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Scene 17 - Bokkie's Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 June 2019

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Summary

LULU is circling BOKKIE, who is sitting hunched with his back to us in his armchair. LULU throws various photographs, letters and post cards into his lap.

LULU: This is Freda Gildenstein. You had a love affair with her from 1966 to 1969. You used to meet at a Fox Street hotel! While you were gefuffeling in the back streets of Jo'burg, mummy was pregnant with me! And this is Toodles Shakanovski. You met her at the Cafe Wien in Hillbrow before it became Hillbrow. She had a fake French accent! You only found out in 1972 that she came from Rosettenville! This is a post card from Cookie Lazarus, who writes here, T look forward passionately to being the second mother of your darling child!'. And this is a photograph of Blossom Nicolby-Smith. You used to spend dirty weekends with her at the Four Seasons Hotel in Durban!

BOKKIE: Rubbish!

LULU: And we won't mention the ongoing liaison with Dinky Cohen, your young secretary.

BOKKIE: How did you find all this out?

LULU: Mom put a private detective on you years ago.

BOKKIE: Oh my baby, I never knew you knew!

LULU: Well now you know!

BOKKIE: My little baby girl, my princess, I was trying to protect you!

LULU: I don't need protection!

BOKKIE: Your mother was cold beyond cold! An ice maiden! And a man is a man!

LULU: Pathetic!

BOKKIE: How can I make it up to you! What must I do? What do you want?

LULU: I want Jimmy ‘Long Legs’ Mangane free!

BOKKIE rises, faces the audience, and sings.

WHY IS A CITY ALWAYS A WOMAN?

Why is a city always a woman

And because she's a woman, almost always a whore

A man can possess her, he can love and caress her

But don't be fooled, when the chips are down, she's gone!

Berlin's a bitch, and Amsterdam is addled

I keep a little diary of the cities I have travelled

Venice thinks she's classy, Vienna, I find rather brassy

My little black book is full of the towns I have known!

Barcelona's a beauty, brings out the bull in me

Ancient Rome lies back, always ready for a grope

But when the spirit calls she prefers to service the Pope

Manhatten's a dry martini, she's fast paced and she's chic

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Publisher: Wits University Press
Print publication year: 2000

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