Good People David Lindsay Abaire Essays

Good People David Lindsay Abaire Essays Good People David Lindsay Abaire Essay Good People David Lindsay Abaire Essay Some churches do that, but not SST. Vinci?s. And your grandmother had passed by then, so there was no dinner to go to. So your mother goes into Flagmans, and shes out to here. (indicates belly) Whens Jimmys birthday? STEVE January. Right, so shes out to here, and in this big coat. Remember that black coat she always wore? Yeah. And shes walking up and down the aisles, slipping things in the pockets potatoes, and Cans Of cranberry sauce, cookies, because you guys goat eat, right? So she gets whatever she can fit in that big coat, and comes waddling up to my register. And know somethings up, but I cant quite figure it out. So, Im like, Hey Mary, how are the kids? And she doesnt want talk obviously, shes just trying to push through the line, Oh, thefts good, I was just looking for something, but you dont have it, so Im goanna try someplace else. And then the ham falls out of her coat. It hits the floor right between her legs. A ham. Boom. And I swear to god, she didnt miss a beat. She looks up, real mad, and yells, Who threw that ham at me?! (really laughing now) : Oh, we died. Everybody there. Yaw had to laugh. Who threw that ham at me? She was a funny iconoclastic. Pardon my French. Look, Margaret-? Youre too young to remember. She never told you that story? (beat) No. God, she was funny. Think about her all the time. Your mother was a good lady. Its a lesson though. Youre lucky you dont smoke. Too young, your mother. You need some new posters, Steve. That one there is pretty corny. You should take it down. Cant. It comes with the office. Well, its corny. And very misleading. Know you dont want talk about why brought/ you in here No, I know. I was late, Im sorry. Its just, the district manager / comes in-? know. It was my Joyce again. You know I cant leave her alone when she gets auto sorts. And I pay Dot Leave a little bit to keep an eye on her, but Dots not the most reliable. Right, but the district manager comes down on me about it. No, I know, that guys an ass pardon my French, but thats what he is. Maybe, but hes also my boss. And he looks over those punch-cards. Okay. No, not okay. Youre late every day. Twenty, thirty minutes. Yesterday it was almost an hour. Its not every day. Pretty much it is, and that reflects badly on me. Pep my employees in line. He wants to know why I cant You have to explain about Joyce. I keep trying to get her into a program, but SSH?s too old for most fem.. And SSH?s not functional / enough to get a explained it to him, but theres only so much / we can-? Its not just me, Steve. Karen calls in sick every couple days. Yeah, well, Im talking to Karen next. Well, while youve got her in here , you should ask her why she tells everyone youre gay. What? She says youre gay. (more bemused than offended) Im not gay. Know. So why does she say that? Because you go to bingo. That makes me gay? m just saying what Karen says to people. You go to bingo a lot. More than I do. More than Karen does. Like bingo. Obviously. Plenty of men go to bingo. Wouldnt say plenty, butyrate. Freddy Gleason goes to bingo. Frank Moore. A few old-timers, but yeah, thats what I Eve been telling her. Okay, it doesnt matt-? Theses not what were talking about. Are you goanna bring it up with her though? No, that has nothing to do with-? Im going to say to her exactly what Im saying to you. The district manager came / in-? SSH?s late a lot more than I am. And she says youre gay. Margaret now youre not gay, and I tell her that, because youre dating whats her name. Dont know if thats supposed to be a secret, or whatever, but everybody knows that. Not Karen, obviously, but everybody knows that. Can you stop, please? Im talking about right now, and thats it The district manager came / in-? Okay, I understand. Ive been late, and wont be anymore. You can tell him I got the warning. No, this isnt a warning. Youve had warnings. / Ive given you You know I cant leave Joyce alone. You know that. Shes like a baby. And Dotted doesnt always show up when shes supposed to. So what am I / supposed to- Its not like I have a choice in this. If I dont let you go then I get fired. What do you mean, let me go? Told you it could happen. Now, come / on-? Every week the district manager comes in here to look at those punch-cards. Wont be late again. Tell him promise. Cover for you all the time, and he wont have it anymore. He wants me to let you go. Ill get somebody else to look after Joyce. Youve said that before. This is about the Chinese girl, isnt it. No, and shes not Chinese. She might be a little faster at the register, but she makes more mistakes. First of all, you know thats not true. / Secondly-? She lives two blocks away! Its easier for her to get here on time! Would listen to me? No, that guy comes in, and looks over your books, and whos getting paid what per hour-? Thats not what this is. And because Ive been here three years, I make a little bit more than the other girls, which costs the company a little bit more money Youre not reliable. You cant say that. I might be late once in a while but-? They dont want unreliable employees. This is a Dollar Store. Who do they think is goanna work here? Is that what I should tell them? What they dont want is someone making nine twenty an hour. And you know thats what this is. Ill talk to my brother. Maybe he can get you something down at Gillette. Gillette? Ill call him this afternoon. Thats just your way of getting me out the door. Ill call Jimmy, I swear to god. Not goanna call me in there. Besides, Ive been to Gillette, its a Fricke sweat-shop. No, it isnt, its a perfectly / fine-? Its all line-work. I cant work a line, Im too old for that. I cant keep up. Im trying to help you. You want help me, let me go back to my register. Its not my choice! Ill take a pay cut, Steve. No. A pay-cut? Margaret, listen to yourself. Know the Chinese girl gets eight sixty an hour, I can make do / on that. SSH?s from Thailand. Itll be tight, but can do eight sixty. Its not about what you get paid. That is bullwhip. Pardon my French, but that is bullwhip and you know it. I never asked for those raises. Only got them because you were required by law to give them to me. It wasnt much, god knows -a nickel here, fifteen cents one time -? but knew when went over nine dollars, you were goanna start looking for an excuse to get rid of me. STEVE You know thats not true. Well if not you, then the district manager was. Or whoever adds up the numbers. Why pay me when you can give minimum wage to Chow Fun? That doesnt help your case, Margaret. The racist stuff What racist stuff? Thats her name. (writes something down) You know thats not her name. What are you writing? You goanna put that in my file now? How Im a racist? Look, you wouldnt even be in here if you werent late. And I wouldnt be late if I didnt have to beg someone to watch my daughter, and I wouldnt have to beg someone if I could afford proper care! And Id have proper care if you didnt pay me a shut wage! Margaret-? Please, Steve. Last time got fired it took me seven months to find something, and that was when things werent so bad. Now? Forget it. I wont be able to find anything. Of course you will. You start asking around / and-? Eight fifteen. You can lower me to eight fifteen. Thats what I started at. Less what youd pay a new girl. Just pretend Im a new girl. I can do eight fifteen. Cant. I cant do that. Im sorry. Its just not working out. (pause) Youre lucky your mothers dead.