Ricky J. Martinez
Foil
Setting:
An open stage.
Characters:
Felipe a fragile boy.
Lazaro a father, shaped by labor and struggle.
The Appaloosa a horse.
Synopsis:
Short Synopsis- In a chilling landscape of isolation and despair, a fragile boy and his desperate father, separated into detention camps, cling to hope and memories while navigating the cold realities of their confinement.
Longer Synopsis- FOIL is a poignant short play that explores the tragic consequences of separation and isolation through the story of Felipe, a fragile boy confined to an isolation room due to the flu, and his father Lazaro, who is detained in a camp. As Felipe dreams of riding a magnificent Appaloosa horse, his father desperately seeks information about his son's whereabouts. Through their parallel struggles, the play reveals the cold and unforgiving reality faced by those caught in the immigration system, contrasting it with the warmth and love that once defined their bond. The surreal presence of the Appaloosa and the haunting howls of animals underscore the play's themes of despair, hope, and the longing for freedom.
Playwrights note:
Lazaro's lines may be spoken either in English, Spanish, or a combination of both.
Felipe, a fragile boy, stands. embraces himself.
FELIPE
Every night for the first week, I dreamt I rode a magnificent Appaloosa. The kind my father rode and spoke of before he came to this country. The horse didn’t mind I clung to its mane, pressed into it’s muscular body. It smelled of cinnamon and clay-- warmth and love. We raced through golden fields. The sun followed. Clouds rushed by. We were happy. Free. I didn’t want to open my eyes, but I had to sneeze--
Felipe sneezes, then curls up under a foil blanket.
Lazaro, a father shaped by labor and struggle, rushes in, holds a phone receiver.
LAZARO
Hi, who is this, please? [Hola. ¿Con quein hablo, por favor?]
FELIPE
My name is Felipe García and I am the son of Lazaro Garcia, the best father in the world. I make sure to greet everyone in this sad place. I try my hardest to always smile, too.
LAZARO
Guillermo, cousin, it’s your uncle Laz. [Guillermito, premito, es tu tío Lázaro, el que llama.]
FELIPE
The third week here, the guards say I have the flu. They keep me away from the others. They place me in a really cold isolation room.
LAZARO
Your uncle, Lázaro, yes. Is your mom home? Please, put her on, cousin. It’s very important. [Tu tío, si. ¿Está tu mami? Pónmela por favor, primito es importante.]
FELIPE
This room sucks even more than the big cages they keep all the kids in.
LAZARO
Sienna it’s Laz. Sis, you don’t know what it means to hear your voice! [Sienna, es Láz. ¡Hermanita no sabes lo que es oírte!]
FELIPE
These horse pills they give me hurt my throat as they get stuck going down. They don’t give me water to help swallow them.
LAZARO
I don’t know where I am. They have us in a detention camp but tell us nothing else. [No sé donde estoy. Nos tienen en un campo de detención, eso es todo lo que nos dicen.]
FELIPE
This flu sucks.
LAZARO
Worse!-- they took Feli-- Felipe, my son-- from me, sis. I don’t know where he is. [Pero algo peor-- me quitaron a Feli-- a Felipito, hermanita. No sé dónde está.]
FELIPE
I miss Pipo. He’d know what to do. He’d take care of me.
LAZARO
My veins are frozen with fear for what he might be going through. [Tengo las venas frizadas de terror por él.]
FELIPE
Pipo would keep me warm. Keep me tucked in his embrace.
LAZARO
Sienna, he’s only a child. How will he protect himself? [Sienna, es solo une niño. ¿Cómo se va a defender?]
FELIPE
I’m so alone in this stupid frozen room. With this stupid cold sheet.
LAZARO
For five weeks now, they have us working-- occupied-- so we don’t ask where and how our kids are. [Nos tienen trabajando- ocupados para no preguntar dónde están nuestros hijos.]
FELIPE
The guards are cold. Their eyes, blue and distant.
LAZARO
They have us making these stupid silver foil blankets. [Nos tienen armando unas sabanitas de alluminio.]
FELIPE
Their ears- their hearts- are frozen. They give us these stupid, ugly dog faces when we ask where our parents are.
LAZARO
But don’t worry about me. Just find him for me, sis, please. I beg you, find him! [Mira, no te preocupes por mí. Solo encuéntralo, por favor. ¡Te lo suplico!]
FELIPE
They look down at me through the glass window. Like a sick bird in an aquarium.
LAZARO
It’s the only thing I beg God for, sis. That Felipe’s okay. [Es lo único que le suplico a Dios, hermanita. Que Felipe esté bien.]
FELIPE
This camp must be under a force field because somehow God can’t hear us. Our prayers go unanswered.
LAZARO
I don’t know when they’ll let me call you again, so please, do whatever you can to find him! [No sé cuando me dejarán llamarte otra vez, así que por favor. haz todo lo que puedas para encontrarlo.]
Lazaro exits.
FELIPE
Pipo says whenever we’re down, sick, or unsure, to pray for God’s blessing. But I don’t think he can hear me here. I don’t feel his warm spirit. Just the cold. I wonder how God hears the prayers of animals in zoos?
In the distance, a million dogs, coyotes, wolves, dingoes, and monkeys howl.
Felipe hears the howls for a moment.
Lazaro rushes back in with phone receiver.
LAZARO
Hi, Sienna? Have you heard anything about Felipe? [ Hola, ¿Sienna? ¿Haz escuchado halgo de Felipe?]
FELIPE
For a month I’m kept in the aquarium.
LAZARO
But how is that possible? They’re children! [¿Como es posible? ¡Son niños! ]
FELIPE
I’m only out for two weeks before I get sick again. After I gave my food to a girl who looked very skinny.
LAZARO
They keep saying we’ll be seeing a lawyer soon, but it’s just empty promises. It’s been nearly two months. [Dicen que pronto veremos a un abogado, pero son solo promesas vacías. Ya casi son dos meses.]
FELIPE
Back into the aquarium I go, only this time with a boy named, Mica.
LAZARO
Yes, thank you, sis, I know you’re doing everything you can as an American citizen. It’s just-- I have this terrible feeling. [Si, graçias, hermanita, sé que como Americana estás haciendo todo lo posible. Es que tengo une mal presentimiento.]
FELIPE
The second week we’re together, Mica’s fever goes up and down like a rollercoaster. He starts to see his dead mother in the corner of the room.
LAZARO
I can’t sleep, thinking of my son. My little dreamer. My tears fall on their own, I can’t take anymore of this. [No puedo dormir pensando en mi hijo. Mi perqueño soñador. Las lágrimas caen solas, ya no puedo soportar más esto.]
FELIPE
I let the guards know, but none of them call the Nurses. And when the Nurses show up, four days later, they don’t nurse. They say there is no one in the corner.
LAZARO
Do you remember our childhood dream? [¿Recuerdas nuestro sueño de niños?]
FELIPE
Though he’s older than I am, I do everything I can to keep both Mica and I from looking at the corner. Though he thought I never listened, I share Pipo’s funny sayings with Mica.
LAZARO
We wanted to race our horses to the edge of the horizon, where we’d find a piece of land to call our own. [Queríamos corer los caballos hacia el horizonte, donde encontraríamos une pedazo de tierra que llamaríamos nuestro.]
FELIPE
“Giving a smile is a piece of cake.” [”Dar una sonrisa es pan comido.”]
LAZARO
Where we’d bring all our family and live free and happy. [Donde traeríamos a toda nuestra famila y vivirìamos libre y felices.]
FELIPE
“We’re two peas in a pod.” [“Somos uña y carne.”]
LAZARO
I’m happy your family and you were able to find it. I failed. [Me alegro que tu familia y tu podieron logralo. Yo fallé.]
Lazaro exits.
FELIPE
“Worrying is like throwing water into the sea.” [“La precupación es como echar agua al mar.”] That’s why I don’t worry. I know Pipo will find me. Only when he does find me, I might be frozen in this room with Mica. He’d just have to be careful to lift this foil blanket from us. So he doesn’t tear our skin when he lifts it. If he did, then I’d have a reason to be an, “Unidentifiable.” That’s what the guards yell at us, what they tell us we are. I nicely say, “no sir, my name is Felipe García and I am the son of Lazaro Garcia, the best father in the world.”
The Appaloosa enters.
Felipe see it, but looks away.
FELIPE
They carry Mica out of the aquarium. He’s blue and wasn’t responding when I tried to wake him. Two months and three weeks here and now I see an Appaloosa horse in the corner. I don’t acknowledge he’s there.
The Appaloosa holds out a sweater to Felipe.
FELIPE
A sweater would be nice; any new clothes. We wear the same clothes we came into this cage with. We stink! Some of the younger kids have peed and pooped in them, being so scared. But I’ll manage--
Felipe sneezes.
The Appaloosa exits.
Lazaro struts in with the phone receiver.
LAZARO
Beasts! THEY'RE BEASTS!!! Sorry, little sister, forgive me, I’m tired and every day I get more disillusioned. Where did you say they have him? Do you think they’ll let you see him? Yes, yes, get him out if you can. I’ll make you his guardian; anything you need to get him out of there, just let me know, okay? The lawyer already knows how to contact you. Thank you so much, little sister! If you talk to him, tell him to keep smiling—we’ll be together again soon. [¡Bestias! ¡SON BESTIAS!!! Disculpa, hermanita, perdona estoy cansado y cada día estoy mas desilusionado. ¿Donde dices que lo tienen? ¿Y piensas que te dejan verlo? Sí, sí, sácalo si puedes. Te lo entrego; cualquier cosa que necesites para sacarlo de allí me dices, ¿si? El abogado ya sabe cómo comunicarce contigo. ¡Te lo agradesco mucho, hermanita! Si hablas con él dile que siga sonriendo- que pronto estaremos junos de nuevo.]
Lazaro exits.
Felipe sneezes.
FELIPE
I don’t feel so great today, but I try to picture Pipo’s chicken tortilla soup. How it’s magic makes me glow like the stars.
The Appaloosa enters places a bucket before Felipe, who pukes in it. The Appaloosa exits with bucket.
FELIPE
Little marks across the floorboards of the aquarium say it’s been ninety days.
Lazaro meanders in with phone receiver.
LAZARO
Ninety little cuts inside my arm remind me how long its been since I saw my beautiful son’s face. Yes, little sister, they’re deporting me, but you know I’ll come back no matter what. The important thing is that you’ll be able to reclaim my son. I’ll find money to help you with anything he needs, you hear me? There’s always money to be found. Me? I’m not doing well. But worst is my boy. All alone… …he’s my world, you know. I appreciate you for doing this for me. May God be with you. [Noventa pequeñas cicatrices en mi brazo me recuerdan cuánto tiempo ha pasado desde que vi el rostro de mi hermoso hijo. Si, hermanita, me deportan, pero tú sabes que regresso de cualquier manera. Lo importante es que podrás reclamar a mi hijo. El dinero se encuentra, ¿me escuhas¿ Siempre se encuentra. ¿Yo? Estoy mal. Pero está solo mi niño. Solito... ...él es mi mundo, tú lo sabe... ...sí, graçias. Te aprecio tanto por este gesto. Que Dios te acompañe.]
Lazaro exits.
FELIPE
I’m turning into a zombie, I think. Like that TV show Pipo won’t let me watch. My throat burns. My eyes burn. I don’t want to eat. The Appaloosa returns often. Though I want his company, I refuse to look at him. Somehow he doesn’t feel like the same horse I dreamt of. I look out the fish tank window. But lately, I see other ghosts. Mica and his Mom. The girl three weeks ago that chocked herself on gloves. Dogs and wolves and monkeys and more. The adults don’t see them, that’s how I know they’re ghosts. They took down the picture of God in the hall, too.
Lazaro sluggishly enters.
LAZARO
Who is this, please?
FELIPE
I hope Pipo is learning more English. I teach him a few new words every week. He doesn’t speak perfect English, but he understands better than he speaks.
LAZARO
Yes, I Lazaro Garcia.
FELIPE
Pipo and my mother are immigrants. I was born in Miami, Florida.
LAZARO
My son, yes, he is Felipe Garcia and the best son in the world.
FELIPE
My mother left us when I was a baby. Don’t remember her face or anything she said to me. Pipo says I’m his world, that I mended his broken heart.
LAZARO
Say again, please? I no understand.
FELIPE
Pipo is the hardest working man I know. Everyone loves him, too.
LAZARO
Feli? My Felipe?
FELIPE
He’s exactly the man I want to grow up to be. I connected some of the carved lines for months to spell our names on the floor boards. And, also that I love him.
A million dogs, coyotes, wolves, dingoes, and monkeys howl, again.
The Appaloosa enters.
Strides over to Felipe.
The Appaloosa offers his back to Felipe.
Felipe drops the foil blanket.
Felipe mounts him.
They gallop away.
Lazaro places phone down to pick up the foil blanket.
LAZARO
I am Lazaro Garcia, my Felipe Garcia is the best son in the world. He gives the best hugs and his smile is envied by every flower.
He removes a letter from a pocket.
LAZARO
This is my son’s American citizen papers. He is an American now. I am very proud. When my sister go to find him. The guards say one story, the kids another. She listen to both, but she believes the kids. They say my son, my Feli, always smiled. Always shared his food. Always gave his blanket so other kids stay warm. And- and... ...they all say he rode away on an Appaloosa. Happy. Into sunset. Free. Free.
BLACKOUT.
