Happiest

FADE IN:

EXT. PARK -- AFTERNOON

WILLIAM THOMAS, 70, sits on a park bench looking at the people being
active..

ADAM BLOOMFIELD , 72, sits next to HIM..

ADAM: Let's play a game.

WILLIAM: Ok.

ADAM: Lets tell each other the happiest and the saddest day of our
lives.

WILLIAM: Ok.

ADAM: You first.

WILLIAM sits on the bench.. thinking..

A long beat..

WILLIAM: Well, I'd have to say that the happiest day of my life
was..

CAMERA PANS UP..

AUDIO fades away..

FADE TO:

INT. CLASS ROOM -- DAY

WILLIAM THOMAS , 18, sits in one of his classes of the day, bored as
hell..

The TEACHER stands in the front of the room trying to teach..

AUDIO fades in..

TEACHER: It's very interesting to note that this book has determinism
in it, and yet the characters in the book don't believe in
predestination. (a beat) Read Ephesians 1:4-5.

AUDIO fades out..

WILLIAM turns his attention elsewhere..

HE looks at the clock, we see its 1:37..

WILLIAM (thinking, whining): Aw Gawd! It's only one-thirty-seven!

WILLIAM growls..

WILLIAM (cont'd): Well, at least there's only ten minutes left.

CUT TO:

INT. HALLWAY -- SAME

The door to the class room opens and everyone exits, pouring out into
the hall..
except WILLIAM..

a long beat

WILLIAM finally emerges from the room.. moving very slowly.. dragging
his bag behind him..

ZIA LYNN, also 18, stands waiting outside the room for WILLIAM..

WILLIAM (tired): I'm coming.

ZIA LYNN: It's about time.

WILLIAM (sarcastically): Bite me!

ZIA LYNN snaps her mouth at WILLIAM..

WILLIAM (smiling): Hey!

ZIA LYNN: Well, you told me to.

WILLIAM: Granted, but I wasn't serious.

ZIA LYNN: So?

WILLIAM: Arg. (a long beat) So, how are you doing?

ZIA LYNN: Eh, I'm okay. You?

WILLIAM: Take a wild guess.

ZIA LYNN: Tired?

WILLIAM: En effet.

ZIA LYNN: Then go to bed.

WILLIAM: Can't.

ZIA LYNN: Why not?

WILLIAM: Cuz, I have another class right now.

ZIA LYNN: Oh. ok.

WILLIAM: See ya later?

ZIA LYNN: Ok.

WILLIAM walks through the door to his next class.. which happens to be
right next door..

WILLIAM groans..

CUT TO:

INT. DORM ROOM -- AFTERNOON

WILLIAM sits at his computer, logging onto the internet..

HE logs onto AIM, and notices that ZIA LYNN is online..

WILLIAM: Hey, Zia's on. Woo hoo!

CAMERA IS FOCUSED ON THE COMPUTER SCREEN.. SO WE CAN READ WHAT IS BEING
TYPED..

WILLIAM (on screen): heya Zia.. how goes it??

ZIA LYNN (on screen): I'm good. A little bored.

WILLIAM (on screen): yeah.. me too..

ZIA LYNN (on screen): Want to go do something?

WILLIAM (on screen): like what??

ZIA LYNN (on screen): Want to go roller-blading?

WILLIAM (on screen): sure.. what the hell.. why not.. :)

ZIA LYNN (on screen): Ok, come on over.

WILLIAM (on screen): brt..

CAMERA ZOOMS OUT TO SEE WHAT WILLIAM WILL DO..

WILLIAM signs off and gets his roller-blades on..

CUT TO:

EXT. HENSLEY HALL -- SAME

WILLIAM comes blading up to a bench that is right outside of Hensley
Hall, one of the
women dorms, and sits down..

HE waits a few minutes for ZIA LYNN to come out..

SHE finally does.. but without HER blades on.. SHE walks over to
WILLIAM and sits down..

WILLIAM: Hey, how goes it.

ZIA LYNN: It goes well. You?

WILLIAM: Eh, I've had better days.

ZIA LYNN: I'm sorry.

WILLIAM (jokingly): Hey! Stop that!

ZIA LYNN: Stop what?

WILLIAM: You're sorry.

ZIA LYNN: Oh, yeah, I keep saying that. I don't know why. (a beat)
Sorry.

WILLIAM: Hey!

ZIA LYNN: Whoops, sorry.

WILLIAM growls..

ZIA LYNN laughs..

CUT TO:

EXT. PARK -- AFTERNOON

WILLIAM and ZIA slowly roller-blade across the park.. talking..

WILLIAM: So, how did Dave enjoy his time here?

ZIA LYNN: He said that he had a good time.

WILLIAM: That's good. (a beat) Where is he from again?

ZIA LYNN: Arkansas.

WILLIAM: Ah, yeah, that's right. (a beat) So, you two gunna date?

ZIA LYNN (smiling): Maybe.

WILLIAM (smiles too): Maybe eh? That smile on your face tells me that
it's going to happen.

ZIA LYNN: I hope so.

WILLIAM: Ah, yes yes, he is.. (make quotes with fingers) "everything"
(end quote) you have been dreaming of.

ZIA stoppes roller-blading and stares at WILLIAM..

WILLIAM skates on a little further, then turns around and heads back to
ZIA..

ZIA LYNN: Why William, are you jealous?

WILLIAM (blushes): No.

ZIA LYNN just looks at WILLIAM..

WILLIAM stares back at ZIA.. HE loves HER..

ZIA LYNN (jokingly): Sure.

WILLIAM: Ok, whatever.

WILLIAM starts to skate away..

ZIA LYNN: Hey, wait up.

WILLIAM groans..

CUT TO:

EXT. PARK -- SAME

CAMERA IS FAR AWAY.. LOOKING AT WILLIAM AND ZIA LYNN..

CUT TO:

EXT. HENSLEY HALL -- SAME

WILLIAM and ZIA LYNN sit on the bench outside the hall talking..

ZIA LYNN: So, what do you think of Dave?

WILLIAM: Uh, I think that he's a nice guy. Seems smart.

ZIA LYNN: Yeah, he has his own company.

WILLIAM gasps at that statement..

ZIA LYNN starts to take off her roller-blades..

WILLIAM: Really?

ZIA LYNN: Yup, he owns a third of some software company.

WILLIAM: Really? Wow!

ZIA LYNN: Yeah, and they have an order to make 40 million copies of a
program they wrote.

WILLIAM: Holy moose!

ZIA LYNN: Yea-- (a beat.. confused) Holy moose?

WILLIAM: Yeah, well, my parents are Buddhist, it's sacrilege to say
Holy cow.

ZIA LYNN: Really? Buddhist? Sense when?

WILLIAM: Oh you know. One of those television shows at two in the
morning. Some guy rants and raves about the purity of the soul and
eternal damnation. Then shows you a phone number where you can buy
yourself into paradise.

ZIA LYNN: Oh. (a beat) I thought Buddhist's didn't believe in
paradise.

WILLIAM: Oh, they don't, that's why my parents are Buddhist.

ZIA LYNN smiles and chuckles..

ZIA LYNN: Well, I have to go. I have a massage later, and I have to
take a shower and get ready.

WILLIAM: Okay, talk to you later then.

ZIA LYNN: Ok.

ZIA LYNN gets up and walks into Hensley Hall..

WILLIAM gets up and skates off to HIS dorm room..

CUT TO:

INT. DORM ROOM -- NIGHT

WILLIAM sits at HIS computer.. HE looks at the clock..

WE see that it's 7:30..

JASON WILLIAMS, 19, sits on the couch watching TV..

JASON: Hey, Will, do you mind cleaning up your little area over there?
(a beat) My woman should be here soon.

WILLIAM: Oh, ok. No problem.

JASON: Thanks.

WILLIAM gets up and walks over the the corner where HE has a big pile
of clean and dirty cloths..

It takes HIM a few minutes to clean and straighten it up..

When HE gets done, HE hears a knock at the door..

JASON: There she is.

WILLIAM: Heh, Just in time.

WILLIAM opens the door..

HE is shocked to see ZIA LYNN standing there..

WILLIAM: Well, hey there Zia.

ZIA LYNN: Hi William. (a beat) May I come in?

WILLIAM: Uh, yeah, of course.

WILLIAM gets out of the way so ZIA can enter..

ZIA LYNN (looking around): Wow! This sure is a big room.

WILLIAM: Yeah, no kiddin!

ZIA spotts a small dragon holding a red heart on top of WILLIAM's
computer monitor..

SHE walks over and picks it up..

ZIA LYNN: Hey, when did you get this?

WILLIAM: Uh, late last semester.

ZIA LYNN: Really?

WILLIAM: Yeah, I was going to give it to you for Valentines Day, but I
thought that you might take it as a sign that I was trying to pursue
you, so, I didn't.

SHE looks at WILLIAM..

JASON gets up from the couch and starts to walk out the door..

JASON: I'll be out there.

JASON exits..

ZIA LYNN: Well, since you bought it for me, can I have it?

WILLIAM: No.

ZIA LYNN: Why?

WILLIAM: Cuz.

ZIA LYNN: Cuz why?

WILLIAM: Cuz I like it. I've grown attached to it.

ZIA LYNN: Oh, whatever.

WILLIAM laughs..

WILLIAM: Yeah, ok, I guess you can.

ZIA LYNN: Oh, you guess eh?

WILLIAM (laughs): Yeah, you can have it.

ZIA LYNN: Thanks.

WILLIAM: No prob. (a beat) So, whatcha doin here?

ZIA LYNN: Well, I was in the neighborhood.

WILLIAM (sarcastic): Right.

ZIA LYNN smiles..

ZIA LYNN: So, What movie are we watchin tonight?

WILLIAM: Umm. I didn't know that we were watchin a movie tonight.

ZIA LYNN: Well, you keep asking me when I'm coming over to watch a
movie. So, I'm here. What movie are we watching?

WILLIAM: Uhh, well, the DVD's are over there. Go ahead and pick
one.

ZIA LYNN glares at WILLIAM..

ZIA LYNN: So, you're going to make me decide?

WILLIAM: Well, they are my DVD's, I've seen all of them already. You
can pick which one you want to see. I don--

ZIA LYNN (interrupts WILLIAM): -- Don't care. Yeah, I figured.

WILLIAM smiles..

WILLIAM: You know me too well.

ZIA LYNN picks a movie and hands it to WILLIAM..

ZIA LYNN: This one. Here.

WILLIAM grabs the DVD and puts it into the DVD player.. HE turns on the
TV and the stereo..

ZIA sits down on the couch..

WILLIAM turns off the lights.. slightly closes the door, and sits next
to ZIA..

FADE TO:

EXT. PARK -- AFTERNOON

WILLIAM THOMAS, 70, is looking at the ground.. smiling..

ADAM: Huh, that doesn't sound like a very great day.

WILLIAM: Heh, you're right, it wasn't, but that was the only day where
everything went the way I wanted it to. That day was perfect.

ADAM: What happened to ZIA?

WILLIAM: Well, I lost track of her about twenty years ago, but she got
married to Dave and had a few children. One of our mutual friends told
me that she passed on a few years back.

ADAM: And you never got married?

WILLIAM: Nope.

ADAM: Why not?

WILLIAM: Well, after Zia and I went our seperate ways, I never found
one what was nearly the woman that she was. She was everything that I
wanted. No one else came close.

ADAM: That's too bad. I'm sorry.

WILLIAM: Eh, forget about it. And don't say that you're sorry. You
don't have anything to be sorry about. You didn't know me back then.
You're not to blame for my decisions.

ADAM: I know, but I still wished that you could have gotten married and
experience the joy of marriage.

WILLIAM half-smiles..

FIN

FADE OUT.