We were reading “Romeo and Juliet.” Mrs. Wilson said, “Write a play about the most important time of your life,” so I did.   I called it “Adina and the River.”

       The first scene takes place in a camp.  There is a tent in the corner.  There are old boxes and cans with big letters on them, and lots of dirt. There are thin shirts and pants strung out on a rope.  The character called “Mama” (she is played by a beautiful actress, maybe Beyonce) says: “Adina, we are finally moving, to a place called Boysee.  It is near the mountains.  It is by a river.  It has a lot of trees.  But there is no sea.” (If this were real life, Mama would be speaking Tigrinya, but I did not think the audience would know that language, so I wrote it in English).

       My character (who I named “Adina” because it means “delicate”) says: “But you told me there would be an ocean, with big waves where we could play like we did with Papa when I was a little girl.”

       Mama begins to cry loudly: “Oh, you ungrateful child!”

       A big ugly man walks on stage.  (I named him “Tiel,” which means “goat.”)  Tiel says: “You made your mother cry? You bad girl! And what is this about your Papa? You know he is dead already.” (Tiel moves toward Adina as if to hit her, but she is skinny and fast and runs across the stage).

       Adina: “You will never catch me, Elfu.” (Adina is brave, but she is not stupid enough to insult her mother’s protector to his face by calling him a goat, so she calls him by his real name).

       Tiel: “Yes I will, Adina.  You wait and see.”

       Tiel then wraps his arm around Mama and leads her off the stage.

       Mama (who still crying loudly): “What will I do without you?”

       Adina (who, as I said, is skinny; she has no breasts yet) wraps her arms around herself and talks to the audience.  This is called a monologue.  She says: “I hate him.  Thank the good Lord he will not be coming with us.”

       A little boy runs onto the stage.  He is also skinny, with big dark eyes and a wide mouth with teeth missing.  He is Adina’s little brother.  He is six years old and his name is Iggi.

       Iggi jumps up and grabs Adina and says: “We are going to America! We are going to Boysee! We will have food and toys!”

       Adina looks at him sternly and says: “… and school…and there is no sea.  Aren’t you a little bit afraid?”

       Iggi breaks away and pounds his chest like a monkey: “Me? I am not afraid.  I am brave like my papa was.  I will kill our enemies like they killed him.”

       Adina: “They do not fight in Boysee, Iggi. I think it is a safe place.”

       Iggi hugs Adina again and says in a quiet voice: “Then I will love this place.”

       The next scene happens in Boise (that is how it is spelled, even though the people in the play call it “Boysee.”).  It is three months later. Mama and Adina and Iggi now live in a huge apartment behind the big building with the giant word “LIBRARY” on it. You in the audience must imagine a beautiful park across the street, and nearby the river that is always flowing through the city.

       Inside the apartment there is a couch and three chairs and a television and a table for eating and a kitchen with a large refrigerator. You cannot see, but there are two pretend bedrooms in the back.  Adina and Mama share one and Iggi has the other one all to himself.  He is becoming a spoiled boy, but maybe I will write another play about that some day.

       It is cold outside but a little box on the wall makes the air inside warm.  Adina walks onto the stage holding a letter.  She does not look happy. She hears someone coming up the stairs.  She looks around the kitchen and hides the letter under the yellow telephone book that is on the counter.  Iggi is watching a movie about a beggar boy who meets a beautiful princess and finds a magic lamp that will give him whatever he wants.  It is called “Aladdin,” in case you have never heard of it. He looks up as Adina hides the letter.

       Iggi says: “What is that?”

       Adina says: “Nothing, little Abu (which is the name of the monkey in the story). Watch your movie.”

       Mama and a new character, called Samuel, come in.  Samuel is only slightly taller than Mama, but he is very handsome.  He and Mama look beautiful together.  Samuel has lived in Boise for almost three years.  He was an engineer in Eritrea, where we come from, but he works at a shop now that repairs cars and trucks.  He has been very helpful to Mama and Adina and Iggi since they moved to Boise.  He has helped them with their papers for the government, and helped them move into their apartment.  He has talked to the case worker, named Mary, who has put Iggi in a school for very little children, and Adina in a special school to help her learn to speak English better. He has taken Mama to English classes, too, even though she doesn’t like to go.

       Mama and Samuel walk in carrying large bags. Mama says: “We have been to Costco” and she takes out eggs and some white powdery donuts and coca cola and coffee.

       Samuel shakes his head and pulls out a bag of flour.  “For injerra,” he says.

“We drove to Caldwell, a village by the Snake River.  They grow the teff there, and make the flour.”

       Injerra is a pancake that Eritreans love to eat.  Adina claps her hands and

Iggi jumps up and down. 

       Iggi: “Injerra!  Injerra!”

       Samuel laughs and says: “Who wants to help me make injerra?”

       Iggi runs over and hugs Samuel and says: “I do! I do!”

       Samuel begins to clear off the kitchen counter.  He finds the letter and

says, “What’s this?” 

       Mama takes the letter from him.  She sees who it is from and holds it to her

breast.  She looks sternly at Adina and says, “When did this come?”

       Adina hangs her head and says,“Today, Mama.”

       Mama opens the letter and reads it to herself.  “He is planning to visit!” she

cries.  “He will ride the bus from Nevada!”

       Adina looks at Samuel.  Samuel looks sad.   He says: “I remember I have to

go now.  We will make the injerra another time.”

       Mama doesn’t look up as Samuel leaves.  She is busy reading the letter.

       Adina shakes her mother’s shoulder and says: “Mama, what are you

thinking? Elfu is nothing next to Samuel.”

       Mama slaps Adina – something she has never done before. Mama says:

“You do not know what it is like to be all alone in this new world.  Elfu is big and strong.  He wants to protect me – and all of us.  You will respect him and obey him when he comes.”  Mama then leaves through a door in the back of the stage – she is going to the pretend bedroom.  Adina sits at the table and stares at the food.  Iggi comes over to her and puts his little hand on her shoulder. 

       Iggi says: Are you okay, Adina?”

       Adina says: “I don’t think so.”

       The next scene happens outside by the river.  Winter has passed and it is springtime.  The river rushes by very quickly.  I am not sure how to show this because of course you cannot have real water on the stage.  When we moved into our apartment here, someone left a big blue tarp.  I think maybe two people can hold onto the ends of the tarp and wave it up and down. Maybe that would look like water flowing. There must also be some trees with green leaves, but they can be in pots.

       Adina and Samuel are sitting by the make-believe river.  Iggi walks along the tarp, pretending to throw rocks in the plastic water.  Adina looks sad and Samuel looks sad too. He watches Iggi as he talks.

       Samuel: “So Elfu finally showed up.  How is it going with him and your mama?”

       Adina: “He says he has a big job in a casino, but he has been here for five days, so I do not believe him.  He has taken over my place in Mama’s bedroom and I must sleep in Iggi’s room. He orders us around and Mama says we must obey him.  He is mean to Iggi.  Once he even….

       Samuel: “What?”

       Adina: “I am sorry. I should not have spoken.”

       Samuel sits up straighter. “Adina, you must tell me.”

       Adina looks nervous, but then she takes a deep breath.  She says: “One night after Iggi went to bed, when Mama was in the other room, he came up behind me and rubbed himself against me.  He said ’You are ripening, little girl.’”

       Samuel jumps up.  He is furious.  “That is terrible! You must tell your mama.”

       Adina: “No!  She thinks he is like Jesus.  She would not believe me.”

       Samuel: “Then I will tell her!”

       Adina: “No! It is all right.  Mama says he is going to leave tomorrow. Then we will be done with him.”

       Samuel: “I hope so.  I do not like him.  He is not good for your mama.”

       Adina: “He is not good for any of us. “  She stares at the make-believe river. You cannot read her mind, but she is thinking that the water sparkles, like jewels.  She remembers that the rivers of her country are brown and dirty.  She says: “I wish I lived near the sea.  Papa and I played there once when I was little.”

       Samuel: “It sounds like your Papa was a good man, Adina.  You are lucky to have that memory.   My papa died early in the war and I don’t remember him at all.  I do remember my brother, though.  He was a good man, too.”

       If you could see inside Samuel’s head, you would see that he wants to change the subject and make Adina feel better.  He stands up and extends his arm to the blue tarp water. He says: “The sea is nice, but the river has much to recommend it.  Here, let me introduce you: Miss Adina Abate, I would like you to meet the Boysee River.  Mr. Boysee River, may I present Miss Adina Abate.  She has recently moved to your wonderful city and she would like to get to know you better.”

       Adina giggles. She stands up and curtsies.  She says: “It is nice to meet you, Mr. River.”

       Samuel: “Now, the river doesn’t boast too much about itself, so I will boast on its behalf.  The Boysee River is a powerful, wondrous creature.  Without it, there would be no people here. It brings the melted snow down from the mountains so that the crops can grow and the people can drink.  It gives life to these beautiful trees so that they might shade us in the summer and keep us cool.  And it is magic.”

       Adina looks surprised.  “Magic? What do you mean?”

       Samuel: “Here is a riddle: Who is always with you, but never stays long enough to say hello?”

       Adina: “I don’t know.”

       Samuel: “It is the river!  In Boysee the river is always with us – it doesn’t disappear like the Barka or the Anseba where we come from.  Yet before you can even say hello to it, it has gone on its way.  It is always changing; it is never the same.  Guess what else.”

       Adina smiles and says, “I give up.  What?”

       Samuel: “The river always knows where it’s going.  It may take many paths, but eventually it flows into a bigger river – the Snake – and over time, do you know where it ends up?”

       Adina shakes her head.

       Samuel: “In the sea, of course.  Now when you look at the river, know that it is just like you: it also wants to get to the sea.”

       The next scene takes place in the apartment again.  It is a few months later and Samuel and Iggi and Adina are laughing as they come onto the stage.  They are wearing bathing suits and carrying round black tubes. Mama is waiting for them. So is Mary, the case worker.  Mary looks serious.

       Iggi says: Mama, you should have come with us!  It was so much fun to float down the river! Adina almost fell out under a bridge!

       Adina: “Because you pushed me, you little Abu!”

       Samuel looks at Mary and sees that something is not right.  He says, “What’s going on?”

       Mary: “Miriam (that is Mama’s name) has decided to move the family to Las Vegas.  I have explained to her about how she may not have the support she has here in Boysee, but she insists.”

       Adina and Iggi and Samuel all look at Mama as if she is crazy.

Adina: “Mama, you are joking, right? We cannot leave here.”  She points to Samuel. “Our school… Samuel…”

       Mama: “My mind is made up. We are going.  You’ll see, it will be nice in Las Vegas.  Elfu says there are many bright lights.”

       Iggi starts to cry, “I don’t want to go!”

       Samuel: “Miriam…”

       Mama looks defiant.  She puts her hands on her stomach.  She says:  “I am going to have a baby, and this baby needs its father.  We are moving and that is my decision!”

       Everyone looks at each other in shock as the lights go off to show the end of the scene.

       There is one more scene to my play.  Adina and Samuel are sitting by the blue tarp river again.

       Adina says: “I am sorry, Samuel.  My mother is a fool.  I will miss you so much.  And I am afraid.” She begins to cry.

       Samuel: “I will miss you too.  But listen to me, Miss Adina Abate.”

       Adina: “Yes?”

       Samuel:” You must never forget how much like the Boysee River you are.  You are wondrous.  You are powerful.  You are ever changing.  And once you decide where you want to go, you will be strong enough to get there.”

       Adina:  “Do you think maybe I will be strong enough to come back to Boysee one day?”

       Samuel: “I am sure of it.  And maybe one day you will go all the way back to the sea.”

       The curtain closes because that was the end of my play.  Mrs. Wilson told me she liked it and wanted to talk to me more about it.  I told her I didn’t think it was as good as “Romeo and Juliet,” but she said that didn’t matter.  She gave me a good grade anyway.  She is one of the best things there is about Las Vegas.