Mirrors and Smoke

The stage is set with a door separating two rooms. One is dark, with barred windows and one tiny fan. It is lined with electrical cords and bobbins, and there are two women seated there. The other room is open, breezy, and fashionably decorated. It contains a rack of expensive clothes, and there are two women shopping there.

Characters:
Emily
Jen
Graciela
Lupe

Scene one: (Lights fade on amidst background chatter)

Emily: I told you, Jen, it’s totally worth the drive up here from San Diego. I saw this shirt for $70 at Fashion Valley, and here it’s only $30!

Jen: I would NEVER spend 70 bucks on a shirt - 30 seems bad enough! Clothes are so expensive these days – Especially like this one, “Made in the USA.” (shows Emily the label) I really try to buy stuff made in America so I’m supporting the U.S. economy, but you know U.S. workers have to make minimum wage, which of course makes the price go up.

Emily: Minimum wage, ha. Minimum for what? I make minimum wage at school, and I can barely afford to eat out 3 times a week. I have to drive all the way up here to shop for anything cute, because if I try to buy it in San Diego it costs an arm and a leg! I wish they would pay us enough to actually live on. I could work 40 hours a week and still not make enough to rent a shack in OB. Good thing I get to live on campus for two more years!

Scene two: (Silence, other than the humming of machines)

Graciela: Hand me another “made in the USA” label, Lupe.
Lupe: Did Raul say whether or not we were going to get paid tomorrow?
Graciela: I asked him three times yesterday and twice today, but he still won’t answer me. I can’t wait another week, though. I ran out of rice two days ago, and you know the kids can’t get free lunch on the weekends.
Lupe: (coughing) Ha, I remember I always looked forward to Mondays when I was little, because the school had chimichangas for lunch. (Coughing harder) I wish Raul hadn’t welded the windows shut –I need some air – my face is so hot!
Graciela: Are you getting sick, Lupe?
Lupe: I hope to God no – it makes the days go by so slowly when my head hurts as well as my back. Last time I got sick it stayed for two months before Raul finally gave me an afternoon to go to the doctor.
Graciela: It’s not me I’m worried about so much as my kids: if I get them sick and they can’t go to school, they’ll have to come to the factory with me since my mom can’t take care of them anymore.
Lupe: So? When I was Maria’s age, I was already working in the factory. You should bring her here after school, at least, and have her help you with some pieces.
Graciela: No, I want her to have at least a few more years of childhood. It’s hard enough living with so many people in one place on $150 a week – I want her to be able to have some space at school.
Lupe: Hey, you know as well as I do that 10 cents per shirt doesn’t go a long way, and from what I hear about the rent going up in your neighborhood, you are going to need as much help as you can get, Graciela.
Graciela: These shirts need to go down, but Raul is going to kill me if he sees me down there.
Lupe: I’ll bring them down. You have your mom and the baby to think of. (picks up a pile of shirts, walks quickly to the door, looking around, and opens it. Lupe looks around to make sure no one sees her, and hurries to set down the shirts. She turns around to leave, when she bumps into Jen. Lupe casts her eyes down in humiliation, Jen’s eyes widen with shock. Freeze... Lights fade.)