Scenes from the LA lifestyle
Apropos to the location, I offer a few vignettes of recent days, in the theme of screenplay.
EXT. STREET - SUNSET BOULEVARD, NEAR THE STRIP - DUSK
ANDREW, late-20s stocky Aussie, and 30-something SIMON wander down the Strip, on their way to find The Viper Room. A haggard-looking YOUNG MAN idles by, with a battered guitar in his hand and a dirty military-surplus backpack. He stops in front of our wanderers.
- Woah... some lady just gave me this change, but I don't like know what it is?
He hold out his hand, in which three coins lie. Simon looks at them curiously, turning one over.
- Those are British coins. You've got... one pound twenty-five. About a buck seventy-five US.
- Oh, wow. Ok, so, like where can I use these?
- England. Or you could try to find a Brit and see if they'll exchange them for a dollar.
- Awesome. Thanks! Um, so do you know Brit?
More Scenes from LA
ANDREW and SIMON sit at a well-lit, modern bus stop, waiting.
Next to them sits a YOUNG BLACK MAN with a white pullover and hood. He has a long scraggly beard, holds a paperback with Hebrew on the front and a tube, gift-wrapped in African-designs.
An overweight MIDDLE-AGED MAN approaches. His head is shaven, and he sports a small mustache, a single loop earring, white t-shirt and denim shorts.
- Do any of you have any cigarettes?
- Sorry, we don't smoke.
- Nobody smokes any more. The whole country's changing!
He sighs and turns to survey the black man.
- You look like a foreigner-- where are you from?
- I am Egyptian.
- Oh. The only Egypt person I know is that king... Tutanko...uh...komeni?
- Tut Ankh Amon.
(aside, to Middle-Aged Man)
- I think he's a different kind of Egyptian.
(in clear American English)
- NO!
He pulls back his hood to reveal hair styled like an Egyptian head-dress, and slides his left sleeve up to show an arm tattooed to the wrist with intricate, full-colored hieroglyphic-like designs.
(cont.)
- I am a direct descendant of the Pharoahs. My bloodline goes back five thousand years!
- What's your name?
- Tut Ankh Mose
- Well, have a happy holiday. Maybe we'll meet again!
- Oh, yes, we will.
