to any formal proceedings. Less surprises that way. That okay with you?
KM: Sure. I guess.
MH: Great. Like I said, I’m Mitchell Hertzog, and I’m representing theNew York Journal against Ida Lopez, for whom I understand you were . . .
(Sound of papers shuffling)
MH (con’t) . . . a personnel rep?
KM: That’s right. Not for very long. I mean, I just started working at theJournal.
MH: Is that right? When did you start working there?
KM: Last fall. I was a social worker, with the city, before.
MH: Really? But—excuse me for pointing it out—you obviously aren’t from around here—
KM: Oh, no. My accent, you mean? I’m from Kentucky, actually. I just moved here, you know, after I got my degree. Social work.
MH: I see. And if social work’s your thing, New York City’s the place to be?
KM: Well, yes. That, and my boyfriend—ex-boyfriend—well, he’s a musician—
MH: Say no more. Did it work out better for him than it did for you?
KM: I beg your pardon?
MH: The social work thing. I mean, you’re not doing it anymore.
KM: Oh. No. I took the job with theJournal because, you know, working for the city . . . it was kind of depressing.
MH: Sure.
KM: All these people, they don’t have anything, or any way, really, to make things better. And there were these programs, you know, to help them, but—I don’t know—it didn’t quite work out the way I thought it would. I mean, a lot of the programs got eliminated because the city ran out of money, or sometimes my clients didn’t qualify for them for whatever reason . . . and it just seemed like no matter how hard I tried, you know, things never got better, and there was really nothing I could do about it, and I took the job because I thought I could help make a difference. Only it turned out, I couldn’t. So I was going home every night and crying into my chicken in garlic sauce, and finally, it just seemed healthier to quit.
MH: Chicken. In garlic sauce.
KM: That sounded stupid, didn’t it?
MH: Absolutely not.
KM: No. It did. You’re just being nice.
MH: I’m not. I swear I’m not. I’m not nice.
(Sound of door opening)
Oh, look. Here’s Anne with the coffee.
AK: Here you go.
MH: Cream or sugar, Ms.—
KM: Kate. Both, thanks. I . . . oops.
MH: Sorry about that.
KM: No, it was my fault—
MH: Here you go. Now, uh, where were we? Oh, yes. So you quit social work. . . .
KM: Oh, right. Well, my friend Jen got a job there right out of college, and when a position came up in her department, she recommended me. And I’ve been there ever since. I mean, it isn’t my dream job, or anything. We’re not really helping anybody. Well, maybe occasionally. But at least, you know, I don’t go home anymore and—
MH: Cry into your chicken with garlic sauce.
KM: Exactly.
MH: Right. So I take it you inherited Ida from your predecessor?
KM: Yes, I did. From Amy Jenkins. She’s my supervisor now. Ida’s file is, like, three inches thick.
MH: So it would be safe to say that Ida was considered a troublemaker before you even got there.
KM: Not a troublemaker, no. Not everything in Mrs. Lopez’s file is bad. There are letters in there from administrators saying how much they like her. She’s really—wasreally—very popular—
MH: But not with everyone, clearly.
KM: No. Not with everyone. But the people who didn’t like her were people who, you know, nobody else really liked. Mostly just people like Stuart Hertz—
MH: Go on.
KM: Um. No. Sorry. That’s it. That’s all I had to say.
MH: You were saying something about Stuart Hertzog.
KM: No, I wasn’t.
MH: Yes, you were.
KM: No, I wasn’t. I really wasn’t.
MH: Kate, this is being recorded, remember? I can just play the tape back if you want. Also, Miriam’s taking it down. Miriam, could you read back to me Kate’s last—
KM: Well, I was just saying. You know. How everybody at the paper really, really likes Mr. Hertzog. He’s very, very popular.
MH: Kate. This
KM: Sure. I guess.
MH: Great. Like I said, I’m Mitchell Hertzog, and I’m representing theNew York Journal against Ida Lopez, for whom I understand you were . . .
(Sound of papers shuffling)
MH (con’t) . . . a personnel rep?
KM: That’s right. Not for very long. I mean, I just started working at theJournal.
MH: Is that right? When did you start working there?
KM: Last fall. I was a social worker, with the city, before.
MH: Really? But—excuse me for pointing it out—you obviously aren’t from around here—
KM: Oh, no. My accent, you mean? I’m from Kentucky, actually. I just moved here, you know, after I got my degree. Social work.
MH: I see. And if social work’s your thing, New York City’s the place to be?
KM: Well, yes. That, and my boyfriend—ex-boyfriend—well, he’s a musician—
MH: Say no more. Did it work out better for him than it did for you?
KM: I beg your pardon?
MH: The social work thing. I mean, you’re not doing it anymore.
KM: Oh. No. I took the job with theJournal because, you know, working for the city . . . it was kind of depressing.
MH: Sure.
KM: All these people, they don’t have anything, or any way, really, to make things better. And there were these programs, you know, to help them, but—I don’t know—it didn’t quite work out the way I thought it would. I mean, a lot of the programs got eliminated because the city ran out of money, or sometimes my clients didn’t qualify for them for whatever reason . . . and it just seemed like no matter how hard I tried, you know, things never got better, and there was really nothing I could do about it, and I took the job because I thought I could help make a difference. Only it turned out, I couldn’t. So I was going home every night and crying into my chicken in garlic sauce, and finally, it just seemed healthier to quit.
MH: Chicken. In garlic sauce.
KM: That sounded stupid, didn’t it?
MH: Absolutely not.
KM: No. It did. You’re just being nice.
MH: I’m not. I swear I’m not. I’m not nice.
(Sound of door opening)
Oh, look. Here’s Anne with the coffee.
AK: Here you go.
MH: Cream or sugar, Ms.—
KM: Kate. Both, thanks. I . . . oops.
MH: Sorry about that.
KM: No, it was my fault—
MH: Here you go. Now, uh, where were we? Oh, yes. So you quit social work. . . .
KM: Oh, right. Well, my friend Jen got a job there right out of college, and when a position came up in her department, she recommended me. And I’ve been there ever since. I mean, it isn’t my dream job, or anything. We’re not really helping anybody. Well, maybe occasionally. But at least, you know, I don’t go home anymore and—
MH: Cry into your chicken with garlic sauce.
KM: Exactly.
MH: Right. So I take it you inherited Ida from your predecessor?
KM: Yes, I did. From Amy Jenkins. She’s my supervisor now. Ida’s file is, like, three inches thick.
MH: So it would be safe to say that Ida was considered a troublemaker before you even got there.
KM: Not a troublemaker, no. Not everything in Mrs. Lopez’s file is bad. There are letters in there from administrators saying how much they like her. She’s really—wasreally—very popular—
MH: But not with everyone, clearly.
KM: No. Not with everyone. But the people who didn’t like her were people who, you know, nobody else really liked. Mostly just people like Stuart Hertz—
MH: Go on.
KM: Um. No. Sorry. That’s it. That’s all I had to say.
MH: You were saying something about Stuart Hertzog.
KM: No, I wasn’t.
MH: Yes, you were.
KM: No, I wasn’t. I really wasn’t.
MH: Kate, this is being recorded, remember? I can just play the tape back if you want. Also, Miriam’s taking it down. Miriam, could you read back to me Kate’s last—
KM: Well, I was just saying. You know. How everybody at the paper really, really likes Mr. Hertzog. He’s very, very popular.
MH: Kate. This
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