Ext. dirty alley – day

A man dressed in clean but worn clothes stands on a mattress and blankets lying on the pavement of a trash strewn alley. A large pile of clothes and blankets sits in a mass on the bed. A large duffle bag leans against a dumpster. This is Jay. He is 27 years old and is homeless at the moment.

JAY

(yelling)

Hey!

A pause.

JAY (CONT’D)

Hello!!! Heeeeeelloooooo!

There is silence. Jay is standing with his head slightly cocked, hands cupped around his mouth. There is no one else anywhere nearby in the alley.

JAY (CONT’D)

One more time! One more time please!

A long pause.

JAY (CONT’D)

(becoming volatile)

Fuck you then! I fucking hate you… Bitch!

Jay turns and kicks angrily at the blankets on his bed. He lies down, shifting for a moment. As he settles a voice permeates the alley that sounds as if it is coming from all directions at once.

VOICE

Jay.

Jay shoots out from under the covers. He looks around for the direction of the voice.

JAY

Hello? I’ve been, I can’t, I need, I’m…

There is a beat of silence as Jay scans the alley. His rigid posture changes as he leans back and relaxes against the wall of the building behind him.

JAY (CONT’D)

Wow it’s good to hear you again. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the last time… we’re so good together.

There is a pause and Jay waits for a reaction.

JAY (CONT’d)

Hey I’m sorry about the cursing. And the bitch thing. It’s just, it’s, I’ve been here for like 4 days trying to put together new tunes but, it just… without your help it’s… Do you want to get out of here, come downtown, we could do like you like, listen to the streets… we could work stuff out together.

Jay sits and looks around the alley again. There is no one around. He reacts suddenly and pulls a tarnished saxophone out from his blankets.

JAY (cont’d)

Hey listen, listen, I’m still thinking on that piece we came up with in the Camarillo… the arrangement is good but maybe give me some thoughts on harmonies.

Jay licks his lips and licks the reed of his saxophone, fingering the keys quickly to limber up.

JAY (cont’d)

I named it after you by the way.

Jay closes his eyes and plays a slow jazz song that echo’s beautifully off the alley walls. After a moment it fades and Jay becomes unsure of where the notes go. Jay looks around and there is beat of silence.

JAY (cont’d)

You don’t like it…

VOICE

Not at all.

JAY

But we put so much into it, listen, come on now. Lets make something like we made…

VOICE

(abruptly)

I didn’t show you that song.

JAY

What, wait, come on now, who else would show me, you know we have something good here, what we have is beautiful. Lets play.

Jay is staring straight up into the sky as he finishes talking. His vision comes down and a stunningly beautiful woman is sitting on the bed next to him. She has translucent blonde hair and wears a clean flowing white dress and no shoes. He notices her smirking at him and is shocked and winces.

JAY (CONT’D)

Awe! Oh come on now. I don’t need you, I don’t need you, I don’t need you.

He looks back up into the sky.

JAY (CONT’D)

I swear it wasn’t her. It was all you, I wasn’t with her then, I wasn’t.

A pause.

Jay (CONT’D)

Awe fuck. Now she’s not gonna come back.

He looks at the girl sitting next to him.

JAY (CONT’D)

Can’t I just do this alone, in peace? I’m not... I don’t need you.

Jay stands up and walks down the alley a distance. As he turns back toward his bed the blonde woman is suddenly in his face again.

JAY (CONt’D)

No. No. No!

He quickly turns to avoid her but she is once again supernaturally near. Her gaze catches him. She smiles seductively and bites her lower lip. Jays face moves closer to hers. She closes her eyes. Jay snaps out of his forward movement, shaking his head.

JAY (CONt’d)

No don’t do it. No… But… It could be great, I think this could be great, just… No, no, no! But maybe, um, just do up a little and spend the rest of the day working on my notebooks. If I can remember… do I still, where the fuck are my notebooks?

Jays words fade and his attention focuses on the girl. He slowly turns to her, grabs her delicately by her shoulders, closes his eyes, and moves to kiss her.

CUT TO:

Jay is playing a slow saxophone, very dreamy and disconnected. He looks very high and is intensely overtaken with the music. The girl in white dances in front of Jay, just as disconnected looking, her movements flowing and water-like.

GRUFF VOICE (Pre-lap)

Wake up fucker, wake up.

CUT TO:

Jay is now lying in his bed, head on a stained pillow. His eyes slowly open. They are bloodshot. He is disoriented. Two men dressed in khaki Dickies pants with creases ironed down the front, both heavily tattooed, stand above his mattress. The girl in white is gone.

MAN ONE

Good morning peaches.

MAN TWO

Wake the fuck up loser.

Man number two rips the blankets off of Jay’s bed and grinds the toe of his boot into Jays ribs. Jay reacts with a grimace and sits up quickly.

MAN ONE

You know why we’re here. Pay up.

Both of the men stare and an unresponsive Jay. Man Two shakes his head at Jay disapprovingly.

MAN ONE (Cont’d)

Pawn shop.

Jay shakes his head pleadingly no. His head drops.

MAN TWO

You know the second time we won’t ask as polite.

Jay stands. His movement is exaggeratedly slow and he stares in a daze for a moment before one of the men jabs him in the lower stomach with a pointed index finger. He reacts and rummages under his blankets, pulling out the tarnished saxophone. The two men walk Jay out of the alley, one on either side of him. The saxophone dangles languidly from Jay’s hand.