mátame

ACT TWO, SCENE ONE

( enter DULCINEA, TOM & HECTOR )

the boy has dark eyes, they are brown but it goes further than that, there isn't any light in them. he is all angles: angular handsome face, he sits straight, sharp words like knives. he drinks his tea in silence. in front of him there's the girl, younger but never naive. in the middle sits the father, making sure they are not left unsupervised.

DULCINEA your name is tomás then?

TOM ―― it's thomas. tom, if you don't mind.

DULCINEA same thing ―― hector was right, you're pretty. but i am still not convinced.

TOM convinced about what?

DULCINEA this marriage is a business deal between hector and you, i still don't see what do i get out of it.

HECTOR dulce ――

DULCINEA estás aquí para vigilar, no para hablar ―― así que cállate.

HECTOR as raw as your mother ―― aren't you?

TOM oh ―― that's right, your mother ―― i'm sorry for your loss, miss belmonte.

DULCINEA ――castro, my surname is castro. my mother's.

HECTOR since when?

DULCINEA since now ――

HECTOR do you do it to spite me?

DULCINEA i do it because i can.

TOM mr. belmonte ―― i wish to get to know dulce better, i doubt i'll get the chance with you here.

HECTOR ok ―― ok, i'll shut up now and pretend i don't even exist.

TOM alright, then. dulce, you asked me what you get out of of this ―― well, tell me for starters ―― what would you want as a wedding gift?

DULCINEA ―― mátame.

TOM what?

DULCINEA or mátalo, whatever works for you.

TOM i don't understand.

DULCINEA you don't know the word, you know what it means ―― mátame means kill me.

TOM it does now?

DULCINEA yes, but it's much more complex than that. it's imperative; there's no first person because you can't order yourself something ―― then there's mátate, mátalo/la, mátanos, mataos, mátadlos/las. try to pronounce it.

TOM ―― matame

DULCINEA no ―― no, there's an accent in there, red like blood. mátame, and it's in there where it acquires it's true meaning; because i'm asking you to kill me and that changes the verb ―― it's mátame, or matadme. there's only two options, singular or plural.

HECTOR dulcinea, stop being morbid ――

TOM don't worry mr. belmonte, i don't mind ―― in fact, i'm quite enjoying this language lesson.

DULCINEA of course you are.

HECTOR couldn't you chose another verb?

DULCINEA no, i love that word ―― mátame, there's nothing as intimate as that.

TOM and when you said mátalo, what did you mean by that?

DULCINEA my brother, i want him dead.

TOM do you want that as your wedding gift?

HECTOR dulcinea ――

DULCINEA what? i was joking about the murder ――

TOM ―― i wasn't. and i don't think you were either.

DULCINEA mátame, mátalo ―― one lie, one truth ―― you seem to know which is which better than i do.

HECTOR stop saying that about your brother.

DULCINEA ―― i don't want him to be my brother.

HECTOR that's sad.

DULCINEA ―― what is it?

HECTOR well ―― brotherhood is precious.

DULCINEA i'd cut my wrists and make myself bleed out until there wasn't a single drop of blood inside me, if only that way we would stop being siblings ―― how's that for precious?

HECTOR you're being too harsh.

DULCINEA i'm being honest ―― if that way he'd stop being my brother i'd do it.

HECTOR you'd die.

DULCINEA death would be better than this ―― the fact we share blood disgusts me so much i can barely stand being me, being alive.

HECTOR and you expect me to be alright with that? ―― he is my son!

DULCINEA yes, but he isn't my brother, not anymore ―― and i am not your daughter at all.

HECTOR i'm done ―― i did nothing to deserve the way you treat me.

DULCINEA you did everything ――

HECTOR i'm going out for a smoke.

DULCINEA go ―― and smoke until your lungs rot, that's the only thing you're good at.

HECTOR que te jodan.

DULCINEA ―― likewise.

( exit HECTOR )

TOM what a charming family you have.

DULCINEA sarcasm? amazing.

TOM i was being honest.

DULCINEA if you think so then i don't believe you understand what the word honest means ―― maybe i'll have to teach you that.

TOM ―― now who's being sarcastic?

DULCINEA que te jodan.

TOM and what does that mean?

DULCINEA oh ―― no, i'm not telling you that.

TOM an insult ―― i presume.

DULCINEA you presume right.

TOM how childish ――

DULCINEA i'm fourteen, what did you expect?

TOM you sound older.

DULCINEA i sound bitter, there's a difference.

TOM ―― is there?

DULCINEA yes, i wasn't allowed to have a childhood, that doesn't mean i'm an adult.

TOM we share the same experience then ―― i grew up in an orphanage.

DULCINEA an orphan? we also have that in common ――

TOM your father is alive.

DULCINEA he did nothing to deserve being called such ―― he's just hector to me, nothing more.

TOM ―― and what about your brother?

DULCINEA you mean the one i want dead?

TOM that one, yes.

DULCINEA it's not that i want to kill him, i just want him gone ―― as if his existence in my life was a bad dream, nothing more. does that make sense?

TOM to me it does. blood isn't a death sentence, you owe them nothing ―― some sons kill their fathers, and some sisters kill their brothers.

DULCINEA you must think i'm a terrible person.

TOM ―― i do not.

DULCINEA well, i do think i'm abominable ―― why would you even want to marry me?

TOM you're perfect.