mátame

ACT ONE, SCENE THREE

( enter HECTOR )

on a bench in the back yard a man looks at the red and yellow roses. the weeping has finally stopped as the midday sun reigns in the sky. it's warm, the man takes off his navy blue suit jacket and rolls up his sleeves. soon lunch will be served.

HECTOR ah! what a lovely day.

( enter ELIZA & CLAIRE )

ELIZA ―― hector!

HECTOR i talked too soon ―― what do you need, dear?

ELIZA your awful brother traumatized my poor son!

HECTOR and how is that my problem?

ELIZA ―― hector!

HECTOR sorry, i shouldn't have said that out loud ―― what do you expect me to do about it, then?

ELIZA someone should tell your brother not to laugh and insult poor innocent boys ――

HECTOR tu hijo es iluso, no inocente. there's a difference.

ELIZA how do you dare to agree with him and stand against my son!

HECTOR daring.

ELIZA you ―― what's that smell? have you been smoking?

HECTOR uh ―― no.

ELIZA ―― hector!

HECTOR that's my name. i promise i won't forget it if you stop shouting it.

CLAIRE papá, why is dulcinea like that?

HECTOR like what?

ELIZA like a cold-blooded psychopath.

CLAIRE no, like ―― she's very mature, but it's like she doesn't know how to cry.

HECTOR she doesn't.

CLAIRE why?

HECTOR unlike nathan, dulcinea was homeschooled. her mother taught her to be responsible and mature through shame. ―― as a child she couldn't even play, she was ashamed of even wanting it. dulcinea never had a childhood, she doesn't know how to cry like children do.

CLAIRE that's sad.

HECTOR yes, well. we all have a burden, her mother is hers.

ELIZA and what's yours? ―― lying to your wife? letting others insult her son? smoking in the shadows?

HECTOR mine is knowing she'll never think of me as a father.

CLAIRE that's sad.

HECTOR life often is.

ELIZA oh, poor girl ―― and what about me? i am the real victim here, not your heartless daughter.

HECTOR i'm pretty sure the real victim here is the dead mother of my daughter.

ELIZA i meant not-dead victims.

HECTOR that role is still dulcinea's ――you wouldn't understand, you weren't here when it happened, you didn't see her mother die.

ELIZA you chose to hide the truth about her death, the girl should respect that.

HECTOR she does, but accepting my decision and being happy about it are two different things ―― dulcinea respects my choice and i am thankful for that.

ELIZA she is your daughter, not the other way around.

HECTOR you don't understand.

ELIZA i understand the mother is dead and you don't want anyone to know there are many shades of red in an accidental death, even accidents have names ―― like your children do.

CLAIRE what does that mean? ―― that accidents have names? what does it ――

ELIZA nothing you should worry about, honey.

HECTOR you should go back inside, soon lunch will be served ―― i'll join you in a while.

ELIZA you better not smoke that disgusting pipe of yours.

HECTOR alright, i promise ―― i love you.

ELIZA and i you.

( exit ELIZA & CLAIRE, HECTOR lights his pipe )

HECTOR you never minded that i smoked. i still hid in the yard and you pretended not to notice. i can't believe you're gone ―― it feels like yesterday when i saw you in a wedding dress.

HECTOR dulcinea always calls you mother ―― i don't know how you did it; you broke her, yet she calls you mother. she doesn't even look me in the eyes――

( enter GINÉS )

GINÉS ahí estás, inútil engreído.

HECTOR yo también me alegro de verte, brother.

GINÉS how could you give away your only daughter like ―― hector? ―― are you crying?

HECTOR i think i made a terrible mistake.

GINÉS it's alright ―― we'll fix it, we'll tell the peacock to fuck off and everything will be fixed.

HECTOR it's not that, ―― it's not ―― i can't fix that. it already looked like an accident, i just had to change the narrative.

GINÉS what are you talking about?

HECTOR i just wanted to protect my child.

GINÉS hector, what have you done?