Radium Girls - Grace Fryer ACT 2

Same with the first theres gonna be errors idc

MALE SHOPPER: I’d buy my wife a fur coat and a diamond the size of new hampshire

(*Enter*) I’d use it to pay my medical bills. And pay off my second mortgage on our house. The one my father took out to pay for my last operation.

REPORTER: …for the sake of her friends and family

It hurts to smile. But I try to smile. I know if I don’t smile, I’ll go crazy.

SOB SISTER: Tell us Miss Fryer, how does it feel knowing you have so little time left

I try not to think about it

REPORTER: Don’t you just wanna punch somebody?

Oh no. That won’t do no good. I’d rather just think about.. how it’s gonna be. When justice prevails! Then I can do something nice for the folks. Maybe send em on a trip. They never did have no honeymoon

SCENE 3: After Cowboy

Look at this Kathryn! This man actually sent a picture. Ya all right Kathryn?

KATHrYN: Bleedin again

Shall I get the nurse

KATHRYN: It did this before It’ll stop

Maybe we should go

KATHRYN: No! Don’t go!

Don’t ya need to sleep?

KATHRYN: Who can sleep? I never sleep?

Well. You’ll sleep tomorrow.

KATHRYN: Yeah. Might not wake up

Course you’ll wake up

KATHRYN: Not if it don’t go well. … and she didn’t come home again..

Well, you just can’t think that way. Thats all. Look at mail, Kathryn. Miss Wiley said folks would be on our side, and she sure was right. Heres one from California-

KATHRYN: Well what if we don’t win?

Course we’ll win

KATHRYN: But what if we don’t?…How can ya stand it Grace-

Kathryn please!

KATHRYN: How can Tom stand it? Dont you ever wonder Grace? I dont ever hear him complain-

Kathryn! As soon as the judge hears our testimony, hes gonna rule for us. All they gotta do is take one look at us. It’ll be over in a day.

KATHRYN: Think so?

Sure. when they see what kind of shape we’re in. We’d be awful hard to ignore, don’t you think?

KATHRYN: That’ll be something won’t it? To see the look on Mr Roeders face, when we get to the stand?

Now. You wanna read some more letters?

TOM: They didn’t have no vanilla so I got some chocolate instead

Took you long enough.

KATHRYN: Waiting for me to die

No one is waiting for you to die

KATHRYN: Its true. One of em called…he sounded…disapointed

Try and eat a little of this. It’ll make you feel better.

SOB SISTER: …Think you could use five thousand dollars?

I don’t understand

SOB SISTER: Herbalist…All we ask is the exclusive rights to their story from here on out. See for yourself

You want to pay us? To go see Benarr McFadden?

SOB SISTER: The Graphic always does business on the up and up

I don’t know

TOM: Grace, what - what does your father owe on the house?

I don’t know exactly

TOM: And that last hospital bill? That was a couple hundred at least

At least

SOB SISTER: Of course, we’ll have to get … or otherwise-depending on how it goes

And then you print whatever you want

SOB SISTER: Miss Wiley! What’s it to her? You’re the one with the bills oi pay

Wouldn’t be right to do something like this. Without talking to Miss Wiley.

SOB SISTER: You’re a big girl Grace, Can’t you make your own decisions

Course I can make my own decisions

TOM: Ya’d take it if it came from the company

The company owes us a lot more than that

KATHRYN: Grace, maybe we should do it

It just don’t feel right

SOB SISTER: He’s right ya know!… with no hope of fulfillment in motherhood.

I’d like you to go now. My friend is tired. She needs her rest.

TOM: We shoulda took that reporter up on her offer when we had the chance

Five thousand dollars. Don’t make me laugh

TOM: We shoulda talked her up too- cause Ill tell you what, they would have payed. And i’ll tell you what else we should done-

Sop tellin me what we shoulda done. It don’t do no good to think about em now

TOM: All right. keep your shirt on

What do you think, the red or the blue?

TOM: So what’s Berry say? Is he gonna go back to the company?

I like the red but it don’t fit so good these days

TOM: Is he gonna try to talk the company up a bit?

Miss Wiley thinks another interview will do the job. So I say, what’s one more? Ya know?

TOM: It’s worth a try don’t you think? What if they came up to five thousand? would you take it?

Let ‘em come up. I’m not cavin in…

TOM: It’s called a settlement

A settlement. Its a just way for them to hide

TOM: Let em hide

Then they win

TOM: So they win. Theyre gonna win anyway.

Nice you got so much confidence in me.

TOM: Grace, for christs sake… And you think you got a chance?

Y’know what I found out today? They put lead screens in the laboratory. For the technicians. Did they give us lead screens?

TOM: Oh jesus

What d’ya think? One hundred girls in a room and they’re gonna spend that kinda money on us?

TOM: Grace-

And they wanna keep it all quiet

TOM: What are we doin here Grace?

And Miss Wiley says they’re gonna close down here

TOM: Grace. Grace!

And move across the river to New York - to open up another factory. Like nothin ever happened-

TOM: What are we doing here! I thought the idea was ya’d get some money to settle your debts - get a better doctor- and we’d get on with things.

Get on with things.

TOM: You’re still wearing my ring.

Oh Tommy.

TOM: Grace. Theres a house for sale in my brothers neighborhood. Two rooms up two rooms down, not much but its a start. You’ll like it. It’s already got flowered wallpaper. And best of all, its only three blocks from the school.

The school? What do we need with a school?

TOM: Plan ahead for once.

Tommy. What do you think is going to happen? After all this is over. D’ya think everything will just go back to the way it was?

TOM: Why wouldn’t it?

I gotta see the surgeon again

TOM: Uh-huh

I got some fluid. He’s gonna drain it

TOM: Okay

And then he says. There’ll be more

TOM: So we deal with it when it comes.

\-AND STILL MORE! and then more and still more - why can’t you see that? How can you talk about buying houses and getting married when you know theres nothing-

TOM: Grace. I can’t think about that right now. I just want for us to be together now. I want to come home tp you at night. To be my wife - my home. I’m too old to be living like this - this In between life. I promise Grace I’ll do whatever it takes to make it easy for you.

(*Take off ring and hold it out*) Here.

TOM: Grace come on

I shoulda gave it back to you a long time ago

TOM: I don’t want it.

Tommy. Please, are you gonna make me say it?

TOM: You just need to get some rest…I’ll be back to see you tomorrow…

Tommy!

TOM: You get some sleep-

Tommy. Tommy! Don’t you do this to me. TOMMY!

SCENE 11 OPEN

(*Asleep*) Mmmm. Tommy! Please!

CURIE: Rise and shine!

Madame Curie?

CURIE: Time for work!

Oh am I late? I set the alarm

CURIE: We have 5 thousand dials to paint before breakfast. Up up up its all for the war effort!

Please I’m so very tired

CURIE: No cpmplaining! Good soliders don’t complain

But i’m dying

IRENE: Get up Grace!

Irene!

KATHRYN: Get up sleepyhead! You’ll never make quota like this!

It’s not fair! I’m only twenty-six. I should be married by now. I should have children. My own home

CURIE: We all have to make sacrifices sometimes

IRENE: I know I did

But why? Why do we have to make sacrifices?

KATHRYN: Its all for science, Grace.

CURIE: Science! Family! Every life is sacrificed to something! Just a matter of choosing which

I didn’t choose! I didn’t have no choice!

KATHRYN: Sure ya did Grace, Sure ya did

Kathryn! Don’t do that! (*KATHRYN spits blood*) Kathryn?

IRENE: Oh now look wgat you did Grace! Shes bleeding all over the dials

I’m sorry Kathryn, I guess I shouldn’t have said anything

(*GRACE wakes up*)

Huh?

MRS FRYER: (*off*) Grace?

Mama.

MRS FRYER: Grace? Mr Markely will be here any minute

Mr Markley?

MRS: FRYER: He’s bringing the papers for you to sign. Did you fall asleep?

Has Miss Wiley been by?

MRS. FRYER: Miss Wiley?

About Kathryn. She told me she might stop by. Did she come by?

MRS. FRYER: She might have.

Don’t you know?

MRS. FRYER: Someone came to the door a while ago - I think your brother answered it. Look Grace ya gotta get ready

They took Kathryn back to the hospital last night-

MRS. FRYER: I know dear I know. After ya talk to Mr Markley, we’ll go over there and see how she is. Now, put a comb through that hair.

I dreamt she died

MRS. FRYER: Grace, don’t speak such things

If she dies, its over.

MRS. FRYER: We’re three months behind on the mortgage

I know that

MRS. FRYER: Ya can’t let this go on

Fifteen hundred dollars. Not even a years wages

MRS. FRYER: Well its better than nothing isn’t it?

Is that all I’m worth? Better than nothing?

MRS. FRYER: Of course not sweetheart. But we gotta be realistic. at the rate things are going you’ll never get inside that courtroom. And even if ya do- you can’t prove nothin

Mr. Berry thinks we can

MRS. FRYER: Mr. Berry ain’t payin the bills. There’s the doctor… to treat us like charity just because you’re sick

Not askin for charity, Ma. I just want what’s owed to me

MRS. FRYER: Grace, I know it feels like your… whatever is left- you and Tom can have. A little something to get ya started

There’s nothing to start, Ma.

MRS. FRYER: Why do ya have to be so hard on Tommy?

Ma, please don’t

MRS. FRYER: Can’t ya see, he just can’t face the thought of you not bein here with us?

I have to face it. Why can’t he?

MRS. FRYER: Do something witb yer hair Grace.

(MRS FRYER exits) Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. What would you do with Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars Miss Fryer? (Laughs bitterly) Why I can’t imagine it. (Silence) No point to it. Ma! You didn’t tell me I had mail. New Mexico. Huh. They just keep writing. She was here. Miss Wiley was here! Ma! Ma! Miss wily was here this morning! She left me a note-

MARKLEY: Miss Fryer, Edward MARKLEY.

Ma said you brought papers

MRS FRYER: No, No we’ll do this now.

What’s “hold harmless”?

MARKLEY: you agree to hold the company harmless against any further actions

No more lawsuits

MARKLEY: Correct

Is that just me or anybody in my family?

MARKELY: your entire familyZ it precludes a wrongful death action also

This is a confidential statement

MARKLEY: yes

You didn’t say nothing about it being confidential

MARKLEY: Need a pen?

I have another question

mRS FRYER: Grace, Mr Markley already exolained the settlement to you

Ma.

MARKLEY: I don’t mind

What is contributory negligence, Mr Markley? It’s not in that one. It was in them other papers. That you filed. When we did the lawsuit. The radiuk company said its defense was the statutue of limitations and contributory negligence.

MARKLEY: I’m not sure what your asking Miss Fryer.

It means its our fault, don’t it?

MARKLEY: Its a standard defense Miss Fryer, I wouldnt take it personally

How else can I take it?

MRS FRYER: Mr Markley, Grace has had an awful headache all day. Maybe you could leave the papers-

Maybe he can just answer the question.

MRS FRYER: Why are you doing this?

Why didn’t you tell me Miss Wiley was here?

MRS FRYER: You already made up your mind. She’d only try to talk you out of it.

What did she say about Kathryn