INT. THE ENTRY HALL OF A PALACE - DAY
Armed GUARDS stand vigilant at each entrance. Sound of a man in boots walking on tile. He's coming closer. Subdued lighting. Soft, plucked-string music. Polished deep red Persian marble. Lights focus on an ornate open casket.
Bolivar approaches. He removes his headdress, stands silently, looking down at the glassed-in MUMMY of a Chinese woman in her early 40’s.
Suddenly, reflected in the glass, the face of MAJOR MATTHEW BOLIVAR, 28, soft eurasian features. He bites his lip.
MAJOR
................................Father.Bolivar does not acknowledge him.
MAJOR
................................I want an independent command.................................I want a token of a father's trust.
BOLIVAR
................................Wrong time, wrong place,................................Matthew. Your mother was a
................................stickler for timing. And she
................................had a sense of place.
MAJOR
................................She’s not my mother anymore!The Major storms out, pushing a Guard out of the way. Rufus emerges from the shadows.
RUFUS
................................He has a new lover.BOLIVAR
................................Male or female?RUFUS
................................Why, female, of course.EXT. A LARGE BARN - NIGHT
Bright lights inside. We hear DANCE MUSIC. We hear a deep-voiced woman singing over a record. A line of old CARS and BUSES are parked in a field of weeds. In the bed of one pickup, a generator runs noisily. A cord snakes from the generator to a plug at the barn door.
A bus approaches. It’s the same old rattletrap we saw earlier at the motel. It halts near the entrance. The door slides open. Maddie and Tammy hop out. They’re dressed in jeans, cowboy shirts and boots. They grin. The MAN tending the generator calls out.
MAN
................................Kenny! Got any alcohol?KENNY (O.S.)
................................Might have a gallon or two.The man holds up a five-gallon gas can, shakes it.
MAN
................................Sure could use some. Running................................low.
INT. THE BARN - NIGHT
Fifty MEN and WOMEN dance. A dozen teenaged BOYS and GIRLS stand at the wall. Whit, hair thinner and greyer, tends an old CD player. A song like “Wonderful Tonight” plays. A LARGE WOMAN with a powerful voice stands on a raised platform singing along with the song into a microphone. The song ends. Everybody applauds.
LARGE WOMAN
................................Now we got one just for the young................................folks.
The Men whoop it up.
LARGE WOMAN
................................What song you got, Whitney?MAN IN CROWD
................................Better be a good one!Whit waves a CD, inserts it into the player. A few of the WOMEN prod the teenaged Girls to pair up with the Boys, just as a “Crocodile Rock” type song plays.
The Teenagers dance. The Adults clap, urging them on. The Large Woman sings over the song. She’s pretty good. Maddie, a mean look, saunters up to Kid, who sits near Whit, drinking from a flask and trying not to be noticed. She yanks him out onto the floor, gives him a dangerous look. They dance. Everyone appears to be trying hard to ignore them. Kenny gives Tammy a “here we go again” look.
EXT. AMONGST THE PARKED VEHICLES - NIGHT
From inside, we hear a loud fast song playing. A lot of whooping and hollering and laughing. Maddie has Kid pinned on the bed of a pickup. She straddles him, kissing him hungrily. Kid tries pushing her off, but she is relentless.
MADELINE
................................It’s O.K. I won’t hurt you. It’s O.K.KID
................................Stop it! Goddammit, I mean it!................................Whit’s gonna wonder where I am.
MADELINE
................................Whit's doing just fine.Maddie pulls at Kid’s clothes. He gets an arm free and hits her in the face. She hits him back and grabs him, squeezing him hard.
MADELINE
................................Don’t you hit me. Don’t you ever................................think of hitting me.
KID
................................Don’t hurt me, Maddie. Please.She takes out a bottle, pushes it at him.
MADELINE
................................Shut up. Now drink.She starts to undo his pants as we hear the crunch of boots close by.
KENNY (O.S.)
................................Let him go.INT. KENNY’S BUS - NIGHT
The headlights cut through the pitch black. Maddie sits alone in the front passenger bench. Tammy snores two benches back. Kenny turns his head, looks back at Maddie. She turns her head, looks out the window into the pitch black. Kenny suddenly jams on the brakes, bringing the bus to a screeching halt. In the headlights, a mountain lion nonchalantly saunters across the road.
INT. MADDIE’S BEDROOM - NIGHT
The bloody bat in a rifle rack over the headboard. Kenny and Maddie are naked on her bed, having intense, athletic, angry sex. Maddie’s on top, straddling him.
MADELINE (V.O.)
................................When a lion’s in heat, she has sex................................hundreds of times. It’s not a
................................pleasure thing. It’s a numbers
................................thing. You don’t know which
................................slug’s gonna hit the bull’s-
................................eye. So you keep firing away.
................................Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.
INT. JEREMY’S APARTMENT - DAY
A loud knock. Chloe and Jeremy freeze. The four CHILDREN, three Girls, Maggie, 9; Margie, 10; Maddie, 11; and one Boy, Mackie, 8, stare at the door apprehensively. Another knock, louder. Jeremy nods and recedes with the Children into the next room. Chloe opens the door to two unsmiling POLICEMEN.
POLICEMAN 1
................................Chloe Slezak.CHLOE
................................No Chloe Slezak here.The other Policeman looks past her into the apartment.
POLICEMAN 2
................................Jeremy Slezak, then.CHLOE
................................No one by that name either.POLICEMAN 1
................................All right. You want plodding? We’ll................................plod. I need a word with the person
................................formerly known as Jeremy Slezak.
................................I suspect you know where he is. I
................................suggest you produce him
................................immediately if not sooner.
Chloe hesitates.
POLICEMAN 1
................................Take all the time you want.................................Eventually, we’ll be inside.
................................It’s your choice how we get
................................there.
EXT. A RUDE BALLPARK IN THE HILLS - DAY
The bus is parked along the third base line. Kenny has the hood popped with the engine idling. He fiddles with the throttle. The engine sounds rough. On the diamond, seven BOYS practice barechested. Most are barefoot. They share five mitts. Maddie stands at home plate. She hits a sharp grounder. The Boy at short muffs it.
MADELINE
................................Keep the ball in front of you!................................Don’t let it get by you! Knock
................................it down if you don’t catch it!
She hits another. The Boy at second snags it.
MADELINE
................................Better! Square your body! Look................................the ball into the glove!
INT. THE KITCHEN IN JEREMY’S APARTMENT - DAY
Two taped-up cardboard boxes rest on the kitchen table. The two Policemen begin opening them. Jeremy looks nervous.
POLICEMAN 1
................................Just two? That’s all?JEREMY
................................They were together only five................................months before. Before what
................................happened, happened.
The two Policemen rip the tape off and open the boxes.
POLICEMAN 1
................................Just some papers.POLICEMAN 2
................................Photo Albums. Shit.JEREMY
................................I never opened the boxes.POLICEMAN 2
<...............................What do you know about her?JEREMY
...............................I met her only once. She...............................didn't seem the type. I
...............................don't know what she saw
...............................in him. She seemed
...............................nice. Almost sweet.
EXT. THE BALLPARK - DAY
There’s been a collision at home plate. The catcher lies sprawled, separated from the ball. Maddie stands over him. She screams at the top of her voice.
MADELINE
................................If they get the ball to you,................................no excuse you not catching
................................and holding on! Rule number
................................one! They don't score! I
................................don’t care if your Mom’s
................................coming around third! She
................................goes down! You say "Sorry,
................................Mom” and dust her off. But
................................Mom don’t score!
INT. THE KITCHEN IN JEREMY’S APARTMENT - DAY
Policeman 1 pages through a thick legal document. Policeman 2 looks through a photo album.
POLICEMAN 1
................................Shit! Listen to this.....................................(Reads)
................................Parties to this marriage have
................................discussed their future plans
................................and desires relating to having
................................children. Both parties hereby
................................acknowledge they shall not
................................have children. This is based
................................upon an analysis of the parties'
................................anticipated family structure,
................................financial situation and the
................................lifestyle the parties anticipate.
POLICEMAN 2
................................Pssst!Policeman 1 looks up. Policeman 2, grinning, holds up a full-frontal nude pic of Maddie.
POLICEMAN 1
............................... There's your lifestyle.They laugh.
INT. A LARGE ORNATE HOTEL DINING ROOM - DAY
Early morning. Clasical music plays. A scattering of breakfast eaters. Rufus sits at a corner table, surrounded by empty tables. A WAITER takes his order.
RUFUS
................................All-bran cereal, bananas, raisins,................................Dry wheat toast.
The Waiter nods, leaves. At the far end, we see a MAN in a military uniform walking toward Rufus. He strides with purpose and precision. Rufus looks up, watches him approach. He's expecting him. As he draws closer, we see it’s Alan. Rufus indicates a chair. Alan sits, bolt upright.
RUFUS
................................Captain Wetzel. Congratulations................................on your promotion. I knew a
................................Wetzel years ago. He was a
................................baseball player. Any relation?
ALAN
................................No sir.Rufus points to a folder. Alan takes it, opens it.
INSERT: The Folder
An artist’s drawing of a thirty-five year old Maddie.
BACK TO SCENE
RUFUS
................................We got that from a fourteen-................................year old photo. She’d be thirty-
................................five now. Still pretty.
ALAN
................................Yes sir. Very much so.EXT. THE BALLPARK - DAY
The Boys play workups. Maddie never takes her eye off them.
MADELINE
................................Play hard! Play the game right!KENNY
................................My mother was like you.The Left Fielder heaves the ball toward home plate. It falls short and wide.
MADELINE
................................What’s wrong with hitting the................................cutoff man?!
KENNY
................................After every little league game,................................there was one-on-one with mom.
................................I’d come away feeling this high.
MADELINE
................................Made you a better player.KENNY
................................Made me an asshole.The First Baseman lets a pickoff throw get by him.
MADELINE
................................You asleep out there?!KENNY
................................What happened to the game................................of baseball?
MADELINE
................................It stopped being a game when................................some of our "heroes" decided
................................to cut corners.
A long smoldering silence.
KENNY
................................Fuck you.Maddie gives him a deadly serious look.
MADELINE
................................Any time, asshole.Kenny opens the throttle wide. The engine quits.
EXT. A MAIN STREET IN A SMALL IDAHO MOUNTAIN TOWN - DAY
Jonah stands at the side of the road, He's nervous, but trying to look tough. An rickety old 15-passenger VAN rounds the corner, horn honking. We see the Van is half-filled. A sign in the front windshield: “Coeur d'Alene.” Jonah waves. The Van stops. Jonah speaks with a slight stutter.
JONAH
................................You going to Coeur d'Alene?The DRIVER rolls his eyes, points to the sign.
INT. THE VAN - DAY
Kid taps Jonah.
KID
...............................Where you going?JONAH
<...............................Coeur d'Alene.KID
...............................I meant, where in Coeur d'Alene?Jonah takes out a scrap of paper.
JONAH
...............................Going to this place. Getting a...............................throttle and an alternator.
Kid snatches it.
KID
...............................Oh yeah. I know this. The...............................Chinks. Two Chinese guys.
...............................Everyone says "The Chinks."
...............................How's your Dad?
JONAH
...............................Good.KID
...............................And Ria? I mean, your Mom?JONAH
..............................Mom's good.
Kid produces a flask, takes a swig.
Kid produces a flask, takes a swig.
KID
.............................Your Mom and Dad and me go way
.............................back. We all came here together on a
.............................train. Quite an adventure. Don't know
.............................if they ever told you.
EXT. THE VAN - DAY
The Van enters a forested area
.............................train. Quite an adventure. Don't know
.............................if they ever told you.
EXT. THE VAN - DAY
The Van enters a forested area
JONAH (O.S.)
.............................Uh. Dad said he worked for the,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,government. Back when we had
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,a government.
KID (O.S.)
...............................Oh, so they didn't tell you. Well,...............................you're a man now. All grown up,
...............................your Dad sending you out alone
...............................on family business. Time you
...............................heard the story. This was before
...............................you were born. There was me
...............................and your Dad and your Mom
...............................and Mister Whitney and your
...............................Aunt Maddie. Here. Have a
...............................sip of this. Anyway...
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