Leaving Las Vegas Page #12

CUT TO:

94 EXT. SERA�S HOUSE - MORNING

Ben lets himself in with his key. He is carrying a big bag of

groceries. His clothes are bloodstained. The Landlady watches

from poolside.

BEN:

I�m back.

He walks into the living room and finds Sera reading on the

couch. She looks up and sees his face and his bloodstained

shirt.

SERA:

Oh, no! Oh, f***, Ben, look

at your face. You get in a

fight? I thought you didn�t

fight. Goddammit. How do you

feel? Wait here. Sit down.

She goes to the bathroom and we hear her rummaging in the

medicine cabinet.

SERA (off-screen)

Did you stop at the bar?

She comes back into the room, armed with bottles and cotton

wool.

SERA:

Did you say something stupid

to someone stupid?

She goes to work on his face, dabbing an open cut with some

mercurochrome.

BEN:

Absolutely not... ow... I was

defending the honor of some

poor wayward maiden.

She thinks about this for a moment and then kisses him on the

forehead.

SERA:

Why don�t you go and finish

this in the bathroom. Take a

shower and put on your other

shirt. I�ll fix breakfast and

then we�ll go shopping and

get some new clothes. I think

this suit must be unlucky.

CUT TO:

95 INT. MALL - DAY

Ben and Sera come out of a clothing store. Ben is wearing

black jeans, red socks and a white dress shirt. They go up

the �up� escalator.

SERA:

Very creative. Now we can get

you a black bow tie and you

can look like one of those

casino dealers.

BEN:

OK, but remember that they

wear it because they have to.

I wear it because I want to.

That�ll make me look

different. Let�s get a drink.

Ben somehow gets on the �down� escalator, leaving Sera on the

higher level.

SERA:

Ben?

CUT TO:

96 INT. SHOPPING MALL BAR. DAY

Ben needs a drink badly but this is not the best place.

Mothers with children, old people and a Waitress with

attitude. Ben tries to order but becomes angry when she

doesn�t bring it straight away. People begin staring. At the

next table a dignified older man sits alone.

Ben hands Sera a small package.

CLOSE ANGLE:

BEN:

There was no time for me to

write a card, with you

breathing down my neck all

day., so you�ll just have to

wing it, baby.

He laughs and this induces a coughing fit. He downs his drink

and holds up the empty glass to let the waitress know she

should bring another.

BEN:

Open it.

She does so. It is a pair of onyx earrings. Black onyx set in

white gold.

SERA:

(pleased)

Your color.

BEN:

I think you should wear one

at a time. One of these... and

one of your others. In fact,

I was going to buy just one,

but I didn�t think it would

fly... as a gift, I mean.

His new drink arrives and he takes a swallow straight away.

SERA:

I�ll wear them tonight... one

of them.

She looks at him, aware of what she has said, wondering how

he is reacting. She smiles and Ben takes a deep swallow,

finishing his drink. His mood suddenly changes.

BEN:

Yes... tonight. Put it on.

She does so. Ben helps her, bringing his face down close to

hers.

BEN:

You�ll be able to feel it,

sharp and hot under your ear,

as one of the brothers is

driving your head, face down

into one of the penthouse

pillows.

They are both suddenly deeply shocked by what he has said.

They sit in silence for a while. Sera is close to tears. Ben

gets up suddenly, puts down a couple of bills and walks away

from the table. When he is almost at the door Sera gets up

and quickly tries together up all of the packages.

SERA:

Ben, wait... please wait for

me.

ANGLE ON THE DOOR

The dignified older Man stands in Ben�s path and places his

hands on Ben�s shoulders.

MAN:

Maybe you should wait for

her, sir.

BEN:

Why?

MAN:

Because... you can hear in her

voice that she really wants

you to.

Sera catches up and the Man lets go of Ben. Ben takes the

packages from Sera and the two of them step out into the

mall.

97 INT. MALL - DAY

They walk together.

SERA:

What was that all about?

BEN:

Can we just forget it?

SERA:

I don�t understand any of

that.

BEN:

Can we just ignore it?

They stop and look at each other. The PA system gives an

inane message.

BEN:

Please!

SERA:

Yes... I�ll give you that.

BEN:

Thank you, Sera.

SERA:

Do you want me not to go

tonight?

BEN:

No... we already talked about

that.

CUT TO:

98 INT. SERA�S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Sera is preparing for work. In the background we can hear the

TV next door. She dresses carefully. Black underwear,

stockings, heels, a tight black skirt.

99 INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Ben is watching TV and drinking.

100 INT. SERA�S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Sera at the mirror, putting on her make-up. Her make-up is

more pronounced than we have seen it before . Everything is

more extreme.

101 INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Sera comes into the room. Ben looks up at her and sucks in

his breath.

BEN:

Wow.

She walks over to him and takes his head and places it

between her breasts and kisses the top of his head.

BEN:

Maybe I should follow you

around and ask one of your

tricks what it�s like to

sleep with you.

SERA:

They wouldn�t know.

She comes on to him.

SERA:

Maybe you should ask me

sometime. I�d be happy to

show you.

She goes to the door.

SERA:

I�ll be back home around

three. If you�re back by then

we can watch TV or

something... I guess what I�m

saying is... that I hope you

are back when I get home.

Please be careful.

BEN:

You be careful to. I�m going

to miss you.

SERA:

Shall we go away for a couple

of days?

BEN:

Yeah... I�d like that.

CUT TO:

102 INT. SMART HOTEL - NIGHT

Sera walks through the lobby, looking for business.

103 EXT. A STREET - NIGHT

Ben lying down with people walking past and over him.

ANGLE ON BEN�S FACE

A big smile appears on his face. He starts to laugh.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

104 EXT. DESSERT - DAY

A blue car drives across frame. The sun is bright.

105 EXT. DESERT MOTEL, POOL - DAY

Sera is a very good swimmer and we see that Ben must have

been quite an athlete. They look at each other under water.

They�re under water for a long time. Ben exhales. Sera pushes

him towards the surface.

Ben and Sera come to the surface. Ben has swallowed water and

has a coughing fit. Sera hugs him until the fit passes. The

camera moves in tighter on them and music gives the moment a

strange chill.

SERA:

Don�t do that to me. Don�t

frighten me like that.

CUT TO:

106 EXT. POOL - NIGHT

Ben and Sera are watching the TV next to the poll. They are

sitting in reclining chairs. Inn the distance a coyote howls.

SERA:

Years ago, in LA, I turned a

trick on Sunset and Western.

The guy was polite and didn�t

argue about the price. He

parked his car and I took him

to a house that I had an

arrangement with. A fat

Mexican woman was watching a

TV and I told him to give her

the twenty for the room.

There were three or four

small naked children playing

on the floor and we had to

step over them to get into

the room. The room had a bed

and a dresser. He lay on his

back on the bed and I put a

rubber on him and sucked him

for a while until he was hard

and then I eased on to him.

About twenty minutes later

there was a knock on the door

and it was the woman saying

our time was up. I felt kind

of guilty because he hadn�t

come and I offered to reason

with the woman and get

another ten minutes, but he

said it was all right and

began dressing. When we were

ready to leave the room he

stopped me and... hugged me

and kissed me on the cheek.

He gave me an extra hundred

as a tip and went back to his

car. I remember being

relieved that I wouldn�t have

to work again that evening.

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