Veronica is a young Latinx woman in her early 20s. We watch her as she prepares lunch for her brother and sister that she now cares for. It is in this moment that she looks on the refrigerator to see a calendar, for some a calendar is just a collection of papers with different days and months on them but for her and her family it is a connection to the parents that she lost years ago. And for this story Veronica quite literally lost them. When the cartel comes to her small Mexican town and forces all of the people there to allow them to use their land for trafficking it angers Veronica. She expresses to her parents how unfair their treatment is, how they are bullies and how the town needs to fight back. But in the true words of a teenager, she has no idea how difficult the situation really is. However, her father makes a decision for the family to escape to America. The preparations are simple, and the plan is very direct just keep moving, never stop. Simple directions that will play into the outcome of this decision and change Veronica's life forever. Unfortunately, on their trip they become separated, and she finds herself in America taking on the responsibility of raising her little brother and sister as they patiently count up the days on their calendar of how long their parents have been gone. A story of survival and strength that reminds us all that we have no control over how much our lives will change or how strong we really when we truly put our families first.
Counting the Days
(Veronica, a Latina woman in her late teens to early twenties walks to a calendar on the wall and draws an “X” through a day. She then flips back a few pages, her eyes scanning through the months until she stops. Aside) Thirty plus (mumbles) ninety-three, four, (mumbles) wow. (Finally, she turns to the audience) Three years, one hundred and ninety-four days. (She takes a deep breath, rubs on a necklace for a moment, then kisses it.) I can’t believe it’s been that long. (Looking at her watch then yelling up the stairs) “Alexa, Manuel it’s time for school. You have thirty minutes to get down here for breakfast. I have to go to work.” (Smiles) They get me up every morning. They kept me out of jail, and they saved my life. (Laughs) No, no they aren’t my kids (Beat, slight smile) I mean I guess they are, but four years ago they were my little brother and sister and then…you know how life throws you a curveball sometimes? (Laughs) I didn’t understand that saying, we didn’t play baseball in my neighborhood we played soccer. But now, here, I get it. We got a curveball. Life threw it at us, and it knocked us all out. (Beat) Literally took our breaths away…and our family.