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The Backstore
A dark comedy
ACT 1
1.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” - DAY
The scene opens on a mouse scurrying in a shop. It dodges into a hole as Diane Stevens, in her late thirties and with a self- effacing demeanour, walks by. She is busying herself hanging decorations in her shop, which offers natural goods and homemade vegetarian meals. Today is opening day, but the customers are scarce - in fact, not a single customer has come in all day and it’s almost closing time.
Making herself a nuisance is Diane’s mother, Doris, whose idea of helping is moving the decorations around and passing criticism on everything in a matter-of-fact voice that betrays years of such treatment. Diane protests: she’s been planning this shop for years, and she’s finally managed to get the courage to take the big plunge. Doris, taking a patronizing tone, explains that she only wants what’s best for her daughter, but that 8 out of 10 small businesses fail within the first two years and “Deedee” has always needed her help on the simplest matters.
Diane begins correcting her mother on the use of the moniker she dislikes so much, but Doris exclaims as she finds a humane mouse trap in a corner. Diane has placed several of them in the hope of catching a mouse that’s eluded her. To Doris, this is a perfect example of Diane’s lack of self-affirmation, and she goes looking for the mouse with a broom.
A customer comes in, a cheerless, pale and sparse-looking man who scrutinizes her homemade meals with suspicion. He asks several questions about animal by-products and free range lettuce, having seemingly every food allergy imaginable. As he leaves empty- handed, Diane offers him a free sample in desperation.
After the customer leaves, Doris shouts triumphantly and comes out from the back, holding the dead mouse by the tail. Diane is distressed and won’t go anywhere near the dead mouse. She thanks her mother for her help, but would rather manage on her own from now on.
2.EXT. “SPROUTS ETC.” - DAY
Diane opens up shop and sets up a few displays of organic produce (looking very feeble). After a moment’s thought, she wipes the prices on the chalkboard with her sleeve and writes lower prices. She puts a “HELP WANTED” sign in the window and goes inside.
3.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” - DAY
Diane finds boxes stacked just outside the backstore.
4.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” BACKSTORE - DAY
Diane investigates and finds her boyfriend, Peter, a dishevelled ne’er-do-well. He has moved the boxes of supplies out of the backstore and into the shop to make room for his own supply of grey-market TV sets, which he’s bringing in from the back. He tells “Deedee” (she cringes at the moniker) that he’s just holding them for Vlad, a small-time thug whom Peter is hoping to one day emulate. Diane suggests that Vlad might not quite be the criminal mastermind that he thinks he is, considering how those TV sets are PAL, not NTSC, therefore useless in North America. Peter shrugs and leaves.
Diane surveys the stacks of boxes outside the backstore and looks for new storage space. She moves a few things here and there and while moving a cabinet notices a door. She opens it and inside sees an ancient-looking meat grinder of industrial proportions.
She jumps as someone walks up behind her. Rose Derrick, a grungy-looking woman in her early twenties with nose piercings and combat boots, inquires about the job posting. When she sees the grinder, she recognizes it as a sausage maker for having used one in the kitchen of the local juvenile correctional facility. She tells Diane that she’s fully qualified to operate it. Diane pauses for a second at the mention of Roses’ troubled past, then says that sausages would have no place in a vegetarian shop and begins to thank her for coming. Rose retorts by listing a number of vegetarian sausage recipes, all of which might draw in customers. She’s very persuasive and personable, and Diane finally gives in, hiring her on the spot. “My friends call me Deedee” she tells Rose as an afterthought. “That’s a really dumb nickname, Diane” Rose replies, and Diane smiles broadly.
5.INT. CONVENIENCE STORE - DAY
Diane buys milk on her way home. The temperature of the refrigerator seems a bit high to her. She mentions it to the owner, who reacts aggressively, and Diane buys the milk with an apologetic smile.
6.INT. DIANE’S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Diane comes in, tired. When she does, the tomcat squeezes in past her. She evicts him.
7.INT. DIANE’S KITCHEN - DAY
Diane opens the milk she just bought and sniffs it. It’s gone bad, and she pours it into the sink. She puts a frozen dinner into the microwave.
8.INT. DIANE’S LIVING ROOM - DAY
Diane listens to her messages. One is from Peter who wants to borrow money, another from the credit company (Peter hasn’t paid his credit card, for which she co-signed). The last message is Doris, who reminds Diane that they’re having their weekly family dinner.
Diane appears discouraged. She had obviously forgotten. She takes the dinner out of the microwave and throws it in the trash.
9.INT. DORIS’ KITCHEN - NIGHT
Diane comes into the kitchen with her coat on and carrying a large grocery bag. The house is abuzz with activity. Diane’s younger sister, Mary, pretty and early thirties, is helping preparing the meal, along with Clay, her brother, in his mid-twenties. They kiss Diane and Mary remembers that she completely forgot to bring the wine. Doris harangues her and they begin to fight until Diane produces several bottles, having guessed as usual that this might happen (she brought white and red, just to be sure). She also brought other essentials. Everyone takes her thoughtfulness for granted.
10.INT. DORIS’ LIVING ROOM - DAY
Diane comes in to kiss her father. Robert, in his early sixties, balding and slouched in an easy chair, lethargically watches television. He comes to life when he sees his daughter (she appears to be the apple of his eye) and slips her a small gift, a beautiful pendant. He puts his finger over his lips as Doris comes out of the kitchen with the service plates.
11.INT. DORIS’ DINING ROOM - DAY
Mary corrals her two rambunctious kids to the dining room table. Diane, Doris, Clay and Robert also sit. Because of restricted room, Diane sits with the kids, on a kid’s chair. The dinner is noisy and animated affair, as family gatherings always are. Among the talk of mundane happenings, Doris pointedly asks “Deedee” where Peter is. Diane makes a vague excuse, but Doris won’t let go and begins to vilify him, commenting in the process on Deedee’s poor choice in boyfriends.
Mary mentions that she didn’t do much better, but at least she threw HER husband out and took him for half of everything, plus the house. Clay - whom everyone knows is gay although he persists in referring to his live-in lover as a “roommate” - has similar advice about Deedee’s life. Eventually, other similar “wrong choices” are brought up. Diane, sitting lower on her child’s seat, tries to defend herself against her family’s well-meaning but overbearing intervention. The discussion is interrupted abruptly when Robert spills his glass of wine on the table. While Doris cleans it up, begrudging his clumsiness, he winks knowingly at Diane.
12.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” - DAY
Diane helps a finicky customer, answering her questions about the growing conditions of her alfalfa. Diane offers some of their new sausages: nothing but the finest organic ingredients, even the casings are made of sea kelp. She has set up a grill to cook free samples and offers a piece on a toothpick, but the customer grimaces at the taste and leaves without buying anything. A delivery man comes in and hands Diane a take out lunch.
13.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” BACKSTORE - DAY
Rose is making sausages on the cleaned and refurbished machine, which grinds ominously. She turns it off when Diane comes in with their lunch. Diane deplores the lack of business. She’s only made four sales all week, and one of them was returned! Rose, who prefers the all-meat variety, believes that they’re missing a secret ingredient to make the sausages tasty, and intends to keep searching.
They sit and unpack their lunches. Diane bites into the hamburger intended for Rose and grimaces. They switch, and Diane finds that even though she had asked for no mustard in her vegeburger, she got extra instead. She eats it anyway.
Diane asks about the book that Rose is reading: “Little Red Riding Hood: a dissertation on feminism within patriarchy”. Rose explains how the children’s tale is a metaphor for a male-dominated world, and how women must refuse to be made the victims. Diane suggests that the interpretation might be a little too literal, but Rose is obviously a firm believer.
She goes on to explain her own view of society, which isn’t so different from the animal world. Under the civility and the clothes, it’s still basically “eat or be eaten”. She bites into her hamburger as though to underline her point, but Diane won’t engage her into an argument. She returns to the shop and Rose starts up the grinder.
14.INT. DIANE’S KITCHEN - NIGHT
Diane comes in with a grocery bag. She unpacks the milk, opens it and smells it: spoiled. She pours it into the sink, as she did previously.
15.INT. DIANE’S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Another message from Peter asking for money. Diane is startled to see the tomcat sitting on her couch. She shoos it out the way it came in, through the window and the fire escape. She finds a dead bird left on the couch as offering. Heartbroken, she gingerly picks it up.
16.INT. DIANE’S BATHROOM - NIGHT
Diane tries to flush the bird down the toilet several times, but it keeps coming back up as though to haunt her. After pondering its floating body for a while, she slams the toilet cover down and turns out the light.
17.INT. COFFEE HOUSE - DAY
Diane brings coffee and muffins to a table where Rose sits. They met before opening the shop. Rose is still reading her dog-eared book and cites a few passages to Diane, who feigns interest. A shadow is cast across their table. It’s Peter, who from the looks of it was up all night.
Peter winks at Rose and makes a pass at her right in front of Diane. Rose rebuffs him without blinking, with an expression of contempt. He then asks “Deedee” for some money. Turns out the TV sets were “borrowed” from Vlad without his consent so Peter could sell them at twice the price and make a little profit. But now Vlad has found him out and demands their black market value plus interest.
Diane refuses. The shop is making no money, and she has little of her own left. Peter’s voice rises until he makes a scene. Rose, who feels Diane faltering, intervenes to help her affirm herself, and Peter leaves, angry and empty-handed.
18.EXT. “SPROUTS ETC.” - DAY
Diane and Rose arrive at the shop. Rose is wondering why Diane won’t dump her loutish boyfriend. Diane replies that he has some good qualities, “once you get to know him”. Rose replies that it’s too bad one of those qualities isn’t walking out in front of a bus. Diane laughs in spite of herself.
The front door is unlocked. Diane wonders whether she forgot to lock up the previous night.
19.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” - DAY
Diane finds Peter emptying the cash register. With only twenty dollars in change, he’s furious! He begins to grab objects at random to sell on the street for quick cash. Diane and Rose try to stop him, but he pushes them aside and continues collecting anything of value.
Diane pleads with him but in vain. Rose heads for the phone to call the police. In the struggle between Peter and Diane, he knocks over a display, which sets off a chain reaction: tumbling cans, teetering shelves, falling broomstick that finally falls on a cheese cutting board and sends the cheese knife flying across the room and right through Peter’s hand, nailing it to a neon sign on the wall. Furious, he tries to get free and Diane goes for some tools to pry out the knife. She turns on the light switch before Rose can warn her, and all the lights come on - including the neon sign. In a shower of sparks, Peter is electrocuted, smoking hair and all. The police finally answer the call, and after surveying the incriminating scene, Rose hangs up.
Diane is nearly hysterical. Rose tells her that none of it was her fault. She hands her a pill from her own private collection in order to calm her down. She sends her home to get some rest, assuring her that she’ll take care of everything. Diane, baffled, complies easily. Rose flips over the “CLOSED” sign behind her.
20.INT. DIANE’S KITCHEN - DAY
Diane comes in, confused and distraught. She remembers the pill still in her hand. She swallows it and takes a swig of milk from the fridge, but spits it out in the sink: spoiled, as always. She fishes the pill out of the sink, grimaces and swallows it.
21.INT. DIANE’S LIVING ROOM - DAY
Diane lets herself fall on the couch, face down. After a minute,
the tomcat comes in through the window and curls up at her feet.
ACT 2
22.INT. DIANE’S LIVING ROOM - DAY
Diane awakens with a start. The tomcat is gone. She looks at the time: she’s only slept for an hour, yet feels strangely rested.
23.EXT. “SPROUTS ETC.” - DAY
Customers walk in and out of the shop. Diane smells the fragrant air wafting out and goes in.
24.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” - DAY
There are a few customers in the shop, a heretofore unseen sight. Some are helping themselves to the free sausage samples on the grill. Others are waiting at the counter while Rose waits on them. Diane can’t believe the aroma of the sausages. Rose tells her that she finally found the missing ingredient.
Diane takes Rose aside and asks how she managed to clean up so quickly. The shop was in shambles! Rose points out to Diane that this is the next day, that she in fact slept right around the clock. She tells her not to worry, everything has been taken of. Diane wonders what she means by that, but Rose simply repeats: “It’s all taken care of. Don’t worry”.
Diane is alarmed: what about the police? She has to give a statement! She rushes outside.
25.EXT. “SPROUTS ETC.” - DAY
Rose catches up with Diane. What is she going to tell the police? Diane replies that covering this up has to be a crime. Rose points out that at least thirty people could testify to having seen them fight at the café that morning. Diane had every motive to get rid of her loutish boyfriend, the police would never believe it was all a freakish accident. She literally threw the switch! Diane ponders the dilemma and has to agree.
Rose reiterates her assurance: she took care of everything. There is no body therefore no evidence, as far as anyone is concerned Peter simply disappeared, the victim of foul play from his shady dealings. She hands Diane another pill and offers her to take the day off, but Diane pushes her hand away and goes back into the store.
26.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” - DAY
As Rose continues waiting on customers, Diane takes a look around. Save for the missing neon sign, there is no evidence of the unfortunate incident. Rose keeps an eye on Diane as she noses around looking for something that might have escaped detection.
27.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” BACKSTORE - DAY
Diane continues searching, still unsure how a whole body could vanish into thin air. She eyes the door to the walk-in fridge suspiciously.
28.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” FRIDGE - DAY
Diane turns over a few boxes as though she expected Peter to jump out and yell “SURPRISE”. But no trace of anything save for the usual supplies. Rose is standing in the doorway. She asks Diane if she’s finally satisfied. No body, no murder. It never happened!
29.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” BACKSTORE - DAY
Diane closes the door to the walk-in fridge. She trips on a corner of a dust cover and reveals the boxed black market television sets that Peter had stored there. She panics and tells Rose that she had completely forgotten about this potentially incriminating piece of evidence. Peter would never leave without them! Diane considers herself as good as caught, tried and fried.
Rose thinks for a moment and calms Diane down. She places the slip cover back and tells her it’ll be taken care of as well.
30.EXT. “SPROUTS ETC.” ALLEY - NIGHT
Diane waits nervously in the alley behind the store, looking left and right to make sure no one is watching. Rose pulls up to the back door in a friend’s borrowed van. Together, they begin loading the boxes into the van.
31.EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
Rose and Diane hoist the last of the TV sets over the handrail and into the river below. They notice with horrors that the boxes are floating down the river. They pick up stones and throw them at the boxes, trying to sink them. Rose climbs down to the shore for larger rocks.
Meanwhile, a police patrol pulls up to Diane and asks what she’s doing out on the bridge at such an hour. Diane begins to stammer then seizes herself. She tells the officer that she has a flat tire. The officer peers from his car and replies that everything looks fine. Diane tells him that the flat is on the other side. As the officer climbs out, she surreptitiously grabs a screwdriver from the back of the van and punctures one tire. The officer sees the flat and offers to help, but Diane tells him she already called the automobile club.
After he leaves, Rose comes back. She managed to sink all the boxes. Diane tells her what happened, and Rose is impressed by her presence of mind. However, there is no spare in the van. They’ll have to walk back.
32.EXT. CITY STREETS - DAY
Day is breaking as Diane and Rose walk tiredly. Diane tells Rose some anecdotes about Peter, none of which are charming or endearing. She then ponders what they’ve just done. Could it be that easy to erase a man’s life? More importantly, why is she feeling a sense of relief? Rose tells her that no one will miss Peter, and that Diane has just shed some ungainly weight. Diane bursts out laughing in a nervous fit. Some pigeons fly away, startled by the sound. Diane composes herself..
33.EXT. SUBWAY STATION - DAY
Diane and Rose arrive at the metro station. They’ll be going separate ways from here. Diane suggests they take the day off, but Rose thinks they should carry on as usual to avoid raising suspicion. She reassures Diane that everything will be fine from her on.
34.EXT. “SPROUTS ETC.” - DAY
Diane arrives to open shop a half hour late. Rose is sitting at the door with a handsome man in his early forties. She gives Diane a look of warning. The man introduces himself as Detective George Manfred, and asks if he could ask her a few questions.
35.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” - DAY
Detective Manfred asks Diane about Peter. They’re investigating Vlad, and Peter was acting as part-time snitch, whenever the price was right. Only, Peter has disappeared without a word. Diane manages to keep her cool in spite of the obvious panic in her eyes. She tells the detective that she broke up with Peter a month ago, and if they see him could they please tell him to pick up his junk at her place?
Satisfied, Detective Manfred prepares to leave. He tells Diane that, unfortunately, these cases involving organized crime never turn out well, that what’s left of Peter probably ended up in Vlad’s meat packing plant. Before he leaves, Rose hands him a complimentary bag of their special homemade sausages.
Hearing the detective’s last words, and watching Rose handing him the sausages, Diane has a sudden revelation. In a panic, she tries to take the sausages back, making up an excuse about freshness. The detective becomes suspicious again until Rose explains that Diane is simply a perfectionist - the sausages are fine.
36.EXT. “SPROUTS ETC.” ALLEY - DAY
Diane storms out into the alley, followed by Rose. She confronts her: what did she mean exactly when she said that she got rid of the evidence? Rose is vague, but Diane persists. She finally manages to utter the unthinkable: is Peter the “secret ingredient” in the sausages sold to the unsuspecting clientele? That would be the perfect way to eliminate all evidence, wouldn’t it! And selling meat to her vegetarian clientele to boot! She accuses Rose of being just the kind of person to enjoy the irony.
Rose resents Diane’s implications but refuses nonetheless to tell her exactly how she got rid of Peter’s body, telling her that the less she knows, the less she can be incriminated. Diane eyes her suspiciously. She asks Rose how much sausages are left, and she replies that Detective Manfred got the last of them. Diane throws up her arms at the thought that she might have unwittingly fed him the last traces of evidence that would send her to prison.
Rose accuses Diane of being paranoid because of the stress. After a pause, Diane smiles and tells Rose that she’s probably right.
37.INT. CONVENIENCE STORE - DAY
Diane, looking frazzled, buys some milk. She asks the owner again about the temperature of the fridge, and he replies with his usual abrasiveness. This time, however, Diane rebels. She gives the owner a piece of her mind about the price of a quart of milk and all the money she’s wasted there. She opens the quart and challenges him to drink it right there if indeed it’s as good as he says. Baffled by the turn of events, and feeling the scrutiny of his other customers, the owner sheepishly refunds Diane for all the milk she bought previously.
38.INT. DIANE’S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Diane is trying to watch TV (an interview with Alan Hastings, a senatorial candidate espousing ultra-conservative views) but cannot seem to concentrate, worrying about the day’s events. Rain begins to beat against the window. She closes it, but not before the tomcat runs in. She grabs him to put him out but reconsiders in light of the weather. “Just this once”, she tells him. The tomcat settles in and grooms himself as though he were a permanent guest.
Someone knocks at the door. Diane finds Vlad (unmistakable by his accent) filling up the doorway. He invites himself in and pushes past her. He tells her that her boyfriend, Peter, has disappeared with some of his merchandise, specifically the TV sets. And since he can’t find him, he decided to turn to his girlfriend for the money he’s owed.
Diane tells Vlad the same story she told the detective, but Vlad doesn’t care. If she can’t pay in cash, he’ll take a different type of payment. He aggresses her and Diane puts up a fight. They thrash about for a while, Diane hitting him with everything she gets her hands on. It seems that she’ll get the upper hand until Vlad pins her to the floor. He undoes his buckle but collapses on top of her.
Rose, holding a heavy table lamp, intervened in the nick of time. She had come over to talk to Diane about the argument they had previously, and found Vlad on top of her. Vlad, of course, has passed on. Diane becomes frantic at the veritable carnage that has become her life. this time she decides to call the police herself. But Rose stops her: how can she explain Vlad without mentioning his TVs they ditched and, subsequently, Peter’s death? It’s a trail that would lead to accusations of manslaughter at the very best, and first degree murder at worst.
Rose promises to take care of things once more. After all, SHE was the one to deliver the fatal blow, not Diane, and there’s no need for her to get her hands dirty. Diane is apprehensive and asks Rose how exactly she will go about this. Rose once more replies that the less she knows, the less she can be incriminated. She calls her friend to borrow the van.
39.INT. DIANE’S LIVING ROOM - LATER
Diane watches the van leave from her window. She takes out the card left to her by Detective Manfred. She dials the number, and hangs up when he answers. The tomcat purrs on the couch.
40.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” - DAY
Diane arrives at the shop to find that Rose has opened extra early. She’s already begun selling a fresh batch of sausages. Diane immediately assumes the worst: Vlad has gone out the same way as Peter! Roses accuses her of being paranoid once more - maybe it’s a bad reaction to that pill she gave her? But Diane grabs the links out of the hands of the befuddled customers.
Detective Manfred comes in and finds Diane shooing out the customers. He asks Diane if she tried calling him the previous night, and she makes up an excuse about dialling the wrong number. When he sees the fresh sausages, he asks to buy several pounds for the police station picnic - the ones he ate were delicious! Rose begins wrapping them up but Diane stammers that they’re already pre-sold - ALL of them. When he insists, she tries changing the subject by telling him that she DID mean to call him last night to discuss something, and asks him out for coffee. They leave and she throws Rose a dirty look over her shoulder.
41.INT. COFFEE HOUSE - DAY
Diane and Detective Manfred sit for coffee and tea. She tells him that she meant to ask if there was any change in Peter’s case. He tells her no, except that Vlad seems to have also disappeared. Diane almost chokes on her tea. She changes the subject, and the conversation becomes more relaxed. Obviously, Detective Manfred is attracted to Diane, and it’s reciprocal. He talks about his job, she talks about her poor choice in men. He improvises a whimsical reading of her tea leaves. She plays along and asks what he sees. He replies that the leaves, much like herself, are ambiguous and defy understanding. Diane frowns slightly at the double meaning of the words. But, he adds with a coy smile, he also sees that her next choice of men might definitely be better.
42.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” - DAY
Diane storms in and heads for the display case. Half the sausages are gone. She grabs the plate and tells Rose that until further notice, sausages - vegetarian or not - are off the menu.
Rose asks her how things went with Detective Manfred. Diane replies that she managed to alleviate his suspicions for now, no thanks to her. But she fully intends to put an end to this charade and come clean.
Rose reminds Diane her situation: murderer - albeit unwittingly - of her ex-boyfriend, and accomplice to a second murder. No one would ever believe it was an accident, not the way she tried to get rid of evidence. Diane realizes that she’s in over her head and can no longer extricate herself. Rose quotes once more from her feminist book. They did nothing wrong except fight back in a patriarchal society, and as women they stand no chance against its judicial system, which is rigged against them from the start. Besides, they did the world a favour by taking out two predators. It might not be man’s justice, but the laws of nature have been obeyed. Eat or be eaten!
Diane stares down Rose: what exactly did she do with Vlad and
Peter? Rose returns her glare and puts the sausage back in the
display case. “We’re in this together, like it or not” she
replies simply.
ACT 3
43.INT. SPORTS BAR - DAY
Diane is having lunch with Doris. The bar is loud with the boisterous shouts of sports jocks. When the waiter arrives, Doris tries ordering for “Deedee”, who cuts her off: “The name is Diane, mother. It’s always been Diane. Write it down”. She then proceeds to order a salad, then changes her mind and orders the steak instead. Doris is taken aback by her daughter’s uncharacteristically assertive behaviour. Diane breaks the uneasy silence by taking control of the conversation. Doris finally talks about the tension between her and Diane’s father. Diane, who had never seen her parents as complex people with feelings before, is surprised to find out that they’re on the verge of a divorce. She discovers a human and vulnerable side to her mother, who tears up.
One man, who’s had too many beers, comes over to the table while his buddies watch and chortle. He gives Diane an offensive pick- up line, but his drunken laughter is cut short by her barbed reply that knocks the bravado out of him and send him back with his tail between his legs. The food arrives and Diane attacks her steak with gusto. Doris is pleasantly surprised at seeing this new side to her daughter.
44.INT. GEORGE MANFRED’S APPARTMENT - DAY
George Manfred - off duty - opens the door to find Diane standing on the threshold. She was in the neighbourhood and thought she’d drop in. He was finishing lunch and offers her some, but she replies that she just had the best steak she ever had - in fact, the ONLY steak she ever had! He proposes dessert, and she smiles, smiling coyly.
They sit with ice cream and wine, and chitchat. No mention of Peter or Vlad this time, as they get to know each other. George is an impeccable host, with flawless housekeeping - a role traditionally reserved for women, as Diane points out. He explains that he was raised with five younger sisters and acted as part-time den mother.
The wine has a warming effect. When Diane drops wine on her blouse, Peter gets club soda to clean it off. Flushed, she watches his face close to hers and breathes in his cologne. She literally pounces on him, knocking them both off the couch.
45.INT. DIANE’S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Diane watches television with the tomcat on her knees purring loudly. A local talk show features Hastings, the ultra-conservative senatorial candidate who’s doing well in the polls, espousing traditional family values and women staying at home. The phone rings. It’s Rose on a pay phone, explaining that she won’t be able to come in to work the next day due to “things that must be set right.” She hangs up without further explanation, leaving Diane perplexed.
46.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” - DAY
Diane is doing menial chores around the shop. She finds Rose’s copy of “Little Red Riding Hood...”. After some hesitation, she gives in to her curiosity and thumbs through it. It’s covered with notes, underlines and highlights, including doodles. Mostly ranting about feminism and patriarchy. Diane places it back, and a newspaper clipping falls out. It’s an article about Alan Hastings. Rose has marked the article with the dates of his election campaign tour. Diane turns to the grinder, sitting silently in the backstore.
47.INT. POLICE STATION - DAY
Detective Manfred receives a call from Diane. She begins to explain her fears about the safety of Alan Hastings, but can’t go into specifics without uncovering Rose’s scheme and incriminating herself at the same time. She rambles on while George tries to make sense of it all. She finally gives up in desperation.
48.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” - DAY
Diane hangs up the phone. She looks at the newspaper article with the scribbled tour dates, particularly for that day: convention centre. She closes up shop.
49.INT. CONVENTION CENTRE - DAY
Diane moves through the political rally at the convention centre. The crowd and music make it difficult to recognize anyone. She looks for Rose but can’t see her. On the stage, Alan Hastings addresses the crowd, which cheers at every statement.
Diane finally spots Rose in the crowd below, carrying a large duffel bag. She makes her way through the tightly-packed crowd to keep an eye on her. A group of joyous party members sweep her off, pinning buttons o her and placing a banner in her hand. Diane has lost sight of Rose.
She sees a security officer charged with crowd control. She approaches him and tries to warn him about Rose. However, by trying to avoid incriminating herself, she comes off once more as vague and confused. She finally gives up and leaves, but the officer points her out to other officers and follows her.
Diane sees Rose entering the men’s restroom. She hesitates then follows her in.
50.INT. MEN’S RESTROOM - DAY
Diane comes in, her head lowered. A man looks at her strangely and leaves. All the stalls are empty save one. She recognizes Rose’s combat boots under the door. She talks to Rose, telling her that she’s on to her, and that she has to put a stop to the insanity right now.
Rose comes out, changed into a chauffeur’s outfit. She tells Diane that things have gotten bigger than either one of them now, that Alan Hastings is a threat to all women if he gets elected. What next, the presidency? He must be stopped, just as Peter and Vlad had to be stopped. Diane tries to plead with Rose and bring her to her senses. Rose appears to falter. They hug. There is a click, and Diane finds herself handcuffed to a soap dispenser. Rose leaves, telling Diane that she and all women will thank her later.
Diane struggles against the soap dispenser. She fiddles with the loose screws.
51.INT. CONVENTION CENTRE - DAY
Alan Hastings wraps up his speech. In the crowd is Rose in her disguise. She adjusts her cap and leaves as Alan Hastings shakes hands and kisses babies.
Diane comes out of the men’s restroom with the soap dispenser in her handcuffed hand. She sees Rose vanishing away and shouts after her. She rushes towards the stage. The security officers who had previously identified her mistake the soap dispenser for some sort of weapon and tackle her. She screams a warning, but in vain. Alan Hastings is whisked away.
52.INT. POLICE STATION - DAY
Diane is handcuffed in the reception area awaiting booking. George Manfred comes in, having heard of her arrest. He takes her to an interrogation room and asks her about what happened. But Diane, who feels confident that she’s averted disaster with her intervention, is too weary to speak. On a TV set, she sees a news coverage of the incident at the convention centre. Alan Hastings gets into a car, and for a second Diane spies Rose in the driver’s seat.
She shouts for George to look, but the shot only lasted a moment. Once more, she can’t explain in details without incriminating herself. She asks that George simply trust her, that Rose is posing a terrible threat to Alan Hastings. George doesn’t know what to make of this, and blames the stress of having to juggle a failing business as well as the disappearance of Peter. Finally, he agrees to have her released in his care. He’ll drive her home, where she can take a well-deserved rest.
53.EXT. DIANE’S APPARTMENT - DAY
George Manfred pulls up to the curb, with Diane in the passenger seat. He turns off the ignition but leaves in the keys. He turns to Diane, who’s keeping silent with her head down. Why won’t she talk to him? Diane only asks to be trusted. But how can he trust her if she won’t trust him with the truth? Diane remains silent. George sighs and gets out to open the door for her. As he circles the car, Diane locks the doors, slides into the driver’s seat, and takes off with the car.
54.EXT. “SPROUTS ETC.” ALLEY - DAY
Diane pulls up to the back door in George’s car. She climbs out and goes inside.
55.INT. “SPROUTS ETC.” BACKSTORE - DAY
Diane surprises Rose working at the grinder. On the table are coils upon coils of freshly-made sausages. Rose is pushing the last of what was presumably Alan Hastings into the feeder. On the floor are Alan Hastings’ clothes.
Diane accuses Rose of being insane. How could she lie to her, when she thought they shared a friendship? Rose points out that she never actually lied about the sausages, she simply never admitted to it - there’s a difference.
Rose tells Diane that things don’t have to end there. Waving her book, she says that the world is filled with wolves that make Peter, Vlad and Alan Hastings look like sheep. If they work together, they can work towards a better world. Think of the poetic justice: eaters of women and children turned into food for the masses! It’s obvious to Diane that Rose has gone completely mad. She tells her that she won’t get away with it. Rose replies that she has so far, she always had, even when she worked in the kitchen of the juvenile correctional facility, where she first realized the potential of the meat grinder.
The front door opens. It’s George Manfred, who took a cab. Diane calls to him and he walks into the backroom. Right away, Rose plays the role of the victim and tells him that she’s been trying to calm down Diane until the police arrived. Diane protests, but while tries to reason with her, Rose knocks him out by smashing a bottle over his head.
Rose struggles to lift George. She asks Diane for a hand. She goes on to ask whether Diane believed for a moment that George was any different from the other men? What about the way he assumed that, between the two of them, Diane was the one in need of restraints? Diane replies that he couldn’t possibly know. Rose snaps at her: “Wake up, will you? It never changes! He’s the wolf, and you’re the sheep to be taken care of!” Same story of abuse, different man. She urges Diane to once and for all sever all ties with her old self and to take charge. She demands that she make a choice between her and George.
Diane hesitates as the grinder continues to churn.
56.INT. “SURF ‘N TURF” - DAY
Diane places a large plate of homemade sausages in a counter display. The shop has been completely redesigned: gone are the vegetarian products, replaced by fine cuts of meat of all types. She takes a piece of ground beef and feeds it to the tomcat, who has set up residence in the new shop. George Manfred carries a plate of sausages out of the backstore, wearing a blood-stained apron. The sausages are practically selling faster than he can make them. He and Diane kiss.
A former customer comes in and watches with disdain at the
changes around him. He asks if Diane is still selling her special
homemade vegetarian sausages that were so popular, and what
happened to the girl who made them. George answers that the
employee simply disappeared without leaving any trace, and that
they sold the last batch of “special” sausages a week ago. He
winks at Diane, who adds that all of her sausages are now made
from 100% government-approved and inspected meat. The customer
leaves with a grimace and an unkind comment on meat eaters in
general.
THE END