BUCHANAN’s bedroom.

BUCHANAN in bed. EDITH enters.

EDITH. Another day has dawned. Bright and clear. Let’s be thankful for it.

She plumps BUCHANAN’s pillow, hands him his glasses and hearing-aid.

Look at the sun streaming through the window. A few weeks ago you’d have been at work. Now you can enjoy the good weather when it comes and you fall sick. That’s no way to carry on.

She smiles at him.

The photos are here!

She shows him a series of wedding photographs. They show, in succession: DEBBIE arriving at the church, DEBBIE and RAY at the altar, DEBBIE and RAY signing the register after the ceremony, DEBBIE and RAY walking down the aisle of  the church, DEBBIE and RAY in front of the church doors.

As the photographs are shown, the opening bars of Mendelssohn’s wedding march are heard. This is abruptly cut off as the sixth photograph is shown – DEBBIE fainting among a group of bridesmaids – and a wailing cry of a newborn child is heard.

Her dress was quite ruined.

She  puts the photographs to one side.

Aren’t you interested, dear? (Pause.) The holiday season will soon be upon us. Everybody is talking of nothing else. There’s a twitter in the air. A woman at work is taking her car abroad this year. She’s on top of the world thinking about it. She’s a  dedicated holiday maker.

BUCHANAN lies back, stares at the ceiling.

Why, you’re crying. (She kisses him.) Tears running down your cheeks. (She hugs him.) The tickets have arrived for the ‘get-together’. It’s to be held at the Bell Hotel. They’ve hired a name band. It’s  to be gayer than ever this year. So much laughter, so much joy in people’s  hearts, so many happy faces all around. Raymond  will qualify for a ticket. So will Debbie. And Debbie’s parents are going because they qualify. So we shall be a big party. I’m buying a new dress for the occasion. And I shall smile a lot, more than usual, because we have so much to be thankful for.

BUCHANAN closes his eyes and dies.

Raymond has quite reformed. Sees the error of his ways now. That’s Debbie’s influence. So you see even doing wrong as  he did has its uses.

A clipping from a newspaper’s ‘Births, Marriages and Deaths’ column is seen.

‘DEATHS: At his home in Swinton Street, George Buchanan. Sadly missed by his wife, Edith, grandson, Raymond, and workmates. No flowers by request.’

EDITH (continuing the previous speech over the newspaper clipping). It got him married. Settled. With a future before him.