EXT

EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY - DAY

A vintage Impala speeds through the desert.

EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY - CAR - DAY

Behind the wheel of a vintage Impala, BILLY, 35 and

irresistible in his black sleeveless shirt, taps his

fingers on the steering wheel in tune to the music.

He looks over to find that PEACH, 23, is asleep, her head

leaning against the passenger door.

He puts his hand on Peach's naked leg and slips it

slightly up her tight little dress, enjoying this small

liberty.

STEAM pours out of the hood.

EXT. MOTEL PARKING LOT - DAY

The Impala pulls up under a sign that says SPA-TEL.

BILLY, gets out, yells a few swear words. He pries open

the hood and checks out the engine, which is boiling. He

doesn't notice as Peach wakes up. Billy swears some more

then disappears into the courtyard of a desolate fifties

looking motel.

EXT. MOTEL COURTYARD - DAY - CONT.

Peach walks into the courtyard of the Kismet Spa-tel.

Brightly colored smiling FACES are painted on the cement

with their mouths wide open, laughing at her.

Billy stands at the motel's outdoor pay phone, holding a

datebook in one hand, dialing with the other, the phone

stuck between his ear and shoulder.

Maurice stares up at him and barks.

BILLY

(to phone)

I'm stuck in the desert...Alright I'll

call you soon. Yeah, that's good.

(to Peach)

What am I going to do? My flight

leaves L.A. in five hours.

He dials again.

PEACH

You could cancel New York.

BILLY

Don't give me a hard time, baby.

(he pulls her close, kisses

her ear, turns back to the

phone)

Let me speak to Shana Gold - this is

Billy Fire....

(to Peach)

I got one more call. Then we'll phone

Ritchie Diamond. You went out with

him, right?

PEACH

Yeah, but he never got me a job. He

just wanted me to come swim in his

pool. I never went. I hate swimming.

BILLY

(dials)

Hey, go hang out by the pool while I

make this call. Ask that woman where

there's a gas station.

Peach exits to pool.

EXT. POOL - DAY - CONT.

Peach goes to the pool, takes off her shoes, dangles her

feet in the water. She tries to pull her short dress down

over her knees.

PEACH (VO)

Billy calls his car Cherry, like it

was a girl. He says it's because

she's red and perfect, but that's not

exactly true. She's already broken

down four times.

BEA, 40 +, swims to where Peach is sitting and hands

Maurice the shrunken head. Bea is an ex-hippy out-of-her-

mind dreamer, or is she saner than the rest of us?

Either way, she is magical with a glint of warmth in her

sparkling eyes.

BEA

Hi, I'm Bea. Hey, you're not wearing

any panties.

Peach scoops water up over her legs.

PEACH

So? (pause) That's how he likes it.

(she nods toward Billy)

Isn't he gorgeous?

BEA

Hmmm.

PEACH

You know where the nearest gas station

is?

BEA

It's closed. Owner's out of town. You

need a room?

PEACH

I don't know yet, our car's broke.

BEA

Maybe you're meant to be here.

Bea swims away.

EXT. MOTEL COURTYARD - DAY

Peach sits on the ground playing an angry game of tug-of-

war with Maurice and his shrunken head. Billy anxiously

thumbs through the Yellow Pages.

BILLY

Hey, go ask that lady if she's got a

room.

Peach doesn't respond.

BILLY

What's the matter?

PEACH

(seething)

I don't want to stay here alone.

BILLY

We can't leave Cherry behind. Someone

has to get her fixed and drive her

home. Peach...

PEACH

I'm sick of L.A.

BILLY

Oh c'mon. Where else is there?

PEACH

Borneo. Bali. Bhutan.

BILLY

We'll go there when the movie gets

made. Right now, I'm going to New York

if I have to walk.

PEACH

Look up bus station.

Bea leans out the open window of the reception.

BEA

Bus leaves in a half hour. It's a ten

minute walk.

EXT. DESERT - LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING

PEACH (VO)

Where will you stay in New York?

BILLY

Leon's. My friend Leon Meckler. God

you're beautiful.

Peach pulls half a joint out of her purse and lights it.

BILLY

Can I look at you, can I just look at

you? Here, sit down.

Billy puts his bag down, and Peach sits. Billy sits on

the ground a few feet away from her and looks.

BILLY

Move your leg a little. Like this.

PEACH

You want to go back? You wanna do it?

BILLY

There's my bus. I got to go. C'mon

get up.

He grabs his bag from under her.

BILLY

Good bye.

PEACH

Do you love me?

BILLY

You are loved.

BILLY'S V.O.

You are loved. You are love. You are

love. You're loved. You're lone.

You're alone.

INT. MOTEL - DAY - CONT.

Bea shows her 5C which is done in mid-sixties tack. Peach

checks out the room's curious nick-nacks and books,

travel posters and photos of exotic places, cactus, light

shining through a tree.

BEA

Air conditioner is over. Don't worry,

it cools off in the evening, lots of

stars. I'm getting into the hot tub.

Join me if you like.

PEACH

I hate water.

BEA

Oh, it's so good for you, all the

minerals. Honey, you need it. It'll

calm you down.

PEACH

Don't like to sit in water deeper than

my pelvic bone. Certainly not with

minerals.

BEA

Well, if you change your mind...

EXT. MOTEL COURTYARD - EVENING

Peach arrives with her purse on one shoulder, the camera

on the other, a bag of potato chips and beer in her

hands. Bea is in the hot tub.

PEACH

How long do you stay in there anyway?

BEA

Minutes turn into hours, but it's

deceptive. All we have is Now.

Bea digs her hand into the earth beside the tub and pulls

up a PURPLE CRYSTAL, a big raw rock. She shakes the dirt

off, then closes her eyes and moves it in front of her

face like a blow dryer that gives off wonderful heat.

Peach hurries to get the camera out, snaps a photo.

BEA

These give energy. They're from the

earth, but not of the earth.

Peach takes another picture.

BEA

Oh no honey. Those steal your soul.

PEACH

Steal your soul? A camera?

BEA

That's what the Mayans say.

PEACH

Really?

BEA

(sighs deeply, smiles)

Your boyfriend, he's a writer?

PEACH

Used to be an photographer, but he's

written a book.

BEA

Really? What's it called?

PEACH

(hesitates)

He's still thinking about it.

Peach snaps another photo.

EXT. MOTEL

She goes to the pay phone and pours in coins.

PEACH

In Manhattan, the number for Leon

Meckler. M - E - C, yeah that's it.

She hangs up and dials again.

PEACH (cont'd)

Is Leon there?

VOICE

This is Leon.

PEACH

Hi, this is Peach Harris. Will you

have Billy call me when he gets there?

I need to ask him a question.

VOICE

Billy who?

PEACH

Billy Fire.

VOICE

Is that what he's calling himself now?

Peach doesn't know what to say.

VOICE

No, I don't expect him here, he owes

me money. Try Cynthia's in L.A.

PEACH

Cynthia's? (pause) You don't happen to

know the name of the book he wrote, do

you?

VOICE

He told you he wrote a book? []

(laughs)

Honey, think about it.

FLASHBACK -- INT. APARTMENT IN HOLLYWOOD - DAY

Peach is in bed with Billy, tracing the tattoo on his

arm. The doorbell rings.

She opens the door to see Cynthia, 30, a beautiful woman

with dyed black hair and gorgeous blue eyes.

CYNTHIA

I need to talk to Billy.

They stare at each other.

PEACH

Who are you anyway?

CYNTHIA

Cynthia Fire.

Billy comes out of the bedroom.

BILLY

Hey, Cyn. Wow. Ummm...let's go

outside.

(to Peach)

I'll be right back, Baby. No problem.

Peach fumes as Cynthia and Billy exit.

EXT. MOTEL

Bea comes and hands her the car keys.

BEA

You left these in the ignition.

PEACH

(confused)

Thanks.

BEA

I hope you don't mind. It was

blocking my cactus, so I moved it.

PEACH

What?

BEA

Runs fine.

Peach takes a deep breath and starts toward her room. The

phone rings.

BEA (cont'd)

Oh, and I bought you a present. It's

on your bed.

PEACH

(to the dog or herself)

I'd better get it together.

BEA

There's your phone call, honey. It's

him.

The little poodle runs between Peach's feet.

BEA (cont'd)

Oh honey, I sure wish you'd take that

mineral bath.

Peach answers the phone.

PEACH

Yeah?

BILLY'S VOICE

Howdy.

PEACH

What are you, a cowboy?

BILLY'S VOICE

You wouldn't believe what happened to

me. There was a fucking bomb scare at

the airport and we couldn't leave so

I'm still...

PEACH

What the hell are you talking about?

BILLY'S VOICE

What do you mean?

(silence)

Hey honey, when you get back home,

we'll go to that restaurant you

were...

She hangs up, walks back to her room.

INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY/NIGHT

Peach sits there and, as we revolve around her, we see

that it has gotten DARK.

Wind rattles the open window in 5C and the door flies

open.

Peach goes to shut the door and see CHRISTMAS LIGHTS on

all the palm trees and around the mineral bath. She walks

outside.

EXT. MOTEL COURTYARD - NIGHT

Peach puts her foot in the water and slides in. As her

body sinks down into the mineral bath, she relaxes and

finally, lets go, surrendering to the water. And her own

buried memories.

MONTAGE

A little girl plays on her Grandma's farm.

GRANDMA

Pamela Jane - it's time to come in.

EXT. MOTEL COURTYARD - NIGHT

BEA

(soothing voice)

This is very special. Desert rain.

Bea smiles at Peach. She's been sitting in the hot tub

this entire time.

BEA (whispers)

I like you. So I will tell you a

secret: When the world ends, we will

rise to the stars. If you're in the

right place in perfect time, you can

come too.

PEACH

Yes, yes, take me, take me, wise

woman, please.

Peach suddenly looks confused, curious, shocked.

PEACH'S POV

Bea, smiling.

BEA'S POV OF PEACH

Peach stands up and dripping wet...

PEACH

(screams)

No one's going to save us.

Bea smiles as Peach looks down at her glowing body.

EXT. MOTEL COURTYARD - NIGHT

The desert sky is full of tiny lights.

INT. MOTEL ROOM

Peach dries off, puts on her dress, sticks her birth

control pills and tooth brush into her purse.

She leaves a two twenties on the dresser and then finds,

laid out neatly on her bed is a pair of new panties. Very

deliberately, Peach puts them on.

EXT. MOTEL COURTYARD - DAWN

Peach carries her bag, purse, and camera. She walks out

into the dust of the parking lot.

BEA

(yells after her)

God bless!

EXT. MOTEL PARKING LOT - DAWN

PEACH (VO)

Billy's red T-bird looks just perfect,

like she belongs at the Miracle Spa-

tel.

Peach tosses the car keys into the cactus and head

towards the bus stop.

PEACH (VO)

It's quiet in the desert. My

footsteps sound real cool, a sound I

never hear in Los Angeles, footsteps,

or if I do hear it, I don't notice.

FADE OUT.