True Friends

I walked into our conference room and immediately knew something was up. Hazel was sitting at the head of the table and she never came to our weekly meetings for the Glass Penny. Hazel may have recruited all of us to join this theatre but up until now she’d been very hands off (aside from providing a significant investment to the establishment of this theatre and ongoing production checks). I smiled at her and took a seat next to Zeke as we waited for the others to trickle in.

When Molly arrived she sat across the table from me and I gave her a weak smile. She responded by looking at Hazel. I don’t blame Molly for being cold to me. After the way we left things, I can understand having a cooling off period. It sucks but she’s entitled to her feelings about our friendship as much as I am. I’ve been an asshole, we both have. We need some space and I get it.

Ashley and Riley walked in with coffee, followed by Nick. They settled in and Hazel cleared her throat. In front of her was an office binder. She flipped it open.

“We need to talk budget.” She said seriously, “We’re in the red and if this continues, the theatre will not be able to last.”

She opened the binder in front of her and scanned the budgetary documents within.

“Well, we knew it would take a while to get financially solvent.” Nick said.

“The theatre hasn’t even been open for a year, yet, we need time to build up a reputation. The first season hasn’t even closed.” Ashley added.

“The investors are not confident that the theatre will start making money quickly enough for their interests to be reflected.”

A silence fell over the table. Hazel’s tone was a mixture of disappointment and doom.

“The Glass Penny needs to be in the black by the end of its second year or I will not be able to guarantee the continued monetary support of the investors.”

“What are we supposed to do? We’ve been holding events to get more donors, we’ve been extremely strategic about the season and the shows to put on. What else are we supposed to do? When you brought this to all of us, it was understood that it would take us some time to get the theatre profitable.” Zeke argued, “A year is not enough time.”

“What if we applied for non-profit status? Then the investors could write off-” Nick started.

“The investors are not interested in pouring money into more non-profit organizations. Many of my friends already have a plethora of those in their portfolios, I can tell you already that that idea will not go over well.” Hazel replied.

“So then, what? We just try to get more donors?” Ashley asked.

“I have an idea.” Hazel said.

We all waited for her to go on.

“Tucker brings in a lot of business. He has a reputation that brings in big donors. I think we should hire him to direct all the shows in the 2015 season.”

I felt everyone’s eyes move from Hazel and then slowly to me.

“No.” I said simply, “Absolutely not. Tucker is unprofessional, he puts the theatre at too much of a risk for a sexual harassment suit.”

“We can have him sign a contract stating that he-” Hazel started.

“We already had him do that and he still groped me in front of a bunch of potential donors at an event. A contract will do nothing!”

“Faith,” Riley said, “be reasonable. Tucker brings in money. We can make sure you never have to work directly with him-”

“What?” I said in a monotone, “Riley, I’d be his stage manager. How exactly am I supposed to not work directly with him?”

“We can assign you to do something else, or give you a sabbatical for the season.”

I looked at Molly desperately. She looked at the table.

“Wait…so…so first I’m sexually harassed by him at a work event and now I’M the one being punished for-”

“Wait a minute,” Riley cut me off, “you’re not being punished, I was just sugg-”

“You’re basically suggesting I be fired because I’m refusing to work with a director that groped me at work and you’re putting money over my safety and the personal well-being of our employees.” I said icily.

Zeke looked between me and Riley.

“Okay, why don’t we all just take a break and cool off for a second.” Zeke said, “We need to approach this money issue in a more long-term manner. Hiring Tucker limit’s Riley’s role here substantially, as the artistic director. Tucker will demand to choose his own shows and I’m not sure the investors will like the idea of paying someone’s salary whose role is basically obsolete. Plus, Tucker is unprofessional. Yes, he brings in a big reputation and he pulls in a lot of money, but it’s no secret that he’s difficult to work with and has a history of sleeping with female cast members. That’s not a long-term solution to our money problem. It’s short-term, at some point Tucker’s behavior will catch up with him and we don’t want to be the theatre he’s working with when that happens.”

Ashley nodded while Nick crossed his arms. Hazel tented her fingers and scanned the table with her eyes doing a very good impression of Mr. Burns from The Simpsons.

“Let’s vote on it.” Zeke suggested.

Slowly, reluctantly everyone nodded.

“Fine.” Hazel said coolly, “I vote in favor of hiring Tucker.”

Zeke was next.

“No.”

Then me.

“Absolutely not.”

Then Nick.

“Sorry, Faith, but I’m in favor.”

“Me, too.” Riley said.

Ashley was next and she was quietly staring at the table.

“No. Faith’s right. Zeke’s right.”

It was tied, three against three. The deciding vote came down to Molly. She made eye contact with me for the first time since she sat down. I looked at her desperately. She’d been silent this whole time.

“I…”

I knew Molly and I had been having a rough time but I couldn’t believe that she would vote to have Tucker work with me again.

“Seriously?” I stood up, shook my head, and walked out.

I waited in the lobby and fumed. Everyone came down the stairs and shuffled past me. Hazel stopped and sniffed.

“Well, I hold you responsible for finding a solution to making the theatre solvent by the end of the next season.”

She walked away and I was confused. Then Molly came up.

“Faith…I…I don’t know why I hesitated I was never going to vote to hire him. I am so sorry.”

I was prepared to be angry but then the wind went right out of my sails. I pulled Molly over to a bench.

“No, I’m sorry. Molly I have been such a shitty friend to you and I want to make it right. I know making up is just-”

“No, Faith, I’m sorry. I’ve been a judgmental bitch. I like Mike. I think he’s good for you and you obviously really care about him. I was just worried about you and I didn’t want you to mess things up with Mike. I’m an asshole and I’m sorry.”

We both burst into tears and hugged each other.

So. Tucker will never darken the Glass Penny’s doorstep again (hopefully) and Molly and I have made up. The world is right. But…I have to figure out a way to help the theatre bring in more money. I think it’s time to call my old work friend, Steve.