LUZY-ANN SNEAKS TO THE
PROTEST WITH THE KLAN ANYWAY
EXT. ELDERBERRY PARK DAY
A car screeches into the
park's parking lot, located at the edge of the park. Brent jumps out of the car.
Violet and Lake are in the car.
FATHER
Stay
there!
LAKE (V.O.)
But my
mother followed him, leaving me in the car.
Violet
runs out of the car.
VIOLET
Stay
in the car, Lake!
(slams
car door)
LAKE (V.O.)
I too,
followed at a distance.
Lake is rushing towards the
protest, fearful.
LAKE (V.O.)
(continuing)
All I
could see were their tiny figures. It
was hard to make out what was happening.
Brent is following the
protesters, frantically searching for Luzy-Ann.
BRENT
(calling
frantically)
Luz! Luz!
Brent pushes through the
crowd. Violet is not far behind Brent.
VIOLET
(calling
desperately)
Luzy! Brent!
Brent sees Luzy-Ann and
catches up with her. He grabs her arm.
BRENT
Luz,
get out of here, and don't argue!
LUZY-ANN
(surprised,
scared)
Dad! You're embarrassing me! Besides, I don't want to get out of
here. I'm championing Christ and the
unborn!
BRENT
(shaking
Luzy-Ann by the arm)
You're
picketing with skinheads, people haters, people who hate you!
(pulling
at her arm)
The same skinhead that
Luzy-Ann met at the county/city office is walking behind Luzy-Ann.
SKINHEAD
Hey,
fella! Stop harassing the lady. This is a peaceful march. Is he bugging you, lady?
LUZY-ANN
It's
all right, he's just my Father.
BRENT
We're
leaving, now (emphasis).
LUZY-ANN
Dad,
no!
SKINHEAD
If the
lady wants to be here, she has every right to be.
BRENT
I'm
her father. She's underage. She's where I tell her to be.
Grumbling begins. People watching the demonstration begin to
jeer and get louder. Scuffling and
pushing begins.
LAKE (V.O.)
As
with all demonstrations that have the potential for violence, whose protesters
promise peace, there is always one person who benefits from inciting the
violence. They enjoy someone getting
hurt, so long as it is not themselves.
The crowd becomes
erratic. The police try to keep the
protesters and observers in order but the situation becomes
uncontrollable. People get knocked over
and scream. Rioting ensues.
EXT. BURIAL GROUND DAY
Many mourners say goodbye to
Violet as her coffin is being lowered into the ground. Brent is heartbroken. Luzy-Ann is dazed.
LAKE (V.O.)
Father
did not last long after. They were
flower children to the core, like two buds on the same stem, Siamese, joined at
the heart.
Lake stands alone at her
father's grave. He is buried beside
Violet.
INT. BEDROOM EVENING
Luzy-Ann is feverish in
bed. She is tossing and mumbling
incoherently. Aunt Tatem is wringing
wet towels into a bowel and placing them on her head.
LAKE (V.O.)
(continuing)
That
winter, my sister grew deathly ill. It
was as if she knew that her only protectors in the world were gone and she was
alone to defend herself against the bigotry of an overwhelming town. In youth, the town was the world.
INT.
LIVING ROOM DAY
LAKE (V.O.)
When
Luz got better, she seemed to forget everything. Completely.
Lake has just come home from
a protest against the oil companies that want to drill in Alaska.
Luzy-Ann comes into the
living room.
LUZY-ANN
Promise
you won't do it again?
LAKE
No.
LUZY-ANN
It's
unpatriotic protesting against your government.
LAKE
What I
did wasn't unpatriotic.
She goes to the kitchen to
get some food. Luzy-Ann follows her.
INT. KITCHEN DAY
LUZY-ANN
You
can't show that you're against the government.
LAKE
Newsflash,
Luzee, this is a democracy. Or do you not remember your own protests?
LUZY-ANN
(getting
a drink from the refrigerator)
I
remember, only there are some things one cannot protest.
LAKE
Like
the things you don't believe in?
(looks
for something in the fridge to eat)
Do you
know the true hallmark of a hypocrite?
Their ability to rationalize everything. Because that's the only way they can continue to believe in their
moral integrity. Otherwise, they'd see
themselves as a hypocrite, and then they wouldn't be as big a hypocrite as they
were when they actually believed in themselves.
LUZY-ANN
Do you
know what's your problem? You don't
care!
LAKE
I care
enough to leave people alone when it matters.
You don't need to protest everything.
LUZY-ANN
You
don't care enough to fight for what you believe in.
LAKE
I care
enough not to fight for things that I don't need people to believe in.
AUNT TATEM DIES
INT. BEDROOM EVENING
Aunt Tatem is lying in
bed. She is very ill. Luzy-Ann is by her side.
LAKE (V.O.)
My
Aunt died shortly after my parents. Her
final admonition to my sister was to look after me. Given everything, I really wished my sister did not take so much
to heart what my Aunt advised.
AUNT TATEM
When
I'm gone, mind you take care of your sister.
Her faith will be shaken more than once, I fear. She's a skeptic.
LAKE (V.O.)
And
she rolled the word out in such malignant tones of fear that my sister's heart
quaked for what might befall my soul lest I waver. And waver I did. More
than once.
GETTING DRESSED FOR A
DATE
INT. BATHROOM EVENING
Lake is getting ready for a
date. She is combing her hair in front
of the mirror. Luzy-Ann is standing in
the doorway, commenting and busybodying about Lake's dress.
LUZY-ANN
Are
you sure you want to wear such a short skirt?
Isn't this your first date?
LAKE
It's
closer to the knee than the crotch.
LUZY-ANN
Who's
this you're going out with anyway? I
haven't seen him at church.
LAKE
He
goes to First Presbyterian church. I
accept all god's peoples.
LUZY-ANN
There's
something to be said for not being too accepting, Lake.
Luzy-Ann reaches on the
counter for Lake's lip gloss.
LUZY-ANN
What
shade is this? You should try something
subtler for a while until you get to know the boy.
As Luzy-Ann leans over, she
sees something in the waste basket.
LUZY-ANN
What
is this? (leans over)
She reaches in and pulls
something out. Her eyes widen in
disbelief. She slowly holds up a tampon
wrapper.
LAKE
An
applicator.
(incredulous)
Do you
really not know?
LUZY-ANN
(trembling)
What
did you do?
LAKE
(defensively)
What
do you mean?
LUZY-ANN
What
did you do with it?
LAKE
(tauntingly)
I
plugged myself with it.
LUZY-ANN
(disbelief)
You
what?
LAKE
I
plugged myself with a tampon.
LUZY-ANN
You--how--
LAKE
(matter-of-factly)
I've
got my monthlies, and I'm wearing a thong.
LUZY-ANN
You're
wearing a what?
LAKE
A
thong.
LUZY-ANN
You
know I don't approve of your wearing them things.
LAKE
Why
not, because they shimmee up your butt and lord forbid you recognize the
existence of your ass, much less your asshole.
And that would lead to acknowledging homosexuals and their
"peculiar" sex habits, now wouldn't it?
LUZY-ANN
Who
taught you this?
LAKE
Taught
me what?
LUZY-ANN
How to
use a tampon?
LAKE
You
need teaching? They practically show
you in the commercials. All the girls
use them.
LUZY-ANN
All
the girls aren't going to heaven.
LUZY-ANN
If you
didn't use a thong, you wouldn't need to wear a tampon. They go hand in hand. And are the devil's handiwork.
LAKE
(resignedly)
Panty
lines. Can't show them.
LUZY-ANN
If you
wouldn't go hog wild on the chocolate and pizza.
LAKE
Are
you afraid I'm going to lose my virginity by using a tampon?
LUZY-ANN
Well,
it's something to think about, isn't it?
LAKE
You
are--perverted.
LUZY-ANN
I just
don't want you letting any men use you, that's all.
LAKE
Men,
or a tampon? Besides, with you around,
who dares? I have to go around begging
them to "use me, ple-ease use me."
LUZY-ANN
(dead
serious)
Take
it out.
LAKE
I'm
gone.
(walks
to the front door)
Luzy-Ann follows Lake.
LUZY-ANN
(desperate)
Sis,
take it out, please--
(close
to tears)
You're
desecrating your temple. You don't know
what you're doing to yourself, leaving something like that in you!
(points
commandingly)
I want
you to take that out, now.
LAKE
I'm
late.
(disbelief
and not knowing whether to be outraged or laugh)
Tell
me, Luzy-Ann, do you ever accidentally touch yourself when you're wiping
yourself after you pee, or is that why the toilet paper roll runs out so
fast?
LUZY-ANN
I did
not deserve that! You apologize right
now!
LAKE
I'm
sorry, sister dear, what I meant to say was: do you ever touch yourself when
you're bathing, or is that what the back scratcher is for?
LUZY-ANN
You
cannot put something like that in you.
LAKE
I
thought I just did. At lease it felt
(emphasis) like it.
LUZY-ANN
It's
reserved for holier things and you are permanently desecrating your temple.
LAKE
(daringly)
You
take it out, then.
Luzy-Ann walks determinedly
to Lake, who is standing close to the front door.
LAKE
Oh. My
God.
Lake makes a move to
run. Luzy-Ann grabs her and they fall
to the ground.
LUZY-ANN
Unh! This is for your own good.
They tussle on the ground
while Luzy-Ann tries to pull down her sister's panties. Unexpectedly, Lake's date comes to the open
door.
DATE
Wow. Girl on girl action. Sisters too. Can I call the guys to watch?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
MY OTHER WRITINGS:
What I Said When I saw Salvador Dali's Metamorphosis of Narcissus
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