PIGGS - A Novel with Bonus Screenplay
Page 18
Jesus Christ, all by itself'd be fine...
GLORIA
Cecil.
CECIL
Now see, that sounds real nice. And you are not presuming a thing, all right? I assure you of that.
Cecil pats her on the knee. Gloria rolls her eyes. Uh-oh, here we go again.
EXT. TEXAS ROAD -NIGHT
Headlights of Cecil's car sweep across a weathered, dangling sign. It is rusted, cracked, shot at by passing citizens over the years. It reads:
BATTLE OF BRITUN FAMILY FUN PARK
OUTSIDE CAR
Grape opens a battered gate. Cecil helps Gloria out.
GLORIA
Now you don't need to, I can do just fine from here.
CECIL
Hey, I won't have that. I don't see a lady home, leave her walking in the dark.
GLORIA
Isn't any trouble. I do it all the time.
CECIL
We haven't had a chance to talk.
Cecil takes her arm and guides her down a rough path.
CECIL (CONT'D)
Right now's fine with me.
Gloria is no stranger to bullshit, and she's getting increasingly uptight about all this.
GLORIA
It is awful late, all right?
I am real tired, Mr. Dupree.
They are moving out of the pasture and into some pretty dense woods.
CECIL
Cecil.
GLORIA
Could we do it some other time, Cecil.
CECIL
You'll feel better, you get off your feet. The dance is a demanding profession, you don't have to tell me that.I know how much you are giving of yourself.
GLORIA
Uh-huh...
EXT. ESTABLISHING SHOT
RUINS OF BATTLE OF BRITUN FAMILY FUN PARK
SERIES OF SHOTS
CECIL'S POV
Cecil looks around with interest. In the faint light of dawn we see phantoms of WW II...Messerschmitts, Spitfires, rusted and entangled with vines, half-hidden in the dense forest. A dummy from a men's store sits in one of the cockpits, half-eaten by termites. There are broken rides, a tilted merry-go-round with "kiddie" airplanes instead of horses.
CECIL
This is right interesting. I have been by your place a hundred times before, but I've never been in.
GLORIA
Isn't much left to see.
Cecil bumps into a wing.
CECIL
Whoa. That one nearly got me.
Gloria stops.
CECIL
Ah, why we stopping here, dear?
GLORIA
We're here, Mister--- Cecil. This is where I live.
Cecil grins, turns around a couple of times, raises one hand over his brow, like an Indian scout.
CECIL
Where? I don't see a thing. You gotum teepee somewhere?
Gloria looks grim, clearly not amused.
GLORIA
Up there.
CECIL
Up wh-- Holy shit.
Cecil looks up.
POV CECIL
CAMERA ROAMS WAY UP
Thirty feet in the air, perched, anchored in the branches of great, ancient oaks, entwined with vines, is an enormous ANCIENT AIRPLANE, a Junkers JU 52. It looks as if it simply grew there. Wooden rungs are nailed to the trunk of one of the trees.
CECIL
You're kidding me, right? Doesn't anybody live up there.
GLORIA
Well I'm anybody, and I take offense to that.
CECIL
You're an overly sensitive person. Anybody ever tell you that?
Gloria glares at him, then starts climbing the ladder, talks to him over her shoulder.
GLORIA
I said coffee. Don't be expecting anything else.
CECIL
Right. Certainly not...
Cecil watches her, takes a deep breath.
CECIL CONT'D)
(mutters to himself)
Oh, fuck.
Cecil begins to climb.
CUT TO:
Cecil freezes halfway as a tinny loudspeaker begins to play a RECORDED MESSAGE. Static interrupts. Strings of Christmas LIGHTS blink. Cecil nearly loses it.
HOLD ON CECIL
RECORDED MESSAGE (O.S.)
THIS IS YOUR JU 52 JUNKERS AIRCRAFT, WORKHORSE OF THE GERMAN AIRFORCE...
TAKING WING IN 1930, THIS CELEBRATED PLANE SERVED AS PASSENGER, TRANSPORT AND BOMBER FOR-
SOUND: SHRIEEEK!
WIDEN ON CECIL
Cecil sweats, as he slips, reaches the top.
MESSAGE (CONT'D)
---POWERED BY THREE BMW RADIAL ENGINES THE PLANE ATTAINED A SPEED OF---
CUT TO:
INT. THE PLANE
The walls are of corrugated iron, the rounded ceiling is low. Gloria has decorated the walls with curtains. There is a tiny kitchen between the wings. Cecil perches on one of the uncomfortable fold-out canvas seats along one wall (designed for troops).
Gloria is in the kitchen, facing away from Cecil. Her voice is too high, she's talking too fast, clearly nervous, rattling on.
GLORIA
...I'll tell you what, there are people who do not respect your feelings at all, and I mean even someone who is supposed to be a friend. Like Maggie Thatch, whom I am very close to?
Gloria drops a saucer.
GLORIA (CONT'D)
Shit!
Well you'd think, all right? We are watching this National Geographic show? About gnus? She hits that mute and says, Gloria, you are crazy as a duck, girlfriend.
Isn't anyone mentally right living in a fucking German airplane...
ON CECIL
Cecil is taking in Gloria's parts.
CECIL
I see...
GLORIA
Isn't any Germans doing that, Maggie says. They are living in houses like anyone else...
Cecil furtively empties his coffee under the seat.
ON GLORIA
Gloria turns, takes a breath and faces him.
GLORIA
See, I grew up in this thing. The park went busted when I was thirteen. Daddy died of drink and I went to live with Aunt Brill.
(no pause in her speech)
It has been nice talking to you, Cecil. Be real careful on your way down.
CECIL
Honey, you didn't want me coming here, I'm aware of that, it is normal behavior, I seen it a hundred times. You're thinking, hey, is he going to make me fuck him or not? You know it, I know it, that's why I got you in the car.
GLORIA
Well are you?
Cecil stands, and Gloria reacts by backing away a step.
CECIL
Nah, I used to be crazy as shit, you know? Stuff a kid'll do. Steal a guy's bike, burn his trailer down. See, that's a part of growing up. You quit doing that, start using your head.
FAVOR GLORIA
GLORIA
Uh-huh...
CUT TO:
EXT. LITTERED GROUND
CLOSE ON the forest floor, littered with a long-time accumulation of take-out cartons, paper cups, candy wrappers, etc. A taco wrapper drops to the ground and we PULL UP to Jack, half-dozing in the cockpit of one of the rusted, ancient aircraft. He holds a paper cup in his hand, as he chews absently on the taco.
BACK TO SCENE:
CECIL
Like with you, right? I tell myself, Cecil R. Dupree, you can do what you want, you can screw this lovely person all night, don't even have to ask. You don't want to do that, you can give her a puppy. Give her a kitty cat. Give her a trip somewhere.
Cecil stands by the outside door.
CECIL (CONT'D)
See what I'm saying? You get to be Cecil Dupree, it's just as big a kick not to do something as it is doin' it.
GLORIA
Sometimes it helps to...open up and share? I do appreciate that and-- And I do appreciate your---
Cecil holds up a warning finger, looks grim.
CECIL
Huh-uh. Do not mess with my head, Gloria. Do not ever tell me what you think I want to hear.I am declaring my affection for you, understand that? And get some real coffee. Grind the beans yourself. Find a place to live. Cecil Dupree doesn't go with a lady, he's got to climb a tree.
Cecil steps out on the wing. A flight of crows is sitting there; they screech and scatter.
CUT TO:
ON JACK
He hears the crows, looks up, suddenly alert. He makes a face, like "Oh, man, I can't handle this..."
CUT TO:
POV JACK
Cecil climbing down. Gloria appears, watching him.
ON JACK
He pounds his fists on the ancient instrument panel. Some of the glass dials crack and fall apart.
CUT TO;
Ricky is standing a few yards away. He turns as he hears the breaking glass. Holds binoculars in Jack's direction.
BINOCULAR VIEW:
View of Jack.
BACK TO RICKY
RICKY
Bastardo....
MOVING SCENE
INT. CECIL'S CAR
Cecil sulks in the back seat, stares at Cat's bald head. Grape is in the front as well. Cecil's brooding has turned his birthmark darker than ever.
GRAPE
Hey, what happened? You get any, man?
CECIL
Shut the fuck up.
GRAPE
Yes, sir...
The car passes a convenience store.
CECIL
Stop. Back up, Stop it right there.
EXT. CECIL'S CAR
Cat turns the car around, stops at the store.
CECIL (O.S.)
Cat, get me some Snickers. Get me a Dr Pepper.
CAT (O.S.)
You got it.
INT. CAR
CECIL
Get me some Head 'n Shoulders.
CAT
Some what?
CECIL
Head and Shoulders. Go on, get out of here.
OUTSIDE CAR
Cat leaves. Cecil gets out. Grape has the sense to keep quiet.
POV CECIL
Cecil watches two little KIDS making wide circles on the drive, running over crickets with their bikes.
BACK TO SCENE
Cat returns.
CAT
They didn't have a Snickers. I got you a Mars.
CECIL
I told you a Snickers, I don't want a Mars.
CAT
They didn't have none.
CECIL
You didn't look.
Cecil grabs the Mars and the Dr Pepper, hands the shampoo to Cat
CECIL
They got a hose by the tanks. Wash your head.
CAT
What for?
Cecil's look silences Cat at once. He does what he's told, goes to the hose.
One of the kids circles Cecil.
KID ONE
Why's he doing that? How come he washing his head?
CECIL
'Cause he wants to.
KID ONE
Man hasn't got any hair.
KID TWO
Won't do any good, man hasn't got any hair.
The kids laugh, make circles around Cecil.
CECIL
Stop it. Quit doing that.
KID TWO
Doing what?
CECIL
That. Running over bugs! That's a disgusting thing to do.
KID ONE
Ain't your bugs, man.
CECIL
You don't talk to me. You do what I'm saying.
KID TWO
Better not squish those bugs. Lone don't like you squishing bugs.
CECIL
What? What'd you say?
KID ONE
Where your Indian? Where's old Tonto, man?
KID TWO
Tonto, he giving himself a sham-poo.
KID ONE
Shit. Tonto hasn't got no hair. Can't get a sham-poo, man don't got any hair.
KID two
Where your horse, Lone? Where you got Silver? He waitin' in the car?
The kids laugh and squash bugs.
CLOSE ON CECIL
Cecil's birthmark gets darker and darker.
BACK TO SCENE
CECIL
Give me the keys.
GRAPE
What for?
CECIL
Give me the keys.
Cecil walks around and opens the trunk. Paws around, picks up a Winchester 12-gauge pump.
GRAPE
Cecil, this ain't a good idea.
CECIL
Get in the car. Get Cat. Get him in the back.
GRAPE
I'd like you to think about this.
Cecil snicks a shell into the chamber.
CECIL
Right. Fine.
GRAPE
Shit, Cecil...
CECIL
Killing the poor is a blessing, Grape. What kind of life are these little bastards going to have, you ever think of that?
Going to grow up and make more little kids, little assholes running over bugs.
Cecil raises the weapon and fires. The barrel jerks up.
CUT TO:
STORE FRONT/CECIL
Cartons of Coke in front of the store explode.
Cecil blasts away. The glass front of the store shatters. The boy in the store ducks. The two kids scatter on their bikes. Cecil fires until every shell is gone.
ON CAT
Cat's eyes are full of shampoo; he can't see a thing. Grape leads Cat to the car. Cecil, his mask dark as night, in the driver's seat, skids away.
EXT CAR
Car makes dust.
CECIL (O.S.)
Laughs like a maniac.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. WAN'S STORAGE ROOM -EARLY MORNING
Jack, weary, walks in, finds a shabby blanket among stacks of toilet paper, cartons, etc. Wraps the blanket around his shoulders. Ortega sleeps nearby. Jack turns to leave, and Ortega wakes up.
ORTEGA
What the fock you doin' here, Jack? I am thinking you are gone, that I am not ever to be seeing you and my car again. Like maybe you are on the way to Delaware or Maine.
Jack is leaning against the doorway, anxious to leave.
JACK
Jesus, where am I going to find a better place than this? Long hours, great pay. All the Chink food I can throw up, what else could a guy want? I was in the joint, got to where I couldn't eat a thing. Doc Huber, he was serving life for patient abuse. He'd eat a pancake. Wouldn't eat anything else. There was other guys in there wouldn't eat anything but peas. Fucking green peas. I couldn't see the sense of that.
SOUND of toilet flushing. Jack looks up, realizes Ortega is gone.