People Who Knew Me - 5. Heimlich Maneuver

Episode Date: June 13, 2023

New episodes released on Tuesday and Thursday. If you’re in the UK, listen first on BBC Sounds. Connie and Claire attend a cancer support session with Paul, which causes Connie to relive painful memories of her life in New York trying to balance her work life and unhappy marriage with being a care-giver to Drew's sick Mom. The pressure of Connie's past builds, exploding out of her in a desperate confession. Credits Connie / Emily - ROSAMUND PIKE Drew - KYLE SOLLER Claire - ISABELLA SERMON Gabe - ALFRED ENOCH Jade - JESSICA DARROW Marni/Jenny - DANIELLA ISAACS Dr Richter / Reporter - CHARLES HAGERTY and HUGH LAURIE as PAUL Additional voices: PIPPA WINSLOW, NANCY CRANE, JOEY AKUBEZE, BARNEY WHITE, JILL WINTERNITZ Written and Directed by Daniella Isaacs Adapted from the original novel and Consulting Produced by Kim Hooper Produced by Joshua Buckingham Executive Produced by Faye Dorn, Clelia Mountford, Sharon Horgan, Kira Carstensen, Seicha Turnbull and Brenna Rae Eckerson Executive Producer for eOne Jacqueline Sacerio Co-Executive Produced by Carey Burch Nelson Executive Producer for BBC Dylan Haskins Assistant Commissioner for the BBC Lorraine Okuefuna Additional Commissioning support for the BBC Natasha Johansson and Harry Robinson Production Executive Gareth Coulam Evans Production Manager Sarah Lawson Casting Director Lauren Evans Audio Production & Post-Production by SoundNode Supervising Dialogue Recordist & Editor Daniel Jaramillo Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Design & Mix: Martin Schulz Music composed by Max Perryment Additional Dialogue Recording: David Crane, Martin Jilek Assistant Dialogue Recordists: Jack Cook, Giancarlo Granata Additional Dialogue Editing: Marco Toca Head of Production Rebecca Kerley Production Accountant Lianna Meering Finance Director Jackie Sidey Legal and Business Affairs Mark Rogers at Media Wizards Dialect Coach for Rosamund Pike - Carla Meyer Read in Hannah Moorish Artwork: Mirjami Qin Artwork Photographer by Sibel Ameti Additional thanks to: Emily Peska, Caitlin Stegemoller, Sam Woolf, Charly Clive, Ellie White, Ellen Robertson, Kate Phillips, Ed Davis, Ciaràn Owens, Jonathan Schey, Daniel Raggett and Charlotte Ritchie.

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All events are dramatized. So, we are going to throw the bear around the circle, introduce ourselves to the group, share our diagnosis, and what's coming up for you today. I'm on the 43rd floor. Stay away from me. I'm going to... I'm kind of struggling today, knowing that I'm going to leave my husband Luke on his own. You have no new messages. Go away. Sorry. No. No apologies, Rachel. It's beautiful.

Would you like to throw the teddy? What? Hi. I'm Paul Lankowitz. Uh, I actually, you know, Connie over there. We're chemo buddies. Are we caught? Yes, yes, we are.

Hi, Paul. So, I've got the sexiest of the cancers. Well, less sexy than the breast, more sexy than the bowel, talking prostate. I gotta go faster. I can't do that. Please give me a break. I want to hear from Connie's kid.

Oh god. Mom still be a lot about you. I'm Claire. My teacher said it would be a good idea for us to come to a support group where there are other moms getting quite like, angs, anxious. So yeah. Thank you, Claire. What have passed the teddy to your mommy now? I'm Connie. I've got breast cancer and as Claire, my treatment hasn't been going to plan, so I'm on to text all. And I'm having a mistake to me. Who do I throw it to? And why are you here, Connie? Because my daughter wanted me to. And how do you feel about

being here? Fine. Have you been to a support group before, Connie? What am I meant to say? Oh, sorry, to the group. I forgot to mention I actually had an entire life which no one knows about. No, I haven't been to a support group before, Angela. Hi, I'm Emily. Emily lived in a shitty apartment in Brooklyn. She had a job. She despised, which funded her mildly alcoholic husband and sick mother-in-law. And yes, she did go to a support group because she was probably having a mild breakdown

in the Christmas of 1999. As if. Uh, my husband drew. His mother has staged for Parkinson's and, uh, she's been living with us since May. I'm doing my best. Yeah. You weren't truly honest with the Parkinson's group, though, either were you. You didn't tell them that every time Janet became unsteady, you thought about whether to just let her fall.

You didn't tell them that when Drew said his mother was moving in, you stamped your feet like a child. You were the youngest member there by about 20 years. 27 years old, and you were learning about the Heimlichman over on a Thursday evening When you got home that night drew was on his way out to the pharmacy to get some emergency diapers You set the plate on her lap to save the humiliation of watching her reach while she graced on one you mean egg fried rice When you put the phone down and came back, she was blue. Eyes popping out of her skull. Choking. You grabbed her right below her ribs.

She was so thin you thought you might break her. And just as the support group had been taught that night, you made a fist and hoisted her up and down until a half-dissolved fragment of cookie flew out of her mouth. Without thinking, you hugged her. Ugh. And just as she was getting her breath back, drew Cayman. Right on cue.

You pushed him hard in the chest. What the fuck were you, huh? Where the fuck were you? She almost died. I just saved her fucking life. Okay, take some cheap breaths. She's gone down. No, don't tell me what to do.

She needs to move out. You need to hire a fucking professional. Huh? What? Calm down. No, don't tell me what to do. She needs to move out. You need to hire a fucking professional. Ma, what? She's telling me she's sorry. Get my sick mom, sorry, Emily Morris. Don't say it like that. What? What?

Emily Morris, just don't say it. You're explaining some quantum fucking physics. Ma, I don't think that you understand. My mom is sick. Look, now just get on with it or don't. Just, just be honest with me. Honest, fine. I can't come home to this every night.

Okay, so I'll do all the feedings. No, I don't mean the feedings. I just mean this whole thing. Your mom, I can't do it. Look, what do you want me to do? Take her home. I can't. She needs 24 hour care.

You told me that so many fucking died. Well, it's a fact. I don't know what you want me to do. What perform a miracle? Well, just get a caregiver. I mean, I'm the one paying for it. It's so expensive. I know.

They get a fucking job. Andromorous. Get a fucking job like a fucking adult. We're just moving with her, and I'll stay here. We're just moving with her and I'll stay here. We're married, eh? Yeah, that's my point. We're married. We're not caregivers. Look, if I work in the weeks and you stay with her and then you come back here with her on weekends. You serious?

Yeah, you ask me to be honest and I'm being honest. That's what you want. No, no. me to be honest and I'm being honest. That's what you want. No, no. None of this is what I want. You couldn't look Janet in the eyes again after that. Being honest, son. Connie, maybe we could try my honesty circle exercise.

I'm fine, thank you. It might be useful for the group. Do you have kids, Angela? No, no, I don't, but you. It might be useful for the group. Do you have kids, Angela? No, no, I don't, but I often find... Then please don't. Claire's a child, okay? She might think she knows what she wants, but she doesn't. I don't want her making my meals.

I don't want her at my appointments. I don't want her wiping my ass. And deep down, I don't think she wants that either. You both might not want it, but sometimes we have to sit in that pain. It's part of your cancer journey. Please don't tell me about my journey. I wasn't. Look, I didn't want to have to tell her how bad things were. Okay, I didn't think it would help. I still don't. I also didn't really want her to spend a Thursday morning during her summer vacation

among a group of dying people when she should be out having fun. And no offense, I don't want to be spending a Thursday morning during her summer vacation among a group of dying people when she should be out having fun. And no offense, I don't want to be spending my Thursday morning among a group of dying people when I should be out having fun. Mom, and let's take a break. Claire, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you. You didn't embarrass me, but she was also really annoying. Where's the star? Oh, it's you, by the way.

I had to live for that kind of shit. Thank you. Where are you guys off to? I've got an appointment and Claire wants to come. I don't want to come. You know, really? Yeah. You can come if you want.

I'm fine. I'll go hang with Toggy. Well, how about I walk over with you, Con? I'm going to go collect my meds. Is that okay? Claire? Sure. Drew moved in with his mom the morning after you performed the I'm gonna talk you. Well, how about I walk over with you, Con? I gotta go collect my meds. Is that okay, Claire? Sure. Drew moved in with his mom the morning after you

performed the Heimlich maneuver. And when you got to work the next day, you were punished for your honesty. Winona, Mathers and James got bought by ICM for a shit ton of money. It sucks. You met Marnie for a drink at the dive. Can you get your resume sorted tonight?

It's my old boss' company, Gabriel Walters. You froze. Gabriel, Gabe, Walters. Fummer, lucky guy. Gabe, Walters. Who used so rudely ditched ten minutes before your first date. Well, if it doesn't work out, then let me know, I guess. He's fucking beautiful and it's a good company.

Cool, I don't know. You lied without even thinking. This is Kate. K-Brill, this is Emily Overton from NYU. Ami Overton? Are you calling to apologize for canceling the most exciting date in my college? Yeah, that's exactly why I'm calling. And I just got laid off work and my friend said that you might have an administrative role.

Right, yes. Um, an assistant position in international sales. It's not the most exciting... Do you think I could come for an interview or we could go for a drink? Those are very different things, I think. I'm just starting on my second beer. I'll meet you for a third time. Sure.

Where? Mongeoponnes. In the village? I know exactly where you mean. You didn't have a clue. As you adjusted your top and you made your way into Mongeoponnes, you noticed your small cleavage in the mirror and you wished you weren't impressed. And then you saw him walk in, his suit, tailor, his shoes, expensive, his scent, classy, and you wished you weren't impressed.

He said something to the waitress and she smiled at him, flirty, and that made you. Gabe! Grab him as your own before anyone else claimed him theirs. And you saw him glimpse at your breasts. And you looked at him. I'm just going to mark the breast here. Dr. Richter is the first man to take an interest in my breasts for the past 14 years. We'll have the option of keeping the nipples, or you could offer a complete reconstruction.

I came up with the word nipples. I don't want a reconstruction. You want to go flat. Covering his awkwardness with jargon, how convenient. Yes. I want to go flat. He pulls the curtain too, and leaves me to say goodbye to my breasts. More saggy and thin skin than you'll remember.

I push them up. I picture Gabe doing his best to divert his gaze. Hi. You haven't changed at all. Well, I'm sorry you've aged. Fuck you. I'm joking. Obviously. You look exactly the same. Very beautiful. He ordered a pinot noir. He was polite. He asked about my life. Oh, well, remember that night I ditched you for someone else? No. No, remember. Never think about it.

Yeah, well, I married that guy. Wow. Yeah, wow. So if we'd gone on that date, we would have gotten married. I don't think you're the marriage type. Am I not? I don't think so. Maybe I'm not as lucky as you.

Maybe I haven't found the one. What if there isn't a one? Oh. Well, some of us choose to stay optimistic, am I? Well, good luck with that, Gabe. Are you begging me to ask what's going on with your marriage? You nodded, desperate. You told him everything, it leaked out of you.

Drew's mother, him moving out, your work, your resentment, your dying sex life, and... Well, the job is yours if you want it. I can't at least cross that off your list. When do I start? You don't even know the salary. Well, I know it's better than zero. Another look to my breasts. How's Monday?

You turned up at the World Trade Center on Monday morning in another low-cut top, and as you caught his eyes, you knew you had already cheated. I'm looking forward to seeing you next week coming. Can I just, sorry, can I... if the surgery, if it doesn't work, are we... are we out of options? Well, the options would become more limited. What is that limited to what exactly?

Well, the risk would be increased. The risk of what, death? Sorry, I just need you to be honest. Collative care. Would probably be next to surgery in the tax. I don't clear it, yes. Great. It took you three months of after work wine. Three months of kissing drew weekly while you fantasized about Gabe. Three months in time.

I can't hold this in any longer. I mean you have the most fantastic breasts I've ever seen. You're here to see me. I've come home and you're not. I'm here. I love you. I. You're here. I love you. I love you so much. I love you. Lies beget lies, Emily. I'm done with it.

Paul. Yeah. Can we go for a drink? I thought she'd never ask. I'm not Connie. My real name's Emily Morse. I fake my own death on September 11th. I'm getting a beer. Do you want one? James Emily Morris, I fake my own death on September 11th.

I'm getting a beer, do you want one? People who knew me, starring Rosamond Pike, Kyle Sawler, Isabella Sermon, Alfred Enoch, Jessica Darrow, Charles Haggerty, Daniela Isaacs, and Hugh Laurie. Other voices, Kippa Winslow, Nancy Crain, Joseph Acabasey, Barney White, Jill Winternitz, written and directed by Daniela Isis, adapted from the original novel by Kim Hooper. Producers Joshua Bucknell, executive producers, Faye Dorne, Cleely Amountford, and Sharon Horgon, executive producer for the BBC, Dylan Haskins, production manager Sarah Lawson, casting director Lauren Evans, supervising dialogue record as an editor, Daniel Haramizia, supervising sound editor, sound design and mix, Martin Schultz, sound design and recording by SoundNode, music composed by Max Perrymont.

If you've been affected by anything you've heard in this episode, details of help and support in the UK are available at bbc.co.uk-4dslash-actionline. People who knew me listen first on BBC Sounds. I'm Paris Lees. Welcome to the flip side from BBC Radio 4. In each episode, I'll tell two stories from opposite sides of the coin and use science to ask questions about elements of the human experience that we sometimes take for granted. Turns out that this person that I followed my apartment to, he was, you know, a scammer. I feel like now I am the person that I was when I was on the internet at 13.

It's lies at its covered with lipstick and glitter. Subscribe to the flipside with me, Paris Lees, on BBC Sounds. with a lipstick and glitter.