Wedding Dance Script

Scene 1:
Narrator: A woman holding the bean flowers, soft in the texture, silken almost, but
moist where the dew got into them, silver to look at, silver on the light blue,
blooming whiteness, when the morning comes. The stretching of the bean pods full
length from the hearts of the wilting petals would go on.
Lumnay's fingers moved a long, long time among the growing bean pods.
Lumnay: I hope youre happy, Awiyao.

Scene 2: Gangsas beat Background

Narrator: It supposed to be the happiest day for the married couple. But Awiyao
cant help but feel lost in his own wedding. He looked around to see if he can spot a
certain someone he was hoping to be there. He was disappointed when he cant see
Lumnay, and he knows the reason why.
Maludimay: Where are you going, Awiyao?
Awiyao: Im going... I need to see her. I need to know if shes okay.
Maludimay: Okay, Just comeback quickly. My father might look for you.
Awiyao: Thank You.

Scene 3: Awiyao and Lumnay

Narrator: Awiyao reached for the upper horizontal log which served as the edge of
the headhigh threshold. Clinging to the log, he lifted himself with one bound that
carried him across to the narrow door. And there he saw the woman hes been
looking in his wedding party.
Awiyao: I'm sorry this had to be done. I am really sorry. But neither of us can help
it.
Pregnant pause between Awiyao and Lumnay
Awiyao: Why don't you go out and join the dancing women?
Awiyao held Lumnay on left shoulder
Awiyao: You should join the dancers (pause) as if--as if nothing had happened.
Awiyao stand

Awiyao: Go out--go out and dance. If you really don't hate me for this separation,
go out and dance. One of the men will see you dance well; he will like your dancing,
he will marry you. Who knows but that, with him, you will be luckier than you were
with me?
Lumnay: I don't want any man. I Don't Want Any Other Man.
Awiyao sit down and face Lumnay
Awiyao: You know very well that I won't want any other woman either. You know
that, don't you? Lumnay, you know it, don't you?
Lumnay: Yes, I know (Looked down at her fee)
Awiyao: It is not my fault. (Looked away from Lumnay) You cannot blame me; I
have been a good husband to you.
Lumnay: Neither can you blame me
Awiyao: No, you have been very good to me. You have been a good wife. I have
nothing to say against you. It's only that a man must have a child. Seven harvests is
just too long to wait. Yes, we have waited too long. We should have another chance
before it is too late for both of us.
Lumnay stirred, stretched her right leg out and bent her left leg in
Lumnay: You know that I have done my best. I have prayed to Kabunyan much. I
have sacrificed many chickens in my prayers.
Awiyao: Yes, I know.
Lumnay: You remember how angry you were once when you came home from your
work in the terrace because I butchered one of our pigs without your permission? I
did it to appease Kabunyan, because, like you, I wanted to have a child. But what
could I do?
Awiyao: Kabunyan does not see fit for us to have a child.

Scene 4: The Chieftain summoned Awiyao

Chieftain: Its been too long now, Awiyao. Dont you think you need to find another
woman to bear you a child?
Awiyao: No, Please, give us another year. I promise. I promise we will make it this
time.
Chieftain: Im very sorry but I already give you seven years, Awiyao. You know it
for yourself.
Awiyao: But I love Lumnay, I cant leave her just like that. I promise her I will love
her till the last day of my life.

Chieftain: You know you need to do this, Awiyao! Dont you want your name to live
on in our tribe?
Awiyao: I... I dont know.
Chieftain: Think about it, Awiyao. You know its for the better of you and Lumnay.
--Narrator: While Awiyao is on his way home. He heard the giggles of woman talking
about him and Lumnay. Without them knowing that he heard all what they say.
Woman 1: I heard the chieftain summoned Awiyao.
Woman 2: Poor Awiyao. But Im actually not surprise. Imagine seven years and you
still have no child.
(Womans laughing)
Woman 3: You bet. Maybe the story about Lumnay being barred and bad luck is
true.
Woman 2: Or maybe Awiyao was not good enough.
Woman 1: I dont know. But look at me and my husband weve been married for 5
years and yet this is our 4th child.
Woman 3: But in all seriousness, Awiyao should consider the chieftain offer. He
should marry another woman. Who knows he might get his luck.

Scene 5: Awiyao and Lumnay

Awiyao: I came home. Because I did not find you among the dancers. Of course, I
am not forcing you to come, if you don't want to join my wedding ceremony. I came
to tell you that Madulimay, although I am marrying her, can never become as good
as you are. You are one of the best wives in the
whole village.
Lumnay: That has not done me any good, has it?
Awiyao: This house is yours. I built it for you. Make it your own, live in it as long as
you wish. I will build another house for Madulimay.
Lumnay: I have no need for a house. I'll go to my own house. My parents are old.
They will need help in the planting of the beans, in the pounding of the rice.
Awiyao: I will give you the field that I dug out of the mountains during the first year
of our marriage. You know I did it for you. You helped me to make it for the two of
us.

Lumnay: I have no use for any field. Go back to the dance. It is not right for you to
be here. They will wonder where you are, and Madulimay will not feel good. Go back
to the dance.
Awiyao: I would feel better if you could come, and dance---for the last time. The
gangsas are playing.
Lumnay: You know that I cannot.
Awiyao: Lumnay. Lumnay, if I did this it is because of my need for a child. You know
that life is not worth living without a child. The men have mocked me behind my
back. You know that.
Lumnay: I know it. I will pray that Kabunyan will bless you and Madulimay.
Awiyao: Come with me, Lumnay. I will show you something.
Lumnay: You know I cant, Awiyao. It will only hurt me.
Awiyao: Please, Lumnay. This is my last wish. Come with me.

Scene 6:
Narrator: Seven years ago, the high hopes they had in the beginning of their new
life, the day he took her away from her parents across the roaring river, on the other
side of the mountain, the trip up the trail which they had to climb, the steep canyon
which they had to cross. The waters boiled in Lumnay mind in forms of white and
jade and roaring silver; the waters tolled and growled,
resounded in thunderous echoes through the walls of the stiff cliffs; they were far
away now from somewhere on the tops of the other ranges, and they had looked
carefully at the buttresses of rocks they had to step on---a slip would have meant
death. Everything is perfect.
Scene 7:
Lumnay: No. No. Awiyao, Awiyao, my husband. I did everything to have a child.
Look at me. Look at my body. Then it was full of promise. It could dance; it could
work fast in the fields; it could climb the mountains fast. Even now it is firm, full.
But, Awiyao, I am useless. I must die.
Awiyao: It will not be right to die.
Lumnay: I don't care about the fields. I don't care about the house. I don't care for
anything but you. I'll have no other man.
Awiyao: Then you'll always be fruitless.
Lumnay: I'll go back to my father, I'll die.

Awiyao: Then you hate me. If you die it means you hate me. You do not want me to
have a child. You do not want my name to live on in our tribe.
If I do not try a second time (pause) it means I'll die. Nobody will get the fields I
have carved out of the mountains; nobody will come after me.
Lumnay: If you fail--if you fail this second time-- No--no, I don't want you to fail.
Awiyao: If I fail. I'll come back to you. Then both of us will die together. Both of us
will vanish from the life of our tribe.
Gangsas beat Background
Lumnay: I'll keep my beads. Awiyao, let me keep my beads
Awiyao: You will keep the beads. They come from far-off times. My grandmother
said they come from up North, from the slant-eyed people across the sea. You keep
them, Lumnay. They are worth twenty fields.
Lumnay: I'll keep them because they stand for the love you have for me. I love you.
I love you and have nothing to give.
Someone: Awiyao!Awiyao! O Awiyao! They are looking for you at the dance!
Awiyao: I am not in hurry.
Lumnay: The elders will scold you. You had better go.
Awiyao: Not until you tell me that it is all right with you.
Lumnay: It is all right with me.
Awiyao: I do this for the sake of the tribe.
Lumnay: I know
Awiyao: Goodbye Lumnay.
When Awiyao was about to left
Lumnay: Awiyao! Awiyao, it is hard!
Awiyao: I know. And Im sorry (Awiyao left)

Scene 8:
Narrator: The Mountain clearing was cold in the freezing moonlight. The wind
began to stir the leaves of the bean plants. Lumnay looked for a big rock on which
to sit down.
Daughter: Are you okay, Inay? Youve been staring at that bean for a while now.

Lumnay: Y...yes, I just remember someone.

Daughter: It must be someone important to you, Inay. Perhaps, it is Itay?
Lumnay: What do you think so?
Daughter: The way you look at that bean, Inay. You look sad.
Lumnay: Darling, Im fine, I promise. And I have you, dont I?
Daughter: But, youre not happy, Inay.
Lumnay: Who says Im not? Look at me Liway, love doesn't have to be perfect it
just has to be true. And Im happy as long as I have you.
Narrator: Love grows by giving. The love we give away is the only love we keep.
The only way to retain love is to give it away.