I Want To Be Your Canary, pt 1

1.            INT. ROSE'S HOUSE    -    NIGHT

Five persons sit at the dinner table. The ambience is somewhat awkward and gloomy. ROSE sits beside her boyfriend THEO, her sister, ELISE, sits by herself across the table. Their father PETE sits at the head of the table, and his wife MORGAN on the other side of table.

MORGAN

The turkey should be ready by now.

ELISE

Don't worry about it, mum. I'll go take it myself.

Elise walks over to the kitchen.

ROSE

Mum, dad, me and Theo have something to tell you.

PETE

(chewing)

What is it?

ROSE

Theo and I... we're going to Madrid in spring next year. We're going to find a place of our own, find jobs. Well, I'm finding a job. Theo's already found one as a chef de partie in a restaurant, and I want to do something related to HR.

MORGAN

That... sounds amazing, Rose. A bit unexpected.

Pete continues to eat, just staring, listening in.

THEO

Rose always wanted to go to Madrid. I can be blamed for that, talked her into it when I talked about my travels.

PETE

How did you end up in Madrid, Theo?

THEO

Me and and a few friends went to do the pilgrimage of Santiago. We'd been walking for about a month and a half, and the first thing we decided after finishing was to go straight to Madrid to do a bit of sightseeing.

ROSE

Can you imagine that, dad? Just walking for a month?

PETE

Morgan and I have done something similar in the past in Scotland. About a week or so of hiking.

MORGAN

Oh, I loved hiking in Scotland.

ROSE

You never told me about this.

Elise comes back with the turkey.

PETE

We haven't told you two... three... a lot of things.

ELISE

Like what, dad?

ROSE

Yeah, what?

PETE

Let me see. Like the time we went to Italy for our first anniversary, I think?

MORGAN

You think? Did you forget already?

PETE

It's been awhile, I'm sorry.

ELISE

What happened then?

PETE

Your mother and I... we were in Rome and we had a bad argument. She was so mad at me we almost broke up on the spot. She --

MORGAN

(interrupting)

That's not what happened, exactly.

PETE

-- would have walked away with an Italian guy that night. What --

MORGAN

(embarrassed)

Stop.

PETE

-- was his name? Parker or Pasker or Pisscool or something.

MORGAN

Pasquale. And he was a good friend. He was accompanying us and showing us around the city doing the translating for us and such.

PETE

You did find him hot.

ROSE

Mum...

MORGAN

Please. If it was a girl, you wouldn't be remembering it like this.

PETE

I wish it was a girl.

Everyone was laughing.

ROSE

Elise, we need to talk about you and...

MORGAN

Rose, don't.

ELISE

It's okay, mum. I'm fine.

Elise slices the turkey wing and takes it for herself.

ROSE

Are you certain?

ELISE

Yeah, of course. Me and Rich just drifted apart. He met Alicia at the office after I left. I don't blame him leaving, because I wouldn't say it didn't benefit me neither, but...

ROSE

It still hurts.

ELISE

It hurts. A lot. But I'm okay. My new job keeps me preoccupied. Keeps my mind off of things.

PETE

Work can be a wonderful remedy for life's ailments.

MORGAN

At least you're not letting it affect you at work.

THEO

I didn't tell you this, Elise, but me and Rich actually knew each other since we were young.

ROSE

You did? And you didn't even tell me?!

THEO

I didn't think it was a big deal. And it's not as if we were buddies at all.

ROSE

Still, Theo...

PETE

Look, whatever happened to you before means little if you don't let it affect what you plan to do to yourself now.

ELISE

I understand, dad. I just...

MORGAN

Elise, don't torture yourself.

ELISE

(irritated)

I'm not.

PETE

And he didn't deserve you at all.

ELISE

(agitated)

What does that mean?!

PETE

It means he wasn't good enough for you.

Elise clutches the cutlery in her hands into fists tightly.

ELISE

Can I be excused?

PETE

What did I say?

MORGAN

We're sorry, Elise, but your dad's right.

ROSE

Mum!

ELISE

Just stop.

Elise stands up.

PETE

Look, Elise, just sit down and finish your food.

MORGAN

(facepalming)

For fuck's sake.

PETE

Morgan! You're not helping.

Elise tries to walk away stumping her feet. Pete stands up hurriedly and grabs Elise by her hands forcefully, pulling her to the floor.

MORGAN

(hysterical)

What the fuck, Pete?!

Elise starts sobbing and weeping on the floor, her head down.

ROSE

Why did you have to do that, dad?

PETE

I... didn't mean it. I didn't have a good gauge of my own strength.

ROSE

Just stay back.

Rose walks towards Elise and comforts her. Theo sits motionlessly in his chair. Elise continues to cry.

MORGAN

Pete...

PETE

I'm sorry.

ROSE

Elise, come now. Let's just come back up an--

Elise slaps Rose so hard she recoils to the other side of the room.

When Rose comes back to her senses, she clutches her cheeks from the slap she just inflicted. Theo crawls towards Rose.

ROSE

(yelling)

What the fuck is wrong with you?!!!!?

Rose instinctively grabs the first solid item she could grab that turns out to be a vase and lunges it at Elise, hitting her straight in the face, causing her to bleed profusely.

Morgan shrieks uncontrollably. Elise faints. Pete jumps towards Elise and looks intently at Rose.

PETE

What have you done?

ROSE

I- I didn't mean it. I was just surprised by the slap, a-a-and...

MORGAN

(sobbing)

Elise! Wake up! Please, wake up.

Pete digs his eyes deep into Rose's.

ROSE

Dad?

Other than the sound of tears is just silence. Deep silence.