Original subtitles

Well, we're moving on up, moving on up, to the side, moving on up, to a deep...

My husband just lost his job, and they just turned off your heat.

Oh, I see. Well, um, how about $20?

Oh, great!

Tomorrow?

Fine. I'll send it right over to you.

Florence, maybe I'm not doing this right.

Oh, it ain't your fault, Miss Jefferson.

I mean, it's just a coincidence that the help center and Pope folks both need

money at the same time.

Well, if donations don't start coming in and fast, the help center could go

under. Hey, we set up the tote board. The money's going to start rolling in.

Oh, good. Now I can stop licking these nasty envelopes.

George, that's wonderful.

Where are we getting the money from?

All my friends.

all over town. Any minute now, the phone is going to start ringing off the hook

with donations.

Keep the lines open.

The lines are open, George.

You know, Miss Jefferson, you got a name crossed out here, but it looks like a

pretty fancy address.

Whose name is it?

Uh, Mrs. Lillian Warren.

Lillian Warren?

That means stuck -up old bat?

I didn't ask for a bio. I just want to know whether to mail it or sale it.

Sale it?

Look, we just didn't have anything to do with that woman.

George, It's been 14 years since I've worked for Mrs. Warren.

I think I should give her a call.

Are you crazy? Have you forgotten the misery she put you through? I certainly

hope not, because I'm dying to hear about it.

Go on, will you? Tell her all about it. Maybe then she can appreciate the way we

treat her.

If you need me, I'll be over by the phone.

Uh, Florence, I don't want you to get the wrong idea.

It wasn't the job.

It was just that Mrs. Warren treated me like I didn't have any feelings.

Are you sure this phone is working?

Yes, George.

Anyway, she'd do things like, oh, I don't know. She'd make these veiled

accusations. And not only that, she had this habit of marking the liquor bottles

to make sure I didn't sneak any.

Now, I could understand marking liquor bottles, but cocktail onions?

Lord.

I don't see how you work for such a miserable woman.

Well, Florence, we needed the money. Oh, of course, I understand.

That's the same reason I'm working for Mr. Popular over there.

And you know what I hated most of all? The way she'd call me her girl.

I hated that more than anything.

Let my girl do it. Or leave it with my girl.

Or does my girl have butts there?

The nerve of some people. I mean, they don't know how to treat their maids.

One thing you ain't got to worry about nobody calling you a girl.

You don't have to worry about nobody calling you, period.

Miss Jefferson, do you mind if I take a break? Oh, no. Go ahead, Florence.

See what I tell you.

George, that's the doorbell.

Look, I know that, we. I'm going to call Ralph and tell him to answer the door.

Oh, it's you.

Yes, and unfortunately, it's you.

Well, hi, everybody.

Hi. Oh, Louise, how much money have we raised?

Well, not enough, I'm afraid.

I'm not doing too well myself.

Well, you did make some money with my ukulele.

You sold it? Well, not exactly.

On my way over to the auction, I dropped the ukulele.

So to make sure I hadn't damaged it, I opened the case.

People started throwing money in it.

So what did you do?

What else? I smiled and started playing Sweet Leilani.

It's Ralph.

Mr. Jefferson.

Hello, everybody.

Hello, Ralph. Hi there, Ralph.

You're probably wondering what this odd -looking device is.

Let me guess. It's a broom with a wad of gum on it. To the naked eye, yes.

But in reality, it's the portable Ralph Hart handy -dandy lost change retriever.

Patent pending.

Of course. Anyway, I've just come from the laundry room where I did a little

fishing behind the dryers, and let's say that today they were biting.

Get to the point, Ralph.

The point is, I'm donating today's entire catch to the health center.

Oh.

Thank you, Ralph.

I'll boil this and add it to the fun.

A quarter, Ralph? I thought you said they were biting.

Oh, yes, sir. But I had to throw back a couple of pennies. It's the sportsman in

me. Are you sure that's all of today's take?

Absolutely, sir. Well, have a good day.

Look at all that money.

Oh, it's a good...

you promised us today's take, isn't it, Ralph?

Uh... Yes.

Uh, I guess today's a red -letter day for both of us, ma 'am.

Oh, thanks so much, Ralph.

There must be at least $30 here.

$42 .95.

Approximately.

Probably gonna get all this change up.

Oh, George, why don't you ask Florence where she keeps the Dutch pan?

How would she know?

Boy, talk about a spot with a portable Ralph Hart handy -dandy lost change

retriever.

Oh, that change don't mean nothing when all my friends start calling. Uh,

George, any idea when that might start?

Louise, is there anybody, anybody that you haven't asked for money?

Oh, well, uh...

There's this wealthy woman I used to work for.

Well, I always believed that when you're asking for money, it isn't wise to

discriminate against the wealthy.

Yes, Louise.

If she's a prospect, why not give her a call?

Look, maybe I should give her my opinion one more time.

Watch the phone, Willis. Right, George.

Okay, I'm going to say this once.

And if anybody ever says that I said it again, I'm going to deny it. Okay?

There's some things in this life more important than money.

There is one thing in life more important than money, and that's pride.

Well, George, what good is pride if the health center goes under without me even

trying to save it?

Because any minute now, all my friends are going to start calling, and when

call, they're going to have to... Oh, George, please.

See? I'll get it. No, no, no. That's for me. See? I was expecting a call.

See, that's what you call faith.

Now I'm standing here saying the phone is going to ring, and here it is

Now you should have learned a valuable lesson from this.

You don't have to go to your enemies when you want something. You go to your

friends. Uh, George.

Not now.

See, this is beautiful. Listen.

See, now you don't even have to go to that woman.

Because once again, your husband and his army of friends have come to the

rescue.

But boy, I rub it in, right?

Hello.

Hey, hold on.

Oh, excuse me, Helen.

George, give me the phone. I've got an important call to make. Good.

Why don't you answer the phone? You sitting right there.

Fine,

Mrs. Warren.

I'll be there in an hour.

See you then.

Goodbye.

I don't understand, Louise.

Why didn't you just ask her over the phone?

It wasn't right, Helen. If I have to ask her for a donation, I prefer to do it

face to face.

It's only courteous. Courteous? Wheezy.

After the way she treated you? Look, if you've got to talk to her, you owe it to

yourself the least to tell her exactly how you feel about her.

Don't do it, Louise.

Remember, it's for the health better.

And it's really worth it, isn't it, Tom?

Well, to tell you the truth, dear, I can understand George's point of view.

But there is a way to vent your anger without alienating anyone.

For instance, I'm sure you're all aware that in my executive position, I staple

a lot of papers.

I'm sure you also know that our office dispenses these staples on the honor

system.

Oh, yes, ours was a happy office until... Tom, not the Bob Dudno story.

Until Bob Dudno was transferred in.

Everybody else stapled everything just once, but not Dudno.

He stapled everything three times. That pig!

I tell you, it almost drove me nuts.

Oh, I could hear him at his desk with his papers.

Shuffle, shuffle, bang, bang, bang!

Shuffle, shuffle, bang, bang, bang!

Are you kidding me? Oh, I kid you not. Oh, and Louise, this intolerable

situation went on for almost two years.

Well, finally, I asked him. I said, Bob, don't you know we have to ration

our staples?

He acted as if he didn't know. But Dudno did know.

Oh, everybody in the whole office was just as mad as I was. Oh, they didn't

the guts to speak up.

Oh, I just kept gnawing and gnawing and gnawing at me. Just like the story, huh?

Exactly.

Well, one day I cornered him in the Mimeo room.

He was running off copies of something I knew he was going to staple three

times.

Well, I just marched up to him.

And I exploded.

I said,

Bob, I don't like this.

And you know, I think I reached him. For the very next day, he sent me a memo.

And it said in the memo, Willis, go to hell.

But by God, it was only stapled once.

Well, consider yourselves lucky. That was the short version.

Well, I've got to get going.

I promised Mrs. Warren I'd be there in an hour. And it's got to be way past

by now, huh?

You're making a big mistake, Louise.

What are you going to do if she calls you her girl again?

Oh, I don't know, George.

Maybe I would just staple her three times.

I'm so glad you came, Louise.

Thank you, Mrs. Warren.

You look wonderful.

You haven't changed a bit.

I had almost given up on you.

You're a good five minutes late.

Like I said, you haven't changed a bit.

Won't you sit down? Thank you.

That's my end of the sofa, remember?

Well,

Louise, I, um...

You're coming here after so long a time. I have a feeling that you're going to

ask me for your old job back.

I want to save you some embarrassment.

I already have a girl.

Well, actually, I don't need a job. My husband is doing quite well.

Oh, what line of work is he in?

Have you ever heard of Jefferson Cleaners?

Yeah. Oh, is it? Isn't that a coincidence?

Your husband works for a dry cleaner with the same last name.

Well, actually, it's more than a coincidence.

He owns Jefferson Cleaners.

Really?

That strange little short man who used to pick you up?

Well, if I had known that, That's why I would have been sending my clothes to

him all these years.

It would be nice having another Jefferson doing my cleaning, so to

Louise,

do smile. You were always so serious.

There, that's better.

Oh, would you care for a little sherry?

Oh, no, thank you.

Well, I think I'll have just a little sip.

Well, Louise, I found it very funny that you should call me

now after all those years. Because, you see, I was just talking about you last

week. Really? Yes. The girl who works for me wants a new steam iron.

And I asked her...

What for?

It was good enough for Louise. It should be good enough for you.

Do you remember that iron, Louise?

Well, yes. As a matter of fact, I was talking about that iron last week.

A friend asked me, how did you get those little freckles on the back of your

hand? And I said, from Mrs. Warren's iron.

It used to spit scalding water.

You do remember.

Well, while we're reminiscing, do you remember my little dog, Lulu?

Oh, yes.

What a great little personality.

Sort of like your iron with legs.

Good, good. You're feeling better.

Oh, do you remember how Lulu used to watch you wax the floor hour after hour?

Then walk across it.

Wasn't that adorable?

It was almost as if she knew.

Mrs. Warren, about the reason I'm here... Do you remember how she used to

your heels?

Fondly.

She didn't like you, did she, Louise?

I guess... Since you were on your hands and knees all the time, it was like you

were down on her level.

And you know how territorial dogs can be.

Oh, by the way, she's dead now.

Oh.

I know that you didn't come here to talk about Lulu, did you?

Oh, you caught me.

Mrs. Warren, I work for a non -profit organization.

Oh. The cleaners isn't doing well?

The cleaners is doing fine.

Good, good.

Oh, I do volunteer work for a social service organization called the Help

Center. Oh, that's just lovely. I was a volunteer, too, you know. I donated many

hours. to the Eastside Orchid Society.

Now, do you know that we actually bred an orchid that matches the pillow on

sofa?

Yes.

But you see, we help the drug addicts, the alcoholics, potential

suicides, and unwed mothers.

Well...

That's nice, too.

Well, you see, Louise, we have a lot in common.

Well, perhaps you'll know then what I'm going through.

And I guess you probably know what I'm here to ask you.

I haven't the faintest idea.

Okay.

You see...

If we don't get a substantial donation for the help center, it is going to go

under. Now, Mrs. Warren, you are the last person I wanted to bother with

Believe me, the very last person.

But I'm here to ask for a contribution.

One question, dear. How much?

Well, whatever a woman of your compassion, generosity,

and sensitivity can spare.

What are we laughing at?

You were afraid to ask me for money, weren't you?

Well, I wasn't exactly afraid. Oh, now, now, don't be ashamed to admit it.

You were my girl, and you were afraid to come to me and ask for help.

Well, I wasn't exactly... Louise, I am going to write you a generous check.

And do you know why?

Why?

Not because the Help Center is a good organization, although I'm sure it is.

And not because I have lots of money, which I do.

But it's because you were always a loyal and faithful servant to me.

Thank you, Mrs. Warren.

Oh, there's no need for thanks.

You were truly special.

Which is more than I can say for the girl who works for me now. She is so

irritating. She wants a vacuum cleaner. My carpet sweeper isn't good enough for

her.

I have asked her to clean the windows. She doesn't do windows.

I asked her to scrub the pigeon droppings on the ledge.

She won't do it.

She's too proud.

Well, that's one thing I never had to worry about with you, Louise.

You never seem to have that kind of pride.

You always were and you always will be my best girl.

Always will be your best girl?

Mrs. Warren, I am nobody's girl. And I think... It's about time I said a few

things. Number one, I didn't think it was funny when your steam iron scalded

hand. Number two, I didn't think it was cute when your precious Lulu bit me.

And number three, I don't like your attitude.

When you are the same insensitive, patronizing old girl

you've always been.

And the worst part of it is you don't even know it.

Now, if telling you off means that I'm not going to get that donation, then

fine, because I do have pride.

Now, if you want to tear up that check, Mrs. Warren, you can go right ahead.

Here it is.

I made it to the help center. I'm just sorry it couldn't be more.

You mean, after all I just said, you still want to give me this check?

What? Oh, Louise, I am so sorry.

I'm hard of hearing.

And my hearing aid is in these glasses.

Vanity, you know. Well, now, what were you saying?

I was saying, this is a very generous donation.

Thank you so much.

It's my pleasure.

And do you know why?

Because it's for you.

Now, I have never told you this, but I have always respected you.

You have?

Yes. You did a lot for me. You kept me company. You...

Well, you did everything I ever asked without making a fuss about it. Now, I

know that on occasion I can be a little irritating.

You? Well, I... Well, I know, but you never complained.

You always understood.

You were a very special person to have around.

You were good to me.

I, uh, I'm awfully glad that you dropped by, Louise.

So am I, Mrs. Warren.

So am I.

You know, I wanted to say all these things to you ever since you left 14

ago. Oh, and I have to say it, it feels good to say what you really feel. Don't

you agree?

I couldn't agree more.

Would you like to come in the kitchen and have a cup of tea?

Well, thank you, Mrs. Warren.

Oh, no, please.

Call me Lillian.

Thank you, Lillian.

I hope you like herbal tea.