PIGGS - A Novel with Bonus Screenplay (25 page)

Whoa-whoa-whoa. What is this partial. You hear me say partial anywhere?

GRAPE

Mr. Dupree, he didn't say partial nowhere.

ANGLE ON HUTT

HUTT

The partial thing...that's just temporary, you know? You get the partial. Junior gets paid, coupla days, you get the rest.

WIDEN SCENE

Cecil smiles. You wouldn't want him to smile at you like that.

CECIL

Got it. I pay for the whole thing, you give me half.

HUTT

(tries to please)

You get it
all,
Mr.Dupree.
 
Two, three days outside.
 
We are not looking to inconvenience you. It's bidness is all it is.

QUICK SERIES:

Stripper action.

Jack coming through the crowd with his tray.

Guys crowd along the bar. FAVOR back of one guy in a leather aviator jacket.

BACK TO SCENE

Cecil frowns, thinks about Hutt's proposition, looks at his hands.

CECIL

Just---bidiness...

HUTT

Yes, sir.

CECIL

I am glad to hear this, as I'm a bidnessman myself. Mr. Ambrose Senior and I, we go way back.
 
There has never been a financial problem with either him or me.

HUTT

If you know Mr. Ambrose, you know he's not active in the business anymore.

CECIL

I know he's got a serious problem with his parts. I know he's got a dick could fall off most any time. So what does this infirmity have to do with me, Mr. Hutt?

Hutt loosens his tie, wipes a hand across his face.

(rapid dialogue)

HUTT

Kenny...

CECIL

What?

HUTT

Hutt.

CECIL

What?

HUTT

Hutt. Hutt
Kenny
, The Hutt comes first.
 
Lotta people, they get it wrong that way.

ON CECIL

Cecil just looks at him.

HUTT

HUTT

I need to use the john, if your guy could tell me where...

Hutt stands, straightens his shirt. Grape stands too. Cecil barely nods. A bar girl is right there, at once.

CECIL

Get me a cold one, honey. Get Mr.---get him whatever he wants.

HUTT

Nothing for me, thanks.

Cecil pays no attention.

BACK TO SCENE

HUTT

I want to say Mr. Ambrose Junior is sincere in his desire to do bidiness with you, Mr. Dupree.

CECIL

You get back to Ba-ton Rouge, Mr. Hutt?
 
You tell Mr. Junior Mr. Cecil R. Dupree would be delighted, he could take time from pursuing his daddy's business to give me a call.
 
Tell him I would be fucking grateful for that.

Cecil's smile makes Hutt slightly ill.

HUTT

I...can do that.
 
Yes, sir, I surely will...

Cecil's look holds Hutt until Grape breaks the spell, walks Hutt off the other way.

CUT TO:

POV CECIL

Grape and Hutt move toward the bar.

BACK TO SCENE

Cecil, thoughtful.

CECIL

You've got your blue shirt, it's blue.
 
Whole thing is blue. Collar's same as the shirt. The collar and the shirt aren't different, they're the
same.

Cecil looks up at Cat. Cat nods without expression.

BACK TO SCENE

CECIL

Ambrose senior is out of it, Cat. His kid is bringing people in from the East.
 
Rhode fucking Island somewhere. This is most alarming to me...

Cecil shakes his head. There's a loud cheer from the floor and he lifts his glass, looks in that direction.

CENTER STAGE

MUSIC: THEME FROM
CSI.

GLORIA MUNDI, gorgeous and totally self-centered, does her strip number on the main stage and crowd goes nuts.

NEAR THE BAR

As Grape leads Hutt past the bar they pass JACK, going the other way.
 
He's watching Gloria, awestruck. Someone nearly knocks him down.

CENTER STAGE

A drunk bites Gloria on the rear. Gloria gives a fake smile, keeps going.

RICKY/GLORIA

In that instant, Banker RICKY CHAVEZ, a Latino in an expensive western-cut suit, python boots, grabs the offender, punches him in the gut.
 
No one notices.

Ricky gives Gloria a formal nod. Gloria misses this chivalrous act.

NEAR THE BAR

A guy at the bar in a leather jacket (we don't see his face) says something to his buddy as Hutt passes.
 
Laughter. Hutt looks angry, Grape quickly leads him away.

MOVING SHOT

On the way backstage

GLORIA stalks offstage, furious, passes stripper ALABAMA STRAIGHT in tacky hillbilly outfit, going on stage.

DISC JOCKEY (O.S.)

Let's hear it for our little Southern honey, Miss Alaaaaaabama Straight!

MUSIC: Helen Reddy's
I Am Woman

CLORIA

(in passing)

Watch your ass,
honey.

DRESSING ROOM

Gloria slams the door behind her.

In the cramped room are WILDA HARE, in bad bunny outfit; MINNIE MOUTH, in "mousey" strip outfit. Gloria tries to see her own butt in the mirror.

GLORIA

Son of a bitch.
 
Little fucker bit me.
Look
at that. Does it show or anything?

Wilda barely looks up from a tiny TV.

MINNIE

It's red is all.

GLORIA

If it penetrates the skin, I will have to get a shot.
 
Any doctor will tell you a dog's mouth is more sanitary than a man's.

WILDA

(eyes on TV)

This woman in Rose Hill, North Carolina won Eight...Thousand...Dollars. Doesn't look like she could safely open a can.

Minnie primps.

MINNIE

It was on the news about this continental drift?
 
I don't like the sound of that.

WILDA

Don't believe everything you hear. They make it all up.

MINNIE

Not Bill O'Reilly doesn't.

Gloria is still studying her rear.

GLORIA

I bet it was a damn college kid.
 
You don't know where they've been.

Minnie attaches her "rat" tail.

MINNIE

This look all right?

WILDA

Terrific, hon.

Gloria looks to heaven, goes through an inner door toward the john as Minnie leaves and the crowd cheers.

MUSIC: The Shadow of Your Smile

Alabama comes off, disheveled. Passes Minnie going on.

ALABAMA

I do not mind vulgar and crude.
 
A person who is mentally detached, that is something else again.

Wilda doesn't look up from the TV.

WILDA

My lawyer inna divorce? Tried to get me to sit on a baked potato.
 
Said not many girls would do it.

Alabama looks alarmed.

ALABAMA

Shoot, I wouldn't either...

SOUND of toilet flushing.

EXT. PASSAGEWAY between PIGGS and WAN'S

Jack passes through with a bucket of dirty dishes. Looks as if he might throw up (he often looks this way.)

SOUND, Rowdy hoots and car horns from the parking lot.

Jack stops halfway, hears a sound like someone left the hose on. Looks to his left.

POV JACK

A drunk is urinating against the wall.

JACK

Hey, cut that out. We got restrooms for that.

THE DRUNK Doesn't stop.

THE DRUNK

Phuuu-phuuga you, man.

JACK turns away in disgust, bursts through the door to the KITCHEN AREA of WAN'S.

WAN'S KITCHEN

Confusion reigns. Steam rises from woks where ORTEGA, an older Latino stirs up various batches. This is a Chinese place, but Ortega wears one of those baggy "Viva Zapata" suits. RHINO, manager of Wan's, yells at Jack.

RHINO

What the fuck you doing, Jack?
 
Where you been?
 
Get
in
here!

JACK

You said get the dishes..

RHINO

I fucking know what I said. You don't got to tell me what I said.

Jack sets the dishes in the sink, turns on the hot water.

JACK

You said get the dishes, I got the dishes.

Ortega is stir frying.
 
Begins to sing in his usual heavy accent. Jack, smelling the fumes and dirty dishes, looks sick.

ORTEGA

Dancing in the dark...I am the romancing, dancing in the dark...