Author:
K
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Date Posted: 20:16:42 01/05/05 Wed
One week earlier (before Donnie’s firm blew up)...
INT. OFFICE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AREA - MIDDAY
A group of construction workers are standing around a makeshift table in the middle of an empty open office area that is obviously being renovated. One man, PROJECT MANAGER, is dressed in business attire and wearing a hardhat. He looks up from the table and sees a frazzled Donnie quickly walking into the room.
PROJECT MANAGER
There you are!
DONNIE (out of breath)
Sorry I’m late.
PROJECT MANAGER
So glad you could make it. Listen Don, we have some issues that need to be addressed immediately before construction is delayed any further.
DONNIE
Further? I didn’t know there were any problems. What exactly is the hold up here?
A grizzled man in his mid-forties wearing a pair of dusty old coveralls, ELECTRICIAN, leans up from the table and addresses Donnie matter-of-factly.
ELECTRICIAN
Look here, we can’t hang these lights on the ceiling the way it’s shown on the drawings.
DONNIE
The light fixtures? Wait, we went over this last week. Just extend the rods down from the deck – you don’t have to fasten it to the grid the way it’s shown on the drawings.
ELECTRICIAN
Huh... well architect, how do you propose we do that???
DONNIE (tension in voice)
Look, we talked about this before. I even drew a sketch.
PROJECT MANAGER (calming)
Oh yes, that’s right – you did. I remember we worked this out quickly on a napkin.
ELECTRICIAN (impatiently)
Well the next time you’re having drinks maybe you can invite me, eh?
DONNIE (frustrated)
Look, it’s a simple solution...I faxed a hard copy of it to the general.
ELECTRICIAN
Well I don’t have it. Listen boy-wonder, why don’t you get your Etch-A-Sketch out and do us the honor of drawing a new detail so we can all get back to work, okay?
Donnie is steamed by the electrician’s condescending tone and is about to fly off the handle... he thinks better of it for a moment, but then unleashes a completely unprofessional verbal assault on him anyway.
DONNIE
Hey, I have a better idea. Why don’t you give me your goddamn tools and I’ll fucking show you how to install the light fixtures myself! Oh wait, that’s right, you don’t have any tools!!! Jesus Christ, you’re the only tradesman I’ve ever seen who doesn’t carry any tools! No wonder you can’t get shit done around here. All you do is walk around and bitch about how you can’t do this and you can’t do that. Just read the fucking drawings and stop questioning how --
ELECTRICIAN
I don’t have to listen to this shit!!!
DONNIE
You’re a goddamn electrician for chrissake – act like you’ve installed a fucking light before!!!
PROJECT MANAGER
Don!!! That’s enough!!!
ELECTRICIAN (to Project Manager)
You better talk to him, or I’m walking – you hear?!
PROJECT MANAGER
Don, go get some coffee and I’ll be over in a minute to talk to you. ...I’m sorry Hank, I’ll get you the detail right away.
Donnie pours a cup of stale coffee into a paper cup, and then oddly downs it as he eyeballs the electrician. He then tosses the cup next to a pile of debris where a LABORER had been sweeping.
LABORER
What da fuck, bro?
Donnie kicks the cup into the pile of debris and gives the laborer an “are you happy now?” kind of look. He then looks back over to the electrician who is now talking to another worker – TINY. Tiny is a man of huge proportions – he could easily be an offensive lineman for an NFL team. He is very intimidating. The electrician makes a “cut his throat” motion to Tiny and then looks back over to Donnie. Tiny just smiles and nods.
CUT TO
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