LOVE (ABRIDGED EDITION)
by Charles Deemer
Story by Mariana Arevalo G.
FADE IN:

EXT. PARK - DAY

MOIRA, 20s, sits on a bench in the park. There's an empty
bench next to hers.

She's reading the personals in a newspaper. We HEAR what
she's reading.

                         MOIRA (V.O.)
             "Successful professional SWM:
             tall, fit, handsome, intelligent,
             secure, confident, honest,
             positive. Has good communication
             skills, sense of humor and
             balance."

Moira shakes her head in disbelief and moves on.

                         MOIRA (V.O.)
             "Rare, slender, nicely integrated
             whole person, spiritual warrior
             to take play to a new level with
             a spiritually mature,
             energetically open friend of the
             heart for whom even lustiness is
             holy. You and I would risk it all
             for the truth. We enjoy intensity
             and adore deep peace."

She looks thoughtful, pausing over this one. Finally she
goes on.

                         MOIRA (V.O.)
             "Look, I'm lonely and you're
             lonely. Sometimes screwing your
             brains out helps to cut  through
             the crap, know what I mean?"

She hears something and looks up. CALE, 20s, has ridden up
on his bicycle and is parking at the adjacent bench.

For a moment, their eyes meet. Cale smiles, and Moira
quickly looks away. Is she blushing?

Cale takes a bottle of juice and a book out of his back pack.
He sits down at the far end of the bench.

Moira is suddenly self-conscious about the personals and
quickly turns to another section of the newspaper.

She sneaks a glance at Cale and imagines a conversation.
 
                                                            2.


                         MOIRA (V.O.)
             What are you reading?

                         CALE (V.O.)
             "War and Peace."

But the book he's reading is a thin paperback.

                         MOIRA (V.O.)
             I thought it was much longer.

                         CALE (V.O.)
             The abridged edition.

Moira quickly looks away.

                         MOIRA (V.O.)
             It always turns out that way with
             men. You think they're the whole
             deal, and they end up being the
             abridged edition.

She looks back at him. Cale notices this and smiles.

                         MOIRA (V.O.)
             You have a lovely smile.

                         CALE (V.O.)
             Thank you. What's your name?

                         MOIRA (V.O.)
             Moira.

                         CALE (V.O.)
             Very pretty. Irish.

Moira quickly looks away. Across the lawn, A YOUNG COUPLE is
embracing, playful flirtation. They kiss.

                         MOIRA (V.O.)
             What has the greatest odds,
             winning the lottery? Or finding
             the right guy?

                         CALE (V.O.)
             How do you know I'm not the right
             guy?

Moira is startled by this.

                         MOIRA (V.O.)
             What?
 
                                                            3.


                         CALE (V.O.)
             You never know unless you get to
             know me, right?

Cale turns a page. He senses something and looks up.

Moira is standing in front of him.

                         CALE
             Can I help you?

                         MOIRA
             I notice you're reading "The
             Bridges Of Madison County."

                         CALE
             Promise not to tell anyone.

                         MOIRA
             I loved it actually.

                         CALE
             The critics hated it.

                         MOIRA
             Who cares what they think? Did
             you see the movie?

                         CALE
             I like the book better. Great
             sound track, though.

                         MOIRA
             I like the book better, too. I
             think what saves it from being
             sentimental is the way it's set up.

                         CALE
             Right, exactly. The stuff about
             her kids finding the diary, all
             that didn't work as well in the
             movie.

                         MOIRA
             Not that sentimentality is
             necessarily bad.

                         CALE
             I know what you mean. I'm Cale,
             by the way.
 
                                                            4.


                         MOIRA
             Nice to meet you. Well, I'd
             better let you get back to your
             book.

She turns to go back to her bench.

                         CALE
             Moira?

                         MOIRA
             Yes?

                         CALE
             I don't know how to say this
             without being forward.

                         MOIRA
             Forward works.

                         CALE
             Are you free for dinner tonight?

INT. MOIRA'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT

A SERIES OF SHOTS

as Moira tries on one outfit after another, looking for the
perfect dress for the evening.

EXT. CITY - RESTAURANT - NIGHT

A cab pulls up in front of a restaurant. Moira gets out.

INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT

She enters and looks around.

A doorway leads to the bar, where Cale is waiting for her.
He waves.

INT. BAR - NIGHT

It's a bar with a small stage and a small dance floor.

Maybe A SALOON SINGER is at a piano, playing and singing
standards. If not, a juke box is playing them.

A few COUPLES, mostly older, are dancing on a small dance
floor.

Moira joins Cale.
 
                                                            5.


                         CALE
             Do you mind if we do things in a
             weird order?

                         MOIRA
             What do you mean?

                         CALE
             Dance first and eat later.

Moira doesn't know what to say.

                         CALE
             It builds an appetite.

INT. BAR - DANCE FLOOR - NIGHT

Moira and Cale dance. They look great on the dance floor
together, if younger than the other couples.

They dance closer. Moira closes her eyes and puts her head
on Cale's shoulder.

INT. BAR - DANCE FLOOR - NIGHT - LATER

Dancing to another tune, another standard.

                         CALE
             This music too old-fashioned for
             you?

Moira shrugs.

                         CALE
             I think so.

INT. ROCK CLUB - NIGHT

Moira and Cale on a dance floor, rocking out to a loud band.

They still dance well together.

EXT. CITY - STREET - NIGHT

They walk along the street.

                         CALE
             You starving yet?

                         MOIRA
             I'm getting there.
 
                                                            6.


                         CALE
             Can you hold off a little while
             longer?

                         MOIRA
             You look like a man with a plan.

                         CALE
             You read minds, too.

A SERIES OF SHOTS

of Moira and Cale on their date.

1. They ride on a carousel.

2. They throw pennies into a pond.

3. They walk through a garden or other scenic spot.

4. They watch a STREET PERFORMER. Cale tips him a dollar.

INT. ANOTHER STREET - NIGHT

They walk along another street. Cale suddenly stops. He
looks like he has something important to say.

                         CALE
             Here's the plan.

                         MOIRA
             There's more?

                         CALE
             We do take-out. Can you handle it?

Moira starts to speak but doesn't. She looks disappointed.

                         MOIRA (V.O.)
             How typical. He wants to end a
             romantic evening with take-out!
             Just when you think you've found
             the whole guy, you find out he's
             abridged.

                         CALE
             Trust me on this.

INT. ALL-NIGHT DELI - NIGHT

Cale orders as Moira looks on. She looks disappointed.

Cale catches her eye and smiles. Moira forces a smile in
return.
 
                                                            7.


INT. PARK - NIGHT

Cale carries the package of take-out.

They enter the same park where they met.

                         MOIRA
             You have a thing for this park?

Cale stops. He sets down the package.

                         MOIRA
             What are you doing?

                         CALE
             Of course I have a thing for this
             park. It's where I met you.

He slowly moves forward and kisses her.

Moira lets herself be kissed. Then she kisses back.

                         MOIRA (V.O.)
             Wow.

EXT. PARK - BENCH - NIGHT

They sit on the bench where they met, eating the take-out.

Cale feeds Moira.

Moira feeds Cale.

Take-out has never been more romantic.

Suddenly Moira's CELL PHONE RINGS.

She looks startled. It RINGS again.

                         CALE
             Want me to throw it in the bushes
             for you?

And it RINGS again.

EXT. PARK - BENCH - DAY

Moira on the bench as before, her cell phone RINGING.

She answers it. Too late.

She looks at the adjacent bench.

The bench is empty.
 
                                                            8.


                         MOIRA (V.O.)
             SWF, 20s, frustrated, maybe
             unbalanced, certainly confused,
             spends a lot of time in the park
             reading the personals and
             hallucinating about romantic
             evenings with a stranger named
             Cale.

She starts to pack up to go. She stands up.

Approaching is Cale on his bike. He has TWO cups of coffee
in an egg carton. He stops.

                         CALE
             Would you like a cup of coffee?

FADE OUT