Poetic Justice

LUCKY

My cousin Kalil.

JUSTICE

(matter of factly)

He's flowing.

LUCKY

I give him ideas and stuff sometimes. That's who I'm going to see now. We got this music thing going.

CHICAGO

(sarcastic)

It's all right.

LUCKY

Fuck you, bitch. Why you always got something negative to say?! At least the nigga's creative!

CHICAGO

I'm creative! I know how to dress.

LUCKY

That ain't shit. You just a post-office-working nigga can't even get into the union. What you got?

CHICAGO

What you got? Just cause you in the union don't mean shit !

JUSTICE

Why y'all always fightin? I thought y'all was friends?

CHICAGO

We ain't friends. We just work at the same place.

There is a pause. No one but the air moves. Iesha is restless. She gets up. Sobriety gives way to silliness. She stands and begins stomping on the ground and slapping her legs. She continues to do the "shake it to the east/shake it to the west" cheer.

IESHA

(to Justice)

Remember this?! Audubon Junior High?! "Shake it to tha east, shake it to tha west – it really doesn't matter who shakes the best!"

Justice joins in. The Two Guys just look at them crazy.

CUT TO:

INT. THE TRUCK – DAY

Chicago and Iesha poke their heads through the back. Everybody seems to be in a good mood. Iesha is telling a joke.

IESHA

So we up in heaven, right? And it's Judgment Day. And this brother goes up to the gate. The angel at the gate says, "How many times did you cheat on your wife?" The brother says, "I never cheated on my wife." So the angel checks the book and says, "You're right." So the brother rolls on into heaven in a Rolls-Royce... So another brother comes in and he says, "I can't lie. I cheated on my wife once." So the angel checks the book, and he rolls on into heaven in a Cadillac... So then this other brother comes in and he's a straight-up hoe, and he tells the angel, "Well, I can't remember how many times I cheated on my wife." So he goes and rolls into heaven on a bike. So now he's in heaven and he's just pedaling along, and he rolls by the brother in tha Rolls, who is crying. So the brother on the bike says, "Why you crying? You rollin through heaven in a Rolls-Royce." And the brother in the Rolls says, "I just passed my wife on roller skates!"

Everybody laughs.

JUSTICE

(looks at Lucky)

You need to clean them nails. Get a manicure. Plenty men do it. Football players, basketball players. They all come in the shop.

EXT. THE ROAD – DAY

LUCKY (V.O.)

You out your mind!

Where we see the truck shoot up past a beautiful California backdrop.

EXT. ALICE'S RESTAURANT – DAY

Where we see Jessie's Lexus roll up, as well as the other car with the girls inside.

HEYWOOD (V.O.)

Finally! I could eat a horse!

JESSIE (V.O.)

From the looks this place, they probably have that on the menu.

They get out of the car and walk toward the restaurant.

THE TERRACE – OUTSIDE

Where some bikers sit eating lunch.

BIKER

So I said, Fuck that! got on my bike – ran 'em over!

He picks up a bottle of Evian and takes a squig.

INT. ALICE'S RESTAURANT – DAY – ANOTHER ANGLE – JESSIE'S POV

As we go into the cafe on the backs of Heywood and Dexter, who part to reveal a cafe full of bikers, motorists, and a Waitress. Jessie looks her up and down. The sound of Steely Dan 's "No Static at All" flows through the room. There is definitely a bohemian atmosphere here.

REVERSE ANGLE – JESSIE

Checking out the place.

WAITRESS

(instant attitude)

How many?

JESSIE

Seven, please. Smoking section. I gotta have a cigarette.

WAITRESS

There is no smoking section.

JESSIE

I see. Just gimme a seat then.

WAITRESS

You can have that table over there once it's cleaned off.

THE TABLE

Where a man begins setting the table.

DEXTER

(to Heywood)

Man, why you always rubbing your stomach?

Jessie playfully rubs Heywood's stomach. The Waitress comes back. The Waitress begins walking to a table across the room. Jessie and party follow.

DEXTER

Maybe we should go to an AMIPM on the way. I'm not that hungry.

JESSIE

I don't want no frozen food, no chips. I need something hot to eat. Besides, these folks need to see some Black people Sometimes. Wake 'em! Pick'em up! Give something interesting to talk about.

THE TABLE

Where they arrive and pick up menus. Jessie begins to look in a menu as she notices behind her a couple, white, twenty-something, who are arguing. Everybody else at the table looks over at the couple too. Jessie ignores this and begins to select from the menu.

HEYWOOD

I like this. Healthy food. Good people.

MAXINE

They got avocado salad. I love avocadoes.

JESSIE

Anyway. Make sure we got some tabasco sauce at this table. You know they food don't have no taste to it. She looks in her purse, pulls out a pack of cigarettes, picks one out, and lights up.

ANOTHER TABLE

Where the Waitress takes another order. She keeps looking toward Jessie and Co.

DEXTER

Jessie, you know this is the nonsmoking section.

MAXINE

Look. Look. Girlfriend is tryin to decide whether or not to come and tell you to put it out.

We see the Waitress at the other table. She is definitely looking in Jessie's direction.

JESSIE

She better just keep thinking.

WAITRESS'S POV

The Waitress begins walking toward Jessie. At the end of the shot she comes to the front of the table, just as Jessie lets out a cool puff of smoke and gives a look as if to say "What the hell you want?"

HEYWOOD

Oh look, baby's got some courage. Here she comes.

ANGLE

The Waitress arrives at the table.

WAITRESS

You have to put your cigarette out. You're ruining the environment.

THE KITCHEN

Where we see Arlo Guthrie flipping burgers on the grill and smoking a joint.

BACK TO SCENE

JESSIE

(ignoring her)

I'm almost Anished. Gotta satisfy my nic-fit. Be done in a sec.

WAITRESS

I'm not gonna take your order if you smoke.

JESSIE

(looks up)

Well then, you can just stand there and wait until I finish my smoke.

WAITRESS

You are disturbing other customers.

JESSIE

(turns around to the other table)

You mind?

The couple nods they don't mind.

JESSIE

(to her entourage)

You mind?

Everybody at the table nods their approval.

JESSIE

(sarcastically)

Thank you.

The Waitress storms away as if she has been personally insulted.

JESSIE

With her Farrah Fawcett 1977 hairdo. This place is a time warp.

They all laugh loudly. Jessie continues to smoke.

BACK TO TABLE

DEXTER

I think we should go.

JESSIE

Dexter, calm down. I ain't gonna let you get lynched. This ain't Mississippi.

(opens her purse)

You see that?

We see a.38 pistol inside her purse.

JESSIE

I got it all under control. I don't play. Ask Maxine. You remember what I did to that nigga in Riverside that grabbed my booty?

HEYWOOD

(changing subject)

I wonder what happened to Justice?

COLETTE

I feel kinda bad she had to drive up by herself.

JESSIE

She ain't by herself. She probably with Iesha. Justice – now there's a girl who's got some problems.

INT. MONTEREY AQUARIUM – DAY – UNDERWATER

We see a montage of different beautiful tropical fish.

JESSIE (V.O.)

Don't wanna go nowhere, don't wanna have no fun, ain't seeing nobody...

We cut to a dolphin swimming toward frame, then PAN over to reveal Justice looking through an underwater viewing room.

JESSIE (V.O.)

I think she need a boyfriend. Justice looks over toward...

LUCKY

Who is looking in another tank. He turns to look at Justice.

INT. ALICES RESTAURANT – DAY – BACK TO CAFE

Jessie pauses. Thinks. Puts out her cigarette and turns toward the Waitress.

JESSIE

Hey! Farrah! come over here and take my order!

CUT TO:

EXT. AN OULET CALM BEAUTIFUL BEACH – DAY

We see an empty beach, dunes, flat sand. We PAN to reveal the mail truck parked on the sand. In the distance are four Agures. Justice, Lucky, Iesha, and Chicago. No one speaks. Everybody is doing their own thing. All we can hear is the voice of the Pacific Ocean. Justice sits on the sand, sifting it through her hands like a funnel. We hear her thoughts as she looks out onto the ocean.

JUSTICE (V.O.)

A wise man once said, you should look at the ocean and realize that no matter how famous you are, or how much money you make, you should know that you will never be as important as the ocean... Damn, why didn't I go to college? Grandmomma would roll two times in her grave if she saw me now.

(looks toward Lucky)

Hmmm, he look kinda good. I know he got a kid, though. Look at him. He look like the type that got a baby stashed away somewheres.

Lucky and Chicago are throwing rocks, seeing who can make a rock skip the farthest. We hear Lucky's thoughts.

LUCKY (V.O.)

She's kinda cute. Got a nice little frame. Maybe I should get that number, see how that bootie works... I wonder what Kalil's doing?

Iesha is playing in the warm sand. She has dug a hole and has placed her feet into it.

IESHA (V.O.)

I wonder if my momma picked up my clothes from the cleaners... Oh, I know what I gotta do when I get back. I gotta call Terry with his fine ass. Ask him to take me shoppin.

Chicago is throwing rocks in the water.

CHICAGO (V.O.)

I need to just let her ass go... Fuck it! I can just go and get me another bitch. I'm a good-looking nigga. I got a job. Income. Car. Apartment. My shit is set.

Chicago turns to look at Iesha. Note: Chicago in foreground, Iesha in background.

IESHA

Looks up at Chicago as if to say, "What the fuck you looking at?" Chicago turns back around to continue throwing rocks. Iesha turns to Justice.

IESHA

I'ma quit Chicago. His ass is L7 soon.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE ROAD – DAY

The truck shoots past a beautiful expanse of California farmland.

INT. THE TRUCK – DAY – MOVING THE BACK

Where Iesha and Chicago sit. Both look bored. Iesha's legs and arms are folded. Chicago gets up and looks into a bag and pulls out a couple of letters. He begins to open a few of them. Iesha looks surprised.