" Tales For All #13 " " THE CLEAN MACHINE " "Benoit?" "Benoit!" "There's someone here to see you." "Hi." "Got any plans?" "'Cause we could try out my new video game." "Those games of your are unreal." "See you, Squirt." "Hello, Charles." "Hey Dad!" "Oh, I forgot — today's payday!" " There." " You mean that's all?" "!" "And after that mega-cool cleaning job I did?" "Let me know if your need more." "That ought to do for a start." "Charles gets much more, you know!" "Without even working he gets twice as much." "When you've finished hollering, you might wish me luck!" "If things work out for me, you might even get a raise." "Ah-ha!" " Promise?" " Promise!" "Good luck!" "Thanks." "It's too cool when it starts to turn pink." " It's true!" " Hey, the Browns are moving out?" "No, the law's seizing their stuff again." " What do you mean, "seizing their stuff"?" " But you can't do that." "I'm sorry." "I'm very sorry." "But do you realize how long you've had?" "Now look, I need twenty four hours, OK?" "Twenty four hours!" " You have no right to do this!" " If I don't do it, the police will have to." "The guy in the suit there is the bailiff." " The what?" " The bailiff." " The one who takes their stuff." " That's sick." "Can bailiffs really do that?" "Yeah — when you're bankrupt, you're bankrupt." "Only companies can go bankrupt, Charles." "No, no, my father says it's true." "When you don't pay your bills, you're going to go bankrupt." "Enemy of the people!" "Horrible petit-bourgeoisie!" "Miserable toad!" "I shall vindicate those poor souls!" "And...and...um..." "And you'll end up being rebuked by your peers." "And you'll be wound up with puke in your ears." "Enemy of the people!" "Horrible bourgeoisie reactionary road-hog!" "Miserable!" "Oh, go on, buzz off, we're shooting a movie here." "Wow, that's the best scene in the whole movie!" "Hey, it's Marie." "I should have poked a hole in his tire." "You should watch where you're going when you cross the street." "Hi, Marie." "What's your movie called?" ""Chivalry Triumphs Again"." "I borrowed the camera." "We'll see — if it turns out to be good, my dad says he'll show it on community TV." "How about the way I shook that bay leaf up." "No, the bailiff, Julien." "The bailiff." "Here." "I bet you'd like to play a part in her movie." "But you're not handsome enough." "Chloe — the order's ready for Madame La Pointe." "Hurry up — she wants it right away." "Darn it, Chloe." "You won again!" "But you're getting there, Louis." "You know if you keep it up like that, it won't be very long before I lose my title." "Naw, Big Boy here looks strong, but there's nothing there..." "You little Cockroach!" "There's nothing there, either!" "Ow, let me go, Muscle-head!" "Two orangeades, no ice." "How about the rest of us, Chuck?" "Is it only Benoit who gets the freebies around here, huh?" "That'll be three more orangeades, then." "Oh, if I weren't so timid, I'd give you a big smack!" "Oh, don't do that." "You want to contribute to the delinquency of a minor?" "Christian — How many times have I told you?" "Here." "$4.25." "Thank you." "Thanks a heap, Chuck." "Thanks." "Do you want the bread charged to your account?" "Well, no." "Benoit?" "Why don't you lighten up a bit, Son?" "It's not the first time I didn't get a contract." "In the freelance business, it happens." "I hope that this is the last time." "What is bugging you, anyway?" "There's plenty of jobs you could do." "Ventilation's no way to make money." "Well, excuse me, Benoit, but who asked you?" "Hey?" "Hah, listen to this: "Sales Representative wanted." ""No experience needed." "Should enjoy public." ""Salary of $100,000 per year to be discussed." Now that's a job!" "When you like what you do, the money doesn't count that much, Benoit!" "If you go bankrupt it does — then it counts for a lot!" "What?" "Bankrupt?" "Bankrupt, yeah." "It's when you get your stuff seized by a bailiff." "If you don't pay your bills, you know very well you're going to go bankrupt, Dad!" "You're not trying to tell me I don't pay bills, are you, Benoit?" "Well?" "..." "Good, everything's ready." "Now then, we'll clear that off...here." " Give me that." " Hey, that's my paper." "Dad!" "So much for that." "A millionaire at 14?" "I don't believe it!" "Yeah, but it's true, though." "And we can do the same as her." "Maybe even better." " We have no experience." " What do you need experience for?" "When you're capable of washing windows, cutting grass or painting walls,... taking the garbage out, taking care of kids..." "Yeah, of course we're going to have to work our butts off, Charles... but just think: in two years we'll be stinking rich." "And then we'll have our own company!" "And be our own boss!" "We won't ever have to go out looking for work!" "And we'd get ourselves the most amazingly cool office,... with fridge that's always full of orangeade." "We'll never have to worry about money again!" "We'd always have friends conning around... and we'd have a great big giant TV with a swimming pool and we'd have video games..." "Hey, we'll have our own limos!" "Hey, that's too much, eh!" "No, you're getting carried away there, Charles!" "Well, where do we start, then?" "Yeah, well, we need somewhere to work." "We have to get soap for cleaning, and scrub pails and brushes, and gloves and a ladder..." "We'll have to spend some money now!" "Spend it?" "I thought we were supposed to be making money!" " Oh, $200 ought to do it." " $200!" "What do you mean?" "Charles: prove how smart I am to take you on as a business associate!" "Find $100 by tomorrow!" "Oh, I know you'll find it without trouble." "Won't you, Charles?" "See you." "Yeah, but where will you find $100?" "Come up with your share — let me worry about mine." "Your own company?" "That's not easy." "I'm not sure you'll have much fun." "Why don't you start by selling orangeade?" "It wouldn't be as expensive and I'd be delighted to help." "But, Mother, if I wanted help, I would have asked." "It's money that I need." "Yes, let me speak to Bob, please." "Thank you." "No, I'm sorry, Miss, but you keep giving me the switchboard." "Let me talk to Bob." "Thank you." "See, if you want to succeed in business...hello, Bob!" "Yes." "I'm anxious for you to take a look at those estimates I sent to your office." "What?" "That would be great." "And you might send me your comments along with them." "But no later than..." "Charles, the window!" "Yeah." "Yes, exactly." "OK, we're counting on you." "It's important." "Thank you Bob." "See you." "If you want to succeed, remember, Son, it takes money to make money." "Only the last thing to do is risk your own money." "You make money with other people's money." "Remember that, Son." " Hi, guys." " Hi." "Gee, a walkman." "Hey, man, your walkman don't even work." "Are you trying to screw us or what?" "Oh, yeah, it sounds great!" "It's all yours for $10." "How come you're selling stuff half busted?" " You can always fix it, it's just a wire." " She's right." "And I'll even throw in a radio for the same price." "Listen!" "You've got to be a wimp to pass up a chance like this, guys!" "Hey — you want to go in with me?" "I'll go halves with you." "I'd be willing to loan you $60 for two weeks." "Is that all?" "I have to have a hundred dollars." "Are you quite sure it's your necklace, Son?" "Yeah, my aunt gave it to me." "She owed me the money but she never has that much in cash." "All right — $80, then." "That's my final offer." " Well, OK." " But..." "I charge interest, you know." "How much will it cost to get it back?" "$100 — in two weeks." " $100!" " If not — the necklace is mine!" "Well, OK, I suppose." "Ten.. .fifteen.. .seventeen..." "nineteen...twenty!" "Ah, that's cool, Chloe." "And in two weeks, the company will give you $30, guaranteed." "That better be true, Chuck." "If not, you're likely to get your neck twisted." "Mission accomplished!" "Let's see." " $100 — minus two." " $103.10!" "Hey, awesome, man!" "We're already rich and we haven't even begun working." "Can you believe it, Charles?" "We're going to have our own office!" "Yeah, but at the end of an old lane." "It's not so hot for our image." "Come on, now look, we're not selling orangeade, Charles." "You don't need a fancy shop window on a boulevard." "We deal in services." "That's it." "You lost your marbles or what?" "You don't expect to work in a shack like this!" "Come on, Charles." "My grandmother's letting us use the place for free." "We can't pass that up." "It's got potential, anyway." "Charles — give me a hand here!" "Grab the other end." "There — we've got a super incredible desk, Charles!" "Hey, Benoit, what do you know?" "We've even got pigeons for good luck!" "Oh, great." "Man, you wouldn't believe how much it cost!" "We're broke already!" "Did you get everything we needed?" "Yeah...in fact, more!" "Ta-da!" "It's not great, but I had to bargain...but I got it from Christian for $15." "What's wrong?" "What do we do if they say it costs too much?" "Then we make a deal." " Well, you do the talking." " Trust me!" "What if she wants us to wash her toilet?" "Then we say: "With pleasure!" "It's our specialty!"" "But you lower yourself by accepting every job you're offered." "It spoils the company image!" "Hey, you've got to make sacrifices to start with." "Oh, shut up, you make me nervous." "Oh, yeah, we just...just opened a company, and we..." "I mean, we clean toilets." "Hey, how come those guys are working and they haven't even got a company?" "Charles, I think we'd have better luck if we each took one side of the street." "Hey, hey, hey, how you doin', Chuck?" "You won't forget me, will you?" "Two weeks will go so fast!" "No, Chloe, I won't forget." "Yeah — we need on-the-job accident insurance!" "Do you want one?" "Oh, no thanks — I'm fine." "Well, lucky for me then." "$8.50." "Well, it's a beginning." "A beginning of the end." "Oh, shit!" " Do you know what we need, Charles?" " Our heads examined!" "What we need is publicity." "Of course, like the girl in the article, the millionaire." "She handed out flyers by the thousands, and it worked." "But not if it's tramping from door to door again." "No — I've got a better idea!" ""Enemy of the people!" "Horrible petit-bourgeoisie!" "Miserable toad!" "I shall vindicate those poor souls!" " "And...and...urn..." - "And you'll end up being rebuked by your peers."" ""And you'll be wound up with puke in your ears."" " Hi, Marie." " Oh, hello." "Ah, well, were you able to think over our proposition?" "Oh, yeah." "But this morning I was able to think of a much better idea than a commercial." "A documentary." "Ugh." "But documentaries..." "Sure, Marie, but what are we supposed to do with the documentary?" "Besides, you sleep through documentaries." "Come on, all we want is the coolest spot on the tube." "On and on about how you do the greatest job in town." "The fastest and the cheapest." "If you ask me, it's just a pain." "It's a pain, but that's how the business works." "It's true, Marie, you can make videos that are much more intelligent than anyone... but I think...it's a super challenge to do commercials." "We don't mind if you do some far-out stuff." "But just do it!" "Why not?" "It could be rather interesting!" "Especially since — apparently since it's well paid." "Um, that is, at the moment, we're not what you'd call rolling in it." "But we will be, though." "After all, Marie, there's more to art than its monetary value." "Yeah, I guess you're right." "Like my videos of self-expression." " OK, I'll do the commercial for nothing." " Thanks a million, Marie." "But on one condition:" "I want you to make me your partner." "I don't want to work for you — but with you." "Oh, well, that's a fine idea." "What do you think, Charles?" "Well, maybe we could give her ten percent." "Oh, cheaper than that you can't get." "Ten percent!" "I'm an equal partner or nothing." "Sexual discrimination is revolting." "Hey, look!" ""The Clean Machine!" "The company that does all your odd jobs for you." ""As quick as a flash!" ""The Clean Machine — does the greatest job in town!" ""The fastest and the cheapest!" ""Call us at 849-5248."" " Hello?" " Yes...is this The Clean Machine?" "Yes, that's us!" "This is Mr. Bruce." "I may have a lot of paper to cart to the recycling bin." "How much would that cost?" "We charge $7 per hour, with a minimum of $2 for small jobs." "That sounds reasonable." "When can you come?" "Let's see — we'll send someone to your house as soon as possible." " Thank you." " Thank you for calling." "Good bye." "It's Mr. Bruce." "He has masses of newspapers to take to the recycling bin." "Easy!" "Not so fast!" "Hey!" " Have you guys ever tried to paint before?" " Sure we have." "It's easy." "Want us to do a little." "Oh, no, I'm having a ball here." "Although, if you buy me an orangeade, I sure wouldn't mind having a break." " Hi, Chloe, what's up?" " As of today, two weeks are what's up, Chuckles." "Already?" "Tonight, Chloe, I promise." "We're making money like mad and today we get paid." "Oh, no." "It's a nice color." " It's sort of like blue ice cream." " Yuck!" "We sure will, Ma'am, we're the fastest and the best." "Thank you." " That's a wrap." " Good, because I've had it!" "You said we took in $420 — divided by three... equals $140 each." " 10...30...40...50...70..." " What are you doing?" "I'm taking my third of it." "No way, Charles, no way!" "What if we take $5 each for now?" "We'll reinvest the rest." "What do you mean, reinvest it?" "Do you want to get rich or don't you?" " Well, sure I do." " Then you've got to make sacrifices when you start out." "And how far do you think $5 will get me?" "Do you what the cost of living is, man?" "You bet I do, because we're in for some huge expenses." "We need an answering machine, and a cash reserve for unexpected expenses." "Well, hold it, Mr. Tightwad — the cash reserves come later,... but my expenses are expected." "I have to have $130 by this afternoon." "Huh?" "You're nuts!" "You're out of your mind!" "So what do you want it for anyhow — orangeade?" "Now wait a minute — I'm not spending it!" "Oh, no, then what's it for?" "To pay a couple of babies to work in your place?" "No, it's not." "Not at all, OK?" "It's personal, that's what." "Well, if it's personal, keep it that way and don't drag the company into it, OK?" "You weren't filming us, were you?" "Oh, no, I mean, look, Marie...you wouldn't want to put that in the documentary." "Why wouldn't I?" "The best of partners have their arguments now and then." "But you could have let us know first." "You said that I could." "My only goal is reporting the truth." "It's not for the commercial, after all." "You were shooting me from the rear?" "Hey — what are you doing there?" "Guess!" "Oh, wow!" "This ought to be mega-great." "You stuffing your face with the cash you owe me, Chuck?" "Why, I was just coming to see you, Chloe." "Let me see my $30, OK?" "I'll treat you to something if you like." "How about this — looks good." "Hey, I bet you'll like this — it's good, it's incredible!" "You don't have my money, do you?" "Well, you know when you start out, you've got to make sacrifices, after all..." "Yeah, well, I'm not about to make any sacrifices for you!" " Even if you stand to make more?" " How much more?" " Like $35 — Like $40." " Just one more week!" "You're on." "You know, Chuck — it's helped you a lot to work for Benoit." "You've just begun to get clever." "I'm not working for him and I'm not his employee." "We're equal associates in the company." "Keep your voice down to a roar, Chuck!" "Is there something I can do?" "No, no, not really." "But, Marie, I was thinking... and it occurred to me that it could helpful if you were to know how the company's accounts were kept in the office ledger." "I've got the time now if you...if you'd like." "Yeah..." "OK." "As soon as I'm finished here." "Now there you see a record of all our business since we opened." "Ooops!" "I got carried away there." "On one side you have our income, and on the other the expenses." "And at the end of the month, what you do is... you calculate the totals." "That gives you the company's statement." "Say that our income exceeds our expenses... well, we earned a profit." "But if our expenses are more than our income... then we've got a problem." " We're in a hole." " Where did you ever learn all that?" "Oh, it comes sort of...sort of naturally." "You're so organized." "Really, I'm impressed with you, Benoit." "You know, I thought you might want to use a ledger like this when you're producing a film." "If you want, I'll prepare one for you." "Yes, that's a great idea." "That's really sweet of you!" "Well, got to go." "See you tomorrow." "See you then." "You bet." "Oh, Benoit — I have some good news, I almost forgot:... my dad knows a reporter who wants to interview us for the community newspaper." " Oh, really?" " And you know what's neater?" "I'm going to film the interview, and I'll put it in my documentary." " Great!" " It's really going to look professional." "I mean, that's cool!" "By the way, there's nothing better than exercise to combat stress." " So long." " So long." "A deal, young man, is a deal." "You knew what the conditions were." "I never twisted your arm." "Yeah, but I'm going to get my neck twisted." "I need another week, and I'll give you $50 more in interest." "Take it or leave it." "That's my final offer, as we say." "Now, look...the minute I close up shop, the necklace is my property." "And it's for sale." "But the thing is that Mr. Bernard wants us to wash his windows but our Monday and Tuesday are booked." "Yeah, that's right." "Maybe we could do it Wednesday, but what do you say?" "Wednesday I have Madame Briscoe." "We said we'd wash her car." " But what time?" "Morning?" " Yeah, the morning." " OK, we'll do his windows in the afternoon." " The afternoon is fine with me." "What a good dog." "He's a nice dog." "What's your name?" "It's to open a new account." "Charles, are you coming or not?" "Come on, how often do we open an account?" "It kills me to even think of my money rotting in a bank." "In what name?" "In the name of our company — "The Clean Machine", it's called." "Now for a company, we suggest a joint account requiring two signatures so that each transaction is countersigned." "Let's forget it — it's too complicated." "We thought we'd start with just a simple account." "Is that possible?" "Yes, of course, if you prefer." "You can open an account allowing any one of you three to make transactions." "All right?" "Hey, Louis, it's my turn to have the walkman now." " Hello." " Hello, Benoit." "Thank you..." "There." "Just a second, young man." "You will give this please to your father." "It's your bill for this month." "All right?" "Just a moment, Sonny." "Aren't you one of the boys who works for The Clean Machine?" "That's right, Madame." "Tell me — are you as fast as you claim in your commercial?" "Hm?" "Sure we are." "I called to have someone come tomorrow." "Don't forget me, now." "My name is Madame Beauvais, and you're to cut my grass." "Oh, sure, Madame Beauvais." "Oh, no, don't worry about it — it's all set." " Well, we'll see." "Good bye now." " Hey, Sampson." " Did you hear what I heard?" "We'll see about that." "Hey, Chloe, Benoit and company are still stealing our customers." "It's a fact — he's supposed to cut the grass at old lady Beauvais's." "We need you, Chloe, to help us bury him." "What do you say?" "OK — I'll take care of it." "But you'll have to take my place, and fork over a couple of bills, too." ""Hello — This is The Clean Machine!" ""Our services are so much in demand that we're all at work." ""If you leave us your name and phone number..." ""we'll call you back as soon as we can."" "Don't." "Don't be a fool, Chloe!" "Don't shoot." "Hey, you know what they always say: your ambition could kill you." "Well, yeah, but the company has to be successful if you want to get reimbursed." "Sure, but it doesn't mean you have to go stealing my boys' jobs." "Yeah, but it's only natural, Chloe, to compete for business." "That's cold!" "See that?" "It's the list of my boys' clients, and if you're smart... you'll learn it by heart." "Now if I'm forced to come after you again, it'll be to collect my money." "And you better come up with every cent, too... because Benoit won't be too happy to learn that his company owes me $40." "Morning, Madame Beauvais." "We're here to cut your grass." "You two?" "You mean you're working for The Clean Machine now?" "No — we're still working on our own." "Our buddies at The Clean Machine asked us to go on working here." " Eh, Louis?" " Yeah, yeah." "Besides, your grass isn't on their turf." "Know what I mean?" "Oh, well." "But this time, try not to lose the key." " No, no, no." " No problem, Madame." "Madame Cadeaux — it's $5 for a clothes line." "$5?" "I was told $2 on the phone." "Well, $2 is the minimum for a minor household job, but not a clothes line." " I wish I'd known that." " When you think of it,... it's dangerous to go climbing those poles." "I mean, we take an awful big risk." "And it costs an awful lot for insurance." "Well, yeah...well, I'll pay it." "But $5 is a lot to ask... when you only work ten minutes." "Hello, Benoit." "My sister wants to see you right away." "Says it's urgent." "Marie?" "OK, I'm coming." "Want me to take your place?" " Did she tell you what for?" " No, but she said you were looking for employees." " Where is she?" " At the office." "She's waiting." "Hey, why don't you hire me?" "I'm real good at working." "But you're not experienced." "Oh, neither were you when you began." "Oh, OK." "I'll give you a try at 50f an hour." "Thanks, Boss." "Look at that — I've just checked it over at the bank." "Withdrawal — $100." " But maybe it's a teller's error." " I had the teller verify it twice." " Maybe he should verify it some more." " And the $10 that disappeared?" "But you can't be sure about that." "Yeah, you're right, I have no proof, and it balances out with the books." "But the figures could have been changed." "Yeah." "You know what, Benoit?" "We'll just have to seriously question Charles about this whole thing." "It's not only the chips and orangeade." "It's $110." " The Clean Machine." "May I help you?" " This is Madame Cadeaux calling." "Tell me, how come your employee charged me $5 instead of $2...well?" "Surely there's been some mistake...and we'll refund your money." " Well, I should hope so." " We're sorry." "Thank you for calling." "Yes, good bye." " It's Charles." " What?" "What's the matter?" "Now what's he done?" "Hey, what's up with you two?" "What are we meeting outside of working hours for?" "And what's the big deal, hey?" "Man, you guys sure look down." "We haven't declared bankruptcy yet, have we?" "Charles, you've got to leave." "What do you mean, leave?" "I just got here." "She means leave the company, Charles." "What?" "I hope you guys don't think you're funny." "Not a bit funny...because you have to quit the company." "What's with you guys?" "What's the matter?" "Unless you return the money you took." "That I took?" "I don't owe one cent to the company, OK." "You think I took some money?" "Aha, I'm beginning to see what your game is now." "The lovers have decided that three's a crowd." "You talk about playing games?" "That seems to be all you've done!" "You keep guzzling junk at our expense and when you're tired you get your work done by infants!" "Hey, give it a rest — it only happened once." "We're sick of the customers complaining." "Only today another one called to say you overcharged for your work." "What did you do with that money?" "It's also personal, I suppose?" "One Two One Two..." "Documentary on The Clean Machine case." "Commentary, part III." "As you will see, a sad thing happened this evening." "Well, that sounds stupid." "You'll now hear of a dramatic event which happened this evening." "One of the three Clean Machine colleagues was asked to resign." "This serious decision was terribly difficult to make." "The worst decision of my life." "But it was made in the tradition of true democracy." "We were two against one." "Business and friendship never mix well, so I'm told." "Well, I don't know." "I'm beginning to wonder now." "I don't know why it is that in business you can't stay friends." "But it's the most tragic of all for Benoit in the end... because Charles was his best friend." "It's about time." "I thought you'd left for work." " Well, I'm on vacation." " Already?" "After only two weeks?" "Oh, my." "Lucky man." "You tell me about it later." "I'm in a hurry now." "They were on the fridge." "Hey, look who's here." "How come you're not at work?" "You mom says you were involved in a company." "A great experience, huh?" "You bet." "Yes, indeed." "And today, he begins two weeks' vacation, don't you?" "Oh, you lucky man!" " Come and see me if you're on vacation." " Have a good day." "Let me have the walkman!" "Get out of my sight, Cockroach!" "Hey, you go play some place else, I got work to do." "You go play somewhere else — she's our client!" "Liar!" "She's a Clean Machine client!" "The Clean Machine?" "Chloe didn't warn those guys!" "The Clean Machine gang is going to get pulverized!" " You tell'em, Pipsqueak!" " Enemy of the people!" " Horrible petit bourgeoisie." " Hey!" "Hold it!" "Take it easy!" "That thing's dangerous." "Are you completely warped or what?" "What's the story here?" "Looks pretty bad." "Hey, you know those guys are still after our jobs?" "You were paid to lay down the law and you didn't!" "You're scared off by that shrimp?" "What a couple of wimps you are!" "Now look, shrimp bait." "Don't the people over at The Clean Machine catch on?" "If no one's ever going to let me work, I'll quit the job." "So there!" "Hi." "Hello, Marie." "How are you this morning?" "I could be a lot better." "What are you up to?" "Mr. Roi, the journalist, said he'd come to interview us this afternoon." "Wow, that's great." "I guess you're really glad, eh?" "Well, right now, I'm too busy." "Um..." "Marie..." "You know what Julien told me...that you only offered him 50f an hour." "I'm sure you made a mistake." " A mistake?" " Did you say 50f an hour — yes or no?" " Well, that..." " That is exploitation, Benoit, pure and simple!" "Well, I think that's disgusting." "Yeah, but Marie, for some his age, it's pretty good wages." "And on top of that, you hired an employee without even telling me." "Hey, I'm your partner here, you know that?" " What were you going to say?" " Oh, nothing...nothing at all." "OK, see you." "So long, Marie." "The Clean Machine." "Can I help you?" " This is Mr. Roi from the Weekly News." "Oh, yes, Mr. Roi." "Is Marie there, please?" "No, she left to work just a minute before you called." " It's about our appointment for an interview this afternoon." " Sure, she told me about it." "Well, we'll have to do it now, instead..." " Right away?" " Well, that would be best." " In an hour, if possible." " OK." "Sure, I'll be here." "Chloe wouldn't let me cut the grass at Madame Dworkin's" "You let me take care of it." "OK, Boss." "And anyhow, you're not to work for 50f an hour." "Nobody wants me to work!" "Hurry up!" "Ouch!" "OK, come on, let's get out of here!" "Sampson, the walkman!" " Hey, Sampson!" " Hey, what's wrong, Cockroach?" " What's the matter?" " Let me have the walkman!" "Charles!" "Turn it down!" "One Two One Two." "Perhaps you would tell us just what made you go into business, Benoit." "To be quite honest with you, we never had much money at home." "And so it was up to me to pull us out of the hole, as we say." "And so I decided it was best to start with my own company." "You mean you began with nothing — from scratch?" "Believe it or not, the money I needed came from a sale." "Everything I owned went into it." "I took a huge risk." "And if it didn't work, guess who's up the old creek — and without a canoe!" "But I'm firmly convinced that by the age of 14, I'll be a millionaire as I intended." "I kept my eye on the ball, kept going forward." "And I am succeeding." "Succeeding pretty darn well, too." "The Clean Machine." "How can I help you?" "Hello." "It's Mr. Bernard." "I'd like to speak to whoever's in charge there." "Well, that's me, all right!" "How can I be of service?" "I want my money back." "I'm perfectly willing to give kids a chance..." "I like kids!" "But I can't believe my windows here." "There's no excuse for it!" "Very good, sir, we can do that for you this Friday." "What do you mean, Friday." "But that's not what I want." " I want my money back." " Very good, sir, we'll be there at three." " Who the devil are you?" " And thank you for calling, sir." "I'll put on the answering machine, otherwise we'll be interrupted constantly." "But tell me, how did your name become known in town?" "Well, you see, we simply made use of publicity." "My associate, Marie, who's a brilliant and talented young filmmaker,... made a commercial, and happens to be in the process... of making a documentary on our company." "In fact, the business had only been operating a week, and... we already had to hire additional employees." "Just a second, please." "Oh, yeah." "All spiffed up to take out the trash, huh?" "But actually, it's the way Chuck looks that interests me." "Charles?" "He's in bed with a cold." "In bed, is he?" "When I catch up to that guy, he's going to need a stretcher." "What a liar he turned out to be." "There's a journalist...who's doing an article on the company." "Hey!" "Would you mind telling me who Chuck is?" "Hi — they call me Chloe." "How do you do, Chloe." "Chuck is a partner of his, and I lent some money to him." "But besides not paying me, he's stealing my customers." "Look, will you please stop bothering the gentleman now, Chloe?" "!" "Put all that stuff in your article — it's all fact." "If Chuck doesn't cough what he owes today, then you're the one I'm coming to." "Hey, I'm not covering his debts, so leave me out of it." "Well, you took him on as a partner, so that's your tough luck." "This is Madame Dworkin." "You won't get away with this, I'm warning you!" "There." "Now if we're lucky, we won't be bothered again." "Um...in order to be better organized from one day to the next,..." "I designed this giant work plan called the order of the day." "Now this permits each one to see what's ahead of us." "Or even work up a plan for our own week." "And it's a big help for the employee's schedule as well..." "The Clean Machine exploits the workers!" " Now here you have the date...here are the hours..." " The Clean Machine exploits the workers!" "And seeing that we each have our own color, you can tell at a glance who's at work..." " and what they're working at..." " The Clean Machine exploits the workers!" "and for how long." "Excuse me!" "The Clean Machine exploits the workers!" "The Clean Machine exploits the workers!" "rv Shut up, Julien." " Hello, Boss." "I'm on strike." "That's enough, you little punk." "Go back to work, will you?" "I want you to give me a raise now!" " Look, I'm sorry, but there's no sign..." " The Clean Machine exploits the workers!" "The Clean Machine exploits the workers!" "The Clean Machine exploits the workers!" "OK, OK, Julien, there's no need to holler!" "I'll give you a raise to 70f an hour." "Marie told me I was worth at least $1.50." "Hey, that would triple your salary." "No way!" "The Clean Machine exploits the workers!" "The Clean Machine exploits the workers!" "I said cut it out, you hear?" "Why don't you play it cool, Boss — just give me the money." "OK, Julien, I agree to give you your pay raise, OK?" "Benoit?" "Cheese." "Don't move now." "Don't move!" "Now get back to work, you hear?" "We don't want to keep the customers waiting." "Yahoo!" "It's fun to go on strike." "Thanks, Boss." "What can I do for you, young man?" "I came to offer you a super deal." "Do you have another piece of jewelry for me?" "Well, not really, but I could give you an amazing deal for the necklace." "You know I specialize in the washing of windows?" "I'm terribly sorry to say that you're too late." "Too late?" "You don't mean it's already sold?" "Hey, you people don't catch on very quick, do you?" "Oh, lay off, will you?" "I feel bad enough as it is." "Chloe, let me by, I said." "Oh, come on, I'm not after your job." "It's just an order for the neighbor lady." "Oh, yeah?" "Yeah, well you take it to your neighbor lady, but on one condition:..." " Hello, Marie." " Hello." "You got to tell me where Chuckie is." "I have no idea." "He doesn't even work for us now." "In fact, he was sacked." "He was sacked?" "!" "You guys are in a mess, aren't you?" "Well, then, who's going to pay back the money he owes me?" "Charles owes money to you?" "$40 he owes me, and I'm tired of chasing after him for it." "I'm sure he'll pay you back soon — he stole $110 from us." "$110?" "Benoit?" "How much?" "Yes, that's what it is — up to $110 Benoit give yesterday." "You only owe $31." "What's going on?" "I guess we caught you with your pants down, Tiger." "Tell me it isn't true." "You're not going in for pornos?" "Well, of course I had to change before the interview." "What?" "Mr. Roi was here?" "Well, I tried to get ahold of you." "I called everywhere I thought you'd..." "I missed out on the interview of my life because you went and did it?" "Now wait, Marie, take it easy!" "I shot the whole interview for you on tape." "But it's a complete mess." "Just give me the cassette, I'll have to buy you another one." "So the big shot plays the star while the rest of us are working!" "Maybe the work's not that great." "I heard nothing but complaints on the phone all day!" "Complaints?" "Yeah!" "The company is a victim of sabotage!" " Sabotage?" " What do you expect?" "When people are warned and don't listen, we haul out the big guns." "You're doing the sabotage?" "It's just a sample of what could happen." "But Chloe, do you realize what a fool I looked like to that journalist?" "And what about our reputation?" "And Charles?" "How about HIS reputation?" "I guess you don't worry about him." "It didn't bother you to let him be taken for a thief." "I know, but, Marie." "It's simply a question of trust." "And you're the one who discovered the theft, aren't you?" "I may have got the theft right — but I got the thief wrong." "What do you mean wrong, Marie?" "You're a real hypocrite." "Look here, Marie, I'm afraid that you've misunderstood." "Oh, cut out the innocent act, Benoit." "We know you're the thief." "That's the most revolting injustice I've seen in my life!" "All for a dumb little grocery bill." "Maybe you call the grocery bill at Mr. Khahn's little, but I'm sure he doesn't think so." "He could have brought the bailiff any time and we could have had everything seized." "Aren't you exaggerating more than usual?" "Yeah?" "What about the Browns?" "You saw everything!" "You even filmed it!" "You thought it was pretty gross then, Marie!" "Well, you're right." "It's disgusting." "But it's..." "And anyhow, I was going to give it back as soon as I could." "It was just a short-term loan." "I was even going to pay interest!" "The one who's paying for it is Charles." "The very least you could do is pay his debt." "Hold it — there's a limit to everything!" "Well, I'd accept payment in whatever you've got." " I'm going to the bank in any case." " But Marie..." "I'm going to get my money out of the account before it's been milked dry." "But we have to pay a whole bunch of clients back, Marie!" "Please don't do that." "I'm sorry, Marie!" "At least give me a chance!" "Marie!" "Hey, Marie." "That strike worked out real great!" "Is anything wrong?" "You weren't laid off, too, were you?" "Come in!" "Wow!" "Quite a place you've got." "Business is doing well." "If you can afford to pay the grocery bill." "I hope you didn't pay it because you're still afraid of going bankrupt." "You needn't worry, Benoit." "You've even got a raise conning to you." "I landed the contract." "How do you like that?" "It's a bit too late for your damned contract now!" "Hey, hey, hey." "What's all this about?" "Charles!" "The telephone!" "Hello?" "This is Madame Cadeaux." "I'm calling about my clothesline." "You came to repair it but it's worse than ever!" "I can't move it at all." "Yeah, well, don't yell at me about it, Madame Cadeaux!" "I'm not even with the company anymore." "I don't care about that — my clothes line is jammed." "You're not going to get away with this!" "I won't stand for it." "It's as bad as stealing." "I'm reporting you, do you hear?" "Now wait a minute." "It's not my fault that your clothes line is a mess!" "Complain to The Clean Machine, and make sure you talk to Benoit!" "Well, I hope you're happy now, Benoit." "It's a good thing to learn what work really means at your age." "But lately, I'd say you've gotten completely obsessed with money, Son!" "There are more important things in life than getting rich!" "You already said that ten times, Dad." "What was the last book you read, anyway?" "When was the last time you went swimming?" "Huh?" "But now — I warn you — you have to quit working on your own." "What am I supposed to do, Dad?" "Everyone walked out on me!" "If all your friends walked out on you, it's because they had a reason to." "And part of the responsibility for that is yours, too." "So if you can't make up with your friends again, Benoit, you'll have to give up the company." "And in that case, you're the one who'll go bankrupt." "Come on, Dad, you're not funny." "I tried to explain it to Marie but she just slammed the door on me." "This may take time." "But if I were you, I'd start with Charles." "Here." "Charles is liable to kill me if I ever tell him it was me." "It's better that he find out from you than from someone else." "Even Charles knows people make mistakes." "You made one — everyone does." "I wouldn't be surprised if Charles made mistakes." "Charles!" "You can say that again!" "Mistakes!" "Oh, hello, I wonder if I might speak to Charles, please?" "Thank you." "Charles." "It's for you again." "I don't want anything to do with The Clean Machine, do you hear?" "Surprise!" "We begin with that one... then stop, as soon as Julien comes on." "Stop!" " OK, then what?" " Now you take one of the characters from tape two..." "Ah — it's Benoit." "That's the one you want?" "That's right." "Stop." "Now go back a little...slowly..." "Let's see...there." "Just a second now." "Oh, boy, is that super!" "You told me that you wanted to make a real documentary." "You wanted to tell the truth." "Don't you think you're twisting truth by the neck just a little bit?" "I know." "But, Dad, he did a disgusting thing!" "That's what you say." "Don't you think you should tell Benoit's side of the story, too?" "Well, yeah." "I guess." "But would you let me see it once more?" ""Enemy of the people!" "Horrible petit-bourgeoisie!" "Miserable toad!" "I shall vindicate those poor souls!" ""And...and...um..."" ""And you'll end up being rebuked by your peers."" ""And you'll be wound up with puke in your ears."" "I only wanted you to mow my lawn, not pull out all my flowers!" " I'm going to pay you, Madame Beck." " $75." " $60." " Well, $60." "That will do, but not one cent less." " 40... - 40... - 50... - 50... - 60." "Don't expect any thanks." "I'm disappointed in you." "Aren't you the early bird?" " But Dad!" " I want you back in bed, young man!" "And when you've had eight hours' sleep, then you can begin with The Clean Machine." " But Dad!" " You heard me, now go on!" " Camera — action!" " OK." "My name is Chloe, and I work for Mr. Khahn." "I mean, I'm his customer services assistant." "It's thanks to my job that I was in a position to help The Clean Machine out." "Well, I made a loan to a shareholder." "Cut!" "— Perfect, Chloe!" "Well, that leaves just Charles and Benoit, and then I'm all through." "Hey, I'm coming with you...because I have business with Charles, too." "OK." "I want you to say it was Benoit who took the money, while I film his reaction." "OK." "Charles, I've called you again and again." "Get dressed, we have to go now." "Tell me what's the matter." "A vacation is a time to have fun, it seems to me." "Oh, I'm having lots of fun." "No one's forcing you to go back to work at the company if you're not happy there, Son." "I don't think Benoit will mind if you tell him, but you've got to try to explain it to him calmly." "But slamming the telephone down on his ear won't help." "Hm?" "I heard you say you were sick to death of The Clean Machine!" "OK, I'll phone him." "Well, good." "Now hurry up and get ready." "I knew he'd call." " Hello, this is The Clean Machine..." " We're all busy at work." "We'll call you back as soon as we can." "Hello, Benoit?" "So you're all busy at work, are you?" "How have you been — I've been having a ball." "Playing around with my video game, and... well, I hope you didn't believe me when I said that..." "I didn't want anything more to do with The Clean Machine." "But anyway, if you need me for anything, call me back." "Yeah, but not tonight, though." "I'll be at a wedding tonight." "See you." "Clement — my pearls are missing!" "Clement — do you know where my pearls are?" "Now what would I do with your pearls, anyway?" "For heaven's sake, that's impossible." "Where can they be?" "Clement — I think someone stole my necklace!" "Really, Denise, we'll find it...calm down!" "Hi, is Charles here?" "He shouldn't be long." "Charles!" "Charles?" "!" "Charles." "Charles?" "Well, I hope you'll try to be patient." "It wasn't our fault." "It's because of this mysterious contagious disease throughout the company." "We will, sure, and we'll call you back." "We will." "OK, good bye." "Dad!" "Will you get the phone?" "I hear the doorbell." "rv Hello, Marie." " Listen, is Charles here?" " Charles?" "Why, no." " Do you know where he is?" "No, why?" " Oh, no, he's disappeared." " Charles's mother is on the phone." "She can't find him at all." "Do you know where he is?" "Chuckie?" " Well?" " He wasn't on my side." "Not on my side either." "Maybe there." "Go on." " Have you seen Charles?" " Charles?" "Yeah, Charles Darien." "Well, yes, he's about that tall — you know." "He has brown hair and brown eyes." " No." "Sorry." " Well thanks anyway." "Mmm." "Hey, this is mega-good stuff, Aunt Jacque." "Just what I wanted." "Needed it to make me forget about the problems at work." "You have problems at work?" "Oh, yeah, but I wouldn't want to bug you with that." "Why, no, I'm interested." "Maybe I could give you some advice." "Oh, yeah?" "And maybe you could give me some cash along with it." "Some money?" "What for?" "Not much — $40." "$40!" "It seems like a lot to me." "You must have asked your father?" "Well — my dad's with Mom...they ought to be at the wedding reception." "You're in a big hurry, huh?" "Well, as we say in business, Aunt Jacque — time is money." "What do you want $40 for?" "I wish I could tell you but I can't." "That's a professional secret, as we say." "I suppose so." "I can lend the money to you." "But on my conditions." "As we say in business, you can take it or leave it." "You must be thirsty by now — would you like some orangeade?" " Charles!" " Charles, what are you doing there?" "Please, God, help me!" "Charles, don't jump now!" "Listen to me." "Don't do anything foolish." "Just wait a minute, Charles!" " Keep cool, man." " You stay right where you are!" "Don't jump now — it's all going to work out." "You'll see, Charles — it'll work out." "Go away, Chloe — it's too late." "That's Charles's parents, Dad." " Hey, it's Charles's parents." " There goes Benoit." "Let's go, guys." "You can't let money problems get you down." "You can always work those problems out." "Hey, listen, you haven't heard the latest news yet!" "We know who the real thief was." "It was Benoit!" "Not Benoit!" "?" "Yeah, but I think we took the wind out of his sails." "The dirty rat!" "Poor poor Benoit — he's going to have my death on his conscience." "Charles!" "Charles!" " Get down right away." " It won't be very long now, Mom." " Oh, Charles!" " The window is stuck." " Where's your ladder?" " Hurry!" "Charles!" "Come down before you get hurt." "We shouldn't have sacked you." "It was a mistake." "I mean, you're not a thief." "I was wrong." "Come back to the company." "We need you." "Now look, will you stop filming me?" "I forgive you, Benoit." "But who is the thief, then?" "Hey, what does everyone look so sad about?" "He's no more dead than me!" " Cut that out!" " And look at Chloe — she even got dressed up for the funeral!" "Take away the ladder or I'll jump!" "Oh, no, for heaven's sake, no!" "Charles, that's enough now." "Stop trying to be funny." "I'm not being funny." "If you don't take away that ladder, I'll jump." "OK, OK, calm down!" "Charles, would you mind repeating "who's the real thief" a bit louder?" "Who is the real thief?" "The dirty rat who accused me of stealing in his place?" "Do I absolutely have to say it?" "Why don't you come to the office and I'll tell you." "You have to be the coolest person I know." "You won't even respect my last wish, will you?" "I'm the one who stole it." " Boo!" " Down with Benoit!" " Boo Benoit!" "But I was only borrowing it." "It was a loan." "I would have paid 10% interest." "What's all this nonsense about stealing?" "In business, my boy, it never pays to fool around with other people's money." "That's not what you told me the other day, Dad!" "When the company started up, you said you should never risk your own money." " Always other people's." " Well, yes." "Well, yes, but..." "Then if I risked mother's necklace, it was no big deal?" "You took my necklace?" "Did you take my necklace?" "Now's the time to shoot!" "Shoot!" "I was following Dad's advice, Mom." " Is that what you said?" " Oh, no, I never said that!" "That's not what I said...he misunderstood me!" "I'm sorry, Mother, I would have gladly repaid you, but now..." "Oh, no, no, no, no." "Forget my necklace!" "Forget it, Sweetheart!" "Just get down from there." "Get down." "And me, too, Charles, just forget every cent you owe me." "The Clean Machine's going to reimburse me." " Aren't you, Benoit?" " Oh, yeah." "That's cool — my very last wish was to pay back Chloe." "I'm going to try to do something." "If you come down, you know what?" "We'll return Benoit's walkman." "Hey, hold it, Musclehead, I just got the walkman!" "Have you no heart at all?" " It's for the guy's last wish!" " The guy's last wish, my eye!" "As for me, you can have all my contracts." "I quit working." "All right, come on, Charles, I'll buy you a big chocolate sundae with a strawberry milkshake." "For my very last wish — swear to me you'll keep all your promises." "We swear it, Charles, we swear it." " As sure as you can spit?" " As sure as I can spit!" "And you, too." "Charles!" "Charles!" "This is like mega-great!" "Stop horsing around." "This is like my last shot!" "Not so fast!" "Cut!" " You done?" " Beep beep beep beep."