## SCENE ONE

A street close to the sea. Utterly poor fishermen's huts. One of them is MARTIN'S, another is some kind of brandy-shop. It is night. A fisherman comes out. The window of his hut is opened. A woman looks out furtively. She closes the window. The Fisherman hears something but cannot understand. He knocks at another window.

FISHERMAN - Pedrooooooo! (A BRIEF PAUSE).

VOICE, sleepy - Yeah.

FISHERMAN - I'm going.

PEDRO'S WIFE, opening the window - Okay.

The FISHERMAN exits. There is a pause. WIFE signals at someone the audience doesn't see. The first woman opens the window again. A figure crosses the stage. It is a man. He jumps through the window and embraces the woman, violently, and closes the window. PEDRO comes out and so do other FISHERMEN. THEY salute each other briefly. They leave. When the last FISHERMAN disappears, figures cross the stage. Women open the windows of their huts, men jump into the huts, embrace and kiss the women and close the windows again. Only PEDRO'S WIFE is still waiting for her lover. Seated close to the Brandy-Shop, on a big stone is the LITTLE BLIND. He has seen everything impassively and nobody paid him the least attention. He plays a flute.

PEDRO'S WIFE - Martin. Martin! MARTIN!

LITTLE BLIND - Not here.

WIFE - Oh, I need him so much.

LITTLE BLIND - Him?

He laughs. She closes the window. AMARO, owner of the Brandy-Shop, and MIGUEL, a young man, come in.

AMARO - And this one is Little Blind. (LITTLE BLIND LAUGHS WITH HIS ROTTEN TEETH). He asks for alms, uses black glasses. (HE PUTS ON THE GLASSES LOOKING EXACTLY LIKE A MONKEY AND IS REALLY SEATED MONKEY'S STYLE). Everybody takes pity on him. A guy goes by, sees him, always gives him something... and yes, he can see better than I, myself. He is not even short-sighted. Nobody believes he is blind, but... everybody is used to give him money, to see him wearing black glasses... asking... and he says he is blind. He swears. We believe, even knowing it isn't true.

LITTLE BLIND, crying - Pity on the poor Little Blind who can't see the day's light.

AMARO - Well, we have to believe. (DROPPING A COIN). But we feel envy for his sight. (LITTLE BLIND GRIMACES, LOOKS ALONG THE STREET). He always knows who is coming.

LITTLE BLIND, singing - Martin-Fisherman

2.

what life is yours,
drinking brandy
and falling in the streets.

MIGUEL - Who's Martin. (A PAUSE).

AMARO - Martin? (A PAUSE). Just a drunkard.

MIGUEL - What does he do?

AMARO, smiling - Drinks.

LITTLE BLIND, pulling AMARO's trousers - And takes message.

AMARO - Yeah, and takes messages. That's all.

MIGUEL - Messages?

AMARO - For instance: I've got a mistress.

LITTLE BLIND - Fisherman's wife.

AMARO - Shh. Everybody here is a fisherman.

LITTLE BLIND - And so was Martin. He's no more but he was once.

AMARO - Well, when her husband is at home I can't do anything, of course. But I can't keep an eye on her hut to know when her husband is in or out, either. So I call Martin and tell him: her name is...

LITTLE BLIND - Maria.

AMARO - Maria. That' little mulatto girl -

LITTLE BLIND - Ezequiel's wife.

AMARO - Yeah. I tell him where she lives, then he goes, stays in front of her hut all day long, lying down as a dead man, making believe he is asleep. When her husband goes out he comes here and warns me. That's message. Sometimes it's the woman who sends Martin for her lover.

PEDRO'S WIFE, at the window - Martin!

LITTLE BLIND - (FURIOUS) - Not here, I told you! He's not here. He's not come yet!

PEDRO'S WIFE, afraid - Okay, okay.

AMARO, confidentially - Listen. You'd do better not to mix yourself up with Little Blind. (LITTLE BLIND HEARS AND AGREES, SADLY). He's no good. He's worth nothing. (LITTLE BLIND CRIES SOFTLY). And Martin too. He's not so bad - but he's somewhat boring. He only talks about two things: his wife who's a saint, -

LITTLE BLIND - Martin's wife? Wife of Martin and of everybody else, including me.

AMARO - You see?

3

MIGUEL - Two things?

AMARO - And about a son he had, many years ago. But he died. (PAUSE). Well, that's all.

LITTLE BLIND - And what about women. Tell him something.

AMARO - Women, well you know --- here it isn't hard. Fishermen fish at night - a good talk--- anyone will do. Yes, anyone but one: that you better put away.

MIGUEL - (SMILING) - Who?

AMARO - Martin's wife, of course.

MIGUEL - But -

AMARO - She's as I told you. Even worse than the others: she makes a living out of it. She's not too old, not too young--- but she drinks as much as her husband. You'd better put her away.

MIGUEL - And Martin- he doesn't know?

AMARO - Well, everybody knows, she makes no secret of it, she's not a bit ashamed. Of course, she doesn't tell him, "I'm like this and that". You understand? He had no need to doubt her. On the other hand, it's impossible he doesn't know. But he lives talking about her virtue, her innocence. I told you, he calls her a saint. You see, everybody has to make fun of it. (PAUSE). I don't know. Maybe he knows nothing about her.

LITTLE BLIND, singing - Martin Fisherman, etc.

MARTIN, entering - She's waiting.

AMARO - Here's a nice guy. A nice guy indeed. One day I'll pay you for all those favors you're doing me now. Give him a brandy. Did you talk to her?

MARTIN - No.

AMARO - Did you see if they--- discussed, or something? When they do she cries. It isn't worth while. Better stay here when they discuss. Thanks, Martin, thanks a lot. Give him a brandy. Goodbye, Martin. And thank you. Thanks a lot.

AMARO exits. Martin drinks.

LITTLE BLIND, suddenly excited - Two. Give him two. (HE TREMBLES AND GIVES MONEY TO MIGUEL WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND).

MIGUEL, afraid - Yeah - (MARTIN DRINKS AGAIN).

LITTLE BLIND, crying - Give some money to the poor Little Blind who can't see the day's light. For God's sake. (MIGUEL IS AFRAID AND GIVES HIM SOME MONEY). Three. Give him three glasses. (MIGUEL OBEYS ALWAYS AFRAID. LITTLE BLIND LOOKS FOR MORE MONEY

4.

IN HIS OWN POCKET AND THEN IN MARTIN'S POCKET AND GIVES IT TO MEGUEL).
The whole bottle. The whole bottle. (MARTIN DRINKS FROM THE BOTTLE. LITTLE BLIND SAYS, SWEETLY). Drink, Martin, drink. (Close to his ear).
Warm you soul, Martin. Drink on. Drink on.

MARTIN - My wife -

LITTLE BLIND - She's a saint, I know that, everybody knows that.

MARTIN - She doesn't -

LITTLE BLIND - She doesn't like it, I know. But now, what's the use of it.
You're drunk already. Drink on to sleep well. Just a bit
more. (PUTS THE BOTTLE IN MARTIN'S MOUTH). It warms, Mar-
tin. It'll make you feel better.

MARTIN - No, that's enough. I--- she--- doesn't want me to drink---

LITTLE BLIND - Where are you going?

MARTIN - To sleep.

LITTLE BLIND - Where? Where, Martin? In your bed? In that saint's bed?
Martin! Would you do that? Would you? (HOLDING HIM AND
SWINGING HIM). With your brandy's breath? With that stink-
ing breath? You want to awaken her? Do you? Do you?

MARTIN - No--- no---

LITTLE BLIND - Sleep, Martin. You need to sleep. Or do you want to hear
your son's voice calling you from the sea?

MARTIN - NO!!

LITTLE BLIND, making believe - Dad--- Daddy---

MARTIN, crying softly - No---no---no---

LITTLE BLIND, grotesquely - That's your son's voice calling you from the
sea. That's your son's drowning. Your dead son's voice. Da-
ddy. (MARTIN DRINKS FROM THE BOTTLE AND THROWS IT AWAY).
Drinking you can't hear. You see? It stops. Or sleeping.
Martin, where are you going? I told you to sleep but to sleep
here, not in that saint's bed. Here on your hut's sill. (HE
THROWS MARTIN ON THE GROUND). Sleep. The voice of your son
getting drowned lulls you. (WITH GESTURES AND GRIMACES HOWLS
LIKE A WOLF). Dad--- daddy--- (PAUSE), Martin. Are you sleep-
ing? (PAUSE). Now, while you sleep here I'll sleep with
your wife. (COUNTING HIS MONEY). Let me see: five, ten,
fifteen (SPEALING MONEY FROM MARTIN'S POCKET). Twenty. Twe-
nty. That's okay. No, ten. Ten will do. Five will do. No,
ten. Five. Five. (MARTIN'S WIFE COMES OUT).

WIFE - Again?

LITTLE BLIND - He didn't hear me. And I told him so many times: Martin,
don't do that! Martin, don't drink no more! Martin, -

WIFE - How much?

5.

LITTLE BLIND, dad - Not much. Hard times. All churches empty. Nobody goes to hear the mass anymore. (GROTESQUELY People with no religion!)

WIFE - Liar! The whole day out and only that? Or did you drink too? Let me me smell your breath. (SHE DOES SO GRASPING HIM BY THE NECK. THE SHE THROWS HIM ON THE GROUND). You're stealing from me. You hid the money. (HE HIDES IT IN HIS MOUTH).

LITTLE BLIND - Search it on me. (SHE DOES SO BUT CAN'T FIND IT).

WIFE, kneels down close to Martin - The sea is so quiet, Martin. Why don't you go to fish? Since he died, remember? Since he died never more the sea arose. Never more. Why don't you go to fish?

LITTLE BLIND, holding her arm - 'Cause he's drunken. Let's go in 'cause it's cool here, outside. I'm freezing. (HE PUSHES HER AND CLOSES THE DOOR AFTER THEM).

A PAUSE. A MAN APPEARS.

MAN - Look here, did you - do you know a guy named Martin?

MIGUEL, points him out - Him?

MAN, shaking Martin - Martin. Martin. Martin.

MARTIN, whispering - Saint -

MAN, emiling - He's talking about his wife. Know her? Martin, wake up. (GIVES UP). That won't do. And I need him so much. Listen, did you by chance, did you see someone coming out of that hut? A fisherman? (PAUSE). Did you see a woman in that window? Did you?

WIFE - Pedro's wife, appearing in the window - Martin. (SEEING THE MAN). Oh.

MIGUEL - Is she?

MAN - Yes, thanks. (GIVING HIM A NEWSPAPER). Spread it on him. (HE GOES TO THE HUT).

WIFE - Why did you delay so much honey?

HE ENTERS, EMBRACES AND KISSES HER, CLOSES THE WINDOW).

Curtain.

6.

## SCENE TWO

LITTLE BLIND plays his flute, softly. AMARO and MIGUEL try to awaken MARTIN.

AMARO - Martin. (PAUSE). And what did you do?

MIGUEL - Nothing. Little Blind came and said, "Let's go to sleep. It's col outside.

XMXR0XX

AMARO - She only sleeps with Little Blind when she has nobody but nobody else. You asked me about women, why didn't you -

MIGUEL - But you said that -

AMARO - Listen, here you gotta make your own way, boy. You can't be too much honest, too much a straight fellow, too much nothing. Here you gotta be different people according to the circumstances. You got it? (PAUSE). Look at his head. I'll take him to the Hospital. MARTIN. Let's go. (HE EXITS WITH MARTIN WHO IS SLEEPY).

MIGUEL - Are you satisfied?

LITTLE BLIND - One of us has got to sleep outside. I can't, I can't. You see this cough? (HE COUGHS). I think I have got TB. (HE LAUGHS). Sometimes she orders Martin to prepare coffee for both of us. (IMITATING THE WOMAN). "Poor fellow. We gotta take pity on the poor Little Blind". (LAUGHING). Sometimes I have my breakfast in bed. But only when I bring much money to give her. Not today because Martin was sick. (GROTESQUELY). You think I have no heart? That I don't feel sorry for him? Yes, I do. I really do. Today I had no coffee in bed. (MARTIN'S WIFE COMES OUT).

WIFE - Martin?

LITTLE BLIND - He went over there.

WIFE - Where?

LITTLE BLIND - Dunno. Over there. He said he's gonna delay. (SHE GOES TO THE BRANDY-SHOP).

WIFE - Coffee. (SEES MIGUEL. HIDING HER FACE). I didn't wash my face yet. Water. (MIGUEL GIVES HER A GLASS OF WATER). I have never seen you before. Who are you? How old are you? As old as my son, were he alive - (SHE WASHES HER FACE).

MIGUEL - He died?

LITTLE BLIND - As tall as this. So strong, so funny, so handsome little boy. You wonder his only fault? He was afraid of water. A fisherman's son, afraid of water -

WIFE, indifferently - Shut up.

MIGUEL - He died?

LITTLE BLIND - Martin used to take him to the shore, to tie up his foot at

7.

a big heavy stone - Then the waves came, came softly, covering his legs, his face - He crying, "Dad - Daddy -"

WIFE, asking - Shut up.

LITTLE BLIND - Once Martin took him in his boat. He always crying, of course, his feet tied up - You know, the sea is so quiet but sometimes it isn't. Sometimes it arises. (PAUSE). It did.

WIFE, shouting at him - Shut up.

LITTLE BLIND, lowering his voice, afraid - A big heavy stone -

WIFE - Listen, boy, I have no money.

MIGUEL - Okay, I'll pay for you.

WIFE - I've no money here, but at home --- let's go while Martin is out.

MIGUEL - You needn't pay.

WIFE - You needn't - You know very well what I want--- what I don't want: to tell you, "Let's go to bed!" You nice boy, you shouldn't fall down into this hell. You've got no father? No mother? What are you laughing at?

LITTLE BLIND, singing - Martin-Fisherman - (MIGUEL GETS AFRAID WHEN SHE IS JUST ABOUT TO KISS HIM). I was playing, go ahead.

WIFE - You nice boy, come with me. (SHE PUSHES HIM INTO HER HUT AND CLOSES THE DOOR AFTER THEM. A LONG PAUSE. SEVERAL FISHERMEN COME IN BRINGING A FISH NET TO REPAIR).

FISHERMAN - That's it. Too much fish isn't good. It spoils the net.

PEDRO, confidentially - She was asleep when I got home.

ANOTHER FISHERMAN - Who?!

PEDRO - My wife.

FISHERMAN - You still doubt her?

PEDRO - Dunno. Dunno.

ANOTHER FISHERMAN - Where's Martin?

" " - Hanging around.

PEDRO - That's a guy I don't like. If I could I'd break his neck.

FISHERMAN - Why?

PEDRO - Dunno. I would.

FISHERMAN - A nice guy.
- Suhh.

LITTLE BLIND - Hey, Martin. They're talking about you. (MARTIN ENTERS).

8.

FISHERMEN - Why don't you work?

- Look, Martin, look how the net is, so much fish we got.

- What's the matter with your head?

PEDRO - You slept outside, didn't you, Martin?

LITTLE BLIND - He struck his head on the ground.

FISHERMEN - Martin, I was told you used to work once. Hard work.

- They told me that a long time ago, a very long time ago, you used to fish, to leave your wife at home, by herself - as everybody who goes to fish does - your wife was the only one who slept alone.

- At this time I didn't live here yet.

Nor I.

- I did but I wasn't married.

- You're a lucky fellow, Martin. (HE SMILES, HAPPY).

- They told me someone tried to break into your home, once.

MARTIN - He did.

LITTLE BLIND - You have paid me, Martin. You pay me every day. (EVERYBODY LAUGHS AT LITTLE BLIND).

MARTIN - That's why he got that color on his face.

FISHERMAN - Tell them, Martin, tell them. She boiled water. Tell them.

MARTIN, happy - And throw it on his face.

PEDRO - That's what one gets with married women.

MARTIN - And my woman, that saint ---

FISHERMEN - Listen, Martin, you could work with us. Not every day, but once or twice in the week, just for fun.

- What do you think?

- You gotta a wife to support.

6 A wife who is only yours, Martin.

- How can she live? And you? With which money?

MARTIN - She washes clothes.

FISHERMAN - Only that?

MARTIN, sadly - And sew sews for other people.

FISHERMAN - Well, what you think?

- He agrees, don't you?

- Martin is going to work. Tomorrow. (WOMEN APPEAR IN THE WINDOWS).

WOMEN - Martin?

- That's impossible.

- Is that true? (SOME OF THEM COME OUT).

- I can't believe it.

- Let's commemorate, then.

- But without brandy.

- Martin can dance.

- And sing. Sing, Martin, sing.

- Sing that song that goes like this: My father ---

- How is it, Martin?

9.

MARTIN, singing - My father was a drunkard -

WOMEN - Okay, but dance as well.

MARTIN, dancing grotesquely - My father was a drunkard, my mother was a drunkard too - and me--- I am also a drunkard---

LITTLE BLIND - Wait a minute, Martin. Go and call your wife. Go dancing.
(MARTIN APPROACHES HIS HUT, DANCING. )

JUMPING LIKE A MONKEY LITTLE BLIND FOLLOWS HIM AND OPENS THE DOOR. MIGUEL IS EMBRACING MARTIN'S WIFE. SHE IS COMPLETELY DISHEVELED. EVERYBODY IS LAUGHING NOW. MIGUEL RUNS AWAY. MARTIN'S WIFE COMES OUT, TOO. MARTIN IS PETRIFIED. SHE APPROACHES HIM SLOWLY. SHE EMBRACES HIM. HE IS MOTIONLESS* PAUSE.

WIFE - Martin--- A thief. (A BRIEF PAUSE). A thief. Catch him. A thief.

MARTIN (A PAUSE).

MARTIN - A thief. A thief----- Catch him--- A thief--- A thief-----

MARTIN GOES OUT, RUNNING.

PEDRO, after a pause - It was that boy, wasn't it?

FISHERMAN - Yeah. It was. (THEY DON'T LAUGH ANYMORE).

PEDRO, happy - Okay, okay. Let's work. We've got no time to waste talking.
Let's work if we wanna get the net ready.

Curtain.