The Unbelievable Truth_1989

THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH
    Written by
    Hal Hartley Copyright © 2002, Shooting Script, 1989 Hal Hartley Action Features, US FADE IN:

EXT. HIGHWAY -- DAY
    Josh, a ruggedly handsome but preoccupied young man dressed entirely in black, is hitching a ride as he walks along the highway's edge. His clothes are old and faded. His shoes are worn out. He carries a black gym bag. He stops finally and turns out to the road, holding out his thumb. A car drives past him and pulls over to the side of the road. The car is smoking and making funny noises. The husband swings out of the car, cursing, while his wife and two children remain in the car. Josh walks over to the car, while the husband stomps his feet and pulls out his hair. Josh looks from the crazy man to... The wife and children, who stare out at him from the car, worried. Josh comes over, sets down his bag, and pops the hood. The husband stops and watches, alarmed, as Josh leans in over the engine and starts working. The severe-looking, black- clad stranger comes away and opens his bag. It's filled with tools. He takes out a wrench. The wife and children crane their necks and watch as... Josh works.

INT. CAR -- A LITTLE LATER
    The husband is happy. He drives along and smiles back at Josh in the back seat with the children.
    HUSBAND
    Excuse me, but... are you a priest?
    JOSH
    No. I'm a mechanic.
    HUSBAND
    Where're you headed?
    JOSH
    Home.
    HUSBAND
    Where're you coming from?
    JOSH
    (honestly)
    Prison.

EXT. HIGHWAY -- SAME TIME
    The car skids to a halt, then pulls over to the side of the road. Josh gets out. The car speeds away, leaving Josh alone on the shoulder. He looks around and waits patiently.

EXT. HIGHWAY -- LATER
    Josh is walking along again, turning to hitch when he hears a car approaching. The car slows down and stops. Josh runs up to it. The driver lowers the window, desperate and hunted.
    OTIS
    Where're you headed?
    JOSH
    Long Island.
    OTIS
    I ain't goin' that far!
    JOSH
    New York.
    OTIS
    Get in.

EXT. HIGHWAY -- DAY
    The car whizzes by and off into the distance.

EXT. ROADSIDE -- LATER
    The driver is leaning against the car, sipping a coffee as Josh works over the engine, checking the oil, and water, and so on...
    OTIS
    I'm beat. You wanna drive?
    JOSH
    (closes hood)
    I don't drive.
    He closes up his bag.
    OTIS
    (confused)
    What do you mean you don't drive?
    JOSH
    I don't have a license.
    OTIS
    (looks him over)
    Hey, are you a priest or something?
    JOSH
    I'm a mechanic.
    OTIS
    Yeah, that's what I thought. So how 'bout it?
    JOSH
    How 'bout what?
    OTIS
    You wanna drive?
    JOSH
    I don't drive.
    The driver is forced to accept this. He finishes his coffee, then slips a flask of bourbon out of his coat. He drinks and holds it out to Josh. I don't drink.

EXT. ROAD -- LATER
    The car speeds by and heads toward New York City.

EXT. CITY (WALL STREET) -- DAY
    The car pulls out of traffic and Josh gets out. He shakes hands with the driver and watches as he drives off. Josh looks around, overwhelmed. He is particularly struck by... The huge statue of George Washington that towers above him. He looks up at it in awe. DISSOLVE TO:

INT. VIC'S HOUSE (AUDRY'S ROOM) -- MORNING
    A big picture of George Washington. Camera tilts down to... Audry lying in bed. She is seventeen, very pretty, and lying awake. Beside her on the bed is a book titled The End of the World by someone called Ned Rifle. Morning light floods the room as... The alarm clock goes off. It's 7 a. m. Audry looks over at the clock, weary, and turns it off. She lies there a moment longer, then sits up in bed. She yawns deeply and it looks like she's about to stretch, but, with her arms, she mimics a huge nuclear explosion, slowly, dramatically, raising her arms up and out in the shape of a mushroom cloud.
    AUDRY
    (hugely) Kaboom!!!!
    When, finally, the last low rumblings of the explosion are through, Audry just sits there with her eyes closed, listening to the silence.

INT. KITCHEN -- A LITTLE LATER
    Liz sits at the table with an unlit cigarette. Her husband, Victor, sits at the table in mechanic's coveralls, reading the paper. Audry slouches in, apathetic and dressed entirely in black. She sits at the table and starts reading her book. All hell breaks loose.
    VIC
    (throws down his paper)
    Where the hell were you last night?
    AUDRY
    Out.
    VIC
    Where!
    AUDRY
    Walking.
    LIZ
    Audry, the high school called again yesterday.
    AUDRY
    Oh, yeah. I forgot to go to school yesterday. Sorry.
    LIZ
    Honey, you haven't gone to school all week.
    VIC
    How do you forget to go to school!
    AUDRY
    Pass the sugar, please.
    VIC
    (passes it)
    No college in the country is gonna accept you if you keep this up!
    AUDRY
    I don't want to go to college anyway.
    VIC
    Don't start, Audry!
    LIZ
    (disappointed)
    But, Audry, I thought you wanted to be a journalist; a TV anchor lady like that woman on the six o'clock news?
    AUDRY
    Why are you two so concerned about my college education? The world's going to blow up any day now anyway. It's hopeless. Give my college money to the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament.
    VIC
    Bunch of goddamn anarchists stuffing your head with a bunch of left-wing nonsense! You'll be going to college if I gotta drag you there myself! A person hasn't gotta chance in the world these days without a college education!
    Audry just peers at Vic from behind her shades. She turns and looks at Liz.
    LIZ
    (nods)
    I agree with your father, Audry.
    Audry looks back and forth between them, shakes her head hopelessly, and reaches into her jacket pocket. She pulls out an envelope and hands it to Liz.
    AUDRY
    I got accepted.
    Liz and Vic are taken back. Liz opens the envelope excitedly and reads. She screams happily.
    LIZ
    Oh, honey! Congratulations! Here, look, Vic!
    She hands him the letter and leans over to kiss Audry on the forehead. Vic looks over the letter and frowns in terror.
    VIC
    Harvard!
    AUDRY
    (dryly)
    It's a college.
    VIC
    It's expensive!
    LIZ
    You can't put a price tag on a thing like that, Vic.
    VIC
    You can put a price tag on anything, Liz!
    (to Audry)
    Didn't you apply anywhere else?
    AUDRY
    No.
    VIC
    (hopeless)
    I'm gonna be paying for this the rest of my life.
    LIZ
    Victor, aren't you proud of her?
    AUDRY
    I'm not going. We'll all be lucky if we're alive in September anyway.
    Vic pounds the table.
    VIC
    Shut up, you!
    VIC
    Of course you're going to college! It says right here in the paper that the present workforce between the ages of twenty-one and thirty-five are the most educated and highest paid in American history. That's what you have to contend with.
    AUDRY
    But, Dad, history is coming to an end.
    VIC
    (to Liz)
    What's she talking about?
    LIZ
    The end of the world. By the way, Vic, the washing machine is busted.
    VIC
    Audry, the world's not gonna end when there are so many people out there making so much money.
    (to Liz)
    What's this about the washing machine?
    LIZ
    It's busted.
    VIC
    We just got the damn thing. What's wrong with it?
    LIZ
    It just shoots water all over the place.
    AUDRY
    Mom, have you got any valium?
    VIC
    Hold on a minute! I wanna talk about this Harvard thing.
    AUDRY
    (sighs)
    Dad, I'm going to be late for school.
    VIC
    Bullshit!
    LIZ
    Vic!
    VIC
    (points at Audry)
    I hope you're saving the money you make working over there at Burger World.
    AUDRY
    I quit.
    VIC
    (outraged)
    What! When?
    AUDRY
    Oh, I don't know. A long time ago.
    LIZ
    (incredulous)
    But, honey, didn't you like working at Burger World?
    Audry looks at her mother blankly, then turns and looks at Vic. She lifts her book and reads aloud.
    AUDRY
    (Reads)
    `Let us consider some of the possible ways a person might die in a nuclear attack. He might be incinerated instantly by the fireball or the thermal pulse. He might be crushed to death by the blast wave. He might receive lethal radiation poisoning from the local fall-out. He might die of starvation because the economy had collapsed and no food was being grown. He might die of cold, for lack of heat or clothing, or of exposure, for lack of shelter. He might be killed by people seeking food or shelter which he had obtained. He might be killed by exposure to the sun, because the damaged ozone layer was no longer filtering out ultra-violet rays...'

EXT. STREET -- DAY
    Audry is walking to school with her boyfriend, Emmet. Emmet is wearing a dapper, well-cut, gray business suit and tie.
    AUDRY
    What's with the suit, Emmet?
    EMMET
    I just got it. You like it?
    AUDRY
    I think it's gross.
    EMMET
    I like it.
    AUDRY
    I told my parents I quit my job at Burger World.
    EMMET
    (not listening)
    You know, things are really looking up for me, Audry.
    AUDRY
    The school psychologist says I'm apathetic.
    EMMET
    The whole world out there in front of me and I'm ready for it.
    AUDRY
    I told him about the holes in the ozone layer and he didn't believe me.
    EMMET
    A man like me can go far and that's exactly what I plan to do.
    AUDRY
    Thousands of people across eastern Europe still experiencing lung complications because of Chernobyl and he's telling me how these should be the happiest years of my life.
    EMMET
    I'm going to take this world in my teeth, chew it up, and spit it back out again.
    AUDRY
    Emmet, we're on the brink of global extinction.
    EMMET
    The wheels of fortune are rolling in my direction.
    AUDRY
    Every night I go to bed dreaming about suicide. Then I feel ashamed and cry myself to sleep.
    EMMET
    And my friends all like you a lot. So do my parents. Nothing but opportunity, Audry. Me and you. What do you say?
    AUDRY
    (stops)
    Emmet, you're not even listening to me.
    EMMET
    Oh, yes I am. And I'll tell you quite frankly, Audry, I'm worried.
    AUDRY
    About what?
    EMMET
    About you.
    AUDRY
    Why?
    EMMET
    Well, because lately you seem so... you know, apathetic.
    AUDRY
    (moves on)
    Emmet, you're a dick.
    EMMET
    Oh, come on, Audry, don't be sore! I mean it. I'm worried.
    AUDRY
    You don't even listen to me when I'm talking!
    EMMET
    I do so! And you've been talking like a crazy person lately. Everybody says so. I mean, Audry, just look what you're wearing!
    AUDRY
    Look what you're wearing!
    EMMET
    Hey! This costs a hundred and eighty- five dollars!
    AUDRY
    Congratulations.
    EMMET
    Look, Audry, I know you've been a little mixed up lately.
    AUDRY
    I'm not mixed up. I'm depressed.
    EMMET
    Whatever...
    Audry stops and listens.
    AUDRY
    Shhh!
    EMMET
    (stops)
    What?
    AUDRY
    Listen.
    They listen.
    EMMET
    I don't hear anything.
    AUDRY
    You hear that?
    EMMET
    (strains)
    No.
    AUDRY
    (moves on)
    I thought I heard the bombs falling.
    EMMET
    What I'm trying to say, Audry, is that I don't want to lose you.
    AUDRY
    You've never had me, you idiot.
    EMMET
    (stops, worried)
    What do you mean?
    Audry goes a little further, stops, and looks at the pavement.
    AUDRY
    I don't know.
    (thinks, then...)
    Emmet... I don't want to go out with you any more.
    EMMET
    (confused)
    What?
    AUDRY
    You disgust me.
    EMMET
    (it's dawning on him)
    You mean... You mean you... You mean you don't...
    AUDRY
    I don't want you.
    Emmet is stunned.
    EMMET
    But, Audry...
    AUDRY
    Sorry.
    She turns and walks away. Emmet remains standing in the middle of the street, immobilized.

EXT. TRAIN STATION -- DAY
    The train pulls out of the station. Josh comes down the stairs to the street. He pauses and looks around. He sees... A woman -- Pearl -- coming up along the sidewalk. She's about twenty-five years old and kind of shy. Josh takes out his crushed package of cigarettes and pulls out the last one. He looks in the package to make sure it's really the last one, then crumples it up and shoves it back down in his pocket. He lights it and looks down at... His shoe. The sole is taped to the shoe. His toe is threatening to poke out the front. He sighs and looks up as... Pearl passes. She is looking at him, but looks down as she goes by. She looks up again and... Josh recognizes her just as... She stops and stares at him. Her mouth falls open. She's speechless.
    JOSH
    How are you, Pearl?
    No reaction. Pearl just stares at him. He waits a moment longer, then turns and starts away. Pearl passes out and collapses on the sidewalk. He sees Pearl go down and jumps to her aid.

INT. DINER -- MOMENTS LATER
    A sort of sleazy, good-looking, young hustler named Todd Whitbred is sitting at the counter. He makes the pretense of being distracted by a young woman sitting two stools away. Finally...
    TODD
    Excuse me for seeming so forward but, you know, you're really quite attractive.
    She just looks at him blankly...
    TODD
    No really, I mean it. You see, I'm a photographer.
    She still just stares... Have you ever thought about going into modeling? She stares at him a moment longer then, without a word, grabs her things and slides off her stool. Todd curses to himself.
    TODD
    (sotto)
    Shit. Too up-front. Gotta relax.
    The young woman goes out on to the street just as... Todd slides the girl's half-finished plate of eggs to him and starts to eat. Josh throws open the door and comes striding into the diner with Pearl in his arms. People at the counter jump up, alarmed, as... Josh comes right over and lies Pearl out on the counter. Plates, glasses, and silverware crash to the floor. Josh reaches over and takes somebody's glass of water. He splashes it in Pearl's face.
    JANE
    What happened?
    Pearl stirs. Jane, the waitress behind the counter, approaches cautiously, looking from Josh to Pearl.
    JOSH
    She passed out.
    They all look him over, then return their gazes to Pearl. Jane leans over Pearl and takes her by the shoulders.
    JANE
    Pearl? Hey, Pearl!
    Pearl snaps awake. Jane waits, then... Pearl leans up on her elbows and looks around.
    PEARL
    What happened?
    JANE
    You passed out. This man here brought you in.
    Pearl remembers and she looks up at Josh. He nods but keeps his distance. Pearl looks him in the eye.
    PEARL
    (finally)
    Hello, Josh.
    JOSH
    (careful)
    Hello.
    Jane takes off her apron and hands it to Pearl, then gives her the check book.
    JANE
    You're late again.
    PEARL
    (snaps out of it)
    Sorry.
    JANE
    (rushing away)
    I gotta go. See ya tomorrow.
    Pearl slides off the counter and straightens her dress. She steps in behind the counter and puts on the apron, all the while keeping a wary eye on Josh.
    PEARL
    (guarded)
    Thanks.
    JOSH
    Sure.
    He rubs his stomach and looks at... Todd's plate of eggs. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out two dimes and a penny. He swallows hungrily as he contemplates them. He looks up and... Pearl is preparing a cup of coffee before him on the counter. He looks from it to her and hesitates.
    PEARL
    How do you like your eggs?
    Just then, a big, robust man named Mike, with Josh's bag, dressed in the same type of coveralls as Vic Hugo, comes plowing into the diner.
    MIKE
    (to Josh, of bag)
    You belong to this?
    He stops, throws out his arms, and bellows expansively...
    MIKE
    (to Pearl)
    Pearl! Marry me!
    Pearl sighs and shakes her head.
    PEARL
    (irritated)
    No!

EXT. STREET -- DAY
    Vic Hugo is driving to work. He turns a corner and slows down when he sees... Emmet standing in the street, frozen to the spot where Audry left him.
    VIC
    (frowns)
    What's this?
    He pulls up beside Emmet and leans out the window. Hey, Emmet! No response... Emmet? Emmet, what's the matter? Emmet turns very slowly from where he is staring at the pavement and looks at Vic. He looks insanely depressed. Emmet, you look like shit.
    EMMET
    She doesn't want me.
    VIC
    Who doesn't want you?
    EMMET
    Audry.
    Vic lets this sink in, then realizes what's going on. He looks away and rolls his eyes. He sighs and turns back to Emmet.
    VIC
    Jesus, Emmet, is that all?
    EMMET
    What do you mean, is that all? Audry is my entire life!
    VIC
    Relax.
    EMMET
    I'll never love anybody else. Ever.
    Vic steps out of the car and approaches.
    VIC
    (Sarcastic)
    I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was so serious. Get in the goddamn car.
    EMMET
    (jumps away)
    No!
    VIC
    Emmet, you're over-reacting.
    EMMET
    (crazed with grief)
    What's the point! What's a man without the woman he loves! He's nothing! A hollow shell!
    Vic looks at him oddly and hesitates, then...
    VIC
    Well, fuck, Emmet.
    EMMET
    She must love somebody else!
    VIC
    Come on, ease up. She's going through some kinda phase. It'll pass. She's a girl, Emmet. You know how girls are.
    Emmet has been scowling at the pavement through all this. Now he looks back at Vic, pauses, and...
    EMMET
    (acid)
    She's sleeping with some guy who's gotta bigger cock, I know it.
    Vic is stunned, speechless. He grabs Emmet and throws him up against the side of his car.
    VIC
    (wild)
    That's my fucking daughter you're talking about, asshole!
    EMMET
    (breathlessly)
    But she's a girl! You said so yourself!
    VIC
    There's a difference between a girl and a slut!
    EMMET
    All girls are sluts!
    Vic dives at the kid, but Emmet jumps at Vic too, and they tumble around, wrestling in the street. They are evenly matched and they fight hard and dirty. Finally, Vic gets the better of Emmet and flips him on his back. He starts slapping him silly. Emmet gives up. Vic stands and drags him over to the car. He picks Emmet up and throws him against it.
    VIC
    (fierce)
    Have you and Audry been having sex?
    EMMET
    Of course we have!
    Vic falls back, overwhelmed. Emmet pushes him away and steps aside.
    VIC
    You bastard. I trusted you!
    EMMET
    Trusted me! Get real, Mr Hugo! This is 1988. Me and Audry have been having sex for a long time!
    VIC
    You fuck!
    He starts after him again, but Emmet runs around the end of the car, keeping his distance. Vic stops and they glare at each other over the top of the car. You're lying!
    EMMET
    It's the truth!
    Vic all but climbs up on the car and leers over at Emmet, crazed.
    VIC
    I'm warning you, you little pecker- head, you come near Audry again and I'll break your goddamn neck!
    Emmet steps back away from the car, real proud and tough. He spits on the ground and thrusts out his chest.
    EMMET
    Mr Hugo, I wouldn't dirty my hands on that promiscuous little bitch if you gave me money to do it!
    Vic, infuriated, shoves Emmet, who shoves back.

INT. THRIFT SHOP -- DAY
    We see Audry reading while she sits in the aisle of the store. She looks up as she sees... Josh standing looking around. Both he and Audry are dressed in black. Josh begins at the bookshelf, hesitantly. Before long, he is tapped on the shoulder. He turns to see... Audry smiling politely up at him. She's attracted to him.
    AUDRY
    Hi.
    JOSH
    Hello.
    AUDRY
    Can I help you find something?
    He's a little uneasy; out of his element, but dignified.
    JOSH
    I'm looking for a book about Washington. George Washington. The President.
    AUDRY
    (adds with a smile)
    The first president.
    JOSH
    Right.
    AUDRY
    There aren't any.
    JOSH
    At all?
    AUDRY
    Here.
    JOSH
    Right.
    AUDRY
    You need new shoes.
    JOSH
    Do you work here?
    AUDRY
    No, I go to high school. My name is Audry.
    JOSH
    Josh.
    AUDRY
    I happen to be a big fan of George Washington myself.
    JOSH
    Really?
    AUDRY
    He represents a lot of things I admire. For instance...
    (takes out a dollar bill)
    He's singular. One. He's the one- dollar bill. And just look at the man; he's not very attractive. But he's got dignity. And he was a farmer.
    JOSH
    Close to the soil.
    AUDRY
    Down to earth. And I can't help thinking that were he alive today, doing the job he did then, leading that particular revolution, he'd be locked up. Or worse. All of them. Jefferson. Paine. Franklin. They'd be executed.
    JOSH
    Well, maybe not executed.
    AUDRY
    Don't put it past people. I don't trust anyone.
    Suddenly, Audry is a little embarrassed by how much she's talking. She puts away her dollar bill. What do you do?
    JOSH
    I'm a mechanic.
    AUDRY
    Do you work around here?
    JOSH
    I don't work anywhere, just yet.
    AUDRY
    Do you need a job?
    JOSH
    Yeah.
    She takes out a pen and writes an address on a dollar bill.
    AUDRY
    Go to this place...

INT./EXT. GARAGE -- DAY
    Victor Hugo's Auto Repair is an aging place that sees a lot of activity. His one mechanic is Mike, the big guy who asked Pearl to marry him in the diner. Mike is standing in front of a Mercedes wailing on an electric guitar, as Vic pulls into the garage lot and gets out to approach Mike.
    MIKE
    Hi, Vic.
    VIC
    (of Mercedes)
    What's that still doing here?
    MIKE
    Man, Vic, this car is twisted.
    VIC
    This was supposed to be done by Wednesday.
    MIKE
    Tuesday.
    VIC
    What's wrong with it?
    MIKE
    Got me. I thought I fixed it last time.
    VIC
    Last time?
    MIKE
    He had it in here last month too.
    VIC
    What you're saying is that we didn't do the job right the first time.
    MIKE
    You got it, chief.
    VIC
    (turns away)
    Jesus Christ!
    MIKE
    Gee, Vic, is something bothering you?
    VIC
    Well, what did you do to it last time?
    MIKE
    Hey, back off, I didn't do nothing to it.
    They look up and see Josh.
    VIC
    Yeah? Can I help you?
    JOSH
    I'm a mechanic. I'm looking for work.
    VIC
    No. No work here. I'm sorry.
    He exits.
    MIKE
    (to Josh)
    You know anything about foreign cars?
    JOSH
    What's wrong with it?
    MIKE
    Clutch, I think.
    JOSH
    Worn out?
    MIKE
    Could be. Sticks bad.
    JOSH
    Two hours.
    MIKE
    What?
    JOSH
    I'll fix it in two hours.
    MIKE
    Hey, don't I know you?
    Vic re-enters the scene.
    VIC
    What are you still doing here? I said I ain't hiring.
    MIKE
    He says he'll fix this beast in two hours.
    VIC
    Where'd you work before?
    JOSH
    Upstate New York.
    VIC
    Upstate New York where?
    JOSH
    Ossining.
    VIC
    Where in Ossining?
    JOSH
    In prison. I fixed cars in prison.
    Mike and Vic digest this.

EXT. GARAGE YARD -- TWO HOURS LATER
    Mike and Vic peek out from behind a truck, watching Josh at work in the garage.
    VIC
    So what do you think?
    MIKE
    It's him. It's him for sure.
    VIC
    It's been a long time.
    MIKE
    I wasn't so sure before, but now I'm positive. It's him. We gotta fucking mass murderer in the garage.
    VIC
    He's not a mass murderer!
    MIKE
    That's what I heard!
    VIC
    Mike, you're so fucking simple!
    MIKE
    I heard him and the girl shot her parents and went on the road and then he shot her too.
    VIC
    If he killed all those people he'd be in prison for life!
    MIKE
    Well, that's what I heard.
    VIC
    Don't Pearl know what happened?
    MIKE
    Pearl don't talk about it.
    VIC
    Well, what happened, as far as I know, is that he killed the father because of something like the girl wanted him to. But then she flipped out and killed herself.
    MIKE
    What about the mother?
    VIC
    I never heard about a mother.
    Vic turns back and continues watching Josh.
    MIKE
    What's he doing in there now?
    VIC
    He's fixing the goddamn Mercedes, you knucklehead! Why aren't you helping him?
    MIKE
    He just needed me for the beginning part. You should see 'im work, Vic.
    MIKE
    Fucking amazing. Knows exactly what he's doing. Doesn't even hardly make any sound.
    VIC
    Yeah?
    MIKE
    Yeah.
    VIC
    He's good?
    MIKE
    Oh, so good.
    Vic looks away, thinks a moment, then...
    VIC
    (gets up)
    Come on.
    He goes out into the garage. Mike hesitates, then follows.

INT. GARAGE -- SAME TIME
    Josh is done. He's wiping his hands on a rag as Vic and Mike approach. Mike comes over and squeezes himself into the Mercedes. He starts it up and it purrs nicely. He backs it out of the garage. Vic takes out a cigarette for himself and offers one to Josh.
    JOSH
    (takes it)
    Thanks.
    VIC
    So what brings you back to town, Josh?
    JOSH
    (after a while)
    It's the only place I know really. Outside of prison.
    VIC
    Your family's all gone, ain't they?
    JOSH
    The house is still there.
    VIC
    How long have you been out?
    JOSH
    Two days.
    He finishes cleaning his hands and puts his jacket back on. He tosses a wrench into his tool bag.
    VIC
    What are you going to do now?
    JOSH
    (disappointed)
    I'm gonna find myself a job.
    He picks up his bag, gives Vic a dark look, and starts walking out.
    VIC
    Hold on.
    Josh stops. He waits a moment, simmers down, and looks back.
    JOSH
    Yeah?
    He makes it tough for Vic. He waits and listens.
    VIC
    Look, I can't pay you much.
    JOSH
    I don't need much.
    VIC
    Yeah, well...
    JOSH
    I can start right away.
    Vic is undecided. He walks to the garage door and looks out into the parking lot. He sees... Mike fumbling around over the engine of a car. He drops his wrench, stoops to get it, hits his head, and knocks over his tool box. Vic just shakes his head and turns away.
    VIC
    There's a pair of coveralls back in the office.
    Josh nods, puts down his tool bag, and takes off his jacket. He's ready to go to work. Vic starts back to the office, still uncertain. He keeps looking back at Josh suspiciously.

INT. DINER -- DAY
    Jane, the waitress, brings Todd a plate of food. Todd looks a little distressed. He sees the food and frowns.
    TODD
    What's this?
    JANE
    What kinda question is that?
    TODD
    Just asking.
    JANE
    Fish.
    TODD
    Really.
    JANE
    Look, you said the special, right.
    TODD
    OK! OK! It's fine. Look, I...
    (looks up at her and gets an idea)
    Hey, you know... I suppose guys ask you this all the time, but... have you ever been a model?
    Jane is blank, then...
    JANE
    What?
    TODD
    I can swear I saw you in a magazine or an ad or something...
    JANE
    What the hell are you tryin' to pull? Have you got money to pay for this fish?
    TODD
    (lies)
    Of course I do! I'm a professional photographer. See. Here's my camera.
    JANE
    (skeptical)
    Photographer, huh?
    (calls back to grill)
    Hey, Eddie! We gotta troublemaker up here!
    TODD
    (panics)
    No! No! Here! I'll pay now. I have money.
    He tumbles out a mass of coins from his pocket and they splash on to the counter. Jane watches as he counts them out. She shakes her head and moves down the counter to where Mike is sitting.
    JANE
    So are you sure it's him?
    MIKE
    (to Jane)
    It's him. Josh Hutton. He's come back to town.
    JANE
    Ain't you scared to be working with 'im?
    MIKE
    (Bravely)
    Yeah, well, I'll tell ya. Sometimes he gets this real strange glint in his eye...
    Emmet is sitting down the counter. He hears, is intrigued, and slides closer to hear more... Like he's remembering something really horrible, you know.
    JANE
    I'd be terrified.
    EMMET
    What did he do?
    JANE
    He raped and murdered Pearl's older sister, then shot her father, and they never did find the mother.
    MIKE
    He did not!
    JANE
    He did so!
    MIKE
    Him and Pearl's sister had this deal, see. She wanted to kill her father, but couldn't do it herself. So she had Josh do it.
    JANE
    Why did she want to kill her father?
    MIKE
    (shrugs)
    I don't know.
    EMMET
    There was probably some kinda sick, incestuous relationship going on and it was driving her crazy.
    JANE
    Oh, gross!
    MIKE
    Maybe, because she killed herself right after it all.
    Todd leans over and sets them all straight...
    TODD
    The girl killed herself first.
    JANE
    What the hell do you know about it?
    TODD
    She killed herself because her old man wouldn't let her marry Josh Hutton. Josh then went out after the old man and shot him. Then he went back and shot his own goddamn father!
    EMMET
    Bullshit! That don't sound right at all.
    JANE
    Hey! Watch your mouth, kid!
    EMMET
    Don't call me kid.
    MIKE
    (wondering)
    Josh's father got shot too?
    EMMET
    Well, don't Pearl know anything about all this?
    MIKE
    Pearl never talks about it. And I'm warning you, kid, don't you ever ask her.
    EMMET
    Don't call me kid!
    JANE
    That's why Pearl's the way she is. She was just a child. Messed her up good.
    MIKE
    (angry)
    There ain't nothin' wrong with Pearl!
    TODD
    You got it all fouled up!
    EMMET
    Mr Hugo must be crazy hiring a man like that.
    MIKE
    He's a damn good mechanic.
    JANE
    He was so nice to Pearl though. Carried her right in off the highway.
    EMMET
    (smug)
    I don't believe the criminal element can ever be completely rehabilitated.
    MIKE
    (irritated)
    If you hurry, I think you can catch Romper Room.

INT. GARAGE -- DAY
    Josh is working on a car. Audry comes riding up on her bike. She stops just outside, takes a book from her basket, and comes in toward Josh. He looks up and smiles. She plants the book in front of him on the engine.
    AUDRY
    The life of George Washington. The father of our country.
    JOSH
    (looks through it)
    Thanks.
    He sees she has another book too. What's this one?
    AUDRY
    The Misanthrope. Molière? It's a play.
    He doesn't know it. He looks it over and seems intrigued. She watches him admiringly.
    JOSH
    What's a misanthrope?
    AUDRY
    Somebody who doesn't like people. I star in it. I mean, in class. We read it in class.
    JOSH
    Are you the misanthrope?
    AUDRY
    No. I wanted to, but they wouldn't let me be a man. So, instead, I play flirt.
    They are flirting in earnest now, moving closer and closer. Audry is holding his hand, tracing the lines in his palm.
    JOSH
    Is it an interesting role?
    AUDRY
    Being a flirt?
    JOSH
    Hmm.
    AUDRY
    Sometimes. But the thing about flirting is that it leads to harder things.
    JOSH
    Is that bad?
    AUDRY
    No. That's not bad. But it turns out pretty badly for the woman I play.
    JOSH
    What happens to her?
    AUDRY
    She can't stop flirting.
    JOSH
    Ever?
    AUDRY
    It's just the way some people are. She flirts herself to death.
    JOSH
    It's a sad play.
    AUDRY
    Well, she doesn't die actually. It's just that the only man who really loves her has impossible standards.
    JOSH
    That's too bad.
    AUDRY
    Yes, it is.
    They're very close now, almost kissing.
    JOSH
    Does it turn out happy in the end?
    She moves her lips up to his slowly...
    AUDRY
    Nobody gets what they want and they all go away frustrated and sad.
    JOSH
    (whispers)
    A tragedy...
    Then, BAM!!! They jump. Vic is standing there in the office doorway, pissed, the door almost thrown off its hinges. Josh steps back and starts gathering up his tools.
    VIC
    Audry! What are you doing here?

INT. OFFICE -- SAME TIME
    Josh's clothes are draped across a chair. The gym bag is nearby. Audry enters and steals his wrench. She then sits with her arms folded, her face turned away, and her foot tapping, full of attitude. Vic enters, runs his hand through his hair, and stares at the floor, calming himself.
    AUDRY
    (looks up)
    What?
    VIC
    You know what!
    AUDRY
    What?
    VIC
    What the hell happened with you and Emmet! I'm driving to work this morning and I find the kid standing in the middle of the street immobilized by grief!
    AUDRY
    Emmet wears boxer shorts with dollar signs all over them.
    VIC
    (pounds the desk)
    I don't wanna hear about Emmet's goddamn underwear!
    Audry keeps looking out the window into the garage at Josh, smiling.
    VIC
    Hey, I'm talking to you!
    AUDRY
    Excuse me?
    VIC
    (sarcastic)
    What the hell are you so dreamy about! The world's gonna blow up tomorrow, remember!
    Audry sighs and looks back out at Josh. She smiles again and looks back at her father.
    AUDRY
    (flip)
    But right now it's today. Not tomorrow.
    He cocks his head and glares at her.
    VIC
    Did you go to school today?
    AUDRY
    (hesitates)
    No.
    Vic shakes his head and sits at his desk. She watches him as he hangs his head. He looks back up at her.
    VIC
    (finally)
    Audry, listen to me. I've been thinking about this Harvard thing.
    (hems and haws, then...)
    Let's make a... a deal.
    AUDRY
    A what?
    VIC
    A deal! Look, if I give a thousand dollars to this nuke-head commie charity organization of yours, will you forget about Harvard and go to the community college?
    Audry regards him carefully, pauses, then approaches.
    AUDRY
    Are you serious?
    VIC
    Yeah, I'm serious!
    AUDRY
    (pauses)
    But I don't want to go to college. Any college.
    VIC
    Will you just give it a try?
    She sits across the desk and considers this.
    AUDRY
    Would I have to study communications?
    VIC
    What else would you study?
    AUDRY
    Literature.
    VIC
    Literature! What the hell are you gonna do with literature?
    AUDRY
    Read.
    VIC
    (uncertain)
    I don't know.
    AUDRY
    Would this be a yearly arrangement? Or would I be obligated to a full four years in return for the one donation?
    VIC
    It would depend.
    AUDRY
    On what?
    VIC
    On how well you do each year.
    AUDRY
    A thousand a year if I pass all my classes.
    VIC
    If your grade-point average is high.
    AUDRY
    Medium.
    VIC
    High.
    AUDRY
    Only for literature. I won't do that for communications.
    VIC
    No deal. Communications or nothing.
    Audry scowls and thinks this over. Finally, she shrugs...
    AUDRY
    OK, but I have the option to drop out after the first year.
    VIC
    Only if your grade-point average is high.
    AUDRY
    You have to write the check today.
    VIC
    Five hundred now, and the remainder after first semester.
    She looks at him sideways and frowns. It's only fair, Audry. Normal business procedure.
    AUDRY
    (reluctantly)
    OK.
    They shake hands and Audry resumes looking back out at Josh.
    VIC
    Then it's a deal?
    AUDRY
    (far away)
    Yeah, sure.

INT. GARAGE -- SAME TIME
    Josh flips through the book she gave him. He stops when he comes across a flyer between the pages. On it is written: `Come to my father's birthday party tonight.' DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. AUDRY'S BACK YARD -- NIGHT
    Vic's birthday party. People in the pool, patio lights, the whole thing... Audry is keeping an anxious look-out for Josh. Behind her, Vic is talking with Todd.
    TODD
    Assets. Any kind of assets. You gotta have 'em.
    VIC
    (shaking his head)
    The whole fucking country's run on credit. I hate that.
    TODD
    It works out for guys like me and you, though.
    VIC
    I don't trust that speculation crap. I like to see money. I like to put my hands on it.
    TODD
    But you've got to be leveraged.
    VIC
    What?
    TODD
    Leveraged.
    Audry moves away and sits on a bench beside Liz, still looking at her watch and scanning the crowd.
    LIZ
    (Notices)
    Who are you waiting for, Audry?
    AUDRY
    Oh, no one.
    LIZ
    You look beautiful in that dress.
    AUDRY
    Really?
    LIZ
    Wonderful.
    AUDRY
    (relieved)
    Great.
    LIZ
    So, who are you waiting for?
    AUDRY
    Oh, no one.
    VIC (O.S.)
    Audry. Come over here a minute.
    She looks up and goes over.
    VIC
    Audry, this is Mr Todd Whitbred. I know him from years and years ago. Well, Todd here, he's a commercial photographer.
    AUDRY
    Hi, I'm Audry. My favorite word is despair. What's yours?
    TODD
    (leering)
    Fine thanks.
    VIC
    So, Todd, go ahead, tell her what we were talking about. Listen to this, Audry.
    Vic is a little drunk. He pops open another beer.
    TODD
    Well, like your dad was saying there, Audry, I'm a commercial photographer. I do a lotta weddings and christenings most of the time, but I gotta couple a' spreads in some magazines and stuff. You know that kinda thing. But, like I was telling your father here, you really, you know, have a look.
    Audry frowns, suspicious. You have what they call poise. A real presence. Poise. That's what you have. Poise. And that's a valuable thing.
    VIC
    (nods)
    Poise.
    TODD
    Oh, everybody thinks so. And, you know, in my professional opinion, I mean, I would say, you could, if you wanted to... be a... you know, a model.
    Todd gulps down some beer and burps. Audry looks back at Vic, skeptical.
    VIC
    Listen to what he says, though.
    AUDRY
    (aside)
    Dad, what's he getting at?
    VIC
    He's talking about work, Audry.
    TODD
    There's a lotta money in modeling. Especially for a girl like you who's got great... you know, poise.
    VIC
    What Todd's saying here, Audry, is that maybe you can be a model.
    AUDRY
    But I'm going to college...
    VIC
    I know you're goin' to college! But if you make some money maybe you can help pay for college.
    AUDRY
    If I weren't going to college, I'd like to be a carpenter.
    VIC
    (steps back)
    Since when?
    AUDRY
    Since always.
    (to Todd)
    Jesus was a carpenter. He was a radical. I like radicals.
    VIC
    Audry, knock it off.
    AUDRY
    (serious, to Vic)
    If I'm going to help pay for college, then I have to study literature.
    VIC
    That wasn't the deal.
    AUDRY
    Well, the deal's different now.
    VIC
    How 'bout the charity donation?
    AUDRY
    That still holds.
    VIC
    (frowns)
    You drive a hard bargain, Audry.
    TODD
    You can make a lotta money fast if you make the right connections.
    VIC
    There, Audry, see.
    AUDRY
    (skeptical)
    Oh, yeah? How do you make these connections?
    Todd now slips into his sales pitch...
    TODD
    First you need a portfolio.
    VIC
    A what?
    TODD
    A portfolio. A group of pictures of Audry here in different clothes. Different kinds of make-up and hair styles and stuff. You know, a bunch of pictures to show like... what she can do... as a model.
    VIC
    Where the hell do you get one of them?
    TODD
    Well, I mean it's up to you, but I can give you a pretty good deal on the shots myself. And I can introduce Audry around. Help her make some connections.
    VIC
    How much?
    TODD
    Well, it's hard to say right off the bat, but... let's say... seven hundred and fifty bucks.
    VIC
    What!
    TODD
    Six-fifty.
    VIC
    For photographs!
    TODD
    It's a necessary and important investment in a modeling career.
    VIC
    But I hardly know you! How'd you get in here?
    Audry walks away, bored. She bumps into Emmet. He looks desperate, hiding from Vic. She is preoccupied, keeping an anxious lookout for Josh.
    AUDRY
    What are you doing here?
    EMMET
    I deserve some kinda explanation, I mean, really, after all we've been through.
    AUDRY
    What have we been through?
    EMMET
    (stuck)
    Well, everything. It's another guy, right?
    AUDRY
    Did you really punch my father in the nose?
    EMMET
    It's Bill, isn't it?
    AUDRY
    Emmet, please.
    EMMET
    I knew it.
    Vic and Todd are still bargaining. Vic drinks and thinks and scratches his jaw, then...
    VIC
    (skeptical)
    Shit. You said five-fifty?
    TODD
    Six-fifty.
    VIC
    (shakes his head)
    I don't know.
    TODD
    Look, Mr Hugo, you stand to make a fortune off the girl. I mean, she's a good-lookin' kid. Take my word for it. Get her into this modeling thing. You'll make your money back in no time.
    VIC
    Six hundred or nothing.
    TODD
    It's a deal.
    They shake and drink their beer. Audry looks at her wrist watch. It's late. She looks up from it and sighs, disappointed. She leans back against the car. Emmet is next to her. She's apathetic. He is kissing her neck and trying to feel her up as she speaks.
    AUDRY
    It all just seems so empty to me.
    EMMET
    What does?
    AUDRY
    Everything. All of this. This house. These clothes. This party.
    She gets up and walks away toward the pool. She passes... Bill and Bob, two easy-going high-school guys. They watch Audry go past and sigh as one, smitten.
    BOB
    She's beautiful.
    BILL
    I'd cut off my left arm for her.
    BOB
    Really?
    BILL
    (reconsiders)
    Well, at least a few fingers.
    Emment suddenly appears beside them.
    EMMET
    What was that?
    BILL
    Excuse me?
    EMMET
    (belligerent)
    Did you say something?
    BILL
    Yeah, I said something. What's it to you?
    EMMET
    I'm not so sure I like what you said.
    BILL
    You don't even know what I said!
    EMMET
    (shoves him)
    Oh, yes I do.
    BILL
    (to Bob)
    I don't know. Does he?
    BOB
    Got me.
    BILL
    (to Emmet)
    What did I say?
    EMMET
    I don't care what you said! I think it's about time you guys left this party.
    BOB
    (disappointed)
    We just got here.
    BILL
    Listen, bud, what's your problem?
    EMMET
    You wanna go out in the street and settle this?
    BILL
    No, I don't.
    EMMET
    I think we oughta go out in the street and settle this thing.
    BOB
    What thing?
    Bill and Emmet are nose to nose...
    BILL
    Listen, pal, you're buggin' me!
    EMMET
    No, you're buggin' me!
    BOB
    Bill, come on, let's get outta here.
    BILL
    No way! We ain't done nothing!
    EMMET
    You're starting trouble, man!
    BILL
    I ain't starting anything!
    EMMET
    Come on, let's go outside.
    BOB
    (terrified)
    Oh, shit!
    BILL
    You wanna go outside?
    EMMET
    Yeah, I wanna go outside
    BILL
    Let's go outside and settle this thing once and for all!
    They storm off into the street. Bob is left there holding his head.

EXT. AT THE POOL -- SAME TIME
    Mike is standing in the pool, and Pearl is on the deck holding a watch.
    MIKE
    Ready?
    PEARL
    OK. Hold on. Get ready. Go!
    Mike takes a huge breath and goes under water. Pearl watches the clock. Audry comes up beside her and they look down at Mike under water. Audry looks around again, accepting that Josh won't show.
    AUDRY
    Let's get out of here.
    PEARL
    Yeah. OK.
    She puts the watch in her pocket and they walk off the deck.

EXT. AUDRY'S FRONT YARD -- SAME TIME
    Emmet and Bill are wrestling savagely on the front lawn. A couple are making out by the fence a few feet away. Audry and Pearl come out from around the house and find Audry's bike leaning against a tree. They hop on, within feet of Emmet and Bill, and ride off. They only casually notice the brawl.

EXT. STREETS -- SAME TIME
    Audry and Pearl riding along on the bike. They ride off into the distance.

EXT. SOME FIELD -- DAWN
    The girls sip their beers, watching the daylight come up, listening intently.
    AUDRY
    There.
    Pearl looks at Audry and listens.
    PEARL
    What is it?
    AUDRY
    Do you hear it?
    PEARL
    Bombs?
    AUDRY
    Could be.
    PEARL
    Nearby?
    AUDRY
    (relaxes)
    No. Must not be anything.
    PEARL
    They wouldn't drop the bomb on the weekend, would they?
    AUDRY
    Who knows. Could be some freak accident happens and BOOM!!! The history of human endeavor is flushed down the toilet.
    PEARL
    It makes you think. You know, what kind of people would let something like that happen?
    AUDRY
    (scanning the sky)
    Could be anybody. Everybody's got nuclear capability now. Even the Pakistanis. You know, they've got this new bomb now -- a nuclear bomb -- that fits inside a suitcase.
    PEARL
    I don't want to think about it.
    AUDRY
    No. Let's not think about it right now. Let's just lie here.
    They lie there a while, then Audry rolls up on her elbows and comes closer to Pearl.
    AUDRY
    Pearl, do you like older men?
    PEARL
    Sometimes.
    AUDRY
    I met a man yesterday.
    PEARL
    An older man?
    AUDRY
    I think so. He looks older. I mean, he was older than me.
    PEARL
    What was he like?
    AUDRY
    He had a history. You could tell just by looking at him.
    PEARL
    Be careful of men with histories.
    AUDRY
    He was... poor.
    Pearl moans...
    AUDRY
    And hungry.
    She moans again...
    AUDRY
    He had no possessions.
    And again...
    AUDRY
    Nowhere even to live.
    They fall over and start rolling around on the ground, giggling uncontrollably. Then...
    AUDRY
    He was like dressed entirely in black.
    Pearl knows now that Audry is describing Josh, and she sits up, unsettled.
    PEARL
    Who is it?
    AUDRY
    His name is Joshua. Joshua Hutton.
    This hits Pearl hard. She shivers. Pearl? What is it?
    PEARL
    I have to go home now.
    AUDRY
    Pearl?
    PEARL
    No, really. I have to work this afternoon. I should really get some sleep.
    She leans over and kisses Audry on the forehead. Audry is a little confused. Pearl is clearly disturbed. Bye. She turns and walks off. Audry looks on after her, confused.

EXT. STREET -- MORNING
    Emmet lies unconscious on the pavement. He comes to, leans up on an elbow, and looks around.
    EMMET
    Fucking cowards.
    He starts to get up, but then sees... Audry riding down the block toward him. He lies back down and groans, faking. Audry approaches and looks at him, concerned. She skids her bike to a stop and jumps off. She kneels over him.
    AUDRY
    Emmet! What happened?
    EMMET
    Is that you, Audry?
    AUDRY
    Knock it off! What happened?
    EMMET
    (smiles)
    I kicked ass.
    AUDRY
    (pauses)
    But... why?
    EMMET
    Well, uhm... because I love you, Audry.
    Audry stands slowly, looking down at him sadly.
    AUDRY
    (with difficulty)
    That's too bad, Emmet.
    She gets on her bike, shaking her head, and rides into her yard. Emmet watches, amazed, as she goes on into her house. DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. HUGO BACK YARD -- DAY
    Liz is folding clothes. Audry helps her.
    AUDRY
    Mom, what do you know about Josh Hutton?
    LIZ
    Josh Hutton? What do you want to know about Josh Hutton?
    AUDRY
    Dad just hired him.
    LIZ
    Really?
    AUDRY
    Yeah. What do you know about him?
    LIZ
    He killed some people.
    AUDRY
    Who did he kill?
    LIZ
    Pearl's sister.
    AUDRY
    When was this?
    LIZ
    This was a few years before he killed her father.
    AUDRY
    I don't remember any of this.
    LIZ
    It was a long time ago. You were only two years old. Pearl never talks about it.
    Audry mulls this over with a frown.

EXT. AUDRY'S BACK YARD (POOL) -- DAY
    Audry and Pearl are submerged up to about their chins. They seem very pensive and speak in hushed tones.
    PEARL
    (at length)
    He seems like a nice man.
    AUDRY
    You think so? I mean, after he's killed your father. And your sister.
    PEARL
    (thinks, shrugs)
    Things happen. People make mistakes.
    AUDRY
    I can see how your sister was a mistake. But... he threw your father down a flight of stairs.
    Pearl doesn't know what to say. She looks away and sighs, then...
    PEARL
    I think... I think he seems like a nice man. And you like him. Right?
    AUDRY
    He doesn't seem like a killer.
    PEARL
    Maybe he isn't.
    AUDRY
    He hasn't killed anybody recently, has he?
    PEARL
    I don't think so.
    AUDRY
    I knew he had a history.
    PEARL
    He seems like a nice man.
    AUDRY
    (hurt)
    I knew it was too good to be true.
    PEARL
    What was?
    AUDRY
    (bitter)
    He seemed so different. Innocent. But I guess nobody's innocent.

EXT. GARAGE -- EVENING
    Vic is not around. Josh and Mike are working under the hood of a car.
    JOSH
    Fundamental scientific laws govern the ability of an engine to convert energy in the fuel to an energy form that can make a car move.
    MIKE
    Scientific principles, huh?
    JOSH
    Yeah. It's what they call the first and second laws of thermodynamics.
    MIKE
    Where'd you learn this stuff?
    JOSH
    In prison. I read this book.
    They work in silence for a while, then...
    MIKE
    (hesitates, then...)
    Why'd you kill her father?
    Josh looks at him blankly a moment, then...
    JOSH
    I suppose because I was angry.
    MIKE
    You suppose? I mean, don't you know? Christ, you killed a man.
    JOSH
    We were both pretty angry. I don't think either of us wanted to kill the other when we started. We just kinda lost control.
    MIKE
    Why'd you go over to his place, anyway?
    JOSH
    To apologize for killing his daughter in a car crash.
    MIKE
    And you threw him down a flight of stairs.
    JOSH
    Something like that, yeah.
    MIKE
    Why'd you run?
    JOSH
    I was scared.
    MIKE
    It sounds like it was an accident.
    JOSH
    Killing a man is killing a man.
    MIKE
    Yeah, I suppose.
    Josh stops working and looks up at Mike.
    JOSH
    (sincerely)
    How is Pearl?
    MIKE
    OK, I guess. She's a difficult woman.
    JOSH
    (intrigued)
    How's that?
    MIKE
    Well, I don't know. I mean, the other night we're at this party, right. I go in the pool. I have her time me while I hold my breath under water. I come up and she's gone. Nowhere to be seen. Normally, that wouldn't bug me. But it makes a guy wonder.
    (leans back in over the engine...)
    How 'bout you? You gotta main squeeze?
    JOSH
    No.
    Mike looks over at him, thinks, then...
    MIKE
    (tentatively)
    Ever?
    JOSH
    No.
    Mike leans back, amazed.
    MIKE
    You're a... virgin?
    JOSH
    Yeah.
    MIKE
    Ouch.
    Josh looks right up at him and we can tell he's not kidding. Mike is thunderstruck.

INT. GARAGE -- LATER
    Mike and Josh are hanging around. Mike jams on guitar.
    MIKE
    The thing you first notice about having a girlfriend... I mean, right off the bat, when you start staying over her house and everything, is that you clean yourself a lot better.
    JOSH
    Really.
    MIKE
    No shit. You just sort've pay more attention to everything. You brush your teeth like every single night before going to bed. You start worrying about washing your back.
    JOSH
    Your back?
    MIKE
    Your fucking back. Right down the middle. It's almost impossible and who the hell thinks about it anyway. Girls do.
    JOSH
    I suppose it must get kinda dirty back there. All that sweat, you know.
    MIKE
    And you never see the goddamn thing. Underwear. Suddenly you're buying new underwear all the time.
    JOSH
    It must be really different when somebody else is seeing you without your clothes on all the time.
    MIKE
    (plays a riff)
    Damn straight! So how do you stand this celibacy shit?
    JOSH
    How does anybody stand anything? Being in prison for all those years helps.
    MIKE
    You never got any before the car crash?
    JOSH
    My friends were always making fun of me because I'd never been laid. I was seventeen. So one night I was taking Pearl's sister to the movies. And I was determined. I knew she liked me, and she was as pretty as Pearl is... Well, we saw the movie and kissed and all that. Then we decided to drive out to this place I knew.
    He trails off. Silence. There's nothing to say. Mike fidgets, then...
    MIKE
    You sure you don't want a beer?
    JOSH
    No. I'm fine.
    MIKE
    Aren't you curious?
    JOSH
    Most of the time.
    (pause, then...)
    But, you know, I killed a man. And I never thought I'd be able to do that. I mean, I never even imagined it.
    (looks down and thinks, then...)
    When you've done something... unimaginable... I mean, when you've done it even before you ever thought about it. When you see how easy it is. Well, then everything is put into this new perspective. Suddenly things you had always thought were the most important things in the world are no more significant than anything else. Because, you see, you've done the unimaginable. You've done what you thought was impossible. And then you see... you see that you can do anything.
    Mike eyes him sideways and squints.
    MIKE
    You ain't a homo, are you?
    JOSH
    No.
    MIKE
    I don't have anything against guys liking other guys as long as they don't like me. You know what I'm saying?
    JOSH
    Sure.
    MIKE
    (pops open a beer)
    I thought I was a homo once.
    JOSH
    Really?
    MIKE
    Yeah. Fucking unbelievable.
    JOSH
    What happened?
    MIKE
    I joined the Marines. They straightened my shit right out. Look, see my tattoo?

INT. AUDRY'S HOUSE -- A FEW DAYS LATER
    Liz and Audry are moving around, looking at her portfolio. Vic is trying to eat.
    LIZ
    My, Audry, you look so elegant in this one!
    AUDRY
    You should've seen some of the awful clothes they had there.
    LIZ
    Well, I like this one.
    AUDRY
    (looks)
    Oh, yeah, that one's OK. Kinda tight, though.
    LIZ
    It shows off your breasts well.
    VIC
    (eating)
    Will you two shut up!
    They pay him no attention.
    LIZ
    I think Mr Whitbred did a really nice job. Very professional.
    VIC
    He better have. I paid seven hundred and fifty bucks for those. Audry! Don't get your dirty hands all over 'em!
    AUDRY
    (of her hands)
    They're clean.
    LIZ
    (another photo)
    Wow! Audry, you really do have some figure.
    AUDRY
    (embarrassed)
    Mom, cut it out.
    LIZ
    Don't be silly, Audry. Flaunt it while you have it. I'm just about losing mine.
    AUDRY
    You look OK.
    LIZ
    Liar.
    AUDRY
    (stands her up)
    You look great. Don't she, Dad? Look.
    VIC
    (eating)
    Can't you two see I'm trying to eat!
    AUDRY
    Here, Mom, straighten your back. I learned this today.
    LIZ
    What, like this?

EXT. GARAGE -- DAY
    Vic flips through the pages of a newspaper and finally finds what he's looking for. He proudly shoves the newspaper in front of Mike.
    VIC
    Look, right here, in the raincoat with the umbrella.
    MIKE
    (looks)
    Holy shit! Look at that!
    VIC
    Ain't that something?
    MIKE
    Audry right there in the goddamn newspaper.
    VIC
    She made three hundred dollars for one day's work.
    MIKE
    No shit?
    VIC
    Damn straight.
    Josh walks by, doing something.
    MIKE
    Hey, Josh, look at this!
    Vic turns away and frowns as Josh takes the paper and looks. You know Audry, right? Vic's daughter. Josh recognizes her and looks up at Vic before handing the paper back to Mike.
    JOSH
    (politely)
    Pretty girl.
    VIC
    Yeah, right. OK, let's get back to work. You almost through with that Mustang, Josh?
    JOSH
    Just gotta set the points and I'll get started on the Firebird.
    VIC
    (moves off)
    Right, let's get 'em all finished up today.
    JOSH
    (moves off)
    Right.
    Mike looks off after both of them, then follows Vic.
    MIKE
    You ride him pretty hard, don't you think?
    VIC
    He can take it.

EXT. BUS STOP -- DAY
    Audry is all dressed up for a modeling job. Emmet sits on the bench beside her, washed out and dejected.
    AUDRY
    Emmet, you look terrible.
    EMMET
    I'm telling you, Audry, I'm a wreck.
    (looks her over...)
    You look really good in that dress.
    AUDRY
    I'm sorry.
    EMMET
    I'm gonna kill myself.
    AUDRY
    Don't be maudlin, Emmet.
    EMMET
    Well, then I'll kill somebody else. Where are you going, anyway?
    AUDRY
    To work.
    EMMET
    Modeling.
    AUDRY
    Sweaters.
    EMMET
    I hate seeing you in advertisements where other men can pore over you.
    AUDRY
    I make a lot of money.
    EMMET
    Since when are you so interested in money?
    AUDRY
    Since I started earning it. Isn't it a lovely day?
    EMMET
    Why are you so happy lately? Don't you know the world's fucked? Did you read the paper today?
    AUDRY
    Emmet, I know the world's fucked. I don't read the papers any more. And, by the way, have you bathed lately? Emmet, really, you smell.
    EMMET
    You're in love with that homicidal auto mechanic, aren't you?
    AUDRY
    Emmet, I'm gonna hit you.
    EMMET
    It won't last. I know it won't last.
    AUDRY
    Well, anyway, Emmet, you know what the ancient Greeks said about happiness.
    EMMET
    Fuck the ancient Greeks.
    AUDRY
    Here's my ride.
    She gets up and starts for the curb. Todd pulls up in a new fancy car.
    EMMET
    (pleads)
    Don't go!
    AUDRY
    (looks back)
    Emmet, tie your shoe.
    A guy passing by on the sidewalk looks Audry up and down and whistles. She just keeps on going, but Emmet spins around...
    EMMET
    Hey!
    They jump at each other and wrestle one another to the sidewalk. Audry looks around, panicked, then hops in the car.

INT. AUDRY'S HOUSE -- EVENING
    The Hugos are having supper. They're in the middle of a conversation and everything is a little tense. Audry looks back and forth between her parents. Vic scowls down into his food, thinking.
    LIZ
    (to Vic)
    Well, I think that maybe it's a good thing. If she's not sure what she
    LIZ
    wants to study, maybe it would be worthwhile for her to just work for a year. Make some money.
    Vic shrugs.
    AUDRY
    Dad, I promise. It'll just be a year. At the end of a year, I'll have so much money saved up, maybe I can pay for college all by myself.
    Vic nods. He sees the sense in it, but he wants to be careful. He points at Audry.
    VIC
    We had a deal, remember.
    AUDRY
    I remember.
    VIC
    I held up my end.
    AUDRY
    I appreciate that.
    VIC
    (eats)
    Shit.
    LIZ
    Audry, eat your vegetables.

EXT./INT. GARAGE -- DAY
    Audry rides up on her bike and finds Josh working. There is no one else around. When he looks up from what he is doing and sees her, he smiles and attempts to neaten his appearance. She comes into the garage. She's angry, contemptuous, hard- boiled.
    JOSH
    Hi.
    AUDRY
    Good afternoon, Mr Hutton.
    JOSH
    You don't have to call me mister.
    AUDRY
    What am I supposed to call you?
    JOSH
    You can call me anything you like, but you don't have to call me mister.
    AUDRY
    I think I'll call you... Reverend.
    JOSH
    Like a priest?
    AUDRY
    Don't you like it?
    JOSH
    I admire people who are dedicated to things.
    AUDRY
    Why didn't you come to the party?
    JOSH
    I had no money, no clothes.
    AUDRY
    (realizes)
    Oh.
    JOSH
    I'm sorry.
    AUDRY
    It's OK.
    (thinks, then...)
    Do you have any money now?
    JOSH
    I have what I need.
    AUDRY
    You're saving my father from financial ruin. I hope he pays you well.
    JOSH
    He's good man. He gave me a job when he knew no one else would.
    AUDRY
    (shows him a magazine)
    Look. That's my foot.
    JOSH
    No kidding?
    AUDRY
    They paid me almost a thousand dollars to put this shoe on and let them photograph my foot.
    JOSH
    It's a pretty foot.
    AUDRY
    Thanks.
    JOSH
    Listen, do you want take a walk somewhere?
    AUDRY
    (guarded)
    Where to?
    JOSH
    Anywhere.
    AUDRY
    Why?
    JOSH
    I've got something to tell you about me.
    AUDRY
    I don't want to hear it.
    JOSH
    It's important.
    AUDRY
    What good will it do?
    JOSH
    I think you should know.
    Audry stares at him, pauses, then...
    AUDRY
    I already know.
    Josh isn't surprised, but he's hurt by her fierceness. She's acting like she hates him. But she seems to be working at seeming this way. As they stare at one another, she starts to give in a little, wanting him.
    JOSH
    (carefully)
    Does it make a difference?
    Audry is trying not to lose control. She fights giving in, but then, finally...
    AUDRY
    (gasps)
    No.
    And she runs into his arms. They kiss passionately. Then...
    VIC (O.S.)
    Audry!
    They look up, stung. Vic is just outside the garage, glaring at them, pissed. Audry stands there looking at her father, with Josh right there over her shoulder.
    VIC
    Go home.
    She hesitates. Josh stays there staring at Vic. CUT TO:

INT. AUDRY'S ROOM -- LATER
    Audry is lying on the bed, furious. Vic stands at the foot of the bed.
    VIC
    Audry, listen to me, it's for your own good! I don't want you to associate with that man.
    AUDRY
    But why?
    VIC
    (explodes)
    He's a mass murderer!
    AUDRY
    Dad, cut it out!
    VIC
    He's a loaded pistol! No tellin' when he'll go off!
    AUDRY
    If he's so horrible and dangerous, why'd you hire him?
    VIC
    (stuck)
    Well, I ah... I'm a... I'm letting him go tomorrow.
    Audry jumps up and glares at him. Vic flinches.
    AUDRY
    You wouldn't dare.
    VIC
    Oh yes I would.
    AUDRY
    Without Josh your whole business would fall down around your ears!
    VIC
    Look, Audry, don't tell me about my business, OK!
    AUDRY
    (hounds him)
    You know you need a good mechanic! And he's a good mechanic!
    VIC
    Since when do you know so much about auto repair? Huh?
    Audry hushes up. She doesn't know anything about auto repair.
    VIC
    Look, Audry, what do you want getting involved with some mechanic from around here for? You'll be going to college next year and...
    AUDRY
    (crafty)
    Maybe I won't go to college.
    VIC
    (pissed)
    Don't start, Audry! You promised! We had a deal!
    Audry winces.
    VIC
    (pressing)
    Right? We had a deal. You can't go back on it now!
    AUDRY
    If you don't fire him... If you don't fire him, I won't see him again!
    VIC
    (suspicious)
    What are you up to?
    AUDRY
    I'm not up to anything!
    VIC
    If I keep him on, you'll keep away from him?
    AUDRY
    Yeah.
    VIC
    You promise?
    She turns and glares at him.
    VIC
    You're making a bargain, Audry. You gotta stick to it.
    AUDRY
    (silence, then)
    I see him once more. I have his wrench.
    VIC
    What the hell are you doing with his wrench?
    AUDRY
    Once more.
    VIC
    You promise?
    AUDRY
    (sadly)
    Promise.
    Vic is pleased. But Audry comes back at him...
    VIC
    And you've got to go to college. This fall!
    AUDRY
    For literature.
    VIC
    No! For communications! Broadcasting!
    Audry turns away and kicks the wall. She thinks, then spins around.
    AUDRY
    OK. But it's got to be Harvard.
    Vic receives this like a knife in the chest. He sits at the end of the bed and hangs his head.
    AUDRY
    (presses)
    OK?
    VIC
    (thinks, then...)
    All right, but you've gotta model full-time till you get in college and pay back the money I gave that bomb squad charity of yours!
    Audry thinks it over, then decides. She shrugs.
    AUDRY
    OK... It's a deal.
    She goes out and Vic hangs his head, beat.

INT. GARAGE -- EVENING
    Josh is getting ready to go. Vic locks the office door as Josh closes up the garage. He looks over at his boss and stops. Vic is studying him.
    JOSH
    Something else?
    VIC
    You know, Josh... You make a difference around here.
    JOSH
    (pauses, then)
    I'm just doing my job.
    VIC
    (nods)
    Right.
    (scratches his head and considers, then...) I)
    Think I'll give you a raise.
    JOSH
    Well, whatever you think is fair.
    VIC
    An extra fifty each week? What do you say?
    JOSH
    Thanks.
    VIC
    OK.
    They shake hands. Vic holds on to Josh's hand, though, and looks him straight in the eye.
    VIC
    (hard)
    I don't want you coming anywhere near Audry.
    Josh is frozen...
    JOSH
    Got it?
    They stare at each other a few moments longer, their hands still gripped together.

EXT. BEACH -- A LITTLE LATER
    Josh is sitting on a bench, reading. He sees... Pearl walking up from the beach. She sits at the next bench. Josh hesitates, then approaches her and sits down. Pearl looks up. There is an uneasy silence for a moment, then...
    JOSH
    Hello, Pearl.
    PEARL
    (guarded)
    Hello.
    They sit.
    JOSH
    (slowly)
    I just wanted to apologize.
    Pearl stares hard at the pavement.
    PEARL
    Don't.
    Josh is at a loss. She turns and looks at him...
    PEARL
    Just let's not talk about it.
    He is stung by her fierce glare. He just nods...
    PEARL
    I believe people get what they deserve in the end.
    She watches him a moment longer, then turns and continues on her way. Josh stays there alone in the street.

EXT. AUDRY'S HOUSE -- DAY
    Vic exits through the front door with a magazine. He sees Liz and goes down the steps.
    VIC
    I can't believe you let her do this!
    LIZ
    Victor, it's only an underwear advertisement!
    VIC
    She's half nude!
    LIZ
    She's wearing underwear and a bra! Girls at the beach wear as little as this! Less!
    VIC
    There's a difference between underwear and a bathing suit! Underwear is not supposed to be seen!
    LIZ
    Calm down. Anyway, she was paid good money for this and you were the one who urged her to go into modeling in the first place!
    Vic is stumped. He grits his teeth and stares at the floor.

EXT. JOSH'S PLACE -- AFTERNOON
    Audry comes walking down the street and stops before the house. It's a little house that he rents. She's a little nervous and it's clear that she's dressed for the occasion. She looks great. She pushes in through the gate. Josh is outside the garage, painting. He looks out as he hears knocking. Audry comes into the yard and approaches the front door. After she knocks, she pauses and looks at herself in the panes of glass of the door. Josh moves to the side of the house, sees Audry... She puts on lipstick while... Josh calls to her. Audry jolts and draws a line of lipstick across her cheek. She doesn't see this and quickly closes up her bag. She tousles her hair, smoothes out her skirt, turns and... Trips over the George Washington biography that is there on the steps. She falls to the ground. Josh starts toward her and... She sees him coming, so slips on her shades and acts like it was nothing.
    AUDRY
    (standing)
    Hi!
    Josh helps her up. Once she's up, we see her shades are broken.
    AUDRY
    (embarrassed)
    Thanks. I have your wrench.
    JOSH
    Are you OK?
    AUDRY
    (realizing)
    This is a nice house.
    JOSH
    Your knee!
    Her knee is cut.
    AUDRY
    Oh, it's nothing. Do you live here alone?
    JOSH
    Here, sit down.
    AUDRY
    Thanks.
    He sits her down on the steps and she inspects her cut knee.
    JOSH
    (going)
    I've got some band-aids in the house...
    AUDRY
    (stops him)
    No. It's OK.
    JOSH
    It belonged to my father. It's been vacant for years.
    He stops. She sees the book he's reading...
    AUDRY
    Do you like the book?
    JOSH
    Oh, yeah. Thanks.
    (sees the wrench)
    I have others.
    AUDRY
    Books?
    JOSH
    Wrenches. There are plenty at work.
    AUDRY
    But this one is yours, right? Your own personal wrench.
    JOSH
    Yes.
    AUDRY
    I thought so. So I'm returning it.
    JOSH
    Why?
    AUDRY
    I thought you'd need it.
    JOSH
    That's true. I mean, I might, but... if you need it, you can keep it.
    AUDRY
    Really?
    JOSH
    Sure.
    AUDRY
    (slips it into her bag)
    Thanks.
    An awkward silence, then she spots a piece of machinery off to the side.
    AUDRY
    What's that?
    JOSH
    Those are planetary gears.
    AUDRY
    What do they do?
    JOSH
    It's part of an automatic transmission. In a car.
    AUDRY
    Right. How's it work?
    Josh is a little surprised that she'd want to hear about this. He fumbles a little, then...
    JOSH
    Well, it's... I think maybe it's a little complicated.
    AUDRY
    (leans back)
    I have plenty of time.
    JOSH
    (smiles)
    You really want to know?
    AUDRY
    (sincerely)
    I think it's really interesting what people do. I mean, when they do something that they love. Because when you do something that you love, no matter what it is, when you do something that you love, you do it well. And when you do something well, you feel useful. And it's important to feel useful, I think. Because...
    (Tries desperately to reach a conclusion)
    Because when you feel useful, well, not so much... you know, there's so much of life that seems... pointless.
    She heaves a big breath. Josh watches her a moment, impressed. He relaxes a little. He lifts the planetary gear set-up on to the little makeshift table between them.
    JOSH
    Well, OK. An automatic transmission... There are manual transmissions too. They do the same thing, just differently. Well, anyway, transmissions work by changing which gears transmit power from the engine to the wheels of the car. Follow?
    AUDRY
    (nods)
    Uh-huh.
    JOSH
    Automatic transmissions use planetary gears to do this. You see here...
    (points things out)
    This is what you call the `sun' gear in the middle. The `ring' gear around the circumference. And the `planet' gears here in between.
    Josh knows this stuff like the back of his hand. He's completely relaxed now and totally focused on what he's explaining. Audry is staring at him, utterly in love. The sun gear is attached to the input shaft while the output shaft is attached to the planet gears. Two gear ratios are available by either clamping the ring gear with a belt so it can't move or else releasing the clamp and engaging a clutch that locks the planets to the ring. When the gear set is locked with the clutch the whole thing revolves as a unit, providing a one- to-one gear ratio.
    AUDRY
    Will you make love to me?
    JOSH
    (speechless)
    Wait here.
    She watches as he walks into the house. She drops her head in her hands and screams sotto.
    AUDRY
    (tormented)
    ARRRGGGHHHH!!!
    She sits up straight, all smiles as...
    Josh comes back out with a band-aid. He comes over and kneels down before her. She watches him silently as he puts the band-aid over her cut knee.
    Once he's finished, he leans back. He won't look at her. He's got a dark, angry expression on his face.
    Audry bites her lip, waiting.
    Finally, Josh stands and turns away, looking off across the yard.
    JOSH
    (pauses)
    Get out of here, Audry.
    She is blank. Perfectly still. Go on. Eventually, she starts to fold up inside. She looks like she's about to throw up. But she keeps it together. Josh walks toward the back yard. She looks at it a moment, feeling a little dizzy.

EXT. HAND-BALL COURT -- DAY
    Audry rides her bike around in a wide arc, speeds up, and... BAM!!!! smashes into the hand-ball court wall. She falls to the ground, lifts herself up, and gets back up on the bike. She rides back out away from the wall, starting another wide arc. She starts back around, builds up speed, and... BAM!!!! smashes into the wall again. She climbs out from under the bike, looks at her knee which is bleeding, and gets back up on the bike. The bike creaks and moans as she forces it out into another pass. She throws her weight down on to the peddles, gritting her teeth, and... BAM!!!! plows back into the wall. The bike is pretty much demolished at this point, but she tries to make it move anyway. It won't ride, so she gets off it, drags it back, and starts smashing it against the wall.

EXT. POOL -- DAY
    Audry is floating around on a raft in the pool. Vic and Liz stand on the deck looking down at her.
    VIC
    (furious)
    What do you mean, you wanna move out?
    AUDRY
    I know an apartment in New York City I can sublet for six months.
    VIC
    No way!
    LIZ
    But, Victor, she works in the city all the time. She spends almost a hundred dollars a month just on train fare.
    VIC
    So what! She can afford it! Christ, the damn kid makes more than me!

EXT. MOVIE THEATER -- EVENING
    Audry is standing outside the theater, leaning up against the wall, reading Molière's The Misanthrope. Someone comes out of the theater and she looks up. It's Jane, the waitress from the diner. She stands there looking at Audry, uneasy. Momentarily, Emmet comes out behind her and takes her hand. Then he sees Audry and freezes. It's tense all around, but finally... Audry goes back to her reading. Emmet sees this, then grabs Jane around the waist and kisses her ferociously on the mouth. They suck at each other's tongues as Audry tries not to notice. Finally they part. Audry turns a page in her book and yawns. She checks her watch, looks up, smiles, and goes back to reading. Emmet and Jane walk away, but... Emmet sees... Bruce, a young guy, pass by and check out Audry. Emmet swings around... He jumps at Bruce and they drag each other to the sidewalk, punching and kicking. Audry and Jane look around, then at each other, then run off in opposite directions.

EXT. AROUND THE CORNER -- SAME TIME
    Audry comes around into the side street and almost runs right into... Josh. She stops and they stand there, startled, looking at each other.

INT. DINER -- A LITTLE LATER
    Audry is tight-lipped, embarrassed, and angry. Josh just wants to explain.
    AUDRY
    This isn't good. I made a deal with my father.
    JOSH
    I just want to explain...
    AUDRY
    I don't want to hear anything.
    They sit a moment, looking off in different directions, then Josh slides the George Washington book toward her.
    JOSH
    Thanks for lending me the book. I have a library card of my own now.
    AUDRY
    (curt)
    What are you reading?
    JOSH
    History. I like history.
    AUDRY
    (nasty)
    History is going to come to an end. Soon.
    JOSH
    (sighs)
    Yeah, right.
    He gets up to go. But she panics and grabs his hand.
    JOSH
    Why are you so sure the human race is going to kill itself?
    AUDRY
    Because it can.
    JOSH
    That doesn't mean it will.
    AUDRY
    The human race has never invented anything it didn't use.
    JOSH
    That's a fact. But it's not the last word.
    AUDRY
    What is the last word?
    JOSH
    (looks away, then...)
    I don't know. Faith maybe.
    AUDRY
    Which one: faith or maybe?
    JOSH
    I'd like to see you again.
    AUDRY
    Too late. You had your chance.
    JOSH
    Let me explain.
    AUDRY
    I have a deal to keep.
    JOSH
    Fuck the deal!
    Jane looks over. Audry is silenced. Josh calms down and stares at the table top. Audry watches him, then...
    AUDRY
    There are rules.
    JOSH
    Break them.
    AUDRY
    I can't. I won't. My father has made good on his end of the agreement.
    JOSH
    What agreement?
    AUDRY
    Everything in life is just deals. Nobody gets anything for nothing.
    JOSH
    Unless you have nothing to begin with.
    AUDRY
    Are you telling me I should feel sorry for you?
    JOSH
    I'm not talking about me at all.
    AUDRY
    (indignant)
    I've got nothing to feel sorry about, Mr hot-shot philosopher auto mechanic! And I know exactly what I'm doing, so just drop dead. (gets up, but adds...) You can't have faith in people. Only the deals you make with them. People are only as good as the deals they make and keep!
    She gets up and storms out. She takes the George Washington biography, but forgets The Misanthrope. Josh sits there for a moment, frowning, then picks up the book and leafs through it.

EXT. STREET -- SAME TIME
    Audry walks unsteadily up the street away from the diner, confused and angry. She gradually slows and comes to a complete stop. She stands there staring at the pavement.

INT. DINER -- A LITTLE LATER
    Josh is still sitting there. He looks up from the book as Jane sits down with him, pauses, then smiles.
    JANE
    I know what you need.
    JOSH
    Excuse me?
    JANE
    You need a woman.
    JOSH
    Oh.
    JANE
    That girl's crazy.
    JOSH
    I know, but I like her.
    JANE
    She's leaving town.
    JOSH
    I heard.
    JANE
    So come on. I know what you need. What do you say?
    JOSH
    Excuse me?
    JANE
    You need a woman.
    JOSH
    Oh.
    JANE
    That girl's crazy.
    JOSH
    I know, but I like her.
    JANE
    She's leaving town.
    JOSH
    I heard.
    JANE
    So come on. I know what you need. What do you say?
    JOSH
    Excuse me?
    JANE
    You need a woman.
    JOSH
    Oh.

EXT. VIC'S BACK YARD -- DAY
    Emmet and Vic talk in front of a boat being refurbished. Mike passes by with a sander and gets up on top, ready to attack the job.
    EMMET
    You double-crossed me.
    VIC
    Lay off, Emmet.
    EMMET
    We had a deal.
    VIC
    We did not.
    EMMET
    We had an understanding.
    VIC
    I never said I understood anything.
    EMMET
    We have a common interest.
    VIC
    Audry makes up her own mind. If she wants to live in the city and earn her own keep, what's that got to do with me? She's eighteen now. She can do what she wants.
    EMMET
    I can't stand it. Every magazine I open I see her!
    VIC
    Emmet, you gotta pull yourself together.
    EMMET
    How can you stand it: all those strangers ogling her?!
    VIC
    It's better than you ogling her in the flesh. And besides, she's only gonna do it for a year. Then she's going to Harvard to study journalism. That's what she really wants to do, you know. This modeling stuff, this is just a phase.
    (to Mike)
    Mike! What the hell are you doing?

EXT. GARAGE -- DAY
    Liz comes walking up to the garage and leans in the door.
    LIZ
    Hi, Josh.
    Josh comes out of the garage. He is in his work coveralls.
    JOSH
    How are you, Mrs Hugo? I heard about Audry's picture in the Sunday Times.
    LIZ
    (excited)
    Yes. Three pictures. It's a whole, you know, spread.
    JOSH
    You must be very proud of her.
    LIZ
    We are. We're going to church now, then we'll go buy the paper. Then we're having a few people to the house.
    JOSH
    That's really nice.
    They both seem a little uneasy. Josh smiles awkwardly, nods, and moves back to his work. Liz comes forward, anxiously, but trying to hide it.
    LIZ
    Josh?
    He stops and turns...
    LIZ
    Josh, you go into the city occasionally, don't you?
    JOSH
    Every once in a while.
    LIZ
    (rushes forward)
    Oh, good! How about tomorrow? Well, when you go will you take these ear- rings in to Audry for me? She's out of the country right now but she'll be back tomorrow.
    Vic comes out.
    VIC
    Let's go, Liz. Josh, if you get to it, can you take a look at that hydraulic jack. It's been sticking all week.
    Vic and Liz start walking away. They get in Vic's car. Josh looks on as they go, unsettled. DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. CHURCH -- DAY
    Liz slips out the front door of the church, followed by Vic. They come down the steps and hurry along the sidewalk. They cross the street to the news-stand and stop when they see...

EXT. NEWS-STAND -- DAY
    Mike, Pearl, Emmet, Jane, and a host of others, all dressed in their Sunday best, are standing around, looking down at their feet, awkwardly. Vic and Liz approach.
    VIC
    (nodding)
    Hey, Mike. Pearl.
    LIZ
    Hi, Pearl.
    PEARL
    Hi.
    VIC
    (to vendor)
    One Sunday Times.
    LIZ
    Look, everyone's here. This is so exciting.
    No one says anything as Vic hands over the money and takes a paper. Liz pulls it apart, excitedly.
    MIKE
    It's killing me.
    She and Vic go blank. They stare into the magazine and go pale. Jane and Emmet look at each other and try to stifle a rising burst of laughter.
    LIZ
    She's got nothing on. Not in this one either.
    PEARL
    (carefully)
    Well, I think it's an ad for jewelry, I think.
    Vic is completely red and trembling. He looks at Mike. Mike looks away. He looks at Pearl and she shrugs. He looks around at the others (a small crowd) and sees them all watching him and Liz. Liz is a little faint.
    LIZ
    (amazed)
    She's absolutely naked.
    PEARL
    Well, you don't see much.
    LIZ
    (breathless)
    You see enough.
    Vic explodes and rips the magazine from her hands. He throws it in the street and turns back to glare at the crowd. They just watch him. He is seething. He picks the magazine up again and tears it to shreds maniacally. Liz, overwhelmed, puts her hand to her chest and takes Pearl's hand. Pearl, let's go back and put some charcoal on the barbecue. They start away, but...
    VIC
    Hold it!
    This is what the crowd has been waiting for. They edge closer to get a better view. Liz and Pearl stop and look back over their shoulders. Victor Hugo paces back and forth like a preacher hell bent on scaring the shit out of his congregation. He's red in the face, his fists are clenched, and his jaw is set like a vice.
    VIC
    I know what you slobs are thinking. You're thinking, what a fucking slut! Well, let me tell ya', you people make me wanna throw up! Do you think this is easy what she does! This is hard work! You think she just gets up there and takes her clothes off? Huh? What she does is a skill! And she gets paid damn well for it too! Does anybody here make a thousand dollars a day? Huh! Huh! Why, she's in Europe right now! You all want to go to Europe! You all wanna take vacations and drive nice cars! Why hold it against her when she gets it?
    MIKE
    Vic, come on man, we don't hold nothing against her.
    VIC
    (insane)
    I can see it in your eyes! You're all saying how can he let her do that! Doesn't he have any shame?
    VIC
    Well, I tell ya' the only thing I'm ashamed of is not having thought of it sooner! There's money to be made out there and if you gotta get your goddamn hands dirty to make it well then so what!
    He says nothing more, but looks through the crowd at all the faces.
    LIZ
    Vic, come on.
    She and Pearl turn and walk away. Mike waits for Vic and tugs on his sleeve, urging him to come along. The crowd watch as they go.

EXT. AUDRY'S BACK YARD -- AFTERNOON
    Vic is getting drunk. Mike sits beside him at the picnic table, uncomfortable. Liz and Pearl stand at the barbecue, a little further off. Liz stares into space, sadly thinking. Pearl flips through the magazine.
    PEARL
    I mean, it's not like it's pornography, Mrs Hugo. It's just sort of... sexy.
    LIZ
    I wish she would've warned us. Don't you think that pose is a little perverse?
    PEARL
    (shrugs)
    I don't know...
    LIZ
    (points)
    They touched up this photograph. She has a birthmark there on her thigh. And up here, beneath her left breast, she has a scar from when she fell out of that tree back there behind the pool when she was seven.
    She looks a moment longer, then just turns away and sighs.
    PEARL
    Can I get you something?
    LIZ
    Thanks, Pearl. A beer.
    Pearl gets up and goes into the house. Liz sulks, but then looks up and smiles when she sees... Josh standing at the corner of the house, having just arrived. He approaches.
    JOSH
    Vic. Mike.
    Vic and Mike wave back.
    VIC
    (grumbles)
    And then there's that one.
    MIKE
    Who? Josh? He's OK.
    VIC
    A goddamn mass murderer always making eyes at my daughter. I had to send her away to live in the city! I had no choice.
    MIKE
    I don't think you gotta worry about Josh.
    VIC
    And why not? Gimme that bottle.
    MIKE
    (passes bottle)
    Well, I mean, he's not, you know, very interested in girls.
    VIC
    (stunned)
    You mean... you mean, he's... a fag?
    MIKE
    No! It's just, you know, he's like a priest or something.
    VIC
    (laughs)
    Hah! No man is like a priest, Mike. Priests aren't even like priests when it comes to women.
    MIKE
    It's different with Josh, though. I mean, Vic, all he ever thinks about is engines. He was telling me this stuff the other day you wouldn't believe it. All this scientific shit. Amazing. He don't have time to think about anything. I'm telling you, Vic, Audry's safer around Josh than she is around anybody.
    VIC
    You think so?
    MIKE
    For sure.
    Liz pulls her sweater around her and moves up closer to Josh. Josh presses the ear-rings back into her hand.
    JOSH
    Mrs Hugo, I just wanted to say I don't really think this is, well, right. I mean it's right, but... I don't think it's what Audry wants.
    LIZ
    But, well, isn't it what you want? It's what I want. Maybe Audry doesn't know what she wants.
    Josh hesitates. He doesn't know how to answer. Then Vic approaches and lays a friendly hand on his shoulder.
    JOSH
    That's what I mean.
    VIC
    How are you, Josh? Glad you could stop by!
    Vic leads Josh away, shaking hands. Liz looks on.
    VIC (O.S.)
    Come over here a minute, Josh. I wanna talk to you.
    They walk away. Pearl returns with two beers. She and Liz sit and look out at Vic and Josh.
    LIZ
    (carefully)
    Pearl, what do you think of Josh?
    PEARL
    (troubled, but...)
    I think... Audry is in love with him.
    LIZ
    Yes, but, under the circumstances... What do you think of him?
    PEARL
    (hesitates again)
    I think he's in love with her too.
    Liz sighs, thinks, then...
    LIZ
    Do you hate him?
    PEARL
    No.
    LIZ
    Are you afraid of him?
    PEARL
    Yes.

EXT. HUGO HOUSE -- DAY
    Vic and Josh sit in an old car by the side of the Hugo house.
    VIC
    Take a seat. Well, look, Josh. This ain't easy for me to say. I know you like Audry and... well, to be absolutely out in the open and up front about everything... Audry's crazy about you.
    Josh is a little overwhelmed...
    VIC
    You look surprised. But listen to me, Josh, I ain't kiddin' you. The girl sleeps with your crescent wrench.
    JOSH
    (at a loss)
    Well, I... appreciate you saying this. I think.
    VIC
    Look, take tomorrow off. She's flying in from Europe tomorrow afternoon
    VIC
    some time. I think it'd be a great surprise for her to find you waiting on her doorstep when she got home. Here's the address where she's living. She lives with a friend. And here... here's five hundred bucks.
    JOSH
    (protests)
    No, Mr Hugo, really. I couldn't...
    VIC
    Shut up and take the money! Here, take it! Don't be so goddamn polite. Jesus. Take her out to a play, dinner, a movie, take all the freakin' cabs you want! Show her a good time! That's the way girls are. You gotta spend some money on them. They eat it up!
    Josh looks at all the money, overwhelmed. Vic pulls him even further aside and speaks more confidentially.
    VIC
    (ultra-confidential)
    Look, come here... Look, I'm not a real, you know, what you'd call the romantic type, but... you know, I think this could be a really beautiful thing.
    Moments later... Mike sidesteps over to the lounge chairs and picks up the magazine. He looks to make sure no one is watching, then opens up to the photographs of Audry. He stares at the pictures and his mouth gradually falls open. He's breathing heavily.
    MIKE
    (off, wildly)
    Mike! You son of a bitch!!!
    DISSOLVE TO:

INT. JOSH'S PLACE -- MORNING
    The five hundred bucks and Audry's copy of The Misanthrope are sitting on the floor beside Josh's bed. Josh has just gotten up and is shaving in the bathroom. He dresses, putting on a new suit of black clothes. He is happy and anxious. He checks himself in the mirror and throws on his jacket. He pockets the money and slips the small book into his inside breast pocket. He leaves the house. DISSOLVE TO:

INT./EXT. TRAIN -- DAY
    Josh stands at the front of the train looking out at the tracks up ahead.

EXT. CITY -- DAY
    Josh finds his way through the city to...

EXT. EAST VILLAGE STREET -- DAY
    He comes walking up the sidewalk, checking the little piece of paper with Audry's address on it. He finds the building and checks the buzzers. He finds the apartment number. Beside it is the name WHITBRED. This name means nothing to Josh. He rings it and waits. No response. He tries again and still no answer. He decides he's too early. Looking around, he figures he'll kill some time walking around the neighborhood. He crosses the street and comes across a hungry-looking street musician, Otis. Josh stops and drops a dollar in Otis's hat. Then he remembers him as the guy who gave him the ride and dropped him off at the statue of George Washington.
    JOSH
    Hey, aren't you...
    OTIS
    (flares up)
    Back off man! It wasn't me! I wasn't even there!
    Josh backs off, obligingly. Otis settles down and stares at the sidewalk. Josh waits a minute, then...
    JOSH
    Aren't you going to play a song?
    OTIS
    Maybe.
    JOSH
    Want a cigarette?
    OTIS
    No! I don't want a cigarette! I ain't a beggar, you know! I'm an entertainer! I'm an artist, man!
    Josh just waves him away and sits on the steps, looking across at Audry's building. Otis shuffles around, grumbling to himself. He slips out a hip flask and takes a hit, then offers it to Josh.
    JOSH
    Thanks. I don't drink.
    OTIS
    (stunned)
    What!
    JOSH
    I don't drink.
    OTIS
    Bullshit! Everybody drinks.
    JOSH
    Not me.
    OTIS
    Why the hell not? Hey, are you a priest?
    JOSH
    No. I'm a mechanic.
    OTIS
    Really?
    JOSH
    Yeah.
    OTIS
    Mechanics drink. My ex-wife's new husband's a mechanic and he drinks.
    JOSH
    Well, I don't.
    OTIS
    I don't believe you.
    JOSH
    You don't believe I don't drink.
    OTIS
    No, I don't believe you're a mechanic.
    JOSH
    But I am!
    OTIS
    I think you're a man of God!
    JOSH
    I'm a mechanic.
    OTIS
    Why don't you have a drink with me? What, am I not good enough for ya?
    Josh tells him, sincere, but not heavy.
    JOSH
    (smokes)
    The last time I drank I got in a car crash and killed a girl.
    OTIS
    (silent, then)
    No.
    JOSH
    Yes.
    Otis looks away and thinks about this, deeply impressed.
    OTIS
    That's enough to drive you to drink.
    JOSH
    I've been in prison.
    OTIS
    They put you in jail for a car accident!
    JOSH
    No, not for that. But a few years later I got in an argument with the girl's father and I killed him too.
    OTIS
    No shit?
    JOSH
    Yeah.
    OTIS
    How?
    JOSH
    I pushed him down a flight of stairs.
    OTIS
    Wow! Why?
    JOSH
    He was hammering away at my face pretty bad and I just kept laying in to his chest with all my might, you know... Next thing I knew...
    OTIS
    Dead?
    JOSH
    Broken neck. Smashed skull. I didn't even see it happen.
    OTIS
    (sits)
    Man... You got a cigarette?
    JOSH
    Yeah, here.
    They sit and smoke for a moment. After a while, Otis just shakes his head, lifts his harmonica, and starts playing. Josh listens. A fancy sports car turns the corner and comes up the street. Josh and Otis watch as it pulls up. It stops across the street in front of Audry's building. Audry steps out. She's got dark sunglasses on, is all dressed up, but looks bored and anxious to get inside. But then Josh looks up, sees her, and rises slowly, anxious and startled. Otis plays away... Josh moves slowly forward, stepping off the curb, staring at... Audry waiting at the door as... Todd Whitbred climbs out of the car and carries some bags over to the door. Josh is confused. He stops. Audry turns away from Todd as he comes up and throws his arm around her waist. Otis howls as he plays, lost in the song. Audry pushes in through the door, followed in by Todd, who slides...... his hand down over her ass. The door swings closed. BAM. Josh wanders into the middle of the street, staring at the door, utterly disappointed. Crestfallen. Behind him Otis plays on, oblivious to everything. CUT TO:

INT. TODD'S APARTMENT -- SAME TIME
    The chic spacious apartment is on the second floor overlooking the street. Otis's music can be heard outside. Audry and Todd enter. She drops her bags in the middle of the floor, crosses to the windows, and throws them open.
    TODD
    (annoyed)
    Do we have to listen to that bum making all that racket?
    AUDRY
    (unconcerned)
    I like it.
    She falls across the couch and lies there a moment, looking at The End of the World. She lies there thinking. Todd comes over and starts putting the moves on her. She slaps him briskly. He rolls down on to the couch and sighs angrily.
    TODD
    Come on, Audry!
    AUDRY
    You disgust me.
    TODD
    Why do you live here with me then if you won't let me touch you?
    AUDRY
    Because I can. It's free. And I'm greedy.
    TODD
    (sits up) N)
    Othing is free, Audry. Greedy people know that.
    She breaks away and throws open another window. I could throw you out!
    AUDRY
    But you won't.
    TODD
    Don't count on it.
    AUDRY
    Here's money then for rent.
    TODD
    (turns away)
    I don't want your money.
    AUDRY
    (coy)
    Money is all I have.
    He goes over and slams the windows shut. Audry moves right along after him, throwing them open again.
    TODD
    You wouldn't be living like this if it wasn't for me.
    AUDRY
    You've made a lot of money off of me too, pal.
    TODD
    You're getting a damn good deal having me as your personal manager!
    AUDRY
    (coy)
    But you're not still satisfied, are you?
    He jumps her again. She struggles. He holds her by the shoulders and forces her to the couch. She swings the wrench and hits him in the ribs.
    TODD
    OWWW!!! Shit!
    He falls back and Audry jumps away. She discovers her copy of The End of the World, picks it up, and starts reading aloud.
    AUDRY
    `The immediate effects of a twenty- megaton bomb are not different in
    AUDRY
    kind from those of a twelve-and-a- half kiloton bomb; they are just more extensive.'
    TODD
    You gotta play the game, Audry. Life ain't pretty. You gotta make compromises. Life is all compromises.
    AUDRY
    (reading)
    `The thermal pulse emitted from both bombs can ignite newspapers fifteen miles away.'
    TODD
    You don't get something for nothing! You could do a lot worse than me.
    I'm not a rich man, but I'm doing OK for a guy my age.
    AUDRY
    `A barren plain of ashes is the image of what our world is always poised to become.'
    TODD
    I'm leveraged. I've got money in real estate. I own art. I own two Andy Warhol prints! Valuable stuff!
    AUDRY
    `A barely imaginable horror lies just beneath the surface of our normal life...'
    TODD
    That car outside. You know how much that baby costs?
    AUDRY
    `... and threatens to break through into our normal life at any time.'
    TODD
    This vase here alone is worth over six thousand dollars. You see, I've been smart. Assets. Tons of assets. And I'm in great shape. I go to the most expensive gym in town...
    AUDRY
    `It is an inescapable truth about our lives today that at any given moment each and every one of us could become a broken and confused animal scratching the surface of the earth for some small sign of life.'
    Todd grabs her, spins her around by the arm, and throws her to the floor.

EXT. STREET -- DAY
    Otis wails on the harmonica. Josh stands staring at the pavement, clutching Audry's little book like a rock.

INT. APARTMENT -- DAY
    Todd grips Audry by the arms and lifts her right off the floor.
    AUDRY
    I have nothing.
    TODD
    I don't want anything. I want you.
    AUDRY
    Is that all?
    TODD
    You owe me. We had a deal.
    AUDRY
    We made no deal.
    TODD
    We had an understanding.
    AUDRY
    I never said I understood anything.
    TODD
    (pulls her close)
    Do you really think I let you live here out of the goodness of my heart?
    She doesn't respond.

EXT. STREET -- SAME TIME
    Josh winds up and throws the book up at the window of the apartment.

INT. APARTMENT -- DAY
    CRASH! They jump back and see the expensive vase has been shattered by the book.

EXT. STREET -- MOMENTS LATER
    Josh stuffs the five hundred bucks into Otis's hat and Otis stops playing, looking on curiously as Josh stomps away up the street.

INT. APARTMENT -- SAME TIME
    Todd falls to his knees above the remains of the vase.
    TODD
    Oh my God! My fucking vase! This isn't even insured!
    Audry comes over and picks up the book, looking at it wonder. Todd has forgotten about her. She gathers her wits and rushes over to the window and looks down into the street.

EXT. STREET -- SAME TIME
    Audry sees... Otis clutching the five hundred bucks with his mouth hanging open. He looks up and sees Audry, then flees. Audry looks up and down the block, but Josh is gone.

INT. APARTMENT -- SAME TIME
    Audry jumps back away from the window, grabs her bag, her wrench, and runs from the apartment. Todd kneels sobbing over his busted vase. DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. SUBURBAN TRAIN STATION -- DAY
    The train pulls out of the station as Josh comes down the steps to the street. He pauses on the sidewalk to light a cigarette. He looks hard and mean and dangerous. He looks up and down the street and stalks off.

INT. GARAGE -- DAY
    The garage door flies open and Josh is revealed standing there, tall, determined, and reckless. He strides in and approaches... The company car. VICTOR HUGO AUTO REPAIR is written across the side. Josh gets in. Twists the key in the ignition. The headlights go on. The exhaust pipe rumbles as the engine revs up. Josh clenches his cigarette in his teeth and... Jams the stick-shift into drive. The wheels peel out and he's on his way.

EXT. ROAD -- DAY
    Josh speeds off into the evening.

EXT. BEER STORE -- DAY
    Josh exits store with a six-pack of beer. He hops into the Hugo mobile and takes off.

EXT. ROAD -- DAY
    Josh roars down the highway, drinking a beer. Music blares from the radio.

EXT. BEACH -- DAY
    Josh skids to a stop in the empty parking lot. He gets out of the car with a beer in the one hand and the rest of the six-pack dangling from the other. He strides across the flat expanse, grim, single-minded, and scary.

EXT. BEACH HOUSE -- SAME TIME
    Emmet and Jane are making out up against the closed-up beach house and don't notice as... Josh stalks past on his way to the water. He stops, though, and watches their uninterrupted tongue kiss. He watches from a distance, but frankly and unashamed. He takes a swig of beer and continues on, brooding. He reaches the sand and starts out for the ocean, but then sees... Pearl sitting all by herself on the ledge that runs along the back of the beach house. She looks real pretty and, when she sees him, she looks down shyly. He stands there a moment, wondering if he should move to her. She glances up at him again, and smiles nervously. Josh just nods, stone-faced. After a pause, he starts out for the shore again. But...
    PEARL
    Josh.
    He stops. She hesitates, then... He stays where he is, watching her, then looks out at the water and thinks. She waits. He looks back at her, right in the eye, and looks handsome and formidable. Scary, but attractive. Pearl trembles and heaves a sigh. He starts toward her. She slides off the ledge and leans back against it, girlish and uncertain. He comes up before her and stops.
    JOSH
    How are you, Pearl?
    PEARL
    Can I talk to you?
    JOSH
    I'm not much in the mood for talking right now.
    PEARL
    It's important.
    He looks back out at the water, sighs, and...
    JOSH
    Would you like to go down to the water?
    She does not respond. He turns and looks right back at Pearl.
    JOSH
    (a command)
    Let's go to my house.

EXT. BEACH HOUSE -- MOMENTS LATER
    Josh and Pearl walk past... Emmet and Jane. Emmet pulls out of the kiss to watch, baffled, as Josh and Pearl walk out to the car. Jane looks on too.

EXT. PARKING LOT -- SAME TIME
    Josh opens the door for Pearl. She looks at the car, then at Josh, hesitating. Josh holds the door open and says nothing. She looks at the six-pack in his hand, then down at the ground.
    PEARL
    Can we walk?
    Josh waits a moment longer, then throws the door closed and turns. He starts walking away. Pearl hesitates, but then follows.

EXT. SUBURBAN TRAIN STATION -- DAY
    Audry comes down the steps to the street. She runs over to the taxi stand.

EXT. VIC'S BACKYARD -- DAY
    Vic is sitting in a lawn chair watching a small portable TV. He seems preoccupied. He looks at his watch, then gets up and turns off the set.

EXT. BEACH HOUSE -- DAY
    Mike is walking around the beach house, looking for Pearl. He looks at the car in the lot, which Josh left there, and which he recognizes from the garage. He comes over to... Emmet and Jane, who are still kissing passionately.
    MIKE
    You guys seen Pearl?
    They part and look at him, dazed.
    EMMET
    She just left.
    JANE
    With Josh Hutton.
    Mike just looks at him oddly, turns away, and considers this.

INT. JOSH'S PLACE -- DAY
    Pearl is in the bathroom. Josh waits in the hallway, drinking a beer. He goes to the door and knocks.
    JOSH
    Pearl? You OK?
    PEARL (O.S.)
    You didn't kill him.
    JOSH (O.S.)
    (lost)
    What?
    PEARL (O.S.)
    You didn't kill him.
    He just stares at the door.
    JOSH
    Kill who?
    PEARL (O.S.)
    My father.
    JOSH
    (careful)
    What do you mean?
    PEARL (O.S.)
    (pauses, then...)
    He hit you real hard and you fell in through the bathroom door. You hit the floor and you didn't move again. He stepped back into the hall, at the top of the stairs... And then he saw me. I startled him. He stepped back. And fell.
    Josh moves a little forward and slides down the wall into a crouch.
    PEARL
    So when they asked me... They asked me if you had shoved him. And I just nodded.
    Josh hesitates, then moves even closer.
    PEARL
    I hated you. Everybody did. All I ever knew was that you killed my sister and that I was supposed to hate you.
    Josh thinks this over.
    PEARL
    I've hated you even more since then. I made myself hate you more and more. Then I tried not to think about it. And I forgot. I forgot you didn't kill him. You didn't kill him.
    Josh is motionless, staring at the floor. Pearl opens the bathroom door and kneels next to a shell- shocked Josh.
    PEARL
    I read in the papers recently how there had been this big miscarriage of justice somewhere. A man had spent five years in prison before everything was sorted out. He went to court and sued the state and got a whole lot of money. Maybe you could do something like that.
    He doesn't respond. But after a while, he gets up slowly and sits there beside Pearl, leaning against her, intimate and trusting. She takes his hand. He stares off, thinking, then shrugs...
    JOSH
    I don't need the money.
    They sit together in silence a while longer.

INT. BEDROOM -- MOMENTS LATER
    Pearl knocks her shoes off and lays her head down on the pillow. Josh pulls a blanket up over her.

EXT. GARAGE -- DAY
    Vic walks up and looks around. The garage door is wide open. The car is gone. There is no one around.
    VIC
    Mike?
    (no answer...)
    Josh?

INT. JOSH'S HOUSE -- DAY
    Josh is sitting across the bedroom, sipping a beer, watching Pearl sleep. Finally, he gets up and steps out into the hall. He realizes he's a little drunk, giggles, and goes into the bathroom. Meanwhile, Vic sneaks in the back door. He gently closes the door, then stops and listens. He hears nothing. He moves on into the house. Then, Audry appears at the front door. She hesitates, then opens the door and comes quietly in. But she freezes when she sees... Vic down the hall in the kitchen. He doesn't see her and she jumps into a room off the front parlor. Vic creeps up the hall from the kitchen toward the front parlor. The bedroom door is on his left and the bathroom is on his right. He is about to turn the knob and peek into the bedroom when he hears Josh running the water in the bathroom. Josh is washing his face. Vic listens and smiles just outside the door. Now, Mike slips quietly in through the back door. He closes it behind him and listens, suspiciously. Vic hears the door close and moves over to jump into the bedroom, but then thinks better of it. He scrambles up the hall to the parlor. Meanwhile, Audry peeks in through the front window. Vic dives behind a chair. Mike stalks slowly through the kitchen and turns up into the hall. He stops outside the bathroom and listens as... Josh washes his hands. Mike steps back, looking at the door suspiciously, then reaches out to open the bedroom door. He opens it wide and looks in at... Pearl sleeping. Mike goes white, devastated. He trembles with anger, but controls himself. He pulls the door closed again and closes it with a short, sharp little slam. Pearl sleeps. The bathroom door opens and... Josh steps out.
    JOSH
    Mike.
    MIKE
    Fuck you!
    And he hauls off and shoves Josh against the wall, but... Vic jumps forward with the solution.
    VIC
    It's all right, Mike. I know all about it! I wanted him to.
    MIKE
    Well, nice touch, Vic.
    Mike deals Vic a savage shove to the gut and exits through the nearest door. Josh follows.
    JOSH
    (running out the door)
    Mike, let me explain.
    Audry rounds the corner, smack into a stunned Vic.
    AUDRY
    (giving him a good shove)
    Dad! What are you doing here?
    And still Pearl sleeps. Audry comes into the room, looking for a phone, and stops dead in her tracks when she sees her friend in Josh's bed. She holds her breath a moment, then comes over and sits on the edge of the bed. She picks up the phone which is beside the bed and dials, glancing curiously over at Pearl the whole time. Then...
    AUDRY
    (into phone)
    Hello, Mom? It's me. I'm at Josh Hutton's house. Yeah. Oh, everybody's here. You should probably come on over. Dad's hurt himself. OK. See you.
    She hangs up hard. Pearl stirs and wakes. She sees Audry watching her and sits up.
    PEARL
    Audry.
    AUDRY
    (dryly)
    Did you make love to Josh?
    PEARL
    No. Did you?
    AUDRY
    No.
    PEARL
    Why not?
    AUDRY
    I just got here.
    Vic stumbles into the bedroom. He falls on the bed, then looks up at Pearl.
    VIC
    Pearl. What are you doing here?
    PEARL
    Sleeping.
    VIC
    (to Audry)
    Didn't you sleep here?
    AUDRY
    I just came from the city.
    Vic is amazed. He jumps up off the bed, furious.
    VIC
    That bastard!
    AUDRY
    Dad!
    VIC
    That thief! He owes me five hundred bucks!

EXT. BEACH PARKING LOT -- DAY
    Mike is marching across the asphalt toward the ocean, pissed. Josh is hurrying along after him, limping.
    JOSH
    (yells)
    Mike! Hold on! Come on! Calm down!
    Mike keeps going, but calls out over his shoulder...
    MIKE
    I go out of my way to convince Vic that you're OK for Audry and what do you do? You fucking put the moves on Pearl!
    JOSH
    Don't be an idiot, Mike! I wouldn't do that to you! Slow down!
    Mike stomps on past the car Josh left parked there in the lot. Josh stops.
    JOSH
    Where are you going?
    MIKE
    I'm gonna drown myself!
    Vic comes running up and shoves Josh. Mike looks back and slows down as...
    JOSH
    Now what the hell is your problem!
    VIC
    Where's my money!
    JOSH
    I don't have it any more!
    Vic jumps up and tries to tackle him again. They wrestle violently. Mike has stopped. He looks on, curious. He's forgotten that he wants to drown himself. He approaches.
    VIC
    (stumbles back)
    I gave him five hundred bucks to get Audry and bring her back! He didn't do it and he kept the money!
    JOSH
    I didn't even want the money!
    VIC
    You didn't hold up your end of the deal!
    JOSH
    We didn't make any deal!
    VIC
    We had an understanding!
    JOSH
    You don't understand anything!
    Vic turns away, disgusted.
    VIC
    You just can't trust anybody.
    Audry, Pearl, and Liz come walking up. Pearl heads straight for Mike, furious.
    PEARL
    Where were you?
    MIKE
    Where were you?
    PEARL
    I waited at the beach house till six o'clock. You said you'd meet me there at five!
    MIKE
    (remembers)
    Oh, yeah. Well, I got hung up.
    PEARL
    Why didn't you call me?
    MIKE
    Well, I ahh... you know... I didn't have a quarter.
    Pearl storms off toward the water and Mike runs after her.
    LIZ
    Victor, what's wrong with you?
    VIC
    Nothing is wrong with me. I want my money!
    AUDRY
    (to Josh)
    Pearl says you're innocent.
    VIC
    (to Liz)
    Innocent of what?
    LIZ
    He didn't kill Pearl's father.
    VIC
    What!
    AUDRY
    Dad, since Josh is not a murderer, all the deals I've made with you are now null and void.
    VIC
    (outraged)
    Oh, no! No way! You still gotta go to college!
    Audry takes out her check book and leans on the car.
    AUDRY
    (writing)
    I'll go to college when I feel like it. I'm going to travel. See the world.
    VIC
    What about the money I gave that insane charity thing?
    Audry rips out the check and hands it to him.
    AUDRY
    Eleven thousand dollars. All the money I have in the world. It's all yours.
    She throws down her bag and goes back to Josh. I've decided I can't have faith in what I can't see.
    JOSH
    (looks at her)
    What do you want to see?
    AUDRY
    The world.
    JOSH
    What about this guy Whitbred?
    AUDRY
    He means nothing to me.
    JOSH
    How do I know that?
    AUDRY
    You have to trust me.
    Josh just stares at her a moment, hard, then turns and takes a few steps away. She watches as he stares a hole in the asphalt at his feet. Finally, he turns back to her, decided. He lifts up and gives her a shake.
    JOSH
    (nods)
    I don't trust anyone.
    She smiles and moves into his arms. They kiss.

EXT. BEACH -- LATER
    Audry is riding on Josh's back. He walks around to the passenger side of the van.
    JOSH
    Do you have any money?
    AUDRY
    (looks)
    Twelve dollars. You?
    JOSH
    No. I don't have my tools either.
    AUDRY
    I have your wrench.
    JOSH
    OK, that'll do. Come on, get in.
    He opens the door for her and an empty beer can falls out on to the asphalt. They look up from it to each other, uneasily. Then..
    AUDRY
    I suppose we're car thieves now?
    JOSH
    You just gave your father eleven thousand dollars.
    AUDRY
    But there was no agreement, no deal.
    JOSH
    Just money.
    AUDRY
    Hold it!
    She looks up at the sky and listens.
    JOSH
    (looks up)
    What?
    AUDRY
    Do you hear that?
    JOSH
    (Listens)
    No. What is it?
    AUDRY
    Listen.
    They stand there beside the car, listening intently. The camera rises up and into the evening sky. CUT TO BLACK:
    THE END

Summary: Back from prison to a small community on Long Island comes Josh, a sober young man whose crimes most cannot remember exactly, and finds a job at Vic's auto repair shop. Vic's daughter Audry falls instantly in love with him, only to be rejected when she declares her feelings because he is not ready for such a relationship and fears Vic's reaction. In revenge, she gives up the place she has won at Harvard and goes off to New York to be a photographic model, appearing first in lingerie and then nude. Horrified, her parents send the reliable Josh off to the city to reclaim her, but he gives up in disgust when he finds she is living with her agent. Returning home, he meets the daughter of the man he is supposed to have killed in a struggle, who says she can testify that he is innocent. Audry, overjoyed that Josh has re-entered her life, gives her money-obsessed father all her earnings from modeling and again offers herself to Josh, who this time is overjoyed too.