JAMIE'S PLACE - MORNING
The place is a total pigsty. Everything looks dirty and there are beer cans everywhere, evidence of drug use, broken chairs lying on their sides, a cigarette burning on the table, etc. Loud, aggressive music plays, and there's a cigarette burning on a table. The door is open. It's obviously cold outside, and RICK approaches, dressed in a very warm coat and boots. His clothes look old and maybe even second hand. He looks as though he's seen a lot of partying in his young life. RICK is unsure whether he should be here or not. He pauses just before he reaches the door, and turns as though to walk away. He takes a small bottle of bourbon out of his coat, has a swig, puts it away, takes a big breath and braces himself: RICK: (to himself) Billy, help me here, bro. He turns back and walks up to the open door, knocks and calls out, trying to be heard over the music: RICK: Jamie! He rubs his hands to keep warm and looks around. RICK: (louder) Jamie! ... it's Rick. Still no response. RICK bangs loudly on the door. RICK: (yelling) Jamie! ... C'mon, man, it's fuckin' freezing out here. Nothing. RICK doesn't know what to do. The cold outside gets the better of him. He enters the flat, looks around for the source of the loud music ... sees the burning cigarette ... goes to put it out, but on second thoughts, has a few drags, then puts it out. He notices the drug paraphernalia. He turns off the music. RICK: Jamie? Still no answer. He picks up one of the broken chairs and looks around for the broken leg to screw back in ... he comes across a photo in a cheap frame, lying on the floor ... the photo is of himself and two other young men, arms around each other, wearing silly hats, holding up beers and laughing together - best friends. The glass over the photo is smashed. RICK is shaken by the image of the broken photo. He holds it for a few seconds. He has his back to the door when JAMIE appears. JAMIE is one of the other 2 men in the photo. But now he looks like shit ... hung over, stoned, unwashed, depressed ... and he's carrying a rifle. He has a haunted look of someone on a path of total self-destruction. He has bare feet, baggy shorts and a singlet on - he's numb even to the freezing cold weather. JAMIE observes RICK unnoticed, while RICK struggles with the image in the photo. JAMIE: (hollow voice) What the fuck do you want? RICK swings around, startled ... at first that anyone's there ... and then by JAMIE's appearance and the rifle. He tries to hide his shock. RICK: (trying to act casual) Christ aren't you freezing, dude? JAMIE ignores that. JAMIE: (referring to photo) Reliving old times? RICK: (holding up the photo towards him) The Three Musketeers. JAMIE: (bitterly) Yeah ... All for one and one for all. Well I sure shot a hole in that idea. (laughs) Oh - no - wait - it was your little brother I shot a hole in. That's right. END OF FIRST PAGE |