THE STORM

I had to come up with a script for my Video Editing class. I was terrified, because I’m not a writer. Vivi, Peggy and Tracey are the writers of the 4 chicks.

So, I was thinking what was I going to write. So, I though just like Cancer touches everyone also, alcoholism touches all of us one way or another. I wrote something that I knew a little about since it has touched my life through family members. Writing was a great help to me, to understand what it is like to battle such an awful disease and how it could ruin families and friendship. I was debating posting the script since this was more for my own closure but I’ve decided to share with you all.

Please forgive my grammar and script structure. My fellow chicks are amazing teachers and they do try hard, but you can’t teach an old dog new tricks LOL. Seriously, I’m trying. I hope you enjoy.

THE STORM

EXT. NEW YORK CITY HIGHWAY. NIGHT. RAINING.

You hear cars zooming by and honking their horns. In the distance, the faraway lights of a car gets closer, brighter. The sound of a car crash interrupts the routine of the night. Smoke can be seen in the distant highway.

INT. SUBURBAN HOME. NIGHT.

CASI (32) Pretty, hispanic, professional.

WAKES UP SUDDENLY puts her hand on her chest and realizes she is breathing heavily. She looks at her husband who is sleeping peacefully.

CASI

(Whispers to herself) I must have had a bad dream.

CASI tries to go back to sleep but tosses and turns unable to stop feeling that something is not right. She gets up and steps on some legos.

CASI

Ouch, that hurt!

Walks to her home office and turns on the computer, and begins to check her emails.

INT. SUBURBAN HOME. MORNING. THUNDERING

The phone rings.

CASI

Hello

20 second pause. All of a sudden the silence is broken by a scream. CASI collapses, clutching her stomach, her hands covering her face.

CASI

no… no.. no!!!!

Husband (35) jumps out of bed to the sounds of screaming and runs to CASI.

INT. NEXT MORNING. AIRPLANE

she has no makeup and her eyes are blood-shot from crying.

INT. TAXI CAR. NEW YORK CITY. COLD AND RAINY. DAY.

CASI is in a TAXI.

TAXI DRIVER

So where are you heading.

CASI does not answer and is staring out the window.

TAXI DRIVER

Hello?

TAXI DRIVER

Miss are you ok?

For a few seconds CASI is staring at him like she does not know what to say.

CASI

Oh, sorry, yes. 5858 linden place, queens.

She keeps staring out the window.

EXT. THE APARTMENT BUILDING.PROJECTS. DAY.

CASI is standing in front of the building. She looks up at the building top floor.

INT. INSIDE BUILDING.

CASI steps off the dirty and dark elevator, starts walking down the hall toward the door. The lights in the hall flickers on and off. She walks slowly, stopping to read some of the graffiti.

She pauses for a minute before knocking. Takes a breath. Knocks.

TIA MILAGRO (62) Puerto Rican overweight woman.

TIA MILAGRO opens the door.

CASI

(Sadness in her expression) Hola

Tia Milagro

(She hugs Casi) Hola mija! how was your flight.

CASI

OK

TIA MILAGRO

Come in, everyone is waiting for you.

INT. APARTMENT.

As she enters through the kitchen she can smell food. She walks to the table. The table is full of pork, rice, beans, plantains everything she loves.

CASI

(She gives a sad smile at the comforting scene) It feels like Christmas.

TIA MILAGRO

(she looks at CASI warmly and smiles) I’ll make you a plate.

CASI

No, it’s OK. I promise I will eat later. Thank you.

CASI walks into the living room. Her grandmother, cousins, aunts and uncles are there.

Everyone starts hugging her but are not sure what to say. People are eating and chatting. No one is talking about what happened.

They all sit down to eat and TIA MILAGRO turns on the television. The evening news appears and a familiar voice fills the room.

NEWS CASTER

Witnesses reported a car traveling over 70 mph, and going the wrong way on the west bound side of the BQE at approximately 1:00am, struck another car head on, killing the drivers of both vehicles. According to police an empty bottle of vodka was found in the back seat of the car of Jerry Santos 59 from queens, killing him instantly. Dead at the scene also Andre Antonelli 49 from Long Island. With more of the story Michelle Summerland.

TIA MILAGRO quickly turns off the television. Everyone starts crying. CASI is angry and gets up and starts pacing back and forth.

CASI

(angry)How could he do this to me? and to our family? I just don’t understand!

TIA MILAGRO

Mija, he was an alcoholic.

CASI

That doesn’t give him any excuse to get into a car and kill someone else.

If he hated his life so much why not kill himself and get it over with.

ABUELA (Grandmother) (80)

ABUELA

(Angry and sad puts her hand on her chest)

My son was a good man and a wonderful father, and I won’t have you talk about him that way, especially in my home.

CASI

Abuelita he was my father.

My father who killed someone else.

My father!

TIA MILAGRO

You are just upset. Calm down.

CASI

It’s amazing that he thought that he was just doing harm to himself, without realizing the harm he was causing his family. He is gone but we are the ones who are going to have to live with this pain.

How do I face the family that lost their loved one because of my father’s irresponsibility? How do I apologize for his addiction? There is just no excuse. We are all to blame for this!

Maybe it’s all my fault, I knew that he was an alcoholic but I did nothing to stop him. All I did was tell him how much I loved him. Obviously that was not good enough. Should I have called the police and let them know that my father was always driving drunk? Abuelita he was living with you. Why didn’t you do anything?

ABUELA has a shocked look in her face.

TIA MILAGRO

Casi, stop right now!

There was nothing you or Abuela could have done.

He needed to want to stop drinking on his own. Your father loved you.

CASI

YEAH RIGHT!

Oh and that is how you treat someone you love?

And do you want to hear more great news?

His life insurance won’t cover any of the funeral or burial costs, because there might be a lawsuit.

CASI

(pauses) So I was thinking of cremating him.

Everyone gasps.

ABUELA

How can you even think of cremating him. He was your father.

I don’t care what he did, I won’t let you cremate him.

CASI

Listen to me there is no money!

I can only put down $3,000. The funeral and burial cost is about $10,000.

Where am I going to get the rest of the money?

ABUELA

I though you owned your own business?

You are just trying to punish your father.

CASI

(shakes her head) First of all $3,000 is all I can put down because it’s all I have.

And second I can’t punish my father because he is already dead.

TIA MILAGRO

We will find a solution. I think all of us can put some money down to help for the funeral and burial cost.

CASI

I made up my mind, I’m going to cremate him.

TIA MILAGRO

Por favor Mija, let’s think about this.

Why don’t you go lay down for a while and then come and eat so we can talk.

CASI walks away and locks herself in the bedroom.

INT. BEDROOM. MORNING.

There is a knock on the door

TIA MILAGRO

Mija is time to get up. We have to be at the funeral by 10.

CASI sits up and just stares at the closed-door. She can hear people walking around and getting ready.

CASI

(mumbles to herself)Why bother going. He didn’t give a shit about me.

Why should I care?

She lays back down and pulls the covers over herself.

A knock on the door again.

TIA MILAGRO

I made your favorite breakfast Sorullitos De Maiz (cornmeal stick).

CASI sighs and pushes herself off the bed.

EXT. CEMETERY.RAINY DAY. MORNING.

CASI is surrounded by her whole family and people are crying and saying their goodbyes. The coffin is being lowered.

TIA MILAGRO

You need to say goodbye to your father or you will regret it later.

CASI

I just can’t. Why should I?

He did not think of me when he got on that highway. He did not think what I may have to go thru.

He had a responsibility as a father he had no right to do this to me. So why even bother?

He is gone, and I need to get home to my husband and child.

TIA MILAGRO

I’m not going to push you.

But you need to forgive him if you want to move on with your life.

CASI does not respond.

INT. AIRPLANE. AFTERNOON.

CASI is on the airplane. There is a man sitting next to her.

JERRY (65) Physically, looks like he has a hard life.

The flight attendant passes by with drinks and offers CASI one but does not offer JERRY a drink.

CASI is looking out the window and looks angry. JERRY tries making chit-chat talk with her.

JERRY

Are you going back home or vacation?

CASI

(she is still looking out the window as she responds)

Home

JERRY

That’s nice.

He notices that she is upset about something.

JERRY

Do you want to talk about it?

CASI

Excuse me?

JERRY

Sometimes talking with a stranger helps.

CASI

I don’t think so, and I really don’t think that you can help.

JERRY

Try me.

CASI

(arms folded sarcastically blurts out) OK, My father, who had everything to live for, was an alcoholic.

He got behind the wheel and killed himself and took another person with him.

So tell me how are you going to help me?

JERRY

WOW!

CASI turns her head and stares out the window not expecting a reply.

JERRY

I may not know how you feel but I can tell you that I know your father.

CASI looks at him shocked.

JERRY

I’am a recovering alcoholic.

CASI

(unimpressed) You overcame it just like that huh?

JERRY

Yes and no, it is still hard for me. it’s a constant struggle. I think about drinking from the time I wake up till I go to bed.

It’s an unending battle. There are good days and bad days, and certain situations trigger my craving for some booze.

It could be little things like a car cutting me in the road to feeling lonely.

You crave it so bad that you really don’t think about anything or anyone else and that is what your father was going through.

His wanting and craving was bigger than him.

CASI

I just don’t get it.

He had so much to live for, a daughter that loved him, has a grandchild, I mean had.

Why couldn’t that be enough?

JERRY

I had a wife that loved me and wonderful children.

She stayed with me a really long time during my worst, till she came to the realization that there was nothing she could do and decided to leave me.

I loved her, I still love her, but the booze was more important than her or the children.

Don’t get me wrong I love my family but I loved the booze more.

I lost my job, lost my home. I was homeless. I slept in my car for over a year and still I drank.

After I had a drink in my hand I really didn’t care where I slept or who I hurt in the interim.

CASI

So what changed?

JERRY

My body couldn’t take it anymore.

I was hospitalized, and the doctor said “you are slowly killing yourself and if you don’t get help now you will be dead in 6 months”.

My thinking was I’m better off dead anyway, I had lost everything by than.

I had nothing to live for.

Than, someone from a rehab center came to talk to me, I was tired by then and knew that even a drink wouldn’t fix the loneliness I felt.

I went to the rehab center even though I knew that they couldn’t fix me, I already been through 3 rehab’s and this was my fourth.

But I though what the hell! I really wanted to sleep in a bed so I went.

CASI

So it helped? I mean going to rehab?

JERRY

(so so hand gesture) Kind’ve, I had already been through rehab many times.

But this time around I realized that I was never going to hit rock bottom.

If losing my job, my home, my family and living in the street wasn’t rock bottom for me.

I knew than that soon, it would be death knocking on my door.

I realized that I did not want to die that I needed to change for myself, that the facility,

preachers or family members couldn’t change me.

It had to be me. I figured that God had a purpose for me since I was still alive.

CASI

What is your purpose?

JERRY

I’m still trying to figure that one out.

Your father drank not because you did anything or that he had this miserable life, It was because the craving was bigger than him.

He might have tried many times to stop but he couldn’t.

The booze always won so he might have decided to stop fighting it and let it swallow him whole.

Don’t hold on to the anger or you will carry his burden on your shoulders when in reality it had nothing to do with you.

Embrace and remember the good memories of your father and that he loved you and always wanted the best for you.

CASI

I just hate him right now. I don’t know if I can forgive him.

JERRY

You hate him because he hurt you and that is normal to feel that way.

You will get through this. Trust me when I say that he loves you with all his heart and it hurts him seeing you in so much pain.

and if he could do it again differently he would.

CASI

You talk like you know him.

JERRY

I do in a way. I’m an alcoholic and a father.

The only difference between your father and me is that he’s not struggling anymore.

JERRY extends his hand to CASI.

JERRY

Oh, by the way my name is Jerry.

CASI is taken back but reaches out and shakes his hand.

The airplane is at the gate. Everyone stands up to grab their overhead luggage.

JERRY lets CASI stand in front of him and they are waiting for the door to open.

CASI turns back to say something to JERRY and the lady who was sitting one row back is standing behind her.

CASI starts looking around for JERRY, but does not see him.

LADY

Isn’t it great to have the whole row for yourself?

CASI look confused but says nothing.

The flight attendant come on the speaker.

FLIGHT ATTENDANT

Ladies and gentlemen the doors are open. You may now exit the plane.

CASI turns and walk down the Jetway. At baggage claim she is greeted by her husband and Child.

HUSBAND

(hugs her warmly) How was your flight?

CASI

Good.

EXT. AIRPORT. DAY

CASI, husband and child leave the airport. It’s sunny and warm outside. CASI pauses and looks up to the sky and smiles as she gets in the car.

CASI

(to herself) It finally stopped raining.

THE END