mátame

ACT ONE, SCENE FIVE

( enter DULCINEA & JANNA )

the neighbours are a married couple that spends the days taking care of bees and cultivating their own vegetables and meets; they have four cows and twelve sheep. the wife has wrinkles around her eyes and needs glasses, the husband is deaf in one ear and spends the days talking to his bees. a young woman searches for someone around the trees, the neighbour's wife sees her and smiles.

JANNA ―― dulce! niña!

DULCINEA good morning, mrs. soler ―― how are the bees today?

JANNA the bees are fine, buzzing as they do ―― but how are you, child? i heard your mother died.

DULCINEA i'm alright. i'm looking for my future husband, have you seen him around?

JANNA ――future husband? a ver si adivino, es idea de tu padre, verdad?

DULCINEA yes, it is. ginés wants to murder him because of it.

JANNA i'll help him dig a hole six feet deep ―― you're still just a child who loves the bees.

DULCINEA well, yes ―― but my husband is handsome and intelligent, so i don't really mind.

JANNA is he rich? you know what they say ―― cartera mata a galán.

DULCINEA that's why i was looking for him, there's a lot of questions i want to ask him ――

JANNA well, i don't know where he is. but i assure you ―― you won't find him in my yard.

( DULCINEA sits on the floor near JANNA )

DULCINEA mrs. soler, can i ask you something?

JANNA by all means, girl ―― go ahead.

DULCINEA how does a mother accept that one part of her heart has killed the other? how does eve accept that abel has been killed by cain?

JANNA oh, i ―― my husband might know how to answer that. ―― soler! ven aquí! la niña está teniendo una crisis de fe!

DULCINEA did eve see the crime or did they tell her? did she saw her son coming home and asked him: cain, my dear, what have you done? or was it more soft? did she ask: honey, it's getting late. where's your brother?

JANNA he doesn't hear me ―― well, dulce, i don't think eve was able to forgive him, she just loved him.

DULCINEA how could she?

JANNA even as a murderer ―― he was her son.

DULCINEA ―― he didn't deserve it.

JANNA no-one ever deserves to be loved, we just are ―― the people who love us will find a thousand reasons why to, while we may not find a single one that proves we deserve to be.

DULCINEA and how does one forgive a father? or a brother? ―― they are men, they don't understand the burden.

JANNA ――is this because of your sneaky husband or because of your mother's death?

DULCINEA isn't the same dilemma altogether?

JANNA you tell me.

DULCINEA i wonder if the bees grief.

JANNA i put them into mourning for you, my dear.

DULCINEA oh ―― that's nice, thank you.

JANNA but don't change the subject ―― has anything happened?

DULCINEA no, nothing new ―― i just had this sudden thought; dios hizo un mundo cruel, nos condenó a amarlo como si fuera el paraíso.

JANNA since when are you so philosophical and deep?

DULCINEA since my mother is dead and someone has to be.

JANNA your mother loved you, dulce ―― you know that, right?

DULCINEA she loved me ―― but her love wasn't kind; she didn't know how to hug me without burning me alive.

( HECTOR shouts from behind the curtain )

HECTOR dulcinea! ―― where are you? lunch is served and it's getting cold!

DULCINEA i think i should be going.

JANNA take care of yourself ―― sweet girl ―― don't let the world make you bitter.

DULCINEA i will, i'm going home now ―― that house is horrible, it terrifies me and i hate it ―― there's no place i'd rather be.

( exit DULCINEA )