ALICE sits at a restaurant table. She is dressed in business
clothes. She appears impatient. Several beats pass.
MARIBELL walks up to the table and takes a seat.
MARIBELL
Sorry.
ALICE
Are you...
MARIBELL
Yes. Maribell. The car service was
late. And the traffic.
ALICE
So you recognized me? When you came into
the restaurant?
MARIBELL
I've seenmany photos of you. John has
three of them in his wallet.
ALICE
He does?
MARIBELL
Yes. And the boys. Adorable.
ALICE
You've seen the wallet photos?
MARIBELL
Yes.
ALICE
John has all of us, all of us framed in
oak on his desk, on his desk.
MARIBELL
I've seen that one too. You can't miss
it. It's as big as his laptop, sitting
up at attention next to his laptop. John
pecking away at his computer, throwing
glances at that photo. It's not oask, by
the way, it's maple.
ALICE
Throwing glances?
MARIBELL
Howdid you know of that framed family
photo? You've never visited John's
office?
ALICE
Why would John throw glances at the
photo?
MARIBELL
Guilt.
ALICE
John and I made love last night.
MARIBELL
I'm happy for you.
ALICE
Doesn't that bother you?
MARIBELL
you're married to him.
ALICE
You're not what I expected?
MARIBELL
What did you expect?
ALICE
John is attracted to the intellectual
type.
MARIBELL
Oh, yeah.
ALICE
Yeah.
MARIBELL
News to me.
ALICE
Looks, let's cut to the chase. You're
fucking my husband and I want it to stop.
MARIBELL
No.
ALICE
No?
MARIBELL
No, I'm not fucking your husband. Not
anymore. He fired me this morning.
ALICE
Really.
MARIBELL
Called me into his office and said it
wasn't working out. A bit of
coincidence, don't you think.
ALICE
How do yo mean?
MARIBELL
You calling me and asking to meet me for
munch. I mean out of the blue...you
never come to the office...your the
mystery wife at the office...no one ever
sees you. Everyone says your the career
obessed type....and out of the blue you
call me and ask me, secretly, to lunch.
And that morning, this morning, I get
fired. Coincidence.
ALICE
I don't know.
MARIBELL
You're a lawyer, right?
ALICE
Yes.
MARIBELL
Is this sexually harrassment?
ALICE
Is what sexual harrassment?
MARIBELL
You husband firing me. I mena, think
about it...he comes on to me, his
secretary, his employee, and we end up
fucking, as you say, almost every Tuesday
night at the Gramercy park Hotel, room
1501. Lots of dinners. This watch.
John bought me this watch for my
birthday. This goes on for five months.
And then last week I tell John that I'm
falling in love...not with John, mind
you.
I'm having this affair with someone else,
you see....and John didn't know about it.
And when I told him, he started to cry.
ALICE
John started to cry?
MARIBELL
Like a baby. Poor thing. So I gave him
one last 1501...that's what he called
it...let's do a 1501...well, anyway,
right after that, after I ghave him
everything he wanted and more, he got
cold. Very cold. Wouldn't talk to me
until this morning...when he fired me.
Harrassment, yes?
ALICE
Who's harrassing who?
MARIBELL
Really Alice, I can call you Alice? It
seems to be a classic case Listen to me,
talking about cases and law. What do I
know of such things. But that's what my
lawyer said, it's a classic case of
sexual harrassment.
ALICE
You've seen a lawyer already?
MARIBELL
Of course. Wouldn't you? After John
fired me, I just grabbed my things,
deleted a couple of important files from
the computer, just to stick him. My
lawyer says I shouldn't have done that,
but he could explain it, you know,
emoptional distress, things like that.
Left and went to a friend's office.
Funny, he's an emplyment lawyer.
Specializes in the stuff. He says I have
a classic case. Worth a lot of money.
Then I came here.
ALICE
What is it you want?
MARIBELL
You're the one who asked me to munch.
And it appears you've gotten what you
want. I am no longer fucking John. God,
I hate that word. We made love.
We had sex. All kinds. He likes things
from column A and B, if you know what I
mean.
ALICE
Are you planning to proceed with this
lawsuit?
MARIBELL
Look, I'm sure this is difficult for you.
You don't know what to say or how to
react. I mean, you're a woman, a
professional woman, and I'm certain you
have feminist ideals, you know equality
and all, equal pay for equal work and all
that other stuff...so part of you wants
me to sue John and recover the damage he
has done to me. But then, you are also a
mother, with two children and a family
and neighbors and friends and a house in
Englewood, so that side of you just wants
me to go away and disappear to protect
all of what you have, particualrly to
protect your sons. And you are also
John's wife...god knows what that
means...maybe you want to kill
John...maybe you want to kill me...maybe
you want to go through some deep denial
and foregt it ever happened. So you're
confused. But if you think about it,
this situation is nothing that money
can't solve. Money can solve so many
things. I figure, if you get rid of me
first by paying me some reasonable hefty
amount, you can then decide what to do
next, that is either get rid of John or
protect the kids, the house, the friends,
the two BMWs and that membership at the
Englewood Field Club.
ALICE
You know about the Field Club?
MARIBELL
Don't ask...it'll be too upsetting.
A waiter brings a glass of champagne.
MARIBELL (cont'd) (contíd)
Thank you. (to Alice) I ordered this on
the way in. I don't usually drink at
lunch, but I'm too upset.
Maribell chugs the entire glass of champagne.
MARIBELL (cont'd) (contíd)
I don't really have an appetite. And I
have to go to the health club to work off
this emotional stress I'm feeling. So if
you sdon't miond hgetting the champagne
I'l be on my way.
Maribell stands.
MARIBELL (cont'd) (contíd)
It was nice meeting you. Looks like a
nice restaurant. I'll have to try it
sometime.
Maribell leaves. Alice remains at her chair staring off into
nothing.
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