Valley Song (After Veronica's departure to Johannesburg)

I decided to post the continuation of Valley Song (1996), a moving play by Athol Fugard, a South African dramatist, who writes about the apartheid and the problems of the new South Africa. Besides Valley Song, Fugard’s work includes A Lesson from Aloes, People are living there, The Road to Mecca and many others.
Valley Song was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre, in London, with Athol Fugard himself playing two characters: “the Author” and “Buks”.
The story deals with family relationships and conflicts. It is the story of a coloured South African girl (Veronica) who wants to leave her grandfather (Abraham Jonkers – “Buks”) and her village behind to go to Johannesburg and become a famous singer.
As the story develops, there are moments of rising tension between the girl and her elderly grandfather who can’t understand her dreams. That symbolizes the constrast between the old South Africa and the new South Africa, full of hopes and dreams.
There’s also the story of a white South African playwright (Author) who wants to go back to his origins in the Karoo Region and leave the artificial world of theatre and urban life behind. In some way, he represents Athol Fugard himself.

As we don’t find out, by reading the play, what actually happened to Veronica as far as her dream of becoming a singer is concerned, I wrote my own end to the story. Valley Song ends with Veronica’s departure to Johannesburg. The main question is whether her dream came true and she is now a famous singer and TV star. (Note: Click the links)

Author: Five years later, Veronica returns to the village for the first time. She hadn’t kept her promise to come back whenever she could. Those had been hard times for her. She didn’t forget her Oupa, though.
I remember the day Veronica returned to the Valley. Imagine one of those shiny spring days with that old fragrance of roses and pine trees.
I was walking near Buks’s house, you know, I didn’t have the courage to evict him from his “akkers” and suddenly I saw one of those big black chauffeur – driven limousines. I had one of those once but I soon got tired of it. Well, when I saw the limousine I thought I was dreaming. You know, it isn’t very usual to see a limousine around here. Then I almost got certain I was dreaming when I saw a beautiful young lady coming out of the car. Her chauffeur opened the door to her and I could see she was wearing a shocking-pink dress and high-heel shoes.
I was so astonished I wasn’t able to recognise her. But then I thought: I know those eyes, although they don’t look exactly the same, I know them.
Then I realised she was coming up to me…

(Now we watch the scene as it actually happened.)

Veronica: (walking up to the Author) Hello! It’s good to see you again, Master!

Author: (thinks for a while without answering)

Veronica: (she gets closer to the Author) Don’t you remember me, Master?

Author: (with a smile) Veronica? Is that you? You are so different I almost wasn’t able to recognise you. I missed you, your songs, your dreams…

Veronica: I missed you too, Master. You know, Master, I hadn’t many true friends there in Johannesburg, Master.

Author: I know what you’re talking about. But please, Veronica, don’t call me “Master”. It sounds kind of bizarre. I mean, you show up here as shiny as a movie star and the first thing you do is calling me “Master”? (He smiles) It doesn’t make sense, girl.

Veronica: I’m sorry, that’s because I’ve always called you “Master”.

Author: Yes, you used to call me that… Five years ago… But what happened there in Johannesburg? I’m curious Veronica, tell me your story.

Veronica: I’m not sure if it is a happy or a sad story. When I arrived in Johannesburg, it seemed so strange… So different from the Valley… I felt like I was walking alone in the crowd… I looked for my friend’s house and stayed there for two years. During those two years, I fought so hard to fulfil my dream, you know? I worked very hard to get the money to attend singing lessons. When I got the money, I kept working hard and attending singing lessons because I knew it wasn’t going to be easy…

Author: I told you Veronica, that was kind of a big dream!

Veronica: I know that. And that’s why I worked so hard so that it could come true.

Author: Well, it did come true, didn’t it? I don’t need to ask! One understands that just by looking at your outfit and that limousine of yours.

Veronica: (close to tears) Yes, my dream did come true. I am a famous singer, who sings to big audiences. I am also a TV star who shows up almost every day. I travel to far away places to give live concerts. Almost everyone shouts my name when I pass by. Children do everything to have my autograph. I am wealthy, I live in a big mansion, I have a chauffeur, a butler, a gardener and a Persian cat with a diamond collar… I now have everything I dreamt about…

Author: Yes, in fact, that’s everything you ever wanted. I remember you used to daydream about singing to big audiences. So… tell me Veronica… with all you have achieved… Don’t you feel happy?

Veronica: (on the verge of tears) I know I should feel extremely happy. I dreamt big… and my big dream came true… But now I look at myself in the mirror and think: “Who am I?”, “What do I actually have?”. And then I realise I that I don’t know who I am anymore and that I actually don’t have anything… I feel empty, I don’t know where I belong to. I lost everything I had when I left the Valley…

Author: I know what it feels like, Veronica. That’s why I came back to my origins… I was sick and tired of that make-believe world of Theatre, you know. But tell me, Veronica, if you missed the Valley so much, why didn’t you come back earlier?

Veronica: I missed all of this. The Valley, my people, my house, you… But the one I missed most was my Oupa. I remembered him everyday I got up in the morning singing my old songs till I went to sleep at night, praying to God as if I was in church next to my Oupa. I didn’t come back because I had so much pressure on me – new songs, concerts, interviews on TV… I sent some letters to my Oupa… I hope someone had read them for him… Tell me, is Oupa in the “akkers”? You didn’t evict him from his house and his few “akkers”, did you?

Author: Of course not, Veronica. That’s the only thing he had this last five years, you know? His small house, his few “akkers” and his deep memories. I saw him in his “akkers” a few moments ago. He was working on the land as usual. However, he hasn’t been feeling very well, Veronica.

Veronica: (worried) What happened? Is he ill? Tell me, I need to know the truth!

Author: I don’t know, Veronica. I don’t know… He is always so submissive when he talks to me that it is difficult to understand what is actually happening. I mean, he didin’t tell me anything, I saw it in his eyes… Just like I can see in your eyes that the only thing you need now is to hug your Oupa… Go, Veronica… Go and look for him in his “akkers”.

Veronica: Yes, I really need to see my Oupa again. He means so much to me…

(Veronica looks for her Oupa. The Author moves into the character of Buks)

Buks: (working on his land) Another Spring without seeing Veronica… This Spring I won’t plant the Ware Karoo Pampoen Saad… They have no meaning anymore… They were miracles and my miracle was gone five years ago…

(He is feeling terribly tired so he sits in the shade of the old Bluegum tree)

Veronica: (seeing her Oupa) Oupa…

Buks: Veronica… Is that you? Oh my God, I prayed so much for you to come back…

Veronica: I’m sorry, Oupa… I missed you so much…

Buks: I missed you too. Missed your songs and your dreams and your hope in the future…

(They hug and burst into tears)

Veronica: Can I stay here with you, Oupa?

Buks: My door has always been open…

(It starts to rain hard; Buks faints)

Veronica: Oupa! Please talk to me, Oupa!

Buks: Take these seeds, Veronica. “Ware Karoo Pampoen Saad” Remember? They are miracles… Just like you, Veronica.

Veronica: Why is Oupa talking this way? Oupa is not going to die. We will be happy together again in the Valley.

Buks: I’m sorry, Veronica. I think this is my turn to travel to a far away place. Remember, Veronica, these seeds are our miracles. “Totsiens”, my child…

Veronica: (crying desperately) No, Oupa! Stay here with me! Want to hear a song? I will sing to you and everything is going to be OK. It’s a new version from an old song. Listen, Oupa…

I missed you so much
Valley that I love
I missed you so much
I had to come back

Buks: I will never forget your songs, Veronica.

(Buks dies; The Author speaks to the audience)

Author: I will never forget Veronica crying near her Oupa with the pumpkin seeds in her hand. It was an extremely meaningful moment. Veronica puts her hand up to the sky, we hear a thunder and then, suddenly, the rain was over. Veronica will never forget her Oupa and that’s why she’s now living in the Valley. The only thing she brought from Johannesburg was her Persian cat named Jonkers, in the memory of her Oupa. She’s pretty happy with this second-hand dream. Just like me, she returned to her roots because we all belong somewhere… Look back on your past and you will find out…