Forty Love

FORTY LOVE FADE IN: INT. BENNINGTON HOUSE – DAY A collection of photos and memorabilia is on the mantle of a fireplace and then an adjoining bookshelf. CAMERA PANS a framed photo of a man in his 30s in tennis shorts and tennis sweater holding a tennis racquet, a framed photo of the same man with the legendary tennis player Arthur Ashe with an inscription “To Don, one of the greatest—Arthur”, a commemorative medal with an engraved profile of a tennis player, victory ribbons, plaques, trophies, a framed photo of tennis match in a stadium between two men, the man in combat pilot attire in front of a U.S. Air Force jet, and a framed photo of the man in tennis attire with a little girl. The THUNK THUNK THUNK of a tennis ball hitting an outside garage door. EXT. BENNINGTON HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY JANE BENNINGTON, a pert 16-year-old blonde high school sophomore who is the prototypical all-American girl next door, actively dashes about with a tennis racquet as she hits a tennis ball against the garage door. She is in shorts and a T-shirt. She has a snub nose and perfect white teeth and medium length hair. The Bennington house is in a middle-class residential community in southern California. INT./EXT. CAR – DAY MRS. BENNINGTON P.O.V. – CAMERA PANS houses along street and then driveway as LOUISE BENNINGTON watches Jane hitting the ball. She BEEPS the car horn and pulls into the driveway. Louis Bennington is in her mid-forties. She is wearing a Seven-Eleven convenience store uniform and has just returned home from work. She exits the car and embraces Jane. LOUISE Hi, honey. I’m going to throw together some dinner. Come on in a few minutes. Don’t you think that’s enough for one day? JANE OK, Mom. But, gosh, how’m I going to get better if I don’t practice? Louise walks up the steps of the small porch. LOUISE OK. Just a little longer but you’ve got to come in for dinner. INT. BENNINGTON HOUSE – DAY LIVING ROOM Louise walks though the living room and into the kitchen. She takes three TV dinners from the refrigerator and puts them in the oven. She then walks back to the living room and calls up the stairs. LOUISE Tad! Come on down. Dinner will be ready shortly. TAD’S BEDROOM Tad, Jane’s 14 year-old younger brother, is sitting in front of a computer at a desk doing his homework. LOUISE (V.O.) Dinner, Tad. Come down in a few minutes. KITCHEN Louise and Tad are at the table with the TV dinners in front of them. Jane very energetically comes through the door, puts her tennis racquet against the wall and plops into her seat. JANE How was your day, Mom? LOUISE Oh, you know how I hate to complain. But terrible. Just terrible. I have such a splitting headache. People are so inconsiderate. JANE Mom, Denise invited me over to play tennis at her club Saturday. Would it be okay if I go? LOUISE I thought you were going to help me clean house this weekend. JANE Oh, Mom, you know I’ll help you, and I promise I won’t be gone all day. I need to keep up my game and it’s so hard to get court time over at the park on weekends. LOUISE Oh, I suppose. I’m sorry, it’s just that since your dad died things haven’t been so well. I wish he’d never decided to stay in the Reserves. It’s been so hard to get along, and all. I know you love tennis and you’re so good, just like your dad. If he were still here, we could join Marbella and you could play all you want. JANE Thanks, Mom. LOUISE That Marbella Club, though, Jane. Don’t get any fancy ideas. We just don’t have the money. JANE Yes, Mom. I know. EXT. LAGUNA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL – DAY TENNIS COURTS Jane and a GIRL are hitting a ball back and forth. Jane slams the ball across the court just inside the baseline beyond her opponent’s reach. BENCH – LATER DENISE Jeez, you made short work of her. I wish I could play like you. The team would be nothing without you. Are you still thinking about going pro? JANE Oh, I don’t know. I have to think about college still. DENISE Oh, yeah. Veterinarian school? JANE Yeah, if I can get in. Maybe I can play for Cal State. But going pro? I mean that’s a dream. I don’t even know how I’d go about it. DENISE Hey, look, there’s Roger. TENNIS COURT STANDS A young man, ROGER, Jane’s boyfriend waves and SMILES. Jane SMILES and waives. DENISE He’s so adorable! JANE Yeah, isn’t he? DENISE Are you going out tonight? JANE No, I’ve got to help my Mom. DENISE You are coming to the club with me tomorrow? JANE Oh, yeah. I wouldn’t miss that for the world. The COACH walks by. COACH Good game, Jane. Real good game. JANE Thanks coach. Turns to Denise. JANE (contd.) See you tomorrow. Gotta go. Jane goes running off to join Roger who has come down the stands and is walking toward her. EXT. MARBELLA COUNTY CLUB – DAY SIGN – “MARBELLA COUNTY CLUB. PRIVATE. MEMBERS AND GUESTS ONLY.” Jane and Denise are walking out of the door of the clubhouse and the CAMERA DOLLIES as they walk along the elevated walkway by the courts. Denise is wearing a tennis skirt and sweater. Jane is wearing plaid shorts and a T-shirt. JANE Oh, it’s so wonderful here. I wish we could afford to belong. I’d be here all the time. I’d never get off the court. (Pause) Oh, isn’t that Veronica Tyson? JANE’S P.O.V. – LOOKING AT NEIGHBORING TENNIS COURT LANCE DRAKE, a fit man of about 40 years old, is serving balls to VERONICA TYSON. She is powerfully smashing balls back to him. Veronica’s long black hair is pushed back under a red headband. JANE She’s so good. Now there’s someone who should go pro.