Three Plays: The Young Lady from Tacna, Kathie and the Hippopotamus, La Chunga by Mario Vargas Llosa Page B
Authors: Mario Vargas Llosa
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Roman. There’s no doubt she fulfilled her religious obligations with the unerring simplicity of a star moving around the universe: she went to church, took Communion, said her prayers, and went to confession.
(MAMAE, who has been moving very laboriously over towards BELISARIO, now kneels in front of him as if she is at confession .)
MAMAE: Forgive me, Father Venancio, for I have sinned.
BELISARIO: ( Giving her the Benediction ) When was the last time you came to confession, my child?
MAMAE: A fortnight ago, father.
BELISARIO: Have you offended against God these last two weeks?
MAMAE: I confess that I gave in to feelings of anger, father.
BELISARIO: How many times?
MAMAE: Twice. The first was last Tuesday. Amelia was cleaning the bathroom. She was taking her time and I was wanting to obey a call of nature. I was too ashamed to ask her to leave. Carmen and Pedro were there and they would have realized that I wanted to go to the lavatory. So I said as casually as I could, ‘Get a move on with the bathroom, would you, Amelia.’ But she just carried on as if there was all the time in the world. Well, I was feeling quite uncomfortable by now, what with the cramp in my stomach, and I was coming out in a cold sweat. So I cursed her, mentally of course. But I felt like shouting, ‘You confounded idiot! You disagreeable slut! You …’
BELISARIO: And the second time, my child?
MAMAE: That treacherous little devil poured away my bottle of eau-de-Cologne. I’d been given it as a present. The family
is not well off at the moment, father, so for them it was a lot of money. Amelia and the boys always give me presents for my birthday and at Christmas, and I depend on them. I was pleased with that Cologne. It had a lovely smell. But that little devil opened the bottle and emptied it down the sink. All because I wouldn’t tell him a story, Father Venancio.
BELISARIO: Was I the treacherous little devil, Mamaé?
MAMAE: Yes, father.
BELISARIO: Did you box my ears? Did you spank me?
MAMAE: I never lay a finger on him. Well, he’s not my grandchild, is he? I’m only an aunt, a sort of second fiddle in the orchestra. But when I saw that empty Cologne bottle, father, I was so angry, I locked myself in the bathroom and stood there in front of the mirror, saying rude words.
BELISARIO: What rude words, my child?
MAMAE: I hardly like to say, Father Venancio.
BELISARIO: That may be so. Now don’t be proud.
MAMAE: All right, I’ll try, Father. ( Making a big effort ) Bugger it all! You shit! You shit! You snotty little shit!
BELISARIO: What other sins, my child?
MAMAE: I confess that I lied three times, father.
BELISARIO: Serious lies?
MAMAE: Well sort of, father.
GRANDMOTHER: ( From the table ) What are you talking about, Elvira?
MAMAE: We’ve run out of sugar. ( To BELISARIO) There was a whole packet, but I hid it. I wanted Carmen to give me some money. So I told another lie.
GRANDMOTHER: And why should you be going to buy sugar? Let Amelia go.
MAMAE: No, no. I’ll go. I want to take some exercise. ( To BELISARIO) It wasn’t true, I have great difficulty walking. My knees ache, and I’m not very steady on my feet.
BELISARIO: And why all those lies, my child?
MAMAE: So I could buy myself a bar of chocolate. I’d been longing for some for days. That advertisement on the wireless for Chocolate Sublime made my mouth water.
BELISARIO: Wouldn’t it have been easier to ask Grandfather for five soles?
MAMAE: He’s very hard up at the moment, father. He’s living off his sons and they’re going through a difficult patch. He makes do with the same razor blade for weeks on end, poor man, sharpening it up for goodness knows how long every morning. It’s ages since anyone bought any clothes in the house. We wear what Amelia and the boys hand down to us. How was I going to ask him for money to buy chocolate? So I went to the shop, bought a bar of Sublime, and guzzled it in the street. When I got home, I put the
(MAMAE, who has been moving very laboriously over towards BELISARIO, now kneels in front of him as if she is at confession .)
MAMAE: Forgive me, Father Venancio, for I have sinned.
BELISARIO: ( Giving her the Benediction ) When was the last time you came to confession, my child?
MAMAE: A fortnight ago, father.
BELISARIO: Have you offended against God these last two weeks?
MAMAE: I confess that I gave in to feelings of anger, father.
BELISARIO: How many times?
MAMAE: Twice. The first was last Tuesday. Amelia was cleaning the bathroom. She was taking her time and I was wanting to obey a call of nature. I was too ashamed to ask her to leave. Carmen and Pedro were there and they would have realized that I wanted to go to the lavatory. So I said as casually as I could, ‘Get a move on with the bathroom, would you, Amelia.’ But she just carried on as if there was all the time in the world. Well, I was feeling quite uncomfortable by now, what with the cramp in my stomach, and I was coming out in a cold sweat. So I cursed her, mentally of course. But I felt like shouting, ‘You confounded idiot! You disagreeable slut! You …’
BELISARIO: And the second time, my child?
MAMAE: That treacherous little devil poured away my bottle of eau-de-Cologne. I’d been given it as a present. The family
is not well off at the moment, father, so for them it was a lot of money. Amelia and the boys always give me presents for my birthday and at Christmas, and I depend on them. I was pleased with that Cologne. It had a lovely smell. But that little devil opened the bottle and emptied it down the sink. All because I wouldn’t tell him a story, Father Venancio.
BELISARIO: Was I the treacherous little devil, Mamaé?
MAMAE: Yes, father.
BELISARIO: Did you box my ears? Did you spank me?
MAMAE: I never lay a finger on him. Well, he’s not my grandchild, is he? I’m only an aunt, a sort of second fiddle in the orchestra. But when I saw that empty Cologne bottle, father, I was so angry, I locked myself in the bathroom and stood there in front of the mirror, saying rude words.
BELISARIO: What rude words, my child?
MAMAE: I hardly like to say, Father Venancio.
BELISARIO: That may be so. Now don’t be proud.
MAMAE: All right, I’ll try, Father. ( Making a big effort ) Bugger it all! You shit! You shit! You snotty little shit!
BELISARIO: What other sins, my child?
MAMAE: I confess that I lied three times, father.
BELISARIO: Serious lies?
MAMAE: Well sort of, father.
GRANDMOTHER: ( From the table ) What are you talking about, Elvira?
MAMAE: We’ve run out of sugar. ( To BELISARIO) There was a whole packet, but I hid it. I wanted Carmen to give me some money. So I told another lie.
GRANDMOTHER: And why should you be going to buy sugar? Let Amelia go.
MAMAE: No, no. I’ll go. I want to take some exercise. ( To BELISARIO) It wasn’t true, I have great difficulty walking. My knees ache, and I’m not very steady on my feet.
BELISARIO: And why all those lies, my child?
MAMAE: So I could buy myself a bar of chocolate. I’d been longing for some for days. That advertisement on the wireless for Chocolate Sublime made my mouth water.
BELISARIO: Wouldn’t it have been easier to ask Grandfather for five soles?
MAMAE: He’s very hard up at the moment, father. He’s living off his sons and they’re going through a difficult patch. He makes do with the same razor blade for weeks on end, poor man, sharpening it up for goodness knows how long every morning. It’s ages since anyone bought any clothes in the house. We wear what Amelia and the boys hand down to us. How was I going to ask him for money to buy chocolate? So I went to the shop, bought a bar of Sublime, and guzzled it in the street. When I got home, I put the
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