Second Fade

Fade In

INTERNAL – HELEN AND JUDIE’S APARTMENT – HELEN’S BEDROOM - PRESENT

Helen is sitting on her bed folding some clothes. She stops, looks around, and then looks at the wedding ring on her finger; she tries to take it off, but the ring is stuck; she tries once again (falls on the floor) and doesn’t get up. Sitting on the floor she perceives a box, (a shoebox); picks it up, opens it, looks inside and starts smiling.

Cut for

INTERNAL – HELEN AND JUDIE’S APARTMENT – LIVING-ROOM - PAST

Judie is sitting on a pile of boxes (two) observing the dry leaves of a plant in her hands. Helen enters the scene by opening the street door with difficulty, carrying a heavy box. Then she closes the door with her foot, lets go of the box and sits down on the sofa, exhausted.

Judie

My God, little one, you must be thirsty? (speaking to the plant).

Helen

Thirsty, tired, offended and full of hatred for the world...

Judie looks at the plant and then jumps up from the boxes. Looking to the camera she walks to the sofa and sits down.

Helen

You know, after five years, all my life fit in two bags and ten boxes...

Judie

Eight, dear... eight boxes.

Helen

Te... I’ve even got a swollen vein on my neck to prove it...

Judie

No, no... I’ve counted, look... One, two... (till eight).

Helen

Have you counted those two that you squashed with your butt?

Judie looks at the boxes and smiles.

Judie

Gosh, how crazy; but tell me, how are you?

Helen

More relieved, better... I don’t know, I still haven’t stopped to think about it. But, anyway, thanks for letting me stay here. It was all so unexpected...

Judie

No problem... But, tell me; did you catch the two of them red-handed?

Helen

Yeah...

Judie

Doing it, was it?....

Helen

Yeah...

Judie

Naked, both of them, doing it, in the bed? ...

Helen

Yes, don’t you get it?

Judie stops, thinking. She puts the plant on the sofa table, then shakes her head and gets up.

Judie

No, actually not... He never really deluded me. Remember Dewey’s party, he made you change your shoes... “This doesn’t match your dress”... Remember?

Judie walks up behind Helen and massages her back.

Helen

That’s ridiculous.

Judie

You think so? So tell me... what does he do for a living?

Helen

He hosts a sports program. Why?

Judie

All right... Besides, how many times did he go to a basketball game? By the way, what was his favorite program?

Helen

Opera...

Judie

And especially?

Helen

Madame Butterfly. I’ve lost count of how many times... Oh, my God...

Helen covers her face with her hands and stamps on the floor with her feet. Judie jumps over

the sofa and sits down beside her.

Judie

OK, more subtle... How many times did you see Stevie scratching his... (making gestures over her crotch)?

Helen

Never!

Judie

Do you remember the last time you saw Stevie belching in public or picking his nose?

Helen

Oh Gosh... no, heavens... the guy is English!

Judie

Mick Jagger too, but he does all that... His hands are everywhere...

Helen

Oh, my God... He always did peed sitting down... and stuck his pinky out when he drank his coffee...

Judie

I arrest my case.

They look at each other and Helen huddles on the sofa.

Helen

Wow... just look at what has become of my life: I’ve been betrayed by a complete stranger, who I’ve lived with for five years and who decides to “come out of the closet” at the age of 45... Gosh, how pathetic this is...

Judie

Not as pathetic as a 45-year-old guy living in the closet... That’s too much, even for an Englishman!

Helen

You know, you’re right... it is really very dry!

Helen picks up the plant from the sofa table, gets on her feet and goes to the kitchen. Judie puts her feet on the table and the intercom rings. She stands up and goes to answer it.

Intercom talk

Judie

Hello? Who’s there?

Stevie (off screen)

Hi, it’s me. I need to talk to Helen...

Judie

Just a minute, please.

Stevie (off screen)

“onkie donkie”

Judie

“onkie donkie”, please. What is this guy, a panda?

Stevie (off screen)

I can hear you...

Judie sticks her tongue out and releases the button. When she turns around, Helen comes out from the kitchen with the plant and a pitcher full of water in her hands.

Helen

Who was it?

Judie

You won’t believe it, but... he is down stairs!

Helen

Who, Mick Jagger?

Judie

Very funny... Stevie!

Helen goes to the window and puts the plant on the sill. She puts her head out and looks down, then at Judie and then through the window again...

Helen

Stevie... My Stevie?

Helen puts her head out again and this time she spills out all the water from the pot through the window, without wetting the plant. She wipes a drop from the window with her finger. Then she enters and smiles satisfied.

Helen

You can tell him to come up!

Judie (smiling)

You missed the plant!

Helen

But I hit the Kiwi!

Helen takes the plant again and goes to the kitchen. Judie presses the button.

Judie

You can come up...

Judie opens the door and throws herself on the sofa.

Stevie enters the scene through the door, all wet and trying to dry himself with a handkerchief (with his pinky outstretched).

Judie

Hi Stevie... Is it raining outside?

Stevie

Very funny... Where is she?

Helen comes out of the kitchen with a plant in one hand and the pot full of water in the other, pretending that she hasn’t seen Stevie. She goes to the window and calmly waters the plant.

Stevie

Did you do this?

Helen (stops and turns to Stevie):

No...

Judie starts laughing and, still laughing, she points at the bedroom and goes towards it. She opens the door, enters and closes it. She laughs loudly.

Stevie

This was very mature of you!

Helen

Just like it was very mature of you to bring a boy into my bed!... What do you want?

Stevie

To talk to you!

Helen walks to the sofa and sits down. Stevie covers the sofa with the handkerchief and then sits on it by her side. Then she jumps up from the sofa and sits down on the other one.

Stevie:

Do I make you sick?

Helen

More than during the hair transplant, but now... I’m trying to keep myself from strangling you... you... bastard...

Stevie

Look, I... I didn’t come here to fight with you. In fact, I feel very bad about what happened. I won’t apologize for what I did, it simply happened...

Helen

Right, like your hemorrhoids... which I thought was because of all the time you spend sitting... But now it’s clear; it’s because of all the time you spend... lying down!

Stevie

I am who I am...

Judie (off screen)

Queer!

Pause

Stevie

It took me a long time to discover who I am... and our relationship wasn’t the same anymore. You weren’t any longer what I needed...

Helen

Oh yeah, I didn’t have the right equipment!

Stevie

I won’t apologize for what I am...

Helen

You don’t have to apologize, nor even explain to me, but I want to see you speaking like this in public, to your fans... all the men...

Stevie

In public?

Helen

Yeah, in public... Why? Do you think that nobody will know?

Stevie

I... Helen, please, you know I’m a public person. That would affect my image, my credibility!

Helen

Oh yeah, the only reward you would get now is “The Queen of the Sportscast”...

Stevie

You wouldn’t do that, would you?

Helen

Do I have to answer that now?

Stevie

I don’t want you to be my enemy... I like you.

Helen

Nice way of showing that... How old was he? Eighteen?

Stevie

I don’t want it all to end like this... Let me do something for you... anything... please.

Helen

All right... jump from the window.

Stevie

No, seriously... please.

Helen

OK... that’s cool, so... simply die! How about that?

Stevie

I don’t expect you to understand, or even to forgive me. I don’t even know if I forgive myself. I only know that I couldn’t stand repressing my feelings anymore.

Helen

You have nothing to fear from me. Your image is safe... The only thing that hurt was to face that I’ve lost five years of my life, you know?

Stevie

You’ll be fine... I’ll give you alimony... some money, what do you think?

Helen

I don’t want your money... I don’t want anything from you!

They stop speaking and look at each other. Then he takes a checkbook out of his pocket, writes a check, takes it out, folds it, and puts it on the sofa table.

Helen

I won’t allow you to humiliate me even more!

Stevie

Here. This is exactly the amount of money you had when you came to live with me. At that time you had a dream...

Helen

You used to say it was madness...

Stevie

Who am I to speak about madness, at this point of my life? And if we are, we are...

Judie (off screen)

For God’s sake, keep the money, idiot!

Helen

Do you know that you are a piece of shit?

Stevie

I know, and this piece of shit is going to do the best thing it can do for you now...

Helen

Commit suicide... No, no, better; tell your mother...

Stevie

No... I’ll walk out of your life.

Stevie stands up and walks to the door. He opens it, about to leave, but then stops, turns around and says:

Stevie

I know this will cut the magic of the moment, but, by any chance, did you take, not on purpose of course... a shoebox, with my baseball cards? You see... my daddy gave it to me, before he died...

Helen

Cards, no... no... your daddy... he was a good man.

Stevie

Oh yeah, wasn’t he?

Helen

He was a great guy... What did he die from?

Stevie

Cancer...

Helen

Where?

Stevie

Of the prostate... It was foolishness... He always refused to get check-ups...

Helen

You won’t have problem with that, will you? Actually, you might even like it...
Stevie looks down, turns to the door and goes out, slamming the door. When hearing the noise Judie leaves the bedroom and walks to the sofa, sits down and sees the check.

Helen

“Keep the money, idiot?”

Judie

I was watching “The Million Dollar Show”...

Helen

I see...

Judie

He has more hair.

Helen

Implants...

Judie

Do you have the photos?

Helen

They should be somewhere in this mess. Why?

Judie

Internet, public humiliation.

Helen

Hmm... I liked that, Saturday night...
Judie takes the check and shows it to Helen.

Judie

What will you do with this?

Helen

Make a dream come true...

Cut to

GRAPHIC ANIMATION – A NEWSPAPER – ENCIRCLED ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT – for sale: ITALIAN RESTAURANT...

Cut to

INT - ITALIAN RESTAURANT - KITCHEN - PRESENT

Helen and Judie are sitting at a table talking to an Italian. The man gestures, proudly showing the place, when a group of armed men arrive. A thug pushes the two women out the door.

Cut to

GRAPHIC ANIMATION – A NEWSPAPER – ENCIRCLED ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT – (off screen, you can hear shots and sounds of fighting)

For sale: beautiful Chinese restaurant with huge clientele...

Cut to

INT. – CHINESE RESTAURANT – KITCHEN – PRESENT.

Helen and Judie are talking to a Chinese man, who offers them a cookie. Judie eats it, impressed, when suddenly a cook appears with a sack in his hand. He drops it and several cats run out of it. The two women run out the door.

Cut to

GRAPHIC ANIMATION – A NEWSPAPER – ENCIRCLED ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT –(off screen, you hear cats mewing and a voice calling them)

french restaurant for sale, elegant...

Cut to

INT. – FRENCH RESTAURANT – KITCHEN – PRESENT.

Helen and Judie are amazed by the cleanliness of the restaurant. A man proudly shows them the shining pots and pans. Helen gets enthusiastic and Judie opens a door and some rats run out and toward the two women. They run out of the place.

Cut to

EXT. – FRENCH RESTAURANT – SIDEWALK IN FRONT – PRESENT.

The camera shows Judie and Helen running from an enormous number of rats and the camera closes on one of them. (Off screen, you hear them screaming)

Fade out