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Daniel - A Screenplay

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Joseph Robinson III
Joseph Robinson III

Daniel is a screenplay about a ten-year-old boy named Daniel, who, in 1960, runs away from home to be with his best friend, Lisa. Lisa and her mother run away from home to be free of her abusive father. Daniel wants to be by her side, so he leaves New York and spends the next ten years in Georgia looking for her. He doesn't find her; he finds music and a hard life. When Daniel returns home, he finds a place quite different from the one he left. He also finds Lisa, who had, after only a year of living in Atlanta, returned to New York to live with her father because her mother unexpectedly passed away. In this screenplay we are introduced to the people who have an effect on Daniel as he grows physically, mentally, and emotionally; people such as, his loving father, Steve, his hateful mother, Lacy, his caring therapist, Dr. Terry, his best friend, Lisa, his friends John and Jen, and the man he spends ten years with - in Georgia - a black french man named, Black Jeffrey. This is a drama, yes, but it is still a fun piece.

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DANIEL By Joseph Robinson III Based on the stage play, Daniel, written by Joseph Robinson III Copyright © March, 2, 2017 Cellphone: 630-303-0443 Email: josephrobinson@email.com
TITLE CARD: 1960 New York INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - DAY DOCTOR TERRY (50), Blonde, though his hair is white in some places, intelligent, kind, strong-willed. He wears glasses. He sits left and DANIEL JOHNSON (10), smart, and angry, sits right. Daniel has a JFK haircut and browline glasses. Doctor Terry holds a clipboard and pencil. He has just asked Daniel a question, and instead of answering, Daniel swivels in his chair. This is the second time they have met. The first session they had, Daniel refused to talk. This session has just begun and Doctor Terry has just asked Daniel the question, "Does your father hit you?" Daniel does not respond. TERRY What’s wrong, Daniel? Daniel doesn’t respond. He just swivels. TERRY I have all session. Daniel checks his watch. TERRY Do you think that’s rude? DANIEL (Daniel stops swiveling) My old man would get frosted if I kept doing that. Ignoring him. TERRY Why’d you stop? (beat) Do you think I’d get angry? DANIEL What do I know? This is the second time we’ve been together. I’m just telling you, my old man would go ape. TERRY Let’s cut the slang. DANIEL You told me to tell it like it is.
2. TERRY I said, be honest with me. DANIEL I’m being honest. TERRY You’re also being rude. Daniel knows he’s being rude, but it is Doctor Terry’s statement of that fact that makes him think, "Am I so bad?" Beat. TERRY I want to connect. DANIEL You can’t do that when I speak that way? TERRY I said, be honest, but I need to understand you. (beat) Care. DANIEL I don’t know what to say. TERRY Try. Daniel is silent. Two beats. TERRY Anything. (beat) Something. DANIEL (beat) Where are you from? TERRY California. DANIEL (beat) Did you like it? TERRY I loved it.
3. DANIEL More than here? TERRY I’d say so. DANIEL People? TERRY Weather. DANIEL Oh. Beat. Daniel takes in that information. Once the information has set in Daniel starts to whistle a tune. TERRY Tell me something. DANIEL Hm? TERRY Do you have any friends? DANIEL (beat) I do. TERRY Who? DANIEL Lisa, John, and Jen. TERRY Tell me about them. DANIEL You charge a lot for this. TERRY Fine, let’s sit here quietly. DANIEL (beat) Did you just lose? TERRY (unsure of what Daniel means) What?
4. DANIEL Your fight. TERRY (unsure of what Daniel is saying) What? DANIEL You try so hard, and next thing you know, you’ve given up. You’re angry. TERRY Oh, my boy, you don’t know fighting. Beat. They stare. TERRY Would you like to fight? DANIEL You’re bigger than me. TERRY This isn’t a physical fight. They stare for a beat. Doctor Terry begins to swivel in his chair. It squeaks severely. The sound is too much for Daniel. Beat. DANIEL (the sound is awful) Think you’ll learn something that way? TERRY My hope is that you will. DANIEL Alright, "Teach," teach. TERRY (he stops swiveling) Do you recall my original question? Daniel is silent. He thinks. He cannot remember the question. He would also love to switch chairs with Doctor Terry. After a beat of silence, Doctor Terry begins to swivel in his chair again. The sound is too much for Daniel.
5. DANIEL (beat. meaning the sound) That’s awful. TERRY (Terry stops. beat) Do you remember my question? DANIEL What was your question? TERRY Does your father hit you? DANIEL Nah, he’s all show and no go. TERRY (reminding Daniel to stop using slang) Cut the slang. DANIEL (choosing new words. bad attitude) No. My father does not hit me. TERRY Alright. What does he do when you are a handful? (beat) Are you ever a handful with him? DANIEL Like now? TERRY Yes. DANIEL No way. TERRY Why? DANIEL Well, I love the guy. I wouldn’t give him trouble. (beat) I’m no handful.
6. TERRY Okay. DANIEL My mom is the handful. TERRY Tell me about that. We hear Daniel’s parents, STEVE JOHNSON (32), Man’s-man, hard worker, blue-collar, loving, LACY JOHNSON (32), Angry, bitter, sometimes sweet, very pretty, having a fight. Daniel and Doctor Terry stare at one another as his parent’s words fill the room. Doctor Terry is studying Daniel. Daniel is consumed by his parent’s words. LACY (V.O.) You love him more than me! You care more about that boy than me! STEVE (V.O.) I love my family! LACY (V.O.) No, you love him! You like me! STEVE (V.O.) You don’t have a clue, do you? LACY (V.O.) I know what I’m saying. STEVE (V.O.) You don’t know what you’re saying. Lacy throws a plate to the floor. We hear the sound of it breaking. LACY (V.O.) You need to care more about me, Steven. STEVE (V.O.) I do care. LACY (V.O.) I’m... I can’t stand this! STEVE (V.O.) Don’t walk away.
7. LACY (V.O.) Leave me alone, Steve. STEVE (V.O.) DON’T WALK AWAY! PICK THAT UP! TERRY Daniel? The sound of his parents fighting stops. DANIEL (Absent) Huh? TERRY What’s going through your mind? DANIEL My folks fought a lot. TERRY Did it ever get physical? Daniel looks away. He doesn’t know how to answer the question. BEGIN FLASHBACK: INT. DANIEL’S HOME - AFTERNOON The apartment where Daniel, Lacy, and Steve live is nice. The apartment is large and open. The first room you see upon entering is the living room. The living room is sunken. The kitchen is behind a double door stage right, across from the main entrance, which is stage left. There is a short hallway upstage center left. There is a bedroom stage right and stage left. Daniel’s bedroom is stage left and his parent’s bedroom is stage right. There is a television set on a small table in the living room. The song "Stay" by Maurice Williams plays on a radio that is on the kitchen counter. In the kitchen, Steve is standing in front of Lacy who is sitting on the counter. They are kissing. LACY What time does he get home? STEVE You mean Daniel? LACY Yes.
8. STEVE Later. They kiss. The music continues. After some time Daniel arrives home from school. He has a backpack. DANIEL (FROM THE OTHER ROOM) Home. Steve and Lacy separate as if in trouble. They adjust themselves. Steve is done first so he enters the living room. STEVE (happy to see Daniel) Buddy boy, you’re home. Lacy turns the radio off. She enters the living room. DANIEL Cleaning each other? STEVE (changing the subject) How was school? DANIEL (not letting go) Fine, how was your class? LACY (to Steve) What class? STEVE The birds and the bees. He’s cute. DANIEL (to Steve. about the birds and the bees) Here’s the big message: When in doubt just go with her. LACY (to Steve) What does that mean? STEVE If it begins to get weird, the woman is the right choice. No matter what.
9. LACY Oh. STEVE (to Daniel) You are not wrong. When I was young it got really weird. "Who? What? When? Where? Why? And sometimes, how is that possible?" DANIEL Your dad said that. STEVE He did. DANIEL Well, alright. "Who? What? When? Where? Why?" Good day, guy. Beat. Daniel starts walking to his bedroom. STEVE (stopping Daniel) Kid, say hi to your mom. DANIEL (Daniel stops) She’s not my mom. STEVE (meaning a previous fight) We’re done with that! DANIEL (beat. required) Lacy. LACY (required) Daniel. They stare for a moment. Daniel crosses to his bedroom. He closes the door. LACY (to Steve) He hates me. STEVE Unfortunately, you feel the same. Besides, a few days ago you weren’t his mom.
10. (beat) You want this to get better? LACY I don’t know, what do you want? STEVE Grow up. LACY You love him more than me. I’m just sex. STEVE Grow up. Steve crosses into the kitchen and grabs the newspaper. He crosses to the living room and sits on the couch. He grabs the remote and turns on the TV. After a moment of watching he opens the paper and searches. Once he finds something he wants to read he does so. Lacy watches him for a moment. LACY How can you read with that noise? STEVE The same way I can with the other noise. LACY Me? STEVE (simply put) Oh yes. Lacy becomes angry. She crosses into the kitchen, grabs the radio, reenters the living room and throws it to the floor. It breaks into many pieces. STEVE What was that? LACY How dare you treat me that way? (bigger) How dare you ignore me? Especially when (meaning Daniel) "that" gets here? (beat) You have a problem.
11. STEVE I’m not throwing radios! And he’s not "that," he’s your boy. LACY (angry) That boy. He’s the only thing you pay attention to. STEVE When you throw stuff you’re the only thing I pay attention to. LACY Fine. She walks into the kitchen, grabs a plate, reenters the living room, and throws it to the floor breaking it. STEVE (challenging her) Do it again. Beat. LACY (inaudible) I should have killed that kid. STEVE What was that? LACY Nothing. STEVE Tell me what you said. LACY (it’s the only way she’ll say) Come here. Steve folds the paper and crosses over to her. STEVE What did you say? LACY I should have killed that kid. Steve grabs her arm tightly.
12. STEVE Do you really feel that way? LACY Sometimes. STEVE Touch that kid and I’ll kill you. LACY Who are you talking to? It’s just you and Danny Boy here. You’re no killer. STEVE You really do think I’m ignoring you. LACY (beat) Let me go. After a moment Steve releases her with a force that shoves her back a few steps. They stare. Eventually, she smiles. After a few seconds, she approaches him and caresses his arm. LACY (she’s asking to hurt Daniel) Don’t you love me? STEVE Get off of me. Lacy slaps him. Beat. She slaps him again. Beat. He grabs a hold of her. Steve pushes her and she falls to the floor. LACY How could you? Daniel enters. He notices the room. He tries to ignore it. DANIEL I’m supposed to meet Lisa and John. STEVE (not looking) Then do so. Be back by dinner. DANIEL Why is she there?
13. STEVE Go! Daniel exits. Steve crosses to Lacy and kneels down. STEVE If you touch him, I promise I’ll kill you. After a beat, he sighs. He hates this thing between himself, Daniel, and Lacy. After a moment he rises and crosses back to the couch. He sits then opens the paper to where he was before. He reads. After a moment Lacy stands. This is all normal for her. Once up she dusts herself off and crosses into the kitchen. She grabs the broom and dustpan. She reenters the living room and sweeps up the broken items. Once she is done she speaks. LACY Meatloaf for dinner. STEVE Fine. After a beat, the radio clicks on. "It’s Now or Never" by Elvis Presley plays. Steve looks up full front from the paper. After a moment he turns to look at the radio in the dustpan. Lacy is already looking at it. After another moment Steve looks back full front and then to the paper. He reads. END FLASHBACK. INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - SAME AS BEFORE TERRY Daniel? DANIEL Yes? TERRY Did it ever get physical? DANIEL No. Well...not that I know of. TERRY Because you’d tell me, right? You can tell me anything. DANIEL Okay.
14. TERRY Do they still fight? DANIEL No. One day...it just stopped. EXT. PLAYGROUND - SAME DAY - AFTERNOON Daniel and LISA (10), pretty, average kid, are playing tether ball. As they play they speak. LISA You told your doctor that? DANIEL Yes. LISA So then what? DANIEL I don’t know, that was it. My parents did fight, but they love one another. LISA So when you see them like that what do they say? DANIEL They don’t say, just him. LISA What does he say? DANIEL Same thing I told doctor Terry, "Just go." LISA "Just go." DANIEL Right. LISA Well, that’s not all bad. I mean especially if they don’t hit one another. My friend Dana’s parents fight all the time. They hit.
15. DANIEL What about your parents? LISA Are you playing shrink now? DANIEL No. LISA How is he by the way? DANIEL Terry? LISA Yes. DANIEL Squeaky. LISA (beat) I thought only funny people went to shrinks. Are you funny Daniel? DANIEL I am not funny. LISA Sure? DANIEL (irritated) I am not funny. LISA Well, don’t be torn up. DANIEL I’m not. LISA Sure? Daniel is very upset by Lisa pressing the issue, so he hits the ball with all his might. The ball comes at Lisa too fast and she is forced to jump back. DANIEL I’m not!
16. He continues to hit the ball, wrapping it around the pole. Each time he attempts to hit the ball with more force. He loses his breath. The game is over. Daniel won. LISA (shocked) Well. DANIEL (calming down and catching his breath) I’m not funny. (beat) I win. LISA Yes, you do. DANIEL (beat) Now what? LISA Let’s sit. Lisa sits but Daniel is reluctant. She gestures for him to do so. LISA Come on, Daniel. He sits. LISA See, not so bad. DANIEL (mocking her) See, not so bad. LISA Is that how you want to rule the world? Mocking women? Daniel becomes silent. After a beat, Lisa grabs his hand. LISA Be nice. Daniel looks at her.
17. DANIEL Am I mean? LISA Sometimes. DANIEL Oh. LISA But you’re also upset. (beat) Just find a new way of being when you are angry. (beat) Just be nice. Force it. DANIEL (beat) What did you say before? LISA "See, not so bad." DANIEL Right. LISA Do you agree? DANIEL Yes. LISA But you’re still angry. DANIEL I’m always angry. LISA That’s true. DANIEL Yeah. LISA Does your shrink know that? DANIEL I don’t know.
18. LISA Why? DANIEL I didn’t say. LISA You should. Daniel reflects for a couple beats. He checks his watch. He has to go home. DANIEL I have to go. LISA Stay. DANIEL No. LISA Why? DANIEL It’s been four hours. LISA So? DANIEL Dinner will be ready soon. LISA Just one more hour. We can play kick the can. DANIEL I can’t. LISA Why? Daniel can see that Lisa doesn’t want to go home. DANIEL You don’t want to go home? LISA Do you?
19. DANIEL (beat) Let’s play. She smiles then jumps up and taps him on the shoulder. LISA Tag you’re it! She runs off as he stands. DANIEL (to himself) Women. "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis plays. He chases after her. They run through the city. INT. DANIEL’S HOME - SAME DAY - EVENING Steve and Lacy are sitting on the couch watching TV and eating on top of TV trays. Daniel enters. Lisa waits on the other side of the door. Steve and Lacy turn to see it’s Daniel. Lacy turns back. STEVE (happy to see Daniel, but upset he’s late) You’re late. DANIEL Did you send the cops? STEVE No, I just called God. DANIEL (pretending Steve is over concerned) God. STEVE That’s what he said. DANIEL I’m sure. STEVE How was your day? DANIEL (changing the subject) Dad, can I walk to Dr. Terry’s office tomorrow?
20. STEVE Manhattan is a big place. LACY Let him go. DANIEL I’ll be fine. STEVE Fine, be good. DANIEL I’m going to play with Lisa after school then walk to Dr. Terry’s office. STEVE My man. Steve turns back to the TV. He eats. Daniel watches for a moment to make sure Steve is done with him. After a beat, he sneaks back to the door. He opens it. Lisa had her ear to it and once Daniel opens the door she jumps back. She looks as if being caught for doing something really bad. She just wanted to know what was going on. Daniel gives her a look of curiosity because of the face she’s making. DANIEL What were you doing? LISA (sarcastic) Nothing, dad. DANIEL Okay, calm down. LISA What did he say? DANIEL He said I can walk. LISA Okay. I will see you tomorrow. DANIEL Bye. LISA Bye, Danny Boy.
21. Lisa walks away and Daniel closes the door. He heads for his bedroom. He is stopped when Steve speaks to him. STEVE We have dinner. DANIEL Okay. STEVE Also, your have to pay for being late. DANIEL What’s the price? STEVE Dishes and dishes and dishes. DANIEL Worth it. (he begins walking to his bedroom) My hands are dirty anyway. STEVE Yeah, okay. INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - AFTERNOON Daniel and Doctor Terry sit in the same places as before. Doctor Terry holds the same clipboard and pencil. TERRY So, how well do you know Lisa? DANIEL We’ve been friends for a while. TERRY Though, how well do you know her? DANIEL Well enough I guess. TERRY What is "well enough?" DANIEL Well.
22. TERRY Does she know your situation? DANIEL Hm? TERRY Does she know about your parents? DANIEL She does. TERRY Does she know them? DANIEL She knows Steve. TERRY Why not Lacy? DANIEL The fewer people who know her the better. TERRY Why? DANIEL She’s not nice to people. TERRY How does that make you feel? DANIEL She’s just bad to me. TERRY You hate that? DANIEL Yes. TERRY Have you told her how you feel? DANIEL We don’t talk. TERRY Why?
23. DANIEL She hates me. TERRY How do you know that? DANIEL She talks about how she wished she had drowned me the first time she bathed me. To avoid me. TERRY Do you feel safe? DANIEL What do you mean? TERRY Do you fear for your life? DANIEL On TV they showed the negro kids stage a sit-in, in North Carolina. TERRY And? DANIEL If the negros don’t fear then I don’t. TERRY Who said they weren’t afraid? DANIEL I don’t know. TERRY Two things, one, some people can do anything and feel no fear. Period. Okay? DANIEL Okay. TERRY But, two, throughout history people have done things that maybe, and yeah for great reasons such as civil rights, that were worth the price of fear, so they were afraid. Terribly terrified. Or more than that they did things that were
24. TERRY worth constant dislike and torture and that was scary to them. What you should see here is that some people are scared to death. But they conquer this bad thing, this feeling, with their sense of right. It’s why some people die. Their right is greater than any pain that falls onto them. The reason why is it’s more. You need this next bit of information, so listen carefully. (beat) You cannot ignore a person’s fear because it undermines reality, that this place, this planet, is huge and can be full of dangers - and it is - so when people wield this, blade, the blade of their truth, against this dark fact, fear, then they triumph over their personal darkness through sickness or death or peace eternal. So to ignore it would be the same as taking away their life. Taking away their right to yield to their beliefs and say, "I disagree. And no matter how bad it gets, I will always disagree." Try not to see what you want, Daniel. Sometimes you do. You need that truth. (beat) I think what you’re saying is you’re not afraid. Right? Or at least you do not want to be afraid. Hm? DANIEL I’m not afraid. TERRY Tell me about your sit in. DANIEL It’s peace. TERRY Go on. DANIEL The place is called peace. And I shouldn’t be there, but I sit anyway.
25. TERRY Why? DANIEL I sit because it’s not right. TERRY That you can’t be there? DANIEL Right. TERRY Just clarifying. You believe peace isn’t with you? DANIEL Yes. Doctor Terry jots down a note. TERRY Are you sure you feel safe? DANIEL Yes. TERRY (why Daniel would feel safe) Steve? DANIEL Hm? TERRY Steve makes you feel safe. DANIEL I guess so. TERRY Okay. (jots down a note) Does he know about you and Lacy? Does he know he makes you feel safe? DANIEL Can you change the subject? TERRY (seeing Daniel is uncomfortable)
26. TERRY Okay sure, but we have to come back to this. DANIEL Okay. Doctor Terry checks his notes. Daniel watches him comb through the pages. Doctor Terry finds a good topic. TERRY Tell me more about Lisa. DANIEL Tell me about your notes. TERRY I’m only keeping a timeline and information to identify the person you are or might become. Also growth in any area that does grow. I’m drawing an arrow to the "Who?" Meaning you. DANIEL You’re pointing at something. TERRY I’m pointing at something. DANIEL Me. TERRY You. DANIEL (beat) Growth? TERRY Yes, also growth. DANIEL What’s your question? TERRY How does Lisa feel about Lacy? About the treatment? DANIEL She said run away.
27. TERRY Will you? DANIEL I think there’s a better way. I think, "maybe it will go away." TERRY What if you could go somewhere else? It could be the "better way." DANIEL What if I win? TERRY By suffering it? DANIEL I guess so. Listen to this: "You have two options. You can suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or take arms against a sea of troubles and while opposing end them...because right will always win." TERRY So you can take action or work with inaction? DANIEL Yes. TERRY Because either way you win? DANIEL Yes. TERRY Who said that? DANIEL Steve’s brother. He was talking to my dad. Steve said: "How do you end them if you suffer them?" TERRY Your uncle said? DANIEL "Right always wins."
28. TERRY Right. Ultimately. DANIEL Do you think I’m old enough for this? TERRY Oh my god. DANIEL Yeah. TERRY I think you’re a smart kid. Mature. Some things you can handle, and others you just haven’t arrived at your answer. Okay? DANIEL Yeah. TERRY Good. (beat) Now, I want you to know something: you don’t get to pick your parents. That or your starting position in life. Black, white, pretty, ugly. It’s not your choice. My dad hated what I wanted to do. He was an army guy. Just a massive man, and because he was so huge, and handsome, he was an eye sore. It was too much. He said, "my father, and his father, and his father, were fighters, and my boy wants to speak to people for a living." I said, "there are many types of war, and fighting. The physical war, the one with weapons, is not the only one." I cared about people. I left California to help with mental disease. My father hated me, for a long time. You don’t get to pick your parents, that or your starting position in life. DANIEL But they can choose if you die or not.
29. TERRY Well, the thing is... (checking) about parents? DANIEL No both. TERRY Maybe not the starting position. DANIEL Oh. TERRY That would be God. And from what I know, only one person was born to die. DANIEL I don’t know him. TERRY God? DANIEL Either one. TERRY I won’t be religious, but they are huge. DANIEL God, he can do anything, right? TERRY So it’s said. DANIEL "So it’s said?" TERRY Well, I’m not from where he’s from. Whether or not all things are possible with him are beyond me. All things to our knowledge may be possible. DANIEL Well, maybe one day he’ll make things better.
30. TERRY Maybe. (beat) Now about your parents...they can only decide your fate if they have that power. DANIEL Lacy wishes. TERRY Do we understand that this is not good? This thing between you two? DANIEL Yes. (beat) I think she’s jealous. TERRY Of you? DANIEL Yes. I’m sure Steve likes me more. TERRY Do you understand that? DANIEL She lost her life when I was born. Simple. The queen died in January. TERRY Because she was something special to your father before you came around? DANIEL Yes. TERRY (beat) So she was something special then, and now you’re around she’s not. Does your father call you special in front of her? DANIEL No. TERRY Okay.
31. Doctor Terry jots down a note. This takes a bit longer than normal. Daniel notices and sees an opportunity to be funny. DANIEL By the hour right? TERRY (not really considering the comment) Yes. So, tell me what you think of her being jealous. DANIEL Oh, well, I’m the boy wonder. TERRY (beat) What is that? DANIEL Batman. TERRY Ah, I see. (he jots down a note) Now tell me the same thing, but in other words. What do you think of your mother being jealous of you? DANIEL I don’t care. TERRY She’s your mother. DANIEL At this point...I don’t care. She could die. TERRY How much do you know about death? DANIEL Not much. Another uncle died fighting in the Korean War. TERRY Your father’s brother? DANIEL Lacy’s brother.
32. TERRY And how did you feel? DANIEL I wasn’t born, but I hear stories from Lacy. I just know death isn’t so great. TERRY Wait a moment, she tells you stories? DANIEL Hm? TERRY When does she speak to you? DANIEL Don’t get your hopes up. When she’s blitz she speaks to me. And it’s not her. It’s whatever had died in January saying goodbye. TERRY She drinks often? DANIEL No. Don’t get your hopes up, she’s awful when she’s drunk. TERRY Tell me more about that. DANIEL Especially after last year, she doesn’t drink as much. Steve forbids it. TERRY What happened last year? DANIEL I...I don’t think I want to talk about it. TERRY Try. Daniel looks away. Looking away makes this situation easier for Daniel. BEGIN FLASHBACK:
33. INT. DANIEL’S HOME - EARLY MORNING, BEFORE DAWN It’s is so early in the morning it is still dark out. Lacy, singing something inaudible, stumbles into the apartment drunk. She sings as she conducts business. She wears a blue and silver sequin dress with a fur shawl and a party hat. She has a matching purse. She has a streamer around her shoulders and a horn she blows occasionally. LACY I’m home! (she blows the horn) Steve. (she sings. beat) I’m home. Daniel? Son, let me sing to you. (she blows her horn then sings while kicking her shoes off) I’m home. She stumbles into the kitchen. At the counter, she turns on the radio. "Lipstick On Your Collar" by Connie Francis plays. If there is time "Mr. Sandman" by The Chordoettes will play next. She dances. She grabs wine and a glass from the the cabinet. She drinks. LACY Steve, Daniel! She drinks. After a few she gets an idea. She goes to the hall where the two bedrooms are. After a moment she slowly opens Daniel’s door. We watch from the living room. LACY (calling softly) Daniel, you sleep? Lacy creeps in slowly closing the door behind her. After a few beats, we hear Daniel scream out. Steve burst out of his room. STEVE Daniel? Daniel screams again, Steve bursts into Daniel’s bedroom. STEVE What are you doing? RADIO DJ That little ditty was Lipstick On Your Collar by Connie Francis. Hey, fellas, it’s your day, don’t get in
34. RADIO DJ trouble. Ladies give ’em a break. Next up a group called The Chordettes. If you’re tired, wake up. Here’s Mr. Sandman. "Mr. Sandman" by The Chordettes plays. Steve shoves Lacy out into the hall. She cries out. He pushes her into their room and closes the door. He then goes into Daniel’s room. Silence, except for the RADIO. After a few moments, Steve exits Daniel’s room. He enters his room. He slams the door. Muffled shouts. The music continues. END FLASHBACK. INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - AFTERNOON Daniel swivels in his chair. TERRY That’s all? DANIEL Yeah, "Teach." She gets happy when drunk and that’s all. At that point, she loves her boy. Or something... TERRY (jots down a note) We’re almost out of time. DANIEL Killer. TERRY I know. DANIEL Well, you can’t always get what you want. TERRY What are your plans after this? DANIEL Find a can. TERRY Then what?
35. DANIEL Kick it. Doctor Terry smiles. TERRY Well have fun. DANIEL What do you do next? TERRY I have a break. DANIEL Do you eat? TERRY I would, normally, but I already ate. DANIEL Will you nap? TERRY No. DANIEL Then what? TERRY I moved here years ago from California with a friend from my hometown. He’s coming in and we’re going to talk. DANIEL Okay. TERRY Anything else? DANIEL Do you know that janitor? The one that works here? TERRY There are two. DANIEL Well, the negro.
36. TERRY That’s the guy I was talking about. DANIEL Your friend? TERRY Yes. What about him? DANIEL He’s nice. He said, "It just doesn’t make sense how cold it gets in the winter." TERRY He told me the same thing in California before we made the move...and about ten thousand times after that. DANIEL Why are you such good friends? TERRY Well he saved my life. DANIEL What happened? TERRY He’d say, "black people problems." DANIEL Oh. Go on. TERRY Well, it was California, 1933... BEGIN FLASHBACK: EXT. DOCTOR TERRY’S HOME - CALIFORNIA 1933 - AFTERNOON Doctor Terry’s home is a yellow ranch style house. It is a warm summer’s day. A couple dogs run past. INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S HOME - SAME A young Doctor Terry, YOUNG TERRY (23), passionate, smart, strong-willed, and his father, DALE TERRY (40s) Strong-willed, army guy, stand in the living room talking. Young Doctor Terry has just announced that he wants to move to New York and pursue a career in mental health.
37. DALE What do you mean, "I don’t want to be an army guy?" YOUNG TERRY That’s just it, I don’t. DALE Why? YOUNG TERRY Because I am going to be a therapist. DALE For what? YOUNG TERRY To help people. DALE What people? YOUNG TERRY Sick people. DALE You’d do more serving in the military. YOUNG TERRY That’s not fair. DALE How’s this? YOUNG TERRY You’re saying based on the size of any given moment, more can be done as an army man. DALE And I’m wrong? YOUNG TERRY Well, the army man is not always right and you don’t always get people to change. And you know what else? You may not win every war. DALE Our chances are greater than one therapist drooling over dreams and circumstances.
38. YOUNG TERRY How many of these conversations are happening now, do you think? I’m not the only person talking to his dad about being a therapist, but I know whoever else is needs to stick to it. Or it will be only one guy. (beat) Do you know what one happy person can do to a large group of people? DALE Make them happy? YOUNG TERRY Yes. DALE And that’s what you want to do. YOUNG TERRY Yes. DALE (beat) Look, I can’t go around saying my son is a therapist. Not when my father and his father, and his father were military men. YOUNG TERRY I know that those friends of yours that you’re afraid to tell I’m a therapist - when your father and his father, and his father were military men - could probably use a therapist after the things they’ve seen and done. DALE You don’t know what I’m talking about. YOUNG TERRY What are you talking about? DALE Honor. (beat) The world I made for you is a good one, but I’m a military man. I need the same.
39. YOUNG TERRY I don’t think you understand war. DALE Hm? YOUNG TERRY There are many wars. The mental health war is one. It’s also a very important war. DALE (beat) I see. YOUNG TERRY (beat) You didn’t fail me. You made me this. The world you made for me is a good one, and I am a military man - just a different branch. Mental health. I’m living in the world you made for me. (beat. simply) I’m looking to do good. DALE Listen, I still hate this. YOUNG TERRY (insistent because he can’t see why Dale doesn’t get it) Why? DALE Because it’s not exactly it. YOUNG TERRY Well, I don’t know what to say. DALE Think about what this will do to your mother. This will kill her. YOUNG TERRY I doubt it, dad. DALE Anyway, I need to say something very important.
40. YOUNG TERRY What? DALE I will disown you. YOUNG TERRY That’s ridiculous. DALE Say what you will. You’re an army man or dead to me. YOUNG TERRY Say what you will, you’re making a bad decision. DALE I - YOUNG TERRY Stop right there. Why continue on? We have nowhere else to go. I have business anyway. Young Doctor Terry turns and exits his home, leaving his father behind. He jumps in a car, a Ford Model A Pickup Truck, and drives away. After some time the car runs out of fuel. Young Doctor Terry gets out and kicks the car’s wheel. He sits with his back to the car. Beat. He sees a sign, it reads "Long Beach, California." He gets up and walks to the cab of the truck. He grabs a gas container and begins walking to the nearest gas station. EXT. GAS STATION - SAME We see Young Doctor Terry filling the gas container with gasoline. Beat. He stops. He can feel the ground moving under him. Beat. In 1933 a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit Long Beach, California... This is it. Young Doctor Terry looks for a safe place, but he can’t find one. Eventually, he gets trapped under something. He tries to get free but his legs get trapped. He yells in pain. He yells for help. Nothing. There is a giant wooden spike hovering over him. Beat. It falls towards him. He yells again. This time, YOUNG PAUL (23), Nice, strong-willed, approaches and grabs the top of the spike. He throws it aside. He frees Young Doctor Terry. He helps him to safety. Paul holds Young Doctor Terry. YOUNG TERRY Thank you.
41. YOUNG PAUL What’s your name? YOUNG TERRY Tim. YOUNG PAUL Well, you’re welcome, Tim. YOUNG TERRY You are? YOUNG PAUL Paul. YOUNG TERRY Okay. YOUNG PAUL (beat) So, I bet you’d prefer fishing right now, huh, Tim. YOUNG TERRY Yes, oh yes. YOUNG PAUL Well, tomorrow, hoping that there is one, we’ll go. YOUNG TERRY Fine. But what about my legs? YOUNG PAUL Then we’ll go next week. YOUNG TERRY Okay. Beat. They sit. END FLASHBACK. INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - AFTERNOON Daniel and Doctor Terry stare at one another. This was funny to the both of them. DANIEL I... I just need to be honest for a moment.
42. TERRY What? DANIEL That was funny. TERRY To me too. DANIEL Funny. TERRY Were you laughing inside? DANIEL I haven’t stopped. TERRY Same. DANIEL Maybe one day they’ll build a statue in honor of that story. TERRY Maybe. You know my father died laughing. We had made up before that point, but to the point, he died laughing. DANIEL Did you love him? TERRY Yes. DANIEL White people problems. TERRY (amused) Yeah. Or (rather) people problems. DANIEL Mhm. They stare for a beat.
43. TERRY Now, Daniel, I want you to stay but I value my free time. DANIEL Oh. Okay. One thing, though. TERRY Okay. DANIEL So you have your break. TERRY Yes. DANIEL Then what? TERRY Another client. DANIEL Do you care more the more money you’re paid? TERRY My job is to help you, money is something, but not my point. I said that to my dad also. DAINEL Is what you told your dad? TERRY Yes. DANIEL California, huh? TERRY Yeah. DANIEL I do hear you’re expensive. TERRY (amused) Either way, I’m here for you. DANIEL Not if you’re expensive.
44. TERRY I’m not expensive, just an expense. DANIEL Righteous. TERRY Okay, get out of here. DANIEL I will. Daniel stands and begins to leave, he is stopped, though, by Doctor Terry who has a request. TERRY Oh for next time, do me a favor, think about how you sleep. DANIEL Why? TERRY Because I want to know. DANIEL Checking for the person I am? TERRY Yes. Also growth. DANIEL I don’t sleep so good. TERRY That’s for next time. Tell me all about it then. Now, Manhattan’s a big city, don’t get lost. Bye, Daniel. DANIEL Bye. Daniel exits as Doctor Terry watches. When Daniel leaves he closes the door behind him. Doctor Terry continues to watch, looking at the door. After a beat, he takes a look at his notes. He looks at the pages for a beat. When he is done he looks up at the door. He really cares for Daniel. "All Shook Up" by Elvis Presley plays. The song plays into the next scene.
45. INT. DANIEL’S HOME - AFTERNOON Daniel, wearing his dad’s suit jacket, is dancing and singing along and watching Elvis Presley on TV performing "All Shook Up." He dances and sings with the broom to mimic a microphone and stand. The song ends and cheers from the TV are heard. The TV Host speaks. HOST Ladies and gentlemen, that was All Shook Up by Elvis Presley. Next up another tune from Elvis. Rip It Up. Ladies and Gentlemen, Elvis Presley. Cheers from the audience are heard. "Rip It Up" by Elvis Presley plays. Daniel dances and sings and watches with the broom. His moves mimic Elvis’. Steve enters the apartment. He has a brown bag with groceries. He puts them down. He takes out two beers and dances along with Daniel. When the song ends he turns the volume down. DANIEL You’re home late. STEVE Yeah, I stopped at the store for some groceries. They watch the TV. The host returns. HOST Okay, one more for the folks out there. Find a dance partner, its Love Me by Elvis Presley. Cheers are heard. Daniel and Steve sit on the couch and watch the TV. STEVE (silence) So, I was promoted to foreman today. DANIEL Copacetic. STEVE What’s that? DANIEL Good.
46. STEVE Oh. Wanna celebrate with your old man? DANIEL How? Steve pops open both beers and hands one to Daniel who takes it reluctantly. STEVE C’mon you’re a man now. DANIEL (amused) I’m ten. STEVE I was eight my first time. They cheers and drink. STEVE How is it? DANIEL Good. STEVE Copacetic. DANIEL So the Teamsters are treating you well? STEVE Give it time, I’ll be working right next to Hoffa himself. DANIEL If he survives. STEVE How’s that? DANIEL Apparently, the Kennedy brothers don’t care for him. STEVE Well. Steve takes a drink followed by Daniel, who drinks after him.
47. STEVE I need to read more. DANIEL Or just watch TV. They drink. HOST And now, one more folks. Long Tall Sally by The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. Elvis Presley sings Long Tall Sally. The two watch on. Beat. STEVE (he knows Daniel wants to dance) Well, go on. DANIEL Thanks. Daniel takes a drink then sets his beer down. He stands and begins to dance. Steve shakes his head, drinks and watches the TV. Beat. Steve begins to really think about Daniel. He wonders if his boy, the one who has a therapist, is okay. He grabs the remote and turns the TV’s volume all the way down. Daniel stops and turns to Steve. Daniel thinks, "For this to happen now, while a fan of Elvis is dancing and loving life, for someone to turn the volume down, something must be wrong." DANIEL What’s wrong? STEVE I have a question, kid. DANIEL What? STEVE Are you okay? DANIEL (beat. is anyone, "okay?") Who is? STEVE Well, I look at you - at your life - and I think, "It could be much better." Right?
48. DANIEL Yeah. But who knows what could happen? Right? STEVE Yeah. (beat) How’s Lisa? DANIEL (who she is) Lisa. STEVE Right. (beat) Well, go on, dance. Steve turns the TV’s volume up. Daniel goes back to dancing. Steve drinks. INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - DAY Doctor Terry sits in his chair stage left and reads a book. Paul sits stage right and also reads. After sometime, Doctor Terry looks up. TERRY Paul, I hate this book. PAUL Well, stop reading it. TERRY Yeah well, I have to finish it. PAUL "Yeah well," white people problems. TERRY Absolutely. PAUL (silence) You know that kid. TERRY What kid? PAUL Daniel.
49. TERRY Yeah? PAUL He’s not fake...but he’s not real. TERRY No more pot, Paul. TERRY Seriously. TERRY Go on. PAUL Well, he knows things, but sometimes it’s not possible. You know? TERRY Go on... PAUL He said, "If I wanted to -" TERRY Please give me context. PAUL Well, that’s just it, he just said so. TERRY Said what? PAUL He said, "If I wanted to die but I couldn’t because it’s illegal then people could choose a path for me. Why choose something bad?" TERRY What? PAUL You see, people could create a god, they could bring Jesus back, but they’d rather have a clown. TERRY Because Jesus is real...to some...so if the hero is still
50. TERRY alive then there’s no point in another. All some work with is clowns. So, instead of a god, it’s a clown. PAUL Yeah. TERRY Then he said what? PAUL He had to go meet Lisa. TERRY Oh. (beat) Do you think he’s too trusting? PAUL Meh, not so much. If anything, maybe he feels controlled and it’s not good to him. TERRY I see... PAUL He’s an angry kid. TERRY Yeah. PAUL Anyway. TERRY What time are you done today? PAUL Five. Doctor Terry checks his watch. TERRY I have an appointment in ten minutes, then I’m done. PAUL Wanna catch a movie?
51. TERRY Sure. There is a knock at the door. TERRY Yes, come in. Steve enters. STEVE Excuse me, Dr. Terry? TERRY Yes? STEVE Hi, I’m Daniel Johnson’s father, Steve. TERRY Oh. Hi. STEVE Hi. Look, I was told this is your break time and I wanted to speak to you about something, (noticing Paul) in private. Quickly. TERRY Okay. Paul, give us a few. PAUL Okay. Paul exits. Doctor Terry checks his watch. TERRY Steve, I have under ten minutes. STEVE Okay. I’ll be quick. Look - TERRY Sit. STEVE Alright. Steve sits.
52. STEVE Doc, I’m worried about my boy. TERRY What about? STEVE Well, he’s a smart kid, and even so, I think he’s going to end up making a really bad - or really bad - decisions. You see? TERRY Yes. What happened? STEVE Well, I think I live in a...god...a tragedy. Maybe it’s all downhill from here. And I also believe that he’s his own man and he could be okay, except that he might also be living in a tragedy. TERRY What happened? STEVE It’s this life. Maybe we’re in some broken, or ugly place, and this is it. Right? And no matter what, no matter how good he is inside he’s going to live a bad life. Maybe be bad. And honestly, I do not know what to say to him. Maybe you have words I could share with him. TERRY Steve, look, I believe that no matter what we want to happen our paths are done. I think we’re done. I mean people. We’re all headed forward and whatever happens good or bad is done, and we just arrive. We’re always on time no matter what. Maybe even, there is no bad, just right, and only blind people see bad because they do not get it, and that can be awful because around the corner you hear screams and it’s not right to you. The problem is that some people are blind, and those who know cannot say. They can’t say because of some
53. TERRY great higher law. Maybe it’s their religion, their leader goes, "Well, you may not say this," and they don’t. Some people do not see that we are done. Do you understand? STEVE What are you saying? TERRY I’m saying that I could give you ten to a million things to say to Daniel, but if he’s already in the lane he will always be in, he’s done. We could only help him live the best life possible in his situation. The thing about Daniel is, like others, is that, well, I could try, and I could definitely succeed in helping him be the best person possible in his situation, for his situation, sure, but if he’s living in a tragedy then that great ending, whether it is the end or the great downfall to the end, has already happened. He just needs to jump on a bus and make it there. I moved here from California to help people, against my father’s wishes, and I saw that sometimes I really do help people, and sometimes I’m nothing. That’s what I’m working with. (beat) So you want to find the words to explain things, but, and let’s say you do, "no matter what" is real. It’s a real thing. STEVE "No matter what," meaning his life’s path? TERRY Yes. STEVE Who said that? TERRY My dad. The idea is to help a person be the best they can be even
54. TERRY with a bad hand. You can’t change what already happened, you can only make him better equipped to handle it. STEVE Does he tell you about Lacy? TERRY Yeah, and it sucks, but he’s right about something. STEVE What? TERRY "To be or not to be." STEVE Did he tell you that? TERRY Yeah. STEVE (beat) Do you think my boy is going to die soon? TERRY Because he could? Or because it is just a possible something in the near future? STEVE A possible something. TERRY Honestly, I don’t think so. I don’t think so because he’s "no." I think he’s the type of person, where if you ask a question about him, he heard it first, chose, and moved on. So when you think of something involving him he’s the best person to ask. Your question is already too late. I think he’s before us, so when you think so, think something, think anything about him, the time has passed and it doesn’t mean anything. We’re always too late. I’m trying to catch up.
55. TERRY He passed us up. And it’s one of those things where he may not be able to say if you asked him about it. STEVE Why? TERRY Because once he answers a question for himself he moves on, leaving wind and dust. The language changes so he may not understand. It’s like him saying, "Get out of my way." Anyway, he’s not the dying type. Just tired of his world. I think he’d say, "Well, I don’t die, you kill me." STEVE I see. TERRY When it comes to things like this, he’s ahead his time. He knew true love the moment he entered our world. STEVE And was broken hearted the moment he saw Lacy. TERRY Maybe. STEVE What if he could just do wrong Would he? TERRY (silence) I doubt it. I really do. It may not make sense to him. STEVE Good. TERRY But you could watch something for me.
56. STEVE What? TERRY Sometimes, no matter how smart he is, he could be really dumb. That’s not his fault. He moves quickly, and at times it may be too fast. Too fast to make sense, and too fast for the world. It’s not him, it’s really what he’s up against. If he is done and is just arriving at where he should be, then when he can be forced to reflect or look away (when there is no need for it - in his opinion,) he’ll miss the ball every time. He’s distracted. The pitcher comes to the mound and he has something that Daniel will knock out of the park - easily. Daniel will knock it out of the park, home run, every time. (this amazes him) You see, before the pitcher throws the ball Daniel has already swung, he knows the hit. He knows the swing. This kid’s from the future. Though, he’s asleep at bat, and people hate that. It’s too easy. (he’s in awe) He already hit the ball, I mean he won the game. Even before the pitcher threw the ball it was over. (not as excited as before) But when it is actually time for him to swing, someone, or many people, either push him out of the way or shout in his ear, "Wake up! Reflect!" If he does anything, it’s respond. They say, "Wake up! Reflect!" He says, "But I already know." So he swings, but he’s looking left, not forward where the ball is. He knows where the ball and his bat should be but he can’t see it. So he misses. So he wouldn’t do bad, but bad could happen. It depends on what he sees when he looks in the mirror. STEVE You’re saying he’s a good person, but people do bad things to him.
57. TERRY Yes and no. I’m saying it’s his place in line. Someone doesn’t like him or he’s in the wrong place and that’s all. What can be called bad for him... (simply put) can happen. STEVE Because it could. TERRY Yes. Because it could just happen to him. So he can always be in a place where he gets hurt. STEVE We should try and fix what he sees in the mirror. TERRY Here’s the thing, the man in the mirror can be the strongest guy in the room. Or he’s the weak link. STEVE What’s your point? TERRY If Daniel’s reflection, what he sees in the mirror, is the strongest guy in the room, we can’t say or do anything other than lock him up or ignore him. Because he’s not right to us, or this is right for him. If he’s weak, then we can change him - but listen, he’s not that. Not weak. If anything he’s sometimes dumb. What I hate to think is he knows he can be dumb and is messing with us. STEVE What do you say we do? TERRY This is something I did not want to say, but I may need to: For some people, you either change the world around them and they fit in society, or they are changed for the world around them and they fit.
58. TERRY Steve, believe me, we all fit. No matter what, because the fight is peace and harmony, we all fit. We take up space so we must fit. It’s not more white people and less black people anymore, it’s peace. It’s harmony. STEVE And about Daniel? TERRY Look, I’m not God, (this means "Who could answer the question") or one of his angelic sons who could, (back to before) so whatever he is, he will fit. And yes, he may hate where he is, but it’s right. The worst thing I see, is when I learn so much about a person, and we have breakthroughs, and then they figuratively die due to some outstanding event neither one of us saw, or at least I didn’t see. One spirit over another is more powerful at times, and it wins, and we end up with a new person. I will not find out about your son until the time is right. And I hope that he’s great and happy and it lasts forever. So, with all that said I’ll give you some things to say, some things to know, but we need to walk with him. STEVE Okay. TERRY Okay, I have an internal clock, it’s almost time for my next appointment and I have to grab some things to be ready. STEVE Fine, alright. They shake hands as Doctor Terry speaks.
59. TERRY Come back after it. Give me an hour after two and I will have things for you. STEVE Alright. Thanks, doc. Doctor Terry walks Steve to the door. Steve exits. Terry closes the door and takes a couple steps then stops. He sighs. BLACK SCREEN: "Just My Imagination" by The Temptations plays. After a few... INT. DANIEL’S HOME - AFTERNOON "Just My Imagination" by The Temptations continues to play, but the song plays on the radio. The radio is in the living room next to Daniel who is sitting. The music continues. When the song ends Daniel turns the radio off. There is enough time for Lacy to enter and do business. A few beats pass. Lacy enters the apartment. She closes the door then notices Daniel. They stare for a beat. She crosses into her bedroom. In her bedroom, she takes off her clothes and puts on a robe. She enters the main room and stops because Daniel is looking at her. Beat. She looks at Daniel. They look at one another for a beat. Lacy crosses into the kitchen and opens the refrigerator and looks. Beat. She sighs. She exits the kitchen and begins walking towards her bedroom. Daniel watches her. She can tell. She stops and turns to him. They look for a beat. She moves on. This is new to her. She returns. LACY What? DANIEL (beat) Nothing. LACY (beat) What, kid? (silence) Is Steve gone? DANIEL Yes.
60. LACY He’ll be back Monday. DANIEL Yeah, I know. It’s just us. LACY (sarcastic) Great. DANIEL Sarcasm. LACY What do you want? DANIEL The same thing you want. LACY Peace. DANIEL Mhm. LACY Am I bothering you? DANIEL (disappointed) No. LACY Then what, Daniel? DANIEL I saw Steve’s photo album. LACY It’s not Steve’s, it’s the family’s. DANIEL We’re not much of that are we? LACY (beat) No. (beat) Do you know why?
61. DANIEL Me. LACY (frank) Yeah. (a quick beat) Yeah, kid. DANIEL I ruined your life. LACY Of course. DANIEL When you say you’d kill me, do you mean it? LACY Look, I just do not like you, but I am no killer. DANIEL Is Steve? LACY (no way) Yeah right. He’s not for that. Institutions are his thing. Rehab this and that. Therapy. You for example. (a quick beat) When we were dating he’d talk his way out of a fight. DANIEL (speaking of fighting) Does he hit you? LACY No. (beat) You? DANIEL (no way) Yeah right. LACY What is this? Are we friends now? Because he’s gone? Because you’re afraid I’ll hurt you?
62. DANIEL No, Lacy. LACY See, why not "mom?" DANIEL Why not,"son?" LACY Who says "son," like a name? DANIEL Right. LACY (beat) I don’t feel like much of a mother anyway. I hate my boy. DANIEL Why? LACY I... (how she truly feels about her life) I think I’m stuck. Okay? DANIEL Where? LACY I was everything to him, and then you. (it’s amazing) Now? Well, now I’m the second chair. Okay? DANIEL I see. Should I go? LACY Go where? DANIEL I don’t know. LACY Just stay here and live forever and maybe when you’re old enough you’ll get married and move away and I’ll be pretty enough for Steve.
63. DANIEL Maybe. LACY "Maybe?" DANIEL Yes. They stare at one another for a couple beats. LACY (wanting to be angry) Why’d you turn the radio off? DANIEL I was done. LACY I wasn’t, but it’s too late for that isn’t? Be comfy, Danny Boy. DANIEL Lacy? LACY Yes? DANIEL Shut up. LACY (silence. thrown off) Hm? DANIEL Sometimes you move so fast you say stupid things. LACY How...how old are you? DANIEL Guess. LACY Forty? DANIEL (amused) If that were the case when would I be old enough to get married so I could move away?
64. LACY I...I don’t know. (something) Fifty. There is silence then they laugh. LACY Daniel, I don’t know what happened, but one day, I just didn’t matter. Not as much. DANIEL What if it was always that way? LACY (beat) That’s how you feel? DANIEL (beat. simply put) Yeah. LACY (silence) Well...I’m... (silence. she can’t say) DANIEL Sorry? LACY A bad mother. (beat) But I live with that. DANIEL Do people hate you? What Lacy says next is tough because she knows she’s a different person from the days before Daniel. LACY They do. Sometimes, they treat me like I’m not a person. DANIEL You are a person. LACY A person with no friends.
65. DANIEL Why do people hate you? LACY Because I’m not nice. Everyone knows that. DANIEL Do they hate Steve? LACY They love him to death. DANIEL Why are you mean to people? LACY I just am... DANIEL DO you know why? LACY Because I made a deal with your father a long time ago. All he needed to do was love me more than anyone else and we’d okay. He was so good that being good wasn’t a question...it was just who I was to him that mattered. DANIEL Then me. LACY Then you. (beat) I do hate you, Daniel. I do. And I will (beat) because this is wrong. But I’m a good wife, so I will not leave Steve. DANIEL Then let’s pretend until he comes home we’re okay. LACY Don’t you have friends?
66. DANIEL Yeah, but I have a home too. I want to be home. LACY You don’t need me to be home. DANIEL Yeah but I feel bad when it’s just us. The apartment has a weird thing about it. Steve is in the way of that when he’s here, and he’s gone. LACY What do you want? Now that I know your game. You want something. What do you want? DANIEL To watch TV with my mother and pretend we’re okay. Silence. LACY Fine. Let’s watch TV. DANIEL Fine. Daniel and Lacy cross to the couch and sit. They are at each end. Lacy takes the TV remote and turns on the TV. After a couple beats of them watching TV, Daniel notices the distance between them. He stands and sits so close to her they touch. Beat. Lacy, continuing to watch TV, rolls her eyes. They watch in silence for three beats. DANIEL (continuing to watch TV) You are pretty. Lacy looks at him as he watches the TV. DANIEL And I’m sure you’ll be pretty when I’m fifty and married and long gone. After a beat, Lacy looks at the TV. LACY I hope so.
67. They watch TV. All we hear are sounds of the TV. After a beat or two, a single tear rolls down Lacy’s cheek. Daniel turns and looks at her and it. He grabs her hand and turns to the TV. Beat. He smiles. FADE TO BLACK: "Beyond The Sea" by Bobby Darin plays. It plays into the newt scene. EXT. PLAYGROUND - AFTERNOON "Beyond The Sea" by Bobby Darin continues to play as Daniel waits in the playground for Lisa. He passes time by kicking his feet, finding rocks and tossing them, climbing on things, etc. He plays with himself. Finally, he hits the tether ball. He then sits and waits. Lisa walks in slowly. He notices someone and assumes it’s Lisa. He jumps up and approaches. He doesn’t recognize her. Her face is red, black, and blue from being beaten. He stops. The music fades out. It is so bad he doesn’t know who she is. They stare. The music fades off. A long silence as they stare. DANIEL Who are you? Silence as she tries to say "It’s me." She can’t say. After some time she can finally get it out, but she is hurt bad. LISA Daniel, it’s me...Lisa. Beat. He is heart broken. He goes to touch her face but can’t. He turns away. He holds back tears. He gets very angry. He turns to her and grabs her. DANIEL Where is he? Huh? I’ll rumble. Who needs a decking? Lisa falls into his arms. LISA My dad. DANIEL What? LISA He got mad. It was my fault.
68. DANIEL How? LISA He told me to shut up but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. DANIEL (upset) Oh, why didn’t you shut up? LISA I don’t know, I’m sorry. He was hurting her. DANIEL Your mom? LISA (weeps loudly) Yes! She cries loudly. DANIEL Stop crying. LISA I can’t. DANIEL (holding back tears) You need to, this isn’t choice. LISA I know. She stands but he is still holding her. She stops crying and wipes her tears. DANIEL Good. LISA (looking for validation) I’m boss? DANIEL Of course. LISA Am I ugly?
69. DANIEL Yes. But so is whatever made him like this. Lisa pulls away from Daniel. She looks in his eyes. She kisses him. He’s stunned. They kiss. JEN (10), girly and a bit rough, cute, and JOHN (10), tough, liar, enter. You can hear music from John’s portable radio. "Sindy" by The Squires plays. This is followed by "Riot in Cell Block No. 9" by Ron and Joe and The Crew which plays through to the next scene. Neither Daniel or Lisa notice the two enter. Jen and John watch as they kiss. After a while, Jen speaks. JEN K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Daniel notices but Lisa doesn’t. She remains in place with her eyes closed and her lips puckered as he jumps back and wipes his lips. DANIEL John! Jen! How long were you there? JEN Long enough. JOHN L-O-N-G - E-N-O-U-G-H. Long enough. DANIEL God. JOHN Making out already? Yeah, my first was Peggy Sue. (proud) Yeah...beat you there. JEN You mean grandma. He means grandma. JOHN No, I don’t! Don’t listen to her. JEN Yeah, then how’d you do it? JOHN Like this. John mimics kissing by turning and wrapping his arms around himself. He makes kissing noises. After a couple beats or three, Lisa turns, revealing her face. Jen’s reaction turns John around.
70. JEN Whoah, lady fingers, what happened to your face? LISA I... JOHN (to Daniel) That’s how you do it, deck ’em and they’ll do whatever you say. DANIEL (angrily grabs John by his collar) Watch your mouth or I’ll deck you. Lisa runs away. JEN Well, there she goes. DANIEL Now see what you’ve done. (running after her) Lisa wait! JEN So now what, thick? JOHN I don’t know. Wanna play tether ball? JEN (beat) But I don’t like you. JOHN Oh. JEN (silence) What song is this? JOHN Riot In Cell Block No 9. JEN Who is it?
71. JOHN Ron and Joe and The Crew. JEN Oh. I hate this song. JOHN Take it up with Dick Clark. JEN I hate you. JOHN You’re lame. JEN Chicken head. JOHN Wait until mom hears the way you talk. JEN Why you’re a tattletale. JOHN Ditz. JEN What? JOHN Hm? JEN What was that? JOHN Hm? JEN Hm? Jen walks over to John slowly and pinches him until he falls to his knees. He shouts. JOHN Ow. You... you... JEN You what?
72. JOHN You... JEN Before you answer remember I can total you. JOHN (holding himself where she pinched him) You...pretty girl. JEN Aw. John mumbles "You’re mean.". JEN What? JOHN You’re mean. JEN Yeah. VIDEO CLIP: The clip of Dorothy singing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" from "The Wizard of Oz" plays. This is how Daniel feels, He loves Lisa, who is Dorothy. He feels bad about her life. He is toto. INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - DAY They sit in the same places as before. Silence as they look at one another. TERRY Tell me something. DANIEL About what? TERRY Your dreams. DANIEL I...I keep dreaming about Lisa. TERRY Is it bad?
73. DANIEL Not at first. TERRY How long since she and her mother moved away? DANIEL A month. All this time I thought poor Dana. There’s no Dana. It was her. I didn’t even know who she was at first. TERRY I know this is tough. DANIEL My last dream was a bad scene. TERRY How so? DANIEL I fell asleep to American Band Stand... BEGIN FLASHBACK: INT. DANIEL’S HOME - NIGHT There is a video clip of Dick Clark and American Bandstand Dancers. "Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley and His Comets" is seen. Eventually, the clip cuts to the TV where it continues. Daniel is asleep on the couch. After the song ends "Take Five" by Dave Brubeck plays followed by "Blue Rondo A la Turk" by Dave Brubeck. The lights move changing in intensity and color. A young Lisa enters in torn and beaten clothes. Her face is black and blue. She dances with red streamers. An older man in a wife beater with stains and tears enters, this is HER FATHER (40s), dirty, balding, chubby. They dance. He picks her up and tosses her around. HER MOTHER (30s), pretty, enters also appearing beaten, she joins the dance. They dance. After a certain point, Lisa runs to Daniel who awakens and is forced in with the three. This is a fight. Tries dancing like Elvis to beat Lisa’s father but it does not work. He is also thrown about. A dark and scary looking John enters with Jen. They dance. The dance becomes darker as Daniel attempts to run away but when he opens the door Lacy stands there. He screams "Dad," signaling for Steve, who is nowhere to be seen, to enter. Daniel pleads, begs, and shouts, but there is no use. After some time, Steve bursts in the door and attempts to fight off Lisa’s father but Lacy attacks him. Daniel gets a solo
74. dance, dancing and reacting to the music, showing that he is going mad and hurt. It’s a Jazz dance full of emotion. By the end, Daniel has grabbed a knife from the kitchen and kills everyone except for Lisa. He falls to the floor. The music fades and lights fade out. We hear that Daniel is out of breath. After a few moments of darkness... END FLASHBACK. FADE TO: INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - SAME Doctor Terry takes a few notes. Once he is done, he looks up at Daniel. TERRY Tell me something. DANIEL I want to run away. INT. DANIEL’S HOME - SAME DAY - LATE AFTERNOON Daniel enters the apartment and immediately goes into his bedroom. Steve is lying on the couch watching TV. Daniel exits his bedroom with a backpack and crosses to the door. STEVE Where are you going? DANIEL (while walking to the door) Out. STEVE Why? DANIEL Why not? STEVE Lacy ran off. DANIEL (he stops) Where? STEVE Boca Raton.
75. DANIEL With who? STEVE Remember Uncle Jerry from work? DANIEL That flap-jawed flake? That skull? He’s not my real uncle. STEVE Yeah. They ran off. He fired me, took Lacy, then ran off to Boca Raton. (hurt and amused) I couldn’t even keep my job. DANIEL What now? STEVE Nothing. Watching TV. DANIEL Don’t stay up too late. STEVE I’m fine. Where are you going? DANIEL To find Lisa. STEVE (beat) Where did Lisa go? DANIEL Somewhere. STEVE Don’t stay up too late. DANIEL (beat) You know, I wish I was never born. STEVE I don’t. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. But I know your life must be awful. DANIEL (beat)
76. STEVE I have to go. STEVE Go. Daniel begins to exit but stops when he sees his reflection in the mirror by the door of the apartment’s entrance. After a beat, he takes an apple from his bag and throws it at the mirror breaking it. Beat. STEVE You break the mirror? DANIEL Yeah. Silence. Nothing will be said. Daniel exits the apartment. He closes the door behind him. "Georgia On My Mind" by Ray Charles plays. After Daniel leaves we see Steve’s face as he watches TV. Two beats. He cries. FADE OUT: The song continues during the title card. TITLE CARD: Atlanta, Georgia EXT. ATLANTA BUS STATION - NIGHT Daniel sits with his back to a phone booth. A black man named BLACK JEFFREY (60), French, musician, happy, enters carrying a guitar. He hums and sings "Aberdeen Mississippi Blues." He notices Daniel. He stops. BLACK JEFFREY Well young man, what’s the time? DANIEL (checks his watch) Seven Thirty. BLACK JEFFREY Today? DANIEL (perplexed) Yeah.
77. BLACK JEFFREY Good. I have been here a long time, and one day I just didn’t know the time. It’s good weather to know the time, though. DANIEL Why? BLACK JEFFREY Because it is. DANIEL All weather is good weather to know the time. BLACK JEFFREY Only when you need to know it. The moment is always right. That’s all. Daniel realizes what’s happening, he is alone and doesn’t know where to go. He is sad and feels regret. He’s not so self-consumed that he doesn’t respond to Black Jeffrey. Daniel has become clearly sad all of a sudden. DANIEL Yeah. BLACK JEFFREY What’s wrong, boy? DANIEL I just realized something. I’m alone. BLACK JEFFREY (beat) We’re all alone sometimes. You see it’s just me, like you. DANIEL My dad said, "Even when it’s just you, it’s never just you." Right now... Daniel tries to say, but he can’t. BLACK JEFFREY It’s just you. DANIEL (crying inside) Yes.
78. Black Jeffrey can see that Daniel is sad, so he searches for something to say. BLACK JEFFREY Would you like to know what I hear? DANIEL Sure. BLACK JEFFREY You’re crying. DANIEL (beat) I... BLACK JEFFREY But who isn’t? Hm? Listen. They are silent. They listen. BLACK JEFFREY What do you hear? DANIEL The wind. BLACK JEFFREY Do you know where it comes from? DANIEL God? BLACK JEFFREY Yes. I think he’s in the wind. (beat) Think he wants to be here? DANIEL I... BLACK JEFFREY He probably has a giant TV in heaven and it probably has color and he could have seen this all, this ugly place, without being here in person. What a mess! DANIEL What are you saying?
79. BLACK JEFFREY He’s probably crying too. (beat) Big tears. He sits next to Daniel. Beat. BLACK JEFFREY(CONT’D) Young man, are you innocent? DANIEL I don’t know. BLACK JEFFREY I wasn’t. I was a bad man. Young, bad, and smart. Now I’m getting my just reward. DANIEL Are you okay? BLACK JEFFREY Because I am doing right I am. The law is, an eye for an eye, and now what? I’m old, and stupid, and blind. But I’m good. I’m paying my price for what I did wrong. The thing is, I knew what I was doing, all that bad. And I hurt a lot of people. And one day...the law came to me and I only had one option, "hope for forgiveness." But I don’t believe I deserve it...maybe I’m just hurt. I need to do good, though, and you know what? I get it. There’s no place for what I was. French, black, and bad. Some people did so much bad they can only be good and hope it matters, hope it matters while they ache and weep. Weep at, uh...what they did wrong and how they feel. (beat. as if Daniel said something he missed) Hm? DANIEL I didn’t say. BLACK JEFFREY Oh. Mhm. They are silent.
80. DANIEL What’s your name? BLACK JEFFREY Black Jeffrey. DANIEL Why? BLACK JEFFREY Why what? DANIEL "Black?" BLACK JEFFREY Because one day I was just that. DANIEL Oh. They are silent. BLACK JEFFREY When I started being good I saw that maybe if I used the name they gave me it would show how sorry I was. DANIEL Who’s "they?" BLACK JEFFREY People who hated me. A lot of people. They’d say, "Oh that black guy," or "The black one," or just "Black." And just "black" was good because they knew. They knew well. They knew Black Jeffrey the bad man well. When I showed my face they would say "There’s them."You know what that means? DANIEL No. BLACK JEFFREY It is how they get you alone. If they say, "They," other black people will go, "I’m not that." Next thing you know, it’s just you and the people who hate you. They had put me in a category where I
81. BLACK JEFFREY represented all black people, and then everyone hated me. They knew me by name. I wasn’t Jeffrey Adrien Baptiste anymore, I was the worst human around. Rightly so, though. But now I’m not. But people still treat me like a punching bag. Because no one was that bad. Young man, try to be good. Be innocent, if you can. (beat) Now, what is your name? DANIEL Daniel. BLACK JEFFREY Daniel who? DANIEL Daniel Johnson. BLACK JEFFREY Okay. Well, Mr. Daniel Johnson, now what? DANIEL I...I don’t know. BLACK JEFFREY (silence) Daniel, think you can you help me get some food? DANIEL I don’t have much money and I may have to get far. BLACK JEFFREY How far? DANIEL I don’t know. BLACK JEFFREY (worried) Why don’t you know? DANIEL Because I don’t know how long I could be looking.
82. BLACK JEFFREY I have been here for a while now, but I have always known where I was going. DANIEL Where’s that? BLACK JEFFREY Where the wind blows. DANIEL With god? BLACK JEFFREY Yeah. Black Jeffrey licks his index finger and points it to the wind. BLACK JEFFREY (CONT’D) South. DANIEL (amused) That’s east. BLACK JEFFREY Got all the answers? DANIEL I have a few. BLACK JEFFREY Well, good. Listen, you got any food on you? DANIEL God you’re hungry. BLACK JEFFREY Yeah. DANIEL I’ve got a bit. BLACK JEFFREY Listen, you help me out with some food and I’ll make a trade. DANIEL What for?
83. BLACK JEFFREY You play the guitar? DANIEL No. BLACK JEFFREY Listen son, (listing) you can have my guitar Ol’ Miss Bess, I’ll show you how to play her, and you help me with some food. DANIEL Would you trade your guitar for food? BLACK JEFFREY Can’t eat sound. Plus I have another. DANIEL How long will that take? BLACK JEFFREY You never stop learning. DANIEL So, we’ll be together forever? BLACK JEFFREY Maybe in spirit. DANIEL Maybe. (beat) You sound like my old man. BLACK JEFFREY Yeah, I get that sometimes. "Ol’ Black Jeffrey that’s somethin’ my pappy would say" or how you say, "My old man." DANIEL (laughing) Who says that? BLACK JEFFREY You know what, you might be the first. Hm, imagine that. (meaning himself)
84. BLACK JEFFREY There goes the dummy saying the wrong thing again. Listen, I will teach you the guitar. I will teach you, and you will play well. DANIEL Then we have a deal. BLACK JEFFREY Listen. Black Jeffrey pulls his guitar around. BLACK JEFFREY (CONT’D) I’ll build your fingers until you play as good as me. Then you’ll get my hands, and next thing you know, you’re a master. (beat. he realizes a truth) You know what? I just realized a truth. DANIEL What? BLACK JEFFREY Not everyone is teachable. DANIEL So...? BLACK JEFFREY Well, you may learn nothing. DANIEL Oh... So. Try me. BLACK JEFFREY Okay. (he strums the guitar) What you got in there? DANIEL Apples and chips and peanuts. BLACK JEFFREY Well, bonjour monsieur and adieu hunger. Daniel takes a bag of chips from his backpack and hands it to Black Jeffrey. Black Jeffrey takes it.
85. DANIEL Bon appetit. BLACK JEFFREY (excited because Daniel knows something in French) Ahhhhh! Mmm good. You know French. DANIEL A few things. Black Jeffrey opens the bag and eats a chip. This makes him very happy. BLACK JEFFREY Listen here, lesson one. Listen. Black Jeffrey plays something with great technique. BLACK JEFFREY (CONT’D) Daniel-Boy, what are you doing here? DANIEL I’m looking for a girl named Lisa. BLACK JEFFREY How old are you? DANIEL Ten. All of a sudden Black Jeffrey stops playing. Daniel’s age is remarkable. He’s a smart, mature kid. BLACK JEFFREY In dog years? DANIEL (amused) No. People years. BLACK JEFFREY Okay. Black Jeffrey begins to play a blues song he’s making up on the spot. He sings. The song is called "Lisa’s Song" by Joseph Robinson III. BLACK JEFFREY (CONT’D) (singing) Ol’ Boy Fantastic done come to town,
86. Met Black Jeffrey bringing the boss searchin’ for Lisa. Lisa. Lisa. Where you done gone cause I’m here to stay. Ol’ Boy Fantastic done got him his way. Found a lover named Lisa. Lisa. Ol’ Lisa, let me say... Black Jeffrey stops to ask Daniel a question. BLACK JEFFREY (CONT’D) What you got to say? DANIEL I’m here for you. BLACK JEFFREY (singing) I’m here for you. Lord oh lord I’m here to stay. Lisa where you lay cause I’m there to say, that I am here to stay. Oooo wee. Here to stay. Here for you. Daniel follows with great intent. Black Jeffrey begins a deep and poetic guitar solo. The song continues for a few beats into a blackout, then stops. Beat. VIDEO CLIP: "The Quiet Mutiny Vietnam Interviews Part 2" plays for the first two minutes plays. At one minute and fifteen seconds MONTAGE "Fortunate Son" by Credence Clearwater Revival plays. We see Daniel and Black Jeffrey through the years. Black Jeffrey teaches Daniel to play the guitar. We see them become very close friends. We also see the two of them with others. Daniel made other friends, but did live, all those years, with Black Jeffrey.
87. TITLE CARD: Georgia, 1970 TITLE CARD: 10 Years Later INT. BLACK JEFFREY’S HOME - NIGHT It is an old tiny shack with one cot, that an old sickly Black Jeffrey lays on, as a twenty-year-old Daniel tunes Ol’ Bess. Daniel still wears glasses. His hair is combed over but is still mussed up. He wears a Vietnam War army shirt. He strums. Then plays "I’m Gonna Start A Graveyard Of My Own" by Jim Jackson. DANIEL (G position, standard tuning.) (refrain) I’m gonna start a graveyard of my own If that man don’t leave my gal alone Oh, my razor certainly am a trusty blade, lay that man right in the shade I’m gonna start a graveyard of my own Aw, she bundled up my clothes and th’owed ’em out of doors I’m gonna start a graveyard of my own Well, she gave me the sack, gonna never come back And I’m gonna start a graveyard of my own (refrain) Yeah, I’m gonna start a graveyard of my own If that man don’t leave my girl alone My razor certainly am a trusty blade, lay that man right in the shade
88. I’m gonna start a graveyard of my own. As he plays, Black Jeffrey coughs, each time more aggressively, until he begins to choke. Daniel hears Black Jeffrey’s suffering and stops playing. Daniel tends to him. DANIEL What’s wrong? BLACK JEFFREY Nothin’, just dying. That’s all. (he laughs) Daniel grabs a water canister and helps Black Jeffrey drink. DANIEL Here, you’ll be fine. BLACK JEFFREY How long has it been? DANIEL Ten years. BLACK JEFFREY On the nose? DANIEL Yeah. BLACK JEFFREY That long? Bonjour. Been forever I’ve known you. DANIEL Yeah. BLACK JEFFREY Here, grab that crate. DANIEL Where? Black Jeffrey points to a crate tucked under blankets and other junk. BLACK JEFFREY There, boy. Grab it. DANIEL How long has this been here?
89. BLACK JEFFREY Longer then you’ve been alive. DANIEL Good god, Jeff, there’s sheet music for days. Why not show me along with the others? BLACK JEFFREY That there, boy, is my own writing from years ago. DANIEL (excited) There’s a record. You’ve recorded? BLACK JEFFREY Back when I was a young man like you. DANIEL Wow. (reading the record) Ol’ Black Jeffrey plays Louisville. "Take Her Home", "Be Mine" "God Forbid," My god Jeff, why’d you never tell me? BLACK JEFFREY Well, Black Jeffrey is humble, I guess. DANIEL Be humble and say, that’s the art. The truth we should know. My god. We need to play. BLACK JEFFREY Nah, nah. You play, I’m going to sleep. DANIEL Then later. BLACK JEFFREY No. DANIEL Why? BLACK JEFFREY I’m tired.
90. DANIEL As soon as you are better, then. BLACK JEFFREY You don’t get me, Daniel. It’s time for me. DANIEL For what? Daniel doesn’t understand that Black Jeffrey is dying, so Black Jeffrey uses another technique to communicate. BLACK JEFFREY Sing that song I taught you. DANIEL Which one? BLACK JEFFREY The one by Holiday. DANIEL With pleasure. Daniel straps on Ol’ Bess and plays "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday. He sings. He plays as Black Jeffrey sinks into his cot. By the end of the song, Daniel has a revelation. He stops playing. DANIEL Jeffrey, you are dying. Silence. Daniel looks at Black Jeffrey. DANIEL Jeffrey? (beat) Jeff? Black Jeffrey is dead. Daniel touches his forehead. He sits with his back resting on Black Jeffrey’s cot. He continues the song. As he does he weeps. He struggles to finish the song. Once done, he sinks and weeps heavily. Fade to black. "Yesterdays" by Billie Holiday plays. The song plays through the blackout into the next scene.
91. EXT. AN ATLANTA BUS STATION - NIGHT Daniel, with his backpack, stands with a ticket in hand.He is wearing the same clothes. After a few beats, the song fades out. Two tourist stand near him, MALE TOURIST (50s), Average American, patriot, FEMALE TOURIST (50s), Male Tourist’s loyal wife. Daniel is depressed. MALE TOURIST Were you in the war? DANIEL What? MALE TOURIST Your uniform. DANIEL Oh. No. No, sir. MALE TOURIST Where’d you get it? DANIEL A soldier traded ’em. MALE TOURIST For what? DANIEL Food. FEMALE TOURIST Dave, do you hear that? Traded it for food. MALE TOURIST Yes, Karen, I hear. (to Daniel) Are you from here? DANIEL Not entirely. MALE TOURIST Where are you heading? DANIEL Home. FEMALE TOURIST Where’s home?
92. DANIEL New York. I’m seeing my old man. I’ve spent almost half of my life in Georgia. MALE TOURIST Why? DANIEL I ran away. MALE TOURIST When? DANIEL When I was ten. FEMALE TOURIST Oh my. Heavens why? DANIEL I was looking for a girl named Lisa. FEMALE TOURIST Did you find her? DANIEL No. MALE TOURIST What did find? DANIEL Music. MALE TOURIST So you gave up looking for the girl? DANIEL (silence) I just think it’s time to go home, who knows what will happen in the future? MALE TOURIST Did you hurt your father when you left? DANIEL Maybe.
93. MALE TOURIST Do the world a favor, don’t go home, don’t hurt your father. Not with this look of yours. You’ll hurt him. DANIEL What do you know? Silence. The sound of a bus stopping is heard. The tourists must leave. MALE TOURIST Well good luck, I hope you find more than music. Let’s go, Karen. FEMALE TOURIST Goodbye son, I hope you find that girl one day. The tourists exit. Daniel stands in silence. He grabs his things and walks away. FADE TO BLACK: INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - DAY Doctor Terry and Paul are napping in chairs. Doctor Terry is in his normal chair. Daniel, on the other side of the door, knocks. Neither Doctor Terry or Paul wake. Beat. Daniel knocks again. After a couple beats, Daniel enters. DANIEL Doctor Terry? Terry wakes up. TERRY What? Who’s that? (checks his watch) Oh, no appointments for the rest of the day, sorry, son. Come back, reschedule with - DANIEL That’s not why I’m here. TERRY Then what? DANIEL It’s me, Doctor Terry.
94. TERRY Uh, Bobby? DANIEL No, it’s me. Daniel. TERRY What? DANIEL Daniel Johnson. TERRY My god, you’re not dead. DANIEL No. TERRY My you’ve grown. DANIEL Yes, I have. TERRY Where were you? DANIEL All over Georgia. TERRY You searched for Lisa. DANIEL Yes I did. TERRY Did you find her? DANIEL No. TERRY Oh. Have you seen your folks? DANIEL No. TERRY Why are you here?
95. DANIEL I thought about you. TERRY Hm, ten years. Let me ask you, son, are you okay? DANIEL I... TERRY You seem it. DANIEL I’m... TERRY All that time alone...and you never got the girl... Let me ask you, what did you get if anything? DANIEL Music. TERRY Well, see you found something. Good boy. DANIEL I’m not sad. TERRY Hm? DANIEL I’m not sad. TERRY Then good. (beat) Why are you here again? DANIEL I wanted to see a familiar face. TERRY I see. Then you’ll see your father and friends? DANIEL Yes.
96. TERRY Good, though I’m worried. DANIEL Why? TERRY Because you don’t know anything... What if he’s dead? DANIEL I... TERRY See? DANIEL Look, he’s Steve, I’m sure he’s okay. TERRY You’re not God. DANIEL I know. Look, I wanted to see you and say hello. That’s all. TERRY It sounds as if you haven’t heard this before..."It’s me." DANIEL What do you mean? TERRY This is what you get. DANIEL I don’t know you that well. TERRY (as kind as possible) You don’t know much of anything, Daniel. DANIEL Are you upset? TERRY A little.
97. DANIEL Why? TERRY Because you left. You were ten, and stupid, and smart, and...there was a funeral. DANIEL Look, because you helped me years ago I wanted to see you. TERRY How did I help you? (silence) Think about that. Really think, Daniel. (beat) Here’s a question, even though you found something out there, was it worth it? (beat) Was this a stupid decision to you? Daniel thinks. FADE TO: BEGIN FLASHBACK: EXT. A RESTAURANT IN GEORGIA - DAY We are behind a restaurant in Georgia. After two beats THE RESTAURANT OWNER (50), Strong-willed, exits the back of the restaurant with a full trash bag. He crosses to the trash can. Daniel enters. DANIEL Excuse me, sir. OWNER Yes? DANIEL My friend and I were wondering if you have any old food that is good to be eaten, but you’re throwing away. OWNER If it’s good we sell it.
98. DANIEL Stale bread? OWNER We use it to make soup. DANIEL Oh. Well, do you have anything that has a little mold, something you don’t want? OWNER We scrape it, kid. DANIEL Oh. See we’re hungry and - OWNER How old are you? DANIEL 19. OWNER Why are you here, in Georgia? You should be home. DANIEL Well, I was looking for a girl and - OWNER So stupid stuff? DANIEL (angered) I’m not stupid. OWNER Look, I cannot help you. DANIEL I’m not stupid. OWNER I heard. DANIEL Take it back. OWNER Look, you’re starved because you chose something insane. See? Bingo. Now, go away.
99. Daniel grabs the man by the shirt and throws him to the ground and beats him. After a while, Black Jeffrey enters and pulls Daniel off. DANIEL (to Black Jeffrey) I told him to take it back! BLACK JEFFREY Come on, kid. I said be innocent. Look at this. (gesturing to the man) Look! God. Why are you so angry? DANIEL Because he - BLACK JEFFREY "He, he, he." That’s all you say. You are something too. (beat) ) No matter what, okay? (beat) They stare at one another. BLACK JEFFREY Kid, get out of here. Daniel runs away. A passes as Black Jeffrey looks at The Restaurant Owner. END FLASHBACK. FADE TO: INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - DAY Daniel is quiet. He is thinking about the man he beat up. He didn’t respond to Terry’s question. TERRY Daniel? DANIEL Hm? TERRY Did you hear my question? DANIEL What was your question?
100. TERRY Even though you found something out there, was it worth it? Was this a stupid decision to you? DANIEL I...I can’t say. I was so hungry, and at times angry. I don’t know. I don’t know. I - Daniel begins to cry. DANIEL (CONT’D) And you’re right, what if my dad is dead? What if Lisa is too? I - I - TERRY Okay, look. Doctor Terry grabs Daniel. TERRY (CONT’D) (beat) I’m not sorry, but you know what? I agree this is bad. You need peace. Find it. Okay? DANIEL You’re right. TERRY Now go home. DANIEL I will. TERRY Tell your father I said hello. DANIEL I will. TERRY You say you don’t know me, but maybe you’ll remember this: (nice) "Get out of here." Doctor Terry smiles. Beat. Daniel smiles. DANIEL Bye. Daniel exits.
101. TERRY (upset with the situation) Great. PAUL (wakes up suddenly) What? Hm? What happened? TERRY Daniel came here. PAUL Who? TERRY That kid. The one that ran away years ago. PAUL Oh, "The Unbelievable Boy Wonder." TERRY Yeah. PAUL So...? TERRY I don’t know. (beat) Maybe I wasn’t so nice to him. (beat) Not nice enough. (beat) Go back to sleep. PAUL (happy) You heard. Paul goes to sleep. Beat. Doctor Terry remains the same. He thinks. INT. DANIEL’S HOME - SAME The apartment is severely neglected. There is dirt on the walls and food piled up in the kitchen. Doors are missing from cabinets, the couch is torn, and there is a crack in the TV screen. Dirty and clean clothes are everywhere. There is also garbage on the floor. A poorly aged Steve lies on the couch, fat, bald, and dirty. He has a scruffy beard that may have food in it. He is sad and seems much older than he is. The TV is on. Walter Cronkite is heard delivering the
102. news. After a few moments, Daniel knocks but nothing. He knocks again. STEVE (he doesn’t care) Come in. Daniel tries to open the door but it is difficult to open due to garbage and clothes being in the way. After a few attempts, he forces it open with his shoulder bursting through it. He is shocked by the condition of his old home. Beat. He drops his things. Steve does not move. Daniel sees what has become of his father and is saddened. DANIEL Dad? STEVE (amused) My son died. Don’t tell me you missed the funeral. DANIEL Dad, it’s me, Daniel. Steve, shocked, slowly rises. Steve is in great disbelief as he turns to Daniel. STEVE My boy. With tears in his eyes, Steve gets up with great difficulty and, as best as he can, rushes over to Daniel and hugs him. After a moment Daniel hugs him back. They hug tightly. Steve kisses him on the cheek. Steve steps back still holding Daniel to take in this sight. STEVE My boy, my god. I swore you were dead. DANIEL I - STEVE Don’t speak. Let me make you something. DANIEL That’s fine.
103. STEVE No, it’s not! (beat) Come in. Welcome home. (beat) Here, I’ll get some bologna from the fridge. No bread, but it’s good, son. Saved it for Friday’s dinner. Steve begins to lead Daniel to the kitchen. He stops. He turns to Daniel. STEVE (CONT’D) (happy) Yes, my boy. Steve kisses Daniel on the cheek. STEVE (CONT’D) Welcome home. (beat) Here, I’ll get food. The two enter the kitchen. Daniel hates the mess. Steve begins searching for food. STEVE I’ll clean up. I’m behind on cleaning. Got a bit behind. Work demands all my time. Yeah, my boy has returned. DANIEL What do you do for work? STEVE I... (straightening up) I’ll have you know your father’s a newsman now. DANIEL What do you do for the news? STEVE I deliver the papers and sometimes I get to take orders, but the boss doesn’t like that very much. He knows I’m ambitious, though. (pause) I do odd jobs also. I live. (beat)
104. STEVE But who cares? My boy has come home. DANIEL Dad, are you okay? STEVE Yeah, I’m good, real good. Hey, while I make dinner you want to go out and play with your friends? DANIEL Dad, I’m twenty. STEVE (pause) I forgot. How long has it been? DANIEL A few days over ten years. STEVE Wow. (beat) Listen, you’re a big man now. (beat) I wish I had beer, we need to have that first drink. DANIEL We already did, just over ten years ago. STEVE I...yeah, we did. Hey, good times... DANIEL Yeah. STEVE I uh...yes. My mind is sharp but I get empty headed at times. Sorry, boy. DANIEL It’s fine. STEVE Here how about water?
105. DANIEL Fine. Steve pulls a glass from the cabinet. Daniel watches with great sadness. STEVE (talking to himself) Gotta clean this...no time...he won’t mind. (almost to himself) Will you? No no you’re fine. Mhm, my boy’s home. (meaning Lacy) Yes! Take that woman. Steve goes to turn on the faucet and a loud grinding noise is heard, then the noise of something shutting off. DANIEL Dad? STEVE (still talking to himself) Hm? DANIEL Dad? STEVE (noticing Daniel) Son... (broken) You know your old man’s dead, right? (breaking down in tears) What did I do? Steve throws a tantrum. STEVE What did I do?! What did I do?! What did I do?! What did I do?! What did I do?! What did I do?! What did I do?! What did I do?! Daniel runs to his aide. DANIEL What happened to you?
106. STEVE I lost everything. My wife, my son, everything. No one wants a man with nothing who’s nothing. DANIEL C’mon, dad. Daniel walks Steve to the couch. Daniel turns the TV off. Daniel grabs the water canister from his bag. DANIEL Drink. STEVE Ah yes. Steve drinks. STEVE (CONT’D) I’m fine, no worries. See when I lost you it was hard on me. Hard to care about me, or anything. When your boy leaves you like that, he’s unhappy, and if he’s unhappy enough to go...to go that way...the father did wrong. DANIEL No, I needed out. I needed to run away. But I was selfish. I’m sorry. STEVE Where’ve you been? DANIEL I went to Georgia. STEVE Yeah? DANIEL I went to find Lisa. STEVE No way. DANIEL Yeah. STEVE Did you? My boy, are you married?
107. DANIEL No, sir. I never found her. I learned to play the guitar, though. STEVE You play? DANIEL Yeah. STEVE You grab that thing and you play for your old man. Let me see what time has done. Daniel grabs his guitar. He straps it on and returns to the couch and sits down. He pulls out a pick and strums. He plays "All of Me" by Ruth Etting. His rendition is upbeat and sharp. Steve weeps. DANIEL You really like it? STEVE You found love. DANIEL I guess so. (beat) I missed you, dad. It was rough out there. STEVE Don’t stop that, keep playing. DANIEL I will. Daniel plays the same song, but this time it’s instrumental. STEVE Did you make any friends out there? DANIEL A few. STEVE What kind of people? DANIEL Good. (beat)
108. DANIEL There was this man named Jeffrey, he taught me to play. Taught me how to survive. STEVE I see. (beat) Oh boy, I just remembered! I have something for you. Steve rises and goes into Daniel’s room. He returns with a record player and record. He sets it down and plugs it in. STEVE (CONT’D) I bought this after you left. I figured you’d return later and after you didn’t I put it in your bedroom. After a few years, I just knew you died. DANIEL I’m sorry, dad. STEVE Listen. He plays the record. It’s an Elvis Presley record. "Hound Dog" plays. STEVE C’mon, like old times. Steve dances. He does the twist. Daniel dances like Elvis. They dance through the dialogue. STEVE You still got it. DANIEL Yes, I do, dad. STEVE Yeah. Woo. BOTH (at the end of the song) "You ain’t ever caught a rabbit and you ain’t no friend of mine." "Loving You" by Elvis Presley plays. Steve sits on the couch. He is out of breath. Daniel comes to his aid.
109. STEVE See I’m old. Yeah you see. DANIEL You’re fine. Just rusty. STEVE Let me look at you. (beat) My boy, you’ve changed. DANIEL Yeah. STEVE Well you’re home and I’ve gotta clean up. (beat) You need a job? DANIEL Yes, sir. STEVE You’re a grown man. DANIEL I’m twenty. STEVE My man. DANIEL Yes, sir. STEVE Okay, well, lets get to it. DANIEL Yes sir. STEVE (happy) My boy. They smile. Beat. "Loving You" by Elvis continues to play. When the song is technically done the instrumental picks up. The music fades out.
110. EXT. PLAYGROUND - AFTERNOON "All Shook Up" by Elvis Presley plays on Johns radio. John leans with one foot up on a bench. He wears tight blue jeans and a leather jacket. His hair is severely greased. He wears a white t-shirt. He plays with a switch blade. Jen, in a bright yellow dress sits on the bench. Her elbows are on her knees and she is leaning on her hands. She moves to the music. John and Jen are pretty people. Daniel walks through with a brown grocery bag full of groceries while eating a snack cake. He walks past John and Jen. He stops. He has just realized who he has passed. He turns slowly. DANIEL John? JOHN Who’s asking? John looks up. Daniel and John’s eyes meet. Jen does not notice. JOHN Daniel? DANIEL Yeah. JOHN Danny Boy! They hug. Jen notices. JEN You making new friends? JOHN Jen, it’s Daniel. JEN Daniel? DANIEL Jen? JEN Oh my god. Jen punches Daniel in the arm, it hurts. JEN I swear we thought you were dead.
111. DANIEL You’re not alone. (responding to the punch) And ouch. JEN We had a funeral. JOHN Yeah, it was great, all the kids came. DANIEL Great? What’s great? JEN There was cake. JOHN Never mind that. (beat) You were so dead to us. DANIEL Wow. JEN Yeah. Not everyday a kid runs away from home. Last we heard you just walked out. JOHN Broke a mirror. JEN Yeah. Didn’t like what you saw, huh? DANIEL I... JOHN See, that’s a man. I ran away once, yeah I did. Cops got me though. JEN He got stuck on a billboard. DANIEL That’s my John.
112. JEN Watch out, he’s in a gang. DANIEL Really? JOHN Yeah, they call me Johnny Boy. DANIEL Why a gang? JOHN Two words: I hate blacks and mexicans. (beat) Taking over our city. DANIEL First off that began as five words, then eventually it became nine. JOHN Ah who cares? I’m no school (he having trouble pronouncing the word) chum, chez, choo... (to Jen) What’s the word? JEN Chump. JOHN That’s it! I’m not aint no school chump, Daniel. DANIEL (wow) Okay. (beat) Well, I didn’t finish school either. JOHN See, you get it. We aint not no them school chumps. DANIEL (beat) Okay.
113. JOHN Danny, you come back from the dead. I think I like you more now. If you need something to do we’re always accepting brothers. DANIEL That’s not for me. JOHN Just keep it in mind. DANIEL I’ll keep that in mind. JEN Daniel, since you’re home we should hang. You burn? DANIEL Burn? JEN Yeah, green. DANIEL I don’t know what we’re talking about. JOHN You smoke pot, kid? DANIEL Oh. No. JOHN See it’s the beginning of a revolution. Who needs jetpacks when we can fly by mind? DANIEL I uh...hm? JEN C’mon. DANIEL I don’t know. JOHN See, Lisa was like that too, for a while.
114. DANIEL (beat) What? JOHN That’s how it starts. DANIEL Who did you say? JOHN Lisa. JEN Yeah, when her mom died she had to live with her father again. DANIEL She came back here? JEN Yeah. Daniel becomes clearly depressed. Everything that happened from the moment he saw her beaten and bruised to this moment slaps him in the face. John and Jen can see he’s not okay. JEN What’s wrong? JOHN Yeah, buddy boy? You need to chill. DANIEL (absent) I need to chill. Yeah, yeah I do. (beat) Listen, my old man will be gone for the weekend, come over. JOHN Good, we’ll bring grass. JEN I’ll be there. DANIEL Is Lisa around? JOHN Yeah, buddy.
115. DANIEL Bring her too. JOHN Fine. DANIEL I have to go. JOHN Get outta here. JEN See ya, kid. DANIEL (absent) Yeah, see you later. Daniel exits. He doesn’t know what to feel. JOHN He got something on him. JEN I know. I want it. JOHN What don’t you want? JEN What’s that supposed to mean? JOHN Your teeth are showing. JEN So what? JOHN Like you won’t abuse him. JEN Better than a gang, Idiot. JOHN One more time, I’m telling, mom. JEN Really?
116. JOHN Shut up woman. JEN He came back a man, you’re still a boy. JOHN If you weren’t my sister - JEN What? JOHN (what’s the point) Ah nothin’, turn the radio up. I like this song. INT. DANIEL’S HOME - EVENING The apartment has been cleaned. It looks nice. You can tell work is being done in the kitchen. Daniel is playing "Trouble" by Elvis Presley on the guitar in the living room. It sounds like an Elvis Presley song. Eventually, a cleaned up Steve enters the living room wearing a black suit, white dress shirt, black shoes, and a skinny black tie. He holds a briefcase and hat. His beard is gone. He watches Daniel. When Daniel is done, Steve applauds. STEVE That’s my boy. We gotta see about getting you work in music. DANIEL That would be the best. STEVE Alright, we’ll look. Now, how do I look? DANIEL Spiffy. STEVE Show and go? DANIEL Very much. STEVE Great. Okay I’ll be gone for a few days.
117. DANIEL You’re sure you’ll be okay? STEVE Yeah I’ve got a few interviews all over town and I can’t afford to travel back and forth right now. I know I have to stay out for them, but, it’s fine. I’ll be with friends. Maybe I’ll get a job. DANIEL Okay. I’ll take care. STEVE If anything happens, call those numbers I gave you. DANIEL Yes, sir. Good luck. STEVE Bye. Steve exits. Daniel plays the guitar. He plays "My Girl" by The Temptations. During the song John, Jen, and Lisa enter. Lisa is blocked from Daniel’s view. Daniel notices John and Jen but keeps playing. He continues on as if singing to them. Once he’s done he spots Lisa. DANIEL Lisa. JOHN (beat) And John and Jen. Yay! Daniel pays no attention to John. John crosses into the kitchen. Jen sits on the couch and turns on the TV. LISA Daniel. Hi. DANIEL Hi. LISA So...welcome back. John reenters with a bag of marijuana and a sandwich on a plate.
118. JOHN Lets burn. JEN (singing "My Girl") "I’ve got sunshine. On a cloudy day! I guess you say, "What can make me feel this way?" (she’s done singing) Let’s, I need it. JOHN (to Jen) You like black people music, huh? JEN John, not now. We’re looking for a good time. JOHN It’s always a good time for American history. John walks past Daniel. As he does he musses Daniel’s hair. Daniel stands. John sits on the couch. John begins rolling a joint. Lisa approaches Daniel until they are toe to toe. LISA Hi Daniel, it’s been a while. DANIEL I...I... LISA We thought you were dead. DANIEL (fixing his hair) I know, they told me. JOHN (to Daniel) Buddy, get here now! LISA Where were you? DANIEL (embarrassed) I was...where were you?
119. LISA I was in Atlanta for a year then I moved back. DANIEL A year? LISA Yeah. (beat) Doesn’t beat a decade, though. Daniel feels sick. LISA You okay, Danny Boy? DANIEL (thinks. then softly) No. LISA Well, being away so long can do that to a person. I really missed you. You were my best friend. DANIEL You left first. LISA Yeah. DANIEL I’m sorry I wasn’t here. LISA Yeah, me too. But chill, you need a smoke. DANIEL Maybe. LISA C’mon. DANIEL Yeah. Lisa walks over to John and Jen and sits on the couch. Daniel, still standing, puts his hand on his forehead.
120. DANIEL (quietly and to himself) A year... JOHN (meaning the joint) And done. Check this out, one for the record books. Lets smoke. Daniel joins the three on the couch. They smoke in this order. John, Jen, Lisa. LISA Daniel, ready? DANIEL Yeah. Lisa passes him the joint, he smokes. LISA Hold it in. JOHN Count down. John uses his hand to mimic a walkie talkie. He also adjusts his voice to sound as if he is actually speaking through one. JOHN Huston: ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, Daniel exhales and falls back at the same time. JOHN We have lift off. JEN Tell him. DANIEL Tell me what? JOHN We put a little "business" in there. DANIEL What’s that?
121. LISA (concerned) What? (afraid, she puts her hands to her face) Oh no oh no oh no. DANIEL (slowing down) What’s wrong? LISA He did it. DANIEL John what’s business? JOHN DMT, buddy. D. M. T. (beat) Dream away. DANIEL (hallucinating) Wha....? JOHN Welcome home, Danny Boy. They call me Johnny Boy. Let’s fade brother. "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones plays. Only Daniel hears it. Daniel, a little afraid, listens for a few beats. DANIEL Who turned on the music? JOHN What music? DANIEL You don’t hear that? JEN He’s gone man. JOHN I hear it. (beat) "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones?
Daniel - A Screenplay
Daniel - A Screenplay
Daniel - A Screenplay
Daniel - A Screenplay
Daniel - A Screenplay
Daniel - A Screenplay
Daniel - A Screenplay
Daniel - A Screenplay
Daniel - A Screenplay
Daniel - A Screenplay
Daniel - A Screenplay
Daniel - A Screenplay
Daniel - A Screenplay
Daniel - A Screenplay
Daniel - A Screenplay
Daniel - A Screenplay
Daniel - A Screenplay
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Daniel - A Screenplay

  • 1. DANIEL By Joseph Robinson III Based on the stage play, Daniel, written by Joseph Robinson III Copyright © March, 2, 2017 Cellphone: 630-303-0443 Email: josephrobinson@email.com
  • 2. TITLE CARD: 1960 New York INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - DAY DOCTOR TERRY (50), Blonde, though his hair is white in some places, intelligent, kind, strong-willed. He wears glasses. He sits left and DANIEL JOHNSON (10), smart, and angry, sits right. Daniel has a JFK haircut and browline glasses. Doctor Terry holds a clipboard and pencil. He has just asked Daniel a question, and instead of answering, Daniel swivels in his chair. This is the second time they have met. The first session they had, Daniel refused to talk. This session has just begun and Doctor Terry has just asked Daniel the question, "Does your father hit you?" Daniel does not respond. TERRY What’s wrong, Daniel? Daniel doesn’t respond. He just swivels. TERRY I have all session. Daniel checks his watch. TERRY Do you think that’s rude? DANIEL (Daniel stops swiveling) My old man would get frosted if I kept doing that. Ignoring him. TERRY Why’d you stop? (beat) Do you think I’d get angry? DANIEL What do I know? This is the second time we’ve been together. I’m just telling you, my old man would go ape. TERRY Let’s cut the slang. DANIEL You told me to tell it like it is.
  • 3. 2. TERRY I said, be honest with me. DANIEL I’m being honest. TERRY You’re also being rude. Daniel knows he’s being rude, but it is Doctor Terry’s statement of that fact that makes him think, "Am I so bad?" Beat. TERRY I want to connect. DANIEL You can’t do that when I speak that way? TERRY I said, be honest, but I need to understand you. (beat) Care. DANIEL I don’t know what to say. TERRY Try. Daniel is silent. Two beats. TERRY Anything. (beat) Something. DANIEL (beat) Where are you from? TERRY California. DANIEL (beat) Did you like it? TERRY I loved it.
  • 4. 3. DANIEL More than here? TERRY I’d say so. DANIEL People? TERRY Weather. DANIEL Oh. Beat. Daniel takes in that information. Once the information has set in Daniel starts to whistle a tune. TERRY Tell me something. DANIEL Hm? TERRY Do you have any friends? DANIEL (beat) I do. TERRY Who? DANIEL Lisa, John, and Jen. TERRY Tell me about them. DANIEL You charge a lot for this. TERRY Fine, let’s sit here quietly. DANIEL (beat) Did you just lose? TERRY (unsure of what Daniel means) What?
  • 5. 4. DANIEL Your fight. TERRY (unsure of what Daniel is saying) What? DANIEL You try so hard, and next thing you know, you’ve given up. You’re angry. TERRY Oh, my boy, you don’t know fighting. Beat. They stare. TERRY Would you like to fight? DANIEL You’re bigger than me. TERRY This isn’t a physical fight. They stare for a beat. Doctor Terry begins to swivel in his chair. It squeaks severely. The sound is too much for Daniel. Beat. DANIEL (the sound is awful) Think you’ll learn something that way? TERRY My hope is that you will. DANIEL Alright, "Teach," teach. TERRY (he stops swiveling) Do you recall my original question? Daniel is silent. He thinks. He cannot remember the question. He would also love to switch chairs with Doctor Terry. After a beat of silence, Doctor Terry begins to swivel in his chair again. The sound is too much for Daniel.
  • 6. 5. DANIEL (beat. meaning the sound) That’s awful. TERRY (Terry stops. beat) Do you remember my question? DANIEL What was your question? TERRY Does your father hit you? DANIEL Nah, he’s all show and no go. TERRY (reminding Daniel to stop using slang) Cut the slang. DANIEL (choosing new words. bad attitude) No. My father does not hit me. TERRY Alright. What does he do when you are a handful? (beat) Are you ever a handful with him? DANIEL Like now? TERRY Yes. DANIEL No way. TERRY Why? DANIEL Well, I love the guy. I wouldn’t give him trouble. (beat) I’m no handful.
  • 7. 6. TERRY Okay. DANIEL My mom is the handful. TERRY Tell me about that. We hear Daniel’s parents, STEVE JOHNSON (32), Man’s-man, hard worker, blue-collar, loving, LACY JOHNSON (32), Angry, bitter, sometimes sweet, very pretty, having a fight. Daniel and Doctor Terry stare at one another as his parent’s words fill the room. Doctor Terry is studying Daniel. Daniel is consumed by his parent’s words. LACY (V.O.) You love him more than me! You care more about that boy than me! STEVE (V.O.) I love my family! LACY (V.O.) No, you love him! You like me! STEVE (V.O.) You don’t have a clue, do you? LACY (V.O.) I know what I’m saying. STEVE (V.O.) You don’t know what you’re saying. Lacy throws a plate to the floor. We hear the sound of it breaking. LACY (V.O.) You need to care more about me, Steven. STEVE (V.O.) I do care. LACY (V.O.) I’m... I can’t stand this! STEVE (V.O.) Don’t walk away.
  • 8. 7. LACY (V.O.) Leave me alone, Steve. STEVE (V.O.) DON’T WALK AWAY! PICK THAT UP! TERRY Daniel? The sound of his parents fighting stops. DANIEL (Absent) Huh? TERRY What’s going through your mind? DANIEL My folks fought a lot. TERRY Did it ever get physical? Daniel looks away. He doesn’t know how to answer the question. BEGIN FLASHBACK: INT. DANIEL’S HOME - AFTERNOON The apartment where Daniel, Lacy, and Steve live is nice. The apartment is large and open. The first room you see upon entering is the living room. The living room is sunken. The kitchen is behind a double door stage right, across from the main entrance, which is stage left. There is a short hallway upstage center left. There is a bedroom stage right and stage left. Daniel’s bedroom is stage left and his parent’s bedroom is stage right. There is a television set on a small table in the living room. The song "Stay" by Maurice Williams plays on a radio that is on the kitchen counter. In the kitchen, Steve is standing in front of Lacy who is sitting on the counter. They are kissing. LACY What time does he get home? STEVE You mean Daniel? LACY Yes.
  • 9. 8. STEVE Later. They kiss. The music continues. After some time Daniel arrives home from school. He has a backpack. DANIEL (FROM THE OTHER ROOM) Home. Steve and Lacy separate as if in trouble. They adjust themselves. Steve is done first so he enters the living room. STEVE (happy to see Daniel) Buddy boy, you’re home. Lacy turns the radio off. She enters the living room. DANIEL Cleaning each other? STEVE (changing the subject) How was school? DANIEL (not letting go) Fine, how was your class? LACY (to Steve) What class? STEVE The birds and the bees. He’s cute. DANIEL (to Steve. about the birds and the bees) Here’s the big message: When in doubt just go with her. LACY (to Steve) What does that mean? STEVE If it begins to get weird, the woman is the right choice. No matter what.
  • 10. 9. LACY Oh. STEVE (to Daniel) You are not wrong. When I was young it got really weird. "Who? What? When? Where? Why? And sometimes, how is that possible?" DANIEL Your dad said that. STEVE He did. DANIEL Well, alright. "Who? What? When? Where? Why?" Good day, guy. Beat. Daniel starts walking to his bedroom. STEVE (stopping Daniel) Kid, say hi to your mom. DANIEL (Daniel stops) She’s not my mom. STEVE (meaning a previous fight) We’re done with that! DANIEL (beat. required) Lacy. LACY (required) Daniel. They stare for a moment. Daniel crosses to his bedroom. He closes the door. LACY (to Steve) He hates me. STEVE Unfortunately, you feel the same. Besides, a few days ago you weren’t his mom.
  • 11. 10. (beat) You want this to get better? LACY I don’t know, what do you want? STEVE Grow up. LACY You love him more than me. I’m just sex. STEVE Grow up. Steve crosses into the kitchen and grabs the newspaper. He crosses to the living room and sits on the couch. He grabs the remote and turns on the TV. After a moment of watching he opens the paper and searches. Once he finds something he wants to read he does so. Lacy watches him for a moment. LACY How can you read with that noise? STEVE The same way I can with the other noise. LACY Me? STEVE (simply put) Oh yes. Lacy becomes angry. She crosses into the kitchen, grabs the radio, reenters the living room and throws it to the floor. It breaks into many pieces. STEVE What was that? LACY How dare you treat me that way? (bigger) How dare you ignore me? Especially when (meaning Daniel) "that" gets here? (beat) You have a problem.
  • 12. 11. STEVE I’m not throwing radios! And he’s not "that," he’s your boy. LACY (angry) That boy. He’s the only thing you pay attention to. STEVE When you throw stuff you’re the only thing I pay attention to. LACY Fine. She walks into the kitchen, grabs a plate, reenters the living room, and throws it to the floor breaking it. STEVE (challenging her) Do it again. Beat. LACY (inaudible) I should have killed that kid. STEVE What was that? LACY Nothing. STEVE Tell me what you said. LACY (it’s the only way she’ll say) Come here. Steve folds the paper and crosses over to her. STEVE What did you say? LACY I should have killed that kid. Steve grabs her arm tightly.
  • 13. 12. STEVE Do you really feel that way? LACY Sometimes. STEVE Touch that kid and I’ll kill you. LACY Who are you talking to? It’s just you and Danny Boy here. You’re no killer. STEVE You really do think I’m ignoring you. LACY (beat) Let me go. After a moment Steve releases her with a force that shoves her back a few steps. They stare. Eventually, she smiles. After a few seconds, she approaches him and caresses his arm. LACY (she’s asking to hurt Daniel) Don’t you love me? STEVE Get off of me. Lacy slaps him. Beat. She slaps him again. Beat. He grabs a hold of her. Steve pushes her and she falls to the floor. LACY How could you? Daniel enters. He notices the room. He tries to ignore it. DANIEL I’m supposed to meet Lisa and John. STEVE (not looking) Then do so. Be back by dinner. DANIEL Why is she there?
  • 14. 13. STEVE Go! Daniel exits. Steve crosses to Lacy and kneels down. STEVE If you touch him, I promise I’ll kill you. After a beat, he sighs. He hates this thing between himself, Daniel, and Lacy. After a moment he rises and crosses back to the couch. He sits then opens the paper to where he was before. He reads. After a moment Lacy stands. This is all normal for her. Once up she dusts herself off and crosses into the kitchen. She grabs the broom and dustpan. She reenters the living room and sweeps up the broken items. Once she is done she speaks. LACY Meatloaf for dinner. STEVE Fine. After a beat, the radio clicks on. "It’s Now or Never" by Elvis Presley plays. Steve looks up full front from the paper. After a moment he turns to look at the radio in the dustpan. Lacy is already looking at it. After another moment Steve looks back full front and then to the paper. He reads. END FLASHBACK. INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - SAME AS BEFORE TERRY Daniel? DANIEL Yes? TERRY Did it ever get physical? DANIEL No. Well...not that I know of. TERRY Because you’d tell me, right? You can tell me anything. DANIEL Okay.
  • 15. 14. TERRY Do they still fight? DANIEL No. One day...it just stopped. EXT. PLAYGROUND - SAME DAY - AFTERNOON Daniel and LISA (10), pretty, average kid, are playing tether ball. As they play they speak. LISA You told your doctor that? DANIEL Yes. LISA So then what? DANIEL I don’t know, that was it. My parents did fight, but they love one another. LISA So when you see them like that what do they say? DANIEL They don’t say, just him. LISA What does he say? DANIEL Same thing I told doctor Terry, "Just go." LISA "Just go." DANIEL Right. LISA Well, that’s not all bad. I mean especially if they don’t hit one another. My friend Dana’s parents fight all the time. They hit.
  • 16. 15. DANIEL What about your parents? LISA Are you playing shrink now? DANIEL No. LISA How is he by the way? DANIEL Terry? LISA Yes. DANIEL Squeaky. LISA (beat) I thought only funny people went to shrinks. Are you funny Daniel? DANIEL I am not funny. LISA Sure? DANIEL (irritated) I am not funny. LISA Well, don’t be torn up. DANIEL I’m not. LISA Sure? Daniel is very upset by Lisa pressing the issue, so he hits the ball with all his might. The ball comes at Lisa too fast and she is forced to jump back. DANIEL I’m not!
  • 17. 16. He continues to hit the ball, wrapping it around the pole. Each time he attempts to hit the ball with more force. He loses his breath. The game is over. Daniel won. LISA (shocked) Well. DANIEL (calming down and catching his breath) I’m not funny. (beat) I win. LISA Yes, you do. DANIEL (beat) Now what? LISA Let’s sit. Lisa sits but Daniel is reluctant. She gestures for him to do so. LISA Come on, Daniel. He sits. LISA See, not so bad. DANIEL (mocking her) See, not so bad. LISA Is that how you want to rule the world? Mocking women? Daniel becomes silent. After a beat, Lisa grabs his hand. LISA Be nice. Daniel looks at her.
  • 18. 17. DANIEL Am I mean? LISA Sometimes. DANIEL Oh. LISA But you’re also upset. (beat) Just find a new way of being when you are angry. (beat) Just be nice. Force it. DANIEL (beat) What did you say before? LISA "See, not so bad." DANIEL Right. LISA Do you agree? DANIEL Yes. LISA But you’re still angry. DANIEL I’m always angry. LISA That’s true. DANIEL Yeah. LISA Does your shrink know that? DANIEL I don’t know.
  • 19. 18. LISA Why? DANIEL I didn’t say. LISA You should. Daniel reflects for a couple beats. He checks his watch. He has to go home. DANIEL I have to go. LISA Stay. DANIEL No. LISA Why? DANIEL It’s been four hours. LISA So? DANIEL Dinner will be ready soon. LISA Just one more hour. We can play kick the can. DANIEL I can’t. LISA Why? Daniel can see that Lisa doesn’t want to go home. DANIEL You don’t want to go home? LISA Do you?
  • 20. 19. DANIEL (beat) Let’s play. She smiles then jumps up and taps him on the shoulder. LISA Tag you’re it! She runs off as he stands. DANIEL (to himself) Women. "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis plays. He chases after her. They run through the city. INT. DANIEL’S HOME - SAME DAY - EVENING Steve and Lacy are sitting on the couch watching TV and eating on top of TV trays. Daniel enters. Lisa waits on the other side of the door. Steve and Lacy turn to see it’s Daniel. Lacy turns back. STEVE (happy to see Daniel, but upset he’s late) You’re late. DANIEL Did you send the cops? STEVE No, I just called God. DANIEL (pretending Steve is over concerned) God. STEVE That’s what he said. DANIEL I’m sure. STEVE How was your day? DANIEL (changing the subject) Dad, can I walk to Dr. Terry’s office tomorrow?
  • 21. 20. STEVE Manhattan is a big place. LACY Let him go. DANIEL I’ll be fine. STEVE Fine, be good. DANIEL I’m going to play with Lisa after school then walk to Dr. Terry’s office. STEVE My man. Steve turns back to the TV. He eats. Daniel watches for a moment to make sure Steve is done with him. After a beat, he sneaks back to the door. He opens it. Lisa had her ear to it and once Daniel opens the door she jumps back. She looks as if being caught for doing something really bad. She just wanted to know what was going on. Daniel gives her a look of curiosity because of the face she’s making. DANIEL What were you doing? LISA (sarcastic) Nothing, dad. DANIEL Okay, calm down. LISA What did he say? DANIEL He said I can walk. LISA Okay. I will see you tomorrow. DANIEL Bye. LISA Bye, Danny Boy.
  • 22. 21. Lisa walks away and Daniel closes the door. He heads for his bedroom. He is stopped when Steve speaks to him. STEVE We have dinner. DANIEL Okay. STEVE Also, your have to pay for being late. DANIEL What’s the price? STEVE Dishes and dishes and dishes. DANIEL Worth it. (he begins walking to his bedroom) My hands are dirty anyway. STEVE Yeah, okay. INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - AFTERNOON Daniel and Doctor Terry sit in the same places as before. Doctor Terry holds the same clipboard and pencil. TERRY So, how well do you know Lisa? DANIEL We’ve been friends for a while. TERRY Though, how well do you know her? DANIEL Well enough I guess. TERRY What is "well enough?" DANIEL Well.
  • 23. 22. TERRY Does she know your situation? DANIEL Hm? TERRY Does she know about your parents? DANIEL She does. TERRY Does she know them? DANIEL She knows Steve. TERRY Why not Lacy? DANIEL The fewer people who know her the better. TERRY Why? DANIEL She’s not nice to people. TERRY How does that make you feel? DANIEL She’s just bad to me. TERRY You hate that? DANIEL Yes. TERRY Have you told her how you feel? DANIEL We don’t talk. TERRY Why?
  • 24. 23. DANIEL She hates me. TERRY How do you know that? DANIEL She talks about how she wished she had drowned me the first time she bathed me. To avoid me. TERRY Do you feel safe? DANIEL What do you mean? TERRY Do you fear for your life? DANIEL On TV they showed the negro kids stage a sit-in, in North Carolina. TERRY And? DANIEL If the negros don’t fear then I don’t. TERRY Who said they weren’t afraid? DANIEL I don’t know. TERRY Two things, one, some people can do anything and feel no fear. Period. Okay? DANIEL Okay. TERRY But, two, throughout history people have done things that maybe, and yeah for great reasons such as civil rights, that were worth the price of fear, so they were afraid. Terribly terrified. Or more than that they did things that were
  • 25. 24. TERRY worth constant dislike and torture and that was scary to them. What you should see here is that some people are scared to death. But they conquer this bad thing, this feeling, with their sense of right. It’s why some people die. Their right is greater than any pain that falls onto them. The reason why is it’s more. You need this next bit of information, so listen carefully. (beat) You cannot ignore a person’s fear because it undermines reality, that this place, this planet, is huge and can be full of dangers - and it is - so when people wield this, blade, the blade of their truth, against this dark fact, fear, then they triumph over their personal darkness through sickness or death or peace eternal. So to ignore it would be the same as taking away their life. Taking away their right to yield to their beliefs and say, "I disagree. And no matter how bad it gets, I will always disagree." Try not to see what you want, Daniel. Sometimes you do. You need that truth. (beat) I think what you’re saying is you’re not afraid. Right? Or at least you do not want to be afraid. Hm? DANIEL I’m not afraid. TERRY Tell me about your sit in. DANIEL It’s peace. TERRY Go on. DANIEL The place is called peace. And I shouldn’t be there, but I sit anyway.
  • 26. 25. TERRY Why? DANIEL I sit because it’s not right. TERRY That you can’t be there? DANIEL Right. TERRY Just clarifying. You believe peace isn’t with you? DANIEL Yes. Doctor Terry jots down a note. TERRY Are you sure you feel safe? DANIEL Yes. TERRY (why Daniel would feel safe) Steve? DANIEL Hm? TERRY Steve makes you feel safe. DANIEL I guess so. TERRY Okay. (jots down a note) Does he know about you and Lacy? Does he know he makes you feel safe? DANIEL Can you change the subject? TERRY (seeing Daniel is uncomfortable)
  • 27. 26. TERRY Okay sure, but we have to come back to this. DANIEL Okay. Doctor Terry checks his notes. Daniel watches him comb through the pages. Doctor Terry finds a good topic. TERRY Tell me more about Lisa. DANIEL Tell me about your notes. TERRY I’m only keeping a timeline and information to identify the person you are or might become. Also growth in any area that does grow. I’m drawing an arrow to the "Who?" Meaning you. DANIEL You’re pointing at something. TERRY I’m pointing at something. DANIEL Me. TERRY You. DANIEL (beat) Growth? TERRY Yes, also growth. DANIEL What’s your question? TERRY How does Lisa feel about Lacy? About the treatment? DANIEL She said run away.
  • 28. 27. TERRY Will you? DANIEL I think there’s a better way. I think, "maybe it will go away." TERRY What if you could go somewhere else? It could be the "better way." DANIEL What if I win? TERRY By suffering it? DANIEL I guess so. Listen to this: "You have two options. You can suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or take arms against a sea of troubles and while opposing end them...because right will always win." TERRY So you can take action or work with inaction? DANIEL Yes. TERRY Because either way you win? DANIEL Yes. TERRY Who said that? DANIEL Steve’s brother. He was talking to my dad. Steve said: "How do you end them if you suffer them?" TERRY Your uncle said? DANIEL "Right always wins."
  • 29. 28. TERRY Right. Ultimately. DANIEL Do you think I’m old enough for this? TERRY Oh my god. DANIEL Yeah. TERRY I think you’re a smart kid. Mature. Some things you can handle, and others you just haven’t arrived at your answer. Okay? DANIEL Yeah. TERRY Good. (beat) Now, I want you to know something: you don’t get to pick your parents. That or your starting position in life. Black, white, pretty, ugly. It’s not your choice. My dad hated what I wanted to do. He was an army guy. Just a massive man, and because he was so huge, and handsome, he was an eye sore. It was too much. He said, "my father, and his father, and his father, were fighters, and my boy wants to speak to people for a living." I said, "there are many types of war, and fighting. The physical war, the one with weapons, is not the only one." I cared about people. I left California to help with mental disease. My father hated me, for a long time. You don’t get to pick your parents, that or your starting position in life. DANIEL But they can choose if you die or not.
  • 30. 29. TERRY Well, the thing is... (checking) about parents? DANIEL No both. TERRY Maybe not the starting position. DANIEL Oh. TERRY That would be God. And from what I know, only one person was born to die. DANIEL I don’t know him. TERRY God? DANIEL Either one. TERRY I won’t be religious, but they are huge. DANIEL God, he can do anything, right? TERRY So it’s said. DANIEL "So it’s said?" TERRY Well, I’m not from where he’s from. Whether or not all things are possible with him are beyond me. All things to our knowledge may be possible. DANIEL Well, maybe one day he’ll make things better.
  • 31. 30. TERRY Maybe. (beat) Now about your parents...they can only decide your fate if they have that power. DANIEL Lacy wishes. TERRY Do we understand that this is not good? This thing between you two? DANIEL Yes. (beat) I think she’s jealous. TERRY Of you? DANIEL Yes. I’m sure Steve likes me more. TERRY Do you understand that? DANIEL She lost her life when I was born. Simple. The queen died in January. TERRY Because she was something special to your father before you came around? DANIEL Yes. TERRY (beat) So she was something special then, and now you’re around she’s not. Does your father call you special in front of her? DANIEL No. TERRY Okay.
  • 32. 31. Doctor Terry jots down a note. This takes a bit longer than normal. Daniel notices and sees an opportunity to be funny. DANIEL By the hour right? TERRY (not really considering the comment) Yes. So, tell me what you think of her being jealous. DANIEL Oh, well, I’m the boy wonder. TERRY (beat) What is that? DANIEL Batman. TERRY Ah, I see. (he jots down a note) Now tell me the same thing, but in other words. What do you think of your mother being jealous of you? DANIEL I don’t care. TERRY She’s your mother. DANIEL At this point...I don’t care. She could die. TERRY How much do you know about death? DANIEL Not much. Another uncle died fighting in the Korean War. TERRY Your father’s brother? DANIEL Lacy’s brother.
  • 33. 32. TERRY And how did you feel? DANIEL I wasn’t born, but I hear stories from Lacy. I just know death isn’t so great. TERRY Wait a moment, she tells you stories? DANIEL Hm? TERRY When does she speak to you? DANIEL Don’t get your hopes up. When she’s blitz she speaks to me. And it’s not her. It’s whatever had died in January saying goodbye. TERRY She drinks often? DANIEL No. Don’t get your hopes up, she’s awful when she’s drunk. TERRY Tell me more about that. DANIEL Especially after last year, she doesn’t drink as much. Steve forbids it. TERRY What happened last year? DANIEL I...I don’t think I want to talk about it. TERRY Try. Daniel looks away. Looking away makes this situation easier for Daniel. BEGIN FLASHBACK:
  • 34. 33. INT. DANIEL’S HOME - EARLY MORNING, BEFORE DAWN It’s is so early in the morning it is still dark out. Lacy, singing something inaudible, stumbles into the apartment drunk. She sings as she conducts business. She wears a blue and silver sequin dress with a fur shawl and a party hat. She has a matching purse. She has a streamer around her shoulders and a horn she blows occasionally. LACY I’m home! (she blows the horn) Steve. (she sings. beat) I’m home. Daniel? Son, let me sing to you. (she blows her horn then sings while kicking her shoes off) I’m home. She stumbles into the kitchen. At the counter, she turns on the radio. "Lipstick On Your Collar" by Connie Francis plays. If there is time "Mr. Sandman" by The Chordoettes will play next. She dances. She grabs wine and a glass from the the cabinet. She drinks. LACY Steve, Daniel! She drinks. After a few she gets an idea. She goes to the hall where the two bedrooms are. After a moment she slowly opens Daniel’s door. We watch from the living room. LACY (calling softly) Daniel, you sleep? Lacy creeps in slowly closing the door behind her. After a few beats, we hear Daniel scream out. Steve burst out of his room. STEVE Daniel? Daniel screams again, Steve bursts into Daniel’s bedroom. STEVE What are you doing? RADIO DJ That little ditty was Lipstick On Your Collar by Connie Francis. Hey, fellas, it’s your day, don’t get in
  • 35. 34. RADIO DJ trouble. Ladies give ’em a break. Next up a group called The Chordettes. If you’re tired, wake up. Here’s Mr. Sandman. "Mr. Sandman" by The Chordettes plays. Steve shoves Lacy out into the hall. She cries out. He pushes her into their room and closes the door. He then goes into Daniel’s room. Silence, except for the RADIO. After a few moments, Steve exits Daniel’s room. He enters his room. He slams the door. Muffled shouts. The music continues. END FLASHBACK. INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - AFTERNOON Daniel swivels in his chair. TERRY That’s all? DANIEL Yeah, "Teach." She gets happy when drunk and that’s all. At that point, she loves her boy. Or something... TERRY (jots down a note) We’re almost out of time. DANIEL Killer. TERRY I know. DANIEL Well, you can’t always get what you want. TERRY What are your plans after this? DANIEL Find a can. TERRY Then what?
  • 36. 35. DANIEL Kick it. Doctor Terry smiles. TERRY Well have fun. DANIEL What do you do next? TERRY I have a break. DANIEL Do you eat? TERRY I would, normally, but I already ate. DANIEL Will you nap? TERRY No. DANIEL Then what? TERRY I moved here years ago from California with a friend from my hometown. He’s coming in and we’re going to talk. DANIEL Okay. TERRY Anything else? DANIEL Do you know that janitor? The one that works here? TERRY There are two. DANIEL Well, the negro.
  • 37. 36. TERRY That’s the guy I was talking about. DANIEL Your friend? TERRY Yes. What about him? DANIEL He’s nice. He said, "It just doesn’t make sense how cold it gets in the winter." TERRY He told me the same thing in California before we made the move...and about ten thousand times after that. DANIEL Why are you such good friends? TERRY Well he saved my life. DANIEL What happened? TERRY He’d say, "black people problems." DANIEL Oh. Go on. TERRY Well, it was California, 1933... BEGIN FLASHBACK: EXT. DOCTOR TERRY’S HOME - CALIFORNIA 1933 - AFTERNOON Doctor Terry’s home is a yellow ranch style house. It is a warm summer’s day. A couple dogs run past. INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S HOME - SAME A young Doctor Terry, YOUNG TERRY (23), passionate, smart, strong-willed, and his father, DALE TERRY (40s) Strong-willed, army guy, stand in the living room talking. Young Doctor Terry has just announced that he wants to move to New York and pursue a career in mental health.
  • 38. 37. DALE What do you mean, "I don’t want to be an army guy?" YOUNG TERRY That’s just it, I don’t. DALE Why? YOUNG TERRY Because I am going to be a therapist. DALE For what? YOUNG TERRY To help people. DALE What people? YOUNG TERRY Sick people. DALE You’d do more serving in the military. YOUNG TERRY That’s not fair. DALE How’s this? YOUNG TERRY You’re saying based on the size of any given moment, more can be done as an army man. DALE And I’m wrong? YOUNG TERRY Well, the army man is not always right and you don’t always get people to change. And you know what else? You may not win every war. DALE Our chances are greater than one therapist drooling over dreams and circumstances.
  • 39. 38. YOUNG TERRY How many of these conversations are happening now, do you think? I’m not the only person talking to his dad about being a therapist, but I know whoever else is needs to stick to it. Or it will be only one guy. (beat) Do you know what one happy person can do to a large group of people? DALE Make them happy? YOUNG TERRY Yes. DALE And that’s what you want to do. YOUNG TERRY Yes. DALE (beat) Look, I can’t go around saying my son is a therapist. Not when my father and his father, and his father were military men. YOUNG TERRY I know that those friends of yours that you’re afraid to tell I’m a therapist - when your father and his father, and his father were military men - could probably use a therapist after the things they’ve seen and done. DALE You don’t know what I’m talking about. YOUNG TERRY What are you talking about? DALE Honor. (beat) The world I made for you is a good one, but I’m a military man. I need the same.
  • 40. 39. YOUNG TERRY I don’t think you understand war. DALE Hm? YOUNG TERRY There are many wars. The mental health war is one. It’s also a very important war. DALE (beat) I see. YOUNG TERRY (beat) You didn’t fail me. You made me this. The world you made for me is a good one, and I am a military man - just a different branch. Mental health. I’m living in the world you made for me. (beat. simply) I’m looking to do good. DALE Listen, I still hate this. YOUNG TERRY (insistent because he can’t see why Dale doesn’t get it) Why? DALE Because it’s not exactly it. YOUNG TERRY Well, I don’t know what to say. DALE Think about what this will do to your mother. This will kill her. YOUNG TERRY I doubt it, dad. DALE Anyway, I need to say something very important.
  • 41. 40. YOUNG TERRY What? DALE I will disown you. YOUNG TERRY That’s ridiculous. DALE Say what you will. You’re an army man or dead to me. YOUNG TERRY Say what you will, you’re making a bad decision. DALE I - YOUNG TERRY Stop right there. Why continue on? We have nowhere else to go. I have business anyway. Young Doctor Terry turns and exits his home, leaving his father behind. He jumps in a car, a Ford Model A Pickup Truck, and drives away. After some time the car runs out of fuel. Young Doctor Terry gets out and kicks the car’s wheel. He sits with his back to the car. Beat. He sees a sign, it reads "Long Beach, California." He gets up and walks to the cab of the truck. He grabs a gas container and begins walking to the nearest gas station. EXT. GAS STATION - SAME We see Young Doctor Terry filling the gas container with gasoline. Beat. He stops. He can feel the ground moving under him. Beat. In 1933 a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit Long Beach, California... This is it. Young Doctor Terry looks for a safe place, but he can’t find one. Eventually, he gets trapped under something. He tries to get free but his legs get trapped. He yells in pain. He yells for help. Nothing. There is a giant wooden spike hovering over him. Beat. It falls towards him. He yells again. This time, YOUNG PAUL (23), Nice, strong-willed, approaches and grabs the top of the spike. He throws it aside. He frees Young Doctor Terry. He helps him to safety. Paul holds Young Doctor Terry. YOUNG TERRY Thank you.
  • 42. 41. YOUNG PAUL What’s your name? YOUNG TERRY Tim. YOUNG PAUL Well, you’re welcome, Tim. YOUNG TERRY You are? YOUNG PAUL Paul. YOUNG TERRY Okay. YOUNG PAUL (beat) So, I bet you’d prefer fishing right now, huh, Tim. YOUNG TERRY Yes, oh yes. YOUNG PAUL Well, tomorrow, hoping that there is one, we’ll go. YOUNG TERRY Fine. But what about my legs? YOUNG PAUL Then we’ll go next week. YOUNG TERRY Okay. Beat. They sit. END FLASHBACK. INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - AFTERNOON Daniel and Doctor Terry stare at one another. This was funny to the both of them. DANIEL I... I just need to be honest for a moment.
  • 43. 42. TERRY What? DANIEL That was funny. TERRY To me too. DANIEL Funny. TERRY Were you laughing inside? DANIEL I haven’t stopped. TERRY Same. DANIEL Maybe one day they’ll build a statue in honor of that story. TERRY Maybe. You know my father died laughing. We had made up before that point, but to the point, he died laughing. DANIEL Did you love him? TERRY Yes. DANIEL White people problems. TERRY (amused) Yeah. Or (rather) people problems. DANIEL Mhm. They stare for a beat.
  • 44. 43. TERRY Now, Daniel, I want you to stay but I value my free time. DANIEL Oh. Okay. One thing, though. TERRY Okay. DANIEL So you have your break. TERRY Yes. DANIEL Then what? TERRY Another client. DANIEL Do you care more the more money you’re paid? TERRY My job is to help you, money is something, but not my point. I said that to my dad also. DAINEL Is what you told your dad? TERRY Yes. DANIEL California, huh? TERRY Yeah. DANIEL I do hear you’re expensive. TERRY (amused) Either way, I’m here for you. DANIEL Not if you’re expensive.
  • 45. 44. TERRY I’m not expensive, just an expense. DANIEL Righteous. TERRY Okay, get out of here. DANIEL I will. Daniel stands and begins to leave, he is stopped, though, by Doctor Terry who has a request. TERRY Oh for next time, do me a favor, think about how you sleep. DANIEL Why? TERRY Because I want to know. DANIEL Checking for the person I am? TERRY Yes. Also growth. DANIEL I don’t sleep so good. TERRY That’s for next time. Tell me all about it then. Now, Manhattan’s a big city, don’t get lost. Bye, Daniel. DANIEL Bye. Daniel exits as Doctor Terry watches. When Daniel leaves he closes the door behind him. Doctor Terry continues to watch, looking at the door. After a beat, he takes a look at his notes. He looks at the pages for a beat. When he is done he looks up at the door. He really cares for Daniel. "All Shook Up" by Elvis Presley plays. The song plays into the next scene.
  • 46. 45. INT. DANIEL’S HOME - AFTERNOON Daniel, wearing his dad’s suit jacket, is dancing and singing along and watching Elvis Presley on TV performing "All Shook Up." He dances and sings with the broom to mimic a microphone and stand. The song ends and cheers from the TV are heard. The TV Host speaks. HOST Ladies and gentlemen, that was All Shook Up by Elvis Presley. Next up another tune from Elvis. Rip It Up. Ladies and Gentlemen, Elvis Presley. Cheers from the audience are heard. "Rip It Up" by Elvis Presley plays. Daniel dances and sings and watches with the broom. His moves mimic Elvis’. Steve enters the apartment. He has a brown bag with groceries. He puts them down. He takes out two beers and dances along with Daniel. When the song ends he turns the volume down. DANIEL You’re home late. STEVE Yeah, I stopped at the store for some groceries. They watch the TV. The host returns. HOST Okay, one more for the folks out there. Find a dance partner, its Love Me by Elvis Presley. Cheers are heard. Daniel and Steve sit on the couch and watch the TV. STEVE (silence) So, I was promoted to foreman today. DANIEL Copacetic. STEVE What’s that? DANIEL Good.
  • 47. 46. STEVE Oh. Wanna celebrate with your old man? DANIEL How? Steve pops open both beers and hands one to Daniel who takes it reluctantly. STEVE C’mon you’re a man now. DANIEL (amused) I’m ten. STEVE I was eight my first time. They cheers and drink. STEVE How is it? DANIEL Good. STEVE Copacetic. DANIEL So the Teamsters are treating you well? STEVE Give it time, I’ll be working right next to Hoffa himself. DANIEL If he survives. STEVE How’s that? DANIEL Apparently, the Kennedy brothers don’t care for him. STEVE Well. Steve takes a drink followed by Daniel, who drinks after him.
  • 48. 47. STEVE I need to read more. DANIEL Or just watch TV. They drink. HOST And now, one more folks. Long Tall Sally by The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. Elvis Presley sings Long Tall Sally. The two watch on. Beat. STEVE (he knows Daniel wants to dance) Well, go on. DANIEL Thanks. Daniel takes a drink then sets his beer down. He stands and begins to dance. Steve shakes his head, drinks and watches the TV. Beat. Steve begins to really think about Daniel. He wonders if his boy, the one who has a therapist, is okay. He grabs the remote and turns the TV’s volume all the way down. Daniel stops and turns to Steve. Daniel thinks, "For this to happen now, while a fan of Elvis is dancing and loving life, for someone to turn the volume down, something must be wrong." DANIEL What’s wrong? STEVE I have a question, kid. DANIEL What? STEVE Are you okay? DANIEL (beat. is anyone, "okay?") Who is? STEVE Well, I look at you - at your life - and I think, "It could be much better." Right?
  • 49. 48. DANIEL Yeah. But who knows what could happen? Right? STEVE Yeah. (beat) How’s Lisa? DANIEL (who she is) Lisa. STEVE Right. (beat) Well, go on, dance. Steve turns the TV’s volume up. Daniel goes back to dancing. Steve drinks. INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - DAY Doctor Terry sits in his chair stage left and reads a book. Paul sits stage right and also reads. After sometime, Doctor Terry looks up. TERRY Paul, I hate this book. PAUL Well, stop reading it. TERRY Yeah well, I have to finish it. PAUL "Yeah well," white people problems. TERRY Absolutely. PAUL (silence) You know that kid. TERRY What kid? PAUL Daniel.
  • 50. 49. TERRY Yeah? PAUL He’s not fake...but he’s not real. TERRY No more pot, Paul. TERRY Seriously. TERRY Go on. PAUL Well, he knows things, but sometimes it’s not possible. You know? TERRY Go on... PAUL He said, "If I wanted to -" TERRY Please give me context. PAUL Well, that’s just it, he just said so. TERRY Said what? PAUL He said, "If I wanted to die but I couldn’t because it’s illegal then people could choose a path for me. Why choose something bad?" TERRY What? PAUL You see, people could create a god, they could bring Jesus back, but they’d rather have a clown. TERRY Because Jesus is real...to some...so if the hero is still
  • 51. 50. TERRY alive then there’s no point in another. All some work with is clowns. So, instead of a god, it’s a clown. PAUL Yeah. TERRY Then he said what? PAUL He had to go meet Lisa. TERRY Oh. (beat) Do you think he’s too trusting? PAUL Meh, not so much. If anything, maybe he feels controlled and it’s not good to him. TERRY I see... PAUL He’s an angry kid. TERRY Yeah. PAUL Anyway. TERRY What time are you done today? PAUL Five. Doctor Terry checks his watch. TERRY I have an appointment in ten minutes, then I’m done. PAUL Wanna catch a movie?
  • 52. 51. TERRY Sure. There is a knock at the door. TERRY Yes, come in. Steve enters. STEVE Excuse me, Dr. Terry? TERRY Yes? STEVE Hi, I’m Daniel Johnson’s father, Steve. TERRY Oh. Hi. STEVE Hi. Look, I was told this is your break time and I wanted to speak to you about something, (noticing Paul) in private. Quickly. TERRY Okay. Paul, give us a few. PAUL Okay. Paul exits. Doctor Terry checks his watch. TERRY Steve, I have under ten minutes. STEVE Okay. I’ll be quick. Look - TERRY Sit. STEVE Alright. Steve sits.
  • 53. 52. STEVE Doc, I’m worried about my boy. TERRY What about? STEVE Well, he’s a smart kid, and even so, I think he’s going to end up making a really bad - or really bad - decisions. You see? TERRY Yes. What happened? STEVE Well, I think I live in a...god...a tragedy. Maybe it’s all downhill from here. And I also believe that he’s his own man and he could be okay, except that he might also be living in a tragedy. TERRY What happened? STEVE It’s this life. Maybe we’re in some broken, or ugly place, and this is it. Right? And no matter what, no matter how good he is inside he’s going to live a bad life. Maybe be bad. And honestly, I do not know what to say to him. Maybe you have words I could share with him. TERRY Steve, look, I believe that no matter what we want to happen our paths are done. I think we’re done. I mean people. We’re all headed forward and whatever happens good or bad is done, and we just arrive. We’re always on time no matter what. Maybe even, there is no bad, just right, and only blind people see bad because they do not get it, and that can be awful because around the corner you hear screams and it’s not right to you. The problem is that some people are blind, and those who know cannot say. They can’t say because of some
  • 54. 53. TERRY great higher law. Maybe it’s their religion, their leader goes, "Well, you may not say this," and they don’t. Some people do not see that we are done. Do you understand? STEVE What are you saying? TERRY I’m saying that I could give you ten to a million things to say to Daniel, but if he’s already in the lane he will always be in, he’s done. We could only help him live the best life possible in his situation. The thing about Daniel is, like others, is that, well, I could try, and I could definitely succeed in helping him be the best person possible in his situation, for his situation, sure, but if he’s living in a tragedy then that great ending, whether it is the end or the great downfall to the end, has already happened. He just needs to jump on a bus and make it there. I moved here from California to help people, against my father’s wishes, and I saw that sometimes I really do help people, and sometimes I’m nothing. That’s what I’m working with. (beat) So you want to find the words to explain things, but, and let’s say you do, "no matter what" is real. It’s a real thing. STEVE "No matter what," meaning his life’s path? TERRY Yes. STEVE Who said that? TERRY My dad. The idea is to help a person be the best they can be even
  • 55. 54. TERRY with a bad hand. You can’t change what already happened, you can only make him better equipped to handle it. STEVE Does he tell you about Lacy? TERRY Yeah, and it sucks, but he’s right about something. STEVE What? TERRY "To be or not to be." STEVE Did he tell you that? TERRY Yeah. STEVE (beat) Do you think my boy is going to die soon? TERRY Because he could? Or because it is just a possible something in the near future? STEVE A possible something. TERRY Honestly, I don’t think so. I don’t think so because he’s "no." I think he’s the type of person, where if you ask a question about him, he heard it first, chose, and moved on. So when you think of something involving him he’s the best person to ask. Your question is already too late. I think he’s before us, so when you think so, think something, think anything about him, the time has passed and it doesn’t mean anything. We’re always too late. I’m trying to catch up.
  • 56. 55. TERRY He passed us up. And it’s one of those things where he may not be able to say if you asked him about it. STEVE Why? TERRY Because once he answers a question for himself he moves on, leaving wind and dust. The language changes so he may not understand. It’s like him saying, "Get out of my way." Anyway, he’s not the dying type. Just tired of his world. I think he’d say, "Well, I don’t die, you kill me." STEVE I see. TERRY When it comes to things like this, he’s ahead his time. He knew true love the moment he entered our world. STEVE And was broken hearted the moment he saw Lacy. TERRY Maybe. STEVE What if he could just do wrong Would he? TERRY (silence) I doubt it. I really do. It may not make sense to him. STEVE Good. TERRY But you could watch something for me.
  • 57. 56. STEVE What? TERRY Sometimes, no matter how smart he is, he could be really dumb. That’s not his fault. He moves quickly, and at times it may be too fast. Too fast to make sense, and too fast for the world. It’s not him, it’s really what he’s up against. If he is done and is just arriving at where he should be, then when he can be forced to reflect or look away (when there is no need for it - in his opinion,) he’ll miss the ball every time. He’s distracted. The pitcher comes to the mound and he has something that Daniel will knock out of the park - easily. Daniel will knock it out of the park, home run, every time. (this amazes him) You see, before the pitcher throws the ball Daniel has already swung, he knows the hit. He knows the swing. This kid’s from the future. Though, he’s asleep at bat, and people hate that. It’s too easy. (he’s in awe) He already hit the ball, I mean he won the game. Even before the pitcher threw the ball it was over. (not as excited as before) But when it is actually time for him to swing, someone, or many people, either push him out of the way or shout in his ear, "Wake up! Reflect!" If he does anything, it’s respond. They say, "Wake up! Reflect!" He says, "But I already know." So he swings, but he’s looking left, not forward where the ball is. He knows where the ball and his bat should be but he can’t see it. So he misses. So he wouldn’t do bad, but bad could happen. It depends on what he sees when he looks in the mirror. STEVE You’re saying he’s a good person, but people do bad things to him.
  • 58. 57. TERRY Yes and no. I’m saying it’s his place in line. Someone doesn’t like him or he’s in the wrong place and that’s all. What can be called bad for him... (simply put) can happen. STEVE Because it could. TERRY Yes. Because it could just happen to him. So he can always be in a place where he gets hurt. STEVE We should try and fix what he sees in the mirror. TERRY Here’s the thing, the man in the mirror can be the strongest guy in the room. Or he’s the weak link. STEVE What’s your point? TERRY If Daniel’s reflection, what he sees in the mirror, is the strongest guy in the room, we can’t say or do anything other than lock him up or ignore him. Because he’s not right to us, or this is right for him. If he’s weak, then we can change him - but listen, he’s not that. Not weak. If anything he’s sometimes dumb. What I hate to think is he knows he can be dumb and is messing with us. STEVE What do you say we do? TERRY This is something I did not want to say, but I may need to: For some people, you either change the world around them and they fit in society, or they are changed for the world around them and they fit.
  • 59. 58. TERRY Steve, believe me, we all fit. No matter what, because the fight is peace and harmony, we all fit. We take up space so we must fit. It’s not more white people and less black people anymore, it’s peace. It’s harmony. STEVE And about Daniel? TERRY Look, I’m not God, (this means "Who could answer the question") or one of his angelic sons who could, (back to before) so whatever he is, he will fit. And yes, he may hate where he is, but it’s right. The worst thing I see, is when I learn so much about a person, and we have breakthroughs, and then they figuratively die due to some outstanding event neither one of us saw, or at least I didn’t see. One spirit over another is more powerful at times, and it wins, and we end up with a new person. I will not find out about your son until the time is right. And I hope that he’s great and happy and it lasts forever. So, with all that said I’ll give you some things to say, some things to know, but we need to walk with him. STEVE Okay. TERRY Okay, I have an internal clock, it’s almost time for my next appointment and I have to grab some things to be ready. STEVE Fine, alright. They shake hands as Doctor Terry speaks.
  • 60. 59. TERRY Come back after it. Give me an hour after two and I will have things for you. STEVE Alright. Thanks, doc. Doctor Terry walks Steve to the door. Steve exits. Terry closes the door and takes a couple steps then stops. He sighs. BLACK SCREEN: "Just My Imagination" by The Temptations plays. After a few... INT. DANIEL’S HOME - AFTERNOON "Just My Imagination" by The Temptations continues to play, but the song plays on the radio. The radio is in the living room next to Daniel who is sitting. The music continues. When the song ends Daniel turns the radio off. There is enough time for Lacy to enter and do business. A few beats pass. Lacy enters the apartment. She closes the door then notices Daniel. They stare for a beat. She crosses into her bedroom. In her bedroom, she takes off her clothes and puts on a robe. She enters the main room and stops because Daniel is looking at her. Beat. She looks at Daniel. They look at one another for a beat. Lacy crosses into the kitchen and opens the refrigerator and looks. Beat. She sighs. She exits the kitchen and begins walking towards her bedroom. Daniel watches her. She can tell. She stops and turns to him. They look for a beat. She moves on. This is new to her. She returns. LACY What? DANIEL (beat) Nothing. LACY (beat) What, kid? (silence) Is Steve gone? DANIEL Yes.
  • 61. 60. LACY He’ll be back Monday. DANIEL Yeah, I know. It’s just us. LACY (sarcastic) Great. DANIEL Sarcasm. LACY What do you want? DANIEL The same thing you want. LACY Peace. DANIEL Mhm. LACY Am I bothering you? DANIEL (disappointed) No. LACY Then what, Daniel? DANIEL I saw Steve’s photo album. LACY It’s not Steve’s, it’s the family’s. DANIEL We’re not much of that are we? LACY (beat) No. (beat) Do you know why?
  • 62. 61. DANIEL Me. LACY (frank) Yeah. (a quick beat) Yeah, kid. DANIEL I ruined your life. LACY Of course. DANIEL When you say you’d kill me, do you mean it? LACY Look, I just do not like you, but I am no killer. DANIEL Is Steve? LACY (no way) Yeah right. He’s not for that. Institutions are his thing. Rehab this and that. Therapy. You for example. (a quick beat) When we were dating he’d talk his way out of a fight. DANIEL (speaking of fighting) Does he hit you? LACY No. (beat) You? DANIEL (no way) Yeah right. LACY What is this? Are we friends now? Because he’s gone? Because you’re afraid I’ll hurt you?
  • 63. 62. DANIEL No, Lacy. LACY See, why not "mom?" DANIEL Why not,"son?" LACY Who says "son," like a name? DANIEL Right. LACY (beat) I don’t feel like much of a mother anyway. I hate my boy. DANIEL Why? LACY I... (how she truly feels about her life) I think I’m stuck. Okay? DANIEL Where? LACY I was everything to him, and then you. (it’s amazing) Now? Well, now I’m the second chair. Okay? DANIEL I see. Should I go? LACY Go where? DANIEL I don’t know. LACY Just stay here and live forever and maybe when you’re old enough you’ll get married and move away and I’ll be pretty enough for Steve.
  • 64. 63. DANIEL Maybe. LACY "Maybe?" DANIEL Yes. They stare at one another for a couple beats. LACY (wanting to be angry) Why’d you turn the radio off? DANIEL I was done. LACY I wasn’t, but it’s too late for that isn’t? Be comfy, Danny Boy. DANIEL Lacy? LACY Yes? DANIEL Shut up. LACY (silence. thrown off) Hm? DANIEL Sometimes you move so fast you say stupid things. LACY How...how old are you? DANIEL Guess. LACY Forty? DANIEL (amused) If that were the case when would I be old enough to get married so I could move away?
  • 65. 64. LACY I...I don’t know. (something) Fifty. There is silence then they laugh. LACY Daniel, I don’t know what happened, but one day, I just didn’t matter. Not as much. DANIEL What if it was always that way? LACY (beat) That’s how you feel? DANIEL (beat. simply put) Yeah. LACY (silence) Well...I’m... (silence. she can’t say) DANIEL Sorry? LACY A bad mother. (beat) But I live with that. DANIEL Do people hate you? What Lacy says next is tough because she knows she’s a different person from the days before Daniel. LACY They do. Sometimes, they treat me like I’m not a person. DANIEL You are a person. LACY A person with no friends.
  • 66. 65. DANIEL Why do people hate you? LACY Because I’m not nice. Everyone knows that. DANIEL Do they hate Steve? LACY They love him to death. DANIEL Why are you mean to people? LACY I just am... DANIEL DO you know why? LACY Because I made a deal with your father a long time ago. All he needed to do was love me more than anyone else and we’d okay. He was so good that being good wasn’t a question...it was just who I was to him that mattered. DANIEL Then me. LACY Then you. (beat) I do hate you, Daniel. I do. And I will (beat) because this is wrong. But I’m a good wife, so I will not leave Steve. DANIEL Then let’s pretend until he comes home we’re okay. LACY Don’t you have friends?
  • 67. 66. DANIEL Yeah, but I have a home too. I want to be home. LACY You don’t need me to be home. DANIEL Yeah but I feel bad when it’s just us. The apartment has a weird thing about it. Steve is in the way of that when he’s here, and he’s gone. LACY What do you want? Now that I know your game. You want something. What do you want? DANIEL To watch TV with my mother and pretend we’re okay. Silence. LACY Fine. Let’s watch TV. DANIEL Fine. Daniel and Lacy cross to the couch and sit. They are at each end. Lacy takes the TV remote and turns on the TV. After a couple beats of them watching TV, Daniel notices the distance between them. He stands and sits so close to her they touch. Beat. Lacy, continuing to watch TV, rolls her eyes. They watch in silence for three beats. DANIEL (continuing to watch TV) You are pretty. Lacy looks at him as he watches the TV. DANIEL And I’m sure you’ll be pretty when I’m fifty and married and long gone. After a beat, Lacy looks at the TV. LACY I hope so.
  • 68. 67. They watch TV. All we hear are sounds of the TV. After a beat or two, a single tear rolls down Lacy’s cheek. Daniel turns and looks at her and it. He grabs her hand and turns to the TV. Beat. He smiles. FADE TO BLACK: "Beyond The Sea" by Bobby Darin plays. It plays into the newt scene. EXT. PLAYGROUND - AFTERNOON "Beyond The Sea" by Bobby Darin continues to play as Daniel waits in the playground for Lisa. He passes time by kicking his feet, finding rocks and tossing them, climbing on things, etc. He plays with himself. Finally, he hits the tether ball. He then sits and waits. Lisa walks in slowly. He notices someone and assumes it’s Lisa. He jumps up and approaches. He doesn’t recognize her. Her face is red, black, and blue from being beaten. He stops. The music fades out. It is so bad he doesn’t know who she is. They stare. The music fades off. A long silence as they stare. DANIEL Who are you? Silence as she tries to say "It’s me." She can’t say. After some time she can finally get it out, but she is hurt bad. LISA Daniel, it’s me...Lisa. Beat. He is heart broken. He goes to touch her face but can’t. He turns away. He holds back tears. He gets very angry. He turns to her and grabs her. DANIEL Where is he? Huh? I’ll rumble. Who needs a decking? Lisa falls into his arms. LISA My dad. DANIEL What? LISA He got mad. It was my fault.
  • 69. 68. DANIEL How? LISA He told me to shut up but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. DANIEL (upset) Oh, why didn’t you shut up? LISA I don’t know, I’m sorry. He was hurting her. DANIEL Your mom? LISA (weeps loudly) Yes! She cries loudly. DANIEL Stop crying. LISA I can’t. DANIEL (holding back tears) You need to, this isn’t choice. LISA I know. She stands but he is still holding her. She stops crying and wipes her tears. DANIEL Good. LISA (looking for validation) I’m boss? DANIEL Of course. LISA Am I ugly?
  • 70. 69. DANIEL Yes. But so is whatever made him like this. Lisa pulls away from Daniel. She looks in his eyes. She kisses him. He’s stunned. They kiss. JEN (10), girly and a bit rough, cute, and JOHN (10), tough, liar, enter. You can hear music from John’s portable radio. "Sindy" by The Squires plays. This is followed by "Riot in Cell Block No. 9" by Ron and Joe and The Crew which plays through to the next scene. Neither Daniel or Lisa notice the two enter. Jen and John watch as they kiss. After a while, Jen speaks. JEN K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Daniel notices but Lisa doesn’t. She remains in place with her eyes closed and her lips puckered as he jumps back and wipes his lips. DANIEL John! Jen! How long were you there? JEN Long enough. JOHN L-O-N-G - E-N-O-U-G-H. Long enough. DANIEL God. JOHN Making out already? Yeah, my first was Peggy Sue. (proud) Yeah...beat you there. JEN You mean grandma. He means grandma. JOHN No, I don’t! Don’t listen to her. JEN Yeah, then how’d you do it? JOHN Like this. John mimics kissing by turning and wrapping his arms around himself. He makes kissing noises. After a couple beats or three, Lisa turns, revealing her face. Jen’s reaction turns John around.
  • 71. 70. JEN Whoah, lady fingers, what happened to your face? LISA I... JOHN (to Daniel) That’s how you do it, deck ’em and they’ll do whatever you say. DANIEL (angrily grabs John by his collar) Watch your mouth or I’ll deck you. Lisa runs away. JEN Well, there she goes. DANIEL Now see what you’ve done. (running after her) Lisa wait! JEN So now what, thick? JOHN I don’t know. Wanna play tether ball? JEN (beat) But I don’t like you. JOHN Oh. JEN (silence) What song is this? JOHN Riot In Cell Block No 9. JEN Who is it?
  • 72. 71. JOHN Ron and Joe and The Crew. JEN Oh. I hate this song. JOHN Take it up with Dick Clark. JEN I hate you. JOHN You’re lame. JEN Chicken head. JOHN Wait until mom hears the way you talk. JEN Why you’re a tattletale. JOHN Ditz. JEN What? JOHN Hm? JEN What was that? JOHN Hm? JEN Hm? Jen walks over to John slowly and pinches him until he falls to his knees. He shouts. JOHN Ow. You... you... JEN You what?
  • 73. 72. JOHN You... JEN Before you answer remember I can total you. JOHN (holding himself where she pinched him) You...pretty girl. JEN Aw. John mumbles "You’re mean.". JEN What? JOHN You’re mean. JEN Yeah. VIDEO CLIP: The clip of Dorothy singing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" from "The Wizard of Oz" plays. This is how Daniel feels, He loves Lisa, who is Dorothy. He feels bad about her life. He is toto. INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - DAY They sit in the same places as before. Silence as they look at one another. TERRY Tell me something. DANIEL About what? TERRY Your dreams. DANIEL I...I keep dreaming about Lisa. TERRY Is it bad?
  • 74. 73. DANIEL Not at first. TERRY How long since she and her mother moved away? DANIEL A month. All this time I thought poor Dana. There’s no Dana. It was her. I didn’t even know who she was at first. TERRY I know this is tough. DANIEL My last dream was a bad scene. TERRY How so? DANIEL I fell asleep to American Band Stand... BEGIN FLASHBACK: INT. DANIEL’S HOME - NIGHT There is a video clip of Dick Clark and American Bandstand Dancers. "Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley and His Comets" is seen. Eventually, the clip cuts to the TV where it continues. Daniel is asleep on the couch. After the song ends "Take Five" by Dave Brubeck plays followed by "Blue Rondo A la Turk" by Dave Brubeck. The lights move changing in intensity and color. A young Lisa enters in torn and beaten clothes. Her face is black and blue. She dances with red streamers. An older man in a wife beater with stains and tears enters, this is HER FATHER (40s), dirty, balding, chubby. They dance. He picks her up and tosses her around. HER MOTHER (30s), pretty, enters also appearing beaten, she joins the dance. They dance. After a certain point, Lisa runs to Daniel who awakens and is forced in with the three. This is a fight. Tries dancing like Elvis to beat Lisa’s father but it does not work. He is also thrown about. A dark and scary looking John enters with Jen. They dance. The dance becomes darker as Daniel attempts to run away but when he opens the door Lacy stands there. He screams "Dad," signaling for Steve, who is nowhere to be seen, to enter. Daniel pleads, begs, and shouts, but there is no use. After some time, Steve bursts in the door and attempts to fight off Lisa’s father but Lacy attacks him. Daniel gets a solo
  • 75. 74. dance, dancing and reacting to the music, showing that he is going mad and hurt. It’s a Jazz dance full of emotion. By the end, Daniel has grabbed a knife from the kitchen and kills everyone except for Lisa. He falls to the floor. The music fades and lights fade out. We hear that Daniel is out of breath. After a few moments of darkness... END FLASHBACK. FADE TO: INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - SAME Doctor Terry takes a few notes. Once he is done, he looks up at Daniel. TERRY Tell me something. DANIEL I want to run away. INT. DANIEL’S HOME - SAME DAY - LATE AFTERNOON Daniel enters the apartment and immediately goes into his bedroom. Steve is lying on the couch watching TV. Daniel exits his bedroom with a backpack and crosses to the door. STEVE Where are you going? DANIEL (while walking to the door) Out. STEVE Why? DANIEL Why not? STEVE Lacy ran off. DANIEL (he stops) Where? STEVE Boca Raton.
  • 76. 75. DANIEL With who? STEVE Remember Uncle Jerry from work? DANIEL That flap-jawed flake? That skull? He’s not my real uncle. STEVE Yeah. They ran off. He fired me, took Lacy, then ran off to Boca Raton. (hurt and amused) I couldn’t even keep my job. DANIEL What now? STEVE Nothing. Watching TV. DANIEL Don’t stay up too late. STEVE I’m fine. Where are you going? DANIEL To find Lisa. STEVE (beat) Where did Lisa go? DANIEL Somewhere. STEVE Don’t stay up too late. DANIEL (beat) You know, I wish I was never born. STEVE I don’t. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. But I know your life must be awful. DANIEL (beat)
  • 77. 76. STEVE I have to go. STEVE Go. Daniel begins to exit but stops when he sees his reflection in the mirror by the door of the apartment’s entrance. After a beat, he takes an apple from his bag and throws it at the mirror breaking it. Beat. STEVE You break the mirror? DANIEL Yeah. Silence. Nothing will be said. Daniel exits the apartment. He closes the door behind him. "Georgia On My Mind" by Ray Charles plays. After Daniel leaves we see Steve’s face as he watches TV. Two beats. He cries. FADE OUT: The song continues during the title card. TITLE CARD: Atlanta, Georgia EXT. ATLANTA BUS STATION - NIGHT Daniel sits with his back to a phone booth. A black man named BLACK JEFFREY (60), French, musician, happy, enters carrying a guitar. He hums and sings "Aberdeen Mississippi Blues." He notices Daniel. He stops. BLACK JEFFREY Well young man, what’s the time? DANIEL (checks his watch) Seven Thirty. BLACK JEFFREY Today? DANIEL (perplexed) Yeah.
  • 78. 77. BLACK JEFFREY Good. I have been here a long time, and one day I just didn’t know the time. It’s good weather to know the time, though. DANIEL Why? BLACK JEFFREY Because it is. DANIEL All weather is good weather to know the time. BLACK JEFFREY Only when you need to know it. The moment is always right. That’s all. Daniel realizes what’s happening, he is alone and doesn’t know where to go. He is sad and feels regret. He’s not so self-consumed that he doesn’t respond to Black Jeffrey. Daniel has become clearly sad all of a sudden. DANIEL Yeah. BLACK JEFFREY What’s wrong, boy? DANIEL I just realized something. I’m alone. BLACK JEFFREY (beat) We’re all alone sometimes. You see it’s just me, like you. DANIEL My dad said, "Even when it’s just you, it’s never just you." Right now... Daniel tries to say, but he can’t. BLACK JEFFREY It’s just you. DANIEL (crying inside) Yes.
  • 79. 78. Black Jeffrey can see that Daniel is sad, so he searches for something to say. BLACK JEFFREY Would you like to know what I hear? DANIEL Sure. BLACK JEFFREY You’re crying. DANIEL (beat) I... BLACK JEFFREY But who isn’t? Hm? Listen. They are silent. They listen. BLACK JEFFREY What do you hear? DANIEL The wind. BLACK JEFFREY Do you know where it comes from? DANIEL God? BLACK JEFFREY Yes. I think he’s in the wind. (beat) Think he wants to be here? DANIEL I... BLACK JEFFREY He probably has a giant TV in heaven and it probably has color and he could have seen this all, this ugly place, without being here in person. What a mess! DANIEL What are you saying?
  • 80. 79. BLACK JEFFREY He’s probably crying too. (beat) Big tears. He sits next to Daniel. Beat. BLACK JEFFREY(CONT’D) Young man, are you innocent? DANIEL I don’t know. BLACK JEFFREY I wasn’t. I was a bad man. Young, bad, and smart. Now I’m getting my just reward. DANIEL Are you okay? BLACK JEFFREY Because I am doing right I am. The law is, an eye for an eye, and now what? I’m old, and stupid, and blind. But I’m good. I’m paying my price for what I did wrong. The thing is, I knew what I was doing, all that bad. And I hurt a lot of people. And one day...the law came to me and I only had one option, "hope for forgiveness." But I don’t believe I deserve it...maybe I’m just hurt. I need to do good, though, and you know what? I get it. There’s no place for what I was. French, black, and bad. Some people did so much bad they can only be good and hope it matters, hope it matters while they ache and weep. Weep at, uh...what they did wrong and how they feel. (beat. as if Daniel said something he missed) Hm? DANIEL I didn’t say. BLACK JEFFREY Oh. Mhm. They are silent.
  • 81. 80. DANIEL What’s your name? BLACK JEFFREY Black Jeffrey. DANIEL Why? BLACK JEFFREY Why what? DANIEL "Black?" BLACK JEFFREY Because one day I was just that. DANIEL Oh. They are silent. BLACK JEFFREY When I started being good I saw that maybe if I used the name they gave me it would show how sorry I was. DANIEL Who’s "they?" BLACK JEFFREY People who hated me. A lot of people. They’d say, "Oh that black guy," or "The black one," or just "Black." And just "black" was good because they knew. They knew well. They knew Black Jeffrey the bad man well. When I showed my face they would say "There’s them."You know what that means? DANIEL No. BLACK JEFFREY It is how they get you alone. If they say, "They," other black people will go, "I’m not that." Next thing you know, it’s just you and the people who hate you. They had put me in a category where I
  • 82. 81. BLACK JEFFREY represented all black people, and then everyone hated me. They knew me by name. I wasn’t Jeffrey Adrien Baptiste anymore, I was the worst human around. Rightly so, though. But now I’m not. But people still treat me like a punching bag. Because no one was that bad. Young man, try to be good. Be innocent, if you can. (beat) Now, what is your name? DANIEL Daniel. BLACK JEFFREY Daniel who? DANIEL Daniel Johnson. BLACK JEFFREY Okay. Well, Mr. Daniel Johnson, now what? DANIEL I...I don’t know. BLACK JEFFREY (silence) Daniel, think you can you help me get some food? DANIEL I don’t have much money and I may have to get far. BLACK JEFFREY How far? DANIEL I don’t know. BLACK JEFFREY (worried) Why don’t you know? DANIEL Because I don’t know how long I could be looking.
  • 83. 82. BLACK JEFFREY I have been here for a while now, but I have always known where I was going. DANIEL Where’s that? BLACK JEFFREY Where the wind blows. DANIEL With god? BLACK JEFFREY Yeah. Black Jeffrey licks his index finger and points it to the wind. BLACK JEFFREY (CONT’D) South. DANIEL (amused) That’s east. BLACK JEFFREY Got all the answers? DANIEL I have a few. BLACK JEFFREY Well, good. Listen, you got any food on you? DANIEL God you’re hungry. BLACK JEFFREY Yeah. DANIEL I’ve got a bit. BLACK JEFFREY Listen, you help me out with some food and I’ll make a trade. DANIEL What for?
  • 84. 83. BLACK JEFFREY You play the guitar? DANIEL No. BLACK JEFFREY Listen son, (listing) you can have my guitar Ol’ Miss Bess, I’ll show you how to play her, and you help me with some food. DANIEL Would you trade your guitar for food? BLACK JEFFREY Can’t eat sound. Plus I have another. DANIEL How long will that take? BLACK JEFFREY You never stop learning. DANIEL So, we’ll be together forever? BLACK JEFFREY Maybe in spirit. DANIEL Maybe. (beat) You sound like my old man. BLACK JEFFREY Yeah, I get that sometimes. "Ol’ Black Jeffrey that’s somethin’ my pappy would say" or how you say, "My old man." DANIEL (laughing) Who says that? BLACK JEFFREY You know what, you might be the first. Hm, imagine that. (meaning himself)
  • 85. 84. BLACK JEFFREY There goes the dummy saying the wrong thing again. Listen, I will teach you the guitar. I will teach you, and you will play well. DANIEL Then we have a deal. BLACK JEFFREY Listen. Black Jeffrey pulls his guitar around. BLACK JEFFREY (CONT’D) I’ll build your fingers until you play as good as me. Then you’ll get my hands, and next thing you know, you’re a master. (beat. he realizes a truth) You know what? I just realized a truth. DANIEL What? BLACK JEFFREY Not everyone is teachable. DANIEL So...? BLACK JEFFREY Well, you may learn nothing. DANIEL Oh... So. Try me. BLACK JEFFREY Okay. (he strums the guitar) What you got in there? DANIEL Apples and chips and peanuts. BLACK JEFFREY Well, bonjour monsieur and adieu hunger. Daniel takes a bag of chips from his backpack and hands it to Black Jeffrey. Black Jeffrey takes it.
  • 86. 85. DANIEL Bon appetit. BLACK JEFFREY (excited because Daniel knows something in French) Ahhhhh! Mmm good. You know French. DANIEL A few things. Black Jeffrey opens the bag and eats a chip. This makes him very happy. BLACK JEFFREY Listen here, lesson one. Listen. Black Jeffrey plays something with great technique. BLACK JEFFREY (CONT’D) Daniel-Boy, what are you doing here? DANIEL I’m looking for a girl named Lisa. BLACK JEFFREY How old are you? DANIEL Ten. All of a sudden Black Jeffrey stops playing. Daniel’s age is remarkable. He’s a smart, mature kid. BLACK JEFFREY In dog years? DANIEL (amused) No. People years. BLACK JEFFREY Okay. Black Jeffrey begins to play a blues song he’s making up on the spot. He sings. The song is called "Lisa’s Song" by Joseph Robinson III. BLACK JEFFREY (CONT’D) (singing) Ol’ Boy Fantastic done come to town,
  • 87. 86. Met Black Jeffrey bringing the boss searchin’ for Lisa. Lisa. Lisa. Where you done gone cause I’m here to stay. Ol’ Boy Fantastic done got him his way. Found a lover named Lisa. Lisa. Ol’ Lisa, let me say... Black Jeffrey stops to ask Daniel a question. BLACK JEFFREY (CONT’D) What you got to say? DANIEL I’m here for you. BLACK JEFFREY (singing) I’m here for you. Lord oh lord I’m here to stay. Lisa where you lay cause I’m there to say, that I am here to stay. Oooo wee. Here to stay. Here for you. Daniel follows with great intent. Black Jeffrey begins a deep and poetic guitar solo. The song continues for a few beats into a blackout, then stops. Beat. VIDEO CLIP: "The Quiet Mutiny Vietnam Interviews Part 2" plays for the first two minutes plays. At one minute and fifteen seconds MONTAGE "Fortunate Son" by Credence Clearwater Revival plays. We see Daniel and Black Jeffrey through the years. Black Jeffrey teaches Daniel to play the guitar. We see them become very close friends. We also see the two of them with others. Daniel made other friends, but did live, all those years, with Black Jeffrey.
  • 88. 87. TITLE CARD: Georgia, 1970 TITLE CARD: 10 Years Later INT. BLACK JEFFREY’S HOME - NIGHT It is an old tiny shack with one cot, that an old sickly Black Jeffrey lays on, as a twenty-year-old Daniel tunes Ol’ Bess. Daniel still wears glasses. His hair is combed over but is still mussed up. He wears a Vietnam War army shirt. He strums. Then plays "I’m Gonna Start A Graveyard Of My Own" by Jim Jackson. DANIEL (G position, standard tuning.) (refrain) I’m gonna start a graveyard of my own If that man don’t leave my gal alone Oh, my razor certainly am a trusty blade, lay that man right in the shade I’m gonna start a graveyard of my own Aw, she bundled up my clothes and th’owed ’em out of doors I’m gonna start a graveyard of my own Well, she gave me the sack, gonna never come back And I’m gonna start a graveyard of my own (refrain) Yeah, I’m gonna start a graveyard of my own If that man don’t leave my girl alone My razor certainly am a trusty blade, lay that man right in the shade
  • 89. 88. I’m gonna start a graveyard of my own. As he plays, Black Jeffrey coughs, each time more aggressively, until he begins to choke. Daniel hears Black Jeffrey’s suffering and stops playing. Daniel tends to him. DANIEL What’s wrong? BLACK JEFFREY Nothin’, just dying. That’s all. (he laughs) Daniel grabs a water canister and helps Black Jeffrey drink. DANIEL Here, you’ll be fine. BLACK JEFFREY How long has it been? DANIEL Ten years. BLACK JEFFREY On the nose? DANIEL Yeah. BLACK JEFFREY That long? Bonjour. Been forever I’ve known you. DANIEL Yeah. BLACK JEFFREY Here, grab that crate. DANIEL Where? Black Jeffrey points to a crate tucked under blankets and other junk. BLACK JEFFREY There, boy. Grab it. DANIEL How long has this been here?
  • 90. 89. BLACK JEFFREY Longer then you’ve been alive. DANIEL Good god, Jeff, there’s sheet music for days. Why not show me along with the others? BLACK JEFFREY That there, boy, is my own writing from years ago. DANIEL (excited) There’s a record. You’ve recorded? BLACK JEFFREY Back when I was a young man like you. DANIEL Wow. (reading the record) Ol’ Black Jeffrey plays Louisville. "Take Her Home", "Be Mine" "God Forbid," My god Jeff, why’d you never tell me? BLACK JEFFREY Well, Black Jeffrey is humble, I guess. DANIEL Be humble and say, that’s the art. The truth we should know. My god. We need to play. BLACK JEFFREY Nah, nah. You play, I’m going to sleep. DANIEL Then later. BLACK JEFFREY No. DANIEL Why? BLACK JEFFREY I’m tired.
  • 91. 90. DANIEL As soon as you are better, then. BLACK JEFFREY You don’t get me, Daniel. It’s time for me. DANIEL For what? Daniel doesn’t understand that Black Jeffrey is dying, so Black Jeffrey uses another technique to communicate. BLACK JEFFREY Sing that song I taught you. DANIEL Which one? BLACK JEFFREY The one by Holiday. DANIEL With pleasure. Daniel straps on Ol’ Bess and plays "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday. He sings. He plays as Black Jeffrey sinks into his cot. By the end of the song, Daniel has a revelation. He stops playing. DANIEL Jeffrey, you are dying. Silence. Daniel looks at Black Jeffrey. DANIEL Jeffrey? (beat) Jeff? Black Jeffrey is dead. Daniel touches his forehead. He sits with his back resting on Black Jeffrey’s cot. He continues the song. As he does he weeps. He struggles to finish the song. Once done, he sinks and weeps heavily. Fade to black. "Yesterdays" by Billie Holiday plays. The song plays through the blackout into the next scene.
  • 92. 91. EXT. AN ATLANTA BUS STATION - NIGHT Daniel, with his backpack, stands with a ticket in hand.He is wearing the same clothes. After a few beats, the song fades out. Two tourist stand near him, MALE TOURIST (50s), Average American, patriot, FEMALE TOURIST (50s), Male Tourist’s loyal wife. Daniel is depressed. MALE TOURIST Were you in the war? DANIEL What? MALE TOURIST Your uniform. DANIEL Oh. No. No, sir. MALE TOURIST Where’d you get it? DANIEL A soldier traded ’em. MALE TOURIST For what? DANIEL Food. FEMALE TOURIST Dave, do you hear that? Traded it for food. MALE TOURIST Yes, Karen, I hear. (to Daniel) Are you from here? DANIEL Not entirely. MALE TOURIST Where are you heading? DANIEL Home. FEMALE TOURIST Where’s home?
  • 93. 92. DANIEL New York. I’m seeing my old man. I’ve spent almost half of my life in Georgia. MALE TOURIST Why? DANIEL I ran away. MALE TOURIST When? DANIEL When I was ten. FEMALE TOURIST Oh my. Heavens why? DANIEL I was looking for a girl named Lisa. FEMALE TOURIST Did you find her? DANIEL No. MALE TOURIST What did find? DANIEL Music. MALE TOURIST So you gave up looking for the girl? DANIEL (silence) I just think it’s time to go home, who knows what will happen in the future? MALE TOURIST Did you hurt your father when you left? DANIEL Maybe.
  • 94. 93. MALE TOURIST Do the world a favor, don’t go home, don’t hurt your father. Not with this look of yours. You’ll hurt him. DANIEL What do you know? Silence. The sound of a bus stopping is heard. The tourists must leave. MALE TOURIST Well good luck, I hope you find more than music. Let’s go, Karen. FEMALE TOURIST Goodbye son, I hope you find that girl one day. The tourists exit. Daniel stands in silence. He grabs his things and walks away. FADE TO BLACK: INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - DAY Doctor Terry and Paul are napping in chairs. Doctor Terry is in his normal chair. Daniel, on the other side of the door, knocks. Neither Doctor Terry or Paul wake. Beat. Daniel knocks again. After a couple beats, Daniel enters. DANIEL Doctor Terry? Terry wakes up. TERRY What? Who’s that? (checks his watch) Oh, no appointments for the rest of the day, sorry, son. Come back, reschedule with - DANIEL That’s not why I’m here. TERRY Then what? DANIEL It’s me, Doctor Terry.
  • 95. 94. TERRY Uh, Bobby? DANIEL No, it’s me. Daniel. TERRY What? DANIEL Daniel Johnson. TERRY My god, you’re not dead. DANIEL No. TERRY My you’ve grown. DANIEL Yes, I have. TERRY Where were you? DANIEL All over Georgia. TERRY You searched for Lisa. DANIEL Yes I did. TERRY Did you find her? DANIEL No. TERRY Oh. Have you seen your folks? DANIEL No. TERRY Why are you here?
  • 96. 95. DANIEL I thought about you. TERRY Hm, ten years. Let me ask you, son, are you okay? DANIEL I... TERRY You seem it. DANIEL I’m... TERRY All that time alone...and you never got the girl... Let me ask you, what did you get if anything? DANIEL Music. TERRY Well, see you found something. Good boy. DANIEL I’m not sad. TERRY Hm? DANIEL I’m not sad. TERRY Then good. (beat) Why are you here again? DANIEL I wanted to see a familiar face. TERRY I see. Then you’ll see your father and friends? DANIEL Yes.
  • 97. 96. TERRY Good, though I’m worried. DANIEL Why? TERRY Because you don’t know anything... What if he’s dead? DANIEL I... TERRY See? DANIEL Look, he’s Steve, I’m sure he’s okay. TERRY You’re not God. DANIEL I know. Look, I wanted to see you and say hello. That’s all. TERRY It sounds as if you haven’t heard this before..."It’s me." DANIEL What do you mean? TERRY This is what you get. DANIEL I don’t know you that well. TERRY (as kind as possible) You don’t know much of anything, Daniel. DANIEL Are you upset? TERRY A little.
  • 98. 97. DANIEL Why? TERRY Because you left. You were ten, and stupid, and smart, and...there was a funeral. DANIEL Look, because you helped me years ago I wanted to see you. TERRY How did I help you? (silence) Think about that. Really think, Daniel. (beat) Here’s a question, even though you found something out there, was it worth it? (beat) Was this a stupid decision to you? Daniel thinks. FADE TO: BEGIN FLASHBACK: EXT. A RESTAURANT IN GEORGIA - DAY We are behind a restaurant in Georgia. After two beats THE RESTAURANT OWNER (50), Strong-willed, exits the back of the restaurant with a full trash bag. He crosses to the trash can. Daniel enters. DANIEL Excuse me, sir. OWNER Yes? DANIEL My friend and I were wondering if you have any old food that is good to be eaten, but you’re throwing away. OWNER If it’s good we sell it.
  • 99. 98. DANIEL Stale bread? OWNER We use it to make soup. DANIEL Oh. Well, do you have anything that has a little mold, something you don’t want? OWNER We scrape it, kid. DANIEL Oh. See we’re hungry and - OWNER How old are you? DANIEL 19. OWNER Why are you here, in Georgia? You should be home. DANIEL Well, I was looking for a girl and - OWNER So stupid stuff? DANIEL (angered) I’m not stupid. OWNER Look, I cannot help you. DANIEL I’m not stupid. OWNER I heard. DANIEL Take it back. OWNER Look, you’re starved because you chose something insane. See? Bingo. Now, go away.
  • 100. 99. Daniel grabs the man by the shirt and throws him to the ground and beats him. After a while, Black Jeffrey enters and pulls Daniel off. DANIEL (to Black Jeffrey) I told him to take it back! BLACK JEFFREY Come on, kid. I said be innocent. Look at this. (gesturing to the man) Look! God. Why are you so angry? DANIEL Because he - BLACK JEFFREY "He, he, he." That’s all you say. You are something too. (beat) ) No matter what, okay? (beat) They stare at one another. BLACK JEFFREY Kid, get out of here. Daniel runs away. A passes as Black Jeffrey looks at The Restaurant Owner. END FLASHBACK. FADE TO: INT. DOCTOR TERRY’S OFFICE - DAY Daniel is quiet. He is thinking about the man he beat up. He didn’t respond to Terry’s question. TERRY Daniel? DANIEL Hm? TERRY Did you hear my question? DANIEL What was your question?
  • 101. 100. TERRY Even though you found something out there, was it worth it? Was this a stupid decision to you? DANIEL I...I can’t say. I was so hungry, and at times angry. I don’t know. I don’t know. I - Daniel begins to cry. DANIEL (CONT’D) And you’re right, what if my dad is dead? What if Lisa is too? I - I - TERRY Okay, look. Doctor Terry grabs Daniel. TERRY (CONT’D) (beat) I’m not sorry, but you know what? I agree this is bad. You need peace. Find it. Okay? DANIEL You’re right. TERRY Now go home. DANIEL I will. TERRY Tell your father I said hello. DANIEL I will. TERRY You say you don’t know me, but maybe you’ll remember this: (nice) "Get out of here." Doctor Terry smiles. Beat. Daniel smiles. DANIEL Bye. Daniel exits.
  • 102. 101. TERRY (upset with the situation) Great. PAUL (wakes up suddenly) What? Hm? What happened? TERRY Daniel came here. PAUL Who? TERRY That kid. The one that ran away years ago. PAUL Oh, "The Unbelievable Boy Wonder." TERRY Yeah. PAUL So...? TERRY I don’t know. (beat) Maybe I wasn’t so nice to him. (beat) Not nice enough. (beat) Go back to sleep. PAUL (happy) You heard. Paul goes to sleep. Beat. Doctor Terry remains the same. He thinks. INT. DANIEL’S HOME - SAME The apartment is severely neglected. There is dirt on the walls and food piled up in the kitchen. Doors are missing from cabinets, the couch is torn, and there is a crack in the TV screen. Dirty and clean clothes are everywhere. There is also garbage on the floor. A poorly aged Steve lies on the couch, fat, bald, and dirty. He has a scruffy beard that may have food in it. He is sad and seems much older than he is. The TV is on. Walter Cronkite is heard delivering the
  • 103. 102. news. After a few moments, Daniel knocks but nothing. He knocks again. STEVE (he doesn’t care) Come in. Daniel tries to open the door but it is difficult to open due to garbage and clothes being in the way. After a few attempts, he forces it open with his shoulder bursting through it. He is shocked by the condition of his old home. Beat. He drops his things. Steve does not move. Daniel sees what has become of his father and is saddened. DANIEL Dad? STEVE (amused) My son died. Don’t tell me you missed the funeral. DANIEL Dad, it’s me, Daniel. Steve, shocked, slowly rises. Steve is in great disbelief as he turns to Daniel. STEVE My boy. With tears in his eyes, Steve gets up with great difficulty and, as best as he can, rushes over to Daniel and hugs him. After a moment Daniel hugs him back. They hug tightly. Steve kisses him on the cheek. Steve steps back still holding Daniel to take in this sight. STEVE My boy, my god. I swore you were dead. DANIEL I - STEVE Don’t speak. Let me make you something. DANIEL That’s fine.
  • 104. 103. STEVE No, it’s not! (beat) Come in. Welcome home. (beat) Here, I’ll get some bologna from the fridge. No bread, but it’s good, son. Saved it for Friday’s dinner. Steve begins to lead Daniel to the kitchen. He stops. He turns to Daniel. STEVE (CONT’D) (happy) Yes, my boy. Steve kisses Daniel on the cheek. STEVE (CONT’D) Welcome home. (beat) Here, I’ll get food. The two enter the kitchen. Daniel hates the mess. Steve begins searching for food. STEVE I’ll clean up. I’m behind on cleaning. Got a bit behind. Work demands all my time. Yeah, my boy has returned. DANIEL What do you do for work? STEVE I... (straightening up) I’ll have you know your father’s a newsman now. DANIEL What do you do for the news? STEVE I deliver the papers and sometimes I get to take orders, but the boss doesn’t like that very much. He knows I’m ambitious, though. (pause) I do odd jobs also. I live. (beat)
  • 105. 104. STEVE But who cares? My boy has come home. DANIEL Dad, are you okay? STEVE Yeah, I’m good, real good. Hey, while I make dinner you want to go out and play with your friends? DANIEL Dad, I’m twenty. STEVE (pause) I forgot. How long has it been? DANIEL A few days over ten years. STEVE Wow. (beat) Listen, you’re a big man now. (beat) I wish I had beer, we need to have that first drink. DANIEL We already did, just over ten years ago. STEVE I...yeah, we did. Hey, good times... DANIEL Yeah. STEVE I uh...yes. My mind is sharp but I get empty headed at times. Sorry, boy. DANIEL It’s fine. STEVE Here how about water?
  • 106. 105. DANIEL Fine. Steve pulls a glass from the cabinet. Daniel watches with great sadness. STEVE (talking to himself) Gotta clean this...no time...he won’t mind. (almost to himself) Will you? No no you’re fine. Mhm, my boy’s home. (meaning Lacy) Yes! Take that woman. Steve goes to turn on the faucet and a loud grinding noise is heard, then the noise of something shutting off. DANIEL Dad? STEVE (still talking to himself) Hm? DANIEL Dad? STEVE (noticing Daniel) Son... (broken) You know your old man’s dead, right? (breaking down in tears) What did I do? Steve throws a tantrum. STEVE What did I do?! What did I do?! What did I do?! What did I do?! What did I do?! What did I do?! What did I do?! What did I do?! Daniel runs to his aide. DANIEL What happened to you?
  • 107. 106. STEVE I lost everything. My wife, my son, everything. No one wants a man with nothing who’s nothing. DANIEL C’mon, dad. Daniel walks Steve to the couch. Daniel turns the TV off. Daniel grabs the water canister from his bag. DANIEL Drink. STEVE Ah yes. Steve drinks. STEVE (CONT’D) I’m fine, no worries. See when I lost you it was hard on me. Hard to care about me, or anything. When your boy leaves you like that, he’s unhappy, and if he’s unhappy enough to go...to go that way...the father did wrong. DANIEL No, I needed out. I needed to run away. But I was selfish. I’m sorry. STEVE Where’ve you been? DANIEL I went to Georgia. STEVE Yeah? DANIEL I went to find Lisa. STEVE No way. DANIEL Yeah. STEVE Did you? My boy, are you married?
  • 108. 107. DANIEL No, sir. I never found her. I learned to play the guitar, though. STEVE You play? DANIEL Yeah. STEVE You grab that thing and you play for your old man. Let me see what time has done. Daniel grabs his guitar. He straps it on and returns to the couch and sits down. He pulls out a pick and strums. He plays "All of Me" by Ruth Etting. His rendition is upbeat and sharp. Steve weeps. DANIEL You really like it? STEVE You found love. DANIEL I guess so. (beat) I missed you, dad. It was rough out there. STEVE Don’t stop that, keep playing. DANIEL I will. Daniel plays the same song, but this time it’s instrumental. STEVE Did you make any friends out there? DANIEL A few. STEVE What kind of people? DANIEL Good. (beat)
  • 109. 108. DANIEL There was this man named Jeffrey, he taught me to play. Taught me how to survive. STEVE I see. (beat) Oh boy, I just remembered! I have something for you. Steve rises and goes into Daniel’s room. He returns with a record player and record. He sets it down and plugs it in. STEVE (CONT’D) I bought this after you left. I figured you’d return later and after you didn’t I put it in your bedroom. After a few years, I just knew you died. DANIEL I’m sorry, dad. STEVE Listen. He plays the record. It’s an Elvis Presley record. "Hound Dog" plays. STEVE C’mon, like old times. Steve dances. He does the twist. Daniel dances like Elvis. They dance through the dialogue. STEVE You still got it. DANIEL Yes, I do, dad. STEVE Yeah. Woo. BOTH (at the end of the song) "You ain’t ever caught a rabbit and you ain’t no friend of mine." "Loving You" by Elvis Presley plays. Steve sits on the couch. He is out of breath. Daniel comes to his aid.
  • 110. 109. STEVE See I’m old. Yeah you see. DANIEL You’re fine. Just rusty. STEVE Let me look at you. (beat) My boy, you’ve changed. DANIEL Yeah. STEVE Well you’re home and I’ve gotta clean up. (beat) You need a job? DANIEL Yes, sir. STEVE You’re a grown man. DANIEL I’m twenty. STEVE My man. DANIEL Yes, sir. STEVE Okay, well, lets get to it. DANIEL Yes sir. STEVE (happy) My boy. They smile. Beat. "Loving You" by Elvis continues to play. When the song is technically done the instrumental picks up. The music fades out.
  • 111. 110. EXT. PLAYGROUND - AFTERNOON "All Shook Up" by Elvis Presley plays on Johns radio. John leans with one foot up on a bench. He wears tight blue jeans and a leather jacket. His hair is severely greased. He wears a white t-shirt. He plays with a switch blade. Jen, in a bright yellow dress sits on the bench. Her elbows are on her knees and she is leaning on her hands. She moves to the music. John and Jen are pretty people. Daniel walks through with a brown grocery bag full of groceries while eating a snack cake. He walks past John and Jen. He stops. He has just realized who he has passed. He turns slowly. DANIEL John? JOHN Who’s asking? John looks up. Daniel and John’s eyes meet. Jen does not notice. JOHN Daniel? DANIEL Yeah. JOHN Danny Boy! They hug. Jen notices. JEN You making new friends? JOHN Jen, it’s Daniel. JEN Daniel? DANIEL Jen? JEN Oh my god. Jen punches Daniel in the arm, it hurts. JEN I swear we thought you were dead.
  • 112. 111. DANIEL You’re not alone. (responding to the punch) And ouch. JEN We had a funeral. JOHN Yeah, it was great, all the kids came. DANIEL Great? What’s great? JEN There was cake. JOHN Never mind that. (beat) You were so dead to us. DANIEL Wow. JEN Yeah. Not everyday a kid runs away from home. Last we heard you just walked out. JOHN Broke a mirror. JEN Yeah. Didn’t like what you saw, huh? DANIEL I... JOHN See, that’s a man. I ran away once, yeah I did. Cops got me though. JEN He got stuck on a billboard. DANIEL That’s my John.
  • 113. 112. JEN Watch out, he’s in a gang. DANIEL Really? JOHN Yeah, they call me Johnny Boy. DANIEL Why a gang? JOHN Two words: I hate blacks and mexicans. (beat) Taking over our city. DANIEL First off that began as five words, then eventually it became nine. JOHN Ah who cares? I’m no school (he having trouble pronouncing the word) chum, chez, choo... (to Jen) What’s the word? JEN Chump. JOHN That’s it! I’m not aint no school chump, Daniel. DANIEL (wow) Okay. (beat) Well, I didn’t finish school either. JOHN See, you get it. We aint not no them school chumps. DANIEL (beat) Okay.
  • 114. 113. JOHN Danny, you come back from the dead. I think I like you more now. If you need something to do we’re always accepting brothers. DANIEL That’s not for me. JOHN Just keep it in mind. DANIEL I’ll keep that in mind. JEN Daniel, since you’re home we should hang. You burn? DANIEL Burn? JEN Yeah, green. DANIEL I don’t know what we’re talking about. JOHN You smoke pot, kid? DANIEL Oh. No. JOHN See it’s the beginning of a revolution. Who needs jetpacks when we can fly by mind? DANIEL I uh...hm? JEN C’mon. DANIEL I don’t know. JOHN See, Lisa was like that too, for a while.
  • 115. 114. DANIEL (beat) What? JOHN That’s how it starts. DANIEL Who did you say? JOHN Lisa. JEN Yeah, when her mom died she had to live with her father again. DANIEL She came back here? JEN Yeah. Daniel becomes clearly depressed. Everything that happened from the moment he saw her beaten and bruised to this moment slaps him in the face. John and Jen can see he’s not okay. JEN What’s wrong? JOHN Yeah, buddy boy? You need to chill. DANIEL (absent) I need to chill. Yeah, yeah I do. (beat) Listen, my old man will be gone for the weekend, come over. JOHN Good, we’ll bring grass. JEN I’ll be there. DANIEL Is Lisa around? JOHN Yeah, buddy.
  • 116. 115. DANIEL Bring her too. JOHN Fine. DANIEL I have to go. JOHN Get outta here. JEN See ya, kid. DANIEL (absent) Yeah, see you later. Daniel exits. He doesn’t know what to feel. JOHN He got something on him. JEN I know. I want it. JOHN What don’t you want? JEN What’s that supposed to mean? JOHN Your teeth are showing. JEN So what? JOHN Like you won’t abuse him. JEN Better than a gang, Idiot. JOHN One more time, I’m telling, mom. JEN Really?
  • 117. 116. JOHN Shut up woman. JEN He came back a man, you’re still a boy. JOHN If you weren’t my sister - JEN What? JOHN (what’s the point) Ah nothin’, turn the radio up. I like this song. INT. DANIEL’S HOME - EVENING The apartment has been cleaned. It looks nice. You can tell work is being done in the kitchen. Daniel is playing "Trouble" by Elvis Presley on the guitar in the living room. It sounds like an Elvis Presley song. Eventually, a cleaned up Steve enters the living room wearing a black suit, white dress shirt, black shoes, and a skinny black tie. He holds a briefcase and hat. His beard is gone. He watches Daniel. When Daniel is done, Steve applauds. STEVE That’s my boy. We gotta see about getting you work in music. DANIEL That would be the best. STEVE Alright, we’ll look. Now, how do I look? DANIEL Spiffy. STEVE Show and go? DANIEL Very much. STEVE Great. Okay I’ll be gone for a few days.
  • 118. 117. DANIEL You’re sure you’ll be okay? STEVE Yeah I’ve got a few interviews all over town and I can’t afford to travel back and forth right now. I know I have to stay out for them, but, it’s fine. I’ll be with friends. Maybe I’ll get a job. DANIEL Okay. I’ll take care. STEVE If anything happens, call those numbers I gave you. DANIEL Yes, sir. Good luck. STEVE Bye. Steve exits. Daniel plays the guitar. He plays "My Girl" by The Temptations. During the song John, Jen, and Lisa enter. Lisa is blocked from Daniel’s view. Daniel notices John and Jen but keeps playing. He continues on as if singing to them. Once he’s done he spots Lisa. DANIEL Lisa. JOHN (beat) And John and Jen. Yay! Daniel pays no attention to John. John crosses into the kitchen. Jen sits on the couch and turns on the TV. LISA Daniel. Hi. DANIEL Hi. LISA So...welcome back. John reenters with a bag of marijuana and a sandwich on a plate.
  • 119. 118. JOHN Lets burn. JEN (singing "My Girl") "I’ve got sunshine. On a cloudy day! I guess you say, "What can make me feel this way?" (she’s done singing) Let’s, I need it. JOHN (to Jen) You like black people music, huh? JEN John, not now. We’re looking for a good time. JOHN It’s always a good time for American history. John walks past Daniel. As he does he musses Daniel’s hair. Daniel stands. John sits on the couch. John begins rolling a joint. Lisa approaches Daniel until they are toe to toe. LISA Hi Daniel, it’s been a while. DANIEL I...I... LISA We thought you were dead. DANIEL (fixing his hair) I know, they told me. JOHN (to Daniel) Buddy, get here now! LISA Where were you? DANIEL (embarrassed) I was...where were you?
  • 120. 119. LISA I was in Atlanta for a year then I moved back. DANIEL A year? LISA Yeah. (beat) Doesn’t beat a decade, though. Daniel feels sick. LISA You okay, Danny Boy? DANIEL (thinks. then softly) No. LISA Well, being away so long can do that to a person. I really missed you. You were my best friend. DANIEL You left first. LISA Yeah. DANIEL I’m sorry I wasn’t here. LISA Yeah, me too. But chill, you need a smoke. DANIEL Maybe. LISA C’mon. DANIEL Yeah. Lisa walks over to John and Jen and sits on the couch. Daniel, still standing, puts his hand on his forehead.
  • 121. 120. DANIEL (quietly and to himself) A year... JOHN (meaning the joint) And done. Check this out, one for the record books. Lets smoke. Daniel joins the three on the couch. They smoke in this order. John, Jen, Lisa. LISA Daniel, ready? DANIEL Yeah. Lisa passes him the joint, he smokes. LISA Hold it in. JOHN Count down. John uses his hand to mimic a walkie talkie. He also adjusts his voice to sound as if he is actually speaking through one. JOHN Huston: ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, Daniel exhales and falls back at the same time. JOHN We have lift off. JEN Tell him. DANIEL Tell me what? JOHN We put a little "business" in there. DANIEL What’s that?
  • 122. 121. LISA (concerned) What? (afraid, she puts her hands to her face) Oh no oh no oh no. DANIEL (slowing down) What’s wrong? LISA He did it. DANIEL John what’s business? JOHN DMT, buddy. D. M. T. (beat) Dream away. DANIEL (hallucinating) Wha....? JOHN Welcome home, Danny Boy. They call me Johnny Boy. Let’s fade brother. "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones plays. Only Daniel hears it. Daniel, a little afraid, listens for a few beats. DANIEL Who turned on the music? JOHN What music? DANIEL You don’t hear that? JEN He’s gone man. JOHN I hear it. (beat) "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones?