Suffer For Us - Developing Script

Unfinalized Chapter 2

EXT. Early Noon at a street where small businesses and building apartments are found. 

There's a car that stops in front of a bakery located in a four story building. Robin steps out of a car with his bag. 

Robin enters the bakery, the bell dings. 

The man behind the counter looked up. The man face lights up when he sees him. 

Jim Bliese: Bro!

They hug. 

Jim: God, you smell. 

Robin: Thanks!  I just want to come home soon so I didn't have time to take a bath. 

Jim: How was the tour? 

Robin: Well, work's work. Aren't you gonna give me  the today's special. 

Jim: Sure, I'll give you some of yesterday's bread. 

Robin: Ugh...

Jim: I'll microwave it!

[Jim's wife enters from the kitchen as she removes her baking gloves. She's wearing a hair net]

Sally: I thought I heard someone! Hi Robin! Welcome home!

Robin: Hi Sally! (was about to hug her but stop seeing she's in an apron covered in flour). 

The two  mime hugging each other with their arms. 

Sally: Me friends still can't stop talking about Lilly's concert since the last time she was here two weeks ago. After dinner, I wanna see some behind the scenes photos with Lilly. 

Robin: (lying) Oh there are lots of it. Well, I'll just go up to my room and start doing laundry. 

Cut to Robin climbing the stairs to their home. It's in the annex part of the building, the entrance is located in the side of the bakery. Jim and his family, his wife and kid, lives second floor. Meanwhile Robin climbs to the third floor. He unlocks the door to his empty apartment. His room is like of a typical musician/artist. He has a drum kit, saxophone, trumpet, and his piano. He has some paintings and photographs on the wall. Everything is small, small living room, kitchen, bedroom, etc. But it still looks like it can fit for a small family as well. But the apartment looks like he only lives alone. Other than a sole cowboy cactus located near his window. 

He lies down on his old sofa and look at his cactus by the huge glass window. 

Robin: I'm home, Prickleicious. 

Camera cuts to the cactus.

Prickleicious the Cactus: ....

The camera slowly pans across the wide window and we notice how the atmosphere turn from daylight to dusk. The camera pans all the way to the hallway and slowly creeps in to Robin's humble recording room. There are egg cartons on the walls. He records a lofi slow pop song with his piano 

I REMEMBER YOUR SMILE, YOUR LAUGH, AND THE WAY YOUR EYES SPARKLED BRIGHT. 

BUT NOW YOU'RE GONE, AND I'M LEFT WITH ONLY REGRET IN SIGHT.

I WONDER IF YOU EVER THINK OF ME, IF YOU REMEMBER OUR SHORT ROMANCE. 

OR IF I'M JUST A BLURRY MEMORY, A SMALL DETAIL OF YOUR PAST.

Robin yawns and rubs his eyes as he looked at his recording software. His stomach grumbles. The phone in his pocket vibrates and he looked at it. There is a text and it reads, "dinner time."

Cut to Robin eating dinner with Jim, Sally, and their seven year old daughter, Melissa, in the dining room of the second floor apartment. Lilly Lopez's singing in the background via a loudspeaker. 

Sally looks at Robin's phone, looking at behind-the-scenes photos taken by Robin. 

Sally: Oh so there's an inflatable underneath the floor every time she jumps in. When does she know it's safe for her to jump in?

Robin: When the light turns blue. There's a light underneath as well and she can see it. 

Melissa: Uncle Robin, can I visit you upstairs to listen to some of your songs?

Robin: We could do that here, sweetie. Right after you help me with the dishes. 

Jim: (at the fridge) Ah shoot, I thought we still have ice cream. 

Robin: I bet the corner store is still open. I could go out and buy outside. 

Melissa: I want the ones with marshmallow. 

Robin: Coming right up. 

Jim: I'll come with you. 

Cut to the brothers walking on the sidewalk. It's clear they have been talking since they left the apartment. 

"I don't know, man. It just feels like I've hit a wall with my music career. I don't want to tour around with singers that don't even write their own songs anymore. "

Jim leaned forward, placing his hands on the table. "Didn't you say you already wrote five songs?"

"Five and a half," Robin corrected him. "But that's not the point. I have been posting my music on social media but it's so slow."

Jim: Really, but you have been playing in small clubs and coffee shops. You have fans!"

A gaggle of noisy teenagers pass by them as they enter the convenience store. 

Robin: Not as many as Lilly's. Like I gotta hundred followers on Twitter but I think like only 20 people read my tweets. 

"Well, have you considered live streaming your performances?" Jim asked. "It's the future, man. People love watching live music online."

Robin shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "I've never done anything like that before."

"It's easy," Jim assured him. "All you need is a webcam and a microphone. You can set up a live stream on Facebook or YouTube, and people from all over the world can watch you perform."

"I don't know," Robin said again. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

"Come on," Jim said. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"I could embarrass myself," Robin said. "Or I could get no views at all."

"So what?" Jim said. "At least you'd be trying something new. And who knows, you might even find some new fans."

Robin thought about it for a moment. "You're right," he said. "I might as well give it a try."

"That's the spirit!" Jim said. "I'll help you set it up."