Tom Lines Radium Grils

All lines and cue lines for Tom in Radium Girls

Mrs. Fryer: Thirty five dollars and week and she quits the place

More to life than money

Mrs. Fryer: That’s what ya say when you’re young, Tom. But you’n Grace get to be my age — with a house full a yer kids underfoot. You’ll thank God for every penny ya put by

We got money put by

Mrs. Fryer: How much?

Enough to get married on

Mrs. Fryer: Don’t take much to get married on. Do ya have enough to stay married on?

You let us get married, we’ll find out [Laugh as Grace enters]

Grace: Are you still eatin’, Tommy?

It’s good.

Mrs. Fryer: You shoulda seen the man’s face, Tom, when he found out Grace wasn’t workin’ no more. Most girls would give their eyeteeth for a job like that—good money, easy work, nice-lookin’ fellas around the plant—

You didn’t tell me about them, Grace.

Mrs. Fryer: And she leaves it all behind. For reasons unknown. I’m tired of it up there, she says. Are you tired of the paychecks, I says? Who needs a paycheck she says. I got me a boyfriend to take me out on Saturdays.

She said that?

Mrs. Fryer: Office work! Well, I guess that means you’ll be spendin’ more money on clothes, then. [She takes Tom‘s empty plate and leaves]

Boy, she is really steamed at you

Grace: I don’t see what difference it makes so long as I’m workin’ somewheres.

Don’t make no difference to me. I just thought ya liked it up there. [He looks at her]

Grace: [Avoiding his gaze] Sure I like it. I worked there four years.

So? I been deliverin’ mail almost eight years. I plan to keep on deliverin’ mail another twenty or thirty. [Tapping on the table] If I’m lucky. Nothin’ like steady work and a good pension to help ya sleep at night.

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

I bet you do. [She swats at him and he grabs her] So how come ya quit, Grace?

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 have to work anywhere.

Grace: Close yer eyes. I gotta surprise for ya.

(Hoping for a kiss) Yeah? Want me to pull the shades?

Grace: Not that kinda surprise. Close yer eyes. [She retrieves two pieces of paper and puts them in front of him] Now look.

Wallpaper

Grace: For the baby’s room.

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

Grace: There’s gonna be babies eventually, Tommy.

Well, sure. But y’know, Grace, most girls—they get married before they decorate the nursery.

Grace: Plan ahead for once. Pick one.

They’re both the same.

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

This some kinda test?

Grace: No, it’s just wallpaper.

It is some kinda test.

Grace: Pick one, Tommy

That one

Grace: Really

The other one then

Grace: Which one do you like, though

They’re both nice

Grace: 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.

Grace: No it isn’t. Ya gotta pick somethin’ ya can stand to look at for twenty years.

Same way ya pick up women?

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

Okay, this one. This one, hands down.

Grace: 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?

Grace: Like…a painting studio maybe?

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

Grace: Not the kind I wanted to do. (…) 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.

Grace: Oh, the way you talk sometimes!

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

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

Sure. I’ll be whistling Dixie.

Grace: Wait’ll you come home some night all wore out. (…) And yer dinner nowhere in sight. What would ya say then?

Better be a picture of me yer paintin’

Grace: I know what ya’d say. Where’s my dinner? That’s what ya’d say! Where’s my dinner.

Well, sure. But I’d still admire the paintin’. Just want to ok at it on a full stomach is all. [He puts his arms around her]. So how’d I do? Pick the right wallpaper?

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

Stripes! Polka Dots! I don’t care! Let’s just get married, Grace! Yer plenty old enough! Tell yer Ma we ain’t waitin’ no more — we’ll just run off!

Grace: 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. [She kisses him]

Yer mouth hurt ya?

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

Well. What’s a tooth?

Kathryn: Yeah, but what gave it to her? That’s the thing. What was it from?

Tom: From dirt. You get infections from dirt.

Kathryn: You saw her, Grace.

Kathryn, if it were like you say, they’da never let you work there in the first place.

Kathryn: Honestly, Grace, you are such a ninny

Hey

Kathryn: How they gonna shut it down if they don’t know about it? EVER THINK OF THAT?

Now come on!

Grace: It’s all right, Tommy.

She’s got no business talkin’ to you that way.

Grace: She’s just upset.

Upset? She’s gone round the bend. She probably thinks they’re dumpin’ arsenic in the drinkin’ water, now. Next it’ll be they’re kidnapping babies to stroke them in the furnace.

Katheryn: Go ahead and laugh. You won’t laugh so hard when it’s you comin’ in here in six months from now askin’ after Grace.

Aw, fer cryin’ out loud.

Kathryn: Yeah? That’s how it started for Irene. Just a toothache. You wait, Grace. You wait, you’ll wake up one morning, your gums hurting so bad you won’t be able to open your mouth. So weak and sick ya won’t be able to stand up—

(Overlapping) Stop it, Kathryn.

Kathryn: The pain so bad you won’t be able to sleep. And your face so swollen you won’t be able to stand the sight of yourself—

I SAID SYOPE IT! [She gets quiet]. Grace is fine. Right, Gracie?

Clerk: Miss Young toured the plant herself. She found nothing amiss. I’m sorry. [Clerk exits]

Well. Guess we can get some lunch then

Kathryn: I’m gonna file another complaint

They already did an investigation

Kathryn: I WANNA FILE ANOTHER COMPLAINT [She turns away]

Oh brother

This concludes our program for this evening. I don’t think we have time for questions. But we hope that you will join us for light refreshments! [Crowd disperses]

You want anything?

Wiley: Good

[Tom returns with a glass of punch for Grace]

Wiley: We start by putting her on page one.

Page one? You want her to talk to the newspaper?N

Wiley: Not just one newspaper. Many, many newspapers.

Is that really necessary? All we want is for Grace to get her compensation—

Grace: Now. You wanna read some more letters?

[Enter Tom with a paper bag] They didn’t have no vanilla. So I got some chocolate.

Grace: Took you long enough

Don’t get on me. I had six people stop me on the way over here — all of ‘em reporters and all of ‘em askin’ after you

Sob Sister: Evenin’, girls! How about a picture? [Grace starts]

For the love of Mike! What’re you doin’!

Sob Sister: We need some pictures of Grace for the Graphic’s exclusive on the girls.

Exclusive? Whadda ya talkin’ about?

Sob Sister: Perhaps you’re familiar with Benarr McFadden—

Who, that faith healer?

Kathryn: Let me see

They’re serious, Grace

Grace: I don’t know

Grace. What—what does your father owe on the house?

Grace: I don’t know exactly

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

Grace: At least

Maybe we should think about this.

Sob Sister: Maybe we add some color. Everybody adds color.

It don’t sound so bad.

Grace: Course I can make my own decisions.

You’d take it if it came from the company.

Grace: The company owes us a lot more than that

If ya ever see it.

Grace: It just don’t feel right.

You’re gonna talk to the reporters anyhow. Why not get somethin’ out of it?

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

Grace. At least think about it [Grace wheels Kathryn off as Tom follows]

Lights up on Act 2 Scene 9

I’ll tell what we should have done. We shoulda took that reporter up on her offer when we had the chance. That’s what we shoulda done.

Grace: Five thousand dollars. Don’t make me laugh.

We shoulda talked her up too—cause I’ll tell ya what—they’da paid. And I’ll tell ya what else we shoulda done—

Grace: Stop tellin’ me what we shoulda done! Lot’s of things we shoulda done. It don’t do no good to think about’em now.

All right. Keep your shirt on.

Grace: What do you think? The red or blue?

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

Grace: I like the red, but it don’t fit so good these days.

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

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

It’s worth a try, don’t ya think? What if they came up to five thousand? Would ya take it then?

Grace: Let’em come up. I’m not cavin’ in…

It’s called a settlement

Grave: A settlement. It’s just a way for them to hide.

Let’em hide.

Grace: The they win

So they win. They’re gonna win anyway.

Grace: Nice you got so much confidence in me.

Grace, for Christ’s sake. You got one lawyer workin’ for nothin’—up against six other lawyers who are getting a bundle. And you think you got a chance?

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

Oh Jesus.

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

Grace—

Grace: And they want to keep it all quiet.

What’re we doin’ here, Grace?

Grace: (Overlapping). And Miss Wiley says they’re gonna close down here.

(Overlapping) Grace. Grace!

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

What are we doin’ here! I thought the ida was ya’d get some money to settle your debts—get a better doctor—and we’d get on with things.

Grace: Get on with things.

You’re still wearin’ my ring. [His words make her rise]

Grace: Oh, Tommy

[Taking her hand] Grace. There’s a house for sale in my brother’s neighborhood— two rooms up, two rooms down, not much, but it’s a start. You’ll like it. It’s already got flowered paper. And best of all— it’s only three blocks from the school.

Grace: The school? What would we need with a school?

Plan ahead for once. (Beat)

Grace: 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?

Why wouldn’t it? [A pause]

Grace: I gotta see the surgeon again.

Uh-huh

Grace: I got some fluid. He’s gonna drain it.

Okay

And then he says. There’ll be more.

So we deal with it when it comes.

(Overlapping) — 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 there’s nothing—[She stops herself]

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

[A silence][Grace takes off her ring and holds it to him] Here

Grace. Come on

Grace: Shoulda give it back to you a long time ago.

I don’t want it

Tommy. Please. Are ya gonna make me say it?

You just need to get some rest. That’s all. You’re not gettin’ enough sleep. I’ll be back to see you tomorrow—

Tommy!!

You get some sleep.

Grace: Not much of a breeze. A fine day to paint.

[Tom enters carefully, Grace sees him and continues to paint] Thought I might find you here

Grace: You were right.

Quiet up here

Grace: Yep

Well, I guess if you can rest in peace, this is the time and place to do it, huh?

Grace: I guess it is.

[Looks at the painting] What do you call that?

Grace: Watercolors. I’m a little weak when it comes to landscapes, though.

No, it’s good, Grace. It’s nice.

Grace: First thing I bought with the settlement money was paints. Got some oils, too.

Big spender.

Grace: Then I bought a car

I didn’t know you could drive