Karma

By

Fay Yaxley

Fay Yaxley

4 Catalpa Way

Gorleston

NR31 8LD

Mobile: 07825 629289

INT.COLLEGE CANTEEN.DAY

It is a busy break time in the college canteen and

CATHRINE is buying a coffee. She is 17, quite smartly

dressed for a student. She is looking around with a slightly

malicious expression on her face. Her eyes alight on MAYA,

and we see them narrow and a rather nasty smile appear on

CATHERINE’S face. MAYA is also 17, her clothing is more of

a cute casual style. She is looking down at her feet as she

walks then CATHERINE hastily walks over to MAYA. CATHERINE

deliberately bumps into MAYA.

CATHERINE:

Watch what you’re doing GOODIE TWO

SHOES.

MAYA:

Ow

CATHERINE’S coffee goes everywhere and her face looks very

annoyed. MAYA walks away quickly.

CATHERINE then goes over to her small group of FRIENDS.

CATHERINE:

Just walked into Maya, didn’t get

the reaction I wanted.

FRIENDS:

Well, lets go sit on the table she

is at 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:

Hey Maya, so how is the crippled

dad?

FRIENDS:

Yeah, how is the legless man?

MAYA tries to ignore them as CATHERINE starts to

continuously poke MAYA in the arm.

MAYA:

Stop it, leave me alone.

CATHERINE:

(laughs)

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 2.

CATHERINE: (cont’d)Aww, Maya we are just trying to

have a little fun with you. Why?

Don’t you like it?

MAYA:

No, I don’t. Please leave me alone.

Maya gets up and begins to walk away. As she does so,

CATHERINE grabs MAYA’S bag and doesn’t want to let go.

MAYA:

Let go.

CATHERINE:

(sarcastically)

Okay.

Then with a look with a look towards her friends, CATHERINE

releases it quickly. MAYA stumbles. CATHERINE laughs a

little with her FRIENDS. When she regains her balance, she

walks off, trying to appear calm, not letting the tear that

is in her eye fall down.

FADE OUT

INT. MAYA AND ANDREW’S HOUSE. EVENING

Around the wooden dining table, MAYA and her dad,

ANDREW,they are eating dinner. ANDREW, who is a 40 year old

amputee. Wearing a dog tag with his name army name inscribed

in it.

ANDREW:

How was college Maya?

MAYA is picking at her meal with her head in her left hand.

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,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.

Her dad puts his arm around her to comfort her.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 3.

ANDREW:

Don’t worry sweetie, we’ll figure

it out somehow.

FADE OUT

EXT.COLLEGE STAIRS. DAY

MAYA is walking down the stairs to head to her lesson and

then sees CATHERINE walking up the stairs. With a determined

look, MAYA decides to talk to CATHERINE.

MAYA:

Catherine, can we talk?

CATHERINE:

Why? I don’t talk to a daughter of

a 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 (CONT’):

I have done nothing but taken

the shit you say about my dad.

What has he ever done to deserve

getting called cripple, huh?

CATHERINE starts slowly backing away, being wary of the

stairs behind her.

MAYA:

My dad is so brave you wouldn’t

understand. The blood, sweat and

tears I put into looking after him

day after day and having to put up

with you and your fucking friends.

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.

CATHERINE:

Maya your scaring me, please stop.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 4.

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 breaks free from MAYA’S grip.

CATHERINE:

(shocked)

Shit.

Then her foot slips and she falls down the stairs and ends

up in a bloodied heap at the bottom, screaming in pain. MAYA

tries to grab CATHERINE but can’t catch her in time and just

stares in horror but because she remains fixed to the spot

she appears emotionless.

FADE OUTS

INT.HOSPITAL ROOM. MIDDAY

CATHERINE, slightly dazed, is laying in a hospital bed in a

small, private ward. Her dad ,JOHN, is sitting beside her

bed holding her hand.

CATHERINE:

Dad, can you please go see where

the doctor is? They are taking

forever.

JOHN:

Okay then, I will sweetie.

JOHN kisses CATHERINE on the forehead and the just as JOHN

gets up the DOCTOR walks in with his clipboard with

CATHERINE’S scan results.

CATHERINE:

What is going to happen to me? I’m

scared, but not knowing how bad it

is makes it worse.

The DOCTOR shakes his head in disappointment, he looks at

his report and flicks through a couple of pages of the

information about her scan.

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.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 5.

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

INT. MAYA AND ANDREW’S HOUSE. MIDDAY

Meanwhile, MAYA is with two POLICE OFFICERS sitting

on opposites ends of the curved corner sofa. ANDREW is next

to her in his wheelchair. He puts his hand on her shoulder.

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? I don’t talk

to a daughter of a cripple’ and it

upset me that she called me that

because of my dad. Then I asked why

she had said that. My dad doesn’t

deserve being called that. 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 she then

broke free. But her foot slipped

off the steps and I couldn’t grab

her in time. Before she fell and

ended up in a heap at the bottom of

the stairs.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 6.

MAYA then tears up slightly. The POLICE look concerned and

ANDREW comforts MAYA,rubbing her back.

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 looks quite worried. He starts to get ready to go out

getting his coat on very slowly. He keeps looking down at

his watch and a letter headed from the Physiotherapy

Department with the date and a time of his appointment. He

looks up at MAYA, back to the letter and then back up to

MAYA and the POLICE.

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

hospital for my Physio. I will be

back in a bit.

He rocks in his chair slightly but then heads over to the

porch way and leaves.

MAYA is on her own left to finish talking with the POLICE.

CUT TO

INT.HOSPITAL CORRIDOR. MIDDAY

About half an hour has passed and ANDREW wheels himself

through the electric double doors to the physio department

of the hospital. As he goes to the Reception area he spots

CATHERINE and her dad JOHN sitting patiently in the private

room and he wheels himself over to the room.

FADE OUT

7.

INT.HOSPITAL ROOM. DAY

CATHERINE is still in her hospital bed with a NURSE checking

her charts at the end of the bed. On the locker next to

CATHERINE’S bed are some flowers that have slightly wilted

and a pile of books and magazines. Her dad, JOHN,

has stubble growth and dark shadows under his eyes. There

is a crumpled newspaper on the arm of the chair.

The DOCTOR they saw before knocks on the door of CATHERINE’S

room with a smile on his face and his clipboard in his hand.

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.

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.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 8.

CATHERINE:

That is really good because I have

got to go somewhere quickly.

The DOCTOR then gives her the discharge papers and a pen for

her to sign; then the NURSE brings her a wheel chair in and

puts it next to the bed so that they can leave.

CUT TO

INT. MAYA AND ANDREW’S HOUSE. DAY

MAYA comes in lugging shopping bags and places them down in

the porch way.

MAYA:

Dad I’m home.

ANDREW:

Hello Maya.

Then she walks through the door to the living room and stops

suddenly.

MAYA:

(puzzled/anxious)

What is she doing here?

ANDREW:

Maya, I invited Catherine over.

MAYA:

Why dad?

CATHERINE wheels herself over to MAYA and hugs her

tightly. CATHERINE gives a teary eyed, puppy dog face as

she looks towards MAYA.

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

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 9.

CATHERINE: (cont’d)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 wells up with tears and hugs CATHERINE back.

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 wells up with tears and hugs CATHERINE back.

ANDREW, still sitting at the table makes some hand gestures

of eating off a plate to MAYA and points at CATHERINE; MAYA

nods.

FADE OUT

EXT.TOWN. AFTERNOON

A few months have passed and we see MAYA pushing CATHERINE

in and out of the shops, having a good time, laughing and

chatting as they build their friendship up and become

stronger together.

FADE OUT