Three by Chance by Michael Druce
THREE BY CHANCE
UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS
(After laying his father to rest, Martin discovers several unpublished manuscripts that
suggest his father had been in love with another woman and had wanted
a different life.)
MARGARET: Nothing like that ever happened.
MARTIN: None of the girls in any of the stories is my mother.
They're variations of the girl in the novel. They are all variations
of you.
MARGARET: Did you ask your mother about his writing?
MARTIN: She said she vaguely remembered him doing some writing around
the time they met, and for a few years after they married, but she couldn't recall
ever reading anything. She was too busy being a mother. (A beat.) I don't think
he ever got over you. All those stories kept you there-kept you in his life.
SCHOOLED
(Brad hires the services of a hooker, only to discover she used to be
his fourth grade teacher.)
JADE: You can call me Jade.
BRAD: Is that a stage name?
JADE: It's my street name. I'm not a freaking actress. I'm a hooker.
BRAD: What's your real name?
JADE: None of your business.
BRAD: I'd like to know.
JADE: Why?
BRAD: Like I said, you remind me of someone.
JADE: Whatever floats your boat! If it'll get me out of here faster,
my name is Janice. Satisfied? That's all you get.
BRAD: Janice? Janice? Janice Clausen? Are you Janice Clausen?
JADE: Oh, my god, you're a cop!
BRAD: I knew I knew you.
SEVERANCE
(A late night encounter at an isolated roadside diner brings together
the CEO of a failed corporation and a former employee.)
STU: I know who you are. I recognized you the moment you walked
through the door. You're Clark DeVane. My guess is you're on your
way to your vacation house to spend the weekend before your trial
resumes.
CLARK: You seem pretty well informed.
STU: You're headline news.
CLARK: Then you know I'm good for it, name your price.
STU: Clark-you don't mind if I call you Clark-do you? (Clark
shrugs.) It's cold, it's dark, wet, muddy. (The same intonation as
Clark used earlier.) I don't think so.
CLARK: You know how warm and dry a fat roll of cash can make you
feel?
STU: Not tonight.
CLARK: A guy who doesn't need the cash? Now that's interesting.
STU: I didn't say I didn't need it.
CLARK: So, you do need the money, but you're not willing to get your
feet muddy. So, it must be something else. What is it, Stu? You get
off on this?
STU: I'm not following.
CLARK: Little guy cuts the big guy down to size.
STU: Oh, I see. Is that what you think of me? I'm just a little guy?
[end of extracts]