Aftertaste Page #16

Season #1 Episode #1

---

MELODY RAE:

Ugh, no. . . well, maybe. . . NO. . . bad idea. Whiskey makes me excessively emotional, best if I stick to my usual. Did anyone bring wine?

TESSA:

I have a Franzia box of red wine, Cabernet

okay?

MELODY RAE That’ll totally work.

Melody Rae takes her red solo cup of wine and sits next to a group of girls, near the fire pit. The boys return to the campsite carrying their horseshoes.

GRETCHEN:

So, I hope you’re up for some pool. The

tradition is after the rodeo to go to the

famous glass six-pocket pool table at Lil’

Jon’s Spirits Lounge.

MELODY RAE:

They have billiards in this tiny town of,

what, population one hundred and fifty?

GRETCHEN:

One hundred and fifty-two.

MELODY RAE:

I stand corrected.

TESSA:

Oh, it’s so cool, Melody Rae. You have to

join us.

MELODY RAE:

Of course, yes, totally...I want to!

(shivers)

I should change into my jeans soon

PETER:

Nah, just drink more.

MELODY RAE:

Ha-Ha.

Peter ruffles her hair as he passes her, heads to the opposite side of the fire pit, sits in a chair and gives her a penetrating gaze.

SEAN:

Hey, Melody Rae, would you mind helping us

set out the crudité and condiments for the

burgers?

MELODY RAE:

Absolutely!

After everyone eats Melody Rae begins setting up her own tent.

DEREK:

Oh no you don’t!

(Gestures to the boys)

Come on boys, we’ve got a tent to assemble.

(approaching her with hand out)

Where are your keys and where’d you park?

Melody Rae points in the direction of the parking lot. Gretchen pours them both another cup of wine while the boys scramble to put up the tent. Everyone heads to the public restrooms to shower and change. Melody Rae walks out wearing a red tank top under her red Carhartt leather jacket, Wrangler jeans and red Justin cowboy boots. The glow of the full moon lit their way, as they head in a group toward the top of a bridge that crosses a small creek. Peter is walking next to Melody Rae behind the group, and when they reach the top, Peter stops and puts his hands on her shoulders. Then he turns her body around and faces her in the direction of the campsite and envelopes her in a hug, gently from behind.

MELODY RAE:

What are you doing?

PETER:

What am I doing? Well, I’ll tell you. I’m

protecting you.

Peter began to tell a rather obscure science fiction story about his superpowers that can manipulate darkness, and extra-terrestrial senses which equip him with an internal GPS system to help him help her find her way back in the dark later. Melody Rae is half listening, focusing on the embrace until she notices off in the distance a gentleman who seemed strikingly familiar to her. He is standing at a campsite, in front of a roaring fire pit, with his head down and holding a brown coffee mug, next to a kid who is sitting in a navy-blue camping chair adding a marshmallow to a walking stick. Then a woman comes out of the camper trailer and he looks up toward her. And that’s when Melody Rae recognizes his profile. It was Mister S! He looks in her direction. Their eyes meet. He instantly drops his mug, spilling it all over his son’s leg, causing his son to stand briskly and yell, D-a-a-ad!! At that same moment Peter had finished his long idiosyncratic theory, spins her around, procures her seductively by the neck, and kisses her. It takes her breath away. And then he takes her by the hand, and they walk toward Lil’ John’s. They have a wild time, playing pool on the glass billiard table and drinking. The music is too loud to hear any conversation.

REVEAL:
A calendar spinning through the months while scenes of Melody Rae and Peter out with friends at random pubs, lakes, barbecues, and parties; always drinking, always surrounded by loud music and groups of friends. Rarely alone—minimal conversation, lots of passionate sex and no sex (Peter passing out repeatedly. Peter ruffling her hair, calling her “kid” and pretending to trip her, laughing at her but then adoring her with his infatuation gaze.

SUPERIMPOSE:
THE WHISKEY EXPLOSION

INT. PETER’S BACHELOR PAD (Shares with four roommates)

Melody Rae sees Peter take a massive swig from a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey and his face morph’s into Willie’s. She gently touches the empty whiskey bottle.

MELODY RAE:

Wow, you drank that entire bottle?

PETER:

Hey, I gave up drinking a lot for you. I

used to drink a whole lot more.

He stands and grabs another bottle out of Jack Daniel’s the cupboard.

PETER:

I’ll drink however much I like, whenever I

like and with whomever I like. I ain’t

gonna let no woman tell me what to do.

Damn, woman, back off why don’t ya?

Shaking and in tears Melody Rae grabs her purse and walks out the door.

REVEAL:
Calendar showing FEBRUARY flips to MARCH

INT. MELODY RAE’S COTTAGE

Cell phone rings, and Melody Rae sees it is Peter calling through. She answers.

MELODY RAE:

Hi.

PETER:

Hey kid. Listen. I’m gonna make this short.

I just wanted to say sorry, and let you

know I’ll be leaving town. Budweiser is

relocating me to New York...it’s time for

me to grow up. I’ll always love ya, kid.

(hang up)

INT. CHEVRON GAS STATION

SUPERIMPOSE:

Fishbone#2

Melody Rae is pumping gas when Marco, a close friend of Peters drives up.

MARCO:

(hugs her)

Hey, I heard about you and Peter. You’re

better off. I mean, why would anyone stay

with a guy who sleeps with other women all

the time, anyway? You had to get out.

MELODY RAE:

What?!

MARCO:

I’m sorry. I thought you knew. Isn’t that

why you broke up? That’s what he told

everyone.

(beat)

Hey, Melody, he’s a serious alcoholic.

Everyone in town knows he’s the town drunk.

MELODY RAE:

I didn’t...I gotta go.

SUPERIMPOSE:
EVE OF FOURTH OF JULY 2011

INT. KAT’S COTTAGE – OUTSIDE PATIO

Kat pours the last droplets of wine from the second bottle

into Melody Rae’s glass and then procures a 2004 Chateau Laforge Saint Emelion bottle of Merlot from her trendy black, wrought iron wall-mounted wine rack. After uncorking it, she pours a small taste into her glass. Then she looks at her with a guilty and somewhat duplicitous expression.

KAT:

My mom is taking Brooklyn to the waterpark

tomorrow so that Steven and I can have an

afternoon rendezvous, and I wanted to share

this brand of wine with him, but I think we

(CONTINUED)

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes