Jose Rodriguez - Snapshots of Modern Love

Ken stopped breathing and his face turned white. Fucking bastard. "Let my dad out of this," said Ken in a whisper.

"Hey, we are all family, and I don' t want to see anything bad happening to the old man."

"Fine, what the hell do you want me to do with this crap?"Ken’ s heart ran near red line.

Ken jotted Ortega' s instructions down and hung the phone with a loud bang. Fucking bastard. Ken called his dad and go this answering machine. Shit . "Listen dad, very carefully…" and Ken had to explain in short minutes what he thought he would never be able to explain in a lifetime.

The Atlanta map showed the way to Tech wood, by North Avenue. Ken drove up there and didn' t like it. Damn Federal housing project; fucking place looks like Beirut. He parked his truck in front of a building whose first floor looked like it had been fired bombed. Trash drifted in the wind and new black faces followed him and the bag into the building. A white face also watched him, keenly, from inside the building.

Ken had it figured out. Drop the stuff, pick the cash, get his cut, and drop the rest in a rental box at Harts field, then mail the key to Ortega with a nice fuck you note. Fe Dex would be too easy, let the bastard sweat it out for a few days. End of the story.

Ken knocked on the door, his knuckles white with apprehension. Soon it would be over.

"Come on in," a white voice with a twang answered from inside. Ken opened the door and saw a white guy and a white girl standing behind a table with a briefcase on it. He stepped inside and checked around with a nervous gaze, trying very hard to look cool, but not doing a very good job of it.

"Howdy," said the white guy.

"Hi," said Ken. He looked at the girl, and his jaw dropped. Debbie winked an eye and said," Hi stranger."

"You got… got… the money?" Ken asked with a nervous voice. For once in his life he wished Ortega' s men were at his back, or Tony with that square looking gun. But here he was, practically naked in front of this guy with the crooked smile, and Debbie. Ken couldn' t make any sense of what was happening. He placed the bag on the table and looked at Erich who kept on smiling.

Erich pushed the brief case to Ken; Ken reciprocated by pushing the bag to him. While Erich inspected the merchandise Ken opened the briefcase. He saw a bunch of money, but he had no intentions of counting it. He wanted out of there, soon. Debbie and he changed stares across the table, and Ken replicated Debbie' s aloofness.

"This is good shit," said Erich.

"It sure is," said Ken, closing the briefcase.

"But I will keep the money anyway."

Erich pulled his gun from behind his waist and pointed it to Ken, and laughed. "Good bye, sucker." Erich had observed that Ken had no back up and no gun.

Ken put the briefcase in front of him as Erich fired the first shot. The shock sent Ken backwards onto the floor, the bullet lodged into the money. Debbie jumped over Erich' s arm holding the gun and bit him on the hand as hard as she could.

"You bitch!" Erich screamed in pain and punched Debbie in the face with his free hand, over and over, but Debbie wouldn' t let go. Erich looked up just in time to see Ken coming over the table ready to swing the briefcase in his face. He tried to shoot again, but his shots went into the table instead. The briefcase landed on his face with a numb thud and split open.

Money and screams floated in the room. Erich was on the ground struggling with Ken. Debbie bit Erich' s finger with such viciousness that Erich opened his hand, the gun falling to the floor. At that moment Erich kicked Ken in the groin and sent him on his back. Before Erich could get up, Debbie was on top of him.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Good Lord, how many bullets does that gun carry? wondered Ken still grabbing his nuts. Debbie fired until the gun ran empty, then she proceeded to kick the bloody mass.

"Fucking inbred bastard!"

Ken stood and looked at her bloodied face in amazement. She finally looked at him and stopped kicking and cussing the corpse.

"Are you O.K?" asked Ken. The bruises in Debbie’ s face had started to swell.

"I' m fucking fine. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Same thing you' re doing, I suppose."

Both stood panting, the corpse still seeping blood between them. Seconds went by before anybody could say anything. Ken expected to hear sirens, and cops coming through the door yelling "Freeze!"But nothing happened. His ears continued to ring and a slight breeze fingered the curtains beside the open window where the top of the Coca-Cola building stood against an azure sky.

SNAPSHOTS OF MODERN LOVE

"An End Like the Movies"

An Original Screenplay

by

José R. Rodríguez

FADEIN:

INT.F.B.I. OFFICE, DOWNTOWN DALLAS – DAY

Ken and his lawyer sit side by side. Across the table sits an F.B.I. Man. His briefcase is open and legal papers are strung over the desk. Ken signs a paper, turns it around and slides it, with the pen, back to the F.B.I. man.

F.B.I. man (studying the paper)

Well, this does it.

Ken

Do I have to face Ortega in court, or just my deposition will be enough?

F.B.I. man

Depends. If he cuts a deal, you will never see his face again. If he decides to go to court, then you will have to testify.

Lawyer

He won' t be that stupid.

Ken

Why not?

F.B.I. man

The State of Florida is charging him with the murder of this Sonia woman. He could get the chair if convicted.

Lawyer

His lawyers will go for a deal, life in prison.

Ken

What about drug charges?

F.B.I. man

We aren' t interested at this time. If Florida can lock him up for life, or fry him, there is no need to spend taxpayers' money trying to nail him for smuggling.

Ken (sighing with a worrisome look)

I hope you' re right.

F.B.I. man (rising and extending his hand)

Gentlemen.

Ken and his lawyer rise, shake hands with the F.B.I. man.

EXT.F.B.I. BUILDING – FULL SHOT – DAY

Camera moves from the building' s top to the entrance and finds Ken and his lawyer standing on the sidewalk.

Lawyer

This is our last meeting. Once you and your dad go into the Eyewitness Protection Program, we will be cutoff for good.

Ken

Thank you for convincing them to let me keep my F.A.A. licenses.

Lawyer

No problem. (He extends his hand). Good luck to you both.

Ken

Thanks.

Camera pans out as they shake hands and goes for a full shot of downtown Dallas.

EXT.EAGLE CREEK STATE PARK PARKING LOT, OREGON – DAY

Ken sporting a goatee and one earring awaits by the side of his Harley-Davidson. The chilly morning makes him keep his hands in his leather jacket pockets. Camera pans out and shows a red convertible Corvette with the top down driving into the lot. The Corvette parks beside Ken. Camera moves over Ken' s shoulder as he approaches and finds driver. Debbie is at the wheel, her hair cut short and dyed black.

Ken

Hi, stranger.

Debbie

Hi, stranger.

Ken

I was sure I would never see you again.

Debbie (smiling)

Why? Don' t you trust me?

Ken (also smiling)

After that two for one deal, I don' t know. There was a lot of money in that bag.

Debbie

You don' t forget, do you? We deserve that money after all the shit we went through.

Ken (looking at the ground, hesitant)

The Atlanta thing… what the cops said?

Debbie

They blamed it on crack head niggers, you know, a white dude trying to buy shit from them, and getting ripped off.

Ken (looking straight at her)

Now what?

Debbie (tapping her fingers on the wheel)

I' m gonna give you your cut, of course. A deal is a deal.