Scene I
The play opens on a scene of a housewife getting started in the morning doing
her chores in the house like cleaning and arranging ………… And a husband
getting ready for work
Aziza: Good morning darling, I hope you slept will
Husband: Like a baby thank you, but I am getting too late I
have to head to work ……… Do you need anything
for dinner tonight
Aziza: What dinner!!!!!!
Husband: oh! I am sorry baby, I forgot to tell you yesterday …..
my parents and my two sisters and their husbands
…… and I think my younger brother too are coming
today for dinner. I am sorry again that I forgot to tell
you…………but still you have the whole day…… or
should I cancel!
Aziza: No no it is ok …… Sure I can manage.
And with joy
Don't you worry I can handle it
Husband leaves
The wife actually is very happy of this dinner since it would be her chance to prove
to her husband's family that she is not only intelligent, practical, sophisticated
young woman but also simple and traditional
Side words …..
Aziza: Now it is my chance to prove to my mother-in-law and
the whole family that I am worthy of their son
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Amidst her joy she forgot that she doesn't cook well and all the food she presents
to her husband is her mother's
Aziza: Oh my God! I don't know how to cook all this food all
by myself, practically I've never been in a kitchen
before except for heating my mother's cooking
…….. and for sure my mother's presence will make
my mother-in-law suspicious. What Shall I do!?
Who can help me in this matter!!!!!!
Period of silence while thinking it over
Aziza: Oh YES …… my friends sure they can help me out of this
jam
The character starts to dial a phone number……. Someone answers
Aziza: Hello! Asmaa … thanks God?
Asmaa: Good morning Aziza? What's up you sound so
worried?
Aziza: Big problem Asmaa …….. no huge problem actually,
but I can't discuss it over the phone … Call Waad,
Wedad and Amal and come here quickly ……
come as soon as I hang up the phone if you can
Asmaa: Ok. Ok. Calm down Aziza, I will call them and will
come to you in a hurry, just take a deep breath
whatever is your problem we can solve together
Aziza: Thank you my friend. You are a life savior.
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Scene II
The second scene opens on Aziza and her friends gathering together trying to
discuss Aziza's problem
Aziza: Ok. Girls the story in short …..my husband has invited his
family over for dinner tonight and I …..
Waad: but you don't know how to cook Aziza
Aziza: Thank you for reminding me …………. That's why I need
your help
Asmaa: Oh! This is so bad
Wedad: We all got so busy in our study and didn't learn how
to cook ……. Now I wish if I had went inside the
kitchen with my mother when she asks me.
Amal: None of us had. We all preferred being educated
sophisticated
women
on
being
just
domestic
housewives.
Asmaa: Why did you get married in the first place? You should
remain single like the rest of us?
Waad: And why on earth did your husband invite his family in
the first place? You only had been married for four
weeks. What does he expect?
Aziza:
in despair,
he expects that I cook very well since he still
thinks that the food I present him is mine and not my
mother's.
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Asmaa: You shouldn't lie to him concerning this matter …….
You should just tell him that you don't know how to
cook.
Aziza: This is very encouraging Asmaa …… Thank you for your
help.
Asmaa: I am sorry friend. You're right this is no time for telling
you what should you or should not do. Let's think all
of us about this I am sure we can figure something
out
Amal: well! Sure cooking is not our major ……… we are
graduates of the department of English …….. If only
our study could help us now.
Waad: You are right! What is the use of 16 years of education
when we can't find a solution for this simple
problem?
Asmaa: Come on girls where is your spirit! I am sure we can
find something in our study of literature that would
help us in this matter.
Aziza: Yes you are right we are capable sophisticated women
and we can put our study of literature into practice
and solve this out. Wait first let me make you some
English tea to help us concentrate……
Aziza fixes some tea for her friends and presents it with some cake
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Aziza: As we are in a dramatic situation, let's start with what
we've studied in drama ……… thinking
Wedad: Yes, let's see what female characters in English
drama would do about this? Think girls…..
Waad: Well! What about Lady Macbeth?
Asmaa: No, she was a queen for God sake she had servants
to do the cooking for her.
Amal: And so for the female characters in all Shakespeare's
plays …….. They will not do.
Aziza: what about modern theater?
Amal: Well! Not Pygmalion or even A Doll's House where the
female characters are married housewives would be
of help.
Asmaa: let's face it girls our study of drama would not help us
out of this jam.
Waad: What about novels?
Wedad: Yes, Charles dickens' novels or even better those of
female writers.
Aziza: What? Like Bride and Prejudice for example!!!
Asmaa: This novel will never do ……… the girls in this novel in
spite of their search for suitable rich husbands, none
of them can actually cook.
Amal: ok what about modern novels then??
Asmaa: No no…. most of modern novels are centered on
liberating movements so they are against women
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dedicating their lives for domestic works in the first
place.
Aziza: What are you saying girls ….. that all our study and
effort is useless now.
Asmaa: Actually I can't think of something in our study of
literature that can help.
Waad: Then what were we doing all those years?
Wedad: I don't know …… Separate ourselves from the real
world.
Amal: Or more living in an imaginary unrealistic world..
………………… Moments of despair and silence ……………..
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