Read The Nightmares of Carlos Fuentes Online
Authors: Rashid Razaq,Hassan Blasim
SAHAR:
Salim! They will come back and they will kill you. And they will kill me. And they will kill our daughter.
CARLOS:
I will fight them.
SAHAR:
With what? Your broom? Are you going to sweep them away?
CARLOS:
I’m not going without you and Lina.
SAHAR:
Lina is five years old. How can she go anywhere? My parents are old. My father is sick. They have no one else to care for them. I will not abandon them. You must go. Salim. Please. I have packed a bag for you. My father…
SAHAR
reaches into the bag and takes out a wedge of US dollars tied together by a rubber band
.
SAHAR:
It will not get you to America. But Europe maybe. Your cousin in London…
CARLOS:
I can’t take that.
SAHAR:
Take it!
CARLOS:
What will you do without a husband? Lina without a father? It is too dangerous for a woman on her own.
SAHAR:
I will be safer without you.
CARLOS
looks at the money
.
SAHAR:
Please. Salim. If you have ever loved me then do this for me. I have obeyed you as a wife. I am asking you now to obey me. A Sunni can not be married to a Shia.
Pause
.
CARLOS
takes the money and the bag from
SAHAR
.
CARLOS:
I will send for you.
SAHAR:
No.
CARLOS:
As soon as I can. You and Lina.
SAHAR:
No. I will not wait for you. You must go and not come back. That is the only way we will be safe.
Pause
.
CARLOS
picks up the bag
.
Beat
.
He puts the bag down and reaches into his pocket for the ring. He walks over to
SAHAR
and gives her the ring
.
CARLOS:
Here. Keep it or sell it if you can get a good price.
SAHAR
examines the ring slowly
.
SAHAR:
It’s a fake.
CARLOS
holds the ring up to the light
.
CARLOS:
Are you sure?
SAHAR:
It’s not worth anything.
(Beat.)
Why don’t you give me your wedding ring instead?
Pause
.
CARLOS
takes off his wedding ring slowly and gives it to
SAHAR
. He looks into her eyes
.
CARLOS:
I divorce you. I divorce you. I divorce you.
SAHAR
takes the fake ring from
CARLOS
and solemnly puts it on his finger. She kisses
CARLOS
gently
.
SAHAR:
Thank you.
Pause
.
SAHAR
puts her niqab on and leaves
.
CARLOS
looks at his ring
.
Beat
.
He picks up his bag
.
Lights down
.
SEVEN
January 2009
.
Lydia’s home. Bedroom.
CARLOS
, dressed in a white T-shirt and boxer shorts, is sat up in bed. His hands are handcuffed to the bedpost.
LYDIA
, wearing a slip, is on her hands and knees looking for something on the floor
.
CARLOS
points to a spot on the floor with his foot. He is wearing his ring and has a moderate Iraqi accent
.
CARLOS:
Over there.
LYDIA:
Where?
CARLOS:
(Pointing.)
There.
She looks to where he is pointing
.
LYDIA:
Here?
CARLOS:
No.
(His foot can’t reach so he indicates with his eyes.)
Look.
LYDIA:
(Looking on the floor.)
I can’t see it.
CARLOS:
Look eyes!
LYDIA:
What do you think I’m looking with? I can’t see the pill. How did you drop it? I’ll have to go and get you another one.
CARLOS:
No. Sahar look!
LYDIA:
Who?
LYDIA
gets up
.
CARLOS:
What?
LYDIA:
What did you just call me?
CARLOS:
Call you what?
LYDIA:
You called me Sahar.
CARLOS:
I did? But you are not Sahar.
LYDIA:
I know I’m not Sahar! It’s bad enough you can’t remember you attacked me last night. You can at least try and remember my name.
CARLOS:
I know your name. You are…you are…
LYDIA:
Your
wife
. Your
second
wife.
CARLOS:
Yes. You are…You are my
second
wife.
(Beat.)
Lydia.
LYDIA:
Well done.
CARLOS:
This is why you handcuff me Lydia? Because I can’t remember your name? This is not very nice.
LYDIA:
(Snaps.)
No! I handcuffed you because you tried to bloody strangle me!
CARLOS:
I did?
LYDIA:
Yes!
CARLOS:
But I don’t remember.
LYDIA:
You don’t remember?
CARLOS:
No. Ah, maybe it was a nightmare.
LYDIA
stares at
CARLOS
.
CARLOS:
What? Why are you accusing me like this?
LYDIA:
I’m going to get the pills.
LYDIA
starts to leave
.
CARLOS:
Lydia?
LYDIA
looks back
.
The handcuffs?
Beat
.
LYDIA:
I’ll get the medicine first.
She leaves
.
Pause
.
CARLOS:
Lydia?
(Beat.)
LYDIA?
(Pause.)
LYDIA!?
LYDIA
enters carrying a large bottle of water and a plastic glass. She pours out a glass of water
.
LYDIA:
Here you go.
LYDIA
reveals she has a white pill in her hand. She tries to feed it to
CARLOS
, but he turns his head away
.
LYDIA:
Take the pill.
CARLOS
looks at her suspiciously
.
LYDIA:
Open your mouth.
CARLOS:
What is this?
LYDIA:
It’s medicine. For your nightmares. To stop you having the bad dreams.
CARLOS
looks at the pill
.
CARLOS:
I don’t want it.
LYDIA:
You have to. It’s the only way we can control the nightmares.
CARLOS:
No!
LYDIA:
(Smiling.)
Take the pill Salim. Please. Take it for me.
LYDIA
tries to feed him the pill, but
CARLOS
turns his head away
.
CARLOS:
I am not Salim! I’m Carlos… Carlos Fuentes.
LYDIA:
No. You’re not.
CARLOS:
I am Carlos.
LYDIA:
No.
CARLOS:
I’m Carlos!
LYDIA:
Salim!
CARLOS:
Carlos!
LYDIA:
Carlos isn’t real. You’re Salim Abdul Husain. From Baghdad. From Iraq. A Sunni not a Shia. Remember? You told me.
CARLOS:
(Confused.)
No.
LYDIA:
You’re Salim Abdul Husain.
CARLOS:
Salim?
LYDIA:
Yes.
CARLOS
looks confused
.
LYDIA:
You don’t remember do you?
CARLOS
shakes his head
.
LYDIA:
You tried to jump out of the window. You tried to kill yourself. We have to make sure you don’t hurt anybody. You. Or me. Otherwise we’ll have to take you back to that place. And I don’t want that to happen. Let me look after you.
LYDIA
tries to give
CARLOS
the pill, but he knocks her hand sending the glass of water flying
.
LYDIA
looks at
CARLOS
angrily. She grabs his head and tries to open his mouth, he struggles but eventually she manages to prise it open and force the pill in. She shuts his mouth
.
LYDIA
picks up the glass from the floor and refills it with water. She offers it to
CARLOS
. He pulls at his handcuffs
.
CARLOS:
The handcuffs?
LYDIA
takes out a key and unlocks the handcuffs.
CARLOS
looks at her warily. She smiles reassuringly
.
LYDIA:
Let’s try again. OK?
LYDIA
offers the glass of water.
CARLOS
takes the glass
.
Beat
.
CARLOS
spits out the pill from his mouth and throws the water over
LYDIA
. He jumps up and grabs her around the throat
.
LYDIA:
Let me go!
(Beat.)
Please Salim. You’re hurting me.
Pause
.
CARLOS
lets go of her throat
.
CARLOS:
Where is our daughter? Where is she? She’s going to be late for school. You better call her for breakfast Sahar.
(Beat.)
What’s the matter? Where’s Lina? When’s she coming?
Beat
.
LYDIA:
Lina’s not coming.
CARLOS:
Why? Where is she?
Beat
.
LYDIA:
She’s dead.
CARLOS:
No. That’s not true. Where is Lina?
LYDIA:
I know it’s hard. But Lina’s dead.
(Beat.)
And so is Sahar.
CARLOS:
(Disbelieving.)
No.
LYDIA:
She’s dead. Lina was killed by a car bomb in Baghdad. Sahar… Sahar committed suicide.
(Beat.)
I’m sorry.
CARLOS:
No. That was a nightmare. It wasn’t real. It was a dream.
LYDIA:
This is real.
CARLOS:
No.
LYDIA:
This is real. I’m real. I’m your wife. You’re my husband. We’re married.
CARLOS:
This isn’t a nightmare?
LYDIA:
No.
Pause
.
LYDIA:
Take the medicine Salim. It’s the only way we can live together.
Pause
.
CARLOS
looks to the pill on the floor. Beat. He picks it up.
LYDIA
pours another glass of water. She holds it out to
CARLOS
. Beat. He takes the glass.
CARLOS
swallows the pill and washes it down with the water
.
Beat
.
LYDIA:
Good.
Beat
.
CARLOS:
I… I feel tired.
LYDIA:
Why don’t you lie down then? Rest for a little bit.
CARLOS
gets into bed
.
CARLOS:
Will you lie next to me?
LYDIA
nods. She gets into bed with
CARLOS
. He rests his head on her. She strokes his hair
.
CARLOS:
Do you remember the day we first met?
LYDIA:
Yes. In the restaurant.
CARLOS:
No.
(Beat.)
It was the park.
LYDIA:
The park?
CARLOS:
Yes. In Baghdad.
LYDIA:
Oh. The park.
CARLOS:
Yes. You were sitting in the park.
Beat
.
LYDIA:
I was eating my lunch?
CARLOS:
Yes. Correct.
LYDIA:
I was eating my lunch in the park.
CARLOS:
Good. Do you remember what you were wearing?
Beat
.
LYDIA:
A skirt?
CARLOS:
A dress. A short blue dress.
(Smiling.)
It showed off your legs.
LYDIA:
Oh. How could I forget?
Beat
.
CARLOS:
What were you doing? In the park?
Beat
.
LYDIA:
I was trying to read my book.
CARLOS:
You weren’t really reading though were you?
LYDIA:
No. I was trying not to look over at you. You were talking to your friends.
CARLOS:
No. I was playing football with my friends.
(Beat.)
What was it I said when I came over to you?
LYDIA:
You said the stupidest thing.
CARLOS:
(Smiling.)
Did I? Oh yeah! I did, didn’t I? God!
(Beat.)
Remind me what I said Sahar.
Beat
.
LYDIA:
Can I borrow some of your grass please?
CARLOS
laughs
.
CARLOS:
What a… I was so nervous. It was the first thing that came into my head.
LYDIA:
I could tell you were nervous.
CARLOS:
But you weren’t. You were so confident and poised. So elegant. That’s what attracted me to you. You were different from all the other girls. That’s when I fell in love with you.
LYDIA:
Right away?
CARLOS:
Yes. The very first time I saw you.
LYDIA
ruffles his hair affectionately
.
CARLOS:
Sahar?
LYDIA:
Yes?
CARLOS:
I love you.
LYDIA:
I love you too Salim.
CARLOS:
Is Lina coming?
LYDIA:
Yes.
CARLOS:
I feel so tired.
LYDIA:
Why don’t you go to sleep then?
LYDIA
gets out of the bed.
CARLOS
looks very sleepy
.
CARLOS:
Will you wake me up when she comes home?
LYDIA:
Yes my love.
CARLOS
picks up the handcuffs and looks at them
.
It’s for your own good.
Beat
.
CARLOS
holds out the handcuffs to
LYDIA
. She takes them and handcuffs him to the bed.
CARLOS
looks to her
.
Go to sleep. I’ll watch over you.
Beat
.
CARLOS
goes to sleep.
LYDIA
watches over him
.
Lights down
.
The End
.