(HAMBONE enters. He is in his late forties. He is self-contained and in a world of his own. His mental condition has deteriorated to such a point that he can only say two phrases, and he repeats them idiotically over and over.)

HAMBONE: He gonna give me my ham. He gonna give me my ham. I want my ham. He gonna give me my ham.

RISA: Hambone, where you been? What I tell you? It don’t matter whether you got any money or not . . .  you come and get something to eat. You hear?

HAMBONE: He gonna give me my ham. He gonna give me my ham.

RISA: How you been? You been doing alright?
(RISA fixes him a bowl of beans and some cornbread. She sets it in front of him.)

HAMBONE: He gonna give me my ham. He gonna give me my ham.

RISA: You go on and eat. I got something for you.
(RISA exits into the back.)

HAMBONE: He gonna give me my ham.

MEMPHIS: Alright, that’s enough of that now!

HAMBONE (under his breath): I want my ham. He gonna give me my ham.
(RISA comes out with a wool sport coat. She gives it to HAMBONE.)

RISA: Here . . .  put this on. It be cold out there sometimes at night. You button it up too.

WOLF: Risa, you been over to see Prophet Samuel yet? I know you going over.

RISA: I ain’t going. I don’t want to see him like that.

MEMPHIS: Risa been around here crying for two days. I tried to tell her the man got to die sometime.

WOLF: Ain’t nothing to it. Ain’t nothing but a dead body laying up there.

RISA: That’s what I know. That’s why I don’t want to go.

WOLF: Ain’t nothing to be scared of. I done seen a whole bunch of dead niggers.

MEMPHIS: You around here following the man. Running up there giving the man your money, talking about Prophet Samuel this, Prophet Samuel that . . .  and now you don’t want to go pay your respect.

WOLF: Risa . . .  I’ll go over with you any time you wanna go. Here . . .  put that in the jukebox.
(He hands RISA two quarters.)

RISA: It’s broke.

WOLF: I thought it was just fixed. Memphis, I thought you was gonna get you a new jukebox.

MEMPHIS: I told Zanelli to bring me a new one. That what he say he gonna do. He been saying that for the last year. (Pause.)
Risa, get on back there and get that chicken ready, you ain’t got time to be standing around.
(RISA exits into the back. MEMPHIS takes his papers and goes to the booth.)