Your Coca-Cola Bottler presents, Claudia, based on the famous play and novels by Rose Franken. Brought to you transcribed Monday through Friday by your friendly neighbor who bottles Coca-Cola. Relax and while you're listening, refresh yourself. Have a Coke. And now, Claudia. Well for heaven's sake, David, the clock must have stopped. What clock, darling? The clock on the map. Oh, honestly, what clock? How many clocks have we got? Says only half past eight. Eight-thirty is what it is. Now that is impossible. It must be hours later than half past eight. Not according to my watch, it isn't. What does your watch say? My watch says half past eight. Feels like at least ten o'clock. That's because you're darning. I loathe, hate, and detest darning. I take it you don't like it. No, not a bit. You know the trouble with me is, David, I have too many fingers for sewing businesses. What amazes me is considering how long it takes you to darn a hole in my sock, just how badly it's done when you finish. How do you know how long? To today, mama's been doing all the darning around here. Have you absolutely no ambition to become a wifely kind of wife? Try to be measured by my darns? No, absolutely none. Honestly, David, how do you get such holes in your feet? By walking on my hands. That's a wonderful idea. You ought to try it. Sometimes gloves are much easier to mend. What with you is you're spoiled. I know, I haven't darned a sock since I don't know when. Say, maybe that's one of the reasons I kept mama around, because you made so many holes in your feet. I'll have to tell mama, she'll be flattered. I wonder what mama... Now there's nothing ruder than not finishing a sentence. Oh, it wasn't anything, darling. Well, back to my darning. You were wondering what mama was doing, weren't you? Well, nothing wrong with that, is there? No, not a thing. I was wondering myself. You were? Mm-hmm. She's probably having herself a gay old time. I hope so. Oh, darn this darn. Is it really only 8.35? Say, I'll tell you what, when and if you finish that sock up, I'll play a game of checkers. Is that a carrot I see in front of my nose? No, it's me. Hey, listen to the wind, listen to the rain. You know, this is the kind of night I wish I were a cat, all curled up in a soft little ball in front of the fire. Dreaming dreams that nobody can guess. Nice night for a cat. It's a nice night for anybody who doesn't have to darn sock. Oh, you are such a realist, my man. And David, listen, you don't have to play checkers with me. I know I don't have to. I want to. No, you don't. You want to be reading your book. I've already read my book. Well, read it more. I don't want to read it more. I've offered you a game of checkers and that's fine. Darling, you hate playing games. I don't hate playing games at all. You always say you do. Well, that's when I don't want to. You don't want to tonight. I know. Haven't I got a right to know what I want? No, you haven't. Well, it's nice to know where I stand in this free country. I think you're being very sweet in offering to play checkers with me. And I am not sweet. But because you think that I ought to be keeping my mind busy. And well, my mind is busy and I am not thinking of Mama. I'm perfectly contented sitting here darning and watching you read. So I refuse your invitation to play checkers. That's fine. You're certainly an agreeable little woman. Aren't I, though? I'll offer you checkers and you refuse. I don't offer you checkers and you complain. Now when? When have I ever complained? Well, you will someday. You certainly think a lot of me, don't you? I think a lot of you. Is that all? I think of you a great deal and as a matter of fact, I even think a great deal of you. Well, if you do, you're a very easy man. Well, you're not as as bad a sort as you pretend to be. Who says I pretend? I says I'm the last word. And this is the last word until you finish up with that darning or I won't have any socks to wear. You are very stubborn when you think you're being wise, you know that? David, telephone. Hey, wait a minute. No, let me answer. It may not be Mama. She hasn't called all day. Well, she only left yesterday and we called her last night. Well, that was yesterday. David, let me answer. Oh, all right. Go ahead, answer. If it is Mama, I'm certainly going to give her a piece of my mind. She has no right to wait till so late before she calls. And I'm going to. Hello? Hello? Oh, hello, Mr. Reynolds. No, I'm feeling all right. I'm sorry. I sound funny. Well, I know it must be the connection, you know, the weather outside and everything. What does Reynolds want? What is it? I can't. Oh, ten o'clock tomorrow morning. Yeah, I'll tell him. He'll be there. Goodbye. Mr. Reynolds, he says he'd like you to bring your blueprints of the schoolhouse to the town hall at ten tomorrow morning. You see, it wasn't Mama. I told you. She's a fine one, isn't she? She certainly is. Well, I'll just pay her back. I just won't call her. Why don't you call her if you want to? No, what for? It's nothing new. God, just listen to that wind. I'll put another log on the fire. Oh, darling, we won't stay up that late, will we? It's still early. It's only. It seems so late. Must be off a cold out. You know, this is a pretty big house, isn't it, David? Just about the right size for us. Seems so big. All those empty bedrooms upstairs. Just Mama's room, guest room. Feels empty upstairs. It's funny what one person can do to a house. Think how empty Mama's apartment has been all these months. Well, there's been nobody in it to feel it was empty all day, but I hope she's not lonesome. Hope she's eating right. Now, Mama's a big girl. I know, but she doesn't think of herself very much, and she really needs someone to think about her for. She'll manage. She's always so busy thinking about other people that I bet you she doesn't even bother cooking a lamb chop for her. You certainly don't credit your mother with much of an independence or appetite. It's lonesome cooking for just one lamb chop. And it's hungry if you don't. You forget about being hungry if you're lonesome. Yeah, so I noticed. Look, darling, why don't you call her up and get it out of your system? I don't want to be a Mama's baby anymore, David. No, you're not. Anyway, just because I feel like talking to Mama doesn't mean I have to or that I should. No, talking to Mama isn't going to make you feel any better, and talking to Mama won't hurt you. Go on. The phone's right there. Oh, she'll think I'm a dope. Well, that won't be news. David, don't you hate me? Don't you think I'm, well, only half a person? Mm-hmm, that's all you are. A half a person. Half of me. That's nice, darling. That's just what I want to be. Then go and call up Mama, and we'll play some checkers. Oh, still those checkers. You have a one-track mind, you know. That's because I'm married to a one-track woman. Operator? Hello, Operator, please give me New York City Plaza 59835. Yeah, and my number is Eastbrook 276 Ring 3. I've just been studying this darn Mrs. Norton. And what is the matter with it? It looks like a walnut. David, it doesn't answer. Operator's ringing Mama's number. It doesn't answer. Good. That means that Mama's out, having herself a good time, just like I said. You don't think that she... I don't think that there's anything wrong. Now, darling, just because Mama's phone doesn't answer doesn't mean that Mama's sick or that anything's wrong. No, I suppose not. You can cancel that call, Operator. Gosh, can't think of anything more lonesome than the thought of a phone ringing in an empty apartment. I wonder where Mama went. To a movie. Oh, you know she's not the movie kind of woman. Well, it's still early. She could be out for dinner. Alone. It's no fun. Darling, everything about life isn't fun, but that doesn't mean it's wrong. David, you're so strong and independent. That's what you think. I'm not even good at pretending. All day I've been trying to pretend, and that's as far as I got. Then stop pretending you're with friends. You don't have to wear your outside face with me, you know. It's all habit, that's all it is. That's all. I have two legs. I can stand on them all by myself. It's just... Well, it's just that Mama and I are so used to being with each other. We're all each other had for a long time. But David, I know it's not fair to you. Now, I worry about what's fair to me. Well, this mooning around isn't fair to you, whether you worry about it or not. So, what are you going to do about it? I'm going to stop, that's what. You haven't started. Much I have, and I could kick myself around the room. All right, I'll play that game of checkers with you, Mr. Naughton, and I will beat you right off the board. Now, there. That's the kind of talk I like to hear. Uh-oh. The baby, you hear? No, he's all right. Don't get excited. No, he's not all right. He's crying. Well, what's a little crying for a baby? Well, he should be sleeping. He'll go back to sleep. I'd better go up and see what it is. Want me to ask him? Nope, nope. I'll go up. There aren't any lights on upstairs. That's all right. Don't worry. I may as well come up with you. I want to get my other pipe. Now, listen, if you think I'm afraid to go up alone, you're crazy. I'm not crazy. If you were afraid, I wouldn't come with you. You'll make a woman out of me. It's the last thing you do, won't you? You're a woman already. Well, I'm glad you think so, darling. Oh, put on the light in the nursery, David. Got it. Won't the light wake him up? He's awake already. That's why he's crying. Oh, poor little darling. What's the matter with you? My own wife talking baby talk to my own son. He'll never grow up to be a man that way. He will in time. Now, come on, tell me what's the matter. Thirsty? Do you have a bad dream? Come here. All he wanted was a little attention. Is that what you wanted? Just a little attention? Takes after his mother. Poor little thing. He's warm now. He's all right. Put him down. I certainly hope that... Oh, no. That couldn't be anything to matter with him. Probably just a tooth. Yeah, that's the trouble with babies getting teeth. Everybody blames everything on teeth. The baby could be getting something very serious. All a person would say is probably just a tooth. Well, it is probably just a tooth. I wish mama were here. Mom and Norva were just a tooth. Mm-hmm. Well, Bertha knows too. Oh, David, I'm scared. What are you so scared about? I miss her so. That's why she went, darling. Well, that's not a good reason. That's the best reason in the world. If you didn't miss her, there'd be no point in her going. No. Just because she knew you would miss her. She knew she had to go too. It's crazy. Sure, it's crazy. But darling, it's life. Here. Here's my handkerchief. Thanks. I just got to stop being a daughter and start being a wife. After all, I am a mother now. You must be, you must be all three, darling. A mother, a daughter, and a wife. And you know what? I'm going to see that you like being a wife best of all. When you are particularly eager to see a certain movie, others are also eager, it seems. And there's often a wait for seats. That wait is a lot pleasanter now that you can get ice cold Coca-Cola right in the lobby of many movie theaters, for then you can have a Coke and wait refresh. Good night there, Joe. What are you doing down here, David? Well, I came down to do the evening chores. I had to snuff out the fire and put out the lights and see if the doors are all closed. Well, while you're at it, be sure all your windows are well closed and your heat turned up. You talk as if, as if we might expect a little bad weather sometime in the near future. Well, as a matter of fact, I did just hear that there was going to be a big storm tonight. A big storm? A snowstorm. You might even be snowed deeply in tomorrow. Oh, mercy. Snowed in. I'm certainly not looking forward to that. Well, anyway, Joe, thanks very much for the warning and I'll go to bed and sleep. That's all I know I can do about it. See you tomorrow night, Joe. Bye, David. Every day, Monday through Friday, Claudia comes to you transcribed with the best wishes of your friendly neighbor who bottles Coca-Cola. So listen again tomorrow at the same time. And now this is Joe King saying au revoir. And remember, whoever you are, whatever you do, wherever you may be, when you think of refreshment, think of Coca-Cola. For Coca-Cola makes any pause, the pause that refreshes. And ice cold Coca-Cola is everywhere. This broadcast of Claudia was supervised and directed by William Brown Maloney. Now, here's a word from your friendly neighbor who bottles Coca-Cola.