Wild At Heart Page #8

BLACK MAN:

(to Sailor and another guy

also waiting to pay for gas)

Sorry, gentlemen. I’m ’most finished

on my shoppin’ here.

ERV:

This be it?

BLACK MAN:

Y’all take American Express?

ERV:

Yessir.

BLACK MAN:

Then lemme throw in a couple more

things.

Sailor and the man in line behind him watch as the black man gathers up

several more packages of Twinkies along with a few cupcakes and half a

dozen cans of Pretty Kitty cat food, three liver and three chicken

dinner portions, and tosses them on his pile.

BLACK MAN:

(to Sailor, smiling - showing

no visible upper teeth)

Pussycats gotta eat, too.

He hands an American Express card to the clerk, ERV, who runs it through

the verifier. The card checks out okay and the old guy prepares a

charge slip, has the man sign it, and bags the purchases.

BLACK MAN:

(to Erv)

I’d just soon have a paper bag

rather than a plastic one, if it’s

same to you.

ERV:

(shoving the plastic bag he

filled towards the black man)

We don’t have no paper bags.

A telephone begins to ring and everyone looks around. The Black Man

reaches in his jacket pocket and pulls out a portable phone and punches

“send.”

BLACK MAN:

(into phone)

Hello... Yeah, mama, I’m on my

way...

(to Sailor and other guy

as he picks up his bag

and heads out)

Thanks for waitin’, gentlemen.

Everyone is silent as they watch the old Black Man hobble out.

SAILOR:

(to Erv)

All I want’s ten bucks regular.

Oh yeah, and a Mounds bar.

Erv takes one off the candy and gum rack next to the register and lays

it on the counter. Sailor gives him a twenty dollar bill.

SAILOR:

I ain’t got my American Express card

with me, so I gotta use cash. Hope

that’s okay.

Sailor smiles, but the clerk keeps a poker face and just gives him his

change. The guy in line behind Sailor shakes his head and grins.

75. EXT. MINI MART/THUNDERBIRD - DAY

Sailor goes back to the car.

LULA:

That took long enough. You forget

my Mounds?

Sailor tosses her the candy bar.

SAILOR:

I really do think the country done

changed just a little while I was

away, peanut.

Lula sinks her small white teeth into the chocolate-covered coconut.

LULA:

(as she chews)

You got to keep an eye on it. That’s

sure.

Sailor starts pumping gas.

CUT TO:

76. INT. MR. REINDEER’S POSH NEW ORLEANS RESIDENCE - DAY

CU of mail slot. Two silver dollars comes through it and one falls head

up and the other tails on the rug below.

CUT TO:

77. INT. MR. REINDEER’S POSH NEW ORLEANS RESIDENCE - DAY

Mr. Reindeer is just finishing dialing a number on the telephone.

MR. REINDEER

A coupl’a silver dollars came my way

today... I’m sending one of them

to you with a paper on the beneficiary

... As usual, you are completely

free to fulfill the obligation in any

manner you so desire.

He hangs up the phone and starts dialing another number.

DISSOLVE TO:

78. INT. THE ROUND ROOM RESTAURANT - NEW ORLEANS - DAY

At a table near the window, Johnnie takes a man-sized pull off his Dixie

beer in between bites of an oyster sandwich. A large, chocolate-colored

man in his early thirties, REGINALD SAN PEDRO SULA, and a smaller white

man, DROP SHADOW approach with their trays of food.

REGGIE:

Do you mind if we share this table?

... The others, they are occupied.

Johnnie looks around - sees that there are quite a few empty tables - he

looks the men over quickly.

JOHNNIE:

(cautiously)

Alright... By all means. Make

yourselves at home.

DROP SHADOW:

(as he sits down)

Muchas gracias.

REGGIE:

My name is Reginald San Pedro Sula.

But please do call me Reggie. This

is my friend, who we call Drop

Shadow. He is always with me.

Johnnie wipes off his right hand on his napkin and shakes.

JOHNNIE:

Johnnie Farragut. Pleased to meet ya.

Reggie and Drop Shadow begin eating ferociously, finishing half of their

meal before saying anything more.

REGGIE:

You are from New Orleans, Senor

Farragut?

JOHNNIE:

Johnnie, please. Nope. Charlotte,

North Carolina. Here on business.

Reggie smiles broadly, revealing numerous tall, gold teeth.

DROP SHADOW:

Mr. San Pedro Sula is from Honduras.

REGGIE:

Do you know Honduras, Johnny?

JOHNNIE:

Only that it’s supposed to be a

pretty poor sight since the hurricane

came through last year.

REGGIE:

Yes, that’s so. But there is not

much to destroy.

DROP SHADOW:

No big buildings like in New Orleans.

JOHNNIE:

Whattaya do there?

REGGIE:

(laughs)

Oh, many things...

DROP SHADOW:

Mr. San Pedro Sula’s got an appliance

shop.

REGGIE:

But I am also with the government.

Johnnie takes a bite of his oyster sandwich.

JOHNNIE:

In what capacity?

REGGIE:

In many capacities.

DROP SHADOW:

Mr. San Pedro Sula is with the

Secret Service.

Reggie reaches into his back pocket and takes out his wallet. He hands

a card to Johnnie.

JOHNNIE:

(reading aloud)

General Osvaldo Tamarindo y Ramirez.

Telefono 666.

REGGIE:

He is my sponsor. The General is

the head of the secret police of

Honduras.

DROP SHADOW:

Mr. San Pedro Sula is one of his

operatives.

Johnnie hands the card back to Reggie and Reggie gives him a small piece

of paper, folded once. Johnnie unfolds it. The printing is in Spanish.

REGGIE:

That is my permiso.

DROP SHADOW:

Mr. San Pedro Sula’s permit to kill.

REGGIE:

Only if necessary, of course, and

only in my own country.

(laughs)

JOHNNIE:

Of course.

Johnnie refolds the piece of paper and hands it over to Reggie.

DROP SHADOW:

Mr. San Pedro Sula’s authorized to

carry a .45.

REGGIE:

United States Marine issue, before

they made the unfortunate switch to

the less dependable nine millimeters.

I have it here, in my briefcase.

Reggie holds up his stainless steel briefcase and then replaces it on

the floor beneath his chair.

JOHNNIE:

Why are you in New Orleans? If you

don’t mind my askin’.

REGGIE:

Certainly not. We are here only

briefly, in fact, until this evening,

when we fly to Austin, Texas to visit

a friend of mine who is an agent for

the CIA.

DROP SHADOW:

He wants to take Mr. San Pedro Sula

and me bass fishing.

REGGIE:

We are in the same businesses and

also we are fishermen.

Johnnie swallows the last of his beer and stands up to leave.

JOHNNIE:

(extending his hand)

It’s been a real pleasure. I wish

you both buena suerte wherever you go.

Reggie and Drop Shadow stand up. They shake Johnnie’s hand.

REGGIE:

The same to you. If you are in

Honduras, come to the Bay Islands and

visit us. The Hondurans are great

friends of the American people. But

I have a joke for you before I go.

If a liberal, a socialist, and a

communist all jumped off the roof of

the Empire State Building at the

same time, which one of them would

hit the ground first?

JOHNNIE:

I couldn’t say, which one?

Reggie turns to Drop Shadow and lets him have the punch line.

DROP SHADOW:

(grinning)

Who cares?

CUT TO:

79. INT. HOTEL BRAZIL - NEW ORLEANS - EVENING

Sailor and Lula are just finishing making love in their room. As Lula

climaxes, her left hand opens and spreads wide. The lay quietly for a

moment.

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