The Contract (Pt 2)

The answer to freelance writing.

Over the next few days Anna slips into a funk, where she mopes around Sam’s apartment and is a complete mess. Finally Sam convinces Anna that she should get out and Anna gets dressed and Sam takes her to their favorite café on the corner. They take their seats outside, and order drinks.


ANNA
You know, I think you were right?

SAM
I’m sure I was, but about what?

ANNA
David. He wasn’t really that great of a boyfriend.

SAM
See, that’s the spirit! What do you mean?

ANNA
Well, I thought he was going to give me everything I wanted. But I was wrong.

SAM
Obviously.

ANNA
Thanks! No, I mean, when we first met, and he was trying to win me over, he promised me everything short of the moon.

SAM
Haven’t they all.

ANNA
Not once did he deliver. I know it sounds superficial…but when you promise to shower me with diamonds if I’m with you, then damn it I want my diamonds!


Both women laugh as the waiter brings them their drinks.

ANNA
(Sigh)
I don’t know, anymore. There just doesn’t seem to be such a think as the Perfect Guy.

SAM
Nope. There sure isn’t.

ANNA
(slams her hand on the table)
No! I refuse to believe that. I’m not going to let one failed relationship ruin my romanticism.

SAM
Four.

ANNA
What?

SAM
Four failed relationships.

ANNA
Is that necessary?

SAM
Sorry.

A funny look comes across Sam’s face as she looks past Anna who has her back facing the entrance to the restaurant.

ANNA
What’s wrong? Wine bad?

SAM
(in a low voice)
No… Anna, I’m sorry…

Sam points behind her. Anna turns around to see David entering the restaurant with another woman. Anna turns back around to face Sam who looked nervous.

ANNA
I don’t believe it. There WAS another woman!

SAM
Anna, don’t jump to conclusions. Maybe they’re just friends. Or… or… they just started dating.

ANNA
(raising her voice)
A whole week after we broke up?! Don’t you think that’s a little soon? I mean, If I had died, my body wouldn’t even be cold yet!


Anna, feeling about to lose control stands up and marches into the restaurant. She looks around until she finds where David and his date are seated and she marches right up to him and stands at his table. He looks up, surprised. Before he can speak, she slaps him across the face and marches out of the restaurant toward her apartment. Sam follows her out after paying the bill.


INT. APT. MID-AFTERNOON.

Anna is rifling through objects through out her apartment, shoving things carelessly into a box. The objects only be objects belonging to David. Anna looks upset, but isn’t crying. In fact, she looks determined to purge her apartment of David’s memory.

The doorbell rings. Anna finishes collecting David’s belongings in a box. She opens the door and heaves the box back as Sam quickly stands aside, looking startled. Anna then unceremoniously pitches it out the front door. Ignoring Sam as she enters the room, Anna’s eyes scour the room looking for anything missed. She spots a picture frame sitting on the side table and she marches over and swipes it off the table.

Sam is staring at her compassionately as Anna’s determination dominates the scene.

Holding it in her hand, she studies it for a few moments. The picture in the frame is of her and David, dressed up at a wedding. She is looking at the camera, annoyed, and he his holding up a beer as if giving a toast. In the background, you can see a blurry image of a bride and groom.

She takes the picture, along with a handful of others she collects on her way to the bedroom, and drops them on the bed. Sam follows her into the room and quietly takes a seat in the corner, obviously not sure what to say to console Anna.

Anna walks over to her closet and pulls a large, beaten looking box from the top shelf and walks it back over to the bed. She sets it down and takes off the lid. The box is filled with old pictures.

She takes one of the collected pictures out of the frame, holds it up as if examining it. She sets it down and hastily begins removing all the pictures from their frames.

ANNA
Why is it that I can’t seem to find the right guy who’s willing to settle down and marry me? Is it too much trouble to find a guy who doesn’t have issues?

SAM
Oh, honey… Don’t be too hard on yourself.


Anna tosses the picture aside and digs into the box and pulls out a photo of her and another guy. She looks just as unsatisfied.


ANNA
For that matter…how about a guy who doesn’t still live in his mommy’s basement!


Anna examines a picture of herself, another man, and in between them his mother. After a few seconds thought she tosses it back in the box and pulls out another one. This time it is a new guy, but she looks just the same. Miserable. This guy looked high and was wearing a cape and a top hat.




ANNA
If only he could pull a brain out of that stupid hat of his, he might have realized that being a pot-smoking magician wasn’t very marketable to the opposite sex. (sigh) (Picks up another photograph) Of course, he could have been worse. At least he didn’t break up with me, then turn around, and ask for advice on how to snag this guy he’s been eyeing. (Tosses that picture back into box, shakes her head and gives an even bigger sigh) My personal favorite, though…(picks up another photograph) is the “I’m not financially ready for that type of commitment.” (She mimics his tone as she recalls the conversation) Pshhth! The only commitment he was afraid of was to just one woman for the rest of his life!


Anna begins to tear the picture as the bad memory comes back to her, but then stops, drops her shoulders in defeat and tosses it back into the box of photographs. She grabs the lid to put back on, but one last photograph grabs her attention. She pulls it out and a sad look crosses her face.

ANNA
Oh. That one hurt.


She holds a picture of herself, arms flung around the neck of an attractive man. She was smiling big. She was truly happy then. Then her eyes drifted over to the face of the man in the picture with her. Nothing. Not one ounce of emotion. She takes a deep breath and places the picture gently back into the box and adds the new pictures of another failed relationship. She closes the box and carries it back to the closet to be replaced on the dusty old shelf once again.


ANNA
Until the next time.


Anna starts to leave the closet when she notices a dress that’s gathering dust. She pulls it out, whipping the dust from the dress.


ANNA
Always the bridesmaid. Never the bride.


Anna walks out of the closet with the dress and holds it up to her chest in front of the mirror, examining it.


SAM
It sure is an ugly thing.

ANNA
You should know. You picked it out.


Anna looks back into the closet. She sees more dresses tucked in a corner. She replaces the first dress and starts rummaging through the other dresses, pulling each out, one at a time.


ANNA
Why does it seem like I’m the only one who’s never going to get married? It seems so easy for everyone else. Why is it so hard for me?

SAM
Anna, you’ll meet the right guy one day. Besides no one said love was easy.

ANNA
Easy for you to say. You married your high school sweet heart right out of college.

SAM
Yeah, but we’ve had our ups and downs. It’s not always puppies and kittens, you know.


Holds up a red dress with grey trim. Exasperated, she lets her arms drop back down to her side.


ANNA
Marianne called me the day she met Alan. She even said, “I’ve just met the man I’m going to marry.” She wasn’t kidding. Nine months later…


Anna holds up the dress as proof of the arrangement. Then flings it across the bed, and marches back into the closet, emerging with another dusty dress.


SAM
Marianne was 10 months from inheriting 16 million dollars. She HAD to get married in order to claim it!  …So, she got lucky, and happened to snag a good one. Six months before finding out about the inheritance, she swore to me that she would NEVER get married. “Over my cold dead body,” I believe were her exact words. Marriage never even crossed her mind until she found out about the money.


Anna holds up the Tiffany’s Blue with chocolate brown pinstripes, disregarding Sam’s comments.


ANNA
I was on the phone with Angela and all I heard her say was, “Oh, wow. He’s cute.” …and the rest is history. (Holds up the dress and dangles it in Sam’s face) One week later they were engaged, and in another six weeks…


Anna flings the dress on to the previous dress that lay on her bed.



SAM
Fluke!

ANNA
Don’t even get me started on Diana!


She pulls three dresses out of the closet, one still in plastic.


ANNA
She’s been engaged 3 times, married twice, and divorced once.

SAM
Your sister is hardly the picture of marital bliss, Anna. You can’t compare yourself to her.


ANNA
(Not listening)
First was Paul. (ANNA holds up first dress indicating this was for there wedding) Poor schmuck didn’t know what he was getting into.


Anna throws the dress onto the pile.


ANNA
I suppose it’s a good thing she skipped out at the last second. For him, that is. I still had to pay for that stupid dress, though. (Holding up the second dress) This guy probably deserved what he got, but I suppose there was enough blame to go around. (She chucks that dress aside) She got the car and the house in the divorce, and he got to keep his girlfriend.


Anna holds up the dress still in plastic, and examines it with out taking it out of the bag.



ANNA
Maybe third times the charm? David is a good guy. Maybe he’ll set her straight once and for all.


Anna walks the dress back over to the closet and replaces it gently. Flustered, she sits back down on the bed, next to the discarded dresses.


ANNA
She might not be the best example. But still…at least they wanted to get married. They just weren’t totally aware of the fact that she was a total nut job.

SAM
Jamie never wanted to get married. The only reason he finally caved was because I threatened to leave him and join the circus, and swore I’d marry the first Trapeze artist I met.

ANNA
And he bought that?

SAM
Well…Not the circus part, but that’s not the point.

ANNA
Yeah, but he still married you. He’d rather get married than lose you…even if it was to someone as talented and charming as a trapeze artist.


Flinging her self back on to the bed, she stars up at the ceiling.





ANNA
What’s wrong with me? I’m 31 years old and I don’t feel any closer to entering into the next stage of my life. I mean, I’m not getting any younger, here, and my biological clock is ticking like a time bomb. I even have dreams a giant crocodile is chasing me, wearing a diaper and bonnet! It’s driving me crazy! I just get sick of investing so much time and energy into a relationship that inevitably fails because the guy refuses to take it to the next level. And then I’m left with nothing for all my efforts. Why can’t dating be like buying a car? Find the car you like, test drive it for a bit; see if it fits, and if you like it…take it home to meet mom and dad. And after a while, if it starts to underperform or you just get sick of it, you can just trade it in for a new one. All you have to do is sign a contract.


Anna sits up suddenly, as she has an epiphany.


ANNA
That’s it!

SAM
What? Buy a car?


Anna jumps to her feet and starts pacing the room, thinking…putting things together in her mind.


ANNA
A dating contract!

SAM
A What?

ANNA
Each person will agree to a one-year contract, with quarterly reviews.

SAM
Anna, be serious.

ANNA
This way we’ll be able to measure the progress and determine the viability of the relationship…and of course, fixing certain problems or behaviors that may arise.

SAM
Are you listening to yourself?

ANNA
At the end of one year, if there has been no proposal, then I reserve the right to extend the contract or to terminate the relationship.

SAM
Anna... Hello?!

ANNA
What?

SAM
Hasn’t anyone ever told you that you find love when you least expect it?

ANNA
Yeah, well…when I find love, he’ll just have to sign on the dotted line.

SAM
Seriously, Anna…what guy in their right mind would agree to this? Do you actually think that there is going to be some poor schmuck out there who’s so desperate that he’ll sign a contract to date you?


Anna leaves the bedroom in a hurry, Sam follows.