Clean Break
December 4th, 2020
Starring: Josiah (male, 35-45), Marie (female, 35-45)
Night, 10pm. A small downtown bistro, after closing. A tasteful, dimly lit dining room, with 8-12 tables spaced throughout. The room has been cleaned/turned over for the next day. All the chairs are flipped up onto the tables, except for a small table for two near the kitchen. Marie, still in her chef’s garb, sits across from Josiah, in slacks and a blazer. Marie is tired from a long dinner service. Josiah sits patiently, his hand resting on the base of a glass of white wine:
MARIE
Made up your mind?
JOSIAH
I’ve decided.
MARIE
So you’ve made up your mind.
JOSIAH
No, my mind’s still messy. But I’ve decided.
MARIE
Okay. Hit me with it.
JOSIAH
I’m leaving. And I need you to buy me out.
…
MARIE
Okay
Ow.
JOSIAH
What hurts?
MARIE
What you just said.
JOSIAH
The fact that I’m leaving, or the fact that you need to buy me out?
MARIE
The former.
JOSIAH
Be honest.
MARIE
I am. You’re very important to me.
JOSIAH
As long as I own a share of this restaurant.
MARIE
You’re not just money.
JOSIAH
I know that. I’m just not sure you do.
MARIE
I just said it.
JOSIAH
Because if you don’t try to end this semi-amicably, you know I might smear you. And bad press will hurt more than the buyout will.
MARIE
Really? Blackmail.
JOSIAH
It’s not blackmail, it’s reality.
MARIE
So it’s more money, then.
JOSIAH
No.
MARIE
You wouldn’t say any of that if you didn’t want something else out of this.
JOSIAH
This is why I’m leaving.
MARIE
You’re not leaving. I’m going to give you whatever you need more of to stay.
JOSIAH
You’re not getting it.
MARIE
I do get it. Jo, you can’t act like I don’t know you! You can stop with the mind games, I hear you, I see you. I see it. I know it’s been rocky, but I want to change. I need to. And I want you with me to make that change.
JOSIAH
I appreciate that. I do. But you don’t get it. You get something, but it’s the completely wrong thing to get. You’re not listening.
This is not some hidden agenda. Some master plan to squeeze more out of you. I don’t want that. I don’t want to be more in, I want to be out. I’m done. I want my share, and nothing else. A clean break.
…
MARIE
I’ll get the checkbook.
JOSIAH
Come on. You know there’s more paperwork than that.
MARIE
By dinner service Sunday, then.
JOSIAH
You got it.
…
MARIE
This shit’s going to hurt. Me, the business, everything.
JOSIAH
I know. Sometimes shit gets shitty. And you’ve done some undeniably shitty shit. But it doesn’t mean I think you’re shitty. We both know the food certainly isn’t.
MARIE
I wish that was all that mattered.
JOSIAH
In here, that is all that matters. Just not to me.
Josiah gets up and puts on his coat, hanging from on the back of his chair.
JOSIAH
Gotta put the kid to bed.
MARIE
By all means.
Josiah zips up and heads to the door.
JOSIAH
I’ll be in touch. Still.
...
Goodnight.
MARIE
‘Night.
Josiah exits the bistro. Marie sits there, left with the wine for company.