SCENE FOURTEEN
[Stage opens with Mma Fati, Anti Sala and Sister Yaa seated on a bench. They were all sobbing. Yusuf and Mallam stood at one corner and Mallam talks silently to Yusuf who nods his head. Latifa sat somewhere alone and she cries a little loudly. Narrator stood in one corner quietly. Maryam and Baaban Gida enter happily without noticing what is going on.]
MARYAM: [Noticing the tension in the air and wide eyed, she talks to Baaban Gida silently.] What do you think is going on?
BAABAN GIDA: [Silently.] They’re all crying. May be Jameela won’t marry again.
MARYAM: [She moves slowly to the Narrator.] What’s going on?
NARRATOR: Hmmm! Maidservant of Allah. Jameela’s soul departed us this blessed
morning. She passed on. She’s dead [He shakes his head].
BAABAN GIDA: [Almost starts crying loudly] Wayoo… [She stops him and he starts crying silently]
MARYAM: [Tears flowing down her cheeks.] To Allah we belong and to him is our return. May He accept her soul and put her into Paradise, Aljannatul Firdaus.
NARRATOR: Ameen! Ameen! Ameen! [Hand in hand, Maryam and Baaban Gida go to the women and they squat in front of them. Still in tears, Maryam puts her hands on Mma Fati’s lap. Mma Fati realizing whom it was started crying a little loudly and Anti Sala and Sister Yaa did the same]
MARYAM: [Crying a little loudly] Please don’t cry. Allah knows why He took her from
us.
MMA FATI: [Ignoring that] Oh bridesmaid of Jameela. Thank you for changing her
before this [She cries loudly].
MARYAM: [Sobbing.] We don’t have to cry. We only have to pray for her. That’s what
she needs. Mma, the Prophet peace be upon him said that the reward of the one who
bears the loss of a loved one patiently is Paradise. All we have to say is Alhamdu lil
Laah for everything that comes our way.
ANTI SALA: [Sobbing] That’s very true.
MMA FATI: Thank you. [Baaban Gida stands up and starts crying vigorously. Sister Yaa
pulls him to herself]
SISTER YAA: [Crying] Stop crying my son. Death is like that. It does only what pleases
it.
MMA FATI: [She holds Maryam’s hand tightly.] Maryam, when you left her yesterday
night, she was so excited. Later she complained of a headache then she was ok after a while. She barely slept last night. She prayed until dawn. [She pauses] This dawn, she went to the Masjid to pray Fajr for the first time in so many years. After that she ironed her dress for Jum’a and it was all white. She was happier than I’ve ever seen her be [She starts crying loudly again].
ANTI SALA: Take it easy my sister.
MARYAM: [She bows her head] Oh Jameela! May God have mercy on your soul.
SISTER YAA: Amen!
MMA FATI: [Ignoring all that] I thought it was the marriage that was making her so
happy. She started complaining of the headache again. I was standing with her when
she held her chest, went to lie on her bed and started crying. I wanted to take her to the hospital but she wouldn’t go. She made me promise her that I would thank you for her. She said the shahada and she was gone [All of them except Yusuf, Mallam and the Narrator who shook their heads started crying a little loudly].
YUSUF: Allahu Akbar!
MALLAM: Subhaanal Laah.
MARYAM: Alhamdu lil Laah. May we end up like she has. What else is there to live
for? [Baaba Ali and Major enter with a coffin. Yusuf and Mallam immediately go for it. All the women stood up]
MAJOR: [To Yusuf and Mallam.] Have you dug the grave?
MALLAM: Yes.
BAABA ALI: [Red-eyed] Sala, did they bring the cloth she’s going to be shrouded in?
ANTI SALA: [Crying] Yes. We’ve bathed her. She’s ready.
BAABA ALI: We’ll take the diseased to Jum’a then after that the Imam will give the
janaza. [He motioned for them to go] Let’s hurry up! The body is keeping too long in the house. [The Narrator and Baaban Gida follow them and they exit leaving the women]
ANTI SALA: [Shaking her head.] My sisters, we must be one another’s keepers. We do
have a place to go to one day.
MMA FATI: Indeed, we do.
ANTI SALA: Let’s make peace for death is inevitable. Look at little Jamy.
SISTER YAA: If anybody had foretold me this, I’d never have believed it. When the
young ones are going, how much more us? [As they talk, the men enter again holding the coffin covered with a white cloth. Baaba Ali, Mallam, Yusuf and the Narrator held the coffin whiles Major and Baaban Gida walked behind. They were hurrying. All the women, Maryam and Latifa followed them hurriedly and they exit in silent tears.]
[Stage opens with Mma Fati, Anti Sala and Sister Yaa seated on a bench. They were all sobbing. Yusuf and Mallam stood at one corner and Mallam talks silently to Yusuf who nods his head. Latifa sat somewhere alone and she cries a little loudly. Narrator stood in one corner quietly. Maryam and Baaban Gida enter happily without noticing what is going on.]
MARYAM: [Noticing the tension in the air and wide eyed, she talks to Baaban Gida silently.] What do you think is going on?
BAABAN GIDA: [Silently.] They’re all crying. May be Jameela won’t marry again.
MARYAM: [She moves slowly to the Narrator.] What’s going on?
NARRATOR: Hmmm! Maidservant of Allah. Jameela’s soul departed us this blessed
morning. She passed on. She’s dead [He shakes his head].
BAABAN GIDA: [Almost starts crying loudly] Wayoo… [She stops him and he starts crying silently]
MARYAM: [Tears flowing down her cheeks.] To Allah we belong and to him is our return. May He accept her soul and put her into Paradise, Aljannatul Firdaus.
NARRATOR: Ameen! Ameen! Ameen! [Hand in hand, Maryam and Baaban Gida go to the women and they squat in front of them. Still in tears, Maryam puts her hands on Mma Fati’s lap. Mma Fati realizing whom it was started crying a little loudly and Anti Sala and Sister Yaa did the same]
MARYAM: [Crying a little loudly] Please don’t cry. Allah knows why He took her from
us.
MMA FATI: [Ignoring that] Oh bridesmaid of Jameela. Thank you for changing her
before this [She cries loudly].
MARYAM: [Sobbing.] We don’t have to cry. We only have to pray for her. That’s what
she needs. Mma, the Prophet peace be upon him said that the reward of the one who
bears the loss of a loved one patiently is Paradise. All we have to say is Alhamdu lil
Laah for everything that comes our way.
ANTI SALA: [Sobbing] That’s very true.
MMA FATI: Thank you. [Baaban Gida stands up and starts crying vigorously. Sister Yaa
pulls him to herself]
SISTER YAA: [Crying] Stop crying my son. Death is like that. It does only what pleases
it.
MMA FATI: [She holds Maryam’s hand tightly.] Maryam, when you left her yesterday
night, she was so excited. Later she complained of a headache then she was ok after a while. She barely slept last night. She prayed until dawn. [She pauses] This dawn, she went to the Masjid to pray Fajr for the first time in so many years. After that she ironed her dress for Jum’a and it was all white. She was happier than I’ve ever seen her be [She starts crying loudly again].
ANTI SALA: Take it easy my sister.
MARYAM: [She bows her head] Oh Jameela! May God have mercy on your soul.
SISTER YAA: Amen!
MMA FATI: [Ignoring all that] I thought it was the marriage that was making her so
happy. She started complaining of the headache again. I was standing with her when
she held her chest, went to lie on her bed and started crying. I wanted to take her to the hospital but she wouldn’t go. She made me promise her that I would thank you for her. She said the shahada and she was gone [All of them except Yusuf, Mallam and the Narrator who shook their heads started crying a little loudly].
YUSUF: Allahu Akbar!
MALLAM: Subhaanal Laah.
MARYAM: Alhamdu lil Laah. May we end up like she has. What else is there to live
for? [Baaba Ali and Major enter with a coffin. Yusuf and Mallam immediately go for it. All the women stood up]
MAJOR: [To Yusuf and Mallam.] Have you dug the grave?
MALLAM: Yes.
BAABA ALI: [Red-eyed] Sala, did they bring the cloth she’s going to be shrouded in?
ANTI SALA: [Crying] Yes. We’ve bathed her. She’s ready.
BAABA ALI: We’ll take the diseased to Jum’a then after that the Imam will give the
janaza. [He motioned for them to go] Let’s hurry up! The body is keeping too long in the house. [The Narrator and Baaban Gida follow them and they exit leaving the women]
ANTI SALA: [Shaking her head.] My sisters, we must be one another’s keepers. We do
have a place to go to one day.
MMA FATI: Indeed, we do.
ANTI SALA: Let’s make peace for death is inevitable. Look at little Jamy.
SISTER YAA: If anybody had foretold me this, I’d never have believed it. When the
young ones are going, how much more us? [As they talk, the men enter again holding the coffin covered with a white cloth. Baaba Ali, Mallam, Yusuf and the Narrator held the coffin whiles Major and Baaban Gida walked behind. They were hurrying. All the women, Maryam and Latifa followed them hurriedly and they exit in silent tears.]
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