Five Television Plays (David Mamet) (20 page)

(
He leaves her tent, struggles through the torrential rain to the car, gets out a poncho, goes down to the other tent, where the
P
ROFESSOR
is poring over his notes.
)

Professor, your wife's looking for you. Poncho. (
Hands him the poncho.
) Stay dry. Good night.

(E
SPOSITO
leaves. The
P
ROFESSOR
looks down at his notes. Takes off his glasses, wipes his eyes, arranges his notes. Weights them down, puts a note up on a small portable bulletin board. Crumples some of the notes he has been taking, stands up, starts to leave the tent. He absently picks up the notes he has crumpled, looks around. Picks up an empty tin can they have been using as an ashtray, puts the crumpled notes into it, lights a match to it, puts it on the ground.
E
SPOSITO
puts his head back in the tent.
)

Really blowing up!

P
ROFESSOR:
Yes. I'll be right there.

(E
SPOSITO
nods
.
Camera follows him through the rain
,
back to the front seat of the Land-Rover
,
where
A
NDERTON
is sitting
,
wearing glasses
,
studying a map by a navigator light on the dash
.)

E
SPOSITO:
Nice day if it doesn't rain.

A
NDERTON:
Hey, what are you, a weatherman?

E
SPOSITO:
No
,
a weatherman is “fifty percent
chance
it doesn't rain.” “Nice
day
if it doesn't rain” is a philosopher. You got a route for tomorrow . . . ?

A
NDERTON:
Uh-hmm.

E
SPOSITO:
Where we going . . . ?

(A
NDERTON
points out the route on the map.
)

A
NDERTON:
By the
truck
to
here . . .

E
SPOSITO:
We'll camp there tomor . . . (
Sees something through the windshield.
) And there he goes: The Man in
Style
is the Man who can Smile!

(
Through the windshield we see the
P
ROFESSOR
hurrying through the rain back to his tent.
)

A
NDERTON:
Forgot his poncho.

E
SPOSITO:
There
goes a man who is
wet
.

A
NDERTON:
The wife and them all snug in their tents?

E
SPOSITO:
Yup. Bugs in rugs. Well, one bug in a rug, anyway.

A
NDERTON:
Yeah? Tell me.

E
SPOSITO:
Broad's got roving eyes and toys in the attic, a bad combination.

A
NDERTON:
So it goes. The truck to
there
(
pointing at the map
), camp there, three, four o'clock ‘morrow afternoon, and I think Friday we'll take him out on foot.

E
SPOSITO:
What do you think my man's
looking
for?

A
NDERTON
(
shakes his head
):
I
do not
know
. . . (
Puts away the map.
) That's enough for one day. You want a drink?

E
SPOSITO:
Yeah
, I want a drink. We allowed to drink on duty?

A
NDERTON:
This day's
over
, Dan. I'm punching out.

(
He goes back into the body of the Rover
,
opens a compartment
,
brings out a bottle of bourbon and two glasses
.
He pours and he and
E
SPOSITO
sit listening to the rain. Beat.
)

E
SPOSITO:
Ain't this nice . . . ?

(A
NDERTON
nods. Beat. Through the windshield we see the tent the
P
ROFESSOR
has been in burst into flame.
)

Oh, God.

(
Angle: Outside the Land-Rover
. E
SPOSITO
and
A
NDERTON
burst out of the truck
.
Run to the back and take out a fire extinguisher
.
Rush to the burning
tent and start cutting it down. The
P
ROFESSOR
and his wife come out of their tent.
A
NDERTON
runs by them holding the fire extinguisher.
)

A
NDERTON:
It's alright. It's alright.
Stay in your tent!
It's alright!

(A
NDERTON
rushes on. Starts spraying the tent with the fire extinguisher. The
P
ROFESSOR
rushes to the tent
,
starts to rush inside.
)

A
NDERTON:
Danny!

(E
SPOSITO
turns
,
sees the
P
ROFESSOR,
restrains him.
)

P
ROFESSOR:
My map! My map!

E
SPOSITO:
Wha . . . ?

P
ROFESSOR:
My
maps . . .
my maps are in the . . .

A
NDERTON
(
above them
): Let it burn . . . Let'em burn!!!

P
ROFESSOR:
My maps are in the . . . (
He tries to push past
E
SPOSITO.)

E
SPOSITO:
Mike!
Take
’em!

(E
SPOSITO
goes into the flaming tent, starts throwing stuff out of it.
A
NDERTON
restrains the
P
ROFESSOR.
Hold. Throws him away from the flames and to the ground
,
goes into the tent after
E
SPOSITO
and drags him out.
)

A
NDERTON:
Are you nuts!!!??? Let's get this thing out.

(
The area outside the tent is strewn with the
P
ROFESSOR
’S
papers, ANDERTON
and
E
SPOSITO
work at getting the fire out
,
the
P
ROFESSOR
scavenges on the ground for his paper.
)

P
ROFESSOR
(
to himself
): Where is it . . . ? Where is it . . . ? (
He spies something ten yards away from him.
)

(
Angle point of view: His map.
)

(
Angle: He starts after it, it blows away. He starts into the woods in pursuit of it, which carries him past
A
NDERTON
and
E
SPOSITO,
who are just bringing the fire into control. They do so, and retire, to watch it smolder.
)

A
NDERTON:
You okay . . . ?

E
SPOSITO
(
simultaneously
): You okay . . . ?

A
NDERTON:
I'm fine.

(E
SPOSITO
starts picking up the papers that are not blown by the wind. He weights them down with the emergency pack. He looks around.
M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ
is huddled in the front of her tent.
A
NDERTON
goes over to her.
)

It's fine. It's under control. You'll be fine. Stay dry, stay in your tent. Danny's got most of the stuff out of the . . .

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Where's my husband?

A
NDERTON:
He . . . ? (
He looks around.
)

(
Angle point of view:
E
SPOSITO
picking up the papers, stashes them in safety in the front of the Rover.
)

(
Angle:
A
NDERTON
goes over to him.
)

A
NDERTON:
Where's the professor?

(
Beat.
E
SPOSITO
looks around. They split up and make a circuit of the camp. They meet back by the truck.
A
NDERTON
gives
E
SPOSITO
a quick questioning look.
E
SPOSITO
shakes his head “No.”
)

E
SPOSITO:
You want to stay or go?

A
NDERTON:
I'll go.

(E
SPOSITO
throws him the emergency pack which he has just taken out of the burning tent.
A
NDERTON
takes out the flashlight, shines it, the beam is strong.
)

E
SPOSITO:
He went North. (E
SPOSITO
points.
) You're heading three-forty degrees.

A
NDERTON:
You sure?

E
SPOSITO:
That's how I parked the truck.

(A
NDERTON
looks down at his watch, shining the flashlight on it.
)

(
Angle: The watch. It is 9:30.
)

(
Angle:
A
NDERTON
and
E
SPOSITO.)

A
NDERTON:
See
you . . .

(A
NDERTON
heads out into the woods along the path
E
SPOSITO
has pointed.
E
SPOSITO
goes into the truck. Turns it on, turns on the headlights. He beeps the horn several times. Gets out of the cab, comes over to
M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ.)

E
SPOSITO:
Can you hear that?

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
What?

E
SPOSITO:
The
horn.
The
truck
horn. Can you hear it?

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Where's my husband?

E
SPOSITO:
Ma'am, he's in the woods. Can you hear the horn?

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
He's in the woods? E
SPOSITO:
Mike will bring him back.

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ
(
distraught, sarcastic
): Oh, “Mike.” “Mike.” “Mike will bring him back.”

E
SPOSITO:
Yes, Ma'am.

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Or what? Or What? Or “die trying"?

E
SPOSITO:
Ma'am, that will not be necessary, but the answer is: Yes, Mike will bring him back or he will die trying. I'm going to honk the horn. You tell me if you can hear it.

(E
SPOSITO
goes back into the Rover. Honks the horn every three seconds. He turns on the windshield wipers. We see
M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ
standing forlornly in front of her tent.
)

ACT THREE

INSIDE THE TENT.

Close up: A game of solitaire laid out, a woman's hand sweeping up the cards.

Angle:
E
SPOSITO
and
M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ
sitting at the folding table. Beat.

E
SPOSITO:
You know
casino
?

(
Beat. He looks down at his watch.
)

(
Insert: The watch. It is ten minutes to twelve.
)

(
Angle:
M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ
and
E
SPOSITO.)

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Do you know there's nothing people can say about themselves that hasn't been said?

E
SPOSITO:
Well, people talk about themselves, what does it mean? M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
What
does
it mean?

E
SPOSITO:
They're try'n to choose up sides, they're try'n to create a role. We all like to be comfortable. You get into a new situation, you want people to know what that role
is.
Nothing to it.

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Do you ever have fantasies?

E
SPOSITO:
Everyone has fantasies.

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
They do?

E
SPOSITO:
Yes.

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Do you?

E
SPOSITO:
Sure. Let me tell you something, nice thing about them is you don't have to
act
on them.

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Come sit by me. I'm frightened.

E
SPOSITO:
Come
on. Look:
hey?

(
He goes to the front of the tent, opens the flap, looks out.
)

Do you mind if I
talk
to you . . . ? You, you know. People are
out
there. Your husband is out there. My partner is out there. Someone you're close to goes through something.
Whatever.
One person: “How can I help.” “I hope that they are alright.” Another person,
here:
"My,
this
is out there, my
husband
... I don't need him.” Huh. “I never liked him
anyway
. Far from I want him to be safe, I hope he never comes back. I can live my fantasy.
I
know! This
Guy
I never met. He's an attractive man . . . ! I'll bet he'll understand me. Or could please me or something . . . how” . . . am I, uh, upsetting you . . . ? “How wonderful I'm so free at this moment I can live my
own
life. I'm unbound by all the middle-class
nonsense
that makes everyone else so dull. ‘Cause I don't need him anyhow.”