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• Miss Trevélez : ACT ONE Scene Five , ACT THREE Scene Seven

Miss Trevélez, translated by Gwynneth Dowling

ACT ONE Scene Five

Context:

Picavea tells Don Marcelino that he plans to get rid of Don Gallant, his love rival for Soledad, with the help of the Joke Club.

Sample text

PICAVEA:

As you know, Don Marcelino, I’m a member of the Joke Club. As mysterious and secretive a society as the Katipunan [1]. Set up by us fun-loving youngsters – the Joke Club is the party club extraordinaire, helping us in our amorous adventures and leading to all kinds of practical jokes. And since it’s inspired by those secret societies you see in films, we meet in disguise and communicate in code.

DON MARCELINO:

Yes, I’ve already heard something about your jokes, but let’s …

PICAVEA:

Listen. Both Gallant and I fell for Soledad at the same time and both of us started to make a play for her. So to get him out of my way, and since he’s not a member of the Joke Club, I denounced his rivalry at one of our secret courts. The very next night, Gallant found a note nailed to the head of his bed, ordering him to give up his claim to the girl. But he just made fun of the threat and ignored it. As a consequence, he’s been condemned to a joke that’s so tremendous that, if it works out for us, it will mean that he not only leaves Soledad alone – freeing up the way for me – but will also have to skip town without a forwarding address. I can’t say any more.

DON MARCELINO:

My god! What’s the joke?

PICAVEA:

I can’t reveal it. But in a few moments, in this very room, you’ll be witness to a tearful, powerless and frightened Gallant. Caught up in the Joke Club’s web. And then all will become clear.

DON MARCELINO:

You lot scare me. When I remember the joke you played on that poor painter Carrasco last month, I get shivers down my spine.

PICAVEA:

That was nothing. We just led him to believe that his ‘Wave, Wave’ seascape had won second prize at the art exhibition.

[1] The Katipunan was a secret society in the Philippines during the 1800s, established to gain independence from Spain.

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation Miss Trevélez by Gwynneth Dowling is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

ACT THREE Scene Seven

Context:

Don Gonzalo learns that his sister Florita was never loved by Gallant or Picavea. He confesses how much he has done to protect Florita from the cruelties of old age.

Sample text

DON GONZALO: (Recovering from the shock, he gets up violently, angrily, trembling.)

So it was a joke! It was all a joke! For the sake of a crude laugh, they’ve thought nothing of adding to the ridicule of an already-failed life!? And what’s 100 times worse, they’ve chosen my sister as the butt of the joke. A simple soul, her only crime being that she refused to give up hope of achieving the happiness that comes so easily to other women, just because Mother Nature’s been kinder to them than to her … Well no! No, I won’t stand for this!

DON MARCELINO:

Gonzalo!

DON GONZALO:

I won’t stand for this! This cold, cruel, premeditated and criminal joke! I’ll meet it with savageness, cruelty, violence! I’ll kill, Marcelino, I’ll kill! I swear it!

DON MARCELINO:

Calm down, Gonzalo, for heaven’s sake!

DON GONZALO:

I can’t, Marcelino. I can’t calm down! They make fun of the sister I adore, the sister I love. The sister I’ve given all my love to, given up so much for, sacrificed so much for! Sacrificed, yes. Because just like everyone else, you lot think I’m a selfish bachelor, incapable of sacrificing my creature comforts for the stresses and strains of marriage. But let me tell you this – nothing could be further from the truth. There’ve been many times, Marcelino, when the seeds of love have taken root in my heart. Seeds that could have led to a happy house with another. A fertile life. Only God knows how much this has hurt me at times! But this gave rise to a terrible dilemma – either I’d have to condemn my sister to a secondary role in her own house, or I’d have to leave. She would’ve been left alone, all the more sad and pitiable in the face of my new love. I’ve always sacrificed my happiness for hers.

DON MARCELINO:

You’re a saint, Gonzalo.

DON GONZALO:

There’s more. This is a painful confession to make, but I want you to know everything … I’ve even gone as far – for her sake, you understand – as to make myself look ridiculous.

DON MARCELINO:

Gonzalo!

DON GONZALO: (With deep bitterness.)

Yes. I’m a ridiculous old fool. I know it.

DON MARCELINO:

Come on!

DON GONZALO:

Yes, Marcelino, ridiculous. A ridiculous fool who knows he’s ridiculous, which is the saddest thing of all. Forgive me my grotesque confessions, but I dye my hair. I favour friendships with the young … unfair, I know. I dress in eye-catching, mannered clothes, unsuitable for my age. And all this has and still does make me a laughing stock in town. The butt of jokes, of mockery. And I’ve dealt with it all humbly and resigned, because it’s all been for her.

DON MARCELINO:

For her?

DON GONZALO:

Yes, for her. There’s only a few years between Florita and me. My grey hair, my wrinkles and little aches and pains – all this horrified her, upset her greatly. She saw her own old age approaching, reflected in mine. So I wanted to appear younger, so that Florita wouldn’t think herself old.

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation Miss Trevélez by Gwynneth Dowling is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Entry written by Gwynneth Dowling. Last updated on 29 October 2011.

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