ABUSE (playscript)

The abused woman and her husband appear in the room

Husband: You´re too late. You have to clean, do the laundry, cook and do the ironing.

Wife: I have to bear my boss at work and at home I have to bear your abuses.

Husband: Don´t talk me back! You are good for nothing. All you can do is clean, So get to clean…NOW!!

She leaves and cleans the room. In a while she takes her bag and gets ready to leave. The abuser grabs her arm and tells her:

Husband: Where are you going?

Wife: I´m meeting my friend.

Husband: You are not going anywhere.

Wife: We´re just meeting for some coffee. (she starts to walk…)

Husband: (shouting and grabbing her hand) I´m telling you not to go.

She looks at him scornfully and leaves.

Husband: I´m going to buy cigarettes, don´t even think about getting out of that door.

She runs out of the room and goes to her brother´s house. Her sister in law opens the door.

Helen: What´s wrong? !!!

Laura: I can´t stand this situation anymore. I have tried, but I can´t. This is too hard.

Helen: Tell us, Helen, we will help you and protect you, you know that ….

They sit down and Laura talks to them (no noise)…

Helen: Oh, God, I don´t understand how you have been able to stand all that. We are going to report this to the police immediately.

Laura: He told me that if I got out of the house, he would beat me.

Brother: Calm down, Laura. Nothing will happen to you. We will protect you. I never trusted him, I never liked him. You shouldn´t have waited for so long to tell us about it.

Helen: Better late than never.

Laura hugs her brother.

Laura: Thank you. I need to go to the toilet.

Laura´s mobile rings. Helen answers.

Helen: Hello?

A friend: Laura? Is Laura there please?

Helen: No, this is not Laura. It´s a long story. Can you come home, please? Laura is having a very bad time.  

Her friend: Of course, I´ll be there in five minutes.

Laura´s friend arrives at the house, they explain everything to her and Laura hugs her crying.

Laura´s friend: Why have you not talked to us about it before? We love you, Laura.

Laura: I couldn´t. I was so ashamed…

Brother: If he battered you again, I could kill him…

Laura´s friend: Laura, my love, you don´t deserve to be treated like this, so humiliated. Let´s go to tell the police.

The three of them stand up and leave. Curtains close.

Policeman: What´s wrong?  Abuse? violence?

Brother: You´re right. We want to report physical and verbal abuse towards my sister by her husband.

Laura: Peter, …are you sure?

Policeman: This is what you must do: report to the police.

Laura´s friend: Abusers must be judged and condemned.

Another policeman: Here is the abuser. Is this your husband, Laura?

Brother (looking at the audience): If you are being abused, tell your family and friends. Never keep quiet. It is the only way out.