Twists And Turns E-Book

kenechukwu obi

• Herausgeber: KenWrites
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

This play is a journey through the lives of a loving British couple, their son and that of a woman who used to be their son's Nanny. At the heart of the play is Dale's newly-found uncontrolled ambition..... but will he realize that he is on the wrong path and avoid a big error that will haunt him for the rest of his life?

Leseprobe

TWISTS AND TURNS

A play

By

Kenechukwu Obi

CHARACTERS IN THE PLAY

DALE

NANCY

RICHARD

JANE

JOHN

KEVIN

KATY

LADY

CROWD EXTRAS FOR AUTOGRAPH SIGNING SCENES

ACT 1

SCENE ONE

The stage becomes illuminated, and what is seen is Dale in his London home. He is seated with a glass of brandy in his right arm. Dale is in a bad mood. He takes a sip and keeps the glass on a table in front of him. He then scratches his head and springs up from his seat and begins to saunter about as he thinks. He soon saunters hands akimbo and shaking his head in sorrow.

DALE

(Suddenly stops sauntering and yells) What is this? When will I be able to kick-start this life of mine?

(Dale strides to his seat and gets seated. He keeps starring at his glass of brandy until anger moves him to pick it and smash it on the floor. Dale then strides away looking absolutely furious.)

Lights fade and silence prevails for a while until the laughing voice of Nancy, Dale’s wife, comes alive. Then the stage gets illuminated again. Nancy is revealed seated and laughing. Her hands are carrying a picture Album. Nancy stops laughing and continues to admire the pictures in the album with a smile on her face, as she flips through.

NANCY

It is amazing to see how certain times, periods and moments of our lives are captured in pictures.

(Raises her head and slowly shakes it around in delight) Oh . . . I am now taken down memory lane.

(Smiles. Now looking at the pictures) Interesting! Pictures really say a lot of words. (Bursts out in laughter) Oh look at Dale and me. See how we were full of youth. (Bursts out again in laughter) Oh! That is Rooney, my son, right in the hands of that nice Nanny we used to have. What is her name again? (Thinks a bit) Yes! I remember! Yes . . . . Katy. She has since moved on and paid her way through the University. The University of East London if I’m not mistaking. (Smiles) Look at Rooney at one, relaxed in her arms and sucking from his feeding bottle. Oh . . . dear . . . . .

(Rooney soon enters and distracts his Mother, who is now looking up at him. Rooney is bouncing a football on the ground as he goes to his Mother. Nancy is unimpressed.]

Rooney! This is not a football pitch.

ROONEY

I know that. (Quickly grabs the ball)

NANCY

I can see you are going out to follow your dream.

ROONEY

You are right, Mummy. I have skills to develop. Our coach said I could be great. He said I could even play for my country like Wayne Rooney.

NANCY

And you really want to be like Wayne Rooney?

ROONEY

Sure!

NANCY

(Delighted) Go ahead, Rooney, and become a football Star. Good luck. (Smiles and faces the album.)

ROONEY

Thanks, Mummy. (Observes Nancy) What are you looking at? (Goes closer to Nancy to see for himself.)

NANCY

You remember Katy, the Nanny that took good care of you when you were little?

ROONEY

(Starring at Katy’s picture with interest) Yes. I haven’t seen her in years. (Enthusiastically) You know where she lives?

NANCY

I do. She is still here in London.

ROONEY

(Thrilled) And, Mummy, can I see her?

NANCY

For what? It was only two months ago she came visiting us.

ROONEY

I know but I’ve taken a liking to her because you’ve always told me she took good care of me.

NANCY

Of course she did. I will give you directions anytime you are ready. (Laughs) You will help me extend my regards.

ROONEY

(Very excited) I will. (Withdraws from Nancy) Mummy, I’m about to be late for practise.

NANCY

You had better hurry.

[Lights fade, and there is silence. The stage gets illuminated again. Dale storms in furious and screaming.]

DALE

When will I be hired? What sort of treatment is this that life hands to me? People go out there and get lucky. I go out and the whole of London is against me.

(NANCY ENTERS)

NANCY

That is what you think, but is not correct.

DALE

(Yells) What sort of bad luck is this? Look, Nancy, I am sick and tired of my condition! (Gets seated)

NANCY

That is the reason why you don’t have to give up the search!

Nancy pulls up a moody and dejected-looking Dale from the seat he is sitting on.

NANCY

No . . . . . Don’t give up. Good luck will come your way someday.

DALE

Luck? (Trots away from Nancy) Where is that Luck? (Trots back to Nancy and yells) That thing you call luck must be mad! Why has it departed from me? That thing you call luck hates me. Why must it continue to feed me with its bad side and ensure that I go out there and never get hired?

NANCY

(Pulls Dale’s hands) I know good luck will find you someday. You are good and quite skilful. Keep searching, Dale. I know that one day a job for a chef that you are will come up.

DALE

(Cuts in) Spare me that entire sermon! When? (Yells) When? You’ve been saying this same thing for the past one year that I’ve been out of work.

NANCY

Have I been complaining? (Gently) Look, Dale, I want you to cheer up. Let a smile come on that face of yours.

DALE

(Chuckles) There you go sounding ridiculous. What kind of business could a smile have on the face of a man without a job? It has been a year since I last had money I earned myself. Now get the picture, Nancy. (Yells) Is it not sad that I cannot even go out in search of this long elusive job without your giving me money?

NANCY

Have I been complaining?

DALE

Oh . . . . I should then make my face a place where all smiles reside and go on partying because you are not complaining?

NANCY

I love you, Dale. Let’s be happy. My own job will support us till you get yours. I don’t mind whatever sacrifice I have to make to ensure that this household carries on. Let’s be a happy unit in spite of your state.

DALE

(Throws a quick glance at Nancy) Really? Your job of thirty pounds a week?

NANCY

Remember that has been sustaining us.

DALE

But not enough to have us as we should be living.

NANCY

I understand your worries. The family car was sold because we couldn’t afford to keep maintaining it. And our son, Rooney. He dropped out of school because we could no longer afford to pay his fees. The rent... Your worries are my worries too, Dale. But I know we shall overcome. Time not far away will keep these worries behind us for good.

DALE

(Brightens up slowly. Laughs and embraces Nancy) Who says women like this are not hard to have around? They don’t come around all the time. Who is in doubt?

NANCY

(Pleased. Smiling) You are now the man I used to know.

DALE

(Holds Nancy tight) I think I will keep on keeping my woman, my wife. I have to be out searching in spite of the hurdles.

NANCY

(Gently) That’s the spirit, Dale.

LIGHTS FADE. SCENE ENDS

SCENE TWO

The stage gets illuminated. And revealed is Dale in an office. He is alone, sitting down and waiting.

DALE

Oh dear. (Yawns) I hope this day turns out well. (A man enters and takes a seat opposite Dale’s. He is Richard, the man Dale has been waiting for.

RICHARD

(Smiles at Dale) Sorry for keeping you waiting.

DALE

That is all right.

RICHARD

I understand you are an experienced chef.

DALE

(Acknowledges) You are very correct. A decade of experience. And I deliver good cooking. The best. No one has ever said no to my cooking.

RICHARD

What then is the reason for the loss of your last job?

DALE

It was the lack of shrewd management at the very top. Lapses in management and administration ensured that the fortunes of the restaurant dipped. And . . . . .

RICHARD

(Chips in) Massive lay-offs?

DALE

You are very correct.

RICHARD

Wow! Your cooking should really have spurned the restaurant back to profitability. (Smiles) That is by the way. You are Dale Flowerfield.

DALE

Yes.

RICHARD

Um..... That rings a bell. That name takes me back to college days. (Begins to reflect back)

(Dale now starring at Richard’s face with heightened interest.)

DALE

(Slowly) I think your face is telling me something interesting. It is taking me back. Destination is my college days. Is your last name Dangerfield?

RICHARD

Richard Dangerfield is my name. And were you ever called “Sons of farmers” with a friend in college?

DALE

Yes. We were called ‘sons of farmers” for the “field” we have in our last names. One of the many jeers from our peers.

RICHARD

(Yells out in pleasure of discovery) Exactly! (Springs up from his seat. Starring at Dale) Dale! Look at you.......

DALE

(Very Excited) Richard! I can’t believe my eyes!

(Both men lock each other in embrace amid thunderous laughter after which they get seated again.)

RICHARD

Oh........ dear! I never knew our paths would cross again.

DALE

Do you still love to play those silly games of yours? Games like “Catch Me If You Can?”

RICHARD

(Laughs) You still remember them. (Points at Dale’s head) What a super memory you have. I still play games. And I can’t stop.

DALE

Is that obsession or what?

RICHARD

Well, call it obsession, addiction or any other thing you feel. I’m a game player until my last breath. No wonder you ended up a chef. I can remember you liked to talk about food a lot in school. Are you married, Dale?

DALE

I am. (Proudly) I think I have been blessed so well. She listens, cares and has been the solid rock upon which my family hinges since I lost my job.

RICHARD

(Impressed) She must be a wonderful woman. And she has been faithful to you since you lost your job?

DALE

Absolutely.

RICHARD

You are lucky, Dale. You don’t get many of those species of women around. They are like sunshine in rain.

DALE

I agree with you. She is my big asset. What about you, Richard? Are you married?

RICHARD

What do you think? Let’s play a game. Make a wrong guess and lose your wife to me.

DALE

(Laughs) Come on, stay away from silly games. You should be married.

RICHARD

That is where you are wrong. It is the exclusive preserve of a man to decide when he wants to get married and how. And that is if he wants to get married at all. Isn’t a man at liberty to remain single and play a lifetime game of sampling different kinds of women? (Picks up a cigar. Lights it, smokes and exhales smoke) Tall, short, fat, slender, light, dark, stubborn, cheap, faithful, British, American, African, Caribbean, and maybe European. You name it. You need a cigar. (Offers Dale his cigar)

DALE

(Politely declines) No, thanks. I don’t smoke. Richard, you were just talking all sorts of things that hardly make sense to me and left my question hugely unanswered.

RICHARD

All right. (Withdraws cigar) Straight to what you want to know. I am not married. And I’m not planning to.

DALE

That is your decision which has to be respected of course. What have you been doing with your life?

RICHARD

I flew in from the United States yesterday. I am in London for the muse of my next game. I am badly in need of tools for my next game. Who might just be the right person to provide the link to my next game?

DALE

I can understand you now reside in the United States. And you might not need a chef after all, since you’re in England for your next game. A weird one I suspect. (Suddenly gets curious, looks Richard in the face) And what do you mean by tools?

RICHARD

(Laughs cynically) Don’t be in a hurry, Dale. You will understand it later. What is important right now is that I can’t let you be my chef anymore.

DALE

Why? (Unpleased and rattled) I desperately need a job.

RICHARD

(Urges) Don’t worry, Dale. (Smiles) I understand your situation completely and I will be making moves very soon to change it for good. This is no more the time for you to stand before many cookers and watch oil and foodstuffs become delicacies all day. There are exciting ways to earn a living. And you are not far away from feeling them.

DALE

(Thrilled) Oh thanks. (Chuckles) I am short of words to express my appreciation for your good thoughts towards me.

RICHARD

(Gently) Thank you so much.

DALE

You own this place?

RICHARD

(Laughs) Look, Dale, what you call this place is my London office. And the people here work for me.

DALE

Incredible! (Begins to throw glances around) What a fortune you managed to eke out of life and I’ve been frying oil. So what kind of business are you into?

RICHARD

Have you heard of Playing Games?

DALE

(Thinks a bit) Playing Games? No. What is Playing Games? Oh....... Richard, one of those silly games of yours again? Get serious for once.

RICHARD

We are located right in the heart of Hollywood in Los Angeles.

DALE

What else is Hollywood other than movies?

RICHARD

(Announces) I am the proud owner of Playing Games Pictures. We make movies and have very successful titles to our credit.

DALE

Incredible! (Grins) Congratulations, Richard. Now I see how far you have come.

RICHARD

(Rises from his seat. Utters with air of royalty) Let’s head to a bar where we can talk further. Is that okay with you?

DALE

(Nods his agreement with all eagerness) Sure!

LIGHTS FADE. SCENE ENDS

SCENE THREE

The stage gets illuminated and Dale is shown at home in jubilation; dancing around and humming a song.

DALE

Who can say my problems are not now over? (Calls out) Nancy! Where are you?

(Continues to dance around and hum a song. Rooney emerges on his way out. He throws up the ball with him and heads it twice before catching it with his arms. Then he proceeds to observe his dancing father for a while.)

ROONEY

I can see you are happy, Daddy, because Aston Villa, your favourite team just thrashed Liverpool by three goals to nothing.

DALE

(Still dancing) Where is your Mummy?

ROONEY

She is not yet back from work. You wait Daddy, till your team meets my team, Manchester United. I bet you won’t have cause to dance. (Throws the ball up again, heads it twice and catches it.)

DALE

(Still dancing) Go away, Rooney. All you dream, talk, sleep and breath is football. You are too young to understand why today is my happiest day. (Laughs)

ROONEY

I see........Well... I’m off to practise. (Rooney leaves. Dale stops dancing around.)

DALE

(Laughs) Richard is the man. He has suddenly brought back the lost sunshine to my life. Oh.... dear.... what a splendid day. (Takes a seat with his face full of smiles) (Nancy returns from work)

NANCY

(Smiles. To Dale) Hello, dear........ (Dale springs up and rushes to Nancy)

DALE

(Quickly) Where have you been? (Begins to dance and hum a song)

NANCY

You ought to know that I went to work. (Nancy observes Dale in amazement) You haven’t danced for more than a year now.

DALE

You are quite correct. (Hums a song and dances away)

NANCY

(Smiles) What has come over you?

DALE