INT. STEVIE’S APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT
Stevie staggers up two flights of stairs and lets herself into her apartment.
INT. STEVIE’S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Caleb naps on the couch, exactly where he was before, only his laptop is closed. The bong steams gently on the table.
He rouses as Stevie staggers over to her big patched armchair and sinks into it.
CALEB
Hey, honey - are you okay?
STEVIE
Why do you only call me that when you’re worried about me?
CALEB
You’re hammered.
Stevie takes the bong and sucks on it.
STEVIE
True story.
CALEB
What happened?
With some effort, she lifts herself up and goes over to the open-plan galley kitchen to rummage around in the fridge. She comes up with a bowl of slightly used Kraft Dinner.
She picks it up, puts about a gallon of Tabasco on it, and microwaves it. Caleb takes the bong and empties the water into a potted philodendron plant.
CALEB
Talk to me.
STEVIE
Talk at you, you mean.
CALEB
That isn’t what I mean.
Stevie takes the bowl out of the microwave and digs into it with a fork. Caleb leans against the counter.
STEVIE
That’s why this is working so well. This whole "Always Be Cool" philosophy of yours really fucked me up when I was in love with you.
CALEB
You want me to go?
STEVIE
No. It’s the thing that makes you a terrible husband... also makes you a pretty good roommate.
Caleb looks hurt, but his hurt face is pretty close to his indifferent face. He takes the bowl from her hands and puts it in the sink.
CALEB
Is it your dad?
STEVIE
No. Yes. No. Look, I just had a colossally shitty day.
CALEB
Tell me how to help.
STEVIE
I don’t- can you just fuck me? Can you do that?
CALEB
You’re really drunk.
STEVIE
Also high. And distraught. And craving a little bit of intimacy.
CALEB
I can’t really be that guy for you any more. We made a decision.
STEVIE
Remind me, what decision did we make?
CALEB
That we weren't romantically compatible.
STEVIE
And that's why you can't fuck me?
CALEB
It's a big city. There have to be a few bartenders and tattoo artists left out there for you, Steve.
She glares at him.
STEVIE
Well, when you're right.
It takes her a few tries to get up out of her chair. Caleb catches her before she topples, puts an arm around her and helps her to the bedroom.
INT. STEVIE’S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Caleb tucks Stevie into bed.
CALEB
You want painkillers I could go down to the bodega.
STEVIE
Can you just get into bed with me? Just until I fall asleep?
Caleb hesitates for a second, then slips off his jeans to reveal a pair of Matrix-patterned boxers. He slides into bed with her, and wraps an arm around her.
CALEB
Sure you don’t want aspirin?
Stevie is out, snoring with a vengeance. Caleb smiles sadly, and kisses her temple, then shuts off the light.
INT. STEVIE’S APARTMENT - DAY
Stevie, hungover, crouches at the small table next to the kitchen. Light streams in through the glass deck door. She holds a hand up to ward it off like a B-movie vampire.
Caleb hands her a cup of coffee, and a bottle of extra strength aspirin. He sits down across from her, coffee in his own hand.
CALEB
How much?
STEVIE
I don’t know. Thousands. I didn’t really stop to do the math. I just saw red and shot my mouth off.
CALEB
Are you going to report it to the police?
STEVIE
Wage theft goes through the state labor bureau. I could report it, but this happens everywhere, all the time. There are 25,000 restaurants just in Manhattan. It could be six months before they even return the phone call.
CALEB
Your boss says he’s going to fix it. What does he mean?
STEVIE
Fuck, I don’t know. Bruno’s like the Wizard of Oz. I see him so infrequently I forget he's a real person.
CALEB
You should take today off.
STEVIE
I never take days off.
CALEB
Their payroll records beg to differ. And you look like shit.
Stevie looks balefully at him, and takes the aspirin with her coffee.
CALEB
(extremely tentative)
Maybe you should go to a meeting.
She looks at him hard -- this is not safe ground. She gets up, and grabs her keys.
STEVIE
You're not my husband anymore, which means you're off the committee. We made a decision, remember?
#FunpageFriday #Scriptsky #FourpageFriday
From Knives:
I like this cycle because it's the last time in Stevie's life where her problems - her dad being sick and her live-in divorce - get to be normal. I love writing people who love each other but are just trapped in their egos and toxicity.