Old Friends
by Jacob Juntunen
(TYRONE sits at a table. JOHN enters, walking in a hurry downstage.)
TYRONE
John? John! Washington High? Houston? Remember?
JOHN
Hey, Tyrone, yeah, good to see you—
TYRONE
How the hell are you? What are you doing in Austin? Come on, sit down.
JOHN
I need to get to the kitchen.
TYRONE
The place is deserted—
JOHN
Gotta get ready for the dinner rush.
TYRONE
So some of your side work doesn’t get done. Sit down for a couple minutes, catch me up. You just disappeared. You showed up in class with that form, and I never saw you again.
JOHN
I had to get a final grade from each of my teachers.
TYRONE
It’s not like you needed a transcript for colleges.
JOHN
Maybe it was for that permanent record they said would destroy me.
TYRONE
Hey, are you gonna wait on me?
JOHN
I’m not a server.
TYRONE
Oh, man, they got you bussing tables? Shit, listen, my firm does a lot of parties, booking rooms for clients, you know? I could get you a server job somewhere—
JOHN
I’m happy here.
TYRONE
You ever go to community college or something?
JOHN
Some culinary school. But I dropped out of that, too.
TYRONE
Maybe if you’d finished, you’d be cooking, not bussing tables. I went to UT Austin. Environmental law. The pay’s fine, but, most important, I can sleep at night.
JOHN
So, do you run the firm or just book parties for clients?
TYRONE
Come on, sit down. Let me get you a glass of wine.
JOHN
Not during hours.
TYRONE
You worried about your boss? Just let me talk to him—
JOHN
It’s not necessary—
TYRONE
I could convince him. That’s my job now, right? Speech and debate? Everyone thought that was so stupid but, hey, extracurriculars. That’s how you get into college. How’d that band work out? You ever open for Nirvana?
JOHN
I didn’t keep in touch with anyone after I left.
TYRONE
Hey, man, don’t get down on yourself. “When I became a man, I put away childish things,” right? A cousin a mine dropped out and he’s in prison now. For possession. I bet you guys smoke up every night after closing.
JOHN
Sometimes.
TYRONE
So you’re lucky, man. Remember when you got suspended for photocopying Michelle’s dairy and passing it around? That was fucked up.
JOHN
I didn’t get suspended; I argued it was a freedom of speech issue. The principal and I just agreed I wouldn’t come to school for a few days. Nothing on my transcript. Not that it mattered.
TYRONE
I went to senior prom with Michelle. Guess you didn’t know that.
JOHN
I was in Austin by then.
TYRONE
Do you get the newsletters?
JOHN
Nah.
TYRONE
Michelle runs the listserve. Gimme your e-mail and I’ll put you on it. She’s living in Oregon now, with three kids. And, judging by her pictures on Facebook, we dodged a bullet there!
JOHN
I really need to get into the kitchen.
(TYRONE gets up)
TYRONE
Let me come back there with you. You tell your boss you’re quitting, and I’ll get you dinner and tomorrow we can talk to my boss—
JOHN
Just sit back down.
TYRONE
Hey, man, I get it. I know you feel like you can’t lose this minimum wage bullshit because it’s all you’ve got, but, come on. I know I can get you at least a secretarial position. Hell, with a little school you could do paralegal.
JOHN
You a partner or is this just talk?
TYRONE
I waited tables in my time. Summers between terms. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. We’re just on different paths, and that’s cool. It’s not a value-judgment, it’s just a fact. So here we are. A lawyer and a busboy. Let me talk to your boss, though—you’re legally required to get a ten minute break. Sit down and I’ll buy you a glass a wine. We can talk about the important things. Do you have wife, family, all that stuff. Twenty years, man! Just take a seat. If your boss is pissed off, I’ll do the talking.
JOHN
I really need to get into the kitchen, but I’ll have them send you a bottle of something. And dinner’s on the house.
TYRONE
Come on, man, I know a busboy can’t comp a dinner. I can afford it here, don’t worry.
JOHN
I’m the executive chef here. And I own a few more. Now why don’t you sit down, leave your card with the waiter, and I’ll give your boss a call tomorrow. I’ll offer him a deal on our back room for your parties. Try to help you stand out from all the other junior lawyers. And do not give Michelle my e-mail.
(JOHN exits. TYRONE sits.)
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