Title: “Quality of life depends on preparation”.
Author: Clara Pérez
4 characters:
- Mayra: Dr. in contemporary psychology.
- Susana: Executive secretary of a large company.
- Yolanda: Housewife, mother of 3 children.
- Waiter: Attends the table where the girls meet.
SINGLE ACT
Setting: Table on the terrace of a restaurant in the center of the city.
Introduction: Three girls who have known each other since childhood decide to meet again to relive old times and catch up with each other’s lives, they meet at a restaurant, Susana arrives first and sits at a table to wait for her friends.
Mayra (arrives a little agitated): Susana? long time no see, I almost didn’t recognize you, how are you doing?
Susana (getting up from the table and kissing Mayra on the cheek): Mayra! It’s good to see you my friend, it’s been a long time. Sit down, let’s wait for Yolanda and have a cup of coffee, shall we?
Mayra (sits next to her friend, smiling and happy): Sorry I’m late, I just got here and I couldn’t find a place to park my car, everything is so crowded because of the hour.
Susana: Don’t worry, I can’t even tell you how much it cost me to take a cab to get here and then the traffic, and I live here downtown, but at this hour trying to pass two streets is an odyssey.
Mayra (with a jovial tone): You are right, but tell me about your life, no, wait, I think the girl who is coming in is Yolanda, let’s receive her and then tell me about you, I’m dying to know everything.
Yolanda approached very agitated, somewhat disheveled, dressed in a rather simple way, she approached the table with a big smile.
Yolanda (stumbling awkwardly to the table while greeting her friends kissing them on the cheek): Hello, sorry for the delay, I live far away and to get here I had to get in the jeep that takes me out of the neighborhood where I live and then take public transportation that left me two blocks from here, but I’m already here and happy to see you.
Mayra (smiling, pleased by Yolanda’s naturalness): No problem Yolanda, we were waiting for you, we were anxious to see you, sit down my friend and let’s order a coffee.
Susana signals the waiter to come closer and serve them.
Waiter (bringing a notebook in his hand): Good afternoon, what would you ladies like?
Mayra (answering for all): Please bring coffee for everyone and some pastries.
Waiter: I will be with you in a moment.
The waiter leaves and they begin to talk animatedly.
Susana (remembering the past happily): So long ago, I still remember when we were studying together, Yolanda so carefree, running away from classes, girlfriend all the time, you didn’t like to study at all.
Mayra (smiling): Well, Susana, you used to study, but since you liked parties and outings, I remember you used to say I’ll get out of here, do something technical and I won’t study anymore.
Waiter (interrupting the conversation to put things on the table): Excuse me, your order.
Yolanda (laughing heartily): And Mayra the nerd of the group, boring, studious and annoying, all the time trying to get us to listen to reason, “You have to study” “pay attention” you were a very annoying friend.
The three of them laugh at the memories and go on and on telling each other everything they have missed about each other.
Yolanda (intrigued, stops laughing to ask something more serious): But seriously girls, what happened to your life?
Mayra (proud of her achievements): Well, it’s a good thing I was such a boring friend, I’m a psychologist, I’m doing very well, I have a beautiful house, a son, a dog and a wonderful husband.
Susana: Well, I didn’t do so well, but I’m not complaining, I’m still single, I have a technical career, I live alone in a very cozy apartment downtown and I still like to party, and you Yolanda, what has been going on in your life?
Yolanda (a bit embarrassed): Well, I never paid attention to my studies, I got pregnant shortly after leaving high school, I did not continue studying, I am a housewife, I have 3 children, I live in a poor neighborhood with my mother-in-law and my husband, and I have often regretted not having studied. It took me a long time to realize that the quality of life depends on the preparation you have, but I am so happy to see my friends and to realize how well they are doing.
Mayra and Susana bring their hands to the center of the table and placing one on top of the other, the three friends touch each other.
Mayra: For us it is also a pleasure to have seen you friend, and we hope this is not the last opportunity, but before we go I want to give you some advice, it is never too late to do it, you can still study and it will improve your quality of life.
The friends leave the money to pay the bill on the table, get up, leave the restaurant and at the door they hug each other promising to see each other again.
THE END