It was an "I wish I'd worn shorts" kind of day. Fortunately, the perspiration was worth it for the floating book shop. My thanks to Ralph, who purchased Killing, to Sue, who purchased Exchanges; to Jack of Chase, who bought yet another thriller; to the young woman who bought Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera; and to the young man who bought Robert Ludlum's The Matlock Papers.
Here's another excerpt from my rom-com screenplay, A Truth Universally Acknowledged, which will be available on Kindle some time this winter. The main characters are an Ivy league educated magazine writer, and a GED gold futures trader. It was influenced by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. It's very brief, less than a five-minute read:
Part Nine: Kate's building, a week later. A beautiful, balmy evening. In the
background Ellington's I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good is playing. Joe approaches
the door, stares at it, debates whether to ring the bell. Inside, Kate is staring blankly at
her computer screen. Smoke fills the apartment. Outside, Joe takes a step toward the
door, mutters to himself.
Joe:
Masochist.
He walks away, head down. Inside, Kate reaches for the photo her mother sent, stares
at it longingly. Outside, Joe returns and leans against a parked car. He stares at the door
as if wishing she would emerge. A young couple walks by briskly, holding hands, beaming, looking into each other's eyes as they converse. The scene provides the
impetus Joe needs. He approaches the bell, mutters to himself.
Joe:
Here goes nothin'.
He rings.
Kate:
Who is it?
Joe:
Petruccio.
There's a pause.
Joe:
With his tail between his legs, come to say he's sorry.
Another pause.
Joe:
Wanna go for a walk?
Another pause.
Kate:
I'll be down in a minute.
Joe leans against the building, breathes a sigh of relief. Upstairs, Kate is hurriedly
pulling on jeans and sneakers. She bumps into things, knocks things to the floor, as she
rushes to the bathroom to check her look. Outside, Joe, hands in his pockets, waits. Finally, she exits the building. They look at each other. The tension is thick.
Joe:
You were right. I overreacted. I got a lotta sins on my head worse than cheatin' at golf.
You had the pits to admit you cheated. I shouldn't've got so bent atta shape. I shoulda
known you were gold when you didn't sue us for that pie in the face. A lotta people'd try
to cash in on somethin' like that these days.
She shrugs.
Kate:
My sin was worse.
They look at each other, sober, serious.
Joe:
C'mon, I'll buy you an ice cream - or tofu, or whatever you people out here nosh on.
They begin walking, keeping a safe distance apart. With Ellington's Creole Love Call
playing in the background, they begin a trek uptown, conversing, smiling, laughing,
sipping shakes.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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