An Exercise in Sanity
INT.GIANNA’S APARTMENT-NIGHT GIANNA (30’s) wakes up in the middle of the night to turn on the oven that she uses as a heater to warm…
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INT.GIANNA’S APARTMENT-NIGHT GIANNA (30’s) wakes up in the middle of the night to turn on the oven that she uses as a heater to warm…
INT.GIANNA'S APARTMENT-NIGHT
GIANNA (30's) wakes up in the middle of the night to turn on the oven that she uses as a heater to warm her apartment. As she walks back to her bed, she looks into the room across the hall to see her son sleeping soundly. She grabs a pill bottle on her dresser and takes a sip of gin in a partially filled glass and attempts to fall back to sleep.
GIANNA (V.O.)
I had that dream I woke up from again. Oh wait, that's what they call a nightmare.
She tosses and turns for a bit as she continues to let her thoughts drift her asleep.
GIANNA (V.O.)
It started like any other day. I wake up around 3am from either freezing cold of my apartment or from my constant lower back pain. I usually get up and take a pill and toss a shot back praying I'd fall back to sleep. One hour starts to feel like 5 when you lay awake.
Gianna finally falls asleep.
GIANNA (V.O.)
When I finally fall asleep, I feel like I was floating away. Hoping this would be the one I wouldn't come back from as I embraced the thought of being intoxicated by the darkness that surrounds me. So many nights I would fight myself falling asleep because I was scared, I wouldn’t wake up. Now with all the pain I was in I started to think this may not be as bad as I think.
INT.GIANNA'S APARTMENT-MORNING
Gianna's son Tyler (10) wakes her up for work as she continues to sleep through her alarm.
TYLER
Mom, time to get up.
GIANNA
Give me five more minutes.
She turns back over.
TYLER
You said five more minutes an hour ago. We're going to be late.
GIANNA
You have school today?
TYLER
Yes, last day before winter break. You have work today?
GIANNA
Yeah, unfortunately. I dream of quitting every day, but I got bills. So, I did a dumb thing by taking two jobs.
Gianna rushes to get ready in a haste to get out the door in 10 minutes.
Tyler sits on the couch and waits.
TYLER
Do you ever wish you could go back?
GIANNA
Go back to what?
TYLER
Being a kid.
GIANNA
Sometimes I do but then again, I didn't like kids much when I was that age.
TYLER
Why?
GIANNA
Because they were stupid. Sadly, those same kids grew up to be dumbass adults.
EXT/INT.GIANNA'S CAR-MORNING
Gianna and Tyler drive off in her beat up 2005 Mustang. At a stop light she sees her speedometer is stuck at 50 miles per hour.
GIANNA
Hey Ty, take a picture of this. My speedometer is stuck at 50 miles per hour at a stop light. Let's see what happens when we start driving again. It was just working a few minutes ago.
Tyler takes out his camera and watches the speedometer as they drive away.
TYLER
It looks like it's now going from 10 miles per hour back to 50.
GIANNA
So, if I subtract 10 from 50, I guess is how fast I'm going?
TYLER
What if it doesn't go past 50?
GIANNA
We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Just take a picture of the speedometer just in case I get pulled over.
Tyler takes the picture as Gianna pulls over to drop him off at school.
GIANNA
looking out the window talking to Tyler
Don't worry Ty, one of these days you'll look back on all of this and laugh. Maybe not anytime soon but you will.
Tyler waves as Gianna pulls away.
GIANNA (V.O.)
I look back and think why I was trying to be old so soon. Growing up sucks. Working dead end jobs, having to be social, paying bills, getting a raise
and feeling like you're getting paid less.
Gianna continues to lament her life as she starts to drive faster.
GIANNA (v.o con't)
Sitting in a sedimentary job all day. Having to watch what you eat because the older you get; things don't bounce back the way or where they use to in some instances. The scale may lie but the size of your waistline in those skinny jeans you use to wear won't.
Gianna looks up in her rear-view mirror and sees a cop. He waves to get her to pull over. The officer walks up to her window.
OFFICER DYSON
Do you know how fast you were going?
GIANNA
No officer, I don't because my speedometer doesn't work. I'm stopped at 50 miles an hour.
She shows him the picture.
OFFICER DYSON
You were actually driving too slowly is why I pulled you over.
GIANNA
I'm sorry, I've never drove this route before my GPS took me the wrong way around.
OFFICER DYSON
I can see that. Where are you going?
GIANNA
I'm going to the health department to pick up death certificates. I work in a funeral home.
She shows him the company envelope.
OFFICER DYSON
Make sure you pull over next time and let the traffic go by if you're
nervous. Drive safe.
GIANNA
Thanks Officer.
Gianna wakes back up to reality and drives away at what she thinks is a decent speed.
GIANNA
Wow, that's a first. Glad he didn't know I had 15 people in my trunk.
As Gianna continues her drive, she gets a call from her manager.
GIANNA
Hello?
Chris (o.s)
Hi Gianna, are you okay?
GIANNA
Yeah, I'm fine. What's going on?
Chris (o.s)
I just wanted to check to see if you were okay. We didn't hear from you and thought you would be in already.
GIANNA
Yeah, I did too. My GPS took me way out of the way onto some winding canyon. I'm just now making it on to the freeway to get over there. I'll be in as soon as I can.
Chris (o.s)
Okay, see you soon.
Gianna hangs up the phone.
(End of part 1)
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