- A Man With No Existence -
- Changes -
Part Two
-[ The scene opens up outside a local diner in Harlem, New York. The place is called Jim�s Charbroil and is the home of the famous, or so they say, Jim-bo Cheeseburger. The place is somewhat slow for this time of day but business is still good. Inside, the restaurant has that usual smell of old grease that has made its home on everything inside and in the air. The Butcher and Zo� seem to have been here for some time and they�re waiting for their food to be served to them. ]-
-[ Conversation between the two has been quiet since they�ve arrived and nothing really has been said for a few minutes. Zo� looks around the place from the booth seat and notices that she and her hero of the day are the only white people there. She feels out of place and really wants to get out of there, so she interrupts The Butcher from his peaceful gaze outside the window. ]-
Zo�: Is there any special reason you brought me here?
-[ The Butcher doesn�t flinch at her question. ]-
Zo�: Oh I get it, you�re one of those pervs that like to feed the girl before you do your thing. The thought that you�re taking care of her gets you harder, doesn�t it?
-[ The Butcher turns his body from the window and looks her dead in the eye. ]-
The Butcher: Give me a break.
Zo�: No, not until you tell me who you are and why you brought me here. If you want to get laid, just tell me and I�ll make it your while. Just don�t waste my time with this crap. I�ve got money to make�
The Butcher: �why are you here?
Zo�: You brought me here.
The Butcher: No, why are you here in this city?
-[ Finally, the waitress brings over their food. The Butcher doesn�t reach for his food at all and waits for Zo�s response. She, on the other hand, grabs some French fries and puts them in her mouth. ]-
Zo�: What do you mean?
The Butcher: Come on, you�re an attractive girl. You�re smart. What are you doing here? Why are you working on the streets when you should be in school?
-[ Zo� picks up her cheeseburger and takes a bite. She then reaches for a napkin and wipes her mouth as she chews. ]-
Zo�: Oh so now you want to know my life story so you know the girl you�re going to fuck? I see how you are.
The Butcher: Damn it! I don�t want to fuck you. If I did, then why did I stop that guy back there in my house?
Zo�: You�re wasting my time.
-[ The Butcher reaches into his jacket and pulls out a wad of cash wrapped up in a rubber band. It isn�t his money but then again he really doesn�t know whose money it is. When he woke up in the middle of no where he found it in his jacket and assumed his captors obviously didn�t want him to die, so they gave him some cash to go where ever he wanted. He puts the money on the table and it quickly catches Zo�s attention. ]-
The Butcher: I�ve got about $750 right here. I�ll make it worth YOUR while to stay.
-[ Zo� gets a big grin on her face and starts to rub her right leg against The Butcher�s left leg to entice him. It doesn�t work and he grabs the wad of cash and flirts with the idea of putting it away. Zo� quickly stops trying to turn him on and understands that he�s dead serious about not wanting to have her. As soon as she backs her leg away, The Butcher puts the wad of cash back on the table. ]-
Zo�: What do you want to know?
The Butcher: I want to know why a beautiful, smart, sexy girl, such as yourself, is doing in the city earning money by spreading her legs for some middle aged loser that wouldn�t think twice about taking your life?
-[ The Butcher, knowing that he�s finally reached some progress with her, starts to eat some of his food. Zo� takes her eyes off the money and looks down, seemingly ashamed of her profession and life story. Her tough attitude appears to have disappeared for the time being and now she�s just an innocent teen again. ]-
Zo�: Do you think I enjoy what I�m doing? I really don�t. I�ve only been at this for about a month now and I�ve been used by so many disgusting men that I don�t think I can ever have a normal relationship with a good guy anymore. I know what men want and I know they�ll pay a good price to get it. I�ve made some good money fast but the cash can only keep me happy for so long. Before I worked the streets, I thought I�d make a good living being a topless dancer but that didn�t last long at all. I figured I�d have to lie about my age to get employed but they don�t care. If you�ve got the looks and the tits you�ve got a job. I did that for about two weeks but I wasn�t making the money I figured I would. Besides, the guys in the bar weren�t there just to see a girl dance topless, they wanted to see how much they could feel while passing a few bucks in my thong.
-[ Zo� stops her story as the waitress comes back. ]-
Waitress: How is everything?
The Butcher: Everything is just fine.
-[ As the waitress walks away, Zo� goes back to her story. ]-
Zo�: Then one night after my shift one of the guys in the audience came out of no where. He must have been waiting for me to get off. He acted all nice and complimented me on how great I looked but then he asked me why I wanted to get felt up for only a few bucks when I could be practically be doing the same thing once a night and get paid more than I was in that dump. And that�s how I met my pimp.
The Butcher: What�s his name?
Zo�: Ricardo. I would have never done it if I didn�t need the money to start life over again. But you know as well as I do that a girl my age can only get so far alone in the Big Apple. So I went to work with him about a month ago. Sure, the pay has been great so far but he keeps taking more and more it seems. His demands seem to be getting more strict as time goes on too. So strict that a few nights ago he raped me.
The Butcher: Why not get out of it now?
-[ Zo� looks up at him. ]-
Zo�: I can�t afford to.
The Butcher: That�s what he wants you to think. He�s trying to get you so far in that you can�t get out. And his demands aren�t going to get any better either. Next thing you know he�ll have you for free because you owe him and if you don�t do as he says he�ll beat you and fuck you anyway.
Zo�: Probably, but what can I do? I just can�t quit. He�ll find me in the city and make sure I disappear for good.
The Butcher: Just go back home to your parents.
Zo�: Oh no! I�m not going back to California just to be put down again by my parents.
The Butcher: You�re from California?
Zo�: Yeah. I�m from Oakland. I took all the money I had and my car and just ran away out here to start over again.
The Butcher: I know some people from San Fran. Why�d you run away?
Zo�: Do you know what it�s like to grow up in a family business? You�re expected to become a part of it and maybe take over some day.
The Butcher: What type of business is it?
Zo�: A publishing company. It�s really boring. I wanted to become an actress but my parents said that�s an �unacceptable goal in life�.
-[ The waitress comes back with the check. She carefully places it on the table upside down and then walks away. ]-
Zo�: All right, now that you know who I am, would you please shed a little light on who you are. I just feel so vulnerable not knowing a damn thing about you but you know some of the details of my life.
-[ The Butcher reaches for the check and flips it over to look at the price. Not too bad. Then he looks at Zo� again, knowing that it�s only fair to tell her who he is, or who he used to be. ]-
The Butcher: I�m Jimmy. Jimmy Cortez.
-[ Zo� reaches out with her right hand to shake his hand. The Butcher plays along with a grin. ]-
Zo�: Nice to finally meet you, Jimmy Cortez. I�m Zo� Clarke.
The Butcher: The pleasure is all mine, Miss Clarke.
Zo�: So what else about you? What�s your story?
The Butcher: It�s a little complicated.
Zo�: Men think I�m easy but I�m more complicated than they think. Try me.
The Butcher: I�ve been a professional wrestler for 22 years�
Zo�: No way! So you�re like The Rock?
-[ The Butcher laughs at her response. ]-
The Butcher: I guess so.
Zo�: That�s cool. I never would have guessed I�d ever meet one. Do you have a wife and kids?
The Butcher: Yeah, I had a wife until I was killed.
Zo�: What are you talking about?
The Butcher: That�s where it gets complicated. Back in February I was in a match against a man named Frostie. He�s a real jerk off of a kid and has these mental problems. Well, the match kind of got out of control and I ended up in a coma. I don�t know for how long I was out for but I must have been out for a long time�long enough to where doctors thought I was dead or something. I don�t know the specifics but I was buried alive. A group of people saved me though and that�s pretty much all I know.
Zo�: So you were almost killed in a wrestling match? I thought wrestling was fake.
The Butcher: Not all of it.
Zo�: So what happened to your wife? I mean, where is she? I�m sure she wouldn�t like knowing you�re hanging out with a hooker.
-[ Zo� smiles at The Butcher but he just frowns. ]-
The Butcher: I don�t know. A lot has changed since I�ve been gone. Back there, my house was boarded up and she obviously wasn�t there. I don�t know where she is and I hate the feeling that she thinks I�m gone. I need to find her, Zo�, and no one has been able to help me here.
-[ Zo� looks out the window for a brief second and quickly ducks under the table, to be out of the window�s view. The Butcher, confused by her actions, looks under the table at her. ]-
The Butcher: What�s going on?
Zo�: See that Puerto Rican guy out there in the black muscle shirt?
-[ The Butcher looks out the window and notices a man in his twenties wearing a black muscle shirt walking across the street into an apartment complex. He also notices that the john he threatened earlier in the day is walking with the man and seems to be very agitated. ]-
The Butcher: Yeah, I see him. He just went into that building.
-[ Zo� comes back up from under the table. ]-
Zo�: I�ve got to get out of here. When he finds out he has an unsatisfied customer, he�s sure to take it out on me. I need to talk to him before that guy back there does.
The Butcher: He�s Ricardo the pimp ain�t he?
Zo�: Yeah.
The Butcher: Well, I saw him walking with that piece of trash from earlier.
Zo�: Now I�m really fucked.
-[ Zo� grabs her purse and then reaches for the wad of cash but The Butcher grabs it first. ]-
Zo�: You don�t understand. I can�t be seen with you or else it will only get worse. Thanks for helping me back there but now I have to deal with what happened.
-[ The Butcher grabs her by the wrist as she tries to get up. ]-
The Butcher: Let me help you. Take me to him and I�ll straighten out this mess. I created it so let me fix it. Please.
Zo�: You sure you really want to do that? I mean, it could be dangerous.
The Butcher: Let me help.
