The Visit

Ill watches nervously through the window of his General Store as Claire’s goons, Roby and Toby, carry flowers and funereal wreaths into the hotel. They do this every day. Ill reassures himself and his son and daughter that the town will stand by his side. Their mother has decided not to come downstairs, having told their daughter that she’s too tired. Ill praises their mother. His son and daughter leave to find work at the railway yard and Labour Exchange, respectively, and Ill laments the idea of his son working long hours on the railroad in the hot sun. Townspeople come into the store, each buying milk, chocolate, alcohol, and cigarettes that are more expensive than their usual purchases and charging it as credit to their store accounts. They all profess their staunch support for Ill. Claire can be heard and sometimes seen from her hotel balcony, interacting with her servants. She asks for her leg, which she states is near the wedding flowers. One customer comments that Claire’s seventh husband lost his tobacco plantations in the divorce, and that her eighth wedding, announced yesterday, is supposed to be enormous. The customer criticizes her for her excesses, and Ill expresses pride that the town stood by him.