"DIFFERENT PERSUASIONS"
A FAMILY DRAMA
(OUTLINE)
FADE IN:
Young cinnamon-colored KILEY JAMISON'S life comes crashing in
two when she learns that her young, mahogany-tanned, upwardly
mobile husband, RODNEY'S private airplane has nose-dived, and
that he and, AUTUMN SILER, the young ivory-skinned woman
aboard, have been killed.
Kiley is further devastated when she learns that Rodney and
Autumn have a nine-month-old baby, and that there is no one
to take care of baby RIANA but her. Somehow, only good
memories crowd Kiley's mind, of she and Rodney, her best
friend, growing up in an orphanage, with only each other to
comfort and love. She knows something devastating must have
happened to Rodney to make him change the way he had.
Sure enough, she learns that he was seeing a psychiatrist,
and the devastating thing that happened to Rodney is that he
was dying, and that the bad economy was causing his
construction company to fail. His debts had come crashing
down on him, and his whole world was falling apart.
Now nearly destitute and homeless, Kiley stands with baby
Riana, staring at her beautiful upscale home for the last
time, before she boards a bus and heads out of town to the
East Coast to Julliard's School of Music to attend as a
student on her prepaid tuition.
She has months to cross the country, work in between, and
find a place for her and Riana to live. By that time her
baby will be born, and she should have enough money saved to
see them through.
Her plans are frustrated when, at a rest stop, her money is
stolen, she has no means of help, and the only phone number
at the bottom of her purse is Riana's grandparents, Autumn's
parents, who turned their back on their daughter when she
became involved with a black man, and who wanted nothing to
do with their grandchild.
Now Kiley stands five-months pregnant, holding baby Riana, at
the Silers front door. When Kiley explains her situation to
Autumn's father, WILLIAM, he pulls some money out of his
wallet and tells her to get the authorities to take care of
Riana. But Autumn's mother, DORIS, comes to the door,
uncharacteristically confronts her husband, and tells William
that her granddaughter and Kiley are going to stay, and if he
makes them leave that she's going with them.
William resents Kiley being there, but noticing the
resemblance between his daughter and baby Riana, he can't
help but remember the closeness and love that he and Autumn
once shared, and regrets began to fill his mind and heart.
One day William goes fishing in the river, and Kiley happens
to wander upon him in the woods close to his ranch. When he
finds out that Kiley has been raised in an orphanage, and has
never experienced something as simple as fishing, he begans
to see her as a human being with deprivations, losses, and
feelings--a child without parents, like Autumn whom he
abandoned, and the guilt from that makes him, somehow, feel
closer to Kiley, as though they have a bond, a bond of
loneliness and loss built on the same tragedy; and, somehow,
he can mitigate that loss and guilt by starting over, by
treating Kiley the way he should have treated Autumn.
Perhaps his conscience will find some relief in this.
At the same time he begins to feel this transformation of
emotion towards her, the underlying current sweeps Kiley's
feet from under her and sweeps her along the banks of the
river. William tries desperately to reach her, but is
himself dashed against the bolders of the riverbed. Finally,
he manages to help her escape from the river, and is helping
her to his truck when his heart begins to fail him, and
instead of supporting Kiley, she is now supporting him.
She just gets him in the bed of his truck when he completely
passes out and goes into cardiac arrest. Panic stricken, she
performs CPR in between wild screams for help. Feeling a
pulse again, she careers wildly through the streets searching
for the hospital.
At the hospital, the doctor discloses William will recover.
These mutually life-saving incidents create within Kiley and
William a mutual respect for each other that transcends their
differences. Ignorance is lifting, humanity is winning, some
of the walls and barriers are crumbling, and they are
becoming friends.
The Silers academically and musically accomplished, but
nomadic son, JESSE, arrives home to marry his childhood
neighbor, DONNA. Entering the kitchen, he asks Kiley if
there's ingredients to make a sandwich, assuming that she's
the maid. She says she'll make him a sandwich, but it will
cost him two bucks, assuming he's a workhand. Finding out
who he is, she explains who she is, and in the process must
ask if he knows about his sister, Autumn's, death. He
doesn't, and learning all the details he tearfully grieves.
Kiley holds him to try to comfort him, but begins to cry
herself over the lost of her husband.
William and Donna enter the kitchen to find Jesse and Kiley
in a mournful embrace. Jesse and Kiley collect their
composure, and Jesse greets his father, and later his mother,
explaining that he came home for good to marry Donna. His
parents are surprised and delighted.
Jesse tells his mother that he is going to raise his little
sister, Autumn's, baby that since his parents are older, he
is the one who should do it. Doris tells Jesse that Kiley's
intentions are to raise Riana along with her baby, Riana's
sibling.
Jesse says that Riana is a Siler and will be raised by him.
Doris says it is in Riana's best interest to be raise as a
black person. Jesse disagrees, he says that Riana will be
raised to acknowledge all of who she is, no matter what other
people think, that everyone has barriers and battles in life
that they must learn to overcome, that what people may think
will not change who Riana is, and that if our right to exist
and thrive depended on the approval of others, none of us
would be here.
Kiley, overhearing their conversation, sadly concedes that
she has no natural claim to Riana. She says that she will
leave in the morning. Jesse convinces her to stay, in her
own best interest, until after her baby is born.
Jesse's immediate decision to keep Riana is made in front of
Donna, Jesse's fiancee, witnout even discussing it with her.
Donna realizes that means Jesse is going to keep Riana
whether she agrees to it or not.
Donna loves Jesse, but she has never planned on having
children, something she and Jesse hadn't gotten around to
discussing. Realizing he should have discussed it first with
Donna, Jesse apologizes to her, but never backs down off his
decision to keep Riana. He explains to Donna that he can
underestand if it's something she doesn't want to do, and if
it means the end of their relationship. Donna says she is
willing to try and work it out.
One rainy evening, while Doris and William are gone to visit
relatives, and Kiley is home alone, she goes into premature
labor. Jesse comes in from buying groceries and rushes Kiley
to the hospital, where he has an argument with the doctor on
Kiley's behalf, and is escorted by Security out of the
delivery room.
Later he visits Kiley who lies depressed and tearful, still
grieving her husband's death, regretting her husband, Rodney,
didn't get a chance to see their baby, and feeling scared and
alone. When the NURSE tells her to fill out the birth
certificate, Kiley sits there overwhelmed and conflicted, not
having decided what to name him, and not wanting to name him
after his father, constantly hearing Rodney's name, being
reminded of his death and betrayal.
Jesse, sensing it is too much for her, asks if he can name
her baby and she agrees. When the nurse picks up the birth
certificate and reads the name out loud, Kiley is shocked to
find that Jesse has named her baby after himself. Kiley says
that she doesn't think Donna is going to appreciate her baby
having Jesse's first name. Jesse agreeing, says it's
too late to change it, so they agree on a nickname, JAY.
One evening, after Kiley is home from the hospital she gets a
phone call from detectives in her home town, informing her
that a man came into the station claiming to be Rodney
Jamison, her husband, that they sent him to a hospital for
mental evaluation, and for her to come and identify him.
Kiley is shocked and shaken, but the peculiar thing is that
Jesse is too. At the hospital, they unconsciously grasp on
to each other's hand as they enter the room Rodney is in.
When the detectives draw back the curtains, the man who
claims to be Rodney isn't there. He has left the hospital
and disappeared.
Kiley, still recuperating from the birth of her baby, stays
with the Silers until she feels strong enough to hold down a
job. By this time Riana is walking, and Kiley feels closer
to her than ever, and she to Kiley.
Doris asks Jesse if he will take Kiley somewhere to get her
out of the house to cheer her up. Jesse reminds his mother
that he is engaged to Donna and needs to spend less time with
Kiley. His mother agrees and says she will take care of it
herself.
Because of Riana and Kiley, Doris and William have a new
perspective on life and people. They've made new friends,
and they bowl every week with a black couple they met, whose
son Doris invites to dinner.
Tall handsome Dr. Elliot Emory, DDS, stands knocking at the
front door of the Silers residence as Doris, Kiley, and Donna
prepare dinner. Kiley stares suspiciously at Doris as she
shakes Elliot's hand.
In the Den, where the men have gathered, Jesse seems to come
unhinged, asking Elliot if he's married, if he likes
children, informing him that Kiley is married, that she has a
baby, and that his niece is her baby's sibling, so actually
it's like she has two kids. All of this in front of Donna.
Kiley, embarrassed, not only for Jesse, but because of her
own feelings and guilt about him that she hasn't dealt with,
bids everyone goodnight and informs them that she will be
unable to attend the invite to Elliot's parent's house
because she's leaving town in the morning.
Everyone is shocked, and Doris is angry at Jesse for having
made a fool of himself in front of everyone, especially
Donna. Jesse is shocked too, feels pretty stupid, and while
everyone is still visiting in the Den, he goes to Kiley's
room and apologizes to her first. But while in her room, he
knows that it's the last time they'll be alone together. He
wants so badly to tell her how he feels about her, but he
knows that it would be wrong and so does she, so they both
keep their feelings to themselves. Actually, they couldn't
convey their feelings if they wanted to because they're not
sure themselves yet what those feelings are.
After ascertaining that Kiley really wants to leave, William
gives her money to rent an apartment and buy a car. Jesse
and Donna take her to the car dealership and Donna sits in
Kiley's new car while Kiley and Jesse talk to the dealer in
his office. Donna goes in Kiley's purse to get a brush and
inadvertently finds Jay's birth certificate with Jesse's
first name on it.
On the ride home, Donna is silent, and as Jesse loads Kiley's
things into her car, and everyone says goodbye, Donna notices
how restrained both Jesse and Kiley are, and how effected
their emotions, and exceptionally sad they appear.
After Kiley leaves Donna gives Jesse back his ring because
she knows he'd never break off their engagement even if he
wanted to. Embarrassed, Jesse doesn't know what to say.
Donna kisses him on the cheek and leaves.
Jesse packs up Riana's things and takes off after Kiley,
catching up with her on the road. He drives her across the
Country to New York, where she finds a house to rent with an
apartment in back where Jesse stays until time for him to
return home. Jesse gets her a job in a supper club singing.
One night there's a knock at the door and it's Kiley's
husband, Rodney. Kiley throws herself into Rodney's arms.
But Rodney asks Jesse to serve the divorce papers he's
brought on Kiley. Kiley pleads with Rodney to let her take
care of him, but Rodney declines and leaves.
Jesse tells Kiley that Rodney does not love her and to wake
up and marry him. Kiley reminds Jesse that she grew up with
Rodney and that he is a good person who made some mistakes.
Kiley says that she's always just wanted to live her life
with as few problems as possible and she doesn't want to live
the rest of her life with the problems that an interracial
marriage would bring.
Jesse knows that Kiley is strong and that she's just making
an excuse, he guesses that she's going to find Rodney. She
says that Rodney doesn't love her like he loved Autumn, but
he loves her like Jesse loved Donna. She says that Rodney
saw something in her that she hadn't admitted to herself,
that she is in love with Jesse, and that's the reason Rodney
left, and because he feels guilty for the way he's treated
her, and that's why he's chosen to die alone, but she doesn't
think he shoud have to.
Now Kiley has to make a pivotal decision to either marry the
man she's in love with, or to do what she feels is right, and
take care of the man that she loves. She chooses to find
Rodney.
Jesse packs up Riana's things and returns home, feeling that
Kiley just didn't love him enough.
One day Jesse sits at his desk, as Dean of Admissions at a
university, when the telephone rings, but when he answers no
one says anything. Kiley holds the receiver on the other
end, saying nothing, just wanting to hear Jesse's voice.
Now Kiley stands in the cemetery at Rodney's headstone,
talking to baby Jay, who sits in what use to be Riana's
stroller. Kiley tells Jay how much she misses both Rodney and
Riana.
At the supper club where she works, Kiley introduces a song
she's about to sing, stating that it explains how she feels
better than she can. It's by the Stylistics and it's called
"You Are Everything." She begins to sing:
"Today I saw somebody who looked just like you, he walked like
you do. I thought it was you. As he turned the corner, I called
out your name, I felt so ashamed when it wasn't you, wasn't you.
Oh...o...o...o...o! You are everything and everything is you.
Oh-o, you are everything and everything is you..." She finishes
her song and leaves the stage.
Behind the stage, she hears the Master of Ceremonies announce
another singer, a travelling musician who introduced Kiley
Jamison to them: Jesse Siler.
Jesse begins to sing a song he wrote and taught to Kiley
while they were on the road to New York. Kiley rushes into
the wings, almost skidding on stage. She joins Jesse in his
song, making it a duet. At the bridge of the song, Jesse
asks her to marry him and she eagerly agrees. Now they
embrace and for the first time without reservations,
hesitation, or guilt over people, things, and race, they
exclusively belong to each other, in spite of their Different
Persuasions.
FADE OUT:
THE END
COPYRIGHT--2000--TIANA BOULET
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