The Graceland Tales

by Donna D. Prescott

  Laurel and Luna were standing in the reception area. ‘You didn’t even go back to your office?’ asked Owen. ‘Based on your performance thus far, I felt it would have been a waste of my time and energy.’ Owen said, ‘And you were right.’ Laurel said, ‘Let’s go back to my office now. Luna, please join us.’

  (JACK returns to his seat. When he tries to lower his tray table, it slips and bounces loudly on its supports.)

  JACK: Sorry.

  SEAN: No problem. In her office, Laurel began the conversation by observing that Round Table was a good outfit and asking why Owen wanted to leave them? Owen replied that he was going to tell the truth, as incredible as that may sound. He heard of Broceliande’s quirky application process and wanted to experience the challenge. Laurel nodded her head and offered Owen the chance to ask some questions. He began, ‘Tell me about the escape-the-room part of your application process.’ She responded, ‘That’s not a question, it’s a command.’ Owen took a deep breath. ‘OK. What’s the purpose of your escape-the-room gambit? What do you hope to learn?’ Laurel sighed and leaned back in her chair, clasping her hands in her lap. She explained that she and Eric figured that if someone could keep his equanimity under those conditions, he would be a good fit for a security company, adding that as Owen knew, it’s not all that difficult to escape.

  Owen plunged on, asking why was she running Broceliande basically by herself now? Where was Eric? Laurel looked taken aback. ‘My, you’re direct.’ Owen proceeded, ‘Is that a good or a bad thing?’ Laurel leaned forward, placing her clasped hands on her desk. ‘The truth is, Mr. Owens, that Eric died a few months ago.’ Owen whistled, saying he suspected something was up but figured it was a serious illness. How did she manage to keep it out of the media? She explained that Broceliande was a small company even if it had a large reputation, and she had been able to control the public relations to that point. Why not just announce his demise and get on with business, queried Owen. ‘My, you are an idealist,’ said Laurel. ‘Women face disrespect in the business world. While Eric and I were equal partners, Eric was the face of the business, handling the good-old-boy network. He had a good relationship with the competition and with the media. I wanted to ride that wave as long as I could. Business has held steady since he “went away.”’ Owen pressed, ‘So why offer me a job based on escaping that room?’

  Laurel spelled out that she needed a male figure in the executive branch of the company. Based on Owen’s cleverness, she was prepared to name him as vice president. She would hold a press conference in which she announced Eric’s death and Owen’s appointment. That way, she wouldn’t have to face a transition period between Eric’s death and getting another male executive in the company. She ended by proposing a day or two for Owen to think about it, but time was of the essence. He looked her in the eye and said, ‘I’m impressed with your management. You’re impressed with my talent. I say we should make a great team.’ Laurel smiled, ‘Welcome to Broceliande, Mr. Owens.’ They shook hands.

  BELLA THE ACADEMIC: I heard recently of a business owned by women. They found men weren’t answering their e-mails, so they created a fake man to take care of e-mail correspondence and men starting responding.

  BLANCHE THE LAWYER: I heard about that, too.

  ORIEL THE HOTEL MANAGER: That’s just wrong.

  SEAN: Well, we see how Laurel addressed the problem. A week later she, held a press conference announcing these changes. She and Owen decided to have a formal event later to celebrate the new direction in the business. Laurel and Owen threw themselves into work, transitioning Owen into the company and preparing for the gala affair, planned for two months later. Luna worked along with them. One evening after Owen left, Luna intimated to Laurel that Owen was quite a find. He was clever, intelligent, hard-working, and good-looking, to boot. Laurel cut her off by asking what, exactly, was she getting at? Luna started humming the bridal march. Laurel looked at Luna, stunned. ‘I loved Eric. We had a good marriage. He’s barely cold in the grave.’ She paused. ‘Besides, Owen and I have a business deal. What makes you think he would be interested in marriage?’ ‘Just a hunch. Think about it,’ urged Luna. Luna did not speak again of the marriage idea to Laurel, but every now and then, she would drop a hint or hum strains of ‘I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You’ or ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight?’ or even ‘Love Me Tender.’

  One night, as the big event drew near, Luna left early, humming ‘Going to the Chapel’ on her way out. Laurel and Owen continued to work. Laurel paused while looking over some papers and mused, ‘Owen, you remember when I offered you this job, and you said we should make a great team?’ ‘Yes,’ said Owen tentatively, going on to say that he was right. They had made a great team. Laurel pressed on that they had spent almost every waking hour together since then. ‘Ye-e-e-s,’ Owen said again. ‘Let’s up the ante to our partnership. Let’s get married,’ blurted Laurel. Owen stopped and looked at Laurel, uncertainly. ‘You’re serious, aren’t you?’ She said that she was. He thought for a moment and grinned, sure, why not? They were already spending most of their time together, anyway, he reasoned, and they already had a big party planned, so why not make the most of it. Not quite sure what to do next, they shook hands. Then, Owen embraced Laurel and kissed her. They had a small, civil ceremony a week later.

  HECTOR THE ELVIS TRIBUTE ARTIST: This sounds like a movie with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. (SEAN flashes him a fake smile.)

  SEAN: The big event suddenly became bigger, not only a business gala but a personal one. Owen had been too busy at Broceliande to keep up with his former colleagues at Round Table since leaving there, so he looked forward to seeing the guys at the gala. The gala was a smashing success. Owen enjoyed bragging to his former co-workers about his exploits at Broceliande. He particularly ribbed Gary Lot about how he was able to escape the room when Gary could not. The next morning, Gary told Owen about a big international tech conference to be held in France in two months, encouraging Owen to attend. Owen discussed the matter with Laurel. Perhaps they could turn the trip into a combination business trip and honeymoon, he suggested. Laurel felt they both should not be away from the business at that time, but they decided that Owen should go while Laurel stayed in the States to monitor the business.

  Owen benefited greatly from the conference, networking and seeing the next generation of security technology. Nevertheless, he missed Laurel and couldn’t wait to get back home and share this information with her. After the conference, Gary announced his plans to spend a few days in Italy before heading home and invited some of the guys to join him. Owen wanted to skip this side trip, but the guys goaded him into going on to Italy with them. Then, the head of Round Table told Gary that a business issue had come up and he needed Gary to go to Germany to deal with it. Once again, Gary convinced Owen that Laurel was skillfully managing the home front. Owen could possibly make some business contacts in Germany, so Laurel agreed that Owen should go on to Germany with Gary and a few other former colleagues from Round Table. The business in Germany ended up taking longer than expected. Finally, Laurel told Owen that he needed to come home. He needed to establish his presence at Broceliande. Gladly, Owen packed and made arrangements to head back. But Gary, a carefree bachelor, wasn’t ready to lose one of his travel companions. ‘Buddy, we never got to throw you a bachelor party,’ said Gary. Reluctantly, Owen agreed to a combination farewell-bachelor party where Gary and his other Round Table colleagues managed to get Owen stinking drunk. Then Gary and pals boarded a train to England with a debilitated Owen in tow. When Owen didn’t return home as scheduled, Laurel called his hotel to find that he had checked out.

  When Owen sobered up and realized the trick the guys had pulled, he was furious and frantic. They managed to keep him secluded and disoriented for a few days. Meanwhile, Laurel became incensed. She couldn’t believe she’d trusted Owen and canceled Owen’s credit cards. Gary and the guys finally got tired of their joke and let Owen go. Owen called Laurel to explain, but she wouldn’t t
ake his call, leaving Luna to handle the situation. Luna told Owen how heartbroken Laurel was, how betrayed she felt. At this point, Laurel had gained the confidence she needed to run Broceliande on her own, and she didn’t want Owen back based on his recent behavior.

  ORIEL THE HOTEL MANAGER: This sounds like the guy in Blanche’s story who was set up by his fiancée’s friends, except this poor schmuck didn’t have a fighting chance.

  SEAN: Yes, their situations are similar. At least, Owen had his return plane ticket, so he made it back to the States, but he sank into despair. He couldn’t think straight. He couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t eat. After he cleared customs at JFK, he just walked. In his fog, somehow he managed to get into The City. Soon after Laurel cut off Owen, she fired Luna, angry that she had let Luna convince her to marry Owen. Laurel wanted to concentrate on the business without any distractions associated with Owen. Brokenhearted, Luna decided to go to New York where she had some connections. One day, in Penn Station, Luna saw a shaggy man sitting with a cup, begging for money. She recognized Owen, but he didn’t recognize her. Disturbed at Owen’s condition, Luna called her replacement at Broceliande, Lance, and told him of Owen’s circumstances. She asked him to pass on this information to Laurel, which he did, but she seemed unmoved. In private, however, Laurel called a contact in New York City and asked her to find Owen and get him some help. Through this help, Owen finally regained his senses and ended up with a room at the 92nd Street Y. Partially because of Laurel’s spy and partially because of other resources, Owen began getting some freelance consulting work.

  LINDA THE HUMANITARIAN WORKER: I wish all the homeless people had a guardian angel like Owen has.

  SEAN: Yes, that would be nice. At one point, he ran into Luna and learned of her sad fate, too. Occasionally, they would meet in Central Park and talk about Laurel. After a few months, he got tired of living in New York, so he was happy to take a job in St. Louis when a company recruited him. After a year or so in St. Louis, he got a job offer from a firm which would bring him back to the West Coast. Owen missed Laurel terribly but never felt confident enough to contact her. He took the West Coast job, thinking that maybe he would run into Laurel sometime or maybe he could work up his courage to call her. A few weeks after he settled in, he couldn’t help but walk past Broceliande. Once there, he couldn’t resist the urge to let himself in, for the second time. This time, a young man emerged from the hallway, sputtering, ‘Excuse me, sir, but what do you want?’ Owen said, ‘I want to apply for a job.’ The man said, ‘We have a process which you need to follow.’

  Owen pointed out that he had just let himself in through their secure system. He pleaded with the man, please, just to tell Laurel—Mrs. Knight—what happened and tell her that the man who broke in would like to see her. The man hesitated but did as Owen asked. He reappeared a short time later and told Owen to follow him. He led Owen up to Laurel’s office, where he opened her door and announced Owen. Owen entered Laurel’s office and burst into tears. Laurel just sat. ‘Laurel, please let me explain.’ Laurel handed him a box of tissues and told him he didn’t need to explain.

  (DWIGHT quietly blows his nose, as if he were teasing a bubble from a bubble wand.)

  She related the following tale: Gary Lot eventually heard what happened to Owen. He came to Broceliande specifically to tell Laurel how he had tricked Owen. She had mixed feelings since so much had happened so quickly after Eric’s death. After Luna first found him in New York, she had a contact get him some help, but she needed some time to think and to heal. After Owen got back on track in New York, she had a business contact in St. Louis make the job offer to him to get him headed back towards the West Coast. Laurel didn’t want to rush into anything, so after a while, she had another business contact offer him the job back on the West Coast, hoping he would take it. When he did, she figured once he got back there, it was up to him to decide on his next move. She wrapped up with she was ready to try to reconcile their business arrangement. He had proved himself, so she was willing to bring him back into the company on some level. Owen managed to control his tears. ‘OK. It’s a start. But can I ask you one favor.’ ‘It depends,’ she said. ‘Please bring Luna back. She meant no harm.’ ‘I’ll see.’

  Owen went back to work at Broceliande. Soon thereafter, Laurel agreed to bring Luna back. Over time Laurel and Owen reconciled their marriage and Laurel and Luna the friendship. However, relationships are never the same after those kinds of ruptures, but the business flourished and the people involved lived contentedly ever after.

  Alice the Widow says, “I liked your story, Sean. Laurel reminds me a little of the lady in the story I told.”

  “Thank you, Alice,” says Sean. “Laurel and the lady in your tale both certainly have fortitude.”

  “But Owen almost lost it all because he didn’t stand up to his friends,” says Blanche the Lawyer. “That boy needed some backbone, like my friend Livia who finally stood up to her friends.”

  “Still, he managed to redeem himself in the end,” says John the Pastor.

  “Such falls don’t always end in redemption, as this one does,” I say. “In medieval literature, the motif was called de casibus virorum illustrium, the fall of princes. Illustrious or famous people had flaws which brought about their downfalls. More often than not, good people fell victim to their own demons, as opposed to humans just being bad by nature. Of course, it is always more piteous when the noble fall. Who cares if the average person falls from grace?”

  “Maybe that was so in medieval times, but the Renaissance happened, and the common person gained status. The rich and famous don’t always come from privileged backgrounds, anymore,” says King Arthur a Techie.

  “America was founded on the principal of freedom and equality for all. In literature, after Willie Loman it became tragic for the common person to fall, even if it wasn’t from a great height,” Senator Pam says.

  “History is peopled with good men, famous men who meant well but went wrong or were corrupted by power or women,” says Hubert the Bishop, “Perhaps especially if they came from common beginnings.”

  “So, illuminate us, Hubert. Give us a little history lesson,” challenges Franklin the Real Estate Magnate. “Tell us some moral stories, since you’re the big religious man here.”

  Hubert says, “Yes, I will tell a tale or two or three,” and steps into the aisle as Sean returns to his seat.

  Theresa looks as if she unexpectedly inhaled a gnat. A few other pilgrims shift in their seats, perhaps settling in for a nap as Hubert warms to his subject.

  Hubert

  THE BISHOP’S TALE

  HUBERT: In my line of work, I hear a lot of stories, secrets, mostly tragic in nature, as tragedy is what brings parishioners to confession or otherwise leads them to seek religious counsel. Historically, if we look at our forebears, we see the frailty of human nature especially among the most noble of leaders, people perhaps good at what they do but not so good at behaving well. I will tell stories of great men, as best as I can remember the stories. Do pardon me if I misremember. We should look to those who have come before us, who have sinned, and learn from their frailties.

  DONNA THE NARRATOR: (looking over at ERNEST, who seems to be dozing) A certain Middle English lyric tells the story of people who came before us and made their paradise on earth instead of attending to their mortal souls. A bird in the hand, I guess.”

  HUBERT: Yes. Ubi sunt qui ante nos fuerunt? Where are they are now? (He looks arounds as if expecting an answer yet he plunges on.) In hell! However, I will not belabor my story with tales of notable men who fell throughout all history but begin with more recent times. Many of these distinguished people meant well but fell prey to their worser instincts. Over time, it has been the fall of the illustrious—not necessarily the fall of the good—that so saddens people, the fall of people who seemed to have found success yet squandered or misused their advantage. We all know the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and original sin, how the se
rpent lured Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit and then how Eve lured Adam into sin.

  KIRK THE EVANGELIST: (thundering) Frailty, thy name is woman! (Most of the women in the coach give KIRK the evil eye, except ROSE THE WAITRESS, who now dozes fitfully, and JOYCE, who is closely focused on her crocheting. BLANCHE THE LAWYER starts to stand, but FRANKLIN THE REAL ESTATE MAGNATE pulls her back down to her seat.)

  HUBERT: Yes, from the very beginning, woman has been the cause of man’s suffering and fallibility. But as I said, I will start my tale with modern history. People came to America for a variety of reasons, religious freedom being one of them. And like Adam and Eve who had to create their own paths, many Americans came to the colonies not with money or title or political power, but chasing a dream. They thought they were coming to an Eden, a new opportunity, a blank slate. They expected to be able to shape their new environment to their liking, although they knew it would be difficult. Even so, not only did they face deprivation, but a hostile environment and their own human nature. Today, Americans still strive to make a better world against all odds, and human nature is still one of our worst enemies.