22: A Sex Offender Moves Into the Neighborhood

The home of Mildred Pierce. Mid-afternoon. Wendy Pierce, her daughter, sits reading a romance novel: Hearts A Burning. The doorbell rings. Wendy is startled, puts the book down, and runs up the staircase. The doorbell rings again. Mildred enters. Her hair is in a tight bun, yet her face is worn with age. Her clothes are well-maintained, but her skirt has a tiny tear in it. She stops before she gets to the door and looks at the book that Wendy put down. She shakes her head in response and goes to the door. She breathes a sigh, tightens up and opens the door. Her friend Katherine is there.

Mildred: What do you want?

Katherine: Did you get your paper yet?

Mildred: No, why?

Katherine: Take a look.

Mildred: (reading) Charles Ozgood, has just moved into 2323 Pine Lane. Who is this? This Charles Ozgood.

Katherine: Keep reading.

Mildred: A convicted level 2 sex offender, (gasps) Charles Ozgood was released from prison. . .(stops) A sex offender is moving into the neighborhood!

Katherine: Yeah and they sent US the letter about it the same day.

Mildred: This is an outrage.

Wendy: (from upstairs) Mother, who is it?

Mildred: Wendy, it’s not okay to come down. There is a sex offender in the neighborhood.

Wendy: Oh God! (A door slams above.)

Mildred: My dear Katherine, what are we going to do about this?

Wendy: I don’t know what to do. Lock our doors. Get three locks.

Mildred: The real question is how can a sex offender afford to live . . . well, here. In this neighborhood?

Katherine: I have no idea, but you can trust me that me and the pinnacle girls are gonna go march on city hall for this.

Mildred: Count me in.

Katherine: Good. I wanted to get you on our side, Mildred.

Mildred: Always a pleasure to be a do-gooder.

Katherine: Don’t fret. We’ll get him out of here.

Mildred: I hope so.

Katherine: I gotta run though, I have a pie in the oven back home. I just wanted to pop over with a bit of this news.

Mildred: Thanks for popping in. I’ll call you later.

Katherine: Sure, the girls and I were thinking of instead of playing cards, that we get the guy out of here at this week’s pinnacle party. What do you think?

Mildred: Well we should at least come up with a plan for getting him out of here.

Katherine: We will.

Mildred: Can I ask you one more question?

Katherine: I don’t know can you?

Mildred: What makes him level 2?

Katherine: Convicted of sexual assault and rape. . .

Mildred: Oh dear.

Katherine: And here’s the bad part. . .with younger woman.

Mildred: Wendy! You are never coming down from there.

Wendy: (from up) I don’t want to!

Katherine: But I wouldn’t let your guard down, Mildred. I wouldn’t. I’m not going to. Just because I’m older doesn’t mean I’m immune to his –well- his perverted advances.

Mildred: Oh, I know.

Katherine: Those perverts will do it with anyone, wherever, whenever, nobody is safe until he’s gone or DEAD.

Mildred: Here. Here. Sister.

Katherine: But I’m sure burning my pie now. I gotta run, but remember, we’ll meet about this soon.

Mildred: Oh, I won’t forget. Lock your doors, dear.

Katherine: I will. Lock all your locks. . .(counting, then giving up) All of these here.

Mildred: I will. Good luck with your pie.

Katherine: Thanks, dear. Have a good afternoon.

Mildred: As good as I can with this news. See you. (She closes the door.) Wendy! Wendy!

Wendy: What?

Mildred: Come down here. We have to talk.

Wendy: I don’t want to.

Mildred: She left. Come down.

Wendy: Is it safe?

Mildred: For the time being.

Wendy: (appearing on the stairs like a lamb being stalked by wolves) Okay. (she starts to come down)

Mildred: Wendy, I don’t want you sitting on the porch reading that filth anymore. I don’t want you to go outside without my permission or unless you are being escorted by Paul.

Wendy: I don’t want to anyway.

Mildred: Good. Look at this.

Wendy: It says he moved in today!

Mildred: Yeah, apparently.

Wendy: Mother, I just want to read my book. Can we talk about this later? I don’t want to feel scared this afternoon.

Mildred: I don’t like you reading that filth. I won’t even call it a novel.

Wendy: Oh blah-

The doorbell.

Mildred: Get upstairs.

Wendy: What if it’s him?

Mildred: Exactly, so scoot your butt! Leave the book down here.

Wendy bolts up the stairs. Mildred fixes her hair in a mirror and then goes to the door. She opens it and Paul stands there.

Paul: Good Afternoon, Mrs. Pierce.

Mildred: Oh, hello, Paul. How are you this day?

Paul: I’m good. And yourself?

Mildred: Oh please come in so I can shut the door. Apparently there’s a sex offender moving into the neighborhood.

Paul: Really? Is that why Wendy’s upstairs?

Mildred: Partially. We didn’t know if you’d be him.

Paul: Well I haven’t been convicted yet. (He laughs alone.)

Mildred: That is nothing to joke about, Mr. Townsend.

Paul: Yeah. I’m sorry. Can I speak to Wendy?

Mildred: Yes. But you could you do it upstairs? It’s safer for Wendy to be in her room when there is a sex offender on the loose.

Paul: You’ll allow me to go into her room?

Mildred: No. No. I guess that wouldn’t be good either. Wendy! Wendy!

Wendy: Is it him? Is it?

Mildred: No, it’s your fiancée!

Wendy: (rushing) Oh Thank God.

Mildred: Wendy! I don’t want you to ever run down the stairs like that again.

Paul and Wendy hug.

Wendy: Sorry, mother.

Paul: Sorry, Mrs. Pierce.

Mildred: No need to be sorry.

Paul: Mrs. Pierce.

Mildred: Yes?

Paul: May I have your permission to be alone with Wendy to discuss something with her?

Mildred: Only if you stay down here in the living room and I’ll pull the curtains up . . .

Paul: Do you think that’s wise? Maybe that offender will see that Wendy lives here.

Mildred: True. I’ll give you five minutes. I’ll be in the kitchen. Call if you need me.

Paul: We will.

Mildred exits.

Wendy: Paul, what brings you over this afternoon?

Paul: I want to talk to you about seeing a marriage counselor.

Wendy: What?

Paul: I think it’s important for us.

Wendy: Why?

Paul: I don’t know if you were mentally present for what just happened, but I think you and your mother are over-reacting about this sex offender thing.

Wendy: Over-reacting?! Here’s the newspaper article! He moved in today!

Paul: So? He went to jail and was released on good behavior!

Wendy: So?

Paul: Anyway, Charles Ozgood is not why I came over here. I came over to discuss you. (seeing book) Hearts A Flame? Come on, Wendy.

Wendy: What?

Paul: Don’t you think that you are a bit . . . sheltered?

Wendy: No. Not at all.

Paul: You can’t even go outside by yourself.

Wendy: Yes, I can. I go on the porch all the time.

Paul: How old are you Wendy?

Wendy: Twenty-five.

Paul: And you have never lived on your own. Never gone anywhere substantial.

Wendy: I have to! We just went out to dinner.

Paul: We didn’t finish. We had to come back here.

Wendy: Are you trying to change me?

Paul: No. I’m just trying to tell you that there is more world out there to enjoy.

Wendy: I don’t want to enjoy it.

Paul: That is so anti-healthy, I can’t even begin to describe how anti-healthy that is.

Wendy: Paul. This is who I am.

Paul: Can you just try counseling with me?

Wendy: But the counselor will be there.

Paul: Yeah, so what?

Wendy: I don’t know what to say to her or him or whatever.

Paul: You just talk. Like you are talking to me. Like you talk to Janet. Like you talk to Mil- your mother.

Wendy: But those are easy. I trust you guys.

Paul: You have to start trusting other people if you want to lead a successful life.

Wendy: I think I do.

Paul: Lead a successful life?

Wendy: Yes.

Paul: I can’t lead this kind of life, Wendy. I can’t.

Wendy: Fine. Fine. . . I’ll try it.

Paul: Oh thank god.

The doorbell rings.

Wendy: I gotta go. (She bolts up the stairs. Mildred enters frantically)

Mildred: It’s him. I know it its him.

Paul: Yeah. Yeah. (He sits and picks up the book.)

Mildred: I’m trying to see out the window, but I can’t quite see. . .but it’s a boy. Oh God it’s a boy! (She rushes to the door and opens it.) Hello?

Boy: Hi. Have you accepted Jesus Christ into your life?

Mildred: Don’t you see. Don’t you see? There is a sex offender in this neighborhood. Go home. Lock your doors. Don’t stay out.

Boy: Are you serious?

Mildred: Yes. Go. Go. God be with you.

Boy: Oh no. (The boy goes running down the street.)

Mildred: Go the other way. The OTHER way. He lives down there! 2323 Pine Lane. Steer Clear of 2323 PINE LANE!

Paul: Oh Jesus.

Mildred: (shutting the door) What?

Paul: Oh, I don’t know. This hysteria. It’s too much.

Mildred: I know. Isn’t it? We’ve got to stay safe. We’ve got to protect ourselves from the crazies of this world!

Paul: Yes. Yes, we do.