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[0:04] Iyvon Edebiri: Yes.

[0:06] Audience: Woo!

[0:11] Iyvon Edebiri: Amazing, such a warm, warm welcome. Thank you, everyone, for being here. Um, and I say that on behalf of the entire Parsnip Ship team. It has been since February 2020 that we have been able to gather this way in space and community in storytelling and music and getting to know more about an artist in an intimate way. So thank you all for being here tonight. And thank you all for listening. So, welcome to the Parsnip Ship. My name is Iyvon Edebiri.

[0:43] Iyvon Edebiri: And tonight is a very special night. Um, we are back with our first live episode of the Parsnip Ship since February 2020. Thank you again for supporting us as we transition into digital programming over the last two years, and we can't wait to kick off again in person. We are picking up where we left off in season five programming, which features plays by women, trans and non-binary playwrights this season and bringing their dynamic stories to you and your ears.

[1:16] Iyvon Edebiri: Tonight will be the seventh episode of our new rebooted season, and we are recording tonight's reading at the Mark O'Donnell Theater at the Entertainment Community Fund Art Center in downtown Brooklyn. Thank you for hosting us and supporting the Parsnip Ship.

[1:37] Iyvon Edebiri: All right, so tonight we are hearing the extraordinary play, Nanay, by our wonderful playwright, Molly Olis Krost.

[1:47] Audience: Hello! Welcome. Hi. Woo!

[1:53] Iyvon Edebiri: Directed by Gaven Trinidad, and we have the talented Cindy Latin as our musician tonight. So, um, what we usually do if you're not used to the Parsnip Ship, um, and if you haven't listened to the Parsnip Ship for a while, we usually start off our episode by asking our playwright a what I guess is a loaded question, but I think it's a really important one, regardless.

[2:19] Iyvon Edebiri: Which is what would the world be missing if it didn't have this play?

[2:28] Molly Olis Krost: Yeah, you gave me you told me this was gonna be the question months ago, and I've been panicking about it ever since. But I think the world would be missing a piece of oral tradition. Something that the director Gaven and I were have been talking about since the very beginning of collaborating together is how music and lullabies and stories and myths all carry so much weight and power almost like they're spells, and I think that's so powerful, and I think this play manifests the power of oral tradition.

[2:59] Iyvon Edebiri: Beautiful response, Molly. That was great.

[3:01] Audience: Yes.

[3:04] Iyvon Edebiri: Okay, so we're gonna kick off the evening. I'm gonna turn it over to our musician, Cindy Latin, for the first song. Before we get into the play and the rest of the evening, thank you again for joining us and listening to the Parsnip Ship. Enjoy.

[3:20] Cindy Latin: The song is "In a Year from Now," and it's a song about the anxieties and the excitement towards the future.

[6:00] ♪ Musical number: "In a Year from Now" — performed by Cindy Latin ♪

[7:01] Claro de los Reyes: Hi, I'm Claro de los Reyes. I'll be reading Stage Directions, Storyteller and Narrator.

[7:08] Kristian Espiritu: Hi, I'm Kristian Espiritu, and I will be reading Angela.

[7:13] Vanessa Rappa: Hi, I'm Vanessa Rappa. I'll be reading Eve.

[7:17] Sergio Mauritz Ang: Hello, my name is Sergio Mauritz Ang, and I'll be reading for the Mananangal.

[7:24] Claro de los Reyes: Nanay by Molly Olis Krost.

[7:29] Claro de los Reyes: Act one, scene one.

[7:50] Claro de los Reyes: The kitchen. Dark. Clearly not out of our time and place. Perhaps a dream. Perhaps somewhere in between. If it is a dream, we don't know if it's Eve's or Angela's. A soft voice is heard singing. Mananangal as Nanay enters. They can only be seen in silhouette, but we don't know. We know that they are beautiful, commanding, divine.

[8:21] Claro de los Reyes: We long to be closer, to reach out to see them. They walk around the kitchen slowly as they sing a lullaby. We almost know the words too. A melody that feels familiar, but isn't.

[8:47] Claro de los Reyes: After a few moments of this, they pause in front of a cabinet. They turn to us. We still cannot see their face, but suddenly they do not seem the same. Their bodies start to contort. Top and bottom half of their body seem to twist and turn in opposite ways. Are those wings? They are not in pain, but they seem upset. It's as if two halves of one person are fighting. But are they fighting to stay together? Or fighting to separate?

[9:26] Claro de los Reyes: As their song concludes, so does their struggle. Nanay is Mananangal once again. They look between the kitchen entrance, the cabinet, and us, the audience. We hear a sigh. They open the cabinet and crawl inside. A few moments of experiencing the kitchen in stillness and silence, as if they were never there.

[9:58] Claro de los Reyes: Act one, scene two.

[10:01] Claro de los Reyes: The kitchen once again, partially darkened, completely empty, completely silent, completely still.

[10:33] Claro de los Reyes: Suddenly, the sound of rustling from behind the cabinets.

[10:42] Eve: (enters) She stares at the cabinet and waits.

[10:51] Eve: Stop that. She might hear you.

[10:58] Eve: I know you don't agree with this, but I just need you to keep it.

[11:04] Eve: You said I could.

[11:06] Eve: Look. I just we just need to get through this and then we will talk about it.

[11:18] Eve: Please.

[11:30] Claro de los Reyes: A few moments. The kitchen is silent and still.

[11:34] Claro de los Reyes: Once again. Blackout.

[11:39] Claro de los Reyes: Act one, scene three.

[11:41] Claro de los Reyes: Angela and Eve are in the kitchen.

[11:44] Claro de los Reyes: On the counter in front of them are an assortment of baking supplies and ingredients.

[11:49] Claro de los Reyes: Eve is sorting through ingredients while Angela watches.

[11:55] Angela: What? Where's the Ube?

[11:56] Angela: I told you I need—

[11:58] Eve: Calm down.

[11:59] Eve: It's right here.

[11:59] Angela: How could I forget the Ube for an Ube roll?

[12:03] Eve: Oh.

[12:04] Eve: Sorry.

[12:05] Eve: What's wrong with you? You're so uptight today.

[12:08] Angela: Oh, you know, just the stress of it all.

[12:13] Eve: Are you sure you're doing okay?

[12:15] Angela: I know being a new mom can—

[12:18] Eve: Oh.

[12:18] Eve: You know about being a new mom?

[12:21] Angela: Okay, well.

[12:26] Angela: No, I don't.

[12:26] Eve: Mm-hmm. That's what I thought.

[12:29] Claro de los Reyes: They prepare ingredients in silence. Eve with precision and focus. Angela picks up random ingredients and pretends to know what she's doing.

[12:39] Angela: So how is she?

[12:41] Eve: Who?

[12:42] Angela: The baby.

[12:43] Eve: Oh, can't I see her?

[12:46] Angela: Not right now.

[12:47] Angela: Just a peek.

[12:47] Eve: Angela, you just got here.

[12:49] Angela: Does she usually sleep this long?

[12:51] Eve: Here.

[12:52] Eve: What are these?

[12:53] Eve: Flour and cornstarch.

[12:54] Eve: Sift them together.

[12:55] Angela: Why?

[12:56] Eve: Cake flour substitute?

[12:58] Angela: Why wouldn't you just buy cake flour?

[13:00] Angela: It's right there on the shelf next to all the other kinds of flour.

[13:03] Eve: Why would I buy cake flour when I can sift together flour and cornstarch I already have to make the same thing?

[13:09] Eve: That's why they call it all purpose.

[13:10] Angela: I don't think it is.

[13:11] Eve: Sift.

[13:12] Angela: What made you want to bake an Ube roll anyway?

[13:16] Eve: Because.

[13:17] Eve: Because?

[13:18] Eve: Vanilla.

[13:21] Eve: Because I thought maybe we could bake together.

[13:24] Eve: Like old times.

[13:26] Eve: Like how mom would with us.

[13:28] Angela: Aww.

[13:29] Angela: Stop it! Being a mother has made you so sappy.

[13:33] Eve: Milk.

[13:34] Angela: Just admit how big of a softie you are now.

[13:37] Eve: Food coloring.

[13:37] Claro de los Reyes: Before Angela can hand her the food coloring, there's rustling from behind the doors of a nearby cabinet.

[13:43] Angela: Oh no, you don't need to—

[13:43] Eve: What was that?

[13:47] Angela: Food coloring.

[13:49] Eve: Oh, sorry.

[13:51] Angela: What is it?

[13:52] Eve: Uh, nothing. I just, I think I had a dream last night about that cabinet.

[13:53] Angela: A dream?

[13:59] Eve: About my kitchen cabinet?

[14:01] [Before Angela can answer, a faint tick tick is heard coming from the cabinet.]

[14:07] Angela: Okay, did you hear that? Are you done sifting that together?

[14:10] Eve: It was like a ticking.

[14:11] Angela: Ticking like a clock?

[14:13] Eve: Okay, not that kind of ticking. It kind of sounded faint.

[14:16] Angela: Is this about your dream still?

[14:18] Eve: No, just listen for like a minute.

[14:21] Angela: Come on. This was barely funny when we were kids, and you would freak yourself out with your weird night—

[14:26] Eve: This isn't like that. I'm being serious.

[14:27] Angela: I'm also being serious.

[14:31] Eve: This is serious.

[14:33] Angela: This Uber?

[14:36] Eve: This serious? It's been so long since you've been home. I really wanted us to do this together.

[14:47] Angela: Okay.

[14:48] Eve: I'm sorry.

[14:50] Angela: Hmm.

[14:52] [They returned to handing each other ingredients and mixing everything into a large bowl. It seems that order is restored until the cabinet doors shake again a little more aggressively this time.]

[15:03] Mananangal: Hello, friends.

[15:05] Eve: Hello, by gun.

[15:08] Angela: Did you see that?

[15:09] Eve: See what?

[15:10] Angela: The cabinet.

[15:10] Eve: They were moving.

[15:11] Angela: It was probably just the draft.

[15:13] Eve: It didn't. This kitchen has a weird draft. One of those where if the right combination of windows and doors open at the same time in the house, it creates a weird super focused draft that just affects one certain spot in the house.

[15:24] [Angela's impatience finally overtakes her, and she begins to approach the cabinet.]

[15:28] Eve: Exhelle!

[15:33] Angela: What?

[15:33] Eve: The eggshells! Take them!

[15:35] Angela: Hurry up! We still need to put this in the oven and start the frosting!

[15:38] [Angela gives Eve a confused look. She takes the eggshells and throws them out, but she is still not deterred from the cabinet.]

[15:45] Eve: The parchment paper! Where is the parchment paper?

[15:48] Angela: I don't know.

[15:48] Eve: We need it!

[15:49] Angela: Need it, Eve? Really?

[15:51] Eve: You have to use parchment paper when you pour the batter on the baking tray. If you don't, the cake will get stuck to the tray, and when you try to roll it out, it won't spiral, it'll just rip apart into chunks, into big, ugly, unappetizing, unappealing pieces, and it'll all be ruined. So, yes, we need parchment paper.

[16:07] Angela: We need it, or everything will be ruined.

[16:09] Eve: Okay. So, how do we keep it from being ruined?

[16:11] Angela: Parchment paper! Go get some!

[16:15] Eve: Me? But it's your house!

[16:16] Angela: Can you just look? You're the one who needs it so bad.

[16:18] Eve: I thought we were doing this together!

[16:20] Angela: Eve, I wouldn't even know where to look.

[16:21] Eve: I'll tell you where.

[16:22] Angela: Then why can't you just go get it yourself?

[16:28] Eve: Okay, fine. I don't understand why you were making this so difficult.

[16:33] Angela: I'm not being difficult.

[16:35] Eve: Here, can you just stir this while I'm gone? I'll only be a minute.

[16:43] Angela: I'll only be gone a minute.

[16:46] Eve: How long will you be gone, Eve?

[16:49] Eve: Only a minute!

[16:49] Angela: Calm down, I'm just joking.

[16:51] Eve: Don't joke, stir.

[16:53] Angela: For how long?

[16:54] Eve: The whole time.

[16:55] Angela: The whole time I'm gone.

[16:57] Eve: Okay. I'm serious.

[16:58] Angela: Okay. Don't stop stirring.

[17:00] Eve: Yes, ma'am. Stirring should be the only thing you're doing.

[17:02] Angela: I got it.

[17:03] Eve: Nothing else, not Twitter and stir, not TikTok and stir.

[17:06] Angela: I got it.

[17:07] Eve: It is crucial for the recipe that for the entire time you don't—

[17:10] Angela: Eve!

[17:12] Eve: Okay! Okay, okay?

[17:14] Angela: Yes.

[17:15] Eve: Fine.

[17:16] [Eve exits. Angela stirs silently. She watches the door for a moment and waits. Nothing happens. Angela stirs the mixing bowl for a few moments, but she can't stop thinking about it. She looks at the cabinet and approaches it. She's about to open it when the doors burst open and Mananangal tumbles out.]

[17:46] Mananangal: What the hell? My damn legs are asleep.

[17:50] Angela: Are you okay?

[17:51] Mananangal: I was in there way too long.

[17:54] Angela: How long were you in there?

[17:55] Mananangal: Who knows?

[17:56] Angela: You don't know?

[17:58] Mananangal: Eve shoved me in there sometime this morning, and I lost track of the time right around when I stopped feeling my right leg.

[18:03] Angela: Eve put you in there?

[18:04] Mananangal: Yeah, for your benefit. So you're welcome.

[18:08] Angela: Who are you?

[18:09] Mananangal: Ernesto.

[18:10] [They hold out their hand. Angela goes to take it when she notices their blood red eyes.]

[18:16] Angela: Oh no! I forgot about the eyes.

[18:18] Mananangal: No, wait, I can explain.

[18:20] [Angela throws the mixing bowl at Mananangal. The purple Ube batter splatters Mananangal in most of the kitchen.]

[18:31] Mananangal: Just let me stay away from you.

[18:34] [He bursts into the room and takes in the scene before her.]

[18:37] Eve: Oh shit. Angela, Angela! Stop! Calm down.

[18:41] Angela: Calm down? Eve, you need to get the baby. You need—you need to get salt.

[18:46] Mananangal: There's a—it's fine. It's fine.

[18:49] Angela: Don't you know what that is?

[18:51] Mananangal: Uh, that has a name.

[18:53] Angela: I know.

[18:54] Mananangal: You know?

[18:55] Angela: Yes, I know, and I told you it's fine.

[18:58] Mananangal: No, it's not fine. There's a fucking mananangal in your house!

[19:02] Mananangal: My name is Ernesto.

[19:04] Angela: There's a fucking Mananangal named Ernesto in your house!

[19:07] Mananangal: I told you this would happen. Why are you not freaking out? Why aren't you worried about the baby?

[19:13] Mananangal: Everything is under control. They're not dangerous. We've been coexisting.

[19:20] Angela: You've been coexisting?

[19:24] Mananangal: Yes.

[19:25] Angela: What does coexisting mean?

[19:28] Mananangal: What do you think it means?

[19:30] Angela: What?

[19:31] Mananangal: Ew!

[19:31] Angela: Ew in your house?

[19:33] Mananangal: Oh, grow up!

[19:34] Angela: Not like that.

[19:38] Mananangal: Ethan's gone. You've been so busy. Things have been hard. And I've been—

[19:49] Mananangal: A ba, she won't say lonely. And Ernesto.

[19:56] Mananangal: Ernesto is nice. Ernesto is sweet and caring and helpful.

[20:03] Angela: Ernesto is here. But—but the baby.

[20:11] Mananangal: You don't need to worry about the baby.

[20:13] Angela: You've been coexisting in this house with a mananangal.

[20:17] Mananangal: We both understand what a mananangal is, right? Because I'm talking about a—a vampire.

[20:24] Angela: Not a vampire?

[20:25] Mananangal: What?

[20:26] Angela: A Mananangal isn't a vampire.

[20:30] Mananangal: Sure, they're vampire-like.

[20:33] Angela: Vampire-like?

[20:35] Mananangal: I know, depending on what you read, Mananangal have fangs and bat-like wings.

[20:41] Mananangal: Allegedly.

[20:45] Angela: Yes, thank you, Ernesto. Allegedly have fangs and bat-like wings, which are certainly vampire-like features, but they're not vampires.

[20:55] Mananangal: You're thinking of an aswang.

[20:57] Angela: I am not trying to debate creature semantics with you right now. I'm trying to understand why you are.

[21:03] Mananangal: I'm trying to help you understand by making sure you have proper facts.

[21:10] [A beep. We can feel this is an argument they've been having since childhood. And Angela doesn't want to give in. But Eve is so steadfast, so resolute in her stance.]

[21:23] Angela: Finally. Okay. Cool. So you're coexisting in your house with a mananangal.

[21:33] Mananangal: Yes.

[21:34] Angela: Mananangal named Ernesto. You've been coexisting in your house with your baby, and with a mananangal named Ernesto.

[21:45] [Mananangal and Eve look at each other and then at Angela. They shrug casually as if it was the most commonplace idea in the world.]

[21:55] [Act One, Scene Four.]

[22:02] [The nursery. Later that night. The lights are dim, so Eve's silhouette can be seen, but not much else. Eve wanders through the room. She sings.]

[22:22] Eve: A go I'm my lobo. Booneily.

[22:26] [A cell phone rings. Eve takes a phone out of her pocket and checks who is calling.]

[22:33] [She rejects the call.]

[22:38] [Act One, Scene Five.]

[22:40] [Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Mananangal is cleaning up the spilled contents from the mixing bowl. The purple batter is still everywhere.]

[22:52] Angela: Why are you cleaning?

[22:53] Mananangal: Because I'm a mananangal, not an animal.

[22:58] Angela: I'm pretty sure that's exactly what a mananangal is.

[23:02] Mananangal: I resent that.

[23:03] Angela: Deepest apologies. Just because I'm not human doesn't mean I leave in filth.

[23:09] [Angela watches them clean with curiosity.]

[23:12] Angela: I never thought of a mananangal to be tidy.

[23:15] Mananangal: A messy home is quite a big pet peeve of mine.

[23:19] Angela: Oh yeah? With the separating body thing, I imagine things can get pretty messy. Say, is this your whole body or just the top half? What do you do with the bottom half? Do you hide it around here? Is that why I can't find it?

[23:37] [Angela watches as Mananangal scrubs at the particularly tough stain.]

[23:42] Angela: A Mananangal with OCD? Never pictured that one before.

[23:47] Mananangal: Well, I never pictured another Eve.

[23:49] Angela: What does that mean?

[23:50] Mananangal: I didn't know she had a sister, let alone a twin. Though I guess you're not another Eve. You don't look much alike.

[23:57] Angela: We're fraternal.

[23:59] Mananangal: Ah, there we go. That makes so much more sense.

[24:03] Angela: She never mentioned me?

[24:05] Mananangal: Nope.

[24:06] Angela: I don't believe you.

[24:07] Mananangal: Then don't. But she didn't. And though I did wonder if she had any family.

[24:12] Angela: Why didn't you ask?

[24:14] Mananangal: Part of the arrangement.

[24:15] Angela: Stop calling it an arrangement. It makes my skin crawl.

[24:19] Mananangal: Fine. Part of our coexisting.

[24:23] Angela: Huh?

[24:23] Mananangal: I give Eve her space, and she gives me mine. If we want to share something, we'll share.

[24:29] Angela: How diplomatic.

[24:32] [Mananangal picks the dishes off the floor and heads to the sink.]

[24:35] Mananangal: Oh, I can do those.

[24:37] Angela: It's fine.

[24:38] Mananangal: No. I insist. Least I can do for Eve, letting me stay with her.

[24:42] Angela: I can take care of it.

[24:43] Mananangal: Dishes are also part of the arranged coexisting.

[24:48] Angela: Part of you coexisting with my sister is cleaning for her.

[24:52] Mananangal: I insisted upon that one.

[24:54] Angela: Why?

[24:55] Mananangal: You should know why. When someone is pregnant, it is custom in our culture.

[24:59] Angela: I don't need you to explain our culture to me.

[25:02] Mananangal: Well, you asked.

[25:04] Angela: Well, that doesn't mean you can be condescending about it.

[25:07] Mananangal: Fine. Hmm. Allow me to continue in a more respectful way. Usually, when someone is pregnant, the family comes and helps for two weeks at least. Take the burden off of her, show her community, show her family, show her support. Show her that she is not alone, that she may be responsible for taking care of a new life, but there are still those out there who take the responsibility of caring for her.

[25:32] Angela: Okay, and that's why I was wondering if Eve had any family. Because no one came.

[25:41] Mananangal: I'm here now.

[25:42] Angela: Yes, how many weeks after the baby was due?

[25:44] Mananangal: I called her every week. There's a reason why the custom is that family physically comes to the home. That's what support is for. You don't know what can happen, what can go wrong.

[25:56] Angela: Why are you looking at me like that?

[25:58] Mananangal: What did you do?

[26:00] Angela: What?

[26:01] Mananangal: I knew it. I knew this coexisting arrangement was bullshit. What did you do to my sister?

[26:06] Mananangal: I didn't do anything.

[26:08] Angela: What did you do to her baby?

[26:09] Mananangal: What?

[26:10] Angela: Look, Angela, that's not what I mean by—

[26:12] Eve: Eve!

[26:13] [Angela exits in a flurry.]

[26:15] Mananangal: I told Eve she was going to find out eventually. But no one wants to listen to me.

[26:20] Mananangal: Huh? Discrimination. Discrimination against non-human creatures.

[26:27] [Mananangal continues cleaning.]

[26:31] [Act One, Scene Six.]

[26:33] [The kitchen. Still the same night. Eve's silhouette can be seen wandering. Her movements are fluid, dreamlike, and occasionally reminiscent of Nanai in Scene One.]

[26:46] [After a while, Angela appears in the doorway.]

[26:49] Angela: [She turns on the light.] Oh, hey. What are you still doing up?

[26:59] Eve: I'm always up these days.

[27:01] Angela: Oh.

[27:02] Eve: Duh. Because of the baby, Angela.

[27:06] Angela: Okay.

[27:08] Eve: Not because I've been bitten by a vampire.

[27:11] Angela: I didn't say that.

[27:11] Eve: Uh-huh. I can feel your implication.

[27:15] Eve: It's fine though. More time to clean up after your little stunt earlier.

[27:20] Angela: I'm the one at fault for that.

[27:22] Eve: Aren't you the one who threw things while yelling and cursing?

[27:26] Angela: Well, you don't have to worry about the cleaning.

[27:30] Eve: Really?

[27:31] Angela: You took care of it?

[27:32] Eve: Mm-hmm.

[27:33] Angela: Well, then good job.

[27:37] Eve: Thank you.

[27:40] Angela: I know Ernesto's the one who cleaned the kitchen.

[27:42] Eve: Then why did you tell me good job?

[27:43] Angela: It was a test which you failed. Good job.

[27:46] Eve: I can't believe that Mananangal tattled on me.

[27:48] Angela: No one tattled on you. Grow up.

[27:50] Eve: I already knew Ernesto would do it because cleaning is part of the arrangement.

[27:54] Angela: Yes, I know.

[27:56] Eve: Sis.

[27:57] Angela: Uh what?

[27:59] Eve: You know what?

[28:01] Angela: Where did a mananangal come from?

[28:03] Eve: Yes.

[28:04] Angela: Why is there a mananangal in my house?

[28:06] Eve: Yes.

[28:07] Angela: You're not going to like my answer.

[28:09] Eve: Oh, I already know that. But please, any insight would be helpful right now.

[28:14] Angela: It's private.

[28:17] Eve: What?

[28:17] Angela: That's my answer. It's private.

[28:20] Eve: I'm your sister.

[28:22] Angela: So?

[28:23] Eve: Your twin sister.

[28:24] Angela: So?

[28:25] Eve: We shared a womb.

[28:26] Angela: And we came from the same egg?

[28:29] Eve: No, we didn't. We're fraternal.

[28:32] Angela: My point still stands.

[28:33] Eve: You haven't made a point.

[28:35] Angela: We've shared this much together. And you can't share this?

[28:38] Eve: My life is my own. My relationships are my own and my privacy is my own.

[28:44] Angela: But I mean it. I just I like the company. I like the help. It brings me comfort. And shouldn't that be the only thing that matters?

[28:54] Eve: No! Not when a little literal fetus-eating vampire is staying in the home of a woman who just gave birth to.

[29:00] Angela: You really need to drop the whole fetus-eating vampire thing.

[29:03] Eve: I'm doing the vampire versus vampire like argument with you again.

[29:06] Angela: Then don't.

[29:07] Eve: Okay.

[29:09] Angela: Well, don't manangal eat fetuses and newborn babies?

[29:14] Eve: Allegedly.

[29:15] Angela: Allegedly? Have you ever seen a mananangal eat a baby?

[29:21] Eve: Has anybody you know? Even in the stories, is there proof of that really happening?

[29:28] Angela: Exactly! It's a myth and doesn't have any grounds of legitimacy. So stop trying to hide salt and garlic around the house!

[29:37] Eve: You take one legal studies class in college and suddenly you're an expert.

[29:40] Angela: Excuse you.

[29:42] Eve: Correction? I was a legal studies minor.

[29:44] Angela: Fine. You take five legal studies classes in college and suddenly you're an expert.

[29:48] Eve: Seems that way.

[29:53] Angela: How's the sleeping?

[29:55] Eve: Again? Do you know how often newborns sleep?

[30:01] Angela: Should I? And you wanted to babysit.

[30:04] Eve: A lot.

[30:05] Angela: It's a lot, right?

[30:07] Eve: Good job.

[30:08] Angela: Yes. Newborn babies sleep a lot, so that's why you.

[30:11] Eve: Okay, okay. Well, can I at least get you something?

[30:17] Angela: I'm fine.

[30:19] Eve: Really? I can make you some tea.

[30:23] Angela: Ernesto usually brews another pot before we go to sleep.

[30:27] Eve: Oh.

[30:28] Angela: Not only is he clean.

[30:29] Eve: I they.

[30:31] Angela: What?

[30:31] Eve: They.

[30:32] Angela: They what?

[30:33] Eve: Uh Ernesto uses they them pronouns.

[30:36] Angela: Really?

[30:37] Eve: Yes.

[30:39] Angela: I didn't know.

[30:41] Eve: I'm sorry.

[30:42] Angela: You don't have to apologize to me.

[30:44] Eve: Ernesto is just such a masculine name, so I figure.

[30:47] Angela: That doesn't mean anything.

[30:50] Eve: You're right. I'm sorry.

[30:55] Angela: So?

[30:57] Eve: So what?

[30:58] Angela: What annoying thing were you about to say?

[31:01] Eve: I'm not annoying. Finish your thought, and I'll be the judge of that.

[31:05] Angela: I was just going to ask. Not only is your companion an alleged fetus hunting monster, they're also one of those new agey alternative medicine freaks.

[31:15] Eve: No!

[31:16] Angela: What makes you think that?

[31:18] Eve: Do you even know what's in that concoction you're drinking?

[31:21] Angela: Concoction? That's an arcane word. It's just herbal tea, sour orange and bitters.

[31:27] Eve: Angela sniffs it.

[31:30] Angela: Are you sure? Did you even try it?

[31:32] Eve: I didn't have to.

[31:34] Angela: Just because Ernesto makes me herbal tea from scratch, doesn't mean they're new agey.

[31:38] Eve: Ernesto is a healer.

[31:40] Angela: That is the most new agey thing you've ever said.

[31:43] Eve: Will you stop for one minute and think? Think about what the word healer means?

[31:49] Angela: It no, take away the image you have in your head right now. Remove the tie-dye, remove the birkin stalks, remove the hemp, remove the white women with dreads.

[32:01] Eve: Now, think about what the word healer would mean to someone like us.

[32:05] Angela: What do you mean, us?

[32:07] Eve: Filipino, Ange. Think about what healer would mean in the Philippines.

[32:12] Angela: That's not a present-day thing, Eve.

[32:15] Eve: Filipino healers? That's from back when we lived in villages up in the mountains.

[32:20] Angela: You know there's communities that actually still live in mountains and villages, right? Not remotely close to any metropolitan area.

[32:29] Eve: How do you think they get their medical care? Even basic help. It's not new agey to use the resources around you when it's the only thing available.

[32:39] Angela: How do you know all of this?

[32:41] Eve: Because it's our home. And it's important to me to stay knowledgeable about it.

[32:45] Angela: Our home? We haven't been back since we were kids.

[32:49] Eve: So? You still see it as home?

[32:52] Angela: Don't you?

[32:54] Eve: I see it as a homeland, but my personal home?

[32:59] Angela: The shape of my life is here.

[33:01] Eve: Sure, but the shape of my heart was made there.

[33:06] Angela: I didn't know you felt that way.

[33:08] Eve: I didn't either. What made you realize?

[33:12] Angela: Being pregnant.

[33:16] Eve: What why are you looking at me like that?

[33:19] Angela: It's just that's like one of the few times I've heard you even talk about being pregnant.

[33:25] Eve: Because I wasn't posting every single day about my journey on a pregnancy Instagram account.

[33:30] Angela: Sorry.

[33:30] Eve: You should be. Didn't you read any of those Buzzfeed articles I sent you?

[33:34] Angela: That was our chance to go viral.

[33:36] Eve: Our?

[33:36] Angela: The internet loves twins and the internet loves babies.

[33:40] Eve: How would you have factored into my pregnancy social media?

[33:43] Angela: We could have found a way.

[33:47] Eve: But seriously, what what about being pregnant made you care about our homeland?

[33:52] Angela: Don't you miss the Philippines?

[33:54] Eve: Honestly, I don't think I remember it anymore.

[33:58] Angela: I don't either. Like I have memories, but they're not your own.

[34:04] Eve: No, they're not. They're memories I've been told or seen in photographs.

[34:10] Angela: I know they're real, but they don't they don't feel like anything. Like looking at someone else's vacation photo dump.

[34:20] Eve: I didn't want that for my baby.

[34:23] Angela: So you want to move to the Philippines?

[34:27] Eve: No. But you want your baby to grow up in the Philippines.

[34:30] Angela: No. Well, sort of. I just. If I've already forgotten this much, then my child would have no relationship with a place that means so much to me.

[34:44] Eve: So no, I don't want to raise a child in the Philippines, but I want to raise a child around the Philippines.

[34:54] Angela: Around?

[34:55] Eve: I want the country to be present in my home. The food, the language, the culture. I want the connection.

[35:05] Angela: For yourself or for the baby?

[35:09] Eve: Which is another thing Ernesto has been very helpful with. Answering my questions, providing me with resources.

[35:16] Angela: You just sound a little cultish.

[35:18] Eve: Oh no, I don't. You have this sudden urge to be tied to your roots, and you're talking about colonization and wanting to understand your culture. So apparently you're looking to an actual folklore creature for guidance now.

[35:34] Angela: Is there something wrong with any of that?

[35:37] Eve: Literally so much.

[35:39] Angela: I knew you'd be like this.

[35:41] Eve: Like what?

[35:42] Angela: Judging the shit out of me. No one asked you to show up here and give your opinion on my life.

[35:46] Eve: So I'm just supposed to keep my mouth shut because you didn't ask for it?

[35:49] Angela: Yes! Even if I'm worried about you?

[35:51] Eve: That's the thing. You're not worried. You're just mad that I'm not doing things the way you think I should.

[35:56] Angela: That's not true. I am really fucking worried about you.

[36:00] Eve: Why?

[36:00] Angela: I've told you there's nothing to worry about.

[36:02] Eve: But you keep saying that, but nothing has proved that to me?

[36:05] Angela: What danger have you seen here?

[36:07] Eve: Because, as I pointed out earlier, you're the only one who's throwing shit, looking for weapons, making violent threats and accusations.

[36:15] Angela: I trust Can you just trust that I am a grown-up? Literally, the same amount of grown-up you are, plus one minute, and that I am capable of making sound judgments about my life and safety. Can you do that?

[36:27] Eve: You really always find a way to bring up being one minute older than me.

[36:30] Angela: Jelly, trust me, please.

[36:35] Eve: Okay.

[36:36] Angela: Okay?

[36:37] Eve: Fine.

[36:39] Angela: You're not getting an apology.

[36:41] Eve: Fine.

[36:42] Eve makes it a point to loudly sip her tea.

[36:46] Angela: And if you actually talked to her nesto, you would know that they're not against modern babies.

[36:51] Eve: I get it.

[36:55] Angela: By the way, I made my judgment.

[36:58] Eve: Your what?

[36:59] Angela: My judgment on whether or not I find you annoying.

[37:02] Eve: I didn't get to present a closing argument.

[37:04] Angela: I would call what just happened a closing argument.

[37:07] Eve: Well, you are really fucking annoying.

[37:14] Angela: Retrial, retrial, I demand a retrial.

[37:17] Eve: Final verdict. Now leave my courtroom.

[37:19] They laugh together. It feels nice. And while they each think it, they don't say it.

[37:27] Angela: I'm sorry I ruined the Ube roll.

[37:30] Eve: It's fine.

[37:31] Angela: No, it's not. I didn't mean to tease you earlier about wanting to bake.

[37:37] Eve: Yes, you did.

[37:38] Angela: We can still bake something.

[37:40] Eve: One.

[37:41] Angela: No! This late?

[37:43] Eve: Something quick.

[37:45] Angela: Like what? Mom's banana bread? I saw a plate of bananas in the fridge. I was gonna eat them.

[37:49] Eve: They're entirely brown.

[37:49] Angela: I was gonna eat them last week.

[37:56] Eve: So what do you say?

[37:57] Angela: I think I have a picture of the recipe on my phone somewhere.

[38:00] Eve: Uh I can't.

[38:03] Angela: Why not?

[38:05] Eve: Feeding and changing time.

[38:08] Angela: You want any help?

[38:09] Eve: Uh you won't even clean a messy kitchen.

[38:12] Angela: You want to clean a messy diaper?

[38:15] Eve: Not really.

[38:16] Angela: That's what I thought. Well, when you're done, can I say I'll find you if you're still up.

[38:24] Eve exits.

[38:30] Angela takes in the kitchen and looks around. She sees the baby monitor on the counter.

[38:39] She picks it up and turns it on.

[38:43] The scene shifts from the kitchen to the nursery. The nursery is still dimly lit, but a bit brighter than before.

[38:52] Angela closes her eyes as she listens to the monitor and imagines what Eve looks like in the nursery.

[38:59] Eve is cradling a bundle of blankets and softly strokes it as she paces the room and sings.

[39:37] Angela turns down the volume on the monitor, and Eve singing fades into the darkness and silence.

[39:47] Act one, scene seven. Later that night.

[39:52] A spotlight on Mananangal alone in the kitchen. They are peeling, chopping, and dicing various ingredients and adding them to a pot of boiling water.

[40:03] There is a bit more flair with every toss of an ingredient. Slowly we start to feel a build towards something fantastical.

[40:11] As if we were approaching the divide between the ordinary and non-ordinary. As if magic is bubbling out of the pot itself.

[40:22] Indigenous salmon priestess.

[40:32] Ritualist Herb Doctor.

[40:37] Village therapist.

[40:43] Mediator between the ordinary and non-ordinary realms of reality.

[40:47] Uh-huh.

[40:52] Babaylan.

[40:53] Oi.

[40:54] This one feels the closest.

[40:56] Mananangal begins to pour the contents of the pot into the mug.

[41:00] Still searching.

[41:02] Healer of the body.

[41:04] Recognizer of the spirits causing illness.

[41:09] Caller of the lost soul.

[41:12] Communicator with the spirit world.

[41:23] Angela: Oh, good evening. What are you doing? Just making some tea. Would you like some?

[41:39] Angela: It's lemon and ginger. An old recipe I've been using for who knows how long now. Eve loves this stuff. I make it for her for evening before bed. She says it's very calming.

[41:58] Angela: You know, in many tribal communities, the Babaylan seem the most important and powerful.

[42:12] Mananangal: And hence became the target of extermination as soon as colonizers arrived in the islands in the fifteenth century.

[42:25] Mananangal: But the magic is gone.

[42:30] Mananangal: Act one scene eight. The backyard. Twilight. Normally there is patio furniture, rusted gardening supplies, pots of plants that need watering, but for some reason, the backyard is currently empty.

[42:47] Mananangal: Except for a small campfire that is burning in the center of the yard. Is it a real campfire? Hmm. It's hard to tell.

[42:57] Mananangal: Nanai's voice is heard.

[43:17] Eve: Hello?

[43:44] Eve: Where are you?

[43:44] Eve: Don't you have anything else to say to me? Typical.

[44:34] Eve: Of course, I remember that song. It's been stuck in my head for weeks, actually. And I'm sure this isn't gonna help with that.

[44:47] Eve: What would you have done? Not that you would have even told me, but I don't know. Sometimes I wonder what you would have done if you were me and what happened happened to you. What if it did happen to you? I mean it could have, right?

[45:13] Eve: I think about how many women I know who...

[45:25] Eve: I wanted you here, okay? Is that what you wanted me to say?

[45:32] Eve: Of course. I wanted you to be here for this. For all of it. I wanted to learn from you. What to do, what not to do.

[45:47] Eve: Oh, stop it! You aren't perfect, and you know it.

[45:51] Eve: Really? You want to keep having this fight even now? God, you're just like... If this were Angela, you would talk to her. You would be here for her.

[46:12] Eve: I know.

[46:22] Eve: Did you make this fire? It reminds me of the time we had to go on a hike for Girl Scouts and got lost, and then we had to...

[46:30] Eve: Okay, okay. I know. We weren't lost. You wanted us to experience the highs and lows of nature.

[46:40] Mananangal: Nanai hums melodically.

[46:56] Eve: Why do I have to tell her? So she can be right again? So I can have her boss me around again? Will it kill you to take my side for once?

[47:15] Eve: Well, I guess it sort of did.

[47:18] Eve: Hey! Yes, I know it really is you because you still don't have a sense of humor.

[47:31] Eve: I'm tired of feeling like everything I do is wrong.

[47:46] Eve: Nothing at all.

[47:48] Eve: The fire flickers a few times.

[47:53] Eve: I stand and dump my tea over the fire, putting it out.

[48:00] Mananangal: Act one. Scene nine.

[48:18] Mananangal: strums on a guitar.

[48:21] Eve: sings along, still wrapped in the blankets from the previous scene.

[48:26] Angela: enters, but remains at the door.

[48:29] Angela: She stays listening until they finish.

[48:32] Eve: and Mananangal have a moment of silence.

[48:37] Eve: A silent understanding between each other.

[48:40] Eve: They live in the peace and calmness of the moment.

[48:44] Eve: Until I thought you hated to sing.

[48:48] Angela: What would make you think that?

[48:50] Eve: When he would repeatedly tell mom, I hate singing.

[48:54] Angela: I did not say that.

[48:56] Eve: You did.

[48:57] Angela: I did not.

[48:57] Eve: There are about ten home videos, half of them probably in this house that would prove you otherwise. If you want, I can dig around the garage and find the VCR player you refuse to get rid of, and we can see for ourselves.

[49:08] Angela: You have a VCR player.

[49:10] Eve: It brings me joy.

[49:12] Angela: So should I go get it?

[49:13] Eve: And uh when I said that, I didn't mean I hate singing.

[49:17] Angela: What else could you mean?

[49:19] Eve: I hated when she would make us sing.

[49:21] Angela: Mom?

[49:22] Eve: Mom, grandma, aunties, all of them making us perform in front of the entire family.

[49:27] Angela: Oh, gels! Eve come on, huh? Sing poyer Tita! Sambo, sample!

[49:36] Eve: God, we never got a break from it!

[49:39] Angela: At least we'd get money out of it.

[49:41] Eve: That was the worst part. Being paid by our family to perform, that's like our first gig.

[49:46] Angela: Exactly.

[49:47] Eve: You didn't have to take the money.

[49:49] Angela: It's not just the money. You don't think it was just a little bit fucked up?

[49:53] Eve: To perform at family parties?

[49:56] Angela: To be paraded around at every Christmas, anniversary, birthday, and have to seek the affirmation of our own family.

[50:03] Eve: I never really saw it that way.

[50:08] Angela: We're trained to seek out validation, but then when we grow up and want to pursue the talent we've been praised for since childhood, we're admonished.

[50:17] Eve: We're scolded.

[50:18] Angela: We're told it's unrealistic, and we should be ashamed for dreaming instead of thinking practically.

[50:34] Eve: Well, too bad. I hate singing.

[50:38] Angela: Ernesto, may I have a moment to talk privately with my sister?

[50:43] Mananangal: You do not need my permission, but perhaps there is still someone you need to ask first.

[50:58] Mananangal: Very well then. The timing works out quite well, actually. It's been a while since I've gotten to engage with the earth. Some time to reconnect and recharge would do me some good.

[51:08] Angela: Of course it would. Take all the time you need, Ernesto.

[51:13] Mananangal: stands with the guitar.

[51:15] Mananangal: They awkwardly look for some place for it for a few moments too long.

[51:22] Angela: I can take that from you.

[51:24] Angela: attempts to take the guitar from Mananangal.

[51:27] Mananangal: resists.

[51:29] Mananangal: You don't have to do that.

[51:31] Angela: The polite struggle continues.

[51:33] Angela: I really don't mind.

[51:35] Mananangal: I wouldn't want to inconvenience you.

[51:37] Angela: It is no trouble at all.

[51:39] Mananangal: I'm just not sure if I'm comfortable with the idea of...

[51:39] Angela: So it's a trust thing.

[51:44] Mananangal: Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Not at all.

[51:44] Angela: No.

[51:45] Mananangal: That's a whole lot of no's there.

[51:46] Angela: Is it?

[51:47] Mananangal: One no would have done the trick.

[51:49] Mananangal: It's just this guitar is very precious to me.

[51:51] Angela: I promise you that I will be very careful with it.

[51:54] Mananangal: And if something were to happen to it, you can charge me for the repairs.

[51:57] Mananangal: It's just it's one of a kind. It was made specifically for me.

[52:02] Angela: I'll hold it for you, Anesta.

[52:04] Mananangal: Beautiful. Thank you very much, Eve.

[52:07] Mananangal: gingerly hands Eve the guitar.

[52:11] Eve: takes it and holds it protectively in her lap.

[52:14] Eve: If anyone needs me, I'll be literally a few feet away.

[52:18] Angela: A few feet, a few words. What's the difference?

[52:22] Mananangal: Quite a lot of distance is the difference.

[52:24] Mananangal: walks towards the center of the yard and begins walking in a slow circle.

[52:30] Mananangal: Every step is steady and deliberate. Each time a foot is placed on the ground is a moment of absorption for Mananangal.

[52:39] Eve: and Angela walk for a few moments.

[52:42] Eve: They watch.

[52:43] Eve: Perhaps Eve starts to strum the guitar.

[52:47] Angela: I told you, I don't want to talk about Ernesto anymore.

[52:51] Eve: I wasn't going to.

[52:53] Angela: Eve is not convinced.

[52:55] Angela: I promised you I wouldn't, and I respect that.

[52:58] Eve: Jesus, what is going on? Have I done something to make both of you believe my word means shit?

[53:03] Angela: I'm sorry. If I've just I've had to deal with a lot of broken promises lately.

[53:11] Angela: So trust has been difficult for me.

[53:22] Eve: Oh god, whenever you say my name like that, it sounds like you're about to lecture me for doing something wrong.

[53:27] Angela: I'm not.

[53:28] Eve: Then what is it?

[53:29] Angela: I told you everything is normal.

[53:32] Eve: What about your life is normal right now?

[53:34] Angela: Just ask the question, Angela.

[53:41] Eve: Where is Ethan?

[53:44] Angela: How the fuck should I know?

[53:46] Eve: Haven't you spoken to him at all?

[53:49] Angela: We'll give you that impression.

[53:51] Eve: He's your husband.

[53:53] Angela: I have a stack of papers inside that could tell you otherwise.

[53:57] Eve: You didn't tell me you were divorced.

[54:00] Angela: That's the point of secrets, Ange. You don't tell them to people.

[54:10] Angela: And we're separated. Not divorced, at least not yet.

[54:16] Eve: So you were just going to hide that forever?

[54:19] Angela: No. I was going to hope you'd be too awkward to ever ask.

[54:24] Eve: And look, maybe it you made it just under 24 hours.

[54:29] Angela: What happened?

[54:31] Eve: Why does it matter?

[54:33] Angela: Because he's officially a stranger to me now.

[54:38] Eve: Doesn't he want to see his daughter?

[54:41] Angela: You'd be surprised what Ethan cares about.

[54:44] Eve: I was there a fight, or did the hormones from the pregnancy make you do something irrational?

[54:54] Angela: Oh, so you think it's my fault?

[54:55] Eve: No, that's not what I meant. I was just posing a hypothetical.

[55:00] Angela: A hypothetical in which I drove my husband away because I was what?

[55:04] Angela: More emotional than is socially acceptable?

[55:06] Eve: You're so fucking inconsiderate.

[55:09] Angela: What did I do wrong now?

[55:11] Eve: How about you actually ask about me? You're looking for blame or what went wrong, but have you even thought to ask, hey Eve, this must be really shitty since your best friend and partner since college left. Are you okay? How can I help? I thought I was your best friend.

[55:28] Angela: You are unbelievable.

[55:30] Eve: Where are you going?

[55:32] Angela: Nursery.

[55:33] ♪ Musical number ♪

[55:35] Eve: You're the one who told me to ask.

[55:38] Audience: A heavy silence.

[55:41] Angela: (watches Mananangal) Hoping they are still consumed by their process and will not say anything. But of course.

[55:51] Mananangal: You're very accusatory when you speak.

[55:54] Angela: No, I'm not.

[55:55] Mananangal: Just an observation. Take what you want from it.

[55:58] Angela: I won't be.

[56:02] Mananangal: Did you want to join me?

[56:04] Angela: No.

[56:07] Mananangal: Okay, tell me what you meant.

[56:10] Angela: Why don't you join me?

[56:12] Mananangal: (continues their circle around the yard) What should I do?

[56:17] Angela: Just follow me.

[56:19] Mananangal: That's it?

[56:20] Angela: Yes.

[56:21] Angela: (gets up and begins to walk to Mananangal) You need to remove your shoes first.

[56:27] Mananangal: No.

[56:28] Angela: Then you won't be able to feel the connection.

[56:30] Mananangal: Is that necessary?

[56:32] Angela: Of course. Don't you want to feel the energy between you and the Earth?

[56:36] Mananangal: Do I?

[56:37] Angela: Yes.

[56:39] Angela: (removes her shoes and begins to follow Mananangal, trying to mimic their moves and steps) Albeit not to the best of her ability. She does this for as long as her patience can take it.

[56:53] Angela: Am I supposed to be actually feeling the energy that the Earth apparently wants to give me so bad?

[56:58] Mananangal: You seem to need physical evidence of everything. Don't you ever just feel or trust?

[57:07] Angela: Are you saying I'm untrustworthy?

[57:10] Mananangal: I see what Eve meant. Alright, you can't just say something that is clearly baiting me into following you in your meaningless meander around this yard, continuing to talk to you, even though I have expressed my extreme opposition to doing so.

[57:23] Mananangal: I'm doing no such thing. I'm simply speaking my thoughts as they arise, contrary to what you may think, not everything is said to get a rise out of you.

[57:32] Audience: (continued their movements for a few more shaky moments)

[57:43] Angela: And I'm asking again, why do you think everything that everyone does or says is about you?

[57:51] Angela: Our family used to say Eve was the one who gave, and I was the one who took. I'm trying. I really am.

[58:02] Mananangal: (breaks from their circle and heads towards the door inside) Oh, so we're done?

[58:10] Angela: I am.

[58:11] Angela: (attempts to follow) But you are not.

[58:16] Mananangal: Why not?

[58:17] Angela: Did you feel anything?

[58:18] Mananangal: No.

[58:19] Angela: Exactly. What am I doing wrong?

[58:23] Mananangal: How about you try giving energy instead of taking it.

[58:29] Mananangal exits.

[58:35] Audience: Act one. Scene ten. The nursery. Still dimly lit, but a bit brighter still. The decor of the room still cannot be seen clearly.

[58:46] Eve: (sits in the room, strumming on Mananangal's guitar) Young Lidana Sabian Quak.

[59:20] Eve: It's one of the first songs I remember our mom teaching us.

[59:24] Angela: Did she play?

[59:25] Eve: She would have told you no, but since she's not around to argue with me, I will tell you that she did beautifully.

[59:37] Angela: Do you miss her?

[59:41] Eve: Truthfully. Only sometimes. I found that as the years go on, the memories are becoming a little scarcer than I'd like to admit.

[59:59] Angela: Where's Angela?

[1:00:00] Eve: Probably rifling through my suitcase.

[1:00:02] Angela: I'm sorry.

[1:00:03] Eve: Don't be. She is protective. She loves you. She cares about you. And you have to admit, this is a lot to take in, especially without Ernesto.

[1:00:13] Angela: Hear me out.

[1:00:14] Eve: I have. You have to tell her.

[1:00:16] Angela: No, I don't.

[1:00:17] Eve: Eve.

[1:00:18] Angela: I don't have to tell her right now.

[1:00:19] Eve: Then when?

[1:00:20] Angela: Why are you rushing me?

[1:00:21] Eve: I'm not. You said this was all about focusing on me and when I'm ready.

[1:00:25] Angela: It is.

[1:00:26] Eve: Then why do you keep insisting I do something I don't want to do?

[1:00:28] Angela: Because I'm not here to help you hide from things.

[1:00:31] Eve: I'm not hiding.

[1:00:32] Angela: What are you doing right now?

[1:00:33] Eve: Huh?

[1:00:34] Angela: I'm here to help you process what happened, not deny it.

[1:00:38] Eve: I'm not denying what happened.

[1:00:40] Angela: I heard you tell her it was feeding time.

[1:00:43] Eve: I wasn't lying. It would have been. Babies don't sleep forever, Eve. That excuse was on its last leg hours ago.

[1:00:54] Angela: I'm not denying anything.

[1:00:55] Eve: Then how come I haven't heard you talk about it once?

[1:00:58] Angela: Just because I don't want to talk doesn't mean I'm denying it happened. I'm not ready.

[1:01:04] Eve: You said I don't have to until I'm ready.

[1:01:06] Angela: Sometimes you'll never feel ready.

[1:01:08] Eve: Why do I even have to talk about it?

[1:01:10] Angela: I've told you.

[1:01:11] Eve: And I've told you. I'm not denying it happened.

[1:01:17] Angela: And Angela is the stubborn one?

[1:01:20] Eve: What are you even trying to do? Get me to admit my failure?

[1:01:23] Angela: You're not a failure. Turn me into a sob story that's defined by her loss.

[1:01:27] Eve: I want you to understand that you're allowed to be upset about what happened.

[1:01:30] Angela: I know that! I'm always upset. The problem is that everyone is trying to force me into being sad.

[1:01:38] Eve: Not that I would ever dictate your feelings. But your sadness is deafening.

[1:01:43] Angela: No, it's not.

[1:01:44] Eve: Your sadness is screaming.

[1:01:46] Angela: Don't tell me how I feel.

[1:01:47] Eve: Everything you do tells me how you're suffocating on a sadness that you refuse to see.

[1:01:51] Angela: Can you just leave?

[1:01:52] Eve: But this doesn't have to be the clinical monster I know you fear.

[1:01:55] Angela: Ernesto, please just go.

[1:02:01] Eve: Stop it! Stop talking. Leave.

[1:02:10] Mananangal exits.

[1:02:12] Eve: (cell phone rings) She takes it out and looks at the screen. She angrily rejects the call.

[1:02:23] Audience: Act one, scene eleven. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Angela sits at the counter, alone on her laptop. She works in silence. She pauses and looks over at Mananangal's tea, still in the pot on the stove. She returns to working.

[1:02:45] Angela: (after a few moments, she looks over again) She hesitates. She starts to walk over to the stove and hesitates again. She goes over to the cabinet Mananangal was hiding in earlier. She opens it and examines it to make sure Mananangal isn't hiding again. It is empty.

[1:03:07] Angela: (goes back to the stove and pours tea into the mug) She sniffs it. She takes a sip. Even with no one around, she cannot admit how amazing the taste is.

[1:03:19] Angela: Suddenly a crash is heard.

[1:03:22] Eve: Is everything okay?

[1:03:26] Angela: Eve?

[1:03:27] Eve: Another crash is heard.

[1:03:29] Angela: Ernesto?

[1:03:31] Angela: (rushes out) Blackout.

[1:03:35] Audience: Act one. Scene twelve. The nursery. Eve is sitting cross-legged in the center of the room, holding a bundle of blankets in her arms. It is completely dark except for the light from a small lamp.

[1:03:50] Angela: (enters) She can immediately sense that something is off. Eve.

[1:04:00] Eve: Hello?

[1:04:03] Angela: I I heard a noise. Is everything okay in here?

[1:04:07] Eve: Oh, hello.

[1:04:09] Angela: Are you okay?

[1:04:10] Eve: Sure.

[1:04:12] Angela: Do you want me to turn on the light?

[1:04:14] Eve: No.

[1:04:14] Angela: Do you want me to take the okay?

[1:04:18] Eve: Okay.

[1:04:19] Angela: (waits near the doorway, afraid to enter) Eve?

[1:04:25] Eve: Yes.

[1:04:27] Angela: Can I ask you something?

[1:04:30] Eve: Of course.

[1:04:32] Angela: Did I do something?

[1:04:36] Eve: What?

[1:04:37] Angela: Or did I not do something?

[1:04:40] Eve: What?

[1:04:41] Angela: Are you upset with me?

[1:04:43] Eve: Sweetheart.

[1:04:44] Angela: Be honest.

[1:04:46] Eve: Gels, no. No, no, no, no. Of course. I'm not upset.

[1:04:51] Angela: Really? Why would you ever think that?

[1:04:54] Eve: I don't know. I I just if anything, you should be upset with me.

[1:05:00] Angela: What?

[1:05:01] Eve: Everyone should be.

[1:05:03] Angela: Eve, what?

[1:05:04] Eve: Everyone should be upset with me.

[1:05:06] Angela: Why?

[1:05:06] Eve: Because I'm horrible.

[1:05:08] Angela: But you're not horrible, Eve.

[1:05:10] Eve: Well, of course I am.

[1:05:11] Angela: No, you're not.

[1:05:12] Eve: Yes, I am.

[1:05:16] Eve: I'm sorry, Ange. I'm so sorry.

[1:05:19] Angela: Sorry for what?

[1:05:20] Eve: I tried so hard. I wanted it so bad. Maybe I wanted it too much. Of course I did. It was my fault.

[1:05:29] Angela: I am sure it wasn't.

[1:05:30] Eve: But it was! I ruined it. I swear. I wanted it. I swear, I swear it was just one thought. One bad thought. I didn't mean to. I didn't think I would be punished, but I was.

[1:05:47] Angela: Eve.

[1:05:48] Eve: Shh, stop that. Whatever it is, I I know you're not being punished. You're you're a good person. You're a good mother.

[1:05:57] Eve: No, I'm not. Do not come near me. You don't understand.

[1:06:02] Angela: But do you want to tell me? Do you want to help me understand?

[1:06:07] Eve: I don't want you to know. I told Ernesto, I didn't have to tell you. At least not right now. Maybe even ever. But they said that was foolish. Ernesto said I'd have to tell you. But I don't want you to hate me.

[1:06:27] Angela: Oh, Evie. I will never hate you.

[1:06:31] Eve: What did they do to you?

[1:06:33] Angela: Will you stop asking me that?

[1:06:35] Eve: Ernesto didn't do anything. It's me. It's all me. Somehow, between a blood sucking creature and my own sister, I can't believe it.

[1:06:44] Angela: Stop it. This is why I can't tell you.

[1:06:46] Eve: It'll be okay.

[1:06:48] Angela: Don't say that anymore. And don't call me that.

[1:06:51] Eve: Call you what?

[1:06:53] Angela: You know.

[1:06:54] Eve: No, I I don't.

[1:06:57] Angela: That word.

[1:07:00] Eve: That M word.

[1:07:03] Angela: What?

[1:07:04] Eve: MDOF! Eve, you are a good mother.

[1:07:12] Angela: That's what you don't understand. I'm not. I'm not a good mother.

[1:07:20] Audience: (the lights in the room turn on) Mananangal can be seen at the doorway by the light switch. Now that the lights are on, the nursery can be seen fully. It is a wreck. A crib is overturned and dismantled. Clothes are ripped and flung everywhere. Random objects and baby supplies are destroyed and their pieces are scattered about the room.

[1:07:44] Angela: Eve. What happened?

[1:07:46] Eve: (tosses the blanket bundle) Angela instinctively dives forward but stops when she sees the blanket unravel onto the floor. It is empty.

[1:08:07] Audience: Blackout. End of act one. And now intermission.

[1:08:23] Iyvon Edebiri: Hey everyone. Thanks for listening to part one of the Parsnip Ship presents Nanay by Molly Olis Krost, directed by Gaven Trinidad with musical guest Cindy Latin. To hear part two of this episode and many others, subscribe to the Parsnip Ship wherever you hear podcasts. New plays, new music. This is how we hear theater.