Poetic Justice Page #10

IESHA:
Oh yeah, I forgot. Oh well, Chicago gonna have to settle for a Miller

Light.

JUSTICE:
Don't get too crazy now. You know how you get when you drink. You heard

what your man said.

IESHA:
Chicago?! I don't listen to him. He ain't my daddy!

JUSTICE:
He's supposed to be your man, though.

IESHA:
Sheeehit! I got him sprung! I be making that fool stutter. You know he

start stuttering when he lying and sh*t.

CUT TO:
77 EXT. ROADSIDE COFFEE AND GAS-DAY CLOSE: CHICAGO

CHICAGO:
Now, now, now, wait, wait, wait, see, see, see! ANOTHER ANGLE

LUCKY:
Money?! You give her money?!

CHICAGO:
Just sometimes. I like my woman to have tha best.

LUCKY:
You getting playedl How much o' that coochie she be giving up?

77A EXT. ROADSIDE COFFEE AND GAS--DAY BACK TO STORE

IESHA:
I don't hardly have to do nothing. I be rationing it to 'em.

JUSTICE:
Rationing tha booty! (laughs)

77B EXT ROADSIDE COFFEE AND GAS--DAY BACK TO PUMP

CHICAGO:
Aw, nigga, I be knocking that sh*t out every other day. She can't get

enough o' me.

77C EXT ROADSIDE COFFEE AND GAS--DAY BACK TO STORE

IESHA:
That nigga is weak! Ain't got no rhythm! Plus, he a preemie! You know

what a preemie is? Two-minute brotha.

Justice laughs.

77D EXT.:
ROADSIDE COFFEE AND GAS--DAY BACK TO PUMP

LUCKY:
You paying for it!

CHICAGO:
Wait, wait, wait!

LUCKY:
Naw, nigga, you can't say sh*t! You paying for it! Paging for tha poon!

He glances across the pump. THE TRUCK Where the Trucker stands patiently with

his arms folded.

LUCKY:
Be done in a second, cuzz.

The Trucker waits. Arms folded.

77E EXT ROADSIDE COFFEE AND GAS--DAY BACK TO STORE

JUSTICE Is at the counter.

JUSTICE:
You got everything?

IESHA:
Yeah. So what you think of Lucky?

JUSTICE:
I don't. Look.

She points to a display where we see some toy water guns.

IESHA:
Oooow!

The cashier has finished. He has a total.

CASHIER:
That'll be $15.35.

Justice walks back over to the counter.

JUSTICE (O.S.):
I got it. Iesha, pick up some o' those blow bubbles, too.

CUT TO:
78 EXT ROADSIDE COFFEE AND GAS--DAY Where we see Justice burst out of

the store laughing. She turns and begins

squirting water at lesha. We travel with them back to the truck as Iesha

playfully squirts Chicago. He starts running after her. He

catches her, and they affectionately play with each other. The contrast of their

play to the tension between Lucky and Justice is

apparent. They share a quiet, uncomfortable glance. Justice gets into the

passenger seat.

LUCKY (to Chicago and lesha): Get in tha truck! We don't have all day! Sh*t! I

gotta be somewhere.

He walks around the side of the truck. THE PUIMP Where the Trucker begins

pumping his gas.

79 EXT. ROADSIDE COFFEE AND GAS--DAY Where we see the truck take off once more.

80 INT:
THE TRUCK--DAY THE BACK Where Iesha and Chicago are kicking it. Chicago

looks bored. Iesha is mixing the gin with the

Super Socko.

IESHA:
Drink some o' this.

She hands him the Super Socko. Chicago takes a squig.

IESHA:
Drink some more. To the middle.

Chicago takes a couple more drinks. He checks for the level of Socko left. Iesha

takes the bottle back and fills it with gin. She then

proceeds to shake it up.

CHICAGO:
Lemme have my forty.

He looks in the bag.

IESHA:
They didn't have no Old E.

Chicago looks frustrated. Iesha has finished her concoction. She samples her

work. Taking a small sip from the bottle.

IESHA:
Mmmmmm.

She passes the bottle to Chicago, who takes a sip. Over their drinking we hear

Justice's voice.

JUSTICE (V.O.):
"Love is a juice with many tastes. Some bitter, others sweet. A

wine which has few .. ."

81 INT. THE TRUCK: FRONT--DAY

JUSTICE'S NOTEBOOK Where we see her hand write.

JUSTICE (V.O.):
"... few... vineyards."

Justice is lost in thought. Where to go from here?

LUCKY Takes notice of her writing out of the corner of his eye.

JUSTICE Notices Lucky looking at her periodically. She takes particular notice

of his dirty nasty fingernails.

JUSTICE:
Your fingernails are dirty.

Lucky looks at his fingernails. He seems kinda self-conscious and moves his

hands to another part of the steering wheel.

LUCKY:
What you writing?

JUSTICE (a beat): Stuff.

There is an uneasy space of time between them. They look at each other out of

the corner of their eyes. They almost make eye

contact.

82 EXT THE ROAD--DAY Where we see the truck zoom up the road and into the

distance. DISSOLVE TO:

83 INT. THE TRUCK--DAY THE BACK Where Chicago and Iesha settle in the back seat

letting the liquor take its effect.

CHICAGO:
Say you love me.

IESHA:
Why?

CHICAGO:
CauseI said so!

IESHA:
That's what you wanna hear, huh?

CHICAGO:
Yeah.

IESHA:
Really? Good. (gets up, stretches her arms) You're so dumb. The more I

teach you the dumber you get. (does a double take

and smells the air) Mmmmm. S'mthing smell good.

THE FRONT FROM THE OUTSIDE: DRIVER'S SIDE Where Lucky and Justice sit.

LUCKY:
What's that smell?

Justice samples the air with her beautiful nose.

JUSTICE:
Barbecue.

Chicago comes up front.

CHICAGO:
Y'all smell that?

LUCKY:
(his eyes catching something) Yeah.

FROM THE INSIDE OF THE WINDOW We see a sign which reads JOHNSON FAMILY REUNION.

IESHA:
What this?

JUSTICE (with open eyes): Oh sh*t! Look!

ANOTHER ANGLE As we see a virtual ocean of Black faces in the distance. There is

a gathering of some kind going on in a large park

by the side of the freeway. We start on this image, then PAN over to reveal the

truck moving forward.

84 EXT. THE TRUCK--DAY As we travel alongside the truck as we see it in relation

to the reunion. Note Three Levels: Truck in

f.g.iTrees in m.g./People in b.g./Characters speak in Long Shot.

CHICAGO:
C'mon, we gonna get some barbecue.

LUCKY:
We can't stay long, man. I gotta get to Oakland. Why niggas always gotta

be thinking about eating?! You eat too much

anyway. That's why you head so big. Hair look like taco meat.

85 EXT. THE TRUCK--DAY As the truck stops and everybody gets out and walks

toward the gathering of people. Iesha lags behind

and takes the last couple of sips from her drink. She takes one long last hit.

86 EXT THE JOHNSON FAMILY REUNION--DAY WIDE As we START on Lucky, Justice, and

Chicago, and Iesha running to

catch up. They are walking forward just as we SWING behind them and CRANE UP to

reveal a banner that reads JOHNSON

FAMILY REUNION.

MONTAGE OF IMAGES We see people talking, playing games, some hugging, reunions

between relatives, old mixing with the young,

some dancing and a lot of food being cooked. This is the Johnson Family Reunion.

We emphasize this last image of food being cooked.

LUCKY AND CHICAGO Look at each other. Their intentions are obvious.

IESHA:

Catches up as we PULL BACK with her, to reveal all four of them.

IESHA:
What y'all gonna do?

CHICAGO:
We gonna eat.

JUSTICE:
This ain't your family!

LUCKY:
We Black. They don't know that.

ANGLE Where we see a brother who is walking through the crowd obviously drunk.

He is about thirty years old and has a beard. He is

also talking very loud greeting everyone around him. Everyone around seems to be

amused by his antics. He is known as Cousin Pete.

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