Kevin Hohenberger

Three More Sunday's written by Kevin Hohenberger Address Phone E-mail INT. SUSIE'S DINER - MORNING A classic 50's style diner where the coffee's hot and the bacon's cooked to crispy perfection. Sitting alone in a corner booth is an old man, (80's), drinking a steaming cup of black coffee and reading the newspaper. This is BILL. The door to the cozy, little diner opens, letting in the gusting winter wind. The few patrons inside shiver as an older gentlemen in a burly coat walks inside and quickly shuts the door before snow gets in. The old man greets the waitresses with a smile and heads over to the corner booth and sits down across from Bill. This is MARTIN. SUSIE, (60's) the owner of the diner and the only waitress taking orders at the moment, walks up to the old men's table. SUSIE How're you boys doing today? Martin greets Susie with a big grin, while Bill continues to read his paper, not even looking up at Susie. MARTIN Can't complain, who'd listen? Susie gives Martin a knowing smile like she knew he was going to say that. SUSIE So what can I get you boys today? The usual? (pointing at Martin) Three chocolate chip pancakes, extra syrup? Martin nods at her with a smile. Susie then turns to Bill. SUSIE (CONT'D) And for you handsome, eggs and bacon? Bill grunts in agreement. SUSIE (CONT'D) Perfect. I'll get that right out for y'all. MARTIN Thanks, Susie. Susie moves onto her next customer. 2. A pot of coffee sits in the middle of the table. Martin grabs it and pours himself a cup. He takes two sugar packets and mixes it into his coffee. MARTIN (CONT'D) Reading anything interesting there, Bill? Bill doesn't look up from his reading. His eyes glued to the paper. Martin sips on his coffee, waiting patiently for Bill to respond. After a long beat, Bill finally folds up his paper and places it in the corner of the table. He grabs the coffee pot from Martin's side and pours himself another cup. Taking a long sip before he responds. BILL Nothing new. Same shit, different day. MARTIN Why the hell you read that thing if it's always the same? Bill looks out the window, gazing at the swirling storm of snow surrounding the diner. BILL FOBO, I suppose. FO-what? MARTIN BILL FOBO or FONO or something like that. I don't know, Jamie told about it. Means fear of missing out. MARTIN That would be FOMO then. Right? Whatever. BILL MARTIN Never thought you cared what happens out there in the real world. 3. BILL I live in it don't I? For now at least. MARTIN Ehh, it's just sad story after sad story in those things. They never cover anything nice. BILL The world ain't nice, Marty. MARTIN Some of it is. Bill scoffs and takes another sip of his black coffee. BILL Anything new happening with you? MARTIN Ehh, same old same old. Like your papers. How's Jon? BILL MARTIN He's good. The kids are good. Little Marcy's turning ten soon, can you believe it? BILL No shit? Time flies. MARTIN That it does. Just look at our reflections. The two men share a laugh. Martin keeps his smile while Bill's fades. A sudden gloom runs down Bill's face as he looks down at the table and stares into his coffee. BILL Martin, there's uhh -- something I need to tell ya. MARTIN Sure, what's up, Bill? BILL I uhh -- I went to th-Susie walks up and sets the men's breakfast on the table. 4. SUSIE Three pancakes for you. MARTIN Thanks, Sus. SUSIE And eggs and bacon for you. BILL You're a doll, Susie. SUSIE Oh I know. Can I get you boys anything else? Bill shakes his head. MARTIN I think we're good. SUSIE Alright. Enjoy. Holler if you need me. Susie retreats to the back. Martin digs into his syrup drizzled pancakes. Bill picks at his eggs. After scarfing down a whole pancake, Martin finally looks up at Bill and sees him staring out the window again. His plate hasn't been touched. MARTIN Food's getting cold. Bill snaps out of his daydream and looks down at his plate. Susie arranged the eggs and bacon into a smiley face staring up at Bill. Bill scoffs. BILL I hate when she does that. Does what? MARTIN BILL Puts this smiley face shit on here. I don't need what I'm about to eat to be smiling at me when I do it. MARTIN It's just eggs, Bill. 5. Bill takes his fork and stabs into one of the egg's yoke, disfiguring the smiling face. MARTIN (CONT'D) What were you gonna say earlier? Huh? BILL MARTIN You were saying something before the food came. BILL Oh. It's -- nothing. MARTIN Ahh come on I ain't letting you off easy. BILL It's -- really it's nothing. MARTIN Fine. I'll sit here in silence all day if I have to. Bill stares at Martin's grinning face and rolls his eyes. BILL I uhh -- went to the doctor the other day. Check up? Yeah. MARTIN BILL MARTIN And? How'd it go? Not good. BILL Martin looks up from his pancakes and sets his fork down. Giving his full attention to Bill. How so? MARTIN BILL I uhh -- well they -(sighs) (MORE) 6. BILL (CONT'D) They found a tumor in my uhh -- in my brain. It's cancerous. MARTIN Jesus, Bill, I -- I'm so-BILL Yeah, yeah I know. MARTIN You taking medicine? They sign you up for treatment? I'll go with ya. BILL No. No, I umm -- I ain't doing that. MARTIN Doing what? BILL I ain't shooting none of that shit in my body. MARTIN Bill, you gotta. Otherwise you'll BILL I'm eighty-three years old, Marty. There ain't no point. MARTIN Of course there's a point! You got a life don't ya? You got kids, grandkids, you got people who love ya. BILL Yeah and they can go on without me. They'll have to eventually. Just sooner than they thought. MARTIN Bill, you gotta at least try, no? BILL Why? Have them shoot that shit into me, making me weaker than I already am? And for what? So I can live a couple more years? No. 7. MARTIN People are living to a hundred now, Bill. Don't you wanna see Jamie graduate school? Bill bites his lip and takes a sip of his coffee. BILL It don't matter. I ain't doing it. MARTIN You have to! BILL I don't have to do nothing. MARTIN Well what about -- what ab-Martin trails off not finishing his sentence. The two sit in silence for a beat. MARTIN (CONT'D) How long you got? BILL The doc said if I don't do the chemo, I got at least a month left. MARTIN Jesus, Bill. That's terrible. BILL That's life, Marty. MARTIN No. No it ain't. It's death. BILL Death is life. A part of it at least. MARTIN I can't believe you ain't gonna fight this. You fight everything. You survived the war for chrissakes. Hell just the other day, I saw you haggle with that pretty cashier just to get your can of beans down a few cents. You don't give up for nothing, Bill. BILL I ain't giving up. 8. MARTIN Then what the hell do you call it? BILL Acceptance. MARTIN You can't -- how could -- I don't get it, Bill. I just -- I just don't get it. BILL You don't have to. MARTIN So there's no convincing ya? BILL Erin's already tried. MARTIN You are one stubborn bastard, Bill. BILL Always have been. MARTIN I know, that's what I liked about you. A man of conviction. But now - I don't know, I never thought I'd see the day Bill Mathers turning over and giving up. BILL (angry) I ain't giving up dammit! MARTIN Fine, acceptance whatever. You can rationalize it anyway you want. It don't change the fact you're being a damn coward. BILL I ain't no coward! You're on thin fuckin' ice right now. MARTIN Why? Just tell me that. Why? BILL (scoffs) Because -- you wouldn't get it. 9. Try me. MARTIN BILL You know how long it's been? Since Mary. Twenty years. Twenty god damn years I had to live in that empty house. I'm tired, Marty. I'm tired. That's all. MARTIN So you wanna see her again? I can understand that. BILL No. You know I don't believe in that shit. MARTIN Of course not. You're Bill friggin Mathers not even heaven's good enough for you. BILL Oh spare me the bullshit. MARTIN So if you don't plan on seeing her again then why go? Why leave behind the family you do got? I'm tired. BILL MARTIN You said that. BILL Ain't that enough? MARTIN No. Not to me. Tough. BILL MARTIN (scoffs) Wh-- what about me, huh? BILL What about you? 10. MARTIN What the hell am I gonna do on my Sunday morning's now, huh? Am I suppose to come in here, sit down, drink my coffee and just stare at an empty seat? BILL Tell Jon to meet ya. Have him bring the kids. You won't even know I'm gone. I can't. MARTIN BILL Now you're just being difficult. MARTIN I can't, Bill. They're gone. BILL What? What the hell you mean they're gone? MARTIN They moved. Last January. BILL What? You never told me that. MARTIN (staring outside) I -- I didn't wanna admit it. I thought if I never said it out loud then -- I don't know. I guess -- I guess I'm just a fool. Soon to be a lonely one at that. BILL Enough with the self-pity I'm the one dying here, alright? Martin turns to Bill, fire in his eyes, but as he looks at Bill's face he sees the old man grinning and remembers his friend's twisted sense of humor. MARTIN There's really no convincing ya? BILL Afraid not. 11. MARTIN So you got a month huh? Yepp. BILL MARTIN Alright. That leaves -- three Sundays left. Three more breakfasts. Three more talks about -- what the hell we gonna talk about? BILL I don't know. What we always talk about. Ain't nothing's changed. We knew we couldn't do this forever. Martin again looks out the window, the snow storm has died down a bit. Martin takes in a deep breath, trying his hardest to accept his friend's decision. MARTIN I'm gonna miss ya, Bill. BILL I'm gonna miss ya too pal. MARTIN Three more Sundays? BILL (smiles) Three more Sundays. FADE TO BLACK.