Aftertaste Page #6

Season #1 Episode #1

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INT. PAW PARAZZI’S DOG GROOMING SALON - DAY

Tony, in a pink Polo shirt, hemp necklace and Levi 501 jeans, walks into the lobby of Paw Parazzi’s pet grooming salon with a resume in his hand. Melody Rae sees him from behind the receptionist desk and completely loses her balance splattering a full mug of hot Folgers coffee all over her long, white blazer. As she is embarrassingly stretching for a paper towel to wipe up the coffee Tony reaches over the counter to shake her hand.

TONY:

Hi. I’m Big Boy.

(beat)

Sorry...a nickname. My legal name is Tony.

Tony Salinas. I have a ten o’clock

interview.

DISSOLVE TO:
Back conference room. Melody Rae sits in a hard chair, legs crossed, clipboard on lap, writing notes, nodding, tapping pen on the clipboard while an internal fantasy takes place. She visualizes herself ripping off his pink Polo shirt from his hard body exposing his manly hairy chest, tearing off his hippie hemp necklace with her teeth, her lips kissing his adorable dimples. She is pouring champagne and licking droplets off his belly while rubbing his six-pack abs.

TONY:

Are you okay?

Melody Rae blinks her eyes and straightens out her posture.

MELODY RAE:

You’re hired.

INT. HARRY’S PUB – WALNUT CREEK

Melody Rae, wears large loop earrings, a conglomerate of pink and sterling silver bracelets, brown leather fingerless gloves, and a long, pink, rayon dress with a long, brown, silk vest, two-inch, high-heeled brown leather boots, and walks past Habachy style large windows of the blues pub and sees her college buddy, Bradley, waving to her from inside. She waves overzealously and briskly soldiers to the entrance. The room is crowded with a young twenty-something, suburban, middle-class business clientele. The live blues band, The Brewzers, is playing Gimme Some Lovin’.

She walks in the direction of Bradley and their mutual friend, Vivian. They are facing one another and sitting on window-back wood barstools at a round, Boraam style table. She begins pointing and snapping toward Bradley while dancing up to the table moving to the rhythm of the band until she spots Tony, sitting two tables away near the wall in a booth. She stops and quickly scoots onto the bar stool next to Bradley hiding her face away from the direction of Tony’s table. She then motions to Vivian and Bradley to lean in.

MELODY RAE:

(whispering)

Do not look now, but that guy I hired, Tony,

is here.

Bradley and Vivian both instantly turn and glance in Tony’s direction. Melody Rae bows her head in her hands.

MELODY RAE:

Thanks guys. No. That wasn’t at all obvious.

VIVIAN SCHMIDT—24, German, average height, thick dark

haired, hair stylist.

VIVIAN:

Sorry.

BRADLEY KATZ—22, Jewish, average height, short dark straight haired, computer tech.

Bradley shrugs.

BRADLEY:

He’s a good-looking guy, Melody Rae. You

should go over there. I’d do him.

MELODY RAE:

Bradley, you’re incorrigible!

She playfully hits him on the arm.

BRADLEY:

You know I’m not gay. I’m just sayin’. I can

see why girls would find him attractive.

MELODY RAE:

Oh, I know. And your opinion does matter. I

just feel totally overwrought seeing him

outside of work, you know?

She takes a chip, dips it in salsa and takes a bite. Vivian hands her a napkin when she sees the salsa spill onto her shirt. Melody Rae thanks her with her eyes, while wiping up the mess.

MELODY RAE:

A-a-ah, I can’t believe he’s here!

Vivian turns to Melody Rae with raised eyebrows.

VIVIAN:

What is up with the pink shirt? He isn’t

gay, is he?

MELODY RAE:

No. But, I know. . .right? I get that pink is a

totally acceptable color for a straight man

to wear. It’s my having six older

Neanderthal brothers and having dated a gay

guy that has distorted my perception.

BRADLEY:

It’s totally fine for a guy to wear pink.

He’s probably just a metro male. There

are a lot in the Bay Area.

VIVIAN:

Rod Stewart lives to wear pink!

BRADLEY:

My point exactly.

MELODY RAE:

Oh, I love him!

Bradley beckons the waitress to come over.

BRADLEY:

Can I get three Mojito’s, please?

Waitress nods and walks off. Vivian and Bradley peruse the menus while Melody Rae takes a sneak peek at Tony’s table. He is sitting with two guys.

The waitress returns with the Mojito’s, Bradley pays her. The place is getting louder, busier, and more crowded. Melody Rae takes a sip of her cocktail and glances around at all the people. As she lifts her menu, she feels a tap on her right shoulder. She turns her head to feel Tony’s face dangerously close to hers. He smiles at her and then turns to Bradley.

TONY:

Hi. I’m Tony. I work with Melody Rae.

They shake hands. And then he turns to Vivian.

TONY:

Hi. Tony.

VIVIAN:

Vivian.

REVEAL:
Tony and Melody Rae, along with Vivian and Bradley are seen out attending live comedy shows all over the Bay Area, eating out habitually at a variety of au courant restaurants, going out late dancing at chic nightclubs and attending popular du jour theatre productions. Then it is just Tony showing up with take-out lunch to offer Melody Rae at work and running into her at the local coffee shop and buying her a latte. Then one day Tony is walking her to her jeep after work and pulls her in and kisses her. She responds with enthusiasm.

INT. MELODY RAE’S APARTMENT – AFTERNOON

Tony is wearing his blue U.C. Berkeley sweatshirt and waiting by the door. Melody Rae is yelling from the bedroom.

MELODY RAE:

It’s chilly at night, and we’re going to be

outside, so is a sweatshirt the way to go?

TONY:

Yeah. . .definitely.

Melody Rae walks out wearing a bright red sweatshirt.

TONY:

Oh yeah, totally wear that. Red looks

Good on you. Let’s go.

EXT. BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA – FOOTBALL STADIUM - SUNSET

Melody Rae and Tony are entering the football stadium of U.C. Berkeley versus Stanford, carrying soda cans, and searching for their seats in the bleachers on the Berkeley side.

TONY:

I believe we’re in this section.

MELODY RAE:

There’s like so many empty seats everywhere

else, and yet everyone is like packed in

right here. It’s weird. Are you sure these

are the right seats?

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