Xinyuan (Joyce) Pu
CHARACTERS
Mother
Husband
Doctor
PLACE
China
TIME
2020
Note: Mother and husband wear masks. The doctor is in full medical protective suit, so we can barely see their face.
“/” means when a character gets interrupted.
Scene 1
Doctor’s office. Mother and husband are waiting anxiously.
MOTHER
This is not going to be anything serious, right?
HUSBAND
I don’t know, Mother.
MOTHER
I heard the family of another patient in the same ICU just now. They said he is getting better. I remember he looks like he’s in his 50s or 60s. So, this can’t be that bad, right? She’s much younger than him.
HUSBAND
But she’s pregnant. The doctor says her immune system has got weaker because of that. She’s been in coma for two days now.
MOTHER
Have some faith in the doctors. I see them work in the ICU every day.
(beat)
Everything will be fine.
HUSBAND
I’m so tired, Mother. If they are asking for more money for treatment again, I can’t afford it.
MOTHER
Hey, don’t give up yet. You are going to be a father soon, and a father should be strong for his child and wife. We can make things work. We will. I’m hopeful. I’m hopeful that this will finally be some good news coming.
Husband doesn’t respond.
A knock on the door. Doctor enters. Mother and husband both stand up.
MOTHER
Doctor, how is my daughter? Is everything okay with her? Is she getting any better?
DOCTOR
Please have a seat, first.
HUSBAND
Is my wife and child okay?
DOCTOR
We will talk it through, in details.
HUSBAND/MOTHER (sitting)
Okay.
DOCTOR
Would you like some water?
HUSBAND
I think I’m good, thank you.
MOTHER
It’s probably better to keep our masks on.
DOCTOR
Yes. Okay.
Doctor sits.
Pause.
DOCTOR
Madame, Sir, I will explain the situation to you in the simplest terms possible so that you can understand. Because of her special situation, we have been closely monitoring her and the child and adding medications slowly. However, currently, there is still no cure for this disease, and basically it completely relies on the patient’s immune system to fight the disease off and recover. Our medications only serve as a supplementary aid to the patient’s immune system. As you might have known/
MOTHER
So is she getting any better?
DOCTOR
I’m almost there. As you might have known, sir, your wife’s immune system is weaker than others’ because of her pregnancy. (beat) Unfortunately, she hasn’t got any better. (beat) We did a CT scan of her lungs this afternoon, and it’s completely white, which means that the infection has spread to her entire lungs. I wish I could communicate this information to you in a better way, but I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do at this point unless some miracle happens, which has a very, very low chance.
(beat)
I’m really sorry about this.
HUSBAND
Do you mean… she’s going to.. die?
(beat)
DOCTOR
Yes. I’m afraid that’s so.
MOTHER
But… but isn’t the other patient in the same ICU getting better? Why isn’t she? She should be able to get better as well. I know my daughter. She has always been so strong. Have you tried everything with her? Doctor, please, please don’t make the conclusion so soon/
DOCTOR
Madame, I’m sorry but it really depends on the individual. The most we can do now is to continue to keep her in the ICU and wait to see if she would wake up, but we don’t have a certain say on that. From the fact that her situation has been getting worse since her coma, the chance of her recovering is very low. And keeping her in the ICU is going to cost quite an amount of money, as your son might have known.
MOTHER
We can pay for that.
HUSBAND
No, Mother, I…
MOTHER
I will pay for it. Can we at least see her now?
DOCTOR
Madame, I’m afraid you cannot visit her.
MOTHER
What? Why can’t I even visit her? She is my daughter.
DOCTOR
The patients in the ICU are highly contagious. We are not letting anyone in except the doctors and nurses.
MOTHER
But I need to see my daughter. I brought her favorite food.
DOCTOR
I’m sorry, Madame. I understand where you are coming from. But that’s the hard rule. It’s very likely that you will get infected, too.
MOTHER
I don’t care if I get infected.
HUSBAND
Mother…
MOTHER
I want to see my daughter.
DOCTOR
I’m sorry, but the rules are rules. It’s for your health and other people’s health as well. This is a disease like no other.
MOTHER
I want to see my daughter.
(beat)
HUSBAND
Thank you, Doctor. We will talk for a bit, here, if you don’t mind.
DOCTOR
Sure. But you need to decide soon if you want to keep her in the ICU. The payment is due today.
HUSBAND
I understand. Thank you.
Doctor exits.
MOTHER (very mad)
Why did you let the doctor leave?! I need to see my daughter now. She needs me. She needs us!
HUSBAND
Mother, we can’t afford the ICU anymore. It’s too expensive.
MOTHER
I will pay for it.
HUSBAND
How? We have borrowed so much from my friend and relatives already.
MOTHER
Sell my house in the village.
HUSBAND
No! Then where are you going to live?!
MOTHER
My daughter is my everything.
HUSBAND
But I have no place for you to stay. I’m living in a hostel already.
MOTHER
If my daughter is dead, then nothing is worth it.
(beat)
I need the doctor to let me in to see my daughter.
Mother exits.
HUSBAND
Mother!
Husband follows and exits.
Scene 2
A week later. The doctor’s office.
DOCTOR
Sir, here are the forms you need to sign. Here’s the form of acknowledgement. Here’s the consent form to transport her body to the nearest funeral home. Here’s the consent form for cremation. Here’s the form for you to fill out personal information so we can inform you when to pick up the cremation box.
MOTHER
And you are still not letting me see my daughter.
DOCTOR
I’m very sorry, Madame, but that’s the rule.
Husband is about to sign.
MOTHER
Son, don’t sign it.
(beat)
I said, DON’T SIGN IT.
(beat)
I’m NOT giving my permission to sign unless you let me see my daughter for one last time.
(beat)
You haven’t let me see her for the past week.
DOCTOR
Madame, I understand where you are coming from but/
MOTHER
No, you don’t. You didn’t let me see my daughter for an entire week.
DOCTOR
Madame, you have to know that the body is highly contagious. It has to be handled by professional medical staff. I know it must be difficult for you, but this is the rule, and it’s the same for everyone else/
MOTHER
She is my daughter. She is not just a body, and she is certainly not everyone else, at least to me, to us. She is my daughter.
DOCTOR
Madame, I’m sorry, but I’ve made it very clear that here are the rules/
MOTHER
I DON’T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THE RULES!
HUSBAND
Mother/
MOTHER
And you better shut up if all you do is saying yes, yes, and yes to these ridiculous rules all the time. She is your wife, and she had your child! Well, doctor, let’s not talk as doctor and patients but as humans, people, okay? So, you told me I couldn’t see my daughter because the ICU is contagious and it’s for everyone’s good. Sure, I accepted that and followed the rules. Now, you are telling me my daughter is dead, and I still cannot see her. AND I have to sign these stupid forms of consent which I clearly don’t consent to, but you are forcing me to consent to. Why is that? Why the fuck is that? Have you no compassion when you made these rules? No heart as a human being? This is a bad comparison, but I just have to say it – if your daughter passes away, would you NOT want to see her one last time and send her off properly?
HUSBAND
Mother, that is not a nice thing to say to a doctor.
MOTHER
The doctor has not said a nice thing to me. I’m not asking you. I’m asking the doctor.
DOCTOR
I… I didn’t make the rules, Madame.
(takes a breath)
I’m very sorry, Madame. I know you must be very upset at hearing such bad news. I feel deeply sorry for your loss, and I am doing my best to help you here.
MOTHER
How?
DOCTOR
I… we promise we will take the best care of your daughter when sending her off.
MOTHER
Why can’t you just let me do it?
DOCTOR
The body – I’m not talking about your daughter specifically, but just the nature of the disease itself – the disease is highly contagious. The staff have to wear full protective medical suits during transportation and cremation, and they also have to fully sanitize the places afterwards.To control the spread of the disease, we have to not let any unrelated people in.
MOTHER
Unrelated? I am her mother!
(beat)
What if I refuse to sign the papers?
DOCTOR (takes a breath)
We will sign it.
MOTHER
What? You? You don’t have the power to do that.
DOCTOR
We, as the health facility. Certainly not me, personally. I don’t have the power to do that, and I wouldn’t, honestly.
(beat)
Madame, it would be much easier if you sign the forms. Everyone else has done the same.
MOTHER
Easy for you, not me. And I’m not everyone else.
(beat)
Who made these rules?
DOCTOR
The government. The national health commission. To control the spread of the disease. It’s to protect the safety and health of everyone. Yours included, Madame.
MOTHER
What exactly happens if I don’t sign the forms?
DOCTOR
We will sign it and transport the body.
MOTHER
What if I make a scene? What if I lie right in front of your fucking ambulance?
DOCTOR
We will have to call the police, Madame. It’s written in the rules.
MOTHER
So you mean, that either way, whether you have my signature or not, you are going to transport my daughter’s body and dispose it in whatever way you like it.
DOCTOR
They, but I will make sure that they take the best care of your daughter’s body.
MOTHER
Fuck, fuck, fuck! Fuck you! Fuck “they”! Fuck these fucking rules! It’s all bullshit written in cold blood. What? “To protect the health and safety of everyone”? Who is everyone? My daughter is dead, and you are not letting me see her or send her off to “protect the health and safety of everyone”! And you are going to call the police if I violate the rules that have treated my daughter and me like the disease!
DOCTOR
Madame, please calm down. If other staff hear us, they will have to/
MOTHER
Call the police? I don’t give a fuck about the police.
HUSBAND
Mother…
MOTHER
I’m not signing these fucking useless papers. And don’t you two dare sign it, either! Son, she is your wife, have some decency and conscience. Doctor, if your hospital dares sign it, I’m going to sue you. Hear me right. Sue you!
Mother storms off.
Husband is left to decide.
Scene 3
Long line at the crematory. Husband is holding a picture of his wife.
HUSBAND
Chen, I can finally see you and bring you home today. It must have been painful and cold for you, but you don’t have to suffer anymore. I’m bringing you and our child home.
(beat)
But I have lost everything, Chen. I’m in so much debt. I’ve lost my job. My company won’t let me go back because they are afraid if I have contracted the disease. Our neighbors are avoiding us. I’m putting myself in quarantine. Every night, I sleep on our bed and think that I’ve contracted the disease, too. I’m like the disease. I am the disease, really.
(beat)
It’s all my fault, Chen. I sign the papers, and your mother… I wish I had more money, but I couldn’t let your mother sleep on the streets. That’s the least I can do. I know she will never forgive me. I won’t forgive myself, either. It’s all my fault.
Silence.
BROADCAST VOICE
No. 7228! Is Ms. Chen’s family here? It’s your turn!
Husband exits.
Video footage of one of Shanghai’s busiest areas – the People’s Square – plays. Everything has returned to what we called “normal” pre-COVID – dining, shopping, gathering, movies, etc. Some people are wearing masks, while others don’t.
BROADCAST VOICE1
On the night of November 20th, two people, who are husband and wife, had positive test results for the nucleic acid test. According to the diagnosis of professional medical staff, these are new confirmed coronavirus cases and were immediately transported to the Public Health Clinical Center for treatment.
After a night of investigation, until 8am on November 21st, 86 close contacts with the 2 confirmed cases have been found, including 6 family members. They have all been put in quarantine and took the nucleic acid test. Their test results were all negative.
8120 people have been found as loose contacts and have been all collected samples for the nucleic acid test. As of 8:30am on November 21st, 7921 samples have been sent for testing, 4468 of them tested negative. The rest of the samples were still under testing.
The school of the daughter of these two confirmed cases has enforced quarantine, testing, sanitation and related measures. The school has switched to remote learning.
Currently, samples of food, items, and the environment from related places have been collected. 336 samples were collected and tested. Of these samples, 332 tested negative, 4 tested positive.The positive samples all came from the patients’ home.
In the next step, we will continue our work on tracing the spread of the disease and collecting samples for testing. We will make sure that we investigate everything we need to investigate, and test everything we need to test.
The footage continues to play. The audience shall be allowed to watch until they leave.
END OF PLAY
1 – The following paragraphs are translated from an article published by Shanghai Health Commission
When asked about the inspiration for this work, Xinyuan said, “When I went home to Shanghai, China in September after spending a year in the US, I felt that I was thrown into a completely different reality. After a mandatory 14-day quarantine in a hotel by myself, I took the metro for the first time and was surprised to find that it was crowded as usual (pre-COVID). Malls, theatres, and restaurants are all open except that people are wearing masks, and their temperature is taken at the entrances. Suddenly, I am able to do everything I have longed for the past year. I can travel, go to movies, and meet people in public places without much fear of getting COVID. I am grateful, but deep down I feel unsettled. Every day, the Chinese government posts a notice of the number of new coronavirus cases with their detailed locations down to the neighborhoods so that people would know where to avoid when traveling. I wonder what those numbers mean. Those numbers mean lives lost and saved, people and families affected, but I think that we are so used to hearing these numbers every day that we become desensitized to the human aspect of this disease, that people are not just carriers of COVID-19 or just another confirmed case but also suffer deeply from it. I saw this piece of news released in March which said that required by the Chinese government, bodies deceased from COVID had to be cremated in assigned locations, and funerals or any memorial services were not allowed to be held in order to ‘control the spread of the disease’. I also found stories of how families of the deceased had to accept and reconcile with that. Immediately, I thought of the story of ‘Antigone’, and I felt an urge to question. Through this play, I try to ask: has our community given enough attention and care to people who have been directly impacted by COVID? Is there enough space for them to mourn and enough respect and understanding for their loss? What do the rules mean when they are applied to actual bodies? Whose rights are sacrificed in order to protect the entire community, and is it legitimized even when some sort of stable and safe situation is established?”
