Five Television Plays (David Mamet) (21 page)

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Oh and is
that
the world that you see . . . ?

E
SPOSITO:
Yes. I'm going to the truck.

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Can I come with you . . . ?

E
SPOSITO:
You want to come with me?

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Yes.

E
SPOSITO:
Sure. (
Sighs.
) Come on, let's beep the horn.

(
He opens the flap of the tent. We see the storm again. Over his shoulder:
)

Put on your poncho.

DEEP IN THE WOODS. DARK.

The rain pounding.
A
NDERTON
stopping to examine the ground. Shines his light on the earth. Straightens, checks his watch, moves his eyes slowly to right and left in half circle, moves on, surveys the ground again with flashlight. Moves on. Stoops, surveys the ground again. He retraces his steps and goes back to the last sure track. He moves from there out to his left, and repeats the procedure. He moves on.

Back in the cab of the truck,
E
SPOSITO
and
M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ.
She is smoking a cigarette. Stubs it out, takes out a cigarette pack.

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
You want one?

E
SPOSITO:
Gave it up.

(
Beat.
)

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Long ago?

E
SPOSITO:
Un-hmmm. (
Beat.
)

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
You want one anyway?

E
SPOSITO:
No thanks.

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Are they alright out there?

E
SPOSITO:
I think that they ... I don't know. I,
finally
all it is, is it's
wet.
If your husband stays
calm
till Mike finds him, he'll be fine.

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Mike will find him?

E
SPOSITO:
Yes. Eventually. I'd say probably quickly.

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
He won't get lost?

E
SPOSITO:
Mike?
(
Smiles.
) No. I don't think so. That's his business.

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Have you ever been lost?

E
SPOSITO:
As Daniel Boone said, they asked him if he'd ever been lost,
he said, no, he'd never been lost, but once he was a tad
bewildered
for five days . . . (
Smiles. Beat.
)

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Are you mad at me?

E
SPOSITO:
Mad
at you? No, I'm not mad at you at all. I kind of
like
you . . .

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
You do?

E
SPOSITO:
Yeah.

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Why?

E
SPOSITO:
Well . . .
why.
Well, here's two possibilities: One: I'm not very perceptive, and I'm taken in by your essentially bitchy facade, and
two,
is that you're basically a likable person. (
Beat.
) You want to listen to the radio? (
Beat.
)

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
Sure.

E
SPOSITO:
Let's see what we can get.

(
He turns on the radio. We hear old-time dance music. He tries the windshield wipers for a moment, nothing to be seen. He turns them off. He looks at his watch.
)

(
Insert: It is 1:20.
)

(
Angle:
E
SPOSITO.
He begins to look worried.
)

IN THE WOODS.

A
NDERTON
stooping. Examining the tracks. Straightens, is about to shine his light. Stops. Looks
intently
into the woods before him. He moves ahead
hurriedly. Lightning flashes, we see the
P
ROFESSOR
stumbling blindly about in the woods. He is disoriented.
A
NDERTON
moves up to him, moves around before him, approaches him.

A
NDERTON:
Professor!

(
The
P
ROFESSOR
is frightened. Starts to bolt away from
A
NDERTON.
A
NDERTON
runs after him. Tackles him. The
P
ROFESSOR
tries to struggle up and away.
)

A
NDERTON:
It's alright. It's alright. It's
me . . .
it's Anderton. It's alright . . . You're
fine
. . . It's
alright . . .

(
The
P
ROFESSOR
comes to his senses.
)

P
ROFESSOR:
You . . .

A
NDERTON:
It's alright.

P
ROFESSOR:
You . . .

A
NDERTON:
It's alright. You're fine. You're fine. Everything is fine. We're going
back
now. (
Beat.
) We're going back now. Now we're just going to be
still
for a moment, now.

(
He stands with his arm on the
P
ROFESSOR‘
S
shoulder, calming him.
)

P
ROFESSOR
(
Still very disoriented, and very weak
): I . . . I . . . I . . .

A
NDERTON:
You're fine. Can you walk?

P
ROFESSOR:
I'm so tired.

A
NDERTON:
Okay. Here's what we're going to . . .

(
He leads the
P
ROFESSOR
to the lee of a large tree, sits him down, squats by him.
)

You stay here . . .

(
He has second thoughts, as the
P
ROFESSOR
starts to fidget, still disoriented.
)

You got a dollar bill . . . you got a dollar bill . . . ?

P
ROFESSOR:
I . . .

A
NDERTON:
I need it and we have to have it. Now. You have a dol . . .

P
ROFESSOR:
Yes. I . . . I think . . . (
He rummages in his pocket, takes out a moneyclip, takes out a dollar bill, holds it limply.
)

A
NDERTON:
Look:

(
Takes a small pocketknife from his own pocket, hands it to the
P
ROFESSOR,
takes a coil of nylon rope from his emergency pack, cuts off four or five feet, and hands the knife, the rope, and the dollar to the
P
ROFESSOR.)

We need six-inch lengths . . . are you listening to me. Listen to me: we need this: we need it now: six . . . You need to cut this line into six-inch lengths. You got it. Are you listening to me. Wake
up
now. I need this rope cut into the lengths of this dollar bill . . .

P
ROFESSOR:
You want me to cut the rope . . . ?

A
NDERTON:
I want you to cut it
exactly
. It must be
exactly.
In the length of this dollar bill. You got it?

P
ROFESSOR:
How many . . .

A
NDERTON:
As many as you can. You with me?

P
ROFESSOR:
I . . .

A
NDERTON:
You with me?

P
ROFESSOR:
Yes.

A
NDERTON:
Good. You're doing fine. Good.

(
The
P
ROFESSOR
starts cutting the nylon line into lengths, measuring it against the dollar bill.
A
NDERTON
takes a small hatchet out of his emergency pack. Camera follows him as he cuts down several small one-inch diameter saplings to a length of about five feet. He strips them, looking back every once in a while at the
P
ROFESSOR
to check on him. When he has six or eight saplings he carries them back to the
P
ROFESSOR,
who is finishing cutting the lengths of rope.
)

A
NDERTON:
How we doing?

P
ROFESSOR:
Yes. I have it.

A
NDERTON:
Good. Keep it up.

(A
NDERTON
takes the rope lengths the
P
ROFESSOR
has cut, and lashes the saplings together into a 5x5 frame, notching them where they join with the
P
ROFESSOR‘
S
survival knife and lashing with the rope. He lashes two uprights to make a lean-to, takes several more lengths from the
P
ROFESSOR
and, removing his poncho, lashes it over the frame. It is now a waterproof covering.
A
NDERTON
digs the ends of the lean-to and the upright into the ground, and they now have a waterproof shelter. He points the
P
ROFESSOR
to go beneath the lean-to.
)

P
ROFESSOR:
What are we going to do?

A
NDERTON:
We're going to get dry for a while, rest up, take a little nap.

P
ROFESSOR:
We're going to stay here tonight?

A
NDERTON:
You go to sleep, everything is fine.

P
ROFESSOR:
How are we going to make a fire?

A
NDERTON:
That's what you're paying me for. You go to sleep.

P
ROFESSOR:
I . . .

A
NDERTON:
I know.

P
ROFESSOR:
I'm so tired.

A
NDERTON:
I know that you are. You go to sleep.

P
ROFESSOR:
I lost the map.

A
NDERTON:
What?

P
ROFESSOR:
I lost the map. I lost it.

A
NDERTON:
You go to sleep. (A
NDERTON
takes off his pack, shelters it beneath the lean-to.
) You . . . you watch this stuff. Make sure nothing happens to it. I'm going to be right outside a while. You guard the stuff.

P
ROFESSOR:
I will.

A
NDERTON:
What?

P
ROFESSOR:
I will.

A
NDERTON:
I'm counting on you. Good.

(A
NDERTON
goes out into the rain with the hatchet. He looks back on the
P
ROFESSOR,
who is curling up on top of the pack.
A
NDERTON
starts to work cutting down some more saplings. Takes some deadwood off the ground, carries it and the saplings back to the shade of the lean-to, starts stripping the saplings
,
digging into the deadwood to find some dry pith, sets about building the fire.
)

P
ROFESSOR:
I lost my map . . . I've ruined my
project
I . . .

A
NDERTON:
Nothing to do about it tonight. (
Listens intently.
) Rain's dying. It'll let up before the morning. They'll be coming for us soon, so you must be quiet now: I have to listen for them. You understand? (
Beat.
)

P
ROFESSOR:
Yes.

A
NDERTON:
Alright, you go to sleep. Good.

(
Beat. He puts a match to the fire he has been building, it takes the match and starts, he shelters it, adds small pieces of kindling, builds up the fire.
)

AT THE TRUCK.

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ,
asleep on
E
SPOSITO‘
S
shoulder.
E
SPOSITO
turns on the windshield wipers. Nothing. Rubs his eyes, turns off the radio which is playing very softly, a symphony. He rotates his neck to get a kink out. Slowly, so as not to disturb
M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ,
sinks down slightly in his seat, and closes his eyes.

ACT FOUR

THE LEAN-TO IN THE WOODS. MORNING.

A
NDERTON
has built a large campfire some yards from the lean-to. He has constructed a drying rack over it and is drying out his clothes. He is stripped naked squatting before the fire, looking at the
P
ROFESSOR.
A
NDERTON
squints at the sun, looks at the
P
ROFESSOR,
picks up a small pebble, and flips it at the sleeping
P
ROFESSOR.
He does it again. The
P
ROFESSOR
wakes up.

P
ROFESSOR:
Where are we?

A
NDERTON:
Like that old joke, “we're in the woods, “ you ever want to be an Indian?

(
The
P
ROFESSOR
gets up, wet, sleepy, miserable.
)

P
ROFESSOR:
Where are we?

A
NDERTON:
I
surmise
—(
of his clothes
) Take that stuff off and dry it off—come on, there's nobody here but us chickens. I surmise we're three-four hours from the truck, which is basically south.

P
ROFESSOR:
Basically
south . . .

A
NDERTON:
I have a
confession
to make which is that my highline Emergency Survival Pack seems to be without a compass. (
Beat.
) You have one?