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TUESDAY, 25 JULY, 2000, PHILADELPHIA |
Scene from my movie, inspired by Micha-Kitten, a real card-carrying cat-hater… SCENE 21 — FADE IN — Int. house. Cocktail party. Living room filled with people sipping martinis and chatting pleasantly. “Easy-listening” music in background. Doorbell rings. HOSTESS leaves a conversation with a smile to answer door. Opens door to OLGA, carrying a wicker basket containing a kitten with a big red bow. Jenny! Happy birthday dear! Oh Olga, thank you for coming! Please come inside. [handing over basket with mewling kitten] Many happy returns! Jenny takes basket and is nonplussed. It’s a kitten! Everyone loves a kitten! People have gathered about and are staring at OLGA with misgivings. Olga doesn’t notice anything amiss. [to everyone] Who doesn’t love a kitten? OLGA pokes at the kitten in the basket and makes goo-goo noises. CUT TO: Ext. wedding party. BRIDE and GROOM are dancing to “Copacabana.” Music ends and WEDDING GUESTS clap. BRIDE and GROOM laugh gaily. OLGA approaches couple with a wicker basket containing two kittens, one with a blue ribbon around its neck, one with pink. Bill! Susan! Congratulations! What a beautiful reception. Thank you very much Olga. I’ve brought you two … kittens! Oh. Well, uhhh … [very chipper] His and hers! Don’t get ’em mixed up now, you two lovebirds! Oh, uhhh … CUT TO: Ext. suburban backyard. A child’s birthday party. A CLOWN on the lawn finishes doing something clowny. A MOM stands in front of the enrapt children and announces… Everybody over to the swing sets! Time to watch Billy open his presents! A swarm of five year olds are followed shortly by lazily happy mothers, one of which is OLGA carrying a large sack. BILLY opens his presents and finds a fire truck, a chemistry set, a pack of baseball cards. OLGA then approches him. Here’s another present for little Billy! [she rummages in her sack and comes up with a squirming…] a kitten! Billy is ecstatic. Umm, Olga, that’s … uhh … very sweet but, uhhh … Oh, don’t worry, Roslyn, the other children shan’t be jealous. I’ve brought enough for everyone! [OLGA walks among children bringing out a dozen kittens.] Kitten for you. And a kitten for you. And a kitten for you. [to MOM with a wink] Gift that keeps on giving! CUT TO: Int. grocery store checkout line. OLGA’s groceries are scanned by a grumpy, distracted CLERK. That’ll be $27.99 lady. I’ve got something even better! [she beams happily and produces…] a kitten! CLERK is stunned as the kitten is thrust at her and she takes it. [with a wink] Keep the change! CUT TO: Int. living room. Black wreath on an easle by the fireplace. A lone WIDOW is sobbing to herself on the sofa. Doorbell rings. The WIDOW stumbles across the room in a deluge of tears and looks through the peephole. We see a fish-eye view of OLGA smiling happily at the door. WIDOW gasps, her tears immediately drying up. WIDOW looks about panicked and backs away from the door carefully and quietly. Approaches door again, holding her breath and looks through peephole again. We see fish-eye view of Olga waiting patiently, humming to herself. Eventually she takes out a card and writes for a moment, stoops down, then walks away jauntily. When OLGA has driven off, the WIDOW opens the door cautiously and looks on the step to find a black basket with a kitten mewling in it. WIDOW takes the card and opens it. We see OLGA has written: Dear Jasmine, 
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