Radium Girls

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So much light…daylight. All the time. And on sunny days-you almost felt like you were sitting outside. It was that bright.

That surprised you Grace?

It was a factory. I thought it would be dark. And dirty.

Then why go to work there?

I was fifteen. It was time I paid my own way.

Pay your own way? What about school?

Oh, I didn’t miss it so much. The girls were all so nice and the work wasn’t hard. It wasn’t like factory work, really. It was more like art, painting those dials. We were artists.

We all knew about it. We just didn’t realize what it meant.

Irene?

In here!

Irene? What are you doing?

Amelia’s workin’ inspection today.

Is that bad?

Boo! Like the Cheshire Cat! (Irene and Kathryn laugh)

Ooooh! Won’t that make her mad?

That’s half the fun.

I don’t want to make her mad.

Oh Grace! Do you have to be that way about everything?

What way?

…Can’t be bothered to talk to nobody either. You say “Amelia! What’s new?” She just looks at ya funny.

I don’t think she can speak much English.

Oops

Mrs. Macneil!

You understand why? Why they work so hard? What we are all working for?

The war?

Well, you’re playing into the hands of the Kaiser. And we don’t want that, do we?

No sir (mumbled agreement)

So let’s get back to work now and leave the tom foolery to home. (Grace lingers)

Mr. Roder? I just-I wanted to say, I-I am sorry. I won’t do nothin like this ever again.

Grace! Over here!

Irene! Look! I got my certificate. Member, Marie Curie Radium Club!

You gave a dollar?

It’s all for science!

Science! What about my room and board!

Oooh! There she is!

Orchids. I know an orchid when I see one. Purple orchids. Oh, and that smell. Grace that smell. What was that smell, it was like, like-

Flowers?

Those were mums.

Well it sounds like a nice service anyhow.

I’ve received new instructions this day. We’re going back to the old way of pointin’ the bushes. We was losin’ too much paint in the cloth.

But-

Yes Grace? Something you wish to say?

Dr. Von Sochocky told me not to do that. He said it’s-unsanitary.

Unsanitary? Well, I can’t hardly believe he’d say such a thing. We’ve done this as long as I’ve been here. Ya must’ve misunderstood him.

Yes ma’am.

Here’s an instruction for you, MacNeil: Let some of the starch outta yer corset (Kathryn laughs)

Was she at the service?

Most everybody else was though. You was about the only girl from the floor who wasn’t there.

I wanted to come. But Ma was workin’ and I had to watch the little uns.

Ya coulda brought them.

All seven?

Just lay off. Grace feels bad as it is.

Were many of the fellas there?

Grace you know that fella from crystalizing, what’s his name, the one with the red hair? He was there. Yknow who I mean?

Oh! The tall fella with the freckles?

That’s the one who snaps his fingers all the time.

George!

When the mass was over, he goes over to the coffin and he goes like this like this he goes-

No!

Yes!

Really?

(Squeal excitedly after Kathryn says really)

So what? He was in love with her, that’s so what. Don’t you think so Grace?

Well I guess he had to be. If he did that.

And now it’s too late. It’s too late, their love is forever thwarted. He didn’t tell her, and he’ll never get a chance ever again.

(Reflect for a moment) Poor Amelia

And y’know why too

Cause their daughter had died

It’s not a story. Albina told us. No reason Grace shouldn’t know.

Know what? Know what? (Kathryn whispers) Amelia?

All because Amelia upped and died from syphilis.

Sh!

I can’t help it if that’s what she died from!

You don’t know that for sure.

Amemia and complications from syphilis

But Amelia was ever so nice.

Guess she got around more than we knew

Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe the doctor got it wrong.

Come on.

He could’ve got it wrong. Doctors are wrong sometimes.

That’s back to work with you girls (They exit)

You gonna do it Kathryn? You gonna take that job?

Would you Grace? Would you go to Connecticut?

Oh, I don’t know. That’s awful far from home. Tommy would have a fit!

Oh come on Grace it’d be fun. Won’t it be fun Irene! Irene?

Irene? Honey, you alright?

Huh? Yeah, sure. Why wouldn’t I be all right? (Study her) What?

Your mouth is bleeding.

You let us get married; we’ll find out. (Tom laughs)

Are you still eatin’, Tommy?

It’s good

(Take plate) You’re going to get fat.

Gotta keep up his strength. He works hard for his money.

Don’t start, Ma

I didn’t say nothin. It’s your father who hit the roof over it.

He didn’t hit the roof.

You didn’t tell me about them, Grace.

Wasn’t that many of ‘em. Hardly seemed worth the mention.

She said that?

Oh you know I didn’t. And for your information, I got a job. I start at the bank on Monday.

Oh yeah, the bank! And what’s it pay?

Enough.

You know what that means Tom. It don’t come close to what it pays up at the radium plant.

It’s office work.

Boy she is really steamed at you.

I don’t see what difference it makes so long as I’m working somewheres.

Don’t make no difference to me. I just thought ya liked it up there.

(Avoid gaze) Sure I liked it. I worked there four years.

If I’m lucky. Nothin like steady work and a good pension to help ya sleep at night.

I don’t have a pension, and I sleep just fine.

So how come ya quit, Grace?

Lots of girls are quittin’. Work is slow. Besides, since Irene left, it’s just not as much fun. And wouldn’t ya rather have a girlfriend who works in a bank?

Not as much as I’d like to have a wife who don’t work anywhere.

Close yer eyes. I gotta suprise for ya.

Yeah? Want me to pull the shades?

Not that kinda suprise. Close yer eyes. (Pull paper) Now look.

Wallpaper.

For the baby’s room.

Baby’s room. Ya won’t kiss me and you’re talkin about babies?

There’s gonna be babies eventually, Tommy.

Well, sure but you know Grace most girls they get married before they decorate the nursery.

Plan ahead for once. Pick one.

They’re both the same.

No they’re not. This one has big flowers, and that one has little flowers. So pick one.

This some kinda test?

No. It’s just wallpaper.

It is some kinda test

Pick one, Tommy

That one.

Really?

The other one then.

Which do you like though?

They’re both nice.

This one is pretty, don’t you think.

That one then.

But I want you to like it, too

If you like it, I’ll like it. Wallpaper is wallpaper

No it isn’t. Ya gotta pick something you can stand to look at for twenty years.

Same way ya pick women?

Keep it up smarty pants. You won’t never get that kiss.

Okay, this one. This one, hands down.

I like it too. A nice neutral yellow goes with either a boy or a girl. And until the baby comes, ya can use the room for other things.

Yeah? Like what?

Like… a painting studio, maybe?

A painting studio maybe? Didn’t you get enough of painting at work?

Not the kind I wanted to do. Tommy. I used to paint watercolors at school…and ever since I went to work, I don’t have no time. What with watchin’ the kids, and helpin’ Ma…once we get married, I just want some time…just a little time to myself. So’s I can do watercolors. Or oils maybe. Maybe portraits, in oil. I could paint yer picture if ya like.

Why not? Paint a big picture of me and we’ll hang it in the outhouse. All our friends will come round just to use the can, so’s they can look at it.

Oh, the way you talk sometimes!

Aw Grace. Ya wanna paint pictures. Paint pictures. I ain’t gonna stop ya.

You say that now, Tommy. But once we’re married- you’ll change your tune.

Sure, I’ll be whistling Dixie.

Wait’ll you come home some night all wore out. Some Christmas maybe, when every customer on yer route’s had 3 times the mail. And maybe some dog took after ya. And some old lady kept ya waitin on her stoop, tellin ya all about her grandchildren. And you wouldn’t have the heart to tell her ya can’t talk-I know you. So ya come home all crankly and late besides. Hungry-wantin yer dinner. And there I am, with easel set up in the kitchen, and a drop cloth on the floor, my paints all over the table. And yer dinner nowhere in sight. What would you say then?

So how’d I do? Pick the right wallpaper?

I don’t know. Maybe I”ll go look at stripes.

Yer plenty old enough! Tell yer Ma we ain’t waitin no more. We’ll just run off!

Tommy! We are not runnin off. We’re gonna do it right. A nice church weddin with flowers and music. And then a week at the seashore. Just us! And after that, we get set up in our own place. You’ll see. It’ll be worth the wait. (Kiss)

Yer mouth hurt ya?

Yeah. The dentist wants to pull another tooth. In the back.