INT.

FAUX DIVE BAR LATER THAT NIGHT

In a carefully constructed, faux-distressed dive bar that serves English ales, NICK and BETH sit across from each other on bar stools at a small, circular table. Pints of beer sit in front of each other. BETHs beer is half-finished while NICKs remains untouched. BETH nervously taps the sides of her pint glass while NICK stares blankly at his. BETH Ummmm no offense, but you make terrible company. NICK Sorry. BETH Its alright. (pauses) Can I ask you something? NICK Sure. BETH Whats with all the breves? NICK What do you mean? BETH Well its a latte steamed with half and half. Its gotta be the most unhealthy coffee drink out there. NICK You ever try one? BETH Well, yeah. I do work in a coffee shop. NICK Whatd you think? BETH Actually it was pretty good. Kinda creamy.

NICK (thinks) I just think theres some things in life you shouldnt live without. Sometimes sometimes I wanna remind myself that life still has flavor. BETH (gasps) Life has flavor?

NICK (himself confused) I dont know. (thinks some more) Sometimes it feels like the worlds trying to tell you to be a certain way behave a certain way. Just to keep things going as it is. (extended beat) I just wanna remind myself that sometimes the world is wrong. Sometimes itll tell you that the world is flat, but you sail west anyways and you end up somewhere completely new instead. BETH (sarcastic) Wow. All that from a cup of coffee. NICK Yeah. (hesitates) Its the most dangerous thing I do. BETH Does it help? NICK Does it look like it helps? No. BETH You look like hell.

NICK I feel like hell. (extended beat) I dont know if I can take it anymore. BETH Take what anymore? NICK Living. BETH (upset) Awwww. Dont say that. NICK I mean it. Its just a mess sometimes. (pauses) Sometimes you feel lost or alienated, out of place with the rest of the world, and you dont know why. So you smoke something you shouldnt smoke, or eat something you shouldnt eat, snort something (CONTINUED)

NICK (contd) you shouldnt snort. Read some Bukowski. some Kurosawa movies

Watch

And after a while, you start to get the hang of things. Like you realize, Okay. The worlds full of shit, and people are full of shit. But after that, then what? BETH Sure. NICK In your head you got this mystery you start to map it out. And as you're doing it, you feel like you're starting to get the hang of things. Things are starting to make sense. BETH (affirming) Yeah. NICK But suddenly things start to open up and you start to realize that the territorys getting bigger and bigger as you're mapping it. And so you find yourself even more out of place. And you feel like you got no luck, like you can't hit the broad side of a barn BETH waits intently on what NICK has to say next. NICK (contd) But then it feels like youre really into it. Like you're connected to everything, and you can see a face walking down the street, and you can tell they're not happy. And not but and you wanna let them know that you know theyre happy. And you don't know what you can do, you wanna tell them that they're beautiful, life is worth living.

BETH still has no answer. NICK (contd) And you tell her that you love her and she says she doesnt love you back Instead she tells you to get on the next train And the next thing you know her new boyfriends breaking your bike across your back And you dont know whats what anymore. Very long silence. BETH breaks the silence.

BETH Oookaaay I was with you til the bike breaking part. So its about a girl. NICK (hesitates) Yes and no. BETH I think Ive seen you bring her round the coffee shop before. NICK Yeah. BETH Shes pretty. (chuckles) She ordered a cappuccino once and had me remake it. Twice. NICK Shes high maintenance. BETH (polite) I didnt wanna say that. NICK (self-loathing) I got caught up in everything, you know? (extended beat) I shouldve known better. When I think back I think about all the things that werent right. (long pause) I just dont think I just dont think Ill ever fall in love again. BETH (matter of factly) Good. Cuz you shouldnt fall in love. NICK (off-guard) Excuse me? BETH Dont get me wrong NICK. Loves great. Its the best thing in the world. Even when it hurts, its great Reminds you that youre still alive. Im sure it hurts right now, but you probably feel alive with how real the pain feels. NICK Yeah.

BETH Loves great. Just dont fall in love. NICK So what am I supposed to do? BETH Grow into love. NICK Grow into love? BETH Yeah. See, falling in loves for the movies. Its like getting drunk. Feels good for a while, but when its over, you got nothing but a hangover. (gets serious) If you grow into love, you got something that becomes something more each time youre with that person. You're building on something that gets stronger every time. This is the kind of love that makes a difference in the world. (pauses for effect) Don't fall in love NICK. Just grow into it. NICK ponders this. BETHs words start to process correctly. NICK even smiles for the first time in a long time. BETH lights up. BETH So you can smile. BETH withdraws, embarrassed she may have opened up too quickly. BETH Okay I hate to do this, but they got a karaoke machine here, and I wanna sing. NICK (smiles) Cool. BETH After Im done, I want you to sing. NICKs turns mortified at BETHs proposition. BETH Im gonna take that as a yes anyways. (stands, turns towards stage) Dont go anywhere. NICK (grabs BETHs arm) Please dont.

BETH Whats a matter? something? No.

You got stage fright or

NICK Its not that. (reluctant) I dont sing. BETH You dont sing? NICK No. BETH Why not? NICK I just dont.

Its just

BETH (thinks) You know what music is? NICK What is it? BETH Its the sound of vowels. And vowels are the energy of the universe, when consonants dont get in the way. So when you sing, you sing the vowels to know the stuff the universe is made of. NICK (still reluctant) I still dont wanna sing. BETH Suit yourself. But Im gonna sing.

BETH walks onto the stage. She writes her selection on a piece of paper and hands it to the DJ. Vintage organ intro softly kicks in, and then BETH sings the Sly and the Family Stone version of Que Sera. Its off-key, but filled with feeling. Audience applauds when she finishes. BETH Ummmm I got a friend over there who doesnt wanna sing. But I think if we embarrass him enough hell come up and sing for us. So help me out people. And if you like his singing I dont know Buy him a drink. NICK! BETH points to NICK. Drunken cheering, clapping, and goading from strangers embarrasses NICK to the point that he gets on stage. BETH

whispers into NICKs ear. BETH Just sing the vowels. BETH nods as she withdraws and exits the stage. A little uncomfortable, NICK searches through the songbook and finds something worth singing. He writes it on a piece of paper and hands it to the DJ. DJ plays the song. The opening bars to the Beatles In My Life plays, and then NICK sings the song perfectly, but with the resonance of personal loss. Song ends. People obliviously cheer: more drunk than appreciative of NICKs singing. NICK returns to the table and sits. BETH is unexpectedly surprised. BETH I thought you didnt sing. I used to. NICK Just not anymore.

Tears begin to well from NICK, slowly streaming down the sides of his face. BETH reaches across the table. BETH Heyyy Oh shit. Im sorry. I didnt mean to put you on the spot. I justNICK Its not that Its just (long pause) My mom just died. BETH (taken back) Wow. Thats a little more important than your girlfriend breaking up with you, dont you think? (extended beat) Im sorry. NICK You didnt know (struggling to find words) So many things. So many terrible things. Sometimes it feels like tears coursing through my veins I dont know if it makes any sense, but it feels like tears coursing through my veins.

BETH (sympathetic) I once heard someone say, that life is an accident that never shouldve happened (extended beat) I guess so. The worlds a harsh place to live in sometimes. It really is. (pauses) As far as Im concerned, the best thing you can do is to focus on things getting better. NICK (looks down, more tears) I dont know if I can. Everythings just so ugly right now. Everything looks so ugly right now. BETH (thinks) You ever have a friend, who just bought a new car, like a red Honda. And after that, you started to see red Hondas everywhere? NICK Sure. BETH Thats just how your brain works. If you focused on everything that came into your mind, youd just go crazy. So your brain has to pick whats important to focus on, just to keep you sane. If a red Honda becomes important to you because your friends got one, youll start to see them everywhere. And if you start to focus on the good things in life, youll start to see that everywhere too. But the worlds just trying to distract you from seeing whats left in life thats any good. And the news is the worst. It just wants to show you whats wrong with everything out there. (extended beat) But if you start looking for the good things in life youre gonna see it. You just gotta believe its out there. And then youll start to see it. NICK nods as he begins to understand. BETH smiles in return. People pass the table leaving beers as a sign of respect. BETH becomes overwhelmed as the number of beers adds quickly. Okay. BETH Now you gotta help me out.

NICK concedes, and then he and BETH drink the night away.