The Black Orb

SCENE 10

MR. THORPE’S office.  He is reading a letter that continues Paul’s speech.

MR. THORPE

Balled up fists, so tight that your bitten nails cut into you.  Five minutes, maybe ten.  Maybe more.  Try to think about phone calls, clients, locations, values, which inspectors can be ‘bought’, try not to think about making the sale, about the high stakes, about how when you were young you said “FUCK YOU” to the world, total FTW, spazzing out, stealing beer and liquor, making out with girls and punching guys, beat up, beat down, running wild, rooftop, treetop, making love to Anarchy and never saying ‘never’.  Never believing it, not really, because eventually you grow up and the suit swallows you, and it wears you, and it wears you down.

Resignation.  My resignation.

Paul Banks.

Paul, may I say that this is the strangest resignation letter I’ve ever received.

.

.

I’m not going to accept this-

PAUL

Accept it.

MR. THORPE

Because it’s obvious that you are under stress, and I’d like you to take some time off.  On me.

Paul.  Don’t let the promotion scare you.  You’re good at this.  I don’t promote without good cause.  You’re ‘in line’, Paul, ‘in line’.  You know what that means, right Paul?

I like you.  The rumors are true, this time.  I’m actually looking to leave, retire, hand the reigns over to someone else, use my money.  Relax.  It’ll be nice, after thirty-some-odd years at the top.  You could be at the top, here.  Someday, maybe.

Paul?

Paul, are you listening?

PAUL

If there was any justice I’d be crushed under a boot heel.

MR. THORPE

What?

PAUL

Sometimes I can’t decide if the sea is better with the sharks at the top, eating the little fish, the weak, the stupid, or if it’d be better if all the weak little fish joined up and killed the sharks.  It’s still tyranny.  Winning means killing when you come right down to it.

MR. THORPE

We aren’t killing anyone here, we just sell locations.  There’s nothing wrong with-

PAUL

How many people could live in that one floor of the Gruder Building?  One floor could house hundreds of needy… sick… poor… but whatever, what would they do with it?  Destroy it, probably.  Give them an inch and they’ll burn every mile.

MR. THORPE

It’s a dog eat dog world.  I’m trying to give you some teeth here.

PAUL

I don’t want teeth.  I want to quit.

MR. THORPE

Take a vacation.

PAUL

I did.  The walls moved, the moon talked, I screamed for hours and realized that my life was worthless.  Blood filled sausage shaped like a man.  This doesn’t mean anything, your office, your business, you.  We all die, the dreams end, the earth swallows you.  Alone.

Don’t accept my resignation.  Fire me.  Either way, I’m done.

MR. THORPE

I thought I could trust you.

PAUL

When you trust in men, you set yourself up for a fall.

Hire the Angels, Mr. Thorpe.  Two thirds of them can be trusted.  The other third?

“With jaded eyes and features

You think they really care
Let’s go where eagles dare

We’ll go where eagles dare”

Paul exits.

GO TO SCENE 11