Popcorn

Chapter Thirteen

INTERIOR. NIGHT. THE LIVING AREA OF A RICH CALIFORNIAN HOME.

A beautiful but rather impersonal interior of vast white couches, glass and steel tables and shelves. Clearly whoever lives here had the place designed for them. Wayne and Scout stand in the middle of the room. Their cheap, dirty, bloodstained clothes are in stark contrast to the cold pastel colours that surround them. They are hot and high with excitement. They have recently broken in and Scout is staring in wonder at this opulence. They both carry machineguns and have more weapons hanging from them.

Cut from the wide to a mid two shot as Wayne kisses Scout tenderly on the forehead.

WAYNE

(Sudden exuberant shout)

Ain’t nothing like killing, Scout. I done it all in my time, stock cars, broncos, gambling, stealing and I am here to tell you that there ain’t nothing to touch the thrill of killing.

Closeup on Scout. Her eyes are closed; she is drinking in the atmosphere.

SCOUT

Don’t shout, Wayne. I was just enjoying the peace. Isn’t it a beautiful home? Don’t you just love the silk cushions and glass coffee tables and all?

Scout kicks off her shoes and walks about.

Closeup of her feet luxuriating in the thick carpet and rugs.

Pan up her legs. Her hands are against her thighs, playing nervously with her dress. She absently pulls the skirt up a little.

We see bruising on her thigh. Two shot Wayne and Scout.

WAYNE

You know why they have those glass coffee tables, precious? You want to know why they have them?

SCOUT

So’s they can put their coffee down, Wayne.

WAYNE

No it ain’t, baby. It’s so they can get underneath and watch each other take a dump.

Closeup on Scout, her jaw dropping in astonishment.

WAYNE

Yes it is, honey. I read that. It sure is.

Wide shot of room. Wayne has thrown himself on to a vast couch, his big booted feet up on the table under discussion. His comments have completely deflated Scout. She is very volatile; tears show in her eyes.

SCOUT

That is not so, Wayne! It is just not so and I do not want to hear about it just when everything is nice, you have to start on about people going to the bathroom on their coffee tables.

WAYNE

That’s the real world, honey. It’s weird. People are weird – they ain’t all nice like you and me. Aw c’mon, sugar, don’t feel bad. I feel good. Do you feel good, baby doll?

Scout’s moods change with alarming speed.

SCOUT

Yeah, I feel good, Wayne.

WAYNE

I always feel good after I kill a whole bunch of muthas. It’s like a pick me up, you know. They should make a commercial… like for Alka Seltzer.

Closeup on Wayne.

WAYNE

Feeling low? Dull? Shitty? Don’t waste a minute. Burn some muthafucka’s ass. You’ll feel great.

Pull out to two shot Wayne is laughing at his fantasy.

WAYNE

You know what Dr Kissinger said, baby?

SCOUT

You didn’t tell me you’d seen no doctor, honey.

Scout flops down beside Wayne on the couch. Her dress rides up; again we see the bruising, this time from Wayne ’s POV. He can not avoid seeing it. Embarrassed, Scout quickly pulls her skirt over it.

WAYNE

He wasn’t no real doctor, he was the Secretary of State. A powerful man, killed a whole lot more people than we ever will, not matter how hard we try. Well, you know what he said? He said that power was an aphrodisiac, which means it gets you horny.

SCOUT

I know what an aphrodisiac is, honey.

WAYNE

Well, you ain’t never gonna get more power over a person than when you kill them, so I guess killing is an aphrodisiac too.

SCOUT

I guess so, honey.

A joke occurs to Wayne. He sits up in excitement, which means he has to move the gun on his lap. Moving it makes a harsh metallic sound.

WAYNE

And get this, baby doll… if you kill a black guy, it’s an AfroAmericandisiac!

Wayne falls back, laughing, into the thick cushions. He makes himself more comfortable on the couch.

SCOUT

I don’t know what you’re talking about, honey, but you keep your dirty boots off that couch and be careful of all that blood on your pants. This is a nice house and I’ll bet the people who own it are real nice people and we don’t want to get no blood on their couch.

WAYNE

The blood is dry, pussycat. Blood dries real quick on account of it congeals. You know what, honey? If your blood didn’t congeal you could die from just one little pinprick.

SCOUT

I know that, Wayne.

WAYNE

And you would be what is known as a homophobic.

SCOUT

Honey, a homophobic is a person who does not approve of carnal knowledge between a man and a person of the same sex. I believe you’re thinking of a haemophiliac.

Sharp zoom in to closeup on Wayne. His change of expression is as fast as the camera movement. His face has turned from happy to sullen and sinister. Scout knows the signs.

Closeup on Scout, she attempts a casual smile.

Closeup on her hand, which is shaking.

Two shot.

WAYNE

(With illconcealed menace)

Is that so?

SCOUT

(A pitiable attempt to be casual)

Yes, honey, it is.

WAYNE

Is that so?

SCOUT

(Shaking now)

I believe it is, honey.

In a sudden lunge Wayne grabs Scout by the neck with one hand and, dropping the gun, pulls back his other hand, clenched into a fist and ready to strike.

WAYNE

And what d’you call a woman whose mouth is too damn smart, huh? A woman with a busted fucking lip, that’s what.

Wayne pushes Scout off the couch and on to the floor. She screams.

SCOUT

No! Please, Wayne, don’t!

Wayne drops off the couch on to Scout, straddling her on his knees. Again he grabs her neck, ready to strike. Closeup on his fingers digging into her neck.

Pan up from Wayne ’s fingers on Scout’s neck to closeup on her face, mouth gasping for air, eyes making a terrified mute appeal.

Scout’s POV of Wayne’s face directly above her, staring down, face contorted with fury.

WAYNE

You think I’m dumb, sugar? Is that it? Maybe we’d better see if your blood congeals!

Scout screams in terror.

Two shot. Wayne sits across Scout It seems that he will beat her. Instead he kisses her passionately. After a moment Scout returns the kiss and embraces him.

SCOUT

Oh honey, you scared me.

WAYNE

I know that, cotton candy. I love to scare you, because you’re just like a little bird when you’re scared.

Now it becomes sexual. Wayne stretches out on top of Scout and begins to kiss his way down her body.

WAYNE

(Through his kisses)

You like to live in a house like this, cotton candy?

SCOUT

Oh yeah, sure. Like I’m ever going to get the chance.

WAYNE

We’re living in it now, ain’t we honey? I’ll bet they’ve got a real big old bed up them stairs. Stairway to heaven.

Wayne is beginning to undo Scout’s dress.

WAYNE

How about it, cherry pie? How about we go upstairs and make some noise?

Scout pulls herself away and sits up.

SCOUT

I ain’t doing no stuff in no stranger’s bed, Wayne… Could be we’d catch Aids or something.

WAYNE

You can’t catch Aids offa no sheets.

SCOUT

If they’re dirty sheets, if they’re stained.

WAYNE

Honey plum, these people are millionaires, billionaires even. They ain’t going to have no stained sheets. Besides which, even if they did you couldn’t catch no Aids offa them ‘less you put them in the liquidizer and injected them directly into your body! Now I bet these people have satin and silk, and I do not often get the chance to fuck my little girl on satin and silk.

SCOUT

We do not…

(She spells it out)

… FUCK, we make love, and I don’t care if you’re coming at me from behind in the restroom of a greasy spoon, it’s still making love and if it ain’t making love we ain’t doing it no more because I do not fuck.

Wayne nuzzles up to Scout. Close two shot.

WAYNE

You’re right, honey, I stand corrected. And right now I’m just about bustin’ to make love your brains out. So come on, honey.

Wayne draws Scout to him. Her resistance is weakening. His lips are now at her ear. Close two shot.

WAYNE

Let’s have us a party. I’ll bet they’ve got a water bed and a mirror on the ceiling and everything… You know something, baby girl? When I get a hold of your ass, I guess I wouldn’t let go of it to pick up a hundreddollar bill and a case of cold beer.

SCOUT

Oh Wayne, you know I can’t resist your sweet-talking.

WAYNE

Well, you don’t have to, honey.

Wide shot.Wayne gets up and slings the various weapons over his shoulder. Then he gathers Scout up in his arms. We linger briefly on the tension in his impressive muscles. He carries her out of the room.