Читать книгу The Oberon Book of Modern Monologues for Women: Volume Two - Catherine Weate - Страница 13

SHRADDHA

(Faith: You are what’s in your heart)

by Natasha Langridge

Shraddha was first performed at Soho Theatre, London, on 29 October 2009.

The Romany Gypsies are about to be evicted from the building site of the London Olympics. Understandably they are more suspicious than usual of outsiders (gorgers). PEARL PENFOLD is 17 years old and has been promised in marriage to another Romany community. However, she and Joe, a gorger from the local council estate have fallen in love. They run away together and PEARL tells fortunes at a local festival so they can eat. Joe asks her what she tells her customers and PEARL replies…

PEARL

I say, ‘Give me ye palm dearie’ then

‘Oh dordy

Ye’ve had a difficult time haven’t ye dear

Life’s been hard on ye hasn’t it?

And she give me

her bracelet to read

‘But ye gonna have a long life

And

Oh

What’s this?

Oh yes

And ye do deserve it don’t ye dear

A beautiful house and what a garden and

There be

Oh

There is someone ye’ve to BEWARE of

DANGER

Who is it?

Can’t quite see

Getting a bit hazy

If ye could just see ye way te give me a little more I might be able

to see clearly dear’

And she says she can give me a fiver but don’t have no change and

I say that’s alright dear and I take the tenner what’s in her hand

and she say, ‘Thank you’

…

‘Now,’ I say, ‘Does ye know a woman with a name beginning with

A, B, C, or D?’

And she look even blanker than before in her eyes so I say ‘Is it

D E F or G is it?

I think it might be an H?’

Her eyes light up a bit

So I says ‘H yes BEWARE a woman whose name begins with H’

And she say, ‘I knew

I knew I couldn’t trust her’

And then it took me over. Like it were doing it on its own

‘But it don’t matter dear, cos that special someone, ye haven’t met

him yet but if ye keep ye eyes open for a lovely man he’s wearing

them brown Wellington things, black jeans with a rip over the right

thigh, a green t-shirt an there’s a thin bit of cotton or something

round his neck and he’s got a speck of brown in his blue eyes.

His hair is blond he’s pushing it back with his hand.

He will love ye and lead ye onto the right path.

And that dear

is that – fer now

I tired out’

She yawns theatrically.

‘I ain’t got no more te give ye

Not even a bit o gold fer comfort

Cos ye know ye should never take gold from a Gypsy

But a Gypsy can take gold from ye and ye know it will bring ye

luck like ye never had and most important of all dear it will bring

ye protection’

And that were when she takes off this amulet from her bracelet

and place it down in front of me and say, ‘Thank you very much’