Karma

By

Fay Yaxley

Fay Yaxley

4 Catalpa Way

Gorleston

NR31 8LD

Mobile: 07825 629289

INT.COLLEGE CANTEEN.DAY

In the busy canteen, CATHERINE is getting a coffee and then

spots MAYA hastily walks over to her and slows down and

deliberately bumps into her.

CATHERINE:

(quietly)

Cripple.

MAYA:

(to herself)

Ow.

CATHERINE then goes over to her small group of FRIENDS.

CATHERINE:

Just walked into Maya, didn’t get

the reaction I wanted.

FRIENDS:

Well, let’s go sit on the same

table as her to get something

better out of her.

CATHERINE and her FRIENDS slowly make their way

towards MAYA and they sit directly next to her, like they

are sitting on top of her.

CATHERINE:

So Maya, how is the cripple?

Cripple dad.

FRIENDS:

Yeah, how is the legless man?

MAYA ignores what they are saying.

CATHERINE:

Maya, don’t you know it is rude to

ignore us. Maya, answer this, how

is the cripple?

CATHERINE starts poking MAYA.

MAYA:

Stop it, leave me alone.

CATHERINE:

(laughs)

Aww, Maya we are just trying to

have fun with you. Why, don’t you

like it?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 2.

MAYA:

No, I don’t. Please leave me alone.

MAYA gets up from the table and walks away calmly. As she

does this CATHERINE grabs her bag and pulls it.

MAYA:

Let go.

CATHERINE:

Okay.

CATHERINE lets go and MAYA stumbles slightly and walks away,

fighting to not let a tear fall down her face as she walks

to her next lesson.

FADE OUT

INT. MAYA AND ANDREW’S HOUSE.EVENING

MAYA and her dad ANDREW are sitting opposite each other at

their dining table eating dinner.

ANDREW:

How was college Maya?

MAYA:

Not too bad I guess, other than the

hassle from Catherine again.She

won’t leave me alone I dread seeing

her in the corridor. Just because

you’re in a wheelchair but she

doesn’t understand you and what you

have done how brave you were in the

war when you tried to detonate that

mine and had your leg blown off.

ANDREW:

Don’t worry sweetie, we’ll figure

it out somehow.

FADE OUT

EXT.COLLEGE STAIRS.DAY

MAYA is walking to her lesson and sees CATHERINE. MAYA walks

over to CATHERINE because she has decided to talk to her.

MAYA:

Catherine, can we talk?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 3.

CATHERINE:

Why, Little Miss Cripple?

MAYA:

Why do you pick on me? You always

pick on me. What have I ever done

to you? Please, I want to sort this

out.

MAYA slowly walks over to CATHERINE with a slightly angry

look in her face.

MAYA:

I have done nothing but take your

shit about my dad. What has he ever

done to deserve getting called

cripple, huh?

MAYA takes a step towards CATHERINE. She backs away being

wary of the stairs behind.

MAYA:

My dad is so brave you wouldn’t

understand. My life is so hard you

DO NOT understand how tough it is

to deal with your horseshit

everyday and then going home to

care for my dad.The blood, sweat

and tears I put into looking after

him after day of putting up with

you and your fucking friends.

CATHERINE:

Maya your scaring me, please stop.

MAYA:

Please come here I want to talk to

you properly, please listen.

MAYA holds CATHERINE’S wrist to keep her close her but

CATHERINE struggles and slips down the stairs and she falls.

CATHERINE:

(shocked)

Shit.

CATHERINE tumbles down the set of stairs and ends up in a

bloodied mess at the bottom. MAYA doesn’t move;she

stands quietly looking down. CATHERINE is screaming in

pain.

FADES OUT

4.

INT.HOSPITAL ROOM.MIDDAY

CATHERINE is a little dazed, laying in a hospital bed with

her dad JOHN beside her waiting for news on the injuries

that she has.

CATHERINE:

Dad, can you go see the

doctor? They are taking forever.

JOHN:

Okay then, I will.

As JOHN gets up to go and find help, the doctor walks in

holding a clipboard with the result of CATHERINE’S scans.

CATHERINE:

What is going to happen to me? I’m

scared, but not knowing how bad it

is makes it worse.

DOCTOR:

Well, I do have to inform you that

I have some bad news. We’re not

absolutely sure yet but there may

be a chance that we will have to

amputate your leg.

CATHERINE lets out a small scared laugh.

CATHERINE:

(shocked)

What??

DOCTOR:

We are going to see if there is

anyway we can let the leg heal

naturally but due to how bad your

accident was you may have to lose

your leg.

CATHERINE:

No, this c-can’t happen ple-e-ease.

DOCTOR:

I’m sorry if this news has upset

you but we will make sure your

recovery is as painless as

possible.

CUT TO

5.

INT. MAYA AND ANDREW’S HOUSE.MIDDAY

Meanwhile MAYA and ANDREW are at home. MAYA is talking with

the POLICE about what happened at college. MAYA is shaking

with fear about what she might be accused of as she didn’t

mean to push CATHERINE and for the accident to happen.

POLICE:

Could you please explain what

happened?

MAYA:

W-well, what happened was that I

tried to talk to her nicely and she

had replied with ’Why, Little Miss

Cripple’ and it upset me that she

called me that because of my

dad. Then I asked why she had

said that and my dad doesn’t

deserve being called that and I was

desperate to stop her saying that.

She started backing away from me so

I grabbed her wrist to stop her

moving away. Then she was

struggling to get away and her foot

slipped off the steps and I

couldn’t grab her in time. She

ended up in a heap at the bottom of

the stairs.

POLICE:

Well, this incident sounds serious.

We need you to be completely

honest, does Catherine often harass

you, like calling your dad a

’cripple’? Has that happened

before?

MAYA nervously shakes her head.

MAYA:

Y-No, she doesn’t.

POLICE:

You don’t sound too sure.

MAYA:

Nope, I’m sure she doesn’t.

ANDREW:

Sorry to interrupt, I don’t want to

leave you Maya while this is going

on but I have got to go to the

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 6.

ANDREW: (cont’d)hospital for my Physio. I will be

back in a bit.

ANDREW leaves MAYA with the POLICE to finish talking.

CUT TO

INT.HOSPITAL CORRIDOR.MIDDAY

About half an hour has passed and ANDREW is at the hospital

and he heads toward the physio department.

He goes through a set of automatic double doors and sees

CATHERINE in a bed and JOHN sitting beside her in a private

ward room. ANDREW wheels over to the room they are in.

FADEOUT

INT.HOSPITAL ROOM.DAY

It has been days since CATHERINE’S accident and she has been

staying at the hospital under supervision. JOHN her dad has

stayed with CATHERINE during her stay. The DOCTOR comes into

her hospital room.

DOCTOR:

Hello Catherine, how are you

feeling this morning?

CATHERINE:

A bit better.

DOCTOR:

We have good news for you.

CATHERINE:

Great, what is it?

DOCTOR:

We are pleased to say we don’t have

to operate on your leg. However,the

break is quite serious so you will

be in a wheelchair while the break

mends.

JOHN:

That is really good news.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 7.

CATHERINE:

How long roughly would I be in this

wheel chair?

DOCTOR:

I would give it up to 6 months for

a full recovery. During this time

period you will also have to come

back for physiotherapy to help you

to start walking again.

CATHERINE:

Thank you very much.

DOCTOR:

We can now discharge you and you

can leave.

CATHERINE:

That is really good because I have

got to go somewhere quickly.

The DOCTOR gets the papers to discharge CATHERINE. Once she

has signed the paper she and JOHN head out.

CUT TO

INT. MAYA AND ANDREW’S HOUSE.DAY

MAYA comes through the front door throwing her bags down in

the porch way.

MAYA:

Dad I’m home.

ANDREW:

Hello Maya.

MAYA walks in the doorway to the living room and suddenly

stops.

MAYA:

(puzzled/anxious)

What is she doing here?

ANDREW:

Maya, I invited Catherine over.

MAYA:

Why dad?

CATHERINE then wheels over from the dining table towards

MAYA and hugs her.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 8.

CATHERINE:

Maya, I’m so sorry for how horrible

and mean I was to you.

ANDREW:

I saw Catherine the other day as I

was going to physio and I wanted to

introduce myself to show who I am.

I wanted to help sort this

situation out between you both.

CATHERINE:

Your dad explained why he uses

the wheelchair and how he bravely

fought for this country. I’m so

sorry that I picked on you about

it. I have just been having issues

at home which then made me take my

anger out on you to make myself

feel better. I really shouldn’t

have been hurting you so much and

been so horrible to you.

MAYA starts well up with tears.

MAYA:

I’m sorry that I have done this to

you. I really didn’t mean to put

you in a wheelchair.

CATHERINE:

Weirdly, I’m happy that you lost

your temper with me and gave me a

serious wake up call. Maya can I

please get to know you better? I

would like to become friends with

you.

MAYA nods. They both continue to hug each other.

ANDREW:

Catherine will be staying for

dinner tonight. Is that okay Maya?

MAYA:

Yes that is o.k.

FADES OUT

9.

EXT.TOWN.AFTERNOON

A couple of months had passed and we see MAYA wheeling

CATHERINE in and out of the shops. They are both are

laughing and getting along with one another.

FADEOUT