THE SOOTHSAYER A PLAY BY ISAH USMAN SHAFIU

ACT ONE SCENE ONE

I am apologising you for my retard to make it possible earlier but I am still not late.
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY
NIGERIA 🇳🇬🇳🇬
1st October.

ACT ONE
Scene 1

The play starts in Joseph house in the morning, sitting with his wife listening radio station, while Amanda was in the parlour with her friends reading stories.
Sender: {enter their house where he meets Amanda with her friend in the parlour} Good morning.
Amada: Good morning, how are you?
Sender: Someone outside request for Mr. Joseph.
Amanda: Who? told him he is coming.
Sender: Ok {went out of the house}
Amanda: {ran quickly to her father's room to inform him} Dad someone outside seek an audience with you.
Joseph: {stand up} Who? I am coming. {went out to attend to the visitor}
Ozo: {shake their hands} Good morning Mr. Joseph.
Joseph: Morning, here come have a seat. {point him a block outside the house veranda, they both sit on the block}.
Ozo: {seated} Are you Amanda's father?
Joseph: {surprised} Yes, anything the matter.
Ozo: Nothing. It is my son Alienka loves your daughter Amanda, that's why I come to seek for him her hand in marriage.
Joseph: But, I can say is too late she already has her suitor she loves and wish to marry.
Ozo: There is no any matter of late here, as I heard from people, her suitor cannot pay for her bride price. {proudly} but my son is rich enough to triple her bride price a day.
Joseph: {Angry} This is not a matter of money or wealth the only thing I will tell you is that I will not force my daughter to marry someone she does not love, just because of money.
Ozo: {replied quickly} Wait! Mr. Joseph no love or marriage without money. Money is everything in life. Money can alter everybody. {said proudly} my son is rich enough to charm your daughter with his money.
Joseph: {stand up Angrily and shouted} You Ozo, you are the one expressing this utterances, you are the one behaving like this, so how do you expect me to see how your son behave. I will keep telling you this "I will not give my daughter because of your wealth or money. {retreat back home angry while Ozo is busy shouting calling him}
Ozo: {loudly} Joseph, Mr. Joseph wait, wait please let's reconcile. {but Joseph did not wait to hear what Ozo is saying he just enter his house}
Amanda: {saw her father angrily she was surprise the way he went out is different from the way he comes back}
Amanda: {hesitant} Father, father, {but pass to the bed room without attending to Amanda, where he meets Chroma in the bed room}
Chroma: {surprised} Amanda's father what the occasion? this not the way you went out.
{A quiet silent for a moment}
Joseph: {replied angry} This man, Mr. Ozo come to seek for his son Alienka, Amanda's hand in marriage.
Chroma: {surprise} What?
{As rich as they are, but they come personally to seek for our daughter's hand in marriage. This is a great opportunity for us to become rich, now we will overcome our poverty, god has brought the time} {said to herself}.
Joseph: {cut in} What are you thinking of, that you keep silent.
Chroma: {replied hopeless} No, noting. I just s-------s -----say
Joseph: {cut in sharply} what do you said, explain deliberately.
Chroma: I said this is absolutely lie, we already accept Alie as her suitor how can we change our mind {said hesitant} but since he cannot paid for her bride price we can accept Alienka.
Joseph: {cut in angry} Accept who? This boorish person, do you imagine how his father talk to me, as if he is forcing me to give up Amanda to them {narrating} how do you expect his son to behave? I will not give my daughter to this reckless family because of money.
Chroma: {hopelessly} al-------- also
Joseph: Also what? Talk. {angrily}
Chroma: {heavenly breath} Look Amanda's father calm down, you see this person we accept as her suitor, he cannot pay for her bride price, why can't we accept Alienka, since we don't collect her bride price from Alie. {continues} and this might be opportunity god gave to us to overcome this our poverty, I think this the time for us to rest after all these years of suffering.
{pause a moment}
{Joseph continues}
Joseph: {hesitant} Yes, I know, you are right but how can we talk twice you know we already accept Alie as her suitor, how can we now accept another man? Another problem is Amanda loves Alie very much. How can we deal with all this?
Chroma: {full of hope} Yes, you are also right, but we accept Alie because no any man that comes to Amanda and you know Alie is not well matched to Amanda, he cannot take good care of her for her beauty to keep up, now god bring another man whose both part is better than Alie, he is rich enough and can take good care of Amanda {pause and continue} I know when you explain all this to Alie he will comprehend where you are coming from. Try to deceive him with soft word of yours.
Joseph: {smile} Amanda's mother Chroma you are really smart enough to overcome all situation. {continue} but now the problem is Amanda will she accept Alienka and deceive or I can say vacate Alie, since this cannot be called deception but vacate.
Chroma: {smile and stand up proudly} Hmm leave this to me, I will explain everything to her and I know she will comprehend us.
{went out of the room}
LIGHT FADE OUT.

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