NO GOOD DEED

byHenry C. Byrd

Cinemental Filmworks5169 South Utica Ave #7918-829-1135

BLACK SCREEN

Sound of a HEARTBEAT and BREATHING.

FADE IN:

INT. DOCTORS OFFICE-DAY

A DOCTOR is repositioning his stethoscope on the chest of

MELVIN who is sitting on an examination table.

An armed guard stands near the door, watching

every move.

DOCTORWell you sound better on the insidethan you look on the outside,Melvin.

MELVINSo you'll be givin' me a clean billof health, right?

The Doctor removes his stethoscope and annotates his notes on

a clipboard.

DOCTORDoesn't matter what I say. This isall procedural. I just have to makesure you're not carrying any prisoncooties out to the streets.

MELVINCooties, huh? That professionalterminology?

DOCTORLearned that one in here.(Motionsto the guard)Looks good fella.

The guard automatically moves in on him to

unlock his shackles and remove him from the

table. The doctor grabs Melvin's shirt from

the table and tosses it to him.

DOCTOR (CONT'D)Until we meet again?

A beat

MELVINDon't be such an optimist.

CUT TO:

INT. PRISON CELL-DAY

Melvin is taking one last look at his cell, grabs the folded

linen from his desk and takes another look around.

CUT TO:

CELL BLOCK

Accompanied by a guard, Melvin makes his way past a row of

cells.

MELVIN'S POV

An OLD MAN is sitting, Indian style, on

the floor of his cell. He seems to be

in deep meditation.

MELVIN(to the old man)

Take it easy Preach.

Melvin is about to leave the cell block when-

PREACH (O.S.)Instead of dirt and poison, we haverather chosen to fill our hiveswith honey and wax; thus furnishingMankind with the two noblest ofthings, which are sweetness andlight.

Melvin, as well as the guard stop dead in their tracks.

2.

INT. PREACH’S CELL

PREACH (CONT'D)Instead of wasting your life doingwrong for other people, seekpleasure in doing good for others.

He closes his eyes and goes back into deep meditation.

CELL BLOCK

MELVINWhatever the hell you just said,I'll take it into consideration.Take care Preach.

PREACH’S CELL

PREACH(under his breath)

But remember, young brother...Nogood deed goes unpunished.

CUT TO:

PROPERTY DESK

The CLERK slides a large manila envelope to Melvin and

Immediately begins to read off the contents. There is a

SERIES OF ANGLES as Melvin empties the envelope and verifies

each item.

CLERKList for prisoner HCB41672. Onepair of sunglasses, black, nonprescription. One Pack ofCigarettes, menthol, Silver lighter-

Melvin dumps out eight unusually shiny

quarters.

CLERK (CONT'D)And about two dollars, in quarters.

Confused, Melvin takes a moment to look at the quarters.

MELVINThis money ain't mine.

3.

GUARDSo now you wanna' be honest?

MELVINI'm serious. I didn't have a dimeto my name when I came here-

CLERKWell now you have a two-spot. Don'tspend it all in one place.

MELVINSo you got a phone I could use?

CLERKUse one of them quarters at a pay phone. Have a nice day.

CUT TO:

EXT. STREET CORNER-DAY

Melvin is on a cell he borrowed from a homeless man, who is nervously tapping his shoulder.

HOMELESS MANHow long you gonna be? You’re using up my day minutes!

MELVINJust give me a second

The Homeless Man goes back to rummaging through his shopping cart.

MELVIN(into the phone)

Yeah...just got out about thirtyminutes ago. No, I didn't want toattract any attention...I'mDowntown...DOWN-TOWN!...No...I'msure I don't need a ride...I thinkI'm going to go see the oldneighborhood...yes on foot...Yeah,well things have changedNoodles...things have changed

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

4.

EXT. BUS STOP-DAY

The #2 bus comes to a halt at the empty bus stop. We hear the

HISS of the door opening and the bus pulls away to reveal

Melvin leaning on the light post. He lights up a cigarette.

MELVINJesus, it's hot out here!

Melvin looks around as if he were on a strange

planet until he hears a voice.

VOICE (O.S.)Looks a hell of a lot different onthe outside, don't it?

Melvin turns to see an OLD MAN sitting on the

curb. He wasn't there before.

MELVINWhat's that old-timer?

OLD MANCompared to the inside, it looks awhole lot better out here, don' it?

MELVINAm I that obvious?

OLD MAN(pointing)

The smokes

MELVINWhat?

OLD MANHell, haven't seen a pack of BlueDots in.....

MELVINAbout eight years?

OLD MANThat's right, about eight.

A beat

Melvin tosses the man the pack of cigarettes.

5.

MELVINThey're a little stale anyway.

The man digs into the pack and pops one into

his mouth.Melvin leans over and gives him a light.

OLD MANYou sir, are a gentleman.

MELVINBeen called worse. Right now I'm ahot and hungry man. What time doesthe cross-town expresses come through?

OLD MAN(pointing)

Ordell's Diner is still on third,but the cross-town quit runnin' five years ago. Little bastards were robbin' the buses like stagecoachesbefore that.

MELVINOrdell's,huh?

OLD MANClosest thing you're gonna' get toreal food around here.

CUT TO:

INT. ORDELL'S DINER-DAY

Melvin sits at a booth playing with his lighter. A WAITRESS quietly approaches him with her pad and pen ready.

WAITRESSYou keep playing' with that thingyou're gonna' burn yourself.

Melvin snaps out of his trance.

MELVINI'm sorry, what?

WAITRESSYou ready to order? If not I'lljust leave you alone-

6.

MELVINNo, I'm ready.

WAITRESSYou feelin' alright, mister?

MELVINJust tryin' to get used to thingsout here. I was looking across thestreet.

WAITRESSThe new First National Bank-

MELVINUsed to be a high school overthere. I know I'm givin' away myage, but I used to go to schoolthere.

WAITRESSSmall world, so did I.

MELVINClass of 85?

WAITRESSNope, 88. My brother was in thatclass though-

MELVINWho's your brother?

WAITRESSLionel Briggs.

MELVINGet outta' here! Lionel?

WAITRESSSo you knew him?

MELVINI thought I did. Didn't know he hada sister though.

WAITRESSDifferent mothers.

MELVINSmall world. You know me and Lionel did time....

7.

He stops himself.

MELVIN (CONT'D)(lowering his voice)

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to putyour business out like that-

WAITRESSDon't worry about it. Not too manyof us that left Anderson went on toconquer the world.

MELVINYour brother-

WAITRESSMy brother made some mistakes.

A beat

MELVIN(motioning to an empty chair)

Why don't you have a seat, I'll buyyou a cup of coffee.

WAITRESSLove to, but this isn't my station.I'm just covering for a fewminutes.

MELVINI understand.

A beat

WAITRESSDid you want anything from thekitchen?

MELVINIt's OK. I think I'll getgoing. I guess I wasn't as hungryas I thought I was.

Melvin gets up and drops some change on the

table.

WAITRESSTake it easy.

She starts to walk off.

8.

MELVINWhat happened to the high school?

WAITRESSWhat?

MELVINThe high school, what happened toit?

WAITRESSYou know how it was. Teachersweren't making enough so theydidn't care. The students didn'tcare and eventually the city didn'tgive a damn.

Looking around, she removes her pen from her

apron and scribbles in a pad. She rips the

page out and hands it to him.

WAITRESS (CONT'D)When you get yourself settled in,give me a call. We'll see aboutgettin' you a home-cooked meal. Mybrother always complained about thefood in there.

MELVINThanks, I might do that. I didn'tget your name though.

She runs her fingers across her nameplate. It

reads: DENISE

CUT TO:

EXT. PARKING LOT-FIRST NATIONAL BANK-DAY

Melvin is walking in a sea of parking meters. We hear the LOW

RUMBLE of a car engine. Melvin looks around for the source of

thenoise and a cloud of gray smoke passes him and

he almost chokes. An old convertible is the

source of the smoke. He walks toward the car, catiously.

There’s a METALLIC CLICK and Melvin looks over to see the

9.

METER EXPIRED tab rotate into position on the meter in front

of the convertible.

MELVINWell Melvin, looks like we have agood deed to do.

He retrieves three quarters and begins to drop them into the

parking meter one at a time. As he is about to insert the

third quarter a GUNSHOT rings out causing him to drop the

quarter.

MELVIN’S POV

A MAN is running towards him wearing a black

trench coat. He has a pistol in one hand and a

pink pillowcase in the other. The man dives

at Melvin, sending them both crashing down on

the front bucket seats of the convertible.

MELVINWhat the fuck are you doin'?!

MANStay down!

With two swift movements, the man hurls the bag and Melvin

into the back seat and climbs behind the steering

wheel, throwing the transmission into reverse and peeling

out of the parking lot.

MELVIN'S POV

The man has one hand on the wheel and the

other shooting in all directions until he runs

10.

out of bullets. He drops the pistol...and it

comes crashing down...

THUMP!

MELVINOuch!!

FADE TO BLACK.

MANHey...you alright back there?

FADE IN:

INT. CONVERTIBLE- MOVING

MELVIN'S POV

The Man has his arm straddled across the back of the seat. He

quickly glances back at Melvin while driving.

MANSorry about your head, man. I didn't expect your forehead to be there when I dropped my gun. Just lay back, we gotta' get off the road.

CUT TO:

INT. PARKING GARAGE- DAY

The convertible sputters as it makes it to the top level of a

parking garage. After Jerking forward a few times it finally

dies.

MAN(slapping the dash)

Damn! This shit just gets betterand better.(Over his shoulder) Youawake back there?

Melvin rises up, rubbing his forehead.

MELVIN(wincing)

Where are we?

11.

MANParking garage on tenth.

MELVINThere’s no parking garage ontenth.

MANThey knocked down most of all theold strip malls and put thesethings up like three years ago.Where the hell you been, under arock?

MELVINClose.

The Man grabs the pink pillowcase from the back seat. The Man

sizes Melvin up for a few seconds before he extends his hand.

MANCarlos.

Melvin decks him with a hard right hand that sends him

stumbling backwards.

CARLOSWhat's wrong with you?!

Melvin goes to hit him again and he side-steps, almost

falling.

MELVINI just finished a bid less than twohours ago and now you got me mixedin a jacked up bank job?!

CARLOS(rubbing his jaw)

It wasn't jacked up! I hadeverything planned! It was a cakewalk!

MELVIN

YOURYour plan was dicked from the word go.

Carlos exhales and lays on the hood of the

12.

car.

CARLOSIt doesn't matter. I still don'thave enough to pull my ass outta'this one.

MELVINWhat are you talkin' about?

Carlos reaches into the pillowcase, removes a stack of bills

and throws it at him, but Melvin doesn't flinch and allows

the bills to bounce off of his chest.

CARLOSSorry I got you involved man. Justthe wrong place at the wrong time.

A beat

MELVINThere are better ways to make money-

CARLOSWell I have to raise fifty-large inless than (looking at his watch)five hours or me and my family aredead. You got a better idea, I'mall ears.

MELVINHow could you be stupid enough toget in that deep with anyone? Whois it, Lonnie Noble, Sprig Nicks-

CARLOSSkinny.

A beat

MELVINYou're in fifty-thousand withSkinny Carmichael?!

CARLOSLike I said, it doesn't matter. I'mdone.

MELVINYou sure the fuck are. You have anice life.

13.

Melvin snatches the stack of money off of the ground, thumbs

through it and stuffs it in his pockets.

CUT TO:

PARKING GARAGE ELEVATOR

Melvin walks into the elevator and pushes the ground floor

button.

CUT TO:

INT. ELEVATOR-MOVING

The numbers slowly count down until they reach "G" and the

doors slide open. Melvin is about to walk out of the

elevator, but something stops him. He begins to hear familiar

voices.

WAITRESS (V.O.)...The students didn't care andeventually the city didn't give adamn.

PREACH (V.O.)Instead of wasting your life doingwrong for other people, seekpleasure in doing good deeds forothers in need.

The door is about to close, but Melvin suddenly reaches his

hand out to stop it.

CUT TO:

THE PARKING GARAGE

Carlos has the hood of a Cadillac open while he's under the

Steering wheel trying to hotwire the car. He makes a

Connection with the wires. The engine turns over, but will

not start.

CARLOSC'mon baby! Don't do this to me!

14.

He tries again; same results. Carlos rests his forehead on

the steering wheel. Looking up, his eyes fix on a

stop watch which is hanging from the mirror.

FADE TO:

INT. OPERATING ROOM-DAY -FIVE DAYS EARLIER

A group of five, dressed in operating room scrubs, work

feverishly. We CLOSE on the surgeon, it's Carlos, sweating

behind his mask. A nurse wipes his brow.

CARLOSThanks Delores, thought you forgotabout me.

DELORESWhat, and neglect all the training I received to wipe sweat off yourforehead?

There is a chorus of chuckles.

CARLOSRuthie, how are we doin' overthere?

The tech quickly glances up at the three computer screens

above the operating table.

RUTHIEHer breathing and heart rate arestill stable. The blood pressurelooks a little squirrelly though.

CARLOSThat's normal with this procedure.Just keep me posted.

(motioning to the man next tohim) Kyle?

KYLEWhat's the word doc?

CARLOSI need 3 cc's of B.B., stat.

15.

KYLEThat's a lot of B.B. for this kindof operation doc.

CARLOSI'm not askin' Kyle.

Kyle steps away from the operating table, over

to the corner of the operating room and pushes

the PLAY button on a CD boom-box. The sounds

of B.B. KING'S: THE THRILL IS GONE fills the

operating room.

KYLESomebody explain to me why we listento the blues every time we come inhere.

CARLOSIt's tradition.

KYLEIt's depressing. I feel like I'mworking at a mortuary.

CARLOSYou will be if you don't get yourass over here and give me somesuction.

CUT TO:

INT. HOSPITAL-HALLWAY

Delores is standing in the middle of a long hallway, yelling.

DELORESCarlos!...Carlos!

CUT TO:

INT. EXAMINATION ROOM

A WOMAN(60's,Black) is lying on the examination table. She is

having trouble breathing. Carlos and Delores are on either

side of her as Carlos removes the stethoscope dangling on his

16.

neck and places it on the old woman's chest.

CARLOS(listening)

So how's my girl today?

DELORESNot so good. She has been havingtrouble with her breathing for thepast few days.

He gently touches the old woman on the

forehead.

CARLOSAlright, sweetheart. Let's try torelax our breathing a little bittoday.

She nods and tries to take deep breaths. Carlos flips a

switch on the wall and we hear a low HISS.

He removes an oxygen mask from the wall and slowly places it

on the old woman's face.

CARLOS (CONT'D)Here we go. Just try and give me afew good, deep breaths and try torelax.

After a few seconds, her breathing becomes normal and Carlos

reaches down for the old woman's hand to hold the mask in

place.

CARLOS (CONT'D)Hold this in place for me, alright?

The old woman nods and we can make out a slight smile from

behind the mask.

CARLOS (CONT'D)(to Delores)

Get Maxine in here to check hervitals and keep giving her fluids.I noticed some dryness in hermouth.

17.

DELORESI'll get right on it.

CARLOS(motioning to the door)

Can I talk to you outside for asecond?

THE HALLWAY

CARLOSI thought I asked for two morenurses in this place over a monthago.

DELORESYou did, but they send most of thegood nurses over to Meadow Park.

CARLOSMeadow Park is the ritziest jointin town. They have more than enoughhelp.

DELORESThe city's gonna' take care of thepaying customers first, doc.

He slaps his clipboard on the side of his leg.

CARLOSDamn! We barely have enough moneyto keep a fresh coat of paint onthe walls and the only nurseswilling to help out around her,they send to a hospital outside ofthe neighborhood.

Suddenly we hear the sound of a WRIST WATCH

ALARM. Carlos raises his arm.

CARLOS (CONT'D)(nervously)

Look, I gotta' take care ofsomething-

Delores pats him on the shoulder.

DELORESYou still have a few minutes untilthey line em' up at the gate.

18.

A beat.

DELORES (CONT'D)You don't stay married to the sameman for over 35 years and not pickup on a few things.

CUT TO:

EXT. HOSPITAL PARKING LOT-DAY

Carlos is sitting in the back seat of the convertible with

his feet propped-up on the front seat. We close on the radio

as the horse race begins.

ANNOUNCER (O.S.)It's a beautiful day here atFontana Lanes. They are lined upand ready to go....(a whistle)Andthey're off! Harper's Glory gets anearly jump on the lead with ChimmyLee and Frosty Love in tow-

CARLOSC'mon Frosty!...C'mon baby!

ANNOUNCER (O.S.)Chimmy seems to be coming to life,with Frosty biting at his heels,but Glory is showing no signs ofslowing down as they round thecorner for the final stretch!

CARLOSGet the fuckin' lead outta' yourass, Frosty!

ANNOUNCER (O.S.)They're in the last stretch, withGlory in the lead and Frosty takingthe lead from Chimmy-

CARLOSOh Yeah! Keep it comin', Frosty!

Carlos is standing up in his backseat.

ANNOUNCER (O.S.)Almost there and Frosty grabs thelead! Just a few.....OH NO!!

19.

We hear a chorus of SIGHS and

GROANS from the crowed on the

radio.

CARLOSOh no!?...Oh no!?

ANNOUNCER (O.S.)Frosty has just taken a nose diveon the track, tripping over thefront legs of Chimmy Lee. Ohhhhhh!Talk about bad luck! Glory goes infor the win!

Carlos leans over his drivers side door and

throws up. Wiping his mouth, he slams his hand

on the side of the car.

CARLOS(weeping)

Oh my fucking God.

He leans over and throws up again.

ANNOUNCER (O.S.)To say that Frosty was trying towin by a nose is an understatement!Well that's the way it goes-

Carlos begins to kick in the radio with the heel of his

sneaker until it goes silent. He leans back, holding his

chest. He is having trouble breathing. We CLOSE on his eyes

as they slowly close.

VOICE (O.S.)Doctor?....Doctor?...Doctor?

His eyes quickly open.

WIDE

He is back in the operating room and all eyes

are on him. He is frozen. Delores leans over

his shoulder.

20.

DELORESCarlos. You have a procedure tofinish.

Carlos tries to steady his breathing as he looks around at

the puzzled faces of his team.

KYLEYou need me to put on some B.B.?

Carlos's POV

All the eyes from his team slowly shift from his face, down.

He has a scalpel in his hand and it is shaking violently.

Delores slowly covers his wrist with one hand to stop the

shaking and carefully removes the scalpel with the other.

DELORESKyle, go on and fetch Dr. Munsonfor me, OK?

She walks Carlos out of the operating room.

CUT TO:

INT. LOCKER ROOM

Carlos is sitting in the corner of the shower, fully clothed,

under a running shower head. DR. LLOYD MUNSON steps into the

entrance of the shower holding a towel.

MUNSONYou about finished, we have a lineout here.

A beat

CARLOSDo I even want to know?

MUNSONI'm not going to blow smokeCarlos...she didn't make it.

CARLOSI take full responsibility.

21.

MUNSONWhoa! No one is passing blame around-

CARLOSI froze Lloyd!

(CONT'D)

MUNSONThe fact that you froze doesn'tchange the facts of her condition.The cancer was inoperable to beginwith. Yes, it should have beencaught earlier, but you know howunpredictable the disease is.

CARLOSShe died on my table.

MUNSONWe did our best up to that point.That's all the family or thishospital can hope for. She knewthis would be a game of chance.

CARLOSBut she had a chance...She had achance. I froze on her when sheneeded me to be on the fuckin' balland now she's gone. I made the callto cut her open and gamble with herlife.

MUNSONYou're a brilliant surgeon-

CARLOSC'mon Lloyd-

MUNSONA brilliant surgeon, the best Ihave on my team. I stood by yourdecision then and I do now. Shewould have died regardless. Make nomistake about that. It justhappened to be on your watch. Iknow it's a shitty deck of cards,but there it is.

A beat

22.

CARLOS(sobbing)

I never lost one.

MUNSONWhat was that?

CARLOSThis is my first, you know that?

MUNSONDon't do this to yourself.

CARLOSThen tell me it gets easier.

MUNSONI cant do that-

CARLOSI need for you to tell me that,Lloyd!

MUNSONThen what do I tell you next time-

CARLOSThere wont be a next time!

Munson throws the towel at him.

MUNSONWho in the fuck do you think youare, huh?! There wont be a nexttime?! I got news for you, youain'tGod my friend. No matter how steadyyou hold that scalpel, no matterhow good you tell yourself that youare, life had its own plan for herbefore she laid on that table.

Carlos wipes his face.

CARLOSYou sound like a fucking priest.

MUNSONMy brother, who's a priest by theway, would be happy to hear it.

Carlos grabs the towel and gets to his feet.

23.

CARLOSNo peeking.

He takes off his wet clothes, wrapping the

towel around his waist.

CARLOS (CONT'D)So now what?

CUT TO:

INT. HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM

A FAMILY sits on a couch thumbing through

magazines.

MUNSON (V.O.)It's all procedural from here.First, we notify the family. Next,the hospital will conduct aninvestigation. Don't let the wordinvestigation rattle you. They willjust confirm what we already know.

HALLWAY

Carlos is talking to the dead woman's son. He holds his mouth and Collapses in Carlo's arms. The rest of the family comes out of the waiting room and they hug. Carlos steps back and leans on the wall with his head down.

CARLOS (V.O.)Have you notified the family?

MUNSON (V.O.)Her son and his family are out inthe waiting room. I was about to goout-

CARLOS (V.O.)Let me.

MUNSON (V.O.)Sure you're up to it?

BACK TO:

24.

PARKING GARAGE-PRESENT TIME

Suddenly the car roars to life. Carlos quickly sits up,

amazed.

CARLOSYeah baby!

The hood comes down and Melvin is standing

there.

MELVINWrong wires dumbass.

CARLOSThought you didn't care.

MELVINI don't.

CUT TO:

INT. CADILLAC- MOVING

Melvin is looking out of the window at the world he left

behind. He looks amazed and disappointed at the same time.

Carlos slaps the dash as if he has had a revelation.

CARLOSI've been with you almost fourhours now and you never gave meyour name.

MELVINMelvin

CARLOSMelvin, huh? You don't look like aMelvin

MELVINYou don't look like a bank robber.

CARLOSTouché.

A beat

25.

CARLOS (CONT'D)Well?

MELVINWell what?

CARLOSYou got a last name-

MELVINYou writin' a book?.

CARLOSAlright, I get it.

A beat

CARLOS (CONT'D)How long were you in for?

MELVINI can go without hearing thatquestion anymore today.

CARLOSI was just trying to makeconversation-

MELVINDon't.

CARLOSSorry.

Melvin glances over at Carlos shaking his head. Carlos

notices and becomes uncomfortable.

CARLOS (CONT'D)What?!

MELVINJust wondering.

CARLOSAbout?

MELVINDid you wake up with your head inyour ass or was it always there?

CARLOSI don't need you raggin' on me so-

26.

MELVINYeah you do. You may be a lot ofthings, but a mastermind, youain't.

Carlos bites his lip and looks the other way.

MELVIN (CONT'D)Let me elaborate-

CARLOSI'd rather you didn't.

MELVINYou actually walked into a bank, inthe middle of July, with a fuckin'trench coat and a pink pillowcase?Then, and this is classic, youparked at an expired meter with theengine running!

CARLOSI think we're clear that made a fewerrors in judgment. Now lay off,will ya'?

MELVINJust trying to point out theobvious-

CARLOSWell you don't have room to talkeither.

MELVINWhat?

CARLOSAt least I didn't get caught.

Melvin gives him a hard stare.

MELVINShut up.

Satisfied with his verbal victory, Carlos turns the other way

and smiles.

CUT TO:

27.

EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET- NIGHT

The Cadillac rounds the corner of a quiet

residential street. Carlos dims the lights and pulls the car

over.

CARLOSWhy are we stoppin' here?

MELVINYou're in large with SkinnyCarmichael. Ain't no accident thathe's the largest players in thiscity. The cat has eyes and earseverywhere. My bet is he's got afew of em' on your house. Whichone is yours?

CARLOS(pointing)

Yellow one on the corner.

Melvin scans the area up ahead.

MELVINWhat time is it?

CARLOSAbout seven-thirty, why?

MELVINYou got a white cable van acrossthe street from your house.

CARLOSSo what. People got cable, peopleget activated-

MELVINNobody activates shit in this townafter five.

CARLOSWhat the fuck do you know? You'vebeen out of the loop for eightyears.

MELVINI haven't been away that long. Myold man was a cable man when cablefirst started. He was a degenerate

28.

(MORE)

gambling fuck on top of it, sorta'like you. We could never count onany money, but we could alwayscount on the fact that the bastardwent to work at seven and got offat five.

CARLOSSo what do we do now?

MELVINYou got a back door?

CARLOSOf course.

MELVINUse it. I'll check out the van.

CUT TO:

INT. VAN-NOT MOVING

Two men in white jumpsuits puff on cigarettes and closely

watch Carlos' house. Suddenly there is a loud bang and our

attention is drawn to the hood of the van. Melvin, smiling,

waves at the vans occupants and walks over to the drivers

side window. Reluctantly, the driver rolls down the window.

MELVINHow you fellas' doin' tonight?

CUT TO:

INT. CARLOS' HOUSE- BACK DOOR

The back door creaks opens and Carlos creeps into the

doorway, pistol in hand. As we follow him through the house

we hear the sounds of CARTOONS.

CUT TO:

BEDROOM

Where a LITTLE GIRL(7) is sitting on the floor giggling at

cartoons. Carlos comes in and snatches the child from

29.

MELVIN (cont'd)

the floor,scaring her.

LITTLE GIRLDaddy, you're hurting my arm!

Carlos realizes he is holding her arm too

tight and lets her go, kissing her forehead.

CARLOSI'm sorry, Mia. Where's mommy

MIALaying down in her room.

CARLOSAlright, you remember when daddyshowed you how to pack yoursuitcase to go over grannies?

MIA(excited)

We going to see granny!?

CARLOSYep. So go and put your shoes onand pack that little bagquickly, OK?

MIAOK daddy.

CARLOSGood girl.

She grabs her small suitcase from underneath her bed

and dashes to the closet.

BEDROOMWhere a beautiful WOMAN(20's) lays half-naked

on satin sheets.

Carlos stands in the doorway and stares at her sleeping. He

tries to fight back the tears as he calls out to her.

CARLOSJonice...Jonice baby, wake up.

She stretches and slowly opens her eyes. She notices the gun

30.

and sits up on the bed.

JONICECarlos, what's going on?

Carlos has forgotten that he is holding the

gun and tucks it away in his waistline.

CARLOSWe have to go-

JONICEYou have to tell me what-

CARLOSJonice, we don't have the time,baby!

He dashes to the closet and begins to throw things on the

bed.

CUT TO:

EXT. STREET CORNER

Carlos and his family are rounding the corner behind the

Cadillac, bags in hand. Melvin, now behind the wheel,

hears them approach and motions for them to get in.

CARLOSWhat'd you do?

MELVINStalled them for you.

Carlos loads his family in the back seat and

crawls in next to Melvin.

CARLOSYou remember how to get to theairport?

MELVINThe question is, do I remember howto drive.

With the lights still off, the Cadillac drives backwards

31.

around the corner.

CUT TO:

INT. AIRPORT TERMINAL- NIGHT

Melvin, Carlos and his family are making a mad dash through

the terminal.

MELVINWhen does the flight leave?

CARLOSWe have about twenty minutes.They'll start boarding in ten.

CUT TO:

TERMINAL- GATE 103-C

Carlos has taken Jonice to the side to try and explain things

to her. She is visibly upset. Melvin sits with Mia in the

waiting area.

MIAAre you my daddy's friend?

MELVINNot really, we just met.

MIAWhat's your name?

MELVINMelvin, what's yours?

MIAMia Eleanor Vincent. What doesyour daddy do?

MELVINDrink, smoke and curse. What doesyour daddy do?

MIAMy daddy is a doctor, he makes sickpeople feel good. What do you do?

He lightly pinches her nose.

32.

MELVINI answer little girls questions.

MIA(giggling)

Na-uhhh.

MELVINYa-huhhh.

Carlos walks over to them.

CARLOSI guess this is the part where wesay goodbye.

MELVIN(motioning to Jonice)

Everything OK?

CARLOSShe's a little upset, but we'llwork it out. You know how it is.

MELVINWell let's make a trip to the restroom and we'll settle up.

CUT TO:

BATHROOM

The bathroom is empty. Carlos drops the pink pillowcase on

the counter and washes the dirt from his face while Melvin

makes a trip to a urinal.

MELVINSo, I hear you're a doctor.

A beat

CARLOSYeah. Just got my residency atSaint Vincent a few months ago.

MELVINSo what the hell is a doctor doin'-

CARLOSI thought we weren't gonna' go intothat anymore.

33.

A beat

CARLOS (CONT'D)Outside of the hospital, a few ofus doctors volunteer at ClarkGeneral. It's there to help lowincome families and their kids.I grew up in that neighborhood so Ifigured it was just the right thingto do. Anyway, the city wasn'tgiving us the proper funding-

MELVINSo you decided to rob a bank?

CARLOSNo, not at first. I figured that wecould cut through all of thepolitical red tape and make adifference. Unfortunately Icouldn't rally enough support ormoney, but I had a nurse in theoffice who knew this guy.

Melvin finishes and joins him at the sink.

MELVINAnd this guy?

CARLOSHe said he was an associate ofSkinny Carmichael. Me and some ofthe other docs played the ponies afew times and I didn't see theharm. I placed a few bets here andthere with him and I was doin'alright. But the next thing I know,the costs for renovations went skyhigh and I found myself in deeperand deeper with this asshole to tryand raise the money.

MELVINTo the tune of fifty large?

CARLOSSomethin' like that.

There is a short BEEP and we hear a female

voice on the PA system.

34.

VOICE (O.S.)We will start boarding forIndependent Airlines flight 123,non-stop to Miami InternationalAirport in five minutes.

CARLOSThat's us, man. I'd better get outthere.

Melvin turns on the water and begins to wash his hands.

MELVINBefore you go I wanna' to tell youa story.

CARLOSC'mon man, let's just get outta'here.

MELVINHear me out...You ever hear thestory of the Scorpion and theFrog?

CARLOS(impatient)

Vaguely.

MELVINA scorpion, having been lost in thewilderness for many years comesacross this river he needs tocross. We all know that scorpionscant swim and the river is too wideto jump. Searching hissurroundings, he meets up with afrog who he asks for a rideacross the river. Naturally, thefrog tells him to get fucked."You'll sting me and I'll drown".The frog had a family to takecare of and couldn't take the risk.

Carlos snatches the pillowcase and pulls out two stacks of

bills.

CARLOSSounds like a fun story, but I havea plane to catch in a few minutes.I'm leavin' you with keys to my car-

35.

MELVINThe scorpion understands thefrogs concern for his family, sohe sweetens the deal by telling him"If I sting you, I'll drown withyour ass".

Carlos' eyes are now fixed on Melvin. So fixed that he

doesn't notice that directly behind him one of the stall

doors has opened and a MAN has emerged, tightening piano wire

around his gloved hands. Carlos looks up at the mirror, but

it is too late. The man has looped the wire around his neck

and jerks him backwards violently. Melvin does not flitch,

but continues his story.

MELVIN (CONT'D)After the frog gave it somethought, he found the scorpionsproposal to have some logic afterall.

Carlos is struggling with the man, but quickly losing.

MELVIN (CONT'D)Let me wrap this up. I really needyou to be conscious for this part.Anyway, the frog agrees, thescorpion hops on and off they go.Halfway across the frog feels thetremendous pain in his neck.Wouldn't you just know it, thelittle fucker stung him anyway.

Carlos, unable to fight, collapses, but the man continues to

choke him.

MELVIN (CONT'D)Paralyzed and sinking, the frogis like "Why did you do it"?. Theyboth begin to sink and the scorpionsays "Fuck if I know, I guess it'smy nature".

Melvin walks over to the paper towel dispenser

and folds the front lid open to reveal a

36.

silenced pistol. Removing the pistol, he

quickly walks across the room a presses the

barrel of the weapon to Carlos' forehead.

Carlos, losing consciousness and air, slowly

closes his eyes in anticipation.

CLOSE on Melvin's face as he pulls the trigger. We hear

the COUGH of the silencer and small dots of blood cover

Melvin's face.

WIDE

Melvin did not shoot Carlos, but the

strangler. His hands slide away from the piano

wire and drop down to his side as he slumps

over with a smoking bullet wound in his head.

Carlos rolls away coughing and gasping for air. Melvin slowly

kneels down, inches away from Carlos' ear.

MELVINI got out of prison today and Irealized that I was the one lost inthe wilderness. I came out to aplace that I didn't know anymore.

He grabs Carlos and props him up against the

wall.

MELVIN (CONT'D)You owe fifty-thousand dollars.I've killed mutha-fuckas' for lessthan two. But I'm gonna' dosomethin' for you no one ever didfor me.

CARLOS(gasping)

Wh-what.

37.

MELVINGive a damn.

A SERIES OF ANGLES

As Melvin helps him up, cleans him up and drags the body of

the strangler back into the empty stall. The voice from the

PA system breaks the dead silence in the bathroom.

VOICE (O.S.)We are now boarding for flight 123,non-stop to Miami International...

Both men glance at the pillowcase on the counter.

MELVINTake the money, take your familyand leave. But know this, your tripis one way.

Carlos nods. Melvin sits on the floor and exhales.

CARLOSWho are you?

Melvin just looks up at him and smiles.

A beat

CARLOS (CONT'D)Skinny?

MELVINYou'd better get goin'.

Melvin lifts his pant leg to reveal a small,

black device strapped to his leg. The red

light on the small box is blinking rapidly.

MELVIN (CONT'D)You don't have much time. I forgotthat the airport is a littleoutside of my radius.

CARLOSJust run.

MELVINYou'd better go.

38.

Carlos snatches the pillowcase and heads for the exit. Before

he leaves he turns to Melvin.

CARLOSThe fable!

MELVINWhat?

CARLOSWhat was the moral of the fable?

A beat

MELVINNo good deed goes unpunished.

CUT TO:

INT. TERMINAL

Carlos walks out of the rest room and makes his way to his

family.

CARLOS' POV

A small group of menacing-looking men are coming right at him.

Terrified, he stops dead in his tracks, but the men rush

right past him and into the rest room. Taking a moment to

regain his composure, he straightens his clothes and walks

away, never once looking back.

FADE TO BLACK.

THE END

39.