Doing Man's Work (5)
Is it hot? THOMAS No. DECARLO Half? That's a switch. You on the run? (Thomas remains mute. Looks away.) Wanted? THOMAS I have to pay my rent. DECARLO Don't we all. Half a key, this town...we're looking fifteen, sixteen tops. So you're cool with only taking seven and a half or eight? THOMAS Yeah. That works. DECARLO Cool, dude. I'm putting you on my Christmas list. (beat) Miguel tells me you guys go back a while. THOMAS Yeah, you could say that. Few years. Three years I guess. Something like that. DECARLO What did he say about me? THOMAS About you? Nothing. DECARLO Nothing? Come on, dude! What did he say? (Cheerful) THOMAS Nothing. Why? DECARLO Forget about it. (beat) Come on man. What did he say? He must have said something or you wouldn't be sitting here. THOMAS (Laughs) You really want to know? DECARLO Yeah! THOMAS He said you're a little crazy. DECARLO A little crazy? He said that? THOMAS Yeah. DECARLO A little crazy. That fuck. You're shitting me. He said that? Shit. That's funny. That's fucking funny. You know what he said about you? THOMAS What? DECARLO Oh, now you want to know, don't you? You got to learn to lighten up when you meet new people Tommy. It's the only way to survive in life. THOMAS What did he say? DECARLO See! You want to know, don't you? That's human nature. It's natural I want to know what somebody said about me, just like you do. It's natural. It's like dogs in nature. They smell each other's butts. It's like the daily news. You know what he said about you? THOMAS What? DECARLO He said you're a family man. Said Tommy takes care of his family, and I quote. That's some good shit right there, dude. That tells me that you guys are tight, he considers you a friend. And considers you a family man. That's good. (beat) So he said I was a little crazy, huh? That fucker. (laughs) THOMAS So where are we going. DECARLO Into the hood, my friend. Into the hood. Across the river, and to the hood to dope dealers house we go. If that shit's really pure, these guys will give you a good price for it. They're going to test it. Just so you know. THOMAS That's cool. Should jump off the scale. Always did before. DECARLO You blow? THOMAS No fucking way, man. DECARLO Me either. That shit'll fuck up your life. CUT TO: CAUSEWAY - CAR DRIVING CUT TO: EXT. DOPE DEALERS HOUSE - DAY DeCarlo and Thomas arrive and park in front and walk up stairs. Knock on door and are let in. DECARLO He's usually here, but I don't see his car. (smiling) Wonder where he parked? CUT TO: INT. DOPE DEALERS HOUSE - CONTINUOUS Inside, LUIS, Latino, Late 20's, is flanked by his friends, GOMEZ Latino, Early 20's, and DWIGHT, Black, 20's. Luis and DeCarlo shake hands and half-hug, then DeCarlo shakes hands with the other two. DECARLO Luis, this is Thomas. Thomas, this is Luis. (They shake hands) LUIS Sit down over here, man. They all sit down on a sofa and small chairs surrounding a low coffee table. LUIS (CONT'D) So where the fuck have you been D.C.? DECARLO I've been around, I called you two weeks ago, your line was busy. LUIS Did you have something for me? DECARLO Maybe, but you didn't answer the fucking line, so fuck you. LUIS Hey, fuck you man. You want a beer? DECARLO No, I'm cool man. Maybe T? (Points at Thomas) THOMAS No. DWIGHT Guns on the table, gentlemen. THOMAS What? DECARLO Guns on the table? What the fuck? LUIS It's a new policy Dwight has. If you're packing, just put it on the table. DECARLO I'm not putting my gun on the table! GOMEZ Tony...come on. It's a policy now. DECARLO You fuckers are UN-BE-Lievable! Here. DeCarlo produces a small caliber revolver from his pants pocket and puts it on the coffee table DECARLO (CONT'D) Want to frisk me so you can play with my balls, too? GOMEZ What about him? THOMAS I don't have a gun. There is a brief and awkward moment of silence THOMAS (CONT'D) I don't. DECARLO He really doesn't. LUIS So what do you got? DECARLO Show the man. Thomas pulls the bag from his pocket and puts it on the table. LUIS Dwight. Check it out. Dwight starts performing purity test and conducts it while conversation takes place. DECARLO So what ever happened to your SS? LUIS You know something about that man? DECARLO What? LUIS The SS. My car? You know something about that? DECARLO Like what? LUIS You don't know anything about it, then why are you asking? DECARLO I haven't seen you in...what? Two months? You're here. It's not. Did you sell it or what? LUIS It was stolen, dude! DECARLO STOLEN! How? LUIS Why don't you tell me? DECARLO I don't know how your car was stolen. LUIS Then why 're you asking about it? GOMEZ Yeah. What do you know about it. DECARLO I don't know shit about it man! I came here to do business, not get fucked with! GOMEZ Why don't you calm down, dude. DECARLO (Stands) I am calm! Luis is the one getting up in my face and shit about shit I don't even know shit about! (Luis stands up, moves toward DeCarlo) I don't need this man! There are other people I could deal with. People who don't jump to conclusions or ask you to whip your dick out when you show up at their door. I can take this down the street if that's what you want! (Gomez puts an arm between them) GOMEZ DUDES! Be cool. Just...be cool. Luis sits down GOMEZ (CONT'D) Have a seat Tony. Please. Have a seat. LUIS (Takes a moment to regroup. Breaths deep) I loved that car man. (Leans back into couch) They took it right out of the driveway. The chrome. The rims. That beautiful gold lettering in the back window. It's gone. Just gone. I just got it lowered too. (beat) And curb feelers. The old fashioned kind from the seventies. DECARLO Oh, dude. LUIS I know. I keep thinking everybody took it. Sorry man. DECARLO I didn't know. DWIGHT (Measuring the potency) This is some good shit. LUIS Yeah? DWIGHT Definitely needs to be cut. Cut hard. LUIS So? DECARLO Twenty. LUIS Suck my dick! DECARLO Hey man! You already know you're going to cut it twice! It's twenty. DWIGHT (Weighing it on a scale) It's about 600 grams. DECARLO Twenty. LUIS Nine. DECARLO Get the fuck out... LUIS Ten. DECARLO You know it's good for twenty. (beat) Seventeen. LUIS Eleven. DWIGHT How much more of this can we get? DECARLO How much do you want? DWIGHT We do a volume business. You do us right at 11 and we'll take all you got. DECARLO 11? You know that's bullshit man. I could get twice that in Miami. LUIS This ain't Miami, dude. DECARLO Let's go, man. (Starts to stand) We don't need this. I can go up on the terrace and get 11. My grandmother would pay 11. But you want decent shit? You get what you pay for! It's 17. THOMAS Why don't we meet halfway? DECARLO What! THOMAS Fourteen. Is fourteen good? LUIS How much more you got. THOMAS I'll bring you three more keys today. Can you handle that? LUIS Is there a volume discount? THOMAS You show me 14 good faith, we go 20 a key for the rest. LUIS Sixty? For three keys? Fuck that. Dwight... Dwight leans over so Luis can whisper in his ear. They speak softly in Spanish DWIGHT We'll take it all for 17 a key, plus this for 11. So 62,000. DECARLO That's a fucking rip man! (stands) Let's get the fuck out of here. I'm going to Miami. LUIS Alright! Hold on, dude. Just hold on! What's your bottom line? Here. Right it down. (slides over a pen and paper) THOMAS I told you man. 14 good faith and you get the rest for 60. (beat) Or. We can go. Thomas leans back in his chair. Another long moment of silence follows LUIS What do you think Dwight? DWIGHT I don't know. DECARLO Oh, fuck this man. Make a decision. DWIGHT Excuse me? DECARLO You know we're wasting our time here, Dwight! Fuck this. Let's just go down to Miami and find some real players. Fuck this Playschool shit. Let's go. LUIS Tony, why don't you be cool man? I don't think we're too far apart now. DWIGHT Hey, you want to go to Miami, be my guest man. I thought we were building a relationship here. I guess not. THOMAS Dwight? Are we going to do this? DECARLO I'm outta here. Reaches for his gun and picks it up DWIGHT Not if he's going to be an asshole, man. I don't do business like this. I run a respectable dealership. I've been doing this a long time. What happened to you D.C.? You forget how to negotiate? You used to be cool. What's the deal, man? The rest of scene happens very quickly. DeCarlo shoots Dwight in the neck. He reacts horrified, but silently grabbing his bleeding neck. LUIS (screaming) OH SHIT! DWIGHT! YOU SHOT HIM. OH MY GOD! DWIGHT! He looks up to DeCarlo while moving toward Dwight. DeCarlo shoots Luis in the chest. Thomas cowers in his chair. Gomez bolts and starts running down the hall toward the back of the house. DeCarlo moves toward him rapidly and fires twice, hitting him once in the leg. Gomez falls. DeCarlo goes all the way over to him and shoots him in the head. It is silent now. He walks back into the living room. Scared, unable to move, Thomas puts up his hands and looks away. THOMAS Don't shoot me. Please don't shoot me. Don't! Please! DECARLO I'm not going to shoot you man. We're partners. Puts his gun away in his belt loop and pulls his shirt over it. He picks up cocaine off table and puts it in his pocket DECARLO (CONT'D) Help me find the money. DeCarlo walks into the other room. You can hear him shuffling around. His aim was so accurate, his victims are all dead. Thomas is stunned and looks around. Standing up and wondering if he should run, he looks at the bodies. Dwight's bleeding neck, his body slumped back on the table and the chair next to it. Luis bleeds from his chest. Shot in the heart, his arms are outstretched like Christ on the cross. He sits on the sofa, his eyes wide open. Gomez' body lies in a pool of blood on a wooden floor. He returns to find Thomas just sitting there DECARLO (CONT'D) What are you doing man? Come on, look around a little. Help me find the money. Go look in there. I'll check the kitchen. Thomas still can't move, He just stares at Luis DECARLO (O.C. (CONT'D) BINGO! Here it is! Thomas can hear him rattling drawers. In the kitchen, DeCarlo has found the paper garbage bags and is filling one with money from the freezer. He fills one up half way and rolls up the top like a lunch sack, then exits back to the living room. He sees Thomas standing there. DECARLO (CONT'D) Let's go. (Thomas is still staring at Luis.) Did you want to take a shot, dude? (Holds out his gun to Thomas.) You ever shot anybody before? (Thomas shakes his head) Well, go ahead if you want. He won't feel it. He's dead. THOMAS (Shaking) No. No. That's okay. No. DECARLO Okay. Let's go. DeCarlo goes to the front door and looks out through the screen after opening it. The street is deserted. He looks back at Thomas who is still staring at the bodies. DECARLO (CONT'D) You coming? THOMAS Yeah. CUT TO: EXT DOPE DEALERS HOUSE - CONTINUOUS Thomas rushes to the door and pushes through with DeCarlo. On the steps, Thomas looks around nervously and loses his balance, almost falling. DeCarlo grabs his arm. DECARLO Easy, dude. You okay? (Thomas nods yes.) Chill man, this is a nice neighborhood, it's quiet. Look around. Nobody's paying attention. This is the safest place on earth. They get in the car simultaneously. DeCarlo takes his time and lights a cigarette before starting the engine. DECARLO (CONT'D) Dude, you need to relax. Nobody heard anything. Shit, I don't even think anybody's home around here. Probably all out shopping or at soccer games or something. Starts engine and starts driving. CUT TO: INT DECARLO'S CAR - DAY DECARLO Don't worry. Nobody heard anything. It's only a .32 so it sounds like a firecracker really. I know it sounded loud because you were right next to it, but trust me, it's no louder than a ladyfinger. It's only a .32. It's only a .32 but it's a magnum, so it's great at close range like that. Revolver. Six shot. (beat) I guess you're not into guns. (beat) You know, I really liked those guys. I wish they didn't fuck with me. Oh well. A long moment of silence follows, at least ten seconds. Thomas is still stunned, DeCarlo drives. DECARLO (CONT'D) I guess we'll go back to your place and get those other three bumps huh? We can get a better deal going down to Miami, anyway. Hit some titty bars while we're at it? What d'ya say? THOMAS What? DECARLO Titty bars. Miami. What d'ya say. THOMAS Hey man. I don't have any more dope. DECARLO What? THOMAS I don't have any more dope. That's all I had. That little bit right there. DECARLO What!? THOMAS That's it. That's all I have. I don't have any more. DECARLO (beat - smiles) Bullshit! THOMAS NO! Seriously! That's all I had. I swear! DeCarlo stares ahead silently for a moment, then looks at Thomas seriously, then back at the road. Throws his cigarette out the window angrily. DECARLO FUCK! Fuck! Why are you fucking with me man! Why? (Thomas cowers uneasily) Which way is it? THOMAS What? DECARLO Your house. THOMAS Why? DECARLO We are going to pick up the other three keys and go down to Miami. Got it? THOMAS There is no mo- DECARLO Don't give me that bullshit! (Angrily lights another cigarette) You shouldn't fuck with me. CUT TO: INT. T & C HOUSE - DAY Candy is ironing clothes in front of the TV, close to the front door. Thomas and DeCarlo walk in the front door. There is an awkward silence. Candy can tell something is wrong. CANDY Who's this? THOMAS Candy, this is Tony. DECARLO Hello sweetheart. I'm your husband's new business partner. Got any beer? Goes to kitchen and opens fridge CANDY Thomas! THOMAS Candy...I - DECARLO No beer. I don't have all day Thomas. You better find your stash soon. Like before I get impatient. CANDY What? What's he talking about. DECARLO (Drinking milk from a carton) Your dear, lovable, husband here is holding out on me sweetheart. He's got three kilos stashed around here and now he doesn't want to share. THOMAS No! I don't! CANDY Thomas! THOMAS I don't! DECARLO This is nice. Domestic bliss. You're more afraid of her than you are of me. CANDY You get out of here! (Slamming down iron) DECARLO (Purposefully sarcastic look) ME! CANDY Yes, you! (Shaking her finger and walking toward him) You get out! DECARLO No, I don't think so. Thomas. What time is it? THOMAS I don't - CANDY (looks at clock) It's 12:57 DECARLO Okay, you've got... (looks at clock) til two minutes after one to find your stash. And don't ask me what happens at 1:03. CANDY What? What's he talking about? THOMAS He thinks I have three kilos in addition to what I had. CANDY
Copyright © 2002 Mike Rembis |