[Annie is sitting on a park bench and on the verge of tears after a phone call with her mother. Hughie is sitting a few feet away when he notices her.]
Um, excuse me. I’m sorry, are–are you okay? [Annie looks at him] Just seemed like a tough call. [pause; Annie doesn’t say anything] Sorry. I don’t mean to bother you.
No. No, it’s okay. Uh… I’m fine. I’m just… I’m just having a bad day.
Yeah, me too. Is it like a work thing or a life thing?
It’s a work thing. You?
Uh, life thing.
You know how you have this image of yourself? Like, I thought I was strong, you know? Like, made of steel. A fighter. And then, I was faced with this horrible situation with this asshole, and… I just heard my mom’s voice in my head: “Keep smiling. The show must go on.” And I didn’t fight. And now, I just feel sick. Partly because I did it, but mostly because… it turns out I’m not who I thought I was. [beat] Oh! Oh, I’m… sorry. I–I didn’t mean to just dump all of that onto you.
No, no, it’s totally fine that you dumped. Um, listen, do–do you like your job?
Oh, it’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted.
And it’s a good job? Like, you’re not selling kids smack?
No, it’s a great job. I could help a lot of people.
Thing is, I… used to know this girl, and we used to go skating at Rockefeller, and I'd be on the side with this death grip on the rails. She would just charge headfirst into the middle of the rink. And she wasn't… good. Like, she fell… a lot, but she was never scared. And she always used to say, “Just 'cause you fall on your ass doesn't mean you have to stay there.” So you fell on your ass, you know? That's not who you are. So who are you?
[pause; smiles and shrugs] I’m a fighter. I’m gonna fight. Yeah, I’m gonna take that son of a bitch’s head clean off his body.
Okay. Wow, that was… Okay. Cool. Little scary, but–but cool. [brief pause] I’m–I’m Hughie, by the way.
Annie. [shakes Hughie’s hand]
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