The S Word

Script Excerpt

INT - BEDROOM - NIGHT

ASH wakes up from a nap, laying atop the covers. His bed is
freshly made. He wakes up with his hair messy, looking
slightly more disheveled than before.

He walks out of his bedroom, into the living room, wiping the
sleep from his eyes. He sees his deceased brother, ROWEN,
sitting comfortably in the living room, watching a football
game, aggressively clutching a lucky red bandana.
Remote in his other hand, his laugh fills the room.

                     ASH

          Hey, what are you up to?

                     ROWAN

          Ash dude, you can sleep through
          anything! We’re already at
          halftime. You look like you’ve seen
          a ghost, you okay? You always wake
          up looking lost man.

                     ASH
              (chuckling, unsure)
          Yeah, you’re right.

Ash hesitantly sits beside him, his clothes and hair now
suddenly much neater.

                     ROWAN

          You know, sometimes I wish I was
          there at the game playing it
          myself. I miss that euphoria of
          catching a football and running
          across the, adrenaline surging
          through me. That sound of everyone
          cheering. I wish I could go back to
          one game, any game, just so I could
          stay in the moment and appreciate
          it for a second. God. I miss
          playing.

Ash smiles to himself, trying his hardest to stay in this
moment with his brother.

                     ASH

          Do you remember that time when we
          ran in the sunflower field after
          one of your games?

                     ROWAN

          I do!

          I remember Mom had just bought us
          some new jeans that week and when
          we finally got back that night they
          were so dirty.

                     ROWAN AND ASH
              (in synch)
          She was PISSED!

They laugh together for a moment, soaking in each other’s
company and the feeling of nostalgia.

                     ROWAN

          Sometimes I miss the game. It
          changed after the injury. But every
          time I drive by that field I think
          of you and that memory. You know,
          no matter what, we’ll always have
          each other. That’s more important
          than some stupid game.

They perform their signature handshake, stumbling through it
because neither of them could ever remember the whole thing.

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