Easy Does It

Episode 2

History's Mysteries

by

Michael Beninate

INT.  STUDIO.  DAY.

Bentley Internet Designs has just recently moved into its new Warehouse District location.  The building is still undergoing renovations.  Roxy and Diana are alone in the studio.  Diana is sitting at her desk moving her head from side to side in front of her computer looking confused.

ROXY
(to Diana)
			What are you doing?

DIANA
I'm still not used to the light 
in this building.  I'm trying to 
find the right position that has 
the least amount of glare on my 
monitor.

Roxy gets up and closes the shades on the window.

ROXY
I was thinking about moving the 
sun but that was the best I could 
do in a pinch.

DIANA
You know I can't see.  I can't 
believe how big these windows are.

ROXY
This is a fantastic old building.
It makes you wonder what took 
place here over all the years.

Loud banging sounds are heard overhead.

(continued)
The contractors are getting an 
early start today.

DIANA
Well I hope they get an early 
finish.  You would think that 
even construction workers wouldn't 
get horny until at least lunch 
time.  I could feel them watching 
me go up the stairs.

ROXY
I could feel them and hear them.
One of them said "brown sugar"
in that libidinous way as I was 
coming up.

DIANA
Did you tell them anything?

ROXY
No.  I just ignored them.

DIANA
How long do you think they're 
going to be here?
	
ROXY
It will probably take at 
least a month.

Rustan enters the studio.

RUSTAN
Morning ladies.

ROXY & DIANA
Good morning.

More banging sounds.

RUSTAN
I see they've started early today.
I can't wait till this job is done.
We're going to have so much space 
up there.

DIANA
Rustan, are you sure about these 
guys?  Did you get a reference
before you hired these people?

RUSTAN
Hank Melancon recommended them.
He did say they weren't the nicest,
or the most punctual, or the cleanest 
people in the world, but he did say 
they do excellent work.  And I've 
seen the job they did for him.  
Quite impressive.

ROXY
Well, you might want to have 
a talk with them.  They've been 
disrespectful to Diana and me.

RUSTAN
Disrespectful?  How?  What have 
they been doing?

DIANA
Oh, you know, leering looks.

ROXY
And rude comments.

RUSTAN
Hmm.  I'll talk to them.  But 
I really don't want to do anything 
to piss them off.  You know how 
hard it is to find good contractors.
They’re showing up and doing good
work so far.  If ya'll can just 
ignore them for the time being
I'd really appreciate it.  Let me 
know if it gets any worse.

Diana and Roxy look at each other, shrug and accept the situation.

CUT TO: 

Evan and Denison are on the incompleted third floor investigating the building.

EVAN
This is a great old building.
Just the smell of it.  They sure 
don't build things like this 
anymore.
 
DENISON
(sarcastically)
What you mean?  There's a row of 
new houses in the 'burbs built 
just like this.

EVAN
Uh huh.  Look at the floor!
These beams are twelve inches 
wide and probably four inches 
thick.

DENISON
And they were wise enough to use 
cypress.  Termites won't eat it.

EVAN
Good thing in this city.

Denison is bending over in a corner of the room.

DENISON
Evan, come over here.  Grab hold 
of the other end of this board.

They both lift the end of a large hinged board from the floor revealing a small crawl space.

EVAN
Well, I'll be damned.

DENISON
What is it?

EVAN
There're books in here.

CUT TO:

Rustan goes downstairs to confront the workers.

RUSTAN
Hey guys.  Guys, guys!

The men stop working and half-heartedly listen to Rustan.

(continued)
Look, guys.  I'm asking you right 
now to be more respectful of the 
women who work here.  They and I 
do not appreciate unwanted comments 
or looks or anything else.  You're 
doing a great job.  Let's keep it 
that way.  OK?

FOREMAN
(insincerely)
Whatever you say, boss.

Rustan goes back upstairs.  Once out of view, the foreman starts exaggeratedly swishing his hips in mockery.

FOREMAN
(with a lisp)
Let's keep it that way.

WORKER 1
What a fag.

WORKER 2
(grabbing his crotch)
He hasn't had any of this lately.

They all laugh.

CUT TO: 

Denison and Evan examining the books on the third floor.

EVAN
Would you take a look at this?
These are old records from the 
business that was once operated 
here.

DENISON
What can you make out of it?

EVAN
Look here.  It says 250 bales of 
cotton were loaded onto a steamship
headed for St. Louis on September 
30th, 1852 by four slaves from the
Duvalliere Plantation.

DENISON
(looking over the documents)
Let me see.

Pause. 

Oh my God.  It sold for twenty 
cents a bale.  Pure profit.

EVAN
Look at the penmanship.  This 
was written with quill and ink.
Rustan is going to freak when 
he sees this.

Denison stands lonesome gazing out of the upper window.

CUT TO: 

Rustan's desk.

EVAN
(showing Rustan the books)
Rustan.  You are not going to
believe this.  There are books 
up there.  Historical books; 
a whole record of what took place
here a hundred and fifty years 
ago.  This was a cotton storehouse.
And here are some of the records 
that were kept.  These are 
authentic.

RUSTAN
Are you kidding?  You found these 
up there?

EVAN
Yes, we found them up there!
These are actual logbooks from 
the 1850's.

ROXY
Let me see.
 
She carefully observes, hesitates.

(continued)
He's right.  This is the real 
thing.  There are passages written 
in French.

RUSTAN
Oh my goodness.

DIANA
Let me see.  Let me see.  Granny 
still speaks French.  I can't 
read any of it.  I could understand 
it if I heard it.  Ya'll got to
let me show this to Granny!

ROXY
Oh, yeah.  Let's rush them off
to her right now.  I'm sure we'll 
get an expert translation from 
a woman who wrings chickens' necks 
in her backyard.

DIANA
She doesn't do that anymore.
My brother Andy still does that.
But Granny can still read this.

RUSTAN
This is fascinating.  Wow.  I 
knew this building would give 
us a sense of New Orleans
history but little did I think
we would be given an original
written record of the goings on 
here.  The Historic New Orleans 
Collection will be interested 
in these.  I'm going to have 
to make an appointment with them.

DENISON
Rustan, would you wait on that 
a while?  I'd appreciate it if 
you'd let me study them first.
We might never get them back to 
ourselves.  I'd also like to 
show them to Professor LeMoyne
at the University.  He's a
master of New Orleans history.
I'd love to get his take on this.

RUSTAN
(considering)
OK.  We'll keep them here for 
a while.  But no one's taking 
them anywhere.  If anyone wants 
to see them, they'll have to 
come here.

CUT TO: 

Professor Marcel LeMoyne, a renowned historian of Creole descent from the University of New Orleans, visits Bentley Designs on acceptance of Denison's invitation to review the found books.

DENISON
(entering the studio with Dr. LeMoyne)
Everyone.  I'd like you to meet
Dr. Marcel LeMoyne from the 
University.  Dr. LeMoyne, this 
is Diana Guilbaut, Roxy Lafreniere,
and the brothers who run our 
operation here, Evan and Rustan 
Bentley.

RUSTAN
(shaking Dr. LeMoyne's hand)
Dr. LeMoyne, it is a special 
honor to meet you.  We certainly 
appreciate your taking the time
out of your busy schedule to 
come meet with us.

DR. LEMOYNE
It's my pleasure.  So nice to 
meet you all.
(to Diana)
Guilbaut.  Acadian family.

DIANA
That's right.

DR. LEMOYNE
(to Roxy)
Lafreniere.  Now there's a 
distinctive name.  You know,
you are probably descendant
of Pierre Lafreniere; the man 
who introduced modern, at that 
time, pharmacological techniques 
to the settlement in the early 
1800's.

ROXY
(humourously)
Probably.  Lord knows, my family 
does have a pharmaceutical history.

DR. LEMOYNE
Denison here tells me you've found 
logbooks from the 1850's in this 
building, although I shouldn't 
believe him.  I have trouble 
believing anything he says in 
my class.

DENISON
No, Professor.  This you can 
believe.  I've been studying 
them every night since we found 
them.  These are incredibly 
concise records.

RUSTAN
Please, Dr., come sit here and 
have a look.  They're quite 
extensive, so you just take all 
the time you need.  Can I get 
you some coffee?

DR. LEMOYNE
(putting on gloves)
Yes, thank you.  Now, you know,
you should not be handling these
documents without wearing gloves.
They're old as it is, but the 
oils from your hands will expedite 
their deterioration.  Keep them 
in a cool dry place.
(referring to Denison)
I thought some people would 
know this.

DENISON
There are some interesting details
about how the slaves were used
in the storehouse.  For instance,
here, it says how the plantation
was to provide for the labor but 
the warehouse was left with the responsibility of feeding them.
It even denotes their rations.
On this particular day, the slaves 
were given kidney beans with 
ham hocks.  I knew there was a 
reason I don't like those nasty 
things.

DR. LEMOYNE
Those men did fairly well on that 
day.  Usually slaves were just 
given leftover table scraps.

DENISON
There's more.  There's an entry 
there regarding a particularly 
slow moving man.  He didn't get 
any lunch and was punished with 
twice the normal work load.
It says, "Monsieur Duvalliere
will be duly notified."  He 
probably got more punishment
back at the plantation.

RUSTAN
I often wonder what percentage
of the success of the Old South
was built on the backs of 
indentured people.

DR. LEMOYNE
Young man, there would have been
no success in the Old South
without the work of, as you put it,
indentured people.  Indentured
implies a contract of apprenticeship.
These people's skills were
extracted by force.

CUT TO:

Rustan, Evan, Diana, Roxy and Denison are working in the studio. 

Banging sounds overhead. 

DIANA
Rustan, have you had a chance to 
talk to the workers?

EVAN
What?  Talk to them about what?

ROXY
Talk to them about their
pubescent rude behavior.

RUSTAN
Yes, I talked to them.  Are 
they still harassing you?

DIANA
Yes.  This morning one of them
asked me if I would help him
measure his board.

ROXY
What did you tell him?

DIANA
I told him I didn't have a ruler 
that small.

ROXY
And I heard them insulting Rustan.
I know I wouldn't be writing out
any paychecks to people who
talked about me that way.

EVAN
Don't tell me you're all going
activist feminist over something
as simple as that.  Don't ya'll 
know that's what construction 
workers do?

RUSTAN
Not in my house.

DENISON
Uh oh.

EVAN
Oh, come on!  They're just
flirting with you.  Why do you
have to take everything so
seriously?  I see the way you 
all look at good looking guys.
What's the difference?

ROXY
The difference is, we admire
men's good looks privately
without making them feel 
uncomfortable.  It's a matter 
of respect.

RUSTAN
What I don't understand about 
these kind of guys is why they 
feel the need to go out of their 
way to demonstrate what they think 
is manliness when it seems plain 
to me that what they're really 
doing is showing the world just 
how insecure they are about 
themselves as men.

EVAN
And I suppose you think they're 
closet homosexuals.

RUSTAN
No.  But I do think they're 
closet decent human beings.  
I'm sure it comes as no surprise 
that I particularly appreciate 
masculinity.  Manly strength 
to me is not the guy who can 
bench press the most weight or 
pick up the most women.  It is
someone who is naturally masculine.
Someone who isn't afraid to be 
himself.  Someone who doesn't 
consider gentleness weakness.  
Someone who can show affection.
Someone who embraces maturity.
Someone who stands up for their 
convictions.  Someone who knows 
the value of kindness.

DIANA
You know, those sound like the 
qualities that got Michael Jackson 
in a lot of trouble.

RUSTAN
It's funny you said that.  I was 
just thinking the other day that 
if Michael Jackson were a woman
sleeping in the same bed with 
youngsters, no one would have 
bat an eyelash.

ROXY
A few more surgeries and he 
might be there.

CUT TO:

First floor construction area.  The contractors are working as Rustan interrupts them.

RUSTAN
Alright.  Listen up.  Stop the 
work now!  I asked you to stop 
harassing the workers here and 
you've chosen not to listen.
I've given you an opportunity
to expand your income and experience
but you've paid us back with
nothing but disrespect.  This 
job is over.

FOREMAN
You're not going to get anyone 
else to do this job this good 
this cheap.

RUSTAN 
You would know about cheap.
And I don't care if your work
is good enough to suit the 
White House, I want you out 
of here now!
	
CUT TO:

INT.  UNIVERSITY CLASSROOM.

Dr. LeMoyne is lecturing his history class on the influence of international culture on early America.  

DR. LEMOYNE
So, you see, America would not be
the America that we know today
without all of the influences
of culture that were received
from all over the world.
Especially in this great
city of New Orleans.  Here,
over three hundred years ago,
took place a multi-cultural
experiment, if you will, of 
peoples from many different 
nations working together side 
by side for the first time.  
Their success in tolerance was 
not a matter of want but a matter 
of necessity.  You had the French 
who were the first European settlers, 
who wouldn't even have stopped 
here if it weren't for the natives 
already inhabiting this area, 
and due to lack of pioneer
interest, had to occupied the city
with convicts from the prisons
of Paris, but nonetheless set up
the Napoleanic Code of government
which is still in use today.
Later came the Spanish,
who are responsible for most
of the wonderful "French Quarter"
architecture that we still
enjoy to this day.  The African
and Caribbean influences are
unmistakable courtesy of the
shameful trading of slaves.
Nonetheless, there were the
free people of color, who were
some of the most innovative and
professional artisans of the colony.
The mix of these peoples created
the Creole culture, French speaking,
aristocratic and proud.  They 
created the first opera house 
in the New World.  The French 
Acadians were making their
way down to South Louisiana in 
exile from the British in Nova 
Scotia.  With the Louisiana Purchase 
in 1803 came the first Englishmen, 
making the city for the first time, American.  And from then on 
came the immigrants from Ireland, 
Germany, Italy and elsewhere.  
All of these different cultures 
shaped what we live in today 
as the City of New Orleans.

Denison is sitting in the class smiling.

CUT TO: 

First floor construction area.  A new crew has been hired to finish the job.  The Bentley crew and the workers are talking about the building and enjoying each other’s company.

NEW FOREMAN
Mr. Bentley, do you want crown 
molding on the walls up here?

RUSTAN
I don’t know.  Let me see.

The handsome foreman climbs on a ladder holding up the molding.

NEW FOREMAN
How's this?

RUSTAN
(snapping a photograph)
Oh, yeah.  That looks just great.

START:  "I'll Take You There" by the Staple Singers.

CUT TO:

Diana is at her desk moving her head from side to side.

DIANA
(to herself)
There.  Perfect.

VIDEO MONTAGE.

END.

“I’ll Take You There”

I know a place
Ain’t nobody worried
Ain’t nobody crying
No smiling faces
Lying to the races
Somebody help me
Come on help me
I’ll take you there