Women Are Extraordinary By Wilfrido Ma.

Guerrero CHARACTERS: CORINTA LEOGARDO TIA CLARITA JESUSA ALBERTO Time: The early part of December. Midday. Place: Manila. SCENE: A middle-class sala but well-furnished and well decorated. At the rear, a corridor leading to the entrance and to the dining room. A window at left, opening on the street. A door at right leads to the bedrooms. As the curtain rises, TIA CLARITA is seen looking out the window. Presently she scurries to the dining room, right. A few seconds letter, LEOGARDO enters from left of corridor, throws his hat on a chair, removes his coat, and places it carelessly on another chair. He sees the paper lying on a table, takes it up and sits down in a siesta chair to read. LEOGARDO is in his early thirties, youthful-looking, but with a slight paunch. He is in an irritable mood now. LEOGARDO: (After a pause) Tia Clarita! Tia Clarita! (TIA CLARITA enters from the corridor, right. In her late fifties, she is a thin, white-haired, nervous woman wearing thick glasses who, after her husbands death, was forced to live with her niece CORINTA, and has acted as housekeeper ever since. LEOGARDO and TIA CLARITA, having little in common, are always at odds.) CLARITA: What is it? LEOGARDO: Is lunch ready? CLARITA: Nonot yet. LEOGARDO: Why not? Its nearly twelve-thirty. CLARITA: Corinta left this morning LEOGARDO: What if she did? She always does, morning and afternoon. You know that. CLARITA: Of course, I know it. But today was different. LEOGARDO: What do you mean, different? CLARITA: She forgot to leave the money for the marketing.

LEOGARDO: (Absentmindedly) She would. (Suddenly) What! CLARITA: I said she forgot to leave the money for the marketing. LEOGARDO: Do you mean to tell me you didnt go to the market? CLARITA: How could I? She didnt leave any money for the marketing. LEOGARDO: Have you cooked anything? CLARITA: Yes. The rice. LEOGARDO: What else? CLARITA: Just the rice. LEOGARDO: Just the rice? Do you think Im on a rice diet? CLARITA: I dont think that it will harm you if you try eating only rice sometimes. You eat too much anyway. LEOGARDO: Im not asking for your medical advice, Tia Clarita. Well, havent you done anything about it. Didnt you call her up at the office? CLARITA: I did, but I was told that she was in conference or somethingthen I rang up again, but she had already left to confer with Mrs. Muos on some important matters. LEOGARDO: Important matters indeed! Youre as much to blame as my wife! CLARITA: I? How, why? LEOGARDO: For being, like her, a woman. CLARITA: I dont understand. LEOGARDO: Never mind. Open the refrigerator and get us something to eat. CLARITA: Theres nothing in there except LEOGARDO: Some pickles, I suppose? CLARITA: Thats right. Some sweet pickles, a dozen tomatoes, and three or four sour mangoes. LEOGARDO: How do you expect me to eat sweet pickles, tomatoes, and mangoes when I am hungry? CLARITA: Well, theres nothing else. Oh yes, theres some bucayo. My cousin Adelayour Tia Adelasent it this morning. LEOGARDO: Bucayo! Throw it in the garbage can! CLARITA: Throw it away! She said it was her pasalubong from Dagupan. She arrived only last night. LEOGARDO: I dont like bucayo! Besides your cousin Adela has a face like bucayo! CLARITA: A face like what? LEOGARDO: Like bucayo! CLARITA: (Scandalized) Oh, oh, oh! LEOGARDO: Never mind! Havent we got two cans of meat, a piece of Holland cheese, some large cans of pork and beans CLARITA: You mean, we did have.

LEOGARDO: I saw them myself last night before going to bed when I drank a glass of milk. CLARITA: But Corinta took them all this morning when she left. LEOGARDO: Was she going to eat her lunch at the office? CLARITA: No, and dont say sarcastic things about your wife. She said something about it being her share for the Christmas party for the poor children of Tondo two weeks from now. LEOGARDO: What Christmas party? CLARITA: The Womens Protective Associations Christmas partyshes vicepresident there, you know. LEOGARDO: (Sarcastically) Fine! How generous of her! So she gives our food to the poor and before long well starve too. CLARITA: I cant see how giving away a few cans of food can make us poor. Why, we LEOGARDO: You women always use your feet for thinking. No wonder women make good classical dancers. CLARITA: Stop calling me names, Leogardo! LEOGARDO: Im not calling you names, Tia Clarita. Im applying them to your entire sex. CLARITA: Remember, Adam and Eve were both expelled from Paradise at the same time! LEOGARDO: You and your biblical allusions! Demonios! CLARITA: You know very well how Corinta objects to your use of improper words, especially before women. LEOGARDO: Demonios! Mil demonios! CLARITA: Naku! Hmph! Well, if you wont listen to advice LEOGARDO: If I want your advice, Tia Clarita, Ill ask for it. Well, what am I supposed to do now? Go back to the office without eating? Why didnt you borrow some food from our neighbor Doa Ticang? CLARITA: I didrather, I tried to, but she wouldnt lend me any. LEOGARDO: Dont we always pay her back? CLARITA: She said we broke two of her plates last week. She said she loved those plates very much, because they had blue borders and were a gift of her husband. LEOGARDO: I dont care to listen to our stupid neighbors lives! Why didnt you use your money then? I would have paid it back. CLARITA: Thats what you said last week when you came home in a taxi and borrowed thirty centavos from me. You said you had no change but you havent paid it back yet! LEOGARDO: Diablos! Why didn't you remind me? CLARITA: Oh didnt I? Didnt I?

LEOGARDO: You dont have to remind me! You went reminding me about your thirty centavos as if it had been thirty pesos. CLARITA: Hmp! Why didnt I remind you, eh? LEOGARDO: Woman suffragewoman boloney. CLARITA: And I hear Corinta say she was going to the doctor. LEOGARDO: The doctor too! Why, has she got cancer? CLARITA: Cancer! Are you out of your mind? (Deliberately annoying) However, I wouldnt at all be surprised if Corinta has a case of acute neurastheniafrom the barbarous way youve been treating her. LEOGARDO: Barbarous way! Are you implying I slap and beat my wife? CLARITA: No. Not yet LEOGARDO: (With violent grimaces and gestures) Women should be forced to fight in the next war, so they can be exterminated like rats. Women are like cockroaches: there are too many of them. CLARITA: See? A barbarianas I thought! (Unable to control his temper, LEOGARDO looks about for the first handy thing, sees a vase, hurls it on the floor) Hmp! A barbarianin modern clothes!And pleaseif you dont minddont compare women with rats or cockroaches. Compare themif you pleasewith something dainty LEOGARDO: Like termites! CLARITA: Or something gliding LEOGARDO: Like lizards! CLARITA: Or something perfumed LEOGARDO: Like bedbugs! (LEOGARDO again looks about, sees another vase, but CLARITA gets ahead and hids it behind her back. LEOGARDO sees the newspaper, tears it to pieces. But he leaves one page on the sofa.) CLARITA: Why cant you control your feelings? Why cant you learn more equanimity? Have you forgotten what the Bible says that he who conquers his passio9ns is stronger than he who conquers a citadel? By the way, when was the last time you read the Bible? (LEOGARDO lies on the sofa, exhausted. CLARITA picks up the untorn pages) Thank God the society page is intact. (Scanning the paper) Hm. Mrs. Amorsolo is sporting a new hair-do. (She imitates the hairdo. Then looking about.) Wheres the sports page? LEOGARDO: Since when, Doa. Clarita, have you been interested in the men s page? CLARITA: (Finding the page) I just want to know if Miss Gaston won the tennis championship over Mister Ampon. (Brightening) Oh yes, she did! The score: 8-0, 10-0, 6-0.

LEOGARDO: Women, pueh! (TIA CLARITA is about to go) Hey! Heres five pesostell the boy to go to the grocery store at the cornerI said, the one at the corner, not the one five blocks away(She begins to sniff). CLARITA: Prices are lower in the father one LEOGARDO: Tell him to get me something to eatcanned soup, canned pork and beans, canned meat, canned fruit salad CLARITA: Naku! (She hastens out to the kitchen.) LEOGARDO: What the--! (Shrugs shoulders and replaces pocketbook. He sits down in despair. TIA CLARITA comes back.) CLARITA: Its your fault! If you hadnt stood there talking LEOGARDO: What happened? CLARITA: The rice. It burned! LEOGARDO: Mil diablos! Get me canned bread then! CLARITA: Theres no canned bread! LEOGARDO: Never mind! Get anything! And before you go, tell the boy to bring me a glass of milk while I change my clothes. CLARITA: Erer LEOGARDO: What now? CLARITA: Well, this morning while I was cleaning the refrigerator, I left the bottle on the floorjust for a minuteit wasnt my faultwhen the catwell, the cat was playing nearby and LEOGARDO: I suppose it was the female cat! Rayos y centellas! Condenadas mujeres! Not to see a woman for a least one whole hourwhat a relief it would be! (The bell rings. CLARITA, glad to cut LEOGARDOs wrath short, hastens to the corridor, left. Presently she comes back, with JESUSA and ALBERTO. JESUSA is about thirty, wears a European dress, too bright-colored and too youthful for her age. JESUSA typifies the uneducated Filipino woman who tries to impress others. Having a strong sense of imitation, she imitates everything her more intelligent sisters do, and succeeds in imitation the wrong things. ALBERTOBERTO to themis younger than his wife and having allowed her to dominate him since their early courtship days, he has now lost all chances of getting the upper hand, though heaven knows he brags that he hasnt. He is slim and good-looking in a mild looking way. The couple enter with some packages under their arms. ALBERTO carries the heavier load.) JESUSA: Good morning, Leogardo! LEOGARDO: Good morning Jesusa! How are you, Berto? ALBERTO: Just the same, Leogardo, just the same. CLARITA: Where have you been? JESUSA: Shopping. I bought some curtains for the party Im giving next week. We thought wed drop in for a short visit. Were like part of the family, you know. CLARITA: We havent seen you for nearly a month.

ALBERT: We couldnt find an auto-calesa. JESUSA: Torpe! We never ride in an auto-calesathey are so small, so dirty you cant even breathe in them. ALBERTO: Why not? Open all around, arent they? JESUSA: (Glaring at ALBERTO). We always ride in a taxithose new large ones. CLARITA: What a pretty dress youre wearing! JESUSA: Naku! You see LEOGARDO: You still like using the word naku, Jesusa? JESUSA: Naku, I forgot. I always say naku when Im excited. ALBERTO: Its an ugly word, if you ask me. JESUSA: (Irritably) Never mind, Berto. I didnt ask you. CLARITA: Erthe dress JESUSA: I was coming to that. I copied it from Vogue. CLARITA: Its nicely cut. Who made it? ALBERTO: Aling Goria! JESUSA: Stupid! You see at first I wanted it made at Adasyou know all society girls have their dresses made therebut she told me she was very busy CLARITA: Perhaps she charges a high price. JESUSA: YesnoI mean, why, I dont mind the price ALBERTO: More women would mind if they paid for their dresses. (JESUSA glares at ALBERTO with ferocious intensity.) LEOGARDO: ErJesusayou always wore the Filipino dress before, didnt you? JESUSA: That was before we women began to manage our own affairs. The Filipino dress is so tight and so warmyou use so many pinssometimes I think it doesnt suit the Philippines. ALBERTO: (Who has been waiting for some opening) What do you mean it doesnt suit the Philippines? Where do you think the Filipino dress originatedin Mexico? Doa Jesusa, the Filipino dress was being worn centuries beforecenturies before JESUSA: Berto, keep quiet! Youre disturbing our conversation. You see, Clarita, when you wear the Filipino dress in a business meeting, it gets all crumpled LEOGARDO: Business meeting? JESUSA: Yes, Didnt you know? Im a member of the Filipino Womens Emancipated Association. We fight for our rights! LEOGARDO: What rights? JESUSA: (Caught unawares) Ha? Ohwell, our rights womens rights. Men cant fool us anymore. ALBERTO: I should say not.

JESUSA: What are you mumbling about, Berto? You see, Leogardo, when we got the vote in 1937 LEOGARDO: But Jesusa, Corinta hasnt stopped wearing the Filipino dress. Thats one good thing about her. JESUSA: Ive noticed that too. Its very strange. LEOGARDO: Neither has Mrs. Ramos, Mrs. Salvador ALBERTO: Or Mrs. Tongco, Miss Gan LEOGARDO: And so many others. ALBERTO: Even our cocinera has not JESUSA: Berto! Leogardo, probably its because the party to which Corinta belongs is very conservative. Our organization is radical. LEOGARDO: Radical? JESUA: Yes, for one thing we favor (saying the big word glibly) the liberalization of the divorce law. CLARITA: (Shocked) Jesusa! Why, do you intend to divorce? I mean ALBERTO: Hmm! A splendid idealiberalizing the divorce law. JESUSA: Why, no, Clarita, of course we dont favor divorce completely, but were living in a modern agewe women are more(hesitates). LOGARDO: Emancipated? JESUSA: Thats the right word, Leogardo! CLARITA: (Suddenly remembering something) Naku! I forgot all about it! JESUSA: What is it? CLARITA: I forgot to send the servant to the grocery! (Leogardo glares at her.) JESUSA: Wheres Corinta? CLARITA: Shell be home any minute. Excuse me, Jesusa. JESUSA: Where are you going? CLARITA: To the kitchen JESUSA: Let me help you. Besides I want to see your new refrigerator. I heard I cost you a lot. (Both women go out, corridor right) LEOGARDO: Well, for once, we men are left to ourselves. ALBERTO: Rightly said, Leogardo, rightly said. LEOGARDO: You know, Corinta is changed. ALBERTO: So is Jesusa. She has joined several organizations, when she has no talent whatsoever for that sort of thing. In the first place she doesnt speak even fair English. LEOGARDO: Corinta belongs to only one organization. She speaks good English and Spanish, thats true, and she has great talent for meeting, people and doing thingsyou know, charitable work, and all that sort of thing. But our house is changed. I

miss something. I see her only in the eveningthat is, when we dont go to some party which she says she has to attend. ALBERTO: Jesusa has got it into her head that she must go to every partyand that means new dressesand I cant afford them. LEOGARDO: In my case, the expenses dont matter much. I can afford to give Corinta what she wants. Of course, we cant spend money like water. I just paid the last installment on the car last month. But I believe that a wife should stay at home and take care of the house. ALBERTO: At least your house looks decent. Everything is so clean while at home Jesusa has cluttered up the sala with all sorts of ridiculous furniture and its always dusty. LEOGARDO: If my wife would only stay more at home ALBERTO: Perhaps if you had some children LEOGARDO: I was wondering about that too. All these years not one child. I wish we had one, at least. ALBERTO: Do you think it would change Corinta? LEOGARDO: I dont know, Berto, I dont know. ALBERTO: I have seven, but it doesnt do Jesusa any good! (JESUSA comes in, corridor, right.) JESUSA: What a beautiful refrigerator you have, Leogardo, Im always telling Berto to buy me one ALBERTO: We cant afford it. Our house is mortgaged. JESUSA: We can pay by installments. How much did it cost you, Leogardo? LEOGARDO: I dont remember the exact price, Jesusa. Corinta can tell you about it. She ordered it. JESUSA: Arent you going to the Assemblymens Ball next week? LEOGARDO: I dont think so, but Corinta is. JESUSA: You know, last week I was able to dance with Secretary Reyes, with Speaker Cruz, and with many others. I was even about to dance with the High Commissioner, but hes too tallbesides, General Vera asked me for the dance first. I was afraid he would do some tango nowadays. ALBERTO: Yes, and tango their husbands, too! ( A dirty look from JESUSA.) LEOGARDO: I wonder if Tia Clarita has set the table then. Have lunch with us. JESUSAL Why, havent you eaten yet? LEOGARDO: Ernowe were delayed a little. Have you had lunch? JESUSA: No, but were going home now. LEOGARDO: Dont go home JESUSA: (Standing) Naku, what will you think of us, Leogardothat we came here just in time for lunch? Come Berto, we must go. LEOGARDO: No, JesusaBertonow that youre here you must stay.

JESUSA: Some other day, Leogardo. ALBERTO: Yes. LEOGARDO: Never mind being formal, Jesusa. Corinta will be home any minute and shell want you to stay. Of course weve nothing special to offerjust canned food. JESUSA: Well, if you insist. (Sits down. Signals BERTO to do the same.) Anyhow, were like part of the family, eh, Leogardo? ALBERTO: Yes, yes. (JESUSA glares at Berto. CORINTA comes in, corridor, left. She is a tall, attractive woman of twenty-five. She has great poise and equanimity. Having studied in a local university, she has kept herself interested in outside activities, even though she married before twenty. She has been able thus far to combine successfully both the duties of home and the duties of public life. She speaks always in a soft, low voice.) CORINTA: How nice to see you, Jesusa! JESUSA: Why so late, Corinta? CORINTA: Have you been here long? Hello, Berto. JESUSA: Half an hour. Leogardo insists that we stay for lunch. CORINTA: Fine! You must stay. (Calling) Tia Clarita! LEOGARDO: Shes in the kitchen. (Leogardo stands at ertreme left, front.) CORINTA: Never mind, then. Did anybody call me up, Leogardo? (She goes towards him.) LEOGARDO: I dont know! Ask your Tia Clarita! CORINTA: But why havent you eaten yet? Its nearly one. LEOGARDO: (Whispering to her but suppressing his irritation.) Eat what? When you didnt leave the money for marketing! Theres nothing a bite to eat! CORINTA: Virgen del Carmen! (Looks behind to see that they are not being heard.) What a memory! I thought I left it on the table. (Opens her bag and laughs.) Look, its here, I forgot. LEOGARDO: But your memory never fails you when it comes to one of your meetings. CORINTA: Really, Leogardo, I cant help laughing, for it seems so funny. Its just as if it had been planned. But Tia Clarita should have reminded me. LEOGARDO: Your Tia Claritache! CORINTA: You havent been picking at each other again, Leogardo? (Turning to JESUSA and ALBERTO.) Oh, Jesusa, Berto, please go to my room. You may want to wash your hands. Well join you in a minute. Youll find a clean towel on my bed. JESUSA: Its all right, Corinta. Dont bother. (They go out, right door. TIA CLARITA enter from corridor, right.) CLARITA: So youre here at last, Corinta? LEOGARDO: Well, did you buy the canned food? CLARITA: No, the boys says both groceries are closed.

LEOGARDO: Closed when its one oclock? CLARITA: Theyre closed, and I dont usually inquire their reasons for doing it. Thats their business! LEOGARDO: Ha! Thats the first time you havent tried to find out other peoples business! CLARITA: Look here, Legardo CORINTA: Here, here, whats this about going to the grocery? CLARITA: You forgot to leave the money for marketing CORINTA: (Laughing) Yes, yes, I know LEOGARDO: You certainly find humor in the wrong things. CORINTA: Youll soon find out, Leogardo, why Im laughing. CLARITA: Well, Leogardo gave me five pesos CORINTA: (Laughing) I understand now, Tia Clarita. Never mind. LEOGARDO: Well, we wont eat today then! Fine time to fast when Lent is still four months away! What shall we tell our visitor? Send them awaythats the best way! Yes, tell them to go home! Tell them theres no food in this house! Tell them were starving! CLARITA: Send them away! Why, thats poor manner. CORINTA: Dont worry, Leogardo LEOGARDO: Dont worry! You women may like to go on a diet we men, never! CLARITA: There you go again, including all the women! I never dieted in my life, let me tell you! CORINTA: I said dont worry, because youll eat and eat good food, too. LEOGARDO: Do you intend to take us all to Manila Hotel? CORINTA: Dont act like a child, Leogardo. LEOGARDO: Ah! Now I am like a child! CORINTA: Leogardo, your sarcasm is out of place, especially when weve visitors. Ive a surprise for you and dont spoil it by getting angry. LEOGARDO: What surprise? CORINTA: Youll soon know. It will be here soon. LEOGARDO: It had better be sooner or Ill get my coat and eat elsewhere! CORINTA: Tia Clarita, will you go in and see that Jesusa and Berto find out the clean towels? Tell them well be ready for lunch soon. Use the blue napkins. And tell the boy to serve on the left side, and to put the ice in the glasses. (TIA CLARITA leaves by right door.) LEOGARDO: This house is changed since you entered public life, as you call it. Things are different. I see you very seldom nowin the evenings. Why should you go into publics life when your duty is CONRINTA: At home? LEOGARDO: Where else?

CORINTA: Its one of your moods again, because Ive been in public life for some time noweven before the suffrage was granted. LEOGARDO: I know, Corinta but there comes a time CORINTA: Leogardo, Ive been a pretty good wife, havent I? (LEOGARDO stares at her, then looks away) Todays slip LEOGARDO: Do you call forgetting to have lunch ready only a slip? CORINTA: Its the first time, isnt it? Tell me, have you missed your meals before? Of course, during our suffrage campaign, once or twice, but then I was busy, and you understood it. You always have your clothes clean on tour bed every morning. you cant complain that the house is dirty or dusty, for it isnt. is it.? LEOGARDO: Well, I suppose youre partly right. CORINTA: As you can see, Leogardo, I do my duties as a wife. LEOGARDO: But sometimes CORINTA: Sometimesof coursewe make mistakes, as who doesnt? but to quarrel about todays little incident LEOGARDO: But the daily routine CORINTA: (Laughing softly) There you go, Leogardothe routine of daily life. You men attach so much importance to your daily routine. You hate the slightest change. You want everything always fixed, definite. But doesnt it feel fine to break your routine sometimes, to break the monotony of things? LEOGARDO: No, I dont feel fine when I break my routine. Besides, my digestion CORINTA: Your digestion hasnt suffered any harm, Leogardo. Look at that paunch of yours! (She laughs. LEOGARDO, finding this mild teasing a way of relieving the tension smiles) See? It doesnt harm anybody to fast occasionally. LEOGARDO: But I dont like it! CORINTA: (Seriously) Can you remember any other instance when I neglected rather, when the routine in this house was seriously upset? LEOGARDO: I cant recall nowbut if youll give me times CORINTA: Surely you would remember if there had been any, wouldnt you? LEOGARDO: Well, I suppose so. CORINTA: Youre always right, Leogardo, but I only wish to put things in their proper light, to show things as they really are and not as you imagine them to be. Todays incident was unimportant in itself, bit it acted as a spark, which set fire to your wounded vanity. LEOGARDO: Vanity? CORINTA: If youll be honest, Leogardo, yes. You were brought up with the idea women should stay at home even if they had no children and even if they could do some good work outside the home. LEOGARDO: But the home is the wifes places.

CORINTA: How selfish, Leogardo. You remember in our courtship days when you used to admire mycharm, as you used to say, any gracious way of meeting people, or knowing how to deal with them. LEOGARDO: And you still have that charm, Corinta. CORINTA: Well, then why not use the talents given us by nature, if in using them we can make other people happy? Must we hide our talents under a bushel? Of course we couldbut how very selfish, dont you think? LEOGARDO: Well, er I CORINTA: If some wives can do good work for some worthy cause outside their homes, why not let them? My work, for instance, is to help the poor children in the slums of Manila. LEOGARDO: Your work may be praiseworthy, but your appearing constantly in the public eye, in the newspaperwhy, for a wife CORINTA: Come, come now, Leogardo. Youre acting like a spoiled child. The truth is and this may hurt you that you resent the attention paid to me. But your prestige and your name in the community havent suffered a bit. Your name is still one to conjure with in business. In other words, the community knows that you still are the head of the family. LEOGARDO: But Corinta CORINTA: Furthermore, dont you want to believe that all this attention given to me is only because I am a womanand men will always be courteous and polite to women? (LEOGARDO, charmed by this slight display of coquetry and teasing on his wifes part, smiles tenderly. But because he still feels his sense of pride smarting, he kills his smile outright). LEOGARDO: But your going outwomen, married women especially, should take care of themselvespeople gossip CORINTA: Be honest, Leogardo. That isnt the reason. LEOGARDO: (Caught unawares by her direct gaze). Eh? Whyerwhat do you mean? CORINTA: (Softly) Isnt it LEOGARDO: What? CORINTA: Jealousy? LEOGARDO: How did you CORINTA: (Insistingly) True, then? (Leogardo looks away). LEOGARDO: But, Corinta, when one loves CORINTA: When one loves, he gives complete trustnot a sign of love. Why should a husband always fear that his wife will be unfaithful? (A knock is heard at left end of corridor. TIA CLARITA crosses from right end to left)

LEOGARDO: But, Corintathere have been casesmany of themof unfaithful wives CORINTA: Of course there have been, and are. But there are unfaithful wives and husbandsall over the world. (TIA CLARITA comes in, corridor left, with a large covered tray). CLARITA: Look, Corinta, a boy brought this. He didnt say anything. CORINTA: Take it to the dining room and put the food on the table, Tia Clarita. Jesusa and Berto must be hungry. (LEOGARDO folds back the cover of the tray and shows great surprise) CORINTA: This is a surprise, Leogardo! CLARITA: This is a royal meal, if you ask me! Roast chicken hmmmfruit salad. And this chocolate cake looks delicious. CORINTA: Take it inside, Tia Clarita. Tell Jesusa and Berto to begin. Well be in right away. (TIA CLARITA goes out) I studied cooking at the school near my office, Leogardo. I wasnt satisfied with my cooking, so I tried to learn new recipes. LEOGARDO: You didnt tell me. You didnt ask me for money. CORINTA: If I had told you it wouldnt have been a surprise. I used my own money. Go inside now, Ill just take off my pauelo. LEOGARDO: Corintaif youll forgive CORINTA: No, Leogardoforgive my thoughtlessness. It wont happen again. Go in now, Leogardo. Ill tell you something very important later. (LEOGARDO goes out. Presently, JESUSA comes in) JESUSA: Corinta! CORINTA Why dont you eat, Jesusa? JESUSA: WelllatererI overheard what you said. CORINTA: You heard? JESUSA: Well, not at all just the last part. Anyhow, Im one of the family. Tell me, Corinta, if youve a child, do you think Leogardo will allow you to go in for public life? CORINTA: I think so, Jesusa. JESUSA: How will you do it? CORINTA: I dont know yet. JESUSA: I want to help you, Corinta. CORINTAL Help you? JESUSA: Its about Berto. Hes so stubborn sometimes. He keeps saying its the husband who rules the home. CORINTA: (Laughing softly) Men dont know it, Jesusa, but it iswe women who rule the home, though we make the men believe they do. JESUSA: Yes, yes, thats what I want to find out. How do you do it? CORINTA: Theres a right way , and a wrong way, Jesusa.

JESUSA: You mean mine is wrong? CORINTA: Yesfor Bertos type. Men are really children at heart. Feed their vanity and sense of importance in the right way and you can handle them the way you want the right wayand you can handle them the way you want. JESUSA: Naku, Corinta! Thats very interesting! (Shouting) Berto! Berto! CORINTA: What are you going to do? JESUSA: Just a little practice, Corinta. (BERTO comes in corridor, right with a napkin in one hand and a chicken leg in the other). ALBERTO: What do you want! (JESUSAs voice becomes sugary). JESUSA: Ay, Berto, you are so brave and so wise, lets go home now. Will you call a taxi, dear? ALBERTO: (Dumbfounded). Ha! Call it yourself! Dearhaha! (ALBERTO goes back to the dining room. JESUSA sobs exaggeratedly). JESUSA: (As she was going out). Ay, naku, Corinta! It didnt work! It didnt work! (CORINTA covers her mouth, laughing. LEOGARDO enters). LEOGARDO: Whats the joke? CORINTA: Huh? Oh well, it wont interest you. LEOGARDO: What was the important thing you were going to tell me? CORINTA: Leogardo LEOGARDO: Yes? CORINTA: LeogardoIm going to break away from social work. LEOGARDO: What! CORINTA: Yes, Im retiring in a few days. LEOGARDO: Retiring? CORINTA: You seeyouseewell, I hope he looks like you. LEOGARDO: You hopehelooks like me? (Suddenly getting the meaning) Do you meando you mean? CORINTA: Yes. LEOGARDO: After seven years? CORINTA: After seven years. (He embraces her). LEOGARDO: Whyyou women are extraordinary! (TIA CLARITA comes in). CLARITA: Heres the money, Leogardo! LEOGARDO: I gave you a two-peso bill! This in only one-seventy! CLARITA: Well, you still owed me for the taxi remember? LEOGARDO: Oh, well, I still think womensome womenare extraordinary! CLARITA: What do you mean some? All women! (CURTAIN)