Post by Henry Spearman on Aug 12, 2016 11:24:23 GMT -5
Our scene opens in Johns Gym. Henry sits at the bench press with a water bottle in his hand. He has a towel draped over his head and powder on his hands. The bar is loaded to 450 pounds and John stands behind it.
“Come on big Hoss! Get this set up. Just need three”
Henry puts the water bottle down and sets himself under the bar. John helps him lift the bar off the rack and then releases it into Henrys control. Henry takes three short quick breaths before letting the weight down slowly onto his chest. He pushes it up and lowers again. Pushes it up and holds at the top
“LETS GO!!!”
John screams and Henry slowly lowers the bar a third time. He struggles at the bottom but breathes through it and ever so slowly pushes the weight back up and onto the rack. He sits up and grabs his towel
“THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT BABY. FUCK YEA!!!”
John is clearly more excited about the lift than Henry is.
“I need to get stronger. WCF is a land of giants. Oblivion and Parrish will be harder to move than a 450 pound bench press”
“That’s true. I’ll get you there. I know weight lifting”
“I’ll give you that. I have added 50 pounds to my bench since I started coming here.”
“Of course you have. You are under the tutelage of THE John Landsman”
Henry smiles and shakes his head. He stands up off the bench
“How about a protein shake?”
“How about you have a protein shake and I have a beer?”
“Sure John…”
The two men walk over to the front of the gym where John has a sofa, some chairs and a minifridge set up facing a television. It is obvious that John spends a considerable amount of time here. The couches are beaten up and worn. John may actually live here.
“You know John, I am glad I found this place. Its dingy but its good for me. I needed a way to get out of the house. I really didn’t like what I was becoming. I owe you for it”
John Stares at him for a moment
“Jesus Big Hoss, you gonna give me a big hug too? Its just a gym. We are friends, I didn’t save you from the orphanage. Quit being such a bitch”
Henry goes to say something but the door to the gym explodes open and Jerry walks in carrying an enormous box. He drops the box on the floor and goes back outside. A moment later he comes back in with a hand truck stacked high with boxes.
“Jerry what the hell is all this crap?!?!? I swear to god if this is kitty litter again I will tear you to pieces”
John is standing now and visibly angry. The vein in his head is starting to pop. Jerry puts his hands up and attempts to soothe John
“Hold on there boss. Its not Kitty Litter but lets not pretend that wasn’t a good idea. Kitty Litter on the bathroom floor so we didn’t have to mop anymore? That was a good idea”
“People pissed on the floor Jerry!”
“That’s not my fault. The intention was good. Its not my fault the only people that use the bathroom in here are the homeless people in the area. Furthermore, YOU pissed on the floor. And I had to clean it up! Which wasnt really that bad since i jsut swept the litter up”
Henrys head perks up at the mention of the Homeless people
“Actually, while we are on the topic of homeless people, have you guys noticed the number growing around here lately? I pulled into the parking lot today and thought I was at a phish concert. It stinks out there”
“Never mind all that!”
Jerry opens up the box he was carrying and pops a hat on his head. The Nike swoosh is clearly front and center
“I’ve got great news boys. We are on our way up. We’re gonna be rich. I am the newest member of the Nike Endorsement team!”
John walks over and picks up the shirts
“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! THIS IS OUR BIG BREAK! THIS IS SOME TIGER WOODS SHIT….BEFORE HE GOT ADDICTED TO THE SEX OF COURSE”
John and Jerry Hug in the middle of the room and John grabs one of the shirts form the box and puts it on.
“Henry, come over here, grab one of these shirts”
Henry looks suspicious
“Hold on Jerry. How did this happen? You paint the ringposts. You’re not even an athlete. Why would Nike want to endorse you? It just doesn’t add up.”
Jerry hold his finger up
“I’ll tell you how. So im at the gas pump today, right? And a car pulls up next to me with a New Jersey Plate. This little Japanese guy gets out and I can tell by the way hes looking at the gas pump that he doesn’t have a clue what hes doing. You know, because they don’t pump their own gas in NJ.”
“You sure he was looking at the gas pump? You know…squinty eyes”
“Yes John, Im sure he was looking at the gas pump”
“Just making sure”
“So anyway, this guy is clueless. So I figure what the hell, I can offer him a hand. So I do. I pump his gas for him, show him how to pay. He says he wants to thank me but doesn’t have any cash on him. So he goes to the back of his car and pops the trunk. Tells me he is the CEO of Nike and wants to offer me a sales/endorsement deal because its obvious I am a people person.”
Henry looks confused
“Just like that? Nike endorsed you because you put gas in a guys car?”
“Yup and now I am swimming in Nike gear and soon to be rolling in cash. All I have to do is wear this stuff around and run some sales events.”
“Wait a minute. You have to sell this stuff?”
“Well yea, that’s how I get paid. I get the free gear but the money comes from the sales. I keep a percentage”
Henry squints his eyes suspiciously
“Give me a shirt”
Jerry throws Henry a shirt and he and John go digging through the boxes. They are as giddy as children. Henry looks at the shirt and tosses it around in his hands a bit. He checks the tag on the inside.
“Jerry……”
Jerry doesn’t even hear Henry. He and John are to busy talking about the houses they are going to buy
“Jerry!!!!”
Henry shouts to finally get Jerrys attention. Jerry and John stop talking and look over at Henry
“Come on big Hoss! Get this set up. Just need three”
Henry puts the water bottle down and sets himself under the bar. John helps him lift the bar off the rack and then releases it into Henrys control. Henry takes three short quick breaths before letting the weight down slowly onto his chest. He pushes it up and lowers again. Pushes it up and holds at the top
“LETS GO!!!”
John screams and Henry slowly lowers the bar a third time. He struggles at the bottom but breathes through it and ever so slowly pushes the weight back up and onto the rack. He sits up and grabs his towel
“THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT BABY. FUCK YEA!!!”
John is clearly more excited about the lift than Henry is.
“I need to get stronger. WCF is a land of giants. Oblivion and Parrish will be harder to move than a 450 pound bench press”
“That’s true. I’ll get you there. I know weight lifting”
“I’ll give you that. I have added 50 pounds to my bench since I started coming here.”
“Of course you have. You are under the tutelage of THE John Landsman”
Henry smiles and shakes his head. He stands up off the bench
“How about a protein shake?”
“How about you have a protein shake and I have a beer?”
“Sure John…”
The two men walk over to the front of the gym where John has a sofa, some chairs and a minifridge set up facing a television. It is obvious that John spends a considerable amount of time here. The couches are beaten up and worn. John may actually live here.
“You know John, I am glad I found this place. Its dingy but its good for me. I needed a way to get out of the house. I really didn’t like what I was becoming. I owe you for it”
John Stares at him for a moment
“Jesus Big Hoss, you gonna give me a big hug too? Its just a gym. We are friends, I didn’t save you from the orphanage. Quit being such a bitch”
Henry goes to say something but the door to the gym explodes open and Jerry walks in carrying an enormous box. He drops the box on the floor and goes back outside. A moment later he comes back in with a hand truck stacked high with boxes.
“Jerry what the hell is all this crap?!?!? I swear to god if this is kitty litter again I will tear you to pieces”
John is standing now and visibly angry. The vein in his head is starting to pop. Jerry puts his hands up and attempts to soothe John
“Hold on there boss. Its not Kitty Litter but lets not pretend that wasn’t a good idea. Kitty Litter on the bathroom floor so we didn’t have to mop anymore? That was a good idea”
“People pissed on the floor Jerry!”
“That’s not my fault. The intention was good. Its not my fault the only people that use the bathroom in here are the homeless people in the area. Furthermore, YOU pissed on the floor. And I had to clean it up! Which wasnt really that bad since i jsut swept the litter up”
Henrys head perks up at the mention of the Homeless people
“Actually, while we are on the topic of homeless people, have you guys noticed the number growing around here lately? I pulled into the parking lot today and thought I was at a phish concert. It stinks out there”
“Never mind all that!”
Jerry opens up the box he was carrying and pops a hat on his head. The Nike swoosh is clearly front and center
“I’ve got great news boys. We are on our way up. We’re gonna be rich. I am the newest member of the Nike Endorsement team!”
John walks over and picks up the shirts
“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! THIS IS OUR BIG BREAK! THIS IS SOME TIGER WOODS SHIT….BEFORE HE GOT ADDICTED TO THE SEX OF COURSE”
John and Jerry Hug in the middle of the room and John grabs one of the shirts form the box and puts it on.
“Henry, come over here, grab one of these shirts”
Henry looks suspicious
“Hold on Jerry. How did this happen? You paint the ringposts. You’re not even an athlete. Why would Nike want to endorse you? It just doesn’t add up.”
Jerry hold his finger up
“I’ll tell you how. So im at the gas pump today, right? And a car pulls up next to me with a New Jersey Plate. This little Japanese guy gets out and I can tell by the way hes looking at the gas pump that he doesn’t have a clue what hes doing. You know, because they don’t pump their own gas in NJ.”
“You sure he was looking at the gas pump? You know…squinty eyes”
“Yes John, Im sure he was looking at the gas pump”
“Just making sure”
“So anyway, this guy is clueless. So I figure what the hell, I can offer him a hand. So I do. I pump his gas for him, show him how to pay. He says he wants to thank me but doesn’t have any cash on him. So he goes to the back of his car and pops the trunk. Tells me he is the CEO of Nike and wants to offer me a sales/endorsement deal because its obvious I am a people person.”
Henry looks confused
“Just like that? Nike endorsed you because you put gas in a guys car?”
“Yup and now I am swimming in Nike gear and soon to be rolling in cash. All I have to do is wear this stuff around and run some sales events.”
“Wait a minute. You have to sell this stuff?”
“Well yea, that’s how I get paid. I get the free gear but the money comes from the sales. I keep a percentage”
Henry squints his eyes suspiciously
“Give me a shirt”
Jerry throws Henry a shirt and he and John go digging through the boxes. They are as giddy as children. Henry looks at the shirt and tosses it around in his hands a bit. He checks the tag on the inside.
“Jerry……”
Jerry doesn’t even hear Henry. He and John are to busy talking about the houses they are going to buy
“Jerry!!!!”
Henry shouts to finally get Jerrys attention. Jerry and John stop talking and look over at Henry
“What?”
“What did the guy say his name was?”
“I don’t know, like Takeru Hisatoshi or something. Why?”
“Because the CEO of Nike is Mark Parker. This isn’t Nike gear. This tag says “Mikey”. M-I-K-E “Mikey”. Youre the poster boy for some knock off Chinese crap”
John and Jerry look at each other and then look back down at the shirts they are holding. John throws his shirt back into the box
“Well, fuck.”
Jerry is still speechless. Henry tosses his shirt back into the box as well and laughs. Jerry isn’t laughing
“I have to sell this stuff guys”
“What are you talking about? Its crap. Nobodys gonna buy Mikey gear”
“I BOUGHT MIKEY GEAR! I BOUGHT ALL OF THESE CRAP!!!”
Henry is incredulous
“Wait you actually paid for all this?! I thought you said it as a sponsorship”
“Well, yea, it is a sponsorship. I buy it for like a fraction of the cost and then I can wear it and sell it for retail. I stood to quadruple my money. I paid like 5 grand for these shirts and hats”
“Five Grand?!?! Are you crazy?!”
“I thought it was a good deal! The guy said he worked for Nike”
“No Jerry. He said he worked for Mikey”
John Laughs
“Fuckin foreign accents am I right?!”
Jerry looks ready to cry. He heads for the door.
“I gotta go. We have to figure out a way to get rid of this crap and get my money back. Ill be back. We need to brainstorm together but I need time to think.”
Jerry heads out the door and brushes past a young woman on her way in. She is about 5 foot 6 inches and in phenomenal shape. Her shoulder length blonde hair is tied back into a tight ponytail and her tee shirt hugs her feminine shape.
“Hey John”
She says to Landsman as she passes him and heads for the Locker room.
“Hey Layla. I took the cameras out of the showers like you asked. Sorry about that”
“Good”
She heads into the locker room and Henry Turns to john
“Who the hell was that?”
“That’s Layla Rose. Shes one of my clients.”
“You have other clients? I have literally never seen anyone in here”
“Just you and her”
“She was beautiful”
“Slow down there big hoss, don’t let her hear you say that. Layla don’t like being objectified. Shes one of those strong feminist types. Shes all business in here. Actually she been sleeping in her car the past couple of weeks because she just moved out here from California. Chasing that dream, doing what shes got to do. Aint making any money for rent or anything."
"Hey, why don’t you offer her one of the rooms at your place? Theres like 3 bedrooms in there and lord knows you aint been using all three of them”
“I don’t know John, I don’t even know her”
“So what? You train at Landsmans gym. That makes you practically family.”
“I don’t know if you noticed or not but I’m not exactly…you know…socially capable. It might be weird”
“Nonsense”
Layla walks out from the locker room in a pair of tight shorts and a tee shirt. John walks over triumphantly
“Layla my girl! I got some great news!”
“Youre actually going to stop pretending to mop the bathroom while im pissing in there?”
“Still working on that one. This is even better. My big dumb friend over here says he’s got a few spare bedrooms at his place and you can use one of them if you want. It’s just him over there. He’s a little weird but you two will get along I’m sure.”
Henry starts to object but its to late. Layla is already thanking him.
“Oh my god, you mean it Henry? You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“Well…actually……”
“I moved out of my house a year ago when I was 20 to chase this dream. My family didn’t support it so they refused to help me out. I have been living in my car ever since. Going on a year now. You have no idea how grateful I am for your hospitality. I’ve forgotten what it feels like to sleep in a warm bed at night”
Henry realizes he cant tell this girl no
“No problem. Hopefully it works out for everyone”
Scene Fades out.
_______________________________________________
We open to see Jerry with his cart full of shirts. He is standing with a man and is trying to make a pitch.
“Yup, best stuff money can buy. Ive got it all. Nike shirts, Nike Hats, Nike shoes. Anything you need”
The man never makes eye contact with Jerry. He continuously stares straight ahead into the distance. In fact, he might be blind
“So why are you selling it at 50 percent off?”
“Because I want to give your foundation an opportunity to really help people with disabilities. I really feel for you guys who have to go through life in the darkness. You guys really personify courageousness every day of your lives. I figure I make sale of this stuff to you at 50 percent off, you use it in your upcoming fundraiser and everybody wins. I’ve got an endorsement deal, Nike sure as hell isn’t going to care that I sold some of their stuff to charity at a discount”
“You’re a good man. Can I see one of the shirts?”
“I thought you were blind….?”
“Its an expression….”
“Yea…of course. Here you go”
Jerry hands over one of the shirts to the blind man. He takes it in his hands and flips it over a few times. He runs it through his fingers and sniffs it. He holds it up to the sun and rubs the back of his hand over the shirt. Then he stops and slowly turns to Jerry.
Jerry looks around uncomfortably.
“You disgust me….”
“What? What are you talking about? Im making a generous donation”
“You are trying to donate knock off products onto a blind guy is what you are trying to do!”
Jerry is indignant now
“I am most certainly not! How would you even know anyway, you cant even see the damn tags!”
“Oh so now not only are you trying to scam the blind, youre going to insult me as well? Asshole this has to be the cheapest feeling shit I have ever come across. You don’t have to be able to see to tell that this is garbage. Youre really something”
Jerry is flustered and the blind man turns to a large group behind him. The camera pans out and we realize that Jerry is standing outside the national association for the blind. Everyone in the area around him is either blind or an aid to the blind
“Hey everyone!!! This asshole thinks we are stupid. Hes trying to seel us knock off shit as real Nike!”
The whole crowd boos him and insults him. Several larger men start walking over. The crowd is loud and people are starting to stop and stare
“BOOO THIS MAN!!! SHAME ON YOU!!!! ASSHOLE!!!!”
Jerry Snatches the shirt from the man and throws it back into the box. He gathers the boxes together and scurries off as a large crowd of blind people with sticks chase him away.
Scene fades Out
_____________________________________
The third scene opens into the living room of Henrys home. Henry sits on His couch watching TV and eating a giant plate of egg whites. He has the news on when a story pops up about a man trying to sell knock off Nike shirts to the foundation for the blind. Henry stares in disbelief, speechless. Suddenly the bathroom door opens and Layla walks into the room and heads for the stairs. She is wearing just a pair of underwear. Her hair is wrapped in the towel and she is completely topless.
“Good morning Henry”
“Oh!!! Layla im so sorry!!! I didn’t realize you were going to be walking through here. I wouldn’t have looked. Im soooooo sorry!”
Layla looks confused
“Sorry for what?”
Now Henry is the one who is confused. He tries to look away and stares directly at the floor
“I didn’t know you would be naked like that. I wouldn’t have been here.”
“Henry. They’re just breasts. Every women has them and there is nothing sexual about them. I am a strong feminine woman and I see no reason why women should be forced to hide our bodies because men objectify us and look at us sexually. If we are going to live together you are going to have to be ok with this. I live here now. I will not be ashamed of myself and you don’t have to be ashamed either. Its just skin. You don’t have to hide your gaze. Just don’t sexualize me and everything will be fine”
Layla hops up the stairs and Henry sits on the couch in complete disbelief of what just happened. A few Moments later Layla returns down the stairs and sits next to Henry on the couch with a bowl of oatmeal.
Henry is still noticeably uncomfortable
“So you ready for slam?”
“I am, yea. After last weeks loss I am ready to get back out there and get back on the right track. I have never been much for tag team matches and my record shows that but this weekend will be different. Lester Parrish wants to pretend that the brotherhood is coming back stronger than ever. Why? Because they’ve got some people on a farm who are building shit? You know who else has a bunch of carpenters on farms? The Amish. Does that mean brother Hezekiah can beat me in a fight? No. The brotherhood can build their compounds. They can gather their flock. They can recruit lonesome morons to their cause but there is one thing they will never be able to do and that is take and REMAIN in power.”
“I have said it before that groups like that rise to power quickly and then just as quickly they fall because eventually the sheep in the flock realize that the man they follow is not a sheep. He is a wolf in sheeps clothing. Eventually those followers realize tht they don’t get anything out of this and they start to stray and when one sheep strays the others will follow. Parrish and bishop may have their flock right now but as sure as day becomes night that flock will falter and stray and when it does the WCF will be left with the hollowed out shells of the brotherhood. Lester parrish’s day will come. His downfall will come and I will ensure that it starts this week. I will expose those cracks and be the catalyst that starts that downfall.
“And Oblivion? Or Jakob Lister? Are they the same person? Im not really sure but either way, this guy may be a former world champion but I am FUTURE world champion and as far as I am concerned, that accounts for more. Oblivion can talk all he wants about the horrors his body has been through and he changes he has gone through but in the end, he is a man. A man who has weaknesses. A man who is a shadow of his former self. Oblivion is half the monster he used to be. I am not afraid, I am not intimidated and I am not overmatched. This Saturday at slam I will win that match.”
Layla Nods her head
“That’s all well and good Henry but what about Mikey? You don’t worry that hes going to interfere somehow?”
“Mikey Extreme can bitch and moan all he wants but the bottom line is I played by the rules. I used the superkick because it was the move that was the most readily available to me. I saw the opportunity and I took it. That’s what winners and champions do. Now Mikey wants to run around talking about disrespect? Mikey is the king of disrespect. If Mikey wants to land that superkick on me so bad then he can walk out to the ring and try it. Or he can find me backstage and try it. He better hit it though because if he misses you can bet he will be eating a spear”
“Are you done with that bowl?”
Henry stands up and takes Laylas bowl to the kitchen. She follows him in and as they enter the kitchen there is a knock on the back door. Layla goes and opens it and Jerry comes in.
“Jerry was that you I saw on the news selling that crap gear to blind kids?”
“I WAS TRYING TO HELP THEM!”
“By selling them knock off gear?”
“How should I have known they could tell the difference?!”
“That’s not the point Jerry. Its not helping someone just because they don’t know the difference”
“Ohhhh they know the difference”
Layla and Henry shake their heads and laugh
“So now what?” Layla asks
“Its all good. I found a way out”
“Do I want to know?”
“I burned it”
“You burned it?”
“Yea I burned it. Turns out, my car insurance covers damage to my car AND to belongings inside the car. So I put the clothes in my car and set it on fire”
“So you committed insurance fraud?”
“No Henry, I played the game”
“Nooooo I am pretty sure that’s insurance fraud”
“Tomato Tomahto”
The three walk back into the living room as a breaking news report comes on the TV
“BREAKING NEWS HERE OUTSIDE THE PARK AND RUN PARKING GARAGE. A MASSIVE FIRE HAS ERUPTED RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF OVER 100 PRIVATELY OWNED VEHICLES AND DAMAGE TO THE STRUCTURE ITSELF.”
Henry and Layla turn to Jerry who is watching the screen blankly
“Is that…..you know?”
“I should go”
Fade to Black.
