Chivalry, p.19
Chivalry, page 19
BOB HERMAN
I thought that it was a closed chapter?
LUCIA
A lost life is more like it. I gave him everything. He was my first, my only. . . . In the end, he beat me and cheated and . . . I’m just, I don’t want to be a fool again. What if you’re not what you seem? It’s possible, you know. I thought he was a good man and he was . . .
BOB HERMAN
I am what you think! I am!
LUCIA
I’m just, I know this doesn’t make any sense to you . . . it doesn’t make any sense to me . . . maybe I’m feeling a little emotional and confused right now. I think I should just go home.
She gets up and goes to the door.
BOB HERMAN
Wait . . .
LUCIA
I’m sorry, I should just go.
BOB HERMAN
Why? What’s wrong?
LUCIA
I’ll call you . . .
BOB HERMAN
I love you.
The door closes on his words.
INT. OFFICES OF GENT AMERICA MEDIA MORNING
Bob slumps through the hallway to his office with his head hung.
BOB’S OFFICE
A small crowd is at Bob’s desk. Koss has pages in his hand. He quietly passes one to Gael.
MARK KOSS
Humph. I knew that this Phillips had something.
GAEL
This is Herman. Phillips is the head of corporate sales.
MARK KOSS
Technicalities.
Bob clears his throat. The group looks.
BOB HERMAN
Why are you all in my office?
MARK KOSS
Herman. This is good, Herman.
Bob gently takes the papers from Mark.
BOB HERMAN
It’s nothing really.
MARK KOSS
I like it. I like how it flows. Lou said you were piddling with the writing again, but I had no idea how far you’ve come. Still needs a little work, though. The voice isn’t quite you. A bit forced. Needs more . . . honesty. Have an edited copy on my desk by next Monday. You got one week, Herman. Don’t let me down.
Koss leaves. The rest follow. GAEL stops.
GAEL
Hmm. You of all people. Who would have thought? Don’t let us down, Bobby.
She brushes her chest against his as she leaves.
JENNIFER
I’m sorry Bob, I didn’t mean to snoop, but I saw it and was curious, then Gael came and one thing led to another . . .
BOB STARES.
JENNIFER (CONT’D)
It’s really good, Bob. I’m happy for you.
She kisses him on the cheek.
BLACKOUT
MONTAGE
BOB’S APARTMENT
Bob trying to call Lucia, no answer.
Bob going to her apartment and knocking, no answer.
The manuscript on one side of the room, Bob on the other.
Bob standing over the manuscript. Staring blankly at the manuscript. Looks at Cat.
BOB HERMAN
What should I do?
The cat blinks and stares at him.
BOB HERMAN (CONT’D)
I know, I need to find her.
Picks up manuscript.
Bob at the computer. His face changes from frustrated to happy to exhausted.
TRANSITION TO:
INT. MARK KOSS’S OFFICE
Bob is standing at Koss’s desk. Koss is sitting. On his desk is a manuscript: Standard Deviations by Bob Herman. He gets up and walks around to the front of his desk.
MARK KOSS
Well son, I gave you a week and here it is. I like that . . . Bobby, it’s gold.
Bob smiles and nods. Koss kisses Bob on the cheek.
MARK KOSS
You’ve always been like a son to me. I knew from the moment that I hired you.
BOB HERMAN
Gael hired me, sir.
MARK KOSS
Technicalities.
Koss smiles.
MARK KOSS (CONT’D)
Sit down. I’ll get Arnie Schuman on the phone. He’s the best agent in the country, he’ll take care of you.
Bob sits. Koss takes the phone into his hands.
MARK KOSS
Arnie, Mark Koss. I got one. I’ll sponsor . . . How many bestsellers did Selton write this year . . . ? This kid will double that . . . Herman. Robert Herman
BOB HERMAN
Bobby . . . I’d like to go by “Bobby.”
MARK KOSS
Bobby Herman. He’s one of mine.
Koss sets the phone down and winks at Bobby.
MARK KOSS (CONT’D)
You’ve arrived. You’ll become a pillar around here. A piece of this place will belong to you someday. . . . I can feel it.
Bob stares.
MARK KOSS
Don’t you have anything to say, Bobby? Anything to ask?
Ted Basle passes the doorway.
BOB HERMAN
Who is that man?
Mark smiles, takes Bob by the shoulder.
MARK KOSS
Do you like baseball, Bob?
BOB HERMAN
Baseball?
Pause.
BOB HERMAN
Well, kind of . . .
MARK KOSS
Well in the old days teams didn’t have ghezzillions to buy forty players for a roster. Each team had a guy that could do it all. He got the job done. . . . When the center fielder was having a bad day or the catcher or the shortstop . . . they called in the utility man. And somehow, someway, smoothly, not so smoothly, ethically, unethically he got the job done. Ted Basle is Gent’s utility man. . . . He gets the job done. . . . Sometimes we all need utility men Bob. . . . The president of the United States has a whole department of them.
BOB HERMAN
Never heard of them.
MARK KOSS
Sure you have. . . . The CIA.
Koss winks.
MARK KOSS (CONT’D)
Don’t worry, Bobby, we take care of our own here, and if you ever need a utility man, it’s carte blanche.
He reaches into his drawer and gives Ted’s business card to Bob.
BOB HERMAN
Utility man.
MARK KOSS
That’s right. All right Bobby, get back to work. And start your next big baby. You’re not a famous writer . . . yet.
INT. OFFICES OF GENT AMERICA MEDIA LATER, EVENING
Bob is whistling and collecting his things to go home. Jennifer arrives.
JENNIFER
Bob . . . How did it go with Koss?
BOB HERMAN
He’s going to publish it.
JENNIFER
I’m so happy for you! Do you need someone to celebrate with?
BOB HERMAN
No . . . Thanks Jen. I have plans.
JENNIFER (quietly)
You’re a busy guy.
Bob leaves.
INT. BUS LATER
Bob is riding. He stares at his name on the manuscript with a far-gone grin. As people walk on the bus, Bob hides the manuscript, especially from anyone looking homeless. His stop comes and goes, and he continues on toward Chinatown.
EXT. LUCIA’S APARTMENT
BOB excitedly rings her buzzer. No answer. He rings and rings and rings.
LUCIA
Bob?
Bob turns to see Lucia approaching her door with groceries.
BOB HERMAN
Lucia! Why haven’t you returned my calls?
She seems harder than she was before.
LUCIA
What are you doing here?
BOB HERMAN
I’ve missed you so much, you look beautiful. Where have you been?
Lucia looks around and pulls him in the door.
INT. LUCIA’S STUDIO APARTMENT
A tiny gypsy-like space full of trinkets: beads hanging from the ceiling separating the living space. The bed is a mattress on the floor surrounded by white hanging beads.
Bob takes some strands of beads in his hands.
BOB HERMAN
These aren’t plastic. . . . They’re stones.
LUCIA
Of course they’re not plastic. Won’t find anything plastic here accept for maybe the liner bag of the garbage.
BOB HERMAN
They’re some kind of mineral stone.
LUCIA
That’s right, Bobby. They’re Brazilian.
BOB HERMAN
Wow.
Lucia is unpacking her groceries. Bob walks to a shelf on the right side of the bed. There are jade pieces of a Buddha and elephants. There’s a piece of paper next to them.
CHRISTIES AUCTION CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY
Bob looks to the right and notices cocaine dust and a cutter on a small mirror. Lucia is putting away groceries at a leisurely pace. It seems as if she’s done this speech a thousand times:
LUCIA
Bob, you don’t know me. You don’t know who I am, what I’ve done.
BOB HERMAN
Stop it. Stop it. Damn. . . . I don’t care. I know you. I don’t care. Can’t we start fresh?
LUCIA
A fresh start for a coke fiend?
Bob hesitates.
BOB HERMAN
Yes.
LUCIA
A fresh start from murder? From murdering a baby?
BOB HERMAN
What? What baby?
LUCIA
Tony’s . . . and mine.
BOB HERMAN
What!
LUCIA
I was seven months pregnant. . . . Too late for an abortion. Tony took me to the gym locker room. His doctor was waiting. They sedated me. They forced the baby to be born and they left it to die. Die there in the locker room! I woke and there it was. Red and tiny and blue and beautiful. It was still faintly breathing. I thought I was alone. I tried to take it and run to a hospital. Tony’s doctor blocked me. The baby fell. It moved. The doctor injected a syringe into its chest. The baby jerked. . . .
BOB HERMAN
And what did they do with it?
LUCIA
Him! Him! It was a beautiful boy! Don’t call him an it! . . . They took him into the bathroom. I heard the toilet flush, once and twice and again and . . . leave me alone, Bobby. I ruin everything I touch.
She takes his face in her hands, walks him toward the door.
LUCIA (CONT’D)
Oh Bobby, I want to be with you, I just wish he were dead! I know that’s awful, but sometimes I think it’s the only way. . . . Leave me alone. Don’t call me. Don’t think about me. It’s for your own good. . . . Do you understand? He won’t let us and I don’t want to ruin you. . . . Do you want to be ruined? Maybe call me sometime down the road, Bobby.
She shuts the door leaving him standing in the hallway. He knocks on the door. Nothing.
BOB (meekly)
Lucia?
LUCIA on the inside takes the jade piece lovingly in her hands. She places it besides several other jade pieces.
BOB HERMAN (whispered)
But Lucia . . .
With palms flat, Bob gently bumps his forehead against the door. He hesitates, turns, and slowly walks away.
EXT. STREET
BOB walks down the street back to the bus stop.
A dark-skinned man in his 40s, ISA, is watching him. A squad car is parked up the street. The driver, Clark, is a white, stubby 50ish male with red hair, smoking a cigar, and passenger Kennedy is a 50ish white male. They’re watching both Isa and Bob.
DETECTIVE KENNEDY
Anything to worry about?
DETECTIVE CLARK
I hope not. If Isa’s ever discovered we’re all as good as gone. The whole cover-up will be on our laps.
DETECTIVE KENNEDY
We’ll do a check on this guy just to be safe. . . . And if there’s a problem, remember Isa’s command. He iced COWDAR so all of us could live. If they get onto Isa, there’s closure.
DETECTIVE CLARK
You mean we ice Isa.
Clark flicks his cigar out the window at a street sign.
CIGAR HITS SIGN DEAD CENTER
DETECTIVE CLARK
I still got it.
Squad car heads in Bob’s direction.
INT. BOB HERMAN’S APARTMENT THAT EVENING
Bob is pacing, disheveled, looking at the phone. He sits on the edge of the bed with Ted Basle’s card in his hand. He picks it up and dials.
SPLIT SCENE. BOB IN HIS BED, TED IN A ROBE IN HIS DEN.
TED BASLE
Hey ya Bobby!
BOB HERMAN
Uhuh, I’m sorry, wrong number.
He hangs up. The phone rings.
BOB HERMAN
Hello? Oh hi, Dad . . . good, good . . . I had called to tell you that I’m finally going to be published . . . yep . . . Dad, I know that I owe you lots . . . as soon as the royalty check comes, I’ll get it to you . . . Yes, I’m definitely getting published . . . a lot, I don’t remember the exact amount . . . well, because I have an agent that takes care of those details . . . no, I won’t gamble it . . . well, because I didn’t want to jinx it . . . I haven’t gambled for a while now . . . do you want a copy . . . ? sort of, a few hundred pages, I guess . . . yeah I could give you a summary . . . what about Mom . . . ? uhhuh . . . uhhuh . . . Yeah okay . . . bye.
Dial tone. Bob’s father has hung up.
BOB HERMAN
Love you.
FADE TO: MONTHS LATER
MONTAGE: RAVES OF STANDARD DEVIATIONS, THE BOOK IS EVERYWHERE, IN EVERYONE’S HANDS.
INT. FOUR SEASONS WEEKS LATER
SIGN: ROBERT HERMAN’S AUTOGRAPHING PARTY
Bob’s seated in front of a stack of books. The line of people waiting for an autograph does not seem to be cheering him up. Bob’s picture is on the back cover.
A 60ish man with white kinky hair, Arnie, walks from behind and rests his hand on Bob’s shoulder.
ARNIE SCHUMAN
The Times says that you’re the find of the century.
Bob grooms his hair back, smiles, turns, and opens a book, pen in hand. Mark Koss approaches, smacking him on the back.
MARK KOSS
Hi Bobby my boy. I’m waiting for your second jewel. Is it coming?
Bob smiles.
BOB HERMAN
Yes, Sir. Just polishing it up.
MARK KOSS
Looking forward to it, kid.
BOB’S HAND SIGNING HIS NAME. PULL OUT TO REVEAL BOB SIGNING HIS NAME ON A CHECK
INT. BOB’S APARTMENT
BOB HERMAN
And that takes care of that.
Cat hops on desk. The computer is on, screen is blank.
BOB HERMAN
No more credit collector calls. Nothing but blue skies ahead. All I have to do is write another amazing book.
He stares at blank screen, hesitates, and writes a few lines.
He takes a deep breath.
BOB HERMAN (CONT’D)
It’s okay. I have plenty of time. Anyway, I think I deserve a little celebration.
INT. RACE TRACK
Bob’s standing with two guys his age. In the background the announcer is calling the race.
ANNOUNCER
And it’s Blue Bonnet from behind . . . Blue Bonnet by a nose . . . hold your tickets for the final.
Bob looks down at his tickets.
CHUCK
You may have published a bestseller but your luck hasn’t changed here . . .
BO
You must have lost twenty grand.
BOB HERMAN
I wish it was only twenty.
FADE TO:
INT. MARK KOSS’S OFFICE WEEKS LATER
Koss is on the phone.
MARK KOSS
Yeah, Arnie, I’ll talk to him . . .
Mark Koss firmly hits the intercom.
MARK KOSS (CONT’D)
Jennifer, did you tell Bob Herman that I wanted him?
JENNIFER
Yes sir.
MARK KOSS
Well, go and get him. Now!
INT. MARK KOSS’S OFFICE SHORTLY AFTER
Mark is seated. Bob is sitting on the desk.
BOB HERMAN
Well, you see, writing books is not like printing newspapers. I’ve started, like, five more.
MARK KOSS
Bob, you hit the iron when it’s hot. Tomorrow the schleps that bought your first book will forget your name. Do you know what it cost me to get you on the New York Times bestseller list? Bring me what you got. I’ll get a ghost.
BOB HERMAN
But . . .
MARK KOSS
Bob, this firm stuck its neck out to help you. . . . Every Gent shareholder is counting on you. It means a lot to the bottom line. . . . Do you like being a writer, Bobby?
BOB HERMAN
Yes. . . . Yes, I do.
MARK KOSS
Bring me what you got.
Bob nods.
MARK KOSS
Good boy, Bobby.
Bob gets up and leaves.
INT. BUS LATER THAT EVENING
BOB looks up and down the aisle. He notices a stack of newspapers. He shuffles through them.
INT. BOB’S APARTMENT
Bob, sitting with his back to us, runs his fingers through his hair. He punches the tab key with his finger. He punches it harder and harder. Finally he shuts the computer off.
Suddenly he stands. An idea. He goes to file cabinet and pulls out an old manuscript.
INT. MARK KOSS’S OFFICE NEXT DAY
Koss is on the phone, holding the old manuscript.
MARK KOSS
Arnie. I can’t figure it out. It’s all garbage. Just garbage. I mean it’s infantile. . . . Yes it came from Herman!
INT. OFFICES OF GENT AMERICA MEDIA FRIDAY AFTERNOON
Gael and Jennifer are by the espresso machine.
GAEL
I think Herman bought Standard Deviations.
JENNIFER
What? Uh-uh, Bob wouldn’t buy a manuscript. It’s not possible.
GAEL
Not possible? Where have you been? They all buy scripts. It’s the author’s name that sells the book, not the content. Besides, I’ve seen other things that he’s written. He doesn’t have it.
