by Doris Miller
A week has passed. Teresa has not been to work for a week. She feels so lost without Dana around anymore. She is very, very sad about Dana's departure.
Another week starts. It is Monday morning. Teresa gets on the bus and subway. She starts to head back to her job at the stockroom. When she arrives there, everyone is amazed to see her! Around seventeen employees run to her and excitingly say, "Hi Teresa! Hey Teresa, what happened to you? We haven't seen you here in a week. What happened?"
"Oh I wasn't feeling well."
"You weren't feeling well?" Anne asks.
Teresa shakes her head no.
"Teresa, you weren't feeling sick because Dana moved away, were you?" Victor asks.
"Yes Victor, I was feeling very sick because of that. I miss Dana. I miss her terribly. I know you all didn't like how mean and unfriendly she was, but I miss her." Teresa starts to walk away towards the back office. Everyone starts to follow her.
Teresa soon approaches the back office and opens the door. She walks into the room and sadly stares around at it. Everyone follows Teresa into the room. Everyone stares around at the room as Morris asks, "Teresa? Is it true that Dana was handcuffed, chained and locked to her own mom?"
"Yes it's true Morris."
"What! Well whose idea was that, the courts?"
"No. The courts had nothing to do with it. It was Dana's mother's idea."
"It was her mother's idea?" April asks.
"Yes."
"Why? Why would Dana's own mother put a handcuff, chain and lock on her?"
"BECAUSE HER MOTHER KNOWS HOW DANGEROUS HER DAUGHTER IS, THAT'S WHY!" Morris angrily shouts. "LOOK APRIL, I THINK DANA'S MOTHER DID THE RIGHT THING BY HANDCUFFING, CHAINING AND LOCKING THAT DANGEROUS WOMAN TO HER! I THINK DANA'S MOTHER DID US ALL A FAVOR BY TAKING THAT DANGEROUS WOMAN OUT OF HERE! I WOULD PERSONALLY LIKE TO THANK DANA'S MOTHER FOR DOING THAT! NOW WE CAN ALL FEEL SAFER!"
"Teresa, is it true that Dana's own parents and grandparents down in Jamaica are gonna have her committed into a mental hospital?" Darryl asks.
"Yes it's true."
"Why?" April asks. "Why would Dana's parents and grandparents have their own daughter and granddaughter committed into a mental hospital?"
"Because they love their daughter and granddaughter, April," Teresa sadly says. "They don't want their daughter and granddaughter to keep going around doing what she's been doing, having assault charges, having murder charges, having manslaughter charges and having suspicious murder charges! I mean would you want your child or grandchild to constantly have charges like that? No parent or grandparent would. What would you do if it was your child or grandchild going around constantly having murder charges, manslaughter charges or suspicious murder charges all the time? I guess Dana's parents and grandparents down in Jamaica decided that it was time to put a stop to it, that's all."
"Teresa, is it true that Dana's mother also had both of Dana's hands handcuffed to both sides of the bedposts?" Darryl asks.
"Yes it's true Darryl. How did you know about that?"
"Well Anne told us that she spoke to you on the phone while you were out. She said that you told her about everything. Then she told us."
"Well it's true. I mean I didn't actually see it with my own eyes, but I heard that it happened. I asked Dana's mother Christine about it while I was at the airport with them. She confirmed to me that it was true."
Stanley suddenly comes into the back office. He looks at everybody and frustratingly shouts, "OKAY EVERYBODY, LET'S GET BACK TO WORK, ALRIGHT! WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO BE STANDING AROUND IN THIS BACK OFFICE GOOFING OFF! LET'S GO!" Stanley walks back out the room as everyone stares at the door stunned.
"My God, what's eating him?" Anne asks.
"Stanley is just upset because he misses Dana too," Morris says. "He did have a slight crush on Dana. I could tell. I noticed how he was always looking at Dana whenever he and Dana were in the same room. Especially the way he looked at her body!"
"Yeah I noticed the way Stanley used to look at Dana too," Jay says. "I think that's why he wanted to hire her back. So he can continue to look at her."
"Yeah I think everybody noticed the way Stanley used to look at Dana," Victor says. "I think he did have some kind of secret crush on her. I think by him having to walk into this room made him think of Dana. He didn't want her to leave!"
"Well it's a good thing Stanley didn't succeed in hiring Dana back," Morris says.
"Yeah, for our sake, right?" Mary asks.
"Not only for our sake, but for HIS sake! Because if he had succeeded in hiring Dana back again, he better not ever fire her! Because if he ever had to fire Dana in the future, he's gonna wind up just like Wallace! DEAD!"
"But it was a taxi-cab that hit and ran over Wallace," April says. "Dana probably had nothing to do with it!"
"Oh April, like a person can't use or steal a taxi-cab!"
"But Dana has her own car!"
"Oh April wake up," Victor says. "Not too many people are gonna use their own vehicle in a crime incident! Especially if the crime involves murder or vehicular manslaughter! Not too many people will use their own vehicle unless they remove their license plates from off their vehicle!"
"Yeah, that's true April," Jay says.
April stands there, not knowing what to say.
All the employees start to walk towards the door. They walk out the door one by one. Teresa stays in the back office and continues to stare sadly around the room. As Morris is about to go out the door, he looks back at Teresa and asks, "Are you coming Teresa?"
"Yeah I'll be there."
"Oh don't worry about Dana being gone Teresa. I know it's gonna take some time for you to get over it, but look on the bright side. I mean if a person has to be handcuffed, chained and locked to their own mom, and have both of their hands handcuffed to a bedpost, and it was all their own mother's idea, you know something's not right." Morris then walks out the back office and closes the door behind himself.
Teresa stands there alone, sadly staring at the door saying, "Well, at least Dana still HAS her mother." She turns to look into the mirror and sadly stares at her reflection, saying, "I don't have my mother anymore," as she starts to cry and weep on the desk. Teresa lifts her head back up and angrily cries out, "OH DANA, IF I COULD ONLY TRADE PLACES WITH YOU! YOU HAVE YOUR MOTHER, YOU HAVE YOUR FATHER, YOU HAVE YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, YOU HAVE YOUR TWO SETS OF GRANDPARENTS, YOU HAVE ALL YOUR AUNTS, YOU HAVE ALL YOUR UNCLES, YOU HAVE YOUR MANY COUSINS! YOU HAVE YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY BY YOUR SIDE! EVEN TONY STAYS BY YOUR SIDE! OH DANA I WISH YOU COULD JUST REALIZE HOW LUCKY YOU ARE!" Teresa sadly continues to weep back on the desk.
Dana Brown is no longer around. She will spend the rest of her life with her family and her relatives in Jamaica, West Indies. Her parents, her grandparents, her lawyers, the doctors and the courts in Jamaica will continue to have her committed back and forth into hospitals and mental institutions, taking counseling, therapy and medication. Dana is gone for good. She will remain the rest of her days in Jamaica, never to return!
THE END
