SCENE ONE

EFX:

BLEATING GOAT, CHIRPING BIRD, BARKING DOG

ETC. SOUND OF SWEEPING

PAPA:

I’m ready o.

MAMA:

So soon?

PAPA:

Yes.

MAMA:

Must it be today? I would have preferred we went to the

farm today. You can go to Abuja tomorrow.

PAPA:

I have to go today. The longer I delay, the longer it takes

for this pension money to be paid.

MAMA:

Na wa o! How many times do they want you to go to

Abuja before this money thing is settled?

1

PAPA:

My dear wife, I don’t know o. You need to see the old men

that come to work their money out. Tired, hungry, weak

old men. The last time I went, about six of my fellow

pensioners fainted and died. Only one of them came

around after he was given food.

MAMA:

Food! That means it was hunger that made him faint.

PAPA:

Yes o.

MAMA:

This country eh!

PAPA:

What can we say? The rich get richer and the poor get

poorer. You work and at the end of the month your take-

home pay can’t take you home.

MAMA:

And the prices of things keep going higher and higher

every day.

PAPA: 2

Not to mention the unstable price of petrol. Maybe at the

park, we’ll be asked to pay more that we paid the last

time I travelled. We don’t have enough to eat but I must

use the little we have to travel to Abuja.

MAMA:

Na wa o! After putting in so much time in serving our

country, this is what you get. No appreciation. No pity. No

compensation. Must we suffer and shed our blood before

the government even gets the hint that we’re human

beings? Can’t you protest?

PAPA:

That’s the worst of all. Who’ll listen to you? Even when

you complain, nobody cares. They just make noise but

nothing is done.

MAMA:

Angela is still preparing. Must she go with you?

PAPA:

If she doesn’t go with me, how do I take care of myself

there? I can’t always cross the road to buy food. Who will

be on the cue for me? She’s still young. She can

3

withstand the heat of the sun more that I can. I don’t

want to faint like those pensioners I told you about.

MAMA:

But that will be extra money. Feeding and transportation.

Shey you said you sleep outside.

PAPA:

Yes. On the corridors.

MAMA:

I think it’s better she goes with you. After all there’s no

money for her to continue her education. No money for

SSCE. If she goes with you, you can stay in Abuja for as

long as those pension people want.

PAPA:

If they like, five months o, we’ll stay. Kpatakpata, we’ll

start begging.

MAMA:

God forbid! You will not beg.

PAPA:

Let’s pray so.

4

MAMA:

What is this girl still doing in the room now? Angela, what

are you still doing in the room now? Your father is waiting

o. Shey you know Abuja is very far from here.

SCENE TWO

Noisy background

KINGSLEY:

Oooooooooooo! You these old men, behave yourselves

now. Just see the way you acting. Like children.

PAPA:

My son, please, talk to us gently. We’re old enough to be

your father. Some of us are even older than your father.

KINGSLEY:

Mr. Man, did I mention your name? Er? Did I mention

anybody’s name? I don’t know why you won’t respect

yourselves.

PAPA:

5

Young man, mind your tongue.

KINGSLEY:

Ah ah! Oga, what is your own now? Are you the only

person here? And for your information, this is my office.

PAPA:

And so you should treat us as if we’re pigs?

KINGSLEY:

Oga, when you were in office, didn’t you do more? This is

my time. Moreover, I’m only doing my job. And if you’re

not comfortable, you may go hit your head against that

stone.

PAPA:

How dare you insult me? I don’t blame you. If the

government had paid me my pension, I wouldn’t be

standing in front of you. Small boy.

KINGSLEY:

Hm! Old age is really a curse.

PAPA:

KINGSLEY:

6

Mr. Man, are you cursing me? See. Your file will remain on

this table until you come back next time. And for those of

you who met me yesterday, you know what to do for your

file to move fast. Abeg Oya, you, where is your file? Old

man, you over there, I said where is your file?

SCENE THREE

Village setting.

Phone rings. Click.

MAMA:

Hello?

POLICE:

Good day. Am I speaking with Mrs. Ambrose Ameh?

MAMA:

Who are you?

POLICE:

I’m Inspector Ade Shola. Is this Mrs. Ambrose Ameh?

MAMA:

7

Yes? How may I help you?

POLICE:

Do you know any Mr. Ambrose Ameh?

MAMA:

Yes. He’s my husband. What is it?

POLICE:

Where is he now?

MAMA:

He travelled with my daughter last week. They should be

on their way to the village by now. What is it? Why are

you asking?

POLICE:

I … I’m … Listen to me, Mrs. Ambrose Ameh, you have to

come to Apex Care General Hospital tomorrow.

MAMA:

Why? What is it? What happened to my husband and

daughter? Are they all right?

POLICE:

8

You must calm down, please. The said people were

involved in an accident two hours ago.

MAMA:

What?! What do you mean? Are they all right?

POLICE:

I’m really sorry to say this. But madam, you have to come

to the morgue to identify the bodies of your people by

morning tomorrow. You‘ll have to come with …

{Mama only laments out of shock}

SCENE FOUR

Morning.

PAULINE:

Darling, are you not taking breakfast? You’ve already

picked your bag.

KINGSLEY:

No, I don’t want to eat this morning.

PAULINE:

9

Why? You woke up this morning complaining of hunger.

Now you won’t eat?

KINGSLEY:

I said I don’t want to eat this morning?

PAULINE:

And I ask why?

KINGSLEY:

Who are you to question me about my actions?

PAULINE:

Oo! I’m sorry o. No problem. What about the money for

that wrapper?

KINGSLEY:

I don’t have any money for any wrapper.

PAULINE:

What do you mean by that? Every other woman in my

family meeting has bought her own. It’s just me. And I’ve

been singing it into your ears for the past three weeks

now.

KINGSLEY:

10

I’ve told you that I don’t have any money right now.

When I get some, you’ll bye your own wrapper.

PAULINE:

I’m not going to wait for ever o. Do you want people to

laugh at me?

KINGSLEY:

Why won’t people laugh at you when all you do is spend

money on unnecessary things?

PAULINE:

Unnecessary things?

KINGSLEY:

Unnecessary things. Everyday I make sure I come back to

this house with money. Do you know how I get it? It’s not

even part of my salary. But what do you do? You sit down

at home and spend it like water drawn from a well.

PAULINE:

Is it my fault that I spend money? What do I buy, anyway?

Is it not what will keep me healthy? Is it my fault that I’m

always visiting the hospital? You never allowed me do

11

family planning. Mary was three months old when I got

pregnant. What did you do?

FLASHBACK EFFECT.

KINGSLEY:

{Heated argument} Pauline, you must abort this

pregnancy.

PAULINE:

No, I won’t. This is my baby and I’m going to have him

whether you like or not. Period.

KINGSLEY:

You have to abort it. My colleagues will laugh at me.

Gosh! How can I have two babies in one year?

PAULINE:

And how can you sleep with your wife more that once in

one year?

KINGSLEY:

Listen to me, Pauline. You must abort this thing you’re

carrying.

PAULINE:

12

Don’t you dare call my baby this thing. How dare you?

You’re concerned about your reputation. Have you

stopped to think about what could happen to me?

KINGSLEY:

Nothing will happen to you. You won’t be the first to

commit an abortion. And you won’t be the last. And if you

choose to have this baby, you’re OYO. O….Y….O. On your

own.

FLASHBACK EFFECT

PAULINE:

I aborted it and since then, I’ve not been able to have

another baby.

KINGSLEY:

Is it my fault that you can’t have another baby?

PAULINE:

No. It’s because something happened. Because YOU

pushed me into it. Because God is angry with me for

killing … no … slaughtering my own baby.

KINGSLEY:

It’s enough!

13

PAULINE:

No, it’s not enough. I spend that money on a monthly

basis because I want to have more children. If you hadn’t

forced me to do it, I would have two, or maybe four,

children now. Kinsley, give me the money I need now or

you’re not leaving this house today.

SCENE FIVE

MAMA:

{Crying} God, what is this that you have done to me?

How can I survive without my husband? How could you

take two souls from me in a day? What have I done to

deserve this from you?

{Cries bitterly}

There’s no food in the house. The children have been

sent home because they haven’t paid their school fees.

My husband’s farmland has been taken away from me by

his brother. And Reuben can’t go to the university

because there’s no money. He passed his JAMB. God, my

son passed his JAMB after writing it for the third time.

14

Even the little business I was doing has died down

completely. Where would I get the money to start afresh?

Where? Where? If only my husband hadn’t left me! If

only …

DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES. FOOTSTEPS COME ON

MIC.

REUBEN:

Mama, are you crying?

MAMA:

No. I’m not crying. Why would I cry now? Reuben, your

food is in the kitchen.

REUBEN:

Mama, you,ve been crying again. What is it now? Do you

want to die and leave us too? Is it not enough that papa

and …………………. Are nolonger with us? What is it now?

MAMA:

Reuben, I’m sorry. It’s just that the problems are so many

I don’t know where to start. Reuben, where are you

going? Reuben!

15

FOOTSTEPS GO OFF MIC. DOOR OPENS AND

CLOSES.

MAMA:

Ah! God, please, help me.

SCENE SIX

KINGSLEY:

This meal was delicious. Who prepared it?

MARY:

I did, dad.

KINGSLEY:

Mary, my Sweety, you did?

PAULINE:

It’s a lie. She only helped me do some things.

MARY:

Mum, it’s not fair. I cooked this meal.

KINGSLEY:

16

Okay, you did, honey. Yes, you said you wanted to tell us

something.

MARY:

Yes. Dad, mum, I … you see… I want you to meet

someone.

KINGSLEY:

My baby’s in love. I can feel it.

MARY:

Dad! Don’t jump the gun, please.

KINGSLEY:

Okay.

PAULINE:

Who’s the lucky guy?

MARY:

He’s name is Reuben. He’s a nice guy. Very caring. His

father is dead but his mother is alive. He has three

younger ones.

KINGSLEY:

What does he do for a living?

17

PAULINE:

Is he rich?

MARY:

Ahm… Well … Not really. But he’s a very bright guy. He

got admission into the university but …

KINGSLEY:

But what?

MARY:

He couldn’t continue his education because there was no

money. But he intends to. He’s trying to get a job now

with his diploma result and he intends to further his

studies later.

KINGSLEY:

God forbid!

MARY:

What?

PAULINE:

God forbid! Mary, how could you ever think that …

KINGSLEY:

18

Mary, how long have you known each other?

MARY:

Four months now.

KINGSLEY:

You will stop seeing that church rat immediately.

MARY:

Dad!

PAULINE:

Yes. If I ever see you with any beggar, I will cut his head

off.

MARY:

Mum, why do you hate him so? You don’t even know him.

KINGSLEY:

I don’t need to know him to know he’s not good for you.

MARY:

Why?

KINGSLEY:

Because he’s a pauper. A beggar. A nobody. A riffraff.

19

PAULINE:

He doesn’t even have a job.

MARY:

Dad, that was why I wanted you to meet him now. You

could connect him with your friends who can get him a

decent job. Please, dad. Mum, please.

KINGSLEY:

No, Mary.

PAULINE:

Never. Ah ah!

KINGSLEY:

My daughter must marry an already established man. A

man who will give her the life that she deserves. You

must not stoop so low, Mary.

MARY:

But dad …

KINGSLEY:

That’s final. And don’t ever bring this topic up again.

PAULINE:

20

Mary, I know what I suffered marrying a man who was

trying to start life from the scratch. You will not go

through the same thing.

KINGSLEY:

Pauline, what do you mean by that?

PAULINE:

Kingsley, you know exactly what I mean. Excuse me.

FOOTSTEPS GOING OFF MIC.

KINGSLEY:

{Going off mic} Pauline, you won’t walk out on me until

you tell me what exactly you meant by that statement.

Come back here.

DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES

MARY:

My God! What do I do now? I love Reuben so much I

would rather die that live without him. His mother has

been nice to me. Please God, tell me what to do. I have to

call Reuben.

PHONE BUTTONS BEING PRESSED. DIALING TONE.

CLICK.

21

REUBEN:

Hello. Mary, how are you? Is the road clear?

MARY:

No. It’s very crooked. I’ll see you at 7.00 O’clock this

evening. I’ll come to your house.

SCENE SEVEN

Loud music. Music under voice.

RAMBO:

Reuben, you can’t continue like this. You’ll destroy

yourself.

REUBEN:

Rambo, we’re suffering. My family is dying. We don’t

have anything to eat. My mother used all her savings to

bury my father when he died last year. Since then she’s

not been able to bounce back. My younger ones are out

of school. And worst of all, my only sister is dying in the

hospital. The doctors have refused to treat her because

there’s no money. They want us to deposit money first.

22

Rambo, what do I do. I can’t live to see my family suffer

like this.

RAMBO:

Guy, you see why you must join us? I’ve tried to make

you understand that we love you. We want the best for

you.

REUBEN:

My mother would die if she finds out that I’m …

RAMBO:

Then she must not know. My people only know that I work

in the city. Nobody knows what I do for a living. It’s a dent

on your manhood if your people continue to suffer while

you live. Your father would never want that for then, you

know.

REUBEN:

If only they had paid my father his money the way they

pay those in the new pension scheme! My father wouldn’t

be dead. My sister would be alive. And we’d all be in

school. Dam the old pension scheme! Dam it!

RAMBO:

23

So what do you say to my proposal? Are you in or out?

REUBEN:

When do I meet your friends?

RAMBO:

Good boy!

SCENE EIGHT

Hospital

MAMA:

{Crying}

Stella:

Mama, I’m sorry. I never intended for it to turn out like

this.

MAMA:

But why, Stella? Why?

S

24

Mama, I wanted to help. I needed to help. I really wanted

to write my SSCE. And there was no money. What could I

do? All my friends had paid their fees but I hadn’t.

MAMA:

Stella, you’ve not told me who did this to you. Who got

you pregnant?

S

One of my teachers. No, three of them.

MAMA:

Three?

My English, Maths and Literature teachers. Each of them

promised to give me the money I needed. I also wanted

them to tutor me privately in those subjects so I would

pass them in my SSCE. I didn’t want to sit for any exams

the second time.

MAMA:

But during weekends you washed clothes and cleaned the

houses of three families.

S

25

How much did they pay me? They only used me because

they knew I was desperate. All those times I said I was

going to work, I didn’t go to them. I went to my teachers’

houses. And the little change I get from my boyfriend is

what I bring home.

MAMA:

So you don’t even know who got you pregnant.

S

No, Mama. And a quack performed the abortion on me.

MAMA:

The problem now is, how do we get the money to treat

you? The doctor I should take you out of the hospital on

Friday if we still can’t get the money.

S

Don’t worry. Reuben said he would come with the money

on Monday. I’ll be fine. You’ll see.

MAMA:

God, I’ve lost my husband and first daughter. Please,

don’t let anything happen to Stella, I beg You in the name

of your Son.

26

SCENE NINE

Night. Clanging plates and spoons.

Laughter.

Kingsley:

So much food.

PAULINE:

Just make sure you finish it. Both of you told me you were

very hungry and I prepared so much food. Now you won’t

eat much.

MARY:

Mum, it’s not our fault now. The food took so long to

come. So we drank some juice before it came. Now we

can’t even eat anything.

PAULINE:

Just make sure you finish it.

DOGS BARK OFF MIC.

MARY:

Why is Puffy barking?

KINGSLEY:

27

Let me check.

DOOR OPENS FORCEFULLY AND SHUTS.

FOOTSTEPS.

RAMBO:

Everybody down.

{Confusion}

KINGSLEY:

What do you want? Please, don’t touch us. Take whatever

you want and go.

REUBEN:

Not so fast. You Kingsley, do you recognize me?

KINGSLEY:

No, sir.

REUBEN:

Come on, look at me. Look at my face, stupid man.

KINGSLEY:

My son, I can’t. Please, go to the bedroom on your right,

there are three bundles of one hundred thousand naira

just beside the bed. Take it and go, please.

28

RAMBO:

Heh girl, your face down.

MARY:

Reuben, please, don’t do this to us. Don’t do this to me.

Re

Gosh! Mary, what are you doing here?

MARY:

This is our house. Please, don’t hurt my parents.

RAMBO:

Nonsense! Guy, this girl knows you.

REUBEN:

No, she doesn’t. I don’t know her. She’s only …

RAMBO:

We can’t let her live.

GUNSHOTS. SHOUTS FROM PAULINE AND

KINGSLEY.

REUBEN:

29

Noooooo! Guy, why did you do that? I didn’t ask you to

shoot her.

RAMBO:

She’s a threat to us.

REUBEN:

Kelvin, all this is your fault. You refused to pay my dad

and many other pensioners their monies except they

bribed you. My father and sister are dead because of you.

My younger sister had to sleep with men to make ends

meet. All my siblings are out of school. And now I’m like

this. Struggling to make ends meet. See what you’ve

done to me? See what you’ve done to yourself? Madam,

I’m sorry your daughter is dead.

POLICE SIREN

REUBEN:

Kelvin, you called the police on me? How dare you?

GUNSHOTS.

{Pauline shouts}

POLICE:

30

This is the Nigeria police. This house is surrounded. You

have no option but to surrender and come out now with

your hands on you heads. Come out now.

RAMBO:

My guy, this is the end of the line. See you in hell.

REUBEN:

My mother! My mother! God, my mother!

POLICE:

Come out now. Your hands on your heads. All of you.

31