Off-track on Day 41

Well this is a conversation that just took off on its own. Really off target for the play but perhaps an idea/character for another work someday. Anyway it's what came out today. It's context is a continuation of the previous scene.


Conversations

Anne: Surely, you can see the difference between trying to help some girls who are being forced to have sex and blowing up people up.

Jeanette: Did you ever have a job Anne?

Anne: Sure. I used to do public relations.

Jeanette: Were you forced to take that job?

Anne: No.

Jeanette: Why don't you still have it.

Anne: Well, after the kids were born . . .

Jeanette: Didn't you have to feed and house them?

Anne: Well of course.

Matt: I earned enough . . .

Jeanette: So work for her was voluntary, yes?

Anne: Well, then yes.

Jeanette: And you Matt? You could work or not as you please?

Matt: I wish. I do alright. Well enough to be here, but it doesn't last forever, if I don't get back to work things would come unstuck pretty fast.

Jeanette: And so if someone were to try to free you from your job?

Anne: Oh now you're being silly.

Jeanette: Anybody here working for the love of it?

Matt: I like my work.

Jeanette: If you won the lottery tomorrow you'd keep working?

Anne: It's not the same. You can't claim these women want to be prostitutes.

Jeanette: They want to eat and have a roof over their head. It pays quite well—more than Marie here makes, or Steve. Do they want to be prostitutes? Did Steve want to be a waiter? Apparently not. When Monsieur told him to make a choice in his life he did not choose to come to work, he chose to “free” someone else from their job. I wonder if he will pay them for their lost time?

Steve: It was midday, I don't think there were any customers, well I guess one, which is why I got arrested.

Celeste: It's never good to interfere in police business.

Jeanette: Steve, you didn't? Oh my, and I wasn't attacking you when you walked in I was defending

Anne: Defending? Defending what? The right to prostitution?

Jeanette: The prostitution—it is the selling of oneself right? That's called a job bitch. It's what you've got, understand? You give Matt here what he wants and you don't have to sell yourself to anyone else. So don't play the virtuous saint for me.

Anne: What? I never said I was virtuous. Jeanette, I just don't want to see any woman

Jeanette: Bullshit. You don't care what they do or what happens to them. But you like to believe that is would be virtuous to care. So every now and then you rescue someone. It's no different than arresting them. You rescue them, tell them what they do is evil and they can't do it anymore and then when they tire of earning a tenth of what they did scrubbing your toilet and go back to the street you wring your hands and shake your head.