Corner altar at a San Francisco botanica (Photo by Wendy Goodfriend)
CUT TO:
INT: YVONNE’S APARTMENT
Dressed for dinner, she flits about doing last-minute dusting while humming the standard, Embraceable You. She changes the sheets on the bed. Then, she hangs her gift over it. The doorbell rings. She runs to the door, where she pushes a button which unlocks the building’s door. She runs into the bathroom, where she checks herself out in the mirror and applies more red lipstick. The apartment bell rings. Yvonne slowly walks to the door and opens it to Alex who is standing there in dark dress slacks, an open-necked shirt and a sweater. He is holding a bouquet of zinnias, mums and daisies arranged in a glass vase.
YVONNE
Oh!
ALEX
These are for you.
YVONNE
Thank you so much. They’re lovely.
She takes them.
ALEX
I picked them from the backyard right before I left.
YVONNE
That was so thoughtful of you. I know just where to put them. Please, come in.
He follows her into the bedroom, where she places the vase on the bedside table.
ALEX
You’ve hung Orpheus.
YVONNE
Yes. What do you think?
ALEX
Perfect. You chose the perfect spot.
He puts his arms around her waist and holds her closely.
It’s so good to see you again. It feels as though it’s been ages.
YVONNE
It does.
She leans her head back against his body. They kiss deeply. She turns around and, playfully, takes his hand and leads him into the living room.
I’m hungry, aren’t you?
ALEX
I’m hungry for everything about you. But I also attempted to make dinner reservations at a restaurant near here in the Haight called Azuca’s. It has Caribbean-influenced food and music.
YVONNE
Good choice. I’ve eaten there and liked it. The food is good, and it’s a fun place. Can you make reservations? It’s so small.
ALEX
No. But I thought we’d either be lucky and get a table immediately, or we could have a drink at the bar while we wait. As long as I’m with you, I’m happy.
He extends their held hands in front of them.
Shall we?
YVONNE
We shall.
They hook arms and close the door behind them.
CUT TO:
EXT: ON THE STREET AT TWILIGHT
Yvonne and Alex pass a man and woman walking together, arms around each other’s waist, smiling and in love. They pass a woman in her 20s pushing a stroller with a toddler in it. Yvonne had noticed these kinds of scenes before and felt wistful. But this time, she doesn’t even see them. She and Alex are engrossed in each other, although they aren’t saying a word. Their walk, downhill three blocks and two blocks to the left, seems to be a public declaration of their involvement. Yvonne is moving at a much slower pace than usual. When they reach the restaurant, Alex opens the door for her. Azuca has three booths on the left and four small tables on the right. There is a bar in the back with spiritual Santeria botanica- type pieces such as saint’s statues on a shelf above it. Jump-up soca music is playing in the background. There is one vacant booth, where they are seated by a matchstick-thin WAITER.
ALEX
I want to know everything about you.
YVONNE
And me, you. (Pause) I am curious about your romantic life.
ALEX
My romantic life! You are my romantic life. Yvonne, how can you ask such a thing? I’m crazy about you.
YVONNE
I didn’t mean to imply that you’re seeing someone else now. I’d just like to know more about your emotional entanglements.
ALEX
I’m not seeing anyone else now. But I think I understand your question. Sorry I snapped at you.
YVONNE
(unflappably)
Apology accepted. Now, what is your past?
ALEX
The last woman I dated was Karen. She’s also at Clearview. We began seeing each other sophomore year and stopped at the beginning of the summer. We admitted to ourselves and to each other that our feelings hadn’t caught up to our commitment and never would. We had looked to each other’s company to fill a void. I think that as we approached our last year in college and looked ahead to the future, we began to evaluate many aspects of our lives, including our relationship.
YVONNE
(teasingly)
Is she also a philosophy major?
Alex laughs.
ALEX
Is it so obvious?
YVONNE
There’s a whole lot of reflection and evaluation going on.
ALEX
Yes, she is. Anyway, it became clear to us that we didn’t want to carry “us” over into our post-college years. I didn’t see Karen all summer. We spoke for the first time when classes began, and we were cordial. It’s possible someday we’ll be friends, but not right now.
YVONNE
Is Karen the only person with whom you’ve been involved?
ALEX
No. There was someone else.
He gets a heavy despondent look that would keep anyone, even Yvonne, from probing. After a break, he continues on his own.
Before Karen, I was in love with a girl in Dakar called Yasmine (pronounced Yaz mee nee). Her name means jasmine in Arabic, and she was as sweet. She made leaving Senegal absolutely excruciating. We talked about running away to Paris together. Then, we decided that our love would survive if it were true. So, amid tears and pledges of forever, we parted. We kept up a furious correspondence for two years until I got a letter from her ending it all.
YVONNE
Why? What did it say?
ALEX
She said that she was getting married to someone else. She said that it was arranged marriage but that she would not go against her father’s wishes. She said that she would grow to love Muktar and that our love was doomed from the start. I called. We talked. I felt as though I was talking with a different person, a changed person. I couldn’t believe that she was giving us up. I couldn’t believe that she had bought into tradition in such a profound way. I threatened to fly back and stop the wedding. She told me, in a cold authoritative voice that sent chills down my spine, that she would refuse to see me, it was time for both of us to move on.
YVONNE
I am so sorry.
ALEX
Thank you. I was, too. I was crushed. I felt dead. I lost my appetite for food, for poetry, for music, for life. I was a zombie for months after that. Then, I guess I finally heard Yasmine’s final words to me, “It’s time for both of us to move on.” She had done that. The vision of happiness I knew we’d have if she’d waited didn’t matter. It just didn’t matter. It was time for me to move on, too. So, I began seeing other people and, eventually, dated Karen. Now, what about you? Are you seeing anyone?
YVONNE
No, I’m not. I stopped seeing someone months ago after about a year. His name was Ben. He kept waffling on the subject of children. And as far as marriage went, he said he was interested but not right now. When I asked when, he kept saying tomorrow. Finally, I admitted to myself that tomorrow would never come. So, I left.
ALEX
Did you love him?
Yvonne looks down at the table.
YVONNE
Yes, I did.
ALEX
Do you still love him?
YVONNE
I thought I did until recently.
ALEX
How recently?
YVONNE
Several weeks ago. I realized that I was holding onto a dream of the life that Ben and I could have had if he had allowed it to happen. That’s all it was – a dream, a fantasy. I decided that I wanted to live in the present for the future.
ALEX
I understand. Is he the only man you’ve loved? Have you ever been married?
YVONNE
No. I’ve never been married, and I have no children. I have been in love twice before. My first love was a man named Ken. We were in our senior year in college when we met. He was bright, dashing, political, a leader. We lived together in Washington, D.C. for a few years after graduation, but we never planned a future together. We lived rooted in the present. Eventually, I moved away to take a job as a reporter in Norfolk,
(MORE)
YVONNE (CONT’D)
Virginia. We both decided to end the relationship a few months later. As much as we had shared, we never wanted the same things in life. When we broke up, I was 25 and still didn’t know what I wanted. But he did. And he’s got it now. A wife, children, an English Tudor-style house in the suburbs and a job as a lawyer. The second man was very confused about who he was and what he wanted personally as well as his commitment to his professional life as a musician. I did a lot of emotional baby-sitting with Phillip. We went our separate ways three years ago.
ALEX
Do you know what you want?
YVONNE
Yes, I want to create a home with a family. I want the smell of chicken roasting in the oven, the sound of a small child laughing, and the taste of good and bad times on my lips. Shared times. For that, I need a man who’s not afraid to love me.
ALEX
I promise you, Yvonne, I’m not afraid.
He reaches out and takes her hands. The same waiter who seated them returns flustered.
WAITER
Sorry I took so long to get to you. Here are your menus. May I get you something from the bar?
After they take the menus and scan them, Alex speaks to Yvonne.
ALEX
How about champagne?
YVONNE
I’d love it.
He speaks to the waiter.
ALEX
We’ll have a bottle of your champagne, please.
WAITER
Right away.
He leaves in a rush.
YVONNE
What a lovely idea!
Alex and Yvonne don’t say anything as they wait for the champagne. They keep smiling at one another. Soon, the waiter returns and uncorks the bottle. He pours two glasses and puts the bottle into an ice bucket.
WAITER
Enjoy! I’ll come back for your orders.
The waiter dashes off.
ALEX
I’d like to make a toast.
They raise their glasses.
To a courageous relationship.
YVONNE
To a courageous relationship.
They clink glasses, take a sip and look at their menus. Again, Alex takes Yvonne’s hand in his. They are holding hands under the table when the waiter returns.
WAITER
May I take your order?
ALEX
I’m ready. Are you, Yvonne?
YVONNE
Yes. I’ll have the conch fritters, and I’ll start with a tropical fruit and leafy green salad.
WAITER
Fine. And you, sir?
ALEX
I’ll have the red beans and rice, and the red snapper in basil butter.
WAITER
Any salad?
ALEX
No, thank you.
WAITER
Thank you. We’ll have it right out.
The waiter maintains his harried attitude. He is tall and thin enough to get looks. His complexion is pale and anemic, befitting an intellectual, as is his manner, which is nervous around people. Although he says all the right things, he acts unnaturally. While he took their orders, he looked down at his pad the entire time as though he was afraid to make eye contact. Now, he scurries off to get their orders to the kitchen. Cloaked in black, he leaves his strange spirit behind for a moment.
YVONNE
What a strange man!
ALEX
I know He seems so out-of-place. (pause) How was work this week? I didn’t see much by you in the paper.
YVONNE
I had that story about the fire alarms going off at Clearview. Other than that infantile surprise, I’ve been working on other stories. Larger stories.
ALEX
Why do you call pulling fire alarms infantile? I don’t think it was infantile. I believe that acts of civil disobedience and of violence have their place.
YVONNE
Violence?
ALEX
Yes, violence. Extreme situations sometimes take extreme measures to correct. I think it’s unfortunate but true. Pulling fire alarms was probably symbolic of the apocalyptic fire next time, which James Baldwin took as the name of his book of social commentary. It was a warning.
YVONNE
(lightheartedly)
No one I interviewed gave me the key to any hidden meanings of the episode.
ALEX
(Still intense, serious)
There’s nothing hidden about it.
He releases Yvonne’s hand and begins to gesture with both hands as he talks.
YVONNE
So, what are you? The good terrorist?
ALEX
Clearview is an explosive situation.
YVONNE
I disagree. I see changes for the better happening there.
ALEX
Why? Because of these larger stories that you’ve been working on? Stories meant to change the world?
YVONNE
Where does this cynicism come from?
ALEX
I’m sorry, Yvonne. I didn’t mean to attack you or your work.
YVONNE
You were doing a good job of it.
He takes her hand again.
ALEX
This is the second apology of the evening, and we haven’t been served yet. I think it’s time to call a truce.
ALEX
Agreed.
They drink champagne.
We both have strong opinions.
YVONNE
I see that.
ALEX
I think that you believe in people. I don’t. Good does not prevail on its own. People look out for themselves. Although we met at a demonstration, I don’t usually participate in those kind of group efforts. I’m in this world as an individual trying to make sense of life, while it seems that you think of yourself as part of a community.
YVONNE
It’s ironic that you’re talking like an existentialist, yet you’re reaching out to me. What are lovers, if not a community? What is a family, if not that?
ALEX
I do want those things but find them hard to believe. Sometimes I think that I’m not taking enough risks for change. Sometime I feel small and inconsequential. What I’m trying to say, Yvonne, is that this week, I –
The waiter serves them their food. Alex releases Yvonne’s hand.
YVONNE
Thank you.
ALEX
Thank you.
The waiter pours more champagne for each of them. He appears to be even paler and more ghoulish than before as he performs his tasks frenetically. He leaves.
YVONNE
You were about to say something before we got our food.
ALEX
Was I? Oh, yes. I was about to tell you that this week, I’ve found some hope.
We can see from Alex’s facial expression that he decided not to tell Yvonne what he had originally planned to say. But she is so carried away by his sweet words that she does not see it.
YVONNE
Thank you, Alex.
They look into each other’s eyes with a locked gaze that is impenetrable.
ANGLE ON WAITER
As the camera lifts from the lovers’ booth, it focuses on the waiter who is standing behind the bar, looking at them. Although his look is not malicious, it is intense, and it is disturbing to see the frenzied waiter at rest.
ANGLE ON BOTANICA OFFERINGS
The camera lifts even higher to the offerings which consist of lots of candles and images of the Virgin Mary along with oils and other items acquired at a local botanica.
A LOVERS’ INTERLUDE
Two silent scenes of Yvonne and Alex follow. The only sound is music.
EXT: THE BEACH AT SUNSET
We see them walking barefoot hand-in-hand at the water’s edge. They are sauntering. From time to time, they stop and kiss and embrace. Then, Alex lets go and splashes Yvonne, and the mood becomes playful as they have a water fight.
CUT TO:
INT: YVONNE’S KITCHEN
Yvonne is stirring a pot on the stove. The kitchen table is covered with a white tablecloth, set for two and decorated with a floral centerpiece. We hear the doorbell; sound returns. Yvonne presses a button on the wall. Shortly, another buzzer sounds, and she goes to the door to answer it.
It’s Alex. They kiss and embrace as though they have not seen each other in a long time, although we know it hasn’t been more than a few days. Alex enters the apartment.
ALEX
I could smell the food while I was coming up the stairs. It smells wonderful! May I help?
YVONNE
No, thank you. Everything’s under control.
ALEX
What are we having?
YVONNE
It’s a surprise.
Alex sits at the table. Yvonne goes back to stirring at the stove.
ALEX
Have you told your friends about me, or am I a surprise, too?
YVONNE
Yes, I’ve told them that I’ve been seeing a lot of someone for a few weeks. Two weeks.
ALEX
(playfully)
What else did you tell them?
YVONNE
That I’m very lucky to have met you, but that it was (they say the next word together) kismet.
ALEX
Good. Good. Very good. And what else?
She walks over to him, stands behind him and puts her arms around his neck.
YVONNE
That you are sweet, tender, bright. A James Van der Zee photograph.
ALEX
We are a Van der Zee photograph.
ANGLE ON VAN DER ZEE’S COUPLE IN RACOON COATS ON A WALL
YVONNE
(seriously)
That’s why I’m falling in love with you.
ALEX
(pleasantly surprised)
Oh! (pause) Did you tell them that I’m in love with you?
YVONNE
No, I didn’t. I told them that I hoped you would be.
They kiss deeply.
I’m so happy.
She sits at the table and tangles her legs around his.
ALEX
So, are you going to invite me to this housewarming at Jim and Rhoda’s, or will your friends forever remain faceless to me? You’ve met Henry, my best friend. You two get along famously.
YVONNE
I didn’t know whether you’d want to come. I thought that a housewarming/baby shower might be too dull, too settled, too old for you.
ALEX
You’re wrong. It sounds homey to me. A cozy evening celebrating your friends’ good fortune.
YVONNE
Well, you know, I was thinking that maybe I wouldn’t go at all. Then, we could spend the evening alone.
ALEX
Yvonne, I’ve been thinking that we would have plenty of time to be alone spending the rest of our lives together.
She freezes.
YVONNE
Are you . . . ?
ALEX
Yes. I’m asking whether you would do me the honor of marrying me.
Yvonne’s face registers shock. She does not know what to say. She has told her friends that she had been smitten by someone, but she has not told them that he is 16 years her junior. She has been telling herself that the age difference doesn’t matter and that she will tell them soon. However, soon keeps pulling away into the future. This secret is why she tried to weasel out of inviting Alex to her friends’ party. Now, she is presented with a proposal that she wants to accept but about which she feels uneasy because of their ages and the speedy progression of their relationship. Alex, however, believes that she dismissed the age issue on their first date. Still, he senses her apprehension and is afraid that he asked her too soon and she will reject him.
YVONNE
I don’t know what to say.
ALEX
Don’t say anything right now. Take some time, all the time you need, and think about it.
YVONNE
(relieved)
All right. I will. I love you, Alex, but marriage is a serious proposition. I don’t want us to act too hastily.
ALEX
I understand. But I know in my heart that this is right for us. I knew it before we spoke for the first time. I knew it as I watched you walk toward me at the demonstration. I fell in love with you then. I’ll only love you more as time goes on.
YVONNE
Oh Alex. I know that you will.
She goes over to him, and he stands as they embrace.
CUT TO:
INT: NEWSROOM
Yvonne is sitting at her desk. Bill is standing, talking with her.
BILL
So much has been happening, Yvonne. You did a good job on the hostage story at the Clearview bar hangout. You wrote those seven hours of horror so that the readers felt that they were there. And the takeout on the failure of the mental health services was excellent. If that guy had gotten proper treatment, he wouldn’t have been free to terrorize that campus spot. He wouldn’t have been free to kill a 22-year-old kid having a beer, and he wouldn’t have been there to get taken out by the cops. Why don’t you take tomorrow and Friday off. You deserve it. But while you’re basking in the sun, try to get a fix on Clearview’s racial issue. I really want that story. I know you’ll do a hell of a job.
YVONNE
Thanks, Bill. I could use the time off. Also, a good friend of mine from New York is working out here for a few days. Now, maybe I can spend some time with her.
Her phone rings, and she answers on the first ring. Bill walks back to his desk.
Hello. Yvonne Galsworth.
She starts taking notes in her pad.
Bomb scare at Clearview. (pause) Yes. (pause) Yes. (pause) Yes. All right. Thank you.
She hangs up and rushes over to Bill.
Someone in Clearview’s administration called to say that the school’s been cleared out because of a bomb threat. I’ll call police and get right out there.
BILL
OK, good. Let me know what you get. I’ll type a photo assignment for you.
Yvonne runs back to her desk and gets on the phone.
YVONNE
This is Yvonne Galsworth with the San Francisco Daily Mirror. I’d like to speak with the Watch Commander, please. (pause) Hello, Sergeant Belton? Frank, listen. I just got a call on a bomb scare at Clearview. What’s going on?
She writes furiously as she listens.
Yes. (pause) Yes. (pause) Yes. (pause) Any idea who did it? (pause) Did anyone else get a note? (pause) Yes. (pause) I see. (pause) All right. Thanks, Frank.
She hangs up and makes another call.
ANGLE INSET OF ALEX’S APARTMENT
The phone is ringing, but the living room is dark.
YVONNE
Where are you?
She hangs up after several rings.
ANGLE ON YVONNE
She dashes over to Bill.
YVONNE
An anonymous bomb threat. But a note delivered to the president warned him to hire more minority teachers. The school took the threat seriously. This is the first evacuation ever of every building on campus in its 141-year-history. Got to run.
BILL
OK. Good work.
Yvonne tears out of the newsroom as she stuffs her notebook into her shoulder bag and searches for her car keys. She nearly runs into someone as she makes her exit.
CUT TO:
EXT: CLEARVIEW CAMPUS
Hundreds of students are sprawled on the grass in the sun.
ANGLE ON STUDENT NO. 1
STUDENT NO. 1 is a severe-looking white woman. She wears her dark hair pulled back in a bun, a business suit and is carrying a fashionable new leather briefcase. She and the following two students are being interviewed by Yvonne, who is off screen. The students look into the camera.
STUDENT NO. 1
I can’t believe this. I’m missing a really important business class because of this. I’m at Clearview to get an education so that I can get a good job after graduation. I’m not here to fight any battles.
CUT TO:
ANGLE ON STUDENT NO. 2
STUDENT NO. 2 is a Chicana dressed in a funky mini jean skirt, a man’s white undershirt with rolled-up sleeves and worn off one shoulder, and long silver earrings. She’s holding books in one hand and a set of pastels in the other.
STUDENT NO. 2
When I think of the hatred that lies in someone’s heart to do something like this, even to threaten to do something like this . . . It’s really sad.
CUT TO:
ANGLE ON STUDENT NO. 3
STUDENT NO. 3 is a white man with books in hand and a copy of a newspaper called Daily World on top of them.
STUDENT NO. 3
Maybe Clearview’s administration will finally get the message and do something about representing the people on its presently white male faculty.
CUT TO:
ANGLE ON STUDENT NO. 4, YVONNE AND HOPKINS HALL BEHIND THEM
STUDENT NO. 4 is of mixed ethnic heritage, but it is impossible to pinpoint them. She is slight, and her voice is gentle.
STUDENT NO. 4
I feel violated. But I’m not frightened. After all, what are the chances of a bomb going off in any of these buildings.
Just then, a bomb explodes in Hopkins Hall, which is clouded by billows of smoke. Yvonne pulls STUDENT NO. 4 down with her. Screams fill the air as everyone else also hits the ground. Fallout sprinkles on everyone’s back. The smoke continues to billow. After 10 seconds, an eerie silence envelops the campus as though it is the end of the world. Then, as though students and teachers are afraid of that possibility and aware of their own mortality, everyone gets up and starts scrambling for safety while chattering in fear. PARAMEDICS scout the area.
PARAMEDICS
(shouting above the hubbub)
Anyone hurt? Anyone hurt?
POLICE rush through the crowd.
POLICE
(shouting)
Clear the campus. Please clear the campus.
YVONNE pushes through the exodus to catch up with President Oak.
YVONNE
President Oak.
He hears her shout and then sees her as she approaches him. But it is impossible to stop and talk in this crowd. People bump into him as he talks, making his words jolt.
PRESIDENT OAK
Yvonne. Has the world gone mad? This is madness. Unbelievable madness. Let’s wait ‘til we get out of here so we can talk.
CUT TO:
EXT: HOPKINS HALL
The demolished building resembles a Greek ruin with its standing columns and remnants of a structure. The clouds of smoke, however, tell us that this is no monument aged by time but, rather, by an unnatural force. Still, the devastation also instills an awe similar to the feeling some get during an earthquake. We look at this and hear no words spoken for as long as it takes for us to feel several different emotions.
PRESIDENT OAK
(off screen)
We’ve made such progress on this matter of minority faculty, quiet progress.
CUT TO:
EXT: THE STREET NEAR CAMPUS
ANGLE ON YVONNE AND PRESIDENT OAK
They are standing on the street between parked cars. Yvonne is taking notes as people move, and moving fast, all around them.
PRESIDENT OAK
I received a written threat this afternoon, a little after 1, similar to the one I received after the fire alarm scare. The same demand – more minority faculty. Kevin Chin, of the Third
World Coalition, and I have been meeting with the Faculty Search Committee and planning for that very thing. After looking at the numbers of professors of color, we decided to start a graduate school fellowship for a minority Clearview grad who plans to teach here. We’ve already sent out announcements of teacher openings to minority alumni who may know of possible candidates or may advertise the openings in organizations in which they’re members. We plan to begin a Third World alumni fund for hiring a professor of color. The goal is $100,000. And we’ve just begun. I’m babbling, aren’t I? I know I am. It’s just that I’m shocked by this. I’m angry. I’m outraged! Who did this? Why did they do it? Why? Why? Why? Thank God we evacuated all the buildings. Thank God we didn’t ignore the threat. We’ve ignored so many in the past. I had the feeling that this was no empty threat, and I took the fire alarm incident to be a portent, a warning.
Yvonne’s face shows shock at the word “warning”. Although she keeps taking notes, she remembers Alex’s words at their first dinner together. President Oak’s interview is heard at a more subdued volume as Yvonne listens to Alex in her head.
PRESIDENT OAK
(subdued volume)
I’ve got to make some decisions. My God, the whole university is in shock. I’m canceling classes and school business for tomorrow. We all need to recoup from this travesty. It is a tragedy. My heart is very full and heavy. It saddens me beyond words. I have to go. Goodbye, Yvonne.
ALEX (off screen)
I believe that acts of civil disobedience and of violence have their place. Extreme situations sometimes take extreme measures to correct. I think it’s unfortunate but true. Pulling fire alarms was probably symbolic of the apocalyptic fire next time, which James Baldwin took as the name of his book of social commentary. It was a warning.
YVONNE
I’m sorry, President Oak.
President Oak disappears into the crowd. For a minute longer, Yvonne stands in the same spot, her shoulders slumped and her look downcast as she remembers more of Alex’s words.
ALEX (off screen)
Sometimes I think that I’m not taking enough risks for change. Sometimes I feel small and inconsequential. What I’m trying to say, Yvonne, is that this week, I’ve (pause) found some hope.
YVONNE
(muttering)
Oh, my God.
She rushes toward a POLICE SERGEANT who is wearing stripes on her sleeve.
ANGLE ON YVONNE AND POLICE SERGEANT
YVONNE
Has anyone been injured or killed?
SERGEANT
No, not as far as we can tell. As you can see, things are topsy-turvy right now. We’ll have a better idea later on. But I tell you, if we hadn’t cleared that building, we’d be looking at at least 100 dead. There’s also no telling whether Hopkins is the only building that’s going to blow before the day’s done. The bomb squad’s only searched about half the buildings in campus so far. What a mess! I’ve got to go, Yvonne.
YVONNE
All right. Thanks.
The officer dashes off, and Yvonne spots a student on the run who has slowed down but is still in motion. STUDENT NO. 5 is a black woman who wears a look of fear on her face. Yvonne catches up with her and, then, keeps moving with her.
YVONNE
I’m Yvonne Galsworth with the San Francisco Daily Mirror.
STUDENT NO. 5
I don’t believe this. That’s all I can say. It’s like being in a secret war. I don’t want to go back. I’ll forever be waiting for a building to blow up and suspecting the person sitting next to me in class of being the terrorist. I’m really scared.
YVONNE
I’m sorry.
Yvonne stops running and finds a spot where she can write STUDENT NO. 5’s comments without being jostled. It’s not that difficult because the crowd is thinning out. But as she writes, she remembers her comment at that dinner with Alex.
YVONNE
(off screen)
So, what are you? The good terrorist?
ALEX (off screen)
Clearview is an explosive situation.
Yvonne finishes taking her notes. She wears a look of anguish. JOHN, a San Francisco Daily Mirror photographer, a burly man wearing a padded beige vest with lots of zippered pockets and a camera around his neck, runs toward her.
JOHN
(shouting)
Yvonne. Yvonne.
YVONNE
(shouting)
John.
She waves her hands over her head, but John has already spotted her. He talks animatedly once he stands beside her.
I got some great stuff, Yvonne. I was in the perfect spot when the building blew. I got more than one shot of the actual explosion. And then moment-to-moment shots of the campus being showered by fallout, taking cover and then turning into pandemonium. I got shots of the president looking dazed. And some great street stuff. Anything or anyone else you want me to get before I go back in?
YVONNE
No. No, John. That sounds great. I’m coming in soon myself.
CUT TO:
INT: ALEX’S APARTMENT
ANGLE ON HELD UP SAN FRANCISCO DAILY MIRROR
The newspaper is a broadsheet which someone is reading. We cannot yet see the person behind the paper. But we can easily make out the front page’s huge headline across the top of all six columns. It reads:
CLEARVIEW ADMINISTRATION BUILDING BOMBED
Under it is a deep four-column photograph of the explosion. There are two related stories alongside the photo in the fifth and sixth columns. The headlines and bylines read:
Campus President Acted
In Shock On “Portent”
By Yvonne Galsworth By Yvonne Galsworth
Under the photo are unrelated stories. They are both two-columns, and their headlines read:
More Than 20 Dead As Violence U.S.-Led Coalition Says It Killed
Flares between Gaza and Israel 1,300 Civilians in Syria and Iraq
By Mirror Wire Services By Mirror Wire Services
ANGLE FINDS THE READER BEHIND THE PAPER
We see Alex sitting in his living room, reading greedily. Henry walks in and sits near Alex.
ANGLE ON ALEX AND HENRY
HENRY
What a big thing this bombing yesterday turned out to be!
ALEX
Imagine! It’s made national TV news and the S.F. Daily Mirror has plastered it all over the front page and given two inside open pages over to photographs alone. It’s incredible!
HENRY
Yah. Have you spoken with Yvonne?
ALEX
No, she’s always on another line when I call her at the paper. I’ve left messages on her cell and her phone at home and with her friend, Mari, who’s visiting from New York. I didn’t think that the paper would send her out on this because of all the other work she’s been doing. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to her.
HENRY
Of course not.
ALEX
I need her. My feelings about getting a more colorful faculty at Clearview don’t run as deep as my love for her.