Poetic Justice

IESHA (O.S.)

No.

Justice begins cleaning up her station.

THE COUNTER

Where Heywood gets off the phone. From the look on his face he has heard some terrible news.

JESSIE

What'd they say?

Heywood crosses over to the couch, where he sits with his head down. Jessie goes over to console him.

THE WALL PHONE

Where Iesha is on the phone with Chicago.

IESHA

(with attitude)

What you want? Ah, huh. Ah, huh. Yeah, I'm wit it. We got a hair show to go to up there anyway.

CHICAGO (O.S.)

Bring one'o your friends too. A Ane one.

IESHA

What you mean, a Ane one? You trying to say I got ugly friends?

Justice and Iesha make eye contact. Both smile. Suddenly in the background on Justice, we see and hear police lights converge on some brothers across the street. This catches Justice's attention.

BACK TO COUCH

Where Jessie is still consoling Heywood. Behind them out the window are the police.

JESSIE

What the hell they doing now?! I'm as glad as hell we getting outta here tomorrow.

JUSTICE

(walks up)

What's wrong?

Heywood gets up and walks away. Jessie stands. Justice joins Jessie at the window. Both stand in profile. Red and blue flashes of light flow across their faces. There are people leaving the shop throughout this scene.

JESSIE

You got your styles together for tha Oakland Show?

JUSTICE

(demure)

Yeah. I'ma play with Lisa and Gena's heads. If they like it, they like it. If they don't, they don't.

JESSIE

So you riding with us? You know we got us a little caravan going.

Justice nods. Jessie notices the stress on her face.

JESSIE

Justice. I know I ain't your momma. Hell, I ain't even old enough to be that. But we pretty close, and sometimes we talk like sisters. I just gotta tell ya, baby... you gotta move on... A man ain't nothin but a tool. You got to know when to take 'em out tha box and when to put 'em back in. And if ya lose one – well, you just... go get another... Take a chance, do somethin different for a change. There's always another man somewheres out here.

(looks out the window)

You gotta know sometimes you gonna lose one.

(matter offactly)

Like a blow dryer or a good brush. What I gotta do? Play Momma to everybody in this shop?

Justice thinks, looks down for a moment, then out the window once more.

BACK TO THE STALLS

Where we see Dexter, Heywood, and four other stylists: Marine, Colette, Lisa, and Gena.

DEXTER

Where's my blow dryer! I'm tired of all my shit disappearing alla time!

HEYWOOD

(coolly)

Calm down. Calm down. Here it is. I borrowed it for a wrap I had to do this morning.

DEXTER

Heywood! Why you always borrowing my shit without asking?!

HEYWOOD

I asked you for it this morning, and you said yes. Why are you crying over it like a bitch?

DEXTER

Who you calling a bitch? If anybody's a bitch, you a bitch!

HEYWOOD

Excuse me? You wan some? Maybe you forget I was Golden Gloves. You catchin me on tha wrong muthafuckinday.

MAXINE

All right. All right. Dexter! As much as you talk and you borrow everybody else's stuff alla time.

(looks over his tools)

Like my brush right here.

Maxine walks away. As she does, we notice the round beautiful fullness of her bootay. Her hair is dyed blood red.

DEXTER

I was gonna give it to ya, Maxine, I just got distracted. Mmm-mmm.

HEYWOOD

Shit, I was wrestlin champ at Crenshaw High School.

JUSTICES STALL

Where she and Iesha meet up once more. Iesha begins playing with her new braids in tha mirror.

JUSTICE

So what your new man talking bout?

IESHA

He want me to go onna run with 'em.

(starts scrutinizing her hair)

This is good now. I don't haveta be messing around with it. Just walk out tha house – ya know.

JUSTICE

Yeah. What's a run?

IESHA

Oh, you know what a run is.

Iesha keeps fixing her hair. It is apparent that she is luring Justice's curiosity. Justice takes the bait.

JUSTICE

(pulls Iesha's hand away from her head)

No, I don't. And stop messing with it. What's a run? He ain't no slanger is he?

IESHA

A run... is, well, it's like this. You really wanna know?

Justice gives her a frustrated look.

IESHA

Well, you know my boyfriend Chicago, right?

CUT TO:

EXT. THE POST OFFICE – DUSK

Where we see Chicago point at a truck and sign a rec order. "That one," he says. He is brushing his head with a flat brush and arguing with an Oriental co-worker.

IESHA (V.O.)

You know he work at the post office and all. The one on Century and Van Ness. Well, every so often he and his friend at work, they have to drive up to Oakland in this mail truck, see.

INT. JESSIE'S SALON – DUSK – BACK TO SCENE

IESHA

You listening?

JUSTICE

(her interest apparently lost)

Yeah.

In the background the other stylists are leaving. A few of them say goodbye to Justice before they go. Justice resumes cleaning her station. Her interest in Iesha's proposal is lost.

IESHA

(attempting to persuade)

Well, we get in this mail truck and we drive up the coast, get drunk, eat Mexican food, and just have a good time. It's fun!

(seeing no effect)

You ain't having it, huh?

JUSTICE

No, I'm not. That is too to the curb. How am I gonna look like riding in some mail truck? What you doing seeing some mailman, anyway? You know they don't make no money! What he gonna do for you? Mail your bills for free?!

Iesha folds her arms in defiance of Justice's comments.

IESHA
(frustrated with Justice)

How come you don't ever wanna have no fun no more? Girl, the world is just one big place waitin for us to go out and fuck up in it. You gonna end up being a straight spinster.

We see Justice's face. She is definitely looking more hardened. Iesha pulls a wad of money out of her pocket and gives it to Justice.

IESHA

(walking out)

Later. Thanks. You a Straight Buster!

Jessie comes up.

JESSIE

What she all mad about?

JUSTICE

Nuthin.

We hear on the salon's radio the beginning of "What You See, Is What You Get!"
 

JESSIE

Listen, meet us at my place at eight o'clock tomorrow. Come on, let's close up.

WE PAN over to reveal Heywood dancing. He goes over to Jessie, and they start to dance. Justice is left standing alone.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. JESSIE'S SALON – DUSK

As we see Justice, Jessie, and Heywood close the shop. Justice pulls the iron gate closed and secures its front. Jessie locks the locks. A car cruises by, and we hear some bumping sounds of hip-hop music coming from the inside speakers as well as the voices of some brothers shouting out compliments to these two beautiful sistahs. We also hear Heywood go on about how he loves himself, how life is beautiful. He tells Justice, "See, that's your problem, Justice. You don't love yourself."

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. JUSTICE'S HOME – NIGHT

It looks though it was decorated by her grandmother, which in fact it was. We notice a portrait of an elderly woman with similar features as Justice. There are also more than a few clocks around, one grandfather clock and a large twenty-four-hour sandclock are prominent. Justice has nothing but time on her hands. The air is full of ticking mingled with the sound of the outside streets. We dissolve through these images and slide into...

INT. BATHROOM – NIGHT

We START outside the doorwity and SLOWLY MOVE IN, invading Justice's privacy. Justice is busy rolling her hair in the mirror. She is alone. She looks at her face in the mirror. She is a mess. She lets her mind wander as she looks at the cold tile floor. Suddenly, Justice thinks she hears something. PAN from mirror to her face as she hears the sound.

INT. HALLLWAY – NIGHT

Where Justice quietly stalks. She is nervous as hell. The sounds of the clocks become more prominent as she moves forward. Justice's POV moving forward, as she walks down the stairs.

THE DOORWAY

Where Justice stands. Someone is on the other side. We hear a slight scratch, then silence. Quiet tension. This is broken up by the sound of a friendly meow. Justice opens the door, and a big white cat enters.

JUSTICE

White Boy! C'mere.

She picks him up. Pets him, then he pulls away with a screech and runs offscreen.

JUSTICE

Yeah, you just like a boy. I should have you fixed.

THE LIVING ROOM

Where Justice picks up the remote control to turn on the television. On the screen is Bet's Midnight Love. There is a montage of romantic R&B videos. A flash of static and we...

CUT TO:

INT. IESHA'S APARTMENT – NIGHT

We see Iesha and Chicago do a smooth, close, sexy Ragamuffln dance. We hear some Ragamuffin music in the background.

INT. JUTICE'S LIVING ROOM – NIGHT BACK TO JUSTICE

Justice seems dissatisfied. She turns the television off. Across the room we see Justice sitting at the piano. She looks bored.

CLOSE ON the piano keys as Justice presses a low-note key. The sound transcends us into the next scene.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. JUSTICE'S LIVING ROOM – NIGHT

As we see Justice looking through a collection of 45 records. She picks out one.

THE RECORD PLAYER

As the record begins to spin. The first few bars of Stevie Wonder's "I Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" float into the air.

JUSTICE

As she begins to groove to the music. She walks toward the kitchen.

INT. JUSTICE'S HOME – NIGHT – VARIOUS ANGLES

Of the empty rooms within the house.

INT. JUSTICE'S KITCHEN – NIGHT

Where she makes popcorn. Pours it in a bowl, then pours tabasco sauce on it.

EXT. JUSTICE HOME – NIGHT – THROUGH THE WINDOW FROM OUTSIDE

From a voyeuristic POV we see Justice grooving to the music and eating her popcorn. She picks up a candy bar off a table.

INT. JUSTICE'S HOME – NIGHT – HACK INSIDE

Justice stops dancing, candy bar in her mouth. She looks around for a moment and then into a mirror. Everything seems hue, then out of nowhere she bursts into tears. She cries a few tears for a few seconds, then wipes them away.

THE TELEPHONE

Justice picks up the receiver and enters some digits.

INT. IESHA'S APARTMENT – NIGHT

We see a pair of lips that turn out to be a telephone as Iesha picks up the receiver, and we follow it to reveal her and Chicago in bed together, Iesha lies on her stomach with Chicago on top. Tha skins are definitely on. Chicago is wearing nothing except it Chicago Bulls fisherman's cap. Ragamuffin music is playing in the background mon.

IESHA

Who dis? Oh, what's up, girl? You change your mind?... Somethin wrong?

INT. JUSTICE'S HOME – NIGHT

JUSTICE

No. No, girl, I just wanted to talk.