Title: “Sisters’ Ties”
Author: Silvina Carrasco
4 Characters:
- Paola: 17-year-old teenager, sister of Jazmín. She is intelligent and flaunts her intelligence, treating her sister as “dumb”.
- Jazmín: 16-year-old teenager. She is outgoing and has many friends. She highlights these characteristics in front of her sister, whom she makes fun of because she is not sociable like her.
- Alejandra: Mom of the teenagers.
- José Luis: Father of the teenagers.
ACT I
Characters that intervene in this act: Paola, Jazmín, Alejandra and José Luis.
Scenario: Kitchen of a house.
Introduction: Paola and Jazmín are very distant. Since they started their adolescence, each of them started to form their own personalities and the way they treat each other became ironic, sarcastic and cruel.
Paola and Jazmin have breakfast at the table. Alejandra cuts fruit on a countertop.
(José Luis enters with a bag in his hand.)
José Luis: Good morning my women (gives the bag to Jazmín) Here is the dress you asked for.
Jasmine: (hugs him effusively and kisses him) Thank you daddy, I love you, you are the man of my life!
Paola: Don’t get excited daddy, he says the same thing to everyone.
Jasmine: How ugly to be so envious!
Paola: How ugly to get soooo excited over a piece of cloth!
Jasmine: (sarcastic) Of course, you’ll never understand my excitement. If you were given a dress like this, it wouldn’t fit you, because you’ll never have a figure like mine and you’d have nowhere to go with it, because you’ll never be invited to a party, and if you were invited, you’d have no one to go with, because it’s well known that you don’t have any friends.
Paola: (Even more sarcastic) Oh yes, I’d love to be like you! I’d love to go from party to party with guys as hollow as me who only look at my body while I talk to them!
Jasmine: Definitely, how ugly envy is! Did you know that emotions like that can weaken the immune system, didn’t you?
Paola: “Immunosophic”? Are you serious? (addressing Alejandra) Mom, do you realize that the money they invest in this girl’s education is money thrown away, don’t you? Immunological ignoramus!
Alejandra: Girls, please stop it!
José Luis: Yes, that’s enough. These daily chats are getting tiring.
Paola: (ironic) No dad, but think about it for a moment, why don’t we give the money to some N.G.O? At least they would get something out of it.
Jasmine: (With feigned enthusiasm) Or we could give it to a group of scientists to research how to make Paola lose her fear of people!
José Luis: Girls!
Paola: I’m going to school, because it does make a difference for some people to go to school.
(Leaving)
Jasmine: Yes, go. Go with your book friends, they are the only friends you will have in life.
ACT II
Characters that intervene in this act: Jazmín and Paola.
Scene: Jasmin’s room: a bed, a table, a closet and clothes scattered everywhere.
(Jasmin is lying on the bed, crying inconsolably).
Paola: (bursts in angrily) You took my white blouse?!
(She stands still)
Paola: (Between surprised and scared) What’s wrong with you?
Jasmine: (Still crying) Close the door, I don’t want them to see me.
Paola: (She walks nervously first towards her sister and then towards the door, not knowing where to go. Finally she sits down on the bed) What’s wrong with you, you’re scaring me.
Jasmine: I’m really scared, I’m really scared… I think I’m pregnant.
Paola: What?!
Jasmine: The other time, when I went to that party… then I didn’t go to sleep at my friend’s place, I went to a guy’s house.
Paola: (yelling at her) But do you realize you’re stupid?! You don’t think! You act without thinking!
(Jasmin cries louder.)
Paola: I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I don’t know how to handle this, and I can’t see you like this, but are you sure, did you take a test?
Jasmine: No, I’m only a few days late, but I’m embarrassed and scared to go buy a test.
Paola: Don’t worry, it’s probably just a few days late because you’re very attentive and that stresses you out. We’ll wait for mom to leave the house, we’ll go together and I’ll buy the test.
ACT III
Characters that intervene in this act: Paola, Jazmín and Alejandra.
Scene: The kitchen from Act I
Paola waits nervously. Jazmín enters from a door that pretends to be inside the house.
Paola: (Impatient) So?!
Jasmine: Negative!
Paola: Are you sure?
Jazmin: (Nodding) I did both tests, both were negative.
(They hug each other in relief.)
Alejandra enters through a different door from the one Jazmin entered through before. This one pretends to open to the street.
Alejandra: (Surprised) Wow, what’s with this wonderful surprise!
(Jasmin and Paola dissolve the embrace. Alejandra comes closer and puts an arm on each of them).
Paola: Well, I have finally decided to assume part of my karma: this very special sister.
Jasmine: Well, you must have done something very good to deserve a sister like me.
Paola: Yes, maybe in the past life.
(They laugh.)
Alejandra: How nice to see them like this: friends and in such a good mood!
Jasmine: Paola is more than my friend; she is my sister.
Paola: (Hugs her tenderly) My little karma, my sister.
THE END