THREE RATS

By Wilfredo Ma. Guerrero

Character:
GONZALO NITA (his wife) ADRIAN (his best friend) CORA (house
maid)
Scene: (The living room. A coffee-table in front of the sofa. On the left side, a large balcony
through which the street lights pour in. On a table near the balcony are a telephone and a lamp. A
floor-lamp beside the sofa. Magazines on the table. The room reveals the refined taste of the
owners.)
CURTAIN.
(FLASHBACK)
(Cora, the house maid, is cleaning the living room. Nita comes in in a hurry.)

NITA: Cora, I want you out this instant.

CORA: M-ma’am?

NITA: I’m dismissing you; did I stutter?

CORA: … I’ve been doing my job well ma’am. (Begging as she holds Nita’s hands.)

NITA: (Snatches her hand) Pack your things, you’re not needed anymore. Gonzalo is coming

home today.

CORA: (Realizes) Is that why? To keep me from talking?

NITA: Shut up, Cora. (Nita walks away.)

CURTAIN

(PRESENT)

NARRATOR: Gonzalo is seated on the sofa, reading the papers. Nita, his wife, comes in with a

large tray, with a pot of coffee and two cups.

NITA: Here’s the coffee, Gonzalo. (She sets the tray on the table.)
NITA: Ah right! I forgot to tell you. I dismissed Cora this morning, her insolent ways are just

too much.

GONZALO: Insolent? Never noticed it. She was quite efficient; it seems to me.

NITA: (Smiling as she fills his cup with coffee. Gonzalo takes out a piece of paper and unfolds

it.) What’s that, Gonzalo?

GONZALO: (Quietly) Potassium cyanide. People are known to commit murder or suicide –

with it.

NITA: (Alarmed) Why do you carry it around you?

GONZALO: I use it in my business. Cyanide is a necessary ingredient in the plating process.

We couldn’t do without it.

NITA: I understand now, Gonzalo. But please, you should throw it away. (Taking two or three

crystals of cyanide, Gonzalo drops them inside the cup of coffee. Nita gasps softly.) Gonzalo!

What are you doing?! (Stands up, terrified.)

GONZALO: You can throw the cup away later.

NITA: But that’s my favorite coffee set that Adrian gave us. The sentimental value—

GONZALO: People attach too much importance to sentimental value. One should attach

himself to nothing and to nobody. (Nita looks at him, aghast.)

NITA: Attach oneself to nothing and to nobody? How can you say that, Gonzalo? (Walks to

Gonzalo and places her hand on his shoulder) Don’t I mean anything to you? And Adrian—your

best friend—you’ve always been so attached to him, almost more than me. (Sits down beside

Gonzalo.)

GONZALO: (Gonzalo stares at her briefly, and smiles feebly) Right, sorry Nita.
You know how deeply attached I am to you – and to Adrian. Speaking of, has Adrian been

around?

NITA: Not since you left. (Nita puts out her hand to get the tray when the telephone rings. She

puts the tray down and is about to answer the phone, but Gonzalo interrupts Nita and goes to the

table instead.)

GONZALO: Hello? – Adrian. Where are you? Why don’t you drop over right now? Alright, I’ll

give you exactly one minute. (He promptly puts down the receiver.)

NITA: Is he coming over? I’ll get the whisky then. (She goes out, Gonzalo sits immobile. His

eyes turn to the table where the fatal cup lies, then the doorbell rings. Nita comes in and sets the

tray on the table. As Adrian comes in, he goes to Gonzalo and shakes hands.)

GONZALO: Long time no see; didn’t you know I was back?

ADRIAN: (Flushing) Er – y-yes. I missed you, Gonzalo.

NITA: Coffee, Adrian?

ADRIAN: I don’t mind. (Nita goes out.)

GONZALO: Have you read this afternoon’s paper? (Gonzalo picks up the newspaper placed on

the table.) There’s an interesting item on the front page, about a murder last night. (Nita

overheard the conversation and comes in with the coffee tray but forgot to bring in cups.) You

know Mr. and Mrs. Tito Viterbo?

NITA: The Viterbo married to Mila Revilla? Did anything happen to her? (She sets the tray on

the table.)

GONZALO: It seems Tito Viterbo’s best friend was having an affair with his wife, Mila. And

he killed her. Stupid, right?

NITA: But he had the right to kill her.

GONZALO: To kill the wife because she is unfaithful is for the husband to admit that he has

lost her, and if you lose something or somebody, that is most probably through your own

carelessness.

ADRIAN: But Mr. Viterbo’s wife was guilty of breaking the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt

not commit adultery.” I’d call them a couple of rats.

GONZALO: I’d prefer to call the three of them rats. Yes, I included the husband for breaking

the fifth commandment—“Thou shalt not kill.” (They all break into laughter.)

ADRIAN: If you don’t mind, I’d like some coffee. (Gonzalo looks at the cup of coffee.)

NITA: (Realizes it is the fatal cup) Gonzalo, that cup- (Gonzalo takes the pot, and making it

seem accidental, spills some’ coffee on Adrian’s clothes.)

GONZALO: How stupid of me, go to the bathroom and wipe it off. (Adrian goes out. Nita

springs up from the chair.)

NITA: The cup, Gonzalo, the cup! Throw it away, throw it away! (Gonzalo stands up and

pushes her away roughly.)

GONZALO: Adrian admitted he did came this morning. But he made one slight mistake: he

said he had told the maid he had come, but you dismissed Cora this morning! She knew and you

were afraid she was going to speak up. What an evil fling!

NITA: (Nita throws herself on his knees and breaks into sobs.) Gonzalo! Gonzalo!

GONZALO: Both of you pretending, deceiving, lying behind my back!

NITA: True! And I’m so ashamed! Please, what are you going to do to him? (Pleadingly.)

GONZALO: Because my love for him is deeper—him I must destroy.

NITA: No! I’m just as guilty! I’d rather die! I’d rather be destroyed! (Sobs brokenly.)

GONZALO: Allow me to take you to this chair, you need a rest. (Gonzalo forcibly raises Nita

up and into a chair, exhausted and terrified. Adrian comes in.)

ADRIAN: It won’t come off. (Sits down and drops some sugar in the fatal cup and stirs it) Is

Nita all right?

GONZALO: She’s fine don’t mind her. (Adrian then takes the cup and gulps on his drink.)

NITA: (Quietly) A-adrian… (Nita brings her trembling hand up to her lips. Frightened, she

rushes out.)

GONZALO: (Adrian’s face slowly begins to get red. He feels a giddiness in his head—he

presses his temples.) Adrian? What’s wrong?

ADRIAN: M-my head… (Terror in his voice, he begins to gasp.)

GONZALO: I attach myself to nothing… and to nobody. (Adrian falls noisily. Nita’s long,

shrill, agonizing, terrifying scream is then heard. Gonzalo slowly walks to the telephone and

dials.) Hello? Police department? If you care to come to 60 Banaba St., Forbes Park, you will

find three rats—yes, that’s what I just said, three rats.

(Gonzalo hangs the call before the police department could respond. Nita trembles her way

inside towards Adrian’s corpse. Gonzalo smiles as he hears Nita sobbing, mourning for her

beloved.)

NITA: (Devastated) H-how could you? Why, why… just why!? It should’ve been me! It

should’ve been… (Nita cries her heart out. Gonzalo turns around to face Nita—who’s holding

Adrian’s hand—and lowers his lashes to look at his dear friend.)

GONZALO: (Quietly) His suffering is enough, greatly enough. He doesn’t deserve to live a life

full of guilt and regret with a murderer like me. (Nita continues to cry then police sirens are

heard. Soon the police barges into the crime scene.)

POLICE: Police! You have the right to remain silent! (The two policemen go to Gonzalo and

Nita and handcuffs them, while the other two examines the area and the dead body. Nita and

Gonzalo are taken away with the other policemen.)

CURTAIN

(Behind bars, Gonzalo smirks with not a single trace of regret, then the curtain falls.)

CURTAIN

(Ending)