Intermezzo 1

8/6/2019 Intermezzo 1

1/41

Intermezzo

byGeoffrey Nel Thomas

6/11/2011


2/41

INT. THE APARTMENT - LATE AFTERNOON

Thursday night, its close to six oclock. Andrei sits infront of the door, patiently waiting for his masters tocome home.

A one bedroom apartment, the kitchen, living room, andbedroom are all an interconnected set.

There are two other doors, one leads to the back stairwell,the other to the bathroom.

The window shades are drawn halfway. A sleek, blue skyshines through the glass.

The sound of Paul running up stairs can be heard off stage.

Andreis tail begins to wag.

The key unlocks the front door, Paul steps into theapartment.

Paul greets Andrei, Andrei jumps, barks, shows itsaffection for its master, and follows Paul to the kitchen.

PAULHey, boy. Calm down. Mom home?

(calling off stage)Sofia? Sofia... not home yet.

Paul drops his messenger bag onto the kitchen counter.

PAUL (CONTD)(To Andrei)

Why isnt she home? Where couldshe be? You want to go for a walk, Andrei? WALK?

The dog spasms with uncontrollable giddy, as every dogshould when they hear the word, walk.

PAUL (CONTD)Okay, lets go.

As Paul searches for Andreis leash, his cell phone rings.

PAUL (CONTD)Hey, where are you--? Yeah...okay... I took the green line. Itold you the red line hadconstruction starting today. Howlong do you think it will be?Yeah...

Paul hooks Andrei up to his leash, they move to the frontdoor.


3/41

PAUL (CONTD)Dont be angry at me.

Paul opens the door with the dog leading the way out.

Paul closes the door and locks it from the outside.

Two to three minutes pass. The only sounds are birdschirping, the doppler effect of car stereos and trainspassing.

Sofia enters the apartment from the back door.

Sofia throws her purse on the couch. She takes out hercell phone and plus it into the A/C adapter.

Sofia undresses as she enters into the bathroom.

The sun is setting, and so the light from the window turns

from blue to yellow.

The sound of rushing water, Sofia is taking a shower.

As Sofia is in the shower, the sky colors turn from yellowto orange, red, purple.

The front door opens, Paul walks in with the dog.

Paul unhooks Andrei from his leash. Andrei sits on thecouch.

Hearing the shower water, Paul walks into the bathroom off

stage.

PAULHello.

Sofia is frightened by Pauls sudden appearance.

SOFIAYou fucker, you scared me.

PAULI didnt mean to scare you.

SOFIAUh huh, right.

PAULIt looks like you could use somecompany.

SOFIAClimb on in...

PAULYoure all pruney. How long have

you been in here?

2.


4/41

SOFIAI cant recall. Im stealing allthe hot water, I dont give afuck.

PAUL

Youre all clean.

SOFIAHmmMmm, thats right.

Sofia turns off the water.

PAULWhat?? Oh thats cold, baby.Where are you going? What--

With a towel wrapped around her body, Sofia runs into thekitchen.

Sofia opens the freezer, she gets a handful of ice cubes inher palm and goes back into the bathroom.

PAULWhat are you doing-- ? AAHH!

Sofia is rubbing the ice cubes all over Pauls neck.

Sofia runs back in the kitchen/living room.

SOFIAWhat do you want to drink,

dahling?

PAULDrink? That bad of a day, hon?

SOFIAIm going to pour you a glass ofgin, and I...

(searching through theliquor selections)

... am going to open this bottleof wine.

Sofia dresses herself in scant lingerie which, despite itspurpose, reveals more of Sofias body.

With his pants on, buttoning up his dress shirt, Paul stepsout from the bathroom.

PAULWhich bottle?

SOFIAIts from Argentina...

3.


5/41

PAULI think that was a gift from Jimand Nance.

SOFIAIs it okay if I open it now?

Its been sitting in there fortwo years.

PAULSure, just as long as you dontdrink the entire bottle tonight.

SOFIASweetie pie... Ill let you havea glass.

PAULCute.

Paul plops down on the couch, opens up his laptop, andbegins searching through the internet - becoming a slave tonews, memes, NSFW pics, etc.

Sofia holds the bottle in her hands, ostensibly waiting forPaul to come over and open the bottle for her.

Sofia unbuttons a piece from her lingerie, she sniffs awhiff of her breasts.

SOFIAYoure seriously not going to

drink with me?

PAULWhat?

SOFIATurn that fucking thing off, openthis bottle.

PAULYes maam.

Paul closes the computer and arrives next to Sofia.

PAUL (CONTD)Did you go to the gym today?

SOFIAWhat? (beat) Yes. You keepingtabs on me now?

PAULI just wanted to make sure yourekeeping good on your promises.

4.


6/41

SOFIAYou dont trust me.

PAULI trust you. I didnt make it tothe gym today, I wanted at least

one of us to have made it today.

SOFIAYour young wife is fit, fit tofuck tonight, baby.

PAULOoh I love it when you talkdirty. Let me open this bottlefor you.

Paul uncorks the bottle.

SOFIAThank you.

PAULMy pleasure.

Paul stops Sofia before she pours herself the glass ofwine.

PAUL (CONTD)Here, allow me.

Paul holds Sofias hand against the wine glass as he pours

her a glass.

SOFIAMore.

PAULMore?

SOFIANot to the top, damn--

PAULThere.

SOFIAPerfect.

Sofia takes a sip of the red wine.

PAULHow is it?

SOFIAMmm... tastes like red wine tome.

5.


7/41

PAULWhaat? All those wine tastingclasses, and you learned nothing?

SOFIAIm kidding, okay, here...

(she takes another sipof the wine)... hints of grapefruit, berries -its fruity, yet theres a nicewoody aftertaste, smoky almost.

PAULSee?

SOFIAJim and Nance have good taste.

PAUL

Mind if I take a sip?

SOFIAGo for it.

Paul swigs a taste of the wine.

PAULVery nice, very nice.

SOFIAHow was your day?

PAULMy day was good. Work wasntshitty--

SOFIAThats always good.

PAULYeah, and after work I spent sometime illustrating for that bansshow. Had lunch with Tim, hetold me about the new projecthes working on for this companyout East.

SOFIAThats cool. Whats it about?

6.


8/41

PAULTims trying to create a layoutwebsite for this new productioncompany in New York - well,theyre operating out of NewJersey, but they dont want to

say that, because all of theowners are from Indiana, and theywant to impress people. Anyway,its a small firm that producesmusic videos, commercials, shortfilms. Tim came recommended fromsomeone he knew back in college -thats how he got the job - andso hes been hard at work withthat.

SOFIAHow far did you get with those

illustrations?

PAULA good amount done. Henry let meleave work early today becausethere were too many people on thefloor.

SOFIAOh thats...

PAULNo, thats good. Im scheduled

all week, and Ive been workingthere long enough that I getpriority hours, so more hours Ican always get. I think he justfelt like letting me off early,you know, because of all thosenights I had to work last week.

SOFIAThat was bullshit.

PAULI know, and Henry knew that, too.Its the start of a new season,so a lot of people needed to betrained in--

SOFIABut thats not your job. Theyhave other people that can dothat, right?

PAULYes, they do, but, its also myjob to see that the new employees

are trained correctly, too.

7.

MORE


9/41

Thingsll run smoother ifeveryone is on the same page.

SOFIAYeah, but you told Henry no morenights, and he schedules you

nights. Is he fucking retarded?

PAULThere was nothing I could do. Iasked him--

SOFIAYou politely asked him not toschedule you those nights. Noones going to respect you if youkeep letting people walks allover you like that.

PAULThis isnt my job forever, okay.Im not banking on becomingregional manager or anything likethat. Its just a shit job thatpays the fucking bills. Thatsit. If I give a shit, itsbecause I dont want to getfired, thats all.

SOFIAAll right.

PAULIm working on getting moredrawings out there, becausethats what I want to do, but ittakes time. You dont seem tounderstand that.

SOFIAI just want to see you putyourself out there more. I thinkyoure relying too much on thatshit job to keep you afloat.

PAULWell its all that kept me abovewater for awhile now--

SOFIABut at a certain point you needto quit it, and do what you love.

PAULThats easy for you to day--okay, listen, I dont want to getin a fight now, and thats where

this seems to be headed.

8.

PAUL (CONT'D)


10/41

Sofia pours herself another glass of wine.

SOFIADo you want to fuck? That alwayscalms you down.

PAULI need to meditate right now.

SOFIANow? Are you kidding me?

PAULTwo times a day at twenty minuteseach. Have you stoppedmeditating?

SOFIAI keep up with my yoga.

PAULThats not what Im talkingabout. Meditation calms themind, it makes things clearer,projects outward problems inward,dissects them, embraces, anddisintegrates those problems.Theres no way you can solve yourproblems if you dont face themhead on.

SOFIA

And you do that with your eyesclosed.

PAULYes-- what?

SOFIAYou need a drink, honey, hold on.

PAULNo, I dont need a drink... thegin... get the gin.

Sofia is rummaging through the bottles booze, she pulls outa bottle of gin.

SOFIAThis will calm you down.

Sofia pours a glass of gin, infuses some tonic water andice.

SOFIA (CONTD)Here, sip on that, baby. Calmdown.

9.


11/41

Paul takes a gulp of the gin and tonic.

SOFIA (CONTD)How do you feel?

PAUL

Shut up and kiss me.

Sofia plants one on Pauls lips.

PAUL (CONTD)I reserved a table for us tonightat Dumont. Seven thirty.

SOFIAAww... thats so romantic. Ilove you.

Sofia etches her lifes passion onto Pauls lips once more.

PAULI love you.

SOFIACome, lets watch the sun set.

Paul and Sofia sit on the couch, and watch the purple skyburst into an explosion of blues, greens, oranges, yellows,reds, before softly turning to darkness. The stars appearand twinkle in the sky, as if Van Gogh himself werepainting the night just for their eyes alone.

PAULWhat do you want to do thisweekend?

SOFIAUgh, I still have one more day atthe office. I cant think aboutthe weekend right yet.

PAULIs work stressing you that much?

SOFIAYes, but I dont want to talkabout it. I dont want to ruintonight by talking about today.

PAULI want to hear about your day.What happened?

10.


12/41

SOFIAJanessa and I got into a stupidquarrel about who is going totake over Victorias work for theday - presumably shell be backtomorrow, but we really dont

know if anyone is being re-hired.Theres been so much re-shufflingof positions interdepartmentallyover the last three weeks--

The loud rumbling of the Chicago El train disrupts Sofiasmonologue. We can no longer hear any of what Sofia issaying. We can still read her lips, but the overallmessage (and its details) are lost under the sounds of thecity.

SOFIA (CONTD)... and that fucking bitch

deserves everything shes gotcoming to her.

PAULI was thinking we could go to myparents cabin this weekend.

SOFIAReally? Oh I would love that.

PAULYes. We can go any time youwant. Its ours for pleasure.

SOFIABeautiful, I would love to getaway for awhile.

PAULWe still need to get to Paris,but, hopefully this will--Northern Wisconsin can sufficefor now, eh?

SOFIADarling, Paris will come, all indue time. I would enjoy nothingmore than spending the weekend atthe Shaft family cabin.

PAULIts so beautiful up there thistime of year, really it is.Every flower and tree is in fullbloom. The river is cool enoughto take a dip in--

SOFIA

Jump river?

11.


13/41

PAULYes you remember!

SOFIAOf course I do, I love the Jumpriver. Oh, I cant wait...

Sofia snuggles up to Paul.

PAULLet me put on some music, holdon.

SOFIAOh, bring the bottle of wine withyou, dear.

PAULYeah.

Paul grabs the bottle of wine.

Paul puts on a record: Jeux deau by Ravel.

Paul pours another glass for Sofia.

Paul and Sofia watch the twinkling of the stars in thevelvet black sky.

A shooting star burns through the atmosphere, a trainpasses overhead - shaking the foundation of the building.

Andrei snuggles up to Sofia.

FADE OUT.

INT. DUMONT RESTAURANT - NIGHT

Paul and Sofia stumble into the restaurant to their table.

PAULDont worry, he seems to be okayright now.

SOFIAHes drunker than we are.

PAULNoo... come on, we havent seenhim in so many years.

SOFIAI thought he had died--

Marcus bumps into and spills a tall ashtray, sendingcigarette butts and ash onto the floor.

12.


14/41

MARCUSWhoops. Sorry about that, guys.

PAULMarcus, theyll clean that up,come on.

MARCUSThere they are, thought I lostthem.

PAULTake a seat.

Marcus sits down next to Sofia, across the table from Paul.

MARCUSOh wow, I really appreciate youtwo letting me butt in like this.

Im spoiling your night, am I?

SOFIAThat depends.

PAULNo, no, this is cool. We dontmind.

MARCUSSofia seems to mind. Do you wantme to leave, Sofia?

SOFIAWhat? No, I was just-- Marcus,Im tired, its been a long week.So any discontent you get from meis the cause of pure exhaustion.Please dont take it the wrongway.

MARCUSDiscontent? All right. I hopeeverythings fine with you both.

PAULSofias job has been verystressful lately.

SOFIAIts only gotten worse this pastmonth.

MARCUSWhats your job?

SOFIAI work helping immigrants get

their GED.

13.

MORE


15/41

I aid them in making it into acollege. Its usually a prettyeasy job, but this month -theres been managerialshuffling, and its like anunnecessary vice grip on my work.

Im having to do three more jobswith all of this moving, andpeople getting fired, transfers,paperwork, blah. You dont wantto hear about this.

MARCUSNo, I find it interesting whatother people do with their lives,but that was too much. I dontwant any of your bad vibesfiltering into myself.Im just kidding. Im fucking

kidding.

Paul heaves an awkward laugh to break the sour mood.

PAULWe should get some drinks. Whatdo you guys want?

SOFIAAnything strong, no ice.

PAULOkay... Marcus?

MARCUSUh, we dont have a waiter?

PAULThats right-- not yet... I couldjust go get some drinks from thebar?

MARCUSYeah, it is busy in here. Youneed a hand?

PAULI think I can manage. What didyou want, again?

MARCUSI never said. But Ill have agin and tonic, please.

PAULAll right, Ill be back.

SOFIA

Okay.

14.

SOFIA (CONT'D)


16/41

Paul exits to the bar. A BUSSER walks up to the table andfills Sofias water glass, and then Marcuss.

To the busser;

MARCUS

You can fill this glass, he justwent to the bar.

The busser fills Pauls water glass and leaves.

MARCUS (CONTD)You look beautiful, Sofia.

SOFIAHmm? Oh thank you. You look...debonair...

MARCUS

Still careful with your words.

SOFIAShut the fuck up, Mark.

MARCUSWhat?

Marcus laughs, takes a sip of his water.

SOFIAWhat are you doing here?

MARCUSIn Chicago?

SOFIAI thought you said you were inParis, or something.

MARCUSI came back.

SOFIAI thought you had a family overthere.

MARCUSI dont want to start this rightnow, okay?

SOFIAYou stopped writing me, I donthear from you -- I get thirdparty information that youvemarried, have kids, and movedinto a farm? Youre a fuckingasshole.

15.


17/41

MARCUSBaby, you dont know the half ofwhats happened in my life.

SOFIAAre you going to tell me?

MARCUSProbably--

SOFIANo, youre going to fucking tellit to me now.

MARCUSNow.

Sofia shakes her head, yes.

BERNARD the waiter appears at the table.

BERNARDWelcome to Dumont. Is this yourfirst time dining with us thisevening?

Neither Marcus or Sofia answer the man. Marcus and Sofiaare staring each other down.

BERNARD (CONTD)Hello? I should come back...

Paul enters with drinks in hand.

PAULOh there you are, sorry Icouldnt wait, went to the barfor our drinks.

BERNARDThats okay.

PAULI told the bartender to put thedrinks on this tab. Thats okay,right?

BERNARDYes, thats just fine.

PAULGreat.

BERNARDCan I start you off tonight withany appetizers?

16.


18/41

PAULYou want some apps? Honey?

SOFIAYes, what do you want?

PAULI dont know, Ive heard themussels are pretty good here.

BERNARDThe mussels are delicious, andfresh.

PAULSpectacular. That sound good toyou?

MARCUS

Mussels! Perfect.

SOFIAWonderful, dear.

PAULA plate of mussels.

BERNARDGreat.

PAULAnd can we get some bread, too?

BERNARDOf course.

PAULGreat, thanks.

Bernard exits.

PAUL (CONTD)Well, Marcus, heres to you.Its been far too long.

Paul raises his glass, everyone toasts.

MARCUSWow, thats too much, Paul.Thank you.

PAULHow long has it been? Five...years?

MARCUSNo, not that long. Really?

17.


19/41

PAULI think the last time we all weretogether was at the reunion, andthat was five years, yeah. Damn,man, what have you been up to?What brings you to Chicago?

MARCUSAahh, time to catch up.

SOFIAYeah, tell us what youve beendoing, Marcus.

MARCUSIve travelled.

PAULWow, still globe-trekking?

MARCUSYes sir. Still havent made itto India, but Ill make it theresoon enough.

Paul guffaws.

PAULYou salty bastard, you say thatas if its some weekend getaway.

MARCUS

Close to it, brother. I justneed an assignment and Im there.Havent received the go aheadyet.

PAULSo where have you been all theseyears?

MARCUSFrom when we were all lasttogether, I moved to Brasil,spent some months stuck inArgentina...

PAULGod, Id love to get stuck inSouth America, geez.

SOFIAI know, you make it sound so bad.

MARCUSI was only in Argentina byaccident, or not, the jurys

still out on that.

18.

MORE


20/41

I literally was stuck inArgentina. My plane crashed, andI found myself huddling in thejungle before being picked up bya farmers daughter. She broughtme back to her village and nursed

me to health.

PAULOh my god.

SOFIAWere you okay?

MARCUSAm now - I broke my leg, but ithealed. I still limp some, itsnot as bad as it used to be. Thewarm weather took the pain away,

my leg cant stand winters.Anyway, I lived in this villagefor near to six months, no oneknew I was there. The crashreported all passengers dead, soeveryone assumed I was dead.

I didnt know any of this until Igot to Brasil - could look up thecrash online.

PAULThats amazing.

MARCUSYou two didnt hear about this?You didnt think I was dead?

SOFIATo be honest, we lost touch.

PAULSorry to say, but its true.There was the wedding, new jobs,weve moved a couple of timessince we saw you last. We losttrack of a lot of our old pals.

MARCUSOh.

Awkward;

PAULBut were glad youre alive now!

MARCUSThanks, Paul.

19.

MARCUS (CONT'D)


21/41

The busser drops off a bread basket onto the table.

Everyone takes a sip or gulp of their drink.

Paul breaks the bread, puts a slice of butter on the piece,and passes the basket to Sofia.

PAULSo you made it back to health -with the help of a beautiful,young woman, and you left forBrasil right after that?

SOFIAMarcus never said anything aboutthe girl, except that she was afarmers daughter. How do weknow she wasnt some hag?

PAULI only guessed--

MARCUSShe was breathtaking, and whatsthe difference?

SOFIAI dont know.

PAULWhat was in Brasil?

MARCUSBrasil, now let me try andremember, ah yes, there was abeach, and a forest... somebodacious women who never woreany clothes--

PAULStop it, Im serious.

MARCUSI needed to pick up a guitar.

SOFIAA guitar?

MARCUSYeah.

PAULAnd... ? Wait - is that it? Aguitar?

MARCUSLike I said, yeah.

20.


22/41

SOFIAYou went all the way to Brasilfor a guitar? Are you fuckingkidding me?

MARCUS

Im not kidding you.

SOFIAYoure crazy.

MARCUSSomeone was holding it for me,Id forgotten it there the prioryear.

PAULCouldnt you just have had itshipped to you instead?

MARCUSI guess so, that thought nevercrossed my mind. I would havesaved on expenses, too.

PAULYeah.

MARCUSI suppose I wanted to see thecountry again. Theres nothinglike it.

SOFIAI bet. Lots of supermodels downthere.

MARCUSLots of beautiful women, yes,indeed... and I handled them allwith ease.

Marcus grins.

SOFIAHa!

PAULIm sure you did, you rascal.

Marcus takes another drink from his glass.

PAUL (CONTD)So where did you end up afterBrasil?

21.


23/41

MARCUSUm... after Brasil... when I gotmy guitar, I came back to thestates. I didnt stay very long,I couldnt stand the politicalclimate - those fucking

teabaggers.

SOFIANo.

PAULFuckin assholes they were.

MARCUSYeah, so, I had some friends inAmsterdam and went over there.

SOFIA

Id really like to go toAmsterdam sometime.

PAULReally?

SOFIAYeah, why not?

PAULI never thought that would be aplace youd find interesting.

SOFIAAmsterdam is legendary. Iveseen Paris, but Ive neverexperienced the Dutch.

PAULOkay--

MARCUSIts not the dope that draws youto the Netherlands, I dont wantyou to get that impression. Toomany Americans consider Amsterdamworthwhile only for their laws onmarijuana and prostitution... andlet me reassure you... those areonly two reasons of many... tovisit the motherland.

PAULReally?

MARCUSThe tulips are something else inthe spring, and the air is clean.

22.

(MORE)


24/41

I mean Ive done the all nightbaked sessions, spending days onend stoned out of my mind -trippin, as it were - and theexperience is not all that itscracked up to be. Of course, I

was younger in those days, andone could similarly have anexperience akin to Amsterdam herein the states. I wouldntrecommend visiting Amsterdam justfor the legal pot, and luscious,kind, European women. No.

PAULUh huh, right.

SOFIATheres the tulips in the spring,

cant forget about that.

MARCUSExactly.

The food runner brings out the plate of mussels.

FOOD RUNNERSteamed mussels.

PAULExcellent.

SOFIAThank you.

FOOD RUNNERYoure welcome, enjoy.

The food runner exits.

Everyone takes from the platter and places their appetizerson plates, and the trio dig in.

PAULGood?

Sofia moans with her mouth full in satisfaction.

Marcus nods his head, yes, this is good food.

PAUL (CONTD)How long did you stay inAmsterdam?

MARCUSTwo years.

23.

MARCUS (CONT'D)


25/41

SOFIAYou liked it there?

MARCUSWhy stay otherwise?

SOFIARight.

PAULYour friends - what did they do?

MARCUSOh, well, Jan and Nellij, theowners, were never in Amsterdamwhile I was there. I was housesitting for them.

PAUL

For two years?

MARCUSFirst it was one month, theyd beon safari in Algiers. Then, ontheir trip, they met a couplefrom Greece who invited them totheir house on the island Crete,offered to put them up for twoweeks.

Jan and Nellij liked Crete somuch, they decided to setup camp

there. Made quilts and spun claypots. Jan told me I could keepthe house, so as long as I wouldleave it open if they everreturned, or if one of theirrelatives needed a place to stay.

PAULYou had to pay rent, or... ?

MARCUSNo, the house was paid off. Ididnt pay any rent, except forthe water and heat.

SOFIAWhat did you do there? I mean,how did you survive?

MARCUSYou know me, I always find a way.

PAULWhat did you do?

24.


26/41

MARCUSI rented out the place. Gotmarried, divorced, arrested,spent 90 days in jail, sold thehouse to the business next door,took a train to Paris.

PAULHoly shit.

MARCUSThe last five years of my lifehave been marked by a consistentunsteadiness. Not one year hasgone by where there hasnt beendramatic changes.

SOFIAThats interesting.

PAULI can understand that, I mean,nothing is ever certain, is it?

SOFIAWhat do you mean?

PAULWhat is certain, you know, otherthan death?

SOFIA

Life? Love? Our marriage?Dont you think thats certain?

PAULWell, yes, I believe it to becertain, because weve both madea bond with each other that saysit will be - forever - or untilwe die.

SOFIAWhats so uncertain about ourlife?

PAULI wasnt saying our life wasuncertain, I was speaking ingeneral terms--

MARCUSWhat I think Pauls trying to sayis that life, no matter whose, isuncertain. No one is guaranteedanother day, yet here we areenjoying each others company -

and that is certain.

25.

MORE


27/41

Ive been moving around, neverhaving an idea of where I wouldend up next. You two have eachother, and youre making thingsconcrete. You want a steady

life.

PAULYeah.

SOFIAWhat if I dont want certainty?What if I want to be impulsive?

PAULDo you know how obnoxious you getwhen youre drunk?

SOFIAI am not drunk. Im Irish, Idont get drunk. I need anotherdrink.

Sofia rattles her glass, the waiter obviously isnt comingfast enough.

SOFIA (CONTD)Fuck it. Ill get the drinkmyself.

PAUL

Sofia.

Sofia exits to the bar.

PAUL (CONTD)Sorry about that.

MARCUSDont apologize for her.

Bernard steps up to the table.

BERNARDDid anyone need more refills?

PAULMy wife went to the bar.

BERNARDWould yall like to see a foodmenu now?

PAULUmm... yeah...

26.

MARCUS (CONT'D)


28/41

MARCUSIll just nosh on this, not toohungry. I could use anotherdrink, though.

PAUL

Why dont we wait on the food fornow. Can you come back in fiveor ten minutes?

BERNARDSure. What were you drinking,sir?

MARCUSGin and tonic.

BERNARDAll right. Would you like

another one, sir?

PAULUh yeah. Sure. Another round,and uh, well be eating later,though. I just need to talk tomy wife before... uhm, yeah.

BERNARDYou were having the house wine?

PAULYeah-- no, Ill take a beer. I

think I saw you had Lift Bridgeon tap.

BERNARDThat we do.

PAULIll have a pint of that.

BERNARDGreat, Ill be back with yourdrinks.

PAULThanks.

MARCUSThanks.

Bernard exits.

PAULWhere the hell is she?

27.


29/41

MARCUSLooks like shes made friendswith the bartender.

PAULWhat?

Paul turns around.

PAUL (CONTD)God dammit.

Paul leaves his seat, briskly walking to the bar.

Marcus takes the last of whats left of his water down thegullet.

Marcus plugs a cigarette in his mouth and lights up.

Paul returns, dragging Sofia behind him.

SOFIAI was only making conversation.

PAULYou were making a scene - doingmore than Id like to imagine.

SOFIAI was going to get your drinknext, we wouldnt have had to payfor it.

Sofia sits down in her chair, Paul sits down in his.

SOFIA (CONTD)A woman should know how to getherself free drinks throughsimple intuition.

PAULWould that be before, or after,you fuck him?

SOFIAId let you watch, ha, ha.

PAULCute.

Marcus leans over to Sofia.

MARCUSMaybe you should stop drinkingnow.

28.


30/41

SOFIAFuck off, I know my limit - I canhold my liquor. And wheres yourdrink? Why am I-- I shouldnt bethe only one drinking here.Wheres our fucking waiter? Im

hunngree.

PAULHe went for refills. You want toeat?

SOFIALets split something.

PAULOkay.

SOFIA

Ooh, I didnt know you couldsmoke in here.

MARCUSNo ones stopped me yet.

SOFIAWould you happen to have anotherone of those for me, dear?

MARCUSPaul?

PAULShe can do whatever she wants.

SOFIAI dont need his approval. Gimmea smoke.

Marcus gives Sofia a cigarette, and lights it for her(Sofia stares into Marcuss eyes as she puffs, inhales,exhales).

SOFIA (CONTD)Thank you.

MARCUSYoure welcome.

SOFIAAahh...

Sofia calms down somewhat, easing back into her chair shetakes another pull of her drink.

SOFIA (CONTD)This... is exactly what I need...

right now. Where were we?

29.


31/41

MARCUSWhere were we?

SOFIAYou were in France?

MARCUSRight, theres still more... so Imoved to Paris after Amsterdam.

SOFIAWhy Paris?

MARCUSI dont know. It seemed like theplace to be at the time - stillis, too.

SOFIA

And thats where you met yoursecond wife?

MARCUSThats where I met my secondwife, yes...

Bernard walks up to the table with two food menus.

BERNARDCould I offer you something toeat tonight?

SOFIAYes you may, garon.

PAULYeah great, we want to splitsomething. Whats good for twoplates?

BERNARDOur salads are quite large--

SOFIAI want pizza!

BERNARDWe do have woodfire baked pizzas.

PAULPerfect.

SOFIABlack olives, artichoke hearts,and sausage. Mmmm.

PAUL

Can we do that?

30.


32/41

BERNARDCertainly.

(referring to Marcus)Are we still good over here?

MARCUS

Still waiting on my drink.

BERNARDThey will up shortly, thank youfor waiting.

MARCUSAll right.

PAULNow weve got some food comin,honey.

SOFIAMmmhmm, I love it. I love you,darling.

Sofia reaches over the table, grabs Pauls face and plantsa big, wet one on him.

PAULI love you, too.

Sofia sits own, she grabs Marcuss inner thigh and beginsstroking underneath the tablecloth.

PAUL (CONTD)So, Marcus, how did you find yourway back to the states? Is therea conference youre going tosomewhere?

MARCUSNo, nothing like that, Paul...Im here for family.

PAULOh, I hope its nothing bad.

SOFIAWhy do you say that?

PAULSofia--

MARCUSActually, unfortunately, mymother died.

SOFIANooo...

31.


33/41

MARCUSYeah, she had a stroke a weekago, two days later she was gone.

PAULOh my god, Marcus, Im so sorry.

Is there anything we can do foryou?

MARCUSThank you, no Ill be fine. Illbe fine.

SOFIAHow old was she?

Sofia is rubbing Marcuss shoulders.

MARCUS

She was sixty-five.

PAULStill so young.

MARCUSYeah.

SOFIAIm sorry, dear. This must be aterrible time for you.

PAUL

How is the rest of your familycoping?

MARCUSTheyre devastated, naturally.

PAULObviously.

MARCUSShit its been a weird week, tosay the least.

SOFIATell me about it.

MARCUSTwo days after my mother died, myfather came out of the closet andtold everyone he was gay.

PAULWow...

SOFIA

Really?

32.


34/41

MARCUSYeah... my fathers gay. Itdoesnt bother me, I guess. Itsjust strange, you know?

PAUL

I can imagine. One shock afteranother.

MARCUSRight. And why he chose to tellthe family so soon after herdeath, that was selfish. It drewattention away from moms life...

PAULDo you know why he didnt wait?

MARCUS

Maybe he figured since I live outof the country, this would be theonly time he would see me face toface-- I dont know... I wishhed have waited.

SOFIAIm sorry, Marcus.

MARCUSThanks, Sofia.

SOFIA

Im here for you - were here foryou. If theres anything youneed, dont hesitate to ask.

MARCUSI appreciate that.

PAULHow long are you staying in townfor?

MARCUSIm leaving Saturday morning.

PAULWe should all do something intown before you leave.

SOFIAYeah!

MARCUSAh, thats admirable, but I thinkIm going to lay low while Imhere. Spend my time in bars

until I leave.

33.


35/41

PAULNo, thats not going to happen.Where are you staying?

MARCUSThe Drake Hotel.

PAULWere going to come overtomorrow, and were going to havea day of it.

MARCUSTomorrows Friday. What aboutyour jobs?

PAULWell take the day off.

SOFIAI need a day off.

PAULIts best to be around friends ata time like this.

SOFIAYou shouldnt be alone right now.Wheres your wife?

PAULYour wife? Your wife is in

Paris.

MARCUSYeah, I asked her not to comeover, it wouldve been too much.Speaking of which, I should callher. Do you mind?

PAULBy all means, go, call yourwife...

MARCUSSarah.

SOFIASarah.

PAULWere still waiting for our food.Well be here.

MARCUSOkay, Ill be right back.

Marcus exits.

34.


36/41

SOFIAThats so sad.

PAULYeah...

Beat;

PAUL (CONTD)How did you know he had a wife inParis?

SOFIAWhat?

PAULYou seemed to know that Marcushad a wife, that he was married.Did he mention that before?

SOFIAI thought he did.

PAULHuh, I dont remember--

SOFIAWhat difference does it make?

PAULNone, I guess.

Sofia steals another cigarette from Marcuss side of thetable. She plugs one in her mouth and lights up.

PAUL (CONTD)I thought you quit?

SOFIAJust let me fucking enjoy thisnow.

Marcus returns.

PAULHow is she? Sarah.

MARCUSIts morning there, shes makingthe kids breakfast before school.Shes good.

SOFIAHow are you?

MARCUSIm hungry now.

35.


37/41

SOFIAGet the waiters attention, Paul.

PAULThats what Im doing.

Paul flags down the waiter.

BERNARDYes, sir?

PAULMy man wants something to eatnow.

BERNARDOkay.

MARCUS

Do you have any burgers? Can Iget a cheeseburger?

BERNARDSure. What kind of cheese wouldyou like on it?

MARCUSBrie.

BERNARDWe can do that. How do you wantyour burger cooked?

MARCUSMedium.

BERNARDOkay, Ill put the order in rightnow. Would you like both mealsto arrive at the same time, or?

MARCUSI dont mind, I can wait.

PAULAre you sure?

MARCUSGo ahead and eat, Ill probablysteal a slice or two, anyways.

PAULA ha.

BERNARDIts no problem.

36.


38/41

PAULNaw, youll probably keep thepizza under a hot lamp, right?

BERNARDIts not finished yet.

MARCUSIts fine. Bring the pizza outfirst, just put that cheeseburgeron the grill.

BERNARDYou got it.

Bernard exits.

MARCUSGood.

PAULIs that okay?

MARCUSI dont mind. I ran into you twotonight. I probably ruined yourevening with my terribleexploits. Was this just a date,or some special occasion Ivewrecked? Like an anniversary orsomething?

SOFIAShut up, Marcus, were happy tohave you with us.

MARCUSYeah, I bet...

PAULIm going to use the restroom.Ill be right back.

SOFIAOkay.

Paul exits to the bathroom.

SOFIA (CONTD)So how come you stopped writingme?

MARCUSIm married now, Ive got a wifeand two daughters. It didntseem couth.

37.


39/41

SOFIASo what was Amsterdam? Whats tosay Paris isnt like that?

MARCUSAmsterdam was different.

SOFIAOh different, eh?

MARCUSYes. I was younger then, Ididnt know what I wanted.

SOFIAAnd now you do? With whats hername?

MARCUS

Sarah - and yes, this isdifferent now. Get used to it.

SOFIASounds like youre all settleddown now.

MARCUSId like to say so, yes.

SOFIAYou wouldnt be averse to any...extra-marital, deep sea diving,

would you?

Sofia grabs Marcuss crotch, Marcus doesnt flinch.

MARCUSIts over, Sofia. I thought youwould have figured that out bynow. Shit-- Pauls a great guy -you shouldnt do something likethat to him.

SOFIAPauls oblivious. Hes no fun,hes not like you.

MARCUSThose days are gone, sweetheart.

SOFIASomeone doesnt seem to think so.

Sofia massages Marcuss hard-on.

MARCUSSofia-dont.

38.


40/41

SOFIAYou need company in your hour ofmourning.

MARCUSPauls going to come back any

second now.

Sofia places Marcuss hand on her thigh, up her skirt, andinto her vagina.

SOFIANobody gets me wet like you do.

Marcus fingers Sofia underneath the tablecloth.

SOFIA (CONTD)Yes, I want you tonight.

MARCUSYou exit for the bathroom, I saySarahs called me again. We meetin the back.

SOFIAOK.

Sofia and Marcus return their hands to themselves.

Paul returns to the table.

Paul takes a drink of his beer.

PAULThis beer is good.

MARCUSWhat are you drinking?

PAULLift Bridge. Its really wheaty.

MARCUSNice. Im more attracted to thehoppy beers, but a wheaty everyonce and awhile is solid.

PAULYeah, never was one for the hops--

SOFIAI have to use the ladies room.

PAULOur foods going to be here soon.

Sofia stands up to leave.

39.


41/41

SOFIAThats okay, I wont be long.

PAULAll right.

Sofia exits.

PAUL (CONTD)So hows your dad, through allthis?

MARCUSOh Im sure hell be fine--wait... (Marcus checks hispocket, his cell phone isringing) thats Sarah. I needto take this.

PAULOK.

Marcus exits.

The food runner serves the pizza to the table.

FOOD RUNNEROur hearth-baked pizza, withblack olives, artichoke hearts,and chorizo sausage. Enjoy yourmeal.

PAULThank you.

The food runner exits.

PAUL (CONTD)Oh wait...

Paul holds up his empty beer glass.

Paul places the glass back on the table. Paul begins tocut a slice of pizza, then consumes the first slice withfork and knife. The second bite, Paul forgoes theniceties, and folds the slice in half - eating pizza withhis hands, how it should be eaten.

FADE TO BLACK.

40.

Intermezzo 1

Documents

Transcript of Intermezzo 1