1. LUB SAMPLE
By Caroline Castro
A story about a mermaid in a tub. A tale of women. And
tail.
(c) 2015 Caroline Castro

2. Cast of Characters
Oma: The grandmother (and matriarch) of the family
Emma: 7-8 years old, mischievous and spunky
Alba: 19 years old, lost and restless
Linda: Emma’s and Alba’s mother, Oma’s daughter, 38-39,
singer at a local club
Roger: Linda’s lover. In his twenties, a baseball player
Mermaid: A guide of great misdirection
Scene
Mostly in a tub. And sometimes the parlor/sala.
Time
Now. Whenever. Probably in the future too.
Note: The water in the play can be represented through
light or pigment powder. It may not even be necessary but
the colors would be nice.

3. (Act Two) Scene 4
(Lights up on the MERMAID in the tub alone)
MERMAID
Ay! Cabrón! I don’t care...I don’t care... I knew there
were others... I thought I was different. I was. Fuck,
I’m a mermaid. I know I was different. But what does it
matter if you treat us all the same. You were different
for me. I need...I need...I need! I want! (The MERMAID
wraps her hair around her neck. Moans.) I’m alone.
(EMMA opens the door. She gasps. She stares. She walks
slowly to the tub and examines the Mermaid. She gets in the
tub. Waits, facing the Mermaid. She reaches over and holds
the Mermaid’s face in her small hands. She leans over and
lays on the Mermaid, hugging her.)
MERMAID
What do you want?
EMMA
I don’t want anything right now.
MERMAID
You will.
EMMA
Do you want anything?
MERMAID
You’re very sweet.
EMMA
You’re beautiful. I want to be you.
MERMAID
Close your eyes.
EMMA
Mkay.
MERMAID
I feel your heart.
EMMA
Yeah, it beats really fast all the time. I have a fire
inside. You have a fire too, I can feel it. (They close

4. their eyes and rest. ALBA enters with a hammer.)
ALBA
Get out.
EMMA
You can’t tell me what to do.
ALBA
Emma, get away from her.
EMMA
No.
ALBA
(To MERMAID) You need to leave.
MERMAID
As long as someone desires me, I stay.
(ALBA starts hammering the tub and breaks the nozzle off.
EMMA gets scared and jumps out.)
ALBA
Leave us alone!
MERMAID
Don’t get your panties in a twist.
ALBA
Stop it!
MERMAID
You stop, you didn’t do anything you didn’t want to do.
EMMA
What were they doing in the tub, mermaid lady? I want to
know.
ALBA
Don’t. (Strikes tub again.)
MERMAID
Well, fine, I can see when I’m not welcome.
EMMA
(To ALBA) You’re mean to everyone.

5. ALBA
The mermaid is bad, Emma.
EMMA
You’re bad. You’re a bad person. I hate you. Oma, Oma, take
me to the park. Take me to the mall. Take me away! (She
runs out to the sala. ALBA runs into la sala. LINDA sees
her and looks away).
LINDA
Vente, Emma. I’ll take you to the mall. We can get nail
polish. Go change your pants, they’re wet. (EMMA exits; to
Alba) You have mail. Tell Emma I’m waiting in the car
(Drops it on the counter and exits. ALBA gets the envelope.
EMMA and OMA walk to the door.)
OMA
Alba, you’re not coming?
EMMA
I don’t want Alba to come.
OMA
That’s not very nice.
EMMA
I don’t care.
OMA
What’s going on?
ALBA
Nothing, abuela. You can go without me.
OMA
What’s that in your hand? (She looks at it) SFSU (she
smiles). We’ll be back soon for dinner.
(OMA and EMMA exit. ALBA goes to the canopy and opens her
envelope. It’s an acceptance letter to the school she
really wanted. She cries. There’s a knock at the door.)
ALBA
(Opens the door and sees Roger) You shouldn’t be here.
ROGER
I had to see you. I couldn’t get it off my mind during
practice.

6. ALBA
You can’t be here.
ROGER
Alba, talk to me. I know what happened the other night was
embarrassing.
ALBA
Embarrassing? Roger, this is ridiculous.
ROGER
I love you.
ALBA
You don’t. You can’t.
ROGER
Alba, I want you. I choose you. Before I met you, I never
imagined having something real before. I never thought I
could have a family with a good woman. Or that a good woman
would want me.
ALBA
Roger.
ROGER
Tell me you haven’t thought about it? Alba, te amo.
ALBA
You’re drunk. You and my mother...can’t have serious
conversations sober.
ROGER
Alba, listen to what I’m saying.
ALBA
I’m not ready to be with you.
ROGER
We can make it special. We can go wherever you want.
ALBA
I need time to think.
ROGER
Look at me. (ALBA looks at him. He smiles) That’s all I
needed to know—

7. ALBA
What?
ROGER
That you still care. You care about me, you can’t deny
that.
ALBA
I, I hate myself.
ROGER
For being with me?
ALBA
For wanting you in the first place.
ROGER
Alba.
ALBA
What do you want from me?
(ROGER kisses her. He kisses her neck. They end up in the
canopy.)
ROGER
I want to taste you. And touch you. And show you love.
ALBA
I—
ROGER
Nobody’s home?
ALBA
It’s not that.
ROGER
I won’t do anything you don’t want.
ALBA
I don’t know what I want.
ROGER
Then let me show you. (He touches her.)
ALBA

8. Roger, it hurts.
ROGER
I’m sorry. (Sighs, somewhat frustrated) I want to be inside
you.
ALBA
Just kiss me.
ROGER
I can’t just kiss you, Alba. I love you. I want, I want to
be with you. I’d marry you.
ALBA
Marry me? (She gets up from the canopy.) Roger. Get up.
ROGER
No, come back here.
ALBA
I don’t want to here.
ROGER
(He finds the envelope in the canopy.) Are you going to
want to in San Francisco?
ALBA
What?
ROGER
(Gets up. Shows her the envelope.) SFSU.
ALBA
I haven’t decided about that. I don’t want to talk about
that.
ROGER
I want the bath. Alba, give me a bath.
ALBA
Roger.
ROGER
Clean me. Wash me. You’re so pure. Rub it off on me, ah? I
can be good. I can be a good guy. I can be a good guy with
you. That’s what you deserve. (Picks her up.)
ALBA

9. Roger, put me down.
(ROGER takes her to the bathroom door.)
ROGER
If you want to, just open the door, Alba. (He kisses her.
He puts his hand on her vulva to touch her, her body
shivers. LINDA opens the door.)
ALBA
(Not seeing Linda; to Roger) Not right now. Please.
ROGER
Alba, look at me.
(LINDA grabs his bat and hits him.)
LINDA
Cabrón! Get away from her puñeta.
ROGER
Linda.
LINDA
Did you hear what she said—she said not right now. She said
no! She’s naïve and confused and she didn’t say YES, you
need to leave our house! (Hits him again, in the face; he
falls. EMMA and OMA enter.)
EMMA
Is he dead?
LINDA
No.
ALBA
Mami, you’re crazy.
EMMA
You’re crazy, Alba.
LINDA
Enough. Emma, mami forgives Alba. (To ALBA) Are you okay?
ALBA
What? Yes, I’m, well no, you just beat the shit out of
somebody.

10. LINDA
I thought he was forcing himself on you.
ALBA
Kind of. Nothing happened though, mami. This whole thing is
you overreacting from being jealous.
LINDA
I am not jealous. Anymore. Alba, what’s going on with you?
ALBA
I don’t know. Can we talk about it later after you take my
boyfriend to the hospital?
LINDA
He’s your boyfriend?
ALBA
I don’t know. Everything’s happening so fast.
LINDA
Alba, mírame. It is not okay for someone to touch you when
you’re not sure about it.
ALBA
Mami, ya.
LINDA
No. Let him lie there, he’s out. Look at me. What do you
want, mija?
ALBA
I want to go.
LINDA
So why don’t you?
ALBA
Because you need me.
LINDA
Alba, I don’t need you. I’ve been telling you to go.
ALBA
I’m scared I can’t do it on my own. I can’t leave you all
without feeling guilty. Once I’m gone I don’t know when
I’ll come back.

11. LINDA
Alba, it’s your choice. We understand.
(OMA takes the hammer from the counter and hits ROGER in
the knees; he yells.)
OMA
Well, he’s alive. Let’s take him to his uncle, ah? (To
Roger) You, motherfucker, will not play baseball for a very
long time. C’mon Emma, you take his feet. (OMA starts
dragging him by the shoulders. ALBA and LINDA help; smiles
at her daughter.) Mi Linda.
SCENE 5
(EMMA is sitting on the edge of the tub near the MERMAID.)
EMMA
Hum.
MERMAID
No. I don’t feel like humming. I’m alone.
EMMA
It’s okay. To be alone.
MERMAID
Where does love go? Where does it come from?
EMMA
Fire… (Thinking) Hmmm-hmmm. I know what you need. You need
a story.
MERMAID
Tell me.
EMMA
No, you need to tell me a story.
MERMAID
Sirenota, gloriosa—
EMMA
No, that’s one of great great great grandpa’s poems. It
needs to be from you. If you weren’t a mermaid, then who
are you? You pick.
MERMAID

12. A gymnast.
EMMA
Ahah, I’m listening.
MERMAID
I would be a gymnast. I would be strong and dance on my
hands and spin in the sky. I’d have purple chalk on my
hands and sweat water from my skin. And breathe in full
movements.
EMMA
(Smiles) Hmm, that’s nice. I want to be president—
(OMA enters.)
OMA
Emma. Emma, you should leave her alone.
EMMA
I wanted to tell her something.
OMA
Let her rest.
EMMA
I don’t want to.
OMA
Go help your mami make dinner. She needs you.
EMMA
Okay. Goodnight, Mermaid lady.
MERMAID
Goodnight.
EMMA
(She goes to the door. She looks at OMA) Goodnight, Oma.
OMA
I’ll be in there in a second. (OMA hugs Emma. EMMA exits.)
MERMAID
She’s going to be trouble.
OMA
I’m ready to go.

13. (Pause)
MERMAID
Come inside.
(Mermaid holds her as they both face the picture frame.)
Breathe. (MERMAID holds her. OMA sighs.)
OMA
I miss him.
MERMAID
I hate his kind.
OMA
Let me go to him.
MERMAID
You can in your mind. And with your body.(Pause. Starts to
touch her.)
OMA
I don’t want that anymore (pushes the Mermaid’s hand
away) My spirit. My spirit. My spirit. Let me go.
MERMAID
Oma, how do you forgive?
OMA
To free yourself from their story. And hold onto yours.
MERMAID
Give me a name.
OMA
Amor. (The MERMAID kisses Oma, and they submerge
into the water. MERMAID stands with her and is wearing a
gymnast leotard; OMA pulls the plug and the two hold hands
and take a deep breath).