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Back to Act 1 Scene 2 - Perky2
Back to Act 1 Scene 1 - Two Peas In A Pod
Back to Bulge (or Pressed to Make a Point)
Willie had been working and taking calls for about two hours when he received the dreaded “tap on the shoulder” by his supervisor. A tap on the shoulder was the silent signal given when an employee was to close out of the application and go to the supervisor’s cubicle. It never meant anything good. An uneasy feeling spread through his coworkers who were seated nearby as they had easily seen his supervisor’s actions. Everyone liked Willie, he always did his job, but a tap on his shoulder meant he was probably in trouble. They all wondered what had happened but knew it was not a good career move to ask questions.
Willie sat in the outer office of the Human Resource department. He had been waiting almost fifteen minutes and was at a lost as to why he was there. All his supervisor told him was he was wanted in HR and to immediately go there. He tried to think if he had done anything that would have caused trouble and he couldn’t think of any. His attendance, time adherence, and metrics were all above average. He rubbed his forehead as he pondered what being sent to HR could mean.
Teresa Woolverton had been HR Manager longer than she wanted to admit. Her rigidity and stern manner had kept her from moving up the corporate ladder, but she refused to recognize any shortcomings on her part while easily seeing the errors of others. She could be an intimidating and imposing figure with her slender height and long black-gray streaked hair tied into a perfect round bun on top of her head with her horn-rimmed glasses hanging against her chest and held by a thin round lanyard. Even though her superiors were reluctant to promote her and have them join their inner circle, they recognized how beneficial she was to the company. She was good at her job.
Teresa was constantly aware her job was to protect the interest of the company. She could act friendly and interested in a person’s problems only when it benefited the company. Anything outside of that and her patience quickly ran thin. Fortunately for most, their issues and problems did affect company interest. She could be quite engaging if she determined that if she didn’t the company would suffer in some way, either through extra work, a complaint lodged with the EEOC, OSHA, or some other government agency that would bring unwanted attention and possible financial pain to the company. Especially was she intent in making sure procedures were followed that insured any former employee would be denied unemployment benefits which would cost the company in higher premiums. Then there was the dreaded lawsuit, usually by a disgruntled former employee. She knew to avoid them as if they were “The Plague.”
She walked to the outer office and invited Willie to join her in her office. One glance confirmed her suspicion that she was about to deal with a pervert. Truth be told she suspected everyone was a pervert. This matter should be cut and dry.
Without missing a beat she motioned for him to take a seat across from her desk. Willie slowly sank into the chair as his uneasiness continued to grow.
“Mr. Rice, I’m Ms. Woolverton,” she declared in her best business-as-usual voice.
Willie nodded and she continued, “We have a situation that has come to my attention and I wanted to speak to you about it and have you make a statement so we can ascertain how to proceed.”
“What situation?” Willie asked.
“I’m afraid we’re confronted with a sexual harassment matter,” she explained.
“It involves me?!?” he exclaimed.
“Yes, it does,” she answered. “Do you know a fellow employee by the name of Heidi Warren?”
“Yes, but…”
“I see,” she interrupted. “Did you see Ms. Warren at your lunch today?”
“Yes, but sexual harassment?!?” he asked.
Ignoring his question, Teresa continued, “It has been reported to me that you made lewd and inappropriate comments about Ms. Warren.”
“I did what?!?”
“It appears Ms. Warren has recently had breast augmentation and I’ve been told you made light of it, even joking about it,” she explained.
“I did no such thing!”
“Mr. Rice, such behavior will not be tolerated in any shape or form in this company,” she stated as she ignored his denial.
“I didn’t harass Heidi,” Willie protested. “I hardly spoke to her. Who said I did?”
“The person reporting this asked to remain anonymous and we’re obligated to do so,” she declared.
“Has Heidi complained?” he questioned as he tried to grasp what was happening.
“As I said, the person reporting this will remain anonymous,” she repeated with a sigh. “Did you tell Ms. Warren that she had, and I quote, ‘nice boobs’”?
“Well, yeah, I did,” he confessed. “It just blurted out. I didn’t mean anything bad, in fact, I was trying to compliment her on her new look and that’s the only thing I could think of saying at the time.”
“I see.”
“She didn’t seem to mind,” he continued. “In fact, she told me thanks. So, what’s the problem with this?”
Teresa cleared her throat and answered, “There very well may be no issue with Ms. Warren, but there were others present. Harassment creates a hostile environment which can and often does include others. It appears that is exactly what you have created.”
“I don’t get this,” Willie protested. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“That is yet to be determined, Mr. Rice,” she declared. “I will investigate the charges thoroughly, consult with your Team Supervisor, and of course, the Site Manager.”
She rose from her seat and motioned him to the door. They stepped out into the HR office area and Willie could feel the eyes of the other two HR employees staring a hole through him. He turned toward Teresa and angrily said, “This is not right, and you know it.”
—Deep, Deep Trouble
Teresa
♫ Talking to you is like trying to empty the ocean with a spoon,
It’s never going to happen but you do give me something to do,
Something to do. ♫
Teresa & 2 HR employees
♫ You’re in trouble, boy,
Deep, deep trouble, boy.
You’re nothing but trouble, boy,
You’re going against the grain,
And you’re never gonna change,
You’re in trouble, boy,
Deep, deep trouble, boy. ♫
Willie
♫ No—no—no, not me,
Everyone but you can see,
It wasn’t me. ♫
2 HR employees
♫ Someone told someone that you told someone about it. ♫
Teresa
♫ I don’t doubt it. ♫
Willie
♫ It’s not true, it’s not true,
I’m telling you it’s not true! ♫
Teresa & 2 HR employees
♫ But we can’t let you do what you wanna do,
What you wanna do, what you wanna do,
No, we can’t let you do what you wanna do,
We can’t let you do what’ll get us sued,
What’ll get us sued, what’ll get us sued.
You’re in trouble, boy,
Deep, deep trouble, boy.
You’re nothing but trouble, boy,
You’re going against the grain,
And you’re never gonna change,
You’re in trouble, boy,
Deep, deep trouble, boy. ♫
Willie
♫ Trying to talk with you is as good as sunbathing at the South Pole,
You might get a good suntan but you know you’re gonna die in the cold,
Die in the cold. ♫
Teresa & 2 HR employees
♫ You’re bad trouble, boy,
Bad, bad trouble, boy.
You’ve always been trouble, boy,
Always wanting it your way,
Now has come the time to pay,
You’re bad trouble, boy,
Bad, bad trouble, boy. ♫
Willie
♫ No—no—no, no way,
What have I gotta say?
There’s no way. ♫
2 HR employees
♫ Someone told someone that you were bragging about it. ♫
Teresa
♫ I can’t doubt it. ♫
Willie
♫ It’s not true, it’s not true,
I’m telling you it’s not true! ♫
Teresa & 2 HR employees
♫ But we can’t let you do what you wanna do,
What you wanna do, what you wanna do,
No, we can’t let you do what you wanna do,
We can’t let you do what’ll get us sued,
What’ll get us sued, what’ll get us sued.
You’re in trouble, boy,
Deep, deep trouble, boy.
You’re nothing but trouble, boy,
You’re going against the grain,
And you’re never gonna change,
You’re in trouble, boy,
Deep, deep trouble, boy.
Troubled boy—
Trouble boy! ♫
Teresa looked him up and down and then coldly said, “Please take a seat in the waiting area while management makes a decision of what needs to be done.”
Willie stared out the paned glass window while he patiently waited for Teresa to return from her conference with the Site Manager. In his heart he knew the outcome was not going to be good for him. It was totally unfair as he was convinced he had done little wrong and for some reason the whole matter had been blown way out of proportion. Yes, he did blurt out something that could be seen as inappropriate, but he was so startled at being that physically close to Heidi that it was the only thing he could think of saying at the time, and besides, Heidi didn’t seem to mind. Did she have a change of heart and complain to HR about it? If she didn’t, who did? Surely, everyone present could see it was an honest and regrettable mistake on his part. It was a slip of the tongue and not something that should jeopardize his job.
He knew it was serious enough to jeopardize his career at AMC. As usual, no matter how small a matter is at the start, the seriousness of it increases with every step up the corporate managerial ladder. Once it has reached the Site Manager it has become quite serious, as the Site Manager doesn’t bother with trivial matters even if that’s what it exactly is. For the issue to reach that level it had to be filtered by lower management because the Site Manger only has time for matters of utmost importance. That’s one of the reasons why every decision made at that level has wide implications.
Willie hoped his job would survive. He hadn’t planned on a career at AMC, but it was a valuable stepping stone to what he wanted to do. With another full year left of taking online IT courses, he needed the job to reach his goal of graduating and entering a career of his choosing. Besides all that, his worst fear was the effect this would have on any possible relationship with Heidi. If this had upset her to the point where she despised him, then he didn’t know what he was going to do. Knowing Heidi hated him and working near her at AMC would be asking too much of him.
—Take Me There
Willie
♫ What do you do when you’re afraid to die?
And yet, you don’t wanna live.
Is it a life when you only survive?
And there’s nothing left to give.
Is there a place where lost love can go?
Where no one feels and dying is slow?
Take me there, take me there,
Whisk me away and take me there.
All my tears are gone, so how can I cry?
And yet, I must carry on.
What can I do when it’s useless to try?
And still, my love’s feeling strong.
Is there a place where my heart can go?
Where it can weep and no one will know?
Take me there, take me there,
Whisk me away and take me there.
Please whisk me away, whisk me away, whisk me away—
And take me there.
What can I do to make it all better?
And show the world how I feel.
What must I do to get it together?
I don’t know how but I will.
I need a place where given a chance,
I can grow strong and can take a stance.
Take me there, take me there,
Whisk me away and take me there.
Please whisk me away, whisk me away, whisk me away—
And take me there.
Take me there.
Take me there. ♫
Staring out the HR window and reflecting on all that had happened and what was about to happen, Willie made his decision. He knew it would take a strong resolve on his part to do what he was planning, but he was being pushed to where action was more important than being passive. Being submissive to avoid any unnecessary drama and not making waves was no longer an option.
Hi attention was diverted when Teresa entered the room. She had a smirk on her face and Willie could tell she was enjoying his predicament a little too much.
“Well, Mr. Rice, we’ve made our decision,” she barked.
“Yes?”
“We are suspending you for one week without pay,” she revealed. “Once the week is over, if you wish to continue employment here you must register to attend an employee relations training one night a week for a month. Of course, it is a non-paid training.”
“Of course,” he sneered.
His smug attitude and lack of protesting the decision caught her off guard. She hesitated but then asked, “Are there any questions?”
“Nope,” he simply replied as he stared at her.
His piercing eyes made her uncomfortable, but she continued, “Well then, security is gathering your personal belongings at your work station and will be here shortly to escort you out.”
“Okay.”
“Well then…” she said and turned to leave.
“Ms. Woolverton, have you ever heard the old saying that ‘what’s good for the goose is good for the gander?’” he asked before she left the room.
“Yes, I have,” she replied as she turned back toward him. “Why?”
“I was just wondering,” he answered. “I think that saying applies here.”
She shrugged and started to leave, but stopped and turned, “Is that a threat, Mr. Rice?”
“No, not all,” he replied. “It was just an observation.”
She started to speak but security came through the door to escort Willie out of the building before she could. As he left she watched him with more curiosity than she usually did in such situations. Finally, she cleared her throat and smirked, “Hmmph…what a pervert.”
💔
Go to Act II Scene 1 - Protuberance
Go to Act II Scene 2 - Human Remorse
Go to Act II Scene 3 - Abstraction
Back to Bulge (or Pressed to Make a Point)
Back to Act I Scene 2 - Perky2
Back to Act I Scene 1 - Two Peas In A Pod
Copyright ©2014 by Jerry W. Crews
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