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A KIDNEY FOR DEARIE
A play in One Act by Catherine L. Caldwell-Harris
Copyright 2009.
This 15 minute play is
available to be performed or read by any group.
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Cast of Characters
GRANDMOTHER/Middle-aged American woman:
Elderly woman, grey hair, frumpy
appearance; when onstage as "Middleaged American Woman" she can be better
dressed, more straight-forward in
manner.
MOTHER/Czech woman:
A woman in her mid 40s, nondescript
appearance; a Czech house cleaner,
speaks English with Eastern European
accent
FATHER/Brazilian man:
Her husband, mid 40s, nondescript
appearance; Brazilian laborer, speaks
English with Brazilian accent
DEARIE/Romanian girl:
Their teenage daughter, 15 years old,
suffers from acute kidney failure, is
weak lethargic; healthy 18 year old
Romanian, speaks English with Eastern
European accent
BERNIE/Indian Young Man/American Man:
Their brother, age 13; Factory worker
in Bangalore, speaks English with
Indian accent; Young American Man.
NOMUULA/Indian young woman:
Thin teenager or young female of
African ancestry, speaks English with
South African accent; Village girl in
India, speaks English with Indian
accent
Scene
North American home
Time
The present
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Scene 1
SETTING:
Living space of middle-class family, a
combined living/dining area which is
cluttered with consumer electronics
and personal items appropriate to a
family of two parents and two schoolaged children. Against one wall is a
home-office with stacks of papers,
folders, cheap metal filing cabinets
and also a cheap desk on which sits a
large, somewhat out-of date desk-top
computer.
The walls are bare but are covered
with projections of images from the
"KidneyForDEARIE" website. One shows
DEARIE after she had roughly cut off
her hair with scissors, holding up the
blond tresses and smiling
triumphantly. The caption below
reads, "Dearie cuts off her hair to
make wigs for children with cancer."
Another reads, "Please help! 15 yearold girl needs type O kidney" and
shows DEARIE in a hospital bed
undergoing dialysis.
AT RISE:
GRANDMOTHER, in a tattered bathrobe,
is bent over the computer, hen-pecking
at the keys, squinting.
GRANDMOTHER
Now that one won't work. Wife objected.
(Pause)
But that one found a donor. How did she? Type A. I see. Oh my.
(Pause)
Oh dear. Look here.
(Pause)
Three more answers. They are praying for us. And this one....
(Pause, then begins to intone, reading)
"I saw your posting on LivingDonors.org. It is my..."
Oh my.
(Lighting dims and a recording is played)
VOICE OF NOMUULA
(Apparently reading, stumbles a bit)
It is my dream to be able to do one, two, many important thing in
my life. We start a journey with one step. This is my step, my
first one now. I am healthy. I do not need money or presents
from you. I will do a thing, an important thing, that matters.
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(recording ends and lighting restored with brief
spot on Nomuula)
(BLACKOUT)
(END OF SCENE 1)
Scene 2
SETTING:
Dwelling
AT RISE:
GRANDMOTHER paces like an automaton in
bathrobe, hair in disarray, She moves
to-and-fro at the rear of the stage.
GRANDMMOTHER
(Mutters continually in a monotone)
Shouldn't do it shouldn't do it shouldn't do it....
(Repeat through-out scene)
(FATHER, MOTHER, BERNIE and DEARIE enter noisily
from outside the house and put down backpacks and
carrying bags with material relevant to DEARIE'S 4
hour hospital visit for her three-times-a-week
kidney dialysis. There may be clothing, school
books, plastic see-through bag with first-aid
materials. BERNIE has a shopping bag and is
removing the packaging material from a large video
game console. Mother is unpacking groceries,
suggesting that multiple tasks were accomplished as
part of picking up DEARIE from the hospital.)
DEARIE
(Apparently continuing prior conversation)
So don't tell me. I don't even care. Just shave off the rest of
my hair, those kids with cancer can have it all.
(FATHER still distracted and doesn't answer)
BERNIE
(Has sat down on the computer)
GOTCHA! You're dead. Ha ha ha. Whew!!!!!
(Pause, then speaks in a different, more ordinary
voice, but not looking up.)
She's dead anyways, you know. She even said so.
FATHER
(To BERNIE)
What did you say?
BERNIE
(Halts his computer game and turns to look squarely
at FATHER) Mon and I emailed her. (mutters) Ha ha,
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she’s just going to get AIDS and die anyway. Get
what she's got before its too late.
(He makes a "capture" gesture then mimes death with
a throat slash and rolling eyes, exits giggling)
(GRANDMOTHER exits with BERNIE and DEARIE; MOTHER
and FATHER turn towards each other)
FATHER
You emailed her? She can get a visa to come here? Because we
vowed, you know, we told each other we'd never do that. We read
about it, you read about it.
(Lighting fades, and the successive characters
enter unobtrusively and then appear in spotlight)
INDIAN YOUNG MAN/BERNIE
My boss at the factory, he said I will get full job, full time,
and he would rent me for cheap my own room, I donate my kidney
for his sister. I have to sign a paper that she is my cousin. I
do it, I think my wife happy, but now my wife divorce me, why you
not get more, she say. My neighbors laugh at me, sell your organ,
are you a man? It is not right.
ROMANIAN GIRL/DEARIE
All us girls, we got to live in Bucharest, in dormitories, like a
college, they even gave us money for food, clothes, to go to
clubs and parties. It was easy, they take out our eggs and sell
to British and French women. But the drugs were too strong for
me, and they kicked me out. I was glad, no more clinic. Then I
hear one egg is sold for $10,000, and from me they take 35 eggs
for one time.
MIDDLE-AGED AMERICAN WOMAN/GRANDMOTHER
I was 58. I had been on dialysis for 15 years, two transplant
waiting lists. Four of my friends passed away while waiting for
kidneys.
(Shakes head, eyes close briefly, sighs, then
resumes)
My doctors said I had months to live. Get a kidney any way you
can, or die.
AMERICAN MAN/BERNIE
I came back to the U.S. from China in full kidney malfunction
when I should have been on the road to health. Had the famous
long scar right here-(Gestures to abdomen)
but ultrasound showed no new kidney. I was conned.
MIDDLE-AGED MERICAN WOMAN/GRANDMOTHER
So I flew to the Philippines for the surgery. They promised me
full donor medical records, and I got them. I insisted I meet
the men who would be my donor. A little part of him would be in
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me, after all. He was sweet. We shared our stories. I said I
would send him $100 a year -- you know, extra, from me. I try to
do it when I can.
CZECH WOMAN/MOTHER
Piece of my liver, sold. Something went wrong after, they didn't
explain me the reason, but they made me more operation, and for
it they even made me pay.
(Makes money gesture with fingers)
Now I still work but I walk tired all the time, I don't move the
heavy furniture. My boss in Prague say no more house cleaning,
now I beg on my relatives in the country. I get pain and
numbness on the scar. I wish I didn't do it.
BRAZILIAN MALE/FATHER
My whole life my mother sold herself, we lived in one small room
for 9 people. Sell an organ, you may buy a house. They told me
I get $6,000. Kidney for the work of 10 years. One man was
polici Brazil military. They got the passport, airplane to South
Africa. You know, I stay in Receife all my life. I want see
lions, giraffes and elephants. But nothing. Not real hospital.
Maybe saw the sky one time
(Looks up, gestures with one finger, shakes head)
I was so scared. But then very bad,
(Voice breaking, starting to cry)
it was finished, the plane stopped in Sao Paulo. I had the
$6,000.
(Pats pocket)
They robbed me. I begged them, I sold my kidney for this money.
10 people need me in Receife. I show them the scar.
(Lifts shirt, crying)
INDIAN WOMAN/NOMUULA
The hospital was very nice. But, they are organ traffickers, it
is all black market, you know. They said $3000 for my kidney and
only give me $300. After, for a year I was happy. My parents
let me marry my true husband with that money. Then my daughter
get sick, at the clinic they said kidney failure. It was karma.
The doctor laughed, You deserved that for selling your kidney.
She died.
(Lights slowly rise, all organ donors/buyers are
off stage, except NOMUULA remains on one side of
the stage, standing silently and looking at the
audience. MOTHER and FATHER are again on stage)
MOTHER
I -- I do remember. But this is different. Its not organ buying.
She -- you should to talk to the girl, yourself.
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FATHER
No hospital in the US would do what you're saying. For living
donors there are social workers, interviews, lawyers.
Even
overseas, they’ll know we’re not related.
MOTHER
(Nervous, tense laugh)
I, I emailed and then phoned, I, uh, talked on the phone with a
transplant coordinator. There are private clinics in
Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban – they are not just for the black
market. We're bringing our own donor, we're not going through one
of those traffickers. As far as the hospital is concerned, we're
having the transplant done in Johannesburg simply to reduce the
surgery and post-care costs.
(She pauses, then continued hurriedly, trying to
convince her husband.)
The coordinator arranges the medical side, but we can have a say
in choosing the hospital and even the doctor.
FATHER
Isn’t that despicable just in itself. Surgery tourism!
(Groaning, irate, walks around dwelling in
agitation)
But if only that were all it was, hiring South African doctors
instead of Boston doctors. This whole thing is insane from
multiple angles. We put Dearie on a plane and she comes back
with a kidney sewn inside her? Just like that. What would we
tell people? You say this African girl doesn't want money, that
we aren't buying a kidney. Who would believe us?
(He groans, collapsing into a chair, with his head
in his hands)
MOTHER
Look -- uh -- first of all, She's not a girl, she's 19. Her name
is Nomuula. I'm glad its South Africa, they speak English there,
that'll help. The aunt is like, a nurse or maybe a nurse
assistant, something, but she’s quite knowledgeable about
transplantation.
(Pauses, choosing her words, continue speaking
without looking at FATHER)
The aunt said Nomuula has a dream of having a special day...
NOMUULA
I want to visit hospital, like on the TV.
I like see the white sheets, sleep there. See the doctors, the
nurses. Like my aunt, she sees them every day. They are the
real South Africans, our heroes, saving our lives.
FATHER
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(Barely looks up, still clutches himself, tortured)
What about the paired donor program? One of us gives an organ to
someone else on a waiting list where we're a match, their family
member gives us a kidney? Why can't we do that?
NOMUULA
Organ selling is illegal. It is also unethical. I don't want
that. But I want to help. I can be special, because I can make
your daughter live. And her life will be special. I will pet her
blond hair when we are together in the hospital. I see in the
future, she gets better, grows strong with my kidney. In my
language, we call it nceda isicaka. I will help. While I am
living, I will watch her grow big. She will write me letters,
like a sister.
FATHER
Let's just wait. Why not? Why go this crazy route? Its not
right ... It's still exploitation.
(He gestures around him, possibly pointing the
walls)
We're Americans. The walls of our home are already
dripping with blood. (Sighs, head in hands)
If you're going to reject the moral argument, at least be
pragmatic. The so-called aunt is the backer. They'll black mail
us, beg money for the rest of our lives.
MOTHER
But Dearie will be alive.
(BLACKOUT)
(END OF SCENE 2)
Scene 3
SETTING:
Dwelling.
AT RISE:
SPOTLIGHTS on FATHER and NOMUULA.
FATHER
What is nceda isicaka?
NOMUULA
(Laughs gently; She is relaxed and happy now. Her
tone is spontaneous and less grammatically correct
than in prior, more rehearsed speeches.)
Oh, you know that too? In the villages, a family lose their
farm, their home, they sleep in courtyard of the rich man's
house. We will cook for you. They say it every day, repeated.
We will clean you house. Rich man then he say, Get out, here is
money. Family look other way, say no to money. They start the
garden, bring water.
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(She mimes the carrying of two buckets.)
They live in the courtyard, safe, one year, or more long time.
Rich man don't have son, he get new son, the family, this happen,
many time.
FATHER
So we would take care of you, and all of your family?
NOMUULA
(Surprised, laughs, appears to be amused)
No, my friend, I not say we be nceda isicaka, I not say that.
You don't listen me very clear. I help your Dearie, that my
wish.
FATHER
I won't be the wealthy family.
(BLACKOUT)
(END OF SCENE 3)
Scene 4
SETTING:
Dwelling
AT RISE:
FATHER
around
around
MOTHER
FATHER
and MOTHER have their arms
each other and as they rotate
the audience sees that the
is pummeling the chest of
and crying and shrieking.
FATHER
(Tries to catch Mother's hands, calm her; holds her
at arms length, shakes her, looks into her face,
speaks clearly and forcefully)
No human life is worth more than another. Dearie may die. We'll
tell Nomuula we want to adopt her into our household. She
reached out to us. Her parents are dead. She'll live with us
and go to school, learn English. She'll have both her kidneys.
MOTHER
(Escapes from Father's hold, runs to get a packed
suitcase standing by the door, speaks in anger as
she crosses the room and gathers up her bags.)
We're going. I have the plane tickets. They're expecting us in
Johannesburg.
(A honk is heard from outside, presumably the van.)
Dearie is in the van from school, Its coming here, that's it.
We're going. You can't stop me.
You know, you can't change the
world.
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(MOTHER pauses at the door as she opens it and is
ready to step out. She and FATHER look at each
other for several seconds. MOTHER opens her mouth,
is about to speak, then closes her mouth, and
closes the door behind her.)
(BLACKOUT)
(THE END)