Read Three Plays: The Young Lady from Tacna, Kathie and the Hippopotamus, La Chunga for Free Online Page A

future saviour of the family.
    ( During BELISARIO’ s speech , AGUSTIN and CESAR have come in from the street. They kiss GRANDMOTHER and their sister , AMELIA, and go up to greet MAMAE, who smiles politely and bows when she sees them coming. They embrace her. She lets them, but suddenly shouts out: )
    MAMAE: Long live Herod! Long live Herod! Ahhh!
    ( As MAMAE shouts , BELISARIO carries on writing. He seems to be enjoying himself very much. In fact he is so delighted he can hardly sit still. He stops working from time to time to observe MAMAE. He imitates her gestures and expression – she raises his hand to his throat as if he were attempting to throttle someone .)
    GRANDMOTHER: Quiet, Elvira, stop shouting like a maniac. What’s this stupid habit you’ve got of shrieking ‘Long live Herod!’ whenever Agustín and César appear? ( To AGUSTIN and CESAR) Dear oh dear, what with Mamaé who lives in a world of her own, and my husband who doesn’t remember anything from one moment to the next, I don’t know what’s to become of me, I really don’t. I’m just going to see if Pedro’s awake. He went to have a little rest.
    ( She goes out . AMELIA, AGUSTIN and CESAR gather round MAMAE.)
    MAMAE: Of all the characters in history, he’s quite my favourite. He had every one of the little blighters killed. I’d do the
same – I’d do away with the lot of them. I wouldn’t leave a single one, not even as a specimen.
    CESAR: ( To his brother ) And there were you wanting me to get the children out of the car so they could say hello to Mama and Papa.
    MAMAE: Because I loathe them! And do you know why? Because of all those thousands and thousands of dirty nappies.
    AGUSTIN: ( Stroking her hair ) You’ve spent your life looking after other people’s children, and now it turns out you detest the little mites.
    MAMAE: Because of those millions of bibs they’re sick over, they’re always about to burst into tears – they’re always drooling, their noses need wiping, and their knees are always dirty and covered in scabs. And they won’t even let the grown-ups have their meals in peace, what with their bad table manners and naughty little pranks.
    (MAMAE talks to them calmly, smiling and bowing, but she gives the impression that she neither hears nor understands a word of what they say. )
    AMELIA: And to think that when Belisario had chickenpox, she was the one who threw me out of the room so that she could sleep beside him.
    MAMAE: Because they shout and throw tantrums; everything gets broken, mucked up, or ruined.
    BELISARIO: ( Interrupting his work ) You’d spend the day covering me with that ghastly black ointment. Every little spot, one by one. Then you’d take me by the hands and tell me stories to take my mind off it so I wouldn’t scratch. But even that didn’t stop me looking a sight, Mamaé!
    MAMAE: They’re selfish little brutes, they don’t care about anyone. They’re like sultans, you’ve got to pander to all their stupid little fads. So, like Herod, every single one of them. Like so, and like so!
    CESAR: What about that time in Arequipa, Mamaé, when I’d invite my schoolmates home? You used to make tea for all thirty of us, remember? So you can swear you hate children till you’re blue in the face, I just don’t believe it.
    (AMELIA signals to AGUSTIN and they both move aside a few steps. BELISARIO is sitting at his desk. He looks on intrigued , as AMELIA and AGUSTIN talk .)
    AMELIA: I want to have a word with you, Agustín.
    AGUSTIN: Yes, Amelia.
    AMELIA: I’ve been meaning to tell you, I … I can’t go on like this any more.
    ( When CESAR hears her, he goes up to them. MAMAE falls asleep. )
    CESAR: What’s the matter, Amelia?
    AMELIA: I’m quite exhausted. You’ll just have to take on a maid.
    AGUSTIN: We’d have done that some time ago if it had been at all possible. I thought we agreed that César and I would help Belisario finish his course at university and you would look after the