Town and Country "The Local 155" written by Matt Campbell

TEASER Fade In: EXT. BLACK MOUNTAIN - DAY CHYRON READS: Eastern Kentucky, 1968. Up the broken, rolling hills of rural Kentucky come the out of work miners of Black Mountain. They shout at the small, hundred year old houses on either side of them. No one heres winning any beauty contests. PICKETERS Local 155! Will not be taken alive! Local 155! Will not be taken alive! People gather at their windows and watch. EXT. BLACK HOUSE Its not the Ritz Carlton, but compared to the rest of this place, it might as well be. Theres a weed-free yard, with garbage cans neatly lined up in the drive way. The house has clean windows and fresh paint. The house is Arthur Levitts fantasy. INT. BLACK HOUSE - KITCHEN The inside though, is a different story. Theres a near-hoarder level of clutter. The little light that can puncture the Appalachian clouds gets lost in the stacks of garbage rising up to the ceiling. In the kitchen, MARY BLACK, a barefoot, thirtyish year old housewife tackles the near impossible task of washing the glut of dishes. Shes economical in her dress and beauty--save for her teeth which are a disaster. Her teenage daughter, JACKIE BLACK, sits at the round kitchen table. She has the dark hair of her mother and shes well into her third trimester. Shes reading a fashion magazine. They all have thick Appalachian accents.

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JACKIE So I was talking to Mable the other day and Mable says that Stu Baker says he aint gonna pay no child support to Billy Jean. MARY Thats cause Billy Jean is an assholes asshole. She goes hard at the grime on a pan. JACKIE If you dont take it easy youre gonna break something. Tag me in. Go take a nap. MARY And have grease stains on the good plastic? No way. This place will be spotless when your brother gets home from University. Mary goes at the grime as if she were made of elbow grease, but before she can do any real damage, the water from the sink browns. The stream gradually slows down and then sputters out into oblivion. Near frenzy, Mary messes with the nobs, but nothing comes out. She slams down on the sink, jangling the dishes. MARY God dammit, Ray. JACKIE What is it? She rushes over to a kitchen drawer thats stuffed to the brim with bills. Mary rips papers out until she finds the utilities bill. Its way way way overdue. MARY Your daddys an idiot, thats what. She looks at the mess of dishes in the sink.

3. EXT. BLACK HOUSE - DAY In the back of the house Mary picks up a plastic bucket and walks to the side of her neighbors house and goes over to a garden hose. Angrily, water shoots out from the hose and she puts it in the bucket. From the distance she hears the picketers. PICKETERS Local 155! Will not be taken alive! MARY (to herself) Oh, not these assholes again... While she waits for it to fill the Picketers stop in front of her house. GENE JACOBS, a handsome older man, leads the pack. Hes in his late fifties and wears thick glasses. GENE Morning, Mary. The bucket fills up and she turns the water off. She passes the group on her way to her front door without saying a word to anyone. GENE Were going to go set up shop at the line. We wanted to see if Ray wanted to come. He around? Frustrated, she turns around. She stares a hole into Genes heart. GENE Im planning on going to see Hoover tomorrow. It would do us all a lot of good if Ray would come with me. MARY Ray aint going nowhere with you. I made that perfectly clear to him. The picketers all shrug. They have less of an idea of whats going on than we do. Mary turns to go inside, but DARLENE CHORN --massive glasses, massively overweight-- catches her attention. Darlene has purebred blood hound on a leash. The dog sniffs the front yard and makes terribly foreshadowing circles.

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MARY Darlene, honey, you maybe want to get your dog off of my lawn. Id appreciate it. Some of us actually care a little bit about presentation round here. The dog looks up at her. Mary slams the door and disappears inside. The Picketers walk away from her house shaking their heads. Darlene though lingers behind looking at the property. EXT. BLACK MOUNTAIN - DAY The Picketers are a few blocks up. PICKETERS Local 155! Will not be taken alive! From behind them, a small dot appears on the horizon. It gets bigger and bigger until loud footsteps and the sound of plastic scraping can be heard. Still barefoot, Mary runs up to the group, goes right for Darlene and cold cocks her in the back of the head with the bucket. She drops down to her hands and knees. Mary gets down to her level. MARY What did I say about letting your dog take a dump on my lawn! What did I say! In her right hand she has huge dog turd. She smushes it into Darlenes screaming face. Mary pins her to the ground. MARY You stay off my property you fat asshole! The group watches for a short while before saying enough is enough. They rip Mary off of her. She fixes her shirt and looks across the group. She stares daggers into the picketers and her eyes stop at Gene. END TEASER

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ACT ONE EXT. EASTOVER MINES - DAY The picketers walk around in a circle outside the Black Mountain mines. They chant rhyming slogans and kick up dust. A local news van is at the scene. A CREW and SAM BUCKLEY, a reporter, speak to Gene and the group. Gene eats an apple as he talks. POV of the RUSTIC CAMERA: BUCKLEY Good evening, this is Sam Buckley with CBS 41 and Im standing here with members of the Local 155. Sir, may I ask who you are? GENE My name is Gene Jacobs. I am the proud leader and representative of the Local 155, the best coal miners on this side of Kentucky, thank you very much. Theres some cheering. A picketer chimes in: PICKETER Dont let the boys in Harlan hear that! Theres laughter. BUCKLEY Weve already spoken to Duke Hoover, the Chief Operating Officer of Hoover Electric. We wanted to get your opinion on the work stoppage. He takes a huge bite of his apple much to the dismay of Buckley. Work stoppage? He doesnt like the sound of that. GENE Well, we are on strike, Mr. Buckley. We are tired of working in unsafe working conditions for unfair pay. That is as simple as I can put it. Our contract has (MORE) (CONTINUED)

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GENE (contd) expired and we are not working until we are treated like workers. There is applause behind him. BUCKLEY If you could say something to the people of Black Mountain, what would you say? GENE Simply put. I want them to know that were going to win this. Were going to win this because were doing this together. Well win this because were right. Theres cheering and clanking of bottles behind him. Across the way, in a trailer, someone watches from a window. GENE History is filled with stories of the little man conquering the big man. Just because this place dont look like the Holy Jerusalem dont mean we aint gonna put one in between Goliaths eyes. EXT. WOODS - DAY Next to the mining site is a large wooded area that stretches on fire miles. At the edge of the woods, RAY BLACK stares at the group of protesters. He watches Genes interview continue and end before disappearing into the brush. Ray is chubby, balding, and in nothing but a pair of too small underwear. Hes got a rifle over his shoulder. Hes wearing workman boots. He sings "I Wanna Live" to himself as he walks. RAY Flowers have blooms. The Ocean has waves. The sky has clouds. People have babes. He walks a small while through the woods and comes across a stream.

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RAY I wanna live til I get old. I want to watch all of this grow. Theres a rustling from the bushes and Ray turns towards it. He prepares his gun. A massive brown bear emerges. He stares at it and then crouches down and gets into position. He clicks off the safety. He sings to himself as he squares up his shot. RAY (whispering) I wanna live, live and let live. I want all the love this life has to give. I wanna smile and be friendly with you. I wanna live and let you live some too. He gets ready to fire...but doesnt. EXT. BUS STOP - DAY OTIS BLACK a younger, skinnier version of Frank Zappa reads a book on the side of the bus depot. Hes got sunglasses on and sticks out like a soar thumb among the townies. He gets up out of the bucketed plastic seat when he sees his fathers beat down Chevy Silverado kick up dust in the street. When he walks to the curb people look at him like hes the enemy. Ray flies right by him. INT/EXT. RAYS CAR - MOVING Ray, oblivious to his mistake, keeps driving. He looks out his rear view window and sees Otis standing on the side of the street with his suitcase. RAY Shit. He puts the car in reverse. CUT TO:

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INT/EXT. RAYS CAR - MOVING - LATER Ray drives down Highway 511. Hes got a bottle in one of his hands that he spits tobacco into. Otis is settled in the passenger seat trying to read. Ray looks over at his son and tries to get a word in, but his intelligence is intimidating. RAY I just want you to know how much your mother and I appreciate this. Otis puts his book down. RAY You know this wasnt easy for me. Being your father is the only thing I got, and now-OTIS Dad, its cool. You dont have to say it. Youre welcome. Ray smiles at his son and spits into his bottle. He misses and drops the bottle. It rolls onto the floor. RAY Aww shit. Otis, drive for me, will ya? Ray lowers his head and tries to clean up his mess. Otis grabs the wheel from the passenger seat and keeps the car moving forward. Ray talks with his head beneath the seats. RAY So how you liking school? You learn anything good? OTIS I dont know. I mean, I do the work and I pass my tests. But isnt it all kind of bullshit when you think about it? Like, does any of this stuff actually amount to anything? Its clear that Rays never thought about it.

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OTIS Like, I could learn more about life in the first three minutes of a Bob Dylan song than in all of the Death of Ivan Illych, you know? Ivan Illych? What is this Russian he-speak? RAY As long as you stay alive and never step foot in that mine, I dont care what you do. Sell insurance, sell drugs, I dont care. On the floor of the truck Ray spies a picture of he and his miners. In the pictures hes got one arm around Gene and the other holding a beer. He pops up and takes the wheel from his son. RAY Just dont ever step foot in those mines. You understand me. Youve got too much brain for that. INT. BLACK HOUSE - DAY Jackie swoons at "Days of our Lives" on the living room television while her mother cleans the dog crap out from under nails with a folded up piece of envelope. Rays dusty old truck pulls up in the driveway and catches Marys attention. She puts the paper down, gets up, and smooths out her dress. MARY Does my hair look alright? JACKIE Your hair looks fine, Mama. Jesus. Its just Otis. He aint the pope or nothing. MARY Honey, you know we aint no Catholics. Mary speed walks to the door.

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EXT. BLACK HOUSE - DAY Ray has Otis luggage tucked under his arm. They walk up the steps to the front door and go inside. INT. BLACK HOUSE - DAY As soon as Otis goes through the door his mother wraps her arms around him and smothers him with hugs and kisses. She fights back happy tears as though her son were returning not returning from University of Kentucky, but Vietnam. MARY (hugging him tight) My babys home. My babys home. Ray yells out, trying to get through the door: RAY Dont mind me, Ill squeeze through. Oh, shoot. In the process, he drops Otis luggage on the ground, spilling out some of the contents. Aside form a few dirty shirts, a small, folded baggy of weed falls out. His eyes go to the weed and then to the rest of the clothing. Jackie makes eye contact with her brother. She mouths: JACKIE I got it. Ray crouches down to pick up the clothes and Mary shoots him a look like he hadnt dropped a suitcase, but rather what little good will he had left with her. She ushers her son into the kitchen. RAY Oh God, Ray, youve gotta be more careful. You could have broken something. Jackie walks over to her dad and crouches down. JACKIE Dont worry about it, Daddy. No harm done. Let me help you. The first thing she picks up is the bag of weed. She puts it into her pocket.

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INT. KITCHEN Mary runs her hands through Otis hair, messing it up in the process. MARY Look at your hair! You look like Anne Bancroft! OTIS Yes, I know. Its long. I get it. Can this not be a thing? I thought I told you about it in my letters. She gives him a confused look and scratches her face. OTIS You have been getting my letters, right? MARY I dont know. Im not sure theyve been coming. Are you sure you had the address right? OTIS The address to my own house? MARY Maybe. I dont know! Maybe they just got lost. I dont know how theyd get lost though. Otis leans his back on the wall and some pots all the way across the room fall to the ground. Mary rushes over to pick them up. OTIS (sarcastically) Yeah, how could anything ever get lost in a place like this? INT. OTIS ROOM Its the room of your prototypical fair weather hippy, but its totally covered by Marys clutter. Otis unpacks clothing on his bed when Jackie walks through the door playing with the bag of weed.

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CONTINUED: JACKIE You owe me a favor. OTIS I suppose I do.

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She unfurls the folded bag and breathes into it deeply. JACKIE I dont think you have to worry about nothing. Pretty sure Dad didnt even notice. If he did, he probably figured it was a school thing or something. (and then) Man that is way better than that shit Barry used to sell you. OTIS College is great. You should go. She puts her hands on her stomach and looks at some of the mess her mother left on the bed. JACKIE Its good to know that Mom decided to fill the void we left here with garbage. OTIS I guess you could call it fitting. His eyes fixate on every out of place magazine and slipper and dirty cup. OTIS So how long has this been going on? JACKIE Five months? Maybe a little bit more. One day she just stopped throwing things out. Weve got stacks of mostly empty things of mustard in the fridge. She walks over to her brother and rests her head on his back. JACKIE Its good that youre back. We need you here. Maybe your bullshit will make some of this other bullshit go away.

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OTIS Its good to know that impending motherhood hasnt changed you for the better. (and then) Hey, you think Nick find something for me to do at the diner? I gotta start looking for work. She walks to the door. JACKIE Maybe talk to Barry. See if he cant do you a few favors. Get you some pocket change. If nothing else, see if hes still selling. OTIS What do I need to buy for? I came ready to go. I came prepared. She motions to the bag. JACKIE Oh, Im keeping this. When I told you I got it, I meant that I got it. This is mine now. OTIS Isnt that going to be bad for the baby? JACKIE I dont think theres anything thats going to be good for this baby. She leaves the room and Otis takes in his terrible environment before lying down on his pillow. He grimaces, reaches under it, and pulls out a coffee pot. It makes a terrible metal clang when he throws it across the room. END OF ACT ONE ACT TWO

14. EXT. EASTOVER MINES - DAY They chant because theres nothing else for them to do but go home and none of them can take another loss. Its not even dinner time yet. Across the way a small, but sleek trailer has the lights on and the volume on the TV turned way up. INT. TRAILER This trailer, small as it is, is the nicest house in Black Mountain. Sitting on a recliner, fat feet up, is DERRICK CARR --bowling shoe ugly, all around gross S.O.B -- the overseer to the strikers. He gets up off of the chair and opens a window. The chanting from the picketers is making it awfully hard to hear the TV. CARR Will you assholes shut the hell up? Some of us are working here! He slams the window and walks over to a mini fridge. He pulls out a sandwich and sits back down. Before he can get comfortable, his telephone rings. He labors to get up off the couch and picks up the phone. CARR (not welcoming the interruption) What is it? INTERCUT WITH: INT. DUKE HOOVER ELECTRIC CO. In the tallest, most garish building in all of Kentucky, DUKE HOOVER --immaculately dressed, dressed to kill -speaks with his lackey on the phone. HOOVER Well Im sorry to bother you, Carr. I guess Ill call back a time thats more convenient for you. CARR Oh, sorry Mr. Hoover. I didnt know it was you. Im just a little frustrated from those damn picketers is all. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: Carr goes back to the window. HOOVER Is that Gene Jacobs out there? CARR Which one is that? Is he the one with the thing? Hoover rolls his eyes. HOOVER Yes, hes the one with the thing. Jesus, Carr. Use your brain. Hes the Jew. (and then) How about you turn off the television and go earn that salary of yours. CARR You mind if I finish my sandwich first? I just started eating it. (and then) Hello?

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Hoover hung up before he had to answer the question. He throws the sandwich in the garbage. CARR What a waste of a perfectly good sandwich. He looks at it in the garbage can and then picks it back up. CARR What was I thinking? He takes a bite out of it. EXT. EASTOVER MINES - NIGHT The trailer door opens and the picketers turn towards it. They quietly watch as Carr shuffles down the three stairs that lead to the ground. Hes fiddles with his waistline as he walks. CARR Will you people please shut the hell up? I feel like Im speaking Chinese over here. Wing-bong-bing-bong, please shut the hell up! (CONTINUED)

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He goes right for the leader of the pack, Gene. GENE We arent going anywhere Carr. We have a right to be here. CARR Sure you do...when this place is open. But since its closed you really need to get the fuck out. He pokes Gene in the chest with his index finger. Gene slaps his finger away. GENE What are you going to do about it, Carr? Watch TV at us? Go back in your trailer. Youre making this place smell like shit. Carr barrels over laughing. He laughs way longer than it actually takes for him to make his point. CARR Watch TV at us, oh lord is that funny. People always said you was funny you big nosed motherfucker, but I gotta hand it to ya. That one had me in stitches. He wipes a fake tear from his eye and then reaches to the back of his pants and takes out a black revolver and shows it to the group. CARR Yeah, so you assholes are gonna go now. Everyone backs up, save for Gene, who stands his ground. Carr puts the gun put right against his forehead. CARR Not so funny now are you big nose? He cocks the gun. CARR You should go. Gene looks at him in the eyes without blinking. Carr moves the gun away from his face and Gene finally exhales. Carr looks Gene up and down.

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CARR I like your hat. He slams the butt of the gun into Genes nose. He drops to the ground. CARR Now get the hell out of here. He fires all six shots into the air and the crowd disperses. They drag Gene until hes strong enough to carry his own weight. CARR God, I love America. Carr sees that Gene has left his hat on the ground and he picks it up, dusts it off, and puts it on his head. He walks over to his trucks mirror and looks at himself. CARR I gotta hand it to those Jews. They might be headed straight to hell, but they sure are doing it in style. He straightens the hat and gets in the truck. EXT. NICKS DINER - NIGHT Off Route 8 the descending evening Sun meets the rolling coal mountains like a drinking buddy. Next to the broke down, crumbling highway is an empty diner with yellow lights shining through full bodied windows. INT. NICKS DINER NICK CALDWELL --Mid 30s, Jackies husband -- spins a half empty ketchup bottle on his barely been touched counter top. A jaunty bell above the entrance rings and Nick perks up and grabs a bunch of menus. Finally some customers! NICK Evening yall. Welcome to Nicks. Can I lead you to a tabe...oh, its yall. Its his in laws (again) and his excitement goes soft. Jackie walks up to her husband and kisses him on the cheek.

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NICK Hey, baby. (and then, to them) Uhh, yall can sit wherever youd like. MARY Thank you, Nick. Mary leads her son and husband to a booth on the other side of the restaurant as if they werent all open. She sits next to Otis and Ray sits by his lonesome on the other side. Nick leans in and whispers to his much younger wife. NICK I thought you said your mama was cooking tonight. JACKIE Hoover turned off the power so she couldnt make nothing if she wanted to. NICK Hoover didnt turn off the power every other day this week. She elbows him. JACKIE This is not the time. He walks over to their table with the menus. He puts on his biggest fakest smile and passes his adopted family the laminated pieces of jumbo paper. Everyone in the family studies the menus, save for Otis, who looks out the window idly. NICK Otis, I didnt know you was coming back so soon. You havent graduated already, have you? OTIS Just home to help out. MARY Hell be back in class before he even realizes it.

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NICK Hows the trim over there at UK? I hear its awesome. Are the women there wildcats? You can hear the crickets outside. Nicks own-biggest-fan smile fades and he coughs to relieve the tension. NICK If yall are wondering, the special today is griddle cakes and beef stew. Well, not together. Griddle cakes is one and beef stew is the other. Mary lowers her menu and smiles upwards at her son in law as if the specials were anything else any of the other days they patronized his restaurant. MARY Ill take the beef stew. Thank you, Nick. NICK And you Mr. Black? Ray passes him the menu. RAY Ill have a lamb-Mary takes the menu from Ray before it can make its way to Nicks hand. She passes it to him instead. MARY Hell have the beef stew as well. We dont want Nick having to slave over a stove for the likes of us, do we? Hell have the beef stew. Thanks, hun. NICK Otis, you good with that? Otis gives the thumbs up. NICK Alright, Ill be back in a jiffy. He packs up the menus and heads for the kitchen.

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INT. KITCHEN Nick empties out what can only be described as a vat of beef stew onto the stove when his father in law walks in. He doesnt even pretend to be embarrassed at the terrible condition his kitchen is in. NICK Ray, if you want the lamb chops, Ill make you the lamb chops. Ill just say I got the order confused. RAY No, its not that. Ray looks at his family through the small circular windows on the kitchen doors. RAY Just keep a tab open for me, alright? Were a little tight on money right now. Youll get it. NICK Just go sit down. We dont have to ruin dinner by talking about this now. I know youre good for it. He leaves the stove and puts his arm on the wide back of his father in law. He leads him out of the kitchen. When he turns back to work on the food he sees that its caught fire. NICK Oh, shit! He takes a dish towel and extinguishes the flame. INT. NICKS DINER - NIGHT Somehow, the soup made it out of the fire in more or less one piece. The Blacks slurp at it with crusty metal spoons. MARY So Otis, what did you learn in school this semester? Otis gives the opaqueness of that question a disgusted look. OTIS I dont know. Just the prerequisites right now. (MORE) (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: OTIS (contd) Trigonometry, Intro to Existential Philosophy, English... English! She knows that one! MARY Ooh, English. What are you reading? Deacon Phillips just handed out a wonderful pamphlet about Matthew 18:20 that I thought was breath taking. Have you read Matthew 18:20 in school? OTIS No...not really. We read more, how do I put this? Secular things. MARY Secular? RAY It means non-religious. Right, Otis? Godless books? You guys read Godless books in school? OTIS Sure, Dad. Godless books. Mary does not like the sound of that. MARY Otis, I was hoping you would accompany me to midnight mass tonight. OTIS Im going to have to take a rain check. I was thinking of seeing Barry tonight. Uhoh. MARY Barry? Your mother is asking you to come pray with her for the first time in a year. Barry will be around tomorrow. Barry isnt going anywhere. OTIS Well neither is God. Right? Ray chuckles.

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Mary sticks her index finger in the air as if there was an invisible emergency eject button hanging from the ceiling. MARY Nick, can we get this wrapped up please? INT. BLACK HOUSE - NIGHT Otis puts the left over stew in the freezer, but not before clearing out some much needed room. His mother and father are sitting in the attached living room. A brand new "Gunsmoke" blips onto the screen. OTIS You know I was hoping for maybe a little fresher food upon arrival. MARY Well, blame your father. If he had paid the water bill I coulda whipped something up. Ray turns away from "Gunsmoke" for probably the first time in his life. RAY Just wait until next week. The Union check will come and thatll cover most of it. MARY (mocking) The union check will come. You sounds like a little girl right now. (and then) What kind of idiot forgets to pay the water bill? What kind of idiot cant pay the water bill? Ray slinks in his chair. MARY If I was you Id be out right now finding some way to pay that shit. But no. Youre sitting here, getting fat, watching Gunsmoke like some fucking jag. Ray looks down and fiddles with his pocket. He takes out the picture he found on the ground earlier in the day. (CONTINUED)

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A smile crawls across his face. MARY What? Is something funny? RAY Ive got a call to make. Otis, turn off the Gunsmokes. Well have water tomorrow. He gets up off the couch and walks to the phone. MARY Who you calling? The power company aint open now. RAY You want me to provide for my family? Ill provide for family. Just you wait. She sees the picture of he and his mining friends on the chair. MARY Ray...dont. Dont do this to me. Mary watches him dial as though he were stabbing her in the heart. MARY We can work something out. OTIS Whats going on? MARY Ray, come on. Hang up the phone. RAY Its ringing. She doesnt wait for him to finish. MARY Well fuck you then! She storms out of the living room, stomps into some muddy boots and slams the door on her way out. Ray puts the phone up to his ear.

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Otis looks at the aftermath of the scene as if a shootout had just occurred and both of his parents had put one in each others head. OTIS What the hell just happened! He walks up the stairs and his door slams. INTERCUT WITH: INT. GENES HOUSE Genes house is a grand mothers wet dream. There are knickknacks all over the place and framed canvas drawings and cozy, plastic covered furniture. Hes watching "Gunsmoke" too. GENE (on the phone) This is Gene. Ray doesnt say anything. He listens to the breathing on the other side of the phone. GENE Ray, does your wife know youre calling me? RAY Yes. Gene takes the phone and sits down. His arms are covered in military tattoos. He has a numerical pattern near his wrist. He has a coffee cup in his free hand. His face is badly swollen. RAY I need a favor. Gene takes a sip of his coffee. GENE Congratulations, Ray. That makes you and everyone else in this town and country. RAY They turned off my water. I need to get it turned back on.

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GENE Then pay your bills. Pretty sure thats how the concept works. Ray looks at a family picture hanging on the wall. RAY Im coming over and Im picking you up and were going to the woods. GENE Why that was zero to sixty, wasnt it? RAY Ill be over soon. Put some pants on. GENE I enjoy how I have no say in this. Its very romantic. RAY I can explain when I get to the house. If I talk about it now youre going to say no and that cant happen. This needs to happen. Gene looks at a reflection of his battered face in the mirror. GENE How bout this? If Ill be an idiot and say yes, youve gotta do the smart thing and do something for me. RAY Okay. Shoot. GENE I have a meeting with Hoover tomorrow over in Lexington. I need a driver. I want you to take me. RAY I dont know if the Silverado can make it to Lexington. Why dont you drive yourself? GENE If whatever reason youre calling me is good enough, this should be a (MORE) (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: GENE (contd) no brainer. Just a friend asking another friend for a favor, isnt it?

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Ray looks at a picture of he and his family. Its crooked and he walks over to it. He tries to straighten it, but only makes it worse. RAY Ill be over in ten. GENE Make it twenty. Marshall Dillons saying something and it looks like its gonna get good. He hangs up abruptly leaving Ray looking at his phone like an idiot. EXT. BARRYS HOUSE - NIGHT When Otis heads up the walkway of Barrys house he has to goose step an overturned wheelbarrow. The stairs creek as he puts his weight on them. He knocks on the door and hears feral cats going at it somewhere in the neighborhood. INT. BARRYS HOUSE The rickety door swings open and BARRYS MOM is there as if she was expecting him. Shes only has a decade and change on Otis, but time has not done her justice. BARRYS MOM Otis! If I knew you was coming I would have put my face on. OTIS Hi, Mrs. Parker. I was wondering if Barry was home. BARRYS MOM Well of course hes home. Where else would he be? (she bites on her fingernail) How was University? Them college girls aint led you astray, has they? Otis looks behind her frame and sees BARRY carrying a paint bucket. Barry has the same hippy exterior with none of the attached idealism. (CONTINUED)

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He drops the bucket and waves to Otis. BARRY Otis? What are you doing here, buddy? Come on in! Mom get out of the way. Otis shuffles by the wrinkled temptress and steps into the living room. He and his friend shake hands. BARRYS MOM Yall better not have gotten none of that paint on my rug. Barry lets go of his friends hand. BARRY Shut the fuck up, Mom! BARRYS MOM You shut the fuck up, you little shit! BARRY Fuck you! Im goin to my room! She closes the front door and walks over to a couch and reads the country equivalent to whatever a Cosmo is. Barry picks up the paint can and leads Otis into his room. INT. BARRYS ROOM The walls in the room are covered in different shades of orange. Otis sits down on a creaky bed thats covered in paint blotches. Barry picks up a paint brush and glides it over a subsection of his wall. OTIS Can I ask what this is about? BARRY So I was reading this thing and it was talking about colors that were opposite of each other. OTIS Youre reading now?

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28.

BARRY Its called color symmetry or something. And it said that a person who dresses with color symmetry looks more attractive than someone who dont. OTIS That doesnt explain the different colors on the wall. BARRY I figured if I had a girl in here or something, and I was wearing blue--blue is the opposite of orange--shed see me and be like, wow, this guys a real symmetrical mother fucker. Otis looks at how god awful the room looks. OTIS Why didnt you paint the walls white and dress in black then? Seems like itd be easier. Barry stops painting and looks at his friend. He cocks his head like a confused pup. BARRY ...these walls is orange. Otis laughs. He lies down on the bed and looks up at the still white ceiling. OTIS So I was wondering if you were still holding. I was looking to see maybe I could make a little change while Im here. BARRY And risk going to Vietnam? No way man. I aint in that game no more. Otis shoots out of the bed. OTIS What! Youre not smoking weed anymore? What kind of world is it that Barry Parker isnt smoking weed?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: BARRY Well of course Im still smoking weed. Im not an idiot. I just aint selling it anymore. Too risky.

29.

Otis reaches into his jacket pocket and takes out a Newport cigarette. OTIS Where you buying from then? BARRY I got a fella across town that I buy from. Sells in bulk. Decent shit. Its just across town if you dont mind. OTIS Why would I mind? CUT TO: EXT. THE BLACK PART OF TOWN - NIGHT The black part of town is literally in the same condition as the white part of town, just that. Well, you know. EXT. BRUNOS HOUSE He and Barry end up in front of a two story house with boarded up windows and music pounding through. BARRY This is the place. He puts his hand on the door. BARRY You might want to hold on to some of them menthol cigarettes. You know...as a peace offering. INT. BRUNOS HOUSE This isnt like any party you find at the University of Kentucky. Adult men and women dance and talk and drink. "Hit the Road Jack" plays on the stereo. Everyone is black, save for the two boys. Otis and Barry slide through the party and head up the stairs. A couple make out at the top and Otis barely inches his way passed them. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

30.

Barry leads him down the hall to a closed door with a GUARD standing next to it. BARRY I was hoping we could talk to Bruno. GUARD Brunos busy. Sit. Wait. Otis looks around for anything to sit on. The Guard looks down at the floor and the two sit cross legged. The Guard looks specifically at Otis. GUARD Anybody ever tell you that you look like Anne Bancroft? EXT. BAR - NIGHT The complete absence of ambient light keeps the stars pearly and visible, but the image is ruined by the sound of abrasively hypocritical country music. INT. BAR - CONTINUOUS The drunk as mud patrons lazily work their way through their glasses and spew out monosyllabic grunts. Carr sits at a stool in the corner of the bar. His marshmallow ass envelops it. Theres a small militia of bottles in front of him. MARTY, the bartender, walks behind the bar and lurches over his regular. MARTY You feeling alright, Carr? CARR Always feeling alright when youre paying with the bosses dollar, my man. He takes out a stack of bills and puts it on the bar. CARR Marty, where are the women at? Im looking to bend one over and do something right.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

31.

MARTY You know no women come here. He takes scope of the rest of the patrons. Like him theyre all on the wrong side of forty and all on the wrong side of two twenty. Its a room full of pug ugly brothers. And then, as if his desperation had willed it, the door opens and a woman appears. Its Mary. CARR (mocking Marty) No women come here. Forget you. Watch this. Marty drunkenly waves over to Marry and stares at her. She gives him the middle finger. CARR Shes a real piece... He notices her unimpressive wedding ring. CARR ...but that ring though. Thats a problem. MARY (from across the bar) What you saying about me, fat boy? Mary stomps over to the two men. MARY I said, what did you say? I know you two were talking about me. Im not an idiot. CARR I was just saying that that wedding ring of yours is a problem. She looks at her hand, holds it up, and puts her ring finger in her mouth. When she takes her finger out of her mouth the ring is off. She takes it out and puts it in her purse.

32. INT. CARRS TRUCK - PARKED - NIGHT In the flatbed of his truck, Carrs grabbing Marys hair and giving her his version of "the business." Fully clothed, he moans like a horny toad. She faces forward and wears an angry look on her face. END OF ACT TWO ACT THREE INT/EXT. RAYS TRUCK - DRIVING - NIGHT Rays headlights are the only visible thing on the road. He listens to country music the whole way, finally parking in front of Genes home. EXT. GENES HOUSE He gets out of the car and trudges up the walk way. He knocks on the door and after a short while Gene comes out. Ray instantly notices his broken nose. He grabs him by the chin and inspects. GENE (laughing) I hope you didnt come here for that. RAY What the hell happened to your face? Who did this to you? Ray lets go of his face. Gene heads down the walkway . GENE We both got places to be, Ray. Beds to sleep in. What do you need? INT. BRUNOS HOUSE - NIGHT The boredom of Otis and Barry is only compounded by the fun going on downstairs. Yawning, Barrys had enough and he gets up off the ground. BARRY Hey, Im gonna get out of there. If you need anything just stop by. Otis gets up too.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

33.

OTIS Wait, youre just going to leave me here? BARRY Yeah, man. Youll be fine. Youve still got the menthols. Dont worry. He gestures to the Guard. BARRY (about Otis) This dude smokes menthols. Hes pretty far out. The Guard couldnt care less. Barry hustles down the stairs and leaves Otis alone with the Guard. The song on the stereo changes and Brunos door opens. A BABE walks out wiping her lips wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. Otis stands waiting for the guard to invite him inside. When no such courtesy happens he gingerly steps into the room himself. INT. BRUNOS ROOM Shag carpet, fully stocked book shelves. This place looks more like a study than a drug dealers room. Behind a mahogany desk is BRUNO JOHNSON --Shaved head, decidedly European flair -- sitting as though he was waiting all this time for Otis to come in. They stare at each other until the Guard slams the door behind Otis. Otis clears his throat and walks over to the desk. He sits on a ripped, but burgundy satin chair. OTIS Im Otis Black. He puts his hand out, but Bruno doesnt shake it. OTIS Barry told me that he buys from you. I was hoping I could-BRUNO Barry? Inbred Barry or Stupid Barry?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: OTIS Barry Parker? BRUNO That was a trick question. How much are you looking to buy? OTIS I dont know. No more than an eighth.

34.

Bruno reaches under his desk and pulls out a tiny baggy filled to the brim with weed. He flicks it over to Otis side of the table. Otis reaches into his back pocket to get his wallet... BRUNO Thatll be twenty dollars. And then stops. Otis looks Bruno in the face. He gets up out of the chair. OTIS Twenty dollars? BRUNO Thats right. OTIS I get that you want to play a joke and rip off the white boy but, no. Im not that guy. He turns to leave, but Bruno stops him. BRUNO They smoke a lot of weed in that part of town you come from? OTIS Pretty sure they smoke weed everywhere. BRUNO Then why do you come in here asking for a slice when theres a whole cake to be had? OTIS Do you talk like this all the time? You sound like a retarded person. Bruno laughs. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

35.

BRUNO You know why I had Mike open the door? Otis shrugs. BRUNO Because its smart to open the door. I normally wouldnt give a shit if some college motherfucker came wanting to cop a dime. He can wait. But you, whatever your name is... OTIS Otis Black. BRUNO Whatever. Youre an interesting cat. You come from a side of town I dont normally head down. You understand what Im saying? OTIS I think so. BRUNO Then Ill be clear, cause there shouldnt be any thinking involved in this. You, me, lets make something happen. Ill supply you, and you pedal my wares on the other side of Black Mountain. Theres money to be had. OTIS I dont know. I only wanted to make a little-BRUNO Then make a little. I dont care. Make a lot. Its all fine. Im just saying theres money to be had and money is scarce in these parts. He moves away from his desk and its revealed that hes in a wheel chair. He wheels himself right up to Otis. BRUNO If you dont want to with me, then dont. Enjoy the party. And you really want your (MORE) do business Go downstairs. know that if shitty little (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

36.

BRUNO (contd) eighth, you can have it. It means nothing to me. He throws the baggy at Otis. It bounces off his chest and falls to the floor. BRUNO But if you want to leave tonight with something more than a good time, youll stay and talk a little longer. EXT. WOODS - NIGHT Ray and Gene, guns in hand, walk through the woods. They look down at their feet to make sure they dont trip. In their free hands they carry flashlights. GENE Would have made more sense to do this in the morning. (and then) Shit, my head is cold. RAY Shoulda worn that hat I gave you. Gene touches his head. GENE What were you doing in the woods today? RAY Just hunting. You know. GENE With no clothes? Ray looks at him. GENE I saw you, Ray. It aint hard to miss a two hundred pound asshole in a bush. Ray doesnt answer and they move further into the woods. They reach the stream where Ray found the bear earlier. RAY This is the place. Saw it right over there. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

37.

He points up stream. Gene looks at the surrounding area. They can hear the sounds of the wildlife and the sounds of nature. Ray looks down at the water and sees his reflection. Its hard to make out in the dark. RAY You ever have one of those dreams where youre looking at you, but at the same time you aint you? Gene lowers the bottle. RAY Like where youre somebody else, but you at the same time. You look different and sound different and you dont feel like you, but youre you. GENE What are you talking about, Ray? RAY And you stare at this dream you and realize that all day people look at you and talk to you and thats happening all the time. But the man they see aint the main you are. GENE Sure. Why not? Ray crouches down and gets a closer look at himself in the water. RAY Ever since I got out of that mine, it doesnt feel like Im me. Im just this guy floating above me, feeling bad, wondering who it is that Im following around and why hes still here. They hear a rumbling in the bushes and they turn to it.

38. EXT. CALDWELL HOUSE - NIGHT Just behind Nicks diner, on the other side of town, is the Caldwell house. Its small, in bad shape, but fairly new. INT. CALDWELL HOUSE The house is ostensibly one room. The bed is near the kitchen and the kitchen is near the toilet and the toilet is near everything. Nick and Jackie sleep in a bed only a few feet away from the door. A heavy slam on the door wakes them both. JACKIE (waking up) Nick, what is that? The slamming continues. JACKIE Go check. Bring the bat. Nick is fast asleep with his mouth open. The banging doesnt stop and Jackie gets out of bed, grabs a bat from the corner, and walks to the door. She puts her ear to the door. JACKIE Who is it? OTIS (through the door) Its me. Open up. JACKIE Otis its three in the morning. What do you want? OTIS I bring promises of the future. She opens the door and Otis barges in with a back pack. JACKIE What the hell does that mean? OTIS It means wake up your husband. He crouches down and dumps out the contents of his backpack.

39.

EXT. CALDWELL HOUSE - NIGHT Otis and Jackie sit on the ground in the back of the house smoking the grass. JACKIE You know, this is just like you. Whole towns out of work and you come home for one day and strike gold. Youre a lucky son of a bitch. OTIS Luck is just preparation plus skill. Theres a flush coming from inside and Nick walks out. OTIS You guys have water? JACKIE Of course we have water. We pay our bills. Nick takes a seat next to them. He looks at the backpack full of weed Otis has next to his foot. NICK Thats maybe the most beautiful thing Ive seen in my life. He reaches into the bag and smells it. NICK It feels like home. (and then) So how are you gonna sell all this? OTIS I was thinking about asking Barry for a list of his people. Figured Id cut him in and that would be that. NICK That sounds like a good idea. But what are you gonna do, just make house calls? Youre gonna need a place big enough to work out of. Someplace away from everything. Someplace safe.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

40.

We see the house and the diner and how theyre the only thing around for miles. NICK But who knows where youre gonna find somewhere like that. Nick reaches into his pajama bottoms and scratches himself. JACKIE God damn it. I must have been high every day of my life to marry as big a fuckin idiot as you are. EXT. HYDES TANNING STORY - NIGHT The sun is almost up. Its a small store in the middle of town. PATRICK HYDE (50), walks out the front door putting on a jacket. He has on pajama bottoms. Ray and Gene are at the back of his truck. The bear is lying on the bed of it, covered by a sheet. HYDE This had better be good, Gene. My wife has the apnea and shes not going to let me live this down. Gene takes off the sheet of the head of the bear. Its got a bullet hole in-between its eyes. Extremely surprised, Hyde inspects. HYDE This is some shot here, boys. Which one of you pulled the trigger? Ray raises his hand. HYDE You realize if you had missed this son of a bitch hed be driving you two here to sell me your skin. He looks closer at the bear. He touches the fur. HYDE You fellas mind helping me get this into the store? Thats where my sales charts are. They act quick and take the bear down from the bed of the truck. Hyde hurries into the store. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

41.

As they drag it, Ray looks at the face of the bear. Its eyes are open. Ray starts to cry and Gene notices. EXT. GENES HOUSE - DAY Ray pulls his Silverado into Genes driveway. Gene gets out of the passenger side and walks over to Ray. RAY Thanks, Gene. I owe you one. GENE Youre welcome. Just be here bright and early. Lexington aint no skip and twirl away. Gene turns to walk away, but Ray calls out to him: RAY I miss you, man. GENE Then come to the rallies. Theres always room for one more. RAY You know thats not what I mean. Gene turns back. GENE Wear a suit tomorrow. I dont want you looking like shit around Duke Hoover. A tie too if you know how to tie one. He walks up the stairs and into his home. Ray drives off. END OF ACT THREE ACT FOUR INT. CARRS TRUCK - PARKED - MORNING A bird lands on the bed of Carrs truck. The sound of his feet hopping on the metal wakes Mary. She rubs the drunk out of her eyes and groans at the mess of a man on top of her. She pushes car off of her person and fixes her dress and underwear.

42.

Before jumping off the bed she reaches into Carrs pocket, takes his wallet, and nabs a few dollars for her trouble. EXT. BLACK MOUNTAIN - DAY Groggy and dehydrated, she hitchhikes down the road. From the distance a truck heads in her direction. It kicks up dirt. It stops in front of her and its Ray. Hes wearing a suit. She looks at him, feeling the effects of the night before. RAY Theres $200 on the table. When you get home, you find a ride and you pay that bill. You understand? She looks up at him. In the car hes even bigger than before. She nods. RAY Ill be back later. MARY You look good in that suit. She watches his car disappear into where the sky and earth meet. INT. BLACK HOUSE - OTIS ROOM - DAY Otis listens to music in his room when theres a knock on his door. OTIS Come in. Barry opens the door. He looks exhausted. OTIS Barry, howd you get in here? BARRY I just walked in. Nothing was locked. He stands in front of Otis. BARRY Whatd you want me here for so early? I had just gotten to sleep.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

43.

OTIS Its eleven oclock. (and then) Check this out. Go into my closet. BARRY This isnt going to be like the time you and your sister scared me with the dead raccoon is it? He walks over to the closet and opens the door. He looks around and finds nothing. BARRY You didnt bring me here to rub it in my face that you have more than one shirt, did you? If so, Im not amused. OTIS Look at the ground. Barry crouches down and finds the bag. His eyes light up. OTIS I need a favor from you. Whoever it is you used to sell to, I want you to give me their numbers. Their addresses. Whatever you have. Im setting up shop. BARRY I can do that. OTIS Tell them that if they want to buy, come to Nicks Diner. Tell them to ask for Yesterdays Special. Barry doesnt turn to look at him through any of this. Hes mesmerized by the pot. BARRY Hey, you dont mind if I-Downstairs a door slams and Otis gets out of his bed and inspects it.

44.

INT. BLACK HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY Mary finds the stack of money on the kitchen counter and she counts it. She holds the money to her chest. She opens the drawer and takes out the water bill. Otis comes down and finds his mother. OTIS Mom? Whats up? MARY Nothing, Otis. (and then) Your father got us the money. See? The son of a bitch did it. OTIS You shouldnt talk about Grandma like that. An exhausted smile crawls across her face. OTIS Are you okay? Have you been out all night? MARY Im fine. Im just tired. Just really tired. She makes her way to the door. OTIS Where are you going? MARY Im gonna go pay the water bill. OTIS Isnt the power company like fifteen miles away? Thats too far for you to walk. Just wait for dad to come home. She puts her hand on the doorknob and opens it. MARY Otis, your dad left home a long time ago. She closes the door and walks down the road. Otis watches her from the window.

45.

INT/EXT. RAYS CAR - MOVING Ray drives the truck down the highway. Gene is in the passenger seat next to him. Hes tying his tie. GENE Theres no reason to get stressed about any of this. Ray keeps his hands uncomfortably at ten and two. GENE Were not even going to be doing anything today. Just checking in about the last meeting. Going over the notes. RAY Then why are we meeting? GENE Because its how these things work. We keep each other informed. We touch base. Ray scratches his head like an anxious junkie. Ill your move defy last suit GENE never understand. You spend whole life underground. You mountains for a living. You nature. You killed a damn bear night. But you need to wear a and you shit yourself.

RAY I dont get why Im here. Im not prepared. Im walking into inside baseball. GENE You just need to show Duke Hoover your face. He needs to know that were human, Ray. That were not just numbers. Ray turns the car up an exit ramp. Next to the ramp is a sign that reads, "LEXINGTON - POPULATION 224,341." GENE Besides. I want you here.

46.

EXT. BLACK MOUNTAIN - DAY Mary hitchhikes down the street. Cars pass her by and her dress blows in the wind. Finally, a beaten down red sedan pulls up next to her and rolls down the window. Mary looks inside at the messy automobile. MARY Oh lord. DARLENE Where you headed off too? Mary keeps walking. DARLENE I said, where you headed off to? MARY The electric company. Darlene stops the car. DARLENE Get in. Weve got something to talk about. Mary looks at down the road. Its a long way. INT/EXT. CHORNS CAR - MOVING - DAY Darlene and Mary head down the road. Darlenes got a few nasty scratches on her face and she drinks a soda with a straw. Mary, now defanged, presses herself against the window. She looks at the tall grass on the side of the highway. DARLENE You know, I had to convince Danny not to march down to your place and beat the ever living shit out of Ray. Mary takes her head off the glass. MARY What does Ray have to do with any of this?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: DARLENE You think I could have him come down and beat your ass? There are limits, Mary. Women dont fight. (touching her face) Well some dont. MARY Theres no reason we cant. It makes things easier. What would you rather have happened? Me stop coming to your bake sales on account of your stupid dog shitting on my lawn, or us having a dust up and getting over it. DARLENE You smeared shit in my face, Mary. It wasnt no dust up. MARY Im just saying, there aint no reason we cant settle things like men. It gets shit done. DARLENE There aint gonna be no settling it like men, or settling it like women much longer. If this strike keeps going were just going to have to settle. All this nonsense, its gonna have to go. No more squabbling, no more name calling. Were all going to have work to do. Mary looks out the window. DARLENE Were all having a hard time. Lets not make it any harder. Thats why I picked you up. Consider it an olive branch. They drive down the road a ways. MARY You werent thinking about mowing me down in the middle of the road, were you? DARLENE Id be lying if I said it didnt cross my mind several hundred times.

47.

48.

EXT. HOOVER ELECTRIC - DAY The most urban part of Kentucky. The sun tears through the clouds and gives the grayness of the building a small bit of orange life. The building has a sign on it that reads, "HOOVER ELECTRIC." INT. HOOVER ELECTRIC A typical office building. GUARDS are situated near the entrance and theres a desk at the end of the lobby where a pretty SECRETARY works. Ray and Gene walk into the building. SECRETARY How can I help you? GENE Hi, darling. Im here to see Mr. Hoover. We have a meeting set for 4:30. She picks up a phone. SECRETARY (holding the phone with her shoulder) And who should I say this is with? GENE Gene Jacobs of United Coal Miners of America, Local 155. She dials. SECRETARY (to phone) Hello, Mr. Hoover. Mr. Jacobs is here to see you. Okay. Thank you. (and then) Please take the freight elevator up to the 15th floor. RAY Did you say freight elevator? SECRETARY Yes. The other elevators are currently out of service. Were sorry.

49.

A few businessmen walk into a fully functional normal elevator and rise. INT. FREIGHT ELEVATOR Its filled with boxes and assorted junk. Theyre squished into the elevator. Their shoulders touch. They look at the numbers above the doors rise. As they get higher, Rays heart beats faster and faster. He looks over to Gene, who though bruised, is not battered. The 13th floor light flashes and the elevator opens up. GENE Game time. INT. BOARD ROOM The room has giant glass windows that overlook the entire city. There are framed black and white pictures on the wall. On the other end of a long wooden table is Duke Hoover and Derrick Carr. Hoover is dressed for the occasion, but Carr looks like the sweaty piece of shit he is. HOOVER Welcome back into the fold, Gene. I wasnt expecting you to bring this...associate with you. GENE This is Ray Black. Hes one of the foreman out in Eastover. I thought you might want to meet him. Hoover smiles and gets up from his seat. He walks over to Ray and shakes his hand. Hes deceptively friendly and upbeat. HOOVER Pleasure to meet you, Ray. Feel free to have a seat wherever you like. Ray and Gene take a seat across from Hoover and Carr. Carr taunts Gene with his smile, but Gene doesnt let it bother him. HOOVER So where were we, Gene?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

50.

Gene adjusts in his seat and opens up a folder. He takes out a number of stapled documents and passes one to Ray and to Hoover. CARR None for me? GENE I would have brought one if you I figured youd be here. I thought youd probably be watching TV or something. CARR Thats fine. I aint much of the reading type. GENE Never would have guessed it. Ray looks at the two men. He picks up that something happened between the two of them. HOOVER Alright, lets get started. Weve got a lot to cover today. Ray notices Genes hat on Carrs head. EXT. POWER COMPANY - DAY A much smaller branch of Hoover Electric located in a very rural part of the area. Darlenes car is parked outside the building. INT. POWER COMPANY A RECEPTIONIST sits behind a desk taking phone call after phone call. Aside from she and Mary, they are all alone. RECEPTIONIST Hold please. One second please. Would you be able to hold? Thank you. Mary is on the other side of the desk waiting patiently. The lights on the phone light up, signaling for only more calls. Mary leans over the desk to look at it.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: RECEPTIONIST (to the phone) Please hold. Thank you. (and then) Excuse me, maam. Ill be right with you. MARY Yes you will.

51.

Mary reaches over the desk and unplugs the phone. The lights go out and phone loses signal. RECEPTIONIST Now what the hell did you do that for? Do you know how many people I had waiting on the line? MARY I reckon I honestly dont give a shit. Im here now. You deal with me first. If theyve got enough electricity to call theyre in a better place then I am. The receptionist sighs and takes a pen out from her desk. RECEPTIONIST Are you hear because of your water? MARY I am. RECEPTIONIST Then youre out of luck. Without full payment of funds were not able to turn it back on. Your bill has to be paid in full. MARY Well thats fine with me. I plan on paying in full. She reaches into her bag and takes out the stack of green backs. She counts out eighteen dollars and slams it on the table. MARY That should be everything. Id appreciate it if you turned my water back on now. The receptionist counts the money and puts it in an envelope. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: RECEPTIONIST Well, thank you very much, but your water wont be back on for seven to ten business days. MARY Pardon? RECEPTIONIST These things take time. Hoover Electric appreciates your prompt response, but well need to get a representative down there and then... Mary leans in close to the table and stares at her. RECEPTIONIST Ms. Black, theres nothing I can do. These things take time. MARY Everything takes time. Thisll just have to be one of those things that take a short time. (and then) Miss, youre young. Youre pretty. I dont dislike you. But know that yesterday morning I beat the shit out of my neighbor and smeared her face with dog shit for nothing at all. What do you think Ill do to the woman who tells me my family cant have water? She smiles politely at the receptionist. RECEPTIONIST Ill see what I can do.

52.

She gets up out of her seat and runs out of the room. Her high heels clank on the linoleum floor. Mary plugs the telephone back in and makes a call. MARY (to the phone) Hello, Otis. Its me. Yeah, I got the water thing worked out. So you can take a bath or what not in a couple minutes. Mary looks at the Hoover Electric sign hanging in the corner. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: MARY And can you do me a favor? Write a note for your daddy. Tell him were having dinner at Nicks tonight. Yes, I know. Again. Love you bunches. She hangs up the phone and the receptionist comes out. MARY Thank you very much, honey. The phone starts going crazy with calls. MARY Youre probably gonna want to take those. END OF ACT FOUR ACT FIVE INT. HOOVER ELECTRIC - DAY

53.

The Sun is going down in the sky and also on the meetings. Carr and Ray are exhausted, but Gene and Hoover are still at it. Hoover though, seems to have the upper hand. HOOVER Gene, weve been over this. The strike clause is out of the question. I will not have another walk out. GENE For the love of God, stop calling this a walk out. This isnt a walk out. This is a strike. HOOVER I will not have a repeat of this day. Ive already okayed the wage increase and the sick leave, but I will not be put in this situation again. GENE This is not a situation, Hoover. Stop calling it a God damn situation. This is our fucking lives man! Get that through your head! (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

54.

Hoover backs down from the outburst and clears his throat. He adjusts his tie. HOOVER Derrick, Mr. Black, if you dont mind, can you give me a moment alone with Gene? Id like to discuss something in private. Ray looks to Gene for assurance and Gene nods. The two men pack up and walk out of the room. Gene and Hoover stare at each other across from the table. HOOVER Im willing to apologize if youre willing to as well. GENE No. But Ill start over if youll start over. Hoover gets up and walks to a small pitcher of water. He pours himself a glass and drinks. HOOVER Shall we take it from the top, then? INT. HOOVER ELECTRIC - HALLWAY Ray and Derrick stand on either side of the door. Derrick takes a cigarette out of his shirt pocket and puts it into his mouth. CARR Those two sure can talk, eh? He lights his cigarette. CARR Probably why theyre in there and were out here. Ray nods. CARR You ever think about how its funny that shit happens in rooms like this? Like, history, and what not.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

55.

RAY I dont know if I understand what youre saying. CARR Im just saying shit happens in rooms. Deals get made. Presidents are born. The greatest things in history have happened in rooms. Through the door they can both hear Gene talking. Hes agitated. CARR If I had known wed be here for four hours Id have bashed him in the mouth stead of the nose. RAY What? CARR I dont know if its a Jew thing or a, I dont know. You know him more than me. I just wish hed shut the fuck up and let us good folk be on with our business. Ray stares at Carr. Carr blows smoke out of his mouth and gives Ray a confused look. Ray looks at the hat on the head. Carr slowly reaches up and points to it. CARR This hat? Ray stares even harder. CARR We doing this, motherfucker? RAY Im gonna motherfuck you where you stand. Carr takes the cigarette out of his mouth and throws it on the ground. He rubs it out on the carpet.

56.

INT. HOOVER ELECTRIC - BOARDROOM Gene stands and holds up the papers as Hoover leans back in his chair. GENE And again, the byline states that... Ray and Carr come barreling through the door. HOOVER (almost expecting it) What the hell, Derrick. They throw punches at the mid-section and slam each other into the walls. Ray takes Carrs head and jams it into a painting and it falls and cracks. Carr falls to the ground and Ray gets in a few shots at his face. GENE Ray, thats enough. Carr reaches into his waistband and pulls out his pistol and puts it up to Rays head. He pulls the trigger, but the barrel spins and nothing shoots out. Carr looks at the gun as thought it has betrayed him. Everyone stares at Carr. CARR Fuck. Ray pauses for a moment and stews at the thought that he was seconds away from death. Ray looks to Gene. They nod at each other. Ray takes his foot and stomps a mud hole in Carrs face. CUT TO: INT. HOOVER ELECTRIC - DAY Ray and Gene are escorted out of the building by a pair of security guards. They both have matching bruises on their faces. Ray hands Gene the hat that was stolen from him and Gene puts it on.

57.

EXT. NICKS DINER - NIGHT For perhaps the first time ever, the parking lot is full of cars. Mary walks into the diner. INT. NICKS DINER The place is packed with teenagers and long hair and groovy rock music. Mary cant believe it. Otis sits at the counter talking to Barry and Nick. He sees his mother and swivels around in his stool and looks at her. MARY Nick, would you look at this place. NICK I know, Mrs. Black. Its pretty great aint it. MARY I dont want to sound rude, but what in the hell happened? Dyou reinvent the wheel overnight. NICK You could probably say that. MARY Well whatever it is Im impressed. Gee, people sure are ordering a lot of cake tonight. Otis gets up and walks over to his mother and puts his arm around her. OTIS Youre looking a lot better. MARY Knowing that theres going to be a bath waiting for me when we get home certainly takes the sting out of it. OTIS Sting out of what? Mary blinks at her son.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: MARY Hey, do you know where your daddy is? OTIS I dont know. He didnt come home yet. You want to get a table? I think Nick can fit us in. (to Nick) Anywhere, Nick? NICK Fortunately, no.

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Nick gets out from behind the table and leads them to a corner booth. He passes them the menus and they sit down. Mary looks out the window into the blackness. EXT. TRUCK STOP DINER - NIGHT An even smaller diner. The only car in the parking lot is Rays. INT. TRUCK STOP DINER Ray and Gene sit at a table eating hamburgers. Smooth country music plays on the jukebox. Genes hat is on the table. GENE Just so you know, this aint how these meetings usually go. Theres usually a lot less...commotion. RAY I reckon these meeting dont normally end with another mans tooth in your shoe. GENE Only the good ones. Gene takes a bite and drinks from his glass. GENE Shit, we cant afford this. Can we? RAY Well manage. A mans got the right to eat, dont he? Gene looks at him and smiles. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

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GENE I gotta take a piss. Ill be right back. Dont get crafty or nothing. I counted the teeth marks on this sandwich. He gets up and walks to the bathroom. Ray sits alone in the diner listening to the gentle music. He picks up Genes hat and looks at it. It says Local 155, Dead or Alive. INT. TRUCK STOP DINER - BATHROOM A grungy, dark, green bathroom. The mirror is cracked and covered in stickers. On the other side of the bathroom, Gene pees into the toilet. He sings the song thats on in the restaurant. GENE (to himself) Im on the blue side of lonesome. Right next to the Heartbreak Hotel. The door creeks open behind him. GENE Occupied. (and then, singing) In a tavern thats known as Three Teardrops, not doing so well. The door opens more. GENE Jesus Christ, I said occupied! The stall door slams open and Ray stands in the stall with Gene. He grabs Genes face and pushes him against the wall and kisses him. Genes foot hits down on the lever and the toilet flushes. Ray turns Gene around, pulls down his pants, and we... Fade out: THE END