The cast
The Goodies: Emma Watson- Mary Dingleby
Adam Brody- Larry Fisher
Yvonne Strahovski- Betty Balentine
Nancy Mayfield- Rashida Jones
The Baddies: Michael Fassbender- William Crocket
Angelina Jolie- Audrey Meadows
Cornwall, England, 1949
It was a fine summer evening, and the sun was slowly starting to set over the beautiful English countryside that surrounded a small, isolated Victorian cottage. Within this home, there was a room that was designated as an office, and two men currently inhabited this as they talked seriously about their business.
William Crocket sat facing a large window, wearing a perfectly fitted grey suit and brown tie. The young man's hair was dark and combed over to one side, and it was accompanied by a thin moustache just above his mouth. He pulled out a packet of cigarettes from his inside pocket and opened the top. He then firmly tapped the packet on the arm of his wooden chair, and suddenly one shot up and was caught perfectly between the gentleman's lips.
A table rested in front of him, and across the table sat an elderly man named Donald Goldstein, with grey hair and a very clean shaven face. He looked at his partner impressed, with the blue eyes that once made him a very handsome man.
"I still have no idea how you do that," he said in a New York accent, as William lit his cigarette and slid the lighter across the table.
"Practice my good sir...just years of practice" he replied in an upper class English accent that reflected his social standing.
Donald smiled and then lit his own cigarette, before unwittingly placing the lighter in the pocket of his black suit jacket. William lifted a clenched fist to his mouth and let out a small polite cough.
"Problem my good man?" Asked Donald as he exhaled smoke unfazed.
"Please don't tell me you have started stealing from me as well."
Donald initially looked across the table, unaware of what this conversation was about, but eventually let out a smile and reached back into his pocket.
"Ha-ha, no sir-ee. A little mistake is all." He slid the lighter back across the table to William who quickly scooped it up.
"Besides," continued Donald, "we're not the ones who do the actual stealing are we. We're merely the bank for such operations."
"The bank that funds the bank robberies. Rather ironic don't you think?" Replied William with a little smirk on his face.
"And while we are on the subject." Donald looked to the wall on his left and stared at the hands of the old grandfather clock that ticked away while the rest of the cottage lay in silence. "Those two should be back any moment now with good news."
"What time was the train expected to make an appearance?"
"Four o'clock I believe."
William, who was also staring at the clock, nodded in quiet confidence that the job would be done. He continued to smoke as he leaned back to relax a little more.
"If all goes to plan, we should be making a rather substantial profit indeed," started Donald.
William nodded in agreement, and Donald then looked across the table at his partner in crime reluctantly.
"How long do you think we can go on with these enterprises William?"
He glanced up and noticed the expression on Donald's face, but simply let out another smirk.
"Thinking of retiring are we?"
"Well...The thought has crossed my mind, I must admit."
"What has brought up such musings may I ask?"
"I'm not getting any younger William, and we both know this is a young man's game. I'm extremely wealthy and own enough businesses to provide for my family for the rest of my life."
"I was always under the impression that these businesses were merely a smoke screen. A cover to hide what we are really doing to make ourselves impossibly wealthy."
"That is true. It always has been William. But these enterprises are providing me with enough straight money to get out of this game once and for all...Besides...it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to explain these trips around the country to friends,family ect. Perhaps it's finally time to pack it in and lead the honest life that I portray myself to live."
"An honest life? hmmmm, are you sure you know how to live one? Because I jolly well don't!"
Donald smiled and pulled the ashtray closer to himself. "Well anyhow. Perhaps this is neither the time nor the place to discuss such matters. Especially when we're anticipating the arrival of our men."
Suddenly the sound of a light knocking echoed through the rooms of the cottage, that was closely followed by the creaking sound of a door opening.
"Ah, speak of the devils," said William excitedly.
Donald stood up from his chair excitedly. A moment later, the door to the office opened and in came two men. They were dressed in black and white stripped clothing and were wearing black eye masks across their faces, along with their huge smiles.
"Hmmmm. You two don't look like robbers at all," William commented rather sarcastically, whilst looking them up and down.
Donald laughed softly. "Yeah, talk about inconspicuous. I'm surprised you haven't walked in with a large bag that has a money sign on it!"
"Sorry boss," said one of the men in a cockney London accent while looking over at Donald.
"Bosses you mean!" Said the other man as he nudged his partner and looked down at William, who sighed in frustration and shook his head.
"Never mind that now fellas. Have you got something to show us?" Interupted Donald.
"We do indeed Boss, we do indeed!"
A large bag was dragged into the room and its contents were uncarefully tipped onto the wooden table. Donald's mouth fell open upon the sight of what had been stolen.
"That's right. 18000 of the finest english pounds gentlemen!"
"Highly impressive I must say," said William in a much more low key manner than Donald, who was grabbing the money with both fists and staring at it with glee.
William leaned forward and began to touch the rest of the goods on the table. "And I see that there are a few additions as well."
"Yes Boss. Indeed there are." said one of the robbers as they both eventually whipped off their masks.
"A glamorous woman's necklace. A diamond earing." He continued searching through the pile. "And an expensive looking pen! Well every little helps I guess."
"Fantastic fellas. Real good job!" Exclaimed Donald who was still staring with awe at the result of this particular criminal operation. The feeling he got from the success had never gone away, even though he had experienced it countless times now. Had this given him a reason to stay in the game? "We'll get this counted up and seperated into piles. As a token of goodwill and gesture, you will both recieve 2000 pound each."
William shot his widened eyes at his partner, in surprise at the reward the two goons were set to recieve. But the goons reacted in a much different manner than either William or Donald had expected. They took off their hats and held them with both hands in front of their bodies, as they glanced sheepishly at each other.
"Actually, we-we wanted to discuss something with you," stuttered one of the men.
"Oh really?" Asked William with his dauntingly wide eyes, "And what would that be?"
"You tell 'em Arch," said one of the men
"You tell 'em!" Replied the other with a large amount of anxiety.
"Spit it out one of you!" Shouted Donald, with both frustration and curiosity.
Archie sighed and eventually began to speak. "Me and Rich here have been thinking...that perhaps we-we-we should get a little more...you know, as a good gesture to our loyalty and good work and all that."
"Oh do you now," replied William in a calm manner as he flicked his cigarette over the ashtray. "You believe that you have earned that much?"
The robbers hesitated, but after a couple of moments they nodded anxiously.
"The thing is Boss, we've never let you down. We always do the job, and we always do it well." Rich started to laugh as he recalled the events of the train robbery he and Archie had earlier performed. "You should have seen them on that train Boss. We stormed on like nobody’s business, and once we flashed our guns, I've never seen wallets and purses come out of people's pockets so quickly!"
"Oh I don't doubt that fellows, I'm sure that you had the public shaking in their boots!" William did a little shuffle in his chair as he said this. "But let me enquire...where would you be without us?" The man stood up at this point, which caused the two goons to step back slightly. They didn't answer the question, assuming that it was rhetorical. "I'll tell you where you would be gentlemen. You would still be lying in your own dirty filth on the streets of London, using those hats of yours to acquire excess change from the passing people pathetic enough to care about you...Either that or they would come useful as a sick bucket of all the gin that could not inhabit your rotten stomachs anymore."
The robbers looked down at the floor in shame and embarrassment, perhaps realising the reality of their situation they were in.
"Thanks to me and Donald here. And our money. You have weapons. You have the fastest getaway car in all the United Kingdom. You have up to date information on where and when to strike. And most importantly, you have a livelihood. What more could you ask for?...A lot of men would kill to be in the situation you are in, and your ungratefulness is leading to me to question whether you two are the right men for this type of work anymore."
The goons began to panic, "N-N-N-No-No!!!" They stuttered, tripping over their words. William smirked and little out the slightest of chuckles. "Exactly what I thought."
Donald also let out a laugh, in admiration of how his colleague handled that situation. "Don't you worry fellas, your efforts have not gone unnoticed." The elderly man reached down and opened a draw on the old wooden table and a moment later, a bottle of champagne appeared in his hand along with the huge smile across his face.
"Now that is an expensive drink we refer to as champagne," said William sarcastically again, "ever heard of such a thing?"
The goons nodded, but kept their eyes fixed with amazement on the fizzing bubbles that filled the large bottle.
"How much did that set you back, if you don't mind me asking Boss?" enquired Archie.
Donald shrugged as he placed 4 drinking glasses on to the table. "How the hell should I know? We have a crate of these stolen off a boat in France!" He boasted as the *#+% was popped and the goons jumped with surprise. He immediately began to pour the foamy liquid, chuckling all the while. Archie and Richie joined in with the laughter, sensing that the atmosphere had become more relaxed.
And as the sun finally disappeared over the rolling hills, these four men celebrated the fortune they had acquired. Miles away, a couple of police cars were roaming the countryside roads searching in dwindling hope of finding those responsible for yet another train robbery. But these criminals knew that they were safe from capture in this remote cottage. Safe in the knowledge that they would live to fight another day and terrorise the English public once again. So they drank and were merry long into the night, not yet thinking about what tomorrow would bring.
_
New York, USA, 1958
What a time to arrive in the big apple, thought Mary, as she stepped out onto the lonely train station platform at grand central station, deep into the night. It wasn't exactly bitterly cold, but the young woman could hear the rain battering against the roof that currently sheltered her. She looked right to left and couldn't see another soul in sight. Not a single gentleman present, who would be her knight in shining armour and help her with these suitcases.
After finally managing to drag the bags into the main lobby area, Mary glanced up at the large clock that kept a watch over the massive room, that sheltered only a couple of drunks, who were sleeping, and had yet to be moved. To see it with a little more accuracy, she put her glasses on. Just past 12:30 am. No wonder the place was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. A sudden gust of wind swept through the hall and caused Mary to hunch her arms around her body, that was kept reasonably warm by her large light brown wool coat with big round black buttons. However the piece of clothing was only so long that it reached just above her knees, that wobbled in the chill of America's biggest modern city. I really should have worn tights today, thought the woman regrettably, while her long light brown hair waved in all manner of directions.
After much hesitation, Mary eventually decided to make her way outside. She stopped and let go of her bags once more as she stepped out of the doorway, but not so far out that she wasn't still protected by shelter that was holding up the huge midnight downpour. A low, distant humming of vehicles could be heard from the nearby roads, but Mary was hesitant of venturing out so far without the certainty of being able to find a cab. This really was a sticky situation. The young lady turned her head in hope of catching a glimpse of a member of staff back inside, but even that proved an impossible task. Where on earth was everybody? Were the Russians about to invade or something?
Her prayers were suddenly answered though when a ford deluxe bright yellow cab pulled up, seemingly out of nowhere. The passenger window closest to Mary opened.
"Hey little lady, you look like you need a ride!" Came a voice from the darkness. The woman folded her arms across her body to keep warm, while she bent down slightly to peer into the vehicle. She caught sight of what looked like a middle aged Italian-American looking man leaning across his front passenger seat with a pleasant smile written across his face.
"Boy do I!" exclaimed Mary.
The kind cab driver opened his door and rushed out. He seemed unconcerned that the rain fell down upon him as he strolled around the big yellow lump of metal, and by the time he got to the sidewalk, he was completely drenched. This didn't deter him from picking up Mary's bags with ease and slinging them into his boot. Mary guessed his many years of working had built up a natural strength to be efficient in such circumstances. Without looking at her again, the driver made the journey back around the cab and into his seat. Mary soon followed suit by jumping into the back.
"Where ya headin' honey?" Asked the man as he looked up at his main mirror.
Mary reached deep into her large coat and eventually got a hold of a small piece of paper. She leaned forward and held it out. The driver didn't notice at first but then turned his head slightly to the right and saw the paper dangling close to his ear. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and then quickly took a hold of it. Mary waited patiently as he stared down at his lap, where the information was placed.
"Ah, upper west side," he said nodding his head, "I know this address. You visiting someone there?"
"I'm going to be living there actually. Renting a place."
"Get atta here!" Shouted the driver with enthusiasm
"Excuse me? You want to me to leave?" asked Mary very confused.
"Not at all honey. An expression is all it is. I'm jus' bustin' your balls!"
"I'm lost."
"Ah forget about it!" Said the driver as we waved away this particular conversation, and set off the cab.
"So...that's a funny accent you have there. Where do you hail from?"
"England. This is the first time I've properly stepped foot in the States"
"No kiddin'! And what brought you across the pond in the first place?"
"The Gazzelle."
"You got a job at the big Gazzelle? That's the paper I read!"
"Really?" Asked Mary, enthusiastically
"Oh yeah, it's the best in my opinion. Good stories. You'll have your work cut out competing with some of the guys at that place. And those guys give you a job just like that do they?...Maybe I should apply. What chances do you reckon a chump like me has of getting work at that place?"
Mary laughed. "I've been reporting for a few years now, and finally decided it was time to step up. England was getting a little boring I've gotta say."
"Big fish in a small pond huh."
"Something like that."
The conversation soon drifted off. Mary was grateful that this particular cab driver was friendly and all, but she felt drained. And not just from the journey all the way from her hometown in England, but also from the anxious thoughts that had clogged her mind ever since she stepped on to that train. She was excited, no doubt about that. But she also felt the contradictory emotions that she supposed were only natural. Either way, the inner rollercoaster was leaving little energy for light hearted conversation with the person that was taking her to her new home. Mary felt herself nodding off and allowed herself to rest her eyes, while the cab navigated itself through the city streets that were deserted at this late hour. She would open her eyes once in a while, when she sensed a flash of light pass by her, and see glamorous people leaving late night bars and parties that were surrounded by buildings taller than she had ever seen. So this is what they mean by 'the city that never sleeps'.
Mary awoke at the feeling of suddenly becoming stationary. She sat up straight from her slumped position and darted her eyes through the windows at her surroundings, before looking forward towards the driver’s seat. The cab drivers head turned, and he had the same smile that he was wearing when he picked her up at the station. For all Mary knew, it never went away during the ride.
"Here we are," he said in a lower and softer voice than before. Even he seemed to be winding down now.
Mary let out a little smile and left the vehicle. Before she could think about opening the boot, the small ran scurried to the rear of the vehicle and quickly placed her bags on the sidewalk. Still standing dazed and confused, the woman saw the cab driver get back into his money maker and routinely put his seat belt back on. He looked at Mary and winked.
"Welcome to the greatest city in the world sweetie," he said kindly before driving off into the night of this concrete jungle.
Mary sighed and then took in her sorroundings, as hard as it was at this hour. The area was well lit by a row of street lamps on either side of the road and there were various different cars (some expensive) parked near the tall and lifeless building that she assumed contained her one bedroomed apartment. After another mammoth effort of dragging her suitcases up the wooden stairs, Mary eventually found herself at a door that plainly said '23' in the middle of it. As the number '23' had no particular importance to her, she did not stay outside the apartment for long and quickly let herself in. She instantly felt a chill hit her as she entered into darkness. The kind of feeling that let her know that somebody had not been in there for a long time. The woman wasted no time in turning the light on, and dropping her bags on the floor with an unconcerning thud.
The apartment was reasonably pleasant upon first glance. Immediately to her left was a small round wooden table that was accompanied by 2 dark red wooden chairs. To her right was a narrow plain looking kitchen. While the fridge, sink, cooker and various drawers were white, the counter surface was covered with green tiles, as was the wall that sorrounded it. And directly in front of her was what was supposed to be the 'living area'. This contained a light blue couch and also a light red comfortable looking chair. Both were facing the corner, where a small television stood, looking back at the whole room that was encompassed by very light green wallpaper.
Mary nodded in appreciation. When she was told by her mother that her uncle would be willing to give her an apartment in the "heart" of New York, she was sceptical to say the least. She was now feeling like she had jumped the gun a bit, because even with the stress she was under at this minute, she found it hard to come up with an immediate criticism. Perfect? No. Suitable? Absolutely! At this moment, Mary suddenly became aware of a ticking noise that no doubt had been there since she entered. Looking across the room, the woman saw a clock on the wall. 1:30 am! Yikes, I better get to bed! She thought.
Mary didn't bother to unpack her bags, that task could wait until tomorrow. Her main worry right now was to get enough sleep for the big day that was to come. She did however extract her alarm clock and pop it on the bedside table. As she hit the matress and plunged herself into darkness though, all the nagging thoughts and reservations that had been stressing her out all day were swirling around in her head. What is being a reporter in the big city really going to be like? Will I be cut out for it? Or have I just made the biggest mistake of my life? Mary sighed and turned over in her bed, as the flash of a passing street car danced on her bedroom wall.
_
Mary awoke earlier than she had expected the next morning. She quickly rubbed her eyes and turned her head to check the time, but at that moment, all she could see was a burry blob sorrounded by red. The woman reached over the bed to the table and fumbled around for her glasses. When she eventually put them on, she could see that her red alarm clock was not set to let off its annoying ring for another 30 minutes. Time for a nice breakfast then!
As Mary stirred a teaspoon of sugar into her dark coffee, she recalled the events of last night’s dreams. There was nothing that exciting, just images of her now previous life in the humble hills of Southern England that served to tell her that she had made the right choice coming to New York. She had friends and family there, and of course she would miss them a lot. However, her reporter's job at the local newspaper was holding her back and not releasing her full potential. Mary remembered that the last report that she handed in was about a local art exhibition evening in her small town. It was a dull story in her opinion, but was still considered the biggest news going! The woman was grateful to the paper for giving her the opportunity, but enough was enough. The editor kindly informed her that she was always welcome to come back if things didn't work out in New York, but Mary had a feeling that she wouldn't need that opportunity.
By the time the sun had fully risen, the young woman had taken a bus to downtown Manhattan and found herself in the elevator that was travelling up to the 5th floor. She was dressed particularly proffessional, eager to make the best first impression possible. She had a white pencil skirt on with a blue blouse, all covered up by her large brown coat that kept the lady warm as she travelled to this destination in the cold crisp morning. The handsome man next to Mary also had a large coat on, accompanied with a hat of the same colour. She wondered if this particular gentleman also worked at the gazzelle and considered striking up a conversation, but as the seconds slowly passed, it got to the point where it may have been even more uncomfortable to talk now. Luckily, the elevator came to a steady stop and opened up to reveal a narrow hallway. The man in the coat stepped out and turned left in a manner that suggested he had done this a thousand times before. As he strolled towards two large doors, Mary popped her head out and watched him go, but he disappeard into a large but extremely quiet room before she could grasp whether he was one of her new work collegues or not.
The whole place was silent, and it left Mary wondering whether she was in the right building or not. From the Gazzelle's reputation, you would have expected a little more going on up here. Suddenly though, the double doors from the right opened and out stepped a young man flicking through a few sheets of paper, with an incredible office noise coming with him. He caught sight of Mary out of the corner of his eye and stopped dead with surprise. Mary was equally caught off guard by his sudden entrance (or exit as it would seem), as the doors shut and the hallway was quiet again.
The two people remained in position and looked at each other for a few seconds.
"Hello," said Mary eventually, breaking the silence.
"Heya," replied the man nervously. "Do you work at the Gazzelle?"
"Erm, not yet, but I was hoping of starting today."
"Well..." said the man awkwardly, "You're in the right place." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder behind and sniggered.
"Oh great!...It sure is loud in there!"
"Tell me about it!"
The conversation went still again for a few moments.
"I'm Mary by the way."
"Mary! the new girl right?"
"That would be me!" Replied Mary, dreaming of the possibility that she was already the talk of the office.
"Right. Great. I'm Larry, pleasure to meet you." Larry offered his hand, and when Mary put hers forward, he grabbed it and shook it rather enthusiastically. "You're going to love it here, believe me."
"Fingers crossed," replied the woman as she held up her hands that actually had her fingers crossed. "Erm...So which way would I go to find Ralph Nicholson"
"Just-Just in here."
Larry opened one of the doors behind him and stepped aside to let Mary in. Upon entering, the woman was instantly hit with the hustle and bustle atmosphere that typified this newspaper. Men and women were buzzing around her and barely had a moment to pause and notice her presence. The sound of multiple typewriters was already nagging.
"Shall I take your coat?" Asked Larry, putting his hands out behind Mary in anticipation.
"Thankyou very much," she said as she shuffled it off her shoulders and let it fall into Larry's grasp.
"His office is at the other end. Let me know if you get lost!" he laughed awkwardly.
"Will do La..." Mary turned her head and found that Larry was no longer behind her. No doubt he had dissappeared back into the busy routine that had swallowed up everybody here. The woman now felt uncomfortable standing still with everything going on around her, and decided to head towards the office that Larry had pointed at. As she passed people's desks, only a couple looked up, but didn't really register that she was the "new girl". The others were deep into phone conversations, even with a few raised voices here and there!
Eventually Mary reached the doorway that had "Ralph Nicholson: Editor" clearly printed on there. She raised her hand and was about to knock when she was interupted.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you sweetie," came a womans voice from her right. Turning her head but keeping her clenched fist in position, Mary saw a middle aged woman sat at her desk with a red phone held down against her shoulder and a cigarette in her other hand.
"Mr Nicholson does not take kindly to people turning up unannounced," She said with confidence and raised eyebrows.
"I'm Mary...the new girl."
"You could be the king of England for all he cares. I'll have to let him know." The secretary put the phone against her ear again. "I'll have to call you back Miles!" she shouted before putting the phone back onto it's hook. She pressed a button on her speaker and leaned forward.
"Mr Nicholson, the new reporter..I think..is here...ok." She slammed down the phone. "He says you can go in now."
Mary smiled with appreciation, but the secretary was unconcerned and got on with her work once again. Knocking gently first, Mary then entered by slowly opening the door and edging her way into the Boss's room. She instantly saw a fantastic view of the city, that was on show through the large window that stretched from the back of the room all the way to the left, leaving only half the room enclosed with a wall. There was a desk close to the window and behind it was a large black leather chair that was currently facing towards the epic view.
"Shut the door. Quickly," came a deep voice from the chair.
Mary did as she was told and when she did, the room plunged into a tranquil state that was in complete contrast to what was happening in the office. This was helped by the light music playing on the large record player that sat up against the blue wall.
Eventually the chair span around and sat on it was a middle aged man who was strikingly bald and dressed in a light blue suit. Upon seeing Mary, a frown came upon his face.
"Hey Tuts. Where the hell is my coffee?" He asked with his arms wide open
Mary froze in position, out of fear and confusion as to why their conversation had started this way.
"Your coffee sir?" She replied, trying desperately to keep her composure.
"I sent you to get me coffee a lifetime ago. Did you go to Guatemala to pick the beans yourself!?
Mary paused, giving Mr Nicholson the chance to realise the mistake he was making. But as his glum stare held, she realised that this was not going to happen any time soon.
"I'm Mary. Your new reporter...starting today."
"Reporter? Today?" The frown and lines on the man's face were becoming more apparant, the more he thought about it.
"Yes. Mary Dingleby. At your service." The woman saluted, trying to induce a little humour, but it went rather unnoticed.
Mr Nicholson grabbed a bunch of papers that sat untidily on his desk and put on his glasses. But he then went on to peer over the top of them, and flick through the sheets to shed light on the situation. He eventually stopped his erratic shuffling and fixed upon one sheet in particular. Then his eye brows raised so high, it looked like they were going to lift off his forehead altogether.
"You're the english girl starting today!?"
"You...didn't know that?"
Suddenly the office door opened, and the consistent office noise flooded the room again, as a young and attractive blonde woman entered holding a cup of coffee.
"Hold the phone! My coffee has finally arrived!" shouted Mr Nicholson as he held his hands up to the ceiling. "I was beginning to think that you went all the way to Colombia to pick the beans yourself!"
Mary dared to say it. "Was it not Guatemala?"
"Tomayto-Tomato, Potayto-Potato!"
"I am so so sorry sir," began the young lady, "I was on my way to the..."
"I don't want your life story tuts. Just gimme gimme gimme!"
Shaking with fear, she headed over to the table and put the cup down next to him. He took a quick sip as the assistant tried to make a quick exit.
"I'll tell you somethin' for nothin' tuts. If this wasn't so damn fine, your ass would be out on the streets sellin' hot dogs!"
The young assistant hadn't managed to get out of the room when this remark was made, and although her face wasn't visible to Mary or Mr Nicholson, it was most probably bright red as she opened the door and stepped out hastily.
Mr Nicholson sat back in his chair, relaxed and somewhat pleased with how he dealt with that. He took another quick slurp from his coffee, which put a little smile on his face.=12.0pt "So where were we anyway?"
"I think we were discussing how unaware you are that you have a new reporter." Began Mary, sarcastically.
"You getting cherpy with me tuts?"
"No sir."
"Good. Because the biggest mistake you could make in this place is to assume I don't know what I'm doing..." man grabbed the sheet of paper again and pulled it towards his face. "Mary" he said assertively
Mary eyes grew bigger as she nodded along.
"The truth is, I handpicked you myself...Well that's not true. I don't even recall being here for the interview. But nothing gets past me! If I didn't think you were the right man...Woman! for the job, then you wouldn't be here!"
"Thank you for the vote of confidence sir. It means a lot."
"I hope it does..." The conversation went into an awkward silence as Mary awaited the first instructions of her new career.
"Sooooooooo....What would you like me to do today?"
"Today!?" Shouted Mr Nicholson as he shook in his chair and began to scramble around his table, anxiously looking through sheets of paper. "Today today today," he muttered to himself as he tried desperately to find the answer to Mary's question. Eventually he ceased the madness as he came across a document that caught his attention. He brought it up out of the mess and leaned back into his chair with a glimmer of a smile on his face.
"You're in luck tuts. This early evening, we have..." He paused for dramatic effect. "An art exhibition!"
Mary's self esteem dropped immediately. In fact, she felt as if it had completely escaped her body and decided to make a run for it. An art exhibition! Art!? New York promised the young lady so much. She dreamed of reporting on real life stories, blowing the lid on big cover ups, and bringing down the baddest of bad guys. To think that she had left her hometown for a job that gave her nothing more than her last made her feel like a dejected fool.
Mr Nicholson was unaware that his employee was stood there with a face as red as a tomato, and he leaned across his desk to press a button on his speaker.
"Hey Mary sweetie. Can you get Larry in here please? Right now? Tanks!"
He glanced up at the Mary now present. "Same name as you. Small world isn't it?" cherped the man.
A moment later, Larry entered the room with all the enthusiasm one would hope from a young ambitious reporter. "You wanted to see me sir?" He enquired with a pleasant smile on his face.
"Don't get too excited Larry, you're not getting a promotion. I was just checking if you're still going to the art exhibition at the met museum tonight."
"You bet I am sir."
"Good. Then you wouldn't mind taking..." Mr Nicholson looked down at the sheet of paper again. "Mary here would you."
"Not one bit sir," replied Larry holding his smile.
"Adda boy! Now get outta here, you're hanging around like a bad smell."
The young man exited the room as quickly as he entered it.
"Nice boy is Larry, if not a little annoying. He'll show you the ropes, don't worry about that."
"Not one bit sir."
Mr Nicholson began flicking through his sheets again, trying to make sense of the mess that lay in front of him.
"Was there anything else you wanted sir?" Asked Mary, wondering what she was to do for the rest of the working day.
"Hmmm?" Replied the man, glancing up and looking over his large glasses with raised eyebrows.
"The exhibition isn't until tonight." Mary looked at the clock on the wall. "That's a long way away sir. Shall I sit and twiddle my thumbs until then?"
"Well that would still be doing more work than half the chumps in this office...Talking about chumps..." Mr Nicholson pressed the button on the speaker again.
"Mary sweetie! Get Larry back in here!"
A moment later, Larry appeared in the room again with a collection of papers.
"Larry. What story are you working on today?"
"The coney island circus sir."
"Well forget about that horse dump, I want you to give..." He grabbed that sheet of paper again, "Mary here, a quick tour. And after that, give her a tour of the city. There's no point having both of you hanging around here being unconstructive."
"Righteo sir," replied Larry enthusiastically.
"Now scram, the pair of ya!!"