Wendy And The Butcher by Gary O. Bennett
INT. DOMBA BUTCHER SHOP LATE AFTERNOON
DEEPAK DOMBA wears a chef hat and a white butcher apron.
There is blood wiped on his white apron. He is hacking away
at a large slab of beef. To his left is WENDY WINSOME.
Wendy sports a chef hat and casual clothes. She is counting
the receipts of the day, recording information on a sheet,
and placing the money in a metal lock box. Wendy is lost in
thought. Deepak occasionally glances over at Wendy. Wendy
doesn’t notice.
DEEPAK
We have a good day today?
WENDY
No.
DEEPAK
What you mean no? I see all that money.
WENDY
You had a good day. This is your
business. This is your meat. This is
your money. You had a good day.
Deepak pauses for a brief moment to take this in, then slices
through another pice of meat.
DEEPAK
You complain?
WENDY
No. No. I just like to get the facts
right. Facts are very important and
employers like to control facts. I mean
employers in general, not necessarily
yourself. So as a worker, I like to keep
my eye on the facts. That’s what Karl
Marx said.
DEEPAK
I didn’t know you were a communist.
WENDY
Communist! Hah! That’s funny. I’m a
worker. I’m a laborer. I have no time
for political parties or elite political
theories.
DEEPAK
I don’t understand. You from
Connecticut. You just graduate from
college. This is your first job. So you
call yourself a laborer?
WENDY
Excuse me, but who owns this business?
Yes, you. You own the means of
production. I am nothing more than than
that meat cleaver or a slab of beef.
DEEPAK
Yes, but you have benefits. I give you
benefits.
WENDY
Why, so when I have an accident on the
job my hospital bills get paid, and then
you hire some new worker? Karl Marx
would have laughed at benefits.
DEEPAK
You not happy?
WENDY
Oh, I don’t understand what that means.
Happy? How can anyone decide whether
they are happy? Socrates…you know
Socrates?
DEEPAK
You think I am uneducated because I cut
meat?
WENDY
Socrates said that you cannot decide if
you are happy until you are on your
deathbed. Then you can look back on your
life and see if you like what you see.
DEEPAK
If I was on my deathbed, I do not think I
would be happy.
WENDY
No. You don’t understand. Happiness is
a braoder more meaningful concept than
some momentary feeling of joy.
DEEPAK
If I was about to die, I believe I would
be entering something that would not be
momentary.
WENDY
You don’t understand. You are thinking
like a child. The child only sees the
tree. You must strive to see the forest.
You weren’t born here, yes?
DEEPAK
No.
WENDY
Well then, now I see. They probably
don’t teach the Greeks where you come
from; which is from where?
DEEPAK
India.
WENDY
Yes. Of course. India. You study
Buddha and Nehru and the Dalai Lama and
all those guys, right?
DEEPAK
I like this Socrates. I like what he
says.
WENDY
Good. I’m glad I could introduce him to
you.
DEEPAK
But I would like to do an experiment to
see if he is right.
WENDY
You question Socrates? That’s quite
arrogant of you. I think you should
study him before you question him.
DEEPAK
If, for example, I grabbed you by the
neck and put your head down on this
cutting board and told you I would chop
you up like a piece of meat, what would
you say to that?
WENDY
Mr. Domba, it is getting late.
DEEPAK
No. No. It is not time yet. See this
table. This table would be your
deathbed. You would be on your deathbed,
yes?
WENDY
What exactly is it that you are getting
at?
DEEPAK
Then you would be able to tell me if you
are happy?
WENDY
You choose a strange hyothetical.
DEEPAK
Not strange, wendy. A moment ago you
could not answer my simple question. A
simple question. Are you happy? ou have
to give me mumbo jumbo about Socrates
after you give me mumbo jumbo about Karl
Marx. So now we see. We see if you are
happy. I put you on your deathbed and
you look back on your life and see if you
like what you see.
WENDY
Now, now, Mr. Domba, you see, Karl Marx
was right. Because of your position of
economic power over me you believe you
can use Socrates to act out some kind of
rage you have toward women. I believe
Sigmund Freud wrote about all this.
Deepak grabs her b the neck and arm and throws her on the
table. He holds the meat cleaver above her head.
DEEPAK
Are you happy?
Wendy is frozen.
DEEPAK
I said, are you happy?
Wendy takes a moment.
WENDY
Well… have to give it some thought.
DEEPAK
No thinking. You are going to die in a
few minutes. Look back. Look back on
your life. Are you happy? Do you like
what you see?
WENDY
Mr. Domba…I…I…
DEEPAK
Do you like what you see?
WENDY
I’m a virgin.
DEEPAK
What?
WENDY
I’m a virgin. Now this may not
necessarily be a primary component of
happiness, sex that is, but how can I
know if I haven’t tried it. You see? I
can’t answer your question. I can’t
answer your question.
Deepak lets Wendy go and pulls her off the table. Wendy
moves back to her place. She readjusts her chef hat, and
goes back to the metal box and the money. A long moment
passes.
WENDY (cont’d)
I think we had a good day today.
THE END.
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