INT, MARK’S CAR: Herbie Hancock’s “Sleep Like a Child” is playing on Mark’s Spotify playlist in the car and Mavis looks out the window as they keep driving. They pull up to Mark’s house. Mavis gets out of the car. Joyce and the kids are waiting outside. Soft country music plays as Joyce hugs Mavis, who cries.
INT, DINNER TABLE: Mark is cleaning and washing the dishes and Mavis is sitting at the table, eating the leftover beef stew that Mark cooked for dinner.
MAVIS: Why didn’t you ever become a chef?
She licks her fingers and continues to dig in. This is some darn good beef stew. She takes a bite out of the lemon meringue pie that Lily, Joyce and Mark’s 12-year-old daughter, made.
MAVIS: My gosh, Joyce is a BAKER!
Mark chuckles.
MARK: Lily made that actually.
Mavis puts down her fork and gives Mark a surprised look.
MARK: But Joyce helped her.
Mavis shrugs and continues to take massive bites out of the pie, alternating between the pie and the beef stew. As Mark washes the dishes, Ella Fitzgerald croons softly on his Spotify playlist. Mavis takes a sip of her Budweiser beer.
MAVIS: So, um, how’s family life been?
MARK: Oh, you know. It’s been going. Taking the kids to school, helping Lily and Max with their homework. Joyce and I are going to visit her grandparents in South Korea next week, so that should be nice.
MAVIS: Oh, wow.
MARK: Yeah, um…hey, I know you don’t want to answer this, but have you gone to talk with someone yet?
Mavis stops eating, then gets up and starts washing the dishes, ignoring Mark’s question. He wants to know if she has sought professional help for her PTSD after the abuse (her uncle sexually assaulted her as a child.)
MARK: Mavis…
MAVIS: Mark, you’ve been up all day. I can wash the dishes. It’s the least I can do.
MARK: Mavis….
MAVIS: Mark, I’ve got this.
Mark grabs her arm and Mavis recoils. Once again, she is back to being that scared 14-year-old kid again, seeing Uncle Robert restraining her with his arm as she fought to get away from him. Mark realizes what he did.
MARK: Mavis, I am so sorry.
Mavis grabs her coat and proceeds to leave.
MAVIS: Thank you, Mark, but I don’t deserve–
MARK: MAVIS!
MAVIS: Quiet! You’ll wake the kids.
Mark looks around in distress, then says in a quiet voice.
MARK: You can stay. I won’t touch you anymore.
Mavis steps away from the door.
MARK: There’s room down here if you want to sleep. I will keep the door locked.
Mavis nods, then surrenders. Mark goes upstairs to grab her blankets and pillows. She wants to refuse because she doesn’t think she deserves his kindness, but she is too tired to fight. She needs someone she can trust, and Mark has always supported her.
Mark comes down and unfolds the bed sheets for Mavis on the couch. He props up pillows for her. She lies down and feels like she is in heaven. The pillows are soft and feel like clouds, and she wraps the warm heavy blanket around her. He goes back into the kitchen and finishes putting up the dishes. Mavis sleeps peacefully that evening.
INT, SATURDAY MORNING, BREAKFAST. Mavis is in the kitchen, helping Joyce and the kids make breakfast. Mavis was never a great cook, and she ends up making the first few pancakes all runny and undone.
LILY: I’ll help you, Ms. Mavis!
Lily pours fresh pancake batter onto the griddle and waits for 2-3 minutes before flipping them over.
MAX: I wanna flip them! Me, me, me!!!
JOYCE: One at a time, you two!
Joyce shakes her head at Mavis and laughs. Mavis laughs, too.
By the time she is done, the pancakes have come out fluffy and done. Mavis watches in fascination as Lily and Max take turns flipping the pancakes. It’s pretty darn cute.
MAX: I wanna serve Ms. Mavis breakfast!
MAVIS: Oh, it’s fine, I—
But before she can refuse, Max and Lily have started setting the table and Lily h put a porcelain vase with an assortment of beautiful flowers at the center of the table.
JOYCE: Let me call Daddy down for breakfast.
She goes to the staircase and calls from below.
JOYCE: Mark, honey! Your pancakes are ready!
She hears no answer. She goes upstairs and finds he is not in his room. She lets out a blood-curdling scream and rushes downstairs. Mavis is quickly snapped out of her brief moment of bliss.
JOYCE: Mavis! Call the police! Mark is missing!
(Cue suspenseful music.)
Mavis grabs the landline and dials the local sheriff.
SHERIFF: Cook County Police Department, this is Cherylynn.
MAVIS: Hi, um…my brother…
Mavis starts crying.
CHERYLYNN: Ma’am, I can’t understand you.
Mavis finally snaps.
MAVIS: MY BROTHER! HE’S MISSING!
INT, COOK COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT. Mavis, Joyce, Max and Lily have been waiting for several hours. Lily is reading a book and Alex is crocheting. Joyce looks up at the ceiling and closes her eyes, tears streaming down her face. Mark comes out of the sheriff’s office and his nice white T-shirt is stained with blood. His face is covered in blood. Joyce gasps and screams. Mavis struggles to breathe. Did her brother kill someone?
MARK: Mavis, I can explain. Joyce, please go home with the kids. I’ll tell you everything when you get home.
JOYCE: No, I am not “going home,” Mark, until you tell me what the hell is going on!
Max and Lily stare in silence at their father. Mark takes a deep breath.
MARK: I rode down to town an hour away and found Uncle Robert.
Mavis freezes.
Mavis: I thought he was dead. No one in the family had spoken of him for years.
MARK: Not yet. He was talking outside with his buddies outside a bar. I went outside and froze when I saw who it was.
FLASHBACK, EXT, 10:00 PM, DESERTED LOOKING TOWN. Mark is walking and comes across Uncle Robert talking with a group of men outside a bar. Mark freezes. Uncle Robert turns and gives him a nasty look. He is 50, divorced and an alcoholic.
UNCLE ROBERT: What’re you lookin’ at, motherfucker?
Mark goes straight up to Uncle Robert and knocks the daylights out of him. Uncle Robert’s face gets bloodier until Mark has beaten it a pulp.
MARK: You got away with what you did to my sister! I will never forgive you!
He turns away and hears a click. Uncle Robert has aimed his pistol at Mark and has a menacing look on his face. Mark takes a step forward and laughs.
MARK: You may seem scary, but you’re nothing but a coward. A piece of shit. I will never forgive you. And neither will Mavis.
Uncle Robert sighs and pants, then gives Mark a twisted smile and laughs.
UNCLE ROBERT: No one has caught me yet. Why should you be the first?
Mark tries to find a distraction.
MARK: Hey, police! Behind you!
Uncle Robert turns and before he knows it, Mark grabs the pistol and shoots Robert in the stomach. Twice. Blood pools around Robert’s body. Robert struggles to crack and smile before closing his eyes.
ROBERT: Tell Mavis I said–
He is dead.
Now Mark really hears sirens. The police are coming for him.
The Arts Are Life 