Post by melinda on Jul 7, 2015 19:07:48 GMT -6
The group was working late on yet another diorama, and the late hours were apparently taking its toll on everyone. The group was getting irritated with each other. Even the normally unshakable Troy and Abed's friendship was under a tremendous amount of strain, which was unusual for them. Even when times got crazy, or even perhaps especially because of times getting crazy, it was their strong friendship that offered them shelter from the craziness around them. They could relax, be themselves, and just celebrate the uniqueness that was them, both individually and via their collective friendship. But it was 11 pm, and no work was being made, and for one, Shirley was having no more of all the squabbling, not on that night.
She stood up and sighed a very loud sigh...a strong maternal sense of disapproval. But no one even looked away from their quibbling partners, and so the bickering went on. And on. And on.
She coughed, and tried in her most sweetest voice, to get her point across. “I'm not wanting to be a Debby downer, but its really late and I need to get home to my kids.”
No one even acknowledged her. Meanwhile Jeff and Britta were arguing about the proper use of the term “magenta”, Annie was showing signs of anxiety and was trying to get Jeff to calm down in the hopes that if he would focus, the rest of the group, as always, would take his lead. Pierce, as always, was making really and grossly inappropriate comments, to which Abed would look at Troy in confusion, and Troy would try to allow his socially less adept friend know what was going on.
“Guys and ladies, I'm not trying to cause a problem, but my babysitter let me know she will start charging double time if I'm not home soon,” Shirley tried to say, but again, her words fell on deaf ears.
“If you need a baby sitter, I'd be happy to recommend one. One who guides with a gentle, firm hand, but isn't afraid to bring out a paddle he may or may not keep stored in a special room near his wine cellar...and I'd more than generous with my wine, for the right party...” Pierce smiled.
All Shirley could process was the bickering, the idea of Pierce getting anywhere near her kids, an image of him and his paddle (gross!), the way Jeff, Britta and Annie were completely tuning her out...and Shirley had enough. She'd had more than enough, actually.
So she grabbed her books and slammed them on the study table...hard, causing a loud enough noise to finally get the attention of the group.
Jeff finally spoke up. “Is there a problem, Shirley?”
“Is there a problem...” her soft maternal voice slowly, with each word that came out of her mouth, tuned to a voice filled with anger, resentment, and years of frustration of all of her attempts to be the peacemaker around her in her own life, her broken marriage, and in this study group slowly began to unravel.
“Is there a problem?” she repeated, slowly and bitterly.
“I believe that is what the man, and I use the term loosely, said. Sheesh, and I thought I was the only one showing signs of virility.”
All eyes turned to Pierce.
“Senility, virility, same thing...”
Shirley's eyes widened, and she was about to make clear she had enough. “Listen, you god...d**n old man! I've had all I can take of your jokes, your relentless come-ons -and don't you DARE turn that phrase into a disgusting display of vulgarity...” her voice, filling with anger and tones that no one in the group recognized as from Shirley being capable of displaying...let alone her use of the taking of God's name in vain...which she would never, ever, do had now put everyone on notice.
“Shirley's right,” Jeff stood up and chimed in. “Pierce, you really, really need to leave...”
“You shut your mouth and sit down, boy, before I come over there and make sure you won't be able to stand up again for a week!”
Everyone just watched in shock, and Jeff, looking around for support but finding none, sank back down in his seat.
“If Jeff doesn't take you up on that offer, I'd be more than happy to let you give me good and fun cause to be unable to walk for a week...”Pierce chuckled. Annie, Troy, Britta, and Jeff all closed their eyes, fearful for the wrath that Shirley was rightfully going to unleash on the elder member of their study group. Abed wasn't the best at understanding social ques, but even he knew that Pierce was in big, big trouble. And so they watched. And they watched. And they watched.
Shirley closed her eyes and said nothing. And the group watched, and still, she said nothing.
Finally Britta spoke up and started to lecture Pierce about his grossly inappropriate comments, how sexual harassment took its toll only on the female victim, but on everyone in that collective environment.
Finally Shirley spoke up. “Enough, Britta. Just...enough.”
“But I was just trying to...”
“Oh, I know exactly what you were trying to do. It seems the one lost cause that you won't actively work on saving is your own love life,” Shirley scoffed. Annie slightly chuckled, to which Shirley turned to her next.
“I don't know what you're snickering at, young lady, because it seems to me as if your own love life as of late seems to be sniffing around Britta's leftovers.”
Annie started to protest, and even Jeff- as much as he really, really wanted to defend Annie, knew better than to say anything at this point.
Annie stood up and started to furiously gather her belongings, but Shirley shot her a very, very serious look, and even Abed advised Annie to sit down.
“I didn't even do anything! This is all Pierce's doings. If you should be yelling at anyone...”
“Annie, you can just relax and sit back. Since you're so...so, wonderfully attentive about taking notes, I suggest you pull out one of your precious purple pens and jot this down...” Shirley went on. “It's easy for you to sit there and laugh and point the blame at everyone else's faults around here..and don't try that little miss innocent look with me, Annie. I'm not a young buck looking for some innocence to pray upon...you would do well if you were to hear me out. Your first response....not to my needs to get home to my kids..which you, like everyone else here, ignored, repeatedly...but as always you snickered at Britta. Trust me I'm not happy with her at the moment...but Annie, don't think just because I have never said anything to you that it doesn't mean that I haven't noticed that you don't do well with females.”
Annie looked at Jeff, glared at Britta, and really, really wanted to yell back at Shirley, who continued.
“Annie...I realize you don't have enough life experience...but the way you approach people...myself, you continue to gloat and minimize my accomplishments in order to put the spotlight how much you have accomplished. That's what little girls do...they make everything a competition. And do you know what happens when you..when you try to be the best...you make every single thing a competition...and in a competition there are winners and there are losers. So while you go around pointing out how you're the best, you are making everyone around you fee like losers.”
Jeff raised his hand. “I'm not trying to interrupt here, but don't you think you're being just a tad harsh on Annie? I mean it's Annie...”
Shirley on raised an eyebrow, which immediately silenced Jeff. “Annie may be too young to realize this now, but as you all only seem to think of me as an old woman past her prime..I've learned enough to realize a few things. I wouldn't offer my advice unless I care about someone. I have so many demands on my time...so the fact that I choose to put my time and thought into helping Annie is my way of saying she's valuable, she's important, and she deserves to have someone who really cares about her. Not someone who just wants into her pants...”
“You and Annie? That would be hot..”
The entire group responded with a very loud and stern “Not now, Pierce!!!”
“Annie you can go ahead and push Britta and I away all you like. But once you get more dating experience you'll come to see that yes, guys will promise you a good time, pay for things, treat you like you're a princess. But what Disney does not teach us is that even princesses grow up and they become queens of their castles. Forget a good night of sex...a queen will gladly trade a night of romance for a good 2 hour uninterrupted nap any time. And when the queen who has so much responsibility that she has to choose between paying her prince's car payment, baby sitting, dinner, or tampons, and the food for the family wins out...the prince does not realize that and will sleep with the first stripper that catches his eye. And Sleeping beauty goes from being sweet and innocent and worthy of attention and affection to worn out, overworked, overwhelmed, exhausted mama with bags under her eyes not not enough time to go to the gym because she cherishes every second she was with her boys and who winds up abandoned and alone not just by her prince but by her friends and family. So go on, all of you. Quibble about fictional tv characters, the right term for the color purple...and d**n it, it is purple, not magenta...and what have you...I'm going home. Alone. Exhausted. And in a few hours I will have to wake up and start this life again all over again.”
Everyone looked down. “Shirley,” Annie sighed. “We're sorry. I'm sorry. I had no idea...”
“That's right. You don't. None of you do. Good night.”
and without saying a word, Shirley Bennett gathered her belongs and walked out to her car, determined to keep her head so high that none of her friends would see her cry.
But once she got in her car, the tears all came flooding out. She was alone....exhausted, alone, and more scared than she'd ever been.
Suddenly she heard a knock on her window, and without thinking she grabbed her can of mace and sprayed the daylights out of the person who was opening her car door and invading her private moment.
That person just happened to be Pierce, of course.
“Pierce!” she cried out. “What in the world are you doing here! I thought you were a pervert or someth..well, it is you,”she started to try to put her keys in the ignition.
Wiping the mace from his eyes, a still temporarily blinded Pierce just responded. “I walked behind you to your car...”
“Why you little...”and she held out the can of mace again.
“It's not what you think. A queen deserves protection, even if it's only to her car in the parking lot of a community college.”
Shirley tried to gather her thoughts. “Pierce...”
“It's okay. I'll be fine. You just go home and get some sleep. You deserve it.” he smiled at her, kissed her forehead, then walked away, leaving Shirley, just for that moment, grateful for the first time ever that Pierce was a member of their study group. The next time she saw him, he'd be racist, sexist, old, mean spirited Pierce Hawthorne. But just for a few seconds...he was her friend. And for that, she was thankful for. So tearfully she started the lonely car ride trip to her empty home (the boys were with Andre for the summer) where once again, she'd be reminded of just how lonely she really was.
tbc
She stood up and sighed a very loud sigh...a strong maternal sense of disapproval. But no one even looked away from their quibbling partners, and so the bickering went on. And on. And on.
She coughed, and tried in her most sweetest voice, to get her point across. “I'm not wanting to be a Debby downer, but its really late and I need to get home to my kids.”
No one even acknowledged her. Meanwhile Jeff and Britta were arguing about the proper use of the term “magenta”, Annie was showing signs of anxiety and was trying to get Jeff to calm down in the hopes that if he would focus, the rest of the group, as always, would take his lead. Pierce, as always, was making really and grossly inappropriate comments, to which Abed would look at Troy in confusion, and Troy would try to allow his socially less adept friend know what was going on.
“Guys and ladies, I'm not trying to cause a problem, but my babysitter let me know she will start charging double time if I'm not home soon,” Shirley tried to say, but again, her words fell on deaf ears.
“If you need a baby sitter, I'd be happy to recommend one. One who guides with a gentle, firm hand, but isn't afraid to bring out a paddle he may or may not keep stored in a special room near his wine cellar...and I'd more than generous with my wine, for the right party...” Pierce smiled.
All Shirley could process was the bickering, the idea of Pierce getting anywhere near her kids, an image of him and his paddle (gross!), the way Jeff, Britta and Annie were completely tuning her out...and Shirley had enough. She'd had more than enough, actually.
So she grabbed her books and slammed them on the study table...hard, causing a loud enough noise to finally get the attention of the group.
Jeff finally spoke up. “Is there a problem, Shirley?”
“Is there a problem...” her soft maternal voice slowly, with each word that came out of her mouth, tuned to a voice filled with anger, resentment, and years of frustration of all of her attempts to be the peacemaker around her in her own life, her broken marriage, and in this study group slowly began to unravel.
“Is there a problem?” she repeated, slowly and bitterly.
“I believe that is what the man, and I use the term loosely, said. Sheesh, and I thought I was the only one showing signs of virility.”
All eyes turned to Pierce.
“Senility, virility, same thing...”
Shirley's eyes widened, and she was about to make clear she had enough. “Listen, you god...d**n old man! I've had all I can take of your jokes, your relentless come-ons -and don't you DARE turn that phrase into a disgusting display of vulgarity...” her voice, filling with anger and tones that no one in the group recognized as from Shirley being capable of displaying...let alone her use of the taking of God's name in vain...which she would never, ever, do had now put everyone on notice.
“Shirley's right,” Jeff stood up and chimed in. “Pierce, you really, really need to leave...”
“You shut your mouth and sit down, boy, before I come over there and make sure you won't be able to stand up again for a week!”
Everyone just watched in shock, and Jeff, looking around for support but finding none, sank back down in his seat.
“If Jeff doesn't take you up on that offer, I'd be more than happy to let you give me good and fun cause to be unable to walk for a week...”Pierce chuckled. Annie, Troy, Britta, and Jeff all closed their eyes, fearful for the wrath that Shirley was rightfully going to unleash on the elder member of their study group. Abed wasn't the best at understanding social ques, but even he knew that Pierce was in big, big trouble. And so they watched. And they watched. And they watched.
Shirley closed her eyes and said nothing. And the group watched, and still, she said nothing.
Finally Britta spoke up and started to lecture Pierce about his grossly inappropriate comments, how sexual harassment took its toll only on the female victim, but on everyone in that collective environment.
Finally Shirley spoke up. “Enough, Britta. Just...enough.”
“But I was just trying to...”
“Oh, I know exactly what you were trying to do. It seems the one lost cause that you won't actively work on saving is your own love life,” Shirley scoffed. Annie slightly chuckled, to which Shirley turned to her next.
“I don't know what you're snickering at, young lady, because it seems to me as if your own love life as of late seems to be sniffing around Britta's leftovers.”
Annie started to protest, and even Jeff- as much as he really, really wanted to defend Annie, knew better than to say anything at this point.
Annie stood up and started to furiously gather her belongings, but Shirley shot her a very, very serious look, and even Abed advised Annie to sit down.
“I didn't even do anything! This is all Pierce's doings. If you should be yelling at anyone...”
“Annie, you can just relax and sit back. Since you're so...so, wonderfully attentive about taking notes, I suggest you pull out one of your precious purple pens and jot this down...” Shirley went on. “It's easy for you to sit there and laugh and point the blame at everyone else's faults around here..and don't try that little miss innocent look with me, Annie. I'm not a young buck looking for some innocence to pray upon...you would do well if you were to hear me out. Your first response....not to my needs to get home to my kids..which you, like everyone else here, ignored, repeatedly...but as always you snickered at Britta. Trust me I'm not happy with her at the moment...but Annie, don't think just because I have never said anything to you that it doesn't mean that I haven't noticed that you don't do well with females.”
Annie looked at Jeff, glared at Britta, and really, really wanted to yell back at Shirley, who continued.
“Annie...I realize you don't have enough life experience...but the way you approach people...myself, you continue to gloat and minimize my accomplishments in order to put the spotlight how much you have accomplished. That's what little girls do...they make everything a competition. And do you know what happens when you..when you try to be the best...you make every single thing a competition...and in a competition there are winners and there are losers. So while you go around pointing out how you're the best, you are making everyone around you fee like losers.”
Jeff raised his hand. “I'm not trying to interrupt here, but don't you think you're being just a tad harsh on Annie? I mean it's Annie...”
Shirley on raised an eyebrow, which immediately silenced Jeff. “Annie may be too young to realize this now, but as you all only seem to think of me as an old woman past her prime..I've learned enough to realize a few things. I wouldn't offer my advice unless I care about someone. I have so many demands on my time...so the fact that I choose to put my time and thought into helping Annie is my way of saying she's valuable, she's important, and she deserves to have someone who really cares about her. Not someone who just wants into her pants...”
“You and Annie? That would be hot..”
The entire group responded with a very loud and stern “Not now, Pierce!!!”
“Annie you can go ahead and push Britta and I away all you like. But once you get more dating experience you'll come to see that yes, guys will promise you a good time, pay for things, treat you like you're a princess. But what Disney does not teach us is that even princesses grow up and they become queens of their castles. Forget a good night of sex...a queen will gladly trade a night of romance for a good 2 hour uninterrupted nap any time. And when the queen who has so much responsibility that she has to choose between paying her prince's car payment, baby sitting, dinner, or tampons, and the food for the family wins out...the prince does not realize that and will sleep with the first stripper that catches his eye. And Sleeping beauty goes from being sweet and innocent and worthy of attention and affection to worn out, overworked, overwhelmed, exhausted mama with bags under her eyes not not enough time to go to the gym because she cherishes every second she was with her boys and who winds up abandoned and alone not just by her prince but by her friends and family. So go on, all of you. Quibble about fictional tv characters, the right term for the color purple...and d**n it, it is purple, not magenta...and what have you...I'm going home. Alone. Exhausted. And in a few hours I will have to wake up and start this life again all over again.”
Everyone looked down. “Shirley,” Annie sighed. “We're sorry. I'm sorry. I had no idea...”
“That's right. You don't. None of you do. Good night.”
and without saying a word, Shirley Bennett gathered her belongs and walked out to her car, determined to keep her head so high that none of her friends would see her cry.
But once she got in her car, the tears all came flooding out. She was alone....exhausted, alone, and more scared than she'd ever been.
Suddenly she heard a knock on her window, and without thinking she grabbed her can of mace and sprayed the daylights out of the person who was opening her car door and invading her private moment.
That person just happened to be Pierce, of course.
“Pierce!” she cried out. “What in the world are you doing here! I thought you were a pervert or someth..well, it is you,”she started to try to put her keys in the ignition.
Wiping the mace from his eyes, a still temporarily blinded Pierce just responded. “I walked behind you to your car...”
“Why you little...”and she held out the can of mace again.
“It's not what you think. A queen deserves protection, even if it's only to her car in the parking lot of a community college.”
Shirley tried to gather her thoughts. “Pierce...”
“It's okay. I'll be fine. You just go home and get some sleep. You deserve it.” he smiled at her, kissed her forehead, then walked away, leaving Shirley, just for that moment, grateful for the first time ever that Pierce was a member of their study group. The next time she saw him, he'd be racist, sexist, old, mean spirited Pierce Hawthorne. But just for a few seconds...he was her friend. And for that, she was thankful for. So tearfully she started the lonely car ride trip to her empty home (the boys were with Andre for the summer) where once again, she'd be reminded of just how lonely she really was.
tbc
