SHORT PLAY - JUST LIKE YESTERDAY

SCENE ONE (GRAVE YARD)
Voices of mourner can be heard humming as a loud male voice speaks from back stage.



Voices:  (Humming)

Male Voice: In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty God our Sister Deborah Fred; and we commit her body to the ground; earth to earth; ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The Lord bless her and keep her, the Lord make his face to shine upon her and be gracious unto her and give her peace. Amen.

Voice: (Wailing)

SCENE TWO (DEBBIE'S COMPOUND)

(The sound of mourning emerges from one side of the stage; a group of people wearing black, holding one another weeping, moving towards the frontage of the house. some stands in two's discussing while some consoling one another. Suddenly someone ran from one the other side of the stage and  stop at a point not too close to where others are mourning)

MAN 1: No! no , tell me it's not true; Debby, Debby where are you, (he moves closer trying to talk  with those mourning) where is Debby, talk to me,(he touches one to two people tries to enter her house, then someone stop him) Debby come outside, there is something i need to tell her. Debby.....(He shouted and hit himself on the ground and weeps.)

( A young man in his early 30s moved close to him, placed his hand on his arm)

MAN 2: Young Man! Debby is dead, she has been buried, we just came back from burying her. Who are you?

MAN 1: (like in trance) "Peter i need to go home, i will be back soonest, don't miss me too much. take care of you for me.I really wish to see you but Mama has been calling me to come home for an urgent family meeting".....  that was what she said .

MAN 2: Peter? i cant remember my sister talking about any peter at all.

MAN 1: Yes, You may be right, probably You two never talked to that extent.

MAN 2: My sister and I are very close, we talk about virtually everything concerning each other. We grew up together in this house before she went for the city to study

MAN 1: yeah!  you may be right, I don't know  Peter myself, all she does is make call with him. I have never had the opportunity to meet him in person, even when I tried trailing her, all my effort always prove abortive.

MAN 2: Then Who are You?

MAN 1: I am Richard, her boyfriend, she was at my place yesterday before she received Peter's calls; before I could say anything she started packing her bags saying she was going to see her Mum. "But your mum didn't call you", I said to her, "Yes, she, em " , She was stuttering, I noticed it, she lied to me, Debby, Why? (He started weeping)

Man 2: so you mean she left your place yesterday saying she was coming home?

Man 1: of course,Yes

Debby's Mum: I didn't call her for any meeting (cry out loud) Debby....!

MAN 1: oh, Debbie lied to me

MAN 2: ( in deep thought) then where did she go to?

MAN 3: ( A huge man walked in with a sober face) she was at my place.

MAN 1: oh! (He stands up and points at the third man) you must Peter then?

MAN 3:(Pause) No....I am Henry, Debbie's boyfriend

MAN1&2: Debbie's boyfriend?

MAN 2: That's not true, you were Debbie's Ex, she told me about you; the drunk that usually beats her anytime he gets upset.

MAN 3: That's true, but I am a change person now, and that was why we got back together. How do you come to know all this.

MAN 1 : I am her brother.. Oh! Now I get it ,you killed her, you are a murderer

MAN 3: I'm not a murderer, I didn't kill her.She arrived my place at 2:15pm yesterday, she didn't spent up to ten minutes before we had a little misunderstanding, I begged her not to go but she insisted, then I let her go

MAN 1: You let her go, and you didn't bother to reach out to her?

MAN 3: I did but she didn't pick up until 6:26pm, and when she finally pick up, it was a man that pick up the call saying she dead, I thought it was a joke until now.

All: A man?

MAN 3: Yes a man!

MAN 4: (He walked out from amidst the mourners) I was the man that picked up the call. Debbie and I are  neighbors and a very close one at that. She was very friendly, humble but secretive. That fateful day I was hearing noise from her apartment," Peter calm down, I can explain", that was all I could hear clearly from their conversation, though I did not recognize his voice, I felt there's was trouble. Few minutes later I noticed there's was silence, so I went to check up on her to know what the problem was then I saw her lifeless body lying on the ground,i had to call the attention of the police , then her phone rang . (He pointed at Man 3)You said you both had a misunderstanding, Can you tell us.

MAN 3: We had a little misunderstanding truly, She promised to come earlier than that time and leave the next day, but immediately she arrived she started ranting that she won't spend more than three hours with me. I was upset at first because she breached our agreement; Yes I was angry and I reacted; I slapped her,( everyone reacts) it was a mistake, and her begged her not to leave but I guess she was very upset because I promise never to raise my hand on her anymore.

MAN 2: ( thinking aloud) Oh is that why her face was swollen yesterday, and she lied she fell off a bike.

MAN 4: You were with her yesterday, you were the one shouting at her apartment, you are the one. ( he grabs MAN 2 shirt) young man will you answer me?

MAN 2: ( Tears began to roll down from his eyes)It's wasn't my fault, you see, she lied to me, we were supposed to be together this week,all by ourselves as she promised but it was because of you, Henry( he points at MAN 3),  Debbie has never for once lied to me, she has never kept anything a secret, but because of you she did.

MAN 3: But you said you are her brother and I was her first love.

MAN 2: (laugh hysterically) First love indeed.( sigh)  Debbie and i grew up together in the same compound, we do virtually everything together. And that was the reason, people thought we were related.We promise each other never to lie or cheat each other because at a point we were having a secret affair unknown to our parents; our love was becoming stronger each passing day.
 We wrote an exam that qualifies us to study further at the University, unfortunately I failed while Debbie passed; I begged her to tell her parents she failed too, so she could wait for me. She strongly refuse, that she needs to further more because she is a woman, and time is not on her side, at that moment I sense something was fishy,  but I pretended to be ok with it.

ALL: (whispers)

MAN 2: She got the admission and I was still struggling with the qualifying exam, I didn't want to give up because of my love for Debbie, but my parent couldn't afford spending money on the same exam, therefore, I decided to work hard to earn money so I could write and try my luck once again, by then Debbie was in her third year. Though I always made sure to communicate with her, but she was not trying at all, so I decided to go see her. All my effort in seeing her failed; Debbie always find an excuse or the other just to discourage my coming and when she come to see her parents, she finds excuse to avoid me.
At last I wrote the exam, and this time I was lucky, I passed and got admitted but Debbie was already in her final year. I resume with the intention of seeing Debbie but she claimed to be very busy with school activities. I wasn't offended at all but that fateful day I saw her walked into a guy's room which tends to be that of Richard. Unknowingly to Debbie, my apartment was next to the room after Richard's Apartment. Assuming she had created time to see me I know she wouldn't have come there at all.
I hid and called her immediately to ask her about her whereabouts, she  told me she was going for a family meeting, which I know was a big lie, because I saw her entered into a guy's room

ALL: (Sigh) humm

MAN 2: Yes, (tears stars to drop) I never knew Debbie could lie to me, It was hitting me in the chest, I couldn't breathe, the anger has already overcome me. I couldn't think straight, my head was full with a lot like "So Debbie has been lying to me; Debbie you are liar, a cheat" and so on.
Debby's Mum: Ah, Charles! I know you as Charles, so who is Peter? (she moves closer to him like she need to see something clearly)

MAN 2: Yes, My name is Charles and I am also Peter.
Voice: what! how?

MAN 2: Peter is my other name. Only Debbie and my late Mum calls me by that name.

Debby' s Mum: I have never heard her call you by the name before  or even talk about it.

MAN 2: Because it was a pet name she decided to call me when we are together
Debby' s Mum: oh! But I am still confuse here, why are you the Peter in this issue and how is it connected to her death, because I can remember seeing you last night when I came visiting.

MAN 2: There's nothing  a desperate man cannot do. I was at home throughout last week up till yesterday  to assist my father in some work , then I went back to school yesterday and that was when I saw Debbie. When all deed was done I came back home like nothing happened,  pretending to go somewhere not far from the house.

MAN 4: What really happened, I still don't get it, how do all of this lead to her death.

MAN 2:  Immediately she left Richard's place she  straight to Henry's place, I was waiting outside, I tried to call her but her phone was off , I was desperate to know what she was doing there. Few minutes later I saw her walked pass where I was hiding, so I keep trailing her till she got home. I confirmed it's her house then I  peeped through her door to make sure she is with nobody then I  knocked on the door, she was surprised to see me, knowing she already lied to me. I smiled with hatred in my heart. She moved backward  as I moved closer to her. Then I noticed her swollen face, I was heart broken, but she told me she fell from a bike, I didn't believe at first because she already lied to me earlier and I did not see her fall from a bike,so how come.

Voices: Murmuring

MAN 2: It's not my fault, Debbie betrayed me, I couldn't forgive her  it was too late, tho I love her so much but she broke my heart. I asked her where she was coming from, she told me the same lie that she was coming from the meeting. I was angry, I shouted at her  and for the first time I hit her so badly, she tried to explain but I didn't want to listen to her explanation. My heart was  full of  hatred for her. Few minutes later I was calm and tried to beg her but she said something that struck my heart.
Voice: What did she say to you

MAN 2: (mimic Debbie Voice)  Our love is just like yesterday, we can't bring it back, it gone forever. Peter, I love someone else, forget about me and move on.

ALL: hmmm

MAN 2: I asked her what she meant by the statement she made, I couldn't figure anything she said out, I was lost in my thoughts, then I said to her "after all we've been through together from our childhood, after all the promises we made to each other, Now I should forget about you. (He mimics her voice again) Yes!, she said to me without fear and compassion. I cried for a while and made up my mind

Voice: what did you do afterwards

MAN 2: I told her,  it is only when she dies, I can move on with my life, but as long as she is alive she belongs to me. But she laughed and told me I was deceiving myself and she doesn't belong to someone like me. Therefore I made-up my mind that if she doesn't belong to me, then she doesn't belong to no one. ( He began to cry) I can't explain how it's happened, it was a mistake, my hands did it, I didn't mean to hurt the one I love, Yes, I remember, I hit her with my hands (like he is been hunt by something) I don't know how my hand got to her neck, ( he demonstrates it), tighter and  tighter,(pause) I could feel her pain but still my hand held her neck so tight until I could feel her pain no more

ALL: Ah!

Voice: (he points at Man 2) So he killed her, you are a murderer

MAN 2: I didn't mean to, my hands did it ( He cried deeply and fell on his knees) just like yesterday she said, just like yesterday our love was so strong, but it's now in the past. I loved her, but (pause) just like yesterday


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