Cafe-Girl: A Tru Story

Act Two, Scene Four

The Coffee Shop, same day, late afternoon.

The coffee shop is closed, Willow works alone, closing up.  The chairs are on the tables, he's busy vacuuming.  The door opens.

WILLOW

Um, we're closed!!!!

(Shaggy enters.)

SHAGGY

Uh, sorry.

(Willow shuts off vaccuum cleaner.)

WILLOW

Hey there, um---

SHAGGY

Call me Shaggy.

WILLOW

Oh, right.  Um?

SHAGGY

You're closed, I can see that.  I was hoping to see Deborah?

WILLOW

Deborah? Oh, Tru, that's right.  Um, she left already.

SHAGGY

Oh, yeah?

WILLOW

Yeah, I can take a message or---

SHAGGY

How is she...doing? We've all been...worried.

WILLOW

Worried?

SHAGGY

Yeah.  So, you know where she might be?

WILLOW

Um, yeah, she'll be here tomorrow morning and...

SHAGGY

And?

WILLOW

We live together so--

SHAGGY

Oh? You live together?

WILLOW

Well, not like that.  Well, at least not--

SHAGGY

Yet?

WILLOW

Well--

SHAGGY

Careful.

WILLOW

Everyone keeps saying that.

Fade into:

Tru's bedroom, same day.

Tru sits on her bed, laptop before her.  She stares blankly at the screen.

Pov: Tru, computer screen open to writing software, page is blank, cursor flashes, Camera zooms in closer to cursor flashing, flashing, flashing, boom, boom, boom

CLOSE UP: Tru's face, tired, overwhelmed

Wide: Tru gets up and crosses over to her dresser

Tru stares into her mirror.  She opens a drawer and starts rummaging through, pulls out a small cardboard box, sets it before her on dresser counter.  She looks back at herself in the mirror, then slowly opens the box, and slowly pulls out pentagram necklace, she lets it fall gently into her other hand, stares at it, and then looks up into the mirror.

Fade into:

Flashback:

Tru leans against a tree, Matthew stands across from her, leaning against another tree. They are in a woodsy area.  Matthew holds a joint in one hand and a lighter in the other. He lights the joint, lights it, brings it to his lips, a pentagram necklace falls out of his shirt and hangs around his neck.  He hands joint to Tru, who takes it, her hand brushes against his as she does so.  He smiles at her, sweetly and sort of seductively.  She takes the joint with one hand and with the other reaches up and fingers the necklace.

MATTHEW

An old friend gave me that.

TRU

Yeah?

MATTHEW

Yeah, an ex.

TRU

Oh? Oh, an ex.

MATTHEW

Yeah, we're still friends, just friends.

TRU

Just friends.

MATTHEW

Yeah, I'm interested in someone else now.

TRU

Yeah?

MATTHEW

She's this really nice girl, just started coming to the cafe, makes me laugh, I like it when she comes in.

TRU

Yeah, she likes coming in, well, I mean, I imagine she does.

(Matthew takes Tru's hand from the necklace, holds it.  He pulls her close to him, he looks over her face, she smiles up at him.  He leans in close, they hug for a long time.  Then slowly turn their faces towards each other.)

Fade out.

Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop

Cafe-Girl: A Tru Story

Act Two Scene Three

Interior: Cafe, The next morning

(Tru and Willow are workind behind the counter.  Willow is training Tru on the espresso machine.)

WILLOW

You've done this before, so it shouldn't be hard to pick it up again.

TRU

Done it before....

WILLOW

Yeah at the cafe with Matthew?

TRU

Matt.

WILLOW

Yeah, the Coffee Boy, right?

TRU

Right.  Him.

WILLow

Does that make me the coffee boy too?

TRU

Coffee Boy Too? Coffee Boy Two? Coffee Boy Two point O.

WILLOW

Coffee Boy Take Two.  Better this time around.

TRU

I hope so.

WILLOW

What's that?

(The door chimes that it has opened. Denise,A woman in her early thirties, approaches the counter.)

Can I help you?

DENISE

Yeah, a cup of coffee to...oh, hello Deborah.

TRU

Its Tru. I go by Tru now.

DENISE

Is that right? How come?

TRU

Because...its a long story.

DENISE

Isn't it though?

WILLOW

Here's your coffee, to go, right?

DENISE

Yeah. That's right.  I don't want to stay.

WILLOW

That'll be 2.15 please.

DENISE

Here's 3 dollars, keep the change.  And best of luck to you.

WILLow

Thanks!

DENISE

You'll need it.

(Denise takes her coffee and exits coffee shop.)

WILLOW

Well, that's kinda weird.  What the hell do you think that was all about?

(Tru is silent.)

I mean, I'll take the luck but, um, why?

TRU

She...was Matt's sister.

WILLOW

Oh, um, all right.  So?

TRU

So?

WILLOW

So, why do you go by Tru and not---

TRU

Deborah.

WILLOW

Yeah, that's a pretty name.  You know what it means?

TRU

Yeah I do, actually.  We all looked our names up once.

WILLOW

We?

TRU

At the old coffee shop--

Flashback: A younger Tru, no dreadlocks, sits at a patio table with Matthew, James, Shaggy, Thomas, and Ray. Its a very small patio, basically the front entrance of the cafe itself, with one table surrounded by a stairway, a wheelchair ramp.  The gang sits either at the table (seats two) or sits on the railings.We get the feeling that its been a week or two since Tru and Matthew's first meeting.

TRU

So, Matt?

MATTHEW

Yeah?

TRU

What are you up to?

MATTHEW

I'm working.

TRU

Hardly.

MATTHEW

Do you see customers coming in?

TRU

Yeah, that's not really a good thing, is it?

MATTHEW

Depends.  I mean, I'm getting paid right now and I'm just sitting here, right?

TRU

Yeah.

THOMAS
So, Debi, you got plans tonight?

TRU

Debi? I prefer Deborah, but to answer your question

(She looks at Matthew.)

I don't know yet.

THOMAS

Because there is this bible study tonight and...

TRU

Um...

MATTHEW

I think we were going to hang out tonight, weren't we, Deborah?

TRU

Oh, yeah, that's right. We were.

JAMES

Bible study? I used to do that, when I was a kid.  My mom would drag me to her church.

THOMAS

That right?

JAMES

Yeah, she was Methodist.

TRU

Was?

JAMES

She passed.  Last year.

TRU

I'm sorry. Really I am.

JAMES

Its fine.  She's in a better place, truly.  Anyway, she had this name meaning thing in the back of her Bible.  Used to look through it.

TRU

What's your name mean?

JAMES

I don't know, I forgot.

THOMAS

I think I got that in my Bible.

(He pulls his Bible out of his bag, opens it, flips to the back.)

Yeah, here it is.

JAMES

Okay, what does James mean?

THOMAS

(reading)

James Boy's name meaning, origin, and popularity. ... A classic boys' name derived from the Hebrew name Jacob. It means "supplanter," one who follows.  Heel grabber.

JAMES

Heel grabber?

THOMAS

Yeah, Jacob and Esau?

JAMES

Oh, right.  Jacob have I loved.  James have I loved.

TRU

Someone's full of himself.

JAMES

Past tense: James have I loved.

TRU

Past tense?

MATTHEW

Okay, anyways, do me now.

TRU

Do you now?

THOMAS

"gift of YAHWEH", or gift of God.

MATTHEW

Nice, I'm a gift.

TRU

I like it. So, what about Deborah?

THOMAS

The name Deborah is a Hebrew baby name. In Hebrew the meaning of the name Deborah is: Bee.  Also, says the meaning is simply, "She Knows."

TRU

I'm a bee that knows.

SHAGGY

Knows what?

TRU

I don't know.

SHAGGY

So, what about me?

RAY

Yeah and me.

THOMAS

There isn't a Shaggy. But, Thomas...means twin.  So, like is there another version of me roaming around here?

RAY

I sincerely hope not.

THOMAS

Very funny.  Your name isn't in here either, by the way.

RAY

Yeah?

THOMAS

Oh, wait, there it is.

RAY

Really?

THOMAS

Yeah.  It says, "king of the lawn gnomes", also "smelly, drunk hippie".  Huh? So accurate.

fade into: Present Day.

WILLOW

Huh? So, why did you change your name anyway?

TRU

Change it? Its still there, I just go by Tru.

WILLOW

Okay, but why?

TRU

Eh.  You ever see Hamlet?

WILLOW

Yeah, awhile back.  Why?

TRU

Matt and I found this cheesy version on TV once.  We started quoting lines from it to each other.  I remember one he used to quote to me all the time, I can still hear him clearly saying it in my...heart...

Flashback: Matthew standing in front of Tru.

MATTHEW

To Thine Ownself Be True.

Fade into: Present day.

WILLOW

Huh.  Guess that makes sense.

TRU

Yeah.  So I try to live by that.  My name is just a reflection of that, I guess.

(Tru picks up dish rag and starts wiping down tables around cafe.)

Its slow today.  Not good for business.

WILLOW

Just like---

TRU

Yeah.

WILLOW

Wait a minute, you said "was"...Was his sister.

Fade out.

Life In A Coffee Shop