The Power of One Page #4

18.

This is for him. A distant knowing flickers in his eyes

like a man who has heard the voice of fate whisper his

name.

Over and over, one phrase is indistinguishable -- the

chorus of the song. "Ono bi shobi ingelosi." The

chanting stops as suddenly as it began. A moment passes

before the crowd begins to buzz with the phenomenon.

The Announcer attempts to bring everyone's attention

back to the business at hand.

ANNOUNCER:

We thank the native population for

their spirited display of

enthusiasm. But now, on to the

main event. Fighters to center

ring, please.

PK, focused again, meets Jannie at the REFEREE.

REFEREE:

You both know the rules. No

butts, no elbows, no low blows.

First man to score three knock

downs wins. Let's have a good

clean fight. Good luck to you.

The fighters slap leather. PK turns back to his corner

when his focus is broken dramatically by a face in the

crowd.

23 HIS POV - FRONT ROW - HALF-DOZEN SCHOOLGIRLS 23

sit; one of them MARIA ELIZABETE MARAIS, 17, with honey-

blonde hair and lapis-blue eyes, turns her head and

engages PK's eyes and his heart. She quickly looks

away. But a connection has been made -- fire passed.

24PK 24

goes back to his corner and takes off his robe. Morrie

stands, holding PK's mouthpiece.

PK:

First row, third from the left.

Find out who she is.

Morrie looks down at Maria.

MORRIE:

We're in a bloody war here, in

19.

case you forgot. Let's keep our

mind on that, hey?

He jams the mouthpiece into PK's mouth as the BELL RINGS.

PK turns to an onslaught by Jannie, a real brawler.

Jannie's big, overhand rights almost nail PK until he

finds his footing and dances away. Jannie comes after

him hard, his schoolmates bellowing encouragement. But

PK's far superior boxing skills put Jannie at an immediate

disadvantage. It is a classic battle of a boxer

versus a fighter. PK's jabs keep Jannie at an arm's

length, until he closes with a combination. Jannie,

willing to take three punches to land one, absorbs PK's

point scoring combinations and tries to land knockout

punches. When he has had enough punishment he lunges

into a clinch.

JANNIE:

Blery Rooinek. I'll kill you.

PK pushes off as Jannie hammers at his kidneys. Backing

up, PK repays the compliment with two quick jabs to the

face. PK works Jannie, turning him left then right,

working the angles, keeping him off balance while he

racks up the points. Jannie goes left. As PK chases

him that way his eyes fix on something out of the ring.

25 HIS POV - REAR EXIT DOOR - TALL BLACK MAN 25

with a younger black companion of more average height,

the only black faces in a crowd of 2,000 people.

26 BACK TO SCENE 26

Their presence distracts PK for a split second, and in

that split second Jannie seizes the opportunity. He

comes across with a big right hand to PK's jaw. Jannie

connects. PK goes down hard. The crowd goes wild.

Morrie leaps up and down in the corner.

MORRIE:

Get up! Get up!

But PK is seeing double. He shakes his head, trying to

clear it.

MORRIE:

Up! Up!

27 PK'S POV - JANNIE 27

dancing in his corner, sensing victory, the Ref over

20.

him, counting.

28 BACK TO SCENE 28

PK forces himself up. The Ref checks him.

REFEREE:

Okay. Fight.

Jannie comes rushing in, banging PK with a series of

hard rights, but dropping his left each time he throws

one. PK absorbs the punishment as best he can, backing

up, dancing away. Jannie is all over him just as the

BELL RINGS. Jannie goes back to his corner, triumphant.

PK goes back to his and sits down with a blank expression.

Morrie goes to work on a small cut over

his eye.

MORRIE:

What are you trying to do,

bankrupt us? What happened?

PK turns and looks at the two Africans at the rear door.

Morrie's eyes follow him, tensing as he sees the two men.

MORRIE:

Christ! If they get caught in

here they're dead.

(beat)

What the hell's going on?

PK:

I don't know.

MORRIE:

Well, worry about it later. In

case you haven't noticed, this

Boer bastard is trying to kill

you.

PK:

You see the way he drops his left

when he throws the right?

MORRIE:

Yeah?

The BELL RINGS. PK and Morrie trade a look. Jannie

comes rushing over and throws a big right. PK steps to

his own right side and pops Jannie right over his dropped

left hand. He looks at Morrie again.

21.

29 ANGLE ON MORRIE 29

MORRIE:

Thank you, God.

Jannie comes after PK, paying for each big right he

throws as PK finds his mark. PK plants one, then two,

then three punches on Jannie's face. Finally, frustrated,

Jannie forsakes all pretense of boxing and tries

to nail PK with wild, flailing blows. PK bobs and weaves

and feints. Jannie's punches grow weary. PK begins

to bear down, driving his man back with rapid-fire combinations

until he delivers the coup de grace, a left

hook to the heart and a driving right uppercut. Jannie

goes down in a heap. The crowd goes wild. The Referee

counts him out. Jannie's seconds rush into the ring to

lift their fallen fighter. Morrie also rushes in,

followed by the Prince of Wales boxing team. They hoist

PK up on their shoulders.

30 PK'S POV - MARIA MARAIS 30

rising from her seat, and leaving with the other girls.

Their eyes meet. Her hint of a smile breaks his heart.

She disappears in the crowd.

31 BACK TO SCENE 31

PK's eyes rise to the rear exit. The tall African and

his companion have vanished.

CUT TO:

32 INT. LOCKER ROOM 32

The boxing team and a number of their supporters are in

raucous celebration. Morrie comes bouncing through the

crowd, until he enters the empty dressing room in the

rear, where PK is getting dressed. Morrie takes a wad

of money out of his pocket.

MORRIE:

Here you go, pal.

He hands PK the money.

PK:

You're the treasurer of this

company. You hold it. Did you

find out what I asked for?

MORRIE:

22.

Uh, listen, P.K. You know in this

world there is no greater proponent

of sins of the flesh than Morrie

Levy. But do yourself a favor on

this one. Take my advice. Pass.

PK:

Thanks for the advice. The

information please.

MORRIE:

Do you know who her father is?

Professor Daniel Marais.

PK:

So?

MORRIE:

So? He's the Nationalist Party's

resident intellectual. The man is

one of the architects of this

damned system of -- what are they

calling it? -- apartheid? He has

about as much use for a Rooinek

Englishman rutting after his

daughter as the Queen does for

balls, pardon my French.

PK:

What's her name and where do I

find her?

Morrie sighs.

MORRIE:

Maria Elizabete Marais, Seniors

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