Five Easy Pieces Page #4

EXT. FREEWAY - DAY

ANGLE INCLUSIVE OF ELTON

hemmed into the left-hand lanes, and the truck,

with Bobby still playing, pulling away on the off

ramp.

EXT. TRUCK - LONG BEACH STREETS - DAY

(CHOPIN PRELUDE OVER:)

The truck slows and comes to a stop at a signal.

Bobby jumps out and moves to the sidewalk.

FOLLOWING with him as he wanders, boozed and

aimless, along the dispirited cheap streets of the

city.

INT. DINER - LATE NIGHT

Rayette clears some plates from an empty table and,

crossing the diner, sees...

... Bobby entering. As he takes a seat at the

counter, she goes about her tasks, ignoring him.

He watches her as she moves to the only other

customer and totals his bill.

Another waitress appears with a coffee Silex. She

gestures it at Bobby and he nods. As she pours him

a cup, Rayette moves to the register, deposits some

bills, then turns and exits to the kitchen.

EXT. REAR OF DINER - LATE NIGHT

Bobby leans against a pickup adjacent to Rayette's

car.

She comes out of the rear door of the diner,

hesitates as she sees him, then moves past him to

her car.

BOBBY:

I was with Elton last night, Ray.

Maintaining her attitude of suffered injustice, she

reaches to the car door and opens it.

BOBBY (CONT'D)

It's the truth.

He reaches behind her and pushes the door shut.

Then gently taking hold of her arm, he turns her

toward him, bringing his face close to hers...

BOBBY (CONT'D)

Rayette...

... and as she turns away, be begins to kiss her

neck. She lowers her gaze to the ground, quietly

uttering:

RAYETTE:

You son of a b*tch.

INT. ELTON AND STONEY'S MOBILE HOME - NIGHT

Bobby, Elton and Stoney are seated on the couch,

all looking toward the TV, playing an old black-and

white.

Rayette is seated on an adjacent chair, holding an

infant in her lap, cooing and fawning over it

throughout the following.

ELTON:

I swore to God I'd never hire on to

this type a work again. Christ, I

don't know how the hell I let you

talk me into it...

Rayette reaches over to Bobby.

RAYETTE:

Give me a swig, hon'.

He hands her his beer and as she takes a sip and

hands it back:

ELTON:

You didn' know I was a derrickman

once, did you?

Bobby shakes his head.

ELTON (CONT'D)

Down in the southern fields, an'

man, did I hate it. An' Stoney's

brother was a well-puller, wad'n

he, honey? The one with three

fingers?

STONEY:

(her eyes on the TV)

My brother Cruser, yeah...

ELTON:

I once hung suspendered 90 feet up

on a tour, like a damn circus

artist...

RAYETTE:

Honey, took at this little bugger.

ELTON:

Near broke my damn neck...

RAYETTE:

Id'n he the cutest little guy?

BOBBY:

Very cute... Put it down, an' let's

go.

Elton turns to him with a gap-toothed smile:

ELTON:

You know, you oughta get you one

them things, Bob.

ON BOBBY:

as he stands up...

BOBBY:

(standing up)

Yeah...

(stretching his arms)

An' I oughta live in a trailer park

with my front teeth poked out...

EXT. SIGNAL HILL RIG - DAY

ON ELTON:

seated on the rig floor opposite Bobby, who eats a

sandwich, as:

ELTON:

Well, what if she was, Bob? I can't

see nothin' so bad in it...

Bobby scowls hostilely at him.

ELTON (CONT'D)

What if I was to let you in on the

little fact that she is.

He looks away from Elton, not wanting to hear.

ELTON (CONT'D)

That's right. She told me. An'

she's all tore up about it, which I

hate a see.

ON BOBBY:

as he continues:

ELTON:

Hell, id'n it just somethin' to

face up to? I'll tell you,

somewhere along the line, you even

get to likin' the whole idea...

ON ELTON:

ELTON:

I recall when Stoney first give me

the news, I could a sh*t...

Bobby throws his sandwich onto the rig floor near

Elton's leg. He looks down at a spatter of

mayonnaise on his pants.

ELTON:

Well, id'n that nice.

BOBBY:

(attacking the messenger)

It's ridiculous! I'm sitting here,

listening to some a**hole cracker

compare his life to mine!

He spills out the remainder of coffee from his cup

and screws it onto the top of a thermos.

BOBBY (CONT'D)

Just keep telling me about the good

life, Elton, if you want a see me

puke my lunch!

Elton reaches down and wipes the mayonnaise off his

pant leg.

ELTON:

If you're sayin' you're somethin'

better'n what I am, that's one

thing. But I can't say much a

someone who'd run off an' leave a

woman in a situation like this an'

feel easy about it. An' that's all

I gotta say.

BOBBY:

I hope that's all you gotta say,

El, 'cause I'm about as tired of

your mouth as I am workin' this

stinkin' hole!

He grabs his jacket and his lunch bucket, jumps

down off the rig and begins walking toward his car

parked by the Field Office.

In the b.g., Elton gets up and hurls his hard hat

toward Bobby.

ELTON:

Sh*t ass!!

As he approaches his car, he looks toward the

Field Office, where...

... The driller is leaning down to a car with TWO

MEN in it.

ON BOBBY:

calling over to him:

BOBBY:

Hey, Longcipher! I'm quitting!

The driller gestures a direction to the driver of

the car, and as it pulls off, he moves toward the

office:

BOBBY (CONT'D)

Longcipher! I'm talking to you!

The driller opens the office door and looks back to

Bobby.

BOBBY (CONT'D)

Did you hear me?! I said I'm

quitting!

DRILLER:

I don't give a sh*t what you do.

You ben more trouble than you're

worth, an' I'm damn glad to be rid

of both a you a**holes.

He goes into the office and closes the door.

ON BOBBY:

throwing his jacket and his lunch bucket into his

car. As he starts to get in, his attention is drawn

back to the rig.

POV:

The car that held the two men is parked next to it,

and both men are on the rig platform moving toward

Elton. He backs away from them, breaks toward the

rig tour and starts to climb it. One of the men

catches hold of his leg and yanks him back. Elton

pulls loose from him, jumps to the ground and

begins running with both men in pursuit.

BOBBY:

Hey! What's goin' on?!

He starts sprinting back to the rig.

The first man has a hold on Elton and is struggling

to subdue him. He is joined by the second man, and

as they force his arms behind his back and cuff his

wrists...

... Bobby MOVES INTO FRAME, grabbing onto the first

man and wrestling him away from Elton.

ELTON:

Don't do that, Bob!! It's the Law!

Bobby hurls the man onto the ground and turns

around to go after the second man, struggling with

Elton.

ELTON (CONT'D)

It's the Law, Bob, don't mix in!

The second man pushes Elton aside and as Bobby

throws a punch at him...

ELTON (CONT'D)

Look out behind!

... the other grabs him from behind, holding him,

while the second man jams a fist into his stomach

and, as he doubles over, follows with a violent

chop to the back of his neck.

Bobby slumps to the ground, and as the first man

puts a knee into his back and prepares to handcuff

him:

ELTON (CONT'D)

Hey, don't do that. Don't you think

you could just leave him...

The second man takes hold of Elton and starts to

move him off.

ELTON:

Sure as hell he wouldn' a done that

if he'd known who you was... Would

you, Bob?

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