Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā OFW daughter ā Alexandra/Sandi (Gail)
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Caregiver ā Jessica (Gizel)
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Brother ā Alejandro/ Drew (Aeson)
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Sister ā Antonia/ Toni (Anika)
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Caregiver support ā Gab (Kristine)
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Doctor ā Dr. Deluna (Martian)
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Lola ā Rose (Alyanna)
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Lolo 1 ā Vicente (Benjo)
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Lolo 2 ā Bartolome (Charlie)
Setting: Ā Home for the Agedās lobby
First Scene:Ā (first day of caregiver)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Dr.Deluna: So this is the lobby, hereās Gab. You have the same shift everyday 6-2. You girls get along now, Im going back to my office.
Jessica & Gab: Thanks doc. (Doc leaves.)
Gab: Hi, I didnāt catch your name.
Jessica: Iām Jessica. Iām interning from St. Pauls, Iām graduating this March. How long have you been working here?
Gab: Itāll be my third month next week, youāre gonna love it here, I swear. Come here, iāll introduce you to our residents.
(oldies chatting, playing chess, reading news, etc.)
Gab to oldies: (loud) HELLO EVERYONE! WE HAVE A NEW MEMBER OF THE FAMILY... SHEāLL HELP ME TAKE CARE OF YOU GUYS...
Bart: Whatās your name my dear?
Jessica: Hi, Iām Jessica, and you are?
Bart: My name is Bartolome, but you can call me Bart, you know, the chicks dig it
Rose: What?? The chicks?? Whereās the chicken??
Gab: No Rose, chicks, FEMALE. You know, like you!
To Jessica: Sheās Rose sheās kinda deaf, so you need to speak loud
Jessica: Hi Rose, Iām Jessica.
Ā Rose: Hello dearie, come join us. Hereās Vicente
Vicente: Ā Just call me Enteng, Vicente sounds too old.
Bart: And youāre not?? Haha, check.
Vicente: Speak for yourself āchick magnetā... Check!
Rose: What?? Deck? Youāre playing chess, not cards!
Jessica: Oh Rose... (looks at Celeste )Hey Gab, who is she?
Gab: Oh sheās Celeste, sheās very nice actually. But she has Alzheimerās, so we tend to separate her from the others coz she might get tantrums. Here, Iāll introduce you.
To Celeste: Hey Celeste, this girl hereās Jessica.
Celeste: Hello Jessica, oh my, you look very familiar... do I know you from somewhere?
Gab: Typical Celeste, everyone looks familiar to you. (giggle) Come on Jess, Iāll brief you.
(goes to one part of the stage away from the oldies) Jess, donāt talk to Celeste about children okay, 2 months ago, her son and daughter left her here. She mentions two more children though, Iāve never seen them yet.
Jessica: Donāt worry, I wont forget. She has four children?
Gab: I overheard Doctor Deluna talking to the resident nurses about them, she has three kids, I think...
Back to the oldies: Alright guys, nap time, letās bring yaāll to your rooms...
Rose: Donāt worry dear Gabby, the floors clean, you donāt need to bring out the brooms.
Jessica: No Rose, you need to sleep now.
Rose: I donāt eat beef honey, its bad for my blood pressure, the kids forbid me.
Vicente: Yeah, your children are very strict Rosemarie.
Celeste: Rosemarie? How many children do you have?
Rose: Ā Oh Celeste... uhmm... I... Ā I have, uh- none...
Celeste: No? I have kids. Four kids. Where are they? Gab?? My daughters!! My son!! *wild*
(Celeste goes wild, everyone helps her..)
(Jessica hugs her to calm her down, Dr. Deluna comes inside and injects something to Celeste and she relaxes...)
Dr. Deluna: Alright, Celeste. This has to stop; Iāve been injecting you with anti-depressants every day, for two weeks. This is not safe for you, do you hear me?
Ā Celeste: Angelina... My Angelina, I miss my baby Angelina...
Gab to Jessica: Why donāt we sit her down Jess, (points to the couch)
(they sit Celeste down, Jessica never lets go, the other oldies, situate themselves around)
Gab: Celeste? Who is Angelina?
Ā Celeste: My daughter Angelina. She was adopted when she was 8 months. Did I tell you this story?
Gab: Ā No Celeste, you never talked about her?
Vicente: Well, I would love to listen. She never talks about her kids this calm. Doc? Maybe anti-depressants a day could work.
Dr. Deluna: I donāt know Bart, they donāt usually work this fast. Something else is calming her down, I better get back to my office, (to Gab)call me if something happens again.
(at this time, Jessica is still hugging Celeste, while she starts her story)
Celeste: I have four kids, not three, although my husband wants me to forget about the last one. My little Angelina. Alejandro, Alexandra, Antonia, and- Angelina. Me and my husband, we were juggling budget, work and three kids. When we learned that we were expecting another child, we did not know what to do. We were so poor that year, business went down and we had nothing to feed our kids.
Jessica: So you had her adopted?
Celeste: I tried to keep her, I had 8 months with her, but we couldnāt do it anymore. When we got back on business, I tried to find her, but I couldnāt. She was very special you know, she had this little scar on her left arm, I donāt know where she got it, but I went home one day and she already has it.
Gab: How come you never talked about her before?
Celeste: Maybe, I just remembered her now. You know, the only reason why Iām still alive, is because I promised myself that I wonāt stop until I find her.
Jessica: I hope you find your daughter Celeste, Iāve got a feeling sheās also looking for you.
Gab: Alright everyone, time to sleep.
(oldies go outside, gab and jess fix things)
Jess: Good night everyone.
Next Day: (Gab and Jessica are preparing for Roseās birthday, oldies come in..)
Jess: Good Morning EVERYONE!
Gab: Rose (looks at Jess, together they say) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Celeste: Oh Happy Birthday Rosemarie.
Rose: Thank you for remembering you guys.
Vicente: How old are you Rosemarie? (mocking)
Ā Rose: Oh Enteng, donāt ask me that, you are older than me.
Vic: I am not that old Rosemarie, Iām still a baby you see, Iām wearing diapers!
(everyone laughs, when Bart laughs, everyone stops.)
(mingle2 oldies, camaraderie, char-char)
Sandi: Ma? Ma? Where is my mother? Who is working here? Where is my mom??
Gab: Excuse me Miss, this is a nursing home, tone down your voice please...
Sandi: Is it true? Is my mom a resident here??
Jess: Ā Iām sorry maāam, who is your mother?
Sandi: My brother and sister brought her here, where the hell is myā(sees Celeste) MOM!!
Celeste: Hello little one...
Sandi: Oh mom! Iām so sorry, I never should have left you with Drew and Toni! Oh mom, forgive me mom! I love you so much!
Celeste: What is your name little one?
Sandi: My name? Mom, itās me mom! Sandi! Alexandra, your daughter... (looks at the others) what happened to her? Why doesnāt she know me?Ā Ā
Gab: Iām sorry maāam, but I think you need to talk to Dr. Deluna, Iāll call him, just stay put... (to oldies) Come along everyone, itās nap time. (to Jessica) stay with Celeste alright Jess? Iāll.. Iāll be right back.
(brings all the oldies out)
Sandi: Do you work here? How.. how? .. what happened?
Jessica: I just started working yesterday maāam, Iām sorry, but from what Iāve learned, your mom has been here for 2 months now.
Sandi: 2 months?! (stands up, and calls someone) Yes! Yes Iām talking to you! Come here immediately!!
Celeste: Sheās a bit grouchy donāt you think?
Jessica: Oh, Celeste. Sheās your daughter.
Celeste: My daughter? But my daughter works outside the country.
Ā Dr. Deluna: Miss Juarez? I am Dr. Deluna, itās nice to meet you.
Sandi: I am Sandi, Iām very confused right now Dr. Deluna, how did this happen? I didnāt know any of this.Ā I came home from London and got a phone call from a nursing home asking bills for my mother?
Dr. Deluna: I donāt know about personal issues with your family Sandi, but your brother and sister brought your mom here because they canāt take care of your mom who has Alzheimerās.
Sandi: Alzheimerās?! But doctor! She was still fine when I left! How can this be?! I need her medical abstract doc, Iām bringing her home.
Dr. Deluna: There is something else Sandi.
Dr. Deluna: Your mother has rheumatic heart disease.
Sandi: What? Thats it! Iām bringing her home.
Dr. Deluna: But Sandi, you have to understand. Your mom is not in a very good condition. We receive orders from your brother and sister, because they were the ones who brought her here.
Sandi: Them?! It was my money! I never knew where it went!
Dr. Deluna: Again maāam, we donāt meddle with personal issues.
(Drew and Toni comes in) Iāll leave you some time to talk privately.
Sandi: Drew! Toni! How could you do this?
Drew: We only did whatās best for her Sandi.
Toni: We wanted her to be safe, and taken care of, she wonāt have that at home, Drew and I both work, you know that.
Jessica: Excuse me, I think we should leave too, Iāll bring her to her room. She needs to rest.
Sandi: (to Celeste) Iāll do anything to bring you home mom, I promise. (to Jess) Thank you.
Sandi: I want to know Drew, why did you do this?
Drew: I told you Sandi, we only did whatās best for her.
Sandi:Ā WITHOUT TELLING ME? I deserved to know the truth.
Toni: We knew you wouldnāt agree with us, thatās why we decided by ourselves.
Sandi: I am a part of this family too Toni! Any decision you make should involve me too!
Toni: Iām sorry Sandi, we canāt do anything with her shouting all the time at home.
Drew: We have other priorities too!
Sandi: So you donāt prioritize your own mother? You lied to me! Your own sister!
Drew: We only did whatās best for OUR mom! She needed to be here! You should understand!
Sandi: 2 months Drew! Two months! Sheās been here for two months and you didnāt say a word! How about the money I gave you for her āmedicineā was it all a lie too?!
Toni: We used that money to pay for the medical bills here Sandi, so technically, it was true.
Sandi: OhĀ Antonia, you.. you... You were always agreeing with what he says, youāre still his pet who keeps following his orders! You never had the backbone to make your own decision. You loved mom, you could have fought for her.
Toni: You have no right to tell me that! Iām also her daughter, and youāre not the only one who can make decisions for her.
Sandi: I worked my butt off in some other country, for OUR mom! You disowned her, and you think you can decide for her?! Yes, you make decisions all right, but I make the best ones!
Drew: Shut up! Both of you! You know what Sandi, just deal with it! Toni and I have made this decision and its final! Sheās staying here.
Sandi: Why donāt we ask her, and make her decide for herself??
Toni: Sheās not in her right mind Sandi, I bet she doesnāt even know us!
Sandi: Nurse, nurse(Called the nurse, went outside and came back with Jess and Celeste)
Here is our mother, look at her in the eye and ask her what she wants.
Drew: Sandi, this is stupid. Stop this.
Sandi: No, I am serious Alejandro. Ask her!
Celeste: Alejandro? Why, thatās my sonsā name.
Ā Jessica: Celeste, these are your children. (Celeste looks at all three of them)
Celeste: Why it is them. Alexandra, Alejandro, my, youāve grown. Oh, and Antonia, my pretty Antonia.
Celeste: Oh, but where is Angelina?
Drew: Sandi, you see?, sheās not in her mind again. Who is Angelina?
Celeste: My little Angelina... where is she?
Drew: Mom, who are you talking about?
Celeste: Alejandro, Angelina, your sister.
Toni: What are you talking about mom?
Drew: Sandi, what do you know about this?
Sandi: She never told you guys coz you never seemed to care.
Toni: You mean, sheās telling the truth? Wha- what is this?
Sandi: We have a little sister. Angelina, when she was adopted, you were still too young to remember.
Drew: We had another sister?
Sandi: Drew, I worked in London to help mom look for Angelina. Thatās why she canāt be here. She wants to find Angelina, even though she forgets her sometimes. We have to get her out of here, Iāll take care of her myself, if thatās what you need me to do.
Toni: I still canāt get over the fact that we have another sister. Dad never-
Sandi: Mom had a huge nervous breakdown when dad gave Angelina away. He never talked about her coz he thinks mom might go crazy.
(Jessica bends down to get a towel(?) and reveals a scar. Celeste starts hyperventilating)
Sandi: Ā Mom?? Mom?? (To Jessica)Whatās happening to her?
Jessica: Iāll call the doctor (Jess stands up, Celeste points to her arm, and Sandi sees it and stops her)
Sandi: OH MY GOD. Its you!
Sandi: Youāve got the same scar Angelina has!
Toni: You think she is our sister, Sandi?
Sandi: I really donāt know what to think.
Drew: Whatās your name miss? Jessica right? (she nods). Iām sorry Jessica, but by any chance, were you- adopted?
Jessica: Yes. (Celeste starts hyperventilating some more, Jessica stands up and calls the doctor. Doc and Gab come in.)
Dr. Deluna: What happened Jessica?
Jessica: Uh, uhmn hyperventilation.. Doc. Possible panic attack...
(Doctor works on Celeste, while Drew and Toni crowd on her, Jessica steps back, Sandi stares at her)
Gab: Jess, are you alright?
Jessica: I donāt know Gab.
Jessica: I think I found her.
Gab: Who? What are you talking about? Jess?
Dr Deluna: Sheās stable now. (everybody calms down) She still needs to rest, donāt move her yet, just stay here ok? (Doc goes out, Celeste is sleeping, Gab covers her with a blanket, and Toni and Drew settle around her)
Sandi: (still staring at Jess) You were adopted?
Jessica: When I was just 8 months old... My foster mom, she died 2 years ago, thatās when she told me.
Sandi: What was her name?
Sandi: Drew, Toni, it is her. (happy tears)
(hug cry hug cry Gab wakes up Celeste)
Gab: Hey Celeste, looks like your kids found your little Angelina.
Ā (siblings look at her and hug her)
Celeste: Bart! Rose! Vicente! MY little Angelina is here!
(oldies come out, Gab assists them)
Bart: Looks like youāve found your happy ending Celeste.
Celeste: Yes, Bartolome, now I can finally die happy.
Drew: Donāt talk like that mom, weāll bring you home.
Drew: Yes, and Jess too, if she would like to.
Toni: Mom, we are finally complete, you wont die yet, donāt say that okay?
Celeste: Antonia, I promised myself I will only hang on until my children find each other, now that you have, I couldnāt be happier.Ā Iām already at ease knowing that you three are here for your sister. Iām already tired, and I miss your dad so much.
Celeste: You need to finally let go. I love you Alexandra, (kisses Sandiās forehead) I love you Alejandro, (kisses Drewās forehead), I love you Antonia, (kisses Toniās forehead) and I love you Angelina, they also love you, so much. We will see each other sometime, when that time comes, I will have you back again. (kisses Jessā forehead).