. Charles frowns and heads towards the bathroom.

Bert    Hey, open the window if you’re cutting logs in there, OK?