Screenplay by Jason Coe
Jacob is relaxed in bed talking to TC. TC is outside of the cell sitting on the floor, cigarette in hand. It is apparent that they have been talking for quite some time.
JACOB
My Mama once told me a story about a husband and wife living in the city. After a while, they became very unhappy, and things got quiet between them. The husband was a good man, but he couldn't stand the silence, so he found himself a beautiful young lady and fell in love with her. In fear that the love would become quiet again, the man shot the girl. From that day on, the man would sit everyday by his windowsill and cry the whole day. When the wife found out she snuck into the girl's funeral and tried to cut open the dead girl's face. After being thrown out of the church the wife ran home and opened all the cages of her birds and let them fly away, including the parrot that said, "I love you"
TC chuckles lightly to himself.
TC
That's a pretty fucked up way of telling someone that you love them.
JACOB
I think it's beautiful. Sad, and beautiful. Like a Van Gogh painting. I never believed it though. My Mama tried to tell me that love wasn't always wonderful, sometimes it could be a very hurtful thing, something that could make a man cry all day. I guess I could see that.
TC
More important things to be crying about. Like whether you got a job, or whether you're in fucking prison.
Jacob gets up. Stretches. And looks out the window up at the moon.
JACOB
How can you work here Trace? It kills off your dreams.
TC
I dunno. I used to care. I used to hate it. I remember thinking that the walls were cold and damp. Sometimes I could feel the heaviness swallow me whole, and I couldn't breathe. I hated the unforgiving walls, but now, now they're all I know. The cold concrete releases a horrible coldness, like ice. But after a while, you get used to it.
Jacob becomes incensed.
JACOB
How can you live this way? Living without desire without dreams! I'm not gonna be like you! I'm gonna get out of here and I'm gonna live the life. I'm gonna marry Natalie Portman and I'm gonna be a big time singer. And you'll never see my face around here again.
TC becomes quite irate.
TC
You stupid kid. You're the dumbest kid I've ever met. Life isn't this perfect dream world where people become movie stars and live happily ever after. That's fucking bullshit. It's not these walls that crush dreams. It's dreams that crush people.
JACOB
You're wrong Trace. You're so blind that all you can see is the bad. You don't realize that the world is as beautiful as you want it to be. Just because your life didn't turn out the way you wanted it to, doesn't mean you have to step on mine. Sometimes life doesn't turn out the way you want it to, but you have to roll with the punches and keep going. Or else you might as well die.
TC gets up and grabs the bars with authority.
TC
What the fuck do you know, you're just a dumb kid. You haven't seen what this world really is about. This is what is real! Not your fucking fantasy.
