Isidora is a beautiful, talents and smart Mexican American young woman. She stands before us with a long scar on the side of her face, a part of a memory that she would rather not speak of nor relive. She tells us her parents’ story of coming to America and how she spent all of her life making sure she was being a role model for her younger siblings while preparing herself for college. America was a scary place for her, and especially her parents. They feared that all of the things they had worked to escape in Mexico were all things that were still very possible here in America. But Isidora worked hard to gain their trust so that when she chose a large out of state school for college her parents would give their blessings. With much conversation they finally did but with that consent came a list of protocols to keep her safe, rules to be followed and Isidora happily complied. There is always that one night, the one night in our lives that a simple missed step changes the course of everything we knew to be true. On that night Isidora experiences a brutal attack that leaves her fight in for her life and blaming herself for the choice that she made. What we learn from her story is that sometimes within the best intentions a tragic situation can still arise. Isidora shows us that even in the midst of the worst nightmare of our lives we can still come out, thriving, healthy and working to still make our part of the world a better place. A different kind of survival story that is dipped in the reality that we all make small mistakes that can derail our life, but it is in the recovery that our persistence is truly shown. (*This character speaks minimal Spanish and the story could be cut to present her as any ethnicity.)
Hopes and Dreams
(The scene opens with Isidora, a Mexican American woman in her mid-twenties. She slowly applies make up to her face and neck. As she looks at herself in the mirror something on her face captures her attention. She runs her finger along the side of her face from her ear to the bottom of her neck. Closes her eyes for a moment then whispers-)
“De ilusión también se vive.” (She opens her eyes, smiles ironically as she repeats this louder to herself.) “De ilusión también se vive.” (Deep sigh) It means “Of hope also one lives.” (Beat) I’ll never forget that one, not one single day for the rest of my life when I look at myself in the mirror, I will hear my mother saying those words. (To audience) A Mexician proveb, “De ilusión también se vive.” Our culture is no different than any other. We have rituals, myths, home remedies (Laughs) and yes even Mexican proverbs. This one means, think a little bit bigger. Life isn’t always about the finish line or always getting what it is that you want in life but it’s about the dream of it all. The dream of the win and the beauty that comes with that dream. When you’re an immigrant dreams sometimes become what you live for. You don’t know if they will ever come true and honestly, I didn’t care, just living life for those dreams made life… it made life back then everything I needed it to be. (Looks at her face again.) It’s also what put things into perspective after my accident- my attack. (Aside) Be honest with yourself Isidora, it was a very intentional attack. An attack.