Scene 1
from And the Girls in their Sunday Dresses
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 May 2019
Summary
THE LADY is about forty and a bit overdressed, albeit in the latest fashion. One can see that there was a conscious effort on her part to make herself appear very chic and sexy. Her mannerisms are of a sophisticated woman of the world, but of course at the end of it all she appears pretentious - even ridiculous. When the lights rise she is sitting on a chair, making herself up. She is looking at herself in a compact mirror and dabs a little powder on her cheeks. On her lap is all the paraphernalia used in make-up; lipstick, eyebrow pencils and mascara. She uses some more lipstick on her lips and tries to shape them in what she thinks is a sensuous way. Her old lizard bag lies opened on the ground. THE WOMAN enters holding a small parcel of food. She is much more simply and soberly dressed. Indeed she looks like someone's mother. She is roughly of the same age as THE LADY.
WOMAN: The queue hasn't moved an inch since I left.
LADY [busy with her nails]: Did you come with our lunch?
WOMAN [throws packet to THE LADY]: Here. Can't afford much more that that. Moreso we don't know for how long we'll be here.
Catches the packet, then puts her make-up paraphernalia into her handbag. She opens the packet and wolfs the food. Almost half-way through she remembers THE WOMAN.
LADY: Did you eat?
WOMAN: You know very well I did not eat.
LADY: I'll leave you some.
WOMAN: I'll eat it when I am on the chair.
THE LADY has finished eating her share, and she gives what remains to THE WOMAN. Pause.
LADY: It is the third day now.
WOMAN: Fourth.
LADY: Third.
WOMAN: For me it is the fourth.
LADY: And you managed without the chair. The first day, I mean. Before I came.
WOMAN: It had not rained then. I sat on the ground.
LADY: Yeah. It's wet all over now, so you need my chair. We need each other because I also need the food that you buy for both of us. You see, I didn't bring any money with me, and …
WOMAN: You told me already.
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- Information
- And the Girls in their Sunday DressesFour Works, pp. 4 - 11Publisher: Wits University PressPrint publication year: 1993