Hot Line, How Can I Help You?

2 actors (written as females, but gender doesn’t matter) 5 callers are heard in voice-over, so the actors can read from the script.

8-10 mins.

CAST OF CHARACTERS:

MANDY:   737 Words.   Girl answering the phones during a lunch break.

CAROLINE:  154 Words.  The girl who takes the lunch break.

5 VARIOUS CALLERS:  Done with voice-over and not actually seen.
The set is a simple office setting with a desk and a computer and phone.

Excerpt:
SCENE ONE:
A woman is sitting at a desk with a phone and a laptop computer and another woman enters.
MANDY
Hi, I’m Mandy.  I’m supposed to relieve you for lunch?
CAROLINE
Oh, sure!  Hi, Mandy.  Well, I’ll let you get started and I’ll go then.
MANDY
So… all I do is answer phones?
CAROLINE
Have you done this before?
MANDY
Answer phones?
CAROLINE
The hot line.
MANDY
Not exactly.  What kind of calls will I be getting?
CAROLINE
People who need help.  This is a help hot line.  Basically, they just need help and you need to get their number so we can have someone call to get them involved in the program.    Just answer with “Hot line, how can I help you?”
MANDY
Okay.  I guess I can do that.

LATER:

MANDY
Can you hold on a minute and I will get some information?  I need to answer another call…
(Pushes button)
Hot line.  How can I help you?
2ND MALE CALLER
I’m calling for my son.  He has real problems!
MANDY
Really…how so?
2ND MALE CALLER
He is getting impossible to deal with.  He never pays attention to anything we say, he doesn’t talk to us anymore, and he has had trouble with the police.  He avoids responsibility and keeps questionable company, and I am suspicious that there could be drugs involved.  I just don’t understand it!  We’ve done everything for him.  We have given him money whenever he’s needed it so that he wouldn’t have to work and so he could concentrate on his studies; and yet his grades are continuing to decline.  We never cut back on his allowance, and we got him in the best schools and made sure he had the best teachers and the best clothes and always sent him to the most prestigious camps and country clubs.  And we hired the best attorneys to get him out of his legal troubles.  We’ve given him everything and things just keep getting worse.
MANDY
Doesn’t sound to me like he has any problems.
2ND MALE CALLER
What?  How can you say that after what I’ve just told you?
MANDY
It sounds like he doesn’t have a problem – You do. He can pretty much do whatever he wants – no problem. You pay, you worry, you plan, and you exert energy. He doesn’t have a problem because you have taken them all from him. There are many people in the program who have been in this same situation and have learned to set boundaries and overcome. Would you like to talk to someone who can help you to help your son to have some problems of his own? Can you hold for just a moment while I get this next call?  Hot Line. How may I help you?
2ND FEMALE CALLER (V.O.)
I hope you can help me!  I can’t give up my soaps!!
MANDY
Excuse me?
2ND FEMALE CALLER
I’m addicted to soaps!
MANDY
For washing?  Or are you eating them?  I don’t understand…
2ND FEMALE CALLER
No!  Soaps!  You know, Days Of Our Lives!  One Life To Live!  All My Children!  It goes on and on!  They even have a whole channel dedicated to soaps!  I can’t stop watching!
MANDY
I don’t think there is a group specifically for soap opera addictions … Let’s see (reads list) On-line Solitaire, excessive Lia Sophia Jewelry purchases, obsessive house cleaning, Facebooking, Twittering, Oh wait! … Here’s one!! Reality TV Addiction!!! – maybe that’s close enough. Stacy – one of our leaders – has struggled with this one – may I have her call to talk to you about how you can deal with this problem?  I’m sure she can help you with that.  Can I put you on hold and then I’ll take down some info?  Thank you.  Hello?  Thank you for still holding…I’ll be right there!  Hello?  Thank you for still holding… I’ll be right there!  Hello?  Thank you for…hello?  Hello?  Hot wire!  uh.. LINE! How can I hurt you?  HELP YOU!
3RD MALE CALLER (V.O.)
I hope you can help me.  You see… I grew up with an alcoholic father.  Now…I have never touched the stuff myself…I’m a regular teetotaler.. but I really seem to be messed up.  You know… in other ways.  I won’t get into it now… well, unless you want me to… but I just can’t get a handle on anything… and I wonder if it is related to those years with my dad…Now…my mom had some issues, too… but I don’t know if that fits into the equation…what do you think?
MANDY
Uh… I…
3RD MALE CALLER
Yeah…you could be right about that.  She was a real piece of work… I tell you what!  But you know, it could be because of Dad’s drinking.  And I’m wondering if it is somehow hereditary, even though I don’t have the problem, could it…you know… skip a generation?  That is something I would really like to explore…you know?  What do you think?
MANDY
I think we can help you, sir…