Guthrie Theater

I've been doing a good amount of research for 9 Parts of Desire.  Books, documentaries, articles provided to me by the amazing Carla and Leslie in the Guthrie's dramaturgical department.  I worry each day about not doing enough.  But the other day I decided to put down the books and something beautiful happened.

Rather than use the hour or two between appointments last week for script work and research, I decided to splurge on something I treat myself to maybe twice a year.  A manicure.  After picking the polish color ("Midnight in Moscow" by the way) I sat down with Kim.  Honestly, I'm always amazed and the skill and talent that these manicurists have.  And I love to talk to them about it. Kim and I veered from talking about cuticles and foot care, though, and while my hands were drying by the small fan on her table, #4, she told me some of her story.

She was married to a man in Vietnam with whom she had two children. The man beat her frequently and because there was no legal help for her in Vietnam, her family helped her to escape the country. Three days in a tiny boat and an exorbitant amount of money paid by her wealthier sister allowed her to arrive in Malaysia. Her two sons, though, had to stay behind in the care of other family members.  She eventually made her way to America where other family members lived. In Vietnam she'd been a hairstylist and manicurist and eventually plied the same trades here.  After two years she'd finally saved enough to get her two sons tickets to America.

Kim and her boys were reunited and she met a man here who was older than she and poor, but she said, "He was good to me. I love him. And so the rest didn't matter." She married him.  Now her two older boys have grown and have moved out of the state.  Her sister in Vietnam, concerned for her own son's education and opportunities sent him to live with Kim in America. He is 17 and the family is all endeavoring to send him to college next year.  The son Kim had with her second husband is 13; she knew this was a pivotal age and grew concerned about the dangerous neighborhood in which they all lived.  She was afraid of the gang activity and crime around her home not for herself, but for the potential effect it would have on her son.

Five months ago she and her husband bought a house in Roseville. "I love it," she said. "It's quiet." She misses her family in Vietnam a great deal. But three tickets back home costs her almost a year's wages -- about $10,000 to $15,000.  Now that she has her new house, she says she won't be able to go to see her family in Vietnam, especially her beloved sister.  She added finally that her family doesn't approve of her new husband because he isn't wealthy, but they still remain close, despite oceans and miles that separate them. Though she worried about concerns with money and her life's challenges she said after a pause, "Family. Family is what's important."

When people ask me what 9 Parts of Desire is about, I tell them it's about people from whom we rarely hear.  Stories that would remain in the dark if we didn't shine our light on them.  Theater reflects life and shares stories because we need to feel connected to each other - to bridge the miles and oceans and cultures that separate us.  Surprisingly enough, it was on an unplanned trip to a nail salon in Uptown that I was reminded what a gift it is to listen to each other's stories.

Kate