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For Emily.
FADE IN:
INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT
Students from a local university mill about in one of
the few coffee shops still open. Closing time is
drawing near, and the atmosphere is becoming notably
less lively. The sounds of laughter and colliding
glasses are far more infrequent than they were just a
few hours prior. This is all of little consequence to
one diner in particular, a YOUNG MAN, who sits alone at
a window-side table.
He stares wistfully through the glass, watching a
seemingly endless parade of people pass by. They move
through his range of sight quickly - both entering and
exiting his life within a matter of seconds.
The young man can't help but wonder who these people
are, where they are going, what they are feeling... He
starts to envy them, though he doesn't exactly know
why.
He laughs quietly and begins to turn away but stops as
he catches his reflection in the glass. His appearance
surprises him - it's amazing how much the past few weeks
have changed him. And the changes are more than skin
deep...
BARTENDER
(yelling)
Last call...
The voice of the bartender shakes the young man out of
his introspective trance. He glances over at the source
of the distraction... and that is when he sees her - a
WOMAN standing at the bar, ordering a drink.
She is radiance. She is glamour. She is elegance. She
is grace. She is beauty. She is looking right at him.
The man gasps and looks away as if he wasn't worthy of
her gaze. He cups his hands around his eyes and stares
down at his food, feeling the blood rush to his already
red face. Who or what had he just seen? A goddess, an
angel? And more importantly - had she seen him staring?
Had she been alone? Had she--
FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)
Excuse me?
The young man gulps audibly. It's her. There's not an
ounce of doubt in his mind that it's her. Only a woman
of her beauty could possess a voice so angelic.
FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)
Excuse me?
There is no escaping the situation... it's unavoidable.
With great trepidation, the man slowly lowers his frail
hands, and peers upward through droopy eyes.
WOMAN
Is this seat taken?
The young man opens his mouth, desperately struggling to
speak.
YOUNG MAN
Y-y-yes...
The woman looks down at the clearly empty seat.
WOMAN
Oh... ok.
With great embarrassment, the man realizes his mistake.
YOUNG MAN
I mean no, no it's not. I'm sorry,
I'm not thinking clearly. Go ahead,
have a seat. Please.
He gestures toward the empty chair, and in doing so
knocks over his glass of water. He recovers clumsily.
WOMAN
(smiling)
Is it safe to sit down now?
The young man laughs nervously, dabbing up the water
with his napkin. She sits down, calmly watching the
young man's frantic attempt to undo his mistake.
YOUNG MAN
Yah, I'm sorry about that.
She continues to flash a smile that leaves the young man
weakened and powerless.
WOMAN
That's ok. I'm not the one who's
gonna have to clean it up, you know.
The bartender walks to the table and sets down a glass
of wine in front of the young woman.
WOMAN (CONT'D)
(to bartender)
Thank you.
He refills the young man's water.
BARTENDER
Try to be a little more careful with
this one, huh?
The young man smiles, his face turning a deep shade of
red. The bartender begins to leave.
YOUNG MAN
(to bartender)
Sir?
The bartender turns back around.
BARTENDER
Hmm?
YOUNG MAN
Could you put her drink on my tab,
please?
BARTENDER
Sure thing, buddy.
He winks one of his old cloudy eyes and departs.
WOMAN
Well, thanks. That was certainly
unexpected. It's nice to see chivalry
isn't dead.
The young man grins, visibly embarrassed. It's clear
that he has a difficult time dealing with flattery.
YOUNG MAN
My pleasure.
WOMAN
So, are you a student here?
YOUNG MAN
Yah.
WOMAN
Great, I'm letting a student pay for
my drink. Now I feel guilty.
YOUNG MAN
It's all right. I can afford it.
The young man hesitates for a second. He takes a deep
breath, mustering up his courage.
YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)
Besides, it's a special occasion.
WOMAN
Oh?
He looks down at the table, and then spits it out... not
giving himself a chance to think things over.
YOUNG MAN
It's not every night a beautiful woman
sits at my table.
The young man braces himself for her response... but all
that comes is silence. Almost immediately, he begins to
worry. Why had he said that? What purpose had it
served? All she had wanted to do was drink her drink,
not be harassed by some lecherous little boy.
Why wasn't she responding? What was she thinking? Only
one way to find out... with great hesitation, the young
man risks a peek.
It's the smile again... that hypnotic, incapacitating
smile. A sense of relief washes over him.
WOMAN
So, what brings you here so late?
YOUNG MAN
Hunger, mostly. This is pretty much
the only place around here that's
still open so late.
WOMAN
Really? Even in this college town?
YOUNG MAN
Yah, sad isn't it? Seems like this
city starts rolling up the sidewalks
at midnight.
The young man pokes at his salad.
YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)
What about you? I take it you're not
a student here?
WOMAN
No. Just a visitor.
She takes a long steady sip from her glass.
WOMAN (CONT'D)
My school doesn't start for another
few weeks.
YOUNG MAN
Lucky you.
WOMAN
I guess. This hasn't exactly been the
most eventful summer ever.
YOUNG MAN
I'm sorry.
The woman laughs - there's that smile again.
WOMAN
Why? It's not your fault.
She takes another swig of her drink, keeping her eyes on
the young man the entire time.
WOMAN (CONT'D)
To be honest, I really don't know why
I'm here. I guess this trip has just
sort of been a last ditch effort to
have some fun. Make the most out of
my summer before I have to get back to
business.
The young man nods.
YOUNG MAN
So have you?
WOMAN
Have I what?
YOUNG MAN
Have you been having fun?
The woman sighs and looks out the window. The parade of
passersby has ended. It seems even the most dedicated
creatures of the night have returned home.
WOMAN
I've been trying to.
She returns her stare back to the young man.
WOMAN (CONT'D)
But there's still plenty of time.
Plenty of... opportunities.
The two sit in silence for several moments. The young
man doesn't know quite what to say. Luckily, he doesn't
have to.
WOMAN (CONT'D)
What about you? Are you enjoying
college life?
YOUNG MAN
In a way. In a very strange, unusual
way. It's not quite what I expected,
that's for sure. It's... difficult.
WOMAN
I'm sorry.
The young man grins.
YOUNG MAN
Why? It's not your fault.
She laughs heavily - her smile, the smile sending chills
down the young man's spine.
WOMAN
So what are you studying?
YOUNG MAN
Molecular and cell biology.
WOMAN
Wow. Is that interesting work?
YOUNG MAN
No, not really.
They laugh in unison.
YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)
It's not too bad.
WOMAN
Any ideas as to what you're gonna do
after graduation?
YOUNG MAN
(smiling)
More school.
The woman nods.
YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)
Ideally start working in immunology
not too long after graduation.
She sighs, pushing her hair back behind her ears.
WOMAN
That must be nice.
YOUNG MAN
What?
WOMAN
Having your whole life planned out
like that. Everything laid out in
front of you, no uncertainty, no fear
of the future.
YOUNG MAN
I don't know if I'd put it quite like
that.
WOMAN
Well, contrast your situation with
mine. I've got no idea what I want to
study, no idea what I want to do with
my life.
The young man begins to speak, but the woman won't allow
it.
WOMAN (CONT'D)
Yah, I know I'm young, I know I've got
plenty of years ahead of me to figure
things out... I've heard it all
before, and I admit, there's some
truth to it. But nonetheless, I can't
help but worry... I can't help but be
afraid that nothing's going to come
out of this.
She takes another long sip from her wine.
YOUNG MAN
I know this probably sounds weird,
but... in a way I envy you.
She almost chokes on her wine.
WOMAN
You're right - that does sound weird.
YOUNG MAN
Seriously. It must be incredibly
liberating to have all these options
to pick from. What amazing freedom,
it's got to feel so empowering. When
it gets right down to it, you've
basically got total control over your
future.
WOMAN
And you don't? You were in my
position once, too. It's just that
while I was scratching my head you
were making the decision to go into
immunology.
YOUNG MAN
See, that's the thing. I'm not sure
quite how active I was in that
decision making process.
WOMAN
What do you mean?
YOUNG MAN
Let me put it this way - my
grandfather was a biochemist, my
father is a neurobiologist, I've been
a scientist since day one. It's what
I've grown up around, it's what I
know, it's what I'm good at. There
was never any point where my parents
and I sat around the kitchen table
weighing my options. It was basically
just assumed that this is what I'd
do.
The woman takes a few seconds to process this.
WOMAN
I guess I can understand where you're
coming from. Still though, I could
use a few sure things in my life. All
this aimless wandering isn't as
romantic as you might imagine.
YOUNG MAN
I bet. You're right though, it is
sort of comforting to know I'm never
going to go hungry. Things are
already sort of falling into place for
me. My father got me this really
great internship position at a
research center downtown.
WOMAN
See? There you go, that's wonderful.
I'm probably going to end up working
at the Gap, and here you are getting a
start on your career.
YOUNG MAN
Yah, it is pretty cool I suppose. So
that will begin next semester. Plus,
I just found out last week that I've
been admitted to the Honors program in
the MCB department, so I'm going to be
able to get a huge chunk of my tuition
taken care of.
WOMAN
OK, wait, stop there. Your life if
sounding like a dream come true.
The man can't help but laugh.
WOMAN (CONT'D)
How can you say it's difficult? With
all these things working out for you,
what's keeping you from enjoying
yourself? I mean here you are, a
young guy, with a fresh start in a new
town, big dreams, big aspirations, and
his whole life left to realize them...
right?
YOUNG MAN
(smiling)
I guess.
WOMAN
So what's the problem? I mean
specifically, you know, what's
stifling your happiness?
He pauses, giving the question serious thought.
YOUNG MAN
Specifically? Jeeze, I don't know. I
don't think I can narrow it down to
any one thing.
WOMAN
Is it the work?
He shakes his head.
YOUNG MAN
No, trust me - it's definitely not
that. That's not an issue at all. I
enjoy the work.
WOMAN
Is it the administration? All the red
tape and everything? This place is
huge, I could see how you could feel
like a statistic--
YOUNG MAN
No, no, that's not it either.
WOMAN
Then what, then?
He pauses again. He gives himself time to sort his
thoughts, but the words still don't come out quite as
eloquently as he intends.
YOUNG MAN
(slowly)
It's just this feeling I get,
sometimes. Especially at this time of
night... I don't what you'd call it.
Kind of a loneliness I guess, but...
it's more than that. It goes beyond
loneliness.
The woman remains silent - continuing to stare into his
eyes. He eventually continues, speaking slowly and with
great care. It's obvious that he's putting great effort
into choosing the appropriate words. The young man
stares down at his salad as he speaks, fearful of the
vulnerability that comes with eye contact.
YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)
It's like I'm missing something.
Something... well, something important
enough that not having it leaves me
feeling completely... empty. Look, I
know I must not be making much
sense...
WOMAN
No, you're making perfect sense. I'm
afraid I understand you completely.
She raises her glass.
WOMAN (CONT'D)
To better times, huh?
The young man clinks his water against her wine.
YOUNG MAN
To better times.
She takes a long sip from her wine, he chugs down the
last of his water.
WOMAN
Easy there, tiger.
YOUNG MAN
(smiling)
Good thing I don't have to drive.
They laugh together, their harmonious song echoing
throughout the restaurant. She slaps the young man's
hand playfully... but for some reason never withdraws.
Her palm continues to rest upon his fingers.
The laughter dies down, and the two find themselves
staring into each other's eyes. He is still awed by her
beauty - time has done little to diminish it's
impressiveness. An awkward moment of silence ensues...
but is broken abruptly.
WOMAN
Music!
YOUNG MAN
Huh?
He blinks his eyes tightly, trying to shake himself out
of the trance.
WOMAN
(pointing)
That jukebox over there - does it
work?
He looks in the direction of her pointing. Sure enough,
a dusty little jukebox rests in the corner.
YOUNG MAN
I really don't know.
The woman stands abruptly.
WOMAN
Only one way to find out.
She picks up her drink with one hand, and grabs the
young man's wrist by the other.
WOMAN (CONT'D)
Come on, a little dancing will do us
good. We've been sitting around
wallowing in our sadness for too
long.
She turns and begins moving toward the jukebox - towing
the young man behind her. He tries to resist, but
hopelessly follows her.
YOUNG MAN
I'm really not a big dancer.
He quickly scans the restaurant and sees that all the
other patrons have left. He briefly wonders what time
it is. How long has he been talking with this woman?
It seems like an eternity... as if he's known her
forever. But that's ridiculous - it's barely been any
time at all. How could he feel so comfortable around
someone after only one evening? Especially someone of
her beauty...
He watches the woman from behind as they walk - the
shifting of her hips, the bouncing of her hair, the
movement of her slender legs... it's almost too much for
him.
They make it to the jukebox and the woman proceeds to
flip through the available selections. She drinks
slowly from her wine as she reads through her choices.
WOMAN
Let's see what we've got here.
She stares down at the track listings, but the man's
focus is somewhere else. He finds himself studying the
woman like a work of art - the curves of her pale face,
the shape of her brilliant eyes, the curls of her dark
hair...
WOMAN (CONT'D)
Here, you decide.
She puts a quarter on the glass casing.
WOMAN (CONT'D)
Preferably something slow.
The young man tears his eyes away from the woman's face,
and begins looking through the albums himself. It
doesn't take him long to find something suitable.
YOUNG MAN
Just When I Needed You Most?
WOMAN
Never heard of it. Who's it by?
YOUNG MAN
Um... Randy Vanwarmer.
The woman looks puzzled.
YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)
It's a 70's song.
WOMAN
Ah, that explains it.
The young man smiles and inserts the quarter into the
grimy metal slot. He begins to punch in the appropriate
code.
YOUNG MAN
C5...
The interior components of the jukebox begin to whir in
response. The machine's LCD display begins flashing
"D5".
YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)
Wait... D5?
He quickly double checks the code for the song. Sure
enough - C5.
YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)
Dammit!
He sends an angry look to the bartender who merely
shrugs in response. His anger dissipates suddenly,
however, as the woman's fingers wrap around his.
She gives him the smile, and the young man finds himself
under her spell once again.
WOMAN
It's ok... we'll make the most of D5,
whatever it is.
The whirring of the jukebox dies down as the mistakenly
selected album falls into place. "Welcome To The
Jungle" begins pumping out of the machine's single
speaker.
YOUNG MAN
(embarrassed)
Oh man...
The woman laughs, and wraps her arms around the young
man's neck. His embarrassment begins to fade, and he
starts laughing as well.
The laughter diminishes, and the two find themselves
rocking slowly back and forth. The young man's arms,
initially stiff at his sides, slowly begin to rise.
With trembling hands, his fingers eventually reach the
woman's waist.
They continue to move slowly, oblivious to Axyl Rose's
angst filled screeching. The quick rock tempo of the
song seems to have little effect on the manner in which
they dance. It's a very strange looking scene, to say
the least.
YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)
This song always makes me think of
Disneyland.
WOMAN
Ok...
YOUNG MAN
Can't say the same, huh?
They begin speaking in sort of a teasing, playful way.
WOMAN
Umm, I'm afraid not. It's A Small
World, yes. When You Wish Upon A
Star, yes. But Welcome To The Jungle,
I don't know...
YOUNG MAN
Well, let me explain my thought
process. It's not quite as weird as
you might imagine...
WOMAN
Please do.
YOUNG MAN
Ok, well call me crazy, but I tend to
associate the lyrics with a little
ride called the Jungle Cruise...
WOMAN
Ohhhh.
YOUNG MAN
Welcome To The Jungle, Jungle Cruise,
get it?
WOMAN
Yah, yah.
YOUNG MAN
The quintessential Disneyland ride.
Hands down my favorite one.
WOMAN
Really? The Jungle Cruise?
YOUNG MAN
Oh yah, without a doubt. I remember
when I was little all my friends would
go running off to all the big rides,
you know? Space Mountain, the
Matterhorn--
WOMAN
Thunder Mountain.
YOUNG MAN
Right. But not me. For some reason,
I just never found those rides very
appealing. It's not like I was afraid
of them, they just... I don't know,
they just weren't very engaging.
There was no creativity, no
imagination. It was all over and done
with so fast, that you really had no
opportunity to get involved in the
world of the ride. Lots of drops,
lots of curves, but no feeling... no
sense of belonging. But things like
the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House,
the Tiki Room, the Pirates of the
Caribbean, the Jungle Cruise... now
those were something. A kid could get
forget who he was on one of them. I
might have been a typical second
grader walking through the turnstile,
but for a few hours of the day, I was
a pirate... or a castaway... or an
explorer. As far as I was concerned,
that type of immersion was way more
exciting that any roller coaster.
The woman nods, continuing to listen intently.
YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)
I wanted to work there so bad.
WOMAN
At Disneyland?
YOUNG MAN
God, yes. And on the Jungle Cruise,
especially. I remember being so
jealous of those guys that run the
boats.
WOMAN
That would be a pretty cool job.
YOUNG MAN
What could be better? I mean, at the
end of the day, I had to go back home.
It'd eventually get dark, we'd go out
to the parking lot, and that was it.
The illusion was broken. I was a
little kid once again. The next day
I'd be right back at elementary
school. But for the guys working on
the Jungle Cruise... the next day for
them was a new adventure, another trip
down the river. Everyday they'd be
steering that boat, narrating the
tour...
WOMAN
Pointing at animatronic animals...
YOUNG MAN
Showing off the backside of water...
WOMAN
Avoiding headhunters...
WOMAN AND YOUNG MAN
(together)
Shooting the hippo!
They laugh together... sharing a strange, common
memory.
YOUNG MAN
That must all seem kinda bizarre to
you, huh? I probably sound pretty
stupid having such strong feelings
about a ride.
WOMAN
No, it's interesting. It reveals
quite a bit about your character.
YOUNG MAN
Uh oh.
WOMAN
Nothing bad. It just sounds to me
like you never really got satisfied.
Like these brief moments of joy, or
whatever you want to call them, just
weren't enough for you.
YOUNG MAN
Are we still talking about amusement
parks?
She rolls her eyes.
WOMAN
Maybe I am taking this analogy too
far, but it just sounds to me like
you're the type of person who craves
something a little more... permanent.
The young man gives the woman a puzzled look.
YOUNG MAN
I'm not quite sure what you're getting
at. I was seven, remember - so don't
read too far into this.
WOMAN
Well, even still... I don't think it's
bizarre at all. And it's definitely
not stupid - if anything, it probably
has more significance than you
realize.
The songs come to an end, and the jukebox begins
whirring as its mechanical hand returns the album back
to the correct slot.
WOMAN (CONT'D)
There goes our music.
The woman is right on top of things. She breaks away
from the young man, and approaches the jukebox.
WOMAN (CONT'D)
C5 you said?
YOUNG MAN
Yah.
She inserts another coin, and carefully hits the proper
buttons. The song begins and the two find themselves
staring into each other's eyes once again.
WOMAN
Nice choice.
The young man smiles as the woman puts her arms back
around his neck. The sensation of her warm fingers
against his skin creates a feeling of security deep
inside him.
It seems he is still having trouble accepting the idea
that this is reality - not just an amazing dream that
could end without warning. Almost as a response to his
uncertainty, the woman rests her head upon his shoulder.
A tidal wave of endorphins crashes through the young
man's body.
WOMAN (CONT'D)
What are you thinking?
He hesitates for a moment, trying to formulate the
perfect answer... but ends up letting out the one thing
he would feel comfortable saying - the truth.
YOUNG MAN
I don't know. I don't know what to
think.
The woman nods, apparently satisfied.
WOMAN
Are you still feeling empty?
The young man presses his hands into the small of her
back, gently pushing her body against his. He savors
the feeling of her hair against his cheek, the
enchanting smell of her perfume, the smooth texture of
her dress...
YOUNG MAN
No. This is about as complete as I've
ever felt.
She lifts her head from his shoulder, allowing herself
to see the young man's face.
YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)
In a room full of empty chairs, what
made you decide to sit next to me?
WOMAN
Just my nature, I guess. I don't want
to be alone.
He nods.
YOUNG MAN
Neither do I.
And with that, the young man does what should be the
most difficult thing in the world for him to do. What
should be impossible, what should be unthinkable, is for
some reason the easiest, most natural thing he has ever
done. He kisses her. Softly, and sweetly.
They press their foreheads together, leaving just enough
room between their lips to talk. They speak in a barely
discernible whisper - at an excruciatingly slow pace.
MAN
What then?
WOMAN
We danced. We thought nothing, we
said nothing, we just danced.
MAN
Long after the song had ended...
dancing to nothing but our own
heartbeats.
WOMAN
Farther and farther into the night.
Right up until the restaurant closed,
and they kicked us out.
MAN
We almost had to be pried apart...
WOMAN
Neither of us wanted to let go... but
we had to.
MAN
And then?
WOMAN
And then we walked...
MAN
And talked...
WOMAN
All the way to your apartment.
Laughing and chatting about nothing...
nothing at all.
MAN
No games to be played... no rules to
follow. Entirely real...
WOMAN
And when we got to your door you
asked--
MAN
Would you like to see where I live?
WOMAN
And I said--
MAN
Yes.
WOMAN
Without a moment's hesitation.
MAN
Nothing to think over, no worries...
WOMAN
No doubts...
MAN
Complete trust.
WOMAN
And then?
MAN
We went up to my room...
WOMAN
Holding hands as we climbed the
stairs...
MAN
Continuing to talk... not because we
had to...
WOMAN
Because we wanted to.
MAN
Wanting to learn everything we could
about each other.
WOMAN
And once we got to your room?
MAN
We just kept on talking... no
expectations, no obligations.
WOMAN
We were totally at ease... just happy
to have someone to share our feelings
with.
MAN
Everything fell into place, everything
seemed so right....
WOMAN
So comfortable... so meant to be.
MAN
And around four a.m.?
WOMAN
We fell asleep in each other's arms.
MAN
You told me you never wanted to
leave.
WOMAN
You told me you didn't want to let
go.
MAN
But we had to.
WOMAN
I went back home.
MAN
And I got back to school.
WOMAN
But we wrote. And we called.
MAN
And visited as much as we could.
WOMAN
And it worked.
MAN
Just like we hoped it would.
WOMAN
Five years.
The man lifts his forehead and stares into the woman's
eyes.
MAN
Five years.
The woman smiles... it has the same effect on the man as
it did the first time.
MAN (CONT'D)
Another wonderful performance. Maybe
you should have been an actress
instead of a filmmaker, huh?
WOMAN
Well, thanks. But I'm happy on this
side of the camera for now. What
about you? Not too shabby.
MAN
Well, I do my best.
WOMAN
You remembered the water this year.
MAN
I feel so guilty spilling it on
purpose.
BARTENDER (O.S.)
Hey, don't sweat it, doctor.
They look over at the old bartender - a man who's
witnessed the evolution of their relationship from its
birth.
MAN
(to Bartender)
Thanks again for playing along.
BARTENDER
No problem. It's always nice to see
you two. Even when you're playing out
this silly game.
WOMAN
(to Bartender)
Well, you only have to put it up with
it once a year.
BARTENDER
True enough.
The bartender laughs, and turns his attention back to
cleaning the glassware.
The man looks over at the woman - the person responsible
for giving him exactly five years of amazing happiness.
She is just as beautiful as ever. What luck... what
incredible luck that she decided to sit across from him
that night. Was it fate? Was it destiny? The man
can't help but wonder...
He thinks back on the journey that has brought them to
this point - it has been long, and difficult at times...
but there's no doubt about it - it's been well worth
it.
The man pushes the hair out of the woman's eyes. He
looks at her with love. Strong, unmistakable love.
MAN
(to Woman)
So... what are you doing for the next
five years?
WOMAN
I don't know... but I'd like to find
out.
They begin walking out together - a couple, a team,
partners... for life.
BARTENDER
Good night you two. I'll see ya next
year, I trust?
The couple nods, smiling. The bartender is right. He
will.
FADE OUT
º º º Alex Ward has been a member of the Santa Barbara BBS community and a regular contributor to Swagazine since 1992. Mr. Ward is an amateur filmmaker and an aspiring screenwriter studying film at UC Berkeley. |
  
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