Engagement Cancellation

Water pulling voice

Ahmad’s mother: (wearingly and panting for breath), ha ha ha , Oh God! How the water pulling is hard from the well in such a cold day, I wish my house was next to the water spring, I don’t have any helper to be stick for my hand! (Laughingly) let Ahmad finish his studies, I will arrange soon his marriage! He will definitely like his fiancée….. (In a question manner) why he will not like? She is uncle Nazir daughter; she is famous in whole village! God bless her, she is very beautiful and organized! I will then rid of all affairs of the house; hi Ahmad’s father is coming……

(Voice of pouring the water from bucket into pail- voice of opening and closing the wooden door) Ha ha

Ahmad’s mother: Hello, Ahmad’s father, you came safely?

Ahmad’s father: (coughs) Peace be tee, yes I came…… (Puts down wearingly the bag of flour from his shoulder), here is the flour, the mill was full of rush (shakes his clothing).

Ahmad’s mother: Put the flour here, I will put later it in a proper place, come sit on the sofa, repel your tiredness, I will bring a cup of tea!

Ahmad’s father: Oh Ahmad had called through phone!

Ahmad’s mother: (Happily) Really! Good, Thanks God now we will start preparation for his marriage…. When he is coming?

Ahmads’ father: Why you unnecessarily keep yourself happy, what will happen if he comes and doesn’t like the girl? He had already told us that he doesn’t want to engage.

Ahmad’s mother: (Happily), you are simple, how he will not like her? Once he come if he did not like then tell me whatever you want!

(Second Scene/stage)

Music

(voice of sweeping the yard)

Ahmad’s father: (coughs), what you are doing my wife! You just swept this area? Why you are gain making dust? It is enough anymore…..

Ahmad’s mother: (happily), my son is coming now… let all the area be cleaned…. I have also made the coal hot to burn the wild rue around my son….(this is a custom to repel the injury caused by an evil eye).

(Voice of opening the door)

Ahmad: (calls) mother…… father……. Hello is you in house or not?

Ahmad’s mother: (happily) thanks God….. , my son came…..

Ahmad’s father: (happily) peace is tee; welcome my son, you made bright our eyes….

Ahmad’s mother: (happily) peace is tee; welcome my son, welcome my son, sweat of mother … ( hurriedly) come that I burn the wild rue for you lest you evil eyes injury you ( voice of cracking the wild rue ) …. A special song must be played.

Ahmad: (happily) thanks, I gave you trouble!

Father: be healthy and honored my son… sit … sit you must be tired…  sit on sofa….give your bag…come … tell the story… what is going on … did you finish your studies?

Ahmad: (happily), yes I finished my studies, let me sit I will tell the whole story……

Ahmad mother: May I sacrifice for you… have you had your breakfast or not?

Ahmad 🙁 happily) No dear mother…. We moved early morning …. I have missed a lot your hand-cooked…

Ahmad’s mother: (Happily) I will bring the breakfast … remove your tiredness then we all will go to your father in law house….

Ahmad: (astonishingly) My father in law? Don’t make joke dear mother, where I got the father in law from?

Ahmad’s father: (worriedly) oh… let my son to rest.. Don’t torment him unnecessarily…

Music

(Dog barking from the distance)

Mother: (happily) Tomorrow we will go to your fiancée’s house, God bless her… my bride (daughter in law) is very nice….

Ahmad: (astonishingly), dear mother are you telling right or you are joking?

Mother: (happily), why I should joke, I don’t have any helper so I engaged you that I get rid of work at home…

Ahmad: (Seriously and angrily) what is fiancée I don’t want to marry… if I want to marry you should get my view at least….

Mother: (uncomfortably) Son! Stop! Be careful don’t speak so… we have dignity in the community, why you are speaking so? The daughter of uncle Nazir is famous in whole village…

Ahmad: (uncomfortably), dear mother uncle Nazir daughter is a good girl but I don’t want to marry her, I want to marry with a girl who is educated like me, the one who can know my words, the one that I should be happy with, I don’t know more, nothing happened, cancel the engagement, I am not agreed with this marriage (goes out of the house)

Father: (angrily) did you see? I told you many times don’t do so, but you did not accept; now you yourself make a remedy!

Ahmad’s mother: Oh, where I should take this shame……