The Company that Matters
by Jonathan Anscher
SETTING: It is a small, cozy office overlooking the abandoned scene of a rundown factory. An old man sits in a comfortable leather chair that looks almost out of place amongst the simple surroundings of his office. A sad face hangs from the man as he stares through a large glass window at the empty factory below. A younger man in his early forties lies sprawled across a simple chair as if a great stress had just been lifted from him.
FATHER
Fifty years. Fifty years and all for what? Fifty years of quality and workmanship and we’ve been sold out by an ambitious, “pack ‘em up and ship ‘em out” company with absolutely no concept of customer service. Fifty hard worked, dedicated years, working for the betterment of the field, and the money-hungry amateurs have sold us out. I’ve worked all these years to accomplish something deeper and all I get is a pat on the back and a “sorry, but it’s time to move on.” What happened? Where did it all go?
SON
You were so involved in the affairs of this factory that you forgot about the world around you.
FATHER
The world around me? This company is the world around me.
SON
Don’t you see? That’s the whole problem. There’s more to the world than this little company.
FATHER
This company is on the cutting edge of technology. You don’t get any closer to the world around you than that.
SON
This company was on the cutting edge of technology. You’ve fallen behind. You’re no longer at the top because while the top kept moving up, you simply stayed where you were.
FATHER
Are you happy that the company fell apart?! Don’t you care that my life’s legacy has gone into ruin? Don’t you have even the slightest sense of sympathy? Have I really failed that badly as a father?
SON
There you go again with your “life’s legacy.” It’s always “my life’s legacy” this, “my life’s legacy” that. Does anything else in the world matter to you? Is anything else even slightly more important than this factory?
FATHER
I’ve spent fifty long years bringing this company to the top. This company is my life. It’s all I have left in the world, my only contribution to society. What else is there?
SON
Your health, your happiness…
(SON gets quiet)
your family.
FATHER
My family?! This is the only family I have left. Your mother left us and took your sisters too. We haven’t heard from them in years!
SON
You haven’t heard from them in years. Mom left because you were so stuck up in your work that you didn’t have time for her. Your work was always more important.
FATHER
Your mother ran off with that cable repairman! She didn’t leave because of me.
SON
Henry, she left with Henry. She left with him because he made her happy. Because no matter how bad his life was going, he had time for her.
FATHER
Henry didn’t have an entire company to run. He knew that he’d get a lot in the divorce. Henry didn’t do it for love. Henry did it for money.
SON
That’s not true and you know it. You and mom are the only ones to blame for the divorce. Henry didn’t want any part of it. He wanted to settle it out of court.
FATHER
Oh now what? You’re taking their side too? You seem to wish they had gotten you.
SON
If I’d wanted to live with them, I’d have left when I had the chance. I could have moved out the minute I turned eighteen, but instead, I stayed here with you.
FATHER
(FATHER turning to his SON now)
I risked everything to keep you. I would have given up everything to keep them from taking you from me.
SON
Everything but the company.
(FATHER opens his mouth, then shuts it)
All these years it’s always been about this factory. Nothing else mattered. Nothing … not even me.
FATHER
You’ve always mattered to me. I’ve given you everything I had to give. I made you the top man in the company. You have enough money that you could retire today! Don’t you understand? All this has been for you! When I started this company…
SON
(Interrupting his father)
I know, I know. You’ve told me a hundred times. You did it to give us a better life, so that we wouldn’t have to live in the bad neighborhood during our childhood. Sure, you gave us wealth, but that’s not all there is to life.
FATHER
I gave you happiness.
SON
We could have been happy without the money. There’s more to happiness than living in the best home. Having all the best things.
FATHER
What else? What haven’t I given you?
SON
You don’t even know.
FATHER
(The father just stares for a moment, flustered at what his son has been saying)
Is this about that college thing? I know I should have been more supportive of your choice, but I thought you’d be better off staying here. It worked out okay didn’t it?
SON
(Rolling his eyes)
No dad, it’s not about college. Dad, I chose to stay here with you. I could have gone to college against your will. Mom offered to pay for it.
FATHER
Then what is it? What am I missing? Go on. Tell me how bad of a father I’ve been. Tell me how I’ve screwed up this time.
SON
That is half of the problem. All these years and you still haven’t figured it out. You’re too stuck up in your work to notice what you’ve been missing out on.
FATHER
Well maybe you should have said something sooner. It’s kind of late to be bringing up grudges you’ve been holding since… I don’t know when.
SON
Grudges?! You thing this is a grudge! Damn it dad, what the hell do you think I’m so angry at here. This isn’t about that toy you never got me or the movie you never let me watch. Is everything about things to you dad?
FATHER
Things? Son, I lived through the depression. Don’t you even talk about possessions! Your grandma and grandpa had to scrounge to find enough money to buy food for us. You have it easy! I had to start working after I graduated from eighth grade. I didn’t have a high school diploma, much less a college degree.
SON
And yet you still came out as a staunch capitalist! You’d think that after having been through the depression you’d realize there’s more to happiness than wealth. You always had enough time for this factory, but you never had enough time to play ball or walk in the park.
FATHER
Oh, so now this is about playing ball and walking in the park? What next?
SON
This isn’t about playing ball and walking in the park. It’s about the things that come out of it. It’s about sitting down and talking. Father to son, not businessman to businessman. It’s about telling me how your day went or talking about my life. It’s about sharing your feelings with me or talking about mom.
FATHER
(Tenderly now)
Son, I love you, you know I do. Everything I own is yours. You’re everything to me.
SON
I know. But you’ve never shown it. Yeah, sure, you’ve given me almost everything that was in your power. But I would have lived with out all that if I could have just been close to you.
FATHER
(Pulling his chair close to his son)
Well, I have a few decades on my hands and not a whole lot to do. Let’s talk.
(The lights slowly fade as father and son begin to talk)
