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Fact Box Level: 1.675 Tokens: 1367 Types: 512 TTR: 0.375 |
1. Garage Sale
In the United States, it is very common for people to buy second-hand goods as they are useful and much cheaper. But, if you were a foreign student in America, would you know where to buy them?
Characters:
| Pat: | the daughter |
| F. S: | foreign student (male or female) |
| Bob: | the son |
| Mom: | the mother |
| Mr. Smith: | a neighbor |
| Mrs. Green: | a neighbor |
| Dad (Mr. Burns): | the father |
Garage sales are very common in the United States now. They also have other names such as yard sales or porch sales. Sometimes several families have a joint sale, or a group will have a sale to benefit a charity. They serve many purposes besides cleaning out unwanted items and making money. They also serve as a minor social event, a chance for new neighbors to get acquainted, and a place to pick up needed items inexpensively.
The action takes place in the garage of the Burns home. There are a couple of makeshift tables with a collection of things on them. (Note: the things sold at garage sales can be almost anything—furniture, books, toys, dishes, magazines—anything you can bring in.) Place some things on the stage floor near the front of the stage. Have the tables and big items upstage (at the back) and on the sides. Throughout the play the family can be arranging and pricing items. Mr. Smith and Mrs. Green can move about examining the various things for sale.
As the curtain rises Pat is busily putting prices on bits of paper and pinning or attaching them to various articles. F. S. enters, carrying a box of things to be added to the sale.
| Pat: | (looking up) Just put it down anywhere. We'll arrange it later, okay? |
| F. S.: | Okay. (He puts the box on the floor and begins to remove items to a table.) |
| Pat: | Was there much more stuff? |
| F. S.: | Quite a bit. Want me to go and get it? |
| Pat: | Relax. Let the others bring it. You've done your share. |
| F. S.: | How often do you do this—(he can't think of what to call it)—this— |
| Pat: | Garage sale? |
| F. S.: | Yeah. |
| Pat: | Oh, this is the first time for us, but people are always having them. |
| Bob: | (enters with both arms full) Here's some more junk. |
| Pat: | (indicating a place) Put it over there and we'll set it up in a minute. |
| F. S.: | Is it really junk? |
| Bob: | (as he takes things out and places them about) No, it's just stuff we don't need or use anymore. |
| F. S.: | So why don't you just throw it out? |
| Pat: | That would be a waste. Some of it's good. |
| Bob: | Yeah, it's a kind of recycling. (Mom enters.) |
| Mom: | You kids all set? |
| Pat: | Not yet, but we're getting there. |
| Mom: | Well, you'd better get moving. You know we said ten a.m. to three p.m. and it's almost ten. (Mom goes to a table and looks over the things for sale.) |
| Bob: | Really? (He looks at his watch.) My gosh, it is! |
| Mom: | (picking up a book) And just what is this? |
| Pat: | I don't know. |
| Mom: | I'll tell you what it is. It's my latest book club selection—that's what it is! |
| Pat: | Well, it was with that stuff you set out. |
| Mom: | You must've picked it up by mistake. I'd better check over everything out here. (She starts to check carefully.) |
| Mr. S.: | Good morning. Store open? |
| F. S.: | Oh, good morning, Mr. Smith. You're the first customer. |
| Mr. S.: | Do I get a special discount? |
| Mom: | Everything's a special discount, but don't buy anything until I finish checking. I just found this (showing the book) out here. |
| Mr. S.: | (to the foreign student) You're going to be a clerk? |
| F. S.: | I suppose so. It will be a good experience. |
| Mr. S.: | Well, I'll just look around and see if I can find anything I'd like. (Smith moves about the garage looking at the sale items.) |
| Bob: | Pat, what should I put on these paperbacks? (holding up a book or two) |
| Pat: | Ten cents each—six for fifty cents. (Bob begins to put price tags on books.) |
| Bob: | And the comic books? |
| Pat: | Oh, five cents. |
| Mom: | Give them away. I want them out of the house. |
| Pat: | Mom, is one dollar okay for this sweater? (Mom takes the sweater and inspects it.) |
| Mom: | Mark it one dollar, but you can come down to seventy-five cents. |
| F. S.: | I didn't know Americans would buy used clothes. |
| Bob: | Sure, it's the "in" thing. Like I said—recycling. |
| Pat: | It's mostly high school and university kids—sometimes others. (Mrs. Green enters.) |
| Mrs. G.: | Well, what are you throwing out? |
| Mom: | Oh, good morning, Ellen. Isn't it awful? Look at all this stuff we had in the house and didn't use. |
| Mrs. G.: | I'm sure if I dug around in all the closets, the attic, and the basement I'd have two garages full. |
| Bob: | (rather disappointed) So we can't sell you anything? |
| Mrs. G.: | Not on your life! I just came over to see what folks will buy. (Mrs. G. starts to look about, picking up something every now and then to examine it.) |
| Pat: | I hope other folks show up. I don't want to carry all this stuff back in the house. |
| F. S.: | (He looks at his watch.) It's only ten minutes after ten—you just started. |
| Mr. S.: | How much is this fly? |
| Bob: | That's a dollar and a quarter. |
| Mr. S.: | Too much—give you seventy-five cents. |
| Bob: | Settle for a dollar? |
| Mr. S.: | It's robbery, but okay. |
| Mom: | Where's your father? |
| Bob: | He's still reading the paper. |
| Pat: | He said he wasn't going to get involved. |
| Mom: | He doesn't have to get involved, but he could come out and be sociable. |
| F. S.: | (Starts for the house.) Want me to go and get him? |
| Mom: | That's all right. I'm going in in a minute to get some bags, so I'll send him out. |
| Mrs. G.: | (holding them up) Are these salt and pepper shakers? |
| Pat: | I think so. |
| Mrs. G.: | Well, now they're just real sweet. How much are they? |
| Pat: | Isn't there a tag? |
| Mrs. G.: | I don't see one. Oh, here it is on the table. I guess it fell off. |
| Mom: | (teasing) Thought you were just looking. |
| Mrs. G.: | That was my intention, but I just don't have much will power—especially when it comes to salt and peppers. You know, for my collection. (Dad enters.) |
| Dad: | Well, how's business? I expected to see the whole neighborhood here at 10 a.m. sharp. |
| Bob: | It's only a quarter past. |
| Pat: | We've made two sales. That's not bad. |
| Mom: | I'm glad you decided to join us. |
| Dad: | It's my day off. I'll do as I please. |
| Mom: | I wish I had a day off. |
| Dad: | No liberation lectures during sale hours, please. |
| Mr. S.: | Quite a load of junk you've got here, Fred. |
| Dad: | What bothers me is that I paid for all this stuff that we don't want anymore. |
| Mr. S.: | (to Bob) Guess I'll be moving on—don't see anything else I want. (He takes out his wallet.) Can you change five? (Hands him a five dollar bill.) |
| Bob: | Not yet. Dad, you got change for five? |
| Dad: | Sure have, if you were able to separate Smitty from some of his money. (to Smith) What did you buy? |
| Mr. S.: | A fly. |
| Dad: | A fly? There shouldn't have been any flies for sale. |
| Bob: | Sure, Dad. Mom brought it last night and put it with the stuff. |
| Dad: | Which fly? Let me see. (Smith shows it to him.) |
| Dad: | You bought that? How much? |
| Bob: | A dollar. Pretty good, huh? |
| Dad: | I just bought that fly last week for ten dollars and fifty cents! |
| Mr. S.: | That's too bad, Fred. I tell you what I'll do. I'll let you have it back for five. |
From Progressive Reading Series, Book 8,
ed., Virginia French Allen,
Washington, D.C., 1976.