?1990 by Michael Chaskes

FADE IN:

EXT. ALEXANDRA'S TOWNHOUSE - EARLY EVENING.

A CLOSE-UP of a beautiful but simple, somewhat antique-looking diamond ring, sitting in a small, velour-lined box. After a moment:

Alexandra... there's something I've been wanting to ask you for a long time.

CUT TO:

MEDIUM SHOT, in profile, of RICK ROCKWALL, a good-looking young man of 25. Dressed for dinner, he is sitting alone behind the wheel of an expensive car. Through the driver's side window, we see that the car is parked in front of a ritzy townhouse in the city. RICK is holding the box containing the ring and gazing intently ahead at eye level.

Will you marry me?... Alexandra, there's something... there's something I've been wanting to ask you... Will you...

Nervous and impatient, he looks at his watch. A CUTAWAY to the watch informs us that it is now exactly 6:00 pm. RICK sighs, closes the box, puts it in his jacket pocket and opens his car door.

CUT TO:

A wider shot from outside the car, still facing the townhouse. RICK gets out of the car and starts up to the front door. He is just about to knock when another car pulls up to the curb and ALEXANDRA, a pretty, vivacious young woman around RICK's age, gets out of the passenger seat. She is also dressed for dinner.

Thanks for the ride, Lisa! See you tomorrow!

She closes the door and the car pulls away. RICK walks back toward her.

Hi, Rick!

Hi, Alex!

They kiss deeply for a moment, then disengage.

You know I have to be back here by 8:00 tonight, right?

She takes a small appointment calendar from her pocketbook and flips through it furiously.

If I'm not, my meditation time will run over, and that'll throw off my exercise routine, and I don't know if I'll have enough time after that to finish my extra office work. (An afterthought) And tonight's garbage night, too.

She bites her lip anxiously.

We'll be back in time.

She smiles at him and they start for the car.

CUT TO:

INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING.

The dining room of a fancy restaurant. RICK is sitting alone at a table which still bears the remains of his dinner with ALEXANDRA. Her jacket and pocketbook on the chair opposite from him indicate that she has stepped away from the table but will return soon. The ring box is open in front of RICK on the table; he is holding the ring itself.

CUT TO:

MEDIUM CLOSE-UP of RICK. He is gazing intensely at the ring, drawing each breath very deliberately to control his racing adrenaline. The moment is nearly upon him.

Alex... there's something I've been wanting to ask you for a long time.

He suddenly looks up.

CUT TO:

The wider shot. RICK hastily puts the ring in the box, closes it, and leaves it in front of him on the table. ALEXANDRA walks into frame and pulls out her chair. RICK takes the plunge.

Alex... there's something I've...

ALEXANDRA is not sitting down as expected; she's picking up her things from the chair.

The radio in the bathroom said there's a five-minute delay on 7th Street. We'd better skip dessert or I won't be back on schedule again for days. Do you mind?

RICK shakes his head, stunned, as ALEXANDRA flags their waiter, making "Check, please" gestures and pointing to RICK. RICK's head falls forward onto the table in despair. HOLD, then

How much...

CUT TO:

INT. ROCKWALL'S LIVING ROOM - AFTERNOON.

A MEDIUM CLOSE-UP of ANTHONY ROCKWALL, in his late sixties but still looking as tough as he once was. He holds a checkbook and an expensive pen and is prepared to use them.

... do you need, Rick?

CUT TO:

Wide shot of ROCKWALL's living room: large, lavish, and awash in artworks and antique furniture. The only thing that doesn't reek of wealth is ROCKWALL himself, dressed in jeans and an undershirt. Lounging in a plush chair on the left side of the frame, feet up, he still looks every ounce the poor upstart immigrant businessman he started out as. On a reading table nearby are a framed photograph, a pair of glasses and the sports page of the New York Daily News. Sitting nearby, facing his father, is RICK, dressed as if back from work, but with jacket off, top button undone, and tie loosened.

Dad! Put that away.

What? I don't remember you looking this bleak since your tape deck broke when you were nineteen. How much do you need?

Dad, I'm serious. Money can't really help with this.

Oh, more of that "Money can't do everything" stuff, huh? If that's true, I don't know why I've bothered making so damn much of it.

He looks at the photo on his table, which RICK cannot see. It is a fifty-year old photograph of ROCKWALL, at age 10, and his parents.

I learned a lot growing up poor in the city, my father a baker, what with the mob, and the police almost as bad...

RICK waves this aside impatiently.

I learned that when something's got to be done, you should put your money on money every time.

RICK stares at his father for a moment, then takes the ring box from his pocket, opens it and shows it to his father.

See this?

Good Lord. I gave that ring to your mother, God rest her soul, thirty-five years ago. (Chuckling) God, I was poor then. Look how cheap that--

That's not the point. When mom gave it to me, she said I should give it to the one I love. Well, for the past week, I've been trying to get a chance to give it to Alex. But she just accepted a high-level job in Geneva. She's flying out the day after tomorrow.

Can't you find some time to talk to her before she leaves?

Hah! You've seen her appointment book.

Well, you haven't already said goodbye, have you?

No. I'm picking her up for a farewell lunch with her parents at the Grandview tomorrow afternoon, but I can't very well propose to her in front of her folks.

How long's the ride over?

From her place to the Grandview? About five minutes. You just can't pledge undying love in five minutes in a moving car.

RICK takes his father's checkbook with contempt.

Now -- how's this going to help me?

Hmm.

ROCKWALL leans back, acknowledging RICK's point. We HOLD for a moment, then

CUT TO:

INT./EXT. RICK'S CAR AT ALEXANDRA'S TOWNHOUSE - AFTERNOON.

A MEDIUM SHOT of RICK sitting in the driver's seat of his car as it idles by the curb outside ALEXANDRA's place. He is dressed informally but nicely, as is appropriate for lunch. He is holding the ring in its box, studying it and looking melancholy. He glances at his watch and manages to close the box just as ALEXANDRA emerges from her front door. He fumbles about, trying to figure out what to do with the box -- he doesn't have a jacket on. Finally he puts it down next to his right leg -- she'll never notice it.

CUT TO:

A wider shot as ALEXANDRA reaches the car and gets in on the passenger side. The car pulls away out of frame.

CUT TO:

INT./EXT. RICK'S CAR IN THE CITY - AFTERNOON.

A MEDIUM TWO-SHOT as RICK drives himself and ALEXANDRA to the restaurant.

... and they've rented me an apartment, and I'll even have a company car to drive around in! A nice one, like a BMW, not a Chevette or a Yugo or something like that. And it's supposed to be so beautiful over there.

Won't you miss home at all?

Well... yeah. I'll miss my parents, and I may miss James' college graduation...

She sighs and looks at him squarely. Her tone conveys true regret.

... and of course I'll miss you. This last year together's been really great. It's just that jobs like this don't come up all the time. This is a real opportunity for me.

Yeah... well, I guess I'll manage somehow.

Sure you will. Someone as sweet as you... you shouldn't have any trouble. No trouble.

She leans in to kiss him on the cheek and in doing so, brushes against the jewelry box and knocks it to the driver's side floor.

CUT TO:

A CLOSE-UP of RICK's foot as the box lodges underneath the accelerator.

CUT TO:

MEDIUM SHOT of RICK.<

Damn. Hold on, I have to pull over.

He looks carefully to his right and moves the car over.

CUT TO:

A wide shot as the car pulls over to the curb and stops.

CUT TO:

A MEDIUM SHOT of RICK, over ALEXANDRA's shoulder, as he bends down, picks up the box, and puts it on the seat between them. He flips on his left turn signal and prepares to pull back out into traffic, but stops after a glance in his side mirror. ALEXANDRA turns to look to the left.

Got pretty jammed up all of a sudden.

RICK rolls down his window as an ENGINEER in an orange construction helmet approaches the window, chewing bubble gum.

What's going on?

Sorry, bud. The pavement's buckling up there. We have to work on it right now -- it's not safe to drive on.

How long's it going to be, do you think?

Prob'ly an hour or two. Sorry.

RICK rolls up the window as the ENGINEER wanders off, then turns to ALEXANDRA.

I can try to back out of here.

He looks over his shoulder, but it's no good. Honks begin to sound behind him. He turns back to ALEXANDRA.

Too late. It's backed up already.

Another construction WORKER passes by the car, bearing a large orange sign.

I'm sorry --

CUT TO:

A LONG SHOT of the immediate area -- jampacked with cars.

-- I think we're going to be late for lunch.

CUT TO:

A MEDIUM TWO-SHOT of RICK and ALEXANDRA.

Jesus. Here goes the whole day.

It's my fault. If I hadn't pulled over, we might not have gotten caught in this --

No -- look how far up the street they're working. We probably would have been caught in it anyway. What is that thing, anyway?

What?

This.

She picks up the box and promptly opens it.

Oh, my. It's beautiful. Is it for me?

She looks up at RICK, who finally realizes that his time has come and begins to smile while simultaneouly flushing madly. To his surprise, she is doing the same.

Alex -- there's something I've been wanting to ask you for a long time.

She looks at him breathlessly and we

CUT TO:

An even LONGER SHOT of all the traffic -- bumper to bumper, going nowhere. RICK has all the time he needs.

CUT TO:

INT. ROCKWALL'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT.

The same wide shot of ROCKWALL's living room. ROCKWALL is sitting in his usual chair, in his usual clothes, reading Trump's Art of the Deal. If possible, a fire is burning in the fireplace. HOLD, then enter RICK.

CUT TO:

A HIGH-ANGLE MEDIUM CLOSE-UP of ROCKWALL as he looks up. RICK walks into the frame, back to the camera.

CUT TO:

A LOW-ANGLE MEDIUM CLOSE-UP of RICK as a happy, childlike smile breaks over his face.

I'm engaged.

CUT TO:

The HIGH-ANGLE MEDIUM CLOSE-UP of ROCKWALL as his face fills with emotion. He reaches out of frame for his son and we

CUT TO:

A TWO-SHOT as they embrace. After a few heartfelt moments they disengage.

Son... that's fantastic. How did it happen?

Dad, it was true love in action. Let's just say it was all because of the ring.

What about Alex's job in Geneva...?

She's still going to take it, and I'm going with her. I should be able to find work there. We'll fly back here later for the wedding, though.

I'm going to miss you.

I'll miss you too, dad. Listen, I'd better run back to my apartment and start packing. I'll stop back later to say goodbye. You'll be up, right?

ROCKWALL nods.

Good night, Dad. See you later.

CUT TO:

HE LONG SHOT. After RICK has safely left the room, ROCKWALL gets up and opens a different door into the room (perhaps a closet).

Sorry about that, Kelly.

KELLY emerges from the door. His face is too shadowed for us to identify it.

CUT TO:

A MEDIUM SHOT of ROCKWALL, over KELLY's shoulder. He pulls a number of $100 bills out of his wallet and hands them to KELLY.

Great work today. On short notice, too.

CUT TO:

A CLOSE-UP of KELLY -- a.k.a. the ENGINEER -- as he pockets the money. He is still chewing bubble gum.

No problem, Tony. Always a pleasure doing business with ya.

He winks and turns to go as we

CUT TO:

A MEDIUM CLOSE-UP of ROCKWALL. KELLY can be seen in the background, leaving.

Say, Kelly...

KELLY stops and turns back.

Yeah, Tony?

When you had your boys digging up the street today, did you happen to notice a kind of fat boy without any clothes on shooting arrows around with a bow?

CUT TO:

The LONG SHOT.

Uh, no. I don't think so.

I didn't think so either. Goodnight, Kelly.

KELLY exits, and ROCKWALL returns to his paper, a sly smile on his face.

FADE OUT. CREDITS.

First screened on May 10, 1991 at the Wesleyan University Student Film Festival, Middletown, Connecticut.

Written for the screen, directed and edited by: Michael Chaskes
Director of Photography: Jeremy Arnold
Sound Recordist: Deb Whitney
Music composed and performed by: "E.E. Keys" (Michael Chaskes)
Assistant Camera: Steven Pond
Crew: Louie Maggiotto, Matt Schneider
Set Design/Costume Design: Rebecca Feist

CAST
Rick Rockwall: Jim Kamm
Alexandra: Samantha Atkins
Mr. Rockwall: Charles Rinaldi
Kelly: Andrew Milliot