LOST AND FOUND
The play takes place in a police squad room. A detective sits across from Sandra Hamilton, a suspect. He is questioning her about a petty theft of a convenience store by two male companinons who fled the scene leaving her alone.
It's revealed that she and her friends are musicians from Chicago who have come to town seeking work in clubs. The group plans to earn money for a trip to Los Angeles where they hope to make a connection in the music industry.
From a broken home, Sandra relates how she has lived by her wits tending bar and working other such menial jobs to keep alive an enduring ambition to become a recording star. Given a description of the van in which the group was traveling, the detective issues an alert to all police mobile units to be on the lookout for the vehicle.
At this juncture a uniformed officer brings in Julio Banderas, who carries a large knapsack and a baseball bat. One of his hands is bandaged. He has been arrested for taking several food items from a local grocery store. The knapsack contains a pound of bananas, two cans of soda, and five candy bars as well as a mitt and a couple of baseballs. Under questioning he tells of leaving his home in Oklahoma to attend a Florida instructional baseball camp. During a stopover at a local bus station he was injured while defending himself against two robbers who took his money. When hungry, he stole the food items to subsist himself.
The detective leaves the room briefly, giving Sandra and Julio an opportunity to become aquainted. She encourages the would-be ball player to hold fast his dream of one day making it to the big leagues. Minutes later, the detective returns, stating that the van has been impounded. Sandra retrieves several hundred dollars from the bag and offers to share it with Julio for travelling expenses.
At this point, the detective decides to let Sandra and Julio go, and arranges for their transportation to the bus station, she to continue on to Los Angeles and he to Florida. When they are gone the uniformed officer asks the detective about his change of heart. He confesses to once having a dream of his own but lacked the courage to pursue it. Now he just couldn't bring himself to discourage the young couple from trying to realize theirs.