In “Happily Ever After” short script, Reeve visits his father Phil at his trailer home out in the desert, to see if he’s still alive.

Happily Ever After

FADE IN.

EXT. DESERT – DAY

An old rusty trailer home serves as the backdrop between this father and son story.

REEVE stands before his father PHIL, who sits on a wicker chair. Phil wears a dirty white tang top, blue jeans, boots and straw hat. He drinks from a green bottle of beer.

Reeve wears blue jeans, boots and t-shirt.

REEVE:  I can’t say I was expecting a different reaction; not a smile, or a grunt. How do you do that? How do you continue through life without ever feeling anything?

Phil shrugs his shoulders.

Where do you put it, or maybe you’re just immune to having anything meaningful in your life… (beat) I come out here, I travel all this way, out in this hot and lonely desert, to see if you’re still breathing, cause you won’t answer your phone.

PHIL:  My phone is disconnected.

REEVE:  I know your phone is disconnected.

PHIL:  Can’t answer it.

Beat.

REEVE:  Getting on alright?

PHIL:  Until you showed up.

REEVE:  Right, right. Well, I’ll leave then.

Reeve starts to walk away, but then turns and looks at his father.

PHIL:  Thought you said you was going?

REEVE:  I’m hungry.

PHIL:  There’s a can of beans somewhere in one of the cabinets; have a go.

REEVE:  Beans…you’re still living on beans?

Phil farts.

PHIL:  You betcha.

REEVE:  You know they came looking for you again and bashed up all my storefront windows.

PHIL:  Did they?

REEVE:  They did!

PHIL (laughing):  That must have set you back some.

REEVE:  I don’t have the money to pay your debts, Phil.

PHIL:  I don’t have any debts.

REEVE:  They are gonna come back again and again and again, and I have a family to support.

PHIL:  Thought you told them boys I died.

REEVE:  I did tell them you died, and now they are holding me accountable for your gambling.

PHIL:  I meant the boys…

REEVE:  My kids?

PHIL:  You tell them?

REEVE:  No, they don’t think you died…

PHIL:  You grabbing those beans cause I’m hungry?

Reeve goes into the trailer and comes out with two opened cans of beans with spoons in them. He hands one of the cans to Phil.

PHIL:  …How’s your mother?

REEVE:  Better than you.

PHIL:  Why don’t you borrow money from her? She married a rich guy, didn’t she?

REEVE:  I can’t borrow money.

PHIL:  You won’t borrow money…too much pride and ego.

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In the short script, “Happily Ever After,” Reeve travels to find and visit his father Phil, after he believes he might be dead, and in order to inform him that the people he owes money to are turning to violence to get what’s theirs.  2 Men.  Drama.

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