Muddy Boots

The cube farm of a major corporation. PAULINE is sitting at her desk attempting to work. HOLLY runs into PAULINE'S cubicle and hides herself behind a chair by a wall. She looks around to see if anyone followed her. PAULINE continues to work as though she doesn't notice HOLLY's presence. -- AFTERNOON

HOLLY

Hey, Pauline. Thanks for letting me hide out here.

PAULINE

(Still not looking at HOLLY)

Not a problem. You've helped me out a time or three.

HOLLY

(Smirks. Joking.)

Yeah. Well you do sorta owe me.

PAULINE

(Surprise.)

Oh? Really?

HOLLY

Yeah. You remember that meeting where I had to hold you down to keep you from launching yourself at...

PAULINE

(Rolls her eyes exaggerated. Interrupts.)

Am I ever going to live that down?

HOLLY

(Continues as though she was not interrupted.)

...Sam across that conference table. Man, I thought you were going to kill him.

PAULINE

(Disgust.)

One less shit head lead artist in the world. I'd be doing people a favor. There'd be parades in my honor.

(PAULINE seems lost in nostalgia for a moment. HOLLY sneaks a look around to see if anyone is looking for her.)

PAULINE (Continued)

What did we used to call it when he screwed one of us over?

HOLLY

(Still looking. Absently.)

Hmmm. I believe it was "samming" or "being sammed" as in "He was sammed" or "I was a victim of a drive-by samming.

PAULINE

(Laughs)

Yep. That was it!

(Shakes her head.)

He was such an asshole. That job was hell.

(HOLLY slams herself down into a sitting position leaning against the wall. She bangs her head back against the cubicle.)

HOLLY

(Sighs heavy.)

This one sucks ass. Major. Makes that one seem like a cake walk.

(PAULINE looks stunned. She almost turns around to look at HOLLY but thinks better of it.)

PAULINE

I didn't think that was possible.

HOLLY

Neither did I. But I was wrong. So terribly wrong.

(PAULINE goes back to "typing.")

PAULINE

That would explain the need to hide out.

HOLLY

Well. Yeah. Remember the day I got off the phone with that god awful project manager?

PAULINE

The man we refer to as "Richard Nuthugger"?

(HOLLY giggles in spite of herself. As they talk about "Mr. Nuthugger" it sounds like a well-rehearsed often told story.)

HOLLY

Yeah. Dick. Man, I was oh so calm on the phone with him.

PAULINE

But we knew you were pissed off major.

HOLLY

At the end of that call, I picked up the phone and called his boss to inform her of what he'd done. All the while still calm.

PAULINE

And when you got off the phone, Mike and Matt nervously told you that you did such a good job and that they were surprised you kept your cool.

HOLLY

Then you said, "Are you ok 'cuz, well, your face is purple?"

PAULINE

(Laughs.)

You quietly stood up at your desk and then slammed your fists down and yelled, "I work for the stupidest people on the planet." Sacred the shit out of the cleaning folks.

HOLLY

Yeah.

PAULINE

(Hushed.)

Damn. That bad?

HOLLY

(Long suffering sigh.)

You know, you work for a company and make every effort to do your best work for them. There you are with 12 years of experience

(Gets more manic; louder)

12 god damn years of experience and you'd think they'd listen to you right?

(PAULINE looks set to respond but HOLLY continues oblivious to her.)

HOLLY (Continued)

But then you'd be wrong. I work my ass off, go the extra mile and am told the extra mile is not good enough and is, in fact, a completely unnecessary waste of company resources. Yet, I know that if I don't go that extra mile, I'd be screamed at later for failing to do my job and not being a "team player."

(Sighs.)

My mom's favorite saying comes to mind, "You can't win for losing."

PAULINE

(Sympathetic.)

She's right.

HOLLY

And see somehow that makes this all worse.

PAULINE

(Confused.)

That your mom is right?

HOLLY

Well, yeah.

PAULINE

(Still bewildered.)

I think you lost me at the off-ramp.

HOLLY

(Pauses.)

Ever been in an abusive relationship?

PAULINE

What woman hasn't?

HOLLY

Okay. So we get this example set for us by our mothers. That we are second-class victims to men. I watched Mom with her various "fiancees." Mom equaled doormat. Man, evil muddy booted fellow who trashed the doormat then trekked mud through the house just to spite.

PAULINE

Interesting analogy.

HOLLY

(Mildly pleased with the compliment.)

It's a gift. Anyway, we start out our adult life mimicking our mothers' relationships. Then one day, hopefully, we learn from her mistakes and our own. And our subsequent relationships are better for it.

PAULINE

(A dig at HOLLY under her breath.)

If you call dating a woman better.

HOLLY

Easy. This is the healthiest relationship I've ever been in. It's respectful and reciprocal. Sans drama.

PAULINE

(Guilty.)

Sorry. I was just teasing.

HOLLY

(Forgiving.)

No you weren't. But thanks for saying you were. Back to my story. So I think I have it together, right? But wait. Evidence to the contrary as I allow some man at work to verbally abuse me as bad as any man I had dated. Worse, when I tell my boss about this abuse, he tells me to find some chocolate and mellow.

PAULINE

(Outraged.)

You have got to be joking.

HOLLY

Wish I were me bucko. I can't just quit because I need this job. Thanks to Dubba Yuk, the job market sucks enormous gamma rayed donkey dicks...

(PAULINE riles a bit and tries to interrupt but HOLLY won't allow it.)

HOLLY (Continued)

...and yes I know you are a registered Republican and this is me not caring for a single moment because I can't get another job and I feel trapped so I want to blame someone and since I voted damn it I am fucking entitled to bitch.

(HOLLY looks defiantly at the back of PAULINE's head. PAULINE seems to war with herself a bit but then decides not to say anything.)

HOLLY (Continued)

If it weren't for my son, I would start working on my "Would you like fries with that?" Speech so I could get me a job at the Burger King down the street.

PAULINE

(Looking for the point.)

And?...

HOLLY

And I'm taking it like she did all those years, damn it. I'm staying in this abusive, destructive relationship desperately wanting out but not able to find a way. I hated her for it. And well, it's really hard to not hate my victim-ass self.

PAULINE

Ah man, Holly. That really does suck.

HOLLY

Yeah. It does. And I'll bet you can't offer me a real solution other than to stay and make the best of it until something better comes along.

(Hopeful.)

Right?

PAULINE

(Shakes her head.)

Sadly.

HOLLY

(Disappointed.)

Just let me hide here for a bit longer.