Hideous Kinky Page #2

OK.

Go on! Thank you, Bilal.

OK, you can start now.

Look!

Mum!

Bea?

You haven't been making Lucy

promise things again, have you?

Like?

Like promising not to speak to her mummy?

You know...

Daughters are often embarrassed

by their mummies. I remember mine.

She put on lipstick on the bus!

Mum, Bea has to say something.

- I have to go to school.

- You don't have to do anything.

- No, I have to go to school.

- Well, you can then.

No, I can't. I need a satchel, a white shirt and

a white skirt, none of which I have, so you see?

- Tomorrow, we'll go to the bank. If your father's cheque has come...

- What if it hasn't?

- We'll go the next day. - If it still

hasn't? - We'll manage. - It won't arrive.

- No.

- It won't - he's forgotten about us!

Hasn't he?!

- Bea? Lucy?

- What?

- We've got a job. For a Berber poet. I'm a translator.

- Hooray!

We're gonna make money!

- Oh, this word's in Berber.

Oh, no. No. That is impossible

- not in English, not even in French.

Oh, go on. Try.

OK, it's like a... like a river? A great river?

- No, no, it's like a

boat. - Huh? - Two boats.

- Two homeless boats?

- Two homeless boats.

Two homeless boats!

- Mum, this one's still got bits in.

- Give it back.

- Bea! - Hi,

Lucy! - Hi, Bea!

So? How was your first day at school?

- Well, a little girl wet herself.

- And?

The teacher took her to the front

of the class and beat her...

and beat her with a cane

until she stopped crying.

Then she beat her again and the cane broke.

- My God! You can't go back there!

- Why not?

Of course I can.

Only joking!

"An Arab peasant looks at the moon.

"'Do you know me? Surely not.

"'Then how have I offended you that you'd go

a million miles just to plant your flag on my dreams?'

"Listen, America. I, the poet,

Ben Abdul Jalil Noar Edin, make this petition.

"I don't have much say in the matter,

but just a word, America.

"I read my soul by the light of her face.

"She will never again so brightly shine,

"or rise singing in the morning,

brushing stars from her hair.

"So you spared no expense, seducer.

"But for both our sakes, my enemy,

send her back to me! This I plead.

"In the name of my soul and of my people,

our revolution!

"In the name of the moon."

HE SPEAKS ARABIC

Ben Abdul Jalil thanks you.

May he have the typewriter back?

Of course, but I've only done ten poems.

Yes, ten poems.

He says, "A life cannot wish for more."

Oh.

Mum, what did he mean - only ten poems?

I'm afraid, Lucy, it means we're out of work.

- The bank is closed.

- Please will you look again?

- There must have been a mistake.

- There is no money here for you.

Tomorrow.

Merci. Merci beaucoup. Au revoir. Bonne journee.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes