"MONEY"
A ONE ACT PLAY
BY
BINA SHARIF
copyright:binasharif 2021
(Takes places in Canada)
(Written after the tragic killing of a Muslim family in London Ont, Canada, while they went for a walk.)
A hate crime against Muslims.
CHARACTERS:
A &B
A:
He is amking money.
She is making money. They are all making money.
B:
And you?
A:
What about me?
B:
Yes, you...
A:
Yes, me? What about me?
B:
Why are you not making money?
A:
Oh! Me and money? I have to think about it.
B:
You have something against making money?
A:
I don't. Actually, I did make money. I get residuals from the movies I made.
B:
So you did make money then.
A:
Yes, I did. I still get residuals.
B:
Did you make a lot of money?
A:
Yes, Sometime 9 cents. Some time 5 cents. It depends.
I also get a bigger check like $ 1-29 cents once in a while.
B:
What do you do with those checks?
A:
I throw it in the garbage. There is enough clutter. already. Lots of papers
scttered everywhere.
B:
Why don't you take it to the bank?
A:
Bank? Take a check of 9 cents to the bank and get killed for just taking a walk
by some Islamophobe terrorist...
and then the police and the emergeny health workersn would see those checks in her dead hand...
What would they think?
"Oh! please, this poor immigrant Muslim woman, with a check of 9 cents
on the way to the bank gets killed because of a hate crime.
Maybe she made the killer ashamed of being such a failure in this rich country,
the one, who never took advantage of the great democratic process to make tons of money."
I think he killed her because she was not only a Muslim but a total failure...
a double embaressment in his amazing money making ambitious free country.
Maybe she should have never migrated since she had no ability to make huge amount of money.
"Our country offers one thing for sure and that is MONEY. "
The killer must have convinced himself on
the importance of money and success.
And she died because she had nothing, absolutely nothing to show, not even one trace of success
in a powerful country like Canada.
Thus her punishment was to die in a terrorist attack, a hate crime, not only
because she was a hijab wearing Muslim immigrant but a failure as well.
A check of 9 cents and another slightly bigger one of $1-29 cents...give me a break.
Maybe she is better off dead.
And that is the reason why I never went to the bank to deposit those checks.
B: So what's your function in life and in Canada, since you don't know and never learnt
how to make money? Let me tell you one more time, In our capitilistic soceity, the main
purpose of life is one, just one and that is money, you hear me? "Money." Everything begins
and end with money.
But maybe in your case it's a blessing in disguise that you didn't make tons of money, because
if your residul checks were huge, you would have surely walked towards the bank and...
A: (Interrupts her) And get killed right?
B: ( a little embaressed and tries to change the topic) No, what I was going to say was
that why do you still pay your dues? You still want to do movies after all that?
A: Well that's my profession and to be an active member of SAG, (Screen actor's guild) you have to pay
100 plus $$ every couple of months.
B: Why don't you get out of the union?
A: I don't want to because may be some day muslim minority won't be the most despised
minority and it might actually become the most favorite one. (Laughs) The fashion of the day
changes...
and if that happens and I am sure it will one day. (laughs again) You know I happen
to be the most positive hijab wearing muslim woman, (Happy laugh) and if that happens, I will be
at the top of the list of all the prestigious things, awards and rewards reserved for the best artists,
artists in many fields and I as a muslim woman artist am a trailblazzer. I was always way ahead
of my time and I am still hopeful that my time will come...
(Another laugh)
B: (with a vicious smile) You might be killed long before that...There are lots of Islamophobs lurking
around... why don't you remove your fucking hijab off? You might actually become real success,
instead of faking to be a successful actress with a
fundamental hijab in a modern country like ours and expect not to be killed...
A: Hey, hey, hey. Watch what you are saying...Who are you? Do I know you? I thought you were a
friend. What kind of
a friend are you? YOU WISH ME DEAD. Maybe you are an undercover Islomophobe
Pretending to be a friend? Oh! I see... You wish that an Islomophobe, a hateful person will
kill me long before any possibility for Muslim people's lives change for better...
Jesus Christ, I took you as a friend for so long, so long...after all you are one of those Canadians
who can't stand the sight of a Hijab, sight of a muslim taking a walk in a garden, in a park or even
on the way to the bank...in case they had SOME MONEY to deposit any way...
(In a state of shock) I need to get away from you as soon as I can and get away as far as I can...
Your wishful thinking for my death by any means possible has absolutely shocked and stunned me.
B: Oh! don't take it so ill. I didn't mean that. You might be dead by the time things change...any way.
we are all going to die...
A: (Still shocked, annoyed and angry) Why don't you die first? Go ahead, drop dead. Drop dead
of a natural death right now, heart attack or something and I will wait for an Islomophbe to get me
later.
(lights fade)
BLACK OUT
END OF PLAY
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