At the Table

Act 1, Scene A

INT. APARTMENT – NOON

Rosani is in the kitchen, helping her sister-in-law, Gia, clean the stovetop and oven. Gia peels potatoes.

Rosani: So how do you celebrate Thanksgiving in Guatemala?

Gia: We don’t really celebrate it. Instead, we celebrate Holy Week. My mother makes tamales. Turkey is not very popular back home.

Rosani: I don’t like turkey either. I wanted to make ham, but there are no cherries or pineapples.

(Gia chuckles softly.)

Gia: So you are craving ham?

Rosani: Yes, but at least you are making baked potatoes with cauliflower, broccoli, and corn. That is healthy enough for Thanksgiving.

Gia: You seem to be forgetting your Coca-Cola.

Rosani: Oh, right. My Coke. But those little cans do not even count.

(Gia laughs again.)

Rosani fills a pot with water and sets it on the stove. She places seven tomatoes, a red bell pepper, half an onion, three cloves of garlic, and a few hot red peppers on the counter. She begins preparing salsa.

Rosani: Don’t you think it is unfair that your brother never helps in the kitchen? He wants a wife who cooks, which is not wrong, but come on, he is grown. He only cooked once in his life. He needs to understand that cooking is a skill for everyone, not just women.

Gia: In Guatemala it is typical for men to work and women to stay home with the duties. That is why my brother thinks the way he does.

Rosani looks disappointed but nods in understanding.

An hour later, Rosani calls out to Jasper and Jake.

Rosani: The food is ready. Come eat.

Jasper and Jake sit at the table, waiting. Rosani serves them plates, then returns with her own and sits.

Rosani: Wait, what are you doing? We are not going to say what we are thankful for? That is tradition in my family.

Gia: No, we do not do that. We just eat.

(Rosani laughs.)

Rosani: The food is delicious. The carrots with the potatoes are amazing.

Everyone agrees.

Gia: This is how you should cook.

(Rosani rolls her eyes.)

Rosani: I do know how to cook. It is just that everyone likes things differently. You like your chicken super crispy, but your brother prefers it soft and tender. Am I supposed to please everyone? Your brothers are adults and they can cook for themselves. And honestly, I am not worried about Jake. He lives off fast food anyway.

They keep eating. Gia looks at Rosani curiously.

Gia: So how is the new job? Do you get tired?

Rosani: Not really. When I am standing and moving around, I feel more awake. I am just grateful they hired me. My old job paid me so little.

Gia: You graduated college and you are out there working warehouse jobs.

Jasper: Gia, just stop. Please.

Rosani: No, she is right. I did graduate with a BA in writing. But guess what, Gia, I am a mom. Ever since I became a mom, I care more about my daughter than my career. Sometimes in life, we do not always get what we want, and even though things have not gone great for me work wise, I am happy. I have my daughter, and she brings me joy. And you have no right to talk down to me. You were in Guatemala studying to be a teacher, and then you got pregnant. It was your choice to come to America. You always talk about how it is so easy here. I always hear your brother saying that in America we have everything, and that because I am bilingual I should have no trouble finding a job. That is far from the truth.

Gia: Okay, okay. Calm down. I did not mean to upset you.

Jasper: Let us just have a nice Thanksgiving, all of us.

Silence falls. The family continues eating. The tension remains in the air, but so does the warmth of the food in front of them. Rosani looks down at her plate, then at her family, torn between pride and exhaustion.

[End of Play]