John From Cincinnati

Episode 5

 

Click for the trailer

 

(Open in Cass’ hotel room, close-up of Cass in bed as she awakens and looks around. She looks over to John’s “sleeping area” to see him lying on his back on the floor, wide awake and staring at the ceiling.)

 

(Cut to Mitch and Cissy in bed at the Yost house. Mitch is awake, the phone rings and awakens Cissy. Cissy has to crawl over Mitch to answer the phone. As she does this, he speaks.)

 

Mitch: Ya know, I’d wanna tell you some things if you’d want to listen.

Cissy: (into the phone) Hello. (After a moment she bolts upright and yells into the phone) Stop! Shut up! Whatever you want, you’re not getting it. Wherever you are, fucking stay there and leave us alone! (She hangs up the phone as we hear a car engine start outside. Cissy gets up and grabs her cigs)

Mitch: No, come on, Cissy, don’t. Come on! (We hear the car outside squealing tires, Cissy looks out a window)

Cissy: Is she here? Is she here! (She runs out to the kitchen and out the door to look.)

Mitch: (Following her) What’s going on? (Cissy is just in time to see Tina peel away in her Mustang)

Cissy: 14 years late.

Shaun: (has just joined them in the kitchen) Who just peeled out of here?

Cissy: (frantic, rushing past) Shaun, get dressed. You’re going to work with me today.

Shaun: I’m supposed to surf with Sammy.

Cissy: Come on, get dressed.

Mitch: Do what your grandmother says, Shaun. (he follows Cissy back to the bedroom) You want to tell me that the hell is happening?

Cissy: What’s happening is the beachside bombshell has decided she could make more off of Shaun than in porn.

Mitch: That was Tina on the phone?

Cissy: Yeah. And in the guiney-red Mustang outside.  If she thinks she is getting him away from  me, she’s taken one too many money shots. (Shaun is back in the kitchen) Put those shoes on, Shaun, we’re getting out of here.

Shaun: I wanna have some cereal.

Cissy: Come on, let’s go. (She rushes him out the door)

 

(Cut to Cass’ room, we see John standing outside the bathroom door as we hear the toilet flushing. He’s listening at the door and looking around. There’s a mirror on the door, he catches his reflection in it and seems startled. Cass opens the door and bangs into John.)

 

Cass: See, John that freaks me out. You standing there, just staring. Do listen to me when I’m in there?

John: I listen to you. (Waving to the room) Work here Cass.

Cass: Here in my hotel room, that I have no money to pay for? (She waves her arms, John is behind her, imitating her) I will happily work, John, if you explain to me what you mean.

John: Work here.

Cass: Here … in my work area? With your towels on my barrier? (She grabs a towel and wraps it around her head like a turban.) Huh?  How’s this, John, you like this look? (Makes a funny noise)

John: Fuckin towel heads are gonna get themselves eradicated.

Cass: I’m broke, John. OK? I am not averse to work, I believe in it. I believe in paying my debts. I’ll be paying on my student loans when I’m on social security. Also, like everyone else, I have issues around money. It’s probably a hold-over from my childhood when my Pop, he’d leave for work and then 3 days later we’d get a call asking to wire him bus fare home … from Las Vegas. In summary, John, I am no longer able to trade on my sex and I need to make some money.

John: You need your camera, Cass.

Cass: It’s safe, John, in the trunk of my car. (she holds up her car keys. John holds out his hand to her) Unless Linc’s had it repossessed. (She takes his hand and they start for the door)

 

(Cut to Bill’s house, he’s seated next to Zippy’s cage and has a surprised look on his face)

 

Bill: (Turning to Zippy and pointing at the bird. Repeating in ever-increasing volume) Listen to me. Listen to me! LISTEN TO ME!!  Do not confuse … my admitting a mistake, like a gentleman, with a check made out to you to subsequently go berserk. (Pause, Zippy squawks and jumps around a little) Yes! I got along with the Hawaiian, Zippy. 26 years in law enforcement, I am able to coexist with shitheels. The subject you raise now, concerns a different kettle of fish. And for all we know, he may be a fish, this John. “I got my fish-eye on you!”  (We hear thunder in the background, there’s a pause and Zippy squawks ) So this isn’t an even handed back and forth. This is me on the receiving end of you … delivering unalterable instructions. Then we can save time and argumentation. (gets up) Scuse me, while I take a piss. If you have an objection, I’m sure you can convey it silently  - once I get my stream going … and thereby shut that down too! Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ!

 

(Cut to Freddy and Palaka who are standing in their motel room door, watching it rain)

 

Palaka: This’ll pass in a heartbeat.

Freddy:  You don’t wanna go bandying that shit about.

Palaka: Whataya mean?

Freddy: Just ask the girl – Marie – on bandying about my , uh, sleep talk.

Palaka: Sleep talk?

Freddy: Yeah. She’s got 5 or 6 resting places on the big island. Dig her up and ask.

Palaka: The other night, I heard you talkin’ in your sleep, right? “Is 2 days off a crime? Do I never get to fuckin’ relax?”

Freddy: When are you gonna take the pictures of your wrist?

Palaka: Oh, uh … you know, I’m hesitant. You know? Physicians, they toss it off. “Get yourself an X-ray,” like “next light go left.”  Cause they never hit no bumps on life’s highway, right boss? Fellas like us, information ball gets rolling, next thing you know we’re dead in an avalanche – wants, warrants, failures to appear.

Freddy: Just remember what I said. That other thing.

Palaka: Believe me, it’s recorded. In here. “You wanna wind up like Marie?” Five pieces?”

 

(Cut to a smokey bar as the bartender is carrying in some cases. Apparently, the VFW hall bar. We see Joe enter as the bartender is working)

 

Joe: I’m not pulling out, this time. It ends today, Earnie… (Joe pulls aside his jacket to reveal a sidearm. Earnie the bartender looks at the gun and keeps working) In this place.

Earnie: I can give ya a soda or a clamato, Joe. But I can’t, uh, serve you liquor at all, not as long as you’re holding that gun.

Joe: Why would you want to make my story the punch line of your practical joke? Why Earnie?

Earnie: I didn’t, Joe.

Joe: He knew I was behind – with my boot off, squeezing puss out of where that punji stick went through my foot.

Earnie: Who did?

Joe: This guy you put out there to make me think he was wounded so bad, and pretend I brought him back.

Earnie: Uh, I never repeated your story to anyone, Joe. Um, I don’t believe you ever told us.

Joe: You. I told you.

Earnie: I don’t believe so. (In the bar, we see some guy with a toy hand that flips the “bird” and says: “Go fuck yourself”. He’s showing it around the bar)

Earnie: Would you take that outside?

Guy: This isn’t funny? (Toy: Ass licker!)

Earnie: Yeah, well make it funny over at the “No-Name”. (Toy: Fuckin’ idiot!)

Joe: I always cared more about my feet than I should have.

Earnie: Well, an infantry man’s feet are as important as his weapon.

Joe: I couldn’t help … Charlie C, or… Pencilhead, Slowdump. None of ‘em.

Earnie: I’ll bet my daughter’s eyes you did everything you could.

Joe: (sobbing) Oh, god, forgive me.

Earnie: (nodding to the gun) You want me to hold that?

Joe: I’m not gonna use it. I guess … however him I found knew, you didn’t tell him.

Earnie: No.

Joe: I should’ve told ya.

 

(Cut to the surf shop, as Cissy and Shaun arrive. She slams the door and locks it.)

 

Cissy: Where’s fucking Kai?

Shaun: I don’t know.

Cissy: Jesus Christ!  Alright, you stay in the store. You keep the doors locked!

Shaun: Who was it outside of the house?

Cissy: You do not open the door for anybody. (frantic)

Shaun: Reporters?

Cissy: Just don’t open the goddamned door unless it’s Kai.

Shaun: What if they try to get in?

Cissy: Did you hear what I said, Shaun? Do you understand me!?

Shaun: I’m never gonna get to surf anymore.

Cissy: Well that should be the worst of our problems! (She jumps to grab her keys from the counter, Shaun jumps back in fear. She realizes that she is scaring him) Have I … ever hit you.

Shaun: No.

Cissy: If I hit you, you’ll know it. (She walks out)

 

(Cut to Linc, walking in a garden area or entrance of his hotel. We see Tina getting out of her car and making an exchange with the valet. She walks around to where Linc is standing, next to a sculpture of an man seated on a bench.)

 

Linc: He stopped to check the time. Gang-bangers messed up his briefcase. (looking down at the sculpture, we see it has been defaced with graffiti. We see John and Cass walking out of the hotel lobby)

Cass: Do you like your new clothes from the giftshop?

John: I like my new clothes.

Cass: Do you think they bought themselves? (They walk out the lobby door and Cass sees Linc) Oh, fuck.

Linc: (to John) So, did you get your end near the lady, my brother?

John: I got my end near the lady, my brother. I boned her and broke her jaw.

Linc: Damn, I’ll have to give her a combat bonus. (Tina is taking all this in as Cass and John walk away)

Tina: Does she work for you? (There seems to be a prostitution sub-text going on here)

Linc: Are you working?

(Cut to John and Cass as they wait for the valet to bring her car around)

John: Linc’s going to have to give you a combat bonus, Cass.

 

 

Cass: Oh yeah? (Car arrives.) Well Linc can take his combat bonus and shove it up his ass. (The valet holds open her door and “helps” her into the car. John waits for the valet to do the same for him and mimics Cass getting into the car)

 

(Cut to the exterior of Kai’s trailer as Cissy arrives and starts pounding on the side of the trailer, screaming hysterically)

 

Cissy: Kai!! Get – to – the – shop! (We see Kai and Butchie in bed inside, being wakened by the screaming)

Kai: I’m sorry about yesterday! Me and Butchie went looking for John. (She and Butchie are getting dressed quickly)

Cissy: (screaming) Shut up, and get down there and keep an eye on Shaun!

Kai: Where should I pick him up?

Cissy: He’s there now! (Still banging on the side of the trailer) Lock the door behind you! Don’t let anybody in! That porno slut who made Shaun with my scumbag son and left him on my doorstep – for me to raise – is back in I.B. Don’t let anybody in. She might have hired a lawyer to serve papers! I’m going home so that if she comes back I will be there to put a bullet in her heart!

Kai: (Whispering to Butchie) I’ll see you later.

Butchie: Unbelievable fucking Tina, that loser bitch.

Kai: Hey Butchie, the less you say now, the less you have to take back. (she leaves)

 

(Cut to Linc’s hotel room, as he and Tina walk in)

 

Linc: You work here a lot?

Tina: Every 15 years.

Linc: (sighs) I’ll tell you something fucked up.

Tina: It’ll cost you an extra $500.

Linc: I’m having a little trouble breathing. (holding his chest) Having pain in my chest.

Tina: Have you got heart problems?

Linc: Not that I know about. Fuck. (goes to sit down)

 

(Cut to the pier. We see Joe fishing over the railing)

 

Joe: (talking to himself) I put frat boy into my truck … he took my hand to his belly … and said I could help. If I wasn’t wasted, or it wasn’t a joke … I did! He took my hand to his belly … and he healed. (a fish grabs his line. Joe chuckles) What do you think about that?

 

(Cut to Mitch’s “fort” as Cissy enters abruptly. Mitch is seated on the floor meditating)

 

Mitch: What happened?

Cissy: He only hit the papers yesterday. There’s no way she was keeping track of him before that, till there was something in it for her. So she does not know we have a shop – the porn queen. So that is where I left him.

Mitch: With Kai…

Cissy: I got her out of the trailer to go to the shop to keep Shaun company. (Cissy is still frantic) Now let that bitch come back here. (She’s fumbling for her cigs)

Mitch: Do not smoke, in here, Cissy.

Cissy: Jesus Christ! (Throws her cigs on the floor, Mitch picks them up)

Mitch: I levitated.

Cissy: (sighs)  What?

Mitch: Listen … it wasn’t a hallucination, it was like we, like we thought when we talked before. Me being up in the air?

Cissy: So what about the fascinating infected sinus theory?

Mitch: Cissy, the levitation was witnessed.

Cissy: (mocking him) And what did the witness say, Mitch? “Whatever?”

Mitch: (resigned) Forget it.

Cissy: Well, thanks for the Ok on that. Let’s see how long it takes me. (Snaps her finger) There! Done!.

Mitch: You know, if - if you’d let me finish … I was gonna suggest that maybe there’s some connection…

Cissy: You’re a jerk. Instead of floating, I wish you could fly 500 miles an hour into a fucking brick wall! (She reaches to grab her cigs from him)

Mitch: You know what? Not in here.

Cissy: Give me my fucking cigarettes! (grabs them away from him) That whore…is coming for Shaun!

Mitch: That doesn’t give you the right to poison me.
Cissy: Get out then. Get the fuck out or I will poison you. 

Mitch: OK, go smoke in the house. You’ll see me walking down the driveway.

Cissy: No, you get out.

Mitch: Cissy, I’m just gonna be a minute. (Pauses) I’m gonna pray for you. (She leaves)

 

(Cut to the surf shop. Shaun is watching surf videos and smoking pot from a pop-can pipe. Kai enters)

 

Kai: Jeeze, I wonder who’s smoking reefer. Shaun, are you trying to get the place shut down?

Shaun: Who’s gonna catch me? Gram said don’t let anyone in. (Kai takes the pipe from him and throws it in the trash, then sits in front of him and takes his hands) Can we get out of here? Go to Blacks or something? I can hide in the back of the car until we get out of town.

Kai: No, not right now.

Shaun: Why?

Kai: I’m no good at putting shit into words Shaunie. Sometimes it takes sticking around and give things a chance to work out. We’re gonna open for business, and you’re gonna hang here and not give me any grief.

 

(Cut to Linc’s room again, Tina is watching Linc as he is sitting)

 

Tina: Better?

Linc: Yeah … yeah .. a little better, but .. oh fuck me. Feel how wet my forehead is. (She does, then heads to the bathroom) What are you doing?

Tina: I’m wetting a washcloth. (She does this, then brings it back and lays it on his forehead.) How do you feel?

Linc: Uh, better .. definitely better. Breaks my heart, but uh, gonna have to pass on the sex.

Tina: We don’t give refunds.  You want me to leave you a Midol?

Linc: No, I’m good. What’s your name?

Tina: Tina Blake.

Linc: Really?

Tina: I’m supposed to believe you didn’t know?

Linc: Honest to god… I never let myself watch porn. Otherwise I’d never do anything else. I feel like I’m meeting Babe Ruth.

Tina: Did he fuck a lot of people once?

Linc: I’m Linc Stark.

Tina: I feel like I’m meeting Babe Ruth.

 

(Cut to Cissy in her kitchen, looking out the window. She’s watching Mitch’s fort. She picks up the phone and dials.)

 

Cissy: Yeah, just to let you know, whereever you’re being useless at the moment. That piece of trash your son came out of is back in I.B. (She spies Mitch coming out of his fort, he has a bag packed and in his hand. She watches him walk out to his car) I hope you’re fucking happy. (She watches Mitch get in the car and drive away)

 

(Cut to a large street bazaar with a very large crowd. Tents and booths line the street for blocks. We see John and Cass working their way through the crowd. There is an  assortment of demonstrators holding signs, and street performers scattered through the crowd. Cass and John are watching the various performers and street-vendors. Cass has her video camera and is recording various people. )

 

(Cut to Linc’s hotel room again, Tina and he are sitting and talking)

 

Tina: Did he rag on me all the time? Turn me into a dart board?

Linc: I never heard him say your name.

Tina: Cause he loved me so much.

Linc: Knowing Butchie, that probably would be why.

Tina: Bullshit.

Linc: Bullshit? 10 people in a room, Butchie talks to 9 of them … who does he want to meet?

Tina: When we were knowing each other, he’d less ignore you  than knock you into the wall by accident 4 or 5 times.

Linc: Did you want to call him Shaun? (she nods yes) We’d come off tour and Butchie would go to Mitch and Cissy’s house, threatening to burn that place down because they wouldn’t call him that. And those first couple of years, he didn’t care about anything. I mean I think that’s why he started going aerial , he just didn’t. And when he saw they were taking points away, of course … he just made it his fucking thing.

Tina: I thought “Shaun” sounded like the waves when they’re going back out.

Linc: And you come back to see how your boy grew up. (She nods yes) Being that his dad and I don’t talk any more, it’s probably best you don’t tell Butchie we saw each other.

Tina: I don’t know yet if Butchie’s talking to me.

Linc: Anything else I can do to help? (She pauses, then nods “yes”)

 

(Cut back to the street bazaar. We see Cass filming the activity and fiddling with her camera)

 

Cass: Focus.  (We see an image in her display of John dancing with a group of people)

 

(Cut to Butchie’s room at the Snug Harbor. Butchie is alone when there is a knock on the door. He opens it to see Tina)

 

Butchie: What do you want?

Tina: Not bad, how have you been?

Butchie: Oh, you wanna play nice? You left our baby on my parents doorstep.

Tina: We didn’t have a doorstep, remember Butchie?

Butchie: He was two hours old!

Tina: Or a bed, or food in the refrigerator. And of course no one knew where you were.

Butchie: I had … passport problems.

Tina: I wanna see Shaun.

Butchie: Yeah, he’s in all the papers and you remember you’re his mother?

Tina: (tearful) I never forgot I was his mother. (We see the tears are working on Butchie, he opens the door for her to come in)

Butchie: Turn off the fuckin’ faucet, Tina. Give me a fuckin’ break. (She walks in and takes a good look around)

Tina: So you know what I do?

 

 

Butchie: Everybody … at the same time while every dipshit on the internet whips his skippy watching.

Tina: And you’re president of the I.B. morality brigade.

Butchie: Yeah, I know what you do.

Tina: I’d like to stop. I’d like to be his mom.

Butchie: (laughs) Ain’t gonna happen Tina.  Cissy’s a pretty good hater.

Tina: I suppose you putting a good word in is out of the question?

Butchie: Uh, me coming out against you would probably improve your chances.

Tina: I don’t know what I’m doing.

Butchie: Well, I never let that slow me up.

Tina: I don’t know what I thought was gonna happen. Tell her I’m gonna see him – once anyway. Tell her not to stop me.

Butchie: Or what, you gonna set yourself on fire? (Pause) All right, OK. You know my mom. I’ll suggest it.

Tina: Thank you. (As she moves to the door, she brushes against him, then leaves)

 

(Cut back to the street bazaar, Cass is now filming some masked wrestling. John is watching the match with interest as the wrestlers toss each other around the ring. We see John playing around with 2 clowns, then he jumps into the wrestling ring.)

 

Cass: John … John don’t do that! (We hear the announcer say “Look, a new “Eco-warrior””.  John does the “run across the ring and bounce off the ropes” thing, then runs over and hugs one of the wrestlers. The bell rings and next we see John standing between the 2 wrestlers and holding up their hands as if they both won.)

 

(Cut to Cissy, still in her kitchen smoking cigs. Butchie knocks and walks in.)

 

Butchie: Is Shaunie still in lockdown?

Cissy: Who wants to know?

Butchie: She wants to meet her son.

Cissy: Her son? And you come to me?

Butchie: She’s quitting … the business.

Cissy: It’s the business now? Smiling at the camera while six guys come on your face?

Butchie: Look, you can supervise or have her sign something. But just one visit and she’s gone.

Cissy: It’s not your fucking business. It’s not your business, and if it were your business, tell me what good could possible come out of letting him meet her?

Butchie: Hey, I am the president for life of the Tina Blake can go fuck herself club, OK?  I think she might do something stupid.

Cissy: ‘Cause everything up to now’s been high math.

Butchie: No I mean she might off herself.

Cissy: That gives her a right to my grandson? Because she’s thinking about killing herself? Who doesn’t think about killing herself? Who doesn’t think about it every day of her fucking life?

Butchie: Hey … just drop it.

Cissy: Huh, I thought you were an idiot before you started shooting dope, but you were a 12-year old genius compared to the stupid fuck you are now. As much acid as I took, I was never as stupid as you.

Butchie: I’m outta here. (walks out the door)

Cissy: Tell her if she comes anywhere near Shaun she won’t have to kill herself, I’ll do it for her.

(Cissy slams the door, then goes back to her bedroom where she rummages through the closet, finally coming up with a shoe-box. She takes the box out to the kitchen and opens it to reveal a revolver tucked inside a sock. She takes out the gun, looks around then puts it back into the box.)

 

(Cut to the street outside the surf shop. We see Shaun standing next to Kai’s jeep. Kai exits the shop and walks over)

 

Kai: Well there’s another day of sensational business.

Shaun: Is it my mom, gram’s all pissed about. I won’t say you told.

Kai: Will you give me a break?

Shaun: Was it her this morning outside the house?

Kai: I’m not saying it wasn’t, alright? You keep that to yourself and don’t ask me anything else.

Shaun: Why’d my mom come back? Was it to see me?

Kai: Probably see you … probably see your dad.

Shaun: (turning to get in the jeep) Come on, get in. I’ll stick around and give things a chance to work out.

 

(Cut to a café interior as Tina walks in. She walks back and sits in a booth across from Butchie)

 

Tina: Tell your cunt mother, if it’s ‘cause I’m no good, that’s one thing. But if it’s ‘cause I left Shaunie at the door, I didn’t leave him ‘cause I didn’t care. I stopped an hour before and I didn’t leave him ‘cause when I rang the bell and waited across the street, nobody answered. And I came back and got him and sat with him in the cab. And when she came home, I came and rang again. And I didn’t walk back to the cab till I saw she’d got him. I waited across the street, I waited till she came out and picked him up in his blanket.

Butchie: OK, Tina.

Tina: You tell her I cared about him. If Shaunie’d been with me, I’d have had to stay high to fuck. I’d have been used up in six months. I’d have been tricking for nickels outside the bus station.

Butchie: OK

Tina: He’d have wound up dead, or in an orphanage. Ask her who I was supposed to leave him with. Was I supposed to mail him to your dumpster in Cabo?

Butchie: Sorry.

Tina: You tell her that’s fucked. If it’s ‘cause she thinks I didn’t care. All the problems you had with her, as big a ball-buster as you talk about her being, I knew with her he’d have someone paying attention to him.

 

 

Butchie: Yeah, mom was never shy with the attention. Problem was getting her out of your fuckin’ face.  (Tina gets up to leave)

Tina: Would you tell him he grew up handsome? I was proud he won his event.

Butchie: (Standing up) Come on … tell him yourself. (He turns to walk out and she follows him)

 

(Cut to an evening shot from the pier, looking over at the row of hotels on the beach. Then cut to the interior of Cass’ room as she unpacks her camera bag)

 

Cass: What a day! What a great day, huh John? Got to meet some Hare Krishnas, hang out with some “Eco-Warriors”, you got to dance in your first little drum circle.

John: (Walking over and placing his hand against her cheek) Work here, Cass.

Cass: So what I’m thinking, in terms of getting this wonderful work seen by as many eyes as we can, is you know, maybe … maybe I should get back in touch with Linc Stark. (John is following her around the room with his hand on her cheek) I mean, if  I had to eat a little crow and go back to work on some other project to access, you know, Linc’s experience and the structure of his organization, it’d be for the sake of this great work we’re doing. You know what I mean?

John: I know what you mean.

Cass: (pacing about the room still, with John following) Or, as an alternative, John, you could take your hand off my cheek, and go up in the air like I saw Mitch Yost do in this very room. (pause) I know that there’s something going on. And I don’t doubt that you’re in the middle of it, John. But the thing …you know what , the thing is, is that I am still a girl … from Hibbing Minnesota. I still grew up hungry and I still wanna have a say what part I play in the Christmas pageant. (She takes his hand from her cheek, and places it on her breast) Show me that I have a little pull. Go up in the air for “Cass-Kai”.

John: The camera’s up in the air.

Cass: Get your hands off me. It’s in the camera?

John: It’s in the camera. (He places his hand over his heart) Work here, Cass.

Cass: (Turns and walks back to her desk) OK, OK,  hmmm, here we go. (laughing, she picks up the camera and puts it back into the bag.) Abracadabra. Transforming my work area … into your sleep area. (takes John by the hand and leads him over there) I’m gonna find it in the camera tomorrow. (She walks over to the bed) Look John, a leap of faith, huh? (She jumps up and leaps onto the bed)

John: Abracadabra.

 

(Cut to Cissy, sitting at her kitchen table, smoking a cig. We also see Shaun laying in his bed, awake. Cut to the street outside the Yost house, we see Tina and Butchie sitting in her Mustang. Back inside, we see Cissy fidgeting in her chair. She has the shoebox with the gun inside sitting on the floor between her feet. Outside again at the mustang: )

 

Butchie: Let’s hang out all night and steal their morning paper. (We see Kai walking up the street toward the Yost house. She spots Tina and Butchie, she looks upset, then turns and walks back the other way)  You saved their life, Tina … giving her Shaunie. Man, things were so fucked up back then. Dad was hurt. They weren’t that long back from the islands. I know a lot of shit went down over there, I think. Maybe stepping out on each other. A lot of acid.

Tina: Even after you were done stealing from their stash?

Butchie: That was a nature project for school. It was coming apart at the seams for my mom, what I’m trying to say.

Tina: Sure wasn’t doing you any good. The second she’d lay eyes on you she’d start screaming.

Butchie: Well, maybe it’s because she laid eyes on you. It wasn’t a burden you put on her. You know, getting Shaunie to hold was a gift. And she held on real tight a long fuckin’ time.

 

(Cut to Kai, climbing over the Yost back fence. Cissy hears this and is alarmed. She grabs the gun out of it’s box and goes over to the window. Looking around, she sees Kai, then stashes the gun in a hanging vegetable basket with some onions. She opens the door to Kai.)

 

Cissy: Get inside. Tonight is the wrong night to be creeping around.

Kai: She’s outside.

Cissy: What? (We see Shaun in his bed, listening)

Kai: Like every other thing you can’t hide him from.

 

(Back out in the Mustang)

Butchie: Now let’s go ask real nice if you can go peek on how good he turned out.

 

Cissy: How do you know she’s out there?

Kai: She’s with Butchie. I saw them.

Cissy: They send you in here?

Kai: I saw them, Cissy. I went around back so they wouldn’t see me.

Cissy: To tell me to let her in? And him? So they can fuck up Shaunie like everything else?  (She looks out the window to see Tina and Butchie walking to the door.) Oh, my god, oh my god. Shoot me then. Take that gun and shoot me if you want her to see him. (Kai looks over at the gun, She grabs the gun)

Kai: You sit down, Cissy. You sit down at that table. Light yourself a cigarette.

(Knock on the door. Kai goes over and opens the door, she can’t look Butchie in the face. Butchie and Tina come in and stand by the door, holding hands)

Butchie: She only wants to look at him, mom …then she’ll go. (What follows next would best be described as a tense silence. Cissy moves her chair to the side to let them pass.)

Cissy: He’s sleeping. Do not wake him up.

 

 

(Butchie leads Tina back to Shaun’s room and opens the door. Tina looks in at Shaun, who has his eyes closed. She turns and closes the door, and we see Shaun’s eyes pop open. As they walk back through the kitchen, Tina looks away from Cissy and says “Thank You”. They leave, and Butchie walks her to her car. She gets in and he shuts her door, walking away with a wave. Back inside, Kai is also leaving)

Cissy: Hey where are you going with my gun?

Kai: Out of your fucking house. (She leaves, putting the gun in a back pocket, and sees Butchie standing in the driveway. He nods to her and starts to walk towards Kai, but she waves him away and heads to the back fence as we see the mustang drive off. Butchie turns and starts off down the street walking, alone.)

 

(Cut to the Snug Harbor, we see Freddy and Palaka sitting in the parking lot)

 

Freddy: Whattaya see?

Palaka: The stars. Eh…. (looks over at Freddy, not sure what to say) …uh, clouds. Of course, lower down. Partial moon. Plane going who-knows-where.

Freddy: A bloodbath.

Palaka: (He thinks that Freddy means the plane. He starts sort of half-singing) Destination bloodbath. Plane goes who-knows-where. All aboard! 

Freddy: Prepare for war, my brother.

Palaka: (Still doesn’t get it) Prepare for war! All aboard! Plane going who-knows-where! All aboard!  (Freddy just stares at Palaka for a while, till Palaka shuts up.)

Freddy:  I’m giving Hawaii to Moana.

Palaka: Wow. Wow. (He finally gets it) Oh – whoa….wow.

Freddy: He’s gonna think I mean to kill him. Come try to kill me. (They sit quietly for a bit, then Palaka sees Butchie walking to his room)

Palaka: Butchie.

Freddy: He don’t look dopesick.

Palaka: Dopesick, he ain’t using, what I overheard under the half-pipe.

Freddie: Think maybe he’s copping somewhere’s else?

Palaka; I put it out there, no harm no foul. You’ve got a special history with him, we just wanna be notified.

 

(Cut to Cass as she enters her trailer. She mopes around a bit, then leans back against a counter and feels the gun in her pocket. She takes it out, cocks it and aims at the boom-box by her bed. She fires, knocking the boom-box over and it starts playing the CD of music that she and Butchie were listening to last night. )

 

Kai: Fuck you.

 

(Cut to the hotel bar, we see Linc sitting at the bar, drinking. Tina walks in and sits next to him)

 

Linc: Hey. (The bartender walks over and looks at Tina)

Tina: (Apparently used to getting the bum’s rush in bars) We know each other.

Bartender: I was wondering what you wanted to drink?

Tina: A cosmopolitan.

Linc: Did you get to see Shaun? (She nods, yes) Any casualties? (She shakes her head no) How do you feel?

Tina: Like now I’ve gotta leave town.

Linc: It’s nighttime, for christ’s sake. It’s bad luck to leave town at night.

Tina: (She gets up and puts money on the bar) For the drink.

Linc: I pay. (To the bartender) You speak Spanish?

Bartender: No.

Linc: Hmmm, I … am mucho hombre and we’ll do our drinking in the room. (He slaps a stack of $100 bills on the bar)

Bartender: Thanks.

Linc: (Taking Tina by the arm) Keep me in the game.

 

(Fade to black)

 

 

Music from the credits

 

Directed by: Ed Bianchi
Written by: Steve Hawk