Read Online Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! by Fannie Flagg - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Fannie Flagg
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schedule, to get her butt back in here tomorrow morning.”
After the agent left, Wallace had to laugh to himself. The decision to hire her had been made a week before, based on her tapes. They had been head and shoulders above the rest. But he liked to see people cower. Of course, she hadn’t, she had thrown it right back in his face. Quite a change from the usual sweaty-palmed types that crawled in and out of his office all day. She just might have what he was looking for.
If
she was smart enough to do what she was told.
Sandy ran back to his office and called Dena at the hotel. She picked up.
“It’s Sandy. Dena, are you sitting down?”
Dena started to apologize. “Sandy, I’m so sorry. I know that was a stupid thing to do. What can I say, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“Dena.”
“I know you are disappointed. I am, too, believe me. But I would rather be a hostess in a pancake house before I’d let someone treat me like I was a … a nothing.”
“Dena, listen!”
“My mother may not have had much money, but she did not raise me to be insulted by some puffed-up little mutant. Who does he think he is?”
“Dena, are you finished?”
“Yes.”
“You got the job.”
“Oh, yes, I’m sure that I did.… The only thing I regret—and this is because I’m a lady—that I did not tell him what he could do with—”
“Dena,
listen
to me. I am not kidding. He liked your tapes. You got the job. He’s starting you at a pretty low salary … but it means you’re in.”
“And I’ll tell you something else, I wouldn’t work with that man for a million dollars. How did he even get into television?”
“OK, Dena, so he is an obnoxious, disgusting pig. Just don’t takeit so personally. Believe me, he treats everybody like a piece of dirt. The point is, you got the job.”
There was a pause. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, he wants you to go in tomorrow and talk to him—”
“You are kidding,” she said.
“No, I’m telling you he liked your tapes. He thinks you have something.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“No joke.”
“No.”
“Oh. Well.” There was another pause. “How much are they going to pay me?”
“Like I said, it’s a little low to start … but—”
“How much?”
“Fifty thousand.”
“I don’t know, Sandy. I’ll have to think it over. I’ll call you back.”
Sandy sat with the phone in his hand. He could
not
believe what he had just heard. He put the phone down and threw his hands up in the air and said to the ceiling, “She’s offered the best shot in New York and she’s got to think it over?”
Ten minutes later she called back. “Sandy, it’s Dena.”
He tried to sound calm. “Yes, have you thought about it?”
“Yes, I have. And Sandy, I would have taken fifty thousand and been glad to get it. But that man insulted me and now they’re going to have to pay me twice as much.”
Sandy groaned. “Oh, Dena, don’t do this to me. I have a weak heart. Please … please … my nerves. Fifty thousand is not a terrible offer.”
“It’s not the money, it’s the principle of the thing.”
“Dena, you can’t afford principles now. Wait until you’re a star. Then you can have all the principles you want. Trust me, now is not the time to make a stand. You don’t have anything to stand on yet.”
“Sandy, if I don’t do it now, I never will. I can’t let this man treat me like dirt and get away with it. Besides, I don’t think I could live with myself if I took it for less than I’m worth.”
“Dena … who’s gonna know how much you are making—you and me and some accountant in a basement somewhere. Please.”
“I’ll know.”
“Dena, listen to me. I’m the agent. I’m the one who should be convincing you to ask for more money, not the other way around, and I’m telling you, take the money.”
Sandy talked to her for twenty more minutes, but she would not back down. Before she hung up she added, “And
After the agent left, Wallace had to laugh to himself. The decision to hire her had been made a week before, based on her tapes. They had been head and shoulders above the rest. But he liked to see people cower. Of course, she hadn’t, she had thrown it right back in his face. Quite a change from the usual sweaty-palmed types that crawled in and out of his office all day. She just might have what he was looking for.
If
she was smart enough to do what she was told.
Sandy ran back to his office and called Dena at the hotel. She picked up.
“It’s Sandy. Dena, are you sitting down?”
Dena started to apologize. “Sandy, I’m so sorry. I know that was a stupid thing to do. What can I say, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“Dena.”
“I know you are disappointed. I am, too, believe me. But I would rather be a hostess in a pancake house before I’d let someone treat me like I was a … a nothing.”
“Dena, listen!”
“My mother may not have had much money, but she did not raise me to be insulted by some puffed-up little mutant. Who does he think he is?”
“Dena, are you finished?”
“Yes.”
“You got the job.”
“Oh, yes, I’m sure that I did.… The only thing I regret—and this is because I’m a lady—that I did not tell him what he could do with—”
“Dena,
listen
to me. I am not kidding. He liked your tapes. You got the job. He’s starting you at a pretty low salary … but it means you’re in.”
“And I’ll tell you something else, I wouldn’t work with that man for a million dollars. How did he even get into television?”
“OK, Dena, so he is an obnoxious, disgusting pig. Just don’t takeit so personally. Believe me, he treats everybody like a piece of dirt. The point is, you got the job.”
There was a pause. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, he wants you to go in tomorrow and talk to him—”
“You are kidding,” she said.
“No, I’m telling you he liked your tapes. He thinks you have something.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“No joke.”
“No.”
“Oh. Well.” There was another pause. “How much are they going to pay me?”
“Like I said, it’s a little low to start … but—”
“How much?”
“Fifty thousand.”
“I don’t know, Sandy. I’ll have to think it over. I’ll call you back.”
Sandy sat with the phone in his hand. He could
not
believe what he had just heard. He put the phone down and threw his hands up in the air and said to the ceiling, “She’s offered the best shot in New York and she’s got to think it over?”
Ten minutes later she called back. “Sandy, it’s Dena.”
He tried to sound calm. “Yes, have you thought about it?”
“Yes, I have. And Sandy, I would have taken fifty thousand and been glad to get it. But that man insulted me and now they’re going to have to pay me twice as much.”
Sandy groaned. “Oh, Dena, don’t do this to me. I have a weak heart. Please … please … my nerves. Fifty thousand is not a terrible offer.”
“It’s not the money, it’s the principle of the thing.”
“Dena, you can’t afford principles now. Wait until you’re a star. Then you can have all the principles you want. Trust me, now is not the time to make a stand. You don’t have anything to stand on yet.”
“Sandy, if I don’t do it now, I never will. I can’t let this man treat me like dirt and get away with it. Besides, I don’t think I could live with myself if I took it for less than I’m worth.”
“Dena … who’s gonna know how much you are making—you and me and some accountant in a basement somewhere. Please.”
“I’ll know.”
“Dena, listen to me. I’m the agent. I’m the one who should be convincing you to ask for more money, not the other way around, and I’m telling you, take the money.”
Sandy talked to her for twenty more minutes, but she would not back down. Before she hung up she added, “And
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