Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day

By

Zachary Smith

PAGE 1.  PANEL 1.

A MAN, THOMAS WHITE, SITS AT HIS DESK.  THE OFFICE IS NICE, BUT RATHER BARE.  HE HAS A PACKAGE ON HIS DESK.  HE IS LOOKING AT IT.  ONE OF HIS HANDS IS ON THE SPEAKER BUTTON.

THOMAS:  Blair!  What is this?

BLAIR:  What do you mean, Mr. White?

THOMAS:  On my desk.  What is this?

BLAIR:  …It’s a gift. 

THOMAS:  For what?

BLAIR:  Did you forget what day it is?

THOMAS:  No.

PAGE 1.  PANEL 2.

CHRISTIN HAS OPENED THE BOX.  HE IS HOLDING A WRIST WATCH.  NO DIALOGUE.  HE HAS A SOUR EXPRESSION ON HIS FACE.  HE HAS PUT THE WATCH BACK IN THE BOX.  HE IS SITTING AT HIS DESK STILL.  HE IS LOOKING AT HIS COMPUTER, A CALENDAR ON IT.  THE PHONE RINGS.  NO DIALOGUE.

SOUND FX:  PHONE RINGING.

PAGE 1.  PANEL 3.

THOMAS ANSWERS THE PHONE.  HE IS TALKING TO HIS WIFE.

THOMAS (ON THE PHONE):  Hello.  Yes, Francine.  I’ll be at Gatsby’s in an hour.

                                                     Yes, I haven’t forgotten the day.

PAGE 1.  PANEL 4.

THOMAS STANDS OVER BLAIR’S DESK, A YOUNG GIRL WHO IS VERY EXCITED TO SEE HIM.  WE DO NOT SEE THE TOP PART OF THOMAS’S DESK.  ON THE EDGE OF HER DESK IS BOUQUET OF ROSES.

BLAIR:  Did you like the watch?

DIALOGUE CONT.

THOMAS:  Hmmm…oh.  You shouldn’t be buying me presents?  It doesn’t look

                    appropriate.

BLAIR:  But we—

THOMAS:  Don’t bring that up either.  Are these yours?

PAGE 1.  PANEL 5.

BLAIR LOOKS SURPRISED.  THOMAS IS WALKING PAST HER, TAKING THE FLOWERS.

BLAIR:  Yes, well no, I didn’t want them—

THOMAS: Good, I’ll take them.

BLAIR:  Okay.  Are you going to call me—

THOMAS:  No.

PAGE 2.  PANEL 1.

BLAIR IS SITTING ON HER COUCH AT HER APARTMENT, IN HER PAJAMAS, ON THE PHONE.  THERE IS A KNOCK AT HER DOOR.

BLAIR:  He just took the flowers and walked out.  Meeting his wife.  Yeah, didn’t even

               mention my watch.  I’ll call you back, there’s someone at the door.

PAGE 2.  PANEL 2.

BLAIR OPENS THE DOOR, THERE IS STEEL GRATING SEPERATING HER FROM THE GUEST.  A YOUNG MAN, HOLDING A GIFT BAG, AND A BOTTLE OF WINE.

BLAIR:  Hi Jay.  Come in.

JAY:  Thought you might have forgot about me.  Did you like the flowers?

PAGE 2.  PANEL 3.

BLAIR IS GOING THROUGH THE BAG. 

BLAIR:  Yeah, they were nice.  Thank you.

JAY:  Here you go.

BLAIR:  Jay!  You really shouldn’t have.  I…I didn’t get you anything.

JAY:  Oh…yeah, that’s fine.

BLAIR:  My favorite, Sleepless in Seattle. 

PAGE 2.  PANEL 4.

JAY IS OPENING THE BOTTLE OF WINE.  BLAIR IS UNWRAPPING THE DVD PACKAGING. 

JAY:  I didn’t think you’d be in you pajamas already.  Want to watch that movie?

BLAIR:  Sure, we’ll have a couple drinks, and we can watch it until I fall asleep.  I’m

               pretty tired.

JAY:  Okay, that works.

PAGE 2.  PANEL 5.

CREDITS ARE ROLLING ON THE T.V. SCREEN.  BLAIR IS CRYING.

BLAIR:  That movie always makes me cry.  Well, I gotta get some sleep.  Thanks for

                coming by.

DIALOGUE CONT.

JAY:  Um yeah, no problem.  Maybe this weekend we can go out, catch a movie at the theatre.

BLAIR:  Oh, I don’t know.  My schedule has been super hectic.  We’ll see. 

PAGE 2.  PANEL 6.

BLAIR GIVES JAY A HUG.  THE EMPTY WINE BOTTLE SITS ON THE TABLE.

BLAIR:  Have a good night.

JAY:  You too.

PAGE 2.  PANEL 7.

BLAIR IS THROWING THE WINE BOTTLE AWAY.  NO DIALOGUE.

PAGE 3.  PANEL 1.

JAY IS DOWNING A DRINK AT THE BAR HE WORKS AT.  RACKS OF ALCOHOL AND BARTENDERS BEHIND THE BAR, AND CUSTOMERS, SPECIFICALLY COUPLES, SURROUND HIM.

ROSALINE (OFF PANEL):  Shitty night?

JAY (MOUTH FULL OF DRINK):  HMMMMPHH…

PAGE 3.  PANEL 2.

ROSALINE HAS ANOTHER DRINK READY FOR JAY.  WE SEE THE BACK OF HIS HEAD, AND THE FRONT OF HER, LEANING OVER THE BAR, SMILING.

JAY:  You’ve no idea, Rosaline.  Chick didn’t even get me anything.  I thought…I don’t

           know.  I thought since we had sex, maybe we were a little more.

ROSALINE:  That’s too bad.  Maybe you just need to find someone who appreciates

                       you, for you.  You know?  Maybe after this, we can crack open that bottle

                       of wine I got you and—

PAGE 3.  PANEL 3.

JAY RAISES HIS HANDS IN CONFUSION AND ANGER.  ROSALINE HAS TURNED AROUND TO WIPE THE BAR WHERE THERE IS NO SPILL.

JAY:  We drank it, didn’t even get a thank you.  I mean, I know you spent some good

          money on it, that winemaker isn’t cheap.  She didn’t even appreciate it.

ROSALINE:  Completely oblivious, huh?

JAY:  Totally.  I can’t believe I had you cover my shift so I could waste my time with

           her.  Waste of time and money. 

PAGE 3.  PANEL 4.

ROSALINE GOES TO REFILL JAY’S DRINK.  HE MOTIONS WITH HIS HAND THAT HE IS DONE.

JAY:  Done.  I’m going to go home and get drunk.  Thanks again for the wine.  You

          really shouldn’t have spent that much, the agreement was for everyone to spend

          ten bucks.

ROSALINE:  Well, I knew you liked that producer, and that Pinot is rare, so…

JAY:  You’re the best, you know that.

PAGE 3.  PANEL 5.

JAY PATS ROSALINE ON THE HAND. 

DIALOGUE CONT.

JAY:  If you need me to work for you, name it.

ROSALINE:  Maybe we could go out sometime.

JAY:  Yeah, we’ll get the whole group together, it’ll be fun.  Later.

PAGE 3.  PANEL 6.

JAY IS EXITING.  ROSALINE THROWS THE DRINK GLASS JAY WAS USING INTO THE DIRTY DISHES BIN.  HER FACE IS ANGRY.  NO DIALOGUE.

PAGE 4.  PANEL 1. 

ROSALINE IS POURING HERSELF TWO SHOTS.  COMING IN FROM OFF THE PANEL IS A HAND, AND ON THE BAR IS A BOUQUET OF ROSES.

FRANCINE (OFF PANEL):  Guy troubles?  I hope that’s not all for you.

ROSALINE:   What?  Oh, yeah.  I mean no.  No guy troubles, I mean not really.  It’s not

                         his fault he’s so dense.

PAGE 4.  PANEL 2.

FRANCINE SITS AT THE BAR, OWNER OF THE HAND AND ROSES, BIG BUXOM BRUNETTE WITH AN EQUALLY LARGE SMILE.  SHE AND ROSALINE ARE SHAKING HANDS.

FRANCINE:  They’re all dense beyond belief.  My name is Francine. 

ROSALINE:  Rosaline.  Nice to meet you.  You want to help me with these?

FRANCINE:  Sure. 

PAGE 4.  PANEL 3.

EMPTY SHOT GLASSES ARE ON THE BAR.

ROSALINE:  Really expensive bottle of wine and he wastes it on this tramp. 

FRANCINE:  At least she got a genuine gift.  My husband stole his secretary’s flowers from her. 

ROSALINE:  Ha!  Did he leave the card in there?

FRANCINE:  Give her the grand prize Trabeck.  He’s on the phone, with someone whom

                       I’m pretty sure is his mistress.  This has just been a banner day.

PAGE 4.  PANEL 4.

THOMAS COMES AROUND THE CORNER, NO PHONE.  FRANCINE IS WRITING SOMETHING ON A NAPKIN AS HE COMES TOWARDS THE TWO OF THEM.

THOMAS:  Sorry dear, that was a very important client.

FRANCINE:  I’m sure. 

THOMAS:  Say bye to your new friend.  We need to go.

FRANCINE:  Here you go.

PAGE 4.  PANEL 5.

ROSALINE LOOKS AT THE 20 DOLLAR BILL SHE WAS HANDED AS A TIP AND IN IT IS A NAPKIN. WITH A MESSAGE ON IT.

TEXT ON THE NAPKIN:  He can have his fun, so can I.  Call me.  555-0134.

                                             P.S. for the lovely rose.

PAGE 4.  PANEL 6.

A SINGLE ROSE IS LEFT ON THE BAR.  NO DIALOGUE.

PAGE 4.  PANEL 7.

THE ROSE AND NOTE ARE BEING THROWN AWAY BY A SAD ROSALINE.  NO DIALOGUE.

THE END