Kathleen: Meanness, let me tell you something about meanness…
Joe: Don’t misunderstand me. I’m just trying to pay you a compliment.
Kathleen: Oh, oh, why are you touching that? What are you doing?
Joe: Is this a red rose? No, you know it’s a crimson rose. Something you read about in a book, no doubt.
Kathleen: It’s funny to you, isn’t it? Everything is a joke to you. Please leave. Please, please leave, I beg you.... Thank you.
Joe: You know what that hanky reminds me of?
Kathleen: Hmm…
Joe: The first day I met you.
Kathleen: The first day you lied to me.
Joe: I didn’t lie to you.
Kathleen: You did too.
Joe: No, I didn’t.
Kathleen: Yes, you did.
Joe: I did not.
Kathleen: You did too.
Joe: I did not.
Kathleen: You did too.
Joe: I did not.
Kathleen: You did too. I thought all that Fox stuff was so charming. F-O-X.
Joe: Well, I didn’t lie about it.
Kathleen: Joe, just call me Joe.
Joe: Sure.
Kathleen: As if you were one of those stupid 22-year old girls with no last name. Hi, I’m Kimberly, hi, I’m Janice. Don’t they know you’re supposed to have a last name? It’s like they’re an entire generation of cocktail waitresses.
Joe: Look, I am not a 22-year old cocktail waitress.
Kathleen: That is not what I meant.
Joe: And when I said the thing about the Price Club and the cans of olive oil, that’s not what I meant.
Kathleen: Oh, you poor sad multi-millionaire. I feel so sorry for you.
(Someone comes into, Kathleen raises her head and looks forward.)
Joe: Take a wild guess that’s not him either. So who is he, I wonder? Certainly not I, gather the world’s greatest living expert on Julius and Ethel Rosenberg but somebody else entirely different. And will you be mean to him too?
Kathleen: No, I will not. Because the man who is coming here tonight is completely unlike you. The man who is coming here tonight is kind and funny and he’s got the most wonderful sense of humor.
Joe: But, he’s not here.
Kathleen: Well, if he’s not here he has a reason because there’s not a cruel or careless bone in his body. But I wouldn’t expect you to understand anybody like that. You with your theme park multi-level homogenize the world mochachino land. You’ve deluded yourself into thinking that you’re some sort of benefactor bringing books to the masses. But no one will ever remember you Joe Fox and maybe no one will remember me either, but plenty of people remember my mother and they think she was fine and they think her store was something special. You are nothing but a suit.
Joe: That’s my cue. Have a good night.