My divine life

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EXT. TRAIN STATION - NIGHT
500 MILES plays over
A full moon cast over a maintained train station with no
train in sight. The SOUND of cicadas fills the air.
SCOPES(23), wearing a cowboy hat, blue jeans and work boots
with a duffel bag perched next to him is slumped over on a
bench, slowly running he fingers across a ticket. He looks
down the railroad tracks.
A beam of light shins through the trees and the erupting
SOUND of a train horn is heard. The train comes around the
bend full steam ahead.
Scopes, grabs his duffel and approaches the edge separating
him from the tracks. Glaring at the tracks he leans farther
over the edge as we see the train light nearing him. At the
last second Scopes comes to and steps back.
The train doors open and Scopes take one more look of the
train station as he enters.

INT. TRAIN BOOTH - CONTINUOUS

Scopes walks to his seat and keeps his duffel bag on his lap
as he seats himself and leans against the window peering out.
The train begins to departure and Scopes places his cowboy
hat on his face and sleeps.

INT. TRAIN BOOTH - DAY

Scopes still sleeping with his hat on his face as the train
comes to a stop. He awakens at first looking shook up and
slowly falls back into his seat.
Out the window we see a urban looking train station with
passengers exiting, urban and street wear clothing
distinctively different from Scopes apparel.
CONDUCTOR
Welcome to Philadelphia!
Scopes, still holding onto his duffel bag closely exits the
train.
 2.

INT. 40TH STREET STATION - DAY

The station is packed, family's sit together, some laugh,
some smile as they await their ticket number to be called for
departure.
Scope is standing at the top of the stairs looking out at the
station. Not knowing what do he pardons a passerby.
SCOPES
S'cuse me mam? Do you...
PASSENGER
Um, no thank you.
Scopes walks down the steps towards the exit of the train
station.
As he exits, hip hop music blares, cars in traffic honking,
sounds of police sirens in the distance as Scopes walks
aimlessly around the station. Someone else calls out to him
and mockingly taunts his appearance.
MEAN MAN
Country boy!
We see the tall landscape of buildings as Scopes walks deeper
into Center City.

EXT. CENTER CITY - LATER

Down a long populated and heavily trafficked road we see

Scopes walking sluggishly down the sidewalk.
People laugh as they pass him and Scopes looks as if he
doesn't know if it is directed towards him or not. Another
MAN walks pass and winks.
HOWDY MAN
Howdy.
Scope exhausted from the travelling, yawning spots a coffee
shop and begins to walk across the aimlessly until the sound
of a CAR HORN startles him and he sprints to the other side.

INT. COFFEE SHOP - CONTINUOUS

Waiting in line Scopes spots a beautiful GIRL, holding a
script attentively reading it, looks up and spots Scopes
staring. They play a teasing eye game back and forth and
Scopes giggles as if he were a child again.
 3.

SCOPES
Coffee please.
BARISTA
Short? Tall? Grande? Venti?
SCOPES
No, Coffee please.
BARISTA
What size?
SCOPES
Small please.
BARISTA
Next in line!
Scopes shuffles along picking up his black coffee, glaring
every now and then at this girl, finally she catches him.
BLAIR
Well hello there cowboy.
SCOPES
Hi.
(Pause)
BLAIR
Care to join, partner?
SCOPES
Much obliged.
BLAIR
Is that accent real?
SCOPES
It's fake.
BLAIR
You'r lying.
They both giggle at this.
SCOPES
No, I just moved here from the
south. Actually would you happen to
know a place I could stay?
BLAIR
You mean with me?
 4.

SCOPES
Would you mind?
BLAIR
Yes, I would.
SCOPES
Oh, alright.
BLAIR
Well alright. I can get you a place
to stay.
SCOPES
You can?!
BLAIR
Yes I can, cowboy. Come on I have
about an hour to spare until class
and I want to try adapt your
accent.
She packs up her stuff and leads him out the Coffee Shop.

EXT. CENTER CITY - CONTINUOUS

SCOPES
What university do you go to?
BLAIR
What university...darling I am an
Actress, one of the lost forsaken
breed.
SCOPES
An actress, say, what kind of work
does that involve you doing then?
BLAIR
To be an Actress, Actor you have to
be in tune with yourself, work
through all your little
insecurities and find out who you
truthfully are. That's the only way
you can work through the process of
acting.
SCOPES
Where can I learn?
BLAIR
In the theater.
 5.

SCOPES
What's that like?
BLAIR
Were a family of artist working to
affect humanity, to some it sounds
pretentious...
SCOPES
No, no... Can I come?
Blair gives him a smile.
CUT TO:

INT. THEATER - NIGHT

Actors and Actress fill the Theater talking joyously to one
another from the curtain.
Scopes and Blair, last in line stop at the curtain.
SCOPES
Wait. I'm scared to go in right
now.
BLAIR
Oh honey boy, don't be so self
conscious. There is no one here who
is gonna judge you, okay cowboy?
(Pause)
SCOPES
What's your name?
BLAIR
What now?
SCOPES
You never told me your name, I like
to know peoples names so I know
what to call them.
BLAIR
(Southern accent)
It's Blair but today I am Ruthy
from the Mid-west! Now come on
cowboy, you'll be just fine.
She extends her hand to Scopes.
SCOPES
Alright, I'm coming.
 6.

They proceed to enter the small theater. All the Actors are
seated looking upon Scopes arrival to the class. Small
murmurs are made.
Scopes watching the audience begins to turn around for the
door as Tony, the acting teacher calls out to him.
TONY
Blair where's your friend going?
BLAIR
It's Ruthy!
TONY
Hey Kid...where you off to?
SCOPES
Where am I off to? I'm not sure.
TONY
Don't rush off to soon, stick
around a little bit. We don't bite
do we?
The class laughs.
BLAIR
Come on cowboy, sit next to me.
SCOPES
Well alright.
Scopes sits beside Blair clutching his cowboy hat and placing
his duffel bag on his lap. Tony can be heard checking today's
work.
BLAIR
Put that down hun, you don't want
anything weighing you down here.
Scopes places his duffel bag on the floor as the class
begins.

INT. THEATER - LATER

Blair and Actor share the stage in the heap of a destructive
argument, they scream, yell, cry, as Scopes is looking down
at the floor.
As the scene ends he slowly lifts his head to see Blair and
her acting partner hugging. They exit the stage.
 7.

TONY
Alright, cowboy I'm gonna partner
you up with Peter to do some first
day work on the stage.
SCOPES
Me?
TONY
You want to act right?
SCOPES
Sure, yeah. I want to act.
TONY
OK, you two head up on stage and
I'll explain it to you.
Scopes and PETER, A tall, strong minded individual sit down
at the desk on stage.
TONY (CONT'D)
All I want you to do is listen and
repeat exactly what he says to you.
Observe his behavior and respond
truthfully. Can you do that?
SCOPES
I can do that.
PETER
I don't like your hat.
SCOPES
You don't like my hat?
PETER
Yeah, I don't like you'r hat!
SCOPES
Well... I... I'm not sure were-
PETER
And now you want to act sheepish
about, oh god!
Scopes looks to Tony as he edges him on to proceed.
SCOPES
You think I'm... sheepish?
PETER
You heard me, you're sheepish.
(Beat)
 8.

SCOPES
(Under his breath)
You remind me of my father.
PETER
What was that.
SCOPES
You piece of shit your just like my
father.
PETER
I'm... just like your father?
SCOPES
And I hate my father!
Peter looks to Tony.
TONY
Okay, that's a good start. Now I
want you to go out and practice
what you just did and bring it in
next week. Do you think you could
do that?
SCOPES
Yeah, I can do that.
CUT TO:

EXT. THEATER - LATER

Students sit outside and smoke, talk while Scopes and Blair
walk out the door together.
SCOPES
So, you still have that place for
me to stay?
BLAIR
An Actress must never lie, except
maybe on the stage here and there
to save ourselves.
SCOPES
So that's a yes then?
BLAIR
(Her best British accent)
Come on darling, follow me to my
flat!
 9.

SCOPES
You're Flat?
BLAIR
Apartment. Come come now.
She wraps her arm around Scopes and leads him down the
street.

INT. BLAIR'S APARTMENT

The door opens up and Blair leads Scopes into the apartment.
He holds his duffel bag closely.
It's a bit of a mess in the apartment but it comes with a
comforting glow and a soft presence of mindfulness once
presented. Blair attentively clears a spot for scopes to
sleep on the couch.
BLAIR
Sorry, usually i'm pretty clean
SCOPES
No, that's quite alright i'm used
to the mess, sorry it's not a mess.
BLAIR
Hey, don't be shy now cowboy. Mi
Casa y Su Casa.
SCOPES
Huh?
BLAIR
You can take the couch for as long
as it takes or as long as you need
it.
(Beat)
I'm gonna make some tea, you want
some?
SCOPES
No, I think i'm good actually.
BLAIR
Alright. Get yourself comfortable.
(Beat)
By the way, what is your actual
name anyway, it's not cowboy is it?
SCOPES
No. Scopes. It's my dads name.
 10.

BLAIR
What you said about you're dad
today, was that you lying on stage
or telling the truth.
Scopes laughs.
SCOPES
Uh... it was the truth.
Blair bringing tea over for the both of them.
BLAIR
So is that why you came here, to
Philadelphia, from...?

SCOPES
Kentucky, yeah... My dad and I
never really got along, why I moved
here I guess.
(Pause)
You ever meet a man who just, tries
so hard to do good but it backfires
every time on him, then you try to
fix it but it's to late, the damage
is done.
BLAIR
Quit the opposite, actually.
SCOPES
Sorry, I didn't know...
BLAIR
No that's just fine.
(Beat )
Somethings about us Actress or
maybe just humans... we keep all
the dark in and only let the little
light we have shine through for
others to witness... but Kentucky!
Please you must tell me everything
about it, Ruth, my character is
from there! If you don't mind I
mean?
SCOPES
Sure...Well, it's the most, uh...
open, green and free land you could
ever imagine. I used to wake next
to the chicken coup, I'd hear the
roosters crow in the mornin'.
(MORE)
 11.
SCOPES (CONT'D)
And I'd sit there and be happy
again, happy that i'm alone and
there's no one else besides me. And
I can smile and not asked why and
laugh while the birds chirp to one
another. And I could breath, oh man
how you can breath in Kentucky.
There's no place like it. There's
no place like home.
(Pause)
BLAIR
Scopes, I know how it feels to miss
home. I always wondered what it
might...feel like if I went back.
Saw my folks again but...
(Laughs)
But I don't think I have that
option anymore.
(Beat)
But I think you do Scopes, I think
you have an issue that can be
resolved... and you should get to
fixing it while you still can.
SCOPES
No I couldn't go back there... why
don't I stay here for a little
while, see where it takes us? Today
was, new, and i'd like to see where
it takes me.
BLAIR
Scopes, don't play with my heart
please, please.
SCOPES
You can trust me, I know you don't
know me that well but I'd really
appreciate if you can trust me to.
BLAIR
Scopes... I just don't know...
(Beat)
Scopes kisses her off impulse, for a moment they are lost
with each other as they slowly part.
BLAIR (CONT'D)
Was that you acting?
SCOPES
If I was, was it alright?
 12.

BLAIR
We could work on it some more.
SCOPES
So that means I stay?
BLAIR
As long as you help me out with
Ruthy.
SCOPES
Done deal.
(Pause)
Thank you.
BLAIR
No, Thank you.
(Beat)
Now off to bed cowboy, long day
tomorrow awaits you.
SCOPES
I guess so.
Blair backpedals back to her bedroom door, her and scopes
locking eyes, smiling the whole way.
BLAIR
Au Revoir.
SCOPES
Au Revoir.