Day 2
Bathroom. The woman is in the bathtub behind the shower curtain. Her shadow can be seen.
The Woman: Ms Carmona, can you hear me? I can’t use the shower…I don’t mean I can’t use it, I mean it doesn’t work. There is a small box here, with a ‘turn on’ button, but I can’t turn it on…Can you hear me?
Her right hand extends from behind the shower curtain. She takes the towel. A few seconds later, she draws the shower curtain and steps out of the bathtub wrapped in the towel. She speaks loudly to someone behind the closed door.
The Woman: Can you, please help? What are you doing? Are you changing your clothes? OK, I wait for you. [turning to the shower box and pushing the buttons again] It is so strange, what’s wrong with this? I know you are also unfamiliar with this house. Naghmeh told me you came to St Andrews last week for a residency. She told me you are a writer. I wish I could speak with you more last night, but you looked so busy with your writing.
W: “Hi”!
C-W: “Hi”!
W: “I am Naghmeh’s Friend.”
C-W: “I know! That is the kitchen, your bedroom is on the second floor, and those are the extra keys…Anything else?”
W: “Are you from England?”
C-W:“I am from nowhere! Anything else?”
C-W: “So many things else!”
C-W: “What?”
W: “Nothing!”
C-W:“Good night then”!
And then you disappeared. Oh! I appreciate that you let me stay with you for the whole month that you are here. I really need a place to stay. A place far from London. This town was the best place to hide. OK! A long story. Don’t bother yourself to listen to me. It is not your problem that I need to speak to someone. It is not your problem that I am bursting with words. I just heard something. The worst ever … you will never hear it from me. It is not because you are busy with your writing, but because I can’t speak about it in any language except Persian. I received a news that made me crazy, but you will never hear it from me. How can people marry with foreigners? Even if they find a way to express their love, how can they fight in another language? I need to fight. I need to shout. I need to shout at my boyfriend in Persian. But I can’t! I need to speak in Persian. Do you know anybody who can speak Persian in St Andrews?
No! My English is not so good. I left Iran only two years ago…That was so hard. Not because I was rejected the first time I applied for Visa. Not because I had to apply again from Turkey. It was hard because I was escaping from my father…Don’t worry! I am not going to tell you the story…I know how busy you are.
Are you still changing your clothes? I feel a bit cold. Let me check it again!
She goes into the bathtub, behind the shower curtain.
The Woman: No! No water from the shower.
She comes out of the bathtub again and opens the door carefully.
The Woman: Ms Carmona, can you hear me? Are you there? Are you gone? I am freezing.
There is no answer.