Skeet Shooting Scene Page Plus... · Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 2 “THE RECKONING” “The Reckoning”...
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Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 1 THE RECKONING BY DS Hall [email protected] [email protected] (704) 309-5991 (c) 6902 Neuhoff Lane Charlotte, NC 28269
Transcript of Skeet Shooting Scene Page Plus... · Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 2 “THE RECKONING” “The Reckoning”...
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 1
THE RECKONING
BY DS Hall
(704) 309-5991 (c)
6902 Neuhoff Lane
Charlotte, NC 28269
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 2
“THE RECKONING”
“The Reckoning” is the story of a down on his luck, BLACK, mortgage broker who
meets an ambitious, WHITE, mortgage banker. And the two decide to do business
together. Big business. “The Reckoning” shows them doing that business. Doing it
up and succeeding to the max. It takes us on a rocket ship ride to the top of the
corporate ladder where they meet the President of the Bank. He is the consummate
businessman. He runs his shop with a keen eye towards Wall Street and a master
plan to be the ultimate rain maker. He’s got a plan for the bank. He’s got a plan
for the guys. He’s got a plan for everybody. If we just do what he says and keep
filling his pipeline. Keep stuffing that pipeline with highly risky, sub prime loans.
Sub prime loans that he can turn into highly profitable, money making machines.
Money making machines that could make him very, very, rich. Multi-million dollar
rich… If only he can convince the black broker to sell his crooked sub primes to the
“folks in the hood.” Sell them these sub prime loans that are bound to default…
What would you do if you were in the broker’s shoes? Would you sell out your
people for a buck or two? How about a million or two? What would you do?...
Please read this play and find out for yourself.
“THE RECKONING”
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 3
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Reverend JJ Hawkins Solid, wise, African American preacher and Baptist pastor
who is Ozzy Brown’s spiritual advisor
Ozzy Brown: 50 year old African American guy. He’s kind of an affable
and upbeat kind of black man. He’s quick to smile and
shake a hand and generally has a friendly disposition.
CC Curiel: 30 something Latin female… She has caramel brown skin
and big, bright eyes and is generally a hot looking Latina.
She’s fine and she knows it.
Greg Wolfley:
40 year old White Alpha Male. He wears his hair slicked
back in an aggressive style. He’s a smooth talking,
Southern banker who reminds people of “Don Draper.”
Hunter E. Mitchell He is a fit and trim and is a “Master of the Universe.”
He’s an Alpha Male who is a consummate business man.
He wears expensive suits with fancy, light blue shirts with
a white collar and a silk tie. He’s closer to 50 and he’s an
ultra aggressive, Gordon Gekko type guy…
Unseen crowds at the
football game;
Waiter at a
restaurant; Front
Desk Security Guy
Voice; Radio
These characters are seen or heard throughout the play.
Some are seen and some are not… When they are seen
they dress the part. These parts can be played by the same
actors as Roberto, Hunter Mitchell…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 4
ACT I
From the Edge of
Bankruptcy
To the Grandest Ballroom
in All of Las Vegas
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 5
(The CURTAIN comes up to reveal Ozzy Brown and the Reverend JJ Hawkins
in the middle of a heated conversation in Ozzy Brown’s office… Act One
begins…)
OZZY
I’m almost at the end of my rope, Reverend. I don’t know what to do…
REVEREND HAWKINS
Hold on, brother-Brown. Hold on…
OZZY
I’m trying Rev. I’m trying.
REVEREND HAWKINS
Brother Brown, Brother Brown… Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Just keep on, keeping
on... And know it in your heart and in your soul that everything is gonna work out fine if
you take it on faith. Everything will work out right…
OZZY
But it ain’t my heart that has me worried, Rev. It’s my wallet. And it’s empty. My
money is funny and I got troubles on the home front. I got bills to pay and no way to pay
them…
REVEREND HAWKINS
Troubles? Troubles. You ain’t the only one that’s got troubles. Lots of people got
troubles. Like take Deacon Givens. He’s on my board of trustees. He’s a god fearing
man but he’s got a daughter with purple streaks in her hair. And he’s got a son who
smells like pot. And on top of all that, he’s got a wife going through menopause. My
man’s got troubles in spades.
OZZY
Yeah, yeah, yeah, misery loves company. But your man’s troubles ain’t like my troubles.
My troubles are deep. They can knock me out… Financially.
REVEREND HAWKINS
What do you mean brother- Brown? Knock you out?
OZZY
You know, the big knockout. From the big banks. They’re driving me to bankruptcy…
REVEREND HAWKINS
Uh oh…
OZZY
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 6
Yeah bankruptcy. You don’t even know. I didn’t even get paid last month. I worked for
free. I was in here every day, busting my butt. Filling out applications and asking for
loans and getting turned down. Again and again and again. Turned down. Turned down.
Turned down. Rejected!!!!! It’s painful, Rev. It’s hurtful… And I’m tapped out. I’m
stressed out. And on the road to ruin. All the way to bankruptcy…
REVEREND HAWKINS
Hang in there brutha-man. Hang in there… You don’t want to go into bankruptcy unless
you have to go into bankruptcy… So, just chill out a minute here. And breathe…
Breathe…
OZZY
Yeah Reverend, I’m breathing…
REVEREND HAWKINS
Good, now let’s take a minute to exhale and think this thing through. Because on the one
hand, if you go into bankruptcy, that’s it. You’re done. Your office is closed. And your
business is over... But on the other hand if you go out on faith, you can redeem yourself/
You can keep fighting the good fight. You can keep your doors open. And stay in the
game. And if you stay in the game, you never know when the good lord is going to bless
you and reward you with his favor. And turn your faith into your destiny. Because when
you step out on faith, you can redeem yourself. When you step out on faith, you can
make a come back. When you step out on faith, you can get it all working again. And
then who knows, anything’s possible. Tomorrow might be the day… Or the day after
that. Maybe next week... Next month even. Who knows? Who knows when the good
lord is gonna bless you with his favor and his good graces. Who knows, when you can
turn it all around and help you to make a great big, good old fashioned come back. Make
your business succeed!!!
(Ozzy stands up and rushes over and gives Deacon Givens a big, manly hug…)
OZZY
Preach, Reverend, preach! Preach… I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna step out on faith…
And keep on fighting the good fight. Never give up. Never give in! I’m gonna keep my
business open!
(Lights out. End of Scene… Then lights come up again as Ozzy Brown enters
his office to start a new day… He turns on the lights, sits at his desk and starts his
day. He pulls out files and reviews them carefully. He then writes notes on the
papers which he then puts into the file cabinet… After a moment CC Curiel enters
into the outer office… )
OZZY
…You’re late…
CC
There was a lot of traffic on the Perimeter. What do you want from me?…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 7
OZZY
To be on time.
CC
Don’t go there with me, Ozzy Brown! Don’t you even think about getting on my nerves
so early in the morning. It’s barely even 9:00...
OZZY
OK,ok You’re right. CC… My bad... Just bring me my schedule for the day and we’ll
go on from there…
CC
Yes sir…
(Lights out… After a moment the lights come up. Ozzy is at his desk and CC
enters with a date book in hand.)
CC
So, it looks like you have two appointments this morning. The Alvarez mortgage at
11:00 and a Mr. Wolfley at 11:30.
OZZY
Alvarez, he’s one of your leads isn’t he?
CC
Yeah… He’s a school teacher at my niece’s grade school.
OZZY
And he’s a turn down, right?
CC
Yeah…
OZZY
Who is one of yours, right?
CC
Yes…
OZZY
So? Do you wanna take care of him or shall I?
CC
Yeah, you do it. That way I could be the good cop and comfort him afterwards…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 8
OZZY
Very well… And the 11:30 is who again?
CC
A Mr. Wolfley, a banker, I think… His email said something about doing some type of
community outreach…
OZZY
A banker huh? Knocking on my door. I like the sound of that…
(Lights out… Pause… The Lights stay down for a moment or two and then come
back up to reveal Ozzy and CC at work at their respective desks. He is in shadow
but she is in full light. After a moment or two, Greg Wolfley enters through the
door into CC’s office space at Stage Left…)
WOLFLEY
Hello! Hello… Is Mr. Brown here?
(CC looks up from her desk and replies.)
CC
Yes, he is. But he’s in a meeting right now… Would you mind having a seat?
WOLFLEY
Yes, I would mind… Miss, Miss…
(He extends his hand in friendship. She takes it with...)
CC
CC Curiel. I’m Mr. Brown Assistant Vice President… And you are…
WOLFLEY
Greg Wolfley. Nice to meet you, CC… (He shakes her hand.) I’m with the
Supergreen Bank and I’ve taken the liberty of reserving a booth at the Golden Dragon for
lunch. It’s supposed to serve the best Chinese food in town. I’ve made a reservation for
Ozzy Brown and myself for 12 noon… Would you mind telling him that?
CC
The Golden Dragon?
WOLFLEY
Yes, you’ve heard of it?
CC
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 9
I’ve been there before.
WOLFLEY
They say that the Peking Duck is the best in town. Have you had it?
CC
No, I’m more of a General Tso’s chicken kind of girl…
WOLFLEY
Hmm, so you like it spicy?
CC
Yes, I do…
WOLFLEY
I can add another reservation, if you like… CC?
CC
Hmm… I’ll think about it…
WOLFLEY
Please do… Have you ever been to Miami?
CC
Yeah… Once or twice…
WOLFLEY
Yeah, well before moving to Atlanta, I ran one of the biggest mortgage banks in all of
Miami. I ran a syndicate of bankers and brokers and real estate agents that stretched from
the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. I was coast to coast. In the hottest mortgage
market in the entire country…
CC
Hmm… I’m impressed…
WOLFLEY
Oh yeah… And what if I told you that in the midst of all those brokers and bankers and
real estate agents, there were lots and lots of lovely latin ladies. Miami was full of them.
There were Cubans and Columbians and Puerto Ricans too. What flavor are you, CC?
CC
Me? I’m Dominicana…
WOLFLEY
Um, me gusta Dominicanas…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 10
CC
Yeah well I’ll bet you do, but I already got a man boo-boo. And I ain’t looking to be
nobody’s side chick.
(Just then CC’s phone buzzes and she picks it up…)
OZZY
Send him in, CC. I’m ready….
(CC hangs up her phone and stands and walks into Ozzie’s Office…)
CC
Mr. Brown will see you now…
WOLFLEY
Thank you… And I’d like to apologize if I seemed a bit forward there. I was out of line
and I’d hope that you’d let me make it up to you. Join us for lunch and we can celebrate
our new relationship. Business wise…
(CC smiles as she leads him into Ozzy’s Office…)
CC
Ozzy Brown, this is…
WOLFLEY
Greg Wolfley, Vice President for Mortgage Financing for the Supergreen Bank…
(Greg presents Ozzy with his business card and Ozzy does the same. They shake
hands as CC exits the room, leaving them alone center stage…)
OZZY
Nice to meet you, Ozzy Brown, President of Brown and Company…
WOLFLEY
My pleasure, sir. I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me…
OZZY
You’re welcome. It isn’t every day that I get a banker showing up at my door. Usually,
it’s the other way around.
WOLFLEY
Well then this must be your lucky day. This could be your chance to turn the tables
around and come out a winner.
OZZY
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 11
Oh really? Turn my tables around how?
WOLFLEY
By doing business with me. Big business. With the Supergreen Bank…
OZZY
Hmm…
WOLFLEY
Let me cut to the chase, Mr Ozzy Brown of Brown and Company. I want to be your
banker of choice to finance all of your credit worthy loan applications. I want to be your
one stop shop for all of your home mortgage banking needs. I want to be the guy who
says yes to you. Yes, yes, yes. Yes to financing your home loans requests and yes to
giving your borrowers the financial backing that they need. The Supergreen Bank is here
to do business. And if that’s something that you’re interested in too, well then maybe we
should talk turkey…
OZZY
Well gobble, gobble baby… You have my full attention...
WOLFLEY
Great… Now how many loans do you have in your pipeline currently?….
OZZY
Well, I’ve got about five out for decision and 10 still in the incubator…
WOLFLEY
OK… I get it... 10 are on your wish list and five are for real… So what are the five?
Triple As? Double As? Sub-primes…
OZZY
Well… I’ve got three Double A’s. One Triple A and a sub prime. They’re the pits…
They get rejected almost all the time.
WOLFLEY
So, from the outside looking in, it looks like you have one good deal, three possible deals
and one dog with fleas… So what’s that give you? Maybe a 20% chance of generating
income this month?…
OZZY
Yeah… Unfortunately…
WOLFLEY
What if I could turn that 20% into a 60%? Or 80% success rate? What if I could turn
those Double A’s into the green lights. Green lights, as in loans approved… Would that
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 12
be something of interest to you? Would you be willing to make the Supergreen Bank
your banker of choice? Your lead partner in home mortgage financing? Do you want to
enter into our minority development program?
OZZY
Do I? Ye-ah. Yeah. Yeah… Oh wow, that sounds great! So great! Almost too good to
be true… There’s gotta be a catch here somewhere…
WOLFLEY
No catch. It’s as simple as you bring me your loan applications and more often than not,
I’ll approve them. I’ll provide you with the financing if you provide me with your
borrower base…
OZZY
Oh wow. That sounds amazing… But, but, but why me? Why do you want to do
business with me? I don’t mean to look a gift horse in the mouth but how did you even
find me?
WOLFLEY
In the yellow pages. Brown and Company was the first minority mortgage company in
the phone book.
OZZY
I knew it! I knew that ad would pay off some day. Yeah! And don’t get me wrong, I am
extremely grateful here but I’m still curious. I still don’t get it. I mean I’m the first one
in the phone book, so what. Why me? Specifically? There’s got to be about 100 names
in the phone book. Maybe 200…
WOLFLEY
OK, good question. But before I answer, I need to know if this meeting is being
recorded...
OZZY
Naw man, I don’t work like that…
WOLFLEY
Well, if I open my kimono for you, you gotta swear that it stays between you and me.
One on one. Mano a mano…
OZZY
I promise…
WOLFLEY
Have you ever heard of a bank called Walkoverya?
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 13
OZZY
Yeah, I know Walkoverya. They used to turn me down all the time. I could get them all
Triple As and they would still turn me down almost every single time.
WOLFLEY
Yeah… That’s Walkeverya. They had a bad reputation…
OZZY
Yeah, for red lining? Right? For refusing to do business in the black community…
WOLFLEY
Yeah, and they got caught. And they got busted. And they got fined about a billion
dollars. A billion dollars that kind of put them on their heels. And then the Supergreen
Bank swooped in and we took them over. We’re in charge now….
OZZY
OK, and good for you. I’ll bet you got them at fire sale prices… (Pause)… But not to
be too obnoxious, but how does that relate to me?
WOLFLEY
Well, as part of our deal with the SEC, we promised to do more business in the “minority
community.”.
OZZY
Minority or black?
WOLFLEY
Yes black. Minority. Urban. Or whatever you want to call it. I didn’t come here for the
semantics. I came here to business with you if you wanna do business with me. I’m here
to make a deal. I’m ready, willing and able to do business with you if you want to do
business with me…
(Wolfley extends his hand in partnership… PAUSE… Ozzy takes it and shakes
vigorously…)
OZZY
You got it! Deal… I’m all yours! And to tell the truth, you had me when you first
opened up the kimono…
(Lights out… END OF SCENE… Lights remain down for a moment or two
until they come back up on Ozzy’s Office. Action begins as we see Ozzy who is
seated at his desk. He’s looking at papers. He is diligently reviewing the papers
in front of him as the telephone rings once, twice and then Ozzy picks it up on the
third ring...)
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 14
OZZY
Hello…
WOLFLEY
Ozzy, it’s me, Wolfley. It’s been a couple of months since we last talked. I was
wondering how are things going for you?
OZZY
Business is picking up, up, up…
WOLFLEY
Really? So business is good?
OZZY
Well, yes indeedy! It is good. It’s great! We’re back in the black again.
WOLFLEY
You know what? That sounds great! Good enough to celebrate…
OZZY
Celebrate? Yeah… Sure… Let’s do it. What did you have I mind?
WOLFLEY
Well, would you like to see the next U.G.A. game? U.G.A. versus USC. I can get
tickets.
OZZY
Wow man! UGA against my beloved Game Cocks. Yeah buddy! You know it…
WOLFLEY
You like the Game Cocks?
OZZY
Yeah man, I was born and raised in Summerville, South Carolina. Pride of the low
country…
WOLFLEY
No way, I hail from the pride of the low country. I’m from Charleston proper. Just a
block or two off the Rainbow Way.
OZZY
My man!
WOLFLEY
Home boy!
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 15
(Lights out… End of Scene… And then from offstage Right we hear a loud
crowd making pre-football game noises… )
CROWD
Go cocks, go! Go cocks go! Go cocks go!!!
OTHER CROWD
UGA, UGA, UGA… Woof, woof, woof… Woof, woof, woof, Bull dogs in the house…
(Ozzy and Wolfley enter from Stage Left. They are wearing the same, identical
South Carolina jerseys. Except Ozzy is wearing a white jersey with red and black
trim and Wolfley is wearing a black jersey with white and red trim,…)
WOLFLEY
R-r-r-rooh… (He crows.) R-r-r-rooh!... Go cocks go!
OZZY
Go cocks go!
WOLFLEY
Go baby! Go baby! Go baby! Go…
OZZY
Them dogs don’t stand a chance today! South Carolina Game Cocks are in the house…
WOLFLEY
R-r-r-r-roooh… Go cocks, go! Go cocks go…
OZZY
Go Cocks, go!!!
(They chant in unison as they exit Stage Right… Lights out… After a moment or
two of just crowd noise from the football game the lights come back up to full as
Ozzy and Wolfley return from Stage Right…)
OZZY
Damn!
WOLFLEY
That was the worst. The pits. The absolute worst game I’ve ever seen!!!!
OZZY
That was an embarrassment…
WOLFLEY
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 16
We got spanked.
OZZY
We got abused…
WOLFLEY
Used and abused and it was totally rude…
OZZY
18 to nuttin’… We didn’t even score a point…
WOLFLEY
We got shut out.
OZZY
We got zero, zip, nada…
WOLFLEY
God Damnit! That was the worst game I ever saw… But you know what you gotta do
after a butt whipping like that… You know where we gotta go?
OZZY
Naw man. Where we gotta go?
WOLFLEY
We gotta go get a drink. Knock that bad taste out of our mouths.
OZZY
Well, I’m down with that. Lead on, mi amigo…
(Lights go down for a moment and they exit Stage Left… After a moment the
lights come up on the “Down Home Saloon.” Center Stage sits a round table
surrounded by a big, half moon seating… After a moment or two, Ozzy and
Wolfley enter. They sit at the table…)
WOLFLEY
Over here… Have a seat…
OZZY
Yes indeedy, right behind ya…
WOLFLEY
So? What are you drinking?
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 17
OZZY
Well, in times like this, I have to refer to my Southern roots and go for some good, old
fashioned, bourbon…
WOLFLEY
Two borbons, it is…. (He yells!) Bar keep… Two bourbons!
FROM OFFSTAGE
Two Southern Comforts… Coming right up.
OZZY
Hey man, I just want to say thanks for taking me out to the game. Even if it stank out
loud, it was great being out with you today. You treating me like a king and I’m really
enjoying it…
WOLFLEY
Hey man, it’s my pleasure. It’s what I get paid to do. To nurture my base. To pamper
my brokers. Make them happy, happy, happy. To make sure that they keep coming back
for more business. More loans. The more loans you take, the more money I make.
OZZY
Well I heard that.
WOLFLEY
Good, so let’s talk turkey…
OZZY
I’m all ears…
WOLFLEY
Yeah, well we’re rolling out a new financial product this quarter. It’s called the High
Speed Loan Approval Program… (Pause)… It’s code name is the Hustle… The Hustle
is a new approval program where you’re guaranteed to have an answer in 48 hours or
less. Loan approved. Loan disapproved. In two business days…
OZZY
Two business days? For loan approval decisions… That’s great!
WOLFLEY
Thumbs up or thumbs down in two days or less… You interested? You up for the
Hustle?
OZZY
Yeah buddy! Sign me up. I’m down with the Hustle…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 18
(Just then the Waiter enters and goes directly to the booth and delivers two
chrystal glasses of a dark brown liquid. He silently puts the glasses and bows at
the waist. He then turns to leave Ozzy and Wolfie at center stage. Together they
raise their glasses…)
WOLFLEY
You know what they say, don’t you?
OZZY
Naw man, what do they say?
WOLFLEY
Wine is fine but that brown liquor is quicker.
OZZY
Oh buddy, I can drink to that…
(They both clink glasses and then down their drinks in one gulp…)
WOLFLEY
Aw yeah! That’s it. Real men do what real men do. We have a little drinky drink,
maybe some Bar-B-Cue and then we shoot the shit…
OZZY
Oh yeah, you got that right… I mean we’re just a couple of guys having some of that
brown liquor and belly aching about the worst display of football in like the history of
football…
WOLFLEY
Belly aching… That’s a good word for it. It sounds so much more dignified than just
plain old bitchin’. Bitchin’ about it… Bitching is a bitch! And that’s enough of that…
That’s so over. (He yells…) Waiter! Two more borbons! So tell me the truth… Did
you ever play the game, Ozzy Brown? The game of Football?
OZZY
Yeah, kinda, sorta. I made the team in high school but I never got in the game. We were
the county champs but I was kind of scrawny…
WOLFLEY
Yeah, but at least you made the team…
OZZY
Yup, yup, but how about you? Did you play?
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 19
WOLFLEY
Yeah, I played both high school and college. And one of the greatest moments of my
whole, entire life, happened on the football field… I was the second string quarterback at
a D2 school in my senior year. I didn’t play the entire season. I held the clipboard until
the very last game. In the very last quarter, my quarterback got knocked out and the next
thing you know they called my number. The coach put me in. With everything on the
line. We were trailing by four points with less than a minute to go and the ball on the 50.
I started the series by missing three straight passes. It was fourth down. With our backs
against the wall. It was truly do or die... But when I got back to the huddle after the third
miss, there was Big Earl Greene, my center, greeting me. Picking up my spirits and
being positive. He told me that if I followed him on the next play, he’d make a way for
me. And then Tubby O’Connell stepped up next and told me that if I faked a full back
dive, he’d knock out the middle linebacker. And then Franky Gonzalez pulled me aside
and looked me in the eye and said if he didn’t get tackled at the line of scrimmage, he’d
take out both safeties… I’d have a clear path to the end zone. So then on the count of
two hut, huts, I took the snap and faked it to Franky and paused for a moment or two….
(Pause)…Then there it was. Right there in front of me. Right there in front of my face
was this great, big, humungous lane of green, green grass. I had nothing but wide open
spaces. Earl had put the tackle on his ass and Tubby had flattened the linebacker and
Franky was working on the weak side safety and that’s when I took off. I bolted through
that gaping hole. Straight up the gut. A quarterback draw. To the 40, the 30, the 20,
10… Touchdown! Touchdown!! Touchdown!!!
OZZY
Touchdown! Touchdown! Winner, Winner! Chicken dinner! Wolfy, you da best!
OZZY
(They give each other a manly hug… Lights go out… End of Scene… In the
darkness the Down Home Salon is taken away and the action returns to Ozzy’s
Office. He’s working at his desk and reading his figures out loud…)
OZZY
Sales Report. September five loans approved… October 8 loans… November 10…
And December we’re on track to close a dozen loans! A dirty dozen in December!
That’s closing one every other day. Every other work day! Yeah!!!
(He jumps up and down for a moment or two and the lights go for a quick second
and then they come back up as Ozzy enters CCs part of the Office…)
OZZY
Merry Christmas, CC. We did it. We did it. We had a fantastic quarter!!!
(They hug joyfully…)
CC
Merry Christmas, Ozzy…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 20
OZZY
We had our best quarter ever. Powering us to Brown and Company’s best year ever!
CC
We did?
OZZY
Yes! We closed on more mortgages in this past quarter than we did all of last year.
CC
We did?
OZZY
Yes, we did … And I have you to thank for it. I couldn’t have done it without you. You
help. Your presence. Your hard work. You da best, CC. Simply the best…
CC
Aw thanks…
OZZY
And I want you to know that I appreciate you, CC. From right here… (He taps his
chest.) I truly appreciate you…
(He hands her an envelope…)
CC
What’s this?
OZZY
A little, something, something to go under your Christmas tree,
CC
Something, something like what?
OZZY
Open it. You’ll see… It’s a bonus…
CC
A bonus? I love bonuses…
(She opens it slowly and looks at it and smiles…)
CC
Does that say what I think it says?
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 21
OZZY
$5,000…
CC
5 grand… Ooo Lord… 5 Gs
OZZY
Merry Christmas CC. This was a banner year and I wanted to share it with you…
CC
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!!!
OZZY
You’re very welcome…
(They hug deeply again…)
OZZY
And if I were you, I’d take that money and invest in your schooling. An MBA in real
estate might be quite handy for a gal like you. You’ll never know when I’m gonna need
a full vice president, not an assistant…
CC
Full Vice President with a raise?
OZZY
Yeah well, we can cross that bridge when we come to it…
CC
I hear you, but a girl wants to go on a cruise every once in awhile… Sing a little karaoke.
Drink a few margaritas… Get a massage…
(Just then the door opens up and Wolfley enters…)
WOLFLEY
Well if you want to go on a cruise, I’ve got the best travel agent in town on speed dial…
CC
I’ll keep that in mind…
WOLFLEY
You do that… Ozzy, can we talk?
OZZY
Sure…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 22
(Lights go down on CC and action moves to Ozzy’s Office.)
WOLFLEY
Ozzy Brown, he’s my man. If he can’t do it, nobody can…
OZZY
You got that right. I’m the man. I’m the man. I’m the Goddamn man!!!
WOLFLEY
Yes, you are…
OZZY
And you want to know why I am the man. It’s because I had a banner year this year.
This quarter blew the roof off the damn thing. We blew it out big-time! And I have you
to think for it.
WOLFLEY
Yeah well thank you too. I appreciate that. I think we’re good for each other. I mean
that your business is booming and my business is booming. My President even gave me
kudos on his last all hands, conference call…. And you, Ozzy Brown are one of my
favorite brokers.
OZZY
Me?
WOLFLEY
Yes, you. You are my fastest growing, number one, minority broker in all of Atlanta.
And for that my friend, I come bearing gifts. .. (Pause)… Hmm, what time is it?
OZZY
Huh? 4:00 I guess…
WOLFLEY
No, when I say what time is it, you look at my wrist. And I pull out this bad boy and
knock your eyes out… Ka-boom…
(He pops a big, gaudy watch from his wrist…)
OZZY
Nice.. Is that a?
WOLFLEY
Yeah, it is… Primo Swag. Top of the line… You want it? You got it…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 23
(Wolfley pulls a small box from his jacket pocket and hands it to Ozzy… He
takes the box and opens it up. It’s the watch…)
OZZY
Oh wow…
WOLFLEY
Try it on. Go ahead… Put it on. It’s yours. As a token of my appreciation. I’d rather
give you cash but some might be considered a little tacky. But a watch? It’s a gift.
Enjoy…
OZZY
Aw man, thanks… Thanks… I really mean it…
WOLFLEY
No, thank you. You played a big role in helping me make my bread this year, helping me
reach my goal. To be number one in Sales in the whole Southeast Region!
OZZY
To be number one… Props…
WOLFLEY
And next year the goal is to do even better. And share the wealth. Spread it all around.
By starting with a trip to Las Vegas...
OZZY
Say what?
WOLFLEY
You heard me. Las Vegas… An all expenses paid trip, As my guest. To our annual
sales conference.
OZZY
Did you say Las Vegas, the Las Vegas?
WOLFLEY
Yeah, buddy. Sin City. Las Vegas. It’s in your future… As my guest. At our annual
kickoff meeting that we call the “Predator’s Ball.” Where we rent out the top floor of the
Win, Win, Win Hotel. And we dine on five star gourmet. And sip on some finely aged
liquors. And we get entertained by some of the most beautiful women in the world.
Russians and Asians and Brazilians too. Whatever flavor you want, that’s what we got.
And it’s all for you. Any time of day or night. Except for the second night. That’s when
we make out pitch. And talk serious business about the mortgage finance business. We
talk about the latest trends of the industry. Its growth areas and hot spots… We give you
our view of the future of the world and try to sell you on our vision of prosperity… If
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 24
you’re interested in coming to the Predator’s Ball, you’re welcome. As my guest. It’s at
the end of January…
OZZY
Well let’s see says the blind man. Do I want to go to Vegas, all expenses paid over here?
Or do I wanna stay home and twiddle my thumbs over there? I’d say hot damn.
Honey. I’m going to Vegas…
(Lights go down at Stage Left and then come up on the airport in Las Vegas.
Aftwer a moment of hearing planes take off and land, the action begins as Ozzy
enters with his suit case being pulled behind him. He enters and wanders the
stage until we hear Wolfley from Offstage… After a moment he enters from
Stage Right …)
WOLFLEY
Welcome to Vegas, Ozzy Brown. Welcome to Sin City…
OZZY
Wolfie, is that you?
WOLFLEY
You got it, buddy-boy. Over here. Over here…
(Ozzy and Wolfley hug each other affectionately…)
WOLFLEY
So, how was your flight?
OZZY
Trip was great. Got here in no time…
WOLFLEY
Well, now that you’re here. Take a deep breath. And inhale deeply. Exhale. And
prepare yourself to be wowed! With an action packed agenda and nothin’ but good
times. You’re going to see Las Vegas at her very, very her best…
OZZY
Woo-hoo… Yeah buddy…
WOLFLEY
So, let’s get your bags and head out to the limo… It’s party time…
(They head over to pick up his bags and continue their conversation…)
WOLFLEY
So, have you been to Vegas before?
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 25
OZZY
Yeah, once with the wifey… For my 50th
birthday…
WOLFLEY
So, how was it?
OZZY
Truthfully, it was kind of a letdown. We stayed off the strip to save money and I fell
asleep on the Cirque du Soleil… My money was funny and things just never popped off.
WOLFLEY
Well this trip won’t be anything like that one. For this trip money is no object. You’re
running with the big dogs now. And trust me. We’re gonna howl… Woo-hoo! Let’s get
it started...
(Lights out… They stay down for a moment and come up on Wolfley’s hotel
room.)
WOLFLEY
And here we are! Penthouse Floor of the Win, Win, Win Hotel. Ain’t it grand?
OZZY
Wow, wow, wow… It’s phenomenal. Spectacular. It’s absolutely amazing! I didn’t
even know that rooms like this even existed. Here I am, a country boy from South
Cackalackie. And look at me now! I’m here in the penthouse. The Penthouse of one of
the finest hotels in all of Las Vegas. Woo-hoo! Yes!!! Oh happy day!
WOLFLEY
Well, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Our agenda is jam packed with the very best that Sin
City has to offer. Tonight we’ve got dinner at Taboo. Followed by some clubbing at the
Peep Show. And then tomorrow the Road Show starts at 6… Leading up to our main
event, the Predator’s Ball… So buckle up, my friend! You’re in for a hell of a good
time…
(Lights go out. They stay down for a moment until they come up again… They
show case the “Grand Ballroom of the Win, Win, Win Hotel.” It is gorgeous…
After a moment or two we hear the loud speaker urging folks to go to their
seats… After a moment or two Ozzy and Wolfley enter from Stage Left to
Right. They are both in tuxedos. They pantomime silently as they meet a dozen
invisible businessmen. They wave and smile and pretend to shake hands until
Ozzy and Wolfley sit down and face center stage…)
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 26
LOUD SPEAKER
Take your seats please. Folks, everybody have a seat… Please, be seated… Now!
Seats… Folks, it is my distinct honor to welcome you all to the one and only Predators
Ball. The Supergreen Bank’s annual fete to our friends, and partners and business
associates. Welcome, welcome, welcome. I now present to you, our new President of
the Supergreen Bank of NA. The one and only Hunter E Mitchell…
(The crowd noise increases to a dull roar as Hunter E. Mitchell takes the stage.
Ozzy and Wolfley stand on their feet clapping as he does so…)
WOLFEY
There he is Ozzy! That’s my main man, my leader, my boss…
HUNTER
Hello! Hello!! Hello!... Is everybody enjoying themselves out there? Are you? Are
you all having a truly great time? A truly fantastic time? Yeah!!! I hope so. Because
that’s what it’s all about. That’s what we’re here for. To have a good time. And do
some business. And make a lot of money for all of my realtors and all of my brokers and
all of my bankers and all my financiers! Make a lot of money for you and you and you
and you… Over here and over there… Everywhere… Throughout this whole
auditorium!... Money, money, money!!!... Money, money, money!!!... (PAUSE)… So,
now that I have your attention, I have a toast for you all. So raise ‘em up high. And
repeat after me. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat… Champagne for my real friends. Real pain
for my sham friends… Champagne all the way around…
(Ozzy and Wolfley rise to their feet with champagne flutes in hand. They toast
each other and drink…. Then they sit down…)
Because it was not that long ago that I was just like you. A face in the crowd. At a table
over there. It was just last year that I was a just another SVP from just another Wall
Street firm, sitting out there in the crowd. Enjoying the conference. And being on the
receiving end of the Supergreen Annual Road Show. But look at me now. I’m the one
who’s giving the Supergreen Annual Road Show. Giving it to you. And you. And
you… Giving you the benefit of Supergreen’s vision. Our views of the market. Our
keen insight into the Home Mortgage Financing business in the first decade of the 21st
century. And how that business is going to grow and expand and be one of the main
economic drivers for the whole US economy. Aw hell, the whole world economy… (He
whispers.) Let me tell you a little secret my friends. The future is bright. And the
conditions are right for you and me and everybody to do more business… And make
more money. All around the world. All across the globe. Realtors and brokers and
bankers! Everybody in the financial sector! Everybody! On your feet! Making money.
Hand over fist! Everybody! From this end of the room to that end. Everybody, on your
feet! Making more money and more money and more money… From Wall St to Main
St. From San Francisco to Singapore. All the way to Tokyo. All the way around the
world… (Pause)… Making money. Boosting our economy. Enlarging our global
GDP… Yes, we can! Yes, we can!!!! But how? How, Hunter, how is this possible?
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 27
How? My friends it’s only possible if you do business the Supergreen Way. The
Supergreen Way will get you paid. The Supergreen Way will increase your top line
revenue and fatten up your bottom line profit too. This is gonna be a great year for the
Supergreen Way... 2008, (pause)… Wait for it. Wait for it… 2008 is gonna be great…
2008 is gonna be great!
CROWD
2008 is gonna be great 2008 is gonna be great!!!
(The crowd cheers and chants in the background as Hunter continues to rile them
up silently. He continues in pantomime... But at Center Stage Wolfley says…)
WOLFLEY
Yeah!!! Isn’t it great, Ozzy? Isn’t it great!!!
OZZY
Yeah man! Yeah!!! Yeah!! But it sounds too good to be true…
HUNTER
And believe me when I tell you that we believe that 2008 is going to be a year for the
record books. A blockbuster time! A banner year for the whole financial sector. The
entire banking industry! And do you know how this is gonna happen. How it’s all gonna
work? How Hunter, how? Tell the people. Tell them now. Ok, I’ll tell you how. The
secret is that this is the year that sub prime lending goes mainstream. Sub primes are
gonna go big time. Sub prime lending is going to be a main driver for all of the big
banks, all over Wall Street. We’re all are betting on sub prime lending. And the
Supergreen Bank is betting on them too. We’re betting the house. We’re going for
broke. We want to be one of the biggest sub prime lenders on the entire planet! We’re
gonna enter the marketplace and we’re gonna dominate it. Dominate! Dominate!
Dominate!!! And how do we that? How do we dominate?... We do it with a whole lot
of humility and in the spirit of true partnership. We do it the Supergreen Way. If you
bring us the sub primes, we will give you the approvals…
OZZY
I knew it…
WOLFLEY
Knew what?
OZZY
I knew it was too good to be true… Sub-primes are dogs with fleas. They’re the riskiest
loans of all…
WOLFLEY
Risky for some. But not for us…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 28
OZZY
Not for you? Why? You gotta be kidding me? Sub primes are risky for everybody…
WOLFLEY
Risk,. Smisk. We ain’t worried about it. You heard the man. Sub-primes are in this
year. And if that man says that sub-primes are in, they’re in….
OZZY
But they’re a sucker bet…
WOLFLEY
A sucker bet? You calling that man a sucker? You calling me a sucker?
OZZY
Naw, naw, I didn’t mean it like that…
WOLFLEY
Well I don’t care how meant it, it sounded like an insult to me. It sounded like you were
your second guessing that man up there. Second guessing his vision. His road map. His
game plan for action. What’s next? Are you going to be second guessing me too?
OZZY
Naw man, not you… I mean I didn’t mean no disrespect. It’s just that I’ve been in the
home mortgage game for a long, long time. For almost 25 years. And in all that time,
I’ve never heard of anyone wanting to jump into bed with sub primes so badly before. I
never heard of that. Those suckers default all the time. I still don’t get it…
WOLFLEY
Well let make it simple for you. If that man over there says that sub primes are in,
they’re in. And anyone who thinks otherwise is a jackass…
OZZY
But, but, but... It’s like you’ve turned all the rules of banking upside down. I mean last
year if I brought a subprime to Walkoverya, they’d turn me down 99 times out 100. Now
you’re saying that if I bring Supergreen a sub prime, you’ll approve it almost every single
time. That’s the exact opposite of the way things used to be… Don’t you see that?
That’s so bizarre…
WOLFLEY
Well, there’s nothing bizarre to it. And all you gotta do is forget about what happened
last year or the year before that or in the 90s, the 80s even. All of that is in the past. It’s
over and done with. Forget about it! And focus on the future. And what’s happening
right now. And right now if you bring me sub primes, I’ll get you paid…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 29
OZZY
You’ll get me paid?
WOLFLEY
Yes, I’ll get you paid. That is the Supergreen Way.
OZZY
… Wow… Can I have a minute?
(He walks away from Wolfie and to the front of the stage. He’s in a pinspot…)
Wow! Wow! Wow!!! This is blowing my mind… This is all so deep. I mean a year
ago I was on the verge of bankruptcy. I almost had to close my doors. But look at me
now. I’m in the grand ballroom of one of the finest hotels in all of Las Vegas. In a
tuxedo no less. And I’m doing business with some of the sharpest white guys on the
planet. I mean hot damn… It’s like that guy is the king of Wall Street and Wolfie is the
biggest winner I’ve ever seen. And now they’re offering me a seat at the big table. How
could I say no to that? I mean if they say that sub primes are cool, they gotta be cool.
They must have thought it through, right? They had to. And even though my gut is
telling me that something ain’t right, who am I to go against them? I mean look at them.
They’re the consummate, All American white guys. And they gotta know. They have to
know. Right?? Right?...
(Wolfley walks up to Ozzy and taps him on the shoulder.)
WOLFLEY
So, what say you, Ozzy Brown? Are you gonna do business the Supergreen Way and get
paid? Or is all of this just too much for you to handle and you wanna punk out, that’s
your choice… Which is it, bro? The Supergreen Bank or nothing at all…
OZZY
Well, at the end of the day this is really kind of a no brainer. Go with the Supergreen
Way and get paid. Or go the other way and get kicked in my ass. That’s no decision at
all… I’m down with you, bro,. I’m ready to do business the Supergreen Way. Let’s roll
baby, roll!!!
(Ozzy puts out his hand to shake. Wolfie takes it and they shake vigorously and
then hug and jump for joy…)
WOLFLEY
You are? Woo-hoo! (He howls…) Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go! Gambling City USA.
Is at our finger tips…
(THEY EXIT. LIGHTS OUT… END OF ACT 1)
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 30
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 31
ACT II
Whose Community Are You In?
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 32
(ACT II BEGINS… And the CURTAIN comes up to reveal CC and Ozzy with
their heads down at work… They work and they work. They shuffle around
papers and punch buttons on their telephones and computers. They work in
pantomime as the music plays in the background. Until the action begins as Ozzy
yells out …
OZZY
Yes! Yes! Yes!!! Oh, how I love making money in the morning. Money, money,
money! CC! We did it! We did it!!!
(He jumps up and down and then runs over to CC’s Office space.)
CC
Did what?
OZZY
We made the last quarter the most successful quarter ever. We closed 15 loans in April.
20 in May. And a grand total of 22 in June! Woo-hoo!
CC
Wow! I knew we were busy. But I didn’t think that busy…
OZZY
Do you know what that means? At 22 closes in a month, that’s about one close a day.
That’s a lot of closes… That’s a lot of money…
CC
Yes, it was…
OZZY
It was the best. Simply my best quarter ever! And you helped. So, I got a little surprise
for you... If you happen to see an extra $10 Grand in your paycheck on Friday, you’ll
know where it came from…
CC
10 Grand! Oh Ozzy… Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
.
(They hug warmly… From offstage we hear a car beeping and then sports car
revving up… And then Greg Wolfley’s Voice…)
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 33
CAR OFFSTAGE
Beep, beep… Vroom, vroom… Beep, beep…
WOLFLEY
Yo Ozzy, Ozzy Brown! Come on down! I got something to show you…
(Ozzy and CC exit and leave the stage bare for a moment or two. But we hear
their conversation from offstage…).
OZZY
Oh wow, man, is that what I think it is…
WOLFLEY
Damn straight it is… (Vroom vroom…) A Black Corvette… A Corvette Convertible…
With hot, red leather seats. And a stick shift to boot….
CC
Hot stuff…
WOLFLEY
You bet it is, bright eyes. Wanna go for a spin…
CC
(To Ozzy) Can I?
OZZY
I was hoping that he would offer me a ride. .
WOLFLEY
I’ll get you one when we get back… CC Curiel, come on down!
(The curtain comes up to reveal a black corvette with shiny wheels and spinning
spokes. After a moment Wolfley gets out of the car and runs over to open the
door for CC. She gets in. And he gets in and puts on his aviator sun glasses. He
smiles and then off they go. They “drive” around the stage as if they were on the
freeway…)
WOLFLEY
So? You still got a boyfriend, CC? You still in a relationship?
CC
Why? Are you still thirsty boo-boo?
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 34
WOLFLEY
No, I’m just curious… I was just wondering… Can you give me a hint?
CC
Well, your prayers have been answered. I’m through with my ex-boyfriend. We ended it
about a month ago. So I am currently what you might call, unencumbered…
WOLFLEY
Well how do you like that? What a coincidence. I happen to be unencumbered too.…
I’m footloose and fancy free. And ready to cruise down the highway going fast, fast,
fast… You like that, baby? Fast, fast, fast?
(He puts his foot on the accelerator and the car goes faster…)
CC
Who-o-o! Whe-e-e. Fast, fast, fast…
WOLFLEY
You like it, girl? You like it?
CC
I like it. I like it. It’s fun…
WOLFLEY
Well why don’t you show me how much fun it is? How exciting it is…
(He turns to her and smiles. He then points to his cheek in an obvious hint for her
to kiss him there… She sits quietly for a moment before submitting and kissing
him on the cheek…)
CC
Hmm….
WOLFLEY
Nice… Did I ever tell you that I’ve always had a love affair with all of my cars. I’ve had
a pet name for each and every one. Have you ever named any of your cars, CC?
CC
No, I only had two cars in my life. And they were both hoopties… I was just glad that
they ran…
WOLFLEY
Well, that’s too bad. For me cars are my passion. High end cars. Lincolns and Benzs.
Sports cars too. My last car was a Porche. I had a great nickname for her too.
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 35
CC
Her?
WOLFLEY
Yes, her. I always name my cars after girls. I only ride in female automobiles. And the
one before this one was a Porshce. And I called Pee, Pee. Pee-Pee the Porsche…
(CC breaks out laughing…)
CC
Pee-Pee the Porsche… That’s funny.
WOLFLEY
Funny how? As in good. As in hot. As in fast, fast, fast…
CC
Funny as in I don’t know what all. So what are you gonna nickname this one?
WOLFLEY
I don’t know. What should I name her?
CC
Hmm, let me guess. How about Miss Vicky, the Vette?
WOLFLEY
Hmm… Not bad. Miss Vicky the Vette could work. But I would do you one better.
How about CC, the Corvette?…
CC
Oh wow! That is better… So, so much better…
WOLFLEY
Oh? So, you like it, Mami. Te gusto, baby. You like it. You want it. You got it. And
it’s a good one. It’s a big one. Its’ a hard one… Isn’t it? Baby, isn’t it?
(He reaches over and grabs her left hand with his right hand and he guides it
towards his crotch area. She smiles and follows and lets him put it there. She
dangles it above his balls for a moment and then dives down and strokes his penis
for a moment or two until she pulls away…)
CC
We better not. This is getting dangerous… You’re driving almost 90…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 36
WOLFLEY
Yeah, but that’s what makes it so hot. Me cruising down the highway going fast, fast,
fast. And you playing with my stick shaft, shaft, shaft… I get off on this shit…
CC
Yeah, but that’s crazy. And I’m not that kind of girl…
WOLFLEY
What kind of girl?
CC
A panty dropper…
WOLFLEY
A what?
CC
A panty dropper… That’s what they call the girls who fall for guys who ride around in
cars like this. A panty dropper. All flash and no sense. But I’m not that kind of girl.
So, if you want to get to know me, you gotta show me. And I’m not talking about no
fancy cars or no fancy shoes or hanky panky I’m talking about how you gotta earn my
time. If you want to get with me, you gotta earn it.
WOLFLEY
Oh well…
CC
And don’t go thinking that just because I’m a Dominicana, I’m a panty dropper. Just
because I’m brown. And you’re a white guy. Don’t go thinking that you’re gonna get
some play. Because you’re not… Comprende?
WOLFLEY
Yo comprendo…
CC
There ain’t no white privilege up in here…
WOLFLEY
Blue balls. Got it…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 37
CC
And you need to know right now that if you want to go with a girl like me, you , you
gotta start out slow, not so fast. Like let’s start with a dinner and a movie. Then maybe
if I feel like it, we can get some fancy desert afterwards. Comprende baby?…
WOLFLEY
Yo compredendo… Give me your number and we’ll go from there…
CC
You got it…
(Lights out… They stay down for a moment and then come back up to reveal
Ozzy and Wolfley in the car, cruising down the road and having a joy ride…)
OZZY
Wow man! Your ‘Vette is something else! We cruising around the Perimeter doing 75
and it feels like 40.
WOLFLEY
Well, that’s the power of the beast.
OZZY
We’re just cruising by at full speed and everybody else is moving in slow motion…
WOLFLEY
You got that right…
OZZY
So, what’s the deal? Why did you get a new car all of a sudden? Did you get a raise or
something?
WOLFLEY
Something like that, Hunter saw that I was the best salesman in the region. And he
decided to reward me for it. So, he did give me a nice promotion. I am now the Senior
VP of Sales for the Southeast Region.
OZZY
You are now a Senior Vice President. An SVP?
WOLFLEY
Yeah SVP! That has a nice ring to it. Don’t it?
OZZY
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 38
Yeah buddy. I’m impressed… And is this one of the perks of the new job? I
suppose… These hot wheels…
WOLFLEY
Kind of sort or… Actually, I treated myself with this little gem. I took a little piece of
my bonus money and splurged on it. I splurged and I’m loving it! Don’t you. Isn’t this a
great ride?
OZZY
Yeah man! This is the bomb…
WOLFLEY
I mean I’m not married. So if I don’t spoil myself every once in awhile, who’s gonna do
it for me?
OZZY
Nobody! I can dig it. You deserve it. Mr SVP… who got a bonus… How big a bonus?
WOLFLEY
Well, I blew away my quota and they gave me a bonus of $500,000 …
(He whispers into Ozzy’s ear…)
OZZY
$500,000! Wow! Hot damn!
WOLFLEY
A half a million dollars… Pre-tax…
OZZY
500 Gs! All at the same time. In one shot. Wow! That’s the bomb diggity…
WOLFLEY
Yeah well, it ain’t all bad. I’ll tell you that… But I owe it all to guys like you. You in
particular have taken to the sub primes like a duck to water…
OZZY
Yeah well sub primes is working for me… They’re working big time!
WOLFLEY
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 39
And rightly they should. Because as long as the price of housing keeps going up, up, up
more loans is good loans. More loans means more money for you and for me and more
money for everybody… In fast times like this, fast guys like us, we get rich. We get
rich while everybody else just stands in place…
OZZY
I heard that…
WOLFLEY
But I am kind of curious.
OZZY
Curious? About what?
WOLFLEY
About you? You’re making good money too right? So have you ever thought about
getting one of these bad boys for yourself? Thought about getting a ‘Vette or a Beamer
or a Benz for yourself? A Jag maybe?
OZZY
Or a Caddy?
WOLFLEY
Yeah… Something like that…
OZZY
Yeah…. Well to tell the truth I did stop by the Cadillac dealership the other day. I even
test drove the CTS. It was smooth….
WOLFLEY
So you liked it huh?
OZZY
Uh huh…
WOLFLEY
So why didn’t you get it…
OZZY
I don’t know…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 40
WOLFLEY
So, why don’t you go get it now. Ozzy Brown go get yourself that caddy? Why don’t
you go splurge on it. You’ve got the funds. Go ahead and splurge on yourself. You’ll be
glad you did… I guarantee it!!
OZZY
…Yes!!! I’m going to do it. I will. I will. I will…
(The music rises as they exit… Lights out… End of Scene… After a moment or
two the action is returned to Ozzy’s Office at Stage Left. Ozzy is alone at his
desk. He works at his computer and moves some papers around on his desk. He
works as he talks…)
OZZY
Oh how I love to make money in the evening. The balancing of the books and the
detailing of the accounting. And the keeping track of all of that money, money, money.
Money that’s coming in to my pockets. Into my world. Into my bank account. Putting
zeroes in there where there was nothing before. Oh lordy, lordy, lordy, More and more
zeroes. Putting in thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars into my account…
Lordy, lordy, lordy, I’m so happy I can’t stand myself. I have to pinch myself to make
sure that I’m not dreaming. Yes… It’s real. It’s happening. And it’s great!
(He gets up from his desk and begins to gather his belongings… He puts on his
jacket, grabs his brief case and heads for the door… As he reaches the door,
Reverend Hawkins meets him on the other side..)
REVEREND HAWKINS
Brother Brown, Brother Brown… I’m glad I caught you…
OZZY
Yes Reverend, I was just about to leave for the night…
REVEREND HAWKINS
But you’re still working, right? You’re still in…
OZZY
Yes sir, I’m still here…
REVEREND HAWKINS
So, do you mind if I bend your ear for a minute or two…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 41
OZZY
Yeah sure…
(They retreat back to Ozzy’s Office and sit themselves down…)
REVEREND HAWKINS
Now Brother Brown, you know me. You know how I am. You know how I tend to my
flock. And how I care about my people. How I care about my community, your
community, our community…
OZZY
Yes sir…
REVEREND HAWKINS
And it is on behalf of our community that I come to you with open arms and a heavy
heart… And do you know why my heart is heavy, Brother Brown? Why I have such a
heavy burden on my brow?
OZZY
No sir… Why?
REVEREND HAWKINS
It is because so many of my people are hurting. They’re suffering. Suffering under the
weight of some very bad loans Very bad loans that you sold to them…
OZZY
Uh oh…
REVEREND HAWKINS
Uh oh is right! And I’m here because you helped bring in these bad loans into our
community. You brokered them. And you profited from them… You made lots of
money off of those loans…
OZZY
Yes, I know... And you did too… You got your referral fees and commission checks.
And it was all disguised as tax free donations…
REVEREND HAWKINS
Yes, that’s true. And I did profit from your dirty little business. And for that I am so, so
sorry. But that doesn’t matter for now. What does matter is that they’re gonna take
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 42
Deacon Givens house away. They’re gonna snatch his house unless you help to save it.
You’re our last, best chance… You know Deacon Givens, don’t you?
OZZY
Yeah, he runs the neighborhood library… It’s three, maybe four blocks from here…
REVEREND HAWKINS
Well, he’s having his house foreclosed on. He’s getting kicked out. He’s going through
foreclosure… He got one of your sub prime loan from the Supergreen Bank and now
they’re threatening to put him out on the streets.
OZZY
The Supergreen Bank…
REVEREND HAWKINS
Yeah, the crooked green bank…
OZZY
They are not crooked! I mean it’s my job as the loan originator to keep things on the up
and up. To strike the best deal possible for both the buyer and the seller. What kind of
loan did Deacon Givens have?
REVEREND HAWKINS
A rotten one. A real stinker... He should’ve qualified for a Triple A loan, but instead
they gave him subprime…
OZZY
Uh oh.. What were the terms? Do you know?
REVEREND HAWKINS
It was a sub prime with a trigger. It kicked in after the first year…
OZZY
It had a trigger?
REVEREND HAWKINS
Yeah, like a time bomb… Boom! Up go the payments. They almost doubled after the
first year. It was a total ripoff, a complete trap, trap, trap… It was a trap that he fell into
it and now he can’t get out. He can’t afford to make his payments. So, he’s in
tremendous trouble and they’re going to kick him out….
OZZY
So, he can’t make the payments?
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 43
REVEREND HAWKINS
No, he can’t… Was it this? Is that why they trapped him?
(He points at the skin on his wrist…)
OZZY
Naw, not them… The only color that they really care about is green…
REVEREND HAWKINS
Can you talk to them for us?
OZZY
Talk to who?
REVEREND HAWKINS
You know who… Talk to your buddy at the Supergreen Bank. See if you can get
Deacon Givens a new deal. Give him a second chance…
OZZY
Aw man… Have you tried calling them yourself?
REVEREND HAWKINS
Yes, we have. We have called them dozens of times. But every single time we get re-
routed to India. Them Indian fellas mean well, but they can’t make a decision. They just
take the number and say that they’ll have somebody call back. But they never call a
brutha back…
OZZY
Never?
REVEREND HAWKINS
Never…
OZZY
Hmm…
REVERREEND HAWKINS
Maybe you could call your friend at Supergreen Bank and have a little pow-wow. Maybe
you can talk the talk to help Deacon Givens keep his house…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 44
OZZY
Um… Wow… Let me think this thing through. You want me to go to the SVP of the
Supergreen Bank and try to get him to do what?
REVEREND HAWKINS
Just talk some sense to him. Get him to renegotiate Deacon Givens’ deal and help him
save his house…
OZZY
Aw man. You don’t know the banks ain’t gonna wanna give the money back . That’s
not what they do. They never wanna do that…
REVEREND HAWKINS
But it’s not what they want, Brother Brown, it’s what you want. Do you wanna be there
for Deacon Givens? Like I was there for you. Back in the day? Are you with me,
brother Brown? Are you with us? Your community? Your people? (He touches his
wrist.) Are you with us? Or are you with them? The crooked bankers?…
OZZY
But they’re not crooked. Stop saying that…
REVEREND HAWKINS
They are crooked! They’re evil. What they’re doing is wrong and deceitful. And it’s
not working. Not for us. The people. The consumers… It only works for them. The
greedy bankers… Are you with us, Brother Brown? Or are you with them?
OZZY
I, I, I… I’m tied to them…. That’s how I make my money…
REVEREND HAWKINS
No, you’re not. You’re tied to us. Your community. Your pastor. Your pastor who was
there for you in your hour of need. I was there for you. I listened to you. And
counseled you. And helped lift you up. Help lift you up all the way to glory. The glory
that you have today is there because of me. Me and the lord. We were there for you... In
your moment of need Are you going to be there for us…
OZZY
I’m there for you, Rev. We’re all in this together… Word is bond…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 45
(Ozzy and Reverend Hawkins hug for a moment until Ozzy pulls away and
punches a few buttons on his speaker phone. From offstage we hear a phone ring
once… Twice… And on the third ring we hear…)
WOLFLEY
Greg Wolfley speaking… Senior Vice President of the Supergreen Bank.
OZZY
Wolfie! Wassup? It’s me Ozzy…
WOLFLEY
Oh Ozzy, I was just talking about you… What’s up?
OZZY
Oh well, a little problem has sprung up on me here. And I was hoping you could help me
out. You see there was a bad loan that you lent out to a friend of mine and I’d like to see
if we could review it for a little bit, maybe do some mediation on it.
WOLFLEY
Mediation?
OZZY
Yeah, you know… Maybe give my buddy a break… Get him out of foreclosure
proceedings. And help him to keep his house…
WOLFLEY
I take it that this person is already in default?
OZZY
Yes sir… On a sub prime…
WOLFLEY
Of course… Valued at?
OZZY
Not a whole heckuva lot… I’ll send you the details in an email.
WOLFLEY
OK… Do that… Unless you’d rather come by my place and see my new office space…
OZZY
Your new office space?
WOLFLEY
Yeah, on the 30th
floor. Of a skyscraper overlooking the Perimeter…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 46
OZZY
Wow… Cool beans…
WOLFLEY
Great! Why don’t you come by my place on Friday night around 5:00 and we can hash it
out. First we can have a little meeting and then afterwards maybe we can hang out... Do
up the town in a little limo action…
OZZY
Sounds like a plan to me…
(LIGHTS OUT… END OF SCENE…)
(Lights come up on the opulent office of Greg Wolfley, Senior Vice President of
Sales for the Supergreen Bank. It is on the 30th
floor. It has floor to ceiling
windows that overlook the city below. Lights flash up on this set for a moment or
two and then go down to black… After another moment of darkness we hear
voices from offstage…)
WOLFLEY
Here we go… Right over here…
(We then hear the sound of a key going into the door and then Greg Wolfley and
Hunter Mitchell enter the office.)
HUNTER
Oh wow, man. That was a gas… Riding around in your ‘Vette on the Perimeter was a
gas and a half.
WOLFLEY
Yeah, that was pretty cool, wasn’t it?
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 47
HUNTER
Yeah man, almost as cool as when I was led footing it on the bahn, bahn, bahn, the auto-
bahn. In Germany. I was driving a jet black Mercedes SLS. Cruising around at over 200
Kilometers an hour. That’s almost 150 in the States…
WOLFLEY
Yeah well, that’s the auto-bahn for you. That’s the best road in the world…
HUNTER
Yes it is. And my SLS wasn’t bad either…
WOLFLEY
I guess, but not as good as my ‘Vette…
HUNTER
Your ‘Vette couldn’t hold a candle to my SLS. Are you kidding me. The SLS is the very
finest and the very best German engineering on the entire planet…
WOLFLEY
That’s fine. But for now I’d rather buy American…
HUNTER
Homer…
WOLFLEY
Yeah, well that’s just how I do it down here in the sunny South. The New South that is…
But if you really think about it, we can’t lose either way. American or German, we’re
still, both of us are riding around in two of the finest cars in the world. Right? Right?...
HUNTER
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 48
You got that right… Ah, it’s great to be us… Masters of the Universe… Rulers of the
world of finance… So, are ready for Mr. Brown? Is our plan intact?
(Just then there is the sound of a door chime ringing… Bing bong. Bing bong!
Bing bong!!!... Wolfley hits a button on his speaker phone…)
WOLFLEY
Yes it is. We’re on track and ready to go… Greg Wolfley speaking…
FRONT DESK SECURITY-MAN
Yes Mr. Wolfley, this is the front desk. There is a Mr. Brown and company here to see
you…
WOLFLEY
Very well… Send him right up.
FRONT DESK SECURITY MAN
Yes sir…
(Lights go out in a flash… After a moment or two the lights come up again as
Ozzy and Reverend Hawkins enter the office…)
WOLFLEY
Ozzy, my man… Come on in. And meet my boss, Mr. Hunter E Mitchell, the President
of the Supergreen Bank… And you brought a guest…
REVEREND HAWKINS
Yes, I’m Reverend JJ Hawkins. I’m Ozzy’s pastor. And the reason that I’m here is for
Deacon Givens. He’s one of my flock…
(Rev Hawkins goes directly to Hunter and reaches out his hand to shake. After a
moment Hunter shakes it. Wolfley pulls Ozzy aside…)
WOLFLEY
You didn’t say that you were bringing a guest with you…
OZZY
Yeah well, I didn’t think you’d mind. It’s not a problem, is it? I mean he’s a pastor.
WOLFLEY
Well… We had something else in mind for you tonight… An offer…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 49
OZZY
An offer? What kind of offer?
WOLFLEY
You’ll see… Maybe….
REVEREND HAWKINS
Nice to meet you, Mr. Mitchell…
HUNTER
Hunter, everybody always calls me Hunter….
OZZY
OK Hunter, do you go to church?
HUNTER
No, I just recently moved to Atlanta and I travel a lot. So, I’m not really around often
enough to actually go to church…
OZZY
Oh boy, I think I need a drink. Greg? You got any of the brown liquor?
WOLFLEY
Yeah, I got it. Hunter, your usual?
HUNTER
Yeah…
WOLFLEY
Rev? I don’t mean to insult your sensibilities or nothing. But we’re gonna have a drink
and I hope you don’t mind…
REVEREND HAWKINS
No worries on my end. I mean it is your office… Do what you normally do…
WOLFLEY
Well then, that’s two Southern Comforts and a 20 year old single malt coming right up…
(Wolfley goes to make the drinks and Ozzy helps… Hunter and the Rev continue
their talk…)
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 50
REVEREND HAWKINS
Oh my… This is quite an impressive office, pretty swanky even…
HUNTER
Yes, it is… Pretty swanky indeed. Here we are at the top of the Queen Building. With a
magnificent view of the western skies. At sunset… I swear you can almost see
California out there. Over the horizon. Out in the distance.
REVEREND HAWKINS
No, not quite California. But I can see the curvature of the earth from here. Wow!
Breathtaking… What a view! .
HUNTER
It ain’t bad. Mine is just down the hall. I face to the north. North to New York City…
REVEREND HAWKINS
New York City? Is that where you’re from?
HUNTER
Kind of sort of. I was born on Long Island and raised in Manhattan. I used to work at
53rd
and Madison. I worked at the corporate headquarters of one of the biggest Banks on
Wall Street. Before moving down here I was a corporate vice president for Citi-Wide
Bank. You ever heard of them? City-Wide...
REVEREND HAWKINS
Oh yeah… They’re one of the big boys. They’re top shelf..
HUNTER
Well, I used to help run their mortgage division. Until Supergreen Bank made an offer
that I couldn’t refuse. And they brought me down here. With a chance to run my own
shop. Start it up from the ground up and build it right. Make it grow. And be
successful… And do you know who the first person I called when I decided to switch to
Supergreen Bank? Who was call number one! It was none other than my old B-School
buddy, Mr. Greg Wolfley. I called him in his Miami office and brought him up here and
now we’re doing big things! Big business. Booming business… Right Greg? .
(Wolfley and Ozzy return with snifters of dark brown bourbon with ice and
Wolfley hands Hunter a glass of light brown scotch. Ozzy gives the fourth glass
of ice water to Rev Hawkins…)
WOLFLEY
Right… Here we go fellas. Here’s a little something yummy for your tummy…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 51
OZZY
Right on… Here’s to new friends, not sham friends…
HUNTER
Hmm, so you were in Vegas, were you…
(They click glasses and all four drink up…)
OZZY
Yes, I was… And that’s the good stuff… That will really wet your whistle… (He
whistles out loud.)
REVEREND HAWKINS
I guess. But we didn’t come here for no whistling. We came here to talk about some
business.. My friend Deacon Givens, he’s a good man. Who got a bad loan. And now
he needs a break. Can you help him out? Can you help us out?
HUNTER
Yeah well, Greg and I were talking about you and your little problem here. And, and,
and… I really don’t know how to put this…
REVEREND HAWKINS
How to put what?
HUNTER
Put this. The bad news. I don’t know how to tell you that the Supergreen Bank does not
have your friend’s loan any more. So we can’t help you…
REVEREND HAWKINS
Huh? Say what?
HUNTER
Your buddy’s loan has been sold away. Sold to another bank. It was sold as a piece of a
bigger package with about 1,000 other loans. It was sold as part of a financial package
called a CDO… Do you know what a CDO is?
REVEREND HAWKINS
No, I’m afraid that I’m not familiar with the term…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 52
HUNTER
CDO stands for Collateralized Debt Obligation. CDO… You can think of it as a great
big loan that is made up of a lots and lots of little loans. Little loans like your buddy’s
loan…
REVEREND HAWKINS
Oh…
HUNTER
Yeah, yeah, these CDOs are worth hundreds of millions of dollars… They’re multi-
million dollar packages that are bought and sold on the global marketplace for these types
of sophisticated financial instruments. Your friend’s loan is no longer in the possession
of the Supergreen Bank. So therefore, the Supergreen Bank can no longer help you…
REVEREND HAWKINS
Damn!
(Ozzy and Wofley interject themselves into the conversation….)
OZZY
Reverend Hawkins!
WOLFLEY
Is everything all right over here?
(Wolfley joins them and all four men are right next to each other…)
REVEREND HAWKINS
But, but, but… What does that mean exactly? Sold on the market? It’s a loan for
godsake. How can you sell a loan? I mean you can sell a house. It’s like real estate. It’s
a real thing. It exists. But how do you sell a loan? It’s just a piece of paper…
HUNTER It’s easy. We put together the physical loan certificate with a thousand other physical
loan certificates, and we sell the whole kit and caboodle to the Chinese. We sell the loans
on the open market and we make money on the spreads…
REVEREND HAWKINS
But, but, but, how do you do that? Sell the loan. It is just a piece of paper. It has no real
value in and of itself. It’s just a piece of paper…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 53
HUNTER
And that’s modern finance. That’s the way it works. The loan represents his property.
And the CDO derives its value from that representation.
REVEREND HAWKINS
But how do you do that? Sell Deacon Givens loan without his permission. That sounds
funny to me. It sounds almost sounds crooked…
HUNTER
Oh no, it’s not crooked. It’s a contractual term actually. In the “Additional Terms”
section. It’s called the Rights of Assignment.
REVEREND HAWKINS
Rights of Assignment? And what the hell is that?
HUNTER
It’s a unilateral right that allows Supergreen to sell the loan any time we want to sell the
loan. We can sell it with or without the other party’s permission…
REVEREND HAWKINS
The devil you say. That is outrageous! That is ridiculous! That’s just plain chickanery!
You’re stealing a man’s property right up from underneath him! Without his approval.
That’s chickanery.. Chickanery!!! And it ought to be illegal…
HUNTER
But it’s not in the illegal. It’s in the contract …
REVEREND HAWKINS
A contract that you wrote. You fixed. You cheated on…
HUNTER
We did not cheat. Our contracts are vetted by the one of the oldest and very best law
firms in all of Wall Street…
REVEREND HAWKINS
Best? Or just the most expensive lawyers that your money can buy…
HUNTER
That’s an insult! Isn’t it? Isn’t it?
OZZY
Come on Rev. I think it’s time to go…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 54
REVEREND HAWKINS
They got a name for guys like you, Hunter Mitchell. They got a name for the silver
tongued devils who talk a good game but will steal the bread out of people’s mouths.
Silver tongued devils who fix all the contracts so that they get all the money and the
people, my beautiful people, we get all the debt. We get screwed and you get rich. In
the old days they used to call guys like you a flim flam man! You’re a flim flam man! A
flim flammer!!! A con man of the lowest order…
(Ozzy physically moves the Reverend towards the door and out of the room. As
he is being ushered out, he continues his rant…)
REVEREND HAWKINS
You’re nothing but flim flam man Hunter Mitchell. A con man! You’d think that with
all of the money and power that you have, that you might actually give a damn about
your fellow man. That you might actually care about somebody else other than yourself.
That you might actually give somebody a break. Help somebody out. Give a brutha a
second chance… But no! You won’t do that. Because you’re so damn selfish! You
don’t care about anybody. You only want to rip everybody off and take their money.
You just want to take and take and take it all, until there’s nothing left. Nothing left until
people get desperate and the Reckoning comes. And when the Reckoning comes, it’s
going to change up the whole game. Because when the Reckoning comes, the people
will rise up and take our revenge. We’ll make you pay for your sins and hold you
accountable. Hold you accountable and strike you down for all of your transgressions!
The Reckoning! It’s coming. It’s coming for you!!!
(Ozzy pushes the Reverend outside the door and closes it behind him… This
leaves Hunter and Wolfley center stage…)
HUNTER
Still think that was a good idea? For me to meet your friend…
WOLFLEY
Yeah, well, it wasn’t really him. It was more like his pastor. That guy was out of
control…
HUNTER
You think?
WOLFLEY
Yeah, bad move on Ozzy’s part… But if he comes back and does a little mea culpa…
You still gonna give him a chance?
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 55
(Action switches to the hallway by the elevator… )
OZZY
I can’t believe you did all of that in there. What were you thinking? Insulting the
President that way… The President…
REVEREND HAWKINS
Blah,blah, blah… (He babbles incoherently)… Hah, hah, hah… I don’t know what I
was thinking. I wasn’t thinking.
OZZY
So snap out of it. And get a hold of yourself. Snap to it!!!
(He shakes him violently until the Reverend stands firm…)
REVEREND HAWKINS
Oh my God… I just kind of got lost in the spirit and started talking in tongues…
OZZY
Yeah well… You embarrassed me in there. And you put me in a bad light with the
President no less...
REVEREND HAWKINS
I’m sorry, brother Brown… So, so sorry…
OZZY
Yeah well… I gotta get over it. And back in the game. Where they had an offer for
me… I gotta go, Rev. Take the elevator down to the lobby and wait for me there. I’ll
be there in awhile. Got it?
REVEREND HAWKINS
Got it…
(Lights out on them… After a moment they come back up on Wolfley’s Office
with Hunter and Wolfley at center stage. Action begins as Ozzy enters and goes
directly to Hunter. He takes his hand and looks him in the eye…)
OZZY
Hunter, I just want to apologize about that. And say I’m sorry for my pastor’s bad
behavior. I hope that there’s no hard feelings. I was wrong to have brought him with
me. It was a last minute thing and it was a mistake… And I wanted to tell you man to
man that I feel sorry for it… I apologize…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 56
(Ozzy reaches out his hand in friendship to Hunter. Hunter pauses for a moment
and then shakes his hand…
HUNTER
Apologies accepted…
OZZY
Thank you sir… And I want you to know that it isn’t every day that I get to meet a Bank
President. So, I feel honored. I feel like I must have done something right for someone
like you to want to spend time with someone like me… Any ways, I’m honored…
HUNTER
So, Greg tells me that you’re bright guy, and savvy businessman. Is that true?
OZZY
Yes, it is… At least I’d like to think so…
HUNTER
Yeah well, I consider myself a consummate business man. And a fabulous dealmaker…
So tell me Mr. Brown, are you a deal maker too?
OZZY
You got that right. Yes sir, I am a dealmaker… Whatcha got?
HUNTER
Hmm, I don’t know. In light of what just happened, I don’t know if I can trust you…
OZZY
Yes, you can trust me. And know that even though I love and respect my pastor, at the
end of the day I’m still just a humble businessman. I’ve got mouths to feed and a new car
to pay for. So yes, you can trust me. Whatcha got?
HUNTER
Hmm… OK… Let me take you into my confidence for a moment. Let me share with
you my bag if you will. You see, I have a big challenge in front of me. I’ve been
challenged by my CEO to grow my business ASAP. Grow it big. Grow it large. To help
make the Supergreen Bank the biggest and the baddest lending machine in the American
marketplace. In the New South they have this saying for this kind of bodaciousness.
They call it a BEHAG…
OZZY
A Be- what?
HUNTER
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 57
A BEHAG… A goal. A Big Hairy, Audacious Goal. A BEHAG… You see, my
CEO has challenged me to increase production and sales of CDOs by 50% by the end of
the year.
OZZY
50%. That’s a tall order…
HUNTER
Yeah… A real big BEHAG… But I don’t want to let my CEO down. When he issues
you a challenge, you have to step up to the plate and do your best to meet it head on. To
meet it. And defeat it. And show them what you’re made of. At least that’s my view,
Mr. Brown… Don’t you agree?
OZZY
Me? Sure. Meet it head on. Go for it…
HUNTER
And I am. With gusto. With bravado. With a fervor that borders on pure evangelism.
So tell me, what would you do if you were in my shoes? How would you essentially
double sales by the end of the year?
OZZY
I don’t know. I guess I’d pound the streets. Find new deals. Open up the pipeline…
HUNTER
Bingo!... You got it… Open up the pipelines… As fast as we can. Flat out. Flood the
market. With new loans. New deals. Go into new zip codes. New urban zip codes…
OZZY
New urban what?
HUNTER
New urban zip codes. That’s right up your alley, isn’t it? .
OZZY
Yeah, I guess so…
HUNTER
Yes, we know so. We’ve done our home work. And we found that urban zip codes are
right in your sweet spot… In your wheel house. In your hood so to speak… We’re
betting that sub prime lending in places like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Arizona
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 58
and now on to the sunny South. Atlanta, GA. The Supergreen Bank is betting that sub
primes in the hood are going to be real market makers…
OZZY
Market makers…
HUNTER
And in order to be a part of that market we have to have a man in the hood. We need a
partner in the heart of the African American community. In the middle of your urban zip
codes. We need to open an office on MLK Blvd…
(Wolfley goes to the back of his White Board and pulls out a poster of an official
looking bank with an MLK Street sign in front of it.)
HUNTER
You see, we already have a branch of the bank on the corner. We could rent the office
space to a certain mortgage company on the second floor. We can provide them with all
the financial backing that they would need. Need to build a staff and lease the space and
set him up with everything he’d need to open up a full scale office.
OZZY
A full scale office? Wow… Just how big a full scale office?
HUNTER
With one complete floor. Of a city block. With enough window offices to support about
a dozen agents and brokers and plenty of cubicles for all of the junior associates and
secretaries. An office large enough to hold about 20 or 30 employees comfortably. 20
or 30 people all working for Brown and Company…
.
OZZY
Wow… That’s a 10 fold increase…
HUNTER
Yes, and all for you. All you have to do is run that business. Increase your sales. Turn
those brokers lose and get them to hunt down new business. Get them to originate new
loans. And generate new income. All in your name. Under your company. Putting
money in your pockets with each and every deal.
OZZY
Wow… That sounds great.. Almost too good to be true…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 59
HUNTER
No! It’s not. It’s real. Real business. Big business. Done in your favor. And my favor.
And everybody’s favor. If you’ll work with us. And be our face in the black community.
We can both make money hand over fist…. If you do business the Supergreen Way, we
can open up our pipeline for the benefit of the black community… Together we can all
move forward!!! Move onward! Move upward!!! Making more and more profits all
along the way!!!
(With flair Greg flips over a plastic figure of Ozzy Brown in a suit in front of the
Supergreen Bank Building. Underneath is the caption which says, “Supergreen
Bank and Brown and Company, Moving Forward in the Neighborhood.”
OZZY
Wow… I’m blown away. No one has ever done anything like this for me before. Ever!
Wow, Who-a-a. Where’s the catch? There’s gotta be a catch…
HUNTER
There is no catch. That’s the Supergreen Way. And all you gotta do is do business our
way. Keep doing what you’re doing. Only on a bigger stage. With more underlings…
And all you gotta do is keep finding borrowers and originating loans and sending them to
Greg for processing. Who sends then on to me for packaging into CDOs that I sell to the
Chinese on the open market. And everybody gets paid. We get our sub primes. And you
get your origination fees. And everybody is happy, happy, happy….
OZZY
Wow…
HUNTER
So what do you say? Are you the savvy businessman that you said you were? Are you
savvy enough to go with this deal of a lifetime? Mr Brown, do we have a deal?
OZZY
Umm… (pause)… Can I ask you a question first? It might be kind of personal. I just
wanna know who I’m dealing with here…. How deep the water is, so to speak…
HUNTER
OK, ask away… Partner…
OZZY
Umm, ok, partner… What’s your angle in all of this? I mean I know that I get
origination fees and he gets bonuses. But what do you get out for selling the CDOs?
What’s your cut? How much do you make?
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 60
HUNTER
Well… You can’t get more personal than that. But since you had the balls to ask the
question, I have to have the balls to give you the answer. I’d have to tell you that my
share is huge. I’d like to consider myself a Free Market Capitalist and international
financier. But above all else I am a world class dealmaker. And I get paid to do deals.
Deals that get me paid a percentage of each and every CDO I sell. I get a commission…
OZZY
A commission? How big a commission? 10%? Like a Finder’s Fee?
HUNTER
Oh no… Nothing like that… These CDOs are humungous. Some are worth $100s of
millions of dollars. 10% of a typical CDO would be an insane amount of money for a
single person…
OZZY
OK… I get it. It’s like the CDOs are worth hundreds of millions of dollars… And if
you get one or two percent of that $100 million, that’s still a million dollars or more…
HUNTER
Yes, it is… Bingo… A million dollars a pop…
OZZY
Wow!... I guess it pays to be the President! A million dollars. Wow… You, my friend,
must be a millionaire…
HUNTER
Yes, I am. A multi-millionaire actually. My net worth is just north of 10 million
dollars…
OZZY
Wow… Let me let that sink in for a minute…
HUNTER
By all means. Maybe over another drink?
OZZY
Yeah… Why not…
HUNTER
Greg, how about another round?
(Wolfley retreats to make the drinks…)
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 61
OZZY
So, let me see. Lemme see... I have so many questions. It boggles the mind… Like,
how many CDOs have you sold?
HUNTER
I’ve only done 10 so far, but I’ve got two more in the hopper. Waiting on a decision…
OZZY
Wow… That is the big leagues….
HUNTER
And my personal BEHAG is to reach 25 by year’s end…
OZZY
I’m blown away.
HUNTER
You don’t have to be... You can be a millionaire too. Or two millionaire. Or whatever
millionaire you want to be. Because you get a percentage of each and every loan that
your brokers originate. You get a piece. And Greg’s team gets a piece for every loan
that he hustles through the system. And I get piece of every CDO that I sell on the open
market. And that’s the way that everybody profits from the circle. The Circle. The
Virtuous Circle. The Virtuous Circle where if we all pull together and keep on doing
more and more sub prime business, we can all make out like bandits. …..
OZZY
But, but, but why do they have to be sub primes? Those are the riskiest ones of all…
HUNTER
Risky maybe. But profitable definitely… We make more profit off of sub primes than
all the other loan types put together. Sub primes are the most cost efficient… They make
the most profit. And when they make profits I get all happy. And when I get happy, I
have a tendency to give out bonuses. Bonuses that can go right into your pockets. How
does an extra hundred basis points sound to you? That’s an extra 1%. On a $100,000
loan, that’s an extra $1,000 straight in your pocket if you sign this Letter of Intent, right
here and right now…
(He pulls out a contract from his coat pocket…. Ozzy stares at it…)
OZZY
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 62
Wow… Just like that. An extra grand… Nice… And all I gotta do is push a bunch of
sub prime loans to the people in the hood?
HUNTER
Yes... But don’t say it like that. Don’t say push. Push sounds too negative. Let’s call it
something else. Let’s find a better euphemism. How about provide? The Supergreen
Bank is providing more funding to African American community and Brown and
Company is our partner and friend. Helping us move forward together …
OZZY
Hmm.. OK… Partner… What loan terms are we talking about here? Are you going to
offer fairer terms than you did before? Or are you going to keep offering the same old
terms that you did to Deacon Givens?
HUNTER
Our terms are our terms. They work for us and we’re gonna keep them.
OZZY
But they’re unfair. They’re predatory. They’re odious… I mean with all your teaser
rates and trigger dates and Terms for Assignment. You’ve pretty much stacked the deck
against the little guys like Deacon Givens. And they don’t stand a chance…
HUNTER
Our terms are our terms and they’re good for us. They are not going to change.
OZZY
But that’s the problem. Don’t you see that even though the Terms might be good for you,
they screw them, the little guys… I mean think about it. The very idea that you could
sell another man’s loan without his permission seems almost crooked. Some might even
call it borderline fraud…
HUNTER
But it’s not fraud. Terms for Assignment are in the contract! And what’s in the contract
takes precedence. And as my old B school professor used to tell me all the time, Caveat
Emptor rules! Let the buyer beware.
OZZY
But it ain’t right! It’s dirty and you know it!
HUNTER
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 63
I know nothing of the sort! And if you keep pushing it, I’ll know nothing of you!
OZZY
Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t mean to overstep… It’s just that there’s got to be another
way. A different way for you to make your profits and to make it easier on your
customers. Easier, not harder!
HUNTER
Easier? For what reason? How does giving them easier terms help me reach my goals?
Help me reach my Behag?
OZZY
But you’re the freakin’ President. And that Behag crap is just some made up bullshit.
You can still sell your CDOs even if you make your sub prime loan terms more like the
Triples As, or Double As, Single As. You can make the Terms easier if you want to!
HUNTER
And why would I want to do that? Give up my spread between Triple As and sub
primes?
OZZY
Because you’re sub prime terms are pushing people into bankruptcy! And default. And
foreclosures. And foreclosure leads to the taking people’s houses and the ruining of their
lives… And you don’t have to do that! You can still make your money off the CDOs.
Just make your terms fairer on the sub primes. Just make them more like the Triple As
and the Double As. Single As…
HUNTER
And would that be fair to the people who qualify for Triple As. To have the same terms
as the peons in sub prime? I think not…
OZZY
But that’s the beauty of it all. They wouldn’t know. How could they?... Only the bank
knows the real terms of the deal. Not the borrowers. They could all have the same terms
and they’d never know the difference… (Pause)… And on top of that, you could still
make a ton of money off of the CDOs. That’s where the big money is anyhow, the big
profits. And your commissions… In the CDOs…
HUNTER
Yes, I want to make money off my CDOs. But I also want to make money off the sub
primes. Sub primes make the most on the front end. And the CDOs make money on the
back end. And I want both. So, I’m gonna have both. Because that’s the way it works!
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 64
That’s called maximizing your efficiency. Making profits on both ends of the deal!
That’s the free market in all its glory… The terms stay as they are!
OZZY
… But, but, but… Do you really have to be so heartless?… Can’t you see what you’re
doing here?... (Pause)…
HUNTER
Of course I see it. And I know that they’ve got their cross to bear. But I’ve got my
BEHAG to deal with. And I will not be denied…
OZZY
But, but, but, have you thought this thing all the way through yet? Are you aware of all
of the risks that you’re taking on? All of the bad debts. I mean what happens if there’s
more Deacon Givens out there? I mean he can’t be the only one who’s gone into default.
What if there are more defaults and more defaults? More and more foreclosures? What
happens if there’s an epidemic of foreclosures? What happens to your CDOs if all the
underlying housing market goes in the toilet? What if there’s a whole bunch of defaults.
HUNTER
Of course we’ve thought this through. We’ve got access to the finest minds on Wall St.
And yes! We are prepared. We’re prepared for however many defaults that may pop up
along the way. In fact we’ve got insurance for it. We got the best insurance from the
biggest insurance company in the whole wide world. We got insurance from the
Premiere Insurance Group… P.I.G…
OZZY
P.I.G… You gotta be kidding me…
HUNTER
Yes, P.I.G… Great company. With a unfortunate nickname… P.I.G. is the biggest
player in the field of CDO Insurance. They dominate the market. They call it a Credit
Default Swap.
OZZY
Oh wow! Whoa, whoa! You got insurance on the CDOs?. That’s deep. That’s rich…
HUNTER
Yes, it is pretty good, isn’t it? And yes, we have thought this through. Gamed it out so to
speak. And we struck a deal to pay them pennies on the dollar for each policy they issue,
for each Credit Default Swap…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 65
OZZY
So, let me get this straight… Pennies on the dollar for insurance… Just what does that
mean? If you have a $100 million CDO and it goes bad what would you do? Or what
would PIG have to do? Would they be liable for it? For the whole $100 mill?
HUNTER
Yes…
OZZY
OK… And you had to pay them a premium? How much? 10 mill? 20 mill?
HUNTER
Well, we technically, don’t call it a premium. We call it an amortization…
OZZY
Whatever… How much do you have to pay each year for the coverage?
HUNTER
About three or four million… Five mill max… That is the nature of the swap..
OZZY
Oh wow! That’s a 4 million dollar expense for coverage on $100 million of exposure.
That’s got to be the stupidest deal I’ve ever heard of. That deal is so stupid that whoever
agreed to do it, they ought to be fired on the spot.
HUNTER
But you’re wrong! Wrong! Dead wrong! Johnny Casanova is the Head of P.I.G. He
pioneered the market for Credit Default Swaps and according to Forbes, he got paid last
year. He got paid more than you and me and everybody in this room put together. Put
together two times over. Johnny Casanova made over $25 million last year. He was one
of the highest paid executives on Wall Street last year. He was the king. He killed it…
OZZY
But that don’t make no damn sense. No sense at all! Taking on all that risk is insane.
Because you know that sooner or later there’s gonna be too many defaults and everything
is gonna go kaboom. It’s going to blow up in their faces! Boom! Boom! Bust!...
HUNTER
But that’s not my problem. Predicting market crashed is out of my league. My concern
is that as long as P.I.G. is going to insure my CDOs, I’m gonna sell my CDOs.
OZZY
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 66
But there’s a flaw in the system… Can’t you see that? Can’t you see that the higher the
risk of foreclosure, the greater the risk of default… Default on a really large scale…
Default that could bring the whole thing down…
HUNTER
There, you’re wrong my friend What you call a flaw, I call a feature. I tell my Chinese
buyers that the higher the risk in the CDOs, the greater the yields in my annual payments
to them. They love it. They get the short term gain and I get my long term security…
OZZY
But, but, but what happens to PIG if too many CDOs go belly up. If there were too many
$100 milllion dollar payouts to be made, what would happen to PIG? Could they go
bankrupt? And what about Supergreen Bank? If you couldn’t sell your CDOs, what
would happen to you? Could you hold on to all of that bad debt in the sub primes?
Could you go bankrupt too? And what about you? Personally? Shouldn’t you have
known about this possibility in the first place? Could you be held liable for all of these
bad loans given out under your reign? Could you be in trouble for selling all of those bad
loans in the CDOs? Could you be arrested for orchestrating this whole damn thing?
Could you get busted for fraud! Made to do the perp walk right down Peachtree Blvd?
HUNTER
Blah, blah, blah, blah…
OZZY
Caveat Emptor that bitch!
(Hunter falls down to the ground and Ozzy towers over him. Hunter rolls up into
a fetal ball position and babbles incoherently… Wolfley pushes Ozzy away and
comforts him…)
WOLFLEY
Hunter, Hunter, you OK…
HUNTER
Blah, blah, blah… I can’t hear this. Too much exposure... He’s make allegations of
prior knowledge and I can’t hear that! Legally… I can’t lose my plausible deniability…
We know nothing about fraud…. Blah, blah, blah…
WOLFLEY
OK, I got it… (He turns to Ozzy.) You… Get over here... We’re gonna settle this thing
once and for all…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 67
( Wolfley goes and gets two shot glasses of bourbon and he gives one Ozzy.
Wolfley raises his shot glass in a toast. Ozzy looks him in the eye and does the
same… They click their bourbon glasses and drink it down in one gulp…)
WOLFLEY
Here’s to Game Cock Nation…
OZZY
Game Cock Nation… Ah-h-h… There’s nothing like a little taste of the brown liquor to
take the edge off… Ease the tension… Ah…
WOLFLEY
You got that right… Because it’s two minute warning time... And you need to figure out
what you want to do. But if you want to do things the Supergreen Way, we’ll make you
a millionaire… Literally… A millionaire…
OZZY
But, but, but, you don’t understand…
WOLFLEY
What is there to understand? Millionaire over here… Nothing over there…
OZZY
But it’s not that simple! I mean I came here to try to help out Deacon Givens tonight.
Instead of doing that I could walk out of here selling a whole numch more deals that are
worse than his deal. Worse for them. But more profitable for me…
WOLFLEY
And this is bad because?….
OZZY
Because it would feel like I was selling a piece of my soul with every deal that I did. It
would make me feel like a sellout. Like I was the ultimate Uncle Tom…
WOLFLEY
Aw, don’t be such a whiny, little bitch. There’s money on the table here and you gotta
think about if you want it. And if that won’t do it for you, think about me. Have I ever
steered you wrong? Haven’t I always treated you with the utmost respect and dignity?
As a real partner? A true friend? And now I’m offering you, the opportunity of a
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 68
lifetime. The big office. The big money. And all of the other big things that can come
with it. You can have it all, if you just sign the paper do things the Supergreen Way…
(He takes the contract from Hunter and puts it in Ozzy’s face.)
OZZY
But, but, but how can you do this to me? Ask me to sell these unfair, unreal, crooked
loans rto the people in my neighborhood? The people that I have to see every day. At
the grocery store. At the high school football field. At my church! How can you ask me
to do that? These are real people to me. They’re not some far off abstraction to me.
They’re real, honest, every day people. And I can’t do that to them. I can’t!
HUNTER
Can’t or won’t?
OZZY
Both… (He turns to Hunter and gets in his grill.) And it’s your fault…Because your
terms are unfair! You’re sub primes are the most devious, most dastardly, most devilish,
scams since Ponzi walked the earth! You’ve figured out a way to take all the money for
yourself and pass on all the risk to everybody else! And that is shameful! You should be
ashamed of yourself! Shame! Shame! Shame!!!
(Hunter stands up and gets in Ozzy’s grill. They might fight…)
HUNTER
Shame? I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. We’ve created a business model that works!
It’s worked for City-Wide and for the Lemon Brothers and now the Supergreen Bank too.
Our model works! And it is the finest example of the free market Capitalism in all of its
glory!
OZZY
And that’s the problem! Here you want to act like you’re doing something great,
something noble! You wanna act like you’re doing something virtuous. In the name of
unfettered Capitalism… But there’s not a goddamn thing that is even remotely virtuous
about it. Not in any way, shape or form. What you’ve done is set up a world class, mafia
style racket. It’s a racket where you give out sub prime loans like candy to the babies.
Sub prime loans that you know are bound to blow up in their faces. Blow up in default.
But before they default, you package up all those sub primes and put them into these
shiny new financial vehicles called CDOs. CDOs that you sell on the open markets. To
the Chinese. Who have no idea what the hell they’re buying. You’re screwing the
Chinese on one end and the people of my community on the other. And you don’t give a
damn about either one of us. You only care about yourself. You’re nothing but a $2,000
suit wearing, lowlife gangster. You’re gangster with a bank behind you. A bankster. A
crooked, conniving fraudster and sooner or later you’re going to jail!
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 69
HUNTER
Really? Is that all you got? Insults… Empty threats?.. Or maybe a whole lot of hot air
coming out of your gas hole. Because you don’t have nothing on me. Everything I did
was above board and legal. Unlike what you’re doing right now, Because what you’re
right now is trespassing. You’re trespassing on Supergreen property and you are no
longer welcome here. Get out. Hit the brinks. As they say in the South, don’t let the
door hit you in the ass on the way out!!!
OZZY
Gladly, I’m out… Because I care about this stuff. I care about the people in my
community, the people in my neighborhood, the people who are present in this very
theater, at this very moment. I care. They’re important to me. They matter to me. And I
can’t just sell them down the river. I can’t do that to them! I can’t be your pusher and
I’ll be damned if I’ll let you be my pimp! So, no deal, sir. No dice. I’m out of here…
HUNTER
Good! Get out! Leave my sight this very instant! Your business with the Supergreen
Bank is over! And done with. Your relationship has hereby been terminated!
(Ozzy walks out the door and slams it behind him. He then proceeds to the
elevator, yelling out as he walks…)
OZZY
I’m done with you! And all of the greedy bastards just like you!
(The elevator door opens up and he gets on it… Lights fade to black…)
Damn! What an asshole!
(Lights come up in a pinspot as Ozzy is on his knees praying…)
OZZY
Oh Lord, help me, help me! Help me!!! I mean I could have gone with those guys today
and made a whole lot of money. I could have been a millionaire. But it didn’t feel right.
It felt dirty. It felt like a sell out. I didn’t get into the mortgage business to make a
bundle. Originally, I got into it because I wanted to be of service. To help people get
their loans. To help them get their houses. And to help them live the American dream.
But instead of that, I got this. I got bum rushed by the big boys. And when you get bum
rushed by the big boys, you can get smashed. You can get squashed. You can get used
and abused. And left by the side of the road wondering which way is up. Worrying
about if your gonna lose your business. Worried sick that you are a failure. You’re a
bum. A loser… Lord, lord, lord, I’m scared. How do I go on? How do I feed my
family? Keep a roof over our head? How do I keep us from losing it all? And being
homeless... Aw-w-w… Is this only going to get worse? Am I already washed up?
Dead man walking. Did I already lose it all? Whoosh… Just like that? And now I’m
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 70
condemned to a life of suffering? Damn, Damn, Damn!!! I mean I was almost a
millionaire. I almost had it all. But I couldn’t do what they wanted me to do. I couldn’t
sell out my people. And for that I’ve got this. This suffering. This pain. This hole in
my soul that has me questioning my manhood, my life, my ability to support my family,
my wife… Aw-w-w!!! (He wails at the top of his lungs.)… Oh Lord, lord, lord, I am
just so confused right about now. I’m lost. Lost in the wilderness of my deepest, darkest
fears. Fear that I’m gonna fail. And lose my business. Lose my family. Lose my
mind… Aw-w-w! (He cries out in pain.)… But how did the Reverend put it back in the
day? (Then he changes his voice to sound like the Reverend…) “Brother Brown, you
can be depressed if you want to or else you can take it on faith that you can redeem
yourself. You can take it on faith that you can start all over again…” (His voice returns
to his own…) You got that right, Rev? I can take it on faith that there’s a way out of
this. Take it out on faith that I can turn it all around. And do new deals. Meet new
people. Build new relationships. I can take it out on faith that I can build my business up
again. And even if they try to hold me down, I can still get up and keep fighting the
good fight. Keep doing the right thing. Keep on pushing my version of the American
dream. I can speak my truth. I can speak the true truth of a stone, cold soldier who
makes a way for himself. The stone, cold soldier who redeems himself. And makes his
business grow. Even in the face of uncompromising adversity, I can keep on, keeping on.
Keep on making it happen. And making my business work again. Make myself work
again. Because I am somebody. I am a grown ass black man, living in America. And I
will win!!! I will win!!! I will win!!!!!!
(Ozzy heads offstage. Lights out… End of Scene… After a moment or two the
lights come up on Ozzy’s Office… Action begins with Ozzy Brown hard at
work at his desk. He is heads down shuffling papers and going through files and
typing on his computer… Simultaneously, the lights come up on CC. She is at
her desk working. She has her head down on a folder which she files. She then
turns her focus to her computer and begins to make entries… The radio is on…)
OFFSTAGE RADIO
Well folks, today has been one for the Ages. The Dow Jones Industrials has dropped 504
points today. It’s been one of the single worst days since the Crash of 1929. There’s
been chaos on Wall Street and the Bears are running wild…
(CC gets up from her desk. She enters Ozzy’s Office.)
CC
Can you believe it?
OZZY
Believe what?
CC
All of the chaos going on out there…
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 71
OZZY
Chaos? What chaos?
CC
The stock market crashed today.
OZZY
Crashed?
CC
Yeah crashed… It lost over 500 points…
OZZY
Huh? Why?
CC
Don’t you know?
OZZY
No, I’ve been heads down trying to find new business. New Partners. The banks have all
frozen me out, And they won’t give me credit any more.
CC
Uh oh…
OZZY
Any ways, that’s not for you to worry about… Why did the market crash today?
CC
Because of the Lemon Brothers. They went bankrupt. They defaulted on about 600
Billion Dollars worth of loans and they went out of business.
OZZY
Say what? They lost $600 Billion.
CC
Yeah… And they also lost about 40,000 jobs. Just like that. 40,000 people lost their
jobs in a single day… The radio said that they pad locked the front door of their
Headquarters. Right there in the heart of Times Square. Locked them out. Wouldn’t
even let the people go back in and get their belongings. Said they’d mail them to them
later. How cold is that?
OZZY
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 72
Wow! I had no idea that this was even happening. But don’t you worry, CC. I’ve got
your back. And as long as these doors are open, you’ve got a job…
CC
Thank you Ozzy. You’re a great guy and a great boss. And times like these make me
appreciate you more and more. I appreciate all that you’ve done for me...
(They hug tightly for a moment or two… As they hug Greg Wolfley enters in
through the door…)
OZZY
Yup, yup, and we been through a lot over the years. Good times and bad times. We’ve
been through our share of scrapes and bruises, but we’re still standing. We’re still
fighting the good fight. We’re still open for business… Like a great man once said.
Tough times don’t last. Tough minded people do…
(Ozzy sees Greg Wolfley…)
Although it would be a whole lot easier if certain people would return my phone calls.
WOLFLEY
Well I been busy …
OZZY
To busy to call a brutha back…
WOLFLEY
Yeah well the last time we talked, it didn’t work out too well…
OZZY
And I’m sorry about that. I apologize for that. I lost my cool and that was wrong. And
I’m sorry about that.
WOLFLEY
Apologies accepted…
(They shake hands for a moment or two… CC shrugs her shoulders and goes
back to her desk…)
OZZY
You don’t know how good it is to see you again.
WOLFLEY
Yeah well, I’ve got news…
OZZY
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 73
Good news I hope… Come on back. I’ve got some brown liquor with your name on it…
WOLFLEY
Sounds like a plan… Later CC… It was good to see you…
(The men enter Ozzy Brown’s Office and close the door.)
CC
G’nite… You know you can call me sometime. If you’ve still got my number…
WOLFLEY
I’ll do that…
OZZY
I’m sorry but I’ve got no ice. You’ll have to take it neat…
WOLFLEY
No problem. The brown liquor is the brown liquor. And the truth is the truth. And my
Daddy always taught me that if someone is right about the truth, you’ve got to go up to
them and tell him. Man to man. Mano a mano… And Ozzy Brown, you were right.
P.I.G. is in over their heads. They can’t pay off their swaps… And you called it. So, I
came here today to give you your respect. You were right and a certain Yankee was
wrong… So wrong that he got fired…
OZZY
Fired? Hunter Mitchell got fired!
WOLFLEY
Yes, he did. He’s got us holding almost 300 billion in unsold CDOs. He was following
Lemon Brothers and City-Wide’s lead and we all got caught with our pants down…
Rumor has it that City is holding close to a trillion in unsolds…
OZZY
Wow…
WOLFLEY
Wow is right. They’re screwed royally. And so are we. When the Board found out
about our exposure, they went ballistic. They fired Hunter on the spot. They brought him
up in an emergency board meeting and boom he was gone. They just cleaned out his
office and said he was on business trip. Banished. Until he called me yesterday and told
me what happened.
OZZY
Wow, Hunter is out. Couldn’t happen to a better guy…
WOLFLEY
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 74
Yeah, well, don’t feel too bad for that guy. He made out like a bandit. He got himself a
whale of an exit package. He got fired and he walked out the door with over 15 million
dollars . He got to keep the 12 that he earned from before the crash and he got an extra 3
for early termination. Think about it. He got 15 million for a little bit more than a year’s
work... Work that has left us on the edge of bankruptcy…
OZZY
Damn! He was a gangster to the bitter end…
WOLFLEY
A self serving bankster to his core. And that’s why I’m here. To say things have changed
at SupergreenBank. Out with the old and I’m with the new. And we’re in charge now.
And what we say goes. So, if you want to come back us, my door is wide open. We can
do business again….
OZZY
Really? Wow. Wow! Wow!!! We can do business again… Yes!!! We can drink to
that… Game cock nation is in full effect…
(They each raise their glass and drink heartily…)
WOLFLEY
Whew! That’s the good stuff…
OZZY
Ah yeah… I’m back! Back in the game… Wolfie, thank you, thank you , thank you!!!
WOLFLEY
Hey, it’s my pleasure. And to tell the truth, I kind of missed you. And I would’ve called
you sooner if things had been different. But they weren’t.
OZZY
It’s all right. I understand…. The important thing is that you’re here right now. In my
shop. And we can do business again. And I’m looking forward to it. Forward to getting
some deals approved. And forward to getting some green lights….
WOLFLEY
Well, I don’t know how many green lights there are gonna be. To be honest with you.
We took some huge losses under Hunter’s rule. So, we have to cut back in the home
mortgage area. But I’m gonna do all that I can do to swing some other business your
way. No promises, but you’re on the list to get stuff done…
OZZY
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 75
Well I appreciate that. Really I do. I can’t even tell you how much…
WOLFLEY
Well, even though I can’t promise you how much business we’re gonna do, I can promise
you that the expense account is still open. And I could probably find a few Game Cock
tickets in the budget…
OZZY
Ooh-ooo… Go cocks go!
WOLFLEY
So, if you wanna go and see a game with me, I can make it happen…
OZZY
Make it happen… How about UGA? Let’s go see the revenge game.
WOLFLEY
The revenge game?
OZZY
Yeah, after last year’s butt whipping, I figure we are due some good, old fashioned
revenge… Since they beat us so bad last year, we need to beat 21 to nothing…
WOLFLEY
21 to zero… Sounds great!
OZZY
Yes, it does. Except I think the game is up in Columbia…
WOLFLEY
That’s all right. We have wheels… I can always drop the top on the ‘Vette and put on
some shades. And we can ride up to the game in style…
OZZY
Can we, Wolfie? Can we?
WOLFLEY
Yes, we can. And if we win, I might just let you drive for a spell on the way back…
OZZY
You would, Wolfie? Really? You da man…
WOLFLEY
Yeah man, No doubt about it. I figure that you’re a guy from the low country and I’m a
guy from the low country. And if we can’t share a game cock game together, what can
we do together?
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 76
OZZY
No way buddy… It’s what can’t we do together… If we want to…
(Lights out as they exit arm in arm out of the door…)
(END OF PLAY)
Act I&II SV 4.0 Page 77
THE RECKONING
BY DS Hall
(704) 309-5991 (c)
6902 Neuhoff Lane
Charlotte, NC 28269
