Poetic Justice Page #6

JUSTICE:
So what your new man talking bout?

IESHA:
He want me to go onna run with 'em. (starts scrutinizing her hair) This

is good now. I don't haveta be messing around with it.

Just walk out tha house--ya know.

JUSTICE:
Yeah. What's a run?

IESHA:
Oh, you know what a run is.

Iesha keeps fixing her hair. It is apparent that she is luring Justice's

curiosity. Justice takes the bait.

JUSTICE (pulls lesha's hand away from her head): No, I don't. And stop messing

with it. What's a run? He ain't no slanger is he?

IESHA:
A run ... is, well, it's like this. You really wanna know?

Justice gives her a frustrated look.

IESHA:
Well, you know my boyfriend Chicago, right?

CUT TO:

32 EXT THE POST OFFICE--DUSK Where we see Chicago point at a truck and sign a

rec order. "That one," he says. He is brushing

his head with a flat brush and arguing with an Oriental co-worker.

IESHA (V.O.):
You know he work at the post office and all. The one on Century

and Van Ness. Well, every so often he and his friend

at work, they have to drive up to Oakland in this mail truck, see.

32A INT. JESSIE'S SALON--DUSK BACK TO SCENE

IESHA:
You listening?

JUSTICE (her interest apparently lost): Yeah.

In the background the other stylists are leaving. A few of them say goodbye to

Justice before they go. Justice resumes cleaning her

station. Her interest in lesha's proposal is lost.

IESHA (attempting to persuade): Well, we get in this mail truck and we drive up

the coast, get drunk, eat Mexican food, and just have

a good time. It's fun! (seeing no effect) You ain't having it, huh?

JUSTICE:
No, I'm not. That is too to the curb. How am I gonna look like riding

in some mail truck? What you doing seeing some

mailman, anyway? You know they don't make no money! What he gonna do for you?

Mail your bills for free?!

Iesha folds her arms in defiance of Justice's comments.

IESHA:
(frustrated with Justice) How come you don't ever wanna have no fun no

more? Girl, the world is just one big place waitin for

us to go out and f*** up in it. You gonna end up being a straight spinster.

We see Justice's face. She is definitely looking more hardened. Iesha pulls a

wad of money out of her pocket and gives it to Justice.

IESHA (walking out): Later. Thanks. You a Straight Buster!

Jessie comes up.

JESSIE:
What she all mad about?

JUSTICE:
Nuthin.

We hear on the salon's radio the beginning of "What You See, Is What You Get!"

JESSIE:
Listen, meet us at my place at eight o'clock tomorrow. Come on, let's

close up.

We PAN over to reveal Heywood dancing. He goes over to Jessie, and they start to

dance. Justice is left standing alone.

DISSOLVE TO:
33 EXT JESSIE'S SALON--DUSK As we see Justice, Jessie, and Heywood

close the shop. Justice pulls the iron gate

closed and secures its front. Jessie locks the locks. A car cruises by, and we

hear some bumping sounds of hip-hop music coming

from the inside speakers as well as the voices of some brothers shouting out

compliments to these two beautiful sistahs. We also hear

Heywood go on about how he loves himself, how life is beautiful. He tells

Justice, "See, that's your problem, Justice. You don't love

yourself. "

DISSOLVE TO:

34 INT. Justice's Home--NIGHT It looks though it was decorated by her

grandmother, which in fact it was. We notice a portrait of an

elderly woman with similar features as Justice. There are also more than a few

clocks around, one grandfather clock and a large

twenty-four-hour sandclock are prominent. Justice has nothing but time on her

hands. The air is full of ticking mingled with the sound

of the outside streets. We dissolve through these images and slide into ...

35 INT. BATHROOM-NIGHT We START outside the doorwity and SLOWLY MOVE IN,

invading Justice's privacy. Justice is busy

rolling her hair in the mirror. She is alone. She looks at her face in the

mirror. She is a mess. She lets her mind wander as she looks at

the cold tile floor. Suddenly, Justice thinks she hears something. PAN from

mirror to her face as she hears the sound.

36 INT.HALLLWAY--NIGHT Where Justice quietly stalks. She is nervous as hell. The

sounds of the clocks become more prominent

as she moves forward. Justice's P.O.V. moving forward, as she walks down the

stairs.

THE DOORWAY Where Justice stands. Someone is on the other side. We hear a slight

scratch, then silence. Quiet tension. This is

broken up by the sound of a friendly meow. Justice opens the door, and a big

white cat enters.

JUSTICE:
White Boy! C'mere.

She picks him up. Pets him, then he pulls away with a screech and runs

offscreen.

36 CONTINUED JUSTICE: Yeah, you just like a boy. I should have you fixed.

THE LIVING ROOM Where Justice picks up the remote control to turn on the

television. On the screen is Bet's Midnight Love. There

is a montage of romantic R&B videos. A flash of static and we ...

CUT TO:
37 INT. IESHA 'S APARTMENT-NIGHT We see lesha and Chicago do a smooth,

close, sexy Ragamuffln dance. We hear

some Ragamuffin music in the background.

37A INT.:
JUTICE'S LIVING ROOM--NIGHT BACK TO JUSTICE Justice seems

dissatisfied. She turns the television off. Across the

room we see Justice sitting at the piano. She looks bored. CLOSE On the piano

keys as Justice presses a low-note key. The sound

transcends us into the next scene.

DISSOLVE TO:
38 INT.: JUSTICE'SLIVlNG ROOM--NIGHT As we see Justice looking

through a collection of 45 records. She picks

out one.

THE RECORD PLAYER As the record begins to spin. The first few bars ofStevie

Wonder's "I Never Dreamed You'd Leave in

Summer" float into the air.

JUSTICE:
As she begins to groove to the music. She walks toward the kitchen.

38A INT. JUSTICE'SHOME--NIGHT VARIOUS ANGLES Of the empty rooms within the

house.

38AA INT JUSTICE'S KITCHEN--NIGHT Where she makes popcorn. Pours it in a bowl,

then pours tabasco sauce on it.

38B EXT. JUSTICE HOME--NIGHT THROUGH THE WINDOW FROM OUTSIDE From a voyeuristic

POV we see Justice grooving

to the music and eating her popcorn. She picks up a candy bar offa table.

38C INT. JUSTICE'SHOME-NIGHT HACK INSIDE Justice stops dancing, candy bar in her

mouth. She looks around for a moment

and then into a mirror. Everything seems hue, then out of nowhere she bursts

into tears. She cries a few tears for a few seconds, then

wipes them away.

THE TELEPHONE Justice picks up the receiver and enters some digits.

39 INT. IESHAS APARTMENT-NIGHT We see a pair of lips that turn out to be a

telephone as lesha picks up the receiver, and we

follow it to reveal her and Chicago in bed together, Iesha lies on her stomach

with Chicago on top. Tha skins are deftnitely on. Chicago

is wearing nothing except it Chicago Bulls fisherman's cap. Ragamuffin music is

playing in the background mon.

IESHA:
Who dis? Oh, what's up, girl? You change your mind? ... Somethin wrong?

40 INT. JUSTICE'SHOME-NIGHT

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