Counting and Cracking
Page 11
YOUNG THIRRU: I …
APAH: Speak, Thirru!
Beat.
YOUNG THIRRU: It doesn’t matter who’s in government.
APAH: Excuse me?
Young THIRRU: No-one will protect us.
YOUNG RADHA: Thirru?
Beat. Everyone is still looking at him.
YOUNG THIRRU: Two days ago in Jaffna my sister and I were at a school carnival. A group of police arrived drunk. All the police are Sinhala. When they were asked to pay like everyone else they physically attacked the organisers. Members of the public attacked them back—
VINSANDA: A stupid move—
YOUNG THIRRU: —so the police opened fire on the crowd.
VINSANDA: A policeman was killed—
BYSTANDER 1: Four of our people were killed!
YOUNG THIRRU: Including my sister’s friend. Then the gossip spread that Tamils had attacked Sinhala policemen—
Overlapping:
BYSTANDER 2: People said Tamils attacked Buddhist temples and Sinhala shops—
BYSTANDER 3: They did.
BYSTANDER 1: No! My brother was there! They did no such thing!
YOUNG THIRRU: Soon there was mass violence across the North. But where was the government? Where was the government?
VINSANDA: ‘Mass violence’ is a rather extreme way to describe it.
HASA: What would you know, father?
Beat.
VINSANDA: Excuse me?
HASA: Have you ever been in a riot?
VINSANDA: I’ve been stopping riots for longer than you’ve been alive, child.
HASA: Yesterday I was reporting down South, near Aluthgama. A pregnant Tamil woman was chased into a sugar cane field. The mobs set the field alight, they caught the woman and ripped open her / belly—
BYSTANDER 3: / Oh my God.
VINSANDA: / Hasa, this is a wedding—
YOUNG THIRRU: Tens of thousands of Tamils in the middle of the country have been driven out of their homes. They have all had to flee up North.
YOUNG RADHA: In a few weeks of your election fifty thousand people have become refugees in their own country—
BYSTANDER 1: My cousin has sold his shop. We don’t feel welcome in the South anymore.
YOUNG RADHA: Violence has become normal for you. It’s just another political tool—
VINSANDA: We’ve arrested the perpetrators. That is our job.
APAH: Oh yes, your government loves arresting people.
YOUNG THIRRU: But no-one can actually keep us safe. Isn’t that the first duty of those we elect?
NIHINSA: [pointing at Young thirru] ඒක තමයි ඇත්ත (That is the truth.)
Everyone looks at her. Pause.
VINSANDA: [angered, to Young thirru] If you really want the riots to stop, Thirru, talk to your own leaders. The T.U.L.F. say they want a separate state! They say they do not use violence, but they suggest violence may come in the future. How do you expect the majority to react?
BYSTANDER 2: We live in fear.
YOUNG THIRRU: The T.U.L.F. are not our leaders. They hold rallies in the villages. They tell us to be proud of being Tamil. Of speaking Tamil. But they pay for private tutors to teach their own children Sinhala, so they can land government jobs in Colombo. [Beat.] The young ones in Jaffna like my sister have given up on the Tamil leadership. They watch Sinhala police shoot their friends in schoolyards. They trust no-one. And now … Now the real problem is, they have decided to take matters into their own hands.
Mister LEVI: Forgive me, but I don’t see how all this leads to you being handcuffed to this chair.
APAH: Good point, thank you. Today the U.N.P. tabled a new bill—
VINSANDA: In response to politically motivated violence that is putting the majority population in danger—
APAH: An ‘anti-terrorism’ bill in which they seek the right to imprison and execute people—
VINSANDA: Only those terrorists who are considered a danger to the state—
APAH: —without proper judicial or parliamentary review.
YOUNG RADHA: That is outrageous!
APAH: Your Apah has limited power to change policy these days, Radha. But even a party of one has tactics.
VINSANDA: What— to act like a bullish child?
APAH: I simply talked in Parliament for four hours straight and there was no time for anyone to pass any bill of any kind.
YOUNG RADHA: That sounds like an intelligent tactic to me.
VINSANDA: Simply talked for four hours and simply refused to vacate his chair when the speaker ordered him to, so security picked him up where he sat and carried him out, still talking.
The bystanders laugh.
They put him down on Galle Road. Hundreds gathered around him as they sat in the sun in protest. He went on bloody talking so I told the police to simply pick him up and carry him to prison where he can bloody well talk as much as he likes without causing public disturbances and legislative chaos.
YOUNG RADHA: Apah. You are too old for this.
APAH: I cannot be silent, Radha.
VINSANDA: We’ll pass the policy tomorrow. If not then, the day after. And if not then, the day after that.
An uncomfortable pause.
YOUNG RADHA: [to the POLICEMAN] තව මාංචුවක් තියෙනවද? (Do you have another pair of handcuffs?)
POLICEMAN: Yes ma’am.
YOUNG RADHA: Give them to me.
VINSANDA: Don’t give / them to her!
He does.
YOUNG RADHA: Thank you Sir.
Young Radha handcuffs herself to the chair. A gasp from everyone.
APAH: Radha, what are you doing?
YOUNG RADHA: Vinsanda Mama, I will not marry your son.
APAH: / What?
VINSANDA: I beg your pardon?
YOUNG RADHA: His opinions I like. I like him. But I will not marry for alliance. Not for class. Not for the sake of trying to rescue an old friendship that is being destroyed by politics—
APAH: Radha—
YOUNG RADHA: And I certainly cannot marry into the family of a man whose government is determined to drag Sri Lanka into madness and horror.
APAH: Radha this is not the occasion—
YOUNG RADHA: Tell that to Vinsanda! Tell that to yourself! Crashing in here like a pair of golden elephants.
Aacha enters.
YOUNG RADHA: Weddings are more important than politics! Aren’t they Aacha?
AACHA: What on earth is going on? [To VINSANDA] Did you do this?
VINSANDA: Radha did it to herself.
YOUNG RADHA: This is my protest. All of Sri Lanka has been hijacked by politics. Schools, shops, hospitals, houses, now even weddings. People must live! Life must hijack politics!
AACHA: What is going on?
Mister LEVI: This Radha girl is not going to marry this Hasa fellow.
AACHA: Who are you? What?
YOUNG RADHA: I’m not going to marry into that man’s family.
AACHA: You will do what your elders tell you.
YOUNG RADHA: Look what our elders have done to Sri Lanka!
AACHA: [advancing on Young radha] How dare you—
YOUNG RADHA: But Aacha—
Aacha slaps Young radha. Another gasp from the onlookers.
AACHA: You think you know everything? You think life is just about shouting out whatever thoughts come into your bloody head?
APAH: Aacha. Leave her be. It’s okay.
AACHA: It is certainly not okay. Now tell me. What is going on?
VINSANDA: Hasanga?
HASA: Radha and I have talked. She’s in love with someone else.
AACHA: Who? Who are you in love with?
YOUNG RADHA: I’m not telling.
AACHA: [to HASA] Who is she in love with?
HASA: Isn’t it obvious?
AACHA: No it isn’t bloody obvious!
APAH: Radha why did you chain yourself to my chair?
YOUNG RADHA: [laughing at herself] I don
’t know. To change the game! No more politics! Only life!
AACHA: Stupid girl, shut up and tell us who it is?
BYSTANDER 3: Who does she love?
YOUNG RADHA: I’m not telling.
APAH: Radha, darling, it’s not a protest until you know your demands.
YOUNG RADHA: Okay. [Beat] Weddings are more important than politics. Vinsanda Mama, say it.
VINSANDA: Radha …
YOUNG RADHA: Weddings are more important than politics!
VINSANDA: You know that isn’t true—
YOUNG RADHA: It is true! We must live life first!
VINSANDA: There is no life to live without politics.
AACHA: Just shut up and say it, man!
Beat.
VINSANDA: Weddings are more important than politics.
YOUNG RADHA: Second. [Thinks, then:] Women run their families better than you run the country.
VINSANDA: This is very silly.
YOUNG RADHA: Women run their families better than you run the country.
VINSANDA: Oh my God.
YOUNG RADHA: Say it. Apah. Say it.
APAH: Women run their families better than we run the country.
YOUNG RADHA: Vinsanda Mama.
VINSANDA: Women run their families better than we run the country.
YOUNG RADHA: And third—I can marry who I choose.
APAH: I trust you to pick the right person, Radha.
YOUNG RADHA: Aacha?
Beat.
AACHA: Who are you in love with?
YOUNG RADHA: I can marry who I choose.
Pause.
AACHA: Marry whoever you bloody like just stop torturing me. Who? Who?
Beat. Young Radha looks at Young thirru. Everyone looks at Young thirru.
YOUNG THIRRU: Me?
Pause.
AACHA: I should have known. [To APAH] This is your fault. The pair of you, fix it up now. Lunch is waiting!
APAH: Radha. Any more demands?
Young Radha is looking at Young thirru.
YOUNG RADHA: … No.
APAH: Then unlock yourself from my chair.
The policeman unlocks her.
[To vinsanda] So? What now?
VINSANDA: Hasa?
HASA: Of course.
VINSANDA: Okay.
APAH: Very good.
VINSANDA: Very good.
APAH: Aacha?
She looks at Young radha. Young Radha is looking at Young thirru.
AACHA: Okay fine. For now. [To VINSANDA] Unlock my husband.
Vinsanda nods to the policeman.
[To VINSANDA] I won’t tell you again. No. Politics. In. My. House.
Vinsanda offers his hand to apah.
VINSANDA: It’s just cricket, my friend.
Beat.
APAH: See you back at the crease tomorrow, Vinsanda.
They shake hands.
AACHA: Go and eat. Everybody. I’m fed up with the lot of you.
The fragile little society assembled disperses to eat.
[To HASA] Go and have some whiskey. And pour me a brandy from my cupboard.
HASA: Yes Aacha.
Hasa exits.
YOUNG THIRRU: Radha—
AACHA: No. I’m not finished with you two. Radha take your grandfather inside. Nihinsa put a plate of food in his study.
YOUNG RADHA: How did you get Apah out of prison?
AACHA: The groom is the son of the Minster of Justice. Go. Inside.
YOUNG RADHA: Yes, Aacha. [To Young THIRRU] Swathi gave me this, it’s for you.
Apah and Young radha exit.
Young Thirru opens the note. He reads it, then runs off stage, the same way swathi exited. Aacha watches him go:
AACHA: The fruit seller’s son thinks he can marry my daughter. Not while I am still breathing.
Nihinsa stands and looks out across the wedding. Aacha walks to her.
අවුරුදු 12ක හිර දඬුවමක්? (They gave your husband twelve years?)
NIHINSA: ඔව් ලොකු නෝනා (Yes, loku nona.)
Aacha gives her some money.
AACHA: ළමයින්ගෙ වියදංවලට (For the children.)
NIHINSA: පිං ලොකු නෝනා (Thank you, loku nona.)
Nihinsa takes it and tucks it into her saree. She looks at maithri.
අපේ එක්කෙනා පවුල අමතක කරලා දේශපාලනේ කරන්න ගියා. මගේ ලොකු එකා කමකට නැති නිකමෙක්. ඌව නං කවුරුත් කසාද බඳින එකක් නෑ (My husband chose his politics over his family. My son is useless. No-one will marry him.)
AACHA: උඹේ හිතහැදෙන්න මොනවා කියන්නද කියලා මට හිතාගන්න බෑ නිහින්සා (I’d be lying if I said I had any answers, Nihinsa.)
Aacha exits.
Nihinsa pulls maithri up by the ear.
NIHINSA: කොල්ලො උඹ හමුදාවට බැඳියන් (Boy. You must join the army.)
MAITHRI: මොනවා? (What?)
NIHINSA: හමුදාවෙදි වගේ දෙගුණයක් ජීවිත මහපාරේ අනතුරු වලින් නැතිවෙනවයි කියන්නේ! මේ කාලේ, එහෙම ස්ථිර රස්සාවක් හොයාගන්න වෙන්නෑ. උඹ මං වගේ මෙහෙකාරකං කරනවා දකින්න මට බෑ. උඹ හමුදාවට බැඳෙන්න ඕනේ (Just as many people lose their lives each year in traffic accidents as get killed in the army. It’s the most stable job in the country right now. Radha can demand her rights but we can’t demand ours. We must break out of this. You must join the army.)
Maithri bows his head.
මට තව වැඩ තියෙනවා. (I have to work.)
She gives him the money.
Buy dinner for your sister. Go!
Nihinsa and maithri exit in different directions. Young Thirru enters. He is alone.
young Radha enters.
They look at each other.
Radha stands up.
YOUNG THIRRU: I don’t know if today is the happiest or the saddest day of my life.
He holds up the note from swathi.
Swathi has gone to join the Tigers. You don’t want our troubles in your life, Radha. You shouldn’t marry me.
Beat.
Radha?
Siddhartha and lily enter.
SCENE FOUR
SIDDHARTHA: [to RADHA] Amma?
Sydney, 2004.
Amma, this is my … This is Lily. I know this is a shock for you but you’ve barely said anything for weeks and this is just how it is now. I’m sorry. I think Thirru’s going to call tonight. I got a text message from plus-six zero one six—that’s Malaysia. ‘Your father safe. Wait please.’ That’s from Malaysia.
Radha looks at lily.
LILY: Hi, Radha Aunty. I’ve heard a lot about you, it’s nice to finally—
Radha exits.
I thought that went well.
Swathi enters.
Maithri enters, dressed in army uniform and with a gun.
A Tamil Tigers officer enters. He carries a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) uniform. Swathi runs to him. He says an LTTE battle cry and she repeats it. She takes the uniform and they exit.
Nihinsa enters. Maithri walks to her. She holds his face affectionately and offers a Buddhist prayer before pushing him away. They exit.
Radha enters, carrying a cup of tea. She offers it to lily, gives her a kiss on the forehead. Siddhartha takes lily’s hand. They gather around the phone.
SIDDHARTHA: Now we wait.
A people smuggler hurries through with two or three asylum seekers. One of them is thirru.
Thirru gives the smuggler cash. He mimes the act of a phone. The people smuggler shakes his head. Thirru gi
ves him the gold chain around his neck, and mimes again. The smuggler gives him a phone, and a calling card.
SMUGGLER: Hurry.
Thirru dials a long number.
The phone in Radha’s living room rings. Siddhartha answers.
SIDDHARTHA: Hello?
THIRRU: Siddhartha?
SIDDHARTHA: Thirru?
THIRRU: Hello. / Can you hear me?
SIDDHARTHA: I can hear you. Can you hear me?
THIRRU: Hello? Siddhartha, / I’m sorry—
SIDDHARTHA: I’m putting you on speakerphone. Can you hear me?
THIRRU: Hello Siddhartha?
SIDDHARTHA: Where are you? / I’m here with Amma and my—
THIRRU: I don’t know exactly where—
SIDDHARTHA: And Lily. My girlfriend Lily.
THIRRU: Your what?
Beat.
Siddhartha: We’re in a relationship.
LILY: Hello Thirru.
Beat.
THIRRU: I hope to meet you one day, Lily.
LILY: I hope so too, Thirru.
SIDDHARTHA: Where have you been? / I got a text from—
THIRRU: / I’m in Indonesia.
SIDDHARTHA: / —from Malaysia.
THIRRU: No no, Indonesia.
SIDDHARTHA: Sorry?
THIRRU: Somewhere in Indonesia. / I’m about to get on a boat.
SIDDHARTHA: I got a text from plus-six zero one six. Malaysia.
LILY: [to SIDDHARTHA] Siddhartha …
THIRRU: Radha?
SIDDHARTHA: No, Amma’s not— Why are you in Indonesia?
The people smuggler hurries through again with two or three more asylum seekers.
Siddhartha: You were in India right?
As the smuggler passes thirru he motions to him.
Smuggler: Hurry!
THIRRU: Siddhartha I’m getting on a boat.
SIDDHARTHA: What boat?
THIRRU: I was in Malaysia. But I couldn’t call you, I’m sorry Siddhartha. I was locked in a room—
SIDDHARTHA: How did you end up in Malaysia?
THIRRU: First I was in Rameshwaram. / No, first I was in Mannar—
SIDDHARTHA: Rameshwaram— that’s / India right?
THIRRU: In Colombo Sunil put me on a truck to Mannar. A man in Mannar put me on a boat to Rameshwaram. In Rameshwaram I registered as a refugee. There were families there who had been registered there for thirty-four years Siddhartha, I met a man who was born and grew / up there—
The smuggler runs through with more Asylum Seekers.
SIDDHARTHA: Thirru what’s going on? We didn’t hear from you in weeks and now / you’re in—