FADE IN: EXT. COFFEE SHOP. DAY.
Anna, 20, wears a diner uniform and stands behind the
counter cleaning and singing to herself.
INT. COFFEE SHOP. DAY.
Paul, 23, enter the coffee shop his head down and walks to
the very back booth. He sits down, his back against the
wall. Paul has bandages on both his forearms and a hospital
admittance bracelet around his left wrist. He wears the
uniform of a gas jockey.
Anna picks up a pot of coffee and heads towards Paul.
ANNA
You know, you look horrible Paul. You look like you have the Mean Reds, you do. Are you eating?
She fills a cup for him.
PAUL
No, I don’t really feel like it.
ANNA
You better eat or you’ll die. You should have some pie. It’ll cheer
you up. Hey, did I tell you?
PAUL
No.
ANNA
I haven’t told you?
She laughs.
PAUL
What?
ANNA
I’m going to New York. New York! Can you believe it? Like Audrey Hepburn or something.
PAUL
How’s that supposed to cheer me up?
ANNA
Cause it’s New York, haven’t you been listening. Jesus!
PAUL
I thought you hated Americans.
ANNA
Oh, I do, I totally do, but the money’s so good...
She gets up and grabs the pot of coffee.
ANNA (CONT'D)
...and I can always act or wait...
She refills two elderly gentlemen's coffee cups as she talks.
ANNA (CONT’D)
...or strip or something, so what, as long as I get out of here. I
mean whatever, I know you hate it here.
She cuts a piece of pie and puts it on a plate.
PAUL
Yeah, I know, but it's a war year.
She sits down again and hands Paul the pie.
ANNA
What do you care anyway? I thought
you were going to kill yourself today.
PAUL
There was a new record that came out I had to buy. When are you
leaving?
ANNA
Tonight?
PAUL
To New York?
Anna gets up and starts to clean tables.
ANNA
Oh, soon, really soon...I’m sooo exited, fuck...
She spills a beverage and wipes it up.
ANNA (CONT’D)
...I can't wait. So when are you going to kill yourself again?
PAUL
I dunno. Tomorrow. Maybe tonight, you can never tell about these
things.
ANNA
I guess not.
Anna smiles at him.
PAUL
Do you want to go to a movie?
ANNA
I don't know, you smell like gasoline Paul.
PAUL
I can change. I don't work till midnight anyway.
ANNA
Okay, but only if you change your clothes...
PAUL
I can do that.
ANNA
...and it's not a date.
PAUL
Sure no date, you pay.
ANNA
We split it.
PAUL
Sure, I was thinking that anyway.
ANNA
Okay. Meet me at the Burrard Station at four. We'll go to the
petting zoo. See the Dolphin. It'll cheer you up.
EXT. SUBWAY STATION. DAY.
Paul paces back and forth wearing a cheap suit and tie
smoking a cigarette. He stops to look at his watch. 4:17. He
paces again.
Anna comes up the escalator, dressed like Audrey Hepburn in
"Love in the Afternoon". Capri pants, white bows in her hair.
Anna looks at his suit.
ANNA
I thought this wasn't a date.
PAUL
It's not.
ANNA
You’re wearing a suit and tie Paul.
PAUL
It's the only thing I had that was clean.
Anna takes a look at his face.
PAUL
Honest.
ANNA
(suspicious)
You even shaved.
PAUL
(feeling his face)
Yeah, my whiskers were itchy.
ANNA
(smelling Paul)
Cologne?
PAUL
(looking around)
Where?
ANNA
It is. Fuck me, Paul! You're a
brand new boy.
Paul looks sheepish. He takes a drag from his cigarette.
ANNA
(taking a puff of his cigarette)
I don't know why you smoke, you work around gasoline.
She hands the cigarette back to him.
PAUL
(extinguishing the cigarette)
All the better reason.
ANNA
Hey did I ever tell you Imperial Oil is the Devil?
PAUL
No, I wasn't aware of that.
ANNA
It's true Paul.
EXT. PETTING ZOO. DAY.
They wander around looking at what ever animals are left.
INT. AQUARIUM. DAY.
Darkness. From the blackness a Dolphin makes a circle
towards the glass. Kids press their heads against the glass.
Anna and Paul look at the Dolphin tank.
ANNA
I wonder what it thinks.
They stare at the Dolphin.
ANNA
You know, they're smarter than
Humans. It's true.
PAUL
If they were smarter they wouldn't
be in a big fish tank.
ANNA
Maybe. I think it's smart. Look at
it. It's sad. It reminds me of you Paul.
Paul looks at the Dolphin.
ANNA
The saddest animal in the zoo, is you.
Paul looks over at Anna, and then back to the dolphin.
ANNA
It's true.
INTERCUT: C.U. Paul. C.U. Dolphin.
SLOW DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. PARK. LATE AFTERNOON.
Anna and Paul walk through the Park. He's got his hands in his pockets and he stares
at the ground in front of him.
ANNA
Cheer up.
PAUL
Yeah.
ANNA
You're making me sad. Oh! Oh! This reminds me of a movie.
PAUL
Which one?
ANNA
I can't remember, but you know it does.
Paul stares at the sky.
ANNA
Paul?
Paul looks over to Anna.
ANNA(CONT’D)
Are you really going to kill yourself?
PAUL
Yep.
ANNA
Do you have a suicide note?
Paul reaches into his pocket and takes out an envelope. He
gives it to Anna.
ANNA
It's addressed to me?
PAUL
It has to be addressed to someone. Might as well be you.
ANNA
You’re so sweet. Can I read It?
PAUL
No, I'm not dead yet, and some of
that stuff is kinda embarrassing.
She hands the letter back to him.
ANNA
How then?
PAUL
Well at first I thought a train.
You know? But... that's a little too much. I tried cutting...
He holds his arms up showing the bandages.
ANNA
Did that hurt?
PAUL
Oh, Christ yeah. So that's why I have this.
He takes a sash cord out of his pocket. It is tied into a
noose.
ANNA
You carry this everywhere?
PAUL
Yeah. Hanging is the number three
most preferred way to go for men.
INSERT: METHODS OF SUICIDE CHART: HANGING.
ANNA
What's number one?
PAUL
Suffocation. Followed by guns and
explosives.
SCANNING CHART: SUFFOCATION, GUNS AND EXPLOSIVES.
PAUL(CONT’D)
Girls prefer poisoning.
ANNA
I'll have to remember that.
PAUL
(nonchalant)
You should. Yeah statistically I'm the perfect age to kill myself.
ANNA
When's your birthday?
PAUL
September 12th.
A man is selling helium balloons.
ANNA
Will you buy me a balloon? Pretty please?
EXT. STREET. TWILIGHT.
Paul and Anna walks with a bunch of balloons.
ANNA
When you die, do you think that
you'll be in some place...
PAUL
(interrupting)
Like Heaven or Hell?
ANNA
Yeah, or something?
PAUL
God I hope not.
ANNA
Wouldn't it be nice to come back and see me though?
PAUL
Like a ghost?
ANNA
Yeah, you could haunt me.
PAUL
If I can, I will.
ANNA
Promise?
PAUL
Promise. What if you go to New York though?
ANNA
I'll leave a forwarding address somewhere you can find it.
PAUL
Good thinking. I think I would like to haunt you.
ANNA
It would mean a lot to me.
PAUL
No kidding?
ANNA
No kidding.
PAUL
What do you want to do about the balloons?
She lets the balloons go. They watch the balloons rise into the sky.
EXT. MOVIE THEATRE. NIGHT.
Paul and Anna stand in front of a theatre box office.
PAUL
What movie do you want to see?
ANNA
Anything with Audrey Hepburn.
Paul scans the marquee.
PAUL
I don't think she has anything new playing.
ANNA
There must be an old one.
PAUL
What have you seen her in?
ANNA
I've never seen her in anything.
But wouldn't it be nice if she was in something good?
PAUL
Yes.
ANNA
I think so too.
INT. THEATRE.
Paul squints his eyes several times at the screen. Anna
rests her head against him. She stares at her hands. Paul
blinks. The theatre screen is bright white and glows like a
Hiroshi Sugimoto photograph.
EXT. THE SUBURBS. NIGHT.
Anna and Paul walk slowly down the street. Paul smokes.
ANNA
I wish I still had my balloons.
PAUL
I'll buy some more tomorrow.
ANNA
Do you promise?
PAUL
Sure. If not tomorrow, the day after that.
Anna stops in front of her yard.
ANNA
I'd invite you in but...
PAUL
I know.
ANNA
Yeah?
PAUL
Yeah.
Anna kisses him just long enough.
PAUL
What's that for?
ANNA
Nothin'. Don't kill yourself okay.
PAUL
Okay.
ANNA
Promise?
PAUL
Sure.
ANNA
I wish the movie was better.
PAUL
It had a good poster.
ANNA
Yeah. Okay, gotta go. Bye.
PAUL
See ya.
He watches Anna go across the lawn, open a gate and disappear.
EXT. THE SUBURBS. NIGHT.
Paul walks under street lamps and the branches of trees. He
looks up at a large overhanging branch. Underneath is a park
bench.
He checks his watch, then looks back up at the tree.
Paul pulls out his noose and throws it up around the tree
branch. He steps up on the bench and places the noose
around his neck.
He pauses for a moment, then takes the letter out. He looks
at it and places it just inside his pocket. Paul closes his
eyes and steps off the bench, hanging himself.
The rope knot unravels and he falls to the ground.
Paul picks himself up off the ground and cleans the dirt
from his suit.
Paul looks back up at the tree, pauses, then heads on down
the street.
EXT. GAS STATION. NIGHT.
The mercury vapour lights and the large sign of the Service
Station glow and light up the night sky, as Paul, hands in
his suit pockets, walks toward them.
FADE OUT:
THE END