PIGGS - A Novel with Bonus Screenplay

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PIGGS - A Novel with Bonus Screenplay Page 18

by Neal Barrett Jr.


  Jesus Christ, all by itself'd be fine...

  GLORIA

  Cecil.

  CECIL

  Now see, that sounds real nice. And you are not presuming a thing, all right? I assure you of that.

  Cecil pats her on the knee. Gloria rolls her eyes. Uh-oh, here we go again.

  EXT. TEXAS ROAD -NIGHT

  Headlights of Cecil's car sweep across a weathered, dangling sign. It is rusted, cracked, shot at by passing citizens over the years. It reads:

  BATTLE OF BRITUN FAMILY FUN PARK

  OUTSIDE CAR

  Grape opens a battered gate. Cecil helps Gloria out.

  GLORIA

  Now you don't need to, I can do just fine from here.

  CECIL

  Hey, I won't have that. I don't see a lady home, leave her walking in the dark.

  GLORIA

  Isn't any trouble. I do it all the time.

  CECIL

  We haven't had a chance to talk.

  Cecil takes her arm and guides her down a rough path.

  CECIL (CONT'D)

  Right now's fine with me.

  Gloria is no stranger to bullshit, and she's getting increasingly uptight about all this.

  GLORIA

  It is awful late, all right?

  I am real tired, Mr. Dupree.

  They are moving out of the pasture and into some pretty dense woods.

  CECIL

  Cecil.

  GLORIA

  Could we do it some other time, Cecil.

  CECIL

  You'll feel better, you get off your feet. The dance is a demanding profession, you don't have to tell me that.I know how much you are giving of yourself.

  GLORIA

  Uh-huh...

  EXT. ESTABLISHING SHOT

  RUINS OF BATTLE OF BRITUN FAMILY FUN PARK

  SERIES OF SHOTS

  CECIL'S POV

  Cecil looks around with interest. In the faint light of dawn we see phantoms of WW II...Messerschmitts, Spitfires, rusted and entangled with vines, half-hidden in the dense forest. A dummy from a men's store sits in one of the cockpits, half-eaten by termites. There are broken rides, a tilted merry-go-round with "kiddie" airplanes instead of horses.

  CECIL

  This is right interesting. I have been by your place a hundred times before, but I've never been in.

  GLORIA

  Isn't much left to see.

  Cecil bumps into a wing.

  CECIL

  Whoa. That one nearly got me.

  Gloria stops.

  CECIL

  Ah, why we stopping here, dear?

  GLORIA

  We're here, Mister--- Cecil. This is where I live.

  Cecil grins, turns around a couple of times, raises one hand over his brow, like an Indian scout.

  CECIL

  Where? I don't see a thing. You gotum teepee somewhere?

  Gloria looks grim, clearly not amused.

  GLORIA

  Up there.

  CECIL

  Up wh-- Holy shit.

  Cecil looks up.

  POV CECIL

  CAMERA ROAMS WAY UP

  Thirty feet in the air, perched, anchored in the branches of great, ancient oaks, entwined with vines, is an enormous ANCIENT AIRPLANE, a Junkers JU 52. It looks as if it simply grew there. Wooden rungs are nailed to the trunk of one of the trees.

  CECIL

  You're kidding me, right? Doesn't anybody live up there.

  GLORIA

  Well I'm anybody, and I take offense to that.

  CECIL

  You're an overly sensitive person. Anybody ever tell you that?

  Gloria glares at him, then starts climbing the ladder, talks to him over her shoulder.

  GLORIA

  I said coffee. Don't be expecting anything else.

  CECIL

  Right. Certainly not...

  Cecil watches her, takes a deep breath.

  CECIL CONT'D)

  (mutters to himself)

  Oh, fuck.

  Cecil begins to climb.

  CUT TO:

  Cecil freezes halfway as a tinny loudspeaker begins to play a RECORDED MESSAGE. Static interrupts. Strings of Christmas LIGHTS blink. Cecil nearly loses it.

  HOLD ON CECIL

  RECORDED MESSAGE (O.S.)

  THIS IS YOUR JU 52 JUNKERS AIRCRAFT, WORKHORSE OF THE GERMAN AIRFORCE...

  TAKING WING IN 1930, THIS CELEBRATED PLANE SERVED AS PASSENGER, TRANSPORT AND BOMBER FOR-

  SOUND: SHRIEEEK!

  WIDEN ON CECIL

  Cecil sweats, as he slips, reaches the top.

  MESSAGE (CONT'D)

  ---POWERED BY THREE BMW RADIAL ENGINES THE PLANE ATTAINED A SPEED OF---

  CUT TO:

  INT. THE PLANE

  The walls are of corrugated iron, the rounded ceiling is low. Gloria has decorated the walls with curtains. There is a tiny kitchen between the wings. Cecil perches on one of the uncomfortable fold-out canvas seats along one wall (designed for troops).

  Gloria is in the kitchen, facing away from Cecil. Her voice is too high, she's talking too fast, clearly nervous, rattling on.

  GLORIA

  ...I'll tell you what, there are people who do not respect your feelings at all, and I mean even someone who is supposed to be a friend. Like Maggie Thatch, whom I am very close to?

  Gloria drops a saucer.

  GLORIA (CONT'D)

  Shit!

  Well you'd think, all right? We are watching this National Geographic show? About gnus? She hits that mute and says, Gloria, you are crazy as a duck, girlfriend.

  Isn't anyone mentally right living in a fucking German airplane...

  ON CECIL

  Cecil is taking in Gloria's parts.

  CECIL

  I see...

  GLORIA

  Isn't any Germans doing that, Maggie says. They are living in houses like anyone else...

  Cecil furtively empties his coffee under the seat.

  ON GLORIA

  Gloria turns, takes a breath and faces him.

  GLORIA

  See, I grew up in this thing. The park went busted when I was thirteen. Daddy died of drink and I went to live with Aunt Brill.

  (no pause in her speech)

  It has been nice talking to you, Cecil. Be real careful on your way down.

  CECIL

  Honey, you didn't want me coming here, I'm aware of that, it is normal behavior, I seen it a hundred times. You're thinking, hey, is he going to make me fuck him or not? You know it, I know it, that's why I got you in the car.

  GLORIA

  Well are you?

  Cecil stands, and Gloria reacts by backing away a step.

  CECIL

  Nah, I used to be crazy as shit, you know? Stuff a kid'll do. Steal a guy's bike, burn his trailer down. See, that's a part of growing up. You quit doing that, start using your head.

  FAVOR GLORIA

  GLORIA

  Uh-huh...

  CUT TO:

  EXT. LITTERED GROUND

  CLOSE ON the forest floor, littered with a long-time accumulation of take-out cartons, paper cups, candy wrappers, etc. A taco wrapper drops to the ground and we PULL UP to Jack, half-dozing in the cockpit of one of the rusted, ancient aircraft. He holds a paper cup in his hand, as he chews absently on the taco.

  BACK TO SCENE:

  CECIL

  Like with you, right? I tell myself, Cecil R. Dupree, you can do what you want, you can screw this lovely person all night, don't even have to ask. You don't want to do that, you can give her a puppy. Give her a kitty cat. Give her a trip somewhere.

  Cecil stands by the outside door.

  CECIL (CONT'D)

  See what I'm saying? You get to be Cecil Dupree, it's just as big a kick not to do something as it is doin' it.

  GLORIA

  Sometimes it helps to...open up and share? I do appreciate that and-- And I do appreciate your---

  Cecil holds up a warning finger, looks grim.


  CECIL

  Huh-uh. Do not mess with my head, Gloria. Do not ever tell me what you think I want to hear.I am declaring my affection for you, understand that? And get some real coffee. Grind the beans yourself. Find a place to live. Cecil Dupree doesn't go with a lady, he's got to climb a tree.

  Cecil steps out on the wing. A flight of crows is sitting there; they screech and scatter.

  CUT TO:

  ON JACK

  He hears the crows, looks up, suddenly alert. He makes a face, like "Oh, man, I can't handle this..."

  CUT TO:

  POV JACK

  Cecil climbing down. Gloria appears, watching him.

  ON JACK

  He pounds his fists on the ancient instrument panel. Some of the glass dials crack and fall apart.

  CUT TO;

  Ricky is standing a few yards away. He turns as he hears the breaking glass. Holds binoculars in Jack's direction.

  BINOCULAR VIEW:

  View of Jack.

  BACK TO RICKY

  RICKY

  Bastardo....

  MOVING SCENE

  INT. CECIL'S CAR

  Cecil sulks in the back seat, stares at Cat's bald head. Grape is in the front as well. Cecil's brooding has turned his birthmark darker than ever.

  GRAPE

  Hey, what happened? You get any, man?

  CECIL

  Shut the fuck up.

  GRAPE

  Yes, sir...

  The car passes a convenience store.

  CECIL

  Stop. Back up, Stop it right there.

  EXT. CECIL'S CAR

  Cat turns the car around, stops at the store.

  CECIL (O.S.)

  Cat, get me some Snickers. Get me a Dr Pepper.

  CAT (O.S.)

  You got it.

  INT. CAR

  CECIL

  Get me some Head 'n Shoulders.

  CAT

  Some what?

  CECIL

  Head and Shoulders. Go on, get out of here.

  OUTSIDE CAR

  Cat leaves. Cecil gets out. Grape has the sense to keep quiet.

  POV CECIL

  Cecil watches two little KIDS making wide circles on the drive, running over crickets with their bikes.

  BACK TO SCENE

  Cat returns.

  CAT

  They didn't have a Snickers. I got you a Mars.

  CECIL

  I told you a Snickers, I don't want a Mars.

  CAT

  They didn't have none.

  CECIL

  You didn't look.

  Cecil grabs the Mars and the Dr Pepper, hands the shampoo to Cat

  CECIL

  They got a hose by the tanks. Wash your head.

  CAT

  What for?

  Cecil's look silences Cat at once. He does what he's told, goes to the hose.

  One of the kids circles Cecil.

  KID ONE

  Why's he doing that? How come he washing his head?

  CECIL

  'Cause he wants to.

  KID ONE

  Man hasn't got any hair.

  KID TWO

  Won't do any good, man hasn't got any hair.

  The kids laugh, make circles around Cecil.

  CECIL

  Stop it. Quit doing that.

  KID TWO

  Doing what?

  CECIL

  That. Running over bugs! That's a disgusting thing to do.

  KID ONE

  Ain't your bugs, man.

  CECIL

  You don't talk to me. You do what I'm saying.

  KID TWO

  Better not squish those bugs. Lone don't like you squishing bugs.

  CECIL

  What? What'd you say?

  KID ONE

  Where your Indian? Where's old Tonto, man?

  KID TWO

  Tonto, he giving himself a sham-poo.

  KID ONE

  Shit. Tonto hasn't got no hair. Can't get a sham-poo, man don't got any hair.

  KID two

  Where your horse, Lone? Where you got Silver? He waitin' in the car?

  The kids laugh and squash bugs.

  CLOSE ON CECIL

  Cecil's birthmark gets darker and darker.

  BACK TO SCENE

  CECIL

  Give me the keys.

  GRAPE

  What for?

  CECIL

  Give me the keys.

  Cecil walks around and opens the trunk. Paws around, picks up a Winchester 12-gauge pump.

  GRAPE

  Cecil, this ain't a good idea.

  CECIL

  Get in the car. Get Cat. Get him in the back.

  GRAPE

  I'd like you to think about this.

  Cecil snicks a shell into the chamber.

  CECIL

  Right. Fine.

  GRAPE

  Shit, Cecil...

  CECIL

  Killing the poor is a blessing, Grape. What kind of life are these little bastards going to have, you ever think of that?

  Going to grow up and make more little kids, little assholes running over bugs.

  Cecil raises the weapon and fires. The barrel jerks up.

  CUT TO:

  STORE FRONT/CECIL

  Cartons of Coke in front of the store explode.

  Cecil blasts away. The glass front of the store shatters. The boy in the store ducks. The two kids scatter on their bikes. Cecil fires until every shell is gone.

  ON CAT

  Cat's eyes are full of shampoo; he can't see a thing. Grape leads Cat to the car. Cecil, his mask dark as night, in the driver's seat, skids away.

  EXT CAR

  Car makes dust.

  CECIL (O.S.)

  Laughs like a maniac.

  DISSOLVE TO:

  INT. WAN'S STORAGE ROOM -EARLY MORNING

  Jack, weary, walks in, finds a shabby blanket among stacks of toilet paper, cartons, etc. Wraps the blanket around his shoulders. Ortega sleeps nearby. Jack turns to leave, and Ortega wakes up.

  ORTEGA

  What the fock you doin' here, Jack? I am thinking you are gone, that I am not ever to be seeing you and my car again. Like maybe you are on the way to Delaware or Maine.

  Jack is leaning against the doorway, anxious to leave.

  JACK

  Jesus, where am I going to find a better place than this? Long hours, great pay. All the Chink food I can throw up, what else could a guy want? I was in the joint, got to where I couldn't eat a thing. Doc Huber, he was serving life for patient abuse. He'd eat a pancake. Wouldn't eat anything else. There was other guys in there wouldn't eat anything but peas. Fucking green peas. I couldn't see the sense of that.

  SOUND of toilet flushing. Jack looks up, realizes Ortega is gone.

 

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