scene 14 in progress

scene 13

EXT. EL PASO INT'L AIRPORT - SHORT-TERM PARKING LOT - DAY

Chloe totes backpack, Hunter rolls suitcase through the lot toward the Rover.

HUNTER: Are you upset that I presumed you'd be okay with him staying?

CHLOE: No. For one, I presume you'd have called and asked had I been able to get a call.

HUNTER: Of course.

CHLOE:  And you know I've expressed curiosity about him. There must be some level of instinctive trust for you to leave a stranger with a pickup truck alone in your house.  

HUNTER: I have his plates.

CHLOE: Do we know if you have any siblings?

HUNTER: I left it at exchanging numbers in case of emergency and saving questions for later. Other than how he found out.

CHLOE: That was my next question.

HUNTER: A search for gramma got him to her obituary and my name therein. Looked me up, found my date of birth, then found my Wiki page and through that the short stories and Honda Knot therein. Did the math, end quote. 

CHLOE: And I was nervous about meeting Jackie.

HUNTER: Well Jackie's nervous about meeting you.

CHLOE: Horse day still on?

HUNTER: Still on. She'll be by around ten.

Hunter KEY-CHIRPS the Rover, the tailgate opens. Chloe places backpack, Hunter the suitcase, closes tailgate.

INT. ROVER

Hunter gets in driver's seat, Chloe front passenger's, close their doors.

CHLOE: Dad?

HUNTER: Daughter?

CHLOE: You're taking it almost like you were expecting it.

HUNTER: Which of course I was not. Stupefied seems an apt description. 

CHLOE: In case you were running low on things to talk to Doc about.

Hunter smiles, Chloe winks. They buckle up, Hunter starts engine, backs out of frame. 

FAINT JET ENGINE TAKEOFF WHINE.

scene 13

scene 12

EXT. ROADSIDE PEACH STAND - DAY

RUTH, 70-something - tennis shoes, calf-high white socks, knee-length cargo shorts, Austin City Limits tee, visor, keys in hand - and Gil walk away from the SHOPPERS at the stand toward where a few vehicles, all with Texas plates, are parked in a dirt parking area. Each cradle a bag of peaches.

RUTH: Where y'all fishing?

GIL: Tom's call. 

RUTH: Boys along?

GIL: Yep. And Dale.

RUTH: How's he doing?

GIL: Comin' along. Saw him at the V-F-W yesterday. He found a biodegradable urn in the form of water lilies he's going to put some of her ashes in and set on the pond. Karen and the kids are there 'til school starts. Looking forward to seeing Tom. Sad to hear about Clem.

RUTH: I told Wanda to tell Daisy to think about moving down. 

GIL: Maybe a good idea.  

Ruth opens the hatch of a 2000-ish Volvo wagon, both place their peaches, Ruth's PHONE RINGTONES the Willie Nelson instrumental, Bandera. She gets phone from pocket.

RUTH: Howdy.

Fredericksburg peach stand with Gil. Where ae you?

(Her face expresses surprise, Gil notices.)

My goodness, Tommy. 

Alright. 

I'll be waiting.

I'll tell him.

Love you too.

(She pockets phone.)

GIL: Well?

RUTH: He called from Hunter's guest room. He's spending the night. Hunter just left for the airport in El Paso to pick up his daughter.

GIL: Híjole.

Ruth shuts the hatch.

INT. GUEST ROOM - DAY

Navajo rug on hardwood. O'Keeffe TBD above bed/headboard, Tom’s suitcase on bed aimed at wall-mounted TV.  Lampstand with drawers. His hat on rack near open door to hall, saloon-style doors to closet. Lamp, pen and pencil on pad of paper, guestbook, globe, etch-a-sketch on desk at window to patio/yard. Tom in swivel chair, taps phone, stares out window to patio/yard, stops tapping, opens guest book to where it is page-marked, takes a brief look at mostly illegible cursive writing in purple pen, dated June 11.

He closes book, stares out window, finally gets up, takes hat off rack, puts it on as he leaves into hall, BOOTS KNOCKING ON HARDWOOD FADE to SILENCE interrupted by FAINT CLOSING OF DOOR moments before Tom walks into frame made by desk window. He stops at the low stone wall, gets a cigarette he pulls from a pack he gets from shirt pocket, lights it with a lighter he gets from other shirt pocket, puffs, puts pack and lighter back in pockets, takes another puff, gaze toward the mountains.