HARD TO DO

By

T Susman

(Rough Outline)

INT. KITCHEN - DAY
Chris is preparing vegetables in the medium-sized kitchen. The kitchen seems relatively bare of some things--gaps on the refrigerator where some magnets have been taken down, and one of the cupboards is open to reveal one half-empty shelf and one full one. The kitchen has a breakfast bar giving onto a larger room.
DAVE
(offscreen)
Hey, Chris, can you give me a hand with these boxes?
CHRIS
No.
Chris continues preparing vegetables. A moment later there is a dull crash from offscreen, as of tumbling boxes. Dave walks up to the breakfast bar.
DAVE
You don't have to be a complete ass about this, you know.
CHRIS
Oh, I don't? Sorry, I was just following your lead.
DAVE
Fine, be that way. You know, it's not like I'm not going to move out if you don't help me. I can do this myself.
He walks away again.
CHRIS
(yelling)
Good! (to himself) Asshole.
Dave walks by with a box in his arms.
DAVE
By the way, your eggplant parmesan sucks.
CHRIS
(calls after him)
This is pasta primavera!
DAVE
(offscreen)
Whatever. That too.
CHRIS
Jerk.
Chris continues preparing his dinner. Dave walks by again without saying anything. 
INT. KITCHEN - DAY
Chris rummages in the kitchen for a pot, looks around and then realizes that the pot he's looking for belonged to Dave and is gone. He sighs and takes a small saucepan out and starts boiling water in it.
DAVE
(offscreen)
Hey, Chris, is this box yours?
CHRIS
I dunno.
DAVE
Well, come look.
CHRIS
I'm in the middle of something.
DAVE
Would you just get in here? I have to go in half an hour.
Chris turns off the stove and walks out of the kitchen.
CHRIS
Fine.
INT. DAVE'S BEDROOM - DAY
Dave is standing in front of a closet that is mostly bare. The bedroom itself just has an unmade bed in it and some bare furniture. Several boxes, their tops open, lie on the floor in front of the closet. As Chris enters, Dave points at one of the boxes.
DAVE
I think that's yours.
CHRIS
(after a brief glance)
Nope.
Chris turns to walk away.
DAVE
You didn't even look at it!
CHRIS
Look, I don't care, okay? Just take it.
DAVE
I don't want to take it if it's yours.
CHRIS
Okay, here, I officially give you whatever of mine is in the box. You happy now?
DAVE
(reaches into the box)
This sweatshirt is totally yours. I would never buy anything this color.
Chris sees the shirt, hesitates for a moment, then walks over and takes it.
CHRIS
It's a great color.
DAVE
Yeah, that's why it's been in this box for five years.
CHRIS
I forgot about it.
DAVE
And this is one of your packs of pictures.
Dave opens the package and takes out the pictures.
CHRIS
I haven't looked at those in forever. Hey, that's from Arcata.
DAVE
What was that, 2000?
CHRIS
It was 1999, 'cause I was still working that Y2K job.
DAVE
Oh, that's right, you almost didn't get the weekend off.
CHRIS
I didn't. I just told them I was sick.
DAVE
After you asked for time off?
CHRIS
Yeah.
DAVE
Didn't they figure it out?
CHRIS
Yeah, but they were too scared of impending global catastrophe to get rid of me.
DAVE
Those were the good ol' days.
CHRIS
Hey, look, you're wearing those speedos. (pause) That is not a good look on you.
DAVE
You've got that sweatshirt on.
CHRIS
It looks good!
DAVE
If you say so.
Dave flips through a few more pictures.
DAVE (CONT'D)
Oh, remember we chartered that boat and then the captain got seasick?
CHRIS
I'd forgotten that.
DAVE
And here's the beach where we built that shelter because we didn't want to pay the campground fee.
CHRIS
No, that wasn't Arcata. That was...
DAVE
(pointing)
It was Arcata, look. There it is right there.
Chris starts to smile, a bit hesitantly.
CHRIS
Yeah. That was...that was the worst shelter ever.
DAVE
I woke up in the morning with a horseshoe crab in my sleeping bag.
CHRIS
But we stayed out of the wind.
DAVE
And the shelter stayed up.
CHRIS
So I guess it wasn't the worst ever.
DAVE
That was a lot of fun.
Chris looks at him, then starts to walk out. Dave sits down on the bed.
DAVE (CONT'D)
What happened to us?
CHRIS
(without turning)
SHE did.
DAVE
Don't blame this on her. She didn't make us different people than we were there in Arcata, did she?
CHRIS
She made you a different person.
DAVE
What, because I didn't want to stay home with you every night?
CHRIS
Whatever.
Chris starts to leave again.
DAVE
Wait. (waves the pictures) I don't want to leave like this.
CHRIS
You should have thought of that before you started dating her.
DAVE
That's not what I mean. We haven't changed. Have we? I mean really.
CHRIS
(shrugs)
I don't think I'm that different.
DAVE
That's my point. 
CHRIS
Look, you can't just make up for six months of crap by pulling out a photo and expecting me to get all misty-eyed.
Chris leaves. Dave follows.
INT. HALLWAY/DINING ROOM - DAY
This room connects the bedroom and the kitchen. There is a short hallway leading out from the bedroom, and a dining room table in the dining room. A breakfast bar looks into the kitchen.
Dave follows Chris in from the bedroom. Chris stops and leans against the breakfast bar as Dave finishes his first line.
DAVE
I'm not expecting that. I am hoping that maybe we can still be friends.
CHRIS
(pauses, reaching back to another argument in his mind)
Maybe if you'd met her first...
DAVE
Here we go.
CHRIS
I mean, you knew it would drive a wedge between us. You knew I liked her.
DAVE
You were dating someone else!
CHRIS
I was gonna break up with Julia anyway.
DAVE
You're still seeing her! You had dinner with her parents yesterday!
CHRIS
Well, yeah, because Kelly's going out with you.
DAVE
She wanted to go out with me. What was I supposed to say, "Gee, thanks, but Chris really likes you, why don't you try him first?" It doesn't work that way.
CHRIS
You didn't have to be so eager about it. You could've told me.
DAVE
Yeah. I should've told you. I'm sorry. Can we get past that?
CHRIS
I've been trying. It's hard.
DAVE
I know. But I don't want to walk out of this place and not know when I'm gonna see you again.
CHRIS
We'll keep in touch.
DAVE
I don't mean just Christmas cards and birthday calls. I know we won't be living together, but I really want to keep seeing you. I want to know that if I call you to get together, you're not going to make some lame excuse or put me off to get out of it, because if you do then I'll get discouraged and stop trying, and then a couple years from now I'll be sitting around saying, "Yeah, that guy Chris, I roomed with him for six years. I wonder what he's doing now."
CHRIS
(trying to smile)
I'll probably be making eggplant parmesan.
DAVE
Come on.
CHRIS
Yeah, okay.
DAVE
Really?
CHRIS
Look, I'll do my best. I'll try. I promise I'll try.
DAVE
I guess I'll have to take that. 
Dave turns back to the bedroom, as Chris walks into the kitchen. 
DAVE (CONT'D)
Hey...is there enough of that pasta primavera for two? I could maybe stop by for dinner.
CHRIS
I was just messing with you. It's eggplant parmesan. Still wanna come?
DAVE
Heck yeah. I love eggplant parmesan.
Dave grins and disappears into the bedroom. Chris bends over the counter and we can see a smile on his face.
CHRIS
Jerk.