MR. CAIN
Drama
by Jerome W. Nilssen

CAIN and his wife, JAREL, in their early forties, have just returned from a gala banquet in CAIN’S honor; now they are preparing for bed. CAIN undresses slowly, still savoring his delight in being named "Rotarian of the Year." JAREL wears a sheer and obviously expensive negligee, but she hasn’t yet removed her jewelry. She is doing this now and she has quite a bit to remove, perhaps a bit too much.

CAIN

(Singing, off-key)

"Happy days are here again, No more skies of gray again, Happy days are here again."

JAREL

That’s not the way it goes, Big Shot.

CAIN

Maybe not. So what? What’s ailing you, Miss Pain-in-the-Neck?

JAREL

Nothing.

CAIN

That’s obvious, of course. Nothing at all. You didn’t even clap at the end of my speech.

JAREL

Oh, it was a dandy speech. I was just afraid my eyelashes would fall off if …

CSS Publishing Co., Inc., Cain Cycle, The, by Jerome W. Nilssen