Fermin
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Mindy Garcia. She/Her/Hers. 20s. Filipina American. College student. Journalism major.
Fermin Tobera. He/Him/His. 20s. Filipino American. Store clerk.
SETTING
Inside the Watsonville General Store. Present (2019).
Lights up on the interior of the Watsonville General Store.
We see MINDY GARCIA, a 20-something journalism major, opening the front door and sticks her head in.
MINDY
Hello?
Hello?
Just letting you know that someone’s inside here.
MINDY walks in and closes the door behind her.
MINDY
Hello?
Hmph. That’s weird.
MINDY walks around the store. As she picks up a few items, FERMIN, the 20-something store clerk with a box in his hands opens the door.
MINDY turns around when she hears the door open and moves to open it for Fermin.
MINDY
Hi.
FERMIN
Hi. Thanks.
MINDY
Sorry, I didn’t see a “We’re Open” sign or anything so I just walked in.
FERMIN puts the box on the counter.
FERMIN
That’s fine by me. We are a store after all.
MINDY
Right. Thanks.
FERMIN
Is there something I can help you find?
MINDY
I just came in here to look around.
FERMIN
Well, please let me know if I can help you find anything.
MINDY
It’s like a museum here. I don’t see any of this stuff in Safeway.
FERMIN
Yeah, well, we’re just your run of the mill general store.
MINDY
Exactly. We don’t have general stores around either.
FERMIN
Well, Watsonville likes to think of itself as different.
MINDY
And that’s why I wanted to check this place out. I’m Mindy, by the way.
MINDY reaches out her hand. FERMIN reaches out to shake it.
FERMIN
Fermin.
MINDY
I’m a journalism major at SF State and wanted to write a story about the Riots that happened here in a hundred years ago.
FERMIN
More like ninety, but who’s counting.
MINDY
Right. Did you or your family know anything about it?
FERMIN
My family wasn’t from here, but I heard a little about it. There’s some old timers still living on San Juan Road by the Old Murphy Ranch you might want to ask. That’s on the other edge of town by um… what turn off is that…?
MINDY
Thanks. I can Google Map it.
FERMIN
Then there you go.
MINDY
Do you mind if I ask you about it?
FERMIN
I might not remember everything.
MINDY
Especially since that was like over 90 years ago.
FERMIN
Exactly.
Hope you don’t mind me doing some inventory? Still need to get some work done.
MINDY
No. I don’t mind at all. Thank you.
FERMIN goes behind the counter and takes out a clipboard and a pencil and goes around the store counting items. MINDY reaches into her bag and takes out a pad of paper and a pen.
MINDY
So, Fermin, right?
FERMIN
Yup.
MINDY
How long have you lived in Watsonville?
FERMIN
Not that long. Actually I moved around a lot before landing this job.
MINDY
Moved around doing what?
FERMIN
I thought this was a piece about the Watsonville Riots?
MINDY
It is, but it’s important to also know more about the person helping me out. But if you don’t feel comfortable sharing anything personal-
FERMIN
Like if I escaped from a prison or something.
MINDY
Did you?
FERMIN
No. Then I’ll be sorry that I don’t have that much of an interesting story for you.
MINDY
Then anything you can say about it would really help out a lot since I’ve been running out of ideas myself.
FERMIN
So you want to be a writer with nothing to write about?
MINDY
I want to be a journalist. Someone who can remind others how to be better people from the news that’s around us… and from the news that should have changed us.
FERMIN
That’s a pretty lofty goal.
MINDY
Tell me about it. Especially from what this country has turned into.
FERMIN
Don’t you mean what this country has always been? You said you wanted to do a story about what happened to this town 90 years ago but I don’t really see the changes happening now.
MINDY
Will you help me to tell this story?
FERMIN
I wish whatever I say could help.
MINDY
Doesn’t hurt not to at least try.
FERMIN
I don’t think I have much to say.
MINDY
Then that’s totally cool with me too.
FERMIN
No. I didn’t mean it like that, I’m just… I didn’t want you to get too far away from your topic.
MINDY
We’ll just start off slow and whatever comes out of it, comes. Sound good?
FERMIN nods his head, “yes.”
MINDY
So what did you do before working here?
FERMIN
Mainly bouncing around doing agricultural work.
MINDY
Like working the fields? My family did that too down in Salinas.
FERMIN
So, you’re from here.
MINDY
It’s an important part of history I wanted to explore.
FERMIN
The immigrant part?
MINDY
Yes-
FERMIN
With the racism, violence, pain, hurt, loneliness-
MINDY
I’m-
FERMIN
Trying to live in a world that doesn’t want you.
MINDY
I’m didn’t mean to-
FERMIN
Yeah. Well, um. I better get back to counting these…
MINDY starts to put her notebook and pen back in her bag.
MINDY
Of course. Thank you for your / time-
FERMIN returns to counting.
FERMIN
You’re welcome.
MINDY
You said Old San Juan Road?
FERMIN
Murphy’s Ranch. Ask for Celestino Tobera.
MINDY
Tobera. Got it. Thank you.
As MINDY begins to exit towards the door…
MINDY
Fermin Tobera… wasn’t the name of the guy who was killed…
As MINDY turns around to Fermin, he’s no longer in the store.
MINDY (cont.)
… during the Riots?
BLACKOUT
END OF PLAY