Hard Street (1)
Angel Obregon

1

Once upon a time in Hell's Kitchen:

INT. OFFICE TRAILER IN A TAXI YARD (OVERLIT)

Two grating, mechanical voices are shrieking
at each other;

VOICE#1
Gimme da money!

VOICE#2
I don't have any money!!

They don't sound human. They aren't. It's two
gaudily colored macaws on perches either side
of a desk full of Israeli army surplus.

The SECURITY GUARD has a Korean auto shotgun,
the kind with a drum magazine that winds up
like a tinker toy. He doesn't have much in
the way of ears because the parrots keep
eating them.

The TV is playing THE WAGES OF FEAR. It usually
is. There is a table top war game set up in the
back. Nomonhan, the battle the Russians call
Khalgon Gol.

There is a sign on the wall:

LOADING GUNS ON THESE PREMISES IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED

Several of the drivers are loading their guns.
DUGAN, a skinny amphetamine head with rotted
teeth and a pony tail is putting explosive
bullets into a chrome plated .44 magnum with
a laser-sight on top.

DENVER watches him then checks his own gun, a nasty
little S&W .38. The huge Pachmayr grip makes the gun
look small, more like a tool than a weapon.

DUGAN
(upper class Boston accent)
When are you going to get yourself a real gun?

DENVER
(points at the .44)
That's not to shoot with.
It's a symbol of authority.

CONTINUED

2

CONTINUED

DUGAN
Your mother is a symbol of authority!

DENVER
You bet your sweet ass.

If you wonder why they talk to each other, they're
the only ones that speak English without a conscious
effort. The rest are African, mostly Ashanti with
facial scars in intricate geometric patterns.

Denver sees ARUBA walking back from the machine shop
and runs out to meet him. Aruba is a big tough black
from the islands. He speaks Oxford English, but
affects a southern accent. He also affects a wise
and thoughtful look.

He's an idiot.

DENVER
Am I getting out or what?

ARUBA
I's got to see what I's got.
I's got to take care of the
drivers who work for me 7 days.

DENVER
If I want to work 7 days,
I'll rent by the week.

ARUBA
Well, now, why don't you do
that then?

DENVER
I am sick of this top sergeant
act, you probably learned from
some movie.

ARUBA
I learned it from de white folks.

DENVER
De white folks?

ARUBA
Most of the people I know is white folks.

CONTINUED

3

CONTINUED
DENVER
Is white folks? Nobody's talked
that way in 50 years. Are you out
of your fucking mind?

Aruba doubles over laughing.

ARUBA+DENVER (CHORUS)
Some of my best friends is white folks.

ARUBA
But they don't fuck me over
the way you do.

DENVER
And you think you're a nice guy.

ARUBA
I don't want to be a nice guy.
You're a nice guy and look what
happened to you.

DENVER
I said: You think you're
a nice guy.

ARUBA
Why?, are you nice?

DENVER
I was a lot nicer before I took this
job. Now, I'm turning into an animal
just like the rest of them.

ARUBA
Just like me.

He disappears into the trailer for a moment.
He comes out and throws the keys to Denver.
He catches them one handed. Aruba heaves the
meter at him. Denver catches it effortlessly
with his other hand.

ARUBA (continuing)
Don't drop the meter or it's a $500 charge.

Denver stares at him in curiosity. VLAD comes out.
He looks like Russian Mafia. He is. How does
someone look Russian?

CONTINUED

4

CONTINUED

He's big and blond and slightly Eurasian. At least,
something is wrong with the eyes.

And there's something different in the expression:
He's Russian, he thinks that life is supposed to be
this bad. This leads to a certain serenity.

VLAD
What's going ?

ARUBA
Just darkies foolin'

VLAD
What?

ARUBA
Ganza mishuga.

VLAD
That's Jewish.

ARUBA
I learned it from my accountant.
I like it. Ganza mishuga, yeah!

Denver gets into a cab, plugs in the meter, slides
his license into the shield and drives off.

CUT TO:

EXT. 10TH AVE (NIGHT)

Traffic is heavy. Denver is racing for a space
at the light with a Mercedes with diplomatic
plates coming up on his right.

The Merc is about to pass him when Denver spins
the wheel to the right and shoves the Merc into
the parking lane where it rear ends a parked
truck at 50 mph.

Police sirens go off behind him and he takes
off around the corner to 57th Street.

The traffic is too heavy for the COPS to get
through. When they catch up with him, he's one
of 5 cabs waiting for the light at 9th Ave.

CONTINUED

5

CONTINUED

The COPS rip around to the left, blockade the
street with their cars and leap out with their
guns in hand: Stainless steel Sig-Sauers flecked
with rust.

They look at DENVER's cab for a moment and he
stares back in mild annoyance. Then they find
a cab with a serious dent in the right front
fender.

They drag THE DRIVER out of the car and begin
beating him with their pistol butts. Denver
drives off looking bored.

CUT TO:

EXT. 57TH ST. (NIGHT)

Across from the HARD ROCK, A BEAUTIFUL
ORIENTAL GIRL hails the cab and gets in.

DENVER
Where to?

GIRL
Waterside Plaza. Do you know where that is?

DENVER
Sure. Do you have a cat?

GIRL
Yes, how did you know?

DENVER
You look like you have a cat.

GIRL
Driver, may I ask you a question, please?

DENVER
Sure.

GIRL
Well, I love my boyfriend, but I like
to see other people.

DENVER
Sure.

CONTINUED
6

CONTINUED



POV zooms back and the cab zooms off into
the darkness. They stop at Waterside Plaza.

CUT TO:

INT. CAB (DARK)

DENVER
So, you have a choice of hating
your boyfriend if you give up your
friends for him or feeling guilty
if you don't. And you won't get
rid of your guilt by telling him
about it. You'll just make miserable.
The only decent thing to do is lie
like a thief.

GIRL
I think you're the best cab driver
I ever had.

DENVER
Thank you.

GIRL
You're the first sane man I've
spoken to all night. It's the
first good music I've listened
to all night.

The radio is playing the Newark jazz station.

GIRL (continuing)
Oh, I do like you, but I know I'll
I'll never see you again.

She pays the fare and gets out. It's a decent tip.
She walks in front of the cab.

CUT TO:

CU of DENVER's foot on the accelerator.

CUT TO:

CU of DENVER's face.

CONTINUED

7

CONTINUED

He sighs and lets her go on past. POV pulls
back and he starts to drive off.

He's hailed from out of the darkness by AN
ELEGANT OLDER WOMAN. He's impressed. He's
pissed at himself for being impressed, but he's
impressed anyway. She gets in and they drive.

DENVER
Yes, ma'am?

WOMAN
Riverdale. please.

DENVER
You got it.

WOMAN
I almost didn't stop you.
I thought I saw someone
in the back seat.

DENVER
What did he look like?

WOMAN
Very tall and thin, actually.

DENVER
Oh, him.

She laughs. She thinks it's a joke.

CU OF THE REAR VIEW MIRROR: Seated next to the
WOMAN is an empty space, almost. It looks like
there might be something there, but there's too
much glare from too many lights. It's impossible
to see clearly. It's menacing, that's all.

CU OF DENVER'S face

DENVER
You have a cat?

WOMAN
Why, no. No, I dont.

DENVER
How can you live like that?
CONTINUED

8

CONTINUED

The car zooms off into the darkness, up and
across 34th Street, running the light as usual.
They're almost to the West Side Highway when
lights and sirens go off behind them.

COPS
Move to the right!

DENVER
Do they mean us?

He moves to the left.

COPS
Cab, move to the right.


DENVER
He means us.

But traffic is locked. The COPS can't get to him.
They're stuck half a block behind.

WOMAN
Wait, I'll see what's wrong.

She jumps out and runs back to the cop car.
He sees her clearly for the first time: The
$100,000 mink, the $3,000 boots, the $7,000
dress. The face is worn, but that doesn't
seem to matter.

Denver is hating himself, but that doesn't
seem to matter either, he gets seduced by
glitz.

The traffic thins in front of him. He puts
the car in park. The WOMAN is leaning in
the window of the cop car. The COPS smile
and flap their hands nervously. They're
impressed too.

Clatter of high heels and she gets back in the cab.

WOMAN
It's all right now.

DENVER
Thank you.
CONTINUED
9

CONTINUED

They drive north on the West Side Highway,
running the lights as always. Her face doesn't
look worn anymore. In the semi-darkness she
looks blindingly beautiful.

Denver is driving like a bat out of Hell,
but the woman makes no objection.

WOMAN
Do you like to drive?

DENVER
I love the highway. The highway
loves me too.

WOMAN
I can tell.

CUT TO:

EXT. A SUPER-CUTE STREET IN RIVERDALE (NIGHT)

The cab comes to a stop.

WOMAN
That was the supreme emotional
experience of my life.

Denver looks at her carefully.

DENVER
I think we met once, 20 years ago.

WOMAN
I wish I'd known you 20 years ago.

DENVER
It's only 10 o'clock.
It's not too late.

WOMAN
Oh, yes it is.

She throws money at him and leaps out.
She stops by the driver's window and
smiles at then walks off slowly.

Denver is wondering if he's too old to
seek honorable death in combat.
CUT TO:
10

EXT. STREET (NIGHT)

A STEROID GIANT is dragging a GIRL by the hair.

POV pulls back to show Denver at the wheel of the taxi.
In the back is a COLLEGE KID holding a huge pizza box.
The GIRL is sobbing. The GIANT is snarling.

DENVER
Are they playing or is she in trouble?

KID
I think she's in trouble.

DENVER
They're being so theatrical about it,
it's hard to tell if it's real.

KID
It's real.

DENVER
Are you with me?

KID
Sure.

Denver produces a set of brass knuckles from
his endless repertoire of weapons. He gets
out of the cab and approaches the couple,
the brass knuckles on his right hand and
held slightly behind his back.

As he gets closer, it looks like the brass
knuckles won't do any good. The GIANT has
deltoids bigger than DENVER's whole head.

He's going to be hard to hurt and DENVER doesn't
his trust coordination to pop the GIANT's kneecap.

The GIRL is sitting on the steps of a
brownstone ululating softly. The GIANT
is snarling in time to it. It's an
operatic duet.

Denver comes up next to him.

GIANT
Mind your own fucking business!
Mind your own fucking business!!
Mind your own fucking business!!!
CONTINUED
11

CONTINUED

DENVER
This isn't much of a conversation.

GIANT
What?

DENVER
I don't like to see you beating
the girl.

GIANT
Have you ever had hot coffee
thrown in your face?

He opens his coat to show that his shirt is
soaked and steaming.

DENVER
Black coffee, too. It must have
been steaming.

GIANT
Yeah.

DENVER
Can I beat her too?

GIANT
Clown!, out of here.!

GIRL
Please leave.

DENVER
You got it.

He walks back to the cab, but the KID has
locked the doors.

DENVER's keys are inside.

The KID is white faced and trembling and clutching
his pizza box. His eyes are round and flat on his
face like a teddy bear.

DENVER
Come on, kid, open the door.
It's all over. We're going home
so you can eat your pizza.
CONTINUED

12

CONTINUED

DENVER (continuing)
Just open the door and I'll drive us
home. It's all over. It's perfectly
safe.

Kid, you're being very silly. Now,
just open the door. No, don't open
the door, just pull up the little
white button. Kid, we got traffic
backed up for blocks.

Horns are barking, lots of horns.

The scene gets darker as DENVER's voice gets
louder. Finally, he pulls out the brass
knuckles and smashes in the driver's side
window.

CUT TO:

EXT. TAXI YARD (NIGHT)

ARUBA AND Denver are leaning on the counters
between the gas pumps.

DENVER
It's the women.

ARUBA
Any job where you have to deal with
the public is hard.

DENVER
It's the parade of beautiful women
in the back seat. At first it was
like MTV back there. It's fun to
watch until you think about what
it means.

ARUBA
Bring back bad memories?

DENVER
The memories are fine, but they're
memories, they're definitely in the
past.

ARUBA
You'll get some yet.
CONTINUED
13

CONTINUED

DENVER
It used to be easy. I used to be rich.
I didn't have to think about it.

ARUBA
When was that?

DENVER
Before I met you.

A TROUPE OF FANTASTICALLY DRESSED WHORES runs
screaming through the yard, fetishes sticking
out of them in all directions: boots and girdles,
furs and evening gloves and nursing bras. They
hide among the parked cabs.

ARUBA and DENVER don't even turn to watch, it's
too familiar a sight.

A COP CAR roars into the yard a moment later,
lights and siren going. breaks squealing. It
runs through the yard to the next street then
backs up at high speed. It stops in front of
them.

COP
Where'd they go?

Aruba AND Denver look puzzled. They're both
doing their nigger act: desperately anxious
to help but completely baffled.

ARUBA
Who?

The COPS race off with squealing tires.

DENVER
I need a rest.

ARUBA
What you need is another job. Why
don't you right a book or something?

DENVER
Why didn't I think of that?

CUT TO:



14

INT. DENVER'S APARTMENT (BRIGHT)

A hell hole: the filth and disorder only possible
when men live alone and don't expect company. There
are SIX SIAMESE CATS. They meet him at the door like
children. He tries to pet all of them at once.

They leap on his shoulders, they claw their way up
his body. They're making strange noises that almost
sound like words. It feels like they're talking a
language related to English, but it cant be understood.
DENVER curses and reaches for the cat food.

THE PHONE RINGS

He finishes feeding the cats before he answers it.
And he starts talking before he puts the phone to
his ear. He knows who it is. The rest of the
scene is cross-cut. HILDEBRANDT looks like an
anorexic Maximillian Schell and aging badly.

He's in a warehouse in Jersey shooting a movie.
You dont know what kind, but expect the worst.
Everyone looks like a reject from day time TV:
big hair and all that. There's a waiting room
full of East Villagers, pierced, tattooed and
spiky hair and expressions of cheerful fatalism.
The door is guarded by 4 kill-crazy German Shepherds.

DENVER
Yeah. Herr Hildebrandt, your keeping
odd hours, it must be 5 am.

HILDEBRANDT
Only time I could get you in.

DENVER
You could have written a letter.

HILDEBRANDT
I dislike that.

DENVER
Putting things in writing?

HILDEBRANDT
Are you drunk?

DENVER
Not yet.
CONTINUED


15

CONTINUED

HILDEBRANDT
And you don't have an answering machine.

DENVER
Just for you?, You're the only one who calls.

HILDEBRANDT
No friend?

DENVER
Kind of, but we don't have anything to
to say to each other any more. Did you
call about any thing in particular?

HILDEBRANDT
I read the script. I'd like to discuss
it with you.

DENVER
You want to buy it?

HILDEBRANDT
Not in its present form, but I have
some suggestions for rewriting it.

DENVER
I don't do rewrites on spec. My experience
with that has been very bitter.

HILDEBRANDT
I am not asking for a rewrite. I am
simply offering my suggestions.

DENVER
I can't impose on you any further.

HILDEBRANDT
You don't understand how business is done

DENVER
I know how you do business,
Sturmbanfuhrer, I don't think you know
how bad your reputation is.

HILDEBRANDT
Are you drunk?

CONTINUED


16

CONTINUED

DENVER
Not yet, but try me again in 10 minutes.

HILDEBRANDT
And I need two more copies of the script

DENVER
Xerox the one you have.

HILDEBRANDT
To tell the truth, I mislaid it.

DENVER
Who said you had no talent?

HILDEBRANDT
Saturday, be here by 3.

DENVER
No, thanks. If you want to do
business, mail me the check.

Denver hangs up. The cats look at him in horror.

DENVER
(to the cats)
Besides, I'm banging his wife. Being
polite would get embarrassing.

JANE CAT
Oooo-Meooow.

DENVER
How many times do I have to tell you
cats do not actually say 'meoow”?

JANE CAT
I didn't say 'meoow', I said 'What now?'

DENVER
We wait.

JANE CAT
Schmuck, he copyrighted the thing in his
name, that's why he doesn't have a copy.

DENVER
Obviously, but it's a trap.

CONTINUED
17

CONTINUED

JANE CAT
Not if he kills you first.

DENVER
Oh, he won't kill me so long as
he thinks he can get me to do a
re-write on spec.

JANE CAT
And how long is that?

DENVER
Not much longer.

INT. HILDEBRANDT'S STUDY (DAY)---BLACK AND WHITE
DATE OVER: May 1, 1999

This is a flashback: You need to know that.

Denver is handing a script to HILDEBRANDT.

DENVER
I didn't want to put my name on it alone.

HILDEBRANDT'S WIFE smiles at him.

DENVER (continuing)
I knew you wouldn't want your name on
it before you read it so, I left it
blank.

HILDEBRANDT
No copyright, no guild registration.

DENVER
We haven't agreed on a final form yet.

HILDEBRANDT'S WIFE looks worried and tries to signal
Denver. He smiles at her.

Hildebrandt looks at the title page and smiles like
a wolf pursuing a troika

THE SAME (EVENING)

Hildebrandt is stuffing the script into a large envelope
along with a copyright application. The script has his
name on it.
CUT TO:

18

INT. DENVER'S APARTMENT (NIGHT)

He's crawling with cats. He pours 4 inches of vodka
into a beer mug and gulps it. He makes a violent face.
There's a picture of his CHILD AND EX-WIFE on the
wall. He looks at it for a long moment, but with
no expression.

BLACKOUT
CUT TO:

INT. CAB (DAWN)

Denver has a fare, a middle aged man, Sicilian
or Arab, well dressed, well educated, very dark
and very rich.

MAN
She said he was there to fix the
plumbing.

DENVER
That's poetry. Is she much younger
than you?

MAN
Yes, she's 30.

DENVER
That isn't young. I thought maybe if
she were 18 you make allowances.

MAN
No, she's a grown woman with 2
children.

DENVER
Maybe, she's trying to get your
attention. Did you neglect her?

MAN
That's what my mother said: What did
you expect? You leave her alone in the
house all day with all that money to
spend, what did you expect to happen?

DENVER
Let me guess, this happened before and
you pretended that you didn't know.

NO REPLY
CONTINUED

19

CONTINUED

DENVER (continuing)
But the way it happened this time,
she didn't give you a choice.

MAN
Precisely.

He says it so coldly that Denver does a double take.

Copyright © 1999 Angel Obregon
Published on the World Wide Web by "www.storymania.com"