Happiness Page #13

BILLY nods. Pause.

BILLY:

Dad�did you�did you�with Johnny Grasso

and Ronald Farber�?

Pause.

BILL:

Yes.

Pause.

BILLY:

What did you�do?

BILL:

I�I touched them�

BILLY:

Whadya mean exactly�touched�?

BILL:

I�fondled them.

Pause.

BILLY:

What for?

BILL:

I couldn't help myself.

Pause.

BILLY:

What else?

BILL:

I unzipped myself�

BILLY:

Do you mean�masturbated?

BILL:

No.

BILLY:

Then�what?

BILL:

I�made love�

Pause.

BILLY:

What does that�mean?

BILL:

I f***ed them.

Pause.

BILLY:

What was it like?

BILL:

It was�great.

Pause.

BILLY:

Would you do it again?

BILL:

Yes.

Pause.

BILLY:

Would you ever f*** me?

BILL:

No�I jerk off instead.

BILL weeps.

127.INT. BILL AND TRISH'S BATHROOM - NIGHT.127.

BILL swallows half a dozen sleeping pills.

128.EXT. MAPLEWOOD HOME - NIGHT.128.

A car drives up and idles out front. DRUNKEN TEENAGERS

laugh and curse as they throw beer bottles at the house.

They quickly speed off.

129.INT. BILL AND TRISH'S BEDROOM - 129.

THAT MOMENT.

BILL and TRISH hear the sound of a window being shattered,

but remain in bed.

BILL:

It's true:
I'm a pervert.

130.EXT. MAPLEWOOD HOME - DAYBREAK.130.

TRISH carries CHLOE and a suitcase as she rushes BILLY and

TIMMY out to the car. KOOKI follows along. The door slams

behind them.

TIMMY:

Mommy, I'm�!

TRISH:

Shh! Quiet!

They get in the hastily packed car and drive off.

131.INT. MAPLEWOOD HOME - DAY.131.

BILL wakes up. He gets out of bed and looks around. He

sees drawers have been emptied and left open.

BILL:

Trish?

He goes to CHLOE's room and sees just an empty crib. He

checks BILLY and TIMMY's room: no one is there.

BILL:

Billy? Timmy?

He searches the rest of the house, though somewhat

perfunctorily, as he knows he will find no one.

BILL:

Hello?

He looks bereft as he stands uncertainly in the middle of

the house.

The doorbell rings. He hesitates, then goes to open the

front door.

132.EXT. MAPLEWOOD HOME - DAY.132.

BILL opens the door and finds a brown paper-wrapped package

on the welcome mat. It says, "For Bill." He picks it up,

takes it inside, shuts the door.

Pause. Then:
BOOM!

FADE TO BLACK.

133.INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - DAY.133.

JOY sits on the train. She is carrying a bouquet of

flowers.

134.EXT. BRIGHTON BEACH SUBWAY STATION - DAY.134.

JOY gets off the train, walks down to the street.

135.EXT. BRIGHTON BEACH AVENUE - DAY.135.

JOY walks amongst many Russian immigrants. She pauses to

dig a piece of paper out of her pants pocket. There is an

address scribbled on it.

136.EXT. SIDE STREET - DAY.136.

JOY comes up to the entrance of a seedy building. She

hesitates, then walks inside.

137.INT. SEEDY BUILDING - DAY.137.

JOY climbs a few flights of stairs, arrives at a door with

the number 8D on it. She buzzes, then waits. She hears

quarreling, in Russian.

ZHENIA opens the door. She has a black eye and a cut lip.

JOY:

Oh�er�I'm sorry�I just wanted to�

er�Here�

JOY shoves her bouquet of flowers into ZHENIA's hand. She

is about to beat a hasty retreat when ZHENIA suddenly calls:

ZHENIA:

Boris!

ZHENIA abandons JOY at the door and goes back inside,

muttering obscenities (in Russian).

BORIS appears at the door, surprised to see her. Oddly, JOY

seems equally surprised to see him.

BORIS:

Come inside.

138.INT. BORIS AND ZHENIA'S PLACE - DAY.138.

JOY sits opposite BORIS. ZHENIA brings her a cup of tea.

ZHENIA'S MOTHER sniffles and shuffles about in the b.g.

JOY:

(to ZHENIA)

Spaceebo.

BORIS signals ZHENIA to scram.

BORIS:

Joy. Why are you come here?

JOY:

I just wanted to�um�say

I was sorry�to your wife.

BORIS:

Zhenia is not my wife.

JOY looks confused, perhaps even suspicious. BORIS shouts

something in Russian to ZHENIA.

ZHENIA:

(to JOY)

I am not wife Boris.

BORIS corrects Zhenia's grammar.

ZHENIA:

I am not�Boris's wife.

BORIS:

(to ZHENIA)

Thank you.

And he dismisses her once more.

BORIS:

Her English very bad. I try teach,

but Zhenia�slow.

JOY:

So you mean you're really not married?

BORIS:

(laughs)

I am in America! I am free man!

ZHENIA:

Is Zhenia a free woman?

BORIS rolls his eyes. Pause.

BORIS:

Zhenia loves me. It is problem.

She want be my wife, but she don't

listen. What can I do? What can I do?

(a beat.)

Come. You want me to drive you

New Jersey? We go shopping mall?

JOY:

No, thank you. I don't think that's really�

JOY suddenly notices her guitar lying against the wall

opposite. When she turns back to BORIS he is shouting

something in Russian at ZHENIA again. ZHENIA shouts

something back, and a new quarrel begins. A baby cries

somewhere o.s.

When things cool down ZHENIA brings over a tray with

pastries and vodka.

BORIS:

Joy. I must ask you question.

JOY:

Yes?

BORIS:

But I very ashamed.

JOY:

I'm sure I'll understand.

BORIS:

Okay. Can I borrow money?

JOY:

Oh. Well�

BORIS:

It is very important.

Pause.

JOY:

Well, I guess it's better borrowing

than stealing�

BORIS:

Yes. It is better.

JOY:

And money is�only money.

BORIS:

Yes. It is only money.

JOY glances over at ZHENIA standing at the other end of the

room. Her face is anxious, pleading.

JOY:

How much would you like?

BORIS:

One thousand dollars.

JOY:

A th-thou�.

BORIS:

Alright. Five hundred. I need money now.

JOY:

W-well I guess I could go to

a cash machine�

BORIS:

I know where is ATM.

BORIS rises quickly. JOY hesitates.

JOY:

Boris?

BORIS:

Yes?

JOY:

Do you think I could have my guitar back?

139.EXT. STREET - EVENING.139.

BORIS and JOY, guitar in hand, are walking.

BORIS:

Do you think shopping mall in

New Jersey is open tonight?

JOY:

Yeah. Probably.

They stop outside a bank. JOY withdraws her money from the

ATM. BORIS anxiously awaits on the sidewalk until JOY hands

it over.

JOY:

Here.

BORIS:

Joy. I love you.

JOY:

You love New Jersey.

BORIS:

New Jersey is America!

(laughs, embraces JOY.)

I give you back Monday.

JOY:

That's okay. I won't be there, anyway.

BORIS:

Why no?

JOY:

I don't know, but for some reason�

now I have more sympathy for the strikers.

(a beat.)

See ya.

BORIS watches JOY walk away with her guitar.

BORIS:

(mutters to himself)

Stupid American.

BORIS pockets his money and walks off in the opposite

direction.

TITLE CARD:
"THANKSGIVING"

140.EXT. MONA'S CONDO - DAY.140.

BILLY stands on the terrace and looks down. He sees palm

trees. He sees the ocean. He sees a beautiful woman

sunbathing by the pool. Talk of turkey and weather filters

out to him.

KOOKI stands beside him.

141.INT. BOCA RATON CONDOMINIUM - DAY.141.

LENNY, MONNA, HELEN, TRISH, and JOY sit at a long table

filled with holiday food. TIMMY watches TV in the b.g.

CHLOE sleeps in her crib.

HELEN:

�Anyway, so the police came and looked

in her freezer and found baggies filled

with the super's genitals.

Pause. LENNY salts his food, a heavy dose.

MONA:

I use baggies.

JOY:

Me too.

HELEN:

Everyone uses baggies. That's why we can

all relate to the crime. Don't you see?

TRISH:

I can't relate to it.

Pause.

HELEN:

�In any case, there's a guy I've met,

Joy, that I think you'd like.

He's into computers, I think,

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