11: Turning About Face

The Fruit Stand at the Downtown Farmer’s Market. Carol places some sweet corn into a bin. Janet comes in from around back with some foundation over her black eye.

Janet: (holding bottle) What did you call this?

Carol: It’s called foundation, sweet pea. It’s a type of make-up. Here let me smooth this on for you. It’s all gloppy.

Janet: Don’t press so hard, it hurts.

Carol: I’m sorry, dear. Did you work on that puzzle I gave you?

Janet: Oh, yes. I put glue on it this morning.

Carol: Glue? You don’t put glue on puzzles.

Janet: I have puzzle glue. When I finish a puzzle you spread a thin layer over it and then you can frame it. I do that with all my puzzles. My house is one giant picture house for puzzles.

Carol: You should have me over sometime. You should. I’ll get you a harder puzzle to solve. Don’t you worry. Gee, I hope it doesn’t rain this morning. Now, Janet, this is the first of the season for corn. Do you know what corn is?

Janet: Yeah, that’s corn on the cob.

Carol: I just wanted to make sure. Oh boy. . .looks like somebody has snuck in here again.

Janet: Don’t leave me alone with them.

Carol: I won’t. It’s a woman this time and she’s wearing a suit, skirt combo. Definetely not a drug dealer.

Janet: That’s not a woman. That’s Paula.

Carol: Paula?

Janet: She’s my case worker at the Beverly Judith Berry House.

Carol: What’s that?

Janet: It’s for people like me. I lived there every other week growing up.

Carol: Oh. The Paula.


Janet: Yeah. (calling) Paula! Paula! Over here.

Carol: I thought you were on your own now?

Janet: No. No. I love Paula. I could never be without Paula.

Carol: Okay. (going back to sorting vegetables and picking things up.)

Paula Pluckstons, Janet’s case worker, enters. Her make-up and hair are immaculate and her suit is pressed.

Paula: JANET!

Janet: Paula!

They hug. Carol observes.

Paula: How’re you doing today? What’s that white stuff around your eye?

Janet: Make-up. Don’t I look pretty?

Paula: It doesn’t match your skin tone. It looks like you have a white eye.

Carol: It matches fine.

Paula: Oh, you must be Carol. I’m the one who sent over the paper work from the house so Janet could work here.

Carol: I remember.

Paula: This visit is both business and pleasure. I just came to check up on Janet and make sure that everything is going all right here at the fruit stand. Is Janet being a big help to you?

Carol: Yes, she’s a dear.

Paula: Great. Janet, how do you like the job?

Carol: Should you ask her that in front of me?

Janet: It doesn’t matter. I love it. It’s fun. I get to learn about different fruits and vegetables. Just the other day I learned what a gala apple was.

Carol: It’s Gala, dear. Gala.

Janet: Yeah, some guy threw it right at my eye.

Carol: I don’t think it was very hard though.

Janet: That’s why I have to wear the make-up. I have black eye. Carol said I should.

Carol: I didn’t say she should. I suggested it.

Paula: I see. Why did he throw an apple at you?

Janet: Because I couldn’t help him fast enough.

Carol: The truth is we get a lot of hoodlums that sneak in here around this time of the morning. I don’t know if they are getting off of some drug binge, but they like to sneak in here and create a lot of trouble for us true early morning folks.

Paula: I trust that you’ll do everything in your power to see that no harm comes to Janet. This is serious. I don’t want to have to take this job away from you.

Janet: Oh, no, Paula! Please don’t.

Paula: I’m sure it’ll be fine. Just a second here. I just have to write a few notes in my casebook. It’ll just be a second. Then we can talk . . .for a few minutes before I have to go to work. (Paula takes out a binder and writes.)

Janet: I don’t think I can bring you anymore things.

Carol: That’s fine, dear. Don’t worry about it.

Janet: He’s harvesting everything now.

Carol: Oh, that’s fine. Hon. Don’t worry about it. Don’t mention it. . .again. You’ve been so helpful.

Paula: (looking up) So Carol, now I’d like to speak to you about Janet, she’s doing all of her work and helping you around here?

Carol: Oh, yes. She’s been very helpful.

Paula: She’s done all her work?

Carol: Yes. To the T.

Paula: Then I’d like to speak with you privately please.

Carol: All right. Please excuse us, Janet.

They go around to the back of the tent. The farmer’s market has just opened and Janet stands at attention. People wander past looking at the goods. Janet smiles.

Paula: (audible from off throughout) Carol. . .you know Janet’s check gets direct deposit. .. but I do receive a copy of her stub.

Carol: (audible from off throughout) What’s this about?

Paula: She’s only been here four months, but the last three stubs have had some serious errors on them. I wanted to bring it to your attention.

Carol: I see. Let me see.

Paula: You paid her only 25 dollars even a week? You think I wouldn’t notice. How could you make an error like that and not notice. She’s here every morning for five hours. Monday through Saturday. She should be making about a 100 a week after taxes. What’s the discrepancy?

Carol: I’m sorry, I’ll have to talk to the accountant. I’m very sorry.

Paula: I have this form that says that you do the accounting. This is what you filled in on Janet’s release to work form.

Carol: I don’t understand why you are here. Janet is a bright young woman who is an adult. I think you are meddling.

Paula: Janet is more than a client, Carol. Yes you have one thing correct. Now please get this fixed right away.

Carol: I will. I am a widow to a family farm and I pay some people to run the farm. It’s very possible that one of those lazy boy’s checks got into Janet’s file.

Paula: Well please correct it, back pay Janet, and all will be fine. Got me?

Carol: Yes, ma’m. Thank you for pointing this out.

They return.

Janet: Were you two fighting about me?

Paula: Oh no. Just chatting. Just having a little chat. I came by to fill you in on some other things. The apartment I got you isn’t going to be free anymore. You will have to start paying some rent. It’s somewhat subsidized by the state, but I would like to speak with your father about possibly getting you some extra income. (looks to Carol) I don’t think this job will pay your rent.

Janet: Oh.

Paula: Do you have your backpack with you?

Janet: Yeah, it’s over by my bike.

Paula: I’ll just put this form in there for you.

Janet: You don’t have to. You don’t.

Paula: It’s no trouble.

Carol helps a customer off to the side. Janet watches intently as Paula goes to her backpack, opens it, and then looks back at Janet. Janet just stares.

Janet: Sorry.

Paula: We’ll talk about this later.

Carol: I’ve got customers, Paula. It’s going to get busy in about fifteen minutes. So do you think that you can mosey along soon? We are working.

Paula: Yes. I will be gone in under five minutes, I promise. So what else is new, Janet?

Janet: Oh. This is the best thing. I didn’t get to tell you. I’m getting married!

Paula: What?

Janet: To Michael.

Paula: You just met him. I haven’t even met him yet.

Janet: You will. You will.

Paula: I just talked to you two weeks ago and this idea wasn’t even in your head yet.

Janet: I told him everything. Yes, my father told me to and that’s when he proposed. Well a little bit before I told him-

Paula: I don’t see any ring.

Janet: Everybody keeps saying that.

Paula: Well I guess it’s not a pre-requisite for marriage, but it’s something. He didn’t give you a ring?

Janet: He gave me this band-aid. I cut myself.

Paula: I see. I’d like to have a chat with this boy.

Carol: You can. Here he comes. What happened to him?

Michael enters. He looks incredibly strung out. He has a bouquet of flowers.

Michael: For my darling.

Janet: You got me flowers!? Michael what-

Paula: Hi, I’m Paula. I’m Janet’s friend.

Carol: -and case worker.

Paula: Did you hurt yourself?

Michael: I’m Michael. Nice to meet you. It’s nothing. I work for the county volunteer fire department. There was a bad blaze in one of the farm houses on County T.

Carol: That’s over by my neighborhood. I didn’t hear anything.

Michael: A barn burned. It was relatively low key.

Paula: A bad blaze that was low key?

Michael: We were only there for about an hour. But there was a calf inside who was ambling out really slowly near the barn and I ran up to pull it away from the blaze and some glass broke out of one of the panes of the barn window.

Carol: Oh my God. You’re lucky to be alive.

Paula: Do you need stitches?

Michael: The captain didn’t think so. Looks like we’re having a little pow wow here, huh?

Carol: On company time.

Michael: I’ll be gone in just a second. I wanted to come by and thank you last night for dinner with your parents.

Janet: Your face looks bad. Are you going to be okay?

Michael: I’ll be fine.

Paula: So you two are going to be married? This is a little sudden, don’t you think?

Michael: Well by all decency standards, I guess so. But I do love Janet. (He takes her hand.)

More customers arrive.

Janet: I’m sure you two would like to talk more.

Michael: Of course.

Janet: We should all do something together today.

Michael: I-

Paula: I have my son’s basketball tournament tonight.

Michael: I’m free. We should discuss some wedding plans anyway. I will come over tonight around six?

Paula: But I’d like to take a rain check. I would. Wouldn’t you?

Michael: Of course. Any friend of Janet’s is a friend of mine.

Carol: Be careful, Michael. You might just get yourself a case worker too! (She laughs.)

Michael: That might not be half bad. Sometimes I need to get things straightened out.

Janet: Michael got accepted to Yale.

Paula: Your father went to Yale, didn’t he?

Michael: So I’ve been told.

Paula: Don’t you start school there relatively soon?

Michael: Yes, but some plans are pending. Anyway I have to run to an appointment. I miss you, babe. Talk to you later. (He kisses her on the forehead.) I don’t know if the make-up is such a good thing, hon.

Carol: It matches. It matches her face. You could use some too!

Paula: Okay. Okay. We’ve held up your business long enough. Let’s go, Michael. We can walk and talk on the way back to my car. Where’d you park?

Michael: I didn’t. I walked.

Janet: You live near here?

Michael: Yeah. . .just a few blocks away.

Paula: You don’t know where he lives?

Janet: I’ve never been there.

Michael: I’ll take you there sometime. I promise. Actually I’m really late for an appointment. I’m sorry. I’d love to talk to you Ms. Ms.

Paula: Pluckston.

Michael: Ms. Pluckston, but I have to run.

Paula: Alright it was nice meeting you.

Michael: Bye, babe. See you guys later. Nice meeting you again. (He runs off.)

Paula: Janet, promise me one thing.

Janet: What?

Paula: You will be careful. Are you sure this wedding is a good idea?

Janet: It’s what I want.

Paula: I know. But sometimes what we want isn’t good for us. Do you know what I mean?

Janet: Yeah. Like if you drink some chemical that isn’t good for you because you are thirsty.

Paula: Exactly.

Janet: Oh, guess what.

Carol: Janet, I can’t get this stuff out fast enough. Please hurry up with your conversation or-

Paula: Or what? You’ll have to start paying her more?

Janet: I finished a really big puzzle. You should come see it. Carol, gave it to me.

Paula: I will. Soon. I promise. Take care. Nice meeting you, Carol.

Carol: Nice to meet you too.