lia bugnar-manuscript woman

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Lia Bugnar

LiterNetPublishing House,

2005

Editors: Rzvan Penescu [email protected] erban

Editor for the.pdfAcrobat Reader & cover layout: Anca erban

Proof-reader: Eliana IonoaiaDrawings: 2005 Sylviane Canini.

Text and translation: 2005 Felicia Sanda Bugnar.All rights reserved to the author.

2005 LiterNet Publishing House for.pdfAcrobat Reader versionThis book can be freely downloaded for personal use in this layout version. The free distribution ofthis book by other site, the alteration or the commercialization of this version without the writtenagreement of LiterNet Publishing House is prohibited and will be punished in agreement with thestipulations of the copyright laws.

ISBN: 973-7893-27-1

LiterNet Publishing Househttp://[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]://editura.liternet.ro/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://editura.liternet.ro/mailto:[email protected]


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Act I


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The Woman:

Ive always thought Im meant for a very special destiny. And when I say "special you neednot feel offended: "another one who thinks shes better than others.... Im not talking about adestiny unlike yours, but about a destiny thats unlike even my own. Ive always had the strangefeeling that Im waited for elsewhere. Even now, at my age - and please be so kind as not to askme to confess it - Im still convinced that a mix up took place at my birth and so I ended up in thehouse of those two people who insisted for a long time that I should call them "mother and "father.They were very good people, of a simplicity that could only be compared to a drizzle... Dont smile,youll get used to my comparisons! My comparisons are comparable only to a swan looking for ascarf that, obviously, it will never find...

My childhood? "The most bland, "the most insipid are expressions that could not describeit exactly. So Im forced to resort to one of my incomparable comparisons:a childhood comparableonly to the interest you could see in the eyes of a cow that has been grazing for an hour and a half.The only thing thats worth knowing is how I put an end, at the age of eleven and a half, to this

uselessness that was my childhood.

If you want to start a new life, all you have to do is get on the right train.

Train... train... the music of the trains wheels... comparable to what? Oh yes, I know... withthe shortness of breath of a man that tells you he loves you knowing that youll never be his... (Anoise made by a train is heard). The hand of the ticket inspector clenched on the collar of my

coat... going from one compartment to another: "Does anyone know this girl?Train compartments! Theres nothing more beautiful! They are so transient! "This is my

seat!, we say with candour, knowing that in a few hours or a day, we will leave that place and ,perhaps, we will never see it again! But, until then, the compartment absorbs our smells, serves ashost for our belongings and hears our most fascinating stories.

"Does anyone know this girl?


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Lace, chocolate boxes, trunks filled with the most beautiful things... we always take our bestthings along in a voyage... In one of these compartments theres a seat for me, my place...

"Does anyone know this girl?

When you reach your seat, you recognise it instantly! And then, all theres left for you to dois to let flow and fill your eyes the tears you have got handy ever since you got in the train,...

Victor! Who could describe Victors elegance? Nobody, except me, of course. Although tall,thin and handsome, Victors elegance could only be compared to that of a piano in the very

moment a hand takes up its top letting the keys smile.

"Youre a bully, Mister. Cant you see how scared this child is?

"Is she with you?

"You havent got the right to treat a helpless creature like this!

"Im sorry, sir, but if nobody buys her a ticket until the next stop, Im going to hand her overto the police...

Victor bought me the ticket for a new life. He couldnt let the little runaway girl go back tothe misery of the orphanage...

The next four years were not interesting in the least. I got an education and I found out Ihad talents I already knew for certain I possessed. Music, dance, drawing, literature... The people

who took care of me were the most insipid, tedious and useless people Ive ever met... Of course,they had wonderful knowledge, but they were merely containers not at all in harmony with theircontent. As if you were to drink champagne from a clay pot.

The image of the helpless girl from the train must have stayed with Victor over these fouryears, because he never forgot to send money for my education.


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I fancied myself beautiful. But it was only in Victors eyes that I saw how beautiful I was."The look of a sinful angel. The words are not mine, though I would've liked to think of them

myself. Victor called me like this: "The look of a sinful angel. It took me three long and beautifuldays of my life to make Victor forget about his conscience that was telling him I was three timesyounger than he was, and that he shouldnt take advantage of the fact that my fate was completelyin his hands.

Victor could have done anything in this world, and everything he did turned out wonderfully.The paradox was that he had so much money, so that the only thing left for him to do was spend it.

But he did this as naturally and easily as a leaf floating in the wind. It floats smoothly, it comesdown, it rolls over and flies away, each time differently.... seeking another place...

My education became complete only after Victor taught me how to make love. It took melonger to learn than the uninteresting knowledge I had acquired during the boring private boardingschool years. When it came to love, Victor was like an encyclopaedia. He used to say that I was anatural, and Im inclined to think he was right. But he was more than that. If I was like a violin

playing wonderful music touched by an artists bow, Victor was music itself.

When I left him after seven years, I was surprised to see that all I had learnt from him wasof no use for me anymore, because the other men needed infinitely less. The infinity of nuances Iknew how to put in an embrace became an annoying ballast, which I didnt find that easy to get ridof.

"Come on, Mister, let me tell your fortune, let me tell you how many children youll have withthe princess you have with you.

"I wont have any, because the princess doesnt want children.

"Oh, Mister, she must be under an evil spell. Spare me some change, and Ill make thecurse go away. Shell make you a handsome boy like you.


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"Take this money and leave us alone. Were happy as we are.

And it was true. Victor and I were happy. For him, it was the last day of happiness; I wastold that he shot himself a year after I left him. For me, it was the beginning of a new happiness.

The Gipsy tribe I left with was made up of nine men, fifteen women and countless urchinswhose name I was never able to remember, although I lived with them for four years.

Kajar was the most powerful and desired gipsy in the tribe, so I was looked upon by thegipsy women like a disaster coming out of the blue, inexplicable to them with all the fortune telling

gift they claim to possess.

Nuria, the fortune teller who was so decided to take Victors money, did not notice howKajar, a few steps away, looked at me. Only once. This look spread all over my body, in alldirections, and it took me four years to get rid of it.

The other gipsies were truly bewildered when I showed up in their camp, at night, with three

trunks and two hat boxes, I took only the bare essentials, but to Kajar everything seemed natural,so he took my hand and led me to his tent. He threw Nuria a short dark look, and she gathered herthings and left in a hurry.

All night, her yells, accompanied by the barking of all the dogs in the camp, were the echoof the clenching between Kajar and I.

The gipsy women, without exception, hated me. For a while I managed to get by in the

camp by selling my things, one by one, but eventually I had to pinch things in the cities, to stealhens and to tell the fortune of some people, I, who were every moment more and more surprised ofmy present. But I managed to do everything very easily, especially the fortune telling stuff no onecould beat me at it. These "professional successes of mine didnt stop Kajar from beating mesavagely. But such beatings were useful for all of us: to him, they were a confirmation of the factthat I belonged to him, to me, they reminded me who was the master, and to the gipsies, they


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showed how much we loved each other. When I got up from the ground staggering, I saw theenvious eyes of the gipsy women. Nuria never forgave me.

"Kajar, weve gone too far away. We wont be able to go back.

"Dont be afraid. We can go as far as we want. Do you want to stop?

"No, dont stop.

Kajars hands on my colourless skin... his eyes boring through my body... the miracle of

escaping from ourselves, from the camp, from this world... the places I saw during my "Kajariannights...

"Kajar, dont let go of me!

"What are you afraid of?

"Im afraid of falling! Im not sure if were swimming or flying!

"Both...

"Kajar, youve been here before...

"Never...

"Then maybe Ive been... here... before... it looks so familiar and... unknown...

"All thats happening to us... is you... And, if you want, nobody will ever find us..."Lets go back, Kajar...

And we would go back, because I wanted so...

Eventually, Nuria got her revenge. It didnt take her long to realize that I was as shrewd asshe was. So, after a while, she gave up her plan to disfigure me with boiled water... to burn my


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insides with poisons only she knew to concoct, or other things like that... I made the same mistakeshe had. I turned away my eyes from Kajar for a minute. Long time after I left him I kept wondering

what could Nuria have done to him, to turn him from Kajar into an ordinary man.

That night, Kajar did something to me, something that maybe all the gipsies did during theirnights. He climbed on top of me... I heard my bones cracking under his weight... and started anabsurd, painful coming and going movement... A sour smell overwhelmed me... God, had this manever washed?

Fortunately, the torture lasted only for a few minutes... Since that night, all I could here wereKajars noisy snoring and Nurias laughter coming from outside.

The next day, when they saw I had disappeared without trace, Nuria was probably the onlyone who was not surprised.

The art and antique store where I took a job as a salesgirl was located in a small townwhose name is not important.

Sebastian owned the store, which made him a relatively wealthy man. He was alsohandsome and just ripe for marriage, so he was chased by all unmarried women in the area.

It was love and pity at first sight. He fell in love with me, and I pitied him. These two feelingsgrew in direct proportion. The more I pitied him, the more he loved me. If I had said "yes,Sebastian and all the objects in the store would have belonged to me.

"This man will die soon, I thought as soon as I saw him.

"Youre going to die soon. If theres something you want to do, youd better hurry. You donthave a lot of time left... "

"What a weird thing to say... But I cant be angry with you...

"Why?


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"Because I love you.

"How much?"As much as I love life.

"In your case, this doesnt mean much.

"Then marry me! You cant refuse a dying man wish...

"Youre not a dying man. You just dont have a whole lot left. And I dont love you.

"You will! Lets get married!

I wouldnt have married a man I didnt love if I didnt know it was going to be a shortmarriage. And we all have the right to a last wish.

Ironically, Sebastian wasted his time planning the future. I didnt pity him because he wasgoing to die, but because he was incapable to live in the present. All his verbs were at the future

tense: "well be happy, youll see!; "Ill be very rich "; "well travel all over the world! He lived hispresent life as if it were a transition period. His life was like a hallway that nobody notices in theirhurry to get to the sumptuous room it leads to.

Ill be silent about Sebastians lovemaking because, as he used to assure me after eacherotic episode, I was to see next time what an accomplished lover he was to become. "It will bebetter soon... all our senses will explode!

As any person with grand future plans, Sebastian had a stupid death. He chocked to deathon an olive stone that went down the wrong side of his throat while he was saying: "In three days,youre going to be very proud of me... I wont tell you anything about it yet... Its going to be a greatsurprise... "

After the three days had passed, I buried him.


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An art and antique store. The woman sits on a very unusual chair, which seems to keep herprisoner rather than give her a chance to rest. A bell is heard, announcing that a customer entered

the store.

A courier: "Good evening, madam.Woman: "Good evening!

Courier: "Is Mister Sebastian here?

Woman: "No, he isnt.Courier: "Could I speak to him somehow? Its important.

Woman: "Only if youre good at spiritism. I buried him this morning.

Courier: "Impossible! I talked to him a few days ago.

Woman: "Believe me, sir, he died under my eyes... he chocked to death...

Courier: "But how could that be?

Woman: "He chocked on an olive stone. It went down the wrong side of his throat.

Courier: "Thats terrible! I understand you are... "

Woman: "The grieving widow.

Courier: "And the store...

Woman: "Its mine now.

Courier: "In this case, the package I brought is yours too... Poor Mister Sebastian... hewanted it so much... he had his eyes on it for a log time...

Woman: "Is it paid?


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Courier: "Oh, yes!

Woman: "How much is it worth?Courier: "You dont think of selling it, do you?

Woman: "This is exactly what I think of doing. Im here to sell these items, not to collectthem!

Courier: "Oh! Poor Mister Sebastian! I know for sure he wanted it for himself! Maybe foryou, too.

Woman: "All right. Im sorry, I had a hard day and I dont think Im capable of doingbusiness today.

Courier: "Yes, of course. Its understandable. Ill leave it here. Ill be off now. Mycondolences, dear lady. And... good night.

The man kisses her hand ceremoniously and exits the store. We hear the bell when thedoor closes.

The woman comes near the package that was left in the middle of the room. She reachesto touch it when she hears a voice:

A voice:"Dont touch it.

Woman: "Im sorry?

The woman turns and looks closely around the room. As if from the wall, and having thesame colour as the wall, a man steps forward.

Man: I said dont touch it.


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Woman: Who are you? You scared the hell out of me.

Man: Forgive me. I shouldve come through the door.Woman: What do you mean through the... (realising what he means, given that the room

has no windows). How did you get in?

Man: Somehow...

Woman:Actually, I dont care. Were closed. Come back tomorrow.

Man: There is no tomorrow.

Woman: Pardon me?

Man: You dont have a tomorrow.

Woman:Are you trying to say, by playing on words, that youre a murderer?

Man: Im not a murderer. Maybe only metaphorically.Woman: I dont like metaphors. I prefer comparisons. Theyre more precise.

Man: Yes... I know... Your incomparable comparisons...

The woman throws him a strange look. They are both silent.

Man: I know you think you know me from somewhere.

Woman: You resemble somebody I know. But I cant figure out whom.

Man: Look at me carefully!

Woman(looks at him closely): With... a man I used to know.


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Man: Victor?

Woman (bewildered): You know Victor? Has he sent you? But he couldnt have... I knowhe...

Man: Shot himself a year after you left...

Woman (keeps silent, looking at him closely): OK, you made me curious. Who are you?

Man: Look at me more carefully... Are you sure I look like Victor?

Woman: Quite alike. (After a beat) But you also look like... No, this is crazy... Tell me whatyou want and go. Im tired.

Man: Kajar. Thats what you wanted to say, didnt you? I look like Kajar as well, dont I?

Woman: Exactly. (Scared) Who are you and how do you know me so well? And, above all,what do you want?

Man: If you calmed down and took the time to look at me more attentively, you would seethat I resemble Sebastian, your dead husband, as well, and even the man who brought you thepackage just now.

Woman: (Lets herself fall on the chair almost, crying) I noticed... and many other men frommy past. Am I going crazy? Or am I in a sleep-state?

Man: No, youre not crazy and youre not dreaming either. Its just that... whats happeningto you now is a miracle. As it would be for me if the Creator Himself came down to chat with me.

Woman: Listen, mister... The fact that you found out, I dont know and I dont care how,several gossips about me... and the fact that your face is as common as it could be... doesnt meanthat Ill believe all stupid things you tell me...

Man: I know everything about you... All your thoughts passed through my head first... and


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everything you've done was because I wanted you to do so...

Woman: Youre even crazier than I thought!Man: Am I? You left home when you were eleven years and five months old, by train, you

met Victor, you got bored at the boarding school, you seduced your benefactor only to leave himfor Kajar, who you discovered that smelled awfully of sweat despite the four years of "Kajariannights he gave you. I can describe each sensation you experienced since the second you wereborn... Because you are my creation...

Woman:Are you God? Forgive me, God, but I imagined You differently...

Man: Lets not exaggerate... Lets stop at "creator.

Woman (kneeling): God! Forgive me! Can I get you anything? Coffee? Brandy? A glass ofwater at least?

Man: A coffee would be nice. Although it would be the third cup for today... May I smoke

here?

Woman (triumphantly): Aha! Got you, you charlatan! Youre not God. Im not a churchgoer,but I know this much: smoking irritates God. He is a convinced non-smoker... Because smokingwas invented by... you know whom, His number one enemy.

Man (amused): Of course Im not God. That would be the day. Ive got enough troubles as

it is. Im just your maker. Im a writer. Do you understand anything?Woman: Yes, I understand that youre starving! An artist! You came here to sell me all

these lies so that in the end you could ask me to lend you some money, am I right?

Man: It so happens that Im a successful writer and, thank God, up to now all my bookshave been bestsellers.


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Woman: Then what do you want from me?

Man: I want to let you know that Im not writing you anymore.Woman: Rephrase, please.

Man: I wont go any further with your story. I feel Im losing control of it. Its started to leadme.

Woman (in disbelief): Are you trying to say that Im not a real woman? That Im just an...

invention of yours?Man: You are a real woman, because Ive written you very well. Without bragging, I could

say youre as real as I am.

Woman: If youre so great and almighty, why dont you work some magic, to shut me up?

Man: Like what?

Woman: I dont know! Some magic! Make a tree grow right here, in the middle of thestore...

Man: Just like that?

Woman: Exactly! If you are what you claim you are, it should be a piece of cake for you...

Man: I dont know why Im wasting my time talking to you... I couldve simply put you in a

drawer and tried to write you in several years... Maybe youre the kind of work I should do when Ireach my maturity...

Woman: Bah! Youre trying to dodge my questions! You claim you created me and all myworld, but youre not capable of planting a miserable tree in an antique store! Some creator!

Man:All right! Give me a sheet of paper and a pen.


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Woman: It would be my pleasure.

Man (sits down and writes, talking aloud): "Astonished, the woman saw how, exactly in themiddle of the antique store, a lemon tree started to grow...

The woman looks astonished at the lemon tree.

Man: Happy now?

Woman: Fantastic! So its really happening to me... what is happening to me... Ive alwaysthought Im meant for a special destiny...

Man: I know. Im sorry, but as you can observe from your own story, Im a realistic writer,and you have no idea how that surrealist tree in the middle of the room bothers me. May I cut it?

Woman: It would be a pity, wouldnt it? Its wonderful. And, anyhow, weve got nothing tocut it with.

Man (striking off the phrase he wrote before): But we do. Look, Ive cut it.

The tree goes back into the floor.

The woman looks a few moments at the place where the lemon tree was, than looks closelyat the man. She even goes around the chair he sits on a few times.

Woman: Youre handsome.

Man: Dont start with that. I have to warn you that your charms have no effect on me.

Woman:And why did you say you came here?

Man: To tell you that Im giving you up. This story is going over my head...


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Woman: How come? I thought you said youre a good writer...

Man: Thats exactly the reason. I dont like your evolution. You use men then discard them.Its disgusting. I dont know how you came to be like this.

Woman: It was written in the stars! Do you think I understand why I left Victor? He wassimply perfect...

Man: He was stepping on my nerves.

Woman: What?Man: The perfect guy! You all get crazy when you meet somebody like him! Youre

fascinated by that perverted sophistication! And he was wealthy on top of everything!

Woman: It wasnt money that attracted me to him!

Man: I know. But I cant help wondering: if he hadnt been that rich, would he have been as

charming? I can give you the answer: NO. The people like Victor are used to have everythinghanded over to them on a platter. They neednt worry about tomorrow. And thats why they dontknow to lose. In fact, theyre weak. Upon their first failure, they shoot themselves.

Woman: You were jealous of him. Thats why you brought Kajar in my way.

Man: Kajar wasnt any better! You stupidly fell for an... a brute...

Woman: Youre jealous. You cant stand to see me happy. You were jealous of Sebastianas well.

Man: He was dull. You were to good for him.

Woman: Youre in love with me. (Silence).

Man: Why are you under the impression that every man that meets you cant live without


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you? Im sorry to break it to you, but Im not at all attracted to you. On the contrary, you irritate mewith your vampish airs thinking nobody is too good for you.

Woman: I love you too. (Long silence)

Man: Where did that come from?

Woman: You know that love strikes me like a lightning.

Man:And you get over it as quickly.

Woman: This time it wont be like this. You are all the men I ever loved or I could everlove...

Man: I have to go.

Woman:And what about me?

Man: Ill try to continue you after a while. In a month, in a year, I dont know. I cant do it

right now. I am too... involved!

Woman:And Ill stay here like a statue until you decide to...

Man: No! You wont feel a thing! It will be as if you were deep in thought, forgetting whereyou were and what you were trying to do!

Woman:And Ill never see you again?

Man: No. But you wont hurt because of it. Youll forget me the moment your life will go on.

Woman: My life? It wont be my life! It will be a fraud! Ill never be happy! And you wont beeither!

Man: We dont know that. All our lives were waiting to be happy. Thats who we are.


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Woman: But I dont want to wait. I want to live. And you and all the uninspired creators inthe world wont stop me! Stay here! The store brings enough money, and we both could live

comfortably. You can keep on writing.

Man: Its not as simple as you think! First of all, Im married.

Woman: I dont believe you.

Man(takes out a photo from his coat pocket): Here they are. My son and my wife, Odette.

Woman (amazed):

But shes me.Man: Shes not you. Its just the same face. I gave you the face of my wife.

Woman: How dared you give me somebody elses face?

Man: I wanted you to be beautiful. My wife is the most beautiful woman Ive ever met! Butthis is where your resemblance stops. You are passionate and crazy, Odette is rational, quiet andvery shy.

Woman: Does she know about me?

Man: Yes! I read to her everything I write, because shes my best critic. She likes you verymuch. Shes dying to hear what you have done next. She says youre totally unpredictable.

Woman: She might not like me anymore... sooner than you think... Whats in the package?

Man: What package?

Woman: This one.

Man: Oh, the package! I honestly dont know. In that exact moment I realized I dont want towrite this story anymore. So its empty for all I know.

She walks towards the gramophone, puts on a disc, lights a lamp and turns off the light.


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Woman(starting to undress): You know me well enough to realize I wont ever let you go,because I love you. I dont even know if what Im doing now (takes off her dress) is my idea or

yours, but I dont care. Your books dont mean anything to me unless they have happy endings.(Takes the paper he wrote on before)And, because youre experiencing an inspiration crisis, youregoing to write what Ill dictate to you. After that, well make love.

Man: Youre completely crazy!

Woman: Exactly. Thats why you love me. Write: "The woman goes to the package,unwraps it and looks at its content "surprised. A typewriter and a superb diamond ring. Have youwritten?

The man nods.

Woman: Perfect. Now we can make love.

The light goes out.

Man: But its not written like that, so it cant be.

Woman: I couldnt care less.

The light is turned on, on the front of the stage. On a rocking chair sits the woman reading

something. After a while, she stares into the ceiling thinking of something. She takes the phonefrom a table near her and dials a number.

Woman: "Robert, its Odette. Im sorry to disturb you at this hour, but I felt the need to talkto somebody and you were the only one... (Pause). Yes. Thats what I was thinking... You were hisbest friend... Today... I visited him this afternoon. He isnt getting better, Robert. The doctor says


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so, and I think that too. Hes prisoner in a world of his creation. I cant help crying when I see howhappy he is... Its been a year since he was hospitalised and there has been no change. Today I

took Filip along to see him. He told me he didnt want to come again because "Daddy is crazy andwe should find another daddy. I slapped him and afterwards I was sorry. (Pause). Yes... He seemshappy! Actually, I didnt call you as his friend, but as his editor. I cant get out of my mind the storyhe was working on when... when... the disease began... He used to make me read it aloud to himto see how it sounded... Yes... its interesting. I cant seem to think of something else than themanuscript woman. And, dont laugh, Robert, I know it sounds crazy, but Id like to continue thestory myself... I feel Ill get crazy myself if I dont do this... (Pause). I was afraid youll consider it anirreverence! (Pause). Im glad you think like this! Thank you, Robert! Good night! "

She puts the phone down and takes the sheets of paper she was reading before)

Odette (reading from the papers): "The woman goes to the package, unwraps it and looksat its content "surprised. A typewriter and a superb diamond ring. What were you thinking of, my

love, when you wrote this?

The light goes out.


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Act III


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Total darkness on the stage, then we see the Woman in the exact posture she had beenbefore the man with the package went out, when he kissed her hand. After which, looking like on a

TV screen when you do a fast rewind to a film, he takes a few steps back, facing the woman, untilhe gets to the place from where he had the dialogue with the Woman.

Darkness (one beat). Light again, for a split second, just that we could see the courierwhispering some syllables, darkness again and then the light is on.

Courier: In this case, the package I brought is yours too. Poor Mister Sebastian, he wantedit so much... He had his eyes on him from years...

Woman: Its mine.

Courier:And the store...

Woman: The grieving widow.

Courier: Terrible! I understand you are...

Woman:... on an olive stone! It went on the wrong side...

Courier: Impossible!

Woman: Believe me, sir, he died under my eyes... he chocked to death...

Courier: Impossible! I talked to him a few days ago...

Woman: Only if youre good at spiritism. I buried him this morning.

Courier: Could I talk to him? Its important.

Woman: He isnt here.


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Courier: Is Mister Sebastian here?

Woman: Good evening!

Courier: Good evening, madam.

He gets out facing the store, and the bell, announcing the entering of a customer, is heardbackwards. The lines must be said with the same intonation as in Act II, although it sounds illogical.

Darkness.

The light is turned on, and a table laid with plates has appeared in the antique store; theWoman and Sebastian are sitting at the table. Sebastian is played by the same actor who playedthe Writer. They both eat in silence.

Sebastian: " In three days, youre going to be very proud of me... I wont tell you anythingabout it yet... Its going to be a great surprise...

He eats olives while he talks. He chokes and starts to cough almost suffocating. Thewoman looks away very calm, maybe at the audience. All of a sudden, as if pushed by somebody,she jumps from the chair and starts to punch Sebastian on his back until he is alright again.

Sebastian: Thank you! Oh God, I thought I would die.

Darkness.

We are in the same space, but the inside of the antique store has been modified throughlight. On the stage, there is a man Sebastian who, from time to time, will enter the darker areasof the stage in order to arrange the objects in the store.

Sebastian: I had the best parents in the world. I know what youre going to say: another


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one who thinks he had the happiest childhood in the world. Youre right! This is exactly what I think:nobody has ever been as lucky as I were being born in the house of those people whom I called

with so much love "mother and "father, and I would call them the same today if they werent dead.

Another corner of the stage, in total darkness up to now, is suddenly lighted and we see aman sitting in a wheel chair, his back to the audience, covered in a blanket. From behind, he mustlook exactly like Sebastian. Near him, on a stool, sits Odette who holds several sheets of paper,reading them.

Odette (talking to the man on the wheel chair. She says these words in the same time withSebastian): "... if they werent dead.

Sebastian has gone into a darker corner of the stage and arranges the objects in theantique store.

Odette: You know, honey, I thought to tell the story from his point of view as well. Manytimes were stubborn and we look at things from only one angle, so everything gets distorted. Ourvision becomes blurred. You have no idea how much it would mean to me if I knew you heard me,you understood me... The doctor says it is as if I were talking to myself, but Im sure hes wrong.So... (She continues to read)... so... "... if they werent dead....

Sebastian comes in front of the stage, the light goes out from Odette.

Sebastian(in the same time with Odette):... if they werent dead. I can say I was a goodson, and my parents were very proud of me. Even now, when I have to take an important decision,I think what advice they would give me if they were alive. And I always act in compliance with theadvice I think they would have given me. So, all in all, I almost act as I consider fit.


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I have a load of pleasant memories regarding my dad, which I hope Ill tell my nephews oneday. I also hope Ill be able to leave this store to my nephews, together with other stores Ill open

with Gods help.

Unlike other parents who ask themselves what profession will their children choose whenthey grow up, I and my parents always knew exactly what I would do: sell antiques. I assure youthis is not an easy job, in case you thought it was so. You have to know everything, otherwise youmight be fooled very easily. Without false modesty, I have to say nobody has fooled me until now,and I thank God for it. I hope my parents, from up there, look at me and nod their heads with

approval.

Sebastian goes to the back of the stage, and we see Odette in the same posture as shewas before, reading to her husband.

Odette(putting the sheets of paper away): Now, if you were able to talk, and assuming youunderstand what Im saying here, you would disagree. Oh, how I miss our arguments! (Cries).Honey, I miss you so much... Do you think this Sebastian is too soft? You know, I was thinking thatnobody ever writes about quiet simple people, and, honestly, this seems so unfair... I gave a lot ofthought to that package... you know, from Act II... containing a typewriter and a ring... And beingthe last sentence you wrote that night... the night before you got sick... I dont know... I thoughtmaybe you were already ill when you wrote it. A typewriter... No! It has no meaning! I think you hadalready started to mix reality with fiction... The typewriter was the gift you knew I was to give you on

your birthday, and probably you wanted to give me a ring. I struck off the whole package episode.(Laughs quietly). Like you used to say: "Whats cut off, wont get booed. And I saved Sebastian. Iknow you dont approve. You think hes dull. Well, I think hes necessary. If everybody were likeyour heroine, the whole world would be turned upside down. "My only regret is...

The light is turned off from Odette.


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Sebastian (coming to the front): My only regret is that my parents didnt get to meet mywonderful wife. Im sure they would have loved her like a daughter. It was love at first sight

between us. And the fact that she has never admitted it, not even today, made me want her evenmore. Shes the most beautiful and fascinating woman Ive ever met. I know she loves me too,although she has never told me so herself. Its not like her to tell such things, but a man knowswhen his woman loves him. And you know how it is, what its not visible in daylight, it can besensed at night (laughs slightly embarrassed). You know what I mean. The truth is my poor darlinghad a very sad life, and its natural she cant show her feelings or trust people, isnt it? In fact, Idont need to be told anything, the fact that she accepted to be my wife means a lot, doesnt it? Sheis a special and a refined woman, which means a lot given that she was stolen by gipsies when shewas 11 years and five months old, and they made her steal hens. She didnt tell me everything but,from bits and pieces, I managed to realize what she went through. I understand she cant tell methe whole story, these are wounds that never heal. From what I gathered, more from her eyes thanfrom what she said, she was raped by a gipsy man, Kajar or Kajal, I cant remember exactly. But hewas a stinking guy, thats for sure. It was a miracle that she managed to run away.

The light is turned on Oddette, Sebastian goes to the back of the stage.

Odette: "... to run away. I thought she should lie to him, otherwise their relation wouldntwork. No man would have the courage to share his life with such a woman if he knew the truth,dont you think? She should be given a second chance, shouldnt she? A second chance... (startsto cry). Its my fault... its my fault this is happening... My love... I know you dont hear me, but Iswear I wont leave you alone in the darkness. Ill stay with you and talk to you until you comeback... You are such a good man... If you saw how I changed the story, youd probably get angry.But, somehow were even. My life became a beautiful story: FilipI, you, and me... your books... Andsomebody decided to amputate our destinies, suddenly and without warning... Maybe, if I save thislost woman, somebody will save us too!


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The bell is heard, and Nuria, the gipsy woman, enters the store.

Nuria: Let me tell your fortune, mister. Give me some money, and Ill make your lady loveyou like the apple of her eye.

Sebastian (going towards her): Get out of here right now... I dont need you to tell myfortune...

Nuria: Dont be like that, mister. What are you afraid of? Let me tell you if youre the onlyone she loves, or if she sighs for another one...

Sebastian: Go now, Im telling you. If my wife sees you, shell throw a fit. She cant standgipsies... (he pushes her shoulder with his left hand).

Nuria grabs his left hand and looks quickly over his palm.

Nuria: Oh, mister, your wife is not fair to you. She came from far away. You love her with allyour heart, but she has other yearnings that dry her up. But what she wants doesnt exist on thisearth. She has such a hunger that no man can satisfy. Give me some money, and Ill make her kissyour feet.

Sebastian(perplexed): Go away, woman!

Nuria: Thats why your seed doesnt grow in her. Other longings torment her. Dont be

stingy, mister! Your woman is mean... and you wont have a good life with her if you dont let meundo the evil spell.

Sebastian: I dont believe in this.

Nuria: Why are you afraid than? You have some money to give me, dont you, mister?

Sebastian(takes some money out of his pocket and throws them on the floor): Take them


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and leave!

Nuria: Oh, youre angry with me!

She kneels to take the money, right near his feet. When she wants to stands up, sheremains for a moment in her knees looking him straight in the eyes.

Nuria (in a strange whispered voice): But you dont have the courage to love her so thatshe feels that her flesh is coming off her bones... (She puts her hand on his trousers fly without

taking her eyes off his). And thats such a pity, because you could...

Sebastian (without moving): I gave you the money. Leave!

Nuria (still kneeling): I would go, mister, but you need me and I dont have the heart to goand leave you.... (She gets up slowly and starts to walk about the store). My heart is aching for you,because life is passing you by and you dont have the courage to live. (She finds the table at whichSebastian and the Woman ate, lies down on it pulling up her many skirts). Come and see how it isto love a gipsy. And every time you love your lady, youll remember me, and youll see how strongyoull get. And the lady will be surprised. Your secret will make your blood and her blood boil.Come here, mister, Ill make love to you.

They disappear in the darkest corner of the stage. Odettes corner is lighted.

Odette: "Come here, mister, Ill make love to you. Now Im really glad you cant sayanything, love. I think youd be astonished: "Odette, my shy girl, "my chaste Odette, "How couldyou think of such terrible things! Ill answer you, although you didnt ask: very easy. Damn easy.This woman you wrote, this creation of yours, is not at all original, my beloved husband. What doyou know about me, after all these years? "My good Odette, "My angel... You enclosed me insome words and you made me walk inside them, taking care not to throw down a letter. Ive got all


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the women in this world locked inside me. Theyre all screaming inside me... And from everythingyou could choose, you took so little: "My good Odette. Every person in this world is writing, one

way or another, the life of the person beside them. And you discover at a certain point (when youlove somebody, of course) that youre living the role you were cast in by the person you love. Ihated this Woman of yours from the first minute. You gave to her everything you refused to giveme. I know for sure you fell in love with her. You were fascinated by her incapacity to love. Howcould you? Its so easy not to love! Its the easiest thing (cries), my love! Come back! Filip cries foryou too...

The light goes out.

The light is turned on, on the antique store. Sebastian comes in and looks around as if hesees everything for the first time. After a while, he clears his throat and says in a low voice:

Sebastian: Here I am, honey. (Realizing he should talk louder)Honey, here I am!

The woman enters the store from the back. She remains standing and looks at Sebastianwho doesnt see her as soon as she came in, but a little later.

Woman:Are you hungry?

Sebastian(looking at the table): Not yet.

Woman (giving him a strange look): You look different. What is it?Sebastian: Nothing. The journey exhausted me.

Woman(comes near him and almost sniffs him): No, its something else...

Sebastian: Im not shaved. Youre not used to see me like this.


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Woman(passes her fingers over his cheek): No... its not that either...

She passes her fingers through his hair, then over his chin and mouth. Embarrassed, hepasses his hand over his face.

Sebastian: I dont know what you mean.

Woman (taking his left hand and trying to see his palm): I dont know either...

Sebastian (taking his hand from hers, grabs her hair and tilts her head backwards): Imissed you...

Woman: Where were you all night?

Sebastian: Ill tell you (he kisses her on her neck breathing heavily) later... Its a surprise...

He puts her on the table. The Woman takes his coat off with quick gestures. The light is

turned away from them, and is moved on the man in the wheelchair who is alone. The man moveshis wheelchair in a circle, around the two characters from above somehow; their movements arenot clear, its all seems like a ballet of hands and legs against a background of heavy breathing.The light is turned off.

The light is turned on. A child holding a football enters the stage. Hes wearing shorts andknee-length socks.

Child: I am Filip, and I have two parents: a mother and a father. My father is crazy, but Imnot allowed to say this, and if I say it, I get slapped on the spot. A friend from school told me thatcrazy people yell a lot, and I was surprised, because my father doesnt yell, not even once. Myfather smiles all the time and doesnt blink. I know, because I watched him for a whole day, and hedidnt blink. I think he still loves me, because we used to have such a good time when he wasnt


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crazy. When he wasnt crazy, my father was a writer, and my mother was "his good wife. Afterthat, my mother became a writer, and my father "her poor husband. My mother loves my father

and she cries when shes alone with him. I hide and watch them. Its a bit tiring to see your parentsdoing the same thing all the time: one keeps smiling, and the other one cries all the time. Im notsure, but I think my mother cries even when shes not crying. I think she collects her tears in herhead and, after Im gone, she cries those tears too. My mother wrote a book and everybodyadmired it and talked about it. A boy from school told me he heard his mother saying that the bookwas full of dirty things. But my mother told me that it wasnt so. The book is about a little girl, whoran away from home, and a man, like my father, found her and put her through school, and afterthat the man died. So... the girl left with a gipsy tribe who were singing and dancing all the time,and she stayed with them until she found a job, because she got tired of singing and dancing all thetime. So... and she found a man who married her, and he gave her a big surprise, because he wentand found her parents. And they were all very glad, because she was having a baby and she wasafraid that her child might run away from home too when he learned to walk.

Uncle Robert used to sell the books wrote by my father, so he sold the one written by my

mother as well. My mother doesnt speak to uncle Robert anymore, because one day he tore herdress and told her my father is crazy. My mother slapped him too. My mother slaps anybody whosays that my father is crazy. A friend of mine from school tore my coat when we were playing, but Istill talk to him.

Before, we used to live in a big house with many books, but my mother sold it and boughtthe antique store. We live right above the store. I like very much to play in the store and to talk to

the people coming into our store. When people come in, a bell rings. I have a lot of fun here. I thinkthat when I grow up, Ill sell those antiques around or, whatever, some new ones...The end.

Odette enters the stage from the back.

Odette: Filip! Have you done your homework?


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Filip: Yes. I finished it just now. Can I play with the 15th

century candlesticks?

Odette(coming at the table at sitting down): Dont change the subject, you dont fool me.What homework do you have for tomorrow?

Filip (comes to the table and takes his notebook): Composition. "What I want to do when Igrow up. Do you want me to read it to you?

Odette: I dont have time now. I have to deliver a statue for a customer. Youll read it toyour father.

She stands up and, from somewhere in the right side of the stage, brings the writer who issitting in a wheelchair covered with a blanket. He is smiling.

Odette: Be good, both of you!

Filip grabs the wheelchair and pushes it around a few times, as if it were a childs scooter.

Then he stops in the middle of the stage, facing the public, brings his notebook and starts to readwhile fretting and walking to and fro:

Filip: I am Filip, and I have two parents: a mother and a father. My father is crazy, but Imnot allowed to say this, and if I say it, I get slapped on the spot.

The man keeps smiling. A lemon tree starts to grow in front of him. The child does notnotice and, leaning the notebook on his fathers back, pushes the wheelchair out continuing toread:

Filip:A friend from school told me...


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The only thing remaining on the stage is the lemon tree.

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