Go out and find your joy. I won’t do

Anything to block or kill your spirit

Cos I love you and I trust you, innit.

ALVITA

Women like me, we can’t love control freaks.

We want to travel, to live, to seek

Fresh pastures, possibilities, new worlds.

We’re women. Not children. Not little girls.

The best man of all, blessed and wise, is dead:

Nelson Mandela, cos it’s him who said:

An old man in the Pub Chorus, one of the old regulars we saw in the opening scene, turns from his pint and takes on the role of NELSON MANDELA.

NELSON MANDELA

Resentment is like drinking poison

ALVITA

Yuh see?

NELSON MANDELA

And then hoping it will kill your enemies.

And the wisest men know how to rise above

The desire to control the ones you love.

ALVITA

Husbands! Hear these words! Know them to be true.

If you get yours, why d’you care what I do?

Are you lacking something? Are you deprived?

Come sundown, aren’t you truly satisfied?

We see ALVITA sidle up to the AUTHOR with her mobile. She seems to be asking to jump on the Author’s Wi-Fi hotspot, but the AUTHOR isn’t having it.

It’s like them people who lock up their Wi-Fi …

Like, they think it’s gonna run out! Like if I

Jump on it, and get something for free,

It’s unfair. Not as far as I can see.

Just mind your own business, husbands! Then

I’ll mind mine. And peace will reign in Willesden.

But they don’t. He’s in my face about what

I wear. He’s like:

HUSBAND ELRIDGE

Please God tell me you’re not

Going out in that. The skirt’s way too small;

The top’s too low; you’re barely dressed at all.

ALVITA

And I wait and dare him to speak some more.

HUSBAND ELRIDGE

I’m just saying sometimes you look like a—

ALVITA

STOP RIGHT THERE. Please don’t use, my brother,

One type of woman to cuss another.

We are all sisters. And don’t try to neg

Me. You feel free to take me down a peg

Or two. Mention my crow’s feet. Cellulite.

Tell me I’m boring or not too bright.

Cos you’ve worked out when I’m shy or sad

I won’t stray too far. I won’t act too bad.

But when I’m feeling myself; hair done right,

Clothes on point? Then you nuh want me out nights.

When I hit the club, it’s full of your spies:

Your cousin, your sister’s man. Benny. Mike.

You think your man dem can shut me down?

Step to me; we’ll see who ends ’pon the ground!

And he sees I’m not playing. Then he frets

And feels sorry for himself:

HUSBAND ELRIDGE

Don’t get

Married. Only two things worse than a wife—

ALVITA