Exchanging Pleasantries Screenplay Written by ferf ziamond FADE IN EXT. CARTER BEND
An
intersection with a street sign reading CARTER BEND and TRENIS’
A
breeze brings movement to the leaves and trees on the road.
A bronze statue of a man sits in the
cul-de-sac at the end of the road. The
name VINCE CARTER is engraved on the
plaque.
A sign reads WELCOME TO TRENIS’ VILLAGE.
Beyond the sign a barber shop, gas
station, ice cream shop, grocery store,
library, and the coffee shack.
Friendly
faces pass on the street in front of the run down
coffee shack.
INT. COFFEE SHACK - DAY
Unkempt,
historic in appearance, a few scattered customers,
most of which are in their twenties.
Two
men in their seventies sit at a table, a checkerboard
between them.
The
grizzled old men, HARPER and GRUMP. Harper sits gazing out of a dingy window. Grump stares at the checkerboard mesmerized.
Grump shakes his head. He looks around the
room noticing the scattered
customers.
GRUMP
Whose turn is it anyway?
HARPER
Hell if I
know. My mind
got lost out the winda.
The
small window facing
and crust scattered along the panes. Weeds
grow outside obscuring most of the
view. A young woman walks to the door.
A brown door
chime rings as she enters. Harper lifts his
head.
HARPER (CONT.)
Mornin
Dangie.
Harper looks at the checker board shrugging
his shoulders.
HARPER (CONT.)
Am I red or black?
DANGIE, mid twenties, brunette, cute, walks
in unfolding dollar bills she pulls from
her purse.
DANGIE
Hi ya Harper.
She looks to the large man in a tank top
behind the counter. His hair and beard
are a greasy mess.
DANGIE (CONT.)
The usual Kamptin.
She lays two dollars beside the old
fashioned register, smiles.
KAMPTIN
Dangie.
Kamptin places
her cup of coffee on the worn counter. She
picks it up and walks past Harper and Grump’s
table.
DANGIE
Who’s winning?
She looks at the checkerboard and takes a
seat two tables back.
HARPER
I think I am.
Harper looks up as the chimes ring again.
HARPER (CONT.)
Oh, this character.
MORT, twenties, walks toward the counter.
Kamptin shakes his hand. They speak
then Mort heads toward Dangie, slows
down by Grump.
MORT
Black winning?
GRUMP
Black’s always losing in
my book.
Grump stares at Mort who takes a seat
across from Dangie.
Mort looks at Dangie, eyes glowing.
MORT
Hey Dangie.
DANGIE
Good morning. Starting in
all ready?
Mort lifts himself out of his chair a
fraction peering at Grump.
MORT
Candyland is friendlier!
He eases back down into the chair. Dangie
lets out a giggle, covers her mouth.
Grump looks back at Mort for a moment
before Harper interrupts.
HARPER
the street. He can get us
a refill.
GRUMP
Thank you young man,
you’re very enlightening.
Grump turns his head back to Harper and
whispers.
GRUMP (CONT.)
What the hell is
candyland?
The chimes ring again, another young man
enters and looks over. He has a bag
over his shoulder with a logo on it. TRENIS’ TIMES.
Harper holds his coffee cup up. Grump
follows suit.
HARPER
Hey
mind?
MC is his name but the guys call him
Gladstone.
MC
Sure thing Harper, Grump.
MC looks back at Mort and Dangie.
MC (CONT.)
Hey Mort. I may have done
it!
He holds up a piece of paper then looks
back at Kamptin who places three cups
and a package of crackers on the
counter.
Mort puts on a face.
MORT
He may have done it once
again. I may just pay a
newspaper to hire him at
this point.
DANGIE
That’s so mean. He tries
hard. And he’s so
adorable.
Mort’s straight face becomes a sarcastic
grin.
MORT
Your brother.
MC balances three coffee cups on his way to
Harper and Grumps table.
MORT (CONT.)
Maybe now we’ll be able
to get his cell phone
number. Better yet, now
maybe he’ll stop talking
about that website he
puts his stories on.
MC stops by Harper and Grump. Harper hands
MC a dollar.
HARPER
Keep the change
MC
Thanks Harper.
He slips the bill in his pocket and sits
next to Mort.
MC (CONT.)
I’m out of here guys.
DANGIE
What do you mean?
MC
I got a call. It’s time
to move on.
MORT
On your
phone?
MC
This is the big time. New
DANGIE
Are you serious?
MORT
You’re really gonna go
down there? What’s wrong
with your Trenis’ Times
gig?
MC
Give me a break. The
biggest pay I ever got
for writing for them was
this bag.
He holds the bag up.
Grump turns around.
GRUMP
Them black kids’ll eat
you alive. You don’t
stand a chance.
He turns back around.
Dangie, MC and Mort laugh. Mort shakes his
head.
MORT
What is wrong with that
idiot?
DANGIE
You’d be a grump too if
your daughter in-law ran
off with your grandson.
MC
Even worse, not ever
meeting that daughter
in-law or grandson.
MORT
Better for the daughter
in-law and grandson. They
don’t need to know this
grouch of a granddad.
Mort laughs slightly.
MORT (CONT.)
I met the grandson once.
It’s no wonder Grump’s
son kept a lid on that
whole part of his life.
Grump never would have
approved. I could never
forget that kid.
MC
C’mon, he’s just an old
man. He
doesn’t realize
half of what he says. Do
you think I should worry
about the black kids?
DANGIE
I can’t believe you’re
actually considering
leaving us. What are you
going to do with Ferf?
MC
He’s coming with me.
DANGIE
That’s a long ride. It
might not be good for her.
MC
He’ll be fine.
DANGIE
She wasn’t so great last
time she was in a car.
MORT
Five years and neither of
you know the sex of that
damn cat.
He shakes his head.
At the same time Dangie and MC state their
beliefs.
DANGIE MC
She’s a girl! He’s a boy!
MORT
Exactly!
MORT (CONT.)
So, you’re really gonna
do this?
MC
I don’t have a choice.
Grump chimes in again.
GRUMP
Remember what I said when
you’re laying on the
ground somewhere looking
up at some black kid
begging for your life.
EXT.
COFFEE SHACK
From the window the group continues their conversation.
EXT.
Light rainfall glides against the tall
buildings. The streets are filled with
yellow taxis at red lights.
Pedestrians with umbrellas are on every
corner. The honking of car horns is
heard. This is lower
Between two fifty story buildings and off
to the side, a big gold and black store
sign sticks out. MARIGOLD CAFÉ.
INT. MARIGOLD CAFÉ
The inside of the café is a tremendous step
up compared to the coffee shack. The door
alone is made from the finest
materials. Walls and floors of marble, ceiling
fans, chandeliers, each modernized table and chair
set complete with its own internet connection.
Off to the side is a large shelf of exotic
cookies.
Patrons set up scattered offices sipping
from coffee mugs.
One customer stands out above the rest.
NED. Tall, thin, mid-thirties, short
blonde hair. He takes up two tables. Laptop,
latte, and newspaper on one. Briefcase,
cell phone, beeper, scattered folders, and pages
of notes on the other.
He takes his eyes away from the laptop as a
waitress passes by. Her name tag
reads ANN.
Ned holds up his cup.
NED
Another Fratte latte
Ginger.
She has a perturbed look.
ANN
Ginger hasn’t worked here
in months.
She walks to the counter and whispers to
another waitress.
ANN (CONT.)
He’s such an asshole.
The other waitress, cute and quiet, DABNI.
She laughs and hands Ann a cup.
DABNI
One fratte latte.
ANN
I hope he chokes on it.
DABNI.
You’re too much.
ANN
His arrogance is too much.
Ann brings the cup to him as a phone rings
behind the counter.
ANN (CONT.)
You got that Dabni?
Dabni picks up the phone.
DABNI
Daddy I miss you! How are
things at home?
INT. KITCHEN
In a
small town outside of
fifties, a short, well groomed, pleasant
man sits in a