MOTHER IN LAW SEASON EPISODE THE VISITOR Pt2 By Patrick Oketch

CAST 1. CHARITY 2. MWAMBA 3. ROBERT 4. CELINA 5. LISA 6. TINA 7. RAS 8. MARIA 9. SALOME 10. CHARLIE EXTRAS 1. MITEGO 2. ESTHER 3. PHILIP 4. CLR. JAMES 5. DAVID

1. EXT.CHARITYS HOUSE. DAY A SINGING CHARLIE HAS NOW ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION OF ROBERT AS RAS IS TRYING TO SILENCE HIM. AS HE IS DRAGGED AWAY MARIA AND SALOME WHO ARE COOKING OUTSIDE CHARITYS KITCHEN LOOK IN HORROR. CHARLIE: Who does he think he is? RAS: Charlie, keep your voice down! CHARLIE: This is our compound, I can shout as much as I want ROBERT APPEARS AND GRABS CHARLIE ROBERT: Hey! Hey! What are you doing man; we have guests in the compound. RAS AND ROBERT TRY TO DRAG CHARLIE TOWARDS ALISONS COMPOUND CHARLIE: Leave me alone, Ras are you disobeying your boss? You are fired Ras! Fired! ROBERT AND RAS MANAGE TO DRAG HIM AWAY FROM THE VISITORS EARSHOT CHARLIE: I am Charlie Mwamba and nobody can scare me even if he is the commander in chief. Mitego or no Mitego Celina is my wife. HE IS DRAGED AWAY UNTIL HIS VOICE FADES AWAY.

2. INT.CHARITYS HOUSE-LIVING ROOM. DAY PHILIP AND ESTHER ARE DOING DAMAGE CONTROL BUT THE DAMAGE IS ALREADY DONE. MITEGO AND HIS ENTOURAGE HAVE GOT MORE AMMUNITION THANKS TO CHARLIE. THERE IS AN AWKWARD TENSION IN THE HOUSE. PHILIP: Eh! Ladies and gentlemenmabibi na mabwana, wageni wetu tuendeleeni JAMES: Hatuwezi kuendelea hivi, we demand an explanation for what we have just witnessed. PHILIP: Eh wakwe zetu, we will answer to that in due course, please let us go on with the agenda of the day. ESTHER: Kweli kabisa, nafikiri kilicho tuleta hapa ndicho muhimu, haya mengine tutayazungumza badaye. MITEGO WHISPERS SOMETHING TO JAMES. ALL THE WHILE MWAMBA AND CHARITY ARE EXCHANGING ACCUSING GLANCES AT EACH OTHER.
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JAMES: Ladies and gentlemen, with all due respect, this meeting cannot go on we are leaving until you are ready to talk and Celina is coming with us. JAMES AND MITEGO STAND UP READY TO LEAVE, MWAMBA AND CHARITY PANIC. MWAMBA: Bwana Mitego, you cannot leave just like that, please let us talk, please resume your seats JAMES: Under these circumstances no discussions can go on CHARITY: This is the first time Bwana Mitego is coming to our home, surely this is not the way to treat your in laws. JAMES: As far as we are concerned we do not recognize you as our in laws yet MITEGO SIGNALS JAMES TO SIT DOWN AND THEY RESUME THEIR SEATS PHILIP: Thank you very sir, ahnsate sana kwa kusikia ombi letu. Now we can talk like wazees! You know palipo wazee hapaharibiki jambo. PHILIP LAUGHS OUT TO EASE TENSION.MWAMBA AND HIS TEAM BREATH EASY

3. EXT.OFFICE.DAY A TEARY CELINA IS PLEADING WITH CHARLIE TO STOP MISBEHAVING. RAS IS STANDING WATCH OVER HIM. CELINA: Why Charlie why are you doing this? CHARLIE: What?! What have I done, have I killed someone. CELINA: Did you have to wait for my uncle to get here, I thought you had quit. CHARLIE: Look I am not drunk, just a little tipsy, I am not drunk ok? CELINA: Charlie you promised me, you swore never to drink again. CHARLIE: I lied, I am sorry; I took a sip to cool my nerves, nothing much. CELINA: I dont care anymore; I am tired of babysitting a grown man. I have had enough. TEARY EYED CELINA TURNS TO LEAVE BUT CHARLIE GRABS HER
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CHARLIE: Where do you think you are going? CELINA: Leave me alone you are hurting me. SHE PUSHES HIM, CHARLIE FALLS, SHE WALKS AWAY. CHARLIE SHOUTS AFTER HER. CHARLIE: Wherever you go you are still mine, I saved you from that monster Mitego never forget that. CHARLIE SLUMPS ON THE FLOOR.

4. EXT.CHARITYS KITCHEN. DAY MARIA STILL TAUNTS SALOME OVER THE COMMENTS CHARITY MADE AND THEN ACCUSES HER FOR BUYING CHARLIE ALCOHOL. MARIA: Sasa ndio huyo Charlie mwenye unakufanya ujipendekeze hapa. SALOME: Nishakwambia mimi sina haja na Charlie wala kazi yako. MARIA: Nilidhani wewe ni rafiki, kumbe kikulacho kinguoni mwako. SALOME: Maria, stress zako wachakuniletea MARIA: Endelea kujiipendekeza kwa wadosi wangu ninyanganywe job upewe. SALOME: Stress zako ni Celina atalipiwa mahari na hautakuwa na chance kuolewa na Charlie. MARIA: Wewe! We! Hebu chunga ulimi, kati yangu na wewe nani anajipendekeza, mpaka ukaletea Charlie pombe sasa ona harasa ulio leta. JUST THEN CHARITY APPEARS FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE CHARITY: Ati ni nani aliletea Charlie pombe? MARIA: Si ni huyu barmaid. CHARITY: Salome! SALOME IS SHOCKED AT WHAT MARIA HAS JUST SAID.

5. INT.ALISONS HOUSE-LIVING ROOM. DAY

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CELINA IS NOT CRYING UNCONTROLLABLY, TINA AND LISA ARE TRYING TO CONSOLE HER. CELINA: Of all day why did Charlie pick on this day to get drunk? TINA: Celina dear, relax; you know you are not fully healed from the miscarriage. LISA: There must be someone behind this, someone who had a plan to ruin your day. TINA: No, I dont think so, Uncle Charlie must have been nervous, so he took one sip too many. LISA: You cannot rule out foul play, this home is full of tricksters. CELINA: It must be Maria or that Salome woman; I swear I will kill someone. Charlie had quit drinking but my uncle will not believe that now. LISA: Hey why dont you leave this place for a few days, you have been through a lot. TINA: Why are you Celina to leave, this is her home and we are here for her. LISA: I am not asking her to leave, just saying she needs a change of scene. TINA: Is that what you would do if you had problem with Uncle Robert? LISA: Without flinching! TINA AND LISA LOCK EYES CELINA: Charliehas given him what he has been waiting for, an excuse, and now he will never give me peace. MORE TEARS AND WHIMPERS FROM CELINA.

6. INT.CHARITYS HOUSE-LIVING ROOM. DAY THERE IS A HEATED DEBATE OVER CELINA AND CHARLIES MARRIAGE ARRANGEMENT.
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JAMES: After what we all witnessed her you cannot claim that our daughter is well taken care of. PHILIP: I can assure you, what you saw is not the norm, but an unfortunate isolated incidence. JAMES: We demand to see Celina forthwith before we say our final word. ESTHER: Gentlemen, we came here to console Celina and Charlie for the loss of their child not to fight, please lets stick to that agenda. MITEGO: We cannot ignore these emerging issues and therefore they must be addressed too. MWAMBA: Gentlemen, I agree with you that we need to address these issues, but today was not for that, I beseech you to give us time we make proper arrangements and pay you a visit. PHILIP: I concur with Mzee Mwamba, all pending issues between Celina and Charlie cannot be discussed here.Msichana huozwa kwao sio kwa bwanake. MITEGO WHISPERS SOMETHING TO JAMES. JAMES: In that case then we demand an immediate apology for what Charlie has done. ESTHER: On behalf of my son Charlie Mwamba, I am sorry from deep down my heart JAMES: Hold it right there, gentlemen, this is insolence, what do you take us for, when I said we demand an apology you know what I meant. PHILIP WHISPERS SOMETHING ON MWAMBAS EARS, THEY TALKS AS IF TO CONSULT. PHILIP: Sorry for that Bwana Councilor. We are asking for a few minutes to consult on this matter outside, if you may kindly allow us. PHILIP, MWAMBA AND ESTHER TROOP OUT AS MITEGO AND JAMES ARE ALSO LEFT CONSULTING.

7. EXT.CHARITYS KITCHEN. DAY MARIA IS INCITING CHARITY AGAINST SALOME. CHARITY WANTING BEING SO GULLIBLE BELIEVES EVERYTHING MARIA SAYS.
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CHARITY: Nilifikiri wewe ni rafiki kumbe ni fisi kwa ngozi ya kondoo. SALOME: Maria, mungu akuone na akusamehe. MARIA: Charlie aliwacha pombe kitambo, leo umekuja hapa na Charlie akawa mlevi, sisi sio wajinga. JUST THEN ROBERT COMES FROM BEHIND THE UNFINISHED HOUSE. ROBERT: Mother, whats going on here? CHARITY: It is Salome who brought Charlie the alcohol. ROBERT: No, that is not true; Charlie bought it by himself. CHARITY: Are you sure Robert? ROBERT: Of course I am sure, he thought it was going to help him cool his nerves but it has just messed him up. Hey am in there if you need me. ROBERT GOES INSIDE THE HOUSE. SALOME LOOKS AT MARIA DISGUSTED SALOME: Shetani ashindwe! OUT ON A CORNERED MARIA.

8. INT.CHARITYS HOUSE-LIVING ROOM. DAY MITEGO, JAMES AND ROBERT ARE IN A CONVERSATION, JAMES ENGAGES ROBERT IN SHADOW BOXING AND JESTERS ABOUT HIS FAMILY JAMES: So since you came back you have not contemplated moving out of your mothers nest. ROBERT: I got to stick around to look after my old folks JAMES: I thought that is what lastborns are supposed to be doing. ROBERT: Of course but here we have a different arrangement. MITEGO: Your lastborn here is an irresponsible drunkard who cannot even take care of himself. ROBERT IS VEXED ROBERT: Charlie had quit drink. JAMES: From what we saw and heard he must have fooled you people.
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ROBERT: He was nervous so he took a little. MITEGO AND JAMES ARE ENJOYING THEMSELVES AT THE EXPENSE OF ROBERT JAMES: So when are you paying bride price for your beautiful wife Lisa? ROBERT: What? Look, you are here to discuss Charlie and Celina not me or my wife. JAMES: She is my relative and her parents will be coming for her until you are ready to be her husband. ROBERT: Lisa and I are legally married... why I am even talking to you about my marriage. MITEGO: The Mwambas have never ceased to amaze me, your sloppiness is legendary. ROBERT IS NOW PISSED OFF, HE DOESNT SAY A WORD HE SHOWS HIS DISPLEASURE BY IGNORING THE TWO, STANDS UP AND LEAVE TWO THOROUGHLY AMUSES MEN.

9. EXT.CHARITYS HOUSE-BEHIND THE KITCHEN. DAY MWAMBA, PHILIP AND ESTHER ARE CONSULTING ON HOW TO COUNTER THE DEMANDS MADE BY MITEGOS ESTHER: They are arm-twisting us we cannot bend to their whims just like that. MWAMBA: So what do we tell them? PHILIP: Here is the thing, we must stick to our guns, and keep reminding them why they are here ESTHER: And again, we cannot pay a fine that was not anticipated. MWAMBA: I still think it is important to give them a date so that they do not feel like we are aloof. JUST THEN CHARITY JOINS THEM CHARITY: What do they want now? PHILIP: They want us to pay a fine for what Charlie did. CHARITY: Kwani wamekuwa polisi, kama ni hivyo, let him take his niece and go!
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ESTHER: Charity my dear that is not how solve issues. CHARITY: They have put so much pressure on my son he has gone back to drinking. PHILIP: Please let us focus on the issue at hand; we must counter their claims with our own claims. ESTHER: Yes, if he insists on the fine he must also hand over Celinas estates he has been holding in trust now. CHARITY: I am going to tell him off on his face, that is extortion. MWAMBA: Charity, go check on Charlie. OUT ON A POUTING CHARITY.

10. INT.OFFICE.DAY RAS AND TINA ARE DISCUSSING CHARLIES UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT. RAS: Tina why do you people always blame others for your own mistakes. TINA: What do you mean by we people? RAS: You are saying someone gave Charlie that drink. TINA: Yes of course, uncle Charlie has been clean for how long now, eight months, then all of a sudden this. RAS: Until the day you people accept that you have a problem, you will never get help. TINA: We know that Charlie has a problem, what other acceptance do you mean. RAS: I was with Charlie when he was taking sips from his bottle; nobody was pushing the bottle to his mouth. TINA: Who bought him the alcohol? RAS: See, it always others making you do mistakes, you never do them knowingly. TINA: Ras, who bought that alcohol for Charlie? RAS: I dont knowwait a minute are you trying to say I am the one? TINA: Are you?
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RAS: NO! TINA GIVES RAS THE- I- DONT- BELIEVE- YOU LOOK AND WALKS BACK TO THE HOUSE WITHOUT SAYING ANOTHER WORD.

11. INT.CHARITYS HOUSE-LIVING ROOM. DAY THE OLD FOLKS ARE BACK IN THE LIVING ROOM. PHILIP, ESTHER AND MWAMBA ARE SETTLED. MITEGO AND JAMES ARE ALSO READY. PHILIP: After consultation with my brother here we have come to a decision, we are not paying any fine. JAMES: So what Charlie did here before your very eyes does not constitute an offence? You people are not serious. Call Celina here we are leaving. ESTHER: For all intend and purposes Celina is Charlies wife and as such cannot leave this compound without express permission from Charlie. MITEGO: Bwana Mwamba, these two friends of yours are well meaning but they are misleading you. MWAMBA: How is that Bwana Mitego? MITEGO: First, they have no mandate here; secondly I do not recognize your son as the husband to my niece and finally, they should know who I am before they address me. MWAMBA: Bwana Mitego, these two speak on my behalf. Secondly, Celina is here on her own free will as my sons wife, I will not answer you on the third one. PHILIP: Since we are clear on the payment of fines lets us go back to the agenda. JAMES: I want to be clear on one thing gentlemen; there will be no negotiations until we agree that Charlie has insulted us and therefore must pay. PHILIP: Of course Charlie was wrong but he only wronged his family, however for the sake of our in laws we offer our sincere apologies. JAMES: Apologies not accepted. Verbal apologies must be accompanied by a token of appreciation, which you have erroneously called a fine. We are not here to punish anyone. ESTHER: If there is any fine to be paid we will ask to be given time to look into the matter and then get back to you.
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PHILIP: Bwana Mitego has said he does not recognize Charlie therefore it beats logic to demand any form of payments call it a fine or a token of appreciation from someone you do not recognize. JAMES: Until such kind of payment is made the status quo stands. ESTHER: And that I believe means Celinas current address also remains unchanged. JAMES: We will leave that to her to decide for now. THERE IS SILENT AGREEMENT ON THE MATTER. CHARITY COMES IN WITH HOT POTS OF FOOD AND PLACE THEM AT THE DINING TABLE.

12. EXT.ALISONS HOUSE-OUTSIDE THE MAIN DOOR. DAY LISA IS GRILLING ROBERT ON WHAT IF AND WHAT NOT, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF TENSION BETWEEN THEM LATELY LISA: See what I have been telling you every day, you ought to have done this ages ago. ROBERT: When we went to the district attorneys office in the states did we discuss anything to do with bride price? LISA: That was in the States, we are back home now and my parents are coming to demand their due. ROBERT: What about all the money we used to send to them doesnt that count for anything? LISA: No it doesnt, that was like any other money you give to your mother. JUST THEN CHARLIE AND CELINA COME OUT HOLDING HANDS, CHARLIE IS STILL DRUNK BUT HE IS MORE COMPOSED. ROBERT: Hey, where are you going man, you cant show up there looking like that? CELINA: It is ok, we have talked. LISA: What? Are you sure you want your uncle to see him like that? CHARLIE: Why are you talking about me like I am not here? Baby lets go. CHARLIE PULLS CELINA AWAY AND THE HEAD TOWARDS CHARITYS HOUSE LISA: When you will be taking my bride price, Charlie will not accompany you, am I clear?
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BEFORE ROBERT COULD ANSWER LISA WALKS AWAY. OUT ON A DEJECTED ROBERT.

13. INT. CHARITYS HOUSE-LIVING ROOM. DAY THE VISITORS ARE NOW EATING AMID SMALL TALK AND VEILED JESTERS AT EACH OTHER. JAMES: So bwana Mwamba, when are you likely to pay us a visit. MWAMBA: We shall communicate in due course to give you ample time to prepare to receive us. PHILIP: I am told Mrs. Mitego does not like surprises so we will not come unannounced. JUST THEN CHARLIE WALKS IN TO THE ROOM AND EVERYONE TURNS TO HIM. CELINA IS BEHIND HIM. MWAMBA: Charlie can I have word with you outside. CELINA: He is ok father, let him stay. JAMES: Charlie, we came here to see you and Celina and to console with you over your loss. CHARLIE: Thank you sir, that is so kind of you. MITEGO: Celina my girl. CELINA: Yes Uncle. MITEGO: I am happy to finally set eyes on you after how many years? Five! CELINA IS SILENT CHARLIE: Bwana Mitego, I have a something to tell you PHILIP: Charlie CHARLIE: Uncle Philip please let me talk I want to say I am sorry for what I must have said or done. Please everyone forgive me. JAMES: Thank you, apology accepted.
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MITEGO NODS EVERYONE IN THE ROOM IS KEENLY LISTENING TO CHARLIE WITH ABATED BREATH CHARLIE: Secondly, I want you to know that Celina Mitego is my wife, bride price or not. ESTHER: My son CHARLIE: Celina and I have filed a case in court seeking to compel you Bwana Mitego to hand over all estates you hold in trust for Celina. MITEGO IS SHOCKED, MAD AND MAKES AN ATTEMPT TO STAND BUT IS GESTURED TO REMAIN SEATED BY JAMES. JAMES: We have not been served by those court orders, or the case details. CELINA: Since today is a weekend, our lawyer will contact you tomorrow. CHARLIE: However, we can settle all these outside court. MITEGO: Celina, what madness is this? CELINA: Uncle, it is high time you give me back what belongs to me. MITEGO: If you want to play dirty, I will play dirty. See you in court. MITEGO STANDS UP AND LEAVES, JAMES FOLLOWS HIM IN A HUFF. THE REST ARE LEFT WONDERING WHAT ALL THAT WAS ABOUT. OUT ON A SMILING CHARLIE AND CELINA

THE END

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