Unwanted Raise

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Characters

David – An employee for the company “Sodas-a-Plenty” in his mid-20s, and a white lion
Andrew – David’s father, and a white lion
Clarissa – David’s mother, and a white lioness
Jack – David’s boss, age 38, and a jaguar

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Scene

Jack’s living room in his house

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As the curtain rises, we find Jack in his living room, waiting on David to arrive. The doorbell rings.

JACK: Come in.

David enters and sits down on the sofa across from Jack’s recliner.

DAVID: You wanted to see me, boss?

JACK: Yes. It’s about your work at the office. I’m so awestruck; I don’t know what to say about it.

DAVID: Is it that bad? I do the best I can.

JACK: I know. You’re one of the best employees in the business.

DAVID: Thanks.

JACK: I was actually thinking about giving you a raise.

DAVID: Oh, really?

JACK: Yes. You work harder than anyone I know.

DAVID: Do I really?

JACK: Yes, you do. You believe me, don’t you?

DAVID: I don’t know whether I want to believe it or not.

JACK: Well, trust me; you work harder than anyone I know. You’re the first one to arrive and the last one to leave, at work and all meetings we hold. You never gave me one complaint in the time so far that you’ve worked for me. You even work more overtime than anyone else I know. You have the biggest amount of vacation available because you never took one single day off—so far, anyway. I am having issues with those calling in sick when they’re not, but you’re always honest. These are all reasons I feel you get a raise.

DAVID: I thank you for the kind words, boss, but can I request to turn this down? I feel I don’t deserve a raise of any kind.

JACK: Oh? Why not? (He has a puzzled look on his face.)

DAVID: Well, it’s just…I…uh…I…I just don’t feel I deserve a raise.

JACK: Well, there has to be some reason. I’ve never had anybody turn down a raise before. Why do you want me to not give it to you? You’ve earned it.

DAVID: I don’t really feel that I’ve contributed anything special. I never have felt that way in my life.

JACK: Why not? (He thinks out loud to himself.) Hmmm. I think he’s hiding something. It’s up to me to figure out what it is. It is a strange case. Why would someone work so hard to get the job done and not want a reward for it? I don’t understand it. (He now speaks to David.) David, I’m trying to reward you for your efforts. Why are you turning it down?

DAVID: Oh, it’s nothing. Besides, the hard work I do is rewarding in itself. Why should I get anything more?

JACK: Well, for starters, we pay you to work for us, as any employer should. Don’t tell me you’ve modified the systems so that you’ve worked all this time and have never been paid a penny!

DAVID: Oh, no; I do take the payday. I don’t know how to hack into the systems.

JACK: (sighs as a sign of relief) Oh, thank goodness for that.

DAVID: Has somebody hacked into the systems?

JACK: Only once, but we caught him in the act and fired him. I think he went to prison for life when it was discovered he had been wanted across the globe for the various jobs he had, where he’d hack into the systems to make his salary better and others’ worse.

DAVID: That makes sense.

JACK: In your case, you earned your way to a raise with the work you’ve done according to company policy. All I want to know is why you don’t want the raise.

DAVID: I told you before, the hard work I do is rewarding in itself. Is that not a valid reason in your opinion?

JACK: I am not interrogating you, David. Do you think I am?

DAVID: I hope not.

JACK: I never had a case like this before. That’s why I’m asking. Please understand, David; I’m not angry with you. I just want a straight answer, and you don’t seem to be giving me one. If your firmly hold on to your belief that hard work is rewarding enough, then I feel that you’ve got a problem or secret you are trying to hide. I know you not only as an employee, but also as a friend.

DAVID: Come to think of it, I do talk to you quite a bit, especially if I have a question or opinion. (He sighs.) Maybe I should accept this raise. But I really don’t want to.

(There is a long pause. David feels uncomfortable telling Jack his situation, so he hides his hands in his face. After a bit, he finally raises his head and speaks again.)

DAVID: (sighs again) I guess there is no hiding it anymore.

JACK: Hiding what?

DAVID: Can you keep a secret, boss?

JACK: As long as you keep it with me.

DAVID: I will.

JACK: Then I will, too.

DAVID: This is a painful story to tell, but it must be done. I sincerely believe that hard work is rewarding enough and I should get nothing more. That is my own belief. Yet, I don’t think you realize my background.

JACK: Your background? I thought you completed your master’s degree online as well as go to night school.

DAVID: I did, but I wasn’t supposed to.

JACK: Why not?

DAVID: I couldn’t afford it on my own. I only managed college because of financial aid and Pell grants, scholarships, and stuff like that. The main reason I’m working this job is to support my family, who belongs to the low class. The salary that I have right now puts me in the middle, and I take a big chunk out of my pay to give to them to help them move up.

JACK: Which I must admit is very noble of you.

DAVID: Thank you for believing that, but my parents don’t believe it. They don’t want to move up. They prefer being poor because they draw a lot of cash from the welfare program. They also prefer dwelling on the negative. Even when I came home from school with an A+, they still said I was grounded. Nothing satisfied them. (sighs) I suppose it sort of rubbed off onto me, even though I developed the belief that hard work should be rewarding. As a result, I feel that by making others happy, I can get through life with just the basics. My current salary is enough to help me get by with just the basics. I pay my bills and taxes, and I have enough left to put food on the table. That’s all I really care about; as long as I know I can make it, I’ll be happy. For the same reasons, I don’t celebrate Christmas as others do, with the tree and the fancy dinner, and even the gifts.

JACK: So what are you trying to say here? You’d rather be poor than rich?

DAVID: Sort of. I don’t want to live the miserable life my parents are living, because I do love them and want to help them, but they don’t love me. They hate me with a passion. I’m surprised they didn’t abuse me as parents who are guilty of rape often do. I’m even surprised they didn’t disown me; they wanted to many times but felt it wasn’t worth it. Between you and me, I think they’re mental. (He puts his right hand pointer finger to his head and twirls it.)

JACK: I see. So are you just trying to keep them happy by making only the minimum?

DAVID: I’d do anything to keep them happy. They are angry at me enough for having this job and going to college.

JACK: What do they do for a living?

DAVID: Nothing. They depend on welfare and expect me to do the same. They live off food stamps. They had parents who did the same things. They spent many of their dollars on fast food, cigarettes, beer, and lottery tickets. I come from a whole family of people that do absolutely nothing but those things. I’m the one member that actually works as a productive member of society, and being used to the norms they are, they see this as a scandal in the making. They did not even attended high school or college graduation. I am proud of myself, don’t get me wrong, but I feel I have an internal conflict going on within me.

JACK: How so?

DAVID: I want to be a good citizen of this country, and yet, I want to make my family happy. And yet, nothing makes them happy. I don’t think it is right to be lazy. They do. What am I doing wrong here?

JACK: Hmmm. Now that I think about it, I’ve come to realize something. You are a hard worker and you do everything to the best ability you can do, and despite that, you’re content with what you have and want nothing more. I’ve never seen you smile, come to think of it. Trust me, you deserve a raise for all the reasons I stated earlier.

DAVID: I believe you.

JACK: I have a feeling that the reason you don’t want the raise is because you’ve conditioned yourself into all these beliefs you have.

DAVID: How did I do that?

JACK: Well, for starters, you grew up miserable because your parents did not give a dang about you. They only cared about the food stamps, the cigarettes, and the beer. Let me ask you this, though: had you always been the odd one out?

DAVID: You can say that. I never cared much for group work because I did not want to be guilty by association and I did not want to come off as a slacker. So I did everything solo. I found out that I liked it better, and I was determined to work a job to pay for school, and since I graduated as valedictorian, I had scholarship money to help pay for that. Teachers and professors singled me out because my behavior was always acceptable, even when the rest of the class wasn’t behaving.

JACK: Did your parents say anything to you since graduation?

DAVID: Yes and no. Upon high school graduation, my dad said, “Ah, whatever!” My mom said, “You numbskull! How dare you! What’s the matter with you?” She flipped the bird, blew a raspberry, and demanded that she never see my face again. I walked out of the house crying as soon as I was able to drive and I never came back to that house. They have never contacted me in any way sense.

JACK: Well, you did the right thing in that instance, walking away like that. What does that have to do with turning down the raise I offered?

DAVID: I don’t know. To be honest, I may not be using any common sense here. I guess I haven’t let go of that internal desire to do even one thing just to make my parents happy. (sighs) Do you think I should? Do you think I’m just being stupid?

JACK: You want an honest answer?

DAVID: I do.

JACK: I say yes. Let it go, and focus on your own life. I also say no; I do not think you are necessarily acting stupid. And thank you for telling me your story; I feel it has helped me to get to know you better. And now, let me tell you something. Are your parents’ names Andrew and Clarissa?

DAVID: Yes. Why?

JACK: Their names were in the paper this morning. I know this is going to hurt, but it must be told. (He takes a newspaper with a shocking headline.) It reads here, “Drunk drivers killed. Andrew and Clarissa Tynic die in car crash.” Your parents have been dead all this time. That’s why you haven’t heard from them. Also, all the cash you’ve put into their fund went back into your account. You’ve only been depositing to yourself and you said you didn’t want any more money.

DAVID: That does hurt. They are my family and I love them. I sure will miss them.

JACK: I feel your pain. But that’s not the point I’m trying to make here. The point I’m trying to make is this: you’ve been worrying over nothing, because the people you wanted to impress are dead. It is perfectly okay to be your own boss. Don’t base your happiness on the gratification of others; it will only lead to misery. And there is such a thing as being too professional and too serious. Professionalism is a good thing, don’t get me wrong, but it isn’t always necessary. Lighten up, and have some fun every once in a while.

DAVID: You sure?

JACK: Sure.

(There is another long pause. David ponders all the things Jack has told him. After a while, he looks up and speaks.)

DAVID: (sighs) You’re right. I’ve been such an idiot. All this time I was worrying over nothing. I should be my own boss. I feel that we should always listen to what our parents say, but in my case, what my parents had to say wasn’t worth anything. I wish there were more parents that actually knew how to raise their kids properly, as I feel.

JACK: I do, too, David. I do, too.

(David and Jack stand up, look at each other teary-eyed, and hug each other. When they separate, Jack speaks.)

JACK: So have you reconsidered?

DAVID: I have. Yes, sir. I will accept your offer to give me a raise, now that I can now approach my life with more confidence.

JACK: Great! (He smiles.) Would you like do lunch, then?

DAVID: I’d be happy to!

(Both walk out the door with smiles on their faces as the curtain falls.)

THE END

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Originally written for a creative writing class I took; this is the modified version for FA purposes.