APPETITE
Screenplay by Ferial Mohamed
(An Adaptation of the Short Story:
Appetite, by Danielle Lazarin)
INT. AT A CHRISTMAS PARTY – EVENING
Frank Sinatra Fly me to the Moon is playing in the background. It is a Christmas Eve family supper at a cosy home, in the lounge. There is a tree in the background with trimmings. The mother is smiling happily sitting on the couch talking to someone and in the background there is the chatter of people. It sounds jubilant and celebratory with soft laughter seeping through softly behind the image of the mother. The woman’s husband (Father) steps into the picture with a playful smile and grabs the mother, and pulls her up to dance. He draws her into a slow dance in the middle of the lounge and the two of them slow dance. The mother is shy and pushes him away coyly, they laugh and smile. The camera draws in and focuses on only the mother’s face, then runs down from her head down the length of her body, down to a shot of her feet. The camera stops on her shoes.
INT. CLAUDIA BEDROOM IN A FLAT IN ATHLONE – EVENING
Then the scene flips to a shot of the exact same pair of shoes, but this time on the feet of Claudia. Claudia is her daughter. She is sitting on her bed in her bedroom in Athlone (the room is not grand. It is small and has adequate furnishings that are not very modern or very new), tying the strap of the shoes around her ankle. She stands up and looks at her view from the front and then the side in a full length mirror. She is dressed for a party, wearing red lipstick and a blouse tucked into a jeans. She stands in the mirror, looking at herself with the 2 shoes on her feet. She focuses on the shoes. Ready, dressed, she grabs her bag off the bed, and leaves the room.
EXT: AT A DANCE CLUB IN DOWNTOWN CAPE TOWN IN THE QUEUE - EVENING
Claudia is with her friend Val at a club in downtown Cape Town. Lots of people are milling in and out of the entrance. There is a long queue outside the club. Val gets her boyfriend in the queue and they stand there till they get to the front of the queue then go inside.
INT: AT A DANCE CLUB IN DOWNTOWN CAPE TOWN (INSIDE) - EVENING
They get inside the club, Val and her boyfriend disappear on the dance floor. Claudia goes to sit at the bar counter. Music is playing. She orders a Coke. A few minutes in, she notices a boy just across from her staring at her with a fixed gaze. He is handsome and he is smoking a cigarette. As he watches her, he extinguishes the cigarette in a glass. At first she ignores him. But he persists in staring at her so finally she speaks to him.
CLAUDIA
Can I help you? (she is trying not to smile)
BOY (GEORGE)
I know you. (He pats his pocket for another cigarette)
CLAUDIA
Oh? (She is trying to sound flirtatious)
GEORGE
Yeah. I know your face. Last week you and a friend of yours ran out on a check at my uncle’s take aways.
(CLAUDIA is embarrassed because it’s true).
GEORGE
You have a cigarette?
CLAUDIA
I don’t. My mother died of lung cancer.
GEORGE
And before she died, she didn’t teach you not to steal?
CLAUDIA
Obviously, not.
GEORGE
If you and your friend had been boys, we’d have come after you, stealing from us like that.
CLAUDIA
So what does that make you. A gentleman or a sexist?
GEORGE
I’m George. You?
CLAUDIA
Claudia
GEORGE
Can I refill your cup Claudia? Tell me what you want?
He gets her another drink while she fumbles in her purse to get some money out. He hands her the drink and she holds the money out to him.
GEORGE
The drink’s on me.
CLAUDIA
No. This is for the take aways. It’s all I have, but give it to your uncle.
He takes the money and their fingers graze as he takes it. The camera focuses on their hands grazing.
EXT. ON A TRAIN GOING TO ATHLONE FROM TOWN – NIGHT
It is late and dark out, except for the two of them and 1 or 2 random other people, the train is empty.
GEORGE
You don’t think your friend will mind you leaving without her?
CLAUDIA
She won’t even notice. It’s fine. I texted her.
George takes her phone from her hands as she says this and punches his number into her phone.
Don’t you want to take my number?
GEORGE
You’ll call(he says smugly)
EXT. ON A ROAD OUTSIDE THE STATION IN ATHLONE
GEORGE
(They are walking, George is walking her home)Which way?
CLAUDIA
Towards the dead end.
GEORGE
Me too.
CLAUDIA
(She laughs flirtatiously) You’re such a liar. So that answers my question. Gentleman it is then. (They stop outside the block of flats where she lives). So where do you live?
George points in an easterly direction.
Oh that way (she says flirtatiously)
GEORGE
Precisely.
They stand on the steps leading up to the flat. George stands one step beneath Claudia, looking up at her.
Is your mother really dead?
CLAUDIA
I’m wearing her shoes.
They both look down at her feet.
GEORGE
Doesn’t prove anything.
CLAUDIA
I may be a thief but I’m not a liar.
GEORGE
We’ll see.
CLAUDIA
Will we?
He kisses her and then pushes her toward her flat when the kiss is over. He stands on the steps and waits until she is inside the building. The doors to the building close.
INT. AT THE FLAT IN ATHLONE - NIGHT
CLAUDIA is in the bedroom she was in earlier. It is her father’s bedroom. Her mother’s clothes are still hanging in the closet. She opens the closet and takes off the shoes. She returns the shoes. Then she lingers in the closet and she starts touching the clothes which belonged to her mother. As she touches the clothes, the camera flips to a flashback scene with her older sister. In the flashback scene they are in the same apartment, but the mother is lying ill in the bed. Her sister Michelle is sitting in the kitchen talking to their father. Michelle is crying.
MICHELLE
I wanted to go to boarding school (she is crying and pleading)
DAD
You only have little more than a year before you’re done with school.
MICHELLE
I just want out of here.
MOTHER
(gives a moan from the other room indicating she is on Michelle’s side)
(Michelle starts to cry over the kitchen table while the father eats his supper. The flashback ends).
INT. IN THE FLAT IN ATHLONE – DAY
DAD
Your sister’s here. Come downstairs with me.
EXT. ON THE STEPS OF THE FLAT ATHLONE - DAY
CLAUDIA
Did she break up with that guy she was living with?
DAD
She didn’t say. She just said she’s coming home. And. Weren’t you staying at Val’s last night?
CLAUDIA
Changed my mind.
DAD
Let me know next time ok.
CLAUDIA
It was late. I didn’t want to wake you.
DAD
Just send a text.
A car pulls up at the pavement. It is Michelle, her exboyfriend is driving. Michelle gets out of the car and slams the door shut. She starts unloading stuff from the backseat into her father’s arms.
MICHELLE
Some help here Claudia.
CLAUDIA (to the ex boyfriend)
What your arms don’t work?
Claudia slams the boot shut and the car speeds off. The three of them walk inside toward the lifts.
INT. FLAT AT ATHLONE – DAY
They stand at the lift, arms full. After a few minutes it’s clear the lift is broken. So they move toward the stairs and with full arms clamber up the stairs.
They get to the flat and Michelle needs to put her clothes down. It is a three bedroom flat. The father uses one room, Claudia the other (it has two beds in it). The third bedroom was Michelle’s before, but when the mother got sick it became her sickbed. So now it just stands empty. Michelle goes to the doorway with her full arms then turns away and goes into Claudia’s room, dropping her pile of bags there.
MICHELLE
I’ll move it later.
CLAUDIA
It’s ok. We’ll figure it out.
INT. AT GEORGE’S UNCLES TAKE AWAYS – AFTERNOON
GEORGE takes CLAUDIA to his uncle’s take aways in Athlone. As they enter they see his aunt and uncle. They come over to him and each kiss him on both cheeks. They are very familiar and very warm toward him. They look CLAUDIA over from top to bottom.
AUNT
Georgie who is your young friend?
GEORGE looks at CLAUDIA to reassure her.
GEORGE (to CLAUDIA)
It’s okay.
GEORGE takes CLAUDIA’S coat and hangs it on a hook between the bathrooms. He shows her to a stool at the end of the counter. Behind the counter is the till. Behind the till there is an open space above a mid-height wall, like a window opening. The upper bodies of the cooks are visible in the open space above this low wall. GEORGE addresses the cooks in Afrikaans.
GEORGE (to Cook)
Ek wil gou vi’ haa’ iets maak om te eet. (I want to make her something to eat quickly)
The Cook waves GEORGE into the kitchen with his hand and steps away from the hot plates.
GEORGE steps into the kitchen and starts breaking eggs into a pan. CLAUDIA watches him from her seat on the counter. He pushes his sleeves up. Minutes later, he steps out of the kitchen with a plate in his hand and walks toward a table by the window. He motions CLAUDIA towards the table. CLAUDIA gets up and follows him there. She takes a seat. He waits for her to sit down, then puts the plate with fried eggs and polony in front of her. GEORGE then sits down opposite CLAUDIA.
She eats. He watches her. He has a glass of water in front of him and sips from it. GEORGE lifts CLAUDIA’s free hand from the table and kisses the back of it.
GEORGE
Good? (He is asking if the eggs are good).
CLAUDIA
(She finishes chewing then speaks)
So good. Best eggs I ever had.
(She chews again)
Thank you.
(She takes a sip from his glass of water. He looks at her and smiles.)
EXT. In the car, Michelle is driving home from the supermarket. CLAUDIA is sitting next to her in the passenger seat. They have been grocery shopping and the back seat is filled with Pick n Pay bags. The radio is on. Frank Sinatra’s, Fly me to the Moon comes on unexpectedly. Michelle turns up the volume.
MICHELLE
I love this song. This used to be mommy’s favourite song. Remember. Listen.
(She turns the volume up louder for the second time).
CLAUDIA
I remember. Her and Daddy at Christmas time, and this song. Memories, hey.
MICHELLE
It’s so fucking beautiful. I can’t stand it.
Her voice cracks as she says the last sentence and she smiles in a sad sort of way. They drive home the rest of the way in silence. They get home and carry the groceries up to the flat. They pack away the groceries and MICHELLE plugs her phone in to charge it while CLAUDIA is still packing away groceries. As MICHELLE’S phone goes on, the beeps of multiple messages come through.
CLAUDIA
That’s a lot of messages (listening to all the beeps, still packing).
MICHELLE
Ja. It’s been off for a couple of days.
CLAUDIA
How do you do that? How can you leave your phone off for days at a time?
MICHELLE
I’m just not in the mood for idle chit chat. And that’s the only thing I get from my friends.
CLAUDIA
What if there’s an emergency or something and someone needs to get hold of you?
MICHELLE
The house phone I guess. Landline, like in the stone ages.
CLAUDIA
(Claudia lets out a lacklustre giggle).
You should at least call them back.
MICHELLE
Ja.
She walks over to the landline and calls one of her friends back. Claudia eavesdrops
No, I’m fine. Absolutely great…. Nothing to worry about here…. Thanks for worrying… I’ll call you if I need anything... Ja, we should definitely go to a movie or go shopping or something. Soon. I’ll call you.
Then Claudia hears Michelle hang up. She turns her head to look at her from a distance, she can see her face from the kitchen where she is packing. Claudia’s face is serious. Michelle’s face is serious too. Michelle turns to face Claudia and as Claudia catches Michelle’s eye, she abruptly looks away and tries to look like she wasn’t watching her.
I’m gonna take a shower quickly. I want to be clean before I start cooking.
CLAUDIA
Sure.
INT. KITCHEN AT CLAUDIA’S FLAT IN ATHLONE.
MICHELLE has taken a shower and she comes into the kitchen with still wet hair. She takes out a pile of vegetables and starts chopping. She takes out a pot and puts it on the stove. While she is chopping the front door opens and CLAUDIA comes in. She sees MICHELLE in the kitchen and walks in. While MICHELLE is chopping CLAUDIA sits down at the table and watches her cook. MICHELLE looks up at the clock on the wall.
MICHELLE
Shit. Is it that time already?
She pulls a strand of wet hair out of her face and tucks it behind her ear.
CLAUDIA
Yip. 5:30. (She reads the time from her phone).
MICHELLE
You were out. Where were you?
CLAUDIA
Went to the park.
MICHELLE
Our park, here in the area?
CLAUDIA
Mmhm.Just here.
MICHELLE
Doing what? Swinging?
She looks at Claudia perplexed.
CLAUDIA
With George. He met me there. We talked for a bit.
MICHELLE purses her lips and throws chopped onions into the pot and turns on the stove. It is a gas stove and a flame lights up.
MICHELLE
He seems to be taking up a lot of your time these days.
CLAUDIA
He’s not taking it, I’m giving it to him.
MICHELLE drops chopped tomatoes in the pot and stirs. It sizzles. With her hand on the pot, stirring.
MICHELLE
Have you?
CLAUDIA
(Thinks a second before answering)
Not yet.
MICHELLE
(thoughtfully)
Be careful. I mean it.
CLAUDIA
I know. Condoms and all that.
MICHELLE
Yes. That. But that’s not what I meant. ..Can you grab me a clean dishtowel.
CLAUDIA gets up from her seat and walks over to the kitchen drawer next to the sink. While CLAUDIA does this, MICHELLE grabs two glasses from the cabinet above the stove and pours wine from the bottle she is cooking with into it. As CLAUDIA hands her the dishcloth, MICHELLE gives her a glass of wine.
MICHELLE
But that’s all for you.
(She says this even though Claudia didn’t ask for any wine).
Claudia takes the glass of wine. Michelle bangs a wooden spoon on the rim of the pot and takes a sip from her own glass of wine.
You should invite him for supper one night.
CLAUDIA
Why?
MICHELLE
I want to meet him.
CLAUDIA
Yes, but Daddy doesn’t want to.
MICHELLE
Daddy just wants us to be happy that’s all.
CLAUDIA
So are you?
MICHELLE
Am I what?
CLAUDIA
Are you happy?
MICHELLE
(is quiet for a minute).
Sure.
CLAUDIA
You know I know you check out your ex boyfriends facebook page all the time. I saw it on the computer.
MICHELLE
Spying on me?
CLAUDIA
It was on recent views, when I was doing research for an assignment for History.
MICHELLE
I don’t care what he does. I just want to know.
She takes another sip of her wine and stirs the pot and turns it down onto low and throws in meat and pours in wine from the bottle into the pot.
CLAUDIA
It’s ok if you do care.
MICHELLE
But I don’t. I just want to see again what a piece of shit he is. Confirmation.
CLAUDIA
He is.
Michelle nods her head in agreement as she stirs the contents of the pot.
It isn’t worse is it? I mean, a love heartbreak? Is it worse than what we went through with Mommy?
MICHELLE
Well that’s stupid. (She rolls her eyes). How could that feel worse?
CLAUDIA
I don’t mean worse. I just mean, does it hurt, I dunno
MICHELLE
(She cuts Claudia off mid sentence)
Fuck.
She stirs the pot vigorously and adds wine, realizing that she has burned the food a bit.
Yes. Fuck.
EXT. AT HIGH SCHOOL, SITTING ON THE STEPS BETWEEN CLASSROOMS – MIDDAY, FIRST INTERVAL
CLAUDIA and VAL are in their school uniforms having lunch. CLAUDIA opens the lunch bag that MICHELLE packed into her schoolbag. She opens it and finds two chicken and mayo sandwiches, and a red apple and a chocolate. In the bottom is a fifty rand note. MICHELLE has packed this for her in case she’s not happy with the lunch she gets. Inside the lunchbox is also a note from Michelle, it reads, Hope this is ok. CLAUDIA smiles to herself when she sees the note, then quickly crumples it up before Val sees it, and acts like nothing happened and then starts eating pretending that she’s not secretly pleased by all the effort Michelle made.
EXT. AT HIGH SCHOOL, JUMPING OVER THE SCHOOL FENCE, SECOND INTERVAL
CLAUDIA is bunking school and jumps over the school fence during second interval. She makes her way to the train and gets on, on her way home. As she is sitting in the train, she checks her cellphone messages.
CLAUDIA(text to George)
Meet me on the steps of my flat in half an hour, left school early.
GEORGE (reply text to Claudia)
OK.
EXT. STEPS OF CLAUDIA’S FLAT – AFTERNOON
GEORGE is not on the steps yet, so CLAUDIA, expecting no one to be home, go’s upstairs to the flat to make a sandwich and wait for him there. She climbs into the lift and presses 4, for the fourth floor. The lift goes up and she gets off on her floor. She fumbles with the key, looking for the right one, then unlocks the flat door. She goes into the lounge and immediately notices that there are clothes strewn in a trail along the flat floor. She stops to look and then becomes aware of subtle, soft, moaning noises. She follows the stream of clothes on the floor, tiptoeing silently and finds herself in front of her dad’s room. The door is almost completely closed, but slightly ajar. She stands there and peeps with her one eye, through the small slit between the door and the wall. She sees that her father is in bed with a woman. A woman she doesn’t know. She sees the soles of their feet at the foot of their bed. She sees the untidy mass arching of the blankets. They don’t know that she is there and she tiptoes backward, then turns around and leaves the flat.
Outside of the flat she runs toward the lift and presses the button, three or four times anxiously. She is jittery while she waits for the lift. The lift opens and she jumps in, opens her schoolbag and lights a cigarette. Then the lift opens on the second floor and a man climbs in wearing a clown costume. His lips are painted bright red and he is wearing a shaggy, cotton wool, yellow wig. Claudia stares at him, he looks frightening with his huge clown shoes and clown costume.
MAN IN CLOWN COSTUME
What ar you lookin it huh? You want sum o this?
The clown makes an obscene gesture with his hips, directed at Claudia. Claudia just stares, she exhales smoke from her cigarette and the clown stops then explains himself, as if Claudia is waiting for an explanation.
I was delivering a singing telegram on the second floor. Some old lady’s birthday. (He looks at Claudia and says). Got a cigarette?
The lift opens and Claudia puts out her cigarette against the lift wall and drops it to the floor. She scoots past the clown and runs out. The clown stoops to pick up her half cigarette from the lift floor. Claudia runs out the building, down the steps and down the street toward the trains. As she runs everything is flashing past her very fast. She passes by a man in a wheelchair, he has no lower legs and as she passes him she sees he has an open box on his lap and is calling out to no one in particular:
MAN IN WHEELCHAIR
Condoms for Sale, condoms for sale, condoms for sale
CLAUDIA runs past him and sees a female beggar sitting on the side of the road, the female beggar is filthy and grimy with untidy clothes, but her face is perfectly done up with makeup, eyeshadow and lipstick. The female beggar sees Claudia and as Claudia runs past, she says in a bitchy tone:
FEMALE BEGGAR
Look at Madame and who does she think she is.
CLAUDIA runs even faster and a little way down the road she runs straight into GEORGE, who was on his way to her flat to meet her. They bump into each other.
GEORGE
Whoa! Slow down there.
When GEORGE says that CLAUDIA starts to sob a little. Then she stops herself.
What’s wrong, hey? What’s going on?
GEORGE rubs her spine and walks her back to the flat, but she stops him. She says:
CLAUDIA
No. Not home.
GEORGE
Why, what’s happened?
CLAUDIA
My dad is fucking some woman in our apartment. In my mom’s bed.
GEORGE pulls CLAUDIA toward him and holds her, patting her back to soothe her.
CLAUDIA
What if he marries her?
GEORGE
Hell, what if you marry me. Maybe he does maybe he doesn’t. You know. When you get there you work it out.
CLAUDIA
It’s just so soon. Damn her for dying on us.
GEORGE pulls her into an even tighter embrace.
If you did marry me, you wouldn’t die on me would you?
GEORGE
If I did, I’d haunt you for eternity. Promise.
INT. CLAUDIA IS SHOPPING WITH DAD - AFTERNOON
CLAUDIA and THE FATHER are strolling down the aisle with a grocery trolley. FATHER is pushing the trolley and calling out items off a list for CLAUDIA to get and put in the cart. The father is whistling even though there is no music playing.
INT. CLAUDIA AND THE DAD ARE IN THE CAR - AFTERNOON
They are driving back from the grocery shop, the father is driving. The father switches the radio on, he is whistling again, even though the radio is on a talk station. As they take the N1 turnoff from the grocery shop the car automatically starts playing the cd that has been stuck in there for ages. The car does that a lot, the cd is faulty and it randomly goes on sometimes. The song that plays is Frank Sinatra, Fly me to the Moon, it was the mother’s favourite, that’s why the cd is still in the car.
CLAUDIA
I’m worried about Mich.
DAD
What about? (his eyes are still on the road)
CLAUDIA
She seems. (she thinks and hesitates before finishing the sentence, then says), Bad.
DAD
You mean about John? That’s just a little heartache. She’ll be fine.
DAD goes back to whistling. CLAUDIA shuts off the radio and the music stops playing.
CLAUDIA
I know about your girlfriend.
DAD
She’s not my girlfriend. Not that that is your business.
CLAUDIA
Whatever. I saw her on Tuesday at the flat.
DAD
And why weren’t you in school?
CLAUDIA is silent.
Claudia. Why were you home?
CLAUDIA
I was meeting George.
DAD turns into their block. His face is serious. He stops at the front of the building and pops the boot open with a click of the key. He doesn’t unlatch his seatbelt and keeps sitting.
DAD
Get the groceries.
CLAUDIA
God, don’t you see it? Don’t you see anything anymore?
DAD now gets out of the car and gets the groceries out of the boot himself, while CLAUDIA remains seated in the passenger seat. Dad carries the bags to the passenger door of the car and opens Claudia’s car door and drops the bags next to the side of the car. Dad goes upstairs and leaves CLAUDIA sitting in the car with the grocery bags at her side.
INT. THE FLAT IN ATHLONE – LATE AFTERNOON
CLAUDIA is now in the kitchen and drops the grocery bags at Michelle’s feet. Michelle is cooking and can see the sour look on Claudia’s face.
MICHELLE
What’s wrong with you (her face mimics Claudia’s off expression)
CLAUDIA
I’m not feeling so good.
Claudia walks toward her room and Michelle calls after her:
MICHELLE
Dad parking?
CLAUDIA does not answer. She turns on the shower and undresses and gets in. She cries in the shower and hears Michelle knocking on the bathroom door. Claudia pretends she cannot hear the knock.
INT. AT DINNER IN THE FLAT -EVENING
CLAUDIA, MICHELLE, and DAD are sitting down to dinner in the kitchen. They eat heartily. The food is spicy and the father’s brow gets a bead of sweat on it. Through the meal, the father takes off his shirt and throws it over the empty chair at the table. He finishes the meal in his white vest, undershirt, barely covering his hairy chest.
DAD
It’s good.
MICHELLE smiles. They finish eating and Dad goes to his room. The girls start clearing the table.
MICHELLE
I’ll do the dishes. You feeling better?
CLAUDIA
Not really.
MICHELLE
Go lie down.
CLAUDIA
Thanks.
Later CLAUDIA is lying on the bed and hears Michelle come into their room.
MICHELLE
Still not well?
CLAUDIA
No.
Michelle takes off her socks and puts it in the dirty laundry hamper.
MICHELLE
You need anything?
CLAUDIA
No.
CLAUDIA can hear Michelle undressing. She hears her zipper come down and the pull of a brush through her hair. Then Michelle speaks to her:
MICHELLE
Look, they’re never gonna be who you think they are. It’s better to start lowering your expectations now. It’s the only way to be happy. Claudia pulls the blanket up over her chin.
CLAUDIA
(Trying to protect Michelle, doesn’t want to tell her it’s their father upsetting her, and not her boyfriend George)
Sure. I just want to go to bed, that’s all.
MICHELLE
I know. Night.
EXT – ON THE TRAIN – LATE EVENING
CLAUDIA and GEORGE are on their way back from a party and he is accompanying her on the train ride home. There is graffiti on the side of the train and CLAUDIA looks at it pensively.
GEORGE
What are you staring at?
CLAUDIA
I was just thinking.
GEORGE
Thinking. About?
CLAUDIA
That people take the time to spray things and write things on public property. In public spaces. I’d like to do that you know.
GEORGE
Why?
CLAUDIA
I guess to feel like I could lay claim to it. Lay claim to something you know. Take a piece of it for myself.
GEORGE pulls Claudia close to him and kisses her passionately.
GEORGE
You can lay claim to me.
CLAUDIA kisses him back. The train is empty except for an old man sitting far behind them. CLAUDIA climbs over GEORGE and straddles him. She sticks her hand under GEORGE’S t-shirt while she is kissing him and then drops her hand down and she starts to undo his belt buckle and unzip his pants. His hand follows her hand down and then he stops her by pulling her hand away from him. She stops kissing him and she pulls her face back and looks at him.
CLAUDIA
I thought you said I could lay claim to you.
GEORGE
Not here, people are watching.
CLAUDIA
No, they’re not. There’s no one here except that old man with the cataracts. He can’t see us.
CLAUDIA tries to kiss him again but GEORGE pulls back and pushes her back to stop her.
GEORGE
There’s something I have to tell you.
CLAUDIA
So tell me.
GEORGE
I’ve been accepted to Wits. Bursary and everything. I’m moving to Jo’burg.
CLAUDIA
When?
GEORGE
Soon.
CLAUDIA climbs off his lap and sits beside him again. She looks outside the train window as it whizzes past the dark night.
Are you ok?
CLAUDIA
We haven’t really known each other that long. So it shouldn’t hurt right.
GEORGE
Claudia. (He reaches out to her, but she pushes his hand off)
CLAUDIA
It’s good practice for me. People come into your life and then they leave. That’s life right.
GEORGE
This isn’t goodbye. I’ll call. Email. Visit. It’s not another planet.
CLAUDIA
I don’t want that.
GEORGE
It’ll be ok.
CLAUDIA
No you don’t understand. I want to break up. I think we should see other people.
GEORGE is silent.
INT. THE SAME NIGHT. THE FLAT IN ATHLONE
CLAUDIA gets home and finds her DAD and MICHELLE in the lounge of the flat. They are standing over three trash bags. Her mother’s clothes, the clothes she had touched before to remember are draped over the couch. The floor is covered with plastic hangers in a messy stack. CLAUDIA touches a dress flung over the couch.
CLAUDIA
What can I do?
MICHELLE hands CLAUDIA a box of jewelry.
MICHELLE
Pick out anything that looks nice.
MICHELLE is examining a pair of shoes to see how worn it looks at the bottom.
Or that you want.
CLAUDIA opens the jewelry box and rummages through it. Then she puts everything back and closes the box.
CLAUDIA
I’m gonna order a pizza. I’m starving.
MICHELLE
I was going to bake some fish.
DAD
Pizza will be nice for a change. Then you can both help clean out your mother’s things. We can get it done once and for all.
EXT. AT THE PARK – AFTERNOON
CLAUDIA is at the park just sitting on a bench getting some fresh air. She has an ipod on, it’s in her pocket, and thin wires around her neck are the only evidence that she is listening to music. A random dog comes up to her. She looks around for an owner and sees no one. She bends down to give the dog attention. He is small and scrappy. He runs around from place to place and sniffs then runs back to her feet. CLAUDIA has a water bottle with her. She pours water into the palm of her hand and feeds the water to the dog.
DOG
Barks and wags his tail.
CLAUDIA
(She rubs his back). You’re a handsome fellow. Where’s your daddy huh?
DOG
Barks.
As CLAUDIA is bending down to pat the dog the dog sniffs at the wires of the ipod around her neck.
CLAUDIA
You like this. You like music. This is Frank Sinatra. My mom’s favourite.
DOG
The dog is barking and wagging it’s tail.
A boy shows up in front of the bench and calls the dog.
BOY
Taco. Come here.
The dog responds and runs to the boy.
Sorry about that. He ran off.
CLAUDIA
No bother. He’s adorable.
The dog runs back to sniff Claudia’s feet.
BOY
He likes you.
CLAUDIA
The feeling is mutual. (She is patting the dog again).
BOY
If you want you can hang around with him a bit. I’m over at the skate park, on the other side.
CLAUDIA
You skate in that rink. That’s dangerous. You could break your bones if you miss a step.
BOY
I guess you could. The worst thing that’s happened to me so far is I fractured my ankle.
CLAUDIA
So you have a deathwish.
BOY
Laughs. It’s fun. Feels good. Makes you feel alive.
TACO runs off toward the skate park and the boy follows after him on the skateboard. CLAUDIA walks on behind them. She sees the skaters doing dangerous tricks in the rink and she stands by the railings and watches them. TACO comes to stand with her and sniffs at her ankles. She looks out at the skaters and turns up the music on her ipod with TACO at her feet. The sounds of the song she is listening to, Frank Sinatra’s Fly me to the Moon, plays loud and the credits run.
END.
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