Scene One
Olvera Street shop, Tuesday night, after date with Jeff.
Lights come up on a corner of the Olvera Street shop. Anita and Carmen are in a heated discussion.
ANITA
He couldn't be a drug dealer. It doesn't make any sense. Why would he put up with all of those irritating demands from the tourists?
CARMEN
I told you. He uses the tours as a cover, a way to smuggle the dope in from Mexico.
ANITA
What makes you think there's any dope in Mexico?
CARMEN
There's your ex-husband, Miguel.
ANITA
You know what I mean.
CARMEN
And then he uses those "tourists" to distribute the stuff all over the country.
ANITA
Blue-haired ladies?
CARMEN
Who would suspect them?
ANITA
Not me! And they're different people every week. It's not much of a distribution network if you have to have new couriers every time. Too many people to recruit and train. Too many people in on the secret. You must have heard it wrong.
CARMEN
Anita, face facts. I told you exactly what she said.
ANITA
Well, then she's just wrong. He couldn't be.
CARMEN
Oh, wow, you know what I just realized? I wouldn't be surprised if he asked you to elope with him.
ANITA
What are you talking about?
CARMEN
If he marries you, he has one less worry. A wife can't be forced to testify against her husband. And during the trial it always looks good to have a devoted wife and two innocent daughters there to drum up sympathy from the jury.
ANITA
You're forgetting. I can't testify against him anyway.
CARMEN
Why not?
ANITA
As far as I know, he's never done anything illegal. He mentioned something about paying some parking tickets once, but that's all.
CARMEN
They ought to fine him for littering every time he parks that junker of a car.
ANITA
His car? How do you explain that? No self-respecting drug dealer would drive a car like that.
CARMEN
I don't know why anyone would drive a car like that. Just stop and think about it. Maybe you're right, but what would it hurt to keep your distance for a few days? See what happens. You can’t trust him.
ANITA
It's that Blackball woman that I don't trust. She's creepy. Even Angel said she gives him the creeps.
CARMEN
I hate to say this, but Angel's got to be part of this ring, too.
ANITA
Not Angel. Why would Angel do something like that?
CARMEN
He's got five kids to put through school.
ANITA
So he gets the money by destroying the lives of five hundred other kids? I refuse to believe what you think you heard.
CARMEN
You're in denial. You hardly know the man. You only see him a few hours a week. He has plenty of time to do all sorts of things he doesn't tell you about. You've got to break it off now. And you've got to keep the girls away from him.
ANITA
You're wrong. He's not like that. I know him well enough to know that he's not a drug dealer. I would know.
CARMEN
How?
ANITA
I would just know.
CARMEN
Like you knew that Miguel was going to skip off to Mexico with that bimbo?
ANITA
Whose side are you on?
CARMEN
You're letting love cloud your judgment. I could see all along that he was no good.
ANITA
I don’t know. He seems like a good man to me.
CARMEN
Maybe so, but please keep your distance for a while. I thank God you never got your wish and he never asked you to marry him. Don’t forget that business about recruiting young girls and God-knows-what-else on the Internet. Stay away from him, Anita. He's headed for prison.
ANITA
[almost to herself] Why do I always pick the wrong guy?
Lights fade out.
To continue reading, download the full script and proceed to Act II, Scene 2.
Copyright © 2003 William Armstrong
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