One Virgin, Many Deaths

A Stageplay

By Geoff Adeleye (Nigeria)

Act 2, Scene 3

Scene III

                             A room in BELARU’s house.
              Enter BADERO, happy, his hands stuck into his hip
    pockets, swaggers here and there, and then gazing at the roof.
BADERO [greets]: Good evening!
RENATE [within]: Who’s that?
BADERO: Can’t you recognise my voice?
RENATE [within]: How does it sound?
BADERO: Do I know?
RENATE [within]: If you don’t know how your voice sounds, how
   do expect me to recognise it? Who are you?  Don’t you have a name?
BADERO: It’s I’ Prince of Betuda. Your authorised guest!
RENATE: [within]: Authorised but not invited, so your visit is
   an invasion. Can you, please, turn back?
BADERO: Just a minute! Just a word! Please, come out!
                         Enter RENATE
RENATE [frowns at him]: So it’s you? Have you got any problem?
BADERO: Have you started?
RENATE: What?
BADERO: Can I tell?
RENATE: Nonsense! [turns to go
BADERO [pleading]: Please, don’t go. Why do you choose to brush
    me off in spite of my electrifying gestures?
RENATE: Should I fight my feelings to harbour pent-up animosity?
BADERO: No, you shouldn’t.                                                                                                 
RENATE: But, I wonder greatly why you haven’t gone off me; even
   so with my pelting with you with such things aggressive.
BADERO: It’s embittering that with the analysis of passion I’ve put
   forth by words or actions, you haven’t sussed my love for
   you unaffected.
RENATE: Don’t misconstrue me. I don’t doubt your sincerity. I beg
   your pardon, enough of your stay.
BADERO: What have I done?
RENATE: I don’t know.
BADERO: Aren’t you being beaten by glories? You know I’m the
   solely heir apparent.
RENATE: Their teeth are too frail to pierce my skin.
BADERO [shocked, moves to her]: What do you want? Will you
   swim against the tide when the Council of Chiefs, including your
   father, had sanctioned our marriage?
RENATE: Their decision is unacceptable and so it’s nugatory.
BADERO: From your mouth?
RENATE: Yes!
BADERO: Serious!
RENATE: It’s got to be!
                                        Enter BOKUNLE
BOKUNLE: Prince, I went to palace to look you up, but I was told
   that you’d gone to our house.
BADERO: Oh, I must’ve disappointed you!
BOKUNLE: No, you haven’t. How are things? Is she yielding?
BADERO: Still very disinclined.
BOKUNLE [To RENATE]: Why? What are the Prince’s failings
   that disqualify him?
RENATE: It isn’t completely a toad doesn’t have a tail; but it
   isn’t conspicuous enough to hold.
BOKUNKLE: You haven’t answer us properly.
RENATE: What do you want me to say? I say I don’t love him.
BADERO: Upon my heart a great message is written for you and if
   I should read it, you’ll –
RENATE: Hold it! Don’t read I’ll never comprehend!
BADERO [confused]: Now, it’s mysterious! [RENATE wants to go ]
    Please, don’t go. Accept my pleas.
BOKUNLE [seeing BADERO lying on the floor, becomes
    infuriated]: Prince, this s unbecoming – very ignominious – I’m
    abashed how love had stupefied you. [turns to RENATE] And
   you proud bug take the relish of this dirty humiliation, staring at
   him with sneer.
RENATE: Has he committed a crime making a fun of himself?
BOKUNLE [annoyed, lunges to attack her, stands up and heads him
    off]: Let go of me to teach the vapid fool.
RE NATE: Do you think I can be cowed? Let him alone. A threat of
   fists is a coward’s bravery.
BOKUNLE [fierily furious]: Do you hear that?
BADERO: Must you fight a woman?
BOKUNLE: I must where necessary.
BADERO: Please, let’s talk to her softly; perhaps we warm the cookies
   of her heart rather than engaging her thereby pouring oil on the flame.
BOKUNLE: Imagine! Just imagine! What’s this stinking flea that a
   man should fall in love with her?
RENATE [slaps back]: Keep quiet there! Rotten meat that fails to
   gather common house flies! Is it when you become fossilized that
   some would mind to hover over you?
BOKUNLE: Am I not better than you a pretentious virgin?
RENATE: I?
BOKUNLE: Yes! Putting it about behind the mud-walls, under trees
   with the rascals, the rogues and what have you.
RENATE [extremely irked, rushes into her BOKUNLE with beating]:
   You lied! [somehow scuffle ensues, but suddenly BOKUNLE hits
   her terribly at a breast, she falls down, wailing and wincing, with
   her hands wagging in the air; and BADERO, being chivalrous,
   love-induced, compassion-constrained,  kneels  beside her, and then
    rubs her injured breast to massage the pain away; but this 
   becomes pestilential to her that she rises on her feet at once,
   serving BADERO a deadly slap across his face, kicks him aside and
   he staggers to the wall, softly lowers his buttocks to the floor, rests
   his head against the wall.] Stupid man, cavorted he-goat, not scared
   a dime rubbed my breast! Rubbish! [kicks him again] May God
   punish you! [resumes her wailing
                                               Enter YEMELU
YEMELU [runs to RENATE]: What is it, daughter?
RENATE: My breast!
YEMELU [shocked]: Your breast?
RENATE: Yes, mother!
YEMELU [turns round, espies BADERO, shouts]: Rape! Rape!
   [jumping and shouting] Neighbours, help! Your Prince has ravished
    my daughter! [To RENATE] Did he penetrate? Please, speak, don’t
   be ashamed. Can’t you talk again? I adjure you now, speak, did
   he ejaculate to know which herbs to prepare to neutralise it. We can’t
   manage an illegitimate chid here. Don’t be a dumb ass, speak.
RENATE [rises on her feet, looks straight into YEMELU’s
   face, shakes her head]: Thanks for your concern. I’m baffled as
   you uttered those risqué words! You’re left with nothing call
   morals.
BOKUNLE: What repulsive malarkey she’s got to presume Prince who is
   so respected, so responsible to demoralise himself to rape! No
   one speaks like this but Satan’s twin sister.
YEMELU: So you were here, I never knew!
BOKUNLE: How would you have seen me when your sight was
   your heart?  
YEMELU: And you aided rather than thwarted this crime?
BOKUNLE: Nothing is as hidden as a man’s heart! Neither is there
   any arsenal as dangerous as it. Who could think such smutty words
   could grow from her heart?
BADERO: She ought to know that such allegation can’t tarnish
   my personality. And it’s worrisome what your mother is making out
   of herself, not knowing that such inanity doesn’t accord to her age.
BOKUNLE: These days she is being a nuisance, getting at everyone
   over trifles or nothing.
YEMELU [not moved by all the comments To BADERO
    and BOKUNLE]: I must warn you: never disturb this woman who
    is already engaged.
RENATE: To whom are you engaged?
YEMELU [shouting her down]: Always keep mute whenever I’m
   talking. Don’t ever hold words with me.
RENATE: I think there’s no way you won’t re-marry to your cloth man.
YEMELU: Rubbish! [gives her a slap and she breaks down
BADERO [astonished]: What? I’m afraid, how do you live in this house?
BOKUNLE: Leave her alone. She isn’t a witch if doesn’t squeeze out
   her soul.
YEMELU: Don’t be a cretin. [gives BOKUNLE a knock on the head
BADERO [more terrified]: Harrowing!
RENATE [clasping her hands at YEMELU’s face]: Witch! Witch!
   [deeply hurt, YEMELU chases her round and round] Look, this
   soul attached to Badeja can’t be wrested from him, even with
   your witchcraft!                                                            [Exit RENATE
BADERO: Friend, your mother’s poignant tub-thumping baffles,
   mystifies me, so an imponderable I can’t find words to relate. [looking at
   BOKUNLE’s face] What pains I’ve engendered you! Please, stop
    crying.
BOKUNLE [wipes tears off his eyes with back of his hand]: It’s not
   the pain of the knock that made me cry – it’s her inability to respect
   my age.
BADERO: Let’s go! We’re sure to win!
BOKUNLE: No dispute for that!        [Exeunt BADERO and BOKUNLE
YEMELU: Beating my children because of a man – oh, I curl up! I need
   to adjust before they begin to run away from me. Threat may not
   always has the will and may even contrarily the proposed errand.
                                                                                [Exit YEMELU