Happiness Page #10

JOY and BORIS's figures emerge faintly from the darkness.

They are in bed.

BORIS:

Do not be actress. Relax. Boris here.

JOY quiets down. Then suddenly she cries out. A still

pause.

BORIS:

�Okay.

JOY:

(a beat.)

Okay?

BORIS:

(a beat.)

I go now.

BORIS gets out of bed. JOY listens to him gather his

things, dress. Finally, the door opens. BORIS, her guitar,

and perhaps some stereo equipment disappear. The door

shuts.

97.INT. TEACHER'S LOUNGE - DAY.97.

JOY sits alone at a table, perhaps wistful, or melancholy,

and looks out the window. RHONDA joins her and she perks

up.

RHONDA:

How's it going?

JOY:

Oh, hi, Rhonda!

RHONDA:

Your students treating you okay?

JOY:

Oh, they're just�great! And already

I'm seeing improvement! But you know,

the funny thing is�I feel it's me

who's doing the most learning.

RHONDA:

I know just what you mean.

'Cause teaching is really about learning.

JOY:

Yeah.

(pause)

But really I can't tell you how�

gratifying it's been�I mean, I'm

giving�and they're taking.

I couldn't be happier.

RHONDA:

I hate to have to say this, but:

I told you so.

JOY:

How about you? How's it going

with your class?

RHONDA:

Oh, my students are just a hoot,

always telling me how much they

love me. But if you can keep a secret�

(lowers her voice)

There's this one Igor I've got

such a crush on�

JOY:

Oh?

RHONDA:

Not that I'd ever�I mean, these Russians�

JOY:

What?

RHONDA lifts her arm, points to her armpit, mouths "B.O."

JOY:

Really? My students seem okay�

RHONDA:

Well, then, you are lucky.

JOY:

Yeah. I guess I'm lucky.

JOY'S POV THROUGH THE WINDOW of the STRIKERS still marching

on the sidewalk.

BACK TO JOY AND RHONDA gazing outside. Pause. RHONDA turns

away from the window.

RHONDA:

You know, Joy, just between you

and me, I actually think the

quality of teaching has gone up

since the strike began.

JOY:

Oh, well, I don't know.

I just wish it were all over.

RHONDA:

Me too. But you know, once you're

here and you're teaching, it's as if

it doesn't even exist. You forget.

Pause.

JOY:

Rhonda?

RHONDA:

Yes?

JOY:

If your Igor�

RHONDA:

�Used deodorant�

JOY:

Do you think�?

A Russian woman, ZHENIA, suddenly interrupts, barging into

the room. She stands before JOY looking very upset.

ZHENIA:

You teacher Boris?

JOY:

Er� Yes.

ZHENIA spits into JOY's face.

ZHENIA:

Whore!

And she lunges for her, cursing in Russian. RHONDA, other

TEACHERS, and SECURITY GUARDS get her off JOY and out of the

room.

RHONDA:

My God! That woman was nuts!

Are you okay?

JOY:

(somewhat shaken)

Oh, fine� Thank you�

A bell rings. TEACHERS, ET. AL. Begin to disperse.

JOY gathers her stuff, RHONDA helping.

RHONDA:

(whispers)

Joy, you didn't�did you?

Some TEACHERS pause to overhear JOY's anticipated reply.

But it doesn't come.

98.INT. ALLEN'S PLACE - EVENING.98.

ALLEN sits on his bed, tense and sweaty, gripping his phone.

99.INT. HELEN'S PLACE - EVENING.99.

HELEN lies on her bed, strewn with poetry books and papers,

concentrating on the phone.

The phone rings. She answers it. She hears only some faint

breathing. For a while she says nothng.

HELEN (V.O.)

Thank you for calling me again.

(no response.)

I'm sorry if I was a little bit�

aggressive last time, but�I wasn't�

prepared�and I'm not very good�

on the phone� But U have to�

meet you� Can we meet?�

ALLEN hangs up and unplugs the phone. Pause.

The door buzzes. ALLEN rises.

ALLEN:

Who is it?

KRISTINA (O.S.)

Kristina.

ALLEN hesitates, then opens the door. Pause.

KRISTINA:

I'm sorry about last night.

ALLEN:

Yeah. Me too. I shouldn't have�um�

KRISTINA:

I understand. See, I can admit it.

I'm fat�ugly�

ALLEN:

No, no�

KRISTINA:

Yes, yes�

Tears are trickling down KRISTINA's face. ALLEN hands her a

crumpled tissue.

KRISTINA:

Thanks.

Pause.

ALLEN:

Say, you wanna go somewhere?

KRISTINA nods, grateful.

100.EXT. BAR - NIGHT.100.

MUSIC flows outside.

101.INT. BAR - NIGHT.101.

ALLEN and KRISTINA foxtrot by the jukebox.

102.INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT.102.

ALLEN and KRISTINA sit in a booth. They are eating.

KRISTINA:

I have a confession to make.

ALLEN:

Oh?

KRISTINA:

Remember Pedro's penis?

ALLEN:

You mean, the one that was�cut off?

KRISTINA:

Yeah�well, it wasn't cut off.

ALLEN:

What happened to it?

KRISTINA:

(a beat.)

Nothing.

ALLEN:

I�I don't understand. Why would you

make something like that up?

(no response.)

Was Pedro even killed?

KRISTINA nods.

ALLEN:

How do you know?

(no response)

What happened?

Pause.

KRISTINA:

Well, I'd always been very friendly

to him. I try to be that way with all

the doormen, even if they're usually

snickering behind my back. But I don't

care, I'm still friendly. It's my way.

Well, Pedro was different. Pedro never

snickered. Of course, who was he to

snicker? He wasn't exactly Tom Cruise.

Still, he could have, and he didn't.

Well, anyway, one night�

103.INT. APARTMENT BUILDING LOBBY - NIGHT.103.

PEDRO opens the door for KRISTINA.

KRISTINA (V.O.)

�I had just come back late

from the 24-hour Pathmark�

PEDRO:

Good evening.

KRISTINA:

Hello, Pedro. Do you think

you could help me with these bags?

PEDRO:

No problem.

PEDRO locks up and takes the bags from KRISTINA. They then

walk to the elevator.

KRISTINA (V.O.)

Normally I don't need any help, but

my back hurt and the bags were heavy.

There was half-gallon of strawberry

ice cream and a couple of boxes of

fudge, a key lime pie� Really, I just

couldn't wait to snuggle up under the

covers and enjoy myself with the TV.

You know�

104.INT. ELEVATOR - NIHGT.104.

PEDRO and KRISTINA get inside.

KRISTINA (V.O.)

It was in the elevator that I first

got a funny feeling�like he was

looking at me kind of funny�but I

thought maybe he was just being

friendly�

They get off and walk to her apartment.

105.INT. KRISTINA'S PLACE - NIGHT.105.

PEDRO follows KRISTINA inside, brings the groceries to the

kitchen.

KRISTINA:

Well, thank you so much, Pedro.

PEDRO:

No problem.

There is an awkward silence.

KRISTINA (V.O.)

But then he wouldn't move. I almost

panicked, but then I realized he

probably was just waiting for a tip.

So I got out my purse�and then he

surprised me.

PEDRO:

Forget about it. What I'd like is

a scoop of this ice cream before

going back down.

KRISTINA (V.O.)

Well, isn't that nice and friendly,

I thought. Thought I also thought,

that's a little strange. I'm a

little shy, you know, and also I had

only one half-gallon. But he said,

"Sure!" Well, then he sat down and

started telling me about how he had

no family, no friends� I started

feeling really sorry for him�and I�

Well, I guess I felt I shouldn't feel

so superior. But then, all of a sudden,

just as I was finishing scooping�

BACK TO ALLEN AND KRISTINA in the restaurant.

KRISTINA:

�He started�kissing me�more and more�

and longer and deeper�it was horrible�

horrible! Next thing I knew he tore off

my dress, my�everything! �And he was

climbing on top of me� He thought

because I was fat and ugly I'd be�easy�

that I�wanted it. I tried to fight him

off, but he was too fast for me, and

next thing I knew he was�inside me,

pounding away. Oh, Allen!

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