Cooks Wedding

Scene 1
Opens to a kitchen. Cook is at the hearth, bussing herself with the large pot on the fire. She is glancing over obsessively at the two people at the table. Nurse and Cab Driver are talking pleasantly over tea. Child is hiding outside the door, watching.

Nurse offers Cab Driver a bit of vodka, Cab Driver refuses, Nurse seems impressed and tries to point this out to cook, who ignores her. Nurse compliments Cab Driver, who response humbly.

Child tries to open the door, it squeaks and Nurse see’s him. She excuses herself to go discipline him. As she grips one shoulder, she is trying to explain what she did wrong with her free hand. As she does this, Child squirms and protests. Her “words” are ignored.

Child: No! No! Let me go! I wanna see! Stop! I wanna know! Stop! No! (ect.)

As Child protests the Cab Driver picks up the bottle of vodka and takes a large drink straight from the bottle. Cook turns to see if Child is alright and notices him. Cook grabs the bottle from Cab Drivers hand, Cab Driver snatches it back, and squeezes down on her wrists. Cook, in pain, pulls away and goes back to cooking curtly. Cab driver takes another swig and puts the bottle back.

Nurse sighs and points towards the wings, sending him on his way. Child huffs and plays storming out. The nurse, pleased with herself for getting Child to do as she told, walks back into the kitchen, apologizing for Child’s behaviour. Child follows her on her hands and knees, unseen and hides behind a large basket of apples. Nurse and Cab Driver continue to talk and Cook walks past the basket of apples to get some spices off a rack on the wall. She is rubbing the wrist that Cab Driver had twisted.

Child: Why is Cook rubbing her arm? I bet it was him! I bet he hurt her! He isn’t allowed to hurt Cook because Cook is good and kind! I will not let him do that! I will- I will stone him!

Child picks up and apple and throws it at Cab Driver. Cab Driver swears and starts toward Child. Child runs and hides behind Cook and Nurse tries to calm Cab Driver, insisting he sit down. Cook kneels down to Child’s level and strokes her face, signing to her “You cannot throw things at people.” Child nods and lets herself be led out of the kitchen buy Nurse.

Cab Driver yells at Cook, who yells back, threatening with the wooden spoon from the pot. He hits her, she hits him back and the Cab Driver storms out, the Cook yells something as he leaves.

End Scene

Scene 2
Cook, Nurse, Cab Driver, Mama and Papa are sitting at the large table eating dinner. Child is hiding under the table, trying to avoid being kicked or touched as she is not supposed to be there. The conversation is pleasant and everyone is all smiles. They all seem to be referring to Cook, who starts to look less and less happy as the conversation goes on.

Under the table, Cab Drivers hand slides onto Cooks leg, and she digs her nails into his hand and forces it back onto his own leg. Once his hand was free of her grasp, he slap’s her, masking the sound is a laugh. Though out the entire exchange they act no differently above the table.

Nurse asks for more food, and when Cook gets up, Child scampers out from behind the table and hides behind the door again, peering at the adults. Cook sees her as she refills Nurse’s plate and tries to get her shoo her away. Child shakes her head and sticks out her tongue, Cook smiles and rolls her eyes.

As Cook gets the food, Cab Driver makes a joke that sends Papa and Nurse into tears and Mama looks slightly horrified for the content of the joke, but amused regardless. Cab Driver seems rather proud of himself and turns to face Cook as she comes to sit back down. He pulls from his pocket a grubby ring and offers it to her. Cook doesn’t get a chance to respond, fore Nurse jumps up and smiles, talking rapidly and answering for Cook. Cab Driver puts the ring on her finger and gives her a harsh kiss on the cheek, Cook tries to pull away.

Everyone sits down again and is laughing, Cook looks ashamed and grins weakly. Fiddling with her hands under the table. She spots Child again and points at her, telling everyone she will return Child to bed she gets up and flees the room. Child follows her slowly after glancing into the room once more.

Child: Getting married must be shameful. Terribly shameful.

No one at the table gets up to follow Cook out, and all continue their conversation. Cook comes back in, with red eyes like she’d been crying, picks up and apple from the basket, and throws it at Cab Driver. Before Cab Driver can get up she storms out of the room. Mama and Papa make sure Cab Driver is alright before trying to calm him down and Nurse races after Cook.

Once Cab Driver is calm he sits with Papa at the table, talking low. Child comes in and Mama see’s her, and leads her gently out of the room by her hand. Child struggles to see what is happening but allows herself to be pulled along.

End scene

Scene 3
It’s night and Nurse and Cook are arguing rather animatedly. Nurse is scolding Cook for her behaviour and her folly, and Cook isn’t taking it so well. The argument drags on for a little bit and finally Nurse slaps Cook, who immediately slaps her back. Nurse stars at Cook for a while before storming out of the room. She brushes by Mama and Child.

Mama rushes into the room and sits down beside Cook, who has since slumped down into a chair. Cook hugs Mama and cries into her shoulder, who comforts her. Child climbs up onto Cooks lap and sits here, hugging Cook. Mama pulls away and says something to Cook, who nods and wipe tears from her eyes.

Child falls asleep and Cook strokes her hair absentmindedly. Mama smiles and says something softly about Cook being a good mother one day. Cook laughs and looks down at child. Mama gives her another hug and gets up to leave, telling Cook to put Child to bed.

Papa comes in, looking less charitable. He asks calmly but aggravated what Cook thought she was doing and why would she act like a child. Mama tries to calm him down, but Papa will here nothing of it. Cook doesn’t lash out at him, but looks him in the eye as he lectures her.

As Papa speaks, Mama wakes up child and pulls her off of Cooks lap. Child doesn’t protest and clings to Mama’s leg, still sleepy. Cook gets up and stares down Papa for a moment before walking out the door outside briskly. Papa tries to follow, but Mama grabs his hands and tells him not to. Papa sighs and walks out the other way.

Child: Mama- why is Cook so miserable? She should just ot marry him, she can stay here with me. I don’t want her to leave.

Mama bends down and hugs Child. She walks over to the basket and picks up and apple and gives it to Child. Child sits on a chair and eats it. Mama sits down next to her, eating an apple of her own. Child smiles at her and Mama smiles back.

End Scene

Scene 4
A Priest is standing in front of Cook and Cab Driver, reading from the Bible. Nurse, Mama and Child are on the side beside Cook and Papa is on Cab Drivers side, there is also another Man beside Papa. The wedding is almost over and the Priest nods at Cab Driver who takes Cooks hands and says a few words to her. The Priest nods a Cook who places her hand on Cab Drivers and reluctantly responds. The Priest says something else and Cab Driver gives Cook a quick peak on the lips. Cook pulls away almost immediately and everyone else claps.

The group breaks up and Mama goes to speak with the Priest. Nurse, Papa and Cab Driver sit at the table. Cook gathers plates of refreshments and places them on the table, Child helps her set he food out. Child smiles proudly at Cook, who smiles back at her and ruffles her hair. The continue setting things out.

Papa offers vodka to Nurse, who takes a glass, and Cab Driver, who refuses. Papa and Nurse are impressed, but press him into having some, even going so far as to pour him a glass. The Cab Driver accepts the glass and downs it. Nurse and Papa joke about him being a natural born drinker and pour him another one, which he also downs. This happens a few more times.

Mama looks around at the group and beckons the Man over. She then declares it is time for music and dancing and everyone laughs and agrees. Mama grabs Papa and pulls him up. Cab Driver goes to take Cooks hands but Child grabs them first, giving Cab Driver a dirty look. Everyone laughs and Nurse takes Cab Drivers hands, promising she’ll be gentle. The Man starts up the music and everyone dances around the kitchen in a lively fashion. There is no uniform style, and child is being swung about to a beat not found in the tune. The Priest stands beside the Man and claps along, laughing.

Child: Cook is pretty in her dress! She’s like an angel- she is an angel! A lovely angel who makes good soup! I get to dance with one of God’s angels!

When the song ends everyone calls for another one. Papa grabs Childs hands and once again Cab Driver goes to choose Cook, but she instead takes Mama’s hands and stands ready to dance. Cab Driver accuses them all from keeping his wife from him and slams down on the table with his fist. Everyone else stares at him, silent.

Cab Driver makes a grab at Cook, but she steps out of the way to avoid it. The Cab Driver knocks a plate of food onto the floor and storms out of the room. Cook cleans up the mess and apologizes for her husband, nobody moves and they all stand about awkwardly.

Child: An angel has married a devil.

End Scene

Scene 5
Cab Driver is sitting at the table, drinking straight from the vodka bottle again. He muttering angrily to himself, clearly drunk. Cook comes in a stops, looks at Cab Driver and tries to leave. Cab Driver gets up and grabs her, forcing her into a chair. He starts to tell her things, not yelling at her though. Child follows Cook in, ducking behind the apple basket again. She watches, trying not to be seen.

He tells her to give him her wages, she protests and he hits her. She waits for a moment then gets up and takes money from her pocket and hands it to him. He shoves it in his pocket and picks up the bottle of vodka and take another swig.

The Cook tries to leave, but Cab Driver her grabs her again and tells her to make him something to eat. She looks at him for a moment, but gets him a plate of bread and cheese. He grabs the hunk of bread and take a bite out of it. He picks up the bottle and walks out of the kitchen.

Cook waits till after Cab Driver leaves and she’s cleaned up the mess he’s left before dropping onto her knees and sobbing, her face in her hands. Child comes out from behind the basket of apples and walks over to her. Cook doesn’t notice her. Child watches her for a moment and then walks over to the basket of apples.

Child searches though it till she finds the biggest, shiniest apple she can get, and still shines in on the sleeve of her shirt. She walks over to Cook and taps her on her head, hiding the apple behind her back.

When Cook looks up Child places the apple in her hand and kisses her cheek. She then runs out of the room before Cook can do anything.

Child: Angels should not cry.

Once Child has left, Cook looks down at the apple and blinks at it. She then smiles and takes a bite.

End.