A Nanking Winter
Page 5
IRENE
So my work isn’t important?
KURT
Now you’re putting words in my mouth.
IRENE
You’re my husband, you’re supposed to support me.
KURT
Yes, I’m your husband, and you act like I’m barely alive! When have you ever asked me how my day was? When have you ever asked me how I’m feeling? I have to beg you to come and sit down and eat with me. I have to beg you to spend some time, any time with me! When was the last time we even kissed?
IRENE
You’re the one that’s distant! It’s you, not me!
KURT
How am I even supposed to approach you? Most days I can’t even get near you without getting my head cut off!
IRENE
You’re the one that decided to sleep in the spare room!
KURT
How can I possibly sleep in our bed? I can’t come to bed! You’ve always got piles of books and papers, all around you! You’re always reading into the night. You bury yourself under the weight of those books! When I come to bed, that’s all I can think about—those women and what happened to them! Those images, they float around us, girls with their legs open, women’s breasts cut off…. All those pictures, they’re in bed with us every night. It’s horrible!
IRENE laughs bitterly.
IRENE
I don’t see myself as those women who were victimized.
I don’t see those pictures as me. Do you see yourself as the perpetrator?
KURT
What?
IRENE
Why do you assume the part of the rapist?
KURT
How can I not? The only Japanese men in those pictures, in your book, the entire book are rapists and bloodthirsty killers!
IRENE
What?! Do you think that I think that you are a “rapist”? A “bloodthirsty killer”? What—that I’m afraid that you’ll suddenly turn into a ravaging beast? What are you talking about, Kurt? What are you actually talking about it? Are you really so fucked up, that a book, my book would make you lose your manhood? That you can’t get it the fuck up, because thousands of your countrymen did? Because you can’t face the fact that your grandfather fucked his brains out in Nanking!!
A long beat as KURT tries to keep his composure.
KURT
You… I put up with so much. I’ve tried to help you, but…
Beat.
IRENE
I’m sorry. I’m sorry I said that. About your grandfather.
KURT
He was a nice man, gentle.
IRENE
He was there.
KURT
I know.
Beat.
I thought that we could fix this… but… you’re too far.
And then he is gone from her life. AUDREY enters when she hears the door close.
AUDREY
Did he go?
IRENE
Yeah.
Beat. The doorbell rings. Beat.
AUDREY
I’ll get it.
She goes for the door quickly.
It’s your books. Help me.
IRENE and AUDREY bring the carton into the living room and open it.
They look good. They look great, Irene. They’re really beautiful.
IRENE
Look at this title…. Thank you, Julia.
AUDREY
Holocaust or Incident or whatever. It doesn’t matter. It’s just a title. The writing, the book itself, it’s yours. It’s you.
A beat as they admire it.
The cover, it’s beautiful. Looks like it was done in oils. Really striking.
She links arms with IRENE, something from their childhood.
Irene, if you believe in what you say, you have to trust that.
IRENE
“The Nanking Incident.”
AUDREY
Your job’s over. So let it go. You can’t do any more.
IRENE
“By Irene Wu.”
IRENE flips through wordlessly, stopping to read, and then flipping to another section. Until finally AUDREY takes it
from her.
AUDREY
Here. Give it to me. Nope. You can look at it tomorrow. Why don’t you go take a bath.
IRENE
I don’t want to take—
AUDREY
Go. Okay?
IRENE doesn’t move.
I know! I’ll get your present. It’s still in my car!
AUDREY starts to go.
IRENE
Audrey, why don’t you have a coat?
AUDREY
Oh for god’s sake! Go take a bath!
AUDREY exits. IRENE sits for a moment and goes down to
her office. She is only gone a moment, then returns, perhaps carrying a towel. She crosses to the bathroom and goes inside. We hear the water running. AUDREY enters with her present, in a gift bag. It’s a sort of clay statue. AUDREY sits on the floor next to the bathroom door. She takes her gift out of the bag to look at it. The water turns off.
(through the door) I can’t wait to show you. I made it! It’s not bad, if I do say so myself. Actually—Kurt helped. When you two were in Nanjing, I asked him to bring me back some clay from the riverbank. And I made it into this statue. Just like that Japanese general who made the statue of Kwanyin from the soil of the Yangtze mixed with mud from his garden. He was begging for mercy for his sins in Nanking. It didn’t help him—he was executed anyway. Maybe it helped his spirit. Anyway, of course you don’t have to beg for mercy, but Kwanyin is also for those who are suffering in their souls. So that’s why I made you one. It’s sorta like a modern Kwanyin. I thought, I thought, you could look at it and know that when things were bad, you could look at this statue and know that I’m here. This time, I promise, I’ll be here for you. I’m here.
Silence and suddenly a single gunshot from inside the bathroom.
(as needed) Irene…. Omigod. Irene. Open up open up. Please god… open up!
AUDREY is crying, trying to get the door open. But she knows. She continues to bang and try to open the door. Perhaps she tries to call 911. She is crying hysterically now.
(as needed) Somebody help me, please, somebody, somebody, help me!
As she cries, her language shifts to Mandarin if possible. The front door opens. Unnoticed by AUDREY, who has her back to him, a man brandishing a gun enters. As he gets closer to the bathroom door, we see that he has a Nazi armband. It is NIKLAS Hermann. She finally sees him and presses herself against the bathroom door in fear for now she is no longer AUDREY, but BIG MEI.
NIKLAS
Come here.
BIG MEI shakes her head.
The soldiers have gone. We’ve chased them away. Is there anyone else here? Who lives here?
BIG MEI
You speak Chinese…
NIKLAS
Who lives here! Come on! I cannot help you if you do not help me!
BIG MEI
My husband…
NIKLAS
Yes… and…
BIG MEI
My husband, Lu…
NIKLAS
Anyone else…
BIG MEI
His parents… and his younger brother and sister.
NIKLAS
So five others? Five other than you?
BIG MEI
Yes.
NIKLAS
No one else?
BIG MEI
No.
A beat as NIKLAS registers that there is no one else left.
NIKLAS
All right. We are going to leave here, all right? The Japs might come back.
She nods.
Come here.
She hesitates.
I promise, I will not hurt you.
He throws his coat over her and takes her under his arm.
Now make me a promise. When we walk through the courtyard, promise me that you will look up? Do not look down. Can you do that?
BIG MEI
Why?
NIKLAS
Do it now. Look up.
She holds her head up.
Do not look down. I don’t want you to see…
She squeezes her eyes closed.
Let’s go. Let’s go somewhere safe.
They exit through the door and into the past.
End of Act One.
act two
NANKING – 1937
The second act is different than the first act in that the settings should be imagistic and simple. There should be a sense that this act is muddier, dirtier and indeed a natural type floor covering would add to this effect. It is more theatrical and loose, an act that has more to do with chaos and uncontrollable elements.
SCENE ONE
LITTLE MEI is surrounded by a heap of bodies. Her throat has been slit. Snow is falling, obscuring her face like tears.
LITTLE MEI
Snow falls and I am in Nanking’s wintry embrace.
The cold advances and so,
Girls I knew, women who were strangers.
Soft arms entwined, like schoolgirls on their way to class
What will happen today?
A trickle, a stench, a heaviness never to be undone
Their lives lost protect me now.
I am held in a blanket of bodies,
Piled on top of them, heaped on top of me.
Their blood, it mixes and mingles with mine
Life and deadly wounds indistinguishable.
Their rigid and torn flesh,
Absorbs the piercing eye and point of a passing soldier.
Eighteen times he walks by and I am ever silent.
Alert, their wide eyes remain on call.
There is security among their wounds.
There is safety under their open gaze.
They are my watchers and protectors,
Fallen heroes, my corpsely guards.
Oozing and cast aside,
They open their arms,
And I learn the strength of their embrace.
The bodies close in on LITTLE MEI, who wakes up with a start from her nightmare.
Ah!
SCENE TWO
December 15, 1937, two days after the invasion of Nanking. The attic of Ginling College is filled with hundreds of young women, trying to sleep. Dim, with a shaft of moonlight from a small window. LITTLE MEI, sitting up on a thin pallet, seemingly lying among corpses except in the quiet night, we hear sniffles, coughing, etc.
LITTLE MEI pants and breathes deeply, trying to recover. Voices from the dark.
GIRL ONE
Shhhhhh!
GIRL TWO
Go to sleep!
GIRL ONE
Every damn night! Go back to sleep!
LITTLE MEI
At least I don’t cry all night!
GIRL ONE
Shut up!
After a bit, LITTLE MEI crosses to a bucket barely lit by the shaft of light. She lifts up her skirt, squats over the bucket and starts to pee.
It’s already full!
LITTLE MEI
Well, I have to go!
GIRL tWO
It’s gonna spill everywhere!
LITTLE MEI
I’m not going outside!
GIRL TWO
You’re too ugly for the Japs anyway!
The girls cackle as LITTLE MEI finishes and returns to her pallet. She tries to sleep, but she is cold. ANNA Mallery enters, brushing off snow. She is carrying a lantern and has a pallet over her arm.
ANNA
It’s me, girls. You should take care to be quieter. We could hear you downstairs.
NIKLAS enters, followed by BIG MEI, still wearing his coat.
The other attics are the same, filled to the rafters with girls.
NIKLAS
What about the regular dormitories?
ANNA
No. We’ve learned to empty them at night. We can’t guard them, and the walls aren’t high enough. The soldiers can easily
scale them.
NIKLAS
And have they?
ANNA
Many times, Mr. Hermann.
NIKLAS
It’s only been two days since the invasion!
ANNA
Two long days and nights, Mr. Hermann.
NIKLAS
It’s freezing up here.
ANNA
We warm bricks in the ovens before bedtime.
He reaches down to touch one.
NIKLAS
This one is cool.
ANNA
They go to bed at sundown. It can’t be helped.
NIKLAS
A fire, maybe?
ANNA
They’d die from the smoke. We’ve done all that we can.
NIKLAS
But no blankets. No beds.
ANNA
We’ve saved them for the sick.
BIG MEI is hit with a wave of nausea.
BIG MEI
Excuse me, but…
ANNA
(indicating the bucket) Over there…
LITTLE MEI
It’s already full!
BIG MEI proceeds to throw up noisily as ANNA and NIKLAS exchange looks.
BIG MEI
I’m sorry…
ANNA
Here’s your bed. Try to get some sleep.
NIKLAS
(addressing LITTLE MEI) You, can you move over?
LITTLE MEI doesn’t respond.
Do you understand me? What dialect do you speak?
ANNA
She’s from Shanghai.
NIKLAS
Well, that explains it. (He winks at her.) A city girl. Should’ve known. City girls are the prettiest. How is my Shanghai-ese? Do you understand me now?
LITTLE MEI doesn’t respond to his wink, nor his switch
of dialect.
ANNA
She’s from an orphanage in the French Concession. 3 The Sisters of St. Marguerite evacuated when the Japanese invaded, but she didn’t leave with them. Foolish girl, showed up at the gate weeks after the Sisters arrived by truck. Probably walked the whole way. Stubborn. 4
Mei. Move over! She understands you perfectly.
LITTLE MEI doesn’t budge.
Mei, do as you’re told!
LITTLE MEI moves over, which takes her directly into the shaft of moonlight and beside the bucket. BIG MEI starts to remove the coat.
NIKLAS
You keep it. You need it to stay warm.
ANNA
That isn’t necessary.
NIKLAS
My wife gave it to me, brought it all the way from her last trip to Germany! Go on. It is the finest quality wool!
BIG MEI
Thank you.
She bows low, making NIKLAS uncomfortable.
NIKLAS
It’s just a coat, no need…
ANNA
Good night, girls.
NIKLAS
Good night, Mei, and…
BIG MEI
Mei. My family, they called me Big Mei…
NIKLAS
B
ig Mei? But—you are little?
BIG MEI
I know.
NIKLAS
(to ANNA) Thirty years in China and I still don’t understand their nicknames!
ANNA just shrugs.
Good night, Big Mei of Nanking. I guess that makes you Little Mei of Shanghai—good night.
ANNA and NIKLAS exit.
BIG MEI
What is this place?
LITTLE MEI
You didn’t see, when you came in?
BIG MEI
I had my eyes closed.
LITTLE MEI
Why?
BIG MEI
Mr. Hermann told me to…
BIG MEI starts to heave again and leans over LITTLE MEI to reach the bucket. False alarm. She settles back on her pallet, wrapped in the coat and starts to cry. LITTLE MEI looks at her dispassionately.
I’m going to have a baby!
BIG MEI starts to cry harder.
LITTLE MEI
Don’t…
BIG MEI
My husband…
She scrabbles, as if trying to crawl away.
I have to go back, I have to go back…
LITTLE MEI
Stop it!
BIG MEI cries even harder and louder. Distraught, she is finally feeling the horror she had experienced.
BIG MEI
They’re all gone, they need me, my family… I have to
go back!
BIG MEI starts keening incoherently. LITTLE MEI doesn’t know how to react, except to grab her.
LITTLE MEI
Hey! Hey you! Stop it! Shut up, okay! Shut up!
Listen, listen to me! Do you know what I saw? I was down by the river, where it meets the city wall. Do you know what I saw up on top of the wall?
BIG MEI continues to cry.
Babies. But not normal babies. Small. Some as small as the palm of your hand. Like once, I bit into an egg, but it still had a baby chicken inside. Like that. Babies that were still meant to be inside the egg. A whole line of them, red and covered with snow. A whole army of little babies. Their little fists clenched tight.
She is right in BIG MEI’s face with her fists.
One baby had her fist raised in the air, as if to say, “You forgot about me! Jiu Ming [Save my life]! Jiu Ming [Save my life]! Save my life!”
BIG MEI
Why are you telling me this? Why?
LITTLE MEI
You keep crying like that and the soldiers’ll find this attic and come marching up the stairs. That’s what they do to Chinese babies! Is that what you want? Open your eyes.