>>>MUSIC:Born, Never Asked - Laurie Anderson

>>>Spoken word intro: "It was a large room

>>>full of people, all kinds.  And they had all

>>>arrived at the same building at more or less

>>>the same time.  And they were all free.

>>>And they were all asking themselves the same

>>>question: 'What is behind that curtain?'"

 

FADE IN.

 

A comb on a counter.  A hand picks it up and combs it through short black hair.  Cut to a tie, not particularly flashy or expensive.  Two hands tighten it.  Zoom out to reveal...

 

INT. A BATHROOM

 

MIKE NIVEN, a 17-year-old male.  He is dressed in a plain white dress shirt, the tie, and black dress pants.  A phone rings in another room. Mike leaves.

 

INT. DINING ROOM

 

Mike enters and picks up the phone.

 

MIKE

Hello?

 

TINA

(voice on phone)

Hi Mike.  It's Tina.

 

MIKE

Hi Tina.  What's up?

 

TINA

Do you have Ron's number?  I want one of his days.

 

MIKE

Another one?  You've had half of them in the past month! Take one of mine.  Come on.

 

TINA

Alright.  When do you work next week?

 

MIKE

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.

 

TINA

Mind if I have Thursday?

 

MIKE

No problem.  I've got a big test the next day anyway.  You know my night-before crams.

 

TINA

Mister Niven, you're insane.  What time?

 

MIKE

Proud of it.  Six.  See you tonight.

 

TINA

Cool.  Bye.

 

Mike hangs up.

 

MIKE

Mom!  I'm ready!

 

CUT TO:

EXT. ROSA'S RESTAURANT - BACK - DAY

 

A somewhat shady-looking teenage boy leans against the wall.  This is RON HOWARD, who is of same age and attire as Mike in the previous scene, with the exception of a heavy winter coat, though it seems to be early fall.  A twentysomething guy walks up and leans against the wall next to him.  This is KYLE NIVEN, dressed the same but with a little more gear on his belt.

 

KYLE

You got any?

 

RON

No dough, no go.

 

KYLE

I hate that phrase.

 

RON

You'll get it every time.

 

Kyle sighs and hands Ron a couple of bills.  Ron hands back a small plastic bag with brown strips in it.  Kyle removes one and bites off a bit.

 

KYLE

Peppered.

 

RON

Is that a problem?

 

KYLE

Not really.  I just like the teriyaki style better.

 

RON

I'm experimenting.

 

Kyle shrugs.  A nearby door opens and MIKE comes out.

 

MIKE

Hey guys.

 

KYLE

Hey, Mike.

 

RON

'sup.

 

MIKE

Tina wanted more of your hours.

 

RON

What'd you tell her?

 

MIKE

No.  I'd like a bit more time off.

 

RON

Thanks, man.  She was cuttin' into my cash flow.

 

MIKE

No problem.  Spread the wealth.

 

RON

Right on.

 

MIKE

I think you're on.

 

RON

(checking watch)

In a minute.

 

MIKE

What do you do out here?

 

RON

Think.

 

MIKE

Think?

 

RON

And sell.

 

MIKE

I'll have a stick.

 

RON

Grab one off your brother here.  I don't like ripping you off.

 

MIKE

Ripping me off?

 

RON

Ask Kyle.

 

KYLE

This batch is peppered.

 

Freeze the frame.

 

 

MIKE

(v.o.)

The guy in the middle is Ron.  He's known as quite the jerker.  Beef, mainly, but he tried chicken once.  No good.  His last name's Howard.  Yeah, Ron Howard. So if you want to mess with him, just call him Richie C.  On the left is my older brother Kyle.  Cruel name to give a kid, but hey, it's a cruel world.  I'm Mike Niven, and the building behind us all is our common workplace.

 

Continue.

 

MIKE

Sick.  You know everybody likes teriyaki.

 

RON

Not everybody.

 

MIKE

Everybody.

 

RON

Not everybody.

 

MIKE

Everybody.

 

INT. ROSA'S - KITCHEN REAR - DAY

 

Kyle enters from the back, followed by Ron and Mike.

They come into

 

KITCHEN MAIN

 

as

 

MIKE

(v.o.)

Rosa's.  A fine dining experience here in Kansas City.

 

The kitchen is stocked full of staff doing various things.  Kyle comes in and chats with a dark-haired waitress of about thirty-five.  Ron waves at a cook as he goes by.  Mike enters and hugs a teenage girl.

 

MIKE

(v.o.)

Kyle's talking with Carol.  She's been married for some years now.  What can I say about her? Umm... she's a straight-ticket Republican, a cat lover, and uhh... I don't know her too well.  Ron just zipped by Luke, who's worked here for a decade and a half.  And this is Tina.  We go back a few years.  Freshman year we had history together, started talking, and we've been good friends since.  We go to the same church.

 

The hug pulls apart.  Zoom in on a thin gold chain around Tina's neck, tucked under her shirt.

 

MIKE

(v.o.)

The part you can't see right now is the cross.  She's really into that stuff.  A chapter-verse memorization type.  But she's alright.

 

Track Mike as he proceeds through a swinging door to the

 

BAR

 

He picks up a cloth napkin and puts it halfway into his pocket, then approaches the bar.

 

MIKE

Hey, Larry!  Where am I tonight?

 

A man sitting at the bar, HAL STARR, pipes up.

 

HAL

Why don't you check your schedule?

 

The bartender, LARRY STARR, enters the discussion.

 

LARRY

Hey, go easy on him, Hal.

[to Mike]You'll be in the club.

 

FREEZE.

 

MIKE

(v.o.)

Meet the Starr brothers, co-managers of Rosa's.  The guy at the bar is Hal, owner and all-around top guy.  Never mingles with the staff much.  Bartender is Larry, the younger.  He's the boss everyone I know wishes they had.  He's flexible with scheduling and he knows how to treat workers.

 

Resume.

 

MIKE

Thanks, Larry.

 

CUT TO:

INT. ROSA'S - LAUNDRY ROOM

 

The room definitely puts function before form.  It is not very wide, but extends a way back.  On the left we see washers and dryers.  On the right is a shelf converted via a couple of wooden beams into a wall-mounted table.  A variety of coats hang on hooks to the right.  Tina is back here, loading cloth napkins from the floor to a washing machine.  NATHAN ROLHAN sits at the "table", scribbling figures on a piece of paper and occasionally using a calculator.  Mike enters with a large bucket, approaches an ice machine in the back, and begins to fill his bucket.

 

 

MIKE

Going home already, Nate?

 

NATHAN

I’m outta here!

 

TINA

That's the spirit.

 

NATHAN

Uh-huh.  Hey, Tina, what was the name of that book you were asking about last week?

 

TINA

"Signs of the Times" by de Haan.

 

NATHAN

OK.  Well, I checked, and I don't have it.

 

TINA

Oh, that's all right.  I'll just get it from the library.

 

MIKE

Have you guys read any of those "Left Behind" books?

 

NATHAN

I'm up to the sixth.  It's not really great literature.

 

MIKE

Yeah. That's what I thought.

 

TINA

I love them.  I've read all nine.

 

MIKE

Well, I've gone through four of them, and I don't think I'll be continuing.

 

NATHAN

I wouldn't.

 

MIKE

What have you been reading lately?

 

NATHAN

The Koran.

 

TINA

What?

 

NATHAN

You know, the holy book of the Muslims.

 

MIKE

OK, that's alright, I guess...

 

NATHAN

It's really beautifully written.

 

TINA

And I suppose the Bible is clunky and dull.

 

NATHAN

Actually, yes it is.  From a literary viewpoint...

 

Tina is disgusted by this.  Mike, his bucket now being full, picks it up and takes it out of the room with him.

 

 

INT. ROSA'S - STATION

 

Mike enters a cramped nook with a waiter's station.  Everything necessary is here but the food.  Glasses, a full carafe of coffee, tea, a dispenser for the soft drinks.  Mike empties the bucket into its proper place.  Ron enters with an empty carafe and switches it with the full one.  As he sets the empty carafe to start brewing, Mike is filling a pitcher with icewater.

 

RON

(v.o.)

Hi, I'm Ron, welcome to my meaningless little world.  A low-paying job, sure, but what else can you get when you're 17?  I turn 18 in a few months.  Then I'll be able to work my way up to the next low-paying job.  Maybe become a waiter here.  Who knows.

 

Ron completes his task and exits the station while Mike's pitcher is still filling.

 

Track Ron through

INT. ROSA'S - MAIN DINING AREA

 

Two women sit at one of the tables.  The first is not particularly heavy, but tall and broad-shouldered.  The second seems to be her shorter and thinner sister. On the table, in addition to the usual array of sugar, salt, pepper, and butter receptacles, are two salad plates.

 

The second woman is still eating hers, but the first's plate is empty, except for some dressing.  Their water glasses are each about half-full, but at different levels.  The first also has a full glass of iced tea.

 

SECOND WOMAN

So then he says, "No, I'm her brother!"

 

FIRST WOMAN

No way!

 

SECOND WOMAN

I know.  I started thinking, "But you were just..."

 

The women stop talking as Ron approaches and starts to fill up their glasses.

 

RON

Can I take that plate from you?

 

FIRST WOMAN

Yes, thank you.  I think I'll have another one.

 

RON

Oh, good.  You looked like the type who would order thirds.

 

Freeze the frame as the words

RON'S GUIDE TO RESTAURANT ETIQUETTE

PART ONE: CUSTOMER SERVICE

appear on the screen.

 

RON

(v.o.)

This would obviously be the wrong way to handle the situation.

 

Back up to:

 

SECOND WOMAN

I started thinking, "But you were just..."

 

Again, the women silence as Ron fills their glasses.

 

RON

Can I take that plate from you?

 

FIRST WOMAN

Yes, thank you.  I think I'll have another one.

 

Ron nods, finishes topping off their waters, takes the salad plate, and begins to walk away from the table.  Freeze again.

 

RON

(v.o.)

Bussers and waiters, always remember - the customer is your number one priority.  Without them, you have nothing and you are nothing.

 

Continue the scene and track Ron as he sets the pitcher down on a wooden surface.

He then proceeds on to

INT. KITCHEN MAIN - DISHWASHERS

 

Ron hands the salad plate with a fork on it to a teenage dishwasher.  Freeze.

 

RON

(v.o.)

This is Francisco.  Second-generation Mexican-American.  Speaks fluent English and Spanish, and a little French.  He turns 18 pretty soon, and he wants to be a cook here after that.  I think he'd do pretty well.  His mom's a great cook, anyway.  Still, dishwashing, he earns more money than me, if it's not too busy.

 

Continue the scene.

 

RON

Buenas tardes, Frank.  ¿Como está su papel?

 

FRANK

Está bien.  Lo escribía para dos semanas y ya lo odio el Canal de Panama.

 

They both laugh.

 

RON

Si, si.  Conozco la sentimiento.  Ya lo odio Harry Truman!  Ciao!

 

Ron walks out the door of the kitchen.

 

NEXT