The scene
is the kitchen table where we find Caleb’s Dad and Mom in conversation. They are deeply disturbed
over a problem they are facing.
Dad – So you see dear, we must contact all of our friends,
neighbors and relatives and explain the situation to them.
Mom – Yes, yes. I see what you mean but we must do
it so that our message has the greatest impact. I think we should write them all
a letter.
Dad - A
letter? Yes, ‘a letter’. We can explain in detail just the trouble we are in.
But there are so many we want to contact. There is Uncle Alphonso and Aunti
Lucille, Cousin Beatrice, Cousin Alfredo, the Torres twins, Fred and Ethel, Bill
and Lil Anderson, and their brother Fred, …
Mom - …and Myrtle and Mabel and Marge and Mildred
and don’t forget Maggie…
Dad - … and Joe
and, and…
Mom - … don’t forget all our return visits and
everyone that stops to take a brochure at my witnessing cart, and…
Dad - …It will take forever to write all those
letters.
Mom – Not necessarily so. We will just change the
name on the heading. Everything else will be the same. We don’t even need to
put a name on most of them. That way we can give the letter to everyone, just everyone.
[Caleb
walks into the kitchen to get a glass of milk. He sits at the table and listens
to his parents talking about this great work they must do.]
Dad – That’s it. We will ask everyone. We will ask
everyone for some of their money, for them to give us some of their money.
Mom – We should start right away because our
situation is so serious.
Caleb – What’s wrong Mom? What’s wrong Dad? What is
so serious?
Dad – Caleb my son, we have some very important
news to tell you, some very bad news.
Caleb – Did someone die?
Dad – No, no my son. Something worse than that.
Caleb, my son, we just found out that,
well your Mom and me looked at our bank account and we found out that, that,…. we
found out that there is more money going out than coming in to our bank
account.
Caleb – Hunh?
Dad – Yes my son. It is just horrible. It all
started last month and it is getting worse everyday. More money is going out
than is coming in, at this time. My
dear, dear son, we thought you should be made aware of this bad news.
Caleb - You
say it all started last month?
Mom – Yes Caleb, last month.
Caleb – Isn’t last month when you started building
the garage beside the house?
Dad – Yes, that is when it started and so much
more money is going out than coming in now, because of this garage.
Caleb - You
mean to say that you actually think that when you start spending on a building
project, and a large amount of expenditures are incurred, that you actually
think that the same amount should be coming in?
Mom – So we are going to write a letter to
everyone we know and ask them to give us some of their money, so that we have
as much money coming in as is going out.
Dad – Yes, yes, and we will start with Uncle
Alphonso and Aunti Lucille..
Mom – …Let’s address the letter to Dear Uncle Alphonso
and Dear Aunti Lucille…
Dad – Yes, yes DEAR Uncle Alphonso, DEAR Aunti
Lucille..
Caleb – Why start now?
Dad – What do you mean my son?
Caleb – Well, you never called them Dear Uncle or
Dear Aunt before. Why start now? Dad and Mom let me explain something to you.
When you plan a large outlay of money, you have to prepare well in advance. You
have to prepare and follow a budget for all the expenses. You have to save over
a long period of time. Only then are you able to proceed with a project because
large amounts of funds will have to be forwarded to suppliers and contractors. That’s how projects get done. That’s how it
works in the real world. You have to do the math before you start anything like
that.
Dad – Hunh? Are you sure? I think it would be
easier to just ask everyone for some money. They will understand.
Caleb - No, I
don’t think they will. However I am starting to understand something that I
suspected for quite a while.
Dad – What is that my son?
Mom – What do you understand Caleb?
Caleb – Well I
finally understand that you two are a couple of complete idiots.
