At Home with Janie 2

EPISODE 2: THE CONTRACTOR

Janie is recording while she waits for the kitchen contractor to come over. She’s cheerful, much in the same way she was in the first episode. 

JANIE

Hi everybody! And welcome to Episode 2 of At Home with Janie! I’m your host, Janie! This week’s episode is also going to be quick, unfortunately. Instead of giving you a play by play of how I put in the cabinets, I’m waiting for the kitchen contractor to get here and do it for me. 

She sighs a little, revealing a little strain beneath the cheer. 

JANIE (CONT’D)

Yeah, that’s right, I said contractor. It turns out I’m going to need a little more help than I thought. These kitchen cabinets are a mess. I tried to install the cabinets myself, but it was like the house was fighting me. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get it to work. First, the old cabinets wouldn’t come off. It was like they were just stuck. I broke a sledgehammer on them, can you believe that!? Then I finally pried them off and tried to install the new ones. No go! They wouldn’t stay! I actually ended up losing one that I installed over my counter. I put it up, everything seemed fine, then in the middle of the night, it collapsed! So the cabinet and all my cute mugs were smashed. So frustrating! I spent all week on it, but finally realized I’m just going to have to cave on this one and get in the pros. 

JANIE (SLIGHTLY FORCED)

But no worries! One of the most valuable lessons you can learn is when to ask for help, right? So while I’m waiting for the contractor to put in the cabinets, I’m getting my paints ready. That way I can get started asap and move on to the things I can actually do myself. 

In the distance there is the creaking of a door opening, then heavy footsteps. 

JANIE

Oh, that must be him. I left the front door open for the paint fumes so he must have just walked into the kitchen. 

JANIE (YELLING)

Hi! I’ll be there in a sec! 

JANIE (NORMAL VOLUME)

I’ll just finish this up real quick before I go out there. Anyway, like I said, the cabinets I attempted to install didn’t work out so that’s why he’s here. I think I normally would have been fine, it’s not my first time renovating a house. When I was a teenager, I helped my parents redo our entire place. I think it’s just something about this house. Maybe the materials they used in the original cabinets or something? Or like horsehair in the walls? The realtor told me there was no horsehair, but this house reeks of it now that the cigarette smell is gone. So I don’t know. 

Banging noises and footsteps in the background. Things are clattering to the floor. 

Janie rips open a package of paintbrushes and lays them out. 

JANIE

I’m so excited though! I liked the cabinets I originally chose, but since they kept breaking, I had to pick out some others. And they’re really cute. Simple, but a little rustic. I’m going to paint them white and try and get that “aged” look to them. I’m not exactly sure how to do that, but a ton of results came up when I looked it up on Pinterest, so I’m not too concerned. I figure that plus the wooden dining room table I’ve got waiting at my parents’ house will make a great foundation for the country kitchen I’ve already formed in my mind. I’m going to get – 

She is cut off by a massive crash in the kitchen. 

JANIE (PISSED)

For the love of Christ… 

She takes a deep breath 

JANIE (CALMER, TO HERSEL

He’s just doing his job. He’s here to help. No need to get mad. 

JANIE

Anyway, it’s going to be gorgeous when I’m done. Like a little urban farmhouse. 

There’s a very deliberate knocking at the front door, then more, lighter, footsteps. The contractor has arrived. He is a thirty-something man with a thick Boston accent.) 

CONTRACTOR

Hi ma’am, hope you don’t mind me just walking in. The door was open. I’m Mike from Kennedy Homes. We spoke on the phone earlier. How about you show me what’s going on. 

END OF PART 2 

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