THE PORTRAIT OF MARRIAGEA Stage Play by Corey Paris THE NEGATIVE SIDE TO MARRIAGE ROCHESTER, NEW YORK IN THE RIOS HOUSE EXT-IN THE LIVING ROOM-LATE NIGHT
MARIA RIOS walks into the house and turns on the lights. She walks over to the table and puts down her keys. She looks at the mail and sorts out the bills for the garbage mail. She looks around the house and looks at the mess in the living room. Shaking her head she goes over to the television and cuts it off, throwing the remote on the recliner. She sits on the opposite couch, moving over the newspapers and clothes and sits down. She takes off her shoes and slides back into the couch and relaxes.
MARIA (SPEAKING TO HERSELF IN SPAINISH) Jesus, it’s going to get better.
ANGEL RIOS, her husband staggers into the living room and stands in the entrance of the door. He stares at her with her eyes closed. HE holds the bottle of liquor to his lips and then takes a long gulp and wipes his mouth. He taps on the side of the wall getting Maria’s attention. Maria opens her eyes and looks over.
MARIA Hi baby. ANGEL (SLURRING HIS WORDS) Don’t hi baby me. Do you know what time it is? MARIA It’s the time that I get off from my second job. Are we going to go through this again?
ANGEL I’ve been waiting for my dinner.
MARIA What’s wrong with your hands?
ANGEL Who are you getting smart with? I had to order out because you weren’t home.
MARIA That’s because I work two jobs and go to school. What’s your excuse?
Angel staggers over to the couch almost falling over. Maria gets up and moves over to the other side of the couch standing. ANGEL Who are you getting smart with?
MARIA You!?!
Angel tries to grab for Maria and falls into the coffee table.
MARIA I’m sick of this. All you do is stay home, drink and watch porn all day.
ANGEL You ain’t giving me none.
MARIA Why would I? You’re always drunk and never able to get it up. Besides, someone has to make sure we have a roof over our heads.
Angel gets up off of the floor and sits on the couch and takes another drink. Maria walks around the table and grabs her bag. She looks at him in disgust. MARIA You have the nerve to come at me about working and cooking you dinner and all you do is sit on your a*s and do nothing. You can’t even clean the house. I have to do that too?
ANGEL What good are you as a wife if you can’t clean a house?
MARIA You ain’t working. Do something with yourself?
ANGEL B***h. I don’t have time for this.
He takes a long gulp from his bottle and tries to stand up. He walks for the living room entrance as Maria moves out of his way, going back around the coffee table.
MARIA How dare you? ANGEL A b***h is a b***h. Go and clean up this mess. I am going out.
MARIA It’s almost one in the morning. Where the hell are you going?
Quickly, Angel sobers up, puts his bottle on the table and runs across the living room grabbing Maria and shaking her by the shoulders. He slaps her across the face twice and shakes her again.
ANGEL Don’t ever question where I am going or what I do. It’s none of your got damn business.
Angel pulls her close.
ANGEL You do it again, I’ll bust you in the face.
ANGEL throws Maria to the couch and walks over to the table taking his bottle. He looks at her and curses her out in Spanish. Angel walks out of the living room while Maria begins to cry. Maria gets up and grabs the clothes off of the couch and begins to clean the living room.
THE NEXT DAY IN THE LIVING ROOM
Angel sleeps on the couch with the bottle next to him on the table. Maria walks by and picks up the empty bottle and throws it in the trash can by the table. She walks over to the table and looks inside her pocketbook and checks the contents making sure everything is inside. Angel wakes up and looks over at her.
ANGEL Where are you going?
MARIA To class and then after that work and after that, work again.
ANGEL (HOLDING HIS HEAD) Did you make anything to eat?
MARIA I have to go to work. I was up all night cleaning and didn’t get no sleep, and you want me to cook you breakfast?
ANGEL I have a bad headache.
MARIA Well then stop drinking.
ANGEL Stop telling me what to do.
MARIA I ain’t got time for this right now.
Maria grabs her belongings and tries to walk out of the room. Angel gets up and blocks her way.
ANGEL Don’t you walk out on me while I am talking to you.
MARIA Get out of my way. I am going to be late for class.
ANGEL I don’t care about your stupid class. What good is it for anyhow?
MARIA I am trying to better myself.
ANGEL Try bettering yourself and be a good wife and make me some breakfast?
MARIA No.
Angel grabs Maria by the shoulders and pushes her into the living room and shakes her.
ANGEL I SAID MAKE ME SOME FOOD!!!
MARIA NO!!!!!!
Angel slaps Maria in the face, knocking her to the ground. Maria gets up and swings punching Angel in the left side of the face. He staggers to the right, regaining his balance. Angel slaps Maria in the face again and pushes her into the couch. He gets on top of her and continues to shake her.
ANGEL Don’t you ever put your hands on me again. I will beat the hell out of you-do you hear me?
MARIA Get off of me!?!
ANGEL Do you hear me!?!
Maria knees him in the groins. Angel slumps over onto the couch in pain. Maria gets up and grabs her things and leaves the house. Angel rolls on the couch in pain.
LATER THAT NIGHT Angel sits on the couch drinking and watching television. Maria comes into the house and puts her bags on the table. Angel turns and looks at her and looks back at the television. Maria walks over to the recliner and leans on the head rest, looking at Angel.
MARIA Hello?
Angel ignores her and takes a sip from the bottle.
MARIA How was your day?
Angel ignores her again and takes another sip. Maria puts a bag of food on the table.
MARIA I brought some food home.
Angel gets up and looks inside the bag. He looks at Maria and throws the bag of food across the room.
MARIA When I have the time to get you something to eat, this is what you do?
ANGEL I am not hungry.
MARIA Well you should of called and told me.
Maria takes out her cell phone and shows Angel. ANGEL I did call you, but you were probably on the phone messing around.
MARIA Oh we are going to get into that now?
ANGEL Yes we are going to get into that now.
MARIA Why do you think that I am cheating on you? ANGEL Because you’re never home.
MARIA That is because I am always working.
ANGEL You should be home.
MARIA Barefoot and pregnant with no money coming in?
ANGEL I need to go out and make the money.
MARIA How can you if you don’t apply yourself You keep on talking about the man is holding you down and you can’t find a job because you got locked up. There are programs for people with records.
Angel takes a sip from his bottle and looks at her.
ANGEL I don’t want some minimum wage job.
MARIA You have to start from somewhere. You thought going out and robbing people was going to be helpful? It got you locked up for ten years.
ANGEL Watch your mouth.
MARIA I am stating facts. You think that the world owes you something?
ANGEL I got this house?
MARIA The house that your parents brought and paid And left it to us-US! Who is footing the bill for the food, the utilities, the rent-ME!
ANGEL You don’t like where your living-then bounce b***h.
MARIA I married you through thick and thin and you’re treating me like s**t.
ANGEL You said it, not me.
MARIA You know-being a good Christian woman, I am going to ask for forgiveness for using that type of language.
ANGEL Go and be the bible thumper that you are.
MARIA Better to that than listen to your mess!
Angel gets up and walks over to Maria as she moves around the table. He grabs her and punches her in the stomach and then slaps her in the face. Maria fights back but he pushes her into the coffee table and she falls on the floor. He kicks her twice in the side and picks his bottle up of off the floor. He kicks her again and picks her up by the collar of her blouse.
ANGEL You talk to me like that again-
MARIA You’re gonna beat my head in? Use me for a punching bag, kill me?
Angel tosses her to the couch and walks off with his bottle.
ANGEL I’m going to a friend’s house.
Maria wipes her face.
MARIA Oh the girl that you’ve been screwing? Angel goes over to and beats Maria up some more.
MARIA (TO THE AUDIENCE) That night was one of the nights that I want to forget. He beat me up so bad that I had bruising all over my chest and back. My nose wasn’t broken, but it bled really bad. I ask myself time and time again, why do I stay with this jerk? I love him because is he the only thing that I know and I said that I was going to be his wife-for richer or poorer, sickness and in health. I made the vow. But why does he keep doing this to me. My mother told me no matter what, stay with your husband because it is the right thing to do. He might slap you around, but you will get through it. I got up cleaned myself up and cleaned up the house. I cried while I cleaned because of the pain; so I took some pain killers and stop thinking about it. My husband is a really a good man-he just has been through some rough patches in his life. I’m trying to help him-even after he got out of the pen. But nothing seems to work.
Maria walks out of the room.
THE NEXT DAY
MARIA (TO THE AUDIENCE) The next day I could not go to work or even school. I told my boss that I couldn’t come in because I was sick and needed to take some time off. Thank god for accumulating vacation and sick time. I could get paid for all the days that I miss. The morning was different. Angel finally came home and we didn’t speak. He got on his computer, did his thing and took a shower. I know what he does when I am not home-I know he cheats on me with the internet. I know he sleeps around-but being a good wife, I still meet the needs of my husband even if I can’t stand it. Does this make me a bad person? Angel doesn’t want me talking to my friends because he is so insecure. I constantly tell them that they aren’t trying to hook me up; even if they are. They just don’t like Angel. He gets out of the shower and changes his clothes. He goes through my wallet and takes all of my money and leaves the house. I thank God that I stash money in my clothes in the closet. He doesn’t know about my bank account because I leave all that important stuff at work. He doesn’t know that I have two pocketbooks (giggle). I tried to lay in the bed, but I hate sleeping in the same room with him. I shouldn’t feel that way, but I do. So I go into the living room and lay on the couch. My mind wanders and I think about all that I am and what I’ve become. I can’t sleep. So, I get up and rearrange the living room. So when he comes home drunk, he’d fall on the floor and go to sleep. I wonder what his parents are thinking when they look down on him? Was his father abusive and unkind? Did his mother ever seek help? I don’t think so because when I met them, they were still together.
EARLY EVENING Maria sleeps on the couch. Angel grabs her and shakes her out of her sleep.
ANGEL What are you doing laying on the couch instead of making me something to eat?
MARIA I stayed home because you kicked my a*s.
ANGEL That’s not my problem, you shouldn’t of mouthed off.
MARIA Leave me alone.
ANGEL You still don’t learn your lesson?
MARIA You’re going to beat me up and kick me and spit on me and curse me out…change it up-punk?
Angel slaps Maria.
ANGEL You’re making me do this, you don’t want to listen?
MARIA Making you do this? You are supposed to love me and honor me-not hurt me?
ANGEL You b*****s need to learn that what men say-it goes.
MARIA What happened to you?
ANGEL What happened to you?
Angel pushes her on the couch and sits in the recliner and turns on the television. He gets up and goes out of the room and comes back with a bottle of liquor. He opens the bottle and begins to drink.
ANGEL This rum is good.
He looks over at Maria on the couch.
ANGEL Aren’t you supposed to be doing something?
MARIA I told you that I don’t feel good.
ANGEL I don’t care-I’m hungry.
Angel takes a long sip and he slowly gets up and grabs Maria by the hair and pulls her off the couch and holds her by the hair.
ANGEL When I tell you to do something, you get up and do it.
He pulls her out of the room.
ANGEL Now go and make me something to eat.
Angel sits down and watches television. He enjoys his drink and laughs at the television program. Maria comes out of the kitchen quietly with a skillet and hits him in the back of the head knocking him on the floor unconscious. She looks to see if Angel is breathing and see that he is. Maria throws the skillet on the floor and lays back down on the couch.
LATER THAT NIGHT Angel awakens and sits up holding his head. He looks around and sees his bottle and takes a sip from it. He stands up and looks around.
ANGEL MARIA!?!
He waits and calls her again.
ANGEL MARIA!?!
Angel sits down on the recliner and takes another sip and then holds his head. Maria walks in and puts her bag down and looks at Angel.
MARIA Feeling sober?
ANGEL What happened?
MARIA I don’t know, I went to the movies.
ANGEL (HOLDING HIS HEAD) Who told you that you could go out?
MARIA Oh please. Since you don’t take me out, I decided to treat myself.
ANGEL We got bills to pay.
MARIA No-I got bills to pay and I paid them.
ANGEL I thought I took all the money?
MARIA I barrowed some.
ANGEL (TRYING TO STAND UP) You ain’t going to talk to me like that.
MARIA I am so tired of you and your threats. Go to hell.
Angel tries to get up and falls to one knee. Maria walks out of the room and comes back with food. She throws it on the coffee table and goes for the door. Angel pleads with her.
ANGEL My head hurts!?!
MARIA Why should I care? I was hurting all day and you want to beat me up. So payback is a b***h-B***h.
ANGEL I need a pain killer. MARIA Drink your pain away. Eat out her because I don’t want you in the kitchen with me.
Maria leaves. Angel gets up and goes into the kitchen. Pots and dishes fall while Maria screams for her life. Angel beats her up. Maria fights back. Angel is the winner.
MARIA (TO THE AUDIENCE) We fought and fought that night. He managed to crack a rib and I sprained my right wrist fighting back. My nose began to bleed again but I couldn’t stop. If I did, I would have been hurt far worst. I love this man and he is doing this to me. I try to talk to him, but I find myself lashing out right back at him. This whole thing hurts. If I knew marriage was like this, I wouldn’t have gotten married. Of course he left that night, probably to one of his girl’s houses. I don’t expect him home. I don’t know what to do. So I do what I know-clean up the mess that he made fighting with me. I go into the bathroom and clean myself up and sit in a nice hot bath so I don’t feel the pain.
Maria begins to cry.
MARIA I CANT TAKE THIS ANYMORE!!!! She regains her composure.
MARIA But I love him-he is my husband. THE NEXT AFTERNOON IN THE KITCHEN Maria and Angel argue over the bills.
ANGEL What do you mean that you can’t pay for the cable?
MARIA Well I’m sorry that I can’t support your Porn addiction, but I have to pay the car insurance deductible because you crashed up your car?
ANGEL It wasn’t my fault. Petey was driving because I was drinking.
MARIA Well you shouldn’t have been drinking. Now I have to pay out of pocket because you messed up.
Angel walks out of the room and looks back at Maria.
ANGEL So you gonna do me dirty?
MARIA Yes I am. Ask one of your girls to give you the money.
ANGEL What did you say?
MARIA I didn’t stutter.
Maria comes out of the kitchen.
MARIA I said get one of your girls-
Angel slaps Maria to the floor. Maria sits on the floor holding her face.
ANGEL See what you made me do?
MARIA (PRAYING IN SPANISH) Lord, grant me the strength and courage to deal with this man.
ANGEL Oh, you’re praying to your God again?
MARIA He’s your God too.
ANGEL The hell he is.
He kneels down and looks at her.
ANGEL There is no God. I do what I want, when I want and the only one that I answer to is me.
MARIA That’s why you’re messed up now.
Angel slaps Maria in the face again.
ANGEL You keep doing this to yourself-why?
MARIA Because I am not scared of you!
ANGEL So you think standing up to me is going to Make you tough? I was in the pen for ten years, there is nothing you can do to hurt me.
MARIA Well instead of thinking like a thug, you should be thinking like a husband.
Angel slaps her again.
ANGEL Keep talking?
Maria tries to get up but Angel pushes her back down. ANGEL The trash stays on the floor.
MARIA Why do you keep treating me like this?
ANGEL Because you are a b***h and that’s what b*****s get.
MARIA Then why marry this b***h?
ANGEL So you can do what I tell you to do.
MARIA Just like your father did to your mother?
ANGEL What?
Maria begins to giggle and then laugh. She gets up and Angel tries to stop her. She pushes him out of the way and stands up firm.
MARIA I figured it out. You ain’t nothing but a punk. You beat up on women because your father beat up on his mother-and you saw all of this growing up.
ANGEL You don’t know what you’re talking about.
MARIA Yeah, I do.
Angel tries to walk away.
ANGEL I need a drink.
Maria stops him.
MARIA What’s the matter-truth hurts big bad Angel?
Angel slaps her and pushes her into the recliner. He walks out of the room and goes get his bottle. He screams out loud.
ANGEL I’m leaving.
MARIA Take your punk a*s on.
Maria stands there in shock.
MARIA (TO THE AUDIENCE) I stood up to Angel for the first time since we’ve been married. I just got this rush and I was prepared to get my a*s kicked, but I didn’t care. I know now what his weakness is. At that moment I didn’t care about the fighting or even the scars that I have. I wanted to hurt him mentally and emotionally just as he did me.
She pauses. MARIA But was that the right thing to do? Should I feel bad about what I said and what I have done? He is my husband and I love him even if he beats on me.
She looks away fighting her tears.
MARIA Stockholm syndrome: The feelings of trust or affection felt in certain cases of kidnapping or hostage taking by a victim towards a captor. I feel that I have been taking hostage and put in a situation where I fell in love with the man that has taken my freedom. Where do I go, what do I do? How can I escape this madness?
Maria begins to cry and feel pity towards Angel.
MARIA It’s my fault on not being a good wife. It’s my fault that we can’t get along and he hits me. I blame his parents for him being so messed up.
Maria walks out of the room.
TWO DAYS LATER IN THE LIVING ROOM-LATE NIGHT Angel sits on the couch drunk. He sleeps on the couch with his feet up. Maria comes into the house and puts her bag down. Angel hears the noise and wakes up. He walks behind Maria as she looks through her bag.
ANGEL What are you doing?
MARIA Going through my bag!
ANGEL What you hiding?
Angel snatches the bag from her and looks inside.
ANGEL Let’s see what you’re hiding?
He looks through the bag and finds all of her personal belongings. Angel takes the bag and throws it on the floor and goes back to the couch and sits down, taking a drink.
ANGEL The problem with you b*****s is that you carry unnecessary stuff. You need to carry things of importance.
Maria goes and picks up her things off of the floor. Angel gets up and kicks Maria in the side and sits back down and takes another drink. Maria lays on the floor crying in pain. Angel turns the television up louder and looks at her.
ANGEL Shut up, I’m trying to watch T-V.
Maria gets up and takes her belongings and leaves the room. Angel ignores her crying and takes another drink. Maria comes back out with scolding hot water in a pot and throws it on Angel. Angel screams in pain on the couch. Maria takes the pot and throws it at Angel, hitting him. She walks out of the room into the kitchen. Angel screams and rolls around on the couch. Angel gets up and falls into the coffee table and runs out of the room. He grabs Maria and slaps her continuously. Maria screams and fights back. Angel falls into the living room as Maria swings a butcher knife at him. Angel moves behind the coffee table running. She comes out of the kitchen with the knife in hand.
MARIA You touch me again, I will gut you.
She goes back into the kitchen. Angel gets back up and goes into the kitchen and he beats Maria up. Maria continues to scream and fight as Angel punches her. They tussle back and forth in the kitchen knocking everything over. Angel comes out of the kitchen and looks back.
ANGEL The next time you pull a knife on me, you’d better use it-B***h. Angel grabs the remaining of his bottle and walks out of the house. Maria walks out all bloody.
MARIA (TO THE AUDIENCE) This is what I get for trying to stand up myself. This is what I get for trying to make a life with my husband?
Maria wipes the blood from her nose.
MARIA He didn’t cut me, he just threatened to kill me.
She wipes her face with a kitchen rag.
MARIA I think I need to go to the doctor. I think I broke three ribs, because I can’t breathe.
Maria walks over to the table and goes to her bag and pulls out her cell phone. She pulls a card out of her pocket and calls the number on the card.
MARIA Hello…I need help.
TWO DAYS LATER IN THE LIVING ROOM-EVENING Maria sits on the couch as she watches television. Angel walks into the living room and looks at her.
ANGEL What are you doing home? MARIA Didn’t feel like working?
ANGEL But the cable bill has to be paid.
MARIA It was.
ANGEL Cool.
MARIA I didn’t pay your car insurance.
ANGEL What?
MARIA So you can enjoy all the porn you want. If you want, you can walk to your girlfriend’s house.
She smiles.
MARIA Oh, and I cancelled your health insurance.
ANGEL What?
Angel does a double take and looks at Maria.
ANGEL So what am I going to do?
MARIA (STANDING UP) Well first off, you are going to go and get help for your drinking; then you’re going to yourself a job so you can pay your monthly bills. So you can keep your cable on. I gave you a free bee.
ANGEL You’re my wife.
MARIA And you treated me like s**t!!!
ANGEL YOU can’t leave me.
MARIA I never said that I was leaving you, I said that I cancelled your car and health insurances.
ANGEL Why are you being such a b***h?
MARIA You haven’t seen a b***h yet.
ANGEL Are you threatening me?
MARIA No, just making a promise to myself.
Angel walks over to Maria and they stand off with each other.
MARIA
Get out of my face?
ANGEL
You big and bad now?
MARIA
NO, just trusting my God.
ANGEL
He ain’t gonna help you?
MARIA
The things that you do to me
aren’t nothing compared to what’s in
heaven.
ANGEL
There is no heaven, there is no God.
MARIA
You are not going to shake my belief. ANGEL
Believe what you want.
MARIA Then bring it punk?
Maria pushes Angel and he falls backwards.
Maria runs into the kitchen and she runs for the knife. They fight in the kitchen pulling no punches. Maria fights for her life and her dignity. They tussle back and forth in the kitchen. Angel falls out of the kitchen and goes back in as objects fall in the kitchen.
SILENCE Maria walks out of the kitchen all bloody.
She remains silent and looks out.
MARIA (TO THE AUDIENCE) That was the fight of my life at that moment. I fought and fought and fought. I managed to call 9-1-1 before the whole thing started. I didn’t say anything. I made the call and left the line open. I walked over to the door and unlocked it. While we were fighting, the police managed to get there in time-who would have thought? But they weren’t fast enough. Angel went back to prison for third degree murder. Since he had a prior, they decided to throw the book at him along with the whole library. He got life.
Maria remains silent. She looks away and then back out into the world. She holds back her tears. Then she smiles. MARIA This is the night I was killed. My husband, the man who I devoted my life too was the one who broke my neck. I was tired of being beaten, abused and treated like crap. Enough was enough and I had to do something about it.
She pauses for a moment.
MARIA Most women are either too scared or just has no where else to go. I don’t know if I made the right choice, but I made the choice to refuse to be a victim. I know my God will take care of me in a world better than this. But I didn’t need none of this. All I was trying to be was a good wife, and I failed. Or did I?
Maria wipes her tears. She looks out at the world standing firm. She remains silent for a moment.
MARIA If you feel that you are in a toxic relationship, get out. There are people that are willing to help you get the help that you need. Stop being the victim and find your nearest police officer, fire fighter or even a store clerk. The madness has to stop. It has for me, and now I am free. © 2020 Corey ParisAuthor's Note
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1 Review  Last Updated on May 1, 2020 Tags: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, STAGEPLAYS, LYCANSHIRE, STOP THE MADNESS Author
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