Nothing But a Man Page #2

JOSIE:

I know that's what you think.

REVEREND DAWSON:

Hush your mouth, child.

The doorbell rings.

JOSIE:

(leaving the table)

Good night, Dad.

ROAD HOUSE:

On the dimly lit, smoke-hung floor a large crowd is dancing. Josie is having

a great time. When the music ends, she and Duff return to their table.

DUFF:

That's pretty good for a preacher's daughter.

JOSIE:

What d'you expect?

DUFF:

You know, baby, I can't figure you out.

JOSIE:

How d'you mean?

DUFF:

Why d'you come out with me? You slummin' or

something?

JOSIE:

No.

DUFF:

So what you doin' with a cat like me in a joint

like this?

JOSIE:

You don't think much of yourself, do you?

DUFF:

(put off)

Well, that's a funny thing to say.

JOSIE:

You keep asking me why I'm here.

DUFF:

Yeah, and you keep not answerin', too.

JOSIE:

I like a place with lots of life.

DUFF:

How about another beer?

JOSIE:

No thanks.

DUFF:

Go on - you can have one!

His attention is drawn by something off screen.

DUFF:

Hell!

JOSIE:

What is it?

Frankie and Jocko swagger toward them, beer in hand.

FRANKIE:

Well, if it ain't Duff!

JOCKO:

How you doin'?

(to Josie; with

a bit of a leer)

Hi there!

JOSIE:

Hi.

JOCKO:

Mind if we sit down?

DUFF:

We was just leavin', fellows.

FRANKIE:

Let's go, Jocko. The man's got homework.

JOCKO:

(leaving)

See you, Duff.

DUFF:

Yeah, see you in hell.

Frankie follows Jocko out of the frame.

JOSIE:

They must work on the section gang.

DUFF:

That's right.

JOSIE:

Well, they seem just like everyone else.

DUFF:

Hell, baby, I bet you think we got tails.

FRANKIE'S VOICE

(off-screen)

We do!

Frankie and Jocko have occupied the adjoining table and are grinning at them.

Duff gets up, camouflaging his irritation.

DUFF:

Come on, baby.

He ushers Josie out. Frankie looks after them.

FRANKIE:

School teacher! My nappy head!

INT. RIDDICK'S OLD CONVERTIBLE (Night)

Duff has parked on a country road.

JOSIE:

I guess it's hard working on the road like that.

DUFF:

Damn few places you can make eighty bucks a

week.

JOSIE:

I mean, you're kind of cut off, aren't you?

DUFF:

That's fine with me. Keeps me out of trouble.

JOSIE:

How d'you mean?

DUFF:

Well, I don't get on so well most places.

JOSIE:

I see. That beer made me dizzy.

Duff is looking at her.

DUFF:

You got a lovely face, kid. Ain't too often I

get to meet a girl like you. Hell--

He kisses her, but releases her very quickly.

DUFF:

Baby, how many times' you been kissed?

Josie takes a moment to collect herself.

JOSIE:

Well, let's see now - not counting tonight ...

must be about twenty-eight times.

DUFF:

(with a grin)

You got a problem all right.

Someone moves in back of her. A white man in his early twenties has emerged

from the dark and looks down at them.

WHITE:

(with a smile)

Hi.

The voice of a second white man calls from off screen.

SECOND WHITE:

They doin' anything?

WHITE:

(calling back)

Nah, nothin'!

DUFF:

Get out of here!

JOSIE:

(frightened)

Don't Duff--

WHITE:

Relax, man!

The second white man joins him.

SECOND WHITE:

What's goin' on?

He shines his flashlight into Duff's face.

DUFF:

Cut that out!

The white man shines the flashlight across Josie's breast.

DUFF:

(very tense)

I said:
Cut it out!

WHITE:

Don't start no trouble, boy!

SECOND WHITE:

Let's go! That's the preacher's girl. Mess with

him and you got old man Johnson on your back.

Come on.

The white men leave.

JOSIE:

Let's go, Duff.

DUFF:

Take it easy.

We see that he has a knife in his hand. He closes and pockets it.

The white men drive off, whooping and beating on the side of their car.

DUFF:

Don't sound human, do they?

INT. MOVING CAR (Night)

Duff is driving through the center of town.

DUFF:

How come you stay 'round here?

JOSIE:

Well, my mother was the only good teacher the

colored school ever had. Nobody bothers with

those kids.

DUFF:

That's why you come back, huh?

JOSIE:

It's hard to see any change. But I'm going to

stay. Another year, anyway.

DUFF:

You got more guts than me, baby. It's a no-good

town.

JOSIE:

It's better than it used to be. Eight years ago

they still had a lynching here. They tied a man

to a car and dragged him to death. My father

knew who did it, but he didn't say anything.

DUFF:

Scared, huh?

The car pulls up in front of the Dawson house and Duff parks.

DUFF:

Well, good night, baby.

He is about to kiss her.

JOSIE:

Not here, Duff.

DUFF:

I get it.

(with a laugh)

Yeah, I can see your old man with a shot-gun

right now.

JOSIE:

But I would like to see you again.

DUFF:

You would, huh? If I was you, baby - I wouldn't

go 'round stickin' out my jugular vein.

JOSIE:

What d'you mean?

DUFF:

You almost got into trouble back there.

JOSIE:

(with a smile)

I wouldn't have let you.

DUFF:

Hell, baby, I'm not in the third grade. Well,

look - what' we gonna do next time -- have a

nice long chat in the parlor?

JOSIE:

No, on the porch.

DUFF:

Oh yeah, and then what?

JOSIE:

What?

DUFF:

Well, either we're gonna hit the hay or get

married. Now you don't want to hit the hay, and

I don' want to get married.

JOSIE:

You have some very primitive ideas, don't you?

DUFF:

(defensively)

All right, so I'm primitive. So what d'you want

with me?

JOSIE:

Look, Duff - most of the men I know - they're

kind of sad. When I met you the other day I had

a feeling that you're different. That's why I

went out with you. I thought we might have

something to say to each other.

DUFF:

Hell, baby, I don't know what to say.

JOSIE:

Good night, Duff.

She gets out of the car and starts toward the house.

He looks after her, then drives away.

OPEN FIELD:

The section hands are hunting rabbits, scaring them up out of the tall grass

and then clubbing them with sticks that have a heavy bolt fastened to the end.

Jocko is fishing from a trestle. Pop fries skinned rabbit in a skillet. Duff

is whittling.

CLASSROOM:

The grade school children, all black, are writing at their desks.

The end-of-school bell rings and one of the boys jumps up.

JOSIE:

Are you finished, Jackie?

BOY:

Yes, Ma'am.

JOSIE:

Well, I'm not. Wait till class is dismissed.

She walks over to close the window.

In the yard below, Duff is sitting on one of the swings.

Josie smiles and turns to the kids --

JOSIE:

All right. Class dismissed.

EXT. SCHOOLHOUSE

A bus crowded with noisy kids pulls away to reveal the yard. Duff and Josie

are sitting on two swings side by side.

DUFF:

At first it was real strange. Hell, Japan is a

long ways from Alabama. Really got under my

skin, though. Almost didn't come back.

JOSIE:

Why did you?

DUFF:

I don't know. 'Guess I belong here more than

there.

JOSIE:

'Been up north?

DUFF:

Yeah. Knocked around for a couple of months

after the Army. You been there?

JOSIE:

No.

DUFF:

Well, it ain't that good up there neither. Might

as well make it here. 'Course I ain't really

makin' it now.

He gets up and gives her swing a forceful shove.

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