EXT. HUNTER'S DRIVEWAY - DAY
Garage door open. Hunter and Chloe, arms around each other, watch PARAMEDIC 1 start the engine of the paramedic truck, drive to road, turn and drive away, PARAMEDIC 2's arm out the passenger window. They finally walk to garage and into house. Garage door closes behind them.
Gil and Roberto with straws in cans of horchata at a picnic table shaded by one of the many oak trees that surround the rustic store at the intersection where one two-lane highway bisects another. in the Texas Hill Country. Texas plates on vehicles in the parking lot that features Gil's Porsche 911 and a row of Harley-Davidson motorcycles lined up like horses at a hitching post. OTHER VISITORS at the three other picnic tables. The rumble of its engine precedes the big truck loaded with innertubes for river floating drives into and then out of view around the bend in the road.
Gil's PHONE RINGTONES PIANO OPENING to the Marcia Ball song, That's Enough of That Stuff..
GIL: Ruth.
(He gets phone from pocket.)
GIL: Hey girl.
(His face expresses the news he is hearing.)
Ruthie, I'll drive. I'm with Bobby in Venderpool. We'll go home, I''ll get the truck and be there in a couple hours, alright.
Okay, I'll call when I'm leaving. Is Wanda okay?
Alright. Talk to you soon.
(He pcockets his phone, ponders.)
ROBERTO: What's wrong?
GIL: Tom died.
(Roberto puts his hand on Gil's, Gil holds it, puts arm around Roberto.)
We need to get home so I can drive Ruth to the airport to get Wanda.
Roberto stands, Gil stands. Roberto puts arm around Gil, Gil puts arm around Roberto, they walk to the Porsche. Gil hands Roberto the keys. They get in, buckle up, Roberto drives out of lot onto road, turns onto bisecting highway, drives out of view.
EXT. GOLF COURSE - DAY
Teeing area of a three-par hole on the green of which GOLFER 1 squats to line up her putt from a far edge of the green guarded by a sand bunker on one side and small pond lined by palm trees on the other. GOLFER 2 observes from out of Golfer One's line of site, somewhat leaning on his putter. GOLFER 3 and GOLFER 4 observe from one of two carts parked along the path.
Jan and John in one cart arrive at the teeing area ahead of Barbara and Brian in another. All watch Golfer 1 sink the long putt and greet Golfer 2's high-five when she retrieves her ball from the cup. Jan steps to the tee box with an iron as Golfers 3 and 4 get in their cart and lead Golfers 1 and 2 in theirs down the path to the next tee. Jan tees up, looks down the fairway, waggles, swings and places the ball onto the green with a bounce.
JOHN: Look at that.
BRIAN: Nice shot, Jan.
John gets his iron, walks to tee box.
BARBARA: Someone's been practicing.
John presents the high-five Jan slaps. She bags iron, meets Barbara's high-five, sits in cart, watches John tee up, take a look to the green, waggle, swing and land the ball land on the green and roll to near the hole. Barbara, Jan and Brian applaud.
JOHN: Must be contagious.
BARBARA: Well then I'd better breathe it in before a breeze sweeps it away.
John bags iron, sits next to Jan. Barbara takes iron to tee box, tee up, takes a deep breath, addresses the ball, looks down the fairway, waggles, stops her swing when the PHONE in a pocket RINGTONES THE SOUND OF AN OLD-SCHOOL TYPEWRITER.
BARBARA (CONT.) Hunter.
(She picks up on the ZING of the return.)
Hey.
Oh no. Hunter.
Alright.
Okay.
I'll be here.
Love you too.
K..
(She pockets phone, picks up ball and tee, walks to cart.)
JAN/JOHN: Barb?
Barbara bags her iron, sits next to Brian in cart.
BARBARA: Tom died at Hunter's during the night.
JAN: Oh my.
JOHN: Jesus.
BARBARA: His guess is a heart attack. Chloe lands in Oakland this evening.
JOHN: We need to go.
Barbara nods. John and Jan in their cart lead Brian and Barb in theirs down the path to the green.
GOLFER 5 (O.S.) Fore!
A golf ball lands with a THUNK on the tee box.
EXT. BRICK HOUSE AT END OF CUL-DE-SAC - SUNRISE
Ruth stands near the mailbox at the driveway to the garage of the single-level home where the quiet, leafy winding lane ends. 1724 stenciled on mailbox. She assesses the home and brown-grass front yard with a For Sale staked in the middle, fenced by split-rail. Texas plates on every vehicle in view, including the older Mercedes-Benz wagon parked behind Ruth.
A concrete football field replete with sideline hash-marks has been chalk-marked onto the street. A MAN, 30 - running shoes, shorts, tee - jogs out of a garage to the street, looking back at the 5-YEAR-OLD BOY on a three-wheeler pedal-propelled Big Wheel following him. The boy sports a football helmet with a bobcat on each side. The man and behind and to the side of him follow the bend in the road out of view.
She gets PHONE from pocket when it RINGTONES the acoustic guitar opening the Lucinda Williams song, Bus to Baton Rouge.
RUTH: I swear to goodness I'm standing here outside a brick house at the end of a cul-de-sac about to take a picture to send you and Tom.
Wanda?
(Ruth's face expresses the news she is hearing. A FAINT SIREN comes and goes.)
I'm here. Wanda, are you going to be alright?
Does Hunter have my number?
Okay. Wanda, here's what we're going to do. Okay? I'm going to get you a flight to San Antonio. Okay? Can Daisy drive you to the airport?
Okay. I'm going to get home, book your flight, and call you as soon as I send the ticket for you to print.
Alright, sweetheart. I'm going to call Daisy to have her come over, okay?
I love you too.
I'll be alright. We'll get through this, Wanda.
Bye, baby.
She stares at the house. A breeze moves her hair across her face and RINGS FAINT CHIMES. She finally pockets phone, goes to Mercedez, gets in behind the wheel, stares ahead before finally dropping her face into her hands and sobbing, shaking her head.
INT. TOM'S/WANDA'S DINING ROOM - SUNRISE
Stove clock at 6:59. Wanda in robe and slippers, at the table with mug of steaming coffee, attention on her laptop screen and the online version of the Laramie Boomerang newspaper reflected in her glasses. Phone on the Hawaiian Travel brochure. She smiles when her PHONE PLAYS TOM'S RINGTONE. She minimizes screen to screensaver TBD, picks up.
WANDA: Well you're on the road early.
Oh. Hello, Hunter.
Yes I'm here. I'm just...Hunter, I hope it's alright if I call you back.
Thank you. Do you mind please texting me your phone number.
Thank you. I need a moment. Or two.
Thank you. Goodbye.
(She stares at her phone, screen filled with selfie Tom has taken TBD. She sets phone face-down, stares at the screensaver, touches Tom's face with a fingertip.)
(WHISPERS): Tom.
(Closes her eyes, places hands together in front of her, bows head, sobs.)
INT. HUNTER'S GUEST ROOM - DAY
Chloe, face crying-stained, stands next to Hunter near the desk, Hunter sets Tom's phone down. They stare at Tom's body. Finally:
HUNTER: Come on.
He gets phone from pocket, leads Chloe into the hall.
HUNTER (CONT. O.S.) I need to report a death that has occurred at my residence.
No.
Yes.
INT. BEDROOM - SUNRISE - MOMENTS LATER
Desk and chair, dresser drawer with mirror, chair and lamp in corner, wall art/poster, etc., and Chloe asleep in bed under open window to Organ Mountains. Hunter arrives in doorway, finally enters, sits on bed, stirring Chloe. She finally opens her eyes, finds Hunter, wipes hair out of face, sizes up Hunter's expression. She suddenly sits up.
CHLOE: No. No. Dad?
Hunter nods.
CHLOE: No.
Hunter sits next to her, opens arms, embraces her. Chloe sobs.
