…following on
from # 1 SHIPS IN THE NIGHT…
MATT
Cronulla.
TRACY
Long way from
Rydalmere to Cronulla, ay?
MATT moves his
taxi closer to the head of the rank; TRACY following alongside.
MATT (NODS)
But a good fare
this time of night… $70? $80. One of these guys (HE GESTURES TO THE CABS IN THE
RANK BEHIND HIM) will take you…for sure.
TRACY
Not if I tell
them I don't have money.
MATT
You really do
have money at home?
TRACY nods.
MATT drives forward a little. TRACY follows.
MATT (CONT’D)
Then don't tell
him you've lost your wallet.
TRACY
Lie, you mean?
MATT
No, just don't
volunteer…
TRACY
Y'reckon not
telling the whole truth is the same as lying? I mean if no-one asks for the
whole truth and you…someone…keeps stuff secret? Is that lying?
MATT
I reckon
secrets are OK?
TRACY
Tell me a
secret. One of yours.
MATT laughs,
shakes his head.
TRACY
You tell me one
of yours and I'll tell you one of mine.
MATT
I'm sorry
Tracy, my shift's finished so…
TRACY
I know, you
can't drive me home. That's OK. But you can talk to me, right, till you get a
fare?
MATT
Even if you had
money…I've got to be somewhere…a promise I've made…
TRACY
Promises are
important to keep, ay?
MATT nods,
suddenly remembers his own recent promise to Juliet. He takes out his mobile,
pauses, looks at TRACY.
MATT
Sorry…
He makes a
'sorry' gesture. TRACY shrugs (“It's OK”),
MATT
It's private.
TRACY
That's OK. I'm
good at keeping secrets. (A BEAT) Girlfriend?
MATT smiles,
moves forward a little further in the rank, TRACY walking alongside.
TRACY
Aha! So, what
did you do to piss her off or what didn't you do you should have done?
MATT smiles,
shakes his head.
TRACY
Someone you
love, ay? Wife? Girlfriend? (A BEAT) or boyfriend?
MATT
Daughter.
TRACY'S mood
changes from playful to serious.
TRACY
See, I was
right. You do love her? Your daughter? What's her name?
MATT looks at
TRACY for a long moment.
MATT
Juliet.
TRACY
As in Romeo
and…?
MATT
As in…(A BEAT)
About your age.
TRACY
No way! (A
BEAT) You and her mum still together?
MATT
No, they live
in Melbourne.
TRACY
Does she know
you're her dad?
MATT (LAUGHS)
Of course.
TRACY
Do you love
her? More than anything in the whole wide world? (A BEAT)
Sorry. (A BEAT)
None of my business. (A BEAT) But do you?
MATT
Yes.
TRACY
She's lucky,
ay?
MATT
I guess…
TRACY
K. See ya.
TRACY, subdued
now, all of her cockiness having deserted her, turns, starts to walk off. MATT
calls out to her.
MATT
Tracy!
She turns, her
face breaking into a hopeful smile.
MATT
You be careful,
okay?
TRACY'S smile
fades.
MATT
And I know this
is the kind of thing that your mum and dad probably say, but…You shouldn't be
out alone at this time of night.
TRACY (CHILDLIKE)
Yes dad.
This throws
MATT for a moment. He looks at her. TRACY slips back into acting like a
confident young woman, smiling 'sexily' in a way she has seen women do in some
movie.
TRACY
See ya.
MATT nods.
TRACY hesitates, her eyes on the taxi windscreen.
TRACY
You know you've
got a crack in your windscreen?
MATT nods.
TRACY hesitates a moment before walking off. After a few paces she stops,
thinks to herself.
MATT, mobile in
hand, watches her. After a long moment TRACY walks back and stands by Matt's
window. Her cockiness has been replaced with a quiet vulnerability. She looks
from his bloodied knuckles to the windscreen.
TRACY
Did the
windscreen do something to hurt your feelings?
MATT is thrown
by the question; is not sure how to respond.
TRACY
I have days
like that too. Like yesterday. Yesterday sucked bigtime. But…
MATT's mobile
emits the sound of a rooster crowing. TRACY smiles but is still caught up in
her own vulnerability. MATT looks at the screen:
Juliet
He wants to
take the call but is still processing what Tracy has just said. The rooster
crowing stops. TRACY, capable of switching personas at the drop of a hat, slips
back into being the ingénue.
TRACY
What if I have
to hitchhike home and get raped or murdered or something and you read about it
in the paper? How are you going to feel?
MATT
If you do a
runner on me and I can't make my mortgage payments this week how do you reckon
I'm going to feel?
TRACY
Like you want
to hit someone.
TRACY indicates
MATT'S bloody knuckles.
MATT (DEFENSIVE)
I didn't hit
anyone.
TRACY
Didn't say you
did. Said you want to.
MATT
No I don't.
TRACY raises
her fists and makes a little boxing gesture. MATT smiles, shakes his head.
MATT
Can't call your
dad and get him to pick you up? Have you got a dad?
TRACY
Yes and no.
MATT
Test tube baby,
ay!
TRACY
Biological,
yes, but…the rest of the dad stuff…(SHAKES HER HEAD) uh huh! Mum's had to cope
with me all alone.
MATT
You know who
your dad is?
TRACY bites her
lip, plays nervously with her hair.
TRACY
Yes, but he
doesn't.
MATT
Doesn't know
he's your dad?
TRACY
Maybe that too.
(A BEAT) Not sure if he knows…doesn't know… He's pretty clueless.
MATT
You've met
him!?
The thin sound
of an upbeat pop song from Tracy's mobile.
TRACY
A squillion
times. I've known him since before I can remember.
TRACY takes out
her mobile, looks at the LCD screen, sees who the caller is, walks to the front
of the cab, speaks abruptly.
TRACY (ON PHONE)
What!
MATT watches
her through the cracked windscreen as TRACY listens for a moment before venting
her anger:
TRACY (ON PHONE)
You promised
me! I trusted you and you lied to me. Your promises are worth fuck all. I never
want to see you again.
TRACY punches
'end' on her mobile petulantly, plays absent-mindedly with a silver ring on her
left index finger for a moment, walks back to stand by his window.
TRACY
Men! Can you
explain men to me?
MATT
Can you explain
teenage girls to me?
TRACY (GRINS)
Cost ya a ride
t'Rydalmere.
MATT laughs.
The sound of the passenger door opening.
PASSENGER (VOICE OFF)
You right for
Cronulla, mate?
MATT turns,
sees the smiling face of a MIDDLE AGED MAN leaning in through the front
passenger door.
MATT
Sure.
As the
PASSENGER drops into the seat, MATT looks at TRACY. He catches the moment of
disappointment in her face before she smiles, gives him a double thumbs up.
TRACY
Cronulla! Way
to go.
MATT nods,
smiles, as the PASSENGER fastens his seat belt.
TRACY
Fun talking to
ya.
TRACY pauses
for a moment before turning to walk off.
MATT
For me too,
Tracy.
TRACY turns,
beams a smile at him for a moment, turns keeps walking. MATT turns on the
ignition.
PASSENGER (FRIENDLY)
Had a good
night?
MATT seems not
to have heard. He looks back out the window. TRACY has almost reached the other
side of the road.
PASSENGER
Guess it would
have been better if you'd scored that bit of teen pussy.
MATT ignores
the PASSENGER; turns on the meter. The muffled sound of a rooster crowing. The
PASSENGER ogles TRACY.
PASSENGER
What's better
than fucking a 16 year old girl?
MATT takes his
mobile from his pocket: Juliet.
PASSENGER
Fucking a 14
year old girl.
The PASSENGER
laughs. MATT ignores him, talks into his mobile.
MATT
I wish you'd
stop doing that, sweetheart!
JULIET'S VOICE
Doing what?
MATT
Hanging up on
me.
JULIET'S VOICE
You don't have
a clue, do you?
MATT
About what?
JULIET'S VOICE
Anything.
MATT
I'm not
psychic, Juliet.
JULIET'S VOICE
You can say
that again.
PASSENGER
Can't live with
'em, can't shoot 'em, eh!
JULIET'S VOICE
Who's that?
What did he say?
MATT
Nothing.
JULIET'S VOICE
I heard what he
said. Arsehole! Bye dad.
Juliet hangs
up.
PASSENGER
Hey, you know
your hand's bleeding?
MATT ignores
him, taps 'J' and 'U' on the keypad of his mobile when the sound of a rooster
crowing announces the arrival of a text message from Juliet:
Fuck you!
MATT stares at
the text message. Natural sound drains away as MATT raises his eyes.
14 EXT. CAB. TAXI RANK. NIGHT
Looking through
the windscreen at MATT, staring into space. His eyes focus on the two inch
crack as it grows slowly another half inch, another inch, then stops.
The PASSENGER'S
lips move but neither MATT nor the audience hears any words.
15 INT. CAB. TAXI RANK. NIGHT
Close on MATT.
Natural sound drains back in.
PASSENGER
Can we
fucking…go…!?
He indicates
the ticking meter. MATT nods, checks for traffic before leaving the curb, sees
TRACY across the road - arm outstretched; hitching. The group of THREE YOUNG
DRUNKEN MEN closeby have spotted her. TRACY turns, looks at MATT looking at
her. She waves to him as she did before - thumb outstretched and four fingers
moving, flapping up and down exaggeratedly: 'ta ta'. Without thinking, MATT
moves his hand as if to replicate the gesture but stops himself. MATT looks
calmly at the PASSENGER for a long moment.
MATT
Sorry, I can't
take you to Cronulla.
The PASSENGER,
incredulous, looks at TRACY, back at MATT.
PASSENGER
You're fucking
kidding, right!?
MATT
Sorry, but…the
driver behind me…
The PASSENGER
stares at MATT - who reaches across him and opens the passenger door, undoes
the PASSENGER'S seat belt.
16 EXT. CITY STREET. NIGHT
TRACY watches
the PASSENGER get out Matt's cab on the other side of the road, slam the door.
PASSENGER
Cunt!
MATT pulls out
from the curb, prepares to do a U-turn. TRACY smiles. The PASSENGER shouts at
MATT as he begins his U-turn:
PASSENGER
Give her one
for me too, arsehole!
Matt's cab
pulls up alongside TRACY.
TRACY
You offering me
a ride or what?
MATT
'Long as you
don't take me for one!
TRACY (EXCITED)
Yay.
TRACY opens the
front passenger door, leaps in happily.
MATT
Seatbelt.
TRACY fastens
her seat belt, looks at MATT with a big happy smile. MATT drives off.
…to be
continued…
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