04x09 - Idle Nigerians

[bunniefuu]

- Ugh, there's still no news.


- Me neither.

I searched "Detroit nurses strike"

and got a bowling league.


(SCOFFS)

If we go on strike,

they're going to bring

in temporary nurses.

When my patients wake up,

they need to see this face.

I love waking up to that face.

Don't be sweet, I'm in crisis.

Don't worry, they'll settle.

It's all about who blinks first.

Why can't they just give

us the staff we need

so that people are not

overworked and underpaid?

Well, from a management perspective,

a lot of the time, those margins are

You don't want a management perspective.


(PHONE CHIMES)


- Wow.


- Is that about the strike?

No, it's a roofing estimate

for the factory.

Wow.

Is that a good wow or a bad wow?


- It's good for the roofer.


-
(GROANS)

Everything is going wrong.

I told you, you do not pray enough.


(SCOFFS)

You know what? It can't hurt.

He, God, it's me Bob.

Please keep Abishola

from going on strike.

And if you could, send me a roofer

that doesn't work for Satan.

How'd I do?


(PHONE CHIMES)

Oh, no. Gloria said they are

walking away from the table.


- So it's happening.


- It is happening.

I'm sorry, honey.


- Well, where are you going?


- The strike starts at midnight.

If I go in now, I can check

on my patients one more time.

You're kidding, right?

They are my patients, Bob.

They need to see this face.


("IFANLA" BY SOLA AKINGBOLA PLAYING)


(INDISTINCT CHATTER)


- What do we want?


- OTHERS: Change!


- Change.


- When do we want it?


- OTHERS: Now!


- Now.

What do we want?


- OTHERS: Change!


- Change.

Excuse me, lazy people. Excuse me.

Working person coming through.

Hello, striking nurses.

How's your vacation going?

It's not fair that you

get to do your job.

Then come inside.

I can sneak you in through the morgue.

Uh
-uh. Crossing a picket

line is a union violation.

It would be if Abishola did it,

but what if Cindy the travel nurse did?

I have an extra wig in my bag.

Hello, y'all,

I am Cindy from a town in Texas.

You may not like it,

but this is how we get things done.

You know,

we wouldn't even have lunch breaks

if it weren't for our strike in '96.

How long did you strike for lunch?


- A month.


- A month?

Change doesn't happen overnight.

I cannot listen to your

amplified voice for that long.

Sorry, but we're doing

something important here.

ABISHOLA: What if they never give in?

What if they replace us

with temporary nurses?

What if I cannot find a new job


- and end up with Kemi in food services?


- Uh
-uh.

Be angry at management, not me.

You cannot tell me what to do,

you are not my boss yet.

This is why we do not

see idle Nigerians.

They go crazy.

Look at her, cuckoo bird.

Give me one of these.

It will make it easier to get through.

Excuse me.

Yes, yes, change. Yes. Yes.

Change, change, yes. Bye. Yes, change.

Look, if you can't

handle this emotionally,

you can just stay at home,

we'll be fine.

No, no, no, no, no.

I'm okay. I'm okay.

Good. Good.

All right, party people.


- What do we want?


- OTHERS: Change!

Our jobs back.


- When do we want it?


- OTHERS: Now!

As fast as possible.


- GLORIA: What do we want?


- OTHERS: Change!


- Morning.


- Hello, Bob.

Morning, Uncle Tunde. Auntie.

It's very interesting to see a boss

willing to get his hands dirty.

UNCLE TUNDE: In Nigeria,

a superior would never debase himself

in front of one of his employees.

Much less his employee's wife.

Okay, thanks for stopping by, Auntie.

Work hard, husband.


(SIGHS)

I packed a surprise in your lunch.

Oh, thank you.
(CHUCKLES)

What could it be?

It is a Twinkie.

That drain needs to work properly.


- I agree.


- You will want to hose

this floor off from time to time,

and, well,

you cannot do it if it's clogged.

Same page, Tunde!


-
(GROANS)


- Oh, yeah.

This is where the smell's coming from.

Why are you doing this to yourself?

Uh, where is the man who

throws money at every problem?

He d*ed when I bought this factory.

I will miss my valet parking,

same
-day
-shipping friend.

Do me a favor, don't tell Abishola.

I don't want her to worry.

About the fact that you

are hemorrhaging money

at an unsustainable rate?

Yep.

And with every passing day,

the idea of this becoming profitable

becomes more and more remote?

That's right.

And it would only confirm

Abishola's initial fear

that this entire venture is a mistake?

Same page, Tunde!

E kaasan, Mummy.

How was your striking?

Did you complain enough

to get what you want?

I hated it. I kept wishing

someone on the bus would

have a heart att*ck

so I could do my job.

Mm. I raised you well.

I have nothing to do.

Maybe cleaning the

house will cheer me up.


- You cannot do that.


- Why not?

I have already cleaned the house.

That is why I am in such a good mood.

Even behind the refrigerator?

Uh
-uh. Who do you think

you are talking to?

Behind, on top,

inside.

You can see yourself

in the crisper bins.

Okay, I'll go outside

and rake some leaves.

Dele already did.

Dele!

Yes, Mum?

Did you rake the leaves?

I sure did, Mum.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

You want me to take out the trash, too?

Don't you dare.

BOB: All right, you want to play rough?

We can play rough.

I got a whole list of

other things to do today,

you selfish bastard!

Bob?

Oh, hey.

Are you talking to a hole in the floor?

Little bit.

What are you doing here?

Ugh. I've spent the whole

morning telling people

what I want and when I want it.

I'm ready to do some real work.

Well, I wish I had something for you.

Everything's going great here.

So, you are snaking this drain

for no reason?

Well, that's routine maintenance.

Old buildings, like old people,

need their pipes cleaned

out every now and then.

I did not see the roofers outside.

I thought they were starting today.

Uh, they had to reschedule.

Again, completely normal.

Roofers are notoriously flaky.

I have never heard that.

Oh, yeah. I'll tell you this,

I would never date a roofer.

What is going on?

Why are you making terrible jokes?

I'm not.

Maybe the roofing joke

was "over your head."

Come on, nothing?

I was wrong about Olu's lunch surprise.

It was an apple.

Tunde! I found us an extra set of hands.

Why don't you two go set up my office?

You are trying to get rid of me.

Nonsense, I'm giving you a

chance to soak in the wisdom

of our senior consultant.


- That is me.


- Yeah.

You guys have fun.

Remember, every day is a precious gift.


(CHUCKLES FORCEFULLY) All right. Okay.

Oh, God, I'm screwed.

Hello.

Hello, temporary nurse.


(SIGHS): Okay.

Can I help you?

Yes, you can.

Go downstairs, get in your car

and never come back.

You're friends with the nurses.

That's got to be hard.

Yes.

But don't get too comfortable.

They are coming back soon.

I hope so, hon.

You don't need to hope so, I know so.

These things can take a while.

Last one I got called in on,

the hospital ended up closing.

I heard it's a Target now.

So, you've done this at other hospitals?

Oh, yeah.

I've seen them screw nurses

from Portland to Poughkeepsie.

And when you come in

and take their chairs,

you are an accessory to the screwing.

Well, honestly,

I do feel a little guilty.

I mean, on the one hand,

I'm hurting my fellow nurses.

But someone's got to be

here for the patients.

It's not their fault that

management is a bunch of

horses' rear ends.

Ugh. You make a good point.

Thank you.

Don't thank me.

I came here to hate you,

but your big kind eyes

are making it impossible.

Have a good day!

And I like your necklace!

Aw, thanks, hon.

Your sweetness is infuriating!

Uncle, does Bob seem okay to you?

He is fine.

He will even be more fine

when we set up his office.

Grab the other end there, please.

Every time I ask him how he's doing,

he says great,

then smiles in a way that frightens me.

Well, if he says he's doing great,

he must be great.

Eh, the other wall.

If you know anything, please tell me.

I know that you are my favorite niece.

Uncle, you are avoiding my questions.

That is true.

You're a smart girl.

Now, let's think about if Bob

would like a couch in here.


(DOOR OPENS)

Hey, guys.

Tunde, do you happen to know

where the water shutoff is?

Outside, the southeast corner.

Thank you.

He's doing great!

You should've told me

things were this bad.

I didn't want to worry you.

Of course I'm worried.

I feel like I'm standing

in Lake Michigan.

Come on, this water's much

cleaner than Lake Michigan.

This is not funny, Bob.

Relax, it's gonna work out.

Well, you do not know that.

You're right, I don't.

But it would be nice if I

wasn't the only one saying it.

Where are you going?

To the hardware store.

There's a cashier there

who believes in me.

He doesn't ask why I'm wet.

He asks, "How can I help?"

And it feels good!

He's doing great!

I know it's cold, guys,

but we're doing good.

Hang in there.

Have you heard anything

about the negotiations?

You mean in the five minutes

since you asked the last time?

No. Management still hasn't budged

on any of our demands.

Maybe we should just accept

what they're offering

and go back to work.


(SCOFFS) You want to fold already?


(GROANS) Some money's

better than no money.

But that's what they want,

for us to set down our signs

and be thankful for whatever

scraps they dole out.

This is not a good time for me.

Maybe we could delay

the strike for a year.

Honey, nothing worth getting is easy.

And you are not a quitter.

No, I am not.

There you go.

When we stick together,

we can't be silenced!

OTHERS: Yeah!

They think they can outlast us?


- OTHERS: No!


- Every day,


- we are underestimated.


- OTHERS: Yeah!

Unappreciated.


- OTHERS: Yeah!


- Drooled on,

pooped on, and still, we come in here

for our 12
-hour shifts and save lives.


- OTHERS: Yeah!


- Because we're nurses,

and nobody's stronger than us!

OTHERS: Yeah!

That was amazing.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Some of them are covered

in bodily fluids.

What are you doing here?

I wanted to see my friends.


- Well, that's sweet.


- Yes.

Work is not the same without

your sassy, old lady wit.

And Abishola's

lack of any wit.

You know what,

I even missed your insults.

Well, then we have

to put an end to this.

They need to know that we are serious.

Okay, everybody.

Repeat after me.

Hey, ho, corporations

putting profits over patients

has got to go!

That's a little too long.

Leave me alone. It's my first strike.

Come on.


(KNOCKING)

Come in.

Hello, Dottie.

Abishola, what are you doing here?

I needed to speak with you alone.


- You're leaving Bobby, aren't you?


- What?

No.

Oh, okay, have a seat.

Butterscotch?

No, thank you.

Scotch scotch?

I'm fine.

Okay. So

what's up?

Bob is struggling at the factory.

I tried to tell him it was a bad idea.

Me, too.

But if the two smartest

women in his life

cannot convince him, nothing will.


(SCOFFS) What do you want me to do?

Ground him?

I was thinking we could support him.

You know,

maybe if he had a little cash flow,

he won't spend the entire

day shouting at a drain.

I'm sorry, but Bobby said

he did not want to take

a loan from MaxDot.

Well, I'm not here for MaxDot's money.

So, this is a shakedown.

When you needed someone to

help you run your company,

Bob was there for you.


-
(SIGHS)


- And

when you had your stroke,

Bob was there for you.

Honey, you can't guilt
-trip

a guilt
-tripper.

I'm not trying to guilt you.

I'm just asking you

to have a little faith

in someone who has never let you down.

Well

he has always been there for me.

And he always will be.


(SIGHS HEAVILY) Okay.

Okay.

And even if he's making

a stupid mistake,

he's better with us in

his corner than alone.

Sweetie, you already convinced me.

I know.

Now I'm trying to convince myself.

That's right, suck it down,

you thirsty son of a bitch.

When you have these

conversations with the drain,

does it talk back?

You come here one more time

to tell me what a mistake I'm making?

I came to bring you some food.

Oh, you're apologizing.

No, I'm feeding my husband.

Which is your way of apologizing.

I accept your jollof.

I should not have been so critical.

Yeah, well, there's a lot to criticize.

But I got a win today.

You string a couple of those together,

you get a streak going.

That is why I love you.

You never give up.

I can't afford to,

I'm doing this on my own.

Not anymore.

A check from my mom?

A big check from my mom.

She wants you to know

that she believes in you.

Is that why it says in the memo line


- "Don't make me regret this"?


-
(CHUCKLES)

I promised her a seven

percent return on investment.


- Wow, that's all?


- I talked her down from 20.

And I want you to know

that I believe in you as well.

Are you sure about this?

Yes, at eight percent interest.

It's a pretty crazy investment.

I heard the guy running

it's talking to drains.

I'm an independent woman.

You cannot tell me what

to do with my money.

And that is why I love you.

You know what this is, right?

A winning streak.

Oh, look at that,

we have a skylight now.

I saw you got the

roofers to start today.

Did you have to yell at them?

I yelled at them with money.

Like a boss.

I had to pay a little extra, but we'll

make it back quick, Mom, don't worry.

I'm not worried, honey.

Why would you be? It's his funeral.

I'm rooting for you, buddy.

I'm an investor now.

Hey, does that come

with a seat on the board?

So far, the only boards

are falling from the roof.

Wait, you invested in this?

You called it his Hindenburg.


(SCOFFS) I believe in you.

I do not think that

analogy is appropriate.

The Hindenburg was fully

operational when it exploded.

GOODWIN: I did not approve

using MaxDot funds.

I didn't, I used the money

I was going to leave to

Douglas and Christina.

BOTH: What?

Wonderful.

Hey, listen.

I can do whatever I want, it's my money.

But when you d*ed, it was gonna be mine.

It's gonna cost a lot to

process the grief of losing you.

All this means is,

is when MaxDot manufacturing takes off,

we're all gonna do well.

Uh
-huh.

We need a lawyer.

Instead of waiting for Mom to die,

how about you climb

on board and help me?

I don't see why we can't do both.

What about you, Kofo?

You're the only one that's not invested.

You want to get in on this?

What a wonderful opportunity.

No, thank you.