O Padaria - Day 3

A bakery in Portugal. The bakery serves a butcher’s shop as well as an espresso bar. It’s not a popular bakery, there is little to no business most days. Usually the rushes come in Saturday mornings through to Sunday evening. Its 3 in the afternoon on Friday.

Maria is the daughter of the owner. She works at the bakery and has since she was 13. She is now 23. She hopes to become a journalist after she finishes school, but for the time being Maria finds herself counting money. 

Maria washes her hands and begins arranging meat pieces in the display case. She get frustrated by the way things are placed and begins to frantically reorganize everything. José enters. 

Maria: José!

José: Bon dia.

José is 38 years old and it a family friend. He is very wealthy, but it is not evident by the way he presents himself. 

Maria: I'm glad you came by.

José: I am always here, every Friday.

Maria: Is it Friday already? I swear it was Wednesday, when I woke up I thought it was Thursday.

José: If it was Wednesday you would have seen your mother at noon, and if it was Thursday, your diary delivery would have been delivered to you by 9am. Has any of those things happened?

Maria: Why no! Because it's 3pm and your here.

José: So it must be Friday.

Maria: Must be.

Maria begins shuffling meat around the icebox. She drops three steak packages. 

José: You seem a bit frazzled, Maria. 

Maria: Oh I'm not! Really. I'm just... You know!

José: No, I don't.

Maria: My mother just told me some unfortunate news about a friend, yesterday-

José: Wednesday.

Maria: Hmm, yes Wednesday that's when I saw her.

José: Who was the news about? Unless it's something you can not share.

Maria: I don't think this person would like for me to be talking about them.

José: Oh! So I know them!

Maria: I did not say that. 

José: It's perfectly okay, I'm just bugging you. I don't need to know.

Maria: Well, she told me she saw something behind the farm that was concerning- to her. She doesn't know what to do. I don't really know what to do.

José: We I would be more than happy to give you my advice. 

Maria: You and your advice.

José: It’s my advice that keeps this bakery standing, no?

Maria hands him some sausages and rolls of cheese.

Maria: How has your week been?

José: Extremely busy. I had a day off on Wednesday though I went to the Algarve. 

Maria: You work too hard. 

José: I don’t think meetings with people means I work too hard, I feel like I talk too much. 

Maria: You don’t talk much with me.

José: Every Friday I come in here and I talk to you. We do nothing but talk.

Maria: Yes, but then on Sunday nights...

José: Well there is only so much talking one can do over chicken and turkey. Are you doing anything this Sunday night? I was thinking of taking you up to the Algarve.

Maria: I’m busy.

José: You’re not working on Sunday.

Maria: You don’t know that.

José: Yes I do.

Maria: Mai makes the schedule.

José: I’m sure I can rearrange that-

Maria: And I am working until the evening. I have papers to get done for next week, and I don’t have any extensions, so I have to get them done. 

José: I can help you with your homework.

Maria: I work better by myself.

José: So you haven’t like our Sunday nights together?

Maria: I am just always tired Monday mornings, that’s all. I have to be up so early.

José: I understand. 

José turns to leave.

Maria: Have you seen Rui?

José: Why?

Maria: Well, he’s in the hospital. 

José: Since when? Maria, what happened?

Maria: You don’t know? 

José: Why would I know? Is that what happened on Wednesday?

Maria comes around the counter, she opens the door wide to let the breeze in. She faces José

Maria: Rui was meeting Mai to discuss some business. He was persuading her to hand the business over from you to him. He said he had ideas that would help the business thrive instead of fumble. Mai said she would think about it. So when she was wrapping up the hose on the side of the farmer after seeing Rui out, she heard people fighting. She called emergency before she saw anything, she was so scared, José.

José: What were the ideas Rui have for this business.

Maria: José! You know everything, Mai saw you.

José: Saw me what? I was in the Algarve Wednesday. I did not know anything about Rui and his ideas! I can’t believe you of all people-

Maria: I’m not accusing you, I am telling you what Mai saw, I was in class... Rui is in the hospital with three broken ribs. He-

José: He what?! He’s saying I beat the shit out of him.

Maria: He said he was walking around the farm to get back home when he saw you twisting a chicken’s neck and you said that, “this chicken I’m killing is going to have the same fate as you”.

José: How poetic!

Maria: José.

José: If I had known he was trying to get your poor mother to hand the business over to him I would have run him over with my car 60 miles an hour.

Maria: That doesn’t help you, José.

José: I don’t need you to believe me, I didn’t touch Rui. I hope when he recovers he can save this business because I’m done.

Maria: José, please, just tell me.

José: You are not interested in me or my business, Maria. And if you think I would have done that to Rui, so cowardly behind your mother’s farm, I have no interest in you.

Maria: Please talk to Mai and Rui, to clear all of this up, please.

José leaves.