One
SOFIA. Most parents would be happy, given the way things are, given the current / situation
PATRICIA. I am. We are Sofia.
SOFIA. Most parents would be fucking ecstatic in fact.
PATRICIA. No need to swear, is / there?
SOFIA. Down on their knees.
PATRICIA. You think we should be down on / our
SOFIA. Giving thanks that their child, their beloved, so-called beloved child
PATRICIA. Of course youāre loved, thatās not / in question.
SOFIA. Has got work. Is in a job. Can provide the family with some relief, so Iām sorry if thatās / not the case
PATRICIA. And why is that?
SOFIA. What?
PATRICIA. Why are they down on their knees?
SOFIA. What do you mean, why do you think, because
PATRICIA. Because jobs are scarce.
SOFIA. There are no jobs, so if their child is lucky enough to / have
PATRICIA. Luck?
SOFIA. More than half of us arenāt in work. We graduate and thereās nothing so when someone manages to get one of the precious few jobs out there that still pays a decent, yes, their families are down on their knees.
I manage to get one of these, against all the odds, against all the thousands of overqualified, over-educated candidates / and Iām
PATRICIA. Thatās just it.
SOFIA. What is?
PATRICIA. Weāre worried
SOFIA. We?
PATRICIA. Your father and I. We need to know, we really would feel better knowing that youāre not
That this job
SOFIA. Yes?
PATRICIA. That itās not costing you, more than itās
SOFIA. Costing me? It doesnāt cost me anything. They pay me, thatās how it works Mum.
PATRICIA. Please donāt patronise me / Sofia.
SOFIA. Unless youāre talking about, what are you talking about my soul? Youāre worried about my soul? Because I work for, youāre worried about my eternal
We havenāt been to church in twenty years, we donāt even go at Christmas, and now all of / a sudden
PATRICIA. Thatās not really
SOFIA. Itās a good job.
PATRICIA. We do go sometimes.
No oneās denying that itās a good job. Extremely well paid, I mean, youāre already earning far more than your father so
SOFIA. Job of my dreams.
PATRICIA. And weāre happy for you.
SOFIA. Are you?
PATRICIA. Of course weāre
Thereās no need to get all
SOFIA. In my field I couldnāt really do much better, PA to a politician maybe, but in these times itās not the politicians running things, so actually
And I enjoy it. Is that wrong?
PATRICIA. Of course not.
SOFIA. I love that Iām the only one who can make out Antonioās handwriting. Heās had to dictate things before, but by some miracle I can read it. He relies on me and I love it.
PATRICIA. You call him by his first name.
SOFIA. Everyone / does.
PATRICIA. Thatās very
SOFIA. Why shouldnāt I?
PATRICIA. Pay packet like that. Straight out of university. No experience.
Weāre in no doubt that itās a good job.
SOFIA. Right, well Iām so pleased weāve established / that.
PATRICIA. And look, times like these, people canāt afford to be high and mighty about whoās paying their wages.
SOFIA. Theyāre lucky to have wages.
I marched, didnāt I? I donāt like the situation, the way things are.
Clara barely speaks to me now, and sheās not busy, what could she possibly be doing, so I can only imagine itās jealousy, and I donāt want to think that, sheās my oldest friend, weāve done everything together our whole lives, but I think this has come between us, and that makes me sad, but I havenāt done anything wrong, and I will not apologise for having a job, I wonāt do that.
PATRICIA. Has anyone asked you to?
SOFIA. It feels like thatās where this is
We marched for jobs, so what kind of sense does it make to resent those people lucky enough to have one?
PATRICIA. Luck?
SOFIA. Yes, luck, Mum. Iāve never claimed to be the smartest person in the world, Iāve got no illusions about my academic ability. Iām average, I accept that.
PATRICIA. Donāt say that Sofia.
SOFIA. Itās true, but thatās okay, and it hasnāt stopped me. I work hard and the fact is, Iām employed, Antonio saw something in me and gave me the job. Thatās not my fault.
PATRICIA. He saw something in you?
SOFIA. God knows he had his pick of candidates, so yeah, I guess he saw something in me. Is that hard for you to believe, as my mother, do you find that so hard to believe?
PATRICIA. Itās just, you said yourself Sofia, you said yourself, you probably werenāt the best-qualified candidate, fine, itās not all about academic qualifications.
But itās not like you have any work experience either.
SOFIA. Is that my fault?
PATRICIA. No, and if it was me, of course Iād hire you in a flash, youāve got so much to give, I know that, but Iām your mother and
SOFIA. And what?
PATRICIA. Heās not.
Heās just a man. Who had his pick of these candidates, most of whom, I assume, given the nature of the, were women, I think itās probably fair to assume that.
You said he saw something in you. What did he see?
SOFIA. My inner brilliance.
I donāt know what he saw, what kind of question is th...