o0ZLe p00l!

12

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

Bugs finally gets up and walks away from the Monte Carlo Apartment complex.

Fido hurries up from behind and walks along side the wanderer. "Where are you going?"

"Away."

"Away? From the woman you love? From a daughter you never knew you had?"

"I've got to think about it all?"

"What's to think about. You're acting like a wuss."

Bugs turns and barks at Fido, "Where I go, I go alone! Kick rocks dogbreath."

"You know if you get rid of me for a few hours, I'll just come back."

"I'll just shake you again."

"You can't run. I'm a part of you. Rose too. Especially Jacki."

"I'm all alone. That's how it is. That's how I like it!"

"You're a big baby."

An electric hedge trimmer has been left by a row of shrubs. Bugs picks it up, turns it on and swings it repeatedly at Fido. The dog dodges it. Grease Squirt approaches from further down the sidewalk close enough to look.

Bugs  screams,  "LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE ME ALONE! "

A mom and her Kid watch from their porch as Bugs swings the big hedge trimmer wildly, first at Fido, then in every direction. He looks like a crazed killer from The Texas Hedge Trimmer Massacre.

"I DiDN't AsK tO Be BorN!!!"

"No one did." Fido mutters. He nods at Grease Squirt. "Restrain this fool. Oozle Pool him."

The black dummy shakes his head. "He's already stuck to Jacki and Rose. Just let him lick his wounds."

Bugs drops the trimmer and catches his breath. Then he drags himself to the bus stop, sits and hangs his head low.

Fido calmly tells him, "You'll never be alone. Everyone is a shadow of everything else: And vice versa. It all connects."

Bugs lays on the bus stop in the fetal position again. Once more, traffic goes by and clouds roll past in fast motion.

Late in the afternoon Bugs gets up and braces himself. Then he proceeds back in the direction from which he came.

Bugs walks past the stucco wall into the Monte Carlo apartment complex.

He goes to her building, up the stairs, to her apartment and knocks on the door. She opens it after a moment.

Rose looks at him, shakes her head and says , "What happened to you?"

"Drunk Ass Dad threw me under a bus."

"I told you to leave."

"I want to talk to Jacki."

"Forget about it."

"Please."

"You're a retard."

"I'm not retarded. I'm insane. But at least I know it."

Rose asks, "Do you remember what happened before you got recommitted after you escaped?"

"I don't."

"I was glad you were out. I still liked you. Maybe I loved you, till you burnt the DA of Elk County's house."

"That's why you don't love me anymore? Cause I burned a house. I don't remember." Bugs looks baffled.

"Not cause of that. But because you did it to get money for that whore you wanted to fuck, from that President of the Brown Bandidos, the leader of the motorcycle gang gave you 5 grand to torch the District Attorney's house. And while you were on the run you never even came and saw me and Jacki."

"I-don't-remember-any-of-this."

"That's no excuse."

"I get real confused. I'm way past scared."

"And you think you're the only one with problems. Sure, pull the crazy act and get sent somewhere where they'll just take care of you and you don't have to work, pay bills or take care of Jacki."

Bugs protests,"I-don't-know-what's-going-on."

"Tell some one who gives a flying fuck."

"I want to talk to my daughter."

"Tough shit. We were kids when I got pregnant. I don't know how many husbands your mom had before she met my dad, who I refuse to talk to. I'm tired of this fucked up dysfunctional family bullshit." Rose, rigid, wipes a tear away. "She's at the handball court, or somewhere, anyway."

A voice calls from in the apartment, "Who you talking to, Rose?"

"A Jehovah's Witness, Billy. I'm getting rid of him."

"Leave, now," Rose orders.

"Where's the handball court?" Bugs asks.

A macho husky woman in a wife beater comes to the door and looks Bugs over. "You aint no Jehovah's Witness." Billy looks at Rose. "What the fuck?"

"This is Bugs, Billy, Jacki's father."

"The nutbucket?"

"Yeah," Rose confirms.

Billy rushes up and pushes Bugs hard. "Shove off, pal!" she yells.

"Where's my daughter?" Bugs screams back.

Bugs holds Billy away at arm's length as the woman swings. Rose grabs a metal wastecan from in the apartment and brings it down toward Bugs' head. He grabs it and holds it there. Billy gets a couple licks in until Bugs pulls the can from Rose and blocks Billy's swings. All 3 growl and yell. Rose ducks in the apartment and returns instantly with a tazer. Billy sees and backs off.

Rose steps in quick and zaps Bugs. He spasms. She keeps giving him the juice. He goes color neg/pos/neg/pos/neg/pos. Bugs quickly becomes Fido/Grease Squirt/Bugs/Fido/Grease Squirt until he lays there, unconscious.

Billy and Rose look down at Bugs.

Billy scratches her head. "What do we do with him?"

2 Police Officers walk up to the apartment.

"Ok, what's the story?"

"He threatened us. He wouldn't leave. We had to taze him officer."

"I need to see some ID."

"Oh shit," Rose whispers. She gets out her wallet.

The other cop bends down and shakes Bugs. He's out cold. The officer puts his ear to the psycho's mouth and listens.

"He's breathing. I'll call 911."

Rose gives her ID to the 1st cop, "I'm on parole, sir."

"I've got to take you in," the cop states with detached authority.

The 2nd cop calls 911 on his cop radio, "We need paramedics at the Monte Carlo Apartments on El Dorado and Wrightwood, Building 2, apartment 2 E. It's an unconscious tazer victim."

Billy bristles with suppressed self righteous fury. "This freak terrorized us!"

"It'll all get worked out, Miss," the stonefaced 1st officer says.

"Billy, please relax. It's automatic. I get 90 days. No police contact means exactly that, whether I'm right or wrong. Social Services will put Jacki in a foster home till I get out."

"I won't put the cuffs on if you come peacefully," cop #1 tells Rose.

"IT AINT FAIR!!!" Billy spits in the 1st cop's face.

The 2nd cop snaps up behind Billy, puts her in a chokehold and slaps the cuffs on. "Now you're charged with assault, sweety."

The paramedic wagon siren wails and gets louder.

The 2nd cop starts to drag Billy to the stairs. Rose follows them  just ahead of the 1st cop.  2 paramedics come up the stairs.

"He's right over there at the apartment door. Thanks," the 1st cop tells the medics.

Bugs lays there throughout all this, unconscious.