Keep Quiet

KEEP QUIET by Debra Krause

KEEP QUIET EXT. FARMHOUSE – MORNING A rattle-trap car generates a trailing dust cloud as it drives up a long gravel driveway to a semi-dilapidated farmhouse. The car stops. COLLEEN SANDERS gets out of the driver’s side door. She is fatigued, her eyes sunken and wrinkled, making her look older than her thirty-two years. She watches the dust cloud as it fades off in the direction of an old barn, then pans the cornfields bordering the other three sides of the yard. A mourning dove cries. Half-heartedly, she walks to the front door, stopping briefly to read the word “Welcome” on the mat at her feet. Somewhat hesitantly, she turns the doorknob as slowly and quietly as she can, and goes in. INT. LIVINGROOM – MORNING The room is darkened, large, and eclectically furnished. A dining table and chairs crowd the front door. A couch, coffee table, and television occupy the heart of the room, and an out-of-its-element drum set is in the far back corner. The only other door in or out of the room leads to a kitchen. COLLEEN enters. Almost stumbling, she pushes a chair back into position at the table, and proceeds on to clean up the remnants of food and half-filled soda cans that litter the coffee table and couch. Exhausted, she lies down on the couch and falls asleep. INT. LIVINGROOM – LATER SAME MORNING Sneaking through a gap in the drapery, a sliver of sunlight illuminates the mussed hair of EMERY (7) who is coloring intently at the diningroom table.

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In the dimly lit area of the couch, the silhouettes of the bristly DAN (42) and tu-tu endowed ANNA (8) can be seen standing over the sleeping COLLEEN. DAN (turning toward Emery) Come over here I said! EMERY jumps, startled and almost falling, to join the two spectators by the couch. DAN I want you to look at her. The children stand expressionless. DAN Just look at your mother – Look at your lazy tramp mother! COLLEEN wakes slowly and looks up in sleepy bewilderment at the three hovering over her. COLLEEN What time is it? DAN (matter-of-factly) Its time to get your lazy ass up – We’re hungry. She sits up, groggy, and rubs her eyes and face. COLLEEN I didn’t get off work until seven this morning. We had -DAN Don’t give me any of your work crap! Your family needs to eat! He flails his arm out in an exaggerated motion indicating the children; they flinch reflexively. DAN Make us some breakfast already…

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COLLEEN gets up heavily and reluctantly as DAN picks up the TV remote from the coffee table. As she turns towards the kitchen, DAN takes her place sitting on the couch and turns the TV on. The children scurry off to color at the big table, cutting in front of COLLEEN as she walks into the kitchen. INT. KITCHEN – DAY A small table sits in the corner of the room. There are three chairs and one highchair positioned around it. COLLEEN is frying bacon at an out-dated stove, staring blankly out the window above the sink. The children race competitively in to their mother. Each of them is holding a paper they’ve colored. EMERY & ANNA (simultaneously) Look what I made Mom! Emery gently shoves his sister aside. EMERY Look what I made! ANNA And look at mine too! COLLEEN wipes her hands on a dish towel and kneels down to their level. She takes the drawings from their hands. COLLEEN Okay, shhh, these are beautiful you guys, but we need to be more quiet, okay? She takes the pictures and hangs them with magnets on the overly adorned refrigerator.

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COLLEEN Go draw me some more while I finish making breakfast. We’ll go outside after you eat. She returns her attention to the bacon. The children’s enthusiastic exit is thwarted by their father who is now standing in the doorway. DAN Where are you going? Gazing up at him in soldier-esque fashion, they say nothing. DAN (louder) Where!? ANNA (looking at Emery first) We’re gonna make Mommy some more pictures. DAN Get outta here then – go! Feigning a lack of concern for anything but the bacon, COLLEEN is taking strip by strip from the pan and laying them on a cloth covered plate. DAN closes in on her and looks with disgust at the bacon. DAN What d’ya call this? COLLEEN continues transferring bacon from pan to plate – not looking at him. COLLEEN How do you want your eggs? Now breathing down her neck, DAN picks up the plate and displays it inches away from her face. DAN

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This! He pushes the plate even closer to COLLEEN’s face. DAN What do you call this!? Cowering back slightly, COLLEEN looks down at the floor instead of the plate. COLLEEN Please Dan, not today, please -DAN (shouting) Garbage! He smashes the plate violently into the sink. DAN That’s what it is! The children come scampering in from the other room, colliding into their father who is turning to storm out. They all just stand there in each other’s way, staring in an uncomfortable hiatus. DAN Move it! He sweeps the children aside and leaves the room. As if nothing has happened, COLLEEN lays to rest the frying pan, flips on a smile, and turns towards the children. COLLEEN (with phony cheer) How ‘bout some cereal you two? She reaches for cereal and bowls as the children hop up in their chairs at the table. The squealing of tires is heard from outside. COLLEEN looks out the window above the sink just in time to see Dan’s dust cloud painting the air.

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With a slightly trembling hand, COLLEEN pours cereal and milk for the children, turns to return to the sink, and finds she is facing the corded telephone hanging on the adjacent wall. Tentatively, COLLEEN digs a crumpled slip of paper from her pocket, unfolds it, reaches for the phone, and dials. As COLLEEN stands, phone propped between her ear and shoulder, she stares at the paper in her hand while it rings on the other end of the line. VOICE ON PHONE Hello; Northern Valley Alliance for Battered Women. COLLEEN holds the phone in silence as she glances toward the kitchen window. VOICE ON PHONE Hello… Northern Valley Alliance… Hello? Looking down at the paper in her hand, then back to the window, COLLEEN slowly hangs up the phone, returns the paper to her pocket, and turns back to the children. COLLEEN Eat up you guys. It’s too nice out to be sittin’ around in here. With gleaming delight, the children begin eating at contest speed. EXT: FARMHOUSE SIDE YARD – AFTERNOON COLLEEN is pushing EMERY on a roughly crafted wood and rope swing that hangs from an old clothesline. ANNA stands impatiently nearby. EMERY Higher! COLLEEN Just a little bit. ANNA gets one more turn, then we gotta get ready to go.

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EMERY I don’t wanna go… I wanna swing! ANNA You always wanna swing. EMERY jumps off the swing in mid-air, rolls on the worn grass, and finishes on his back with his arms straight out. EMERY I’m dead. ANNA Dead guys don’t talk, dummy. COLLEEN You goof! Your gonna get hurt for real one of these times -ANNA claims the swing. ANNA My turn now! COLLEEN pulls the rope swing back, bringing ANNA close to her. She speaks before releasing the swing. COLLEEN Last turn, Honey. We still have to get Joey from Grandma’s yet. She releases the swing. ANNA Weeeeeeee! The gleeful accolades recede as the drone of a vehicle coming up the gravel driveway intensifies. The cloud of dust that was created soon catches up to DAN as he gets out of the car and it shrouds him momentarily. DAN Where’s my boy!?

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DAN walks toward the swing as EMERY runs to meet him halfway. EMERY Dad! Dad! Did you get me something? DAN You kiddin’ me? Looky here -DAN reveals a plastic cap-gun from behind his back, and EMERY snatches it ravenously from his hand. EMERY This, this, is what I ever wanted! ANNA and COLLEEN join the two. Standing side by side, ANNA looks dejectedly up at her mother, who places a comforting hand on the child’s shoulder. Without acknowledging the presence of either COLLEEN or ANNA, DAN and EMERY head for the house, EMERY dashing ahead of everyone. COLLEEN Sorry, Honey. Daddy is probably getting you something later. ANNA Just what you always say – COLLEEN You can help me make cookies, how ‘bout that? ANNA bows her head in sad concession. COLLEEN Come on, baby – She hugs ANNA with one arm around her shoulder. COLLEEN Let’s go in. INT. LIVING ROOM – EARLY EVENING COLLEEN walks in from the kitchen.

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Behind the drums in the corner of the room, ANNA and EMERY, each with a microphone, are singing hamishly along with Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin” as DAN plays the drums. COLLEEN (to be heard over the noise) My mom’s dropping Joey off soon, and the last of the cookies are in the oven! ANNA OVER THE MICROPHONE Bye Mom! EMERY OVER THE MICROPHONE B-y-y-y-ye Ma-a-a-om! COLLEEN Dan! Did you hear me? I’m leaving for work now! DAN waves a drumstick indicating a dual-purpose brush-off and acknowledgement. As COLLEEN is nearing the front door she turns back to the trio. COLLEEN And don’t forget about the cookies!! INT. LIVING ROOM – NEXT MORNING A playful EMERY in outgrown long-john type pajamas is sitting inverted on the couch. Muffled voices and laughs emanate from the TV. The front door opens and he quickly flips upright as COLLEEN walks in. There is a crease across her forehead from long hours of wearing a hairnet. Her weariness is obvious. COLLEEN (speaking softly) Hey you, you’re up early. EMERY stares trancelike at the TV. He is sitting upright on his hands – as if trying desperately to keep them still.

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EMERY Bobby’s World’s on. COLLEEN Oh yeah. Well, just be really quiet, we don’t want to wake up baby – okay? Fidgeting, EMERY leans towards the armrest, and props his head up on his hand, still staring at the TV. His head raises and lowers when he speaks against the resistance of his hand. EMERY (exaggerated whisper) I know. Half smiling, COLLEEN turns towards the kitchen and the TV gets a little louder. She stops and looks back toward her son; once again inverted. A commercial is heard playing on the television. COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCER: Skeletor’s waging war for all the power in the universe! BOY’s VOICE: Ha ha ha! Now it’s your turn! SECOND BOY’s VOICE: Give it up Skeletor! -COLLEEN raises one finger to her lips and whispers. COLLEEN Shhhhh, we need to keep quiet, Honey. EMERY doesn’t respond. He is wide eyed and smiling at the TV commercial. SECOND BOY’s VOICE: I’ve got He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe! CHILDREN’s VOICES: Come on He-Man! You got him He-Man! You’re our hero! He-Man!

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COLLEEN, shaking her head in concession, turns back to go into the kitchen. At the same time DAN is coming out of the kitchen. She stops short; frozen mid-step. DAN is standing in the kitchen doorway. His face is flushed, his eyes wild, his brow is beaded with sweat. His body is partially concealing the shotgun at his side. COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCER: You can be a hero. Buy He-Man. Vehicles and figures each sold separately. With a threatening step forward, DAN slowly brings the shotgun up to waist level, stopping short of the line made by the sliver of light from the window behind the couch. DAN I am so sick of this shit! I can’t take it anymore - you fuckin’ bitch! You think you’re the boss? Raising the shotgun to his shoulder, he aims it at COLLEEN’s chest. She does not move. Like a deer in headlights, she stares, barely breathing. DAN (snidely – then yelling) You think you’re so fuckin’ high and mighty, Big Boss? – Well I’m the boss around here! He draws the gun in tighter to his shoulder as he tilts his head and looks down the sight with one eye. Immobilized, COLLEEN looks down slightly, with her eyes only, as not to move her head. With her peripheral vision she can see EMERY on the couch just a few feet behind her. EMERY is sitting, curled up like a ball. COLLEEN can see he is crying with his eyes closed tight. His mouth is buried in his knees as he struggles to keep quiet. Carefully, COLLEEN directs her eyes back to the gun and then her husband’s eye.

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COLLEEN (calmly) I know you are. Visibly shaking, DAN’s every muscle is tensed. He is wearing the crumpled clothes from the night before and a sweat pattern is becoming visible down the front of his shirt. DAN Damn fuckin’ right I am! And I’m sick of it and your shit! I’m gonna kill you, you bitch! COLLEEN remains motionless, consciously trying not to breathe faster, and trying not to look back at EMERY on the couch. COLLEEN (composedly) What about the children… what will they think? Straightening his head up, DAN lowers the gun slightly and takes his eye off the sight, he looks straight at COLLEEN. DAN Fuck them!! An audible whimper comes from the direction of the couch. There are more muffled sounds of silly voices and laughs are heard from the TV. COLLEEN, weakened, wavers in her stance, yet it is nearly unperceivable. She speaks calmly, but swallows very noticeably before doing so. COLLEEN You don’t want your children growing up knowing that their father killed their mother -Quickly, DAN draws the gun back in tight, raises the barrel – now pointing it at her head; he spits as he yells. DAN Shut up!! Shut up you stu-pid bitch!

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EMERY is sobbing uncontrollably; his knee-muted cries are noticeably louder. The TV is slightly louder too, as another commercial plays. COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCER: Extreme Ghostbusters armed with the ultimate ghost busting power… DAN’s face is now red and is partially contorted by the top edge of the gun shaft against his cheek. DAN I’m gonna kill them too! I’m gonna kill you and them… and then myself! (condescendingly) How do ya like that…? Boss! COLLEEN is truly paralyzed, and the sobbing EMERY is gasping for air. The TV commercial is still playing. COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCER: Extreme Ghostbusters’ vehicles and figures each sold separately. Batteries not included. At the exact moment the commercial ends, there is the deafening sound of a gunshot. Smoke is seen swirling in the wedge of light.

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