"Uh, be that as it may, Mr. Lojer, my client is very unhappy with the way things are going and is considering taking legal action against you." "Yes, sir, that's right." "Unless you can, somehow, come up with $336." "My bosses are really breathing down my back to get this case closed." "Lump Sum Collection Agency." "Lump Sum Collection Agency." "Yes, well, you ordered an x-ray machine, and you haven't finished paying it." "You have got to pay something." "Really, this is ridiculous." "There's a such a thing as cash flow, needs to flow from you to me." "Needs to flow from you to the Lump Sum Collections Agency." "Hello, Mrs. Sweeney, this is Bob Carmody from Lump Sum Collections." "Top of the morning to ya." "Top of the morning to ya." "It's an Irish greeting." "I'm busy too." "I'm trying to do my job." "Well, you said a couple weeks ago to give you a call and so we can hopefully put a little payment on your past due bills." "What do I want you to do?" "Pay the bill." "We will pick up your equipment if we can't get a payment from you today." "He hung up on me, can you believe that?" "What's that?" "Do you remember Mr. Jenkins calling you?" "Yeah, he is a very nice man." "Your wife has been well for at least a month." "Payment on this account, it's 90 days past due now." "I'm starting to get the impression, Mr. Lojer, that you think this is some kind of game." "Come on, let me talk to him." "Mr. Lojer, or it is loser?" "You borrowed money to go to school now you don't want to pay it back?" "You heard me." "What'd you major in in college, huh?" "Badminton, World music?" "Hey, we can end this conversation here now," "Mr. Loser." "That's 3, 3 months in a row." "Makes me feel like a red-headed stepchild." "Lorenzo." "Oh, Lorenzo, I don't know how you do it." "Truth be told, I don't want to know all the details." "But you've really proved yourself again this month." "Great job and congratulations." "I don't know what to say, I mean..." "Lorenzo doesn't know what to say, come on." "I mean, 3 months in a row, what does one say?" "Sit down and shut up, why don't ya?" "Y'all mean so much to me." "It's like we're a family, isn't it?" "I mean, I really love you guys." "And Stan, Stan, the truth is, I couldn't have done the great job I did without every one of these guys standing behind me, working as a team." "So really, I thank you, people." "Thank you." "Thanks, Lorenzo." "And now, let's get back to work, people." "I need to see you in my office." "I was trying to remember the last time I took a vacation." "Do you remember?" "I really can't remember, Stan." "Marcia's gonna leave me." "What?" "She says I don't love her anymore." "Well, that's crazy." "That's what I said." "She ain't buying lt." "Hold your ground, chief." "It will blow over." "She says I'm never home, and I put my job before her and the family." "Come on, you run a business for crying out loud." "You've been married, what, once?" "Twice, actually." "You know, 30 years with the kindest, most forgiving woman in the world." "And if I don't do something quick, I'm gonna lose her." "Anyway, we're leaving tomorrow." "Leaving?" "Owen Island, here we come." "Owen Island?" "Yeah." "It's in the Cayman Islands." "I mean, it's out in the middle of nowhere." "You have to take a boat to get there." "There's no phones, no Internet." "I mean, you are out there." "Which brings me to you, Lorenzo." "I need you to run things while I'm gone." "Sure." "How long will that be?" "Three weeks." "Heck, maybe 3 months." "However long it takes 'til I know my marriage is fireproof." "Nothing else is more important." "You got nothing to worry about, Stan." "We can kind of run the office without ya anyway." "The greater metro hospital system." "I closed the deal yesterday to buy all their outstanding debt." "Wow." "And I want you to make that your focus while I'm away." "Right." "Details are all in here." "What's your margin?" "Margin, come on, Lorenzo, you don't need a margin." "That's why I pay you the big bucks." "Yeah, boss, but for the dilettantes in the office, you know." "Let's say, 80 cents on the dollar." "Right." "Hey, that girl you're engaged to." "Ramona?" "Yeah, the cute little brunette or red head, or just what is the color of her hair anyway?" "This week, it's somewhere in between that." "Yeah." "Any plans on tying the knot?" "Lorenzo, remember what's important in life." "The rest will take care of itself." "Yeah." "Hey, I owe ya one." "Hey and Lorenzo, don't mention anything about the..." "It makes me look bad, you know what I mean?" "Thanks." "Okay, poker face, what ya got?" "Well, my fine-feathered friends, the eagle has just landed." "Two pounds, three kings, just the way I like it." "That's what I love about this game." "That's what I love." "Gentlemen, there ain't no faking in this game." "I haven't seen you in a while, Lorenzo." "What brings you around?" "Gentlemen, let's play cards." "Feeling lucky, I guess." "Translation, he blew his kazoo at the track." "What do you care?" "Or had a fight with his girlfriend." "You got a big mouth, you know that?" "All right, Lorenzo, you in?" " Deal me in." " My man." "I'm in." "If I don't win this game, a wheel don't turn." "Hey, come on, you're gonna have to put some money in if you want to see these cards." "Carmine, Carmine, my man." "He don't never get tired of listening to you." "That was fast." "I hate that." "Hey, Lorenzo, you ever live in California?" "Why do you ask?" "No reason." "Hello." "Did I wake you up?" "No." "Obviously, I did." "Aren't you going to work?" "Look, I'm sorry about last night." "I shouldn't have left you there like that." "I guess you took a cab home." "Why don't I come by and fix you breakfast?" "You know I don't eat breakfast." "You need to eat." "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." "That's fine, Ramona." "It's fine." "And you're drinking too much, way too much." "I like to drink." "And I like to cook, so there." "I have to give you back your car anyway." "Just brush your teeth before I get there, okay?" "No, Ramona." "You can drop me off at work, bye." "Good morning." "May I help you?" "Sure, I'm here to see, Lorenzo." "Lorenzo Adams." "And you are?" "An old friend." "Certainly, Mr?" "I kind of want to surprise him." "Keep our friend company while we go say hi to Lorenzo." "That apartment number again?" "Four thirty-seven." "Yeah, thank you." "We won't be long." "Paper?" "I'm coming." "I'm coming Ramona." "I'm coming." "I'm coming." "I'm coming." "Ah!" "Wait a minute." "Hey." "Aren't you gonna say hello?" "Hello." "I thought you were unemployed, homeless or something." "It's not what you think." "Oh, it's not what I think." "No, everything is on credit, man." " Everything, it's a..." " Credit?" "Who would give a scumbag like you credit?" "I'll make it up to ya, I promise, with interest." "You owe me so much money in interest," "I can't even get all the numbers on my calculator." "But, it's okay." "It's okay." "'Cause if you don't pay me, I'll just take a pound of your flesh." "A pound of flesh?" "Tell Omar to get up here." "You know, I've been a long time tracking you down." "It's a kind of a tour of America," "West Coast, East Coast." "What do you do now?" "Collections." "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" "Collections?" "He does collections." "The irony is not lost on me, Frankie." "Let's get back to business 'cause I am a businessman." "Now what's more, I want to be merciful." "Yeah, Frankie the merciful." "Hey." "Suena bien, verdad?" "Look, if you can give me enough time." "How much time?" "I don't know, 6, 9 months?" "Look, you and I both know you can't pay this debt." "But I'm Frankie the merciful, so I want $150,000 by the end of the month." "A hundred and fifty thousand?" "I only borrowed 50,000 and that's also 3 weeks from now." "Do you want me to call in my chips now, today?" "Well, how am I gonna come up with that kind of money in 3 weeks?" "You know what?" "That's your problem." "That's not my..." "don't give me your problems." "It's bad karma." "Omar, I want you to meet Lorenzo, the scumbag." "You'll be staying here for a few weeks, and if he gives you any trouble, any trouble at all, I want you to pick him up by the scruff of his neck and throw him over this balcony." "Now Omar doesn't talk much, but he takes great pride in doing his master's will." "Ain't that right, Omar?" "You're leaving him here?" "Is that a problem?" "How will I ever feed him?" "Look, I need to be free to come and go." "I can't... how can I raise that money with him hanging around my neck?" "Lorenzo, I'm gonna go back to California in 18 days." "I want to take my money with me." "Do you understand?" "No, do you understand?" "Yeah." "We'll be in touch." "Don't move." "Hi, honey." "Hi." "Have you known Lorenzo a long time?" "No." "How did you two meet?" "Business, strictly business." "Hmm, I see." "What sort of business are you in, Omar?" "I know his uncle." "Oh." "Yeah, yeah, it's all about business." "Strictly business." "I see." "Well, you'll have to tell me more about this business sometime when you aren't quite so busy." "Can you pass the sauces please?" "Oh, sure." "Which one would you like?" "All of them." "Thank you." "What's the matter with you?" "What's wrong with you?" "Are you nuts?" "Who is this guy?" " It's fine." " Are you crazy?" "Omar and I go way back." "His uncle and I, we played football in high school in Chicago." "Omar needed to get away for a while." "The war had a major impact on him, psychologically." "Everything's fine, uncle." "He's been discharged for a while." "How long has it been, 6 months?" "And he's looking for work." "We may try him out at the agency." "He'll need to talk more than he does now, though." "Maybe I'll send him around in person to collect on some of the more difficult accounts." "Hey, Omar?" "Do you like your omelet?" "I do." "I do." "I... you're a very good cook." "I enjoy cooking." "Iggy, my man." "All right, let's go people." "Why don't you just stay here by my desk?" "I gotta go talk to the boss." "No, no, no." "I insist." "So do I." "You're late." "Lorenzo, where you been?" "Unexpected company." "This is my nephew, Omar Adams." "Pleased to meet you, Omar." "I didn't know you had a nephew." "Neither did I until yesterday." "Haven't had much to do with my brother or his wife." "Well, come in my office." "Well, Lorenzo, I can't tell ya how happy I am that you're gonna take over for me." "I'm feeling nauseous." "Here, take one of these." "What are these?" "Charcoal tablets." "Go on, chew a couple of 'em." "What are these gonna do?" "Looks like we're getting a new boss for a few weeks." "Speak for yourself." "Can I come with you?" "You're uncle's a real comedian, isn't he?" "Keep an eye on him for me, will ya?" "That's my job." "Well, that does it." "Make yourself at home, but don't overfeed the fish." "No luck, huh?" "Two ex-wives and my own mother." "Why does everyone want me dead?" "How about you?" "You want me dead too?" "What are you playing there?" "Ultra Ninja Rivals." "How you doin'?" "I'm on the final level." "No kidding?" "Wow." "You're pretty good at that." "Yes!" "Wow, that's really impressive." "You got quite a talent there, kiddo, you really do." "Huh." " You want to play?" " Me?" "Nah, can't teach an old dog new tricks." "Go ahead I insist." "Well, all right." "You'll have to show me how 'cause I don't have a clue." "Okay, this is a fighting, punching, jumping, all that stuff." "This is how to change the weapons to shoot at." "All right, where's the thing that blows them up?" "Where do I do that?" "That button right there." "It's not working." "Oh, come on." "Well, where do... well, I... hey, why don't we take a walk, huh?" "Get some fresh air." "That's Portsmouth across the way, and over there is the PAHC headquarters." "Pac?" "You mean Pac-Man?" "What are you talking about?" "No, PAHC, P-A-H-C." "Protecting Animals From Human cruelty." "Oh." "Maybe they can help me." "I had a dog once." "Yeah, no kidding?" "Yeah." "His name was Bombozzle, but I had to leave him in Mexico." "Really?" "What happened?" "Well, when my parents died, uncle Frankie took me in, but he hates dogs." "He probably keeps scorpions as pets." "So what did you do that made Uncle Frankie so mad at you?" "He loaned me money to start a restaurant and it went belly up." "And I skipped town." "Oh." "Yup." "I want to have a restaurant someday." "Get out of here." "Yeah, I do, but Uncle Frankie says" "I'm not smart enough." "Ah, what does Uncle Frankie know?" "Uncle Frankie know's a lot." "You'd be surprised." "You've been with Frankie since you were a child?" "Since I was 7 years old." "I see." "What in the world is that?" "What?" "What's that swimming over there?" "Where?" "I think it's one of those little Chihuahuas." "He must be trying to make it to PAHC headquarters." "What is it?" "I don't see it, where?" "Over there." "I think it's drowning." "Where?" "Where is it?" "Over there!" "Ah!" "Ah!" "Argh!" "Argh!" "Aaarrrggghhh!" "Hey!" "Watch it!" "Ah!" "All I wanted to do was take a walk." "Just clear my head." "I trusted you!" "Don't do it, Omar." "Your fingerprints are all over the place, and my girlfriend saw you." "She can identify you, and she will." "You kill me and Frankie goes free." "You think I'm stupid?" "Why would I think that?" "A lot of people think I'm stupid." "I don't think you're stupid at all." "Maybe misdirected a little bit, but definitely not stupid!" "Definitely not." "If anything, you've got a kind heart, kind of a like a gentle giant." "Very gentle, in fact." "That's what I think." "Honest." "A lot of people say that about me." "They do?" "Well, I still have to do this." "Do what?" "No, please!" "You like jazz music?" "Want to go listen?" "We'll settle this later, okay?" "Let's go." "Don't make me hurt you." "How you guys doin'?" "Hello gentlemen, you all here for the volunteer training?" "Well, let me get you to put your names on here, and then I'll help y'all find some seats." "I'll see you later." "See ya later, Liz." "All right." "Hey, you guys did a good job." " See you Thursday." " All right." "God bless you, now." "All right, now y'all just follow me." "I'm Pastor Kevin, the director of the LEC, and I want to thank all you volunteers for coming out." "I don't believe it's by accident that you're here." "Something has stirred your heart, and you've decided that life is more than just "what's in it for me?"" "Jesus said, when we minister to the least of those among us, we're ministering to him." "And who are these people?" "Who are the least of those among us?" "Well, there are many different people." "There's the homeless, for instance." "And the drug addict." "And there's the ex-con or even the current con." "And there's the pregnant teenager or the high school drop-out or the prostitute." "These are people that are hurting." "These are people who need a break." "What kind of rank is this guy right here?" "That's the gospel, my friend, sowing seeds into broken lives." "Well, a lot of our people need computer skills so they can get entry-level jobs." "So I hope you'll come back and volunteer." " Definitely." " Looking forward to it." "God bless you, Tina." "God bless you, Mark." " God bless you, Pastor." " Thanks for coming." "Thanks for coming." "You do funerals?" " Nice piano." " Thank you so much." "We need to have a payment." "What did you say?" " All right, here we go." " I got you covered." " Three points!" " That was good." "That was good." "Sixteen days left." "Didn't your boss say not to overfeed the fish?" "We all gotta go sometime." "Big guy hates the little guy." "C'est la vie." "That's why the little guy needs help." "Help from who?" "Who ever helps the little guy?" "I figured you would have learned that lesson by now." "Life Enrichment Center." "Sowing seeds into broken lives." "Not that I haven't wandered from the straight and narrow sense." "I just feel like it's time to give back." "What does it say in the good book?" "Come unto me, all you who are tired and weary, all ye huddled masses yearning for bread." "Well, I can't remember it right now." "I'm not sure where that is in the Bible." "Lorenzo, it sounds like that could be another good book." "Yeah, well you get my drift." "Sure, I do." "Actually, we work with several area businesses to find entry-level jobs for our people." "So I'm not the first to come up with this idea?" "No, but that doesn't mean it's a bad idea." "We call it our job readiness program." "Job readiness program?" "I'm sorry, Pastor, I just get really emotional when I think about it." "I hope you understand, though, a lot of our people might not have the skills you're looking for." "Well, that's where I come in, Pastor." "They'll get one-on-one training from me." "Fantastic." "So what do you say?" "Got any applicants for me?" "Applicants?" "How about the whole center." "I'll need to hold interviews, of course." "I want to make sure I give a fair shake to the least qualified, you know?" "I understand, Lorenzo." "God bless you." "Ain't none of my business, huh?" "That's right, none of your business." "Did you look in the 'frigerator." "Look, ain't no refrigerator around here." "I need some milk for the coffee." " No refrigerator?" " Coffee tastes like motor oil." "What kind of place is this no refrigerator?" "Whoo, you got that right." "I had to go to prison for a while." "I was in the car with my boyfriend when he went in and robbed the liquor store." "How many children do you have?" "Three or four." "I'm not sure." "What do you mean you're not sure?" "Well, I know I have four." "I just don't know where one of them is now." "It doesn't look like you have much work experience." "That would be true, but I'm willing to learn and work hard." "Excellent." "Excellent." "Any office skills?" "Like what?" "Typing, dictation, that kind of thing?" "Uh-uh." "No, sir." "So what do you want to do with your life, Kasheera?" "I want to sing." " Sing?" " Uh-huh." "You're part of the choir at the LEC." "Yes, I am." "I saw you there the other night." "Uh-huh, I'm good." "You like to talk?" " Talk?" " On the phone." "Oh, I love to talk." "Yes, sir." "You're hired." " I am?" " You start Monday." "What are you looking for?" "I need to get some milk, man." "Look in the 'frigerator." "Do you see a refrigerator?" "Oh, man, I can't believe this." "Good morning, gents." "Good morning." "God bless you, man." "I'm Bob Carmody." "How's things?" "You got any milk around here anywhere, man?" "Milk?" "Yeah, milk, man, for the coffee." "Are you kidding?" "All we ever get around here is that powdered crap." "This?" "Really?" "Oh, man." "Hey, you got some of that other stuff, you know, it's kind of like milk but not really." "It's in a little packet and you always spill some 'cause it's so small." "What do they call it?" " Half and half." " Yeah." "No, I wish." "I mean..." "Yeah, me too." "So where you guys from anyway?" "The LEC." "What is that some sort of division of welfare or something?" "Hey, hey, I ain't on no welfare, all right?" "I didn't say you were." "And don't be all up in my face talking about being on welfare." "You don't even know me like that, man." "I never said you were on welfare." "Have you ever been on welfare?" "Do you even know what it's like to be on welfare?" "Do you know anybody on welfare?" "Have you ever given to a welfare fund?" "I didn't think so." "So all these people, they come from the LEC?" "I think they do." "So just what is the LEC?" "Hey, Alex, get on up here, man." "I'm saving you a place." "Life Enrichment Center." "Hey, you got any donuts down there?" "Bring me a couple donuts, man." "Life Enrichment Center?" "What donuts?" "What's the Life Enrichment Center?" "Hey, look, all I'm doing is trying to get a job, all right?" "What about the donuts?" "I need some donuts." "Excuse me, brother man." "God bless you." "Can you spare some change?" "I only have enough for my peanut butter crackers." "Oh." "But I could share some of my crackers with you, if you want." "Oh, no thank you." "I appreciate it, but no thank you." "I'm allergic to peanut butter." "You know, lactose intolerant, kind of swells my ankles up." "Yeah, my nose starts running and my ear lobes get..." "Okay, who's next?" "Good morning, sir." "What do you need a job for?" "I'm currently unemployed." "PhD in Romance languages." "Professor of English Literature in Medieval History at Weimar Mary College." "Adviser to the Bush Administration?" "That was Bush the father." "Father Bush." "What happened?" "I beg your pardon?" "How'd you end up at the LEC?" "On a daily basis, and for many months, years in fact." "You're a wino?" "In so many words, but reformed." "Ever done any bill collecting?" "It doesn't look like it." "Not exactly, but given the breadth of my interdisciplinary studies and teaching experience," "I don't think it will be difficult." "What languages do you speak?" "The Romance languages, of course." "Of course." "And a smattering of several others." "German, Swahili, Russian." " Russian?" " Yes, Russian." " Bahasa Indonesian, Tagalog." " You're hired." "I'm..." "I'm..." "Bye-bye." "Who's next?" "I was told that this was a training opportunity?" "You heard correctly." "It might lead to full-time employment?" "Anything's possible, professor." "Let's just take things one day at a time, shall we?" "Send in the next guy." "What'd you find out?" "For the moment, I have more questions than answers." "Knowing Lorenzo, however, even a good deed has an ulterior motive." "Oh, hallelujah." "Come on, church." "Give the Lord some praise in here." "Give him some praise tonight." "Thank you, choir." "Thank you very much." "Oh, yes." "Welcome, welcome, welcome to our Thursday night service." "Now we have some exciting news for you this evening." "I want to see the hands of everyone who went to the Lump Sum Collection Agency earlier today." "Let me see the hands." "Oh, Wanda, look." "That's great." "That's fantastic." "Now, we have with us tonight the co-owner." "Co-owner, is that right?" "The co-owner of the Lump Sum Collection Agency," "Lorenzo Adams, has agreed to give each of our applicants 2 weeks of on-the-job training." "And get this, those 2 weeks of on-the-job training could lead to full-time employment." "Oh, come on people." "Come on." "My, my, my." "Can I get an amen?" "All right now, Lorenzo, come on up here and share what's on your heart." "That's right, come on, son." "Come on." "Let's give him a hand as he comes, hallelujah." "Hallelujah." "Thank you." "Thank you." "I don't have a lot to say this evening, except I know God is for the underdog." "I'll say that again, God is for the little guy, the common man who, in this cruel world in which we live, doesn't stand a chance against the fat cats lounging by the fish bowl." "As the prophet Jehoshaphat said, first seek the counsel of the Lord, hallelujah." "And then the king of Israel, he said, shall we go to war with Ramoth-gilead, or shall we refrain?" "And that's the point, isn't it, brothers and sisters?" "Shall we go to war for the Lord?" "Shall we do his bidding and help the little guy who needs a helping hand?" "Or are we gonna sit by and let the fat cats in the hats eat the little guys in cold blood and spit out all their bones?" "Well, I say no." "A thousand times no." "Get rid of the fat cats, I say." "Never let the little guy go down without a fight." "Samson fought the giant, didn't he?" "And what about Baberham and the baby?" "And what about the whale guy?" "He was in the whale." "Did he stay there?" "No." "Praise God, he got out and he worked and he got... and that's what we're gonna do." "We're going to work." "And I'm a champion for the underdog, Pastor." "Always have been, always will be." "Now I'm getting things ready, tomorrow, for all you people, workers in training, and I want you reporting for work at 9:00 a.m. Sharp on Monday." "And as Tiny Tim once said, God bless us, everyone." "Thank you." "Well, it seems that God is opening some unexpected doors here at the LEC, amen?" "And we are certainly looking forward to the good that will come out of this partnership with the Lump Sum Collection Agency." "Now, I would like to review some of the activities for the week." "Mr. Lorenzo." "Yes, how are you?" "That was such an inspiring message you gave just now." "That was beautiful, Omar, just beautiful." "You have a wonderful gift, Omar." "Uncle Frankie doesn't like it when I play." "Who's Uncle Frankie?" "I have to go now." "No, Omar." "You don't need to go." "You need to stay." "Who are you?" "This is my daughter, Tameeka." "I was telling her what a wonderful person you are." "What are they doing over there, anyway?" "They're praying for your nephew." "Well, have them say a prayer for me too." "Lorenzo, what are you doing over here?" "I was on my way to..." "Your nephew is giving his life to Jesus, isn't that wonderful?" "Wonderful?" "That's amazing." "He needs you by his side." "And who is this awful Uncle Frankie?" "Trust me, you don't want to meet him." " Amen." " Amen." "Thank you, Jesus." "There's something troubling that young man." "Did you hear me?" "Hmm?" "That young man, Omar." "Yeah?" "He's in some kind of trouble." "I just don't know what it is." "Well, he belongs to Jesus now." "And that Lorenzo." "Are you listening to me?" "Yes, yes." "I don't trust him." "You don't trust who?" "Lorenzo." "Well, Wanda, he's doing a great service for us." "Hmm, something tells me he's doing a great service for himself." "No, no." "Oh, dear." "Oh, dear." "I've been here for 2 years." "I just can't believe it." " How long have you been here?" " I've been here 5 years." "Oh, help me." "Well, Milly, we're all in the same boat." "Don't take it so hard." "Omar, I need to see you." " Well?" " Well, what?" "Well, what'd he say?" "Not much." "I've been let go." "He can't do that." "According to my contract, he can." "Yours too, I would imagine." "Yeah, well, we'll see about that." "Have a seat, Mr. Carmody." "I don't know what kind of stunt this is you're trying to pull, but I'm gonna put a stop to it right now." "Really?" "What do you think you're doing?" "Firing the entire staff in one day?" "It's not the entire staff, Mr. Carmody." "Oh, no?" "Oh, okay." "Well, who stays on besides you?" "That is confidential information, and you'll never draw it out of me." "Wait 'til Stan hears about this." "What you fail to realize, Mr. Carmody..." "Oh, come on, my name is Bob." "All right, Bob." "What you fail to realize is that Mr. Davenport, Stan, does know about this and has given it his complete approval." "I don't believe it." "Stan has been unhappy with most everyone's performance around here for a long time." "The numbers are simply not adding up." "The numbers?" "What numbers?" "The numbers, Bob." "Why do you think he's gone away for who knows how long?" "He's taking a vacation, that's why." "Au contraire, Bob." "He's cleaning house." "Getting rid of the deadwood, the barnacles on the hull of the ship." "And guess what?" "He's left me to do the dirty work." "Why?" "Because he fears confrontation." "Doesn't know how to call a spade a spade, and I do." "What are you doing?" "I'm calling Stan, right now." "You know he's incommunicado?" "Oh, yeah?" "Well, I happen to have his private cell phone number right here." "We'll see about this." "If I were you, I'd sue him." "Sue him?" "Take him to the cleaners, you got rights." "You bet I do." "He can't do this to you." "I'm gonna fix you, Lorenzo Adams." "Come on." "Just let it out." "I don't trust you, and I never did." "Just get... vent all that rage and hostility." "Yeah, don't sweet talk me." "You think I like doing this, Bob?" "You think I like letting Maude and Milly go or putting jaded Johnny out on the street?" "Of course not." "Stan's private cell phone, may I help you?" "Omar, would you please escort Mr. Carmody out?" "Thank you." "Bye-bye." "No." "No, I'm not gonna let him get away with this." "Lorenzo..." "get your hands off me." "What are you doing?" "Knock it off!" " Oh!" " Oh!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Ah!" "Oh." "Ah." "Oh." "I know this is a shock for everyone, but please, we really need to try and handle ourselves in a more professional manner, okay?" "Now finish clearing out your desks and come back in 2 weeks for your final pay checks." "That is all." "Milly." "Milly." "Iggy, come into my office." "Iggy." "Watch your..." "Move my arm." "Iggy, where you going, Iggy?" "I'm sorry, Bob." "Iggy." "Don't move." "Can you move your head?" "It hurts." "So anyway, today at the agency, we set all kinds of records." "It was an unbelievable day." "You're not... hey, what do you got there, big guy?" "One of your favorites." "Fettuccine alfredo!" "Yummy." "You're gonna love this." "Cilantro and other special ingredients, only known to me." "You're the best, Omar." "Yes." "Nope, down." "Good." "Give me your hands." "God, thank you for the food." "Help Lorenzo get the money that he needs." "In Jesus' name, Amen." "Hey, can I have some of that?" "Welcome to your first day on the job, folks." "This handsome gentleman right here is Ignatius Pendergas or Iggy for short." "He'll be walking you through the day today, helping you with the ins and outs of the computer software and telephone scripts you'll need to memorize." "Over here is Omar Adams, my nephew." "Just returned from another tour of duty with the U.S. Army, learning to reintegrate into society after experiencing fierce battles involving vicious hand-to-hand combat and not a few fatalities." "Don't mess with him." "I'm Lorenzo Adams." "I guess you know that by now." "And I'll be directing operations from my command post over there." "Now, let's be clear about something, folks." "This is, first and foremost, a business." "Sometimes business is rough." "Sometimes business is hardball." "Collections can truly be a classic struggle between the forces of good and evil." " Amen." " Amen, sister." "Shout for glory because with God on our side, we will prevail over Ramoth-gilead." "Now sure, we can all relate to the poor schmoe who gets himself into a financeable bind." "But, people, we're here to collect money." "I'll say that again, collect money, collect hard, collect fast." "Never give up." "Never give in." "And think about it, you're doing your company a service." "You're doing your nation's economy a service." "You're doing your family a service." "You're even helping the poor schmoe who owes money in the first place 'cause at the end of the day, you're helping him get the monkey of debt off his back." "Ha-ha-ha-ha!" "Ah!" "I..." "I love this job." "Okay, let's go over how this works." "Iggy, I need your help here on the bridge." "Now debtor X originally owed $1,200 after Medicaid paid its portion of the bill." "Debtor X has successfully resisted all efforts by the hospital to collect on the amount due." "Enter Lump Sum Collection Agency along with the rising stars of the LEC." "For the next 2 weeks only, we're gonna offer debtor X the opportunity of satisfying his debt for only pennies on the dollar." "That's right." "We're gonna offer debtor X the opportunity of satisfying his debt for only 40 cents on the dollar, or in this case, $480 instead of $1,200." "And very important, if debtor X actually comes into the office and pays in cash, we're gonna take an additional 10% off!" "Any questions?" "Good." "Let's weigh anchor, Iggy." "Let's get started." "Kasheera, can I see you in my office here just a second?" "What did I do now?" "Come on in here." "Have a seat." "Have a seat." "I need you to take dictation." "I've never done that before, Mr. Lorenzo." "Don't worry, I'll show you the ropes." "Okay." "Ah!" "Ah, ah, oh." "You all right, Mr. Lorenzo?" "No, a football injury, never mind." "I just need to lay down." "Okay." "Mr. Lorenzo." "All right, just right here." "I'm gonna just lay down." "Go ahead." "Go ahead." "Have a seat." "Can you just help me put my feet up there?" "Oh, yeah, that's better." "Now, where was I?" "You wanted me to take dictation." "I remember now." "Should I go get my writing pad?" "Maybe later." " Boss!" " What?" "We got a problem!" "I thought I hired you to handle problems!" "Some of these people, they can't even read." "Oh, I can't believe that." "Oh, oh, oh, oh." "Thanks." "The dictation can wait." "Yes, sir." "Go help Iggy." "We need a crash course for everyone who can't read." "The basics and get the professor on it right away." "He used to be a teacher." "And see who's got a good memory." "Maybe they can't read, but they can memorize the script." "Oh, man." " LEC." " Pastor Kevin?" " Yes." "Lorenzo Adams here." "Hello, Lorenzo." "How are you?" "Yeah, say, do you have any volunteers who help with literacy training?" "Yeah, yeah, we have a few." "Good, good." "Send them over." " All right." " Thanks." "How are things going?" "Pennies on the dollar, paid in full." "Is that it?" "That's it." "Oh, okay, thank you." "Thank you." "Next." "You know, this stuff comes natural to me." "I think I can make a career for myself." "Oh yeah?" "Come natural to you." "Come natural to you." "Hey, how you doin'?" "It do sound kind of Good, huh?" "You know what I really need is a check." "I'm gonna need a check." "Hey, how you guys doing?" "First day on the job?" "First day." "Well, how'd it go?" "I mean, is Lorenzo behaving himself?" "It went great, man." "I collected on nine different accounts." "I did 12." "Wait, wait, wait a minute." "You got 12 different clients to pay their bills?" "Yeah, that's right." "You got nine?" "Yes, sir." "And you?" "Over 20." "Ha, ha, ha!" "How'd you do that?" "We did our job, that's all." "We got trained, man." "Yeah." "Well, I've been in the collections business for 16 years, and the most I ever collected in a single day was on 10 accounts." "Well, God bless you." "Hey, is this the help wanted section that you're reading over here?" "'Cause I... no, that's crosswords." "I like that too." "You finished with this, huh?" "Yeah." "Oh, he need training." "Yeah, he needs some training." "I was gonna help you on number 27 down." "I knew the answer." "Look what the cat dragged in." "Good evening, gentlemen." "Is there room at the table?" "Lorenzo, Lorenzo." "Fancy meeting you here." "Do I know you?" "Does he know me?" " You look familiar." " Well, whatever." "Scoot over." "Come on have a seat, man." "Deal me in." "Off with the dresses and on with the suits." "Oh, yeah." "All right, fellas, all right, fellas, here we go." "Shoe shine, shoe shine, come on buff 'em up." "Shine 'em up." "I see that 50 and I'll raise you 100." "Come on, come on, the inhale to the exhale all day long." "I got it right here, man." "You stiff now, getting stiff, fellas." "Ain't no time for trembling' now, gentlemen." "Come on, put it in, put it in." "I'm out." "There we are, gentlemen." "Thank you very much." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Don't get too lucky, Lorenzo." "Why?" "You gonna guard your money or you gonna deal?" "I'll deal." "I'll deal." "Don't let it go to your head." "Man, the name might change, but the game is still the same." "What am I gonna do with all this money?" "I have no idea." "I think I'll buy me an island somewhere off the map." "Okay, I'm gonna see that 500 and raise you 2 grand." "I'll see that and raise you 3 grand." "Gettin' to be some crazy money." "And change." "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" "Lorenzo, Lorenzo, always the optimist." "I call." "There you go." "Read 'em and weep." "Full house beats a straight." "Thanks for stopping by though, and I'll see you in less than 2 weeks." "Don't be late." "And whatever you do, don't be short." "You got a card up your sleeve, sucker." "Easy guys." "Calm down." "Ta bien." "Ta bien." "Let's be easy, gentlemen." "Why don't you get your hands off me, and we'll inspect my wardrobe in a more gentlemanly fashion." "Carmine, help me w'my coat." "Good night, gentlemen." "Now how we gonna leave this?" "I'm outta here." "Yeah, good riddance." "Oscar, let's roll." "Watch your back, Mr. Cholo." "Okay, gentlemen, now that the weak ones are gone, let's play some cards." " Let's play." " I'm in." "Where are we going?" "We're going home." "I don't want to go home." "You need to sleep it off." "I need to die, tonight." "Would you kill me please?" "'Cause I'm drunk." "Come on." "I'm by a riverside." "Put me in a plastic bag just like a pussy cat." "Throw me in, just like I tried to do to you." "I know." "Let's go home." "You know what Hell is?" "Hell is other people." "Come in." "You wanted to see me, sir?" "Yeah, come in and shut the door." "I just got a telegram from Stan." "We're authorized to offer 30 cents on the dollar." "Thirty cents on the dollar?" "Twenty cents on the dollar if the client comes into the office in person and pays cash." "Wow, that's something." "Yeah." "Stan wants all the hospital accounts wrapped up before he gets back." "Must be having a great time." "That or the sun went through his head, right?" "I'm sorry." "I need every hand on deck." "Aye-aye, sir." "Because of eminent deadlines, over which I have no control, starting today we're gonna split you into two groups and extend the workday to 12 hours for each group." "We'll man the phones around the clock 'til every account is settled." "We'll fight them on the seas and in the oceans." "We'll fight them on the fields and on the hills." "I ain't working more than 8 hours." "Who said that?" "God bless you, Lorenzo." "I make the rules here, sailor." "Get in line or go home." "Now, who wants to work the day shift?" "Who wants to work the night shift?" "It makes no difference to me because I'm gonna be here 24/7, leading the invasion." "He got to be crazy." "I know the check better clear." "Could you please hold, sir?" "I'll see what we can do." "I see that you have an outstanding balance of $1,972.33." "Yes, no, not you." "No, he is." " Hello." " Lorenzo?" " Hello." " Lorenzo?" " Yeah?" " It's me, Stan." "Stan?" "How are you?" "Great." "How's everything going?" "Great, great." "Where are you?" "I took a boat over to Little Cayman this morning." "I was going stir crazy, just had to call somebody." "How's Marcia?" "Oh, she's fine." "Everyone's fine." "In fact, we're coming home a few days early." " No!" " What's that?" "No kidding, boss." "That's terrific." "I am so happy for you." "Thanks." "How are the hospital collections coming?" "Oh, fantastic." "You... you wouldn't believe how good it's going." "It's really..." "it's hard to believe." "That good, huh?" "Oh, boss." "Oh boss, yeah." "Yeah, it's really something." "We're working on it day and night." "Day and night?" "Go Lorenzo." "What's Bob have to say about that?" "Bob?" "Yeah, he's always complaining about something or other." "Oh, yeah, Bob." "Well, you know Bob." "He's..." "I'll tell you all about it when I see ya." "Great, see ya on Friday." "No, I need more time!" "More time for what?" "What, Stan?" "I can't hear you." "I was saying, Marcia needs all the time you can give her." "Yeah, you're right." "I'll see ya on Monday then." "See ya then." "Thanks, Lorenzo." "Thanks for everything." "Good morning." "Morning." "Ah, thank you." "I needed that." "Oh, I need to see the professor." "Yes, sir." "I say all that to say mission accomplished." "The hospital accounts are settled, thanks to each of you." "And to show each of you my appreciation, I'm gonna give each one of you one of these Lorenzo dolls." "Alas, poor Lorenzo." "I knew him, Iggy." "A man of... a man of." ""Alas, poor Yorick!"" "A fellow of infinite jest." "Where be your gibes now?" "Your Gambols?" "Your songs?" "Your flashes of merriment that were wont to set the table on a roar?"" "Yeah, that's it." "Well, I wish you guys all the luck in the world." "It's been quite a ride." "Iggy, let's pass out the dolls." "Thank you." "Are you leaving us, Lorenzo?" "Or firing us?" "All good things come to an end." "Only in this world, Josefina." "Only in this world." "God bless you." "What do we do now?" "Where do we go?" "I think we should just take the rest of the day off." "You know, I was thinking the same thing." "Yeah, you should quit every day." "Eat, drink and be merry, professor, tomorrow we die." "Lorenzo, you need to eat." "What's the point?" "You need your strength." "I've robbed Peter to pay Paul." "Now there's the devil to pay." "Well, I'm gonna pray." "Go ahead." "God, thank you for this food." "Give Lorenzo peace, Give him the rest he needs." "In Jesus' name, Amen." "♪♪♪" "You working hard?" "Or hardly working?" "Lo tienes todo?" "Déjame a verlo." "Did you count it?" "A hundred and fifty grand." "I was hoping I was gonna get a pound of your flesh today." "Looks like you got the better deal, Frankie." "I was kind of hoping for a pound of your flesh." "How many old ladies you had to rob to get this chump change?" "It was a group effort." "So we're square now, right?" "Square?" " Kill him." " What?" "Go on, break his neck!" "What are you doing?" "I paid you your money." "It's all there, count it!" "You made a fool of me, Lorenzo." "Word on the street is Frankie Gutierrez has gone soft." "I'll make an example out of you and send a message to all them other chumps." "No te metas con el Frankie Gutierrez." "Well, what are you waiting for?" "Break his neck." "I gave you a command." "You will not disrespect me." "You were an orphan when I took you in!" "Frankie!" "Ah!" "Ah!" "Uncle, please." "Oh, please, God." "Uncle." "Dr. Riddell, Dr. Howard Riddell..." "What have we got?" "He spent the night in an alleyway nearby and got caught in the crossfire." "Address?" "Homeless." "Last known address, Eastern State Hospital," "Williamsburg." "The loony bin?" "That's what he says, though he rambles most of the time." "How'd he ever get to the hospital?" "Seems like a good Samaritan brought him in." "Get a confirmation on the DB report," "Frankie Gutierrez." "Dr. James, Dr. Christopher James, please report to ER stat." "Dr. James, Dr. Christopher James, report to ER stat." "Well, hello there, Mr. No-name." "I guess you'll be turning me in now." "I advise you to go to Stan and confess and return the money." "You got the money?" "Every penny." "You see, it may not be too late." "God gives grace to the humble." "That rules me out." "Why?" "I lie, cheat and steal for a living." "Look, man, on the day Jesus was crucified, there were two thieves hanging on crosses beside him, and they were both guilty, but one humbled himself and said, "Lord, remember me when you come" "into your kingdom."" "And the Lord replied, "This day you'll be with me in paradise."" "That simple, huh?" "It all depends upon your heart, Lorenzo." "Is that all you have to say?" "Killed some of my fish too." "I'm sorry about that, too, Stan." "If I might interject for just a moment, Mr. Davenport." "I believe Lorenzo is sincere in his remorse." "He fired all my regular workers and hired your job corps people." "Quite a few of them have gotten pretty good at collections, boss." "What are you doing up here?" "How come you're not down there working?" "You asked me to come upstairs." "This is just about the most bizarre set of circumstances" "I've ever seen." "I used to give my kids chamomile tea with ginger root and a dash of whiskey." "It knocked 'em right out." "The Bible says be in debt to no one." "Trust me, I know what it's like not to have a job, and you don't know how you're gonna pay your bills." "But I know good things are gonna happen." "I really believe that for you." "Good things are gonna happen." "He was an American Poet of the 19th century, and he wrote these words of a village blacksmith." ""His brow is wet with honest sweat." ""He earns whatever he can and looks the whole world in the face, for he owes not any man."" "I did a bit of teaching in my day." "Mr. James, that's wonderful news, sir." "I'll just make a note you're paying your debt in full." "Thank you, sir." "Allow me to be the one to say that..." "You see, Ms. Wainwright, our peace doesn't depend on what's around us, but what's inside of us." "Sunlight in my soul." "Iggy, you have that performance report I asked for?" "It contains the results for the past 2 weeks, sir." "You verified all this?" "Yes, sir." "This is unbelievable." "Your folks, they come from skid row?" "Some of them do." "Well, they just set an all-time collections record at Lump Sum." "I don't know how they managed to get results like this, once Lorenzo left the scene, but seeing is believing and I'd like to offer 'em full-time employment." "Fantastic." "And also pay 'em for the training period they endured under Mr. Adams." "Thank you so much, Mr. Davenport." "I left this company in your hands." "I trusted you." "And you let me down completely." "I have no choice but to press charges." "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" "Nothing?" "What can I say?" "Well, you've never had a problem with that before." "You brought these unsuspecting folks down here for your own selfish ends, criminal ends really." "But at the same time, you taught 'em the basics, with an ulterior motive, mind you, but you did teach 'em." "And you returned the money you stole, most of it." "I want that $12,000 you lost at the poker game." "And if I see you within a hundred yards of this office ever again, you're gonna be on your way to jail so fast it'll make your head spin." "It'll make your head spin." "Hey, Lorenzo." "You speak Dutch?" "Every dutch person speaks English." "Don't fall for that one, Josie." "But this dude sounds like the terminator." "You need to talk to him, man." "I don't work here anymore." "Say what?" "I hope you understand, it's not that I don't think they can do it." "I just need a couple more weeks to find out for myself." "In the meantime, I guarantee minimum wage and commission." "It's always best to reward performance, you know?" "Pastor?" "Pastor?" "Oh, I'm sure that will be fine, Mr. Davenport." "Lorenzo, hold on." "Where you going?" "I didn't get a chance..." "To say good-bye?" "No, come on." "I want you to come by the LEC later." "We have a Bible study every Wednesday night." "I don't think so, Pastor." "You seem like a nice guy, and I appreciate all you tried to do for me, but a tiger don't change his stripes." "You know what I mean?" "I am what I am, and I always will be." "You're gonna pay back Stan, right?" "I'm gonna try." "You really mean that?" "Yeah." "Well, I rest my case." "Lorenzo, you have a lot to offer the world, and God is a giver and he wants us to be givers too." "Let me give you some advice, Pastor." "Don't waste your time on lost causes." "Lorenzo, I invest my time and my life in lost causes." "The way I see it, Lorenzo, maybe you meant to take advantage of us, or maybe you didn't." "I don't know." "But I do know through you, God has given me a second chance, and I just want to thank you, man." "Me too, Lorenzo." "Me three, boss." "We love you, Lorenzo." "We all do." "Every one of us knows how I feel to get caught in a situation that you just can't seem to get out of, don't we?" "Yes, we do." "We don't judge you, Lorenzo." "You're a hero to us." "We'll always be there for you." "We got your back, man." "We got your back, man." "Lorenzo, there's something I'd like to say." "It's been a long time since I've been able to help anyone." "It's been a long time, still, since I've wanted to help anyone." "But things are different now." "Things are changing." "My life is changing." "And I have my own lodgings now, and I have a spare room," "Lorenzo." "It's for you anytime you need it." "And I'm building up my library again." "I have some first-edition books you might like to read." "Wednesday night?" "Wednesday night, son." "Choir rehearsal is Tuesday." "Bob, Johnny." "I'm sorry." "Sorry?" "Yeah, you're sorry all right." "Maybe, I'll never make it up to you or the others, but if I can make it right someday, I will." "Yeah, my number's unlisted." "It's kind of touching in a way." "Thank you very much." "Have a great day." "Good food and excellent service." "Well, thank you." "Thank you very much." "I hope all of you have a great day."