Harlem Duet

A polyrhythmic chorus opens the scene as Martin Luther King Jr, recites a different segment of his March on Washington speech. Othello’s offstage voice calls for Billie. He presumes that Billie must not be home. He and Mona are there to gather the rest of his things. He still has a key and lets himself in. Hearing the shower, he heads towards the bathroom, startling Billie. Othello tells Mona to wait in the car, but she opts to go out shopping for something blue. Once Mona is gone, Othello brings in his empty boxes and begins dividing the record collection that rests on a shelf. Billie enters, and Othello tells her that he needs to pack his things because the movers are coming in the morning. Billie complains that he took her favorite cast iron Dutch pot and that she wants it back. Othello resists, saying that “we” (48) need it for gumbo. The idea of Mona using her pot does not sit well, so she reminds Othello that it was a gift from her father. Billie threatens to break all the records at which point he agrees to return it.

Billie offers him herbal tea, but they decide instead on cognac.