"SEE YOU LATER, MARY FREIGHTER!"
screenplay by Bridget Reilly
PART ONE
EXT. CITY STREET--DAY
Three people are standing on the sidewalk. MARY, the one in the center, is a
young "street tough" looking woman. She is tall and big-boned, wearing jeans and
a leather jacket. Her speech is tinged with a slight Yankee accent. The other
two people, BECKY and TONY, are flanking the sidewalk. They seem to be waiting
in anticipation of something. It isn't a heavily-traveled street; there is just
one pedestrian, RUFUS, approaching from a distance. All three of these people
are eyeing him intently. He is perhaps in his late twenties, but has a somewhat
boyish appearance that makes him seem younger. He also looks just slightly
scruffy and underfed, but they don't seem to notice this. They are mainly
observing his walk, and they perceive him to be someone of a different class who
doesn't belong in their neighborhood.
MARY
How about this one? Does he look like he has money?
BECKY
Nah, he looks like a college kid.
TONY
Well, college kids have rich parents, you know.
BECKY
A lot of 'em do. Not all.
MARY
No, I'd say he's a little older than that. . . .Kinda cute, though.
TONY
I think he needs a haircut.
BECKY
He sure looks to be in an awful hurry, wherever he's going.
MARY
Think I can't stop him? Just watch!
Her eyes grow wider as he is getting close. Then when he is about a foot away
from her, she boldly steps into his path and reaches out to take his arm.
MARY
Hey boy, you wanna have some fun? Thirty bucks.
He looks very startled, but has halted and doesn't draw back from her grasp.
After a brief hesitation, he gestures toward the other two people.
RUFUS
But there's witnesses here!
MARY
Not to worry. They're friendsa mine. They won't rat on us.
He is standing still, not resisting her but not moving either. There is a
somewhat desperate look in his eyes.
MARY
Come on. Where are ya goin' that's so important?
He still doesn't move, but is looking at her with some fascination. Something in
her charismatic persona seems to have him mesmerized, and there is something
passing between them that he doesn't understand. She gives his arm another tug.
MARY
Come on. I just live right around the corner.
Then the next thing he knows, he is walking arm-in-arm with her. She gives BECKY
a wink as they pass her. Here the camera is looking over BECKY's shoulder, so
all we see of her is her blonde ponytail, not the look on her face.
INT. MARY'S APARTMENT--KITCHEN--CONTINUOUS
They enter through the door which opens into the kitchen. The place has a
rather depressing appearance; it's not very well-kept and is cluttered with too
many things. MARY pauses by the refrigerator.
MARY
If you're hungry or thirsty, help yourself to whatever you see here. I'll
be right with ya.
She exits the room. RUFUS looks into the refrigerator and finds a 40-ounce
bottle of beer. He takes it out and pours some into a mug that he finds in the
dish drainer. Then he grimaces and mutters to himself:
RUFUS
God, my feet hurt!
Momentarily forgetting the beer, he goes into the living room and sits down on a
chair to take his shoes off. MARY comes out of the bathroom as he does so.
MARY
That's right--make yourself at home.
She goes into the kitchen, opens the refrigerator and takes out the same 40ounce bottle. She pours some into a mug. It's only then that she notices there
is another mug of beer on the counter. She calls into the living room.
MARY
I see you've poured yourself a beer. Aren't you going to drink it?
He looks somewhat apprehensively toward the kitchen while rubbing his foot.
RUFUS
I'm not sure if I want to now--how do I know you didn't just slip
something into it?
She looks at the wall, surprised at this idea when she hadn't even thought of it
herself. But she only says aloud:
MARY
Not to worry. I'm fresh outta rophies.
No reply.
MARY
Just kidding, dude. You have my word I didn't slip nuthin' in your
beer.
He still hesitates.
MARY
Look--if you don't feel comfortable here, you're free to leave any time.
You don't owe me a dime yet.
RUFUS
Then why do I still have the feeling I'm under your power?
She smiles a little.
MARY
Because you're in my house and I'm making the rules. Including the one
that says you're free to leave.
But somehow these words don't quite ring true, as he seems to be somehow glued
to the seat. When he doesn't budge or speak, she gives a sigh of slight
impatience.
MARY
Look--do you want your beer or not? If you don't start drinking it now,
it'll fill up with fruit flies and I'll just have to dump it out. I hate
to waste good beer.
He still says nothing, so she picks up both mugs and brings them into the living
room.
INT. MARY'S APARTMENT--LIVING ROOM--CONTINUOUS
She sets the mugs down on the coffee table and takes a seat in the chair
opposite him. He merely stares at his beer without picking it up. She rolls her
eyes.
MARY
So come on, drink already! Your paranoia is starting to irritate me.
At this he braces himself, then dutifully picks up the mug and takes a gulp. She
smiles in amusement.
MARY
Is that what you need? To be given orders before you'll know what to do?
RUFUS
Maybe.
MARY
OK, then, drink some more!
He complies. She continues to smile in amusement between sips of beer, and makes
no move in his direction. He suddenly puts his beer down and gives her a long,
serious look.
RUFUS
You haven't even asked me my name yet.
MARY
I don't usually ask people things like that; I just wait for them to tell
me if they want to.
RUFUS
Well then, what's your name?
MARY
Mary Freighter.
RUFUS
That's funny. I'd think most hookers wouldn't give their last name.
MARY
(slyly) How do you know it's my real last name?
RUFUS
I don't. Obviously I don't know if anything you tell me is true.
MARY
Well, it is my real name. I have nothing to hide and I'm not ashamed of
it.
There is a pause as he can't think of anything else to say, so he takes another
gulp of beer. Then he gives her another serious look as she continues to sit
back in her chair passively, making no move toward him.
RUFUS
I don't get it. You're acting so indifferent.
MARY
Well, maybe I am.
RUFUS
I was expecting you to be in a little more of a hurry.
She chuckles.
MARY
You mean like, "Come on, tell me what you like and let's get this
overwith. I gotta meet my dope connection at four-o'clock."
RUFUS
Yeah, something like that.
MARY
Well, fortunately I'm not dopesick and I don't have any connection to
meet.(Holding up her mug) This here is my drug of choice. You don't have
to work so hard to feed a habit like that.
RUFUS
I suppose not, if you always buy the cheap stuff.
She doesn't appear to take offense at his calling "the cheap stuff" what she had
described as "good beer."
MARY
And to tell you the truth, I'm not even hurting that bad for money right
now.
RUFUS
So why are you even doing this?
MARY
I don't know. Habit?
RUFUS
(doubtfully) Habit.
MARY
(shrugging) It's what I do, that's all.
RUFUS
I'm beginning to have my doubts about that.
MARY
(suddenly defensive) Oh yeah? You want me to prove it?
Now he is starting to appear more relaxed, leaning back in his chair, feeling as
though he's gotten an edge.
RUFUS
I'm not in any hurry.
MARY
You don't have anybody to meet either, huh?
Now he suddenly looks uncomfortable again. He looks down at the coffee table and
says nothing.
MARY
Or were you on your way to meet somebody when I stopped you?
RUFUS
How do you know I wasn't walking away from somebody?
MARY
Were you?
Again he says nothing. Now she is beginning to discern that he is in some kind
of a relationship crisis.
MARY
Feeling guilty?
Still he doesn't reply. Her tone begins to soften and the derisive look in her
eyes disappears.
MARY
Maybe you should call her. You can use my phone.
RUFUS
No place I can call her. We're homeless.
MARY
Oh! (She frowns in slight puzzlement.) Then how would you be able to find
her again if you changed your mind?
RUFUS
We have a campsite. I'd just go back there.
MARY
No cell phone or anything?
Now he looks disgusted.
RUFUS
What makes you think we could afford something like that? I told you we're
homeless.
She frowns again as another thought comes to her mind.
MARY
Then what were you intending to pay me with? Your looks?
RUFUS
(grimacing, as he obviously doesn't think he's very good-looking) That
wouldn't be much of a payment, would it?
MARY
Don't tell me you're one of those stupid guys who thinks he can get a
freebie!
RUFUS
(now very indignant) As a matter of fact, I do have the money because I
just cashed my unemployment check yesterday. But if it's all the same with
you, I'd rather just forget the whole thing now. This doesn't feel right
to me at all.
MARY
Well, sure. I'm not about to suck money out of a homeless man's pocket.
(Her tone softens again) But finish your beer before you go. I'm not
chargin' you for that.
EXT. RUFUS'S CAMPSITE--DAY
The campsite is in a large city park, semi-hidden in a clump of trees and
bushes. It is early the following morning. There is a small dome tent with a
propane stove just outside it, a plastic gallon jug full of water, and other
camping parephenalia. We hear stirring inside the tent, then the sound of a
zipper as the flap is being opened. Then the face of LAURIE, his girlfriend,
appears in the opening.
She fumbles around for her lighter, and instead picks up RUFUS's blue jeans
which had been tossed on the ground. She sees the corner of a slip of paper
sticking out of one pocket. Curious, she pulls it out. But there isn't quite
enough light to read by yet, so she finds her lighter, flicks it on, and holds
it up to the paper.
LAURIE
(reading softly to herself) "Mary Freighter. 818-6712".
She frowns, then turns her head to look at RUFUS who is still snoring away
inside the tent. She decides not to wake him yet. She wants to give him the
benefit of the doubt; after all, this could be something perfectly innocent. So
she crawls out and goes over to the propane stove. She flicks on the lighter
again to light it, then pours some water out of the plastic jug into a pot to
make the morning coffee.
While the water is heating up, we hear more stirring inside the tent and RUFUS's
face appears in the opening.
LAURIE
Morning, hon.
RUFUS
(groggily) Is it morning already? (He looks up at the sky and makes a
face.) Looks like another cloudy day.
LAURIE
(hesitantly) Rufus?
RUFUS
What, hon?
LAURIE
(Trying very hard to sound neutral and nonchalant) Who's Mary Freighter?
Is that our new food stamp worker or something?
He groans.
RUFUS
Oh my god, have you been digging in my pockets again?
LAURIE
Well, I saw that phone number sticking out; I was just curious.
RUFUS
Oh, geez!
He covers his face with his hands as he realizes how stupid it will sound when
he tries to explain it. When he withdraws his hands he sees that she is still
looking at him expectantly.
RUFUS
Quit giving me that suspicious look! It's not what you're thinking,
believe me!
She thinks that perhaps he is "protesting too much", but still decides to relent
a little.
LAURIE
Well, maybe I shouldn't have bothered you with it when you first woke up.
I'll let you have your coffee first and you can tell me when you're ready.
RUFUS
(sarcastically) Thank you!
He gathers up his clothes and disappears back inside the tent to put them on.
When he has finished dressing, the coffee is ready. He crawls out of the tent
and they sit cross-legged on the ground sipping their coffee. She continues
looking at him in silence.
RUFUS
OK, you wanna know what happened? When I left here yesterday, after we had
that argument, I ran into this lady in town. She was this big Amazon-type
and she was literally blocking my path on the sidewalk. And she grabbed me
by the arm and dragged me off to her apartment.
He knows he is exaggerating, but this is often his way, and LAURIE is used to
it. There is a pregnant pause.
LAURIE
And then?
RUFUS
Well, it's hard to know how to explain it, because I'm not quite sure what
was going on myself. She told me she was a whore, but for some reason I
didn't believe her. There was something not quite right about the way she
was doing it.
Another pregnant pause.
LAURIE
Doing what?
RUFUS
Oh, you know--putting the hustle on me or whatever they call it.
She continues looking at him in silence, trying to take it in.
RUFUS
Look--I swear, nothing happened! She kept her damn leather jacket zipped
up to her neck the entire time, and all I took off was my shoes, because
my feet were killing me. All I wanted was a place to sit down and rest for
a little while, and then I got up and left.
LAURIE
(after another brief pause) But why did she give you her phone number?
RUFUS
Oh, you know, I told her I was homeless, and she gave me that spiel about
"Well, if you ever need anything, just call me" and all that kind of crap.
I didn't ask for her phone number, but she insisted on giving it to me. So
I stuck it in my pocket and forgot about it.
She is still silent.
RUFUS
Look, Laurie, I swear that's all that happened!
LAURIE
You sure you're not going to call her?
RUFUS
Oh come on, what the hell for?!
LAURIE
I don't know.
RUFUS
It meant nothing, OK? Please just believe me!
LAURIE
(hesitantly) Well, OK, I guess I'll believe you.
RUFUS
Here.
He picks up the paper with the phone number and tears it up into bits.
RUFUS
Does that make you feel better?
She laughs a little, then moves over and gives him a kiss.
LAURIE
OK. Forget it. But incidentally, we do need to re-certify for food stamps
soon.
RUFUS
(relieved that things are now back to "normal") I know. We'll get to it
sometime this week.
But they only get a few moments to savor this sense of relief. Then RUFUS's eyes
widen as he sees the PARK RANGER approaching, over LAURIE's shoulder while they
are embracing. He lets out another groan.
RUFUS
Oh, no--not this again, now!
LAURIE turns and sees the RANGER, and echoes his groan.
The RANGER stops a few feet away from them, as if he's afraid to get too close,
and goes into his speech.
RANGER
You folks aren't supposed to be camping here. This is city property.
RUFUS
Well, gee--we'd sure love to oblige you and evaporate into the ozone, but
that's a little hard to do. We were born on this planet and we are still
stuck to it by gravity.
LAURIE
If this is public property and we're members of the public, what's the
problem? We're not doing any harm to anybody.
The RANGER is a little taken aback by these well-practiced answers, but can only
respond with the lines he himself has learned.
RANGER
Well, whatever, but there's still no camping allowed in the park. You
folks will have to leave in 24 hours or I'll have to call in the
authorities. All right?
LAURIE
(contemptuously) No, it's not all right!
They both glare at him with looks that could kill, but he has done his duty, so
he silently turns his back to walk away. As soon as he does so, RUFUS flips him
the bird and LAURIE sticks her tongue out at him.
RUFUS
(under his breath) Scumbag!
Then they turn to face each other, both with the same philosophical expression
that shows they have been through this many times before.
LAURIE
(sighing) So where's the next campsite you've scouted out?
RUFUS
(matter-of-factly) It's 'way on the other side of the park. We'll pack up
and head out there at sundown.
But then she has another idea.
LAURIE
You know, since you cashed your check the other day, we might be able to
get a room someplace.
RUFUS
Where? In one of those tweaker motels?
LAURIE
Well, at least it's a bed and a shower. And a place to lie low for a
while.
RUFUS
Right, and great entertainment too. If there's nothing good on TV we can
always watch the drug busts going on outside the window.
LAURIE
But wouldn't that be better than taking more chances here of getting
busted ourselves? I mean, the ranger is going to be keeping an eye out for
us now. Don't you think he knows we might just move to another section of
the park?
RUFUS
He looked pretty brain-dead to me. I don't think he knows much of
anything.
LAURIE
Even so, we can't just keep playing this cat-and-mouse game forever.
RUFUS
And I swear we're not going to. But for now I think it's best that we
conserve what money we have while we're looking for something better.
LAURIE
(raising her voice) Just because you're the one with the money-RUFUS
Whoa! Now wait just a minute! You don't want another edition of
yesterday's argument, do you? We can't afford that now.
Her eyes flash with anger for just a moment, then she closes them and her face
drops.
LAURIE
I just get so tired of this.
RUFUS
So do I. And you're right--it is because I have the lion's share of the
money that I get to make these decisions. And you're also right that it's
not fair. But that's the deal we've got for the time being. Now if you'll
just trust me, I think the campsite I've picked out is a place where we'll
be safe for a little while at least. So let's just go there tonight and
then we can talk about this some more, OK?
Now they have completely forgotten about MARY and are back in their familiar
survival mode, taking the calculated risks they are used to.
EXT. THE FRONT OF A SIDEWALK CAFE--DAY
RUFUS is sitting at an outside table, reading a newspaper and nursing a
styrofoam cup of cheap coffee. It is a couple of weeks later. After a moment or
two, MARY happens by, this time wearing a skirt. She pauses as she sees him,
also noticing that he doesn't see her as he appears to be very engrossed in the
newspaper. She debates whether she should get his attention or just try to sneak
on by. Then she goes up and taps him lightly on the shoulder.
MARY
Hey, dude. What's up?
He looks up, and the displeasure is clear on his face as he recognizes her.
RUFUS
(without enthusiasm) Oh. Hi, Mary.
MARY
I was wondering how you were doing.
RUFUS
(with slight sarcasm) Oh, were you?
MARY
Uh, yeah. Believe it or not, I've been thinking about you.
RUFUS
(still with the same sarcasm) Have you really?
Clearly sensing her unwelcome, she is uncertain of how to proceed. Then she
decides to try again.
MARY
Mind if I sit down for a minute?
He half-heartedly indicates the chair on the opposite side of his table.
RUFUS
It's a public place.
Then his eyes return to the paper. She sits down, at a loss for how to begin.
After a moment or two of silence, he suddenly looks up and shoots her a very
penetrating gaze.
RUFUS
You're not really a hooker, are you?
She is so taken aback by his bluntness that she doesn't know how to respond
except with the truth. Her face breaks into a sheepish smile.
MARY
No. I'm not.
RUFUS
Never turned a trick in your life?
She slowly shakes her head.
MARY
Never.
He continues gazing at her as if trying to read her thoughts.
RUFUS
Then would you mind telling me what that crazy scene was all about?
She heaves a deep sigh, then looks him squarely in the eyes.
MARY
I guess you deserve to know.
He merely nods.
MARY
OK. You remember those other two people by the sidewalk when I first
grabbed you?
RUFUS
Yeah.
MARY
Well, they had made a bet. One of them bet I couldn't pull it off and the
other said I could. And me being the brash daredevil I am, I was
determined to show them I could do it.
He turns his head slightly to the side, while his eyes remain fixed on her.
RUFUS
Pull what off, exactly?
MARY
Passing as a hooker, AND snagging a trick on the very first try.
He lets out a cynical laugh and shakes his head.
RUFUS
And I just happened to be the sucker who walked right into the trap.
MARY
(weakly) Uh--yeah.
RUFUS
OK, so I fell for it initially. But if it wasn't for real, what were you
planning to do with me once we got to your place?
`
MARY
To tell you the truth, I wasn't even sure. I was just sort of making it up
as I went along.
RUFUS
So you made a fool of a poor homeless guy whose feet were killing him and
just needed a place to sit down for a while, just so one of your friends
could win a bet!
MARY
I guess it does sound nutty, but me and my friends, we have kind of a
quirky sense of humor. We've been playin' those kindsa games ever since
grade school.
RUFUS
Well, don't you think you're getting a little old for that now?
She considers this for a moment, then pushes the thought aside.
MARY
Look, I'm sorry. I had no clue you were homeless. I just thought you were
trying to get comfortable when you took your shoes off.
RUFUS
And you had no clue how many miles I had already walked when I ran into
you, and how sore my feet were.
MARY
If all you really needed was a place to rest, why didn't you say so?
RUFUS
Because, as you have just admitted, you'd already set it all up. You had
targeted me as a trick, and you were only willing to take me home with you
for that reason. And I was so tired and hurting and confused, and you were
coming on so strong, I couldn't even think it through. Then once we get to
your place and I tell you I'm homeless, the next thing I know you're
calling me a stupid guy who only wants a freebie!
Now there is a bitterness coming through in his voice that is so strong it
surprises even him.
MARY
OK, so I was just playing with your head. I said I was sorry, didn't I?
He gives her another penetrating look.
RUFUS
You've never been homeless, have you?
MARY
Fortunately, no. But I have come close to it a few times.
RUFUS
So you really can't imagine how complicated it can get. And how
exhausting.
MARY
Probably not.
RUFUS
You have to take care of all your survival needs and emotional needs,
while you're playing hide-and-seek with the gestapo, and everybody looks
at you like you're some kind of pariah. They call you "trash" right to
your face. Employers won't accept your job application if you don't have a
residence address, then other people accuse you of being lazy because they
don't understand that; they think you're just not trying. And people don't
want you near their kids because they think you're a child molester.
MARY
Really?
RUFUS
Oh, that's just for starters! I could go on and on. Every time we drop the
tent at our campsite and walk away from it to come into town, we never
know if it's still going to be there when we go back. And on top of all
the stuff we usually go through, you almost got me in very deep doo-doo
with my girlfriend by giving me your phone number.
MARY
Oops!
RUFUS
Yeah, "oops" is right! She will give me the third degree if she finds
incriminating evidence in my pockets.
MARY
But I sort of had the impression you'd split up, or something.
RUFUS
Only temporarily. We've done that lots of times. I walk away from her when
we're having an argument and I'm afraid I'm going to hit her, so I walk
away instead. Then I go back later after I've cooled down.
MARY
Well, it's good that at least you don't hit her.
RUFUS
Yeah, but it's not easy sometimes, believe me!
MARY
You didn't just now have another fight, did you?
RUFUS
Not since that time, no--nothing major.
MARY
Then if you don't mind my asking, how come she's not with you now?
RUFUS
She's at the clinic down the street, getting a check-up.
MARY
Oh.
RUFUS
We do get a few things, like health benefits.
MARY
Well, that's good.
RUFUS
As a matter of fact, she'll be back soon; she's meeting me here after
she's done. So if you don't want to meet her you'd better scoot.
MARY
Do you want me to meet her?
RUFUS
Not really. I could be in the doghouse all over again if she sees you
here.
MARY
She won't beat up on me, will she?
Now he laughs outright.
RUFUS
I wouldn't worry about that. Even if she tried, I'm sure you
could defend yourself; you're a lot bigger than she is.
She is still somehow reluctant to leave.
MARY
Well, like I said, I'm sorry for whatever trouble I've caused you. And for
the rough time you're having. I don't know what else I can say.
RUFUS
I don't either. Except, don't ask me how I got into this situation, or how
I could get out of it. Those are the kinds of things most people ask, and
it really doesn't help. They only say those things because they don't want
to think about what it's like living in it.
MARY
OK, I won't ask you those things. Only I wish there was something I could
do.
RUFUS
But you see, the people who wish there was something they could do are a
dime a dozen. They don't help either.
MARY
Well then, what do you want from me?
RUFUS
Who said I wanted anything from you? Other than a place to get off the
street and take the load off my feet for a few minutes?
MARY
Well, actually you did indicate you wanted a little more than that.
He snorts.
RUFUS
Only because I was too tired to think straight. But fortunately I have a
few good nights' sleep behind me this time, for a change, so I'm thinking
very clearly now.
There are a few moments of silence. Then MARY timidly ventures another question.
MARY
Now that you've done some venting, are you still mad at me?
He is on the verge of cracking a smile as he is almost ready to forgive her.
Then he thinks of something else.
RUFUS
You still don't know my name.
MARY
OK, I'll bite--what's your name?
RUFUS
Rufus.
She smiles playfully, very grateful that he's changed the subject.
MARY
Rufus the Dufus?
He narrows his eyes at her, then decides to shoot back another sarcastic reply.
RUFUS
(sneering) Mary Freighter, See Ya Later!
She smiles even wider.
MARY
Touche.
Now he cracks a smile.
RUFUS
All right, you're forgiven. Just don't let it happen again.
MARY
Ha! You think I'd be stupid enough to pull a prank like that again? No. I
really don't like upsetting people, and I don't mess around with other
people's boyfriends either.
Now another voice suddenly joins in the conversation, off-camera.
LAURIE
Well, that's good to know.
RUFUS feels her hand on his shoulder and looks up.
RUFUS
Hi, sweetie. How did it go?
LAURIE
Great! Actually I'm in much better shape than I'd thought. The doctor said
my heart sounds good, my lungs are nice and clear, my blood pressure is
good, all my organs are fine. And here I'd thought I was dying or
something! It's good to get those reality checks now and then. Of course,
cutting out the cigarettes helped; I really should give myself more
credit. . . .
But all the while she is speaking, her head keeps turning to look at MARY. The
latter has scooted her chair back from the table and is about to stand up.
MARY
Well, I guess I'll be leaving now.
RUFUS
No, maybe you should stay. It's about time I introduced you two, while
we're talking about reality checks.
LAURIE instinctively slips a protective arm around his shoulders and looks
warily at MARY.
RUFUS
This is Mary Freighter, the one I told you about. Mary, this is Laurie.
Mary starts to offer her hand, then draws it back.
LAURIE
(without smiling) Hi, Mary.
MARY
Well, I can see I'm not welcome here, so I really should go.
Now she stands up and, in spite of her embarrassment, looks LAURIE in the eyes.
MARY
You've got a good man, Laurie.
LAURIE
I know that. And I intend to keep him.
MARY
Good luck to you both.
With this she strolls off, but her walk no longer has the swagger it had before.
LAURIE watches her walk away, then turns to look at RUFUS with mixed emotions
showing in her face. He holds up his hands in a defensive gesture.
RUFUS
No, that was not a planned rendezvous. She just happened to walk by and
see me, and invited herself to sit down. We were only talking for a few
minutes before you got here. I'm tired of being cross-examined and I wish
you'd learn to trust me!
LAURIE
Did I say anything?
RUFUS
No, but you're giving me that look again.
LAURIE
I just get scared, that's all. I don't want to lose you.
RUFUS
You're not going to. She seems to like me for some reason, but it's not
mutual. It never was. She's not about to get in your way since she knows
how we both feel. All right? Can we please drop it now?
But there is still a look of doubt on her face.
LAURIE
If you could just stop being so defensive for a minute. . . .There's still
something about this I don't quite understand.
Now she sits down in the chair that MARY vacated, and tries to frame her
thoughts.
LAURIE
It's just, now that I've seen her--I mean, she is big and everything, but
I can't quite picture her forcibly dragging you up to her apartment; she
just doesn't seem like someone who would do that.
RUFUS
Well, she wasn't wearing her biker outfit this time.
LAURIE still looks puzzled.
RUFUS
And no, of course it wasn't literally by force. In some part of my mind I
made the decision to walk there with her on my own two feet. Because, I
guess a part of me was tempted to take her up on her offer. Except she
wasn't really offering that.
LAURIE
Huh?
RUFUS
She explained to me just now what that was all about. It was just a silly
overgrown-schoolgirl prank, to prove to her friends how bad she could be.
I told her it's about time she outgrew that stuff.
LAURIE
But you said you were tempted-RUFUS
In the beginning, yes, I admit I was. But once I'd been in her place for
about five minutes I realized what a dumb idea that would be. I would have
only ended up 30 dollars poorer, and for what? It wouldn't have solved
anything. Besides, she wouldn't even take my money once she knew I was
homeless.
LAURIE
But she would-RUFUS
No, I don't think so. She really didn't show any interest in that at all.
I think she just wanted to feel powerful for a little while, and she was
sort of laughing at me because I was feeling weak at the time. But now, my
dear, the shoe is on the other foot.
LAURIE
Meaning?
RUFUS
Since I'm back in possession of my senses now, she's the one who walked
away feeling like a fool.
LAURIE
But at least she was wise enough to walk away.
RUFUS
Fortunately for us. And in any case, now I know I don't ever need to let
that happen again.
They join hands across the table as she begins to comprehend what he means.
RUFUS
I'm glad you're in good health; at least we do have a few things going for
us. Now we're just going to have to take care of each other better, and
hope someday we might find a way out of this mess, before we get old and
sick.
He looks out at the horizon.
RUFUS
And since the sun is starting to go down, I suggest we head back to our
campsite and see if it's still there.
EXT. CITY STREET CORNER--DAY
This is a corner that is well-traveled by both pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
RUFUS and LAURIE are standing side-by-side. He is holding a neatly hand-lettered
sign that reads "HOMELESS COUPLE WILL WORK FOR CASH". They stand there in
silence for several moments as numerous people walk by and ignore them, or else
give them dirty looks. Then a YOUNG MAN who looks about nineteen saunters up to
them with a cocky expression on his face. Without glancing at LAURIE, he
addresses only RUFUS.
YOUNG MAN
How 'bout your ol' lady here? Does she blow?
There is a moment of pregnant silence as they both narrow their eyes at him in
rage. RUFUS drops the sign on the ground as his hands close into fists.
RUFUS
(ominously, through clenched teeth) You've got exactly five seconds to
vacate these premises, punk, if you don't want your face busted open.
LAURIE
Freakin' pig! Where do you get off with that crap?
The YOUNG MAN decides it would be wise to take them seriously.
YOUNG MAN
Hey, I didn't mean nuthin' by it. No need to get all bent outta shape.
Geez!
Then he turns around and quickly walks away. They both glare at him until he
disappears around the corner. Then RUFUS puts his arms around LAURIE and holds
her close.
RUFUS
I'm so sorry you have to go through this, honey. I swear it won't be for
much longer.
LAURIE
I know, you keep saying that-RUFUS
Well, what can I do, dammit all? I'm running out of ideas!
LAURIE
Would you really have busted his face open?
RUFUS
Damn straight I would! Nobody insults you like that!
LAURIE
Well, actually they do.
She basks in his embrace for just a moment longer. Then there is nothing for him
to do but take up the sign again. They stand there for a few more silent
moments. Then as fate would have it, the next passer-by is MARY. Now she is very
smartly dressed in office clothes. When she sees them, she and RUFUS meet eyes
for a few stunned moments. She looks somewhat embarrassed as she had before, and
he can hardly suppress a laugh.
RUFUS
We've gotta stop meeting like this.
MARY
Well, it looks like it's going to keep happening, so maybe we should just
get used to it. . . .So this is what you guys do to supplement your
income?
RUFUS
Actually it's kind of a new experiment.
She hesitates.
MARY
(a little timidly) Would you accept money from me?
Now LAURIE has a slight smile of amusement in her eyes.
LAURIE
We accept any and all cash donations. If you wish to remain anonymous, we
don't ask questions.
RUFUS
So, you're having a better day on the street than we are, huh, Mary?
MARY
Knock it off, wise guy! You're never gonna let me live that one down, are
ya?
RUFUS
Sorry. I couldn't resist.
MARY
Believe it or not, I actually work at a very boring job. But it pays
pretty well.
LAURIE
We accept boring jobs too.
MARY
Well, I wish I had one for ya. But this is all I got right now.
She reaches into her handbag and pulls out a ten-dollar bill. She hands it to
RUFUS, who promptly passes it to LAURIE, who stuffs it into her pocket.
LAURIE
(with sincerity this time) Thank you.
MARY
I wish it could be more, but-RUFUS
Thank you, Mary. It's very generous of you. Now I'm sure you need to get
back to work.
MARY
Right. Well, uh--take care, you two.
They both smile at her as she walks away, with the same warm smile they duly
give to all donors. Then LAURIE chuckles.
LAURIE
Now all we need is for your parents to drive by to make our day complete.
RUFUS
(cynically) Oh, right. You know what they'd say to me? Same thing all
those other jerks say.
LAURIE
(with a very nasal sneer) Getta jooooooooob!
RUFUS
That's about it. They were calling me a bum even when I was working.
LAURIE
And they still refuse to believe you got laid off through no fault of your
own?
RUFUS
Probably. They'll probably always think I'm a lazy hippie just because I
didn't follow in Dad's footsteps.
LAURIE
Well, we can't all be corporate lawyers.
RUFUS
You mean you're not sorry I didn't go to law school?
LAURIE
Of course not! If you had I never would have met you.
RUFUS
Well, that's true.
Then he suddenly gives the finger to a passing motorist.
RUFUS
Same to you, buddy! You try standing out here!
Now LAURIE looks reflective.
LAURIE
You know, hon, Mary really wants to help us.
RUFUS
What kind of help do you think she could give us, besides an occasional
handout?
LAURIE
I don't know. I get the feeling she'd even offer us shelter if we asked.
RUFUS
Oh, you don't wanna go there, Laurie. Her place is a dump.
LAURIE
Really?
RUFUS
Oh, yeah. When I was there the sink was full of dirty dishes, and she was
worried about fruit flies getting in the beer because the kitchen was such
a mess. And the living room had all kinds of junk all over the floor.
Believe me, it would've made you puke.
Now there is a slight twinkle in her eyes.
LAURIE
And the bedroom?
RUFUS
(in a softer voice) I didn't see the bedroom, Laurie. She kept that door
closed.
LAURIE
(with a sly smile) Uh-huh.
RUFUS
And we are not going to have that discussion again! I shouldn't have to
prove my innocence to you after all this time.
LAURIE
(after a pause) Did I say anything?
RUFUS
Oh, stop it!
He leans over and kisses her. The smile on her face indicates that she was only
teasing this time. Then she looks reflective again.
LAURIE
It's funny. You wouldn't guess that, from the way she dresses.
RUFUS
What? That she's such a flaky housekeeper?
LAURIE
Yeah. She's got a pretty spiffy wardrobe, from what I've seen.
RUFUS
I know. Even that leather jacket was state-of-the-art.
LAURIE
She probably spends more time shopping on her days off than cleaning her
apartment.
RUFUS
That is, when she's not playing those dumb pranks on the street.
LAURIE
Well, maybe you talked some sense into her about that.
RUFUS
I hope so! She could be doing better things with her life, that's for
sure. . . .But enough about Mary. We gotta think about us.
LAURIE
I don't know if I'd be so quick to write her off, honey. It could just be
that she has something to do with us.
RUFUS
Huh? What the hell are you talking about?
LAURIE
I don't know. I just have this feeling that we haven't seen the last of
her.
RUFUS
Well, the way things have been going, the odds are pretty good that we'll
run into her again somewhere. But so what?
LAURIE
I don't know. Like I said, it's just a feeling, that there's more to her
than meets the eye. And besides just her cruddy apartment.
RUFUS
(sarcastically) What? Like you knew each other in a previous incarnation?
Or that she's some kind of a Goddess who came in the disguise of a whore
to save us?
Now she looks a little hurt and disgusted.
LAURIE
Do you think you could tone down your sarcasm just a little now and then?
RUFUS
What for? It's the most reliable weapon I have, and the only one I can use
legally.
LAURIE
Well, if you keep on using it the way you do, they just might make it
illegal. And besides, you don't need to use any weapons on me.
He lets out a big sigh.
RUFUS
I'm sorry. It's just all these frustrations, you know, when things get to
me and I don't know what to do, then my wise mouth just takes over.
LAURIE
Yes. I know that all too well.
RUFUS
You go ahead and have those feelings; who's to say you're wrong? But in
the meantime we still have to make some more money. And we haven't gotten
too many hits yet today.
LAURIE
(very softly, almost to herself) Haven't Goddesses come in stranger
disguises than that?
RUFUS
What?
LAURIE
Nothing. You're right. We need to concentrate on making some more money.
Then she takes the ten-dollar bill out of her pocket and looks at it reverently,
as if it were a magic talisman.
RUFUS
You'd better put that away, before somebody grabs it.
LAURIE
Right.
She folds it very tenderly this time and puts it back into her pocket. Then the
very next passer-by gives them a big smile and drops a large handful of change
into RUFUS's hand. Again he passes it to LAURIE and she puts it into her pocket,
while they both murmur their thanks.
INT. TENT--NIGHT
RUFUS and LAURIE are both asleep in their double sleeping bag. Their new
campsite is still, as yet, undiscovered and undisburbed, and it is dead quiet.
First the camera is on both of them, then just on LAURIE. Then there is another
image superimposed on her that shows what she is dreaming. It is of MARY in a
casual housedress. She has a confident, lusty smile on her face. She speaks one
line.
MARY
I want you to prosper.
She continues smiling, then the image fades back to just LAURIE. A moment later
she opens her eyes. She hears MARY's voice speak that line faintly once more,
then she is fully awake. She turns to look at RUFUS who is still sound asleep.
Then she just looks up into the darkness, reflecting on the dream.
EXT. CAMPSITE--EARLY MORNING
Another day is dawning. LAURIE is already up and starting the coffee on the
propane stove. She looks very preoccupied. After a few minutes, RUFUS crawls out
of the tent, already dressed. As he picks up his coffee mug he notices her
expression, and that she's looking out into the distance instead of at him. He
takes a sip of coffee.
RUFUS
I can see you've got something on your mind, babe. Wanna talk about it?
Then she turns to look at him.
LAURIE
I had a dream about Mary.
RUFUS
Hm. I might have guessed. You can't seem to get her out of your mind any
more, can you?
LAURIE
I don't think she can get us out of hers either. . . .It's so obvious,
Rufus. She even said she wished she had a job for us.
RUFUS
(puzzled) What?
LAURIE
We can go clean up her damned apartment, for god's sakes! What could be
more logical? It would be a start, at least. You've pushed a mop before.
RUFUS
I suppose that suggestion was sort of dancing around the edges of that
conversation somewhere. But-LAURIE
But what?
RUFUS
Well, she hasn't asked us to, for one thing.
LAURIE
Maybe if we quit chasing her away she might. Or maybe we should just make
the offer. What if, just for one week, she paid us to do that instead of
spending the money on another one of those classy outfits? It wouldn't
kill her.
RUFUS
Yeah, and as soon as we leave she'll just junk it up all over again.
LAURIE
Well, whatever. I'm just thinking out loud.
RUFUS
And I appreciate it, honey. But maybe you need to think a little longer.
I'm not sure if you've quite got it yet.
LAURIE
Why? What's wrong with that idea? Do you have any better ones?
He starts to squirm with discomfort and evades the question.
RUFUS
Do you mean to tell me you really want to go there?
LAURIE
Why not, if she'll have us? What's the problem?
He looks away from her as he tries to find the words for his thoughts.
RUFUS
I guess it's the thought of going there again and re-living what I felt
when I was there before. . . .I'm not sure how to explain it. . . .
She waits for him to continue.
RUFUS
See, when I ran into her on the street that first time,
sort of magnetic energy field around her. It was really
next thing I knew I was walking with her, when I didn't
but for some reason I had to. It was like I was under a
there was this
strange. And the
really want to,
spell.
LAURIE
Well, maybe there was a reason for that.
RUFUS
But it didn't take more than a few minutes for the spell to wear off. Then
I knew I had to get out of there. It was not a pleasant feeling at all!
LAURIE
How so?
RUFUS
I was scared, Laurie! I was really scared, because this was like uncharted
territory, and I didn't know what I was getting into. I was afraid it was
something evil.
LAURIE shakes her head.
LAURIE
(with conviction) She's not evil.
RUFUS
What makes you so sure?
LAURIE
I just know, that's all. Don't ask me how I know. I just do. She wouldn't
have been sent our way to hurt us.
He looks at her, incredulous.
RUFUS
Is that what you really believe? That she was sent to us?
LAURIE
(softly) Yes, that's what I believe now.
RUFUS
Well, supposing that is the case. Do you think she knows it herself?
LAURIE
She might not be conscious of it. But what she is conscious of is that she
wants to help us. And she's frustrated that we keep pushing her away. It
must be hard for her to take all your biting sarcasm, but for some reason
she still keeps trying again. Doesn't that tell you anything?
RUFUS
Only that she likes me.
LAURIE
So, maybe there's a reason for that. And not the one I was afraid of
before.
He frowns in silence as he tries to take it in.
LAURIE
She can help us, babe. I don't know exactly what she does, but she has
some kind of connections. She can help. I know she can.
He is still silent, uncertain. She tries again.
LAURIE
Like the saying goes, how many lifeboats does she have to send before
you'll get it?
RUFUS
Lifeboats?!
LAURIE
Yeah, to get us out of the deep water we're in.
RUFUS
Well, that lifeboat came in an awfully strange form the first time around,
if that's what it was.
She smiles.
LAURIE
Maybe that's why her name is Freighter. Because, in your case, it took an
extra big boat to get your attention.
He involuntarily bursts into laughter, as this does somehow ring with truth.
RUFUS
Oh, she got my attention all right! But it felt more like a freight train
crashing into me at a hundred miles an hour! Or like it was gonna run me
over if I didn't do exactly what she said.
LAURIE
But she didn't hurt you, did she?
RUFUS
I suppose not.
Then he grabs at one last straw.
RUFUS
Too bad I tore up her phone number, huh.
Now her smile is even broader.
LAURIE
Not to worry. I remember it.
RUFUS
You do?! I didn't even glance at it myself!
LAURIE
Well, I did. It's 818-6712.
He looks at her in amazement.
RUFUS
You're too much!
LAURIE
No, I think I'm just what you need, that's all.
RUFUS
I'd be in a lot worse shape without you, that's for sure.
LAURIE
You still think so? Even though you could have moved back into your
parents' house if you hadn't been saddled with me?
RUFUS
Are you kidding? I'm never going back there! If they couldn't approve of
you, to hell with them!
LAURIE
Well, there you are. If that door is closed, there's another door waiting
to be opened. All we have to do is go there and knock.
Now he has exhausted his supply of excuses. He throws up his hands in an
elaborate shrug.
END OF PART ONE
PART TWO
INT. MARY'S APARTMENT--LIVING ROOM--EVENING
We see that the first cleaning task she gave RUFUS and LAURIE was to clear out
all the junk in one corner of the room so there is space for them to sleep on
the floor. RUFUS is still in that corner, smoothing out the double sleeping bag
and propping the backpacks up against the wall. LAURIE is taking a much-needed
bath. MARY is in the kitchen, stirring a pot of chili on the stove. Now she is
in her bathrobe and her hair is still wet from the shower.
When RUFUS has finished arranging their things, he sits down in the chair that
MARY had occupied when he was there the other time. He calls to her in the
kitchen.
RUFUS
You sure there's nothing I can help you with in there, Mary?
MARY
No, I want you guys to relax tonight; you've done enough work for one day.
Tomorrow you can clean the kitchen while I'm at work, but now I want you
to take is easy. You've been through enough lately.
RUFUS
Well, this is true.
Then there is a knock on the door. MARY goes over and opens it.
MARY
Hey, Tony. What's up?
TONY
Oh, nuthin' much.
It's clear that he is used to making himself at home here, as, without waiting
for an invitation, he strolls nonchalantly through the kitchen and sits down in
the other chair in the living room. He and RUFUS immediately recognize each
other.
RUFUS
Hey--don't I know you?
TONY smiles mischievously.
TONY
Yeah. I was one of the witnesses when Mary kidnapped you off the street.
RUFUS glares at him, clearly displeased with this choice of words.
TONY
So what did she do? Make you her regular weekly date?
Now RUFUS glares even harder through narrowed eyes; we can almost see the steam
coming out of his ears. But he decides to ignore that question and ask one of
his own.
RUFUS
Which one were you? The one who bet she couldn't do it or the one who bet
she could?
TONY
(unabashedly) I'm the one that bet she could.
RUFUS
And how much did you make from this bet?
TONY
Five bucks.
RUFUS
(cynically) Five bucks, to make a sucker out of me!
TONY
Hey, that might sound like chump change to a college boy, but to people
like us it's a lotta money.
RUFUS
What do you mean, college boy?
TONY
Isn't that what you are?
RUFUS
Well, I was once, a long time ago, but why do you assume that?
TONY
I thought all you rich kids went to college.
RUFUS stares at him incredulously.
RUFUS
Dude, you don't know anything about my life! Where do you get off with
these assumptions?
MARY, who has gone back to stirring the chili, now calls out from the kitchen.
MARY
Tony, are you bein' rude to my guest here?
TONY
Oh, so now he's your guest. What am I?
MARY
Right now you're bein' a pain in the ass, that's what.
TONY
Oh, so now your lifelong friend and neighbor is suddenly a pain in the
ass, and you're stickin' up for this college boy that you hardly even
know!
RUFUS
(through clenched teeth) Would you stop calling me a college boy?!
MARY puts the spoon down and walks into the living room. She stands looking at
TONY with her hands on her hips.
MARY
Just what is your problem, Tony?
TONY
Oh, so now I'm the one that's got a problem!
MARY
If you can't chill out, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave.
TONY
So how come I'm the one that's gotta leave?
MARY
(in a softer voice) Because you've got a place to go. He doesn't.
TONY
The rich kid doesn't got no place to go?
He looks around, and it's only now that he notices the sleeping bag and
backpacks in the corner. Now he is beginning to grasp the situation.
MARY
Yeah, that's right, he's stayin' here. Him and his girlfriend, who's
takin' a bath right now. Gotta problem with that?
Now he rises to leave, shaking his head.
TONY
I don't know what's got into you, Mary. You're not your old self any more.
MARY
Well, maybe that's a good thing!
Then he goes stomping noisily through the kitchen and exits, slamming the door
behind him. MARY turns to look at RUFUS.
MARY
I'm sorry about that.
RUFUS
(still very irritated) Why did he keep calling me a college boy?
MARY
Because his parents couldn't afford to send him to college.
RUFUS
Well, is that my fault?
MARY
Of course not. He's just jealous and he's got an attitude, as you can see.
RUFUS
Are all your friends like that?
Now she sits down in the other chair, warming to the conversation.
MARY
Pretty much. At least insofar as most of us couldn't afford to go to
college. But I don't hold that against you.
RUFUS
(sarcastically) Well, thank you very much! . . .What gets me is those
assumptions he made. What the hell does he know about my life and what my
parents were like and everything? Maybe by his standards we were what you
could call rich, but my parents wouldn't even pay for my education unless
I went to law school, to be a lawyer like my Dad. And since I refused to
do that, I was on my own.
MARY
So you didn't go to college?
RUFUS
What? You assumed that too?
She shrugs.
MARY
I don't know. Maybe.
RUFUS
I did take a few classes at a junior college for a while, but it just
didn't go anywhere. I really didn't see the point.
MARY
Really?
RUFUS
What? You thought I had some kind of fancy degree or something?
MARY
I don't know. You sure got a way with words.
He chuckles.
RUFUS
So they tell me. But no, I really have no academic credentials. A high
school diploma and that's about it.
MARY
Well, you sure got a brain anyhow.
RUFUS
Thank you. Now if I could just figure out what to do with it.
She smiles sympathetically.
MARY
Well, anyhow, dinner's almost ready, if Laurie's about done with her bath.
INT. FIRST-FLOOR HALLWAY OF APARTMENT BUILDING--DAY
It is morning, about a week later. MARY comes down the stairs to leave for work.
Because the weather is getting warmer, she is a little more casually dressed in
lightweight coulots and sandals. As she heads toward the front door, she sees
her landlady, MRS. PETRELLI, coming down the hall.
MARY
Morning, Mrs. Petrelli.
The latter walks right up to her, obviously having something to say. She speaks
in broken English with an old-country accent. She gets straight to the point.
MRS. PETRELLI
I no lika your friends here. They usa my lights and my water. How longa
they stay?
MARY
Oh, come on Mrs. Petrelli, I'm just helping 'em out for a little while.
They're trying to save up money for a place of their own, and in the
meantime they're helping me clean up my place. Which you gotta admit
needed it bad.
MRS. PETRELLI pauses for a moment, considering this. Then she repeats her
question.
MRS. PETRELLI
How longa they stay?
MARY
I don't know. Are you gonna set a deadline?
Again MRS. PETRELLI is silent. Then she does decide to set a deadline.
MRS. PETRELLI
Two more weeks.
MARY
And if I don't throw them out in two weeks, does that mean you'll throw me
out?
She pauses again, not wanting to put it in such blunt terms herself. Then she
just repeats her previous statement.
MRS. PETRELLI
Two more weeks. No more.
She turns and walks back down the hall to her own apartment. MARY makes a face
at her and silently mouths the word "Bitch!"
Then she continues toward the front door with a sombre expression on her face.
But before she reaches the door, she sees BECKY and TONY approaching from the
other direction. Apparently they all three live in this building and see each
other practically every day.
BECKY
Hey, Mary. How's it goin'?
She just looks at them with the dark expression still on her face.
BECKY
Oh! That good, huh?
TONY
Still got those kids bummin' offa ya?
MARY
(very testily) They're not kids, and they're not bummin' offa me. They
have their own money and food stamps, and they're helpin' me with the
housework. They just don't have a place to live right now, but they're
workin' on that.
BECKY
(with some doubt) They're workin' on that, huh.
MARY
Yeah, they're workin' on that. Now if you'll excuse me, I don't wanna be
late for work.
She pushes past them and hurries out the door. They look at each other.
TONY
See what I mean? She's changed.
BECKY
Yeah, you're right. She's changed. But you know, Tony, who's to say it's
for the worse?
TONY
Huh?
BECKY
After all, we're not exactly kids any more either.
He considers this, but can't think of anything to say, so he merely shrugs.
INT. MARY'S LIVING ROOM--DAY
It is late afternoon of the same day. LAURIE is cleaning the rug with a carpet
sweeper. She pauses by the bookcase at one end of the room as a picture on top
of it catches her eye. She picks it up and gazes at it for a few moments. It is
a photograph of MARY from her high school days, a close-up of her face against a
yellow background. In it her hair is much longer and appears a few shades
lighter than it is now. She has a very dreamy expression on her face, looking at
nothing in particular as if her mind is lost in a deep reverie.
Then suddenly LAURIE gets an image in her mind of what MARY was like in those
days. The scene switches to this image.
EXT. A HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC FIELD--DAY
This teenage version of MARY is walking slowly across the field wearing her
shorts and track shoes, with the long-legged swagger-stride of a competent
athlete and a confident smile on her face. There is a much smaller girl walking
alongside her who is perhaps a younger version of BECKY. Then fade back to the
present.
LAURIE is still gazing at the photo with a slight smile. Then she puts it back
on the bookcase and resumes her sweeping, looking very thoughtful.
A few moments later we hear the kitchen door open and MARY walks in, home from
work. LAURIE is just finishing up the job when she comes into the living room.
MARY
Hey, the rug looks great! I'd almost forgotten it was that color!
LAURIE
Yeah, there was quite a bit of crud on it.
MARY
Where's Rufus?
LAURIE
He went out to do a little grocery shopping.
MARY
Good. Have you guys figured out what you want for dinner?
LAURIE
Yes, and we're doing the cooking this time.
MARY
Hey, I don't object. Go for it!
Then she plops down in the chair and grows silent, looking gloomily at the wall.
LAURIE catches her expression.
LAURIE
Something on your mind?
MARY
(reluctantly) Yeah. I don't know exactly how to tell you this, but-LAURIE
Uh-oh, here it comes!
Now she has stopped sweeping and is standing still, leaning on the handle of the
sweeper.
MARY
It's my landlady. She's been givin' me some flak about you guys bein'
here.
LAURIE nods philosophically.
LAURIE
I'm not surprised. It's pretty typical.
MARY hesitates.
LAURIE
Come on, tell me--how bad is it?
MARY
OK. She laid down an ultimatum. You can only stay here for two more weeks.
LAURIE
(sighing) Well, at least that gives us a little time window to figure out
what to do next.
Now MARY looks at her.
MARY
I'm sorry, Laurie. If it was only up to me I'd let you guys stay here
forever. It doesn't bother me any.
LAURIE
I know. You're not a miracle worker. You're just a person with a big
heart.
MARY
So why does my big heart get me in trouble?
LAURIE
Probably because your landlady has a heart the size of a pea.
MARY nods.
MARY
All she cares about is her own bottom line. My utilities are included in
the rent, so she gets really nitpicky about how many hours we keep the
lights on, how many showers we take per week and all that crap.
LAURIE
What if we could pay some rent? Would that make any difference to her?
MARY
I doubt it. My lease actually says I'm not supposed to have any
subtenants.
LAURIE
And would she get aggressive about enforcing that?
MARY
(bitterly) I wouldn't put it past her. She doesn't have much else to do
with her life.
LAURIE
Well, when Rufus comes back we'll have a powwow and figure something out.
MARY
You know, I'm surprised you're taking this so calmly, in a way.
LAURIE
We're used to it, Mary. We've been homeless for a long time. Getting
shuffled around from one place to another is just part of the deal. The
only surprise is when they do it in a civilized way, instead of just
tossing us out like yesterday's trash.
MARY
It just isn't right.
LAURIE
Tell me about it!
MARY
God, she's such a bitch!
Then she goes into a mocking imitation of MRS. PETRELLI'S speech and the
accompanying Italian gestures.
MARY
She too much trouble to me. She bringa her friends in. They playa music.
They maka the noise.
LAURIE
That's what she's like, huh.
MARY
Oh, she's constantly complaining about one thing or another. If she
couldn't find anything to bitch about she wouldn't know what to do with
herself! It's not enough that I'm never late with the rent, no, all the
good things I do don't count!
LAURIE nods in recognition.
LAURIE
I know the type. Always seeing the glass half-empty instead of half-full.
People like that are to be pitied.
MARY
I guess.
Then her face lights up as she has another idea.
MARY
You know, I wouldn't mind keepin' you guys on as regular part-time
housekeepers. You've already made this place look a hundred percent
better--which should make her happy.
LAURIE
Well, I suppose we could still do that while we're camping in the park.
MARY
Yeah, but what kinda way is that to live? There must be someplace better
for you.
LAURIE
Not that we can afford yet.
MARY
But maybe if you could set aside a little money every week?
LAURIE
I know, that's the theory. It might be a light at the end of the tunnel.
Maybe.
MARY
The biggest problem with that would be givin' you an extra key so you
could let yourselves in and out when I'm not here. She'd bitch about that
too.
LAURIE
Hm.
MARY
Theoretically I'm not supposed to duplicate my key. But of course people
do that all the time.
LAURIE
Well, like I said, when Rufus gets back we'll put our heads together and
maybe we can come up with something.
But MARY is still continuing her muse.
MARY
Wait a minute! What if I arranged for Becky or Tony to let you in? They
work different hours from me, so they're around here some days. That might
work.
LAURIE
(nodding) Could be a plan.
MARY
I could give one of them my apartment key, and they could buzz you in the
front door and then let you in here. You'd just need to call 'em in
advance to make sure they're home.
LAURIE
If you think they'd be willing to do it.
MARY
(with new resolve) I'll ask 'em. They're gonna have to come around to
accepting you guys sometime, even if Mrs. Petrelli won't.
INT. BASEMENT LAUNDRY ROOM--DAY
It is a few days later. The room is fairly small, with just one washer and dryer
and a couple of folding chairs. RUFUS and LAURIE are doing a big load of wash,
their own clothes as well as MARY's. They are in the process of transferring one
load from the washer to the dryer, then putting a second load into the washer.
RUFUS holds up a pair of his socks that are full of holes.
RUFUS
Now there's a religious pair of socks!
LAURIE
I know, it's time we got some more. Those are about ready for the rag bin.
After they have been busily engaged in this task for several moments, BECKY
appears in the doorway holding a basket of clothes. She hesitates as she sees
them. They both have their backs to her and don't notice her right away.
BECKY
Oh! I didn't know you guys were gonna do laundry today.
LAURIE turns around from the dryer after pushing the "start" button.
LAURIE
We only have one more load to do; it won't be that long.
BECKY still hesitates as she debates whether to go back upstairs or stay and
wait for them to finish.
BECKY
Well, I don't really wanna lug this thing all the way back up to the third
floor. . . .
But still she hesitates to come into the room. Now we see that, even though she
has agreed to the plan to let them into the building, she still feels
uncomfortable in their presence.
LAURIE
So hang out here and wait then.
Still she hesitates, and LAURIE sees her discomfort.
LAURIE
Well, come on in! We don't bite!
Now RUFUS turns around from the washer, also notes her expression, and can't
resist teasing her a little.
RUFUS
What's the matter? Afraid of getting the college boy's cooties?
BECKY laughs in spite of herself as she steps into the room and sets her basket
down on the floor.
BECKY
You're never gonna stop raggin' on Tony about that, are ya?
RUFUS
Well, he deserves it!
Now the ice is at least partially broken, so she sits down in one of the chairs.
BECKY
You know somethin'? I don't think any college would admit him even if he
could afford the tuition.
RUFUS
Why not?
BECKY
He's got an IQ of about forty-nine! Didn't ya notice?
He laughs.
RUFUS
I believe it!
He finishes stuffing the clothes into the washer and starts it. Then he sits
down in the other chair, while LAURIE leans on the dryer. He looks at BECKY with
a faint twinkle of amusement in his eyes and says nothing. She squirms a little,
then decides it would be better to make an attempt at conversation than to sit
there in silence.
BECKY
Uh--can I ask you a question?
RUFUS
(without missing a beat) You just did.
She looks perplexed for a moment, then tries again.
BECKY
Well then, can I ask you another question?
RUFUS
That was another question.
LAURIE smiles and makes no attempt to intervene, as she has heard him go through
this same exchange before, with other people. Poor BECKY is now looking even
more perplexed as she realizes this approach will get her nowhere. He savors her
discomfort for just a moment longer, then laughs.
RUFUS
Why don't you just go ahead and ask?
BECKY
Well, uh--have you guys figured out where you're gonna go after you leave
here?
Now the smile disappears from LAURIE's face.
LAURIE
Not really. Just go back to living in the woods, playing hide-and-seek
games with the ranger like Yogi Bear and Boo-boo.
RUFUS
Did you like it better when we were living in a car like Bonnie and Clyde?
BECKY looks surprised.
BECKY
You used to have a car?
RUFUS
Oh yeah, once upon a time. We were sleeping in the back of a Honda Civic
and delivering phone books, till the thing got wrecked.
BECKY's eyes widen.
BECKY
Really? What happened?
LAURIE grimaces as she recalls the event.
LAURIE
Oh, you don't wanna know! It was a nightmare.
RUFUS
Yeah, the brakes went out on us one night when we were driving on a
winding mountain road while the sun was going down, and we landed sideways
in a ditch.
BECKY
Geez! You're lucky you survived that!
LAURIE
Yeah, we got off with just minor concussions, but the car was useless
after that. So we've been on foot ever since.
BECKY
But why do you think the brakes went out all of a sudden?
RUFUS
Oh, that part is even more interesting. We had a mechanic look at it and
he found sand in the filter next to the brake cylinder.
BECKY
No kidding!
RUFUS
Yep. Only one way it could've gotten there.
BECKY's eyes are now even wider with horror as she comes to the inevitable
conclusion.
BECKY
Somebody had it in for you guys!
RUFUS
Apparently so. Who it was we could only guess. But it was definitely foul
play.
She shakes her head, overwhelmed and not knowing what else to say.
LAURIE
So you see, that's one of the reasons we're so stuck right now. If we had
a vehicle there would be a lot more jobs we could do, and we could keep
moving around and stay one step ahead of the cops at least.
BECKY
So that's one of the things you're lookin' for then, tryin' to save up
money for.
RUFUS
It would certainly help.
LAURIE
Yeah, then maybe a little later on we could invest in a few landscaping
tools, like a weedeater so we could do people's lawns and stuff.
BECKY
Not a lot of lawns around here.
LAURIE
No, but with a rig we could get around to other places.
BECKY
Right. Hm, let me think.
Now that she has been moved by their story she suddenly feels, for the first
time, a desire to help them like MARY did. She frowns in concentration as she
searches her mind for some kind of solution. Then suddenly her face lights up.
BECKY
Wait a minute! There's this guy that works at the hospital I work at; I
think he told me he wants to sell his van, 'cause he's got another rig
now.
Now their faces also light up.
RUFUS
Really? Do you know how much he wants for it?
BECKY
I think he's askin' a coupla hundred.
RUFUS
That might be doable. What kind of condition is it in?
BECKY
Oh, not too bad. It's old, but it still runs pretty good. At least, mosta
the time.
RUFUS
(smiling philosophically) Doesn't break down more than a couple times a
year?
She chuckles.
BECKY
Somethin' like that. I don't know where you could reach him at, but I'll
ask him about it if I see him at work tomorrow. He mops the floor in the
kitchen, just part time.
RUFUS
Please do ask him! The sooner the better!
LAURIE
Do they have openings for any other jobs like that, while we're at it?
BECKY
Hm. Not any I can think of right now, but I could check into that too.
LAURIE
Thanks.
EXT. STREET--DAY
A couple more days have passed. A van is parked on the street in front of MARY's
building. The side door is open and RUFUS and LAURIE are in the back checking
out the interior, but still in view of the camera. TERRY, the owner of the van,
is standing on the sidewalk. He is in his mid-forties and has a salt-and-pepper
beard.
TERRY
So, now that you've taken it for a test drive, what do you think?
RUFUS
Not bad. I like the way it starts on a dime.
LAURIE
Yeah, for quick getaways.
TERRY chuckles.
TERRY
I hear that!
LAURIE
It certainly is roomier than the Honda was.
TERRY
Yeah, it worked for me for a while. But now I have a six-pack camper with
a few more amenities; that's what I live in now.
Now they are looking at him with surprise and more interest.
RUFUS
So you're one of us mobile homeless too?
TERRY
Oh, yeah. Have been for several years now.
LAURIE
Becky didn't tell us you were one of us!
TERRY
That's because she doesn't know. I'm very careful not to tell anybody at
work about my living situation. I'm just a part-timer, so they don't need
to know nuthin'.
LAURIE
But what did you give them for an address and phone?
TERRY
I have my rig parked in a friend's driveway part of the time; he lets me
use his address and phone. It works in a pinch.
He smiles as he gives them a friendly appraising look.
TERRY
So you two have been homeless for a while, huh?
RUFUS
How long has it been? Just about a year now since we lost our place.
TERRY
Oh, you're still a couple of spring chickens! I wouldn't put you in the
disabled category yet; you look pretty young and healthy to me. Not
mentally or physically ill.
RUFUS
You don't think we're mentally ill? We're getting there.
He chuckles again.
TERRY
I wouldn't say you're that far gone yet, but if you do get crazy enough,
you might qualify for some kind of disability.
RUFUS
(only half-jokingly) Now, that could be a plan.
TERRY
Of course, you gotta realize there's a lot of other people trying to go
that route too, so they have to weed out the scammers.
LAURIE
Scamming isn't one of the things we're too good at anyhow.
TERRY
Well then, it's probably just as well if you don't get too good at it. It
really works against you, 'cause it messes up your reputation.
LAURIE
We don't get that far by being honest though, either.
TERRY
But it really does work in your favor in the long run.
RUFUS
People talk about "The long run" all the time, but we still have to figure
out what we're gonna do today. . . .And if I don't get an extension on my
unemployment it's gonna run out pretty soon.
TERRY is thoughtful for a moment, then he remembers something.
TERRY
Becky told me you were asking about a job at the hospital. I heard there's
an opening coming up in the laundry room pretty soon, if you're
interested.
LAURIE
Sure. I can fold towels.
TERRY
Oh, you'd be doing more than that; you'd be washing dirty diapers too. It
gets pretty rank in there.
LAURIE
No problem; I can deal with that.
TERRY
Well, if your friend would let you use her address, you might give it a
shot.
INT. MARY'S KITCHEN--DAY
It is a couple of days later. RUFUS and LAURIE are in the process of defrosting
the freezer. They have now bought the van and moved into it, and are parking it
in the neighborhood so they can still come to MARY's and clean a couple of days
a week. There are pans of water heating on the stove, and they are busily
mopping the floor and dumping out containers of water from the melting ice. The
clock on the wall reads about 5:30, so MARY is due to come home from work any
minute.
LAURIE
Have you noticed anything different about Mary since we moved out of here?
RUFUS
What? You mean that she's been acting silly like a squirrel in heat? Yeah,
I've noticed.
LAURIE
She told me she has the hots for some guy she works with at the office.
Some German guy named Eckhardt. Only she doesn't know if it's mutual or
not.
RUFUS
I figured it was something like that.
She takes a pan of boiling water from the stove and transfers it to the freezer,
then takes out the pan of cooled water and puts it back on the stove. Then her
mind switches to a different subject.
LAURIE
You know, there's something I keep wondering about. Why do you think Terry
called us a couple of spring chickens? Doesn't he think a year is a long
enough time to be homeless?
RUFUS
Not compared to how long he has been. It's all relative. He's been there
so long it just seems like the norm to him; we're still beginners in his
book. He considers himself to be the great expert, so he can hand out all
this sage advice to us younger folks. Like that's such a great thing to be
an expert in.
LAURIE
Knowing how to navigate the system? There is something to be said for
that.
RUFUS
Sure, but can you see us still living in the van by the time we're his
age? And handing out our expert advice to some other young homeless
couple?
LAURIE
Oh please, don't even think it!
RUFUS
I rest my case.
LAURIE
Yeah, you're right. In another year that van should just be our
transportation vehicle, parked in our driveway so we can see it out the
window.
RUFUS
Exactly.
Then suddenly MARY walks in the door. She does indeed have a special glow on her
face. This glow is further enhanced by the pretty pair of sparkly topaz earrings
she is wearing that match her long skirt. She is holding a few pieces of mail in
her hand, which she apparently hasn't even glanced at yet. They both note her
expression.
RUFUS
Looking good, Mary.
LAURIE
Yeah. How's Eckhardt?
MARY breaks into a girlish giggle.
MARY
How'd you know I was thinkin' about him? Is it that obvious?
RUFUS
Yes.
MARY
Actually, he has been over here one time since you guys left.
They both look at her with great interest.
LAURIE
And?
MARY
Oh, you want a blow-by-blow now, is that it?
RUFUS
Only if you want to tell us.
MARY
Well, I'm afraid I haven't had that much success yet. He seems to like my
company, but he's really shy. He has this way of starting to get close and
then panicking and running away as soon as I start to respond. I think he
has some abuse issues from childhood or something.
LAURIE
Hm.
Now that she has their interest, she warms to the conversation as she needs to
confide in someone.
MARY
If you really wanna know, we went so far as to make a date for him to come
over here last Saturday. And I actually bought a twelve-pack of beer, and
I was thinkin' maybe this would be the time I'd make a pass at him. But
when he got here, it was like his antennae were out and he could tell
something was up. I couldn't even get him to drink one beer! So I felt
like an idiot, just drinkin' it myself and tryin' to make conversation.
Then after a few minutes he all of a sudden jumped up and said "I gotta
go." And he was out the door before I could even say "Boo!"
LAURIE
Bummer!
She is sympathetic, but RUFUS is still in more of a mood to tease her.
RUFUS
(in a tone of feigned hurt) Gee Mary, I feel slighted. You didn't buy a
half-rack for me. All I rated was one lousy forty-ouncer! With fruit flies
in it!
MARY
Come on, wise guy, you know the reason for that. I wasn't tryin' to seduce
you for real. That beer was just a prop.
RUFUS
OK, so if that didn't work, why don't you just strong-arm him like you did
me, for god's sakes? What happened to your chutzpah?
LAURIE
Rufus, you know it's not the same thing if she feels it for real.
RUFUS
(slyly, with his voice at a slightly lower pitch) Or maybe it's time you
renewed your supply of rophies. If he won't drink any beer, invite him
over for breakfast and put one in his coffee.
Her response is an audible gasp and her eyes are wide with shock. She speaks
almost in a whisper.
MARY
You shouldn't give me ideas like that, Rufus! You got a more wicked
imagination than I do!
LAURIE
Yeah, honey, you'd better not say anything more; you're gonna get her in
trouble!
He responds with a wide grin and a deep-throated chuckle.
RUFUS
I think she's already in trouble.
MARY
Now come on, Rufus, let's get real here. You know I was only kiddin' about
the rophies. Do you really think I know where to get things like that?
RUFUS
I'd think it wouldn't be too hard to find out, around here.
MARY
Well, I don't intend to find out, OK? I just buy my beer at the corner
store and try to live a clean life. I don't wanna go to jail.
RUFUS
Can't say I blame you for that.
MARY
Now, are you guys about done with this job?
LAURIE looks inside the freezer.
LAURIE
Well, there's still some ice, but I think we can finally get the door shut
now.
RUFUS
And even see some of the food that's been buried in there for about six
years.
MARY
Well, that's good enough for now then. Turn the fridge back on and let's
start dinner.
It is only then that she remembers the letters in her hand.
MARY
Oh. I haven't even looked at my mail yet.
LAURIE
Why don't you go sit down and read your mail, and we'll make dinner.
MARY
(absently) OK.
She is looking at the backs of the envelopes now. Then the phone rings. She goes
into the living room to answer it. LAURIE turns the refrigerator back on, and
they finish dumping the last of the containers of water into the sink. Then MARY
calls out from the living room.
MARY
Laurie, it's for you!
LAURIE's eyes light up and she exits the room. RUFUS is still mopping up the
last of the water. After a few moments, LAURIE puts the phone down and announces
to both of them:
LAURIE
Well, it looks like I'm gonna be washing dirty diapers.
RUFUS
You got the job. Cool!
LAURIE
Yeah, but here's the bad news: it's an evening shift, five to eleven.
RUFUS
Eek! That's not such a great time for you to be out in that part of town.
MARY
Oh, it's not that bad, Rufus; she can manage. It's not like she'll be
riding the subway at three in the morning.
He frowns as he leans on the mop handle.
RUFUS
Yeah, but I still don't like you being out there after dark. I can drive
you there, or at least pick you up after work and bring you back here.
LAURIE
Well, if you want to, I guess that would work.
EXT. FRONT OF MARY'S BUILDING--EVENING
It is a few days later. MARY is sitting on the front steps wearing jeans and
sneakers. She is looking out into the distance with the same dreamy expression
she had in the picture on the bookcase. A few beats of this, then RUFUS's van
pulls up to the curb and stops; he just got back from dropping LAURIE off at
work. He gets out, walks over and joins her on the steps. He has a somewhat
tired look around his eyes.
MARY
So how's she doin'?
RUFUS
She seems to be handling the job just fine. Better than I am.
She smiles in amusement.
MARY
Better than you are?
RUFUS
Yeah, I'm the one that's been losing sleep.
MARY
You worry about her too much.
RUFUS
I can't help it. She's all I've got.
MARY
She's makin' money; that's the point, isn't it?
RUFUS
I guess.
MARY
You look like you could use a beer to calm you down.
RUFUS
You're probably right. . . .But dammit, Mary, you're gonna turn me into a
drunk! Like a lot of people think I am already.
MARY
Nah, it's good for ya. Don't buy into that guff. . . .Only trouble is, I'm
fresh out. And I don't really feel like goin' to the store right now.
He smiles.
RUFUS
Is that a hint?
MARY
Would you mind?
RUFUS
No, not really. I could probably use a walk, actually.
MARY
I think I have enough on me for a six-pack.
RUFUS
No, I've got it. I'll go.
He gets up and starts walking toward the corner store which is a couple of
blocks away. She watches him with the same dreamy expression on her face,
indicating her mind is on something else. He has crossed the street and is
approaching an alley which is in the middle of the next block.
EXT. STREET--EVENING
Then suddenly a teenage boy steps out of the alley and gives him a very hostile
stare. This is a neighbor whom MARY knows by name, but he is a stranger to
RUFUS, who is now bristling at his look.
RUFUS
Don't you give me the dirty eyeball, punk!
But he doesn't see how many others there are behind him till he reaches the
entrance to the alley.
JOE
Who're you callin' punk?!
He grabs him by the collar and roughly pulls him into the alley. Fortunately
MARY is still gazing in his direction and, in the waning daylight, can just
barely discern what is happening.
Cut to a shot of RUFUS's face receiving a blow that nearly knocks him senseless.
Then a shot of MARY running down the street at a formidable speed, with the
athletic grace of a deer. When she reaches the alley she sees there are about
half a dozen guys, most of whom she knows by name, including the one who is now
taking swings at RUFUS. Her hand reaches into the frame and grabs him by the
hair.
MARY
What are you doin', Joe?!
She yanks him off of RUFUS and throws him to the ground, with seemingly little
effort. Then she stands shielding RUFUS with her body while she faces all of
them.
MARY
YOU GUYS GOT A PROBLEM? TELL AUNT MARY ABOUT IT!!!
Now they are all suddenly stunned into immobility. No one says anything.
MARY
WHAT? NOBODY HAS ANY EXPLANATION WHY YOU'RE BEATIN' UP ON MY FRIEND?!
Now they all look very chagrined and still say nothing.
MARY
Well?
Now, like the cowards they are, they start to slink away. Once she is sure they
are leaving, she crouches down next to RUFUS who is lying on the ground.
MARY
Rufus, are you all right?
RUFUS
(groaning) What do you think? I just got a giant Excedrin headache!
She turns to face the boys again.
MARY
(very ominously) If you've done him any serous harm. . . .
Now they move away even faster. She turns back to RUFUS, trying to assess the
extent of the damage.
MARY
Do you think you can get up?
RUFUS
(groaning) I don't know.
She hesitates.
MARY
Maybe you need to go to the hospital.
RUFUS
I hate those places!
MARY
(slightly amused in spite of herself) Well, I don't think anybody likes
'em too much.
She now realizes he may be half-delirious.
MARY
Come on, let's see if you can get up. We need to get you inside.
(under her breath) Damn that Joe!
With the help of her strong arms he struggles to get back to his feet. But he is
a little unsteady when he stands up. She puts an arm around his waist to hold
him up and they walk slowly back to her building.
INT. MARY'S BEDROOM--EVENING
They enter the room, MARY still holding RUFUS around the waist. She helps him
onto the bed, then stands there wondering what to do. He is shaking slightly and
breathing heavily. She wonders if he is really injured or just emotionally
traumatized.
MARY
You sure you don't wanna go to the hospital?
RUFUS
No, I'll be OK. Just let me rest.
MARY
Well, if you're sure.
She starts to turn to walk out.
RUFUS
Don't go away!
She is surprised at the urgency in his voice. She sits down on the edge of the
bed. He grabs her hand and squeezes it very tightly.
MARY
OK, I'll sit here and we'll talk. It's probably better if you don't fall
asleep. I heard that somewhere.
He just nods and closes his eyes. He continues to squeeze her hand, and
gradually his breathing slows down and he starts to relax a little, till he is
able to talk more rationally. Then he opens his eyes, but doesn't focus them on
her.
RUFUS
I can't believe you weren't afraid to stand up to those guys.
She snorts.
MARY
They wouldn't do nuthin' to me. I know 'em. They're really a buncha wimps.
RUFUS
Nobody messes with Big Mary, huh?
She smiles.
MARY
Well, they don't anyhow.
RUFUS
More of your ex-school buddies?
MARY
No, they're 'way younger than me; we weren't in the same class at school.
Just neighbors.
RUFUS
Oh.
MARY
As a matter of fact, one of 'em is Tony's little brother.
Now he manages a cynical chuckle.
RUFUS
I wonder why I'm not surprised.
MARY
(laughing) Yeah, those intellectual genes do run in the family.
(after a brief hesitation) Do you have any idea why they did it?
RUFUS
I think it was pretty much the same reason you and Tony and Becky targeted
me that other time. . . .Only they used slightly different terminology.
MARY
What?
RUFUS
Instead of calling me a college buy, they called me a faggot.
MARY
You're kidding!
RUFUS
I think that's what they said.
MARY
I'll definitely speak to 'em about that.
RUFUS
Will you?
MARY
Oh, don't worry, I'll take care of it. They won't mess with you again,
trust me.
RUFUS
Well, thanks.
MARY
And if you wanna press charges I'll testify as a witness. I can identify
all those guys; I know where they live and everything.
Now he turns his head and looks her in the eyes.
RUFUS
You mean I get to take Tony's brother to court?
MARY
Well, sure, it's your right, isn't it? That little brat could use the
lesson too.
RUFUS
That is a tempting thought. . . .But I'll decide on it later, when my
brain is working better. Thanks.
MARY
Sure. And even if you decide not to prosecute, I can still tell 'em you
might do it and put a good scare into 'em.
RUFUS
That wouldn't hurt.
Now he squeezes her hand again, but this time more out of affection than fear.
RUFUS
I'll tell you one thing; I sure wouldn't wanna have you for an enemy.
She smiles and gives his hand a squeeze back.
MARY
Well, you got me for a friend.
Then he closes his eyes again, his hand relaxes its grip, and he looks as if he
is about to drift off to sleep. MARY remembers how tired he was already, and
again wonders what to do. Then after a few beats his eyes pop open again as he
suddenly remembers something.
RUFUS
What time is it? I gotta go pick up Laurie at work!
MARY
Oh, no you don't! You're not in any condition to drive, Rufus. She can
take the subway just this once.
RUFUS
But-Now she lets go of his hand and stands up.
MARY
But nuthin'! I'll call the hospital and tell her. You're not goin'
anywhere tonight.
Before he can protest further she exits the room.
INT. MARY'S LIVING ROOM--EVENING
She sits down in the chair and picks up the phone which is on a little table
next to it. She finds the number in her address book and dials.
MARY
I'm lookin' for Laurie Briggs; she works in the laundry room. It's kind of
urgent.
After a few moments' wait we hear LAURIE's voice faintly on the other end.
LAURIE
Hello?
MARY
Hi Laurie, it's Mary.
LAURIE
What's up?
MARY
Look, I got some kinda bad news. Rufus won't be able to pick you up
tonight; you'll need to take the subway back here.
LAURIE
(predictably alarmed) What's wrong?
MARY
He got beat up.
LAURIE
WHAT HAPPENED?!!!!!
MARY
Now, please don't get excited, Laurie. He's gonna be OK. He's right here
and he's resting.
LAURIE
Let me talk to him!
MARY
(sighing) All right.
She gets up. The phone cord is long enough that she can take it into the
bedroom.
INT. MARY'S BEDROOM--EVENING
MARY
She wants to talk to you.
RUFUS is still lying on the bed. He doesn't try to sit up, but merely holds his
arm out to take the receiver. She hands it to him.
RUFUS
Hi, sweetie.
LAURIE
What happened, honey?! Are you OK?!
RUFUS
Yeah, I'm OK, just a little woozy. But Mary's right; I'm really not in any
shape to drive right now. I got smacked in the head pretty bad and I'm
still kind of crosseyed. You'll have to take the subway.
LAURIE
What happened?!
RUFUS
I'll tell you about it when you get back here. It was just some stupid
kids. I'll be all right; I just need to rest.
LAURIE
(hesitantly) Well, if you're sure.
RUFUS
Yeah, you know the way back. Mary can even meet you at the station if you
want. Sorry, that's the best I can do for tonight.
LAURIE
(sighing) Well, OK. . . .I love you.
RUFUS
I love you too, honey. See you in a few hours.
He closes his eyes again with a weary sigh as he hands the receiver back to
MARY. She puts it back in the cradle.
MARY
She's a big girl, Rufus; she can ride the subways by herself. You don't
have to be lookin' out for her every single minute.
RUFUS
I know, but she's not used to it, and she panics so easily.
MARY
She'll be fine.
RUFUS
But you know what? I'd feel so much better if we all just got out of this
neighborhood.
MARY
Well, it might come to that. But you gotta realize this neighborhood's
always been my home, for better or worse.
RUFUS
Yeah, only lately it's mostly been worse.
Then he remembers something else.
RUFUS
Hey--wasn't I supposed to get some beer?
She laughs.
MARY
Do you really think that's what you need now?
RUFUS
Yes! Definitely! And Laurie'll probably need some when she gets back too.
MARY
Well, OK, but I'll go get it this time. I stand a better chance of
actually makin' it to the store.
INT. HOSPITAL LAUNDRY ROOM--NIGHT
LAURIE is standing at the table, folding the bed linens she just took out of the
dryer. She looks duly preoccupied and worried. A few beats of this, then TERRY
walks in.
TERRY
How's it going?
She is much too worried to make small talk, so she cuts right to the chase.
LAURIE
I just got a phone call. Rufus got beaten up.
TERRY
Woa! How did that happen?
LAURIE
I don't know. He didn't really tell me much over the phone.
TERRY
But you did talk to him, so at least he's still alive and coherent, right?
LAURIE
Seems to be.
TERRY
Well, you'll hear the story soon enough.
She nods glumly. He gives her a long reflective look.
TERRY
You really love him, don't you?
LAURIE
Yes!
TERRY
He's lucky.
She only smiles a little, realizing that TERRY probably has no love in his life.
LAURIE
It couldn't have happened more than an hour ago, after he dropped me off
here and went back to Mary's.
TERRY
So it was right near her place?
LAURIE
Must have been.
He reflects some more.
TERRY
That's some situation you're in, you know. Being marginal people in a
neighborhood that's already marginal.
She looks at him, slightly puzzled.
TERRY
A lot of people think the world would be a much better place if they just
blew up all the ghettoes. Not to mention all of us homeless folks.
LAURIE
That's a pretty stupid way to think.
TERRY
Sure, but the world is full of stupid people too. Those are the ones I'd
like to get rid of.
Now she permits herself a slight chuckle.
LAURIE
Then how many of us would be left?
TERRY
Probably a more manageable number, I'd say. At least you and I would still
be here.
LAURIE
And Mary's landlady would be gone.
TERRY
No doubt.
He looks at the clock on the wall.
TERRY
Well, I'd better get back to work. Just wanted to see how you were doing.
LAURIE
(glumly) Well, now you know.
TERRY
Hey, you two are gonna be fine. You obviously have a work ethic, so just
keep on plugging away like you're doing, and you'll make it.
LAURIE
(sighing) I hope you're right. But it just seems like every time we try to
climb out of that hole, there's always something trying to push us back
in.
He nods.
TERRY
I know what you mean. I've been through plenty of that too. One step
forward, three steps back and all that. There is this funny resistance to
people trying to improve their status; once you've been branded a member
of the "untouchable class", society wants to keep you there forever. But
look, you're stronger than anything that's trying to beat you. Just hang
in there and you'll be fine.
LAURIE
I hope you're right.
TERRY
Well, that's Terry's Words of Wisdom for the day. Take care.
He gives her a little salute, then turns and exits. She watches him walk down
the hall, thinking that perhaps RUFUS was a little harsh in his judgment of him.
INT. SUBWAY STATION--NIGHT
It is about 11:30pm. MARY is inside the station, but outside the turnstile,
watching for the next train. After a few beats it pulls in and LAURIE steps out.
When she sees MARY, she hurries over to meet her.
LAURIE
So how is he?
MARY
I think he's all right. He had a few beers and then crashed. He saved some
for you too; he thought you'd need it.
They start to climb the stairs.
LAURIE
So he wasn't really hurt that bad then, if he was able to get back to your
place.
MARY
Well, he probably wouldn't tell you this, but he couldn't walk back there
by himself. I had to pick him up off the ground and hold him up the whole
way.
LAURIE's eyes widen in alarm.
MARY
Yeah, I know. But please don't tell him I told you that; his pride is hurt
bad enough as it is.
LAURIE
But if he was hurt that bad-MARY
Yeah, I know. But I couldn't make him go to the hospital when he flat-out
refused. And he was still conscious and not bleeding to death or anything.
He probably just got a minor concussion. We'll just have to hope he's
better in the morning.
LAURIE nods in recognition.
LAURIE
He's had a concussion before, and seemed to get over it OK. He must have a
hard head.
MARY laughs.
MARY
I won't answer that!
EXT. STREET--NIGHT
They have new emerged from the subway and are walking down the sidewalk.
LAURIE
So who did it, anyhow?
MARY
Like he told you, some stupid kids. I saw it and I know who they are, and
I'll make sure they never do it again.
LAURIE
Good.
MARY
He was really chastisin' himself, though, for not bein' able to go pick
you up. As if you couldn't find your own way back here. I kept tellin' him
it wasn't his fault.
LAURIE
I know. He is really hard on himself for his so-called failure to be a
good provider. And here I am doing the providing now instead.
MARY
I bet he'll thank you for it in the long run.
LAURIE
Well, maybe. But I know it does hurt his pride a lot, like you said. He
internalized his parents' values a lot more than he thinks he did. There
was so much pressure on him to have a good career and make enough money to
support a family and all that. And look how he ended up instead.
MARY
It's not like it's the end of his life or anything; he's not even thirty
yet. He still has plenty of time to get it together.
LAURIE
Yeah, but he still doesn't know exactly what he wants to do yet.
MARY shrugs.
MARY
So he's a late bloomer; it's not a crime. He'll figure it out. Sometimes
the late bloomers do the best things after all. . . .And he's damn lucky
to have you, otherwise he might be bleedin' to death in an alley
somewhere.
LAURIE smiles.
LAURIE
Yeah, somebody else told me that recently too. . . .And by the way, thanks
for taking care of him.
MARY
Not a problem. What are friends for?
They are now nearing MARY's building.
LAURIE
So where is he sleeping?
MARY
Oh, he's back on my living room floor for now. I don't want him out in the
van in the condition he's in.
LAURIE
But we're about at the deadline when we're supposed to be out of there.
MARY
Hey, Mrs. Petrelli can go screw herself. I'm not throwin' you guys out
till after he's recovered. At least till he can drive again. I'll take
that chance.
EXT. FRONT OF MARY'S BUILDING--DAY
It is a Saturday morning, about a week later. MARY, RUFUS and LAURIE are sitting
on the front steps. RUFUS has more or less recovered from the beating in his
usual resilient way. They are basking in the late morning sun, for a change not
having much conversation.
Then RUFUS spies TONY approaching from about halfway down the block. He fixes
his eyes on him and a subtle look of cynical amusement appears in his face. TONY
doesn't seem to notice him until he has reached the foot of the steps. Then he
comes to an abrupt halt as their eyes lock.
RUFUS
(with a touch of sarcasm) How's it going, Tony?
TONY looks duly uncomfortable, but doesn't lower his eyes.
TONY
Uh--fine. (a little timidly) How's your head?
RUFUS
As hard as ever, thanks.
There is a moment of pregnant silence, then TONY clears his throat.
TONY
Look, dude, I know you don't like me much, but there's somethin' I wanna
say to ya. And this is the truth.
RUFUS
(after another pregnant pause) I'm listening.
TONY
I'm sorry for what my brother did to ya. I had nuthin' to do with it, and
he didn't know who you were. And I'm not just sayin' that 'cause I'm
afraid you'll press charges on 'im; I don't even care about that. You do
what ya gotta do.
RUFUS merely nods a little.
TONY
He was bein' stupid, OK? Just like I was.
RUFUS continues looking at him, and doesn't break the silence till it becomes
nearly unbearable and TONY starts to fidget. Then he finally speaks.
RUFUS
All right, your apology is accepted. Only he hasn't apologized yet.
TONY
I don't think he's gonna.
RUFUS
Look, Tony, I'm not taking anybody to court. But if you would just give
your brother a good talking-to I'd appreciate it.
TONY
Hey, I will. I promise. . . .All right? Peace?
He holds out his hand, and doesn't withdraw it even though RUFUS fails to
respond at first--till LAURIE gives him a surreptitious nudge. Then RUFUS slowly
reaches out, and is surprised by the warmth of TONY's handclasp.
TONY is visibly relieved as he climbs the steps to go inside, as if he's found
the right password.
TONY
Take care, bro.
RUFUS
Woa, I need to wash my ears out. Did I just hear you call me "bro"?
LAURIE
That's what it sounded like to me.
TONY
(smiling broadly) Yeah, you did.
RUFUS
That sure sounds a lot better than "college boy".
TONY
Or "faggot"?
RUFUS
Definitely!
TONY
I'm sorry to say it was my brother that called you that.
RUFUS
Well, wash his mouth out with soap, will ya?
TONY
Sure thing. See ya, Bro.
Then he disappears into the building. LAURIE laughs.
LAURIE
(with mock admiration) My, what an eloquent speaker. Maybe we should
invite him to our next club luncheon.
MARY
Listen, Laurie, for him that was a pretty eloquent speech. You should hear
the crap he talks mosta the time. I didn't think the word "sorry" was even
in his vocabulary!
RUFUS
Yeah, I gotta admit that surprised me more than a little too. And he does
have a way of standing a little taller when he's talking from the heart,
and I know that was real. And I would have accepted his apology in a
heartbeat too. I just had to make him sweat a little first.
LAURIE
Like you did Becky too.
MARY
And me.
RUFUS
Of course. If anybody messes with me they have to pay some dues, sooner or
later. They'd better figure that out!
MARY
I think they're startin' to get it now. . . .And it's good to see you got
your old feisty self back.
RUFUS
Hey, it'll take a lot more than some stupid punk kids to break me.
They all bask in this sense of relief for a few moments. Then MARY sees the
MAILMAN approaching. She apprehends him as he climbs the steps.
MARY
Hey, you don't need to stick my mail in the box; you know who I am. Just
hand it to me.
The MAILMAN smiles as he goes through the stack of mail for that building. He
picks out one letter.
MAILMAN
Mary Freighter. Just one letter for you today.
He hands it to her, then goes inside. When she looks at the envelope, the smile
quickly disappears from her face.
MARY
Uh-oh, this one is from Mrs. Petrelli. This has got to be somethin' bad,
if she sent it to me through the mail instead of just bringin' it to the
door.
Now they are concerned, sharing her sense of foreboding.
LAURIE
Uh-oh!
RUFUS
Uh-oh!
She tears the envelope open. As she reads the letter, her eyes widen in horror.
MARY
That BITCH! She's not gonna renew my lease!
RUFUS and LAURIE exchange knowing looks.
RUFUS
How did I know that was coming?
MARY
Now I've got till the end of August to find a new place to live. How do ya
like that?
LAURIE
Well, that gives you what? About three months.
RUFUS
Aren't you gonna fight it?
She puts the letter down and looks at him.
MARY
Have you ever tried fightin' an eviction in court?
RUFUS
Yes.
MARY
And obviously you lost. You know all that gets you is maybe a few more
months to look for a new place. The judge thinks he's doin' you a big
favor if he gives you that much. And in the meantime the rents keep goin'
up everywhere, so it gets harder and harder to find anything you can
afford. I've been down that road before too.
RUFUS and LAURIE both nod, as this unfortunately can't be refuted.
LAURIE
It's because of us, huh.
MARY
I don't doubt it. 'Cause you're still comin' around here usin' her
precious lights and water.
LAURIE
Too bad she can't appreciate all the work we've done.
MARY
Yeah. . . .I'm gonna ask Becky and Tony if their leases are bein' renewed,
and if they are I'll definitely know it's because of you guys that she's
pickin' on me. God, what a bitch!
LAURIE
(sighing) Maybe we never should have called you.
MARY
Now, don't say that. You called, but I was the one that decided to let you
guys come here, and I still don't regret helpin' you out. So don't go
blamin' yourselves for this; it's her fault for bein' so damn stingy!
There are a few moments of somber silence, then they try grabbing at a few
straws.
LAURIE
Maybe you can move in with Eckhardt.
MARY
Are you kiddin'? How can we live in the same place, if he's gonna jump ten
feet in the air every time I touch him?
RUFUS
You have family in this town, don't you?
MARY
Sure, but they all got dinky little apartments too. None of 'em would have
room for me.
LAURIE
Well, what if the three of us went in on a place together?
MARY looks surprised, as she hadn't thought of this.
MARY
D'ya think?
RUFUS
Hey, stranger things have happened. At least we've already had some
practice being roommates.
She is silent for a moment as she considers this. Then RUFUS smiles as he thinks
of something else.
RUFUS
(half-jokingly) Can you drive a van? We'll let you be our personal
chauffeur.
MARY
Come on, you know I don't have a driver's license. Besides, can't ya just
see me trying to get dressed to go to work from the back of a van? And
where am I gonna hang up all my clothes? They're not the kind you can just
stuff in a backpack.
They nod again.
LAURIE
We know that dilemma. We had to get rid of about ninety-percent of our
stuff when we lost our place.
There are a couple more moments of silence, then RUFUS has another thought.
RUFUS
Maybe we should go somewhere else to figure this out. When was the last
time you were outside of the city, Mary?
MARY
Oh gee, I can't even remember; I almost never get outta town. It's been
like that my whole life. Mosta my friends never had their own wheels. When
we were kids we couldn't afford to go anyplace for vacations, so we just
played in the street like always.
He smiles.
RUFUS
And got your thrills from messing with people like me.
But this time his voice is softer, with no trace of bitterness or reproach, as
he understands now.
MARY
That's about it. We just didn't know any better.
LAURIE
Well, now you do have two friends with a van, and we can show you some of
the places we go when we want to get out of the city for a while. It might
do you good.
MARY
I don't mind. It might be a nice change. What have I got to lose now
anyhow?
LAURIE
I have tomorrow off work. If the weather's still this gorgeous tomorrow,
let's do it!
INT. VAN--DAY
RUFUS and LAURIE's van is parked down the street from MARY's building. It is a
glorious sunny Sunday at the end of May. The side door of the van is open. RUFUS
is sitting in the driver's seat studying a map, and LAURIE and MARY are in the
back. This is the first time MARY has seen the inside of their van. They have
just bought a bunch of food for a picnic, and LAURIE is unpacking the groceries
and arranging them in the cooler. MARY is looking at some beautiful matted
pictures that are mounted on the inside walls of the van, of landscapes and
seascapes.
MARY
Where did you get these pictures?
LAURIE
At a yard sale. I thought they'd make this little home look a little more
homey. That's the kind of pictures I want to put on the wall of our real
home, when we get it.
MARY
That's positive thinking. Good!
LAURIE
(to RUFUS) Have you figured out the route to those picnic grounds, honey?
RUFUS
I think so. It's been an awfully long time since we were out there; I
gotta refresh my memory.
MARY is sitting on the right side of the van next to the open door and now looks
out at the sidewalk. Then suddenly her eyes widen.
MARY
Oh my god, there he is!
LAURIE looks up from the cooler and follows her eyes to where she is looking.
She sees a tall, good-looking man approaching from down the street.
LAURIE
Is that Eckhardt?
MARY
Yeah. Didn't I tell you he lives near here? I run into him at the store
every now and again.
Now she crawls to the back of the van away from the door, to hide so he won't
see her when he goes by. LAURIE continues looking at him.
MARY
He's cute. You've got good taste, Mary.
RUFUS
Well, you knew that all along. She picked me too, didn't she?
LAURIE
(patronisingly) Right, honey. That joke is starting to get a little old,
you know.
Now RUFUS has put down the map and is also looking out at the sidewalk.
LAURIE
Hey--why don't we invite him to join us?
MARY
(very embarrassed) Oh, I don't know.
LAURIE
Come on, Mary. I've never seen you so shy before.
RUFUS
That's because you've never seen her in love before.
Now a wicked grin is slowly spreading across his face.
LAURIE
We have plenty of food for four people. It'll be fun!
MARY still hesitates. Then LAURIE decides to call out to him.
LAURIE
Hey! Eckhardt!
MARY
(panicking) Laurie, what are you doin'?!
But now ECKHARDT is approaching the van in response to her call, with a puzzled
expression on his face. So MARY, despite her misgivings, decides to rise to the
occasion and crawls back over to the door. RUFUS, still grinning widely, mutters
to himself in a very low voice.
RUFUS
"Come in, come in!" said the spider to the fly!
MARY motions to him to climb in the back.
MARY
Come here a minute. I want you to meet my friends.
He looks a little hesitant, but decidees to answer her invitation as he doesn't
want to be rude.
ECKHARDT
Well, just for a minute.
He climbs in.
MARY
Eckhardt, this is Laurie and Rufus.
LAURIE
Hi, Eckhardt. We've heard some nice things about you.
He smiles, amused and still a little puzzled.
ECKHARDT
Really?
LAURIE
We're going for a picnic. Wanna join us?
ECKHARDT
Oh, I don't know. I've got some stuff to do.
MARY
It's Sunday. What do you have to do that couldn't wait?
He still look hesitant, but clearly is only fishing for excuses. There is a
moment when MARY, LAURIE and RUFUS all exchange a message with eye contact.
Then, in the very next instant, in a quick and simultaneous move, LAURIE slides
the van door shut while RUFUS guns the engine, and they're off. ECKHARDT turns
his head and stares incredulously at RUFUS.
ECKHARDT
You son of a bitch!
RUFUS only responds with a very wide grin as he continues driving, obviously
pleased with himself. LAURIE also gives them a sly smile and winks at MARY as
she climbs into the passenger seat in front.
LAURIE
Well, I guess I'll leave you two alone now.
RUFUS sees through the rear view mirror that MARY has moved over next to
ECKHARDT and is now gently playing with his hair.
MARY
(softly) Wanna have some fun?
RUFUS
You see, Eckhardt, I know from experience that Mary doesn't take "no" for
an answer.
ECKHARDT continues to stare at him and repeats his previous line, but this time
the hard edge is gone from his voice.
ECKHARDT
You son of a bitch!
MARY
(softly cooing) Eckhardt, are you insultin' my friend?
RUFUS
Actually he's not being all that inaccurate. But we're not going to
discuss my mother now.
Now ECKHARDT laughs a little in spite of himself and doesn't shrink from MARY's
touch. Finally he turns to LAURIE.
ECKHARDT
Where did you say we were going?
LAURIE
For a picnic in the woods. We all need to get out of town for a while.
MARY
Yeah, you get to join our little family for the day.
RUFUS
And maybe for even longer. Who knows?
RUFUS and LAURIE briefly join hands and beam at each other, then turn around to
smile at MARY and ECKHARDT who are kissing in the back. Then a long shot of the
van rolling away down the road.
END OF PART TWO
PART THREE
EXT. SEMI-RURAL AREA--DAY
The van enters the frame. At least half an hour has gone by since they left the
city.
INT. VAN--DAY
A medium shot of RUFUS at the wheel. Now he happens to glance down at the gas
gauge.
RUFUS
Oops--you know what? I think I miscalculated. We're gonna need more gas to
get there and back.
LAURIE
I think there's a town near here with a gas station, if I remember right.
Actually I could use a pit stop too.
Cut to a long shot of the van turning down a side road. Now we see some lovely
green fields and farmlands in the distance, in quite sharp contrast to the drab
inner-city surroundings of MARY's neighborhood.
Cut to a medium shot of MARY and ECKHARDT looking out the window, admiring the
scenery.
LAURIE
(sighing) Wouldn't it be great if we could get a place out here? It's so
pretty!
RUFUS
Sure, it's nice to dream. All we need is to know somebody that owns one of
these farms and would let us park on their land.
Now they are approaching the town. They pass a quaint little country church, a
small white building with a tall steeple. Next door is a mobile home where a
woman is out in the yard, hanging out her wash on the clothesline in a leisurely
way while one of her children waters the garden and another one plays with a
cat. Then there is an elementary school, a small cemetery and a few more houses,
each of them different. One of the houses has a chicken coop and a few chickens
wandering around the yard. MARY appears quite fascinated and enchanted by all
these unfamiliar images. Then they pull into a gas station near the city center.
Now we see that the town is somewhat larger than it appeared at first.
After they have finished gassing up and LAURIE comes out of the restroom, she
points to a park down the street.
LAURIE
Now I remember--there's a nice park down there with a rose garden; why
don't we go check it out? We're not in a big hurry, are we?
RUFUS
I suppose not.
ECKHARDT merely shrugs.
MARY
Sure, stop and smell the roses and all that. This is a nice change.
As they pile back into the van, MARY pulls a can of beer out of the cooler and
cracks it open.
LAURIE
Starting the party already, huh?
MARY
Why not? I'm in the mood.
EXT. PARKING LOT--DAY
The van pulls into the parking lot next to the rose garden. As the climb out,
MARY still has the open beer in her hand.
RUFUS
How big is this place? Do you think I should lock up the van before we
poking around?
LAURIE
I don't know. In a town like this, is it really necessary?
RUFUS
You never know.
They stand there debating for a few minutes while looking around, enjoying the
fact that they don't have to hurry in this leisurely environment.
Then suddenly a police car pulls up. Two young cops are in the front seat,
looking directly at the four of them. Suddenly the smiles disappear from their
faces. MARY looks at her open beer can, then back at the cops who are now
climbing out of the car.
MARY
Uh-oh!
RUFUS
Put your beer away, Mary.
MARY
Too late. They already saw it.
The cops stroll over to them and one of them, predictably, addresses MARY first.
COP #1
Do you know it's against the law to have an open container of beer in a
public park?
MARY grimaces and isn't sure how to answer.
MARY
Uh-Then the other cop addresses the whole group.
COP #2
(unabashedly) We were watching you through binoculars.
RUFUS
Oh, were you?
COP #1
In case you didn't know, there's a lot of drug trafficking that goes on in
this park.
They are all visibly astonished.
LAURIE
You're kidding me! In this little burg? 'Way out here?!
COP #2
Oh, you might be surprised where the meth labs turn up nowadays; a lot of
them are in towns exactly like this. We've had a lot of trouble around
here lately.
COP #1
You folks have any drug needles or weapons?
RUFUS and LAURIE groan softly as they know what is coming next. Since both of
these cops are male, they decide to do just a perfunctory pat-down search of
each person. RUFUS and LAURIE look disgusted and resigned while being frisked,
as they are used to this treatment. MARY and ECKHARDT look more perturbed, as
they are clearly not used to it.
Then the cops turn to the van. One of them goes through the glove compartment
while the other looks through the back. Once they are satisfied that there are
no drugs or weapons, they address the group again.
COP #2
Now we need to see all of your ID's.
They make faces as they dig out their wallets. The cops take the ID cards and go
back to the police car.
LAURIE
(ruefully) They always take forever doing this part.
MARY and ECKHARDT are visibly distressed. RUFUS talks to them in a low voice so
the cops won't hear.
RUFUS
Just be cool and don't say too much. If they ask you anything, only answer
the letter of the question and nothing more.
MARY
Don't we have the right to remain silent?
RUFUS
If you're being charged with a crime. But it's better to just say a little
than nothing at all, so they won't think you're a total space cadet.
MARY
What do you think they're gonna do?
RUFUS
They'll probably give you an open-container citation, the way they were
looking at that beer. Just to make it worth their while. Other than that
we're probably cool--assuming you don't have any record or warrants.
MARY and ECKHARDT shake their heads.
RUFUS
(to ECKHARDT) And assuming you're not in the country illegally.
ECKHARDT
No, I was naturalized a long time ago.
RUFUS
We have a record, but no warrants. And fortunately the van is registered
and insured and I haven't had any beer yet, and they didn't find anything
in there except unopened beers in the cooler.
MARY
Unless they planted something.
RUFUS
I doubt it.
After a seemingly interminable length of time, the cops walk back over to them.
As RUFUS predicted, COP #1 hands a citation to MARY. Then COP #2 hands another
piece of paper to RUFUS and explains.
COP #2
You're the driver and owner of the vehicle, right?
RUFUS
Yes.
COP #2
This is a restraining order. You have to stay out of the park for the next
30 days. We have your license number, and if we see you here again you'll
be arrested, no questions asked.
RUFUS rolls his eyes and shakes his head, but says nothing as he folds up the
paper and puts it in his pocket.
COP #1
Now you have to leave the park, and we'll follow you out.
With grim expressions they all climb back into the van.
RUFUS
(to MARY and ECKHARDT) Congratulations. You've just been initiated.
INT. VAN--DAY
They head back down the same road they came on, noting that the patrol car is
still following them.
RUFUS
Just what I thought--they mean to chase us clear out of town! Scumbags!
LAURIE
(glumly) Well, that sure was a nice tour.
After they have gone a few more blocks, the cops finally turn around and go
back. They all four breathe a sigh of relief. After a few moments of somber
silence RUFUS speaks.
RUFUS
So how do you all feel? Do you still want to do the picnic, or is
everybody too bummed?
MARY
I don't know. How do you feel?
RUFUS
It doesn't really matter to me; we're illegal everywhere we go. But at
least you two can go back to town and be safe at home.
MARY
(grimly) For three more months anyhow. (then to ECKHARDT) How do you feel?
Do you still want to go?
ECKHARDT
(visibly irritated) Oh, now you're finally asking me how I feel! You
didn't even ask me if I wanted to go in the first place!
LAURIE
Yes we did! I specifically asked you if you wanted to come along.
ECKHARDT
But I didn't answer yes, and then you didn't give me any choice about it!
RUFUS
Come on, Eckhardt, you know you had a choice. You could have reached right
up here and pulled the keys out of the ignition.
LAURIE
Sure, we would have let you out if you demanded to be let out. What kind
of people do you think we are, anyhow?
ECKHARDT
I don't know! I never met you before!
MARY
Well, look--we got a tank fulla gas now, and we're more than halfway
there, so we might as well just keep going. (to ECKHARDT again) If it's OK
with you.
ECKHARDT
(sighing) I suppose so.
LAURIE
You're sure? We don't want you to hold us liable for kidnapping or
anything.
RUFUS
It would be a pretty weak case if he did. He just now had the perfect
opportunity to tell the cops, and he didn't say a word.
ECKHARDT frowns as he considers this.
ECKHARDT
What if I had told them?
RUFUS
Oh, we could be in very deep doo-doo then. Technically we committed a
felony. Which I'm sure they're be very interested to know.
ECKHARDT
But you told us not to say too much.
RUFUS
(with slight impatience) Eckhardt, if you feel you were the victim of a
crime you have every right to report it! I wouldn't have denied a thing
either.
ECKHARDT frowns deeper as he tries to process this information. Then finally he
shakes his head.
ECKHARDT
Somehow I didn't feel they were my friends.
MARY
Oh, you were right about that!
RUFUS
So look, we're almost back to the highway; I can still turn either right
or left. It's your call.
ECKHARDT
(slightly disgusted) I said it's all right; let's just go.
Now they have reached the highway, so RUFUS makes
on. They look out the window in silence for a few
harder time concentrating on the scenery now, and
from their faces. Finally MARY looks again at the
a left turn and they continue
more beats, but are having a
the looks of pleasure are gone
citation in her hand.
MARY
I can't believe I have to go to court over this stupid thing. I wasn't
doin' any harm.
RUFUS
You'll probably just get a fifteen-dollar fine.
MARY
But they told us flat-out they were spyin' on us through binoculars!
Doesn't that violate our Fourth Amendment rights?
RUFUS
Sure it does, but try arguing that with a judge. He'll just act like
he didn't even hear you.
ECKHARDT
Please refresh my memory. The Fourth Amendment is:
RUFUS
How does it go? "The right of the people to be secure in their persons,
houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures,
shall not be violated..." That's the first part; I'm not sure about the
rest.
ECKHARDT
Amazing!
RUFUS
What's amazing?
ECKHARDT
That you can recite it from memory like that.
LAURIE
His father's a lawyer.
ECKHARDT
Oh.
MARY
There's no question that was an unreasonable search. Just because I had
one open beer, and we weren't causing any kind of disturbance, they could
do all that?!
RUFUS
Sure. It's called overbreadth. But in their minds it was reasonable, just
because of what other people have done. They have to protect the town.
LAURIE frowns as she reflects on this further.
LAURIE
But if they're scrutinizing everybody who goes into the park like that,
then nobody has the right to enjoy it in peace! So what are they really
protecting?
RUFUS
Some of the people in the town would actually say they're glad everybody
gets spied on; it makes them feel safer and all that crap. That's how
brainwashed they are.
MARY
They're outta their minds!
RUFUS
And the so-called restraining order is bogus too, by the way.
MARY
It is?
RUFUS
Sure. The cops aren't supposed to go handing those things out without
going through a judge first. But they do it anyhow, and there's no way you
can challenge it.
ECKHARDT
But it doesn't make any sense. Why would they do that?
RUFUS
Oh, you see, they still think we were probably waiting for a dope
connection.
LAURIE
Yeah, since they didn't find any on us, they assumed we were there to buy
it rather than sell it. They figured it had to be one of the two.
ECKHARDT
That's ridiculous!
RUFUS
Of course it is, but that's how those idiots think. Now they've gone back
there to watch for those imaginary drug dealers so they can bust them too.
MARY
You'd think they could find something better to do with their time than go
after nonexistent people.
RUFUS
Yeah, but they actually believe they're doing a service to the community.
They think they're fighting crime.
MARY
(sarcastically) Right!
LAURIE
They think the way to clean up the world is to go after riff-raff like us.
ECKHARDT
(puzzled) Riff-raff like us?
RUFUS
Yeah, with the beat-up old hippie vans and all. To them we're the scum of
the earth.
MARY shakes her head in disgust and looks at the citation again.
MARY
Do I get a lawyer?
RUFUS
No, it's just a violation; they don't give you a court-appointed attorney
for that. You're not facing any jail time and the fine will just be minor,
so they don't see what the big deal is.
MARY shakes her head again.
RUFUS
I know. It sucks.
MARY
And you know what else sucks? The court I have to go to is in that town!
We'll have to come up here again!
Now LAURIE brightens a little.
LAURIE
Hey, that'll give us an excuse to go for another picnic! Since you'll have
to take the day off work anyhow, why not?
MARY
Geez--how will I explain it to my boss?
LAURIE
Just tell him you have a dentist appointment or something--how's he gonna
know?
MARY
For the whole day?
LAURIE
Hm. Well, you could just call in sick.
MARY
I'll probably be sick too!
RUFUS
When is your court date?
MARY looks at the citation again.
MARY
June 27th, nine AM! We'll have to get up at the crack of dawn!
RUFUS
Well, that gives us a whole month to plan it. What the hell.
MARY still looks glum.
RUFUS
Look Mary, you're gonna get off with a slap of the hand, if this is your
first offense. You'll just be about fifteen dollars poorer, but they'll
give you at least a month to pay it. Then you'll have it done with and we
can go kick back in the woods. And in that picnic area it's not illegal to
drink beer, so you can get sloshed and forget about it.
LAURIE is clearly looking forward to the occasion already.
LAURIE
Gee, I hope I don't have to work that day.
MARY
You could call in sick too.
ECKHARDT
What about me? Can I call in sick too?
MARY
Sure, if you want to come! And this time we'll be sure to get your
permission before we leave.
Now she manages a laugh and the mood begins to lighten a little, as they all
remember they came out here to have fun.
Then ECKHARDT thinks of something. He reaches into his pocket and takes out a
pocket-size calendar that he always carries. He thumbs through it till he finds
the June page.
ECKHARDT
June 27th is on a Friday this year.
MARY brightens a little more.
MARY
Woa, then we can have the whole weekend up there!
LAURIE
Well, I'll definitely call in sick then!
EXT. PICNIC AREA--DAY
RUFUS and LAURIE are in a shaded area where there is a primitive fire pit inside
a circle of stones. There are four tree stumps arranged around the circle to
serve as crude seats. They are sitting on two of these stumps, roasting hot dogs
on sticks over a small campfire they've built.
LAURIE
I'm so glad we decided to come here. It's more beautiful than I even
remembered!
RUFUS nods. The camera is close on them while they are engaged in this, so we
don't see that someone else has just quietly walked up to them. Then suddenly
they hear a familiar voice off-screen.
TERRY
Either of you gotta light?
They both look up, startled, as they hadn't heard him approaching.
LAURIE
Terry!
Now the camera is on him, smiling and holding a hand-rolled cigarette.
TERRY
I was wondering how long it would take you guys to discover this place.
RUFUS
Oh, we used to come here a long time ago, before we got stranded without
wheels.
TERRY
Well, since then a few more of us mobile homeless have found it too.
LAURIE digs her lighter out of her pocket and hands it to TERRY to light his
cigarette.
TERRY
Thanks. My lighter just went dead.
LAURIE
Come and join us! There's beer in the cooler and all kinds of food.
TERRY
Don't mind if I do.
He digs a beer out of the cooler and sits down an another of the stumps.
TERRY
I'll let you in on a little secret, in case you hadn't found this out yet.
This is officially just a day-use area, but you can actually get away with
camping here overnight as long as you're cool.
LAURIE
Really!
Now we can almost see the wheels turning in her head.
RUFUS
Yes, Laurie, I know what you're thinking.
LAURIE
Well, what the hell? Next time we come up here let's make it an
overnighter.
RUFUS
If we can arrange it. But you know we can't afford the gas to come up here
too often.
LAURIE
But when we come up here again after Mary's trial, you know. And I'll pay
for the gas, dammit! Don't forget I have money now too!
TERRY is surprised by the suddenly testy edge in her voice. RUFUS explains.
RUFUS
Money is a sensitive issue with us.
TERRY
That's natural under the circumstances.
RUFUS
All right, Laurie, if you can afford the gas we'll do it. But I'm holding
you to your promise to pay for it.
LAURIE
That's better!
She looks at TERRY.
LAURIE
Oh, by the way, there's actually four of us here.
RUFUS
Yeah, Mary's still in the van with her new victim--I mean boyfriend.
TERRY looks in the direction of the van with an amused grin.
TERRY
I don't see it rocking.
LAURIE looks at the van also.
LAURIE
And there's no steam in the windows yet either.
RUFUS
Give 'em time.
TERRY takes a snort of beer and grabs a handful of potato chips.
TERRY
There's somebody else besides me parked here too.
He gestures in the direction of a long white camper on the back of a pickup
truck which is parked some distance away, so that they hadn't noticed it before.
TERRY
The lady that lives in that rig has quite a history. Her old man used to
beat her.
RUFUS and LAURIE both look at the camper.
TERRY
She's sleeping right now, but you might meet her later on.
LAURIE smiles affectionately at RUFUS.
LAURIE
Real men don't beat women!
RUFUS smiles back at her.
TERRY
Hey, that's a good slogan for a bumper sticker! I like that.
LAURIE
Well, it's true!
TERRY nods.
TERRY
Unfortunately not everybody's as good a picker as you are. She made a
really bad choice somewhere along the way.
Then he looks at RUFUS.
TERRY
And speaking of beatings, I see you recovered from yours just fine.
RUFUS
(dismissively) Oh, that. That's ancient history.
He bites into his hot dog.
They continue this banter for some time as they eat and drink. They are quite
full by the time MARY and ECKHARDT finally emerge from the van, and the fire has
started to die down. LAURIE has a definite beer buzz on her now. She sees MARY
and ECKHARDT approaching.
LAURIE
So, you two are still alive! We thought you'd died in there!
MARY and ECKHARDT just smile shyly.
RUFUS
You'd better grab some of this food before it's all gone.
LAURIE winks at him.
LAURIE
They might not even be hungry; they've been getting another kind of diet.
ECKHARDT shakes his head.
ECKHARDT
We were just talking.
LAURIE
(grinning slyly) Uh-huh!
MARY sits down on the last remaining stump. They notice that ECKHARDT is still
standing.
LAURIE
Maybe we should adjourn to the picnic table. You two can have our fire
sticks if you want to roast some hot dogs.
But MARY just looks mystified at the stick LAURIE is holding out to her.
RUFUS
Don't tell me you've never done this before!
MARY
No, I haven't.
RUFUS
Geez! We're gonna have to give you a course in Camping 101.
LAURIE
You mean you were never in Girl Scouts or anything?
MARY
No! I told you I've hardly ever been outside the city; I wasn't kiddin'.
So RUFUS patiently shows them how to slide the weenies onto the sticks. Then he
puts some more wood on the fire to perk it up, while LAURIE and TERRY move to
the picnic table which is just a few feet away. ECKHARDT sits down on the stump
next to MARY's. Then LAURIE remembers something.
LAURIE
Oh, you haven't been introduced yet, have you? Terry, this is Mary and
Eckhardt. (Then to the latter) This is the guy who sold us the van.
ECKHARDT
(with perfunctory courtesy) Glad to meet you.
MARY opens the cooler, then hesitates.
MARY
Are you sure it's legal to drink here, Rufus? I don't wanna get another
ticket.
RUFUS
Sure, you see we've been guzzling for a while now. Don't worry; nothing
will happen here.
TERRY
You got a ticket?
LAURIE
Oh, yes, she managed to get an open-container citation on the way up here.
TERRY
Welcome to the club, Mary!
He raises his beer can in salute. But MARY only frowns as she takes out a beer.
MARY
Can you believe it? One day I get an eviction notice, then the very nest
day I get a ticket for public drinking!
TERRY
Sounds like you're on a roll.
MARY
Come on, it's not funny!
TERRY
Hey, I know it's not funny. I've been through both of those things and
plenty more too.
Now RUFUS sits down at the table. When he does so, TERRY notices that his
eyelids are starting to droop a little.
TERRY
(with attempted tact) You know, Rufus, maybe you'd better cool it with the
beer. Or you might need to designate another driver to get this bunch back
to town.
RUFUS
But I'm the only licensed driver in this bunch.
TERRY
Hm. Well, maybe you should consider spending the night here and going back
tomorrow.
Then ECKHARDT surprises RUFUS with an enigmatic smile.
ECKHARDT
We don't want to have an accident going home, after all we've been through
today already.
LAURIE
But unfortunately you two have to go to work in the morning.
TERRY
Wait a minute. Aren't you forgetting something?
LAURIE
What?
TERRY
This is Memorial Day weekend. Are you sure they have to go to work
tomorrow?
The other four are thunderstruck. MARY gasps.
MARY
My god, you're right! I had completely forgotten about that, with all this
other stuff goin' on! I don't think the office is open tomorrow!
LAURIE
Too bad the hospital still is.
TERRY
Yeah, but you don't have to be there till five. You could still get back
tomorrow in plenty of time.
Now a smile begins to spread across LAURIE's face.
LAURIE
Hey, this could be a plan! We could set up the tent you know, Rufus. We
have enough extra bedding; two of us could sleep in the tent and the other
two in the van. We can toss a coin to see who gets which.
MARY's eyes widen in anticipation. She turns to ECKHARDT and again starts
stroking his hair.
MARY
(in her cooing voice) Do you wanna stay?
ECKHARDT gives her a shy smile and doesn't say no. RUFUS stares at him in candid
amazement.
RUFUS
I don't believe it! We had to drag him up here by brute force, and now he
doesn't wanna go home!
Now LAURIE is grinning broadly. She speaks to RUFUS in a softer voice.
LAURIE
I think they're about to pass the second initiation.
Now RUFUS also grins in spite of himself.
RUFUS
Looks like we'll have to show them how to pitch a tent too.
He raises his beer can just a little. The other two do likewise, and the three
of them clink their cans together in a subtle toast, with conspiratorial smiles.
EXT. PICNIC AREA--MORNING
It is early the next morning. RUFUS is standing by the picnic table, making
coffee on the propane stove. After a few beats, TERRY enters the frame and sits
down at the table opposite him.
TERRY
Morning.
RUFUS
(groggily) Morning.
TERRY
Where's Laurie?
RUFUS
She wasn't quite ready to get up yet. A little hungover.
TERRY grins.
TERRY
You don't say!
RUFUS
Yeah, she was overdoing it a little last night.
TERRY
(tactfully again) I daresay you were too.
RUFUS
Yeah, you were right--I was too drunk to drive back to town. It's a good
thing you were here.
The coffee is ready. He pours himself a mugful, lowers the flame on the stove,
and sits down.
RUFUS
Help yourself if you want some.
TERRY
No thanks. I already had breakfast.
But he does use the flame on the stove to light his cigarette. RUFUS notices a
half-finished beer still on the table and makes a face. He picks it up and sets
it down at the far end of the table.
RUFUS
Get that thing outta my sight!
TERRY
Don't want any hair of the dog, huh?
RUFUS
Oh please, don't make me puke! We're not heavy drinkers as a rule.
He looks at the open bag of potato chips and other leftover food that is still
strewn all over the table.
RUFUS
None of this looks like an appetizing breakfast either.
TERRY
Well, maybe Roberta would cook you some eggs on her stove, if you ask her
real nice.
RUFUS
Roberta?
TERRY
The lady in the white camper. She's up now.
RUFUS
Maybe a little later. I wake up my brain with caffiene first; my stomach's
still asleep.
He takes a couple big snorts of coffee and looks around.
RUFUS
So you haven't had any visits from cops here?
TERRY
Not any yet that I've seen. This area's not too heavily patrolled. If
you're cool, you know--clean up after yourselves and don't leave ny trace
that you've been here, there shouldn't be any trouble.
RUFUS
Don't worry--we're quite good at that. We could clean up this mess in five
minutes if we had to.
TERRY
I'm sure you could.
He takes a drag off his cigarette.
RUFUS
I don't wanna see those pigs again that rousted us yesterday.
TERRY
Where did that happen, anyhow?
RUFUS
In that little town about twenty miles down the road; I forget what it's
called. They used Mary's open beer as an excuse to search all of us and
the van for drugs. Of course they found nothing.
TERRY
And all they did was give Mary a ticket?
RUFUS
No, that's not all they did. They also gave me this.
He takes out the piece of paper that was still in his shirt pocket, unfolds it
and spreads it out on the table. TERRY looks it over with a frown.
TERRY
Oh yeah, I know all about those arbitrary restraining orders. Whatever
happened to our right to due process, huh?
RUFUS
As far as I know they haven't rewritten the Bill of Rights.
TERRY
No, just reinterpret it however it suits them. Or else just ignore it
altogether.
Now the door to ROBERTA's camper opens and she steps out. When she sees the two
of them she walks over to the table. She is in her mid-thirties and has unruly
auburn hair and soulful green eyes. She also has a definitely weatherbeaten
look.
TERRY
Here she is. Roberta, this is my friend Rufus.
She sits down at the table next to TERRY.
ROBERTA
(without ceremony) Hi, Rufus.
TERRY
We were just talking about restraining orders.
She rolls her eyes.
ROBERTA
Oh, my favorite subject.
TERRY
Rufus got this yesterday.
She reads the paper and then looks very disgusted.
ROBERTA
(cynically) Don't you love it? They can hand these out to people who
haven't done a goddam thing, and I can't even get a real restraining
order on my ex to keep him offa me!
RUFUS, now more wide awake, looks at her with interest.
RUFUS
Why is that?
ROBERTA
Check it out.
She gestures toward her camper with her thumb.
ROBERTA
The camper's mine, but the truck it sits on is still his, and he refuses
to sign the title over to me!
RUFUS
That's crazy! Why?
ROBERTA
Just so he'll have an excuse to keep coming around and bug me. He runs off
with another woman, and she's got her own rig, right? But every now and
again he comes back to me and ways, "I need my truck back." He says her
rig's broken down, but I don't believe him.
RUFUS
But you still have the truck.
ROBERTA
Yeah, he keeps saying he'll come back on such-and-such a date to take the
camper off it, but it's all bluff.
RUFUS
How does he know where to find you if you keep moving around?
ROBERTA
He knows some of the places I hang out; this is one of them.
RUFUS
Maybe you should stop coming here then.
ROBERTA
But this is such a great place to get away from the heat of the city for a
while.
RUFUS
I hear that.
TERRY
Yeah, he actually did come here once; I saw him. He's quite a character.
RUFUS frowns as he tries to take all of this in.
RUFUS
How does he get up here, if he claims that other rig is broken down?
ROBERTA
I think he hitchhiked that time.
RUFUS reflects on this some more.
RUFUS
Does he ever threaten you physically?
ROBERTA
Oh, sometimes he's done more than that!
RUFUS
Then you should be able to get a restraining order, Roberta. Or a stalking
order or something. There's no way you should have to put up with that
crap.
ROBERTA
Theoretically, yes, but it's a little tricky trying to enforce it when
we're both running around on the street. It's just a piece of paper that
doesn't really mean much.
RUFUS nods.
RUFUS
That is a tough one. He sounds like a real wacko.
TERRY
Like I told you, he's a character.
RUFUS
Well, if he shows up now we'll tell him to get lost.
ROBERTA
Thanks. But you can't be around me all the time.
RUFUS
What you need is a bodyguard. Or a sentry to post outside your door.
ROBERTA
Well, if you find anybody that'll do it for free, let me know. I sure
can't afford to hire one, and I can't afford to buy another truck either.
TERRY
You just need a new boyfriend. Somebody who'll treat you right.
ROBERTA
(with a cynical laugh) Yeah, I need a few other things too.
Now she stands up.
ROBERTA
Excuse me a minute; I'll be right back.
She walks over to the port-a-potty which is several yards away. RUFUS is still
musing over what she said.
RUFUS
I don't get it; why is he doing that? He's spending an awful lot of energy
chasing her around, and for what?
TERRY
It's just a way he can keep on abusing her ever after he's left her, to
keep her on edge. That's how sick he is.
RUFUS shakes his head.
RUFUS
I would never do that to Laurie!
TERRY
Of course you wouldn't. It is hard to understand how those psychos think.
Like I told you before, she made a really bad choice, and now she's living
with the consequences.
ROBERTA comes back from the port-a-potty. At the same time, LAURIE emerges from
the van, holding her coffee mug. She walks over to the table.
RUFUS
How are you feeling, honey?
LAURIE
Oh, I threw up and I feel better now. I'll see if my stomach can hold
anything.
She pours some coffee into her mug and sits down next to him.
RUFUS
This is Roberta; she lives in that camper. Roberta, this is Laurie.
ROBERTA
Hi.
LAURIE
Hi, Roberta.
She looks over at the tent and sees no sign of movement.
LAURIE
Looks like Mary and Eckhardt are still in slumberland.
ROBERTA
I wondered who was in that tent.
LAURIE
We came up here as a party of four. Well, no, actually three, but we added
another one at the last minute.
She looks at the tent again and smiles, then back at ROBERTA.
LAURIE
We're initiating them into the woods. This is the first time they've ever
slept in a tent.
RUFUS
And also with each other.
ROBERTA
Ooh, a honeymoon!
LAURIE
No, just a new romance--or so it appears.
She takes a snort of coffee. Then when she looks up at ROBERTA again she sees
that tears are forming in her eyes.
LAURIE
Did I say something wrong?
ROBERTA
No, no, it's not you.
It's apparent that she feels a big crying fit coming on. She stands up.
ROBERTA
I'll see you guys later.
She hurries back to her camper, goes in and shuts the door. RUFUS and TERRY
watch her with solemn eyes, whle LAURIE looks puzzled and a little alarmed.
LAURIE
Woa, what was that about? Are you sure I didn't say something wrong?
TERRY
You remember what I told you about her yesterday?
LAURIE
Sorry, my memories of yesterday are a little hazy.
TERRY
That her boyfriend used to beat her?
LAURIE
Oh yeah, that vaguely rings a bell.
RUFUS
She's just been filling us in on some of his recent doings. Charming guy.
LAURIE
But didn't they split up?
RUFUS
Supposedly, but he's still terrorizing her.
He shakes his head again.
RUFUS
It just isn't right. We should be able to do something.
TERRY gives him a knowing smile but says nothing.
LAURIE
I don't know why anybody would wanna beat her. She looks so sweet and
fragile.
RUFUS sets his mug down and wraps his arms around her in an affectionate
squeeze.
RUFUS
Like you do too. If I ever get my hands on that scumbag, I swear. . . .
TERRY smiles a little wider.
TERRY
You'd be a fair match for him, I'd say.
But his smile indicates he's thinking more than he's saying out loud.
LAURIE
He can fight, when he's not outnumbered six to one.
RUFUS
And not blindsided and jumped.
TERRY
Well, hopefully it won't come to that, but at least you've been alerted.
Then RUFUS turns and looks at the tent as he has another thought.
RUFUS
Then if we had Mary here when he shows up, now there's somebody who could
stand up to a bully like that! All she has to do is look at 'em and they
back down!
TERRY throws his head back in a hearty laugh.
RUFUS
I'm not kidding! That's how she saved my butt from those pint-size thugs.
If she hadn't been there, I'm not sure where I'd be right now. Maybe
watching you from the other side.
LAURIE
Don't even think it, honey!
TERRY
She really saved your life, did she?
RUFUS
Yes! That's why we shanghaied Eckhardt up here. It was our way of
returning the favor.
TERRY look a little stunned, then gives them a sideways look.
TERRY
You have some funny ideas of how to return favors.
RUFUS laughs a little sheepishly as he recalls it.
RUFUS
I can't believe we did that!
LAURIE
But it turned out OK, didn't it? He's forgiven us.
RUFUS
We have yet to see what condition he's in when he comes out of the tent,
Laurie.
LAURIE
See if he can still walk straight after Mary destroyed his virginity?
TERRY continues looking at them skeptically, then recalls something.
TERRY
I think I'm starting to see what Becky meant.
They both give him a quizzical look.
TERRY
She said you two are like a Bonnie-and-Clyde couple when you're living in
a vehicle together.
RUFUS
I did say that to her, didn't I?
LAURIE
Yep, that's us: partners in crime.
She puts an arm around RUFUS's shoulders and beams proudly. Now TERRY gives her
a sideways look.
TERRY
Maybe I don't wanna be mixed up with you two after all. Now I'm an
accessory after the fact. I even supplied the vehicle!
RUFUS and LAURIE grin at each other, then at him.
RUFUS
You might as well realize how nutty we are right now, before you get in
any deeper.
TERRY is silent as he ponders this. There is a smile on his face that still
indicates friendliness, but he is also studying them more closely now as if he
doesn't altogether trust them.
Then suddenly they notice a car driving slowly by on the road.
RUFUS
More of your homeless friends?
TERRY turns and looks at the car.
TERRY
No, I don't know them. That looks like a whole family in there, probably
legitimate picnickers. This is Memorial Day, in case I need to remind you
again.
When the family sees that this picnic site is occupied, they move on down the
road in search of a vacant one.
RUFUS
I guess that's our wake-up call. Time to think about heading back to town.
LAURIE looks at the tent again, still seeing no sign of movement.
LAURIE
We'll have to roust those two lovebirds.
RUFUS
Well, let's start packing up the food first. Unfortunately the tent is
evidence that we're doing more than just picnicking here.
Now he is suddenly all bustle, back in survival mode.
LAURIE
Listen, Terry, we're gonna be coming back up here on June 27th; that's
Mary's court date. So if you can be here then we'll have another party.
TERRY
I'll see if I can make it.
She looks at ROBERTA's camper again.
LAURIE
We should stay touch with her too.
TERRY
I see her pretty often; I'll let her know.
INT. MARY'S LIVING ROOM--NIGHT
It is the wee morning hours of the day after Memorial Day. RUFUS and LAURIE are
again sleeping on the floor. The camera is on both of them, then just on LAURIE.
Then an image is superimposed on her that shows what she is dreaming.
INT. ROBERTA'S CAMPER--NIGHT
It is also the wee morning hours here, but seems to be at a darker and colder
time of year. ROBERTA is already up, having been unable to sleep. It is still
dark and the interior is lit only by a single candle on the table. She is
hunched over the three-burner propane stove where a pan of water is heating up,
warming her hands over the pan. She shivers and pulls her black shawl more
snugly around her shoulders. The expression on her face is somewhat desolate.
She coughs a little, then turns and looks at the candle which is burning rather
low. Then she looks despairingly out the window and sees that it is still dark
outside. She worries that the candle might bur all the way down before the sun
comes up.
A few beats of her huddling over the stove trying to get warm. Then suddenly
there is a sharp knock on the door. She jumps and looks at the door with a
terrified expression, and a shadow begins to close around her. Then the image
starts to fade and we hear her voice saying one line:
ROBERTA
There is no safe place, anywhere.
The image gradually fades away until we see only LAURIE again, now with her eyes
open. She looks up into the darkness, pondering deeply.
INT. MARY'S LIVING ROOM--DAY
Now it is mid-morning. MARY has already left for work. RUFUS and LAURIE have
gotten used to sleeping a little later into the morning because of LAURIE's work
schedule; they are just now starting their day. The enter the living room from
the kitchen, carrying bowls of cereal, and sit down in the chairs on opposite
sides of the coffee table. LAURIE has a pensive expression and is looking at
nothing in particular as she absently begins eating.
RUFUS
You have that look again, babe. What is it? No, wait, don't tell me--you
had a dream. . . .about Roberta.
Now she looks at him, very surprised.
LAURIE
How did you know?
He smiles.
RUFUS
You think I don't know that look by now?
LAURIE
OK, so you can tell I had one of those dreams, but how did you know it was
about Roberta?
RUFUS
That was just an educated guess.
He waits patiently for her to tell him about it while he eats. As when she had
the dream about MARY, she doesn't tell him the details of the dream, but merely
what she has concluded from it.
LAURIE
She needs us, babe. She needs protection. She's too much alone.
RUFUS
I figured that out pretty quick, but what do you think we can do? We can't
be her Guardian Angels.
LAURIE
But maybe we could, if we could all be together in the same place and live
like neighbors.
RUFUS
And how do you think we'd do that?
LAURIE
I don't know. . . .She said in the dream, "There's no safe place
anywhere."
RUFUS
That's because there isn't. Not for her or us. You're not telling me
anything I don't know. I thought your dreams were supposed to have new
information.
She frowns at the coffee table.
RUFUS
Come on, there's something else. What is it?
LAURIE
Dammit, there was room for all of us at that picnic site. Why can't we
just stay there? And create our own safe place?
RUFUS
Because it wouldn't be a safe place. It's illegal.
LAURIE
Obviously.
RUFUS
And for another thing, the nearest place we could go to for supplies is
that same town where we already got rousted. Wouldn't you love to keep
running into those same cops again?
LAURIE
(grimly) They'd never leave us alone.
RUFUS
Right. We're nothing but bad news to them. . . .And how is everybody gonna
get to work? It's kind of a long commute from there.
LAURIE
There's people who commute that distance every day.
RUFUS
People that can afford the gas, maybe.
LAURIE signs gloomily.
RUFUS
I know what you're saying: there should be a way we can be a sort of
community. But I just don't see how.
LAURIE
Well, we're gonna be back up there in a month. Maybe we can have regular
monthly meetings.
RUFUS
For what purpose?
LAURIE
I don't know. Put our heads together and brainstorm. Maybe somebody else
will have some ideas. And Mary's gonna need another place in three months.
RUFUS
I really doubt that she'll want to go live in the woods, Laurie. You know
she's been a city girl all her life.
LAURIE
She seemed to like it out there though. And she's strong; she could chop
firewood and stuff. She'd be really good in the woods.
RUFUS
But look, Eckhardt's not being evicted. It's more likely she'll end up
moving in with him, the way things are looking now.
LAURIE
But he might have a "no subtenants" clause in his lease too.
RUFUS
Sure he'd be taking a risk, like she did for us. But then, maybe he
doesn't have such a nosy landlord either.
LAURIE
Well, supposing he does get evicted; then they'll both need a place.
RUFUS laughs.
RUFUS
Come on, Laurie, I can see the picture in your mind, but I'm afraid it's a
little too far-fetched this time.
LAURIE
Maybe. But if you hadn't believed in my dreams before, we wouldn't be
sitting here right now. We'd still be camping in that crazy park, or maybe
we'd be sitting in jail.
RUFUS
True. But that suggestion made sense. And the next step was clear; just
call Mary. But this one-LAURIE
Doesn't make sense?
RUFUS
Well, no. Because you're talking about an action that's sure to land us in
jail. And what's the next step? Go back to that picnic site, set up camp,
and wait for the cops to come and get us?
LAURIE
No. I think the next step is to just start talking to people about it.
About the need for all of us to have some safe place to go. For Roberta's
sake we can at least do that much.
RUFUS
No babe, it's gotta be for our sakes.
LAURIE
OK, for our sake then.
RUFUS
Well, I guess I can't stop you from doing that.
But now he looks a little frightened.
LAURIE
I know, you're scared because of what it might lead to. But remember how
scared you were about coming here?
He smiles a little as he recalls it.
RUFUS
Yeah, but that was a little different.
LAURIE
It was just fear of the unknown.
RUFUS
Yes, and you were right: Mary's not evil; she turned out to be a good
friend. I'll give you that point. But this is not just fear of the
unknown, Laurie.
LAURIE
Isn't it?
He lets out a slightly exasperated sigh and gives her a long look. There is
still a hint of fear in his eyes.
RUFUS
You're not gonna let this go, are you?
LAURIE
Well, it just might reach a point where we have to do something, and none
of the other alternatives will work any more.
RUFUS
Maybe, but in the meantime can't we just concentrate on the plan we have
right now? To save up some more money and look for safe housing?
LAURIE
Didn't we just agree there's no such thing?
RUFUS
Oh come on, Laurie, you know what I mean! At least some place legal, where
we won't be harassed if we can pay the rent!
LAURIE
But two of our applications have been turned down already; it's not
looking very good.
RUFUS
We just have to keep trying. We have another appointment tomorrow; let's
at least not blow it off.
She smiles, deciding to give him a break.
LAURIE
All right, we'll see how that one goes.
RUFUS
And if we do get a place, maybe we can let Roberta stay with us or
something.
LAURIE
We'll see.
EXT. DOWNTOWN STREET--DAY
It is the following day, around noon, and RUFUS and LAURIE are on their way to
meet with a realty agent. They step out of the subway exit onto the sidewalk.
Then they hear the sound of voices chanting loudly across the street, and look
in the direction of the sound.
A long shot of the scene across the street, from their POV. It is a
demonstration with around 20 people marching in single file down the sidewalk,
some carrying signs. Some of them look young enough to be teenagers. Some of
their signs are readable from across the street, saying "STOP GENTRIFICATION!",
"NO MORE CONDO CONVERSIONS!", "HOUSING FOR PEOPLE, NOT FOR PROFIT!" and "BRING
BACK RENT CONTROL." One person is handing out flyers to passersby.
Their leader is a man in his early thirties, looking dignified and confident as
he leads the chant, shouting into a megaphone:
LEADER
WHAT DO WE WANT?
GROUP
HOUSING!
LEADER
WHEN DO WE WANT IT?
GROUP
NOW!
They repeat this chant over and over as they wend their way down the street in
the direction of City Hall.
Cut back to RUFUS and LAURIE who are standing still, watching this scene. At
first their expressions are blank as they take it in. Then they look at each
other.
RUFUS
No, Laurie, we can't join them now; we'll miss our appointment.
LAURIE
There's somebody handing out flyers; let me at least go get one and see
what it's about.
RUFUS
(sighing) OK, but don't let the realty agent see it when we go in.
(to himself) What great timing!
They cross the street and approach the marchers. LAURIE gets a flyer and starts
to read it.
RUFUS
Come on, let's get outta here. You can read it while we walk.
LAURIE
Don't be so paranoid. I don't see any TV cameras, if you're worried about
your parents seeing you on the evening news.
RUFUS
No, but we don't wanna be late.
They walk slowly away from the group as LAURIE reads the flyer.
LAURIE
It's about a new housing bill, to build a bunch more units of affordable
housing.
RUFUS
(sarcastically) Good idea. Maybe we'll get one of those units in about ten
years if we get on the waiting list now.
She ignores his sarcasm and continues.
LAURIE
They're on their way to City Hall, to try and get a meeting with some of
the city councillors and maybe the mayor. Then if that doesn't work, they
might do a sit-down protest right in the hallway.
RUFUS nods.
RUFUS
So that's when they cross over the line from free speech into civil
disobedience. And no, Laurie, we're not going to get involved.
She stops short and looks up at him from the paper, with a glint of anger in her
eyes.
LAURIE
Dammit, Rufus, you don't have to get involved if you don't want to. But if
I want to, it's up to me!
He sighs again.
RUFUS
You're right. But would you please remember what we're supposed to be
doing right now? We're going to go look at a place that we might even get.
Then you won't need to get involved in that stuff! What's the sense in
getting yourself arrested now, when you could be sitting in a nice cozy
apartment instead of a jail cell?
LAURIE
Yeah.
They resume walking and her anger subsides.
RUFUS
So please just tuck that away in your purse.
She looks at the flyer once more.
LAURIE
There is a phone number where I can call them if-RUFUS
Fine. I'm not asking you to throw the thing out, just file it away for
now.
So she folds it up carefully and puts it into her purse.
INT. HOSPITAL BREAK ROOM--EVENING
It is evening of that same day. LAURIE is sitting at one of the tables, staring
off into space. There is an open magazine on the table that she is not even
glancing at, and a full cup of coffee that she hasn't even touched.
A few beats of this, the TERRY enters the frame and sits down opposite her. She
doesn't even look at him. He waves a hand in front of her face.
TERRY
Hello! Anybody home?
Suddenly she snaps back to the present and shifts her gaze to his face.
LAURIE
Oh. Hi.
TERRY
So how did the apartment hunting go?
LAURIE
Well, we looked at a cute studio that I wouldn't mind having. But my gut
feeling is we're not gonna get it.
TERRY
Why is that?
LAURIE
Oh, they always give Rufus this sideways look when he tells
them he's on unemployment.
TERRY
Hm.
LAURIE
Plus we've been homeless for over a year, plus we can't get a good
reference from our previous landlord. It all works against us.
TERRY
You were evicted for non-payment of rent, right?
LAURIE
Yeah, 'cause Rufus lost his job and we got a big rent increase at the same
time, and I wasn't employed then.
TERRY
But you are now.
Now she picks up the cup of coffee and takes a sip, finds it's only lukewarm and
sets it down again.
LAURIE
Yeah, but that still doesn't seem to be good enough for enybody. They
still look at Rufus like he's some kind of a deadbeat and loser just
because he's unemployed now. It doesn't matter how hard he worked before.
And it doesn't matter that we could afford the rent now with our combined
incomes. We're still not the kind of people they're looking for.
TERRY nods.
TERRY
Unfortunately I know what you mean. I guess you'll just have to
shape up and become Type-A yuppies. So you can afford to buy the apartment
when they turn it into a condo.
LAURIE chuckles.
LAURIE
Yeah, right. . . .Rufus was supposed to be a lawyer, you know.
TERRY
Well, he has the legal savvy and intelligence; I don't see why he couldn't
do it.
LAURIE
Sure he could if he wanted to. But he won't even consider it. And if you
ask why, he says, "I'm not my father." End of discussion.
TERRY reflects on this for a moment.
TERRY
Do you think it's just because he's hearing a different drummer, or is
it--uh-LAURIE
A family estrangement thing?
TERRY
Yeah.
LAURIE
I think it's some of both. He is cut out for something different, but I'm
not sure what.
TERRY
Hm.
LAURIE
And the thing is, you can't discuss it with him. He gets so touchy when
you bring up anything about careers; he just thinks you're criticizing
him.
TERRY
So he'd rather get his legal expertise from being chased around and
harassed by cops on the street than studying the law out of books.
LAURIE
Well, that's kind of how it's turned out so far. . . .But you know what?
If he ever did become some kind of advocate, it would be in a very
different capacity from his father's.
TERRY
How so?
LAURIE
He'd be representing people, not corporations.
TERRY
Ah! I think I'm starting to get the picture a little clearer now.
He looks reflective again as he recalls an earlier scene.
TERRY
That could explain his reaction to Roberta's story. He wanted to advocate
for her--but how? With his fists.
LAURIE laughs.
LAURIE
Yeah, well, that's his quick temper, which could get in his way.
TERRY
But you know, every lawyer I've ever known has this certain
ultrasensitivity. They're kind of like artists that way.
LAURIE
Really?
TERRY
Yeah. It could be that's exactly the kind of temperament he does have.
LAURIE
But he'd have to learn how not to translate it into violence.
TERRY
Obviously.
There are a few beats of silence as he reflects on this some more. Then he
notices that she has that faraway expression on her face again.
TERRY
(gently) May I ask wbat else is on your mind? I mean, you don't have to
tell me.
She smiles a little, then takes out of her purse the flyer she picked up at the
demonstration. She lays it on the table and explains while he's looking at it.
LAURIE
We happened to walk past this demonstration on the way to the
realty office.
TERRY
Aha! Interesting timing.
LAURIE
Yeah, Rufus said something like that too. It was almost like they were
reading our minds in a way. "What do we want? Housing!" and all that.
TERRY
So this sort of thing is starting to appeal to you, is it?
LAURIE
Yeah, kind of. I'm debating whether to call that phone number or not.
TERRY
It wouldn't hurt, just to get some information. You wouldn't be committing
yourself to anything just by calling them.
LAURIE
I know, but Rufus would still get all bent out of shape if I even did
that. He's so afraid that if we got near any activist stuff it would work
against us. He keeps insisting that we will get a place if we just keep on
jumping through the right hoops and staying out of trouble.
TERRY
And it seems to you like you just keep running into the same
obstacles that way.
LAURIE
Right.
TERRY
Besides the fact that you can't really stay out of trouble as long as
you're homeless.
LAURIE
Right.
TERRY
Well, I don't know what to tell you. I understand the dilemma. It's one of
those "damned if you do, damned if you don't" kind of things.
She nods, then looks up at the clock.
LAURIE
Well, my break time's about up. Back to the dirty diapers.
TERRY
Hang in there, Sis. You'll find something.
EXT. FRONT OF CITY HALL--DAY
It is around noon of the following day. Now we see that the homeless protest has
evolved into a somewhat different kind of action from what they'd originally
planned. There is a group of people occupying the front porch and steps of the
building. There are also numerous shopping carts, several protest signs from
yesterday's march, a table with donated food, and boxes of literature. There is
also a new sign, prominently displayed, that reads "HOMELESS, NOT HELPLESS!"
Some of the shopping carts contain such things as sleeping bags and clothes,
indicating that they are possibly planning to camp there overnight as well. The
demographic makeup of the group is also somewhat different from yesterday. Some
of the same people are here, but there is also a larger number of homeless
teenagers standing around in little clusters, smoking and chatting.
An establishing shot of this scene for several beats so we can take it in.
Then, seen from the POV of the people standing on the porch, a familiar white
camper pulls up on the street. It pauses in front of the building.
INT. TRUCK--DAY
MS ROBERTA as she idles the engine, looking at the scene on the porch. Her eyes
scan it numerous times as she debates with herself whether to join them or not.
Then she looks around at the street to see if there are any available parking
spaces.
INT. ECKHARDT'S APARTMENT--NIGHT
It is night of the following day, which is Friday. Eckhardt's apartment is
humble like MARY's, but has a more spacious living room and a few amenities like
a couch and a TV which hers lacks. Now the two of them are curled up on the
couch, snuggling close together while watching the 11:00 news.
Now a shot of the picture on the TV screen. They are doing a story about the
homeless protest. We see the same group of people standing on the City Hall
porch who appeared in the previous scene, only now they have been joined by
ROBERTA. But MARY and ECKHARDT don't recognize her, as they didn't actually meet
her at the picnic site.
MARY
Woa! Laurie was tellin' me something about a protest at City Hall.
ECKHARDT watches in silence for a few beats to take it in. Then he turns and
smiles at MARY.
ECKHARDT
Well, you won't need to join them.
MARY
No?
ECKHARDT
No. You're not going to be homeless. You can stay right here if you need
to.
MARY smiles at him in gratitude and snuggles even closer.
MARY
This is where I wanna be.
ECKHARDT
Then this is where you'll be.
They close their eyes and kiss. They are only half-hearing the voice of the
female on-site reporter on the TV.
REPORTER
I interviewed one of the protestors, who only gave her first name of
Roberta. At the present time Roberta has only her vehicle for a home...
MARY's eyes pop open at the sound of ROBERTA's name. She turns her head and
looks at the TV screen, to see ROBERTA in close-up, talking very articulately
into the REPORTER's microphone.
ROBERTA
You don't solve the problem of homelessness by sweeping us all
under the rug and pretending we don't exist. We need to be listened to...
MARY
I wonder if that's the same Roberta that was at the picnic site. Laurie's
been talkin' about her quite a bit.
ECKHARDT also looks at the screen.
ECKHARDT
Could be, I suppose.
They continue watching with more interest now.
INT. MARY'S LIVING ROOM--DAY
It is around noon of the following day. RUFUS and LAURIE are sitting in the two
chairs in the living room. Today's newspaper is spread out all over the coffee
table. RUFUS is reading the classifieds while LAURIE is scanning the local news
section.
A few beats of them reading in silence, then we hear the kitchen door open. MARY
and ECKHARDT come strolling into the living room hand-in-hand, with rosy glows
on their faces.
MARY
So how's it goin'?
RUFUS
Still looking.
MARY
Oh, you know what? I think we saw your friend on TV last night.
RUFUS and LAURIE look up at her with interest.
LAURIE
Who?
MARY
They had a news story about that demonstration at City Hall. They were
interviewin' somebody named Roberta.
LAURIE's eyes widen.
LAURIE
Did she have red hair?
MARY
Yeah, kind of.
LAURIE
Woa, so now she's there! . . .Funny, there wasn't anything about it
in the paper.
She and RUFUS meet eyes, and he reads her expression quickly as she makes a snap
decision.
RUFUS
(with slight alarm) You can't be sure it's the same one.
LAURIE
(with conviction) Yeah, it is.
She starts to get up. RUFUS looks more alarmed and raises his voice a little.
RUFUS
No, Laurie!
Now that glint of anger appears in her eyes again.
LAURIE
Don't you tell me "no!" If I want to go down there and see her,
you can't stop me!
She stands up and starts to reach for her purse. He stands up also, and
instinctively reaches out his arm as if to apprehend her. Then MARY speaks with
a slight hint of warning in her voice.
MARY
Let her go, Rufus.
He stops and looks perplexed for a moment while LAURIE heads for the kitchen.
Then he grabs the keys to the van off the coffee table.
RUFUS
All right, I'm coming with you.
LAURIE stops and turns around.
LAURIE
You are?
RUFUS
Yes. We'll drive down there.
She hesitates.
LAURIE
Well, it might be hard to find a parking space. Wouldn't it be better if
we took the subway?
MARY
She's probably right.
RUFUS looks perplexed again for a couple more beats. Then he slams the keys down
again.
RUFUS
OK, you win. Let's go.
They go out the door. MARY and ECKHARDT look at each other.
MARY
Maybe I shouldn't have told 'em.
ECKHARDT shakes his head.
ECKHARDT
They would have found out one way or the other. Don't blame yourself.
EXT. FRONT OF CITY HALL--DAY
Now we see that the protest is still continuing, though the numbers of people
have dwindled some. There is a girl who looks about fifteen standing in front of
the building, holding one of the protest signs. As RUFUS and LAURIE enter the
frame, she accosts them.
GIRL
Can you spare a little change to help our cause?
RUFUS chuckles a little.
RUFUS
Sorry, we're in the same boat.
They start to climb the steps.
GIRL
Oh, are you gonna join us?
LAURIE
Actually we're looking for Roberta, the red-haired lady who was on TV.
Do you know her?
GIRL
Oh yeah, she's up on the porch.
LAURIE
Thanks.
When they reach the porch they spot ROBERTA quickly, standing in one of the
little clusters of people and chatting. She sees them and waves.
ROBERTA
So you finally made it here too!
LAURIE
We heard you were on TV last night.
ROBERTA blushes a little.
ROBERTA
Oh,yeah--how did I do?
LAURIE
I don't know; we didn't see it; Mary did. . . .So we just thought we'd
check it out, see what's going on and how you're doing.
RUFUS is looking around nervously.
LAURIE
Relax, honey, I don't see any cameras anywhere now.
ROBERTA looks out at the street.
ROBERTA
Actually, I was just about to put another quarter in the parking meter,
otherwise I'll need to move the truck pretty soon. So how about if we just
drive around a little and I'll tell you what's been happening. I could use
a break from this.
RUFUS
Sounds good to me.
They descend the steps. RUFUS, predictably, looks relieved to be getting away
from the scene so quickly.
INT. TRUCK--DAY
The three of them are sitting in the front seat, with LAURIE in the middle.
ROBERTA starts the engine and they head down the street.
ROBERTA
So you probably noticed there's mostly younger people there.
LAURIE
Yeah.
ROBERTA
That's not how they planned it originally, but the news reporters got the
idea that this was mainly a youth rally, so that's how they've been
slanting it in the news. I was about the only adult they intereviewed,
actually.
LAURIE
So did they ever get a meeting with anybody in there?
ROBERTA
Yeah, there were a couple of city councillors who sort of listened to
them, but they didn't take most of their demands very seriously. They
talked mostly about the youth shelters, about making a few token changes
like keeping them open longer hours. The kids said a lot of them refuse to
go to the shelters at all; they prefer to camp, and they want the anticamping ordinance repealed.
LAURIE
And none of the city councillors are going for that?
ROBERTA
Hell no, are you kidding? It was pretty pathetic, really. One of the
reporters was actually trying to persuade the kids go back to their
mommies and daddies, to try and "work things out" at home. Ignoring the
fact that most of them ran away from home because they were being abused
there, you know; you don't just "work things out" with those kind of
parents. I don't know how much good we actually did.
LAURIE nods.
LAURIE
Well, an awful lot of people must have seen you on TV; maybe you got
through to somebody.
ROBERTA
I hope so, but I don't know.
Then LAURIE notices that RUFUS, who has been uncharacteristically silent
throughout this exchange, is now staring morosely out the window.
LAURIE
Honey, are you OK?
RUFUS
(glumly) Yeah, I guess.
But she can see he is not OK. She gently takes his hand.
LAURIE
What is it?
RUFUS
I don't know. I guess that hit a nerve in me.
LAURIE
What? About being abused at home?
RUFUS
I guess. I don't know. . . .Forget it.
She doesn't press him to say any more, but continues holding his hand. ROBERTA
notices his reticence also, and decides to change the subject.
ROBERTA
Why don't I just drive you guys back to wherever you're staying, while I'm
burning up gas? I don't really feel like going back to that thing right
now; it was getting a bit much. Unless you want to.
RUFUS
(emphatically) No thanks!
LAURIE
Sure, if you don't mind driving us back to Mary's. We're headed in that
direction anyhow.
ROBERTA
OK, you just point the way.
Then LAURIE returns to the previous subject.
LAURIE
So you don't really think it did much good, huh?
ROBERTA
Maybe not this time, but they are talking about doing another action
around November when it gets colder. A more ambitious tent-city sleepout
kind of thing.
LAURIE
Hm. Well, maybe if we got in on the planning of that one now it might go
better.
ROBERTA
I'm thinking about it, believe me.
RUFUS doesn't raise any objection this time, but only continues gazing out the
window as if his thoughts are far away.
ROBERTA
Oh yeah, there's one other thing I almost forgot. There was a couple
that's new in town; they got busted for sleeping in their car a couple of
weeks ago.
RUFUS
(grimly) Sounds familiar.
ROBERTA
They were in court just this morning, pleading "not guilty" to a
prohibited camping charge. They're asking people for court support.
LAURIE
I suppose we could give them that, if you know when their trial date is.
ROBERTA
I have it written down somewhere.
Again LAURIE notices that RUFUS is raising no objection. She continues holding
his hand in both of hers while she gives ROBERTA directions back to MARY's
neighborhood.
As they are nearing MARY's street, ROBERTA has another thought.
ROBERTA
Do you think. . . .
LAURIE
What?
ROBERTA
Do you think your friend would let me use her shower?
LAURIE smiles.
LAURIE
We can ask. She's in a pretty generous mood these days, being in love
and all.
When they reach MARY's block, ROBERTA pulls up to the curb, parks and turns off
the engine. She opens her door and starts to get out. But RUFUS is not budging
from the seat.
LAURIE
What's wrong, sweetie?
RUFUS
Everything's wrong, you know that!
LAURIE
Well, that's why we're doing what we're doing, to try and make it right.
We just can't do it alone, that's all.
But he still doesn't move.
LAURIE
(a little weakly) I said you don't have to get involved in this if you
don't want to. I didn't make you come along today; you insisted on it
yourself!
RUFUS
Dammit, Laurie, if you're involved, I'm involved, you know that!
Whatever happens to you happens to me too!
Now ROBERTA gets out, goes over to the passenger side and opens the door. She
reaches in and takes RUFUS's other hand.
ROBERTA
(with strong conviction) You're right, Rufus. Like it or not, we're all in
this for the long haul. And we're going to find a way through it, whatever
it takes.
RUFUS
(to LAURIE) Why do you always turn out to be right?
LAURIE smiles a little.
LAURIE
I'm not always right. But I know what I know. Now, can we please go
inside?
But still he doesn't budge.
LAURIE
(cheerily) OK, Roberta, you pull and I'll push. Ready?
One, two, three, heave!
This snaps RUFUS to his senses and he pulls himself free of their hands.
RUFUS
All, right, all right, I'm moving!
INT. MARY'S BASEMENT LAUNDRY ROOM--EARLY EVENING
It is a couple of days later. RUFUS is doing a load of laundry while LAURIE is
at work. A few beats of him piling clothes into the washer.
Then MRS. PETRELLI appears in the doorway. She looks predictably displeased at
seeing him.
MRS. PETRELLI
You stilla here!
RUFUS turns around from the washer and looks equally displeased at seeing her.
RUFUS
But not for much longer, thanks to you.
She glares at him as he starts the washer and sits down in one of the chairs. He
glares back at her.
RUFUS
So what are you gonna do, call the cops?
She is silent.
RUFUS
(sarcastically) As you can see I'm committing a terrible crime here.
Willfully and maliciously washing clothes.
MRS. PETRELLI
You usa my water.
RUFUS
It's not your water! You don't own the goddam river!
MRS. PETRELLI
But you no paya the bill.
Exasperated, he starts to reach into his pocket.
RUFUS
I'll help you with your stupid water bill. How much do you want?
She hesitates.
RUFUS
Well?
Still she says nothing.
RUFUS
(now very exasperated) Look lady, if you don't want my money, I'm really
not in any mood to sit here and chit-chat with you. If you're going to
call the cops, just do it and get it overwith.
She is still silent, and he can see she is not about to take his dare. Finally
she turns on her heel to walk out, but can't resist one parting shot.
MRS. PETRELLI
You no here much longer.
RUFUS
And I won't be sorry to say good-bye!
INT. MARY'S LIVING ROOM--EVENING
It is about an hour later. MARY and ECKHARDT are sitting in the chairs on
opposite sides of the coffee table, sipping white wine from matching wine
glasses and gazing fondly at each other. RUFUS enters the room carrying the
laundry basket and sets it down on the floor.
RUFUS
Your landlady was giving me a hassle down there. Still bitching about us
using "her" water.
MARY
Sorry about that.
RUFUS
I even offered to help her pay the damn water bill, and she wouldn't even
take my money!
MARY nods.
MARY
Like I've told you before, she doesn't want solutions. She just likes to
complain.
RUFUS
I don't know how you've put up with her all this time.
MARY
Well, we mostly used to stay out of each other's way before.
RUFUS
Before me and Laurie moved in and started all the trouble, huh?
MARY
No, come on, you didn't start nuthin'. I did.
He smiles and gives her a long reflective look. He is recalling how the whole
thing did get started.
RUFUS
If you had it all to do over again, would you have just let me walk on by
that day? And picked out some other dupe instead of me?
MARY also smiles as she recalls that first meeting. She reflects for several
long moments before answering. Then finally she shakes her head and turns her
smiling gaze from RUFUS to ECKHARDT.
MARY
No, if I had it all to do over again I wouldn't change a thing.
RUFUS smiles and looks at ECKHARDT, then back at MARY.
RUFUS
You wouldn't be losing your home.
MARY snorts.
MARY
You call this a home? It was never anything but a launching pad.
RUFUS
Maybe for you, but I'd call it a home if it was mine.
MARY
I don't think she'd rent to you though.
RUFUS
That's just as well. I've had enough of her already!
MARY
And anyhow, I've gotta better place to go to now.
ECKHKARDT smiles a little but says nothing. MARY looks back at RUFUS.
MARY
Have some wine and forget Mrs. Petrelli. She's a lonely old widow. We
still have a life.
She looks back at ECKHARDT and raises her glass in a toast. He does likewise.
THE END