Missed

MISSED

Sally Snow (Older conservative office worker)

Larry Woo (Young Asian professional)

A cluttered office suite in a downtown building. The space has not been updated in decades, a mix of very old and not so new. Files are stacked in every corner. A large wooden desk sits in the center. It is a few years ago, in the late afternoon.

Sally enters, carrying empty boxes. Larry follows, with cables and tools

Larry Woo, is that your name? Well, Larry, Woo, I still don’t see why I have to give up my office for the ET department! I have been in this office for almost twenty years.

It’s I.T., not ET, Miss Snow, and com’on, change is good for you. You’re just moving one floor down, to a newly renovated area. It’s going to be a fun experience.

Fun! I am here to work, not have fun.

And with Mr. Wallace working from home there days, there’s really no need to let his office sit empty either. In a few weeks, I’ll have these two offices full of network servers and cables, connecting the entire company!

Well Larry Woo, you can just take those computers and use them your selves. I have no interest in them. This old typewriter suits me just fine. (Pats it) Although it is hard finding ribbons for it these days.

Whatever you say. (Looks at nameplate)…Sally

(Holds up nameplate) Sally Snow, Executive Secretary to Mr. Wallace.

Well Sally Snow, we should have brought a few more boxes to dump all this paperwork in, or a few trash bins. Do you really need to keep all this paperwork?

This paperwork is all organized in neat piles. You, of all people, should understand the need for organization. That’s the Mr. Wallace method, and it works for me, as well. Has been for 20 years. This is all original paperwork. There are n other copies anywhere.

Why don’t we pack it all up and send it down to the imaging department. The can take these two entire rooms of paperwork and put it all on a single computer disk.

What if Mr. Wallace wanted to see something? Where would he find it?

Well, he would have a copy of this new disk, and you would have a copy of this new disk. You would scan look through the electronic file manager on your computer… (Sally glares at her)...and pull up the files image…not a good idea... (Sally shakes her head)

No, it is not…you can start packing those files there; they’ve been there for so long, must be yellowed with age…

OK… (Picks up files from the desk to reveal an old machine) You have a Philco 2100X?

A what?

A Philco 2100X. An old telephone recording machine. We studied these in technical school. It records on a flat metal disk with a needle and metal filings. I’ll bet it’s hooked to an analog telephone line... (Looks)…yep. It would kick on at night and record messages, moving the oldest one to the end. Pretty advanced for its time. Only it erased the message right after you played it back.

Oh that thing. That never ran very well, and then one day, it just quit working. I forgot all about it.

Did you ever try to get it fixed?

I might have. It hasn’t worked in years now.

Did Mr. Wallace ever give out the telephone number?

It was printed on his business card. Still is. Oh well. Another wasted piece of machinery. No use for it.

I bet the analog phone line still works after all these years. I never saw it on any office floor plan, though. Well, you’ll use voice mail in your new workspace. We can donate this machine to a…museum…

Voice mail? Not me. I like to see or hear the person I am doing business with! (Larry picks up a stack of files) Careful with those files, I’ll move them myself…no!

Oh, sorry…what are all these newspaper clippings?

I said, I will move them! Not your concern!

Here. (Clipping drops out) Sorry. (Looks at clipping) Who is this little girl? Elizabeth Wallace?

You shouldn’t have seen…that is Mr. Wallace’s…daughter.

Daughter? He never mentioned a daughter, and I know about him pretty well…or I thought I did. (Reads) “Elizabeth Wallace, age seven, disappears in City Park. Father Distraught” Why, that’s just terrible! First his wife walks out, and then, this!

How do you…Diane? What does that woman have to do with…? (Regains composure) …it broke our Mr. Wallace’s heart. Why would a seven year old girl just…runaway? She would never do that. She was always so happy. Different than the other children. She went to a school with others like her.

Maybe the girl was …kidnapped…Mr. Wallace has a lot of money. Anyone-

We never asked the police for help. Mr. Wallace thought it was a private matter.

But they could have helped-

No ransom letter, no, that wasn’t it. Roger would have given away his entire fortune for his daughter. He cared for her so much…and I did too. I always watched out for her like she was…my own. I even had one of Roger’s business cards sewn into her winter coat, so if she got lost, someone would bring her home. It happened a few times. Close to the house.

Really?

Elizabeth would lose her way and get confused, but before you knew it, she was back at home. The neighbors were so kind, always kept an eye on her. Then this happened. The entire neighborhood looked for her, searched for her, for days, weeks! Put up signs, passed out flyers

She would be about twelve years old now.

…I kept every news article, every clipping…

I see.

Roger was never the same after that. Eventually, I took all the pictures of Elizabeth out of his office, and I went to the house and removed all her clothes and toys, anything that would remind him of his little girl.

(Thinking) Never a clue? You’d think someone would have seen her, noticed something. This is a pretty small town. Or if she was kidnapped, a ransom note, or a telephone call…

No! (Sighs) That’s all in the past. Let’s move ahead. Maybe it’s best that Mr. Wallace and I get out of these offices. Too many bad memories. Too many emotions. You go ahead, and replace us with your computers, they don’t thnk or feel.

I’m sorry I brought it up, Sally. Let’s keep cleaning and packing… (Pokes behind a pile of files) Well, look, at this. A box of supplies!

We’ll need them, keep them. Don’t waste.

I don’t think you’ll get much use out of these…pencil sharpener…typewriter ribbons…carbon paper…

All useless nowadays. I’m going to check. Rog - Mr. Wallace’s office, to see what should be sent to the home. Call out if you need me. (She goes into other office)

OK. (Returns to packing, stops, goes back to machine) Well, I just wonder… (Taps it)…You didn’t just stop working… (Takes out screwdriver and quickly opens the top)The needle is jammed! Just a little push and it should be fine…

(Off) Larry Woo? Come in here and pull this wire from the wall. I am not touching it!

OK (goes to door, glances at machine, and leaves) (off) It’s nothing, just an old cable…we’ll pull out all that when we gut the place…let me help you with that box… (The machine starts to whir and click)

(Off) Thank you, Larry. (Suddenly the machine comes to life. We hear the sounds of traffic and scuffling in the background then an obviously disturbed female voice)

Roger…this is Diane…one last time…I don’t understand why you don’t return my calls, don’t you even care about… (Scuffling) …well, take a good listen to this, because you will never hear it again! (More scuffling, then the voice of a crying girl) Daddy! Aunt Sally! Please help me-

(The message is replaced by a dial tome, as Larry steps into the doorway)

The end