Oh Susie!

EP 11

INTRO

FLLOYD:                               Thunder's Mouth Theatre presents: "Oh Susie!" Episode 11 of Season 11. And yes, it does feel weird concluding a season on an odd number. But, as I'm fond of telling my students and clients, 'weird' is a great word, it means 'something I'm not used to, so I'm expanding my universe'.  We pick up where we left of at the end of Episode 10, when Susie offers herself to take up Preshanni's job as the wait staff in Mrs Patel's cafe. Her mother is not happy... enjoy

SCENE 1

MRS PATEL:                        Oh Susan, you don't want to work here? You should be doing --

SUSIE:                                   I think it would suit me just fine, Mrs Patel.  You see, I want to write, and I can't get my head around it while I'm working in an office, and

MRS PATEL:                        And you could work flexi-time here, if you really want to, we could work it out

SUSIE:                                   Oh could we?

JANEY:                                  I think we need to talk about this--OW!

HELEN:                                  Oh I'm so sorry. Did I bump you. I'm just trying to move my chair. Come on, darling. I need to check out that card shop next door, Janey, come on.

JANEY:                                  What? Really? Now.

HELEN:                                  Yes. Now. We'll be back in ten minutes!  Come on 

HELEN DRAGS JANEY OUT OF THE CAFE SO THAT SUSIE CAN TALK TO MRS PATEL.

SCENE 2 

Janey                                           Mum! What do you think you're doing?

Helen                                            Giving Susie some space to talk to Mrs Patel.

Janey                                           But she can't just leave her job, just like that!

Helen                                            She obviously left it weeks ago, Janey.  Can't you tell? That's why she's been so jumpy. She didn't want to tell us

Janey                                           Why on Earth not?

Helen                                            Because of the way you just reacted! She knew you wouldn't approve. And she probably couldn't trust me not to tell you. So she was keeping it secret from me to be on the safe side.

Janey                                           But that's ridiculous!  I don't DISaprove.  I just don't understand. It was a good job, I thought she was enjoying it.

Helen                                            Well clearly, not as much as we thought. I don't know why she's left it, but she does seem to have an idea of what she wants to do now.

Janey                                           Work in a cafe?

Helen                                            Not necessarily a cafe. But somewhere not terribly demanding, so that she can relax and enjoy her non-working time to focus on her writing.  That is what I understand, from what she was saying.

Janey                                           You think so?  You think she's really serious about writing?  I wasn't sure, but that's because she never seemed to be all that sure herself.

Helen                                            You're probably right.  But now she is sure, and she's figured out. How to do it.  For a while. 

Janey                                           She won't get paid much working in a cafe.

Helen                                            No, but Charlie's earning a good wage, and you know how they are.  They are not big spenders, either of them.

Janey                                           No, I guess not.  Oh well.... Are you going to buy anything?

Helen                                            Let's have a look. I might find the perfect birthday present.

Janey                                           Who for?

Helen                                            I have no idea.

                                                      FADE BACK TO CAFE

SCENE 3

MRS PATEL:                        Now Susan, I can't pay you very much. Just the minimum - the living wage they call it, but I know very well, it's not really any such thing.

SUSIE:                                   That's absolutely fine by me, Mrs Patel. My partner is earning a reasonable wage, just as long as I can contribute, it will be fine. But how many hours do you need?

MRS PATEL:                        As many as you feel you can do. I can manage some of the time, it's just to have extra help at the busiest times, and that means weekends. Are sure? [SMILING] Really?

SUSIE:                                   I'm more sure about this than I have been about anything for quite a while.

MRS PATEL:                        Well then, let's make up a roster. You can tell me which days you prefer,

SUSIE:                                   And you will tell me which days are important for you.

MRS PATEL:                        Indeed. Come on through to the kitchen, we'll work it out.

SUSIE:                                   Thank you so much!

MRS PATEL:                        Not at all.  Ricky!

FADE OUT

SCENE 4

 JANEY:                                 Is that it?  Do you want to buy a card as well?

HELEN:                                  Nope. Not until I know who it's for. For whom it is intended.

JANEY:                                  Oh, very proper. Well come on, I'm starving now. Good job I ordered a salad. [SHOP DOOR BELL]

HELEN:                                  Very wise of you. [[THEY ARE WALKING BACK ONTO THE STREET, AND INTO THE CAFE AS THEY TALK]

JANEY:                                  Do you think Charlie knows?

HELEN:                                  He must do.  Unless she's been pretending to go to the office every day. I very much doubt she would have put the effort into doing that.

JANEY:                                  Possibly not. Oh! Where are they?

HELEN:                                  I can see them, over in the kitchen. I'll give them a wave.

JANEY:                                  Oh yes, here they come. [THEY SIT DOWN]

MRS PATEL:                        I've asked Ricky to bring out fresh drinks for you. Did you get what you wanted next door?

HELEN:                                  Indeed I did. Did you and Susie get sorted?

MRS PATEL:                        Oh yes. I am so happy. She will start on Saturday afternoon. She's going to stay on for a while just now, so that I can take her through everything.

HELEN:                                  Wonderful!

JANEY:                                  Here she comes.

HELEN:                                  Now you watch it.

JANEY:                                  What?

HELEN:                                  You know what I mean. Give her space.

JANEY:                                  [SIGH] Darling, are you going to sit with us to finish your lunch?

MRS PATEL:                        Yes, do that Susan. Take your time.  Enjoy your family.

SUSIE:                                   Thanks...

HELEN:                                  Yum!  You're right, this Raman Dopler is absolutely delicious.

SUSIE:                                   Khaman Dokla, Gran.

MRS PATEL:                        [walking away]. I knew what she meant...

JANEY:                                  Good.  Let's eat....  And you can entertain us, by telling us how long you've been planning this.

SUSIE:                                   I haven't planned anything!

JANEY:                                  No?  Then when did you hand in your resignation?

SUSIE:                                   Oh I didn't actually resign-- [SHE STOPS]

HELEN:                                  You didn't?  So you're still working there?

SUSIE:                                   Not exactly.

JANEY:                                  Well... what exactly.  Are you, or are you not. If you didn't resign, why are you looking for another job? It doesn't make any sense.

HELEN:                                  Have to agree with your mother there, Susie.

JANEY:                                  Thank you.

HELEN:                                  You're welcome. So... what's happened. [LAUGHS] You didn't get fired, did you?

SUSIE:                                   Yes.

JANEY:                                  What!!!

HELEN:                                  What!!!  Why would my best friend, in all the world, fire you, my beautiful  , clever, kind, more or less responsible, hard working granddaughter? What did you do?

SUSIE:                                   Well...

JANEY:                                  Well?  I can't wait to hear this...

HELEN:                                  Janey...

JANEY:                                  Please tell, Susie darling. Explain. In simple terms for your dear old granny

HELEN:                                  Hey!

JANEY:                                  and your silly old mummy.

SUSIE:                                   Oh Mu-um.

HELEN:                                  Oh Susie! Come on. Spill the beans young lady.

SUSIE:                                   Ok.   Not long after I started working for Joey, for Wilkinson Baliol Publishing

JANEY:                                  Isn't it Balliol Wilkinson?

HELEN:                                  Probably. Go on.

SUSIE:                                   Well, Joey and I had a long talk, and she asked me what I really wanted to do, why did I want to work for a publishing house, and I said maybe, eventually, I'd like to try my hand at a novel, and I though it would be useful to know how the publishing business works.

HELEN:                                  Ri-ight. Although it's changed a lot lately. Self publishing is a very big thing these days.

SUSIE:                                   Yes, and maybe that works for celebrities, you know, people who are already known. But - anyway - Joey made me an offer, a sort of deal, whereby I would  work part time in the office, and write the rest of the time.

JANEY:                                  Gosh.  That was very generous of her.

SUSIE:                                   I know. And I'm very aware of being in the privileged position of being her best friend's granddaughter.

HELEN:                                  Ok. And then?

SUSIE:                                   Well, about 3 months ago, we had another long chat, and Joey read what I had written, and she like it, but she said it was taking too long, and the writing showed - she called it over-thinking. Because I keep going back and back over and over and tweaking and twiddling, and she thought I should make a big effort to move it on to a full, even very rough draft.

HELEN:                                  Good idea.

JANEY:                                  Excellent

HELEN:                                  So what went wrong with that plan?

SUSIE:                                   Oh dear.  I tried, for a couple of weeks, but I found it so hard to get back into writing anything new, when I'd come home from the office and it was just so hard. Like I was two different people, and it took ages each time to figure out which one I was at that moment - oh, it sounds so stupid.

HELEN:                                  Not so stupid. Is it, Janey? 

JANEY:                                  No. I think most people involved in kind of creative endeavour feels the same, when they have to stop and start all the time.

SUSIE:                                   That's exactly what Joey said. So she offered to fire me. If it would help. D'ye know what. I got the giggles. It was so embarrassing. But I was overwhelmed. Because it was such a generous thing of her to do.

JANEY:                                  How so, exactly.   

SUSIE:                                   She gave me the gift of taking charge of my own destiny. That's how it felt. It was a huge relief. So...

HELEN:                                  So???

SUSIE:                                   So she made me redundant. Which meant she didn't actually fire me, and I didn't actually resign.

HELEN:                                  And you got a payout, didn't you?

SUSIE:                                   Yes, not a huge one, but enough to make me feel comfortable to not have to work for a couple of months anyway. And I haven't spent it all, but now, I really feel I need something else to do. To get me out of the house. See how the other half lives, maybe. And it's not going to be demanding, intellectually, as it were...

HELEN:                                  Hmm. Don't be too sure about that.  But I know what you mean. It's very different from working in an office. Working with - for people, real people, it should give you a kick.

JANEY:                                  For a while anyway.

SUSIE:                                   Yes, Mum.  That's exactly what Charlie said.

JANEY:                                  And then we look forward to reading that first draft!

SUSIE:                                   What?  No! No way. You're not reading any drafts!

JANEY:                                  Why not?  I'm a writer, I'm sure I can be most helpful

SUSIE:                                   No, Mum, please don't

HELEN:                                  It's all right Susie. She's pulling you leg.

SUSIE:                                   Really? Mum?

JANEY:                                  Gotcha!

SUSIE:                                   Oh Mum!

JANEY AND HELEN:          Oh Susie!!!

MRS PATEL:                        Here are your coffees, and the tea, nice and hot and fresh. 

MUSIC

FLLOYD:                               That was "Oh Susie!" The finale of Season 11.  You heard Lushika Preethrajh as Mrs Patel, and me, Flloyd Kennedy as Helen, Janey and Susie.  The music is "In the Labyrinth" by John T La Barbera, and you can hear more of John's lovely music on Spotify and on Bandcamp. I'm taking a break now to get on with other stuff, probably back in the autumn with another Season of Helen's shenanigans. Please tell your friends about it, maybe they would enjoy it too! 154 episodes to listen to! And then there's our other podcast, "Baked Off! Live Laugh Loaves" with 8 episodes in total. I want to thank the Fable and Folly Network for their support, and encourage you to check out their sponsors at FableandFolly.com/sponsors. And if you'd like to join in our friendly Discord community. You just need to subscribe over at patreon.com/amIoldyet. Wishing you all a wonderful summer. Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

LUSHIKA:                              {Laugh] I'm very good with that.