AMSTERDAM. TRAIN PLATFORM. 3:19 PM
There he was sitting on his travel bag at the end of the platform, pensive, defeated, alone, with his heart in tiny pieces, old.
JACK: (Sigh)
JACK looks at his watch, it shows 3:29 PM He's wondering why they're not calling to board the train. It's two minutes late and JACK thinks to himself that maybe he shouldn't go. He's never left Holland and at his age going alone was terrifying for him.
JACK enters inner monologue
JACK (V.O.): An adventure... what do I know about adventures? I spent my life reading books. I never went anywhere. I only traveled in my mind.
JACK looks at his watch again. Still 3:29 PM and he gets a little impatient
The speaker comes on calling people to board and JACK gets startled by the loudness dropping his boarding pass. He bends down to pick it up and he drops his hat and the glasses hanging from his vest pocket in a fumbling way. He picks those up and tries to get up holding on to his travel case but proceeds to trip over it knocking it sideways and him landing face down on top of it. JACK enters inner monologue
JACK (V.O): I'm too old for this. What if I get hurt? What am I thinking? Maybe I shouldn't go.
JACK continues to lay facing down on top of his travel case. He closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths. He opens his eyes and notices a tiny letter "A" embroidered within a flower on a corner of the travel case in the same color as the bag. Camouflaged. As if never to be noticed. JACK looks at it for a few seconds and sighs deeply. JACK enters inner monologue.
JACK (cont.): No! I MUST do this!
He picks himself up and his bag, dusts his hat and puts it on, and places his sunglasses back on his vest pocket.
JACK starts to walk towards the train door and notices one of his luggage’s wheels is squeaking. He thinks it must have happened when he knocked it over. He looks at it and notices it's bent.
JACK: Oh no...
He thinks for a second.
JACK (cont.): Oh well
JACK raises his head, looks at the train and takes a deep breath. Enters inner monologue.
JACK (V.O.): It's time... Here we go.
JACK continues to pull his travel case with the wheel squeaking all the way until the train door. Shows the boarding pass to the train attendant, greets him and proceeds to board the train.
FADES TO BLACK
CUT TO
MADRID. ATOCHA TRAIN STATION. 6:40 AM (next day)
JACK gets off of the train and onto the platform and drags his squeaky bag with him up to a bench where he sits to think for a second. Enters inner monologue.
JACK (V.O): That was something. Finally, Madrid. Now what?
JACK looks at his watch, gets back up and follows the crowd across to the other side of the station, while reading the station directory and the signs that point towards the exit and after a couple of wrong turns he finally makes it out to the street.
CUT TO
EXTERIOR. OUTSIDE OF TRAIN STATION.
He continues to pull his luggage around the corner then sees a breakfast diner/restaurant sign and decides to go inside.
JACK looks around and starts to walk towards the booth table near the window.
A waitress hears the squeaky wheel and looks up to notice the old man walking towards the corner table dragging his noisy bag.
JACK sits and takes of his hat then sees the waitress, a curvy voluptuous woman half his age, walk towards him.
ROSALINDA: Buenos días señor. Mi nombre es Rosalinda. Yo le serviré hoy. Desea ver el menú? ¿O tal vez un té o un café?
JACK can't help but notice how strong her "S" sound is when she speaks and is fascinated by her "Z" in the word "VEZ".
JACK: Rosalinda...
He says with a thick accent. He thinks briefly.
JACK (cont.): Beautiful Rose.
He smiles in a friendly manner then looks down as he realized he'd said something awkward. ROSALINDA smiles too. He then attempts to ask for the menu in Spanish but fumbles through his broken words.
JACK: Yo... querer... café... Tu... recomendar...
JACK struggles to find the Spanish word for "breakfast".
JACK (cont.): Breakfast por favor.
ROSALINDA smiles some more watching the old foreign man struggle as she waits for her turn to reply.
ROSALINDA: Yes sir. I will be right back with your coffee.
Says ROSALINDA with a beautiful, thick, Spanish accent, but fluently.
They both smile as JACK acknowledges that she speaks english and he's embarrassed by his Spanish sentence fail.
ROSALINDA (cont.): Le recomiendo los Huevos Rotos. Son patatas fritas y dos huevos fritos encima.
JACK pretends to have understood what she said and hands her back the menu.
JACK: That sounds delicious, yes.
ROSALINDA: Welcome to Madrid sir, I'll be right back with your order.
JACK: Gracias.
She goes away to get the coffee and she looks back at him and sees him look at his watch a few times. After pouring his cup, she heads back to the table.
ROSALINDA: Aquí está su café. Ya regreso con su orden.
ROSALINDA slows down her Spanish as if to test his understanding of it then walks away.
CUT TO
INTERIOR. DINER.
ROSALINDA approaches JACK's table.
ROSALINDA: Estaba todo a su gusto señor?
JACK: Rosalinda, that was delicious. It may kill me later but it was really good.
They both laugh a little.
ROSALINDA: Traveling alone?
She decides to ask him before walking away with the now empty dishes, showing some concern.
JACK: Yes I am.
ROSALINDA: Aren't you a little old for that?
JACK: Too old. I have no clue what I'm doing.
They both laugh a little, again.
JACK: At what time do you close?
JACK does not give up trying to speak Spanish.
JACK: Me gustaría...
Ok JACK gives up when he realizes he doesn't know how to say what he wants to say in Spanish and changes to English.
JACK: I would like to stay here for a while, maybe all day. If it gets too busy I will leave. I will be ordering throughout the day. I just want to read and think for a bit. Is this ok?
ROSALINDA looks at him in the eyes for a few seconds trying to gauge if she can trust him. Then changes to a friendlier, more informal tone.
ROSALINDA: Está bien tío. Pero no vayas a hacer nada raro.
She says slowly to make sure he understands.
JACK understands that sentence as he gets more comfortable with her flow of words. He laughs a little bit.
JACK: Hahaha, está bien, gracias.
She acknowledges that he understands more Spanish than he speaks.
JACK: I'm just going to read, think and eat. I promise.
ROSALINDA: Está bien. Let me know when you need something.
As she walks away JACK opens the zipper of his bag just a bit and takes out 1 of the 5 beat up books that he decided to bring on this trip. He opens it and begins to read.
PANS OUT. FADES TO BLACK
CUT TO
INTERIOR. BREAKFAST DINER 1:45 PM
ROSALINDA walks by JACK's table and does a double take as she notices the cover of the book. JACK stops her to order something.
JACK: Oh, hi Rosalinda. I'd like to order again please.
ROSALINDA: Sí señor.
JACK: Please, call me Jack.
ROSALINDA: Si, señor Jack.
Says ROSALINDA, making a bit of fun but also to let him know that she respects him as an elder.
JACK takes another go at Spanish.
JACK: Yo... aventura... hoy. Carne... y... vino. Tu... recomendar... por favor.
JACK laughs at the end of his sentence and proceeds to make fun of himself.
JACK(cont.): That was terrible.
ROSALINDA: I understood perfectly señor Jack.
She says laughing with him a little bit but encouraging at the same time. As if letting him know that he's safe with her.
ROSALINDA (contd): Vienes de fiesta, negocios, relax?
JACK: I'm just scared shitless at the thought of what I'm doing.
ROSALINDA: Oh, ok, I know just what to get you. Ya regreso con tu orden señor Jack.
Again, comforting him with a friendlier, more informal tone.
ROSALINDA comes back with a pint of sangria and some food and proceeds to serve him.
ROSALINDA: Aquí está. Esto sí que te va a gustar.
ROSALINDA can't help her curiosity and out of concern for the old man and dares to ask.
ROSALINDA: So, what brings you to Spain?
ROSALINDA and JACK both look at the book about the history of Toledo that he has been reading all morning.
JACK: I'm actually travelling to Patagonia in South America. I just want to visit some places on the way. And one of those places is Toledo. I want to visit Toledo.
He places his hand on the book. ROSALINDA looks again following his hand.
ROSALINDA: Wow... Patagonia... suena hermoso. Maybe I can visit one day.
An awkward but brief silence happens.
ROSALINDA: Yo soy de Toledo.
She finally says.
ROSALINDA (cont.): Yo mañana voy para allá. Quieres ir conmigo? Do you want a lift?
ROSALINDA feels compelled to help the old man.
JACK is super confused. Wide eyed and mouth open.
JACK: What?
ROSALINDA: To Toledo? Tomorrow? Quieres... ir... conmigo?
She repeats slowly.
JACK: No, I couldn't do that. I wouldn't want to bother you. It's too much. You don't even know me.
Says JACK nervously, struggling to comprehend why she would offer such kindness.
ROSALINDA: Qué dices tío? Pero si no es molestia. A ver, en que hotel está señor Jack?
JACK: I don't have a hotel yet.
He says, feeling embarrassed.
A brief silence. They both laugh.
ROSALINDA: There's one next door. It's pretty decent. Check yourself there. I'll pick you up at 9AM.
JACK smiles, completely enamored by the way she sounds and her absolute kindness towards him. He stares into her eyes to show her his immense gratitude.
JACK: Thank you... Rosalinda.
PANS OUT. FADES TO BLACK.
CUT TO
TOLEDO, SPAIN. CAR INTERIOR. 10:30 AM (next day)
ROSALINDA: Bienvenido a Toledo. Más tarde vamos a casa, que mi madre te quiere conocer. But first, the city.
ROSALINDA drives around the city to show him its beauty. They walk around the narrow alleyways lined with giant walls made of stone. They eat the delicious marzipan along the way. They visit the most famous sites like the Cathedral, la Juadaría and El Greco house and museum. JACK stops to read all the plaques, of course, and ROSALINDA simply follows him, admiring the old man for his bravery taking this trip alone.
JACK is in awe of the ancient feel of the city, built on the remnants of roman ruins, the tiled streets, the detail in its architecture and its art. It's a masterpiece, he thinks.
After a little while of soaking in the beauty of such an ancient city, JACK and ROSALINDA return to the car.
ROSALINDA: ¿Algún lugar en especial señor Jack?
JACK: A place where we can see the whole city.
ROSALINDA: I know just the place.
CUT TO
EXTERIOR. EL MIRADOR. 12:30 PM.
They arrive to a place where they can see the whole city as it lies on the side of a hill with the massive Catedral de Toledo sitting right at the top.
JACK: Wow. It's so beautiful.
JACK is overwhelmed with awe and gets teary-eyed.
JACK: Tell me about your city, Rosalinda.
ROSALINDA: Está bien, pero que tal si nos fumamos un porro, tío. Let's smoke a joint first. You know, to relax.
She says as she begins to feel as if in the presence of a friend.
JACK looks confused at first but then bursts into laughter.
JACK: I haven't done that since 1979. What the heck, let's do it.
ROSALINDA rolls a small joint, lights it, takes one toke and proceeds to hand the joint over to Jack. She begins to tell him about all sorts of historical facts and myths about the city.
ROSALINDA: Toledo goes back to 193 B.C. when it was conquered by the Romans. It's now a World Heritage Site. Mosques, Synagogues and Churches adorn the city with massive pieces of art.
JACK coughs interrupting the story unable to handle the smoke from the cannabis. They both burst into laughter.
JACK: cough cough cough hahahahaha.
ROSALINDA: hahahahahaha.
After a few moments JACK winds down from the laughter and takes a more serious and sincere tone.
JACK: Thank you. This means the world to me. I've just met you but I feel you are one true friend.
ROSALINDA: Es un placer señor Jack.
There is a pause of silence as if contemplating existence based on that random moment. JACK then interrupts with a smile.
JACK: Picture?
They take a selfie together with the city in the background to capture this formidable moment. They stare back out into the city, pause for a second in silence then JACK proceeds to speak.
JACK: She would have loved this you know? She would have loved you and your accent and your welcoming warmth.
ROSALINDA: Your wife?
JACK: Yes.
ROSALINDA: Is that why you are doing this?
JACK: Yes. She used to talk about Toledo and how Arabs, Jews and Christians lived here together for centuries before the inquisition. "The City Of The Three Cultures" she would say. How this used to be the capital. She wondered what it was like to walk on the medieval streets and to hear the Spanish. It's as if part of her was from here and she longed to come back.
ROSALINDA: She sounds like wonderful woman. I'm sorry I didn't meet her.
JACK: There are a few places that did that to her, and I would like to visit them. I hope all my visits and encounters are as wonderful as this one. Thank you, Rosalinda.
She nods with a tiny smile.
JACK's tears start to run down his cheek.
JACK gets up, walks to the car and takes his suitcase out. He opens it and takes out an urn.
ROSALINDA observes him from a distance.
He turns to face the city view and starts saying a few words speaking to the urn.
JACK: Hi Amelia. My love. Mi Vida. This is our first stop. Toledo. A part of you always lived here. You were right. It's so beautiful! The walls are immense. You would have loved it. You were right to love it. You would have loved Rosalinda and her Spanish ways. She reminds me of you. My love. A part of you will always live here.
JACK's face is filled with tears.
He opens the urn, takes some ashes and proceeds to throw them in the air against the city view. Then he hugs the urn and falls to his knees. And continues to cry of love and heartache over his beloved wife.
After a few moments of silence Rosalinda gets up and and walks towards him.
ROSALINDA: Lo siento mucho señor Jack.
She helps him up.
JACK wipes his tears, takes one last look at the city and takes a deep breath. He then puts Amelia away in his bag and gets in the car.
ROSALINDA also gets in the car and changes the tone a little bit.
ROSALINDA: Vamos que mi madre nos está esperando. Ella se prepara una paella como para chuparse los dedos. And she will kill us if we're late.
JACK: Hahaha. Vamos.
They drive away.
FADES TO BLACK
THE END OF PART 1
Thank you for reading 🙏❤️
@eclipsingbinary
