Today, Is Your Lucky Day…You Think

22 May

Today, Is Your Lucky Day…You Think

Author: Braden | Category: Old Stuff, Screenwriting, Writing

A Lucky Day

EXT. DESERT CANYON. DAY.

Desert. A distant beat of drums is mesmerizing. A tribal beat. A man looks out on the dusty vistas and smokes a cigarette…exhaling on the rhythmic thump…thump…thump that washes across his ears on the way to some unknown destination. The air is crisp. The sun is harsh. The rocks are large. His cigarette is finished.

He stands and we see a young man of 26, SEAN. Handsome, but rough from a street existence. He is dressed in jungle khakis. Surveying the landscape his eyes fall upon the car behind him. The beat is coming from the car. Another male, TED, about 24, is sitting in the car counting something in a bag. Anxious, SEAN walks toward the car.

SEAN

ARE YOU DONE YET! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU TALKED ME INTO THIS!

TED

It’s all freaking ones man! I don’t know…2 maybe 3 thousand.

SEAN

What!

TED

THREE THOUSAND! I…

TED turns down the stereo.

TED

Maybe…I don’t know. Where’d you get this cd?

SEAN

3 thousand? Why would some boondocks mom & pop store in Dorado, California have 3 thousand new dollar bills in the register? One thousand used, yeah. Not three new.

TED

Don’t know man, but it’s ours now! YEE HA!

SEAN

How much more?

TED grabs the paper bag and rifles through it.

TED

Maybe 8 or 9 more bundles. Mom and Pop were very neat. And it looks like they’re all ones too.

SEAN

Hey, ones or not, money is money if (Interrupted)

TED

Wait a minute…

SEAN

WHAT! YOU HEAR SOMETHING?

Paranoid, SEAN looks around the deserted desert frantically.

SEAN

LET’S GO!

TED

WHAT? SOMEONE’S COMING?

SEAN

I DON’T KNOW! YOU HEAR SOMETHING?

Silence.

TED

No. Calm down man, you’re scaring me. Uh oh. Look at this.

SEAN

What?

TED pulls out a few of the bundles from the bag and shows SEAN that each of them has ones on the outside and hundreds on the inside.

SEAN

SHIT! WHERE’D THEY FREAKING COME FROM?

TED

Looks like Mom and Pop haven’t been to the bank in a while.

SEAN

How much is it?

TED

Ugh…ten thousand?

SEAN

TEN THOUSAND?

TED

Each man…and there are 11 bundles like this. So…110,000 bucks good enough for you?

SEAN

A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS?

TED

Are you ok? Would you like to buy a vowel?

SEAN

It’s not right man. Something is wrong. No Mom and Pop store in Dorado is going to have 110,000 dollars in their cash register!

TED

Yea, so I’ve heard. What now?

SEAN

We got to go back.

TED

And give it back? ARE YOU CRAZY?

SEAN

Go back to town man. I got to think.

SEAN takes the money and stuffs it into a hiding place in the trunk.

TED

Yea, well think about being 40,000 richer!

SEAN

Very funny.

SEAN and TED get into the car and make their way to the highway. The music is turned up and echoes eerily through the canyon.

EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY. DUSK.

Traveling on the empty highway, they pass a small general store. TED stares at the store as they pass.

TED

Why the hell do you think they had all that money?

SEAN

Maybe Mom’s got a secret sauce.

TED

Yeah. That’s it.

INT. GENERAL STORE. DORADO, CA. THAT SAME MOMENT.

Mom and Pop are two mean looking people that are clearly unhappy. They are looking out the window and Pop is on the phone.

POP

They got the whole shipment. How am I supposed to cover the bettors? …Yeah…you too asshole. Ever hear of highway robbery? … I can’t cover that much. You SOB! If you weren’t my son I’d kill ya! Yeah. I’m sending CLYDE after’em. Mom just saw them pass by. At least help me find them! What? Let them go? Why? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You think? Alright, whatever. I’ll let you know what happens.

POP puts down the phone. He angrily looks out the window.

POP

(To MOM)

Did you get their license plate?

MOM

Yep. Those boys are in a heap of trouble.

POP grabs a shotgun from under the counter, pumps it up.

POP

You bet they are. (Calling) CLYDE! Get out here!

CLYDE a big ole boy, kinda slow, but with a nice mean streak, rumbles from out the back.

CLYDE

Yea Pop?

POP

Go find them there boys that made off with our samples. Mom just saw them pass by in a white Mustang. Now, I want you to find them, and tell’em this - Spend that money they took from us or else. They got 2 days to get rid of it and they got to get receipts too. You got that?

CLYDE

Ya want them to spend our money?

POP

Yep. Little Joe thinks it’s will be a perfect test of our work. But they got to know we ain’t fool’in around. Can you make’em understand CLYDE?

CLYDE

You know Pop. I can do it.

CLYDE stands there looking at Pop stupidly.

POP

Then GO! What’cha waiting for?

EXT. GENERAL STORE. DORADO, CA. MOMENTS LATER.

CLYDE is seen coming from the back of the store on a very fast motorcycle, intent on chasing the boys.

INT. SHIP’S FABULOUS DINER. NIGHT.

The table is full of food and SEAN and TED are chowing down.

SEAN

It was too easy. It’s like they didn’t care about the money.

TED

Um huh. I guess we make better owners. (Laughing) We care about the money!

They both laugh. In the background CLYDE comes through the door and sits at a table next to them.

TED

I think we have to CELEBRATE tonite! 1st timers luck! Had to be. No other explanation.

SEAN

You think? I still don’t like it. Besides I got a date with JOANIE tonight. I just don’t think we should change our lifestyles to drastically right now. You know?

TED

Yea. Maybe you’re right. But you gotta admit… (Singing) we did it! We did it! And now we got it!

SEAN

Shut up man! You’re acting suspicious.

TED

Suspicious? Me? I’m freaking happy! Not suspicious!

SEAN

Well, control it man. I’ll meet you at my apartment around 12. We’ll talk.

SEAN gets up and starts to walk out.

TED

Hey! Buddy! I’ll get this one. (Holds check up)

TED continues to scarf up the food-o-plenty.

EXT. SHIP’S PARKING LOT. NIGHT.

CLYDE is waiting in the darkness. TED comes out of the diner and starts to walk home. CLYDE catches him in the darkness of the alley and covers his mouth.

CLYDE

Howdy! Want to play catch with me?

TED nods his head no.

CLYDE

Want to tell me where your friend lives?

TED nods his head no.

CLYDE

But you’re going to aren’t you?

TED nods his head yes.

INT. SEAN’S APARTMENT. NIGHT.

CLYDE is sitting on the couch with a gun aimed at TED. He is reading Town & Country.

CLYDE

Now this is a nice one. I always liked a house with a big yard. You?

TED nods yes. SEAN is heard at the door and CLYDE moves out of site. As SEAN walks in CLYDE grabs him and slams him right on top of TED.

CLYDE

Hi! I’m the boogey man. And there’s a little something I got to tell you about your neighbors. You see…they don’t like you. Now don’t take it personally, it’s just that you took some money of theirs. Remember?

SEAN and TED look at each other, nod yes.

CLYDE

(To Ted) You don’t talk much do you? Anyway, we’re going to forget about the whole thing, but there’s a catch. You got to spend the money in two days. Understand?

SEAN and TED look at each other, nod no.

CLYDE

You spend the money, all of it, in two days or else. It’s kind of like a game show. Yeah. CLYDE’S SHOW. And you’re winners! Now that’s my idea of fun.

TED

Why do you want us to spend your money?

CLYDE

Cause it’s fun. Weren’t you listening?

SEAN

What happens if we don’t?

CLYDE

You don’t want to know. I’ll be in touch…2 days…and don’t forget the receipts. We don’t want you throw’in your money away now do we?

CLYDE leaves. SEAN looks at TED.

SEAN

Clyde’s Show?

TED