Act One
Scene One
October 1983. Lights up on Rose, raggy bow in her hair, on a payphone.
Rose Hello, Charlie, itâs Rose! Guess where I am? Iâm in my hall of residence! â No, thereâs a phone in the corridor. All the flats share it.
Viv appears, wearing 1940s clothes. She waits, unseen, for Rose to finish with the phone. She turns a ten-pence piece in her hand.
Rose Mumâs just set off and she said to say to you she expects to be home by about ten. â I know, well itâs a long way from our little village. â I Have Travelled To The North ! â No, not too bad. â We stopped halfway so she could have a nap but she seemed pretty alert. â No, itâs a tiny room but itâs my room! At university! â The only thing is the flatâs really ugly. The walls are painted breeze blocks! â I know. And thereâs no window in the kitchen! Thereâs a big poster about chip-pan fires and a blanket to put yourself out with if needs be. And a telly! I know! Why would you want a telly in the kitchen?
Viv Itâs a microwave.
Rose turns and sees Viv, waiting.
Rose Sorry?
Viv Itâs not a telly. Itâs a microwave. An electronic oven.
Rose Oh. (Back to Charlie. ) Apparently itâs a microwave. â An electronic oven.
Viv Are you going to be long?
Rose No. Oh. You havenât got a spare ten p, have you?
Viv No.
Blackout.
Lights up on Di, cap perched far back on her head. Rose appears.
Rose Hello! We live in the same flat. Iâm Rose.
Di Iâm Di. Hello.
Rose Iâve just been to the shop. Itâs useless. The carrots are bendy, the potatoes are green. I said to the shopkeeper, âHave you got any proper vegetables?â Itâs the student shop! They should sell proper things!
Di Itâs expensive as well.
Rose I know. But itâs full of boys. Have you ever seen as many? Honestly, itâs like â you know the first time you go to France or Spain on holiday and you see a whole field of just sunflowers and you canât believe it?
Di Iâve never been abroad.
Rose Well, when you do, honestly, itâs absolutely amazing. And thatâs what this is like except boys. Fields of boys. Donât you love it?
Di Iâm gay.
Rose Oh, thatâs great!
Blackout.
Lights up on Viv and Di. Viv pushes a bike. They chat as they cross.
Viv I canât live with these people.
Di Itâs only for a year.
Viv Did you hear about the heroic stand against apartheid?
Di No.
Viv Thereâs a lad down the corridor. Last night, he went and threw a can of white paint over Barclays Bank â by the crappy student shop. Ten minutes later, police are on his doorstep. Heâs flabbergasted.
Di Security camera?
Viv White footprints all the way back to his front door.
Blackout.
Lights up on Rose, pushing her bike. Di appears.
Rose Di! Look!
She takes a bunch of coriander from her bike basket.
Di What is it?
Rose Smell it.
She squeezes a leaf and holds her fingers under Diâs nose.
Di Weird. What is it?
Rose Coriander.
Di What is it?
Rose A herb.
Di You eat it?
Rose Yes. I found the Indian market. Itâs amazing. Can I cook you supper tonight?
Di Will that be in it?
Rose On it.
Blackout.
Lights up on Rose, on the payphone.
Rose Hello Charlie! â Fine, thank you. â Howâs Mum? â Oh well, give her a kiss when she wakes up. â The course is fine. Weâve had to buy tons of books. Theyâre so expensive. â Art history books especially are because of the pictures.
Viv appears, with a ten-pence piece in her hand, as before. She watches Rose, as before.
Rose Oh. Well. Not so good. Honestly Charlie, theyâre all peculiar. Thereâs one girl. A dentist student. Dental student. Once a week, she goes to Asda, which is a supermarket, and she buys a pack of cheese, and she cuts it into seven pieces, and she wraps them up in cling film and she writes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday on them! Thereâs one girl in the flat whoâs nice. Di. I tell you something amazing. Thereâs a girl in the flat next door who dresses like itâs the war.
Viv Are you going to be long?
Rose turns and sees Viv.
Rose Oh. Hello. I think it looks brilliant, by the way. (Back to Charlie. ) Guess what? The girl who dresses like itâs the warâs standing right beside me. Waiting for the phone. â Quite, mustnât hog it, better let Mrs Miniver have a go. Bye, Charlie. Bye.
She puts the phone down.
All yours.
Blackout.
Lights up on Di, on the payphone.
Di Thanks for the parcel, Mu...