(Printed with the demonstration version of Fade In)

BROTHER'S IN CHARGE

2020-01535

ABOUT THE SCRIPT: Parents help us with just about everything

in our lives, but what about the times when they, can use a
helping hand? Brother’s In Charge follows Chris a 10 year
old boy, and how he steps up to take care of his mom and two
younger sisters for a day, while Mom is sick and Dad is away
at work. This is meant to encourage kids to come forward and
aid their families in times of disarray. And when everything
is frustrating and harder than it should be, a little
silliness can go a long way.
(Printed with the demonstration version of Fade In)

EXT. PORCH OF ROW HOME - DAY

There is a STRAY CAT lightly WALKING and SNIFFING along the

the length of the porch picking at TOYS and bugs. Suddenly
from inside the house there is a loud BANG and PLAYFUL
SCREAMING. The cat startled, jumps in fear and SCURRIES off
screen left.

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY

In the center of the living room there is CHRIS, a 10 year

old boy, small for his age, sitting square in front of the
TV playing a VIDEO GAME. Surrounding him at all sides is a
MESS of TOYS and CLOTHES.

LAUGHING AND BANGING persist from off-screen, Chris SIGHS

and turns up the volume on his game, however it does little
to block out the noise.

CHRIS
Hey can y'all keep it down!?! It's
too early in the morning for that!

Suddenly a RUBBER HAMBURGER is thrown from stage right and

SMACKS Chris on the side of his face with a SQUEAK. Chris
GROWLS in frustration looking over at his younger sisters
LEELEE, 4, and TAYYA, 6, who stick their tongues out and
makes the loser sign on their foreheads. Chris starts to
chase them, but trips on a toy and lands face first on the
floor. Leelee and Tayya both bolt upstairs.

LEELEE AND TAYYA

(While laughing)
MOOOOM!!

Once his sisters are completely upstairs, Chris sits up and

situates himself in front of the T.V again, but sits on the
rubber hamburger in the process. He grabs the toy, but while
looking at it, his stomach begins to GRUMBLE. Chris looks
over his shoulder and peeps inside the kitchen, but no one
is there.

CHRIS
(calling out)
Mom? Mom!? I'm hungry! Where are
you?!

With MUMBLING, Chris pauses his game and makes his way
upstairs to his Mom's bedroom.
(Printed with the demonstration version of Fade In)
3. 2020-01535

INT. MOM'S ROOM - DAY

Chris reaches his Mom's room and peeps his head inside
barely past the door frame. Leelee and Tayya are standing
bedside, petting MOM, a middle aged chubby woman who is
still in bed, sweating.

CHRIS
Mommy?

TAYYA
Mommy is sick Chris, she said her
head hurts.

LEELEE
No Mommy can't be sick I'm hungry!
I'm hungry Mommy!!

Leelee begins to furiously pull and shake on Mom willing her

to get up.

MOM
(weakish)
Child! If you don't stop pulling on
me!

CHRIS
Mom what's wrong?

MOM
I think I came down with a fever.

CHRIS
But Mom what about-

MOM
I don't know Chris, looks like you'll
have to make breakfast today.

CHRIS
Me? But I can't-

MOM
It's alright, how about you go and
make y'all some peanut butter and
jelly sandwiches with some juice.

TAYYA
Eww! Chris can't cook it's gonna be
gross!
(Printed with the demonstration version of Fade In)
4. 2020-01535

CHRIS
But you don't even cook a peanut
butter and jelly sandwich!

LEELEE
Mom!! I'm hungry!

Chris begins to ARGUE with Tayya and Leelee begins to WHINE

to Mom, who then begins to violently cough. All the children
instantly quiet down.

MOM
(Between coughs and
sneezes)
Tayya hand me the phone I'm going to
call Dad, and tell him to comeback
from work cause Mommy's too weak
right now.

TAYYA
Ok, Mom.

Tayya walks across the room to retrieve the phone and Mom
goes under another coughing spell. Chris frowns, and grabs
the phone from Tayya.

CHRIS
It's okay Mom, I'll make breakfast
today.

Tayya begins to interject but Chris GLOWERS at her, and she

quiets down.

MOM
That's very kind of you Chris but
making breakfast isn't as easy as you
think. Let me just call Dad and
he'll-

CHRIS
No Mom I'll do it today, in fact I'll
do everything.

MOM
Wow that's very grownup of you. Maybe
I should get sick more often.

CHRIS
Wait then no I-

MOM
Too late! Now go on and make those
sandwiches and let Mommy rest.
(Printed with the demonstration version of Fade In)
5. 2020-01535

Leelee latches on to Mom's arm Chris picks her up and leaves

the room with Tayya.

INT. KITCHEN - DAY

The three siblings enter the kitchen with Leelee gleefully

SINGING, about PB&J sandwiches, with Tayya clapping along.
Chris cracks a slight smile at their enthusiasm, and reaches
in the SILVERWARE DRAWER, only to come up empty handed.

Chris looks around about and sees the sink full of DIRTY
DISHES from the night before.

TAYYA
(impatiently)
Hey what are you waiting for? Mommy
said make us those sandwiches.

CHRIS
Don't you see all these dirty dishes?
We need to clean some.

TAYYA
What!? I'm not doing any dishes
that's so boring!

LEELEE
(While pulling on
Tayya's arm)
I want sandwich!!

TAYYA
Get off of me Leelee!

The sisters begin to argue and tussle a bit, then Chris

shoves a chair in front of the sink steps up, takes a plate,
and begins to SING.

CHRIS
(while washing the
plate)
I'll wash a plate/ you clean a bowl..

Chris extends a WET PLATE over to Tayya, who is standing

next to a dish towel.

TAYYA
(sarcastically)
Who you trying to be? Mom?
(Printed with the demonstration version of Fade In)
6. 2020-01535

Leelee lets go of Tayya's arm and sings the next line of the
song.

LEELEE
Place it nice and straight!..

Chris and Leelee both now stare at Tayya blankly, who

fidgets in their gaze.

TAYYA
(softly)
In the cubbyhole..

CHRIS
(tickling Tayya)
I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you, come
again?

TAYYA
(laughing
hysterically)
Stop!! Stop!.. In the cubbyhole, in
the cubbyhole!

Tayya takes the plate a begins to dry it and then hands it

to Leelee who places it in the dish rack, who then begins
the next verse.

LEELEE
Scrub, Scrub, Scrub!

TAYYA
Scrub on the cup!

CHRIS
Once you hear it squeak..

TAYYA & LEELEE

(In unison)
You know its had enough!

MONTAGE of the kids singing and cleaning the kitchen, and

before long everything is all sparkly clean.

TAYYA
Aww, there's no more dishes to wash,
or mess to clean.. it was so fun.

LEELEE
I know what we can do!
(Printed with the demonstration version of Fade In)
7. 2020-01535

Leelee grabs a plate and readies herself to smash it on the

floor, but Chris quickly grabs her arm and places the dish
back on the rack.

CHRIS
(Opening the fridge)
Don't you want a peanut and butter
sandwich Leelee?

LEELEE
Oh yeah! And a cup of juice please!

Chris begins to make the sandwiches and Tayya begins to pour

the cups of juice, once finished they all make their way to
the living room to eat.

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY

The three siblings make their way across the floor towards
the T.V, where Chris picks up the remote and changes the
input to cartoons. However Leelee trips, on a toy and drops
her sandwich and juice. Tears begin to well in her eyes.

LEELEE
My...My..sandwich.

TAYYA
(irritated )
Leelee look what you did! You act
like a baby!

Leelee begins to cry, under the scolding but Chris steps

forward and places a hand on Tayya's shoulder. Tayya looks
back in confusion. Chris kneels down in front of Leelee and
hands her his sandwich.

CHRIS
That's okay Leelee, accidents happen.
Here you can have my sandwich, I'll
make another one.

TAYYA
(sighing)
What I meant to say was try to be
more careful next time. What if you
had glass in your hand and hurt
yourself? Here.

Tayya picks up Leelee's cup and fills it halfway with her

juice. Then she rips her sandwich in half and hands it to
Chris, who smiles at her.
(Printed with the demonstration version of Fade In)
8. 2020-01535

TAYYA (cont'd)
(to Chris)
We should pick up all of our toys
after eating huh?

Chris nods and kids begin to eat their sandwiches when the
sound of Mom COUGHING violently echos from upstairs. They
all stop and peer at the stairs in concern.

CHRIS
Hey how about we do something to help
Mommy feel better?

LEELEE
(with a messy face
full of PB&J)
Let's tickle her until she farts!

TAYYA
(while wiping
Leelee's face)
No Mommy never likes that.

CHRIS
What should we do then?

TAYYA
How about we go in the basement and
get her that mushy cold bag out of
the deep freezer, like Daddy does for
us when we don't feel good?

CHRIS
Yeah that's good, and how about we
get her some oranges and warm her up
some oatmeal like Dad does too?

LEELEE
Oooh I want oatmeal too!

INT. BASEMENT - DAY

The kids eagerly leave the living room floor, rush through
the kitchen, and open the BASEMENT DOOR. On her tippy-toes
at the top of the tall stairs, Tayya flicks the light switch
on the side of the wall. Then with a POP the light bulb on
the basement ceiling breaks. In shock Tayya slips down the
stairs, and falls to the basement floor with a SMACK,
engulfed in total darkness, and immediately starts to BAWL.

CHRIS
Tayya are you ok, what happened?!?
(Printed with the demonstration version of Fade In)
9. 2020-01535

TAYYA (O.S.)

(sobbing hysterically)
I hit my knee, it's dark, I'm
scared!! Mommy!!!

CHRIS
Don't worry me and Leelee are coming
down to get you!

LEELEE
What!? No it's too dark I don't want
to go down there. It's too scary!

CHRIS
Come on let's go Leelee!!

Chris picks Leelee up who begins to flail and whine in his

arms. Tayya continues to WAIL from downstairs.

LEELEE
No Chris put me down! Let me go!

CHRIS
Come on Leelee!!

LEELEE
No I'm scared! I'm scared!!

MOM (O.S.)
What's going on down there!?! What's
all that noise!

CHRIS
Nothing Mom! Everything is okay!

Chris puts Leelee down, and closes the basement door shut to
cover the sound of Tayya's crying who in turn begins to
shout louder. He grabs a flash light and a box of bandages
from counter drawer, steps back over to Leelee and puts both
hands on her shoulders.

CHRIS (cont'd)
Leelee we need to go in that
basement.

LEELEE
No why can't you do it?
(Printed with the demonstration version of Fade In)
10. 2020-01535

CHRIS
Tayya needs our help, and so does
Mommy. When I'm helping Tayya who's
gonna get the stuff for Mom?

LEELEE
You.

CHRIS
Leelee, Tayya and Mommy needs you to
be a big girl right now. They need
your help can you do that?

MOM (O.S.)
I said what's going on down there!?!

LEELEE
(sniffling)
Yes. Nothing Mommy we're ok!

CHRIS
(bear hugging Leelee
and shaking her
around)
Good now come on!

LEELEE
(laughing)
Tayya we're coming to get you!

Chris opens the door and hand in hand him and Leelee make
their way down the stairs.

LEELEE (cont'd)
Tayya where are you?

TAYYA
(sobbing)
Y'all closed the door I hate you
dummies!!

CHRIS
(Shining flashlight)
It's okay, Tayya we're here now. Hey
Leelee, you know where the deep
freezer is right? Go and grab that
stuff for Mommy ok? I'll help Tayya

LEELEE
Ok y'all better not leave me down
here!
(Printed with the demonstration version of Fade In)
11. 2020-01535

Leelee runs offscreen into the darkness. Chris kneels down

in front of Tayya, who is softly crying while holding her
scrapped knee.

CHRIS
Here let me see. Does it hurt a lot?

TAYYA
(pushing Chris' face
away)
No duh. Don't touch it!

CHRIS
Hey, remember what Dad always sings
when Leelee gets hurt?

TAYYA
I'm not a baby Chris.

Chris begins to RAP and Leelee rushes over with the compress
in her hand and begins to BEATBOX as an accompaniment.

CHRIS
Sometimes you fall/ and it hurts a
lot/ but remember your temper/ and
the grit you got/ Cause in this city
you need to be gritty..

Chris trails off and leaves the next line open to Tayya.

TAYYA
(Under her breath)
If a hundred's not enough..

CHRIS, LEELEE
Here's a buck fifty!

Chris and Leelee immediately ambush Tayya with plenty of

kisses on her face and head.

TAYYA
(laughing)
Okay, okay! Stop! Mom and Dad are so
corny that song doesn't even make any
sense.

Chris hands the flash light over to Tayya and he places a

bandage on her scrapped knee.
(Printed with the demonstration version of Fade In)
12. 2020-01535

CHRIS
Come on let's go upstairs and get all
this to Mommy, and make her some
oatmeal and oranges.

INT. MOM'S ROOM - AFTERNOON

Some time has passed and Mom is now sitting up on the bed
being spoon-fed lumpy oatmeal by Leelee, while Chris and
Tayya lay their heads on her lap below eating oranges. A bit
of oatmeal falls on Tayya's forehead.

TAYYA
(While eating the
oatmeal off)
Watch it Leelee! Eww this oatmeal is
nasty!! Mom makes it better.

MOM
(Chuckling)
Well I think it tastes amazing. I
really appreciate all you guys done
for me I feel much better now.

CHRIS, TAYYA, LEELEE

You're welcome.

MOM
And Chris I'm really proud of you for
stepping up and taking care of your
sisters while I was in bed. Girls
isn't Chris a good big brother?

LEELEE
Yes the best!

MOM
Tayya?

TAYYA
(rubbing her knee)
...Yeah, he 'ight I guess.

CHRIS
Oooh, bars.

TAYYA
Shut up.

END.