1) STAGEHAND: And we’re out…
2) JIM: (SHOUTS) Come on people! What was that? Did anyone else but me catch that their audio clipped? You—get that fixed right now! We can’t afford stupid mistakes like this when we’re live. Unbelievable… (TURNS TO ALLISON AND LOWERS VOICE) You’d think we were working with volunteers or something. Where did you find these people, Allison? I told you to find me some amateur talent—not an amateur sound crew. Where’s Ryan? Is he still sick or something?
3) ALLISON (RELUCTANT TONE): Actually, we need to talk about that. Ryan called in this morning. After your little discussion with everyone yesterday, he’s decided to take another job offer through a friend of his in
4) JIM (ANNOYED): That’s just our luck—you try to motivate and encourage people, and they bail on you right when you need them the most. Can’t he see that we’re struggling, too—that we need people like him to hang on?
5) ALLISON (APPALLED THAT JIM IS BLAMING RYAN): Jim, you threatened to fire all of us if we don’t rank in the top three in the market this time! Right now, that’s like threatening to fire everyone if it snows tomorrow! Do you have any idea how hard—
(HER CELL PHONE RINGS, AND SHE ROLLS HER EYES AND GETS A LOOK OF DREAD AS SHE LOOKS AT THE CALLER ID. SHE KEEPS HER VOICE PLEASANT, BUT IT’S FORCED)
Hello, this is Allison. Yes, I understand that she’s used to being escorted from her limo to the dressing room, but we’ve had a few budget cutbacks this year. I apologize—I just assumed that since your client has done this show for the past five years that she would know where to go.
6) JIM (MUMBLES TO ALLISON AS SHE HOLDS THE PHONE BACK FROM HER EAR LIKE WHITNEY’S AGENT IS SHOUTING AT HER): If it wasn’t for the fact we need the ratings, I’d like to tell her where she could—
(ALLISON ELBOWS HIM IN THE RIBCAGE TO GET HIM TO BE QUIET. SHE WAITS PATIENTLY UNTIL SCREAMS FROM THE CELL PHONE SEEM TO END.)
7) ALLISON: We’ll be right there. Again, I’m very sorry for my mistake.
(SHE SHUTS HER PHONE AND TURNS TO JIM)
Her majesty’s agent has requested we supply her with some powdered organic lemonade mix—not normal lemonade mix with artificial flavors and not the kind made with real lemons like furniture polish—organic lemonade mix. Do you have any contacts with NASA because I have no clue what she’s talking about…
8) JIM: Well, at least it’s not coffee again. (SHUDDERS LIKE HE’S RELIVING A HORRIBLE MEMORY) Hey, could you go out to greet her? I…uh…I…(FUMBLING FOR AN EXCUSE)
9) ALLISON: (INTERRUPTS FUMBLING) Don’t want to do it but need me to give you an excuse? (JIM NODS) You have some voicemails that need call-backs.
10) JIM: (SHRUGGS LIKE HE DIDN’T CARE WHAT THE EXCUSE WAS) Works for me. (GIVES HER A WEAK SMILE AND TONE BECOMES SERIOUS) What would this place do without you? Don’t you even think about leaving us, all right? We’ve survived this long, and I know it’s not our time yet. We all just need to work harder than everyone else, and we can still make it.
(HE WALKS AWAY, LEAVING ALLISON ALONE ON STAGE. SHE SIGHS AND WALKS OVER TO MEET WHITNEY AT THE DOOR. AT THE SAME TIME, AMY MAKES HER WAY TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF THE STAGE, PRETENDING TO VACCUUM. ALLISON OPENS DOOR.)
11) WHITNEY: (VOICE SHAKY LIKE SHE’S BEEN CRYING, AND SHE’S HOLDING TIGHT TO HER CELL PHONE): You know, I want to strangle the inventor of Facebook. All it takes is one little message, and suddenly everyone knows your private business. Who are you? There’s usually some guy here to help my driver unload all my stuff.
12) ALLISION (CAUGHT OFF-GUARD THAT WHITNEY IS UPSET AND ACTUALLY SHOWING SOME TRACE OF HUMANITY): I’ll have someone take care of it. Are you all right?
13) WHITNEY (TONE ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED): Do I look like I’m all right? I just found out my husband has filed for divorce, and he didn’t even have the stinking guts to tell me in person! He just posted a message on Facebook and has called some Entertainment Tonight reporter for an exclusive! Where’s Bob? I need to talk to him.
14) ALLISON (CONFUSED FOR A SECOND BECAUSE THERE IS NO BOB THAT WORKS AT THE STATION): Do you mean Jim?
15) WHITNEY: Whatever—I need the guy that’s in charge of the station. I should cancel this—no, wait. I’m still going to go through it. Then I’ll do my own interview to show how
16) ALLISON (SHAKES HER HEAD): I wouldn’t know…follow me. I’m sure you’d like some privacy right now.
(THEY WALK TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE STAGE. ALLISON’S CELL PHONE RINGS, AND WITHOUT LOOKING SHE OPENS AND SHUTS IT.)
Probably your agent again. I’m sorry, but I didn’t have much of a notice to get everything prepared for you. We don’t have any of the lemonade mix you’re wanting.
(ALLISON GIVES A NOD TO AMY AND WALKS PAST HER. WHITNEY IS LOOKING AT HER PHONE AGAIN AND BUMPS INTO AMY.)
17) WHITNEY: Hey! Didn’t you see me coming?
18) AMY: (SOMEWHAT AMUSED BY THIS UNTIL SHE SEES WHITNEY’S BEEN CRYING) Actually, I thought you were going to look up in time to walk around me. Are you—
19) WHITNEY: (OFFENDED AND BY THIS POINT READY TO TAKE HER ANGER AT HER HUSBAND OUT ON SOMEONE) Do you have any idea who I am? I can have you fired for this! (LOOKS AT ALLISON) Where’s that Jim guy?
(AMY FINDS THIS FUNNY, CONSIDERING THE STATION IS JUST ONE OF SEVERAL CLIENTS SHE HAS IN HER CLEANING BUSINESS. ALLISON HOWEVER IS PANICKED, THINKING SHE HAS TO SALVAGE THE SITUATION)
20) ALLISON: Of course, she knows who you are! (GIVES PLEADING LOOK TO AMY TO PLAY ALONG)
21) AMY: (TONE IS SOFT AND CALM) You’re Whitney Jacobs. You probably don’t remember me, but I know both your parents. How are they? I haven’t seen them with you the past few times you’ve been here.
22) WHITNEY: (A LITTLE TAKEN ABACK BY THIS, AND FOR A MOMENT HER EXPRESSION SOFTENS) They’re at home. I don’t need them here. I— (EXPRESSION AND TONE HARDEN AGAIN) I don’t have time for this! Just watch out next time, all right!
(SHE STORMS OFF, FORGETTING ALL ABOUT ALLISON SHOWING HER TO THE DRESSING ROOM. A DOOR IS SLAMMED, AND ALLISON TURNS HER ATTENTION TO AMY)
23) ALLISON: I’m sorry, Amy. She just found out her husband’s filed for a divorce, and you know how she is anyway. If she wasn’t so stuck-up, I’d actually feel sorry for her…
24) AMY: (SHAKING HER HEAD) The saddest thing about it is she hasn’t really changed much since she was a teenager. She’s such a talented person, but ever since she was a kid she’s been handed every material thing she ever wanted. Now all of it has just hurt her when it comes what really matters. I do feel bad for her, regardless to her—
(ALLISON’S CELL PHONE RINGS AGAIN, AND THIS TIME SHE LOOKS AT IT)
25) ALLISON—Hey, Mom. (NOW FRANTIC BECAUSE HER CHILDREN ARE SUPPOSED TO BE AT AFTER-SCHOOL CARE) Brittney? What are you doing at Grandma and Grandpa’s house? I was going to pick you up at—oh no, I am so sorry sweetie. Can you put Grandma on the phone, please? Mom, I am so sorry. Are you okay with keeping them until five? No, it’s all right. You don’t have to take them to the house. I’ll come straight there as soon as I’m done here. Thank you, Mom. Bye.
(SHUTS PHONE AND SITS ON THE FLOOR WITH STUNNED EXPRESSION)
I’m a horrible mother…
26) AMY: What are you talking about? What happened?
27) ALLISON: Their after-school program let out a week early for Christmas break. I knew it, and I was going to leave early today, and then this thing with Whitney came up and I— (GETTING UPSET) My little seven-year-old daughter just tried to call me a few minutes ago, and I hung up on her without even looking at the phone. I always look at my phone…
28) AMY: (SITS DOWN BESIDE HER AND PATS HER ON THE BACK) It’s going to be all right, honey. Even Supermoms are allowed to make a few mistakes. I know this whole thing with the station being in trouble has got everyone stressed, and you can’t expect to be immune from it.
29) ALLISON: I just don’t know what I’m going to do. If I lose this job, we’ll lose everything—I can’t do that to them, not after everything their father has put us through. We just started getting some stability, and now…I’m so sorry. I know this time of year isn’t exactly that merry for you either.
30) AMY: (SIGHS BUT SMILES) Actually, this is still my favorite time of year. It’s still hard sometimes, but God gives me the strength to keep going even on days I otherwise think I can’t.
31) ALLISON: That must be nice—to have that kind of faith, I mean. I think I have such a hard time because I’ve had to rely just on myself for so long, and it’s not like God is probably that happy with me anyway. My children definitely aren’t mistakes, but I have done a lot of things I wish I could have done differently. You and Charlie were one of the first couples I’d ever met with a marriage that functioned right. If you don’t mind me asking, how in the world did you and the boys reconcile with what happened? Your whole family has always been faithful, and I would have been so angry at God I wouldn’t be able to stand it. Charlie was a good person, and he didn’t deserve to die in that fire. You and the boys didn’t deserve to lose him either.
32) AMY: (SHAKES HER HEAD AT ALLISON) He always knew the risks, Allison, and he loved his job. If it wasn’t for him, a lot of people would have lost their lives in other fires. Besides, you need to understand that being a Christian doesn’t mean storms suddenly stop coming—it means you have an anchor when they—
(ALLISON’S PHONE RINGS AGAIN, AND BOTH OF THEM STAND UP)
33) ALLISON: This is Allison. Yeah, I’ll be right there. (TURNS TOWARD AMY) I have to go. We’ve got some of the other acts arriving for final rehearsals. Thank you for listening. I appreciate it.
(SHE RUSHES OFF THE STAGE, AND AMY GOES BACK TO CLEANING)
SONG FOR ALLISON CAN GO HERE.
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