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Accidente (c.1995), Lluïsa Cunillé Salgado
Accident, translated by Gwynneth Dowling
SCENE ONE
- Context:
- Man 1 and Man 2 are getting to know one another in hospital. Man 1 offers the man who knocked him down with his car a job.
- Sample text
-
- MAN 1:
For the first time, I’ve actually hired a warehouse and packed it to the rafters. I’m playing a risky game. Taking a huge chance, see?
- MAN 2:
Yes …
- MAN 1:
Until now, I always sold my goods before I’d even bought them. If someone wanted something, I’d go and buy it for them. It was a smooth business from beginning to end. But now it’s different … Who wants a fan these days? Tell me. Who?
- MAN 2:
Well …
- MAN 1:
You want one because I gave it to you. If I’d wanted to sell it to you, you would’ve told me to sod off.
- MAN 2:
No, I …
- MAN 1:
No, it’s understandable. It’s what anyone would do, you can bet on it. Listen, do you want a job? A job for six months? For six months, of course …
- MAN 2:
Well …
- MAN 1:
You’d work at night. So you’d obviously have to make sure you were awake. Do you smoke?
- MAN 2:
No.
- MAN 1:
Even better. Although I do smoke. But I can go without. If it comes to it I’ll not smoke even one. Guess what? I think … I think you and I are going to get along.
- Copyright
-
The above sample taken from the translation Accident by Gwynneth Dowling is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
SCENE TWO
- Context:
- Man 1 is frustrated because his fans are not selling. He takes his frustrations out on Man 2 by asking him to account for the time he spends on the night shift.
- Sample text
-
- MAN 2:
What have I done? What have I done …
- MAN 1:
Yes, what have you done? What have you done?
- MAN 2:
Well ...
- MAN 1:
Hang on, I’ll ask it a different way. What do you do every night in the warehouse when it’s you sitting here in this seat?
- MAN 2:
I don’t spend all my time sitting down. Every so often I go out to check everything … the fans …
- MAN 1:
And what else?
- MAN 2:
I also tidy things away …
- MAN 1:
What things?
- MAN 2:
On the table … the first thing I always do is tidy it.
- MAN 1:
And you also read the papers, right?
- MAN 2:
No I don’t read them. I do the crosswords.
- MAN 1:
Ah, the crosswords.
- MAN 2:
Yes.
- MAN 1:
And that’s all you do?
- MAN 2:
Well … I also think about what I’m going to do after the summer … when I have to look for another job.
- MAN 1:
And that’s it?
- MAN 2:
Yes.
- MAN 1: (He picks up the calendar on the table.)
What are these numbers?
- MAN 2:
Daily temperatures in Buenos Aires. I check it every day in the paper and note it down here.
- MAN 1:
Didn’t you say you didn’t read the papers?
- MAN 2:
I only look at the temperatures.
- MAN 1:
And the crosswords … (He leaves the calendar on the table.) You know what I’ll do if this summer’s not a scorcher? Know what I’ll do? On the way home there’s a few bends that … if you’re even just slightly off … I won’t even know it’s happened, you’ll see. (Pause.) I’m sorry … (Pause.) I’m sorry about what I just said. Honestly.
(With his coat in one hand and a file in the other MAN 2 gets ready to leave. Suddenly, MAN 1 grabs the file from behind.)
- MAN 1:
What’s this?
- MAN 2:
Give me that. It’s mine.
- MAN 1:
What’s this inside …
- MAN 2:
I told you, it’s mine.
- MAN 1:
But what’s this … (Pause.) Won’t you tell me?
-
Pause.
- MAN 2:
Photographs.
- MAN 1:
Who of?
- MAN 2:
Me.
- MAN 1:
You?
- MAN 2:
Yes.
- MAN 1: (He opens the file and looks at the photos.)
They’re all the same.
- MAN 2:
Yes, all of them.
-
MAN 1 closes the file and hands it back to MAN 2.
- MAN 2:
I write my name and address on the back of each one and send them to the TV station. They’re always looking for people to be in the audience. I’ve been called twice.
-
Pause.
- MAN 1:
And do they pay well?
- MAN 2:
Yes, pretty well.
- MAN 1:
Do you think they’d be interested in me?
- Copyright
-
The above sample taken from the translation Accident by Gwynneth Dowling is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
SCENE THREE excerpt 1
- Context:
- Man 1 and Man 2 are arguing over their future together. They hear a noise, and Man 1 goes to see who is outside.
- Sample text
-
- MAN 1:
You don’t know what you want.
- MAN 2:
What?
- MAN 1:
You don’t know whether to work with me or in the petrol station.
-
Pause. Suddenly, MAN 1 gets up.
- MAN 1:
Did you hear something?
- MAN 2:
No.
-
Pause.
- MAN 1:
He must’ve come inside. The guy at the door.
- MAN 2:
He can’t have.
- MAN 1:
Lower your voice. (Pause.) You didn’t leave the door unlocked, did you?
- MAN 2:
No.
- MAN 1:
Where have you put the key? Come on, where?
- MAN 2:
Hang on … (He searches for it.)
- MAN 1:
You’ve left it outside. Of course. He asked you for a light, and while he looked like he was busy, he tricked you. You’ll never learn. Never. You’re an idiot.
- MAN 2: (He finds the key.)
Here.
- MAN 1:
Oh, well, okay. (He does not take the key.) Well in any case you’ve left the door open.
- MAN 2:
I locked it.
- MAN 1:
You must’ve just pulled it shut.
- MAN 2:
I told you, I locked it.
- MAN 1:
Okay, I know who it is now. I know. Why didn’t I think of it before? Think, think about it a little. It’s someone who’s got the key. Who could it be? Come on, who could the guy be?
- MAN 2:
I don’t know. How should I know?
- MAN 1:
The guy I rented the warehouse from. Who do you think it is? It can’t be anyone else.
- MAN 2:
You owe money to the guy you rented the warehouse from?
-
Pause. MAN 2 starts to laugh. MAN 1 suddenly leaves. MAN 2 keeps laughing until the engine of a forklift truck is heard. MAN 2’s laughter tapers off until he is quiet. Long pause. MAN 1 enters, sits down and puts his face up to the fan.
- MAN 1:
I’ve wrecked it.
- MAN 2:
What?
- MAN 1:
I said I’ve wrecked it.
- MAN 2:
What’s happened?
- MAN 1:
I’ve wrecked it. Didn’t you hear?
- MAN 2:
But …
- MAN 1:
Shhh. Let me think. (He walks about.) I wanted to put it in the corner so I could get by and I crashed it against God knows what. Tomorrow I’ll have to call someone to sort it out. What a mess.
- MAN 2:
Was anyone there?
- MAN 1:
What?
- MAN 2:
I asked if anyone was there.
- MAN 1:
No. No one.
- Copyright
-
The above sample taken from the translation Accident by Gwynneth Dowling is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
SCENE THREE excerpt 2
- Context:
- Man 2 is in hospital after deliberately crashing his car. He and Man 1 pretend that they are flying themselves to Buenos Aires.
- Sample text
-
- MAN 2:
Will you fly there?
- MAN 1:
To Buenos Aires? Of course. How else do you think I’d get there?
- MAN 2:
Do you get sick on planes?
- MAN 1:
No.
- MAN 2:
Me neither. (Pause.) When I was a little boy, I wanted to fly planes.
- MAN 1:
A pilot?
- MAN 2:
Yes, a pilot. Didn’t you?
- MAN 1:
No.
- MAN 2:
Every little boy wants to be a pilot …
- MAN 1:
Well not me.
- MAN 2:
What did you want to be?
- MAN 1:
I can’t remember.
- MAN 2:
Right. Okay, you can be my co-pilot.
- MAN 1:
What?
- MAN 2:
Yes. Let’s go in the same plane.
- MAN 1:
What plane?
- MAN 2:
A plane. This one.
-
Pause.
- MAN 1:
And where are we going?
- MAN 2:
I don’t know … Buenos Aires.
- MAN 1:
We’re flying a plane to Buenos Aires.
- MAN 2:
That’s it. (Pause.) What can you see out of your window? (Pause.) You can see the ocean out of mine.
- MAN 1:
Well then, I suppose that’s what you can also see out of mine. (Pause.) Do you know that you can almost fly a plane from the ground?
- MAN 2:
This isn’t a passenger jet. You and I are flying this one.
- MAN 1:
I see. I thought it was a huge jet.
- MAN 2:
No, it’s small.
- Copyright
-
The above sample taken from the translation Accident by Gwynneth Dowling is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Entry written by Gwynneth Dowling. Last updated on 13 October 2011.
