Happiness Page #14

JOY:

How do you know him?

HELEN:

He's another neighbor of mine.

Do you wanna call him, or should I

give him your number?

JOY:

I'll call him.

HELEN:

Oh, great. I know he'd really like that.

TRISH:

What about me?

HELEN:

I'm looking, I'm looking.

TRISH:

I like computers.

HELEN:

Trish, trust me on this one:

not for you.

MONA:

And what about me?

HELEN:

Mom, I haven't forgotten. It's just

it's hard. But I am looking for everyone.

LENNY:

Don't look for me.

HELEN:

Have you found someone?

LENNY:

No. There is no one.

Pause.

MONA:

I heard Diane Fred had a stroke.

LENNY:

She'll recover.

MONA:

That's good.

JOY:

Where there's life there's hope.

TRISH:

That's right.

HELEN:

You bet.

MONA:

Absolutely.

LENNY:

Yeah.

Pause.

JOY:

Could you pass over the

sweet potatoes, please?

TRISH:

Sure.

Pause. LENNY resalts his food.

HELEN:

Could you pass down the stuffing, please?

LENNY:

Here.

Pause.

TRISH:

Anyone watch Leno last night?

Everyone shakes his head or mumbles no.

Pause.

MONA:

So what's going to happen now to

that woman who killed your super?

HELEN:

I don't know, Mom. But it's so sad.

She's all alone.

(a beat.)

I wish I'd gotten to know her better.

We might have found we had something

in common.

Pause.

JOY:

Maybe you'll write a poem about her.

HELEN bursts out laughing.

HELEN:

I'm sorry. But don't worry.

I'm not laughing at you.

I'm laughing with you.

JOY:

But I'm not laughing.

HELEN stops laughing.

142.EXT. CONDOMINIUM TERRACE - DAY.142.

CLOSE ON BILLY as his face expresses mounting excitement.

BILLY'S POV of the beautiful woman sunbathing. She unhooks

her bikini top.

BACK TO BILLY climaxing. CLOSE ON COOKI licking up BILLY's

little puddle of sperm on the floor.

143.INT. CONDOMINIUM - DAY.143.

The meal is painfully silent. Finally:

MONA:

Let's make a toast.

JOY:

To happiness.

EVERYONE ELSE:

To happiness!

Glasses clink. Some hesitation before everyone downs the

wine. Laughter. KOOKI races in, jumps into TRISH's lap,

licks her face.

TRISH:

Kooki!

BILLY enters. He is ecstatic. Tears well up in his eyes.

BILLY:

I came!

SHOT OF A FULL MOON.

144.INT. CONDOMINIUM - NIGHT.144.

The CAMERA DOLLIES across the living room and bedrooms.

Everyone is in bed, but unable to shut their eyes.

MONA rises to the terrace, her eyes silently welling with

tears. JOY follows her.

JOY:

Don't, Mom. 'Cause the thing about

family is�no matter how distant you are

from each other, separated, estranged,

divorced, whatever�no matter how little

you can relate to each other�it doesn't

matter:
you're still family. You're not

along� Ya see?

MONA smiles, weakly.

CUT TO:

BLACK.

The sound of a telephone ringing. Then:

145.SPLIT SCREEN: EXT. ESL SCHOOL/145.

INT. ALLEN'S PLACE - DAY.

JOY stands at a payphone, a placard resting on her shoulder.

Strikers pace in the b.g.

ALLEN sits half undressed on his bed, phonebook at his side.

He answers the phone.

BOUNCY MUSIC.

ALLEN:

Hello?

JOY:

Hello. Could I please speak to

Allen Mellencamp?

ALLEN:

Speaking.

JOY:

Well, my sister Helen told me

I should call you.

ALLEN:

Oh, then you must be Joy. Hi.

JOY:

Hi. Gee, you sound so familiar.

ALLEN:

You do too.

JOY:

But in a good way, a way I like.

ALLEN:

Me too.

JOY:

Huh.

ALLEN:

Say, what are you wearing, I mean

doing tonight?

JOY:

Oh, nothing special. Would you

like to get together?

ALLEN:

Yeah. I know a great place off Exit 146.

Have you heard of Happy's?

JOY:

Er�yeah.

ALLEN:

Is Happy's no good?

JOY:

No. It's great. Let's meet there at eight.

ALLEN:

Happy's at eight! See ya!

They hang up, happy, perhaps even smitten.

CUT TO:

BLACK.

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