in the essential meaning of introspection by a chicken rice shop
A play in one act
by
Richard Homer
Cast
Chong, a 45 year old shopkeeper, 80.1 kg, little hair, wearing a white tee-shirt and knee length grey trousers, and no shoes. He likes stroking his moustache when looking out of the window.
Ying, a 20 year old primary school teacher, tall, 50.5 kg, light brown hair, shoulder length hair, wearing a white tee-shirt, knee length grey trousers, and no shoes, holding a glass of water; she likes to rest her elbow on the cupboard when looking out of the window.
The front room of a small shop house; concrete floor with a tin of engine oil and two car tyres, window to rear, overlooking the local chicken rice shop; door with coat hook, empty, except for a woollen orange hat to left, a cupboard with crockery along it; cheap chair and table, to the right, above it, a painting by Henk Hendriksohn, ‘Art’, near the chair and table.
Curtain up, lighting on from fluorescent strip light, making a horrible ill atmosphere; Rogers and Hammerstein II ‘Flower Drum Song’ is playing, the first eight songs, Chong is looking at the floor, then the window, then the floor, then the window. He is breathing, and stroking his moustache. Ying enters, goes to window; she is breathing, and stroking her hair until half way through ‘Happy Talky-Talky’.
YING:
Chong, are you happy?
CHONG:
Ying, I am happy. Ying, why do you look at the chicken rice shop?
YING:
I love to look at a chicken rice shop.
CHONG:
Ying, my Ying, it is good to look at a chicken rice shop.
They look at each other through the next two songs, holding hands up to ‘A 100 million miracles’. Chong takes out his newspaper, but does not read it. Ying pours the water on the table, kicks the tin of engine oil, puts the glass on the cupboard, her hand on her neck.
YING:
Where are the chicken egg and sweet potato? I can’t find them here.
CHONG:
I have no knowledge of a chicken egg and a sweet potato. .
Chong and Ying begin to cry, they turn to the window.
CHONG:
Ying, I love you. I want to eat a fish ball cooked tonight by you.
YING:
Of course, I can cook a fish ball tonight for you.
CHONG:
Oh, one hundred million miracles are happening every day here!
YING:
You speak the truth, Chong. One hundred million miracles are happening everyday here.
Chong and Ying exeunt crying, taking the orange hat.
Lights out, curtain.
The End
