The World is an Apple Mario: Yes…

By: (Alberto S. Florentino) Gloria(Comes out): I’m glad you came home early
the land lady came here earlier. And she is asking
Improvised Script
for the rent.
Mario: Nahh, just ignore her.
Characters:
Gloria: but she told me she will kick us out from
Gloria- Vina Marie Ottong this house if we don’t pay.

Mario- Joxer Lumayag Mari: (Ignores her and starting to get annoyed)
How is our children?
Pablo- Atis Janking
Gloria: do not wake them up Mario, they are tired
Marco- Aldren Famor
from work. They sell plastics earlier to get some
Landlady- Mansanades money. And jayvann is sick. The girls eat a cup of
lugao they bought. But jayvann wouldn’t eat even
Children- Harlen Mia Viña
the mouthful of it. But I’ll buy him biscuit. Maybe
Mherimar Garingan he would eat them. I’ll take some of the money.

Jayvann Canicon Mario: Can’t you wait a minute? (Raises his voice)

Riding in tandem: Michael Angelou Ponce Gloria(Shocked) Hey, what’s the matter? Why are
you suddenly so touchy?
Janrell Matutina
Mario: Who wouldn’t be? I’m talking to you about
the child and you bother me by ransacking my
pocket! I wish you’d think more our children.

(An improvised home at Pagadian City National
Comprehensive High School. )
( Land lady enters Gloria’s home, wearing her strict
face, while Gloria is doing house chores)
Gloria: (crosses their distance) My god wasn’t I
thinking of them? Why do you think I need some
money? To buy me a pretty dress? Or see a movie?
Mario: tone down your voice you’ll wake them up.

Land lady: Hey you need to pay your monthly Gloria: (Low but intense) All I want is a little money.
payment for the house. You did not pay for three To buy jayvann something to eat he hasn’t eaten
months now! anything all day. That was why I was bothering you!

Gloria: (Nervously answer) Ma’am I can pay you
later when my husband arrive. Maybe I can give
you the half amount of our balance is that okay?
Land lady: (Eyeing her from head to toe) yes you
can but make it sure that you can pay me at the
end of the day or else I’ll kick you out of this house
right away. (Out)
Mario: Sorry Gloria, I don’t have any money. Not
now. Not today.
Gloria: What? Why? Where’s the pay for the week?
Mario: I don’t … have it
Gloria: What I waited for you the whole day and
tell me—

(A minute later Mario got home) Mario: that I have nothing! Nothing . what did you
want me to do steal?
Gloria: Mario is that you? Mario?
Gloria: What’s wrong Mario?
Mario: Nothing Gloria.
Gloria: I know something is wrong Mario tell me
what it is.
Mario (Cannot look Gloria directly) Gloria, I have
lost my job
Gloria: oh no! What about your pay for the week?
Mario: I lost my job a week ago Gloria.
Gloria: And you never even told me.
Mario: I thought I can get a new job with without
making you worry
Gloria: Did you think you can get another? It took
you five months to get the last one.
Mario: it wont take me as long to get another.
Gloria: But how did you lost it.
Mario: What’s the use of talking it wont bring back
anything
Gloria: have our sinful fingers brought you trouble
again?
Mario: Now, Now Gloria do not try to accuse me
like what they did.
Gloria: What according to them you steal?
Mario: it was nothing much.
Gloria: What was it??
Mario: It was an apple.
Gloria: An apple you mean—
Mario: An apple you don’t know what an apple is?
Gloria: You mean you took one apple—
Mario: Yes, and they kick me out for it. For taking
one single apple. Not a dozen.
Gloria: that’s what you get for not stopping to think
before you do something.
Mario: Could I have guessed they would do that for
one apple? where there were millions of them. I
SAW ONE ROLL OUT OF THE BROKEN BOX. The I
found myself putting it in my bag.
Gloria: that’s the trouble with you; when you think
of your own stomach you think of nothing else!
Mario: I was not thinking of myself. I was thinking
of our child .
Gloria: Why? did they ask for an apple?
Mario: Yes they did. When I bring them for a walk
they ask for an apple but I cannot afford it. You
should try to bring home pandesal (red pie) rice or
milk. Not those delicious apples. We are not rich.
We can live without apples,
Mario: Why ? did god created apple trees for rich
alone? Didn’t he create the whole world for
everyone?
Gloria: So, for a one single apple, you lost a job you
needed the most?
Mario: I wouldn’t mind losing a thousand of job for
an apple for my daughter.
Gloria: Where’s this apple did you bring it home?
Mario: no they keep it as evidence
Gloria: See? You lost your job and also your apple.
You did not gain anything. You must tell them to
gave you a second chance.
Mario: they’ll do anything to keep me out. I’ll find
another job
Gloria: I know god wouldn’t let us down. Ill pray
tonight and ask him to give you another job.
Mario: You know my friend offers me a work.
Gloria: Why don’t you go and see your friend now,
you don’t have anything to do tonight
Mario: yes I think I’ll do that.
Gloria: Mother was wrong. You know before we
got married she told me that i will regret marrying
a good for nothing man like you that I cannot make
you straight. I wish she were alive now, to see that
you are already change.( Hug)

Pablo: (sarcastic) Hmmm…How romantic! (Pablo
with his friend Marco
Mario: (rises) Pablo!
(Suddenly weakened, Mario starts to fidget. There
is an uncomfortable silence as Gloria rises and
walks to center, her eyes burning with hate. Pablo
lights a cigarette, never taking his eyes off her.)
Pablo: You're not glad to see me, are you ? (Puts a
foot on the bench.)
Gloria: (angry) What are you doing here? What do
you want?
Marco: Hey is that the way to receive a friend who
has come to visit?
Gloria: We don't care for your visits!
Pablo: You haven't changed a bit, Gloria, not a bit.
Gloria: Neither have you, I can see!
Pablo: You're still that same woman who cursed
me to hell because I happened to be Mario's friend,
even long before you met him. Time has not made
you any kinder to me. You still hate me, don't you?
Gloria: Yes! And I'll not stop hating you, not until
you stay away from us!
Pablo: Am I not staying away from you?
Gloria: Then why are you here?
Pablo: God! Can't I come to see you now and then
to see if life has been kind to you?
Gloria: (scornfully) We were doing well until you
showed up!
Marco:(Eyeing the children) Your children is
getting skinny you know.
Gloria: (quickly) They are alright!
Pablo: Are they sick??
Gloria: We don't know.
Pablo: Don't you think you should take her to a
doctor? (Puts his foot down and pulls out his
wallet.) Here, I'll loan you a few pesos. It may help
your daughter get well.
Gloria: (scornfully) We need it all right but, no
thank you!
Pablo: Why don't you take it?
Gloria: Paying you back will only mean seeing your
face again.
Marco: Well, if you hate to see his face so much,
you don't have to pay him back. Take it as a gift.
Just let Mario come with us.
Gloria: The more I should refuse it!
Pablo: All right, if that's how you want it. (Sits
down and plays with the wallet.)
Gloria: Mario has stopped depending on you since
the day I took him away from your bad influence!
Pablo: Haven't you realized yet that it was a
terrible mistake—taking him away from me?
Gloria: I have no regrets.
Pablo: How about Mario? Has he no regrets,
either?
Gloria: He has none.
Pablo: How can you be so sure? When he and I
were pals we could go to first-class, air-conditioned
movie houses every other day. I'll bet all the money
I have here now (showing his wallet) that he has
not been to one since you “liberated” him from
me. And that was almost four years ago.
Gloria: One cannot expect too much from honest
money, and we don't.
Pablo: (rises and walks about) What is honest
money? Does it look better than dishonest money?
Does it buy more? And honesty? What is it?
Dressing like that? Staying in this dungeon you call
a house? Is that what you so beautifully call
honesty?
Mario: (rises) Pablo…
Pablo: (mockingly) See what happened to your
beloved children? That is what honesty has done to
her. And how can honesty help her now? Jayvann is
not sick and he needs no medicine. You know that.
You know very well what she needs: good food!
he's undernourished, isn't he?
Mario: Pablo!
Gloria: I know you have come to lead him back to
you dishonest ways, but you can't. He won't listen
to you now! We have gone this far and we can go
on living without your help!
Pablo: (sarcastic) You call this living? This, Gloria, is
what you call dying, dying slowly…minute by
minute.(laughs)
Mario: (crosses to him and shakes him) Pablo, stop
it! (Pablo stops.) You shouldn't have come. Mario: (holds her arm) Gloria…I…
Gloria: Mario, I know he has talked to you and tried
to poison your mind again, but don't go with him.
Pablo: (brushes him off) I got tired of waiting for
This is still the better way of life. If things have not
you!
been turning out well, you must know that God is
Gloria: So you have been seeing each other! I was
not letting us down. He is only trying us.
afraid so!
Mario: (holds her) Gloria…I…
Pablo: He came to the house yesterday-
Gloria: (pulls away from him) You're going! I can
Mario: Pablo, don't-
see that you want to go with him! Ohhhh…(cries)
Pablo: (ignoring Mario) -he said he would be back
you'll leave me here again wondering whether
this noon. But he didn't show up. I came because I
you'll be…shot in the heart or sent to jail!
was afraid his conscience was bothering him.
Pablo:  Don't worry about him, Gloria, he's safe
Mario: Pablo, I told you she should not know!
with me. He won't come anywhere near jail. I've
Pablo: It's all right, Mario, you'd better tell her
got connections.
everything. She's bound to know later. Tell her
Gloria: (rushes madly at him and claws his face)
what you told me: that you don't believe any more
You hideous beast! You—get out!
in the way she wanted you to live. Tell her. (Mario
Mario: (pulls her away) You stay there, Pablo. I'll be
turns his back on them.)
with you in a minute.
Gloria: (crosses to Mario) Mario! Is this what you
(Leads her to where their children is.)
meant by another job! Oh, Mario! You promised
(Pablo fixes his clothes, cursing)
me you were through with him. You said you'd go
Mario: (firmly) Gloria. I'm going with him.
straight and never go back to that kind of life.
Gloria: Don't, Mario, don't!
Mario: (turns around and holds her arm,
Mario: You can't make me stop now, I've been
stammering) Gloria, you…you must try to
thinking about this since last week.
understand…I tried long and hard, but I could not
Gloria: Mario…(hugs from behind with tears in her
get us out of this kind of life.
eyes)
Gloria: (crosses to center and shouts at Pablo)
Mario: (loosens her hold) You take care of yourself
You're to blame for this, you son-of-the-Devil!
and our child and I'll take care of myself. Don't wait
You've come to him when you know he's down-
up for me. (Mario walks away with Pablo. Gloria
Pablo: He came to me first!
stares dumbly at them, then shouts.)
Gloria: -when you know he'll cling to anything and
Gloria: Mario!
do anything! Even return to the life he hates!
(Crosses to him and strikes him.) Get out of our (Suddenly a two unknown man in a motorcycle
sight! Get out! shoots Mario Pablo and Marco and they fell down
Pablo: (easily wards off her fists) All right, all right… on the ground)-
I'll leave just as soon as Mario is ready to go. (Gloria rans into Mario and cried out loud, her
Gloria: He's not going with you! (Crosses to children joins her from crying as the curtains fall)
center.)
Marco: Is that so? Why don't you ask him? (Sits on
the bench, grinning.)
Gloria: (shouts) I said he's not going!
Pablo: (points to Mario) Go on, ask him.
Gloria: (turns to Mario) You're not going with him,
are you Mario? Tell that crook you're not going
with him anywhere! Tell him to leave us and never
come back! Tell him to go, please Mario, please!