Ménage de femme
In the empty university, a Cleaning Lady is passing the mop. Lori, student, arrives.
LORI
Good morning Maria!
MARIA
Good morning Missiz!
Lori sits and takes out a textbook from her bag. She starts to read. And then.
LORI
Maria...
Maria is sweeping and can't hear her.
LORI
Maria...
LORI
Maria I really like your dress. The delicate pattern mixing red hydrangea and Christmas tree really makes me travel. I mean, I feel like I'm in Marrakesh dancing, with a snake around my neck.
MARIA
Oh thank you miss!
LORI
You know Maria... Oh what a pretty name. Maria, Maria, I can smell an Italian pizza. Oh I feel the crunchy Parmesan, the deep flavor of the glass of chianti, Maria!
MARIA, happily smiling
Very nice miss. Very thank you. You havin class now? Early!
LORI
Could you please say « early » again ?
MARIA
Early!
LORI
Beloved music! Early. We are so connected Maria. Something big is gonna happend.
MARIA
Earthquake?
LORI
Oh! Yes I feel the same way.
Stunning Maria you're full of hidden metaphors. Yes my sweet I have Psych class in let's see -she watches her watch- 6 hours. But I couldn't risk being late. It's a very important class. And I confess I'm the kind of person that likes planning ahead, you don't mind?
MARIA
Yes Miss.
LORI
Oh you mean « no », how lovely. I want to know all about you. Since when do you wear this genuine hairdressing? I have a lot of friends at school but most of them don't say hi. Before, I was very sad about it, I thought there was something wrong with me. But now I know. My Uncle,my mother's brother, made me understand, and it took time, that there's , in fact, something wrong with them. I adore my Uncle Patrick. He adored me too when I was little because I was hairless. He doesn't like hair. He's a great psychiatrist. Now I only see him once a week for the therapy. But Maria, tonight he's coming for dinner. It has been ten years since he didn't come over. Because he's so proud I'm attending Professor Lautner's class. And Maria, I want you to be there too. I'm cooking. Of course you don't have to bring anything.
Notes from Roy:
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting encounter in this play. Lori's admiration of Maria seems real, though also somewhat like a tourist, with Maria being an exotic adventure. The cultural gap between them is obvious, and give the conversation a deep ironic twist.
Lori's little monologue at the end about her uncle is mysterious and strange, raising a number of dramatic questions. Is she revealing the abuse? Is she conscious of it? What kind of meeting will this be between herself and her uncle? What are the therapy sessions like? Is the abuse continuing and what is her state of mind about all this? Does her interaction with Maria reveal anything about that?
And how does this relate to the class? Does it tell us anything about the nature of the class? And how the students were chosen for the class?
Roy