Acrimony

---

1

(SOUL MUSIC PLAYING)

JUDGE:

What is it going to take

to make you heed

the warnings of this court?

It is obvious to me

that you are not

taking this matter seriously.

I will not allow you to continue

to harass these people.

Is that clear?

If you violate this restraining

order, I assure you,

you will spend 40 days

in the county jail.

I mean it.

One more offense.

What is obvious

to this court

is that you're in need

of professional help

and anger management

counseling.

This court has suggested

that you seek counseling,

but since you can't

or won't do it voluntarily,

I am requiring it as part

of your staying out of jail.

Do I make myself clear?

Do I make myself clear?

Melinda?

Yes, Your Honor.

(SOUL MUSIC CONTINUES PLAYING)

THERAPIST:
So,

do you think you have

an anger problem?

Motherfucking right,

I got an anger problem.

Do you feel that you're

entitled to this anger?

That's like asking me if I'm

entitled to being hungry.

He caused all of this.

All of it.

It's not me.

That son of a b*tch owes me.

What do you think

he owes you?

Every damn breath

in his body.

Why do you feel

that way?

You don't know

what he did to me.

You don't know.

Would you like to

share what he did?

Do I have a choice?

- We all have choices.

- (MELINDA CHUCKLES)

Not when some damn judge

is making me sit here.

You know what? This is bullshit, okay?

(SCOFFS)

This motherf***er torments me, and

he gets to walk away free. (SCOFFS)

(EXHALES SHAKILY)

(THERAPIST WRITING)

What are you writing?

Just my notes.

And what do your notes say?

I'm a stereotype?

Is that what you

think you are?

Hell, no!

Sick and tired

of hearing that.

Every time a black woman gets

mad, she's a stereotype.

Ooh, she emasculates men.

(CHUCKLES BITTERLY)

Is that what you

think you did?

B*tch,

are you not

listening to me?

I never did

anything to him.

I was everything

he needed me to be.

I was...

I was strong

when he needed me to be.

I played weak

when he needed me to.

I was pathetic.

I was...

(EXHALES SHAKILY)

Don't tell me I don't have

a right to be angry? Hmm?

Is that what you

think I said?

I really don't give

a damn what you said.

But this is wrong.

All of this is wrong.

Why don't we

do this?

Why don't we just start

from the beginning?

Help me understand

this injustice.

Just tell me

what happened.

How far back

do you wanna go?

I remember every damn day.

(SIGHS)

That's the problem.

Can't forget it.

I can't get it

out of my head.

So...

How far do you wanna go?

Well, let's start

at the beginning.

Okay.

How'd you meet him?

It was raining.

I was in college,

and I was studying late.

It was raining really hard.

I don't know what crazy sh*t

happens to me in the rain.

Around water.

I was trying to get back to

my dorm, and I ran into him.

- MELINDA:
(GROANS) No!

- Damn!

- MELINDA:
No, no!

- ROBERT:
You can't watch what you're doing?

Move! You the idiot

who bumped into me!

Girl, what's

wrong with you?

Damn!

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

(GRUMBLES)

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

ROBERT:
Hi.

Is Melissa here?

There's no Melissa here.

Oh, Melinda.

Melinda's...

What do you want?

- Who's this?

- The a**hole.

I'm sorry. Here.

I have some

of your papers.

Great. Just great.

And I think you may have

one or two of mine.

No, I don't. Sorry.

Here. Forgive her. She's really

bad at history, and she had

- a paper to turn in today.

- Sarah!

Goodbye.

Look, I feel really bad

about bumping into you.

I can be in my own head when

I'm working on a project.

I'm sorry.

Okay, yeah. Fine.

But if you don't

mind now,

I have less than 24 hours

to finish my paper.

So, goodbye.

Well, your basis is way off

in the first four pages,

and the facts of the Spanish

American War are wrong.

And Professor Huff will

catch that in a second.

How do you

know that?

I took his class

last year.

I'm sorry for reading

your first pages.

I got an A

in his class.

I can help you

if you'd like.

MELINDA:
(GROANS) I was so

mad the first time I saw him

that I didn't even realize

how handsome he was.

Please?

He was beautiful.

Gotta give him that.

The devil sure knows

how to put a package together.

Standing in front of me

was all the things I loved.

He was dark, sexy.

(CHUCKLES)

- It was 1497.

- No!

Look, this is too

hard for me to remember.

Can we take a break?

I don't wanna talk

about this stuff anymore.

You don't have

much time.

It's too much, okay?

I'm on a brain overload.

(CHUCKLES)

So, let's talk

about you.

Those papers you needed,

what were they?

Tell me.

I think I've found a solution

to an age-old problem.

I'm creating a battery

that can recharge itself.

If it works, it can be used

in cars, homes, you name it.

And I'm gonna be so rich.

While saving the environment,

of course.

Of course.

(LAUGHS)

MELINDA:

He was so charming.

So slick.

I just wish to high heaven

someone would have said to me

right then and there,

"Girl, get up and run as fast

as you can

"because this man

will leave you devastated."

How'd you do?

Tell me.

But we studied.

Yo, I'm sorry.

Let me talk to Professor Huff.

Maybe we get you a make-up.

No. No, okay?

I mean, this is all

just a waste of money.

I can't keep

doing this to my mother.

To be honest

with you, I mean,

she was surprised

I was even going to school.

I wasn't as smart

as my sisters.

Come here.

Melinda.

Hey, what are you

doing here?

BRENDA:
Mama.

MELINDA:
My sisters came to tell

me that my mother had died.

(CRYING)

My mother and I

always been close.

PRIEST:
May she rest

in peace. Amen.

MELINDA:
I was numb.

I was so desperate

to feel anything.

You see,

that's how this happened.

He was there at the right time

to take advantage of me.

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)

(CLEARS THROAT)

BRENDA:
Hi.

I'm Brenda.

Hey, I'm Robert.

You have a last name?

Gayle.

- Hmm.

- How do you know Melinda?

- School.

- Oh.

Well, we haven't seen

you around here.

Yeah, I'm from Kirkwood.

Oh.

Well, this is a different

side of the tracks for you.

What do you do

for a living?

I'm in school right now.

Oh. That's good.

That's good.

Yeah.

Well, if you don't have a job,

then who's paying for it?

Student loans.

Scholarships.

That kind of thing.

Oh. So you must

be smart.

Or an athlete.

- No, no athlete.

- No? Oh.

Oh. This is

my boyfriend, Casey.

Oh. Hi. Hi, man.

- Hey. Nice to meet you, man.

- Good to meet you, too.

And this is Kalvin,

Brenda's fiance.

- What's up, man?

- Good to meet you.

Good to meet

you as well.

So what are

you studying?

Mechanical engineering.

- Oh. Devon, come here.

- DEVON:
Hey.

Hey.

Sorry about your mom.

Thank you so much.

- How are you?

- I'm good.

Oh. I'm so rude.

Um...

What's your

name again?

Robert.

Robert. Robert,

this is Devon.

Devon, this

is Robert.

- Devon is Melinda's boyfriend.

- Nice to meet you.

Ex-boyfriend.

- BRENDA:
You know she still loves you.

- JUNE:
Mmm-hmm.

Rate this script:3.2 / 46 votes