Speedy, Meri & Me Martha Rose Crow

 

 

ACT 3: SPEEDY

 

CAMERA CUTS TO A LONG SHOT OF A SMALL BEDROOM. A SET OF DRUMS STAND IN THE FAR CORNER.

THE SHEER CURTAINS FLOAT ON ROUGH BREEZES. RAI N IS HEARD FALLING ON THE TILE ROOF ABOVE.

DIVA AND SPEEDY ARE LYING IN BED. HE IS SLEEPING PEACEFULLY AND LOVINGLY BESIDE HER.

 

CAMERA SLOWLY PANS TO DIVA AND ZOOMS IN FOR A TIGHT CLOSEUP BEFORE IT ZOOMS INTO HER

EYES.

 

CUT TO BLACK AS THE CAMERA ZOOMS PAST HER PUPIL, THEN CAMERA SEES A BRIGHT FLASH OF

LIGHT AS IT ENTERS HER MIND.

 

CAMERA FADES TO BLACK FOR A FEW MOMENTS.

 

DIVA (narrating) Speedy was born in this room. It's a strange feeling to be laying in the same room your lover was born in. It

also feels kind of warm and happy.

 

SPEEDY REACHES OUT IN HIS SLEEP TO HOLD HER, PULLS CLOSE TO HER.

 

DIVA (narrating)Although we've been together quite a while now, I remember the day I met him like it was yesterday.

 

CAMERA FADES IN TO A MEDIUM SHOT OF A DOOR. DOOR OPENS AND DIVA WALKS INTO A

COFFEESHOP. IT IS EMPTY EXCEPT FOR A WOMAN WORKING BEHIND THE BAR AND A MOROCCAN

SMOKING A JOINT.

 

DIVA (narrating) I had been looking for a room t o rent in Alkmaar and decided to take a break and visit my friend Patty owns a

coffee shop.

 

PATY Diva! Long time no see. Where have you been?

 

DIVA Been staying in Leiden at my friend the professor's house.

 

PATY How do you like Leiden?

 

DIVA I don't. I like it better here. I came up here on the train this morning to check out a lead on a room to rent.

 

PATY How was it?

 

DIVA It was okay, but it was through one of th ose agencies and they wanted a giant fee plus the owner charged twice as much

for it. They'd never try to charge a Dutch person what they tried to charge me. Patty, I'm getting desperate. I need to get out of

Leiden.

 

SPDY I hate that when my own countrymen rip off foreigners like that.

 

DIVA (narrating) Patty and I still don't know when he came in the coffee shop, but he had been there in the shadows, listening.

 

CAMERA FOCUSES ON SPEEDY IN THE DARK COFFEE SHOP. HE IS WEARING A SKIN TIGHT BIKER'S SUIT.

 

SPDY Look, you look like a nice lady. My house is empty and you can stay there for a few weeks until you can find a room to

rent.

 

DIVA (inspecting him with her eyes) Where do you live?

 

SPDY I live with my mother for the moment. My father died last year and she hates to be alone at night. She's going to move

into a retirement building soon and then she will have to live alone. Until then, I am going to stay with her.

 

Excuse me, but I have to use the toilet. I will be right back (Speedy leaves).

 

DIVA (looks at Patty with ques tions as she whispers) Do you know this guy?

 

PATY (shrugs) His name is Speedy. I know he lives around here in this neighborhood, that he plays in a reggae band and that

he likes to ride bikes. I've never heard much else about him except that he used to spit fire in Amsterdam several years ago.

(Pauses) If you're wondering if I've ever seen him in here with a girlfriend, I never did.

 

 

DIVA (shaking head and laughing) That's okay if he has a girlfriend. I told you already about my bad marriage and it's going to

be a long time before I get involved with anyone again.

 

SPEEDY COMES BACK TO THE BAR. CAMERA PULLS BACK AS HE AND DIVA BEGIN TO TALK AND PATTY

LISTENS.

 

FADE OUT

 

FADE IN:

DIVA AND SPEEDY ENTERING HIS LIVING ROOM. TWO COUCHES FACE EACH OTHER WITH A LARGE

SQUARE COFFEE TABLE BETWEEN THEM. THE WALLS ARE DECORATED WITH AFRICAN AND MODERN

ART. A LARGE, SOUTHWESTERN (US) CACTUS WITH ARMS STANDS IN A POT WITH EGYPTIAN

HIEROGLYPHS AGAINST THE WALL. TO THE SIDE IS A SET OF DRUMS AND A BIG STEREO.

 

SPDY You will have to sleep on one of these banks because I don't have a bed.

 

DIVA Why don't you have one?

 

SPDY I moved in here right before my father died. I threw my old bed away and I was going to buy new one, but then he died. I

haven't needed one. When my tantes come to visit my mom, I come over here to sleep and I sleep on this bank (sits on sofa)

 

DIVA How did you learn to speak English so well?

 

SPDY (smiling) I used to spit fire with my best friend Sniper and we had a lot of American girlfriends. (Takes a postcard do wn

from the corner of a framed picture and gives it to Diva) That's me on the postcard.

 

 

[the real Speedy (left) with a firespitting friend from Belgium- Speedy just had his mohawk cut off]

 

DIVA (narrating) I later found out from others that he and Sniper were some of the greatest fire spitters in the history of

Europe.

 

SPDY Sniper is from Central Africa and he doesn't speak Dutch very well. So we used to talk in English or French. We were

together for years. (Shrugs) I've had a lot of practice.

 

(Gives Diva keys) Here's some keys so you can get in. (Goes to kitchen in back and comes out with a bakery bad with two

loaves of bread in it) I've got to go. My mother is waiting for me to bring some bread back. (Thinks for a moment and takes out

one loaf of bread) Here, you can have this extra bread (hands it to Diva)

 

DIVA (smiling as she accepts the gift) Thanks.

 

AS SHE TAKES THE BREAD, THE ROOM BECOMES FULL OF LIGHT. SPEEDY AND DIVA LOOK AT EACH

OTHER IN THE EYES.

 

DIVA (narrating) Something magical happened the moment I took the bread from him. Somehow, a bridge had been formed

between us.

 

GOLDEN LIGHT FADES TO NORMAL LIGHT.

 

ONE-SHOT OF DIVA ALONE IN SPEEDY'S LIVING ROOM. SHE TAKES OUT A MANUSCRIPT FROM HER

BACKPACK.

 

DIVA (narrating)After Speedy left and the first thing I did was take out my manuscript to read. It was a novel I had written in

the States and I had been editing it. I worked on it for a while and then I slept. I was so tired. I had been homeless for a long

time and for the first

time, I had privacy and felt peace.

 

FADE IN:

DIVA IS SLEEPING ON THE COUCH AND THE SHADOWS IN THE ROOM SHOW THAT IT IS EVENING. SHE

OPENS HER EYES TO SEE SPEEDY SITTING ACROSS HER ON THE OTHER COUCH WATCHING HER. HE IS

WEARING A BOB MARLEY T-SHIRT AND JEANS. SHE SMILES AT HIM.

 

SPDY Did you write that? (Points at pile of papers on table)

 

DIVA(yawning) Yes. I wrote it a year and a half ago. I'm editing it again. It's my fourth time. (Starts to laugh) Each time I edit it,

it gets longer and better. (Begins to wonder why Speedy is asking) Why? Did you read some of it?

 

SPDY Yes. It was very good. You write novels?

 

DIVA I've written two, but I have three other ones started. (Points at the pile of papers) All of them are sequels to this one.

 

SPDY How long have you been a writer?

 

DIVA (begins to laugh) All my life. I started writing my own books when I was six years old. Writing is my life. I would not

want to live if I could not write.

 

SPDY I liked what I read.

 

DIVA I also write poetry. It is the only way I can deal with what happened to me in America.

 

SPDY (apologetically) I didn't mean to disturb you.

 

DIVA It's your house, you have a right to come here any time you want.

 

SPDY (smiles) My mother gave me a teapot to give you. She knows that I don't have many things for the kitchen. You didn't

answer the door when I knocked on it, so I came in and put it on the stove. Then I saw all the pap ers on the table and was

curious.

 

DIVA (eyes light up) Do you have any tea?

 

SPDY (smiling) Do you want me to make some for you?

 

DIVA (laughing) Sure, if you don't mind.

 

SPDY (considerately) I'll make you some.

 

CAMERA WATCHES SPEEDY GO INTO THE OTHER ROOM.

 

DIVA (narrating) That was the first time Speedy made me tea and he has made it for me hundreds of times since.

 

CAMERA WATCHES SPEEDY COME BACK.

 

SPDY I bought some nice marijuana earlier. Do you want to smoke some?

 

DIVA Sure (with a smile). Why not?

 

SPDY It's called Plank and it really has a nice taste (starts to roll a joint and stops-then he holds up a little seed). This is the first

time I have seen a seed in Plank.

 

DIVA (reaching for seed) Let me see (looks at it). Could I plant it?

 

 

SPDY Sure, why not. I have some potting soi l and a pot in the garage. I'll get it later.

 

DIVA (happy) That sounds nice! Thank you.

 

SPDY (shrugging) It's nothing. So tell me what you are doing in Holland.

 

DIVA It's a long, terrible story.

 

SPDY My mother has gone to my brother's for the evening. I've got time.

 

MEDIUM SHOT AS SPEEDY AND DIVA DRINK THE TEA AT THE TABLE BETWEEN THE COUCHES. MONTAGE

SHOWS A CONVERSATION THAT GOES DEEP INTO THE EVENING.

 

DIVA (na rrating) That was the beginning of this long talk we had. Speedy was back every day for a week and we would drink

tea and talk all day into the night. It was kind of like that movie MY DINNER WITH ANDRE, but only more interesting. And

more real.

 

QUICK CLIP FROM THE MOVIE OF THE ACTORS SITTING AT A TABLE ENGAGED IN FASCINATING

CONVERSATION.

 

TWO-SHOT OF SPEEDY AND DIVA SITTING AT THE TABLE. NOTE: CHARACTERS' CLOTHES KEEP

CHANGING AS DAYS GO BY.

 

DIVA(narrating) He told me all kinds of things about him self. He told me more about the firespitting.

 

TWO-SHOT OF SPEEDY AND SNIPER SPITTING FIRE IN LEIDSE PLEIN DURING THE DAY.

 

TWO-SHOT OF SPEEDY AND DIVA SITTING AT THE TABLE, TALKING BUT SOUND IS MUFFLED.

 

DIVA(narrating) He told me about his radical, anarchial, punk days and how he used to travel between punk hangouts in

Amsterdam and London. He partied in some of the coolest clubs in the world.

 

WIDE SHOT OF SPEEDY DANCING IN A LONDON CLUB WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER

 

DIVA (narrating) Speedy told me ab out cathedral climbing in France

 

AERIAL SHOT OF SPEEDY CLIMBING A CATHEDRAL IN FRANCE.

 

DIVA(narrating) He told me about the women he had when he was a famous street performer. He showed me some of their

pictures and these women were stunning.

 

TWO SHOT OF SPEEDY AND DIVA SITTING AT THE TABLE. SPEEDY IS TAKING A STACK OF PICTURES OUT

OF A SHOEBOX AND SHOWING THEM TO DIVA.

 

DIVA (narrating) He told me about the reggae band he played in.

 

CLOSEUP OF "RASTA KINGS" NAME ON DRUM. CAMERA ZOOMS OUT TO SEE SPEEDY PLAYING THE

DRUMS UNTIL GROUP SHOT OF BAND. EIGHT MEMBERS ARE WHITE DUTCH GUYS WITH DREDLOCKS

AND THE OTHER TWO MEMBERS ARE BALD BLACK GUYS. MUSIC PLAYS LOUD.

 

CLOSEUP OF SPEEDY TALKING. CLOSEUP OF DIVA LISTENING.

 

DIVA Speedy told me that gigs were a little hard to get because although they were very good, there were too many other Dutch

reggae bands to compete against.

 

CLOSEUP OF SPEEDY TALKING AND HIS FACE LIGHTING UP. CLOSEUP OF DIVA LISTENING.

 

DIVA(narrating) I found out that he loved reggae, punk and new wave music and could dance well to all of it. (Laughs) He

learned to dance when he was a teenager. He was the only boy to graduate from the Soul Dancing School before it closed.

 

TWO-SHOT OF SPEEDY AND DIVA TALKING AT TABLE.

 

DIVA(narrating) This guy was just too cool and it was getting better all the time.

 

CLOSEUP OF SPEEDY.

 

SPDY(shyly and smiling) I was born in this house. I lived here as a child until my parents bought a better house. Then th ey

rented it out. When my father died, my brother got the business and I got the house.

 

DIVA (narrating) I told him the truth about my marriage and my life. By this time, I knew where it was going and I was a willing

player. One of the world's sexiest men was sitting across the table from me and I knew he that he liked me.

 

CLOSEUP OF DIVA, FADE TO SPEEDY'S SYMPATHETIC FACE.

 

DIVA In the end, I found myself enchanted with one of the coolest cats in the universe. Always a gentleman, he never touched

me until we made love one week later.< /FONT>

 

CUT TO SPEEDY'S BEDROOM. DIVA IS LYING IN A NEW BED UNDER A BLANKET. SPEEDY IS STANDING AT

THE BOTTOM OF THE BED. HIS SHIRT IS OFF AND HE'S STARTING TO TAKE OFF HIS JEANS.

 

DIVA (narrating) Okay, we decided to try it. We're in our forties and we're consenting adults. Because I'm fat, my clothes were

off in a nano second.

 

CAMERA SEES DIVA TAKE HER CLOTHES OFF SO FAST SHE LOOKS LIKE A BLURRED TORNADO. SPEEDY

WATCHES IN FASCINATION.

 

DIVA (narrating) Speedy took his clothes off slower. I think he did it to tease me because he has a perfect body.

 

CLOSE SHOT OF SPEEDY'S HEAD, SLOWLY PANNING DOWN. COMES TO SPEEDY'S CHEST AND ARMS.

SPEEDY SEES DIVA WATCHING HIM AND SMILES AT HER.

 

CUT TO CLOSE UP WHEELS SPINNING ON A JACKPOT MACHINE.

 

DIVA (narrating) I thought I had won the jackpot.

 

WHEELS STOP AND THERE IS A "HOLLAND CASINO SYMBOL" IN EACH WINDOW.

 

 

CAMERA COMES BACK TO WHERE IT STOPPED AND PANS A LITTLE

FARTHER DOWN. HE HAS ON BOXER SHORTS WITH MARIJUANA LEAVES ON THEM.

 

LONG SHOT OF SPEEDY TAKING OFF HIS BOXERS. BECAUSE HE IS STANDING TO THE SIDE, YOU CAN NOT

SEE HIS GENITALS.

 

CLOSE UP OF DIVA WITH BIG, SURPRISED EYES. BACK TO LONG SHOT OF SPEEDY STANDING NAKED.

 

CAMERA BACK TO JACKPOT MACHINE, PAN UP TO FLASHING, SCREAMING LIGHT.

 

FADE TO BLACK.

 

FADE IN:

LONG SHOT OF DUTCH COUNTRYSIDE. CAMERA FOLLOWS A MAN DRESSED IN BIKE GEAR ON A

MOUNTAIN BIKE.

 

DIVA (narrating) Speedy gets his name from his reputation. He is the fastest biker in North Holland.

 

CAMERA ZOOMS IN AND PANS RIGHT TO FOLLOW SPEEDY IN THE EARLY MORNING. HE RIDES ALONG

THE SINGEL AND A BIG ROW BOAT COMES BY. THE LOUD DRUM BEAT FILLS THE AIR AS THE ROWERS

ROW TO IT. HE FLIES ALONE THROUGH THE DUTCH COUNTRYSIDE. CAMERA SHOWS SCENES OF HIM

BIKING BY WINDMILLS, A FIELD WITH HUNDREDS OF WHITE SWANS LAYING ON IT, BOATS ON WATER,

OLD DUTCH FARMHOUSES, OLD GERMAN BUNKERS (TOWARD EGMOND AN ZEE), SHEEP GRAZING. HE

FLIES PAST AN FIELDS OF TULIPS, THE RUINS OF AN OLD CASTLE BY EGMOND AAN DE HOEF, A FLOCK

OF BIRDS FLY WITH HIM.

 

DIVA Nobody can beat him and he is beautiful to watch when he rides his bike. He and his bike are one. It is the love affair of

his life. I swear, I think he was born on a bike.

 

CUT TO A MID-SHOT OF BEDROOM DECORATED IN LATE 1950's FURNISHINGS. A WOMAN IS HAVING A

BABY AND A MID-WIFE IS HELPING HER.

 

CAMERA LOOKS DOWN FROM TOP OF PREGNANT MOTHER'S HEAD . SHE IS COVERED WITH A SHEET,

WITH HER LEGS UP. MIDWIFE STANDS AT BOTTOM OF BED, LEANING OVER. SOUND OF BABY CRYING

AND MIDWIFE HOLDS UP A BABY BOY.

 

MIDW Gefeliciteerd. Je heb een zoon.

(Congratulations! You have a boy!)

 

WRAPS BABY UP AND PUTS HIM IN BASSINET-LOOKS BETWEEN MOTHER'S LEGS.

 

MIDW Hé wat?! Het is wat anders.

(Wait . . . I think there's something else.)

 

SMOM 'n tweeling?

(A twin?)

 

MIDW Nee, het is een fietsje.

(No. . . A bicycle.)

 

MIDWIFE HOLDS UP A LITTLE BLOODY, GOOEY BIKE SMALL ENOUGH FOR A NEWBORN BABY.

 

RETURN TO CAMERA SHOTS OF SPEEDY FLYING THROUGH THE DUTCH BIKE COUNTRYSIDE ON HIS

BIKE. PEOPLE WALKING, ON BIKES AND IN CARS STOP TO WATCH HIM RIDE.

 

DIVA (narrating) Speedy is so fast that two members of the Dutch Olympic Bike Team sometimes come up to Alkmaar just to

race him.

&nbs p;

CAMERA WATCHES SPEEDY RACE AND BEAT THE YOUNGER BIKERS.

 

DIVA (narrating) Not only does he beat them, he makes them pay him fifty euros a piece for the privilege of being humiliated.

 

YOUNGER BIKERS LOOK PISSED OFF AND FRUSTRATED AS THEY PAY SPEEDY.

 

SPDY (teasing) Come back when you get some more money.

 

DIVA (narrating) Later, everyone will go to a pub . . .

 

MEDIUM SHOT OF YOUNG BIKERS WITH GRUMPY FACES WITH BEERS IN FRONT OF THEM.

 

DIVA And after a few beers, everyone has a good time.

 

MEDIUM LONG SHOT OF DIVA, MERI, SPEEDY AND THE BIKERS SITTING AT A TABLE IN A PUB HAVING A

GOOD TIME.

 

SOUND IN PUB FADES . . .

 

DIVA (narrating) Then the Dutch Olympic Bike Team Members will urge Speedy to join their team. He'll call them Slimeballs

for giving him the compliment and assure them that he's not interested in competing with them. See, that kind of bike racing is

not his

sport . . . This is

 

MEDIUM SHOT OF A WILD AREA WITH A HILL TO THE RIGHT. SPEEDY COMES FROM THE RIGHT AND

JUMPS HIS BIKE OFF THE HILL AND CAMERA, PROPELLING HIM FAR INTO THE AIR BEFORE LANDING

PERFECTLY ON THE GROUND.

 

DIVA And this is. He's a hard-core, extreme biker.

 

CAMERA SHOWS SPEEDY COMING DOWN A ROCKY SLOPE ON A DOWNHILL BIKE.

 

MEDIUM SHOT OF PARTIERS IN PUB BEFORE CAMERA PANS THEIR FACES LEFT TO RIGHT. FACES

BECOME BLURRY.

 

FADE TO BLACK.

 

FADE IN:

TO THE BLACK IN DIVA'S PUPIL, CAMERA SLOWLY ZOOMS OUT AS DIVA'S EYES BLINK BEFORE SHE

CLOSES THEM. SPEEDY IS LYING CLOSE TO DIVA AND IS HOLDS HER CLOSER. SHE PUTS HER HAND OVER

HIS.

 

SOUNDS OF A DOOR OPENING DOWNSTAIRS AND OF SOMEONE TURNING THE RADIO ON.

 

DIVA (smiling and thinking) Meri's home. (closes her eyes and begins to sleep).

 

CAMERA SLOWLY PANS OUT TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE ROOM TO SHOW DIVA AND SPEEDY

SLEEPING LOVINGLY TOGETHER IN THE LATE AFTERNOON SUN AND SHADOWS.

 

FADE TO BLACK AND QUIET FOR TWO SECONDS. DISSOLVE INTO THREE SHOT OF MERI, DIVA AND

SPEEDY BY THE WATER TOWER. THEY'RE LOOKING AT A CHAIN THAT'S LOCKED AGAINST THE FENCE.

 

DIVA (narrating) We went back later to get my bike, but it was stolen.

 

TIGHTER THREE-SHOT OF MERI, DIVA AND SPEEDY LOOKING A LITTLE DISGUSTED.

 

SPDY That's the second one they've stolen from you.

 

DIVA Why would anyone steal that bike? It was shitty and it w as missing a peddle!

 

SPDY(shrugging) It's like that all over Holland. They like to thief bikes in this country.

 

MERI (looking at the chain still on the fence) Well at least they left the chain and the lock.

 

DIVA What I want to know is how did they take the bike out of the chain? Who could do something like this?

 

SPDY (shrugging) Maybe junkies.

 

MERI Why would junkies do something like this?

 

SPDY (shrugging) They're crazy, the ones around here.< /DT>

 

DIVA(laughing ironically) A junkie named Houdini stole my bike that was a piece of junk. Okay. It all makes sense.

 

(Disgustedly) Next time I get a bike, I am going to paint it puke green. . . Hey, that's an idea, I'll get some of that plastic puke

from the clown store in the centrum and super-glue it to the frame after I paint my next bike.

 

MERI You could super-glue feathers to it, too, and make it really ugly.

 

DIVA (smiling to herself) I'll make my next bike so ugly that no one would want to be seen with it, let alone rip it off.

&nbs p;

DISSOLVE TO THREE-SHOT OF SPEEDY, MERI AND DIVA IN SPEEDY'S LITTLE GARAGE. THEY ARE

LOOKING AT DIVA'S NEW BIKE. IT IS PAINTED BRIGHT FLORESCENT PINK. PIECES OF PLASTIC PUKE ARE

GLUED TO THE PARTS OF THE FRAME, MAKING IT LOOK LIKE SOMEONE THREW UP ON IT. FEATHERS OF

ALL KINDS AND COLORS ARE GLUED ON IT.

 

DIVA (narrating) It took Meri and Me two days to make my new bike that ugly. I even bought a 'hood' ornament for it, a plastic

dog turd.

 

TWO-SHOT OF DIVA AND MERI LAUGHING AS THEY GLUE TURD ON TOP OF FRONT WHEEL WELL.

 

DIVA (narrating It was really a work of art . . .

 

MEDIUM SHOT OF DIVA COMING OUT THE GROCERY STORE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY CARRYING A

BAG OF GROCERIES. SHE GOES TO THE BIKE STAND AND FINDS AN EMPTY SPACE. SHE LOOKS ANGRY

AND FRUSTRATED BECAUSE HER BIKE IS GONE.

 

DIVA (narrating) Someone liked the artwork so much that they stole the bike two weeks later. This time, they took the chain.

 

DISSOLVE TO NEXT SCENE.

 

 

 

< DT> 

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