Real Jake – Scene 15
EXTERIOR STREET – NIGHT
Tony De Luca is walking down Jake’s street, looking for his apartment building.
INTERIOR JAKE’S ROOFTOP APARTMENT – NIGHT
LEROY
Where did you grow up?
JAKE
All over the Country.
LEROY
How’s that?
JAKE
Well, my parents passed away when I was an infant. Car crash. I was an only child, no real family willing to take me in full time. So between distant relatives and orphanages, I kind of spent some time all over the map. Was even in Hawaii for a while.
LEROY
No Shit! How long have you been in the City?
JAKE
New York City?
Leroy shakes his head.
LEROY
Yeah, Jake. New York City.
JAKE
Just a couple of weeks.
LEROY
You got to get out of here, man. There’s no way a guy like you is gonna survive in this town.
JAKE
I have a lot of faith in the Lord, Leroy.
LEROY
That’s just the attitude that’s going to get you dead. Shit!
JAKE
He’s been taking care of me just fine till now. Why would He stop?
LEROY
He ain’t strong enough for The City. To many bad-ass motherfuckers running round here. And they ain’t your run of the mill motherfuckers neither. Nasty, evil motherfuckers. Kill you just for the hell of it.
JAKE
I’m going to keep the faith, Leroy. He’s never let me down.
Leroy shakes his head from side to side and shrugs his shoulders.
JAKE
You have a family?
Don’t want to talk about that right now.
Leroy reaches for another beer.
INTERIOR STAIRS – NIGHT
Tony is in Jake’s apartment building stairwell and hallway, trying to locate Jake’s apartment. He’s looking for nameplates, ringing and banging on people’s doors. One old black lady finally opens her door.
TONY
You know which apartment Jake Goldstein lives in?
LADY
I been living here over fifty some odd years. Ain’t no Jake Goldstein in this here building. Not now and never was.
As the black woman is closing her apartment door, she comment to herself.
LADY
Jake. Pretty cool name for a white man. Yes indeed.
INTERIOR JAKE’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
LEROY
I’m going to give some rules, Jake. Try to keep you alive.
JAKE
What kind of rules?
LEROY
Survival rules, man, survival rules. Number one, don’t fucking trust no one. You hear me? Every one’s trying to fuck you one way or another in this City.
JAKE
That’s no way to live, Leroy.
LEROY
You just said the key word, Jake. LIVE! If you want to survive these nasty motherfucking streets, you got to play by the rules.
JAKE
I’ll tell you something, Leroy. I have some rules that I live by, too. Well, really only one rule. And that’s if I just keep on trying to do the right thing, moment to moment and day by day, to the best of my ability, well, the Lord will take care of me just fine. Always has and I believe, wholeheartedly, that He always will.
LEROY
You’re a lost fucking cause, Jake. Lost fucking cause. I’m looking at one sorry assed, soon to be dead white motherfucker.
JAKE
I really appreciate what you did tonight, Leroy. You did the Lord’s work. And I know everything you’re trying to tell me is because you care. But I’m going to keep doing what’s worked for me up till now. As I said, the Lord’s never failed me.
Leroy shakes his head strongly.
LEROY
I tried, man. Lost fucking cause, Jake. You’re a lost fucking cause. I got to go.
Leroy polishes off the half full bottle of beer that was in his hand and slams it down on the table.
JAKE
You just got here, Leroy. Stay a while longer. I enjoy your company.
LEROY
Wish I could, brother. Got some business I got to take care of.
JAKE
You run a business on the side?
Leroy thinks for a bit.
LEROY
Yeah. You could say that. Yeah, I got a business on the side.
Leroy gets up out of his chair to leave. Jake stands up.
JAKE
I really want to thank you, Leroy. For everything. You’re one of the Lord’s angels.
Jake hugs Leroy. Leroy extends his arms, not wanting to have anything to do with the hug. Jake, after a short while, steps back.
LEROY
Yeah. Well, see you tomorrow.
JAKE
I don’t know, Leroy. Pauli fired me when we spoke on the phone.
LEROY
That doesn’t mean Jack shit, you hear me? That motherfucker’s always firing somebody. Ain’t no one wants to drive those nasty old beat up fucking cabs. You just show up tomorrow. He won’t say nothing.
JAKE
I don’t know, Leroy. Pauli sounded really angry at me.
Leroy grabs Jake strongly by his shoulders and looks him straight in the eyes.
LEROY
Just be there tomorrow. Trust me, Jake.
JAKE
Okay, Leroy. If you say so.
LEROY
I say so.
JAKE
Then I guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow.
LEROY
Damn straight you will. You got that right.
Leroy lets go of Jake, opens the hatch and begins to climb down the ladder, exiting his apartment.
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