TWO LIVING ROOMS, TWO DIFFERENT APARTMENTS - FRIDAY NIGHT
We are looking at two separate apartments. RHONDA's apartment is very messy, with clothes and leftover food everywhere, a corkboard hanging with zany photos of her and her friends pinned at all different angles. JASON's apartment is tidy. In his kitchen he has a noticeboard with "Shopping List ... Toothpaste, Pasta, Hand Cream, Soup for One (Potato and Leek) ... Each apartment has a full length mirror in the living room, a couch, coffee table, couple of chairs, TV and sound system etc. RHONDA and JASON are each sitting watching TV in their own apartment, still in work clothes, remote controls in hands, eating Take Away. Hers: KFC; His: Pizza. At the same time, they click to another channel on their TV. Wait a few seconds, pull a face of distaste at what's on, click to another show ... another show ... nothing suits. This is all in unison. Then the final click ... we hear it is a "Desperate Housewives" type of show. JASON again makes the "unhappy" face and turns off his tv / but RHONDA has finally found something she's interested in. She slumps down in her chair to watch. JASON stands up and loosens his tie. He's bored. RHONDA is glued to her TV show. JASON picks up his phone and starts dialling. Thinks better of it ... hangs up. JASON picks up a book ... lies on his couch to read. After a few seconds: RHONDA:(to TV) Oh please ... last week your best friend gave you her kidney to save your life ... now you're shlepping her husband in the tool shed?
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JASON:(to his book) Not enough science, and way too much fiction! RHONDA snaps off the TV as JASON closes his book. They each stand up, look at their watches at the same time: BOTH: 8.30 ! Great!! They each pick up their takeaway containers and go to their kitchens. JASON carefully puts his Pizza container in an area called "cardboard and plastic for recycling" on his bench; RHONDA carelessly throws her KFC container in her fliptop rubbish bin which is already overflowing. They each start to boil water for a coffee. While the water is boiling: RHONDA goes into her bedroom to get into her PJ's. She comes back out with the baggy bottoms of her male PJ's on, and a little singlet top. She's looking for her PJ's top. She rummages through piles of clothes in her living room till she finds it. As she picks it up, she is almost overcome with a sadness. She hugs the PJ top for a few seconds, then puts it on, brushing away her tears quickly. She can't go there. JASON comes out of his bedroom wearing the bottoms of his PJ's and a singlet. He goes to a hanger where he has hung his PJ top. He takes it off the hanger and puts it on. As he does so, he has a pang of memory, smells the PJ top for just a second, and puts it on quickly. He suppresses any emotion that wants to come to the fore. They both go to their kitchens and make their coffee in isolated unison. END OF FIRST PAGE |