Substitute Wife

SCENE OPENS on a close-up of unseen hands finishing putting a dress on a woman (Chanel Preston) on a bed, zipping it up and smoothing out the wrinkles. The hands clasp a bracelet to her wrist before applying lipstick tenderly to her lips. The woman never moves. We don't see her eyes. We cut to a POV shot from the bed, looking up at the man (Tommy Pistol) who is preparing the woman. He has his arms crossed over his chest and looks down at her, appraising his work. He thinks for a moment. Deciding something, he exits offscreen for a beat. He returns with high heel shoes. We cut away to a close up of him slipping the shoes onto her feet and cut back to the POV shot from the bed. He reappraises his work after the update. He seems pleased and smiles. 'I hope you can hear me, honey.' the man says sweetly as he sits down on the bed next to her and takes her hand in his. After a beat of silence, he says 'No, I KNOW you can hear me. I just wanted to say...I realize that...that things haven't been...all that great between us ever since your...accident and I...I could tell you a THOUSAND times how sorry I am, but I know it wouldn't change what happened. All we can do is move...forward. And I want SO badly to do that. I'm committed to making this work, I'm committed to being...BETTER, committed to... getting us through this.' After another moment of silence, as he gazes at the woman in bed his eyes mist up with emotion. He reaches out and brushes her hair a bit back out of her face. 'I understand...that this...that this hasn't be an easy...TRANSITION for you and I..I WISH things could be different, but if this is the only way we can be together, to me it's better than nothing,' he continues. A moment of strained silence follows. 'But let's not focus on negativity, let's concentrate on tonight. I'm going to make this such a special night for you honey. You deserve it,' he says, smiling. 'I love you...so much,' he adds sincerely. The doorbell rings. He gets up to leave the room. 'That must be her,' he says with an expectant smile. CUT TO TITLE He opens the front door to find Amanda (Gianna Dior) standing there, a tight dress clinging to her body as she twirls a small clutch on her fingers. Hi there, she says enticingly. Oh uh, hello, the man says nervously, smiling politely at his guest. Please...please, come in, he says, gesturing her inside. She walks in confidently and he closes the door behind her. 'You look very beautiful tonight. Thank you for...wearing the dress I requested,' he says. She does a little twirl. No problem, it's his night after all, plus...the dress is definitely her color anyway, she laughs. There is a moment of awkward silence. She glances around the house. Nice place, she says, trying to fill the silence. Oh thank you, he says nervously. Does he live in this big house ALL ALONE?, she asks playfully. Not...exactly, he responds, fidgeting anxiously. Amanda sees his obvious jitters. 'Oh baby, you don't need to be nervous, we're both consenting adults, relax! I'll take good care of you,' Amanda says soothingly, tracing her hand along his arm. He apologizes for being nervous, it's just been... a long time and he wants everything to be...perfect. She completely understands, Amanda says agreeably. He asks her if it's ok if he calls her Bonnie. He can call her whatever he wants, baby, Amanda says. 'And what's your name sweetie?' she asks him. Ron, he says shyly, clearing his throat. So...why don't they...go to the bedroom?, he asks. She thought he'd never ask, Amanda says flirtatiously. He leads her to the bedroom. When they get to the bedroom door, he pauses. Now, before they go into the bedroom, he needs to prepare her, he says. His wife is...in there, he continues. Oh, baby, she didn't know it was going to be a threesome, Amanda says. 'No, no, she's not...exactly...it will...maybe it's easier if I just show you,' he says, opening the door slowly. As the door creaks open, the form of an inert woman lying on the bed is revealed. It is the woman that the man was dressing earlier. Seeing this, Amanda becomes instantly wary. Um she's not sure exactly what's going on here...but she should probably go, Amanda says, moving away from the room. 'No no please...wait, it's not what you think. She's perfectly fine. Well, not fine exactly. She's...in a coma,' Ron says sadly. Oh, Amanda says softly. 'I'm...I'm sorry,' she says. 'I am too,' he says, looking in at his wife longingly. 'It's been a while since her...accident, but I'm still not used to...not REALLY having her around...to not having that...intimacy with her,' he continues. Amanda's worry has been replaced with pity for this lonely man and she looks at him sympathetically. 'I want SO BADLY to be close to her again. That's why I called you here tonight, so you could...HELP us be close again, so you could---just for tonight---BE my Bonnie,' he continues. Amanda thinks for a moment. Oh sweetie, he could have just said that over the phone, he really freaked her out there for a second, yeah...OF COURSE she can do that for him, Amanda says kindly. He smiles with relief. Thank you, he says softly. 'That means so much to me...to...US', he says, gesturing towards Bonnie. Amanda smiles back at him. So...why doesn't she come in?, he asks, waving her into the bedroom. His side of the bed is waiting for them..., he adds. This stops Amanda in her tracks. Her smile vanishes, her wariness returning. 'Wait, you want me to...right next to her...?' Amanda asks in disbelief. Yes, it will help him to feel closer to Bonnie by actually BEING close to her, he explains. Oh..um..wow, Amanda says quietly, shocked. She understands, but...her services don't usually include this sort of...thing, she tells Ron. Maybe it's best if he calls someone else, Amanda says delicately, again moving to leave. He puts his hand lightly on her arm to try to stop her. 'PLEASE, please...don't go, I just...I miss her SO much. Will you please...will you...pretend to be...my wife?' he asks pleadingly. Amanda looks back at the man, glancing over his shoulder at his comatose wife. She is clearly weighing her options, considering his request. He looks at her expectantly. Finally, she takes a deep breath. Ok, she'll do it, Amanda says. Relief washes over the man again. Thank you, he says quietly. He moves towards the bed, smiles down at his wife and kisses her softly on the forehead. Amanda looks on uncomfortably. He crosses over to his empty side of the bed and sits down. Please, please, he says, motioning her to sit next to him. He smiles encouragingly. Amanda, still a little uncomfortable, hesitates for a second, but her professionalism quickly takes over and she assumes her role, sitting next to Ron as Bonnie lies on her side behind them. Amanda shoots a quick, cautious glance over her shoulder at Bonnie before devoting her attention fully to the man, laying her hand on his leg and smiling seductively at him. He smiles back, brushing a hair from his face. 'You look so beautiful, honey. I've...I've missed you so much,' he says to Amanda. 'I missed you too, Ron,' Amanda says, moving in to kiss him. Their kiss quickly becomes passionate as she moves her hand towards his groin, caressing his package over his pants. As he kisses her neck, Amanda can't help but glance over his shoulder at Bonnie. Bonnie still lies on her back looking straight up with her eyes closed, but it's as if Amanda can feel her watching her.