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Introduction
Characters
Donald Whitmore – a manager for a company in New York
Donna Whitmore – also a manager and married to Donald
Neville Stark – a salesman doing business with the Whitmore’s employer
Donald and Donna are in their early-thirties and have worked their way into responsible middle management positions for Universal Foods at the firm’s corporate headquarters in the suburbs of New York City. They are sincerely religious and are active members of their church. They are recently married. Donna has invited Neville Stark to dinner. He is a salesman for a vendor that does business with her division.
Chapter One: A Good Salesman Turns Bad
Neville (entering the Whitmore house. He is in his late-twenties, tall, lean, energetic): “What a beautiful home. I didn’t realize you and Donna could afford to live in the high rent district.”
Donald (extending his hand in greeting. He is a big-boned, stolid guy, slow-moving, like a rock and as dependable, slightly awkward in social settings): “Hi, I’m Donald Whitmore. Donna will be out in a minute.”
Neville: (shaking his hand, smiling broadly, clearly enjoying himself): Good to finally meet you, Donald. Donna has good things to say about you.”
Donald: Thank you. I appreciate it.
Neville (moving gracefully into the Whitmore home): You’ve got great taste in women, Donald. Donna is the hardest working person I know—besides being beautiful. She steamrolls over obstacles.
Donald (laughing, captivated by his guest’s charm and good will. He is put at ease by his guest, not vice-versa): I know. She’s a powerhouse.
Donna enters from the kitchen. She is petite, blonde, wearing a loose, knee-length cotton dress; her hair is up and she wears only a touch of make-up. Her modesty only partially conceals her beauty. She smiles warmly.
Donna: Hi, Neville. How was your drive from the city?
Neville: A jaunt in the woods. (He sniffs approvingly.) What’s for dinner? It smells like something worth driving to Timbuktu for.
Donna: A roast and plenty of vegetables. Should we have some wine first?
The three move into the Whitmore living room. Donald pours white wine for the three of them.
Donald: Donna says your on the road a lot.
Neville (nonchalant): I rack up the miles, that’s for sure.
Donna (smiling): How do you pass away the hours in the car? Thinking about work?
Neville (sipping his wine, laughs good-naturedly): That, too.
Donna: And listening to music? The other day, I noticed what must have been hundreds of CDs in your car.
Neville: Yeah, I played bass in a band all through high school and college. I love my music.
Donald (speaking idly, hoping to prevent the conversation shifting to the work done together by Neville and Donna): Hundreds of CDs? That must be very expensive.
Neville (with a roguish, devil-may-care grin): It would be if I bought them. But I don’t.
Donald (mildly curious): Then how do you get them?
Neville: Couldn’t be simpler. I download them off the Internet and burn them to a disk.
Donna (not yet shocked or scandalized, but just wondering): Isn’t that dishonest? I mean…I don’t want to imply…It’s just that…
Neville (the height of composed innocence): It’s just what?
Donald: Isn’t it, you know, taking something put out by artists and record companies, who put a lot of work into it, taking something without compensating them for their hard work? I mean, shouldn’t you pay them for the work they do? Don’t you think?
Neville (nonchalant, with no hint of hostility): Given the way those rip-off artists at the record companies soak us? The price of CDs is way too high. This is just a way for us to get some of our money back. (He smiles broadly.) Think of it as a record company rebate.
Donna (unsure): Oh. (Groping, trying to reconcile her affection for a charming friend with what looks to her to be a dishonest action.) But you work so hard—put in so many long hours. You would never dream of cutting corners at work—would you?
Neville: I don’t dream of it.
Donald (torn by conflicting desires: wants to politely shift conversation away from wrongdoing on part of his guest—but also wants to assert proper moral principles. Smiles to soften impact of moral judgment): I don’t know, Neville. Our pastor would never condone such an action. It violates the commandment: “Thou shalt not steal.” (His tone is friendly, but his moral commitment is firm.)
Neville: My mother is an avid Bible thumper. I know the drill. (Smiles with great personal charm.) I avoid such beliefs religiously.
Donna (seeing her stolid husband slowly beginning to anger): I think dinner’s ready, guys. Why don’t we eat?
Dinner is served. Donald is a little edgy at first; Neville unperturbed and at ease. But with delicious food and his guest’s charming conversation, Donald gradually relaxes. After dinner and before dessert, they move back to the living room for friendly conversation. To Donald’s chagrin, his wife and guest immediately begin discussing the details of their work.
Neville: So your boss Chuck is quite a piece of work—isn’t he?
Donna: I know. I can’t believe it!
Donald: What are you talking about?
Donna: Didn’t you hear? Very quietly, Chuck Connally has been sounding out people in the Marketing Department.
Donald: To do what?
Donna: He’s not outright saying it—but insinuating that he wants someone to fudge the data on that big report for their English vendors.
Donald (sitting up straight, eyes wide): What? Are you serious?
Neville (smooth, urbane): He obviously thinks he can get away with it.
Donald (heated): What difference does that make? He’s lying!
Neville (calm and unflustered by Donald’s moralizing): He must think he can make the story stick—and that he will then rake in big money. That’s what makes a difference to him. I bet he’s not the only one. Oh well, who knows?
Donald: You don’t see anything wrong with that? Would you do it?
Neville (laughing): I’m not sure. It doesn’t matter what I’d do. We’re talking about Chuck.
Donna (shaking her head): Don’t you see the dishonesty, Neville? What Chuck is proposing is wrong.
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