Aftertaste Page #8

Season #1 Episode #1

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AARON SR.

I see you found our good bottle of red.

MELODY RAE:

Oh, no! Sorry. Were you saving it for

someone special?

AARON SR.

Yes.

(beat)

You.

Melody Rae smiles. Aaron Sr. sets down the luggage and retrieves himself a glass and nudges her to pour some in his glass. They sit on stools at the kitchen island.

AARON SR.

I’m glad you’re here. We don’t see enough

of you. And, maybe Redding will grow on you

and you’ll relocate here, too.

MELODY RAE:

This is only temporary, dad.

AARON SR.

I know, I know. . .

MELODY RAE:

Tony is just getting his finances under

control, so we can start our future

together. He promised me he would take care

of me. And he said he would support me as I

did him, and that I would be able to get my

degree after he did.

AARON SR.

Sure.

MELODY RAE:

What?

AARON SR.

He said. I don’t know if I trust his word.

I just don’t know, Mel. It just doesn’t add

up. A guy who loves you doesn’t leave you

to live with his mom. He abandoned you. You

(CONTINUED)

had to move out of your apartment and quit

your job. It’s not right. I mean, heck, you

paid the bills, gave him a place to live,

cooked him dinners, for five years! He would

not have his degree if it weren’t for you.

MELODY RAE:

Da-a-a-d.

AARON SR.

He’s not a stand-up guy. Seriously, who

does that?

KATHERINE LEE MURPHY—(Melody Rae’s Mother) 52, Irish, sanguine, average height, curly red-headed, chef.

Melody Rae’s mom walks in the door. She is wearing an apron with the name Rivers Restaurant on it. They hug. Melody Rae begins to bawl.

KATHERINE:

Aaron!

AARON SR.

What? I was just stating the truth.

SUPERIMPOSE:
SIX MONTHS LATER

INT. MELODY RAE’S PARENTS HOUSE – DAY

SUPERIMPOSE:
THE COLD CALL

MELODY RAE:

So, I’m still confused. It’s been like six

months, you call rarely and have mentioned

no plans for our future. We don’t talk about

anything. What is going on? What do you

want? Seriously? C’mon Tony. In the five

years we’ve dated you have never even told

me you love me. Not even once.

TONY:

Well...uh...ahem...I...I...love you.

(laughed and then coughs)

MELODY RAE:

I don’t want you to feel obligated to say

that. Things shouldn’t be like this. It’s

not fair to either of us. You know, you

don’t have to call me anymore...I mean, if

you don’t want to.

TONY:

Okay.

(hangs up phone)

SUPERIMPOSE:

Fishbone #4

SUPERIMPOSE:

Swordfish

A terrific fish to eat, swordfish is moist and flavorful

with a slightly sweet taste. They have a firm, meaty texture and are rich and juicy.

EXT. MCCLOUD CALIFORNIA – EVENING - SUMMER

SUPERIMPOSE:
EVE OF FOURTH OF JULY 2011

INT. KAT’S COTTAGE

REVEAL:
Return to Kat and Melody Rae still in the kitchen.

KAT:

So, what sort of damage to your little girl

did Tony provoke?

MELODY RAE:

Well, let’s see what I wrote down

(grabs legal pad off dining

table)

Ah yes, of course, after Tony, I could no

longer smell garlic, or hear the song, You

Don’t Even Know Who I Am, by Patty Loveless

or taste movie theater buttered popcorn. Oh

my goodness, you don’t understand how true

this is. I mean, we lived at the movie

theater and whenever we watched a movie at

home we ate popcorn. Just recalling how

much popcorn we consumed leaves me with a

greasy and artificial aftertaste. We also

(CONTINUED)

ate Italian food regularly: spaghetti

noodles topped with extra garlicky marinara

sauce served with Caesar salad practically

every dang day. Not that I believe in

vampires, werewolves or devils. I don’t! But

we never had to worry about them invading

our house because it was doused in garlic.

I remember how after Tony would go for a run

his sweat would have a pungent garlicky

smell. The memory of that smell makes me

cringe, even now. I want to vomit just

thinking about it...ewe.

MELODY RAE:

Okay, now the song I selected for Tony,

seriously brings up a lot of issues for me.

It’s totally the perfect song to describe

us and honestly makes me cry whenever I

hear it. I mean, the title, You Don’t Even

Know Who I Am, says volumes, don’t you

think? He didn’t know me, Kat. Not the real

me, anyway.

KAT:

Well, you didn’t show him the real you.

MELODY RAE:

And vice versa. I don’t solely blame him.

We both were responsible for keeping

things autonomous. Regardless, I could

never be involved in a relationship with

someone so disconnected ever again.

KAT:

Wow, yeah, that’s sad. If I had known you

then, I would’ve never let you stay with

someone so emotionally detached.

MELODY RAE:

Oh, I know you wouldn’t. But then of

course, if I hadn’t dated Tony all those

years, I wouldn’t have craved someone with

more depth and passion. I needed Tony to

instill in me the desire to want more for

myself. Maybe I should be thanking him?

KAT:

A toast to Tony.

MELODY RAE:

Cheers.

KAT:

Oh, you have to read what it says about

your combination from that book, that secret

book, um, that, um, relationship book…

whatever it’s called.

MELODY RAE:

Oh yeah!

(retrieves the book)

The correct title is, The Secret Language

of Relationships, as you can see.

(looks up combo page)

The twenty-first of July with the third of

December. . .Wait! I don’t think I can read this

out loud, the title is too scary.

KAT:

Just read it.

MELODY RAE:

Okay, fine. The title: control through mind

power.

KAT:

Whoa!

MELODY RAE:

I told you.

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