Two Sneakers In A Bucket

Julia (86) refuses to move out of her home despite her severe spinal stenosis and her son’s urging. She does agree to let a visiting nurse come to the house. When Julia’s visitor turns out to be a rough looking LatinX man named Miguel (42), she does not believe he is a nurse. After she threatens him with her oversized magnifying glass, she finally lets him in. However, for several days she does the Jumbles in the newspaper and barely speaks to Miguel. Eventually they develop a relationship, and after a painful fall, Julia asks Miguel to help her commit suicide. Miguel declines because of the legal risk, but his heart breaks for her. After a physical therapist causes even more damage and pain to Julia’s back, she again asks Miguel to help her end her life. He again declines. A criminal associate from Miguel’s past, Blunt, tries to get Miguel to help him with a drug transaction. When Miguel refuses, Blunt threatens Miguel’s daughter to get his help. In Act 3, Julia is in the passenger seat of Miguel’s running truck when Blunt confronts Miguel with a gun. Julia fights through extreme pain to get to the driver’s seat and when she does, she runs Blunt over and kills him. Julia is debilitated by this act, so Miguel finally agrees to help her end her life. Miguel sits by Julia’s bed and waits to administer the morphine. He asks her to send him a sign from beyond. She says she will try and tells Miguel he is her “Earth Angel”. On Julia’s command Miguel sends the lethal dose and Julia peacefully dies. The next day Miguel does the Jumble in the newspaper in Julia’s honor. He quickly completes the puzzle, and the solution is “Earth Angel”. Miguel smiles as Julia’s message warms his heart.