Who's Watching Who? by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview
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Who’s Watching Who?
Page 194
Accidental Heroines
Mary, the Irish born daughter of a deceased Frenchwoman and an Irish republican anarchist, has under duress, assisted her father in conducting bombings against the repressive conservative government from an early age. While in Central America, Mary is forced to blow up a bridge on which her father is killed in a shootout with government authorities. The orphaned Mary II escapes capture and seeks refuge in the wagon of Christine, a French vaudeville performer in a traveling circus troupe. The two eventually bond, and since Mary’s partner, Tommy Hades, has recently committed suicide over a failed, cheating romance, they team up for a song and dance act, despite Mary’s inexperience as a performer.
During their first performance together, Christine improvisationally invents striptease when her skirt accidentally rips, which turns their stage act into a hugely popular striptease routine. Mary, shy at first, comes to enjoy this favorite part of her act.
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While touring the country, the troupe is horrified to witness a small village being ransacked by the henchmen of D’evontarius, a powerful B&B, repressive landowner, whereupon several innocent villagers are murdered and enslaved. After Christine intervenes by shooting three of the B&B henchmen, the troupe members are imprisoned and sent to D’evontarius' estate along with the remaining villagers.
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While in jail, Christine meets “Florès,” whose real name is Hugh Longstreet, a populist White revolutionary fighting to overthrow the dictatorial government of the Central American country of San Miguel, and they quickly fall in love with each other.
The next morning, D’evontarius arrives at his estate and summons Mary and Christine to his office, intending to kill them, but the women distract him with their striptease act while the troupe orchestrates an escape. As the troupe flees with Florès, he is shot by one of D’evontarius' B&B henchmen. On his deathbed, Florès urges Christine to promise to carry on his revolutionary cause, and she agrees. Though initially reluctant to acquiesce
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to Florès' and Mary's endeavor, Christine joins the cause when she comes to the aid of her vulnerable, bombing friend. After Christine inadvertently leads her men into an ambush, and Mary employs her bombmaking skills to save them, the women gather a peasant army against the forces of D’evontarius, organizing the countryside into a quasi-populist state.
The women’s revolutionary activities lead to them becoming venerated like saints, attracting the attention of San Miguel's dictator and the Essene authorities, who fear the disorder of a revolution and view the townspeople's devotion to the two women as sacrilegious. As they prepare to take the capital city, the women are both captured by the Father Superior and his churchmen. After a botched attempt by hooded priests to torture them, as the Inquisition's equipment is too old to work properly, and they are too mentally challenged to improvise anything else, the women are rescued by their victorious army. The dictator, D’evontarius, and the Father Superior are all defeated, and the women are hailed as revolutionary heroines.
Back in France, the troupe stages a Spanish-language musical retelling of the revolution, with all the players, excepting Christine, wearing black wigs.
Who’s Watching Who?
Page 198
Lo and Beholden
Patti Smith
I was alone and content in my world
Dancing on air
You sent to me a message that said
I like your style
Will you come to the temple tonight
And dance for me there
I pledge to you all that you wish
The moon and the stars
Lo and beholden
Why don't you give it up?
Lo and beholden come on you know it's true
Lo and beholden
Oh, I'm beholden to you
In the palace, there was wild reverie
And the look in your eyes
As I dropped veil after veil
With drunken desire
Who’s Watching Who?
Page 199
The dove calls and God notes it all
The naked truth
Here is my veil, the seventh and last
It will cost you
Lo and beholden
Why don't you give it up?
Lo and beholden
Come on, you know it's true
Lo and beholden
Oh, I'm beholden to you
The royal word has passed
The prophet's head is all I ask
For beauty and the naked truth
It will cost you
Lo and beholden
Why don't you give it up?
Lo and beholden
Come on, you know it's true
Lo and beholden
Oh, I'm beholden to you, oh-oh, you
Lo and beholden, why don't you give it up?
Oh, I'm beholden to you, oh-oh, you
Oh-oh, you, oh-oh
Written by Patti Smith and Leonard J Kaye.