LEAVING DRAMA SCRIPT NARRAT NARRATOR : A FEW DA DAYS LAT LATER, ON A SUNDAY SUNDAY MORNING… MORNING… MOTHER : (LOOK UP FROM SEWING MACHINE) LET’S GO AND SHOW THIS LETTER TO MR VELJI. HE UNDERSTANDS THINGS LIKE THESE. LET’S TAKE TAKE HIS ADVICE. NARRAT NARRATOR : MR VELJI WA WAS ONE OF THEIR SCHOOL SCHOOL OFFICERS. OFFICERS. HE HAS A LARGE HEAD, WHICH LOOKED LIKE AN EGG AND A SMALL NEAT BODY. ( MR VELJI WALK WALK IN I N AND WELCOMED THEM. ALOO AND I STOOD UP POLITELY.) MR VELJI : HOW ARE YOU IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I HAVE HAVE SEEN ALOO AND YOU. WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU MOTHER : WE HAVE HAVE COME TO YOU FOR ADVICE….. MR VELJI : SPEAK THEN. MOTHER : OUR FAMILY FAMILY CONSISTS OF MY FIVE CHILDREN CHI LDREN AND ME. MY HUSBAND DIED WHEN I WAS THIRTY!THREE. MY DAUGHTERS, MEHROON ME HROON AND RA"IA GOT MARRIED AND THEY HAV HAVE LEFT LE FT THE HOME. MY THIRD CHILD, FIRO" FIR O" DID NOT FINISH HIS LAST YEAR AT AT SCHOOL. MY SECOND SON IS STUDYING IN I N UNIVERSITY UNIVERSI TY AND AND NOW…. ( POINTING POINTI NG AT AT ALOO ) THIS ONE WANTS TO GO TO AMERICA. AMERICA. ALOO, SHOW HIM THE DOCUMENT. ( ALOO PUT ALL THE PAPERS PAPERS INTO I NTO MR VELJI’S VELJI’ S HAND. ) MR VELJI : HOW DID YOU DO IN THE SCHOOL E#AMS ALOO : STRAIGHT A’ A’S SIR. MR VELJI : ALL A’S A’S ALOO : YES, SIR. ( MR VELJI READ THE PAPERS. AT LAST HE LOOKED UP. ) MR VELJI : THE BOY IS RIGHT. THE UNIVERSITY IS GOOD AND THEY ARE GIVING HIM A SCHOLARSHIP. IT IS A GREAT THING.
MOTHER : BUT WHAT MUST I DO WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TELL US WHAT WE MUST DO. MR VELJI : WELL, IT’LL BE GOOD FOR HIS EDUCATION (STOPED AND CONTINUE SLOWLY ) BUT IF YOU SEND HIM, YOU WILL LOSE YOUR SON. IT IS A FAR PLACE, AMERICA. NARRATOR : THEN THEY WALKED BACK HOME. ALOO : ( WHISPERED ANGRILY ) ALL THE RICH KIDS GO EVERY YEAR AND THEY ARE NOT LOST. WHY CAN’T YOU LET ME GO NARRATOR : THAT NIGHT MOTHER WAS AT THE SEWING MACHINE AND ALOO WAS READING. THROUGH THE OPEN FRONT DOOR A LITTLE WIND CAME IN, BRINGING SOME WELCOME COOL AIR INTO THE HOT ROOM. ALOO’ BROTHER WAS STANDING AT THE DOOR , LISTENING TO THE NIGHT SOUNDS $ TREES RUSTLING, VOICES FROM YOUNG IN THE STREET, CALLING GOODNIGHT TO THEIR FRIENDS. AFTER A WHILE… MOTHER : ( LOOKED UP ) WELL SHOW ME WHAT THIS UNIVERSITY LOOKS LIKE $ BRING THE PROSPECTUS, WILL YOU NARRATOR : THREE OF THEM SAT DOWN TO LOOK AT THE PROSPECTUS. ALOO : IT’S SOMETHING ISN’T IT ( WHISPERED ) THEY TEACH EVERYTHING THERE. THERE IS MEDICINE COURSE, ASTRONOMY COURSE AND SO ON. THEY EVEN SEND ROCKETS TO THE MOON… MOTHER : IF YOU GO AWAY TO THE MOON, MY SON, WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ME ( SMILING ) NARRATOR : ALOO WENT BACK TO HIS BOOK AND MOTHER TO HER SEWING MACHINE. A LITTLE LATER, MOTHER WAS THINKING DEEPLY. IN ALOO’S BROTHER’S THOUGHT… ALOO’S BROTHER : THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I SEE HER AS A PERSON AND NOT JUST AS OUR MOTHER. SHE HAD LIVED A HARD LIFE WITH FIVE CHILDREN AND NO HUSBAND. IN THE
YEARS AFTER FATHER’S DEAD SEVERAL MEN ASKED HER TO MARRY THEM, BUT SHE ALWAYS REFUSED TO MARRY AGAIN. BECAUSE OF US. JUST BECAUSE OF US. I NEVER KNEW HER WHEN SHE WAS SMILING AND PRETTY, WEARING BEAUTIFUL CLOTHES… I KNEW ONLY A WORRIED, UNSMILING FACE, A FACE WITH DEEP LINES GETTING DEEPER EVERY YEAR, HAIR GETTING THINNER, A BODY GETTING FATTER , A VOICE NO LONGER SOFT. MOTHER : ( LOOKED AT ALOO’S BROTHER WHO WAS LOOKING AT HER AND SAID TO ALOO ) PROMISE ME… PROMISE ME THAT IF I LET YOU GO, YOU WILL NOT MARRY A WHITE WOMAN. ALOO : OH MOTHER, YOU KNOW I WON’T% MOTHER : AND PROMISE ME THAT YOU WILL NOT SMOKE OR DRINK. ALOO : YOU KNOW I PROMISE… NARRATOR : ALOO’S FIRST LETTER CAME A WEEK AFTER HE LEFT, FROM LONDON. HE STOPPED THERE TO VISIT AN OLD FRIEND FROM SCHOOL. THE LETTER WAS FULL OF E#CITEMENT. ALOO : HOW CAN I DESCRIBE WHAT I SAW FROM THE PLANE MILE AFTER MILE OF GREEN FIELDS, NEAT GREEN S&UARES, EVEN THE MOUNTAINS ARE CLEAN AND TIDY. AND LONDON… OH LONDON... IT NEVER ENDS… HOUSES, S&UARES, PARKS, GARDENS, GREAT BULIDINGS… HOW CAN ANY CITY BE SO BIG HOW MANY OF OUR DAR ES SALAAMS WOULD GO INTO THIS ONE BEAUTIFUL CITY… NARRATOR : A BIRD FLYING HIGH AND FREE ' MR VELJI SITTING IN HIS CHAIR, HIS WISE FACE FULL OF UNDERSTANDING ' MOTHER STARING INTO THE FUTURE.
