Swamped

"Do you know these actors well?"

"Used to know Arlene pretty well, but we ain't talked much since I started running the bar. Hit her real hard when the theater closed, but then she got a job doing inventory at the docks. Turned out to have a real knack for it, it seems. So she's sticking around, she's expecting a pay raise soon that'll be better than the acting ever was."

Arlene? You recall hearing that name somewhere, but you can't quite place it. Of course, you might not even be thinking of the same person. But you're fairly sure it was a name you heard here when you were younger.

"Didn't really know the others beyond what Arlene told me about 'em back in the day. We did reconnect a bit after one of the shows, that's how I heard about the rest of the actors. Let's see now, she said Ollie and Emmy were joining the troupe. Seems they were never very happy here but didn't have the money to buy their way out of town. Neither of 'em ever quite settled on any particular job."

She thinks a bit.

"And Elliot's staying, which is no surprise - he doesn't usually get speaking parts, just comes on when they want someone tall. He works at a warehouse, because he can reach the high shelves without a ladder. So that leaves the one who was still making up their mind..." Patterson pauses. "Dash it, name's right on the tip of my tongue. Havin' trouble remembering what they do these days, too. Gimme a minute while I get my thoughts together."