Chapter 35
Breakdown
Mary grabbed a tissue and sniffled.
MARY: I don’t want to talk about it, Mr. Grant.
Lou Grant sat in silence. For some time.
MARY: I just don’t want to talk about it.
Mary blew her nose in a tissue.
Lou’s stomach began to growl.
MARY: Mr. Grant. You have to…
LOU GRANT: Don’t give me that crap, Mary. You don’t come in here looking like you slept in an alley last night, rings around your eyes, eyes which are blood shot, hair in a rout, your clothes wrinkled and looking like someone dragged you through hell and tell me that you don’t want to talk about it. I don’t go for that crap and you know it, Mary. You told Rhoda you were raped.
MARY: It wasn’t real rape…
LOU GRANT: There’s more than one kind?
Mary shook her head. Lou squirmed in his chair.
LOU GRANT: Is this… date rape?
MARY: It wasn’t a date.
Lou Grant threw his arms up in the air.
LOU GRANT: Jesus! I feel like I’m on Jeopardy.
LAUGH TRACK
Mary looked up.
LOU GRANT: You were asleep?”
Mary nodded.
LOU GRANT: Let me get this right, Mary. Rhoda tells me that this guy sneaks into your room, in the middle of the night and takes you by…
MARY: We’d done it before.
Lou’s mouth fell open. He stared at Mary for a minute in shock. Mary took another tissue from the box on the desk and blew her nose. Lou cleared his throat.
MARY: I… Mr. Grant, I’m frightened of him.
LOU GRANT: Frightened!
MARY: Frightened of him. Frightened for him. I didn’t want it to be like this. It wasn’t supposed to be like this!
For several minutes the two sat in silence: Mary whimpering and wheezing, wiping at her eyes with a tissue. Lou, stared at Mary, his mouth hanging open.
LOU GRANT: Mary, what are we talking about? It doesn’t make any sense.
MARY: I… don’t know how to…
LOU GRANT: Start at the beginning, Mary.
MARY: I’ll try, Mr. Grant.
LOU GRANT: Thank you, Mary.
LAUGH TRACK
Recent Comments