The Rapture

INTERIOR:
TELEPHONE COMPANY INFORMATION OFFICE. DAY.

We move slowly through a crowded office. A hundred

information operators in booths. SHARON works at a computer

terminal. Close on her. She's on a kind of autopilot as she

does her job, and the people talking to her hear so little

personality that her humanity barely registers. That she

might have a beauty that is becoming hollow, or a private

life that would astonish them -- this, no one thinks about.

She watches the clock. Five minutes to six.

SHARON:

Please hold for the number.

Operator 134, what city please?

(Pause, as she

types in the name.)

Is that a business or residence?

Please hold for the number.

(Pause.)

Operator 134. What city please?

(Pause.)

How do you spell that?

The clock. Two minutes to six.

SHARON:

(pause)

Please hold for the number.

(Pause.)

Operator 134. What city please?

(Pause.)

Is that a business or residence?

(Pause.)

Please hold for the number.

Pause. Behind her, a woman, another OPERATOR, waits for the

chair.

Six o'clock.

SHARON gets up. The other OPERATOR takes her place and takes

her headphones. SHARON starts to stand as she begins the

next sentence. Pause.

SHARON:

Operator 134. Is that a business or

residence? ...

And the other OPERATOR takes her headset and completes the

number as SHARON leaves her post.

OPERATOR:

Please hold for the number.

SHARON walks away.

Cut to:

EXTERIOR:
STREET. NIGHT.

And now we see her sitting in the back of a Jaguar

convertible. VIC is driving the car. VIC looks to someone

offscreen.

VIC:

What about them?

SHARON:

No. He's wearing a rug, and she has

a nose job.

VIC:

It's not a bad nose job.

SHARON:

They're all bad.

Now we see VIC. He is a beardless werewolf [I mean,

spiritually]. SHARON is excited. She likes danger.

Underneath, we feel her deep exhaustion.

SHARON:

Let's go to the Continental Club.

VIC:

Really?

SHARON:

Come on, Vic, you don't want to go

back to the airport.

He's thinking.

VIC:

I like the airport. I like the bars

at the airport hotels. I like

tourists.

(Meaning the bar:)

I don't want that tonight.

SHARON:

What's the matter, are you scared

of getting dirty?

VIC:

(uncertain)

Maybe.

SHARON:

C'mon, Vic. That's the place to

start. Let's have some fun.

From her challenging smile, his laugh, we cut to:

INTERIOR:
BAR. NIGHT.

A rummy's bar in Hollywood. SHARON and VIC lean against a

wall, drinking from bottles. VIC studies a couple sitting

alone at a table, side by side. Sharp-featured, long-haired,

not talking, they are smoking.

SHARON:

I like them.

VIC:

You would.

SHARON and VIC walk across the floor to the table. They

slide into the seat facing the couple. Call her DIANA.

Call him RANDY.

VIC:

I'm Vic.

SHARON:

I'm Sharon.

VIC:

Hi.

RANDY and DIANA are quietly amused.

RANDY:

What brings you to this side of

town?

SHARON:

We got tired of shooting the dogs

where the rich people live.

DIANA:

What are you looking for now?

SHARON:

Now we're looking for something a

little less obvious.

VIC:

But fun. Definitely fun. We're very

social people.

RANDY:

You might be asking for something

you couldn't handle.

SHARON:

I can handle it.

RANDY:

What if things go out of control?

SHARON:

What's control got to do with it?

VIC:

I think he wants to find out if

you have any limits.

SHARON:

Tell him that I haven't found them

yet.

VIC:

Sharon hasn't found her limits yet.

DIANA:

Talk, talk, talk.

(To RANDY:
)

Let's go somewhere.

VIC:

I have a store. Let's go to the store.

They stand up. VIC takes DIANA'S hand. RANDY and SHARON

follow.

Cut to:

INTERIOR:
VIC'S STORE. NIGHT.

VIC leads the others in, turning on lights and slow dance

music (Little Richard singing "Directly from My Heart"). We

move through the store to a far corner, to a model bedroom.

SHARON reaches out to RANDY and pulls him to her. RANDY lets

go of DIANA and dances with SHARON. They dance to be watched.

They are moving toward a bed. DIANA takes VIC'S hand. They

dance. A blues song plays.

RANDY:

Come here. Come here and have a seat.

SHARON:

Come on, let's fool around.

RANDY lifts SHARON into his arms.

SHARON:

Ohh. What a man.

RANDY:

Nice store you got here, Vic. Nice.

SHARON dances slowly with RANDY; they grind into each other,

putting on a show. SHARON and VIC watch each other.

DIANA:

Come on. Show me what you mean by

fun.

VIC:

Unnh-uhh.

SHARON sees this and shakes her head. DIANA goes to RANDY

and SHARON.

SHARON:

Vic likes to watch.

RANDY:

Watch this.

And we stay with Vic's face as the other three fall on the

bed.

Dissolve to:

INTERIOR:
VIC'S STORE. NIGHT.

SHARON, RANDY, and DIANA on a bed. Their sex is a ritual,

and the surprise here is their need. SHARON is the subject.

They finish. They are still for a moment. SHARON gets up. We

watch RANDY watching her.

SHARON sits on the arm of a leather couch, smoking. RANDY

comes over to her. Behind them, Vic begins f***ing DIANA.

SHARON looks grim. RANDY studies her.

RANDY:

Was that far enough?

SHARON turns to look at him.

SHARON:

Randy, right?

RANDY:

Hey, you remembered my name.

SHARON:

Hi, Randy.

RANDY:

Was it enough?

SHARON:

That was ... interesting.

The camera pulls back. We hear DIANA as VIC tries to come.

Cut to:

INTERIOR:
TELEPHONE COMPANY INFORMATION OFFICE. DAY.

SHARON works at a computer terminal. Close on her.

SHARON:

Operator 134, what city please?

(Pause, as she

types in the name.)

Is that a business or residence?

(Pause.)

Hold for the number.

(Pause.)

This is operator 134. What city?

(Pause.)

Can you spell that?

(Pause.)

Is that D as in Dick?

(Pause.)

Please hold for the number.

Cut to:

INTERIOR:
TELEPHONE COMPANY VENDING-MACHINE ROOM. DAY.

Coffee break. Move through the room. Everyone sits alone,

recovering from the phones. SHARON enters staring into space.

Behind her are a group of workers, talking quietly but

passionately. At first, SHARON doesn't listen. Bits of the

following drift into consciousness.

WORKER #1

Hi, Wayne. It was much stronger last

night, wasn't it?

WORKER #2

By a factor of five.

WORKER #3

It was almost like the first time,

I mean, it was that clear.

WORKER #1

And the horn, the sound of a horn,

that was new.

WORKER #2

One note, a very clear tone. I found

it on my piano; it's B flat.

WORKER #1

What do you think?

SHARON has leaned back in her chair to eavesdrop.

WORKER #3

I think it's going to happen, and

soon. Have you been praying?

WORKER #2, facing SHARON'S back, sees her leaning in and

puts a finger to his lips.

WORKER #2

Yes, as much as I can.

The other two glance over their shoulders at SHARON. She

looks over her shoulder and sees them look at her. She pulls

her chair forward.

WORKER #3

What does The Boy say?

WORKER #1

Not yet.

Cut to:

INTERIOR:
SHARON'S APARTMENT. NIGHT.

She is in bed with RANDY. Under the sheet, he strokes her.

She comes, pushing his hand away.

SHARON:

Tell me a story.

RANDY:

Hmmm.

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