THE VERY WORST THING THAT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN, PART 1
INT. RESTAURANT, CHANGCHUN MANCHURIA, 1997 - NIGHT
Out of nothing, a voice. Its small sounding, very analog, with tape hiss and slight distortion.
AI VO
This is Ai reporting. He’s at the Laochang Restaurant, Changchun, North Eastern China. Its Spring, 1997. We’ll meet tonight, I’m sure of it- the plan is solid. We need to, if we’re going to stay on schedule. Huòzhě zhìsh, women yīnggāi zhèyàng zuò (or at least, we should). Once we it’s started, I’ll leave him in Ming’s hands.
(She chuckles)
That’s a joke. Ming doesn’t have hands.
Theme Music. Titles:
ANNOUNCER
The Very Worst Thing That Could Possibly Happen, Part 1.
Crossfade into: the sound of loud partying, Chinese walla. Girls laugh and glasses clink and sometimes smash. Music is a cover of HEAD ON by Jesus and Mary Chain.
RAUL PABLO ARTEAGA (30’s, Colombian, affable but sad) is trying to help out his boss, MR WU, who’s passed out. A coworker, VINCENT (Chinese-American, 20’s) tries to help, but he’s pretty wasted.
RAUL
Mr Wu? Mr Wu, wake up! Ni bùnéng shuì zài zhèli, laoban (You can’t sleep here, boss)!
MR. WU
Gaaaahhhuuuhehehehehe.
Mr Wu GROANS drunkenly. There’s a giggle mixed into the incomprehensible slurring.
RAUL
Uh oh. Hey Vincent!! Vincent, get over here.
Vincent is across the room, his voice nearly lost in the drunken din.
VINCENT
(annoyed)
Dude! I’m kind of busy?!
RAUL
Its Mr Wu!
VINCENT
Aw shit.
(Off mic)
Děng yīxià, baobèi. Wo mashàng huílái. (Hold on one sec, babe. I’ll be right back).
A woman GIGGLES, then a beat passes as Vincent makes his way closer to Raul. Then:
RAUL
He’s out cold.
VINCENT
Mr Wu? Mr Wu!! Time to wakey wakey!!
RAUL
Mr Wu! Come on, now. Mr Wu??
VINCENT
Méiyǒu rén zàijiā (no one’s home) No hay nadie en casa.
RAUL
Fuck. We gotta get him back to the hotel.
VINCENT
We do? I thought we were going to Madame Tsang’s after this? Woo woo!
RAUL
Jesus, Vinny. You can go to the whore house after we deal with this, alright? Just help me get him in a cab. Is there a cab outside?
VINCENT
Oh yeah, Mr Wu always keeps a cab waiting.
RAUL
He does?
VINCENT
Yeah. He’s a fucking baller.
RAUL
Give me a hand.
EFFORTS as they lift Mr Wu.
VINCENT
Dude, he weighs like 12 pounds. You don’t need help.
RAUL
Yeah I’ve got him. I’ll see you later. Come on, Mr Wu. Let’s get you home.
VINCENT
Yeah brooooo! Where’s my girlfriend? Girlfriend!? Bella dama??! Měinu péngyou? Ni zài nali? (Beautiful lady friend? Where are you?)
EXT. STREET IN CHANCHUN, 1997 - CONTINUOUS
The sound of the party recedes as we walk through an entryway and out onto the street.
RAUL
Ni you kòng ma?？You free? Yeah?
CAB DRIVER
For Mr Wu.
A car door opens, and Raul pushes Mr Wu into the cab and gets in.
RAUL
(with efforts)
Mr Wu is a little tired.
The door closes.
CAB DRIVER
Happens.
RAUL
The Radisson. You know it?
CAB DRIVER
Of course.
The CAB DRIVER (50’s, confident and a bit snarky, like JK Simmons but middle eastern or eurasian accent) is silent, but the CAR PULLS OFF.
CAB DRIVER
You like BBC? I listen to learn English.
RAUL
Yeah. No, not really. Its kind of depressing.
CAB DRIVER
What’s ‘depressing’?
RAUL
Sad. Makes you sad.
CAB DRIVER
What you got to be sad about?
RAUL
Good question.
CAB DRIVER
I know.
The Cab Driver turns on the radio. Its BBC news from 1997 about the protests in Hong Kong. A smart-sounding FEMALE BBC ANNOUNCER reads the news in a proper english accent.
BBC NEWS
Good evening, its March 15, 1997, and this is the BBC world service. Protests in Hong Kong have been intensifying as the return of the island to mainland China, scheduled for next year, looms large on the horizon...
The car sounds fade down into the background, and we hear the subtle scribbling of a pen on paper.
RAUL VO
(Raul’s VO is always filled with a quiet, forlorn sadness.)
Dear Sara, I’m not much of a letter writer, so please, forgive me if this is clumsy. Mostly I’m curious to see if this works at all, if this letter can actually find you, as far away as you are.
Beat.
RAUL VO
My name is Raul Pablo Arteaga. I live in Hong Kong, but I was born in Colombia, so I’m far away too, I guess. I’m a consultant for Chinese companies who export goods to the West--
Scratches that out. NOTE: he’s writing this letter at AAA Mailboxes, the final scene of this episode. So we hear Raul close and Kate far away during the interruption, but when the scene plays again, we hear him far away and Kate close up.
RAUL
(mutters to himself)
Why the fuck would she care about that?
KATE
What?
RAUL
Nothing! Just talking to myself.
RAUL VO
(Continues)
Your book... it means a lot to me. Perhaps its weird to say that about a book that’s... well its not obscene, not at all... but its very erotico. I first read it when I was college, and it got me. After I read it, I felt like I knew you- I mean, its so personal, who wouldn’t? But also it made me... miss something. I was suddenly aware that there was a gap in my life, and nothing would ever fix it. That sounds pretty sad. Well, I guess it is.
The SFX of the cab ride and the BBC news start to fade back in slowly.
RAUL VO
And I didn’t even try. This broken feeling- its just there. But I should tell you about that night in Manchuria, when my boss got drunk and passed out, and the cab driver dropped me off at a brothel called Madame Tsang’s.
The car pulls over.
CAB DRIVER
We’re here. I take him home. You go inside.
RAUL
What?
CAB DRIVER
I take Mr Wu home, don’t worry. You go here- in there.
RAUL
That place?
CAB DRIVER
Yeah. Mr Wu paid. All paid. Go.
RAUL
I can’t just leave him.
CAB DRIVER
I do this every time he come to Changchun. No worry. This mean he had a fun time! Go! Very good time. All paid. Go!
RAUL
Are you sure?
CAB DRIVER
Yes!
RAUL
Ok, ok, but if anything happens...
CAB DRIVER
Nothing happen. Go, she wait for you.
RAUL
Who?
CAB DRIVER
Too many question. I charge extra.
RAUL
Ok, alright, fine. Give me your card- you have a card?
CAB DRIVER
Here.
RAUL
If anything happens...
(speaking Chinese)
Wo huì zhaodào ni de (I’ll find you).
CAB DRIVER
(in Chinese)
Oh you speak Chinese?
RAUL
(in English)
Yes, I speak Chinese.
CAB DRIVER
(in English)
Stop fucking worrying so much and go. For fuck’s sake, man.
Raul exits the cab, walks across the sidewalk and enters a bar as the taxi drives away.
INT. MADAME TSANG'S GARDEN, CHANGCHUNG MANCHURIA, 1997
A few people mingle by the bar. Ai greets Raul warmly.
AI
May I help you?
RAUL
I’m not sure. Mr Wu--
AI
Raul? You’re Raul.
RAUL
Uh, yeah. Yes.
AI
Come with me, please.
They walk up some stairs and into a quiet room. You can still hear the dull thump of the activity downstairs through thin walls. Raul’s voice over drifts over the top of this.
RAUL
I’m sorry- what’s your name?
AI
My name is Ai.
RAUL
Its nice to meet you, Ai.
AI
Nice to meet you, too, Raul. Here. I was told you like this.
A mini-fridge door opens and the cap is pried off a bottle, which is poured into a glass.
RAUL
Huh. Yeah, its my favorite.
AI
Cheers.
RAUL
Cheers.
They clink glasses. You would barely notice that dull thumping of activity downstairs is fading out into beautiful blank room tone.
RAUL
Forgive me, but I’m a bit confused. I think Mr Wu was supposed to come but he--
AI
He got drunk and passed out.
RAUL
Yes.
AI
Every time! That man does not know how to hold his liquor.
RAUL
Yeah that’s true. Last time we closed a big deal, he took us all out, and he was standing there- hammered - giving a speech, and just started to pee. Like, he didn’t even know it was happening.
AI
Ew. Oh no!
RAUL
He finished his speech though. With a big stain on pants. Standing in a puddle.
AI
Not a good look.
RAUL
No.
AI
What did you do?
RAUL
We tried to find him some pants, but... who goes out to dinner with extra pants?
AI
No one.
RAUL
Right? So, it was either give him my pants or send him home.
AI
So you...?
RAUL
Sent him home.
AI
Completely understandable.
RAUL
I thought so. Maybe I was less gallant than I could have been. What, uh...
He taps on a pane of glass.
RAUL
What’s up with the snake? Is this your pet?
AI
Oh no, not a pet! He’s my friend! He’s your friend too- look, he likes you.
RAUL
How can you tell?
AI
He told me.
RAUL
You talk to snakes?
She ignores the question and comes closer to Raul.
AI
Dance with me.
RAUL
Pardon?
AI
Dance with me!
RAUL
There’s no music.
AI
Of course there is. Come here.
Now they’re whispering in each other’s ears as they sway. A ghostly music rises around their ankles like a fog. [THE ENVELOPE is the name of the cue].
RAUL
Is this your room?
AI
No. I mean, yes, this is my room HERE. But I have many rooms. I don’t live here.
RAUL
And what do you do, exactly? Besides dance with strangers?
AI
I work for the postal service.
RAUL
(laughs)
You’re a postman?! Post-person, I mean.
AI
Sort of. Weird, right?
RAUL
Not what I was expecting.
AI
Don’t expect things, that’s a bad habit.
RAUL
True. That’s not a problem I have, generally. Maybe the opposite.
AI
What do you mean?
RAUL
I just... I feel like life is so weird, you can’t really get worked up about it. Its exhausting.
AI
And if you react, if you freak out, it only makes things worse.
RAUL
Ha. That’s it. Exactly.
AI
Do you know the story of Shamat and Inkidu?
RAUL
(almost laughs)
Yeah, no. I don’t think so.
AI
Its pretty obscure. I’m not surprised.
RAUL
Are you going to tell me?
AI
No. I don’t need to. Besides, its not good to get too friendly with customers.
RAUL
Telling me a story is getting too friendly?
AI
I’m not going to tell you a story, Raul. I’m going to put you to sleep.
A light kiss.
RAUL
Put me to sleep?
AI
Yeah. So you can dream.
They speak quietly now.
RAUL
I think I may be dreaming right now.
AI
No, you’re not.
A kiss again. Their voices get quieter and quieter.
RAUL
How are you going to put me to sleep?
AI
I’m going to make love to you three times.
She kisses him.
AI
I’m going to make love to you three times and then you’ll be asleep. But put this in your pocket first, so you don’t lose it.
A slip of paper is folded.
RAUL
What’s this?
AI
Its an address, silly. See?
RAUL
For what?
AI
A mailbox. I told you, I’m a postman!
Music fades up, gently.
RAUL VO
She pushed me back onto the bed, and stood back a few a steps as she took off her dress. I’ve never seen a woman more beautiful in my life, it took the breath out of my lungs. A willow of a girl. Her breasts were small, and pointed slightly up. Her hair was black and long, shining in the dim light. She was totally unashamed, just standing there, naked. Such power in that, you know? She took one delicate finger and scooped her long black hair behind an ear, the little gold earring sparkling, and she smiled at me.
AI
Will you take off your clothes, too?
RAUL
Yes. Yes I definitely will.
SFX clothes rustling.
RAUL VO
She laid down, one long leg draped over me. My arms felt stronger than they ever had before, wrapped around her waist. I picked her up, like it was nothing, and put her on top of me, so I could see her. And then she put me inside her, and the world unfolded, it changed into something new, where time and space- all the things you can count and measure- they don’t mean a fucking thing.
Raul makes a sound as she slides him inside of her.
AI
(sweetly, but full of sorrow)
Oh. Oh, Raul.
RAUL
What is it?
AI
You’ve never been in love.
RAUL
Are you crying?
AI
No.
That’s a lie.
RAUL
Don’t. Why?
AI
For you.
She moves her hips on top of him.
RAUL
(under his breath)
Oh fuck.
AI
For you.
They start making love a bit more forcefully.
RAUL VO
Do you remember that scene in your book? When you made love to that woman and the snake watched you from its glass? It was EXACTLY like that, but I don’t know how it could be... maybe some echo of your life reverberates here, in mine?
Beat. Behind the VO they continue to make love.
RAUL VO
She did what she said she was going to do. She made love to me three times. And each time was like an act in a play. The first time: tentative and full of introductions. The second, loud and hungry and wild. And the third time, it was like we’d been lovers for years. Like we’d never get to feel each other again- full of sadness and star-crossed love.
They come, and then the music plays out and stops. Sheets rustle. Raul is alone:
RAUL VO
Then I fell asleep, and when I woke up, she was gone.
RAUL
Ai? Ai, are you here? Hello? Ni zài ma? Ni qù na'er? (Are you there? Where did you go?)
SFX of Raul putting on clothes and going out the door, down the stairs, and out on to the street.
EXT. STREET IN CHANCHUN MANCHURIA, 1997
A CAR HORN beeps. The Cab Driver yells through his window.
CAB DRIVER
Taxi?
RAUL
Yeah, please.
CAB DRIVER
The Radisson?
RAUL
Oh, its you. Don’t you ever get a day off?
CAB DRIVER
Nope, not really.
The door closes and the cab drives off. The same cue comes in and transforms into:
INT. SARA'S OFFICE, PARIS 1959
SFX the same analog click and futz we heard at the beginning:
TROTSKY VO
Red Hand 5307 reporting. Paris Central, March 15, 1959. I’ve been tailing her, as instructed. No contact yet. There’s a new piece on the board, though. The Postman is here.
We crossfade into the sound of a busy office in Paris, 1959. TYPEWRITERS clack, heels walk across wooden floors. SARA CLOUTIER is the head Executive Secretary of a small financial firm. Sara has her own office, and you can hear the SWISH! FOOOMPH! of pneumatic tubes delivering documents from the mail room below.
A door knock on the open office door. CLAIRE LACHANCE, mid-20’s, Asian, enters. (Claire is AI, same actress, same accent).
CLAIRE
Ms. Cloutier, I’m done.
SARA
Oh hi, Claire. With everything? The letters for Mssr. Maçon?
CLAIRE
Yes. Sorry to keep you late.
SARA
Oh its nothing. Let’s see.
She looks over the typing.
SARA
Good! This is perfect. For your first week this is great. Let’s get monsieur to sign them.
They take a few steps and knock on a door.
SARA
Mssr. Maçon? Monsieur?? Strange, I know he’s in there.
She opens the door a bit and then stops, whispering.
SARA
Oh, he fell asleep on the couch! He must’ve have staid out too late last night.
(Whispers)
Claire! Where are you going?!
CLAIRE
(whispering)
To put his coat on him- we don’t want him to catch cold!
They tip toe out of the room and shut the door, laughing quietly.
SARA
You must think we run a very strange office!
CLAIRE
Ha! No, no not at all. Sometimes you get tired, its good to rest. Its healthy.
SARA
Is that the Chinese way?
CLAIRE
No! My parents would say: Kāishǐ gōngzuò! Get to work!’ But I think if you’re tired, you should take a rest... Its natural, no?
SARA
Well, thank you, Claire. Have a good evening.
CLAIRE
I’m sorry again for making you stay late- would you let me make it up to you? Maybe a drink?
SARA
Oh that’s very nice! But tonight’s no good.
CLAIRE
That’s a shame, I’m going to a party in Montparnasse tonight with a bunch of artists. Well, they think they’re artists... They just drink a lot and listen to loud music.
A pneumatic tube pops out. FOOMPH!
CLAIRE
Ah! That scared me!
SARA
You get used to it.
CLAIRE
Its like being bombed by little plastic tubes! Don’t you have a mail clerk to bring the mail from downstairs?
SARA
We used to, but this is so fast! And modern! I love it-- excusez moi.
A phone rings. Sara picks it up.
SARA
(into the phone)
Hello?...Ah Jean, but... Ok give me the address...
(quieter)
This is a pain, Jean! Its so far--... ok, if you say so... à bientôt.
She replaces the receiver.
CLAIRE
It uses air, yes?
SARA
What?
CLAIRE
The little tubes with the mail?
SARA
Yes. Pneumatique, its called-- Whoa!
FOOMPH! A canister gets shot a little too hard and CLATTERS to the floor.
CLAIRE
Oh! A little too much spin on that one! Here you go.
SARA
Merci.
POP as she opens it.
SARA
Huh.
CLAIRE
What is it?
SARA
Its just a bit a strange- a letter for me. From... Hong Kong? And there’s no stamp.
CLAIRE
(back to the party)
Well, look, if for some reason your plans change, here’s the address.
She scribbles on a piece of paper.
SARA
Oh I don’t think--
CLAIRE
Put it in your purse. Just in case! You never know what will happen! Good night Ms. Cloutier.
SARA
Goodnight.
Footsteps. The office door closes.
EXT. PARIS STREET, 1959 - MOMENTS LATER
SARA
(calling loudly)
Taxi!
A car door opens. Its the same Cab Driver that is in Manchuria, and throughout the show.
CAB DRIVER
Bon soir.
SARA
Bon soir, monsieur. 31 Rue Petrarque, please. Near the cemetery.
CAB DRIVER
Of course, mademoiselle.
They start to drive.
CAB DRIVER
You mind if I listen to the radio? I’m trying to learn English.
SARA
Good for you!
CAB DRIVER
I know right? Good for me.
BBC NEWS
Good Evening, its March 15, 1959. Newly elected French president Charles de Gaulle is under pressure to calm the political environment in Algiers, as the populace pushes for independence from France with increasing street protests and erratic terrorist attacks...
Crossfade to the cab arriving.
CAB DRIVER
Here you are.
SARA
Merci.
She steps out of the cab. JEAN calls from a window above.
JEAN
Sara! Sara up here!
SARA
(whisper shouting)
Jean! Don’t yell! People live around here!
JEAN
Come up! The door’s open.
INT. PARIS APARTMENT, 1959 - MOMENTS LATER
She goes into the apartment building, it cuts to her walking into the flat. Her voice echoes in the huge empty rooms.
SARA
Jean? Jean where are you?
JEAN
In here!
Footsteps. Jean is closer now.
JEAN
So, what do you think?
SARA
Of what? And why are we here? The restaurant is--
JEAN
What do you think of this apartment? OUR new apartment?
SARA
Oh Jean. Jean you didn’t!
JEAN
I certainly did. Isn’t it beautiful? And look, look at this view.
SARA
(breathless)
Its so pretty! Its...
JEAN
You can see the Trocadero!
SARA
And the cemetary.
JEAN
Well, yes but you know there’s a beautiful statue in there- you can’t see it at night I guess. Its by Dunkowski, its called ‘the Soul Escaping the Body.’
SARA
The apartment is beautiful, Jean. I can’t imagine how expensive it was.
JEAN
VERY. Very expensive. But its part of the plan, no? A nice apartment, for us, with room for kids... This is our plan, Sara. Yours and mine.
SARA
You really do have it all mapped out, don’t you?
JEAN
Bien sur! I always have a plan. Its my expertise.
(Suddenly)
Oh! Don’t walk on the carpets!
SARA
Don’t walk on the carpets? What--
JEAN
Please, they’re very special. Just, walk around the edges of the room, ok?
SARA
That’s a pain...
JEAN
Please? For me?
SARA
(unsure)
Ok, I guess.
She walks a bit in the empty apartment, and calls back from a distance.
SARA
Its a funny shape, no?
JEAN
What?
SARA
The apartment, it’s like a slice of cake- gâteau de tranche.
JEAN
I like it, though. More windows!
SARA
A room with three corners.
JEAN
What?
SARA
Nothing. Oh the bathroom is great!
JEAN
Huge, right?
Footsteps as he walks further away. She turns on the water in the tap, and then turns it off. Faintly, in the drain, we hear the conversation of Raul and Ai in the room at Madame Tsang’s.
RAUL (THROUGH DRAIN)
What’s that?
AI (THROUGH DRAIN)
Its an address, silly. See?
RAUL (THROUGH DRAIN)
For what?
AI (THROUGH DRAIN)
A mailbox. I told you, I’m a postman!
SARA
Uh oh, Jean. I think we can hear the neighbors. Jean?
SARA VO
Dear Raul, thank you for your letter. I’m only reading it now, on Sunday morning, though this weekend that just passed... well, it changed everything. It started with Friday evening, when I met my fiancee Jean at the apartment he’d just bought for us. Mind you, he didn’t ask me, first. Typical for him. And then I was in the bathroom when I saw them on the floor, by the bath tub. I knew what they were, immediately: a pair of women’s underpants. And not mine. Definitely not mine. I picked them up, carefully, like a policeman collecting evidence. Jean was always an asshole, but courteous to a fault.
JEAN
(from distance)
Now if we can just figure out when the wedding is, we can get this show on the road! Sara? Sara my love?
Footsteps, slow and steady.
SARA
You forgot to clean up after your girlfriend, Jean.
JEAN
What are those? Oh. Oh Sara, listen this is--
SARA
(in french)
Asshole.
JEAN
Sara, no. I don’t know whose those are!
SARA
You’re fucking liar, Jean. Which I knew- I fucking knew it!
JEAN
Sara where are you going? Stop! Be sensible!
SARA
That’s exactly what I’m doing.
A door slams. We stay with Jean.
JEAN
(yelling out the window)
Sara, please come back! Parlons-en - ce n'était rien!
SARA
(distant)
Taxi! Taxi!
A phone receiver is picked up, a number dialed on an old rotary phone.
JEAN
(frustrated while dialing)
Fuck.
(Someone answers)
This is reporting. Yes, I’ll wait... Director? Yes its Jean, Red Hand 1216. We have a problem.
EXT. CITY STREET IN PARIS, 1959 - MOMENTS LATER
A car door closes, as Sara gets in a cab. Its our CAB DRIVER again.
CAB DRIVER
Where to, young lady?
SARA
(crying)
I don’t know.
CAB DRIVER
You ok?
SARA
(angry)
No!! Sorry. Just drive. Please.
CAB DRIVER
Yeah, ok. No problem.
The car starts driving.
CAB DRIVER
Where would like to go? We should get you somewhere happy, yeah?
SARA
(laughs through her tears)
Where’s that?
CAB DRIVER
I don’t know. You like music? A concert? Or a party, maybe?
SARA
Oh! Oh, here. Hold on.
She finds the paper in her purse.
SARA
Take me here, please. Montparnasse. Its a party.
CAB DRIVER
Good. A party is a good idea.
The car starts to drive. The cab driver clicks on the radio.
BBC NEWS
Good evening, This the BBC world service. Its 10 o’clock, March 15, 1959. Discussions between President de Gaulle and the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic have been called off. "The problem of a cease-fire in Algeria is not simply a military problem", said the GPRA's Ferhat Abbas. "It is essentially political, and negotiation must cover the whole question of Algeria."
The radio fades out.
INT. TAXI, CHANGCHUN, 1997 - DAWN
SFX crossfades to a different cab ride, in 1997. The car slows.
CAB DRIVER
Here we go. Radisson.
RAUL
Thanks. What do I owe you?
CAB DRIVER
Mr Wu paid. All paid.
RAUL
(in Chinese)
Cool. Thanks.
CAB DRIVER
No problem.
The car door opens. Raul gets out.
CAB DRIVER
Hey. Don’t forget your snake!
RAUL
What?
CAB DRIVER
Your snake? Don’t leave that thing in here, man. Snakes scare the shit out of me.
RAUL
That’s not mine.
CAB DRIVER
Yeah it is- you were carrying it when you got in.
RAUL
I was?
CAB DRIVER
Yeah! Take it.
RAUL
I don’t want it.
CAB DRIVER
Take the fucking snake! I’m not dealing with that thing. Ew.
INT. HIGH SPEED TRAIN TO HONG KONG, 1997 - EVENING
SFX of the high speed train fade in.
RAUL VO
It takes 12 hours to get back to Hong Kong by train. The desolate suburban construction sites and the endless fields... repeating and echoing each other like threads in a giant tapestry. I had this feeling, Sara- I think you know it. Its the feeling you have the day after you’ve had sex with someone for the first time. There’s a warmth and... what, pride maybe? A very slow ache and... joy? I drank a can of beer and ate a sandwich, looking at the very unremarkable snake sitting next to me, and felt good- happy, even, as the afternoon turned into night.
INT. PARTY IN MONTPARNASSE APARTMENT - LATER
A party in a cramped apartment in Montparnasse. Music is a cover of LOVESONG by The Cure (upbeat version, sung in French).
Claire, Sara and CHARLIE (a woman in her late 20’s) are practically yelling to be heard over the noise.
CLAIRE
Sara? Sara! You came! Oh that’s wonderful!
SARA
My dinner ended early, and it was near by, so...
CLAIRE
Ended early?
SARA
Don’t ask.
CLAIRE
Wine. We need wine. Charlie!! Charlie stop flirting, that girl doesn’t like you. Come meet my friend, Sara!
CHARLIE
(from a distance)
No, my love, come back! We were talking!
(beat, then closer, to Claire)
Ugh you’re such a bitch.
Two kisses, one on either cheek.
CHARLIE
Hello Sara, so nice to meet you. My god, you’re beautiful.
SARA
Oh, thank you. It’s nice to meet you, Charlie.
CLAIRE
Sara had a fight with her fiancee, so we’re going to take a bottle of your wine and go up to the roof.
CHARLIE
Oh! A fight with a lover! This is good, this is how we know we’re alive!! Come with me, both of you-- I have a bottle in my room. I had to hide the good stuff from these vagrants.
They make their way through the living room- it’s shoulder to shoulder, people dancing and drinking and endless cigarettes.
CHARLIE
Excusez moi. Pardon. Excusez.
A door opens and:
CHARLIE
Hey you two!! This my room not yours!
RANDOM LOVER NUMBER 1
sorry, sorry, we just…
RANDOM LOVER NUMBER 2
Oh such shit timing, Charlie! Come, join us!!
CHARLIE
Mmmm perhaps.
RANDOM LOVER NUMBER 2
That’s a good idea, actually.
CHARLIE
I have some glasses somewhere…
CLAIRE
We’ll take that. Merci.
She gives him a kiss.
SARA
Merci, Charlie.
CHARLIE
De rien!! Now, make room love birds, I’m coming in.
CLAIRE
Come, Sara, follow me.
They go up a flight of stairs and out onto the roof top. The music fades into the distance.
EXT. ROOFTOP IN PARIS, 1959 - MOMENTS LATER
They take a few steps as the door closes behind them.
CLAIRE
So tell me.
SARA
About what?
CLAIRE
About the fight!
SARA
No, no--
CLAIRE
I can tell you were crying.
SARA
Yes.
Beat.
CLAIRE
I don’t like the idea of you being sad.
SARA
I don’t think I am. I’m not sure.
CLAIRE
What did he do?
SARA
I don’t want to talk about it--
Sara starts crying.
CLAIRE
That bad? Oh its ok, come here.
The tears turn to anger.
SARA
Why do I even fucking care?! He isn’t kind, not really. He has a system that he follows, and it looks like kindness. But its not real.
(A laugh)
He’s a psychopath, I think.
CLAIRE
They’re everywhere. It can be very hard to spot them.
SARA
So true.
CLAIRE
Here, your mascara is running.
SARA
I must look like a mess.
CLAIRE
The opposite. You always look put together. I mean at the office. Your cute business suits and perfect make up... But now, with your hair a little messy, and your make up streaking from tears...
She whispers:
CLAIRE
Now you are the most beautiful woman in the world, and I can’t stop thinking about kissing you.
SARA
(whispers)
You... you want to kiss me?
The music fades up again, very slowly.
CLAIRE
Yes. May I?
SARA
I...
They kiss. It doesn’t stop. They keep kissing until they’re breathing hard and getting too hot.
CLAIRE
Come home with me.
SARA
I can’t. I can’t, can I?
CLAIRE
You are coming with me.
SARA
I’m coming with you.
Music. Cut to
INT. CLAIRE’S APARTMENT, PARIS, 1959, - MOMENTS LATER
Keys in a bowl, shoes kick off. Coats are dropped. Claire and Sara are kissing.
CLAIRE
(between kisses)
Do you want wine?
SARA
Yes.
(Kiss)
No.
(Kiss)
I don’t care.
CLAIRE
I’ll get some wine.
SARA
Ok.
Claire walks to the kitchen. Sara talks to herself.
SARA
What are you doing, Sara?
CLAIRE
(from a distance)
What’s that?
SARA
Nothing. I’m asking myself what I’m doing.
Footsteps. Claire returns.
CLAIRE
Ha. Hopefully you have no idea.
SARA
I don’t.
CLAIRE
Are you sleepy?
SARA
No.
CLAIRE
Come to bed.
A few footsteps into another room.
CLAIRE
Can I kiss you again?
SARA
Yes.
They get on the bed.
CLAIRE
Is this ok?
SARA
Yes.
CLAIRE
Put your hands on me. Please.
SARA
Oh my god. You’re so soft.
A moment as Sara explores Claire’s skin. Claire takes off her dress.
CLAIRE
Here. Please. Please touch me.
SARA
Like this?
CLAIRE
Slow. Slower.
Claire reacts to being touched, kisses Sara harder.
SARA
(so unsure)
Do you... want my mouth?
CLAIRE
Yes.
Sara goes down on her.
CLAIRE
Yes, there. Like that.
Sara makes Claire come in her mouth.
SARA
You are so beautiful when you come.
Claire is still breathing hard. She laughs at this, just slightly. Then a kiss, then:
CLAIRE
Lie down. I want to do it to you now.
Sara’s breathing and moaning become regular, in a specific tempo, growing louder. Slowly, the sounds of machinery fade in beneath her, a concert of ecstasy and industry.
SARA
I’m going to come. Oh fuck. I’m coming!
SFX crossfades into construction sounds on a city street in Hong Kong.
EXT. STREET IN HONG KONG, 1997 - AFTERNOON
The sound of the street surrounds us, we hear footsteps, then the footsteps stop. We hear someone pulling on a locked door. A BUZZER rings. The lock buzzes, and the door opens.
INT. AAA MAILBOXES INTERNATIONAL INC - CONTINUOUS
Its quiet. There’s a fan. The door bell JINGLES as Raul enters. KATE calls from the backroom. Kate is actually CHEUNG YUET, which when written could mean “to shoot an arrow at the moon.” She’s 17.
KATE
I’m coming!!
RAUL
Hi. Uh, someone-- this old guy-- gave me this address.
KATE
What’s the number?
RAUL
What?
KATE
She gave you a box number, right?
RAUL
It was an old guy, up in Manchuria, he...
KATE
There’s no old guy, I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you’re here, its because SHE gave you the address and a mailbox number. Why do guys always lie about this?
RAUL
Well... ok, yeah. She gave me the address.
He fishes for the slip of paper.
KATE
What box number?
RAUL
2545.
KATE
2545?
RAUL
Yeah.
KATE
Hang on.
She goes to the back.
KATE
Here’s your key.
RAUL
Key to what?
KATE
To your mailbox.
RAUL
Ok. What do I need a mailbox for?
KATE
Probably so you can get your mail.
RAUL
I already get--
KATE
Go open up the box. Go on. Should be a name and an address in there.
Raul uses the key and opens a mailbox.
KATE
What does it say?
RAUL
Sara Cloutier. 32 Rue Petrarque, Paris.
KATE
If I had to guess, that’s someone you’d like to write a letter to?
RAUL
Well, yeah. She’s a writer, she wrote my favorite book. Its weird, I was just thinking about her--
KATE
(interrupts)
Blah blah I don’t care. But, if you bring me a letter, I’ll send it for you. And if she writes back, it’ll be in there.
RAUL
But...
KATE
But what?
RAUL
She’s dead. She’s a french writer from the sixties. She died thirty years ago.
KATE
According to you.
RAUL
Well, no, I mean, according to everyone. The world. The internet.
KATE
Well if its on the internet. I mean, you can’t fuck with that.
RAUL
I don’t understand.
KATE
Its simple. You can write her a letter. We’ll deliver it. And she can write you back. BUT, I’m guessing Ai didn’t discuss the stamp situation?
RAUL
The...what?
KATE
Right. You should be aware of the stamp situation.
RAUL
I need stamps to write a dead person?
KATE
Yep. There’s a cost.
RAUL
How much?
KATE
A pound.
RAUL
Like, a British pound?
KATE
No.
RAUL
What?
KATE
A pound. A pound of flesh. A pound of YOU. That’s what it costs. Just, you know, FYI.
RAUL
Ok. Thanks.
KATE
The hours are posted on the door. Don’t come after hours, ok? I live in the back and its just super annoying.
RAUL
Yeah. Ok. So, I can I write her now?
KATE
Yeah, sure.
RAUL
Ok. Thanks. I think.
KATE
Don’t mention it. I mean, you could, but... who would believe you?
RAUL VO
Sara, you have to forgive me for being so naive, or gullible, or whatever the hell it is, that I would STILL, after that utterly insane encounter, sit down and write you a letter! A letter that is supposed to cost me a pound of flesh to send!
RAUL
(mutters to himself)
Why the fuck would she care about that?
KATE
What?
RAUL
Nothing! Just talking to myself.
RAUL VO
Sara, please write back. If your letter can find me here, then I think we have a lot to talk about.
All the best,
Raul
RAUL
Here, I’m done.
KATE
Ok. Go stand on that scale. The big metal thing, on the floor?
RAUL
Here?
His feet clank on a big aluminum plate.
KATE
Yup. Stand still.
A machine turns on, like an industrial vacuum cleaner.
RAUL
(yelling over the sound)
What’s that?!
KATE
Lift up your shirt! Just hold this tube over your stomach!
RAUL
Ow!
KATE
(yelling)
Yeah, this is gonna hurt!
RAUL
What?!!!
KATE
Nothing!!!
SLURRRRRPPPPP PHUMPH.
RAUL
OWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!
END OF PILOT