By Misti Velvet Rainwater
Date: 18 April 2000

SCENE 75

SCENE 75-INT.-Becca's hotel room. Night. Becca is standing at the window looking out. She walks over to the bed and looks at the phone. Picks up the receiver. Punches the necessary buttons.
Becca: Karis! I'm here, chica! It's mesmerizin'...it's poetic...it's an Elton John song. You know that Tanya Tucker song that goes,"When I die, I may not go to heaven. I don't know if they let cowgirls in. If they don't just let me go to Texas. Texas is as close as I have been"? Well, that's just ludicrous. This is heaven. No, I'm not drunk. I'm ebullient! I'm giddy on muchness! Oh, he's fine. I'm about to knock on his door and see if he's up for a night of gamblin' and boozin'. Oh, please! He's not really an old man. He just looks like he is. So...speakin' of men...is my yum yum man around? He's asleep? Well, hell! Wake him up! I know, I know. Just jump on the bed. Sing show tunes at the top of your lungs. This is muy importante. I must hear his voice or else I'll die. 'Kay. I'll send ya a postcard. Bye bye.
Becca kicks off her shoes and sprawls out on the bed, waiting for Derek to come to the phone. Opens the nightstand table drawer and takes out the Gideon Bible. Opens it up to Song of Solomon. Smiles and nods her head. Smiles even bigger when she hears Derek's voice.
...Hey, darlin'. You sound so sexy when you aren't fully awake! I just needed to hear your voice. Yeah, we just got here. You know how much I love clipper ships. We're at this place called Treasure Island. They actually have this show where you get to see two pirate ships have a fight and one goes down! I'll buy a camera tomorrow and take pictures for ya. Do you wish you were here instead of there? Then call in sick tomorrow and come on! Just quit your job. You can always find a new one. It's not like you're the vice president of Dell computers! You know I don't care about that, I'm just sayin' I need to see you and there's no reason why you shouldn't be in my arms right now. I'm going to read you something now. Just a little something I wrote in a truck stop in El Paso. Here goes: "As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to his banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love." No, I don't mean I'm literally sick of love. I'm sick WITH love. I'm lovesick, in other words. Do you like it? Oh, sweetheart. I can't lie to you. I thought for sure you'd call me on it. It's from Song of Solomon, a book in the Old Testament of the King James Bible. But I wish I'd written it for you.
There's a knock on Becca's door.
Becca: I think Papaw is knockin' on the door. Gotta run. Goodnight...sweet dreams.
Makes kissing noises into the receiver and hangs it up.

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