Desolation

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1

[woman] Stop calling me that!

[sobbing]

Monica!

My name is Monica!

It's not funny!

[sobbing continues]

Why are you smiling?!

Stop smiling!

For once in my life,

I wanted to be happy.

[no voice, static buzzing]

[lighter clicks, fire whooshes,

Monica screams]

[children chattering

in distance]

[giggles]

-Wanna take one real quick?

-Okay.

Yeah, that's good.

Oh, yes.

Do you know who that is?

-No.

-That's Jay Cutter.

He's an actor.

He's cute.

[scoffs] Please.

I'd f*** him if he had AIDS.

[chuckles]

I'm sure you would.

And he's doing a movie here.

Where?

I don't know.

Who cares?

He's doing a movie,

and we work here.

I feel like I would've read

that somewhere

if they were doing a movie

in Almyra.

Where?

The newspaper?

You ever heard of that?

No, I ain't got no puppy.

Anyway, I'm out of here.

Have fun. Love you.

Love you.

[sighs]

[metal clanging]

[Jay]

Come on. Damn it.

Hi.

Need some help?

I forgot my breakfast.

Ate your money?

It does that.

[coins clink]

Thank you very much.

It's why they keep me around.

I see you're very useful.

[woman sobbing]

No! Stop it!

[man] Where do you think

you're gonna go?

No... [panting]

[woman]

Please let me go!

-[man] Shh! Just lean back.

-[woman] Stop!

[woman]

Oh, God, stop! No!

Rise and shine! Rise.

-Go away.

-No, let's go.

It's another beautiful cold,

gray day out.

Up and at 'em, sneaky girl.

Let's go.

[sighs]

Why are you such a b*tch?

You are going to work today.

Okay.

Hey.

He's been waiting for you.

What are you doing

for lunch, Katie?

[thunder rumbles]

If you get bored,

tell David here.

He'll have the PA take you home.

This is yours.

Please stay as long

as you like.

Just like what Mr. Cutter said,

if you need anything,

I'll be taking care of you.

Be right over there.

To have Jay Cutter's life.

God, what I would do.

Ugh, what I wouldn't do.

He's tall. For an actor.

Like six-foot?

Yeah. Flat on his back.

[both laugh]

Jeez. Broke da mold.

What?

That's what my mother

would say.

-Oh, he broke da mold.

-[chuckles]

[Jay and girl

speaking indistinctly]

So do you cook?

And is it good?

No, I don't.

I don't cook.

No? Do you read?

-Let's sit over here.

-Yeah.

-Really? Don't lie to me.

-Mm-hmm.

Who's your favorite author?

Sit there.

Uh... Bradley Spinellis?

Hmm.

Not sure who that is.

Um...

who's your favorite actor?

You have a good time?

Yeah.

[chuckles softy]

Can tell.

I'm sorry, I did.

Thank you.

You want to come in

for a drink?

[chuckles]

Oh, I see.

You see what?

You got a guy.

No.

Mm-hmm.

I don't.

Why, do you have someone?

No.

Congratulations.

Right back at you.

-Stop.

-What am I doing?

This smiling has nothing

to do with you, okay?

So you're telling me that you

haven't thought about me once?

We're not.

Look... I get it.

You don't know me.

Ask me anything.

Anything you want.

Tell me about Hollywood.

What's it like?

A grind.

It doesn't look that hard on TV.

I know.

You watch all these

famous people shopping,

partying, you think,

how hard can it be?

Then you're out there

for five years.

10 years.

And you get desperate.

And you go mad.

And you'd do anything

it takes to make it.

Because if you don't...

I'm sorry.

Maybe I just need

to get out of here.

I feel trapped.

Mmm.

One second, Katie, I just want

to pull up your notes, okay?

I gotta get

this drive cleaned up.

[clock ticking]

This thing is so slow.

It's got a virus on it

or something.

[taps tablet]

-Hmm.

-Is my time up?

Um...

I thought you wanted

to talk about the rape.

If that's what you want.

[door opens]

[door closes]

[breathing heavily]

You little whore.

I hate you.

[laughs]

I hate you, too.

Should I not have?

Don't be silly. So?

How was it?

Girl, you are killing me.

Jesus.

Too bad he's leaving.

Yeah, it's too bad.

-What?

-No, just too bad

he asked me to go

to Los Angeles with him.

-Shut the f*** up.

-Just for a few days.

I know. Right?

Just be careful.

I will.

[electrical switches clanking]

[static buzzes]

Will you hit 5, please?

Jason. Welcome home.

How was, um...

-New York.

-Right, right.

The part was fun.

Easier than I thought.

[chuckles] Right.

And this is?

Oh, I'm sorry, Katie,

this is Father Bill O'Shea.

-Father, Katie.

-Father, pleased to meet you.

Pleasure is all mine.

Bill is fine.

They've been remodeling

forever.

Always something new.

Sorry about that.

I don't care.

I'm in LA.

It's a dream.

How long

will you be staying?

Um... I'm not sure.

As long as I can keep her.

[chuckles] This is you.

-[elevator dings]

-After you.

Nice to meet you,

Father.

I'm sure we'll see

each other again.

Have a nice day.

How'd they decide

the apartment numbers?

Got me.

What's your number?

[Jay] They were supposed

to put one on months ago.

I just stopped bugging.

Guess they're too busy

making noise in the lobby.

It's a nice building, though.

Yeah, I got a great deal on it

because of its history.

[chuckles softly]

That's comforting.

Every old building in LA

has a story.

A few high-profile suicides

in the '60s,

murders in the '70s.

Never really recovered.

[scoffs] Lovely.

-Stop it.

-[chuckles]

Don't do that.

What?

Grab me like that.

I don't like it.

I'm sorry.

It's okay.

It's nice to be seen.

[cat meows]

This is Flirt.

Hi, Flirt. Hi.

That's weird.

[Jay] What?

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