Episode 4
FADE IN
Jolene’s best friend is Mona. Mona lives a few miles from DP and Jolene in an upscale neighborhood of actual stucco-covered cement-block houses, many of which exceed $20,000 in market value.
The two women have known each other since high school.
Jolene and Mona were high school pals
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So far, they have shared many things in their lives as well as several boyfriends. This includes DP and his best buddy Radish. Each of the men believes he was the first to have “done it” with one of the girls at their senior prom behind the shop class garage. Both men are wrong.
After her home, Mona is particularly proud of her car. Mona is the sixth member of her family whose name has been on the pink slip and she often brags that it still gets nearly 50 miles per gallon. She fails to mention its oil consumption which is well known to anyone in town who has ever driven behind her. She does not drive the car in winter.
The ’49 Crosley station wagon has been in her family since it was new.
Mona's car at home
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What Mona does not know is that Jolene suspects that DP still has feelings for Mona that began long ago at that high school dance. As Jolene’s doubts increase about the two of them, she has lately been sharing her opinions with a few of her other friends at the Speedway station where she can still get leaded gas for the Crosley. She also has been talking about DP at the TipTop Tavern, where she cashes her checks from the Speedi-Mart and from the school bus fumigation garage.
Jolene is wrong about Mona and DP. It is actually Radish that Mona cares for. Since Radish has shared these intimacies in great detail with DP, DP has not guessed that he himself might be under a cloud of mistrust. He assumes that Jolene’s growing coldness towards him is rooted in their recent arguments over the electricity available for Jumbo.
Radish’s house is not on any street regularly traveled by Jolene. If it were, she might be surprised to see how often the Crosley is there.
Mona's car at Radish's house
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As we join the scene, DP is once again trying to hitch a ride into town. He is on his last pouch of Red Man and has just eaten the last of the Slim Jim’s He hopes that he can sweet talk Jolene into letting him replenish both from the Speedi-Mart shelves without adding to their tab. She has done this in the past when the manager is “busy” in the office with the accountant but given her annoyance with him, DP is not confident this time.
MUSIC UP
