The Power of One Page #10

(he punches

the air)

One-two-three... the Solly Goldman

thirteen. Okay?

PK nods. Solly hits the BELL. The sparring begins. PK

works his way in.

54.

SOLLY:

That's it. That's it. Move him

around. Jab jab. Slip slip.

Now.

PK pours it on, laying in the Geel Piet eight. Solly is

silently counting.

SOLLY:

And... one-two... one-two-three.

PK fires the last three punches like lightning and backs

up.

SOLLY:

That's it. That's it. Now work

around the defense. Jab jab.

The opponent becomes aggressive. PK starts dancing,

slipping punches.

MORRIE:

How do you get away with this,

Mr. G? Why don't they close you

down? I mean, there are laws about

blacks and white boxing each other.

SOLLY:

In a public match. Not in a gym.

Not yet anyway. The Boer is a

funny people. Outside the ring

the black is not equal. Inside he

is. But only in private, not in

public. So I keep my mouth shut,

the police go a little blind, and

that's that. It's a crazy world,

huh?

A WHISTLE from across the gym draws Solly's attention.

He and Morrie turn to his office where his assistant

stands with the tall black man from the Schoolboy

Championships. Solly's face takes on a serious expression.

He rings the bell. He turns to Morrie.

SOLLY:

Work him on the heavy bag.

Solly heads for his office.

69 ANGLE ON PK 69

turning away from his opponent. He and the tall black

man trade a glance just before the man enters Solly's

55.

office and Solly closes the door.

CUT TO:

70 INT. GYM 70

PK pounds the heavy bag as Morrie stands by.

MORRIE:

Six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

That's it.

PK stops, relaxing. Morrie throws a towel over his

shoulders. One of Solly's ASSISTANTS comes over.

ASSISTANT:

Solly wants to see you two.

PK and Morrie look at each other and head for Solly'soffice.

CUT TO:

71 INT. OFFICE 71

Solly faces the door as it opens. PK and Morrie enter.

MORRIE:

You wanted to see us, Mr. G.?

SOLLY:

Close the door.

(beat)

Someone I got a lot of respectfor asked me to make a request.

He wants to put you in a match.

With who?

MORRIE:

SOLLY:

A young guy just turned pro.

Gideon Mandoma.

MORRIE:

A black fighter! They want himto fight a black fighter?

SOLLY:

In a black township. Sofiatown.

MORRIE:

Out of the question. Not even

up for discussion. C'mon, P.K.

56.

Morrie goes to exit. PK doesn't.

PK:

Who asked you to ask?

SOLLY:

The man who promotes all the

fights in Sofiatown -- Elias

Nguni.

PK:

And you trust him?

SOLLY:

In thirty years I know him,

number one on the list.

MORRIE:

You're both out of your minds.

PK:

Did he tell you why he wants the

match?

SOLLY:

I told you what he told me.

PK:

Just talking boxing -- how do I

match up with Mandoma?

SOLLY:

Pretty even.

MORRIE:

I mean besides getting thrown out

of school and into jail, do you

know what else happens you do

this? He's a pro. The minute

you fight him you're a pro.

SOLLY:

There's no purse being offered.

MORRIE:

That's a good career move. Risk

everything to gain nothing. Very

sound business sense.

PK:

Tell Mr. Nguni I'll think about

it.

PK exits with Morrie steaming behind. They head for

the locker room, PK clearly perturbed.

57.

MORRIE:

Okay. What's going on?

PK:

I don't know.

MORRIE:

Well why don't you tell me what

you do know.

PK:

There's an African myth about an

outsider who comes one day and

unites all the tribes into one

against their oppressors. They

call it the myth of Onoshobishobi

Ingelosi -- the tadpole angel.

That chanting at the school

championships?

MORRIE:

For you?

PK:

I haven't heard it in years.

PK begins to disrobe.

MORRIE:

And how did this honor fall on

your broad back?

PK:

I told you about bringing tobacco

to the prisoners at Barberton?

Well after that was going for a

while I learned that even though

they could send and receive

letters, they never did. They

couldn't read or write.

MORRIE:

So you did it for them.

PK:

Right.

MORRIE:

And after that?

PK:

A clothing program for their

families and a food program.

One thing sort of led to another.

58.

MORRIE:

I can see where 'angel' would bean appropriate title.

(beat)

But it was, uh, this Geel Piet

who was really behind all of it,

wasn't it?

PK:

He was very good at pointingthings out.

MORRIE:

Man like that should be runninga country, not rotting in prison.

PK:

He's not in prison anymore.

(pause)

He's dead.

PK steps into the shower pulling the curtain closed.

CUT TO:

72 INT. GYM 72

PK and Morrie exit the locker room.

73 PK'S POV - ACROSS GYM TO MARIA 73

talking to Solly. She sees PK and smiles.

74 BACK TO SCENE 74

PK and Morrie come up.

MARIA:

I thought I'd surprise you.

PK:

Well, you succeeded.

MARIA:

Mr. Goldman was explaining thetheory behind the left hook.

MORRIE:

Beats talking about the weather.

You may have heard about me?

59.

I'm Morrie.

MARIA:

Oh yes. How d'you do.

Solly's Assistant whistles for him.

SOLLY:

Well, nice meeting you, Maria.

MARIA:

Nice meeting you, Mr. Goldman.

SOLLY:

We never had a girl come to the

gym.

(beat)

It's not such a bad thing, huh?

Solly moves off.

PK:

You got a pass to come out on a

weeknight?

Maria lifts her jumper a bit, displaying the results

of treeclimbing on her knees.

MARIA:

Your tree pass.

PK moves Maria and Morrie off down the stairs.

MARIA:

Do you box too, Morrie?

MORRIE:

Do I look that daft?

PK:

Morrie's the brains of the

operation.

MORRIE:

He means the bank. Your boyfriend

has a great head for literature

but none for finance.

They exit the staircase.

75 THEIR POV - ACROSS THE WAY - NGUNI 75

in the shadow of the alley stands, smoking a cigarette.

60.

76 BACK TO SCENE 76

PK:

(in Zulu)

I see you, Nguni.

NGUNI:

I see you, P.K.

They talk across the narrow street.

NGUNI:

You have heard my request?

Yes.

PK:

Why do you make it?

NGUNI:

A woman has thrown the sacred ox

bones. She has made a fire and

read the smoke.

PK:

What did she read?

NGUNI:

That the Onoshobishobi Ingelosiwho is a chief must fight theone who one day will be a chief.

PK:

But it's not true that I'm a

chief.

NGUNI:

Who knows what is true and what is

not. The legend of OnoshobishobiIngelosi is very powerful amongthe people. They see you box theBoer and always you win. Theyhave heard the stories from

Barberton. The people live withlittle hope. They must see if thespirit of the boy still lives inthe man.

PK:

And if I lose? If the spirit ofthe Onoshobishobi Ingelosi doesnot exist in me anymore, then whatwill they live with?

Less hope.

NGUNI:

But still they must

61.

see. It is our way.

At that moment a spotlight blinds them. A police car

comes up the alley, stopping in front of them. The

POLICE exit, threatening.

POLICE #1

What's this here?

Maria is gripped by fear. Morrie is cautious, unmoving.

PK:

An old family servant, Officer.

From home. We just ran into each

other.

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