EXT. STATE AVE, OLYMPIA, WASHIINGTON - MORNING
Lawrence steps out of Cecily's car. The city has changed
color. The trees are read and yellow.
Lawrence runs across the street with an envelope in his
hand. Cecily drives off.
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
Fall is the time when people start
putting Vaseline in their noses. They
remember they don't own enough socks.
They get sick and then give everyone
advice.
INT. MAIL BOXES ETC - MORNING
Lawrence walks in. Slaps a big envelope on the scale.
LAWRENCE
Gonna need some stamps.
EMPLOYEE
Alright. It's a dollar twenty-five.
EXT. DOWNTOWN OLYMPIA - MORNING
Lawrence walks through town. Stops at a theatre. Looks
inside. It's being painted. A sign reads.
"OLY FILM FESTIVAL NOVEMBER 3rd THROUGH 11th."
He walks on.
INT. APARTMENT - MORNING
Lawrence eats Captain Crunch. Works on his computer.
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
I've got it down. It seems. At least
for the last 2 weeks. I've been working
on a lot of stuff, which I suppose is why
I haven't updated this thing much. Every
other day I write. All day long. Every
other day I do web page work, all day
long. Sometimes I get up and take out
the trash or rent a movie or look around
a bookstore. This is what I do.
Lawrence prints out a script in Cecily's printer.
Lawrence does a pull up on a bar.
LAWRENCE (CONT'D)
One.
LAWRENCE (V.O.) (CONT'D)
And it's made my life so much simpler.
My head no longer worries about what I
want to do. I know my task for the day.
It is clear. My success depends on my
dedication to that task. So I guess you
could say, I've made it half way. I am
able to do what I want to do 3 days a
week.
INT. APARTMENT, NEW YORK - MORNING
Antonio wakes up. Rolls out of bed. It's still dark
outside.
He sits at his kitchen table eating cereal. Typing into
his laptop.
ANTONIO (V.O.)
I've got a story for you. I'll tell
later. I've gotta go to work.
Antonio walks to the subway. It's chilly. No one is up
this early.
ANTONIO (V.O.)(CONT'D)
It's already Wednesday. Jesus. Today's
the fucking deadline for that contest.
SOUND OF THE SUBWAY
EXT. OLYMPIA - MORNING
Lawrence sits on his couch in the middle of the sidewalk.
He can't hear it. He's typing.
People on the street don't notice him.
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
I sat right here for 3 days and worked on
one script. Not even the renter's strike
script. The fucking one set in Alaska.
I worked on it for 3 days.
INT. APARTMENT - MORNING
Lawrence does a pull up.
LAWRENCE
Two.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Cecily and Lawrence sit around. She's holding a script
in one hand and a beer in the other.
LAWRENCE
The ending doesn't work. I'm not happy
with it.
CECILY
No, it's awesome. I like this one better
than the renter's strike one.
LAWRENCE
Really? I don't.
CECILY
Maybe it's just the visual stuff. I'm
such a visual person. The part where it
comes out of the film.
LAWRENCE
I think that might distract the audience
from all of the logic problems.
LAWRENCE (V.O.) (CONT'D)
We must've talked about that ending for
two hours. Cecily learned all the
secrets of my process.
INT. PRODUCTION COMPANY - MORNING
Antonio arrives. Opens his laptop.
ANTONIO (V.O.)
I'm gonna answer phones, get the mail and
write about Suicide Sam.
The Production Manager walks up to Antonio.
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Can you run this to the Hyatt? Room
three-five-seven.
ANTONIO
Sure.
INT. APARTMENT - MORNING
Lawrence does a pull up.
LAWRENCE
Three.
INT. PRODUCTION COMPANY
Antonio closes his laptop.
INT. APARTMENT - NOON
Lawrence searches his computer. Finds a script called
"tony short.fdr."
He emails it to Antonio. Types.
SEND THIS SHIT. NO CHANGES, JUST PRINT AND SEND.
Lawrence looks something up on the Web. Cut and pastes
the contest guidelines and mailing address into the e
mail.
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
What do we do? You talk to me all
fucking day, walking around New York,
running errands. Making me believe I can
write these things. We do each other's
work. I'll fucking mail it from my time
zone if it's too late in yours.
INT. HOTEL - AFTERNOON
Antonio walks into the Hyatt Hotel listening to his iPod.
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
Hear me?
Through the lobby and to the elevators. Tries to just
get on the elevators. A CONSEIRGE stops him.
CONSEIRGE
Excuse me sir. Can I help you get
anywhere?
INT. APARTMENT - MORNING
Lawrence does a pull up.
LAWRENCE
Four.
INT. HOTEL - AFTERNOON
Antonio pops his ear buds out.
ANTONIO
No I think I got it.
CONSEIRGE
Where are you headed today?
ANTONIO
Room three-fifty-seven.
Steps onto the elevator. Doors close.
CONSEIRGE
Sir? There's--
INT. ELEVATOR - AFTERNOON
Antonio rides with a gentle seeming OLD MAN. He looks at
him out of the corner of his eye.
ANTONIO
Excuse me. Can I tell you a story?
OLD MAN
Hmm? Sure son.
ANTONIO
Last night, I was at my friend Danny's
house, right.
Bing! Doors open. Third Floor.
Antonio looks at the old man. Sighs. Steps off.
INT. 3RD FLOOR HALLWAY - AFTERNOON
Antonio walks down the hall. 347, 349. Turns the
corner.
INT. APARTMENT - MORNING
Lawrence does a pull up.
LAWRENCE
Five.
The hallway ends and Antonio finds himself looking out
over 48th street from three floors up.
The traffic honks and wizzes below. The light is almost
too much.
ANTONIO
Fuck. Where the hell is three-five
seven. Maybe it's on the other side.
Walks back.
INT. APARTMENT - AFTERNOON
Lawrence takes out the recycling.
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
Secret agents always have an escape plan.
It's in the back of their minds the whole
movie. The safety deposit box, the new
identity. The pay phone call to the one
they love from a far off land. Goodbye
they tell them. It's been too long. I
hate to see wild dogs in a pet store.
INT. HOTEL HALLWAY - AFTERNOON
Antonio on his cell.
ANTONIO
I don't know. It's missing. ... I
looked all over this fucking thing.
There's no three-five-seven at the Hyatt.
... Fine, I'm on my way.
SOUNDS OF SUBWAY
INT. SUBWAY - AFTERNOON
Antonio rides. Stares at the advertisements for
techinical colleges.
INT. APARTMENT - MORNING
Lawrence does a pull up.
LAWRENCE
Six.
INT. SUBWAY - AFTERNOON
ANTONIO (V.O.)
Maybe I'm too busy. Maybe I can't think
of anything to write about. Fucking
contest. Fuck the contest. I need a
vacation.
Lawrence walks up and sits beside him.
LAWRENCE
Do I look like I'm on vacation?
ANTONIO
Yeah, you kinda do.
LAWRENCE
Oh.
He turns to look away. Stares at the beer ads.
ANTONIO
How ya been man. I missed you?
LAWRENCE
I've been good bro. We talk every day.
You know I've been good. Keeping fit.
Trying my best to, I donno. Stay a
solider. Ready myself for when I'm
called upon.
ANTONIO
Yeah. I hear ya. But I think you're
bullshiting me. I mean, come on. We've
done this for years. I'm up you're down.
Visa versa. You're travelling, I'm
meditating in the woods behind my
grandparent's house. You're stuck in a
shitty job, I'm stuck in a shitty place.
We call each other and make plans and
talk big and play devil's advocate about
the reality. Either it's perfectly happy
or perfect shit.
LAWRENCE
And what is it right now. Excuse me.
Lawrence hangs off the subway hand hold. Does a pull up.
LAWRENCE (CONT'D)
Seven. Bitch!
ANTONIO
It's the same as it's always been.
You're up and writing. I'm down and
working.
Lawrence sits back down again.
LAWRENCE
Yeah. And I can't imagine barking at you
to submit something to something doesn't
really help.
ANTONIO
Well. I mean it does but fuck man.
That's what I want to do! It ain't like
eating my peas. If I had one second
without eight-thousand assholes telling
me what to do, I'd have submitted
something to that contest long ago.
LAWRENCE
I guess I'm eight thousand and one.
ANTONIO
Yeah but you're the only one who gives a
fuck. Like last night. I'm smoking with
Danny.
INT. DANNY'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Antonio and Danny smoke a joint. Danny leans forward.
DANNY
Man, I don't know. I hate this place.
It's gonna be another five years before I
can leave.
ANTONIO (V.O.)
Dude what are you doing?
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
I'm writing your story in screenplay
form.
(grunt)
Eight.
ANTONIO (V.O.)
Dude, don't write my story. It's mine.
I'm going to write it. Don't write my
stories. Write your own.
INT. SUBWAY - AFTERNOON
Lawrence walks off.
LAWRENCE
Fine. Then write it.
ANTONIO
I already did. I sent it to you.
LAWRENCE
Not in script format.
ANTONIO
Who cares?
LAWRENCE
I do. I care. I've lost too many
friends to other formats.
CUT TO:
INT. SUBURBAN HOME, LONG ISLAND - AFTERNOON
Ainsley on a treadmill. ZOOM INTO her computer screen. A
fucking hiaku.
THE WORDS ARE FLOWING
I SIT AND WRITE THEN BOUNCE A
QUARTER OFF MY ASS
INT. SUBWAY - AFTERNOON
Subway pulls into the station. Antonio gets off.
Lawrence stays on. Holds the doors.
ANTONIO
We gotta go man. This is my stop.
LAWRENCE
Stop for what? Work? Nine.
ANTONIO
Yeah, I gotta go to work.
LAWRENCE
(yells)
You're on fire goddamnit! You're so
right you're willing to let your friend
punch you to prove it! I guess it's
easier to prove it than to live it.
Lets the doors go. Train starts off.
LAWRENCE (CONT'D)
(sits down, whispers)
Listen to your hard won philosophy.
Kicks the seat. He fades away.
INT. OFFICE - NIGHT
Antonio comes back in. Opens his laptop. Sits. Waits.
Closes his laptop.
ANTONIO
Fuck you Lawrence. Fuck you.
Opens his laptop. It's 5:45 pm. He opens the e-mail
from Lawrence.
Opens the script in Final Draft. Prints it.
Opens Word. Starts to type a paragraph synopsis of a
script he wrote 2 years ago.
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
This isn't a seminar and it isn't a
weekend retreat. This is your life and
it's ending one minute at a time.
Checks the clock. 5:47. Keeps typing. Opens the drawer
below him. Big manilla envelopes.
INT. APARTMENT - MORNING
Lawrence does a pull up.
LAWRENCE
Ten.
Lawrence drops to the couch. Sits and re-reads his
little journal so far.
LAWRENCE (V.O.) (CONT'D)
It's not just about the pages. This
entry isn't very exciting and the
narration is about to get really
Scrubs-y. And I'm definitely not the
main character for the first time. Which
might mean I'm growing or it might mean
that I'm boring.
Lawrence looks out the window at his little view of
Olympia.
LAWRENCE (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Hilary I'm talking to you. Remember me?
Lawrence gets up and leaves the apartment.
LAWRENCE (V.O.) (CONT'D)
And Calee, have fun being a mom. Erica,
I hope you're not hibernating like I did.
Riley, I know you're writing.
INT. PRODUCTION COMPANY - NIGHT
Antonio prints the questions out. Paper clips them to
the script.
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
Sasha, I hope you're well and in love.
Dawn, I hope that for you too.
Shoves them in an envelope.
LAWRENCE (V.O.) (CONT'D)
For my hero, Charlie because fuck if he
ever finished anything.
Writes the address on the outside. Seals it.
LAWRENCE (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Sometimes, it is about the pages.
Especially when you're not putting any
out.
The Production Manager walks up to him as he's pulling
stamps off a roll.
PRODUCTION MANAGER
I need you to...
ANTONIO
I'm sorry I gotta get this to the Post
Office. I'll be right back.
Runs off.
EXT. CITY - NIGHT
Shots of him running to the Post Office with an envelope in his
hand.
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
Sometimes it just feels good to put those
pages in the fucking mail and pay a
dollar twenty-five to feel like you're
making progress.
FADE TO BLACK:
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
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