Basquiat Page #2

BASQUIAT:

(gently)

Gina?

She puts her finger in the syrup and licks it off.

Benny takes it all in.

Leshko is upon them.

LESHKO:

Alright. Look at you, staring at this

girl, making a mess.

He waves Jean toward the door.

Jean takes Gina's rag and begins cleaning his mess, seemingly

compliant.

BASQUIAT:

How about those pancakes?

He brings out a roll of dimes to the tabletop and splits it open.

Dimes roll all over the table and stick in the syrupy parts. The

manager explodes.

LESHKO:

OK! Goodbye!

GINA:

Pipe down, Lech. Let him order.

LESHKO:

You nuts? Let him order? You on his side?

You're not such a good waitress. You get

out, too.

GINA:

I just don't think you're being fair.

LESHKO:

I need this?

GINA:

I need this?

Gina quietly removes her apron in disbelief.

Benny gets up to leave very casually.

BENNY:

(waving g'bye to Jean)

Willie Mays.

LESHKO:

(to Gina)

That's right. You go with them. Make

babies the government has to pay for.

CUT TO:

GINA AND JEAN:

Leave the restaurant.

Behind them, we see Rene, absorbed in his writing.

EXT. AVE. A – DAY

They stand outside, not knowing quite what comes next.

Jean gives Benny a look (i.e. 'scram').

BENNY:

Catch you later.

Benny leaves.

A CHILLY WIND picks up.

Jean's mood is suddenly downcast.

They button up their overcoats, about to leave.

GINA:

What's a job, anyway?

(pause)

What's wrong with you?

The truth is, he feels awful for causing Gina's trouble, but shows

it by moping like a child.

GINA (CONT'D)

No, don't tell me – you just got fired by

your crazy boss.

BASQUIAT:

I guess you did.

GINA:

Guess I just got sick of him.

BASQUIAT:

Can I walk you home?

GINA:

I think I could do that alone.

Gina walks away.

He runs after her.

BASQUIAT:

Wait, I'm in a band....We're at the Mudd

Club on Halloween. I'll put you on the

list.

Gina turns and looks back at Jean.

GINA:

I hate the Mudd Club.

He catches up to her.

Gina notices a dead leaf in his hair and picks it out.

GINA (CONT'D)

Have you been camping? You could use a

scrub.

BASQUIAT:

I'm clean. Smell me. I always smell good.

I don't know why, I just do!

He leans forward, offering his neck.

GINA:

(smelling)

You do! You definitely do.

BASQUIAT:

Just come to the Mudd Club on Friday.

GINA:

I don't go there. Too many party girls.

BASQUIAT:

Party girls? Can I call you?

GINA:

(teasing him)

Yeah, if you have any dimes left. 477-

0496.

He writes her number on his pant cuff with a big fat magic marker.

BASQUIAT:

Here, this is for you. I made this.

He hands her the small speaker.

She takes it.

GINA:

Thanks.

She admires the speaker watches him walk off.

EXT. MENTAL HOSPITAL (OUTSIDE THE CITY)

We see Jean crossing a lawn outside a mental hospital.

INT. MENTAL HOSPITAL – RECREATION / VISITING ROOM – DAY

PSYCH. PATIENTS fill a cavernous day-room engaged in arts and

crafts. Some of the sadder patients stare off into space as Jean

crosses the room. He carries a plate of cookies and a full glass

of milk.

He approaches a sad, nice-looking, middle-aged black woman – the

same one from the dream, earlier. She sits alone fondling a pillow

in her lap. It's his mother, MATILDE. She doesn't see him coming.

As he sets the plate in front of her, she notices him. She

recognizes him and seems pleased, even in her isolation. He kisses

her on the cheek.

BASQUIAT:

Hey, mom.

She smiles slightly.

Jean takes a cookie. She does likewise.

They eat in silence, looking at each other, communicating what

they can.

Time passes. In between cookies her fingers find and break the

stems of the pillow feathers.

BASQUIAT (CONT'D)

I met the girl I'm gonna marry.

His mother brightens. She drinks the milk. They finish the

cookies.

MATILDE:

Do you like it here?

BASQUIAT:

I'd like it better in Hawaii.

INT. CARDBOARD BOX – NIGHT

Jean tries to sleep in the box. RAIN falls heavily onto it.

Drops of water hit his face.

He wills it to stop. It doesn't.

Finally, he can't stand it. Rain forces his blinking eyes open.

INT. BENNY'S APARTMENT – NIGHT

A door opens to reveal Jean's wet face.

Benny lets him in.

Jean enters a rundown railroad flat crammed with musical

instruments, beer cans, and homemade art. There's a couch with a

sheet over it.

Junk is piled in a corner – mostly art books and drawings.

Benny sits down at an electric piano, which he's evidently

playing. He sings along, softly, working out the words,

concentrating, absorbed.

Jean sets his belongings on the couch, walks to a mic stand and

starts making up his own words.

BASQUIAT:

"She loves me.

Oh yeah she loves me!

She loooooooves me,

Oh yeah she loves me!"

Bring me some chicken, baby!

BENNY:

Would you shut the f*** up? You hear what

I'm doing?

BASQUIAT:

Yeah man. I'm jealous. You're always

great, Benny.

(goes back into 'act')

"Her name is G-I-N-A Gina

And she lo-oooves me."

I did say chicken!

Benny turns off the piano and lights a roach, angry at Jean's

self-centeredness.

Jean digs through a pile of garbage. Finally, he finds what he's

looking for – a pile of "SAMO baseball cards" – color Xeroxes of

his favorite images and words. He pockets them.

BASQUIAT (CONT'D)

I knew I left these somewhere. One of

these'll send your kids to college

someday.

(hands it to Benny solemnly)

Here – I made this for you.

BENNY:

Thanks.

(beat)

Your dad called again – something about a

job.

He hands Jean a slip of paper. He notices the number on Jean's

pants.

BENNY (CONT'D)

You got a date already?

BASQUIAT:

(exhaling)

We're getting married. She said she could

tell I was a great artist – she could see

it in my eyes. She said she wanted to be

by my side and have inter-racial babies

with me.

Benny grins. He grabs a basketball and spins it expertly on his

index finger.

BENNY:

G'night... See you in court tomorrow.

Jean turns on the TV. He notices the roach. He picks up the paper

Benny gave him with the message from his father and sets it on

fire.

He lights the roach with it.

He looks up; on television, we see a BUM being interviewed. Jean

turns up the volume.

The bum's on the ground, looking beat up. Jean picks up a pocket

recorder and turns it on:

BUM:

The guy just hit me and I was on the

ground!!!! Boom, for real.

Jean mutes the sound on the TV. He rewinds and proudly plays back

the words "Boom, for real."

He picks up the phone and dials. He turns on the speakerphone.

Jean holds the recorder to the speaker as someone answers the

phone. (Jean walks in and out of frame throughout the following.)

VOICE:

Hello?

BASQUIAT:

(deadpan)

I-Is this the s-s-suicide h-h-hotline?

VOICE:

Yes. My name is Chris. What's yours?

BASQUIAT:

Jean Michel.

CHRIS:

That's a beautiful name. French?

BASQUIAT:

Haitian. I'm going to kill myself. I'm

taking pills. Reds, blues, greens.

Jean opens his notepad and looks down a long list of seemingly

random words. He comes to the words (in order) "liquid, hijack,"

and "Marlboros."

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