CADAVER Alberto S. Florentino Torio Marina Carding (The interior of a squalid, one-room dwelling located on the edge of a cemetery in Manila. The walls and roof —made of empty fruit boxes, tarpaulin, bamboo, and cardboard patched together — threaten to collapse any minute.) : (A door, upstage left, leads to the outside and another, right, to the kitchen Upstage center is a small window. At right comer is a cot placed diagonally across the room. Two fruit boxes, standing on their sides, serve as sears, and another, flat on the ground, serves as a table where ain oil lamp gives off the only light in the semi-darkness.) (Torio is lying on the cot, a manta blanket covering him to the waist. He is around 27 years old, with a square jaw and 4 well-developed body. He is sick, his eyes closed.) (Carding enters: a frail-bodied, slow- ‘moving man in dirty pants and T-shire. He £r033es to Torio and taps him on the shoulder.) CARDING (Ay Turiv opens his eyes.) Were you asleep, Torio? TORIO No, Carding, I was not. Sit down, CARDING (Still standing.) So you've been sick. I didn't know until Marina told me. TORIO. Where did you see her? CARDING She passed by the house just a while ago. TORIO Damn that woman! So she | insisted on s bother you! ing you. I told her not to CARDING Ob; it isn’t any bother at all, Torio. I was even chiding her for not letting me know right away. (Takes a seat at the foot of the cot.) She was so excited when she showed up, at first I thought you were dead—or dying! TORIO Don't you let that woman alarm you again! There's not atime when she doesn't worry about something. Sometimes, Ieven think she worries about what will worry her next! (He tres to laugh but ends up coughing.) CARDING But she has a reason to be worried. You look very sick. TORIO I'm just a bit feverish, thats all. CARDING (Leans forward and feels Torio's temperature.) Your whole body is on fire! How did you get that fever? TORIO I don’t know. I guess it’s the tiny wound on my foot. (Exposes his right foot, bandaged with'direy rags.) CARDING Maybe you didn’t go to the dispensary as I told you. TORIO It’snot anything serious. (Places his foot under the blanket again.) CARDING Not anything serious! If it can puta man of your size and strength to bed, it is something serious. But you need not worry. I sent Marina to the dispensary. TORIO. What for? CARDING I told her to ask the doctor to come and look you over. She should have thought of that before. TORIO Are you dreaming? Do you think the doctor will come when we hav no money to pay him? CARDING But you don't have to pay him anything. He's the public doctor. He'll treat you for free. TORIO Maybe if I go there. But do you think he'll take the trouble of coming to me? What do you think I am, a congressman? 21 Arusorvine uiteRarvRE: A HistoRY AND ANTHOLOGYCARDING (Tums to him.) No, Torio. TORIO It’s all right. I know you can’t do it. Not alone. You need me. But don’t get impatient. I'll get well sooner than you expect. - CARDING You don’t get what I mean, Torio .. . 'm giving it up. TORIO (Sueprised.) What? You're giving it up? You're ioking! CARDING Pm not joking, Torio. TORIO But why? Have you found:an easier way of making a living? CARDING I'm frightened, Torio. See what happened to you. Suppose it happened to me? I’m not even half as healthy as you are. TORIO Oh! So this little wound had you really scared, huh? Why, it’s only a state! It did wut even bleed a drop. CARDING (Sits down.) You know what the old folks say about those accidents concerning the dead... TORIO What do they say? CARDING That if one gets wounded— or even only scratched—by the bones of the dead . . . he will die. TORIO And you believe that? CARDING Of course. TORIO (Laughs.) You're just like a child. Besides, it was an accident! A corpse did not leap from his tomb to plunge one of his ribs into my foot! Nothing like that happened . . . so there’s nothing to be scared of! CARDING Even then. You got that wound in a cemetery. . . (Leans forward him.) Torio, let’s not offend the dead any more. It’s so frightening. You never kuuw what they'll do to punish us. TORIO What can they do—except haunt us? And who is scared of ghosts? CARDING (Straightens up.) I'd rather offend the living— TORIO And if they catch you what do they do? They throw you in jail. The dead are more kind, Carding. CARDING Thaven’t had a good night's sleep since we started this work. It seems so mean and ugly—like stealing candy from a baby. TORIO Carding, if you start being sentimental in this world. you'll starve to death. CARDING Oh .. . here comes Marina. (Marina enters, a plain-woman of 25 or 26, sloppily dressed in a formless, tunic- like, gray dress.) CARDING Where is the doctor, Marina? MARINA How’s Torio? CARDING Where is he, Marina? | MARINA (Touching Torio’s brow.). Your temperature’ still rising. CARDING Marina, I'm asking you— where's the doctor? MARINA He couldn't come with me? TORIO. (With cynical triumph.) See? I told you so! I would have died of surprise if he came! CARDING (To Marina.) Why couldn’ he come? Was he busy? MARINA (Uncertainly.) Well. . . n not exactly. He was.not. CARDING What did he say? MARINA He wants us to take Torio to the dispensary. CARDING How? He can’t even sit up TORIO Who says I can’t even sit up? I can! (Tries to sit up but fails as Marina cries Don’t!) I know I can—if I really try. CARDING That doctor must be crazy. TORIO The doctor's afraid that instead of paying him, I would beg money from him. If he came I would have really begged from him. (Laughs.) CARDING Ace you sure you tried hard enough to make him come, Marina? biveeatugs UNDER THE REvUBLIC 215MARINA Of course, I did. TORIO You're both afraid 1 might die. For all you know, I will outlive both of you. (Smiles and starts murmuring to himself.) MARINA (Crosses t0 Carding downstage; speaks low.) What shall we do now? Listen to him. I’m afraid the fever has touched his brain. CARDING Let's take him to the hospital. MARINA It’s not as easy as that, Carding. He hates hospitals. CARDING Yes, I know. We'll drag him to it if we have to. MARINA We can’t make him do anything he hates. CARDING (Touching her on the arm.) Bur we can’t leave him aluue, Marina! He's really more sick than he appears to be. It is only his will to live that keeps him going. He'll break down soon and it may be too late then. TORIO® (Notices them conversing.) Hey, what are you two doing there—whispering like two lovebirds? CARDING (Loud enough for Torio to hear.) You'd better go down the street and get a jeep. MARINA We haven't even a centavo to pay the driver. CARDING I'll take care of that. | have some money here. TORIO What do you want a jeep for? (Sarcastic.) Are you two eloping? Can't you wait till I'm dead? CARDING Torio, we're taking you to the hospital. TORIO You're not taking me anywhere! CARDING Torio, we don’t have to ask you. TORIO. Oh no? You speak as if you owned my body! CARDING Because I know it’s, for your own good. TORIO But I don't want to go! Don't tell me I can’t even refuse something for myself! CARDING Torio, listen to me. Be reasonable. You're sick, If you refuse to go, we'll drag you if we have to. TORIO (Threatening.) Just try, Carding! Just try. I'll fight you with my last strength! CARDING Tori! TORIO Carding, you're my friend. Don’t do anything I hate. And don’t worry. I'm in my right senses. — — CARDING. (Irked.) All right, all right, I won't insist. (Sits down.) MARINA (Comes forward.) Torio, please . .. listen to us... TORIO Why are you so worried about me? MARINA. What a silly question! TORIO That's not asilly question! Why should you worry that I might die? Haven’t you always wanted me to die? MARINA Torio! TORIO. You were never really happy with me, were you? 1 know you've grown tired of me. MARINA No, Torio! TORIO Don’t be ashamed to admit it! 1 | won't mind. I confess I also get bored | sometimes. But where I could always seek for change, you cannot. I can imagine how you must feel inside. MARINA Torio, whatever gave you those ideas? TORIO So, if you think I'm going o die, don’t take all this trouble of pretending you don’t want it to happen. Jutr leave me alone to die. This could be your chance to get rid of me and get another man. Carding, for instance— MARINA TTorio! TORIO He's quite a man too! Even before I'm dead and gone, he has already laid his hands on you— 21 Grusivpine LireRaTURE: A HLsTORY AND ANTHOLOGYMARINA Torio! He's our only friend and you dare speak of him like that? (To Carding.) Carding, you must forgive him. He doesn’t know what he's saying. CARDING Don't worry. I understand very well. TORIO See? I'm not dead yet and already you have taken his side against me! MARINA Torio! TORIO Do you think he can take care of you as well as I have been doing? He can't even earn enough money to support himself. He cannot even take over our business when I get sick— MARINA What business—? TORIO — how much more if he had you to take care of? He'll starve you to death. MARINA What “business” does he mean, Carding? CARDING Don't mind him. He has gone mad! TORIO So I'm mad, huh? (To Marina.) Pll tell you what kind of business we have. CARDING Torio! TORIO It’s a business that requires no capital. All you need is a good, strong stomach— CARDING (Shaking him) Torio, stop tt! TORIO (Pushing him off.) Why? Are you ashamed to let others know the dead have been supporting you all along? MARINA What does he mean, Carding? CARDING Don'’tlisten to him. He’s out of his mind: TORIO. Really? (To Marina.) Do you want to know where the money I bring home comes from? Do you believe I really earn it by breaking my back at the waterfront. I've fooled you so well you never even suspected. MARINA Just what did you do? TORIO To put it plainly— CARDING Torio! TORIO I robbed the dead around us. (Carding turns away.) MARINA (Shocked.) What! Yournean — TORIO I was one of those who force open the graves of the dead. : MARINA (Hardly able to speak.) And... you stole . . . from them? TORIO Yes! And why not? Rich people are always buried with something valuable on them: rings, earrings, necklaces, watches—and gold teeth! Why let such treasures rot under the ground—while above that ground people like us are starving! MARINA Torio, you didn’t do that! You didn’t! TORIO But did! You can ask Carding. He was with me all the time. At first he was scared to death. He would tremble arid perspire. But later on— CARDING (Turns to them.) I didn’t want to— TORIO —but he had to—because he had to eat—even from a dead man’s hand. ‘When he tries to rob the living, he always gets caught. He’s too slow for them. But with the dead, once he got used to it, it was so éasy. The dead do not report to the police—they don’t tight back—they don’t even scream! MARINA Stop it! I can’t stand it! (Sits down.) Ohbhh . . . the poor sacred dead— TORIO What's so sacred about them? They're dead! MARINA (Almosecrying.) Torio... when we had nowhere to stay, we moved here — to their place. We put up this house on their land. They did not complain—they did not call us “squatters” —they did not drive us away. And what did you do in return — what? TORIO [hate them! That's why I robbed them! I hate them! MARINA You hate them? Why, what did they do that you hate them? Did they ever tirexarune expen tHe Reruatic: 217try to harm you? TORIO. (Pointing through the window.) Look at them! Doesn’t that sight infuriate you? Look! Nothing worries them. They lie there day and night, sleeping like babies, mocking our sufferings! CARDING (At the doorway.) Marina, stop listening to him. He used to tell me that over and over. TORIO One night, as 1 was coming home, a strong rain caught me. I'ran for shelter to the nearest tomb, that one near the road, belonging to a dead Chinese millionaire. It was so beautiful—the tomb—it looked more like a palace than a place for the dead, with thick marble walls and roof—and festive lights! Inside was the body—in a coffin. It was so dry in the rain and comfortable even in death. Why should that dead merchant have marble walls and roof to protect him from the rain—while I was outside, soaked to the bone and shivering in the cold— waiting to go home to a dark, dank place with a cardboard roof that leaks even in the lightest rain! Why? He's dead and I am alive! I have more right to the things wasted on him—don’t you think so? Don't you think we need thick walls more than the dead? MARINA He must have seen you— TORIO. Who could have seen us? We used to work after midnight—when everyone was asleep. MARINA It was God who saw youdoing | that evil thing—God who keeps eternal watch over the dead— TORIO Why should God keep watch over the dead? Why not over you and me who are still alive? MARINA Oh, what you did is a horrible sacrilege! If you die, heaven will not receive your soul! Even hell will refuse your damned soul! TORIO (Mad.) Why do you always say “if you die,” “if you die,” “if you die!” You do want me to die? MARINA No, why should I? TORIO (Vehemently.) You really want to be rid of me, don’t you? (Throughout, Marina tries to interrupt but in vain.) Now Isee that you two have been waiting for me to die so you could live together! Maybe that’s why a little wound like this can put me to bed. You're praying— praying that I will die. But I'll disappoint both of you! I will live on and on if only to punish you by denying you.the chance to live together! I’m still young! I have a hundred years before me! Not all the dead in the world can drag me to the grave! (His ravings rise in pitch.) Thate them! Yes, 1 dare all the dead whom I have offended to take me! (Raving mad, shouting through the window.) Take me if you can! I despise all of you! Oh, that you were all alive now and suffering in life! (He suddenly collapses.) MARINA (Rushing to his side.) Torio! ‘What happened? Carding! Help me! CARDING (At Torio’s side.) Torio! (To Marina.) Get some water quick! (Marina | gets water as Carding tries to revive him. Then he makes him drink.) MARINA Torio ... are you all right? TORIO (He comes to, sees Marina and speaks between gasps.) I'm all right ... They cannot take me . . . I'm not willing to go yet . ... (Looks around blindly.) Where's Carding? Has he gone? CARDING (Shows himself) here. TORIO I thought . . . you had left You are not mad at me, are you? CARDING No, I’m not, Torio. TORIO. | didn’t mean what I said about you. .. [had a drunken feeling. . . | just said anything .. . Pm still 2A Brusippine LITERATURE! A MIsTORY AND ANTHOLOGYCARDING You don’t have to explain. | understand. Try not to talk. You need rest. TORIO Yes, | feel tired. .. you two talk to each other. -. I'll take a short nap... (To Marina.) Wake me up when he’s ready to leave, Marina. MARINA Yes, Torio- (Torio closes his eyes. Suddenly his head and his arm fall over the edge of the cot.) MARINA (Screams, shaking him.) Torio! Wake up, Torio! Wake up! (She flings her body on him and cries over him for atime. Later, Carding pulls her away ‘and covers the body as Marina, now calmed, watches. MARINA It was so sudden—as if an unseen hand suddenly snatched him away! CARDING At last he is now at peace. MARINA How can he ever have peace? The dead he offended will not let him alone. CARDING No, Marina, the dead are not cruel and vindictive like us. They will understand. They will understand him more—much more than we, the living, ever could. (Carding kneels on the floor. Marina follows. They make the sign of the cross.) (1954)