Poetic Justice

INT. IESHA'S APARTMENT BEDROOM – NIGHT – BACK TO IESHA

CHICAGO

(whispers)

Get off tha phone. Get off tha phone.

(louder)

She busy!

IESHA

I'm talking to my friend, you mind?!

(rolls her eyes and reaches into a bag of Fritos)

Listen, J, I'm kinda busy. Could you call me back later?

JUSTICE (O.S.)

Yeah.

Iesha hangs up the phone.

CHICAGO

Finally.

IESHA

(getting up)

What you mean? You wasn't doing nuthin anyway!

INT. JUSTICE'S LIVING ROOM – NIGHT

Where she sits. Her eyes wander around the room and then rest on her cat across the way. The cat looks back at her, then turns around and walks away into the hallway. Justice shakes her head. Then her eyes settle on something else.

THE COFFEE TABLE

Where we move up on her notebook.

JUSTICE

As she wipes a few more tears away and reaches for her notebook.

INT. LUCKY'S HOUSE – NIGHT – A NOTEBOOK

As we see it being opened. Its pages are ratty. We notice its pages are colored with children's drawings: A family, a dog, a house.

THE LIVING ROOM

Where we see Lucky lying on the couch like a potato watching television. In the foreground Keisha lies on the floor drawing in her notebook.

ON TELEVISION

Is one of those Tom Foo Infomercials. He's that Chinese guy who sits on a boat with a lot of pretty women (a white) and says, "You can be rich too. "We can't tell if Lucky is looking at this or is lost in his own thoughts. He mumbles a rhyme about Black business versus Korean exploitation.

KEISHA

As she looks at the screen. We hear a helicopter go overhead as its spotlight flows into the room. Keisha reacts to it with indifference and continues to draw. Lucky calmly cuts his eyes in that direction. The Light gets his attention and prompts him to get up and make a phone call.

LUCKY

Operator? Yeah, give me Oakland, please. Area code 415.

INT. COUSIN KALIL'S SOUND LAB – OAKWVD – NIGHT

Where we travel past a ringing phone and some sound equipment to reveal a picture of a young man. Our attention settles on his eyes. This is Lucky's cousin, Kalil.

SUDDENLY WE HEAR THE SOUND OF GUNSHOTS.

INT. LUCKY'SLIVING ROOM – NIGHT – BACK TO LUCKY

He takes his ear away from the phone and looks in the direction the shots were coming from. There is some question as to which end of the telephone the shots came from.

CLOSE ON LUCKY'S FACE

He looks up in the direction of the gunshots and down on the floor.

THE FLOOR – LUCKY'S POV

Where Keisha is rolled up in a ball.

LUCKY

(hanging up phone)

Go to bed.

Keisha gets up and goes toward the bedroom. Lucky looks at her exit, then goes toward the window and looks outside the blinds. On the TV in the background is the Life Alert commercial, "I've fallen and I can't get up." We see Lucky through the blinds in the foreground and the TV in the background.

THE DOORWAY

Where a woman enters. She is a short, medium-size woman, with a pretty but hardened face. The light in her eyes says she still has some humor left. This is Annie, Lucky's mother. She has a bag of groceries in hand.

LUCKY

Hi, Momma! Need some help?

ANNIE

Just like you to offer help when I only got one bag... So are you going up north to see Kalil this weekend?

LUCKY

Yeah, look like we finally gonna get this music thing going. Tryin to hook somebody up to listen to these tapes – so I won't haveta be doing this post office shit no more.

ANNIE

Don't be cursing around me. Who you think I am, one'a your friends? Be glad you got an honest job. And don't be wearing out your welcome, going to Oakland every other weekend. You know how your Aunt Audrey can get!

LUCKY

It's not even like that, Momma.

(sighs in frustration)

THE KITCHEN

Where Annie enters and begins to load the refrigerator up with goods. Lucky comes into the background.

LUCKY

Keisha's here.

Annie begins to glow with the mention of her grandchild.

ANNIE

Really? How's my grandbaby doing?

LUCKY

She fine. I want her to stay here, for good.

Annie reacts to this.

LUCKY

Angel been fucking up bad. Basing.

A pause. Silence. Neither of them says anything. Lucky begins to walk back toward the living room.

ANNIE

Are you gonna take care of her?

Lucky turns around. He thinks.

INT. KEISHA'S ROOM – NIGHT – CLOSE ON KEISHA

In bed under covers.

CUT TO:

LUCKY

LUCKY

Yeah.

He walks away.

INT. LUCKY'S LIVING ROOM – NIGHT – BACK TO THE LIVING ROOM

Where Lucky gets closer to the television and turns on the Sega Genesis Joe Montana Football Game. He begins playing.

ANNIE (O.S.)

Well, you just remember, that's your baby. I'm done raising kids! You need to quit playing them video games and figure out what you gonna do with your life. Time ain't forever!

LUCKY'S FACE

AS WE MOVE into his face as he plays. We hear bass beats get louder and louder, then boom! We smash cut to...

INT. JUSTICE'S HOME – MORNING – MONTAGE

Of Justice preparing to go on the trip to Oakland. The music we hear comes from her living room stereo.

INT. JUSTICE'S BEDROOM – DAY

Where she throws her Louis Vuitton luggage bag. Several articles of clothing follow into the bag.

INT. JUSTICE'S LIVING ROOM – DAY – THE TABLE

Where Justice arranges her cosmetology tools by order of preference and priority. We hear her mumble "I need this, and this, and this."

INT. JUSTICE'S HAT ROOM – DAY

When we see Justice look around in a room full of hats. She picks up a baseball cap with her name "JUSTICE" on the front.

INT. JUSTICE'S LIVING ROOM – DAY – ANOTHER SETUP: THE LIVING ROOM

She runs frantically into frame. We quickly MOVE into her as she turns around and thinks for a moment.

EXT. JUSTICE'S HOME – DAY – THE FRONT PORCH

Where Justice fills a large dog bowl full of Meow Mix cat food. Her cat comes into frame at her feet and begins surveying this feast. When Justice goes back inside, her cat is joined by no less than eight other neighborhood cats.

INT. JUSTICES HOME – DAY

Justice turns off the stereo and grabs her keys.

EXT. JUSTICE'S HOME – THE FRONT WALKWAY – MORNING

Where Justice walks in a quick hustle toward her car. She turns off the alarm with a key-chain button. The car shouts out in an electronic voice, "Disarmed"

ANOTHER ANGLE

As Justice tries to start up her car. It won't start. She hits the dashboard in frustration and thinks for a moment.

INT. JUSTICE'S HOME – DAY – THE KITCHEN

Where we see Justice on the telephone. We hear the phone ringing on the other end.

INT. JESSIE'S APARTMENT – DAY – JESSE'S ANSWERING MACHINE

Which clicks on. We hear some smooth R&B music, then Jessie's voice. Over this we see the following images.

JESSIE (V.O.)

(sexy voice)

Hi. This is me. If you don't know who me is, then you have no business calling me.

THE LIVING ROOM

Where we see Jessie's meticulous but uniquely furnished apartment. Her place is just like her: polished, and all about the look.

JESSIE (V.O.)

If you do know who me is, then you can do me a favor.

JESISIE'S BEDROOM

Where we see her large ornate bed. What tales it could tell if it could speak.

EXT. JESSIE'S APARTIMENT – DAY

Where we see Jessie leaning up against her car, a 1 992 Lexus. She takes the last toke of her cigarette and throws it on the ground and extinguishes it with her sharp-ass shoes. In the background we hear Heywood say, "We been waiting for half an hour. She ain't coming! Let her catch up!"

Jessie gets in the car and drives away as Justice's voice clicks in on her machine.

JESSIE (V.O.)

Leave me a message. Okay? Thank you.

JUSTICE (V.O.)

Jessie, it's me, Justice. You there? Well, I'm running a...

(she decides it's futile)

... Shit!

INT. JUSTICE'S HOME – DAY – ANOTHER ANGLE

As she hangs up the phone. She thinks for a second, then dials some more digits.

JUSTICE

Iesha? What's up, cow?

EXT. JUSTICE'S HOME – DAY

Where Justice and Iesha walk past Justice's car.

IESHA

I'm telling you, girl, you gonna have fun. There ain't nothing like this.

Justice gives her car a kick and the alarm goes off. She quickly turns It off with her key. As they walk out, we follow with them until we let them cross and are on their backs to reveal the truck, which is a 1990 Ford-made U.S. Mail truck. It is all white with the government seal painted on both its sides. Justice stops in her tracks.

JUSTICE AND IESHA

As Justice takes in the sight of the truck, Iesha is all smiles, in contrast to Justice's discomfort.

JUSTICE

I don't believe I'm doing this.

IESHA

C'mon, we gonna have fun.

They walk toward the truck, and we see Lucky in the front seat. Lucky switches his US. Mail cap to a more comfortable Sox hat. He smiles at Justice. Offscreen we hear Chicago in the back of the truck.

CHICAGO (O.S.)

Muthafucka say that girl from Ethiopia! That bitch from Compton! How she gonna be from Ethiopia and have a kid named Lammar?

LUCKY

She look it, though.

Justice walks back to Iesha on the side of the truck.

JUSTICE

I don't know about this.

IESHA

Why you gotta be a buster? C'mon, take a chance for a change! Cow!

INT. THE TRUCK – DAY

Where Lucky looks back at Chicago.

CHICAGO

She Ane, Loc.

LUCKY

Humph, I know that hoe. Crazy ass. She work in a beauty shop on Fifty-fourth.

THE PASSENGER DOOR

Where Justice and Iesha get into the truck. Lucky goes back into his quiet, cool, unassuming mode. Iesha is all smiles as she does the introductions.

IESHA

Lucky. This my friend Justice. Justice, this is Lucky.

JUSTICE

(with attitude)

Hi.

LUCKY

Whatsup.

THE BACK SEAT

Where we see Iesha and Chicago.

IESHA

And you know Chicago already.

CHICAGO

Whatsup, baby.

IESHA

Baby? Well. Let's go.

Lucky starts up the engine.

EXT. THE TRUCK – DAY

We see the front of the truck: Ford symbol all up in our faces. We PAN past the U.S. Mail symbol.

INT. THE TRUCK – DAY

Lucky shifts into first gear as we TILT UP and he smiles at Justice.

JUSTICE

Who is not amused. She puts on sunglasses.

EXT. THE TRUCK – DAY