EXT. CAFE – DAY
David sits with an INTERVIEWER 2 on the outside patio of a cafe.
INTERVIEWER 2
So why do you think you and Claire broke up?
DAVID VERDIN
Things were good for a week or two after the show ended. But then I guess I saw her true colors. She was really overbearing.
INTERVIEWER 2
How so?
DAVID VERDIN
Well every morning when I woke up, she’d give me a list of colors I couldn’t wear so our outfits wouldn’t clash.
EXT. PARK – DAY
Claire talks to another INTERVIEWER 3, while they sit at a picnic table.
CLAIRE LE MAYES
He comes across as such a charmer, such a success. But underneath he's just a mushy pulp of a man. Squishy in the worst way possible, like cream of wheat in a pillowcase.
INTERVIEWER 3
Could you clarify, please?
CLAIRE LE MAYES
Let’s see. Bunny rabbits, Chihuahuas, baby deer...
INTERVIEWER 3
He thinks they’re adorable?
CLAIRE LE MAYES
No, he’s terrified of them.
INT. RANDOM TELEVISION STUDIO - DAY
David and INTERVIEWER 4 talk while sitting in chairs.
DAVID VERDIN
She was a slob. I once saw her drop a piece of toast butter-side down onto the toilet seat. She still ate it.
INTERVIEWER 4
She ate toast in the bathroom?
DAVID VERDIN
Oh God, yes. All. The. Time.
EXT. ZOO - DAY
Claire and INTERVIEWER 5 walk amongst the exhibits.
CLAIRE LE MAYES
It was as if he was one of those...
She points to a warthog.
CLAIRE LE MAYES (CONT'D)
And I was one of these.
She points to an antelope.
CLAIRE LE MAYES (CONT'D)
Can you see that working?
The interviewer looks at the warthog, then the antelope, and back again.
INTERVIEWER 5
Well, maybe if they...or what if one of them...no, never mind.
CLAIRE LE MAYES
Me neither.
INT. DEPARTMENT STORE – DAY
David and INTERVIEWER 6 walk through the store.
DAVID VERDIN
Just looking around brings back memories. If I wanted black curtains, she'd say she wanted white curtains. And then if I said ok, she'd say “Well, maybe I want the black curtains.”
He plops himself down on a couch in a fake living room. The Interviewer 6 comes to stand above him.
INTERVIEWER 6
Do you miss her, at all?
DAVID VERDIN
What?
His hand goes to his pocket, where he keeps Claire's ring.
DAVID VERDIN (CONT'D)
I'm...no, not at all. I'm better off without her.
INT. RESTAURANT – EARLY EVENING
YOU ARE READING
Love in Reality
RomanceDavid Verdin is the CEO of a company that sells as-seen-on-TV products. He wishes he were sitting on a pile of money, but he hasn't had a good idea in years, and he hasn't been exactly responsible with his earnings. So when his friend offers him the...
