Title: “I will not let life stop”.
Author: Clara Pérez
3 characters:
- Armando: 65 year old man who discovers he has cancer.
- Leticia: Armando’s wife, a 60 year old pessimistic woman who never has hope for anything.
- Doctor: Who is in charge of taking care of Armando during his illness.
ACT I
Setting: Living room of Armando and Leticia’s house.
Introduction: An adult couple who have been married for many years, middle class, who are forced to face a terrible news and each of them takes a different position. Leticia is in the living room sweeping the house when Armando enters, depressed and defeated.
Leticia (without letting go of the broom and in a reproachful tone): Finally you arrive! You called me just to worry me, ever since you got that pain in your back you’ve been giving me nothing but scares, what did the doctor call for?
Armando (without paying much attention to Leticia’s reproaches, he sits down on the sofa and slowly begins to speak): They already had the results of the tests, she called me to tell me that I have lung cancer.
Leticia (astonished, she drops the broom and as she speaks she goes to the sofa next to her husband): “Cancer! Armando tell me you’re kidding, you can’t have that disease.
Armando (more and more embarrassed): I wish I could tell you it’s a joke but it’s not, I’ll start treatment next week. I am scared. I wonder… Why me? I kept thinking all the way through what I did to be punished this way and I came to a conclusion. It doesn’t matter why the evil is there; it is there and I can’t do anything else, just fight, do what I have to do and I will get out of this.
Leticia (taking her husband’s hand): This disease is mortal Armando, how are we going to overcome it?
Armando (trying to encourage his wife): Fighting Leticia, we are not going to give up the fight, we will do everything that is necessary, I will not let life stop because of this disease and I hope I can count on your support. Leave the pessimism and we will make it together, you will see.
Leticia embraces her husband, both of them letting some tears flow.
ACT II
Setting: The same living room of Armando and Leticia’s house.
Introduction: It has been a while since Armando started treatment, he arrives home, already hairless, thinner but still in good spirits.
Armando (speaking loudly to make himself heard): Leticia I’m home.
Leticia (walking hurriedly into the living room) Hello my love, how did it go?
Armando (Resigned): Good good, it’s getting shorter every day, the Doctor said it’s getting smaller, we should invite the guys to dinner to celebrate that I’m beating it.
Leticia (astonished): Are you in the mood for parties? You feel so bad after the treatment that it is not convenient for you to get so agitated, don’t you think?
Armando (smiling): The discomfort is only for a couple of days, after that I feel fine. I am fighting to live, so let’s not lose the will to do it. Call the kids and tell them that in two days we want them here to celebrate that their father has one more day to live.
Leticia (with a smile on her lips and taking her husband’s hand): Okay old man, I’ll call them right away.
Leticia leaves the living room and Armando lies down on the sofa.
ACT III
Setting: Living room of Armando and Leticia’s house.
Introduction: Leticia is lighting a candle on one of the small tables in the living room and standing in front of it she begins to pray.
Leticia (lighting the candle): Oh God, may the news be good, you know we fight a lot, but it’s nonsense, what would I do without my old man?
Armando (entering happily humming a song and dancing): Leticia!
Leticia (looking at him strangely): Why are you shouting? Here I am, what’s the matter, have you gone crazy?
Armando (laughing and stopping dancing): Something like that, but out of happiness. It has been more than a year since I arrived here that afternoon to tell you I was sick; it has been very hard my love, chemo and radio therapies, diets, “stop doing this and don’t do that”, I have no hair, no eyebrows and I am very thin, but I am alive.
Leticia (still puzzled): And… Are you happy because you have no hair?
Armando (laughing loudly): Of course not, my love, I’m happy because it’s gone, it disappeared, no more chemo, we did it! The tumor is gone! I fought and I beat it!
Leticia (letting out tears of happiness and with her hands covering her mouth in astonishment but happy): Are you serious?
Armando (stretching his arms towards her): For sure,my love, I told you I wouldn’t let life stop and I kept my promise.
Leticia (throwing herself into his arms): This is the best news I could have received!
Leticia stops hugging him, takes him by the hand and leads him to where she had lit the candle.
Leticia: Thank you God for this miracle.
She hugs Armando again and they both cry with happiness.
THE END