4. EXT. ROAD TO TRAILER PARK EARLY EVENING
JODIE carries the bag on her shoulders and walks along the pavement with TOTO trotting at her side. She comes up to the trailer park and sees one person outside. A man in his thirties, OSWALD, is pushing the dirt out of his trailer with a broom, whistling. When he looks up…
OSWALD
Evenin', miss!
JODIE looks back.
JODIE
Good evening, sir!
OSWALD
Whatcha doin' out here at this hour? Shouldn't you be eating Easter dinner with your family?
JODIE
Well, I did, but things fell apart completely. Don't let me distract you. I'm just moving along.
OSWALD
Hold on there, princess.
JODIE halts. TOTO begins to hiss.
OSWALD
How long have you been out here?
JODIE
Dunno.
OSWALD
Why don't you come inside for a couple of sausages? I promise that I didn't poison them. I love children.
JODIE
My mother taught me not to go inside strangers' houses.
OSWALD
Why not be friends then? The name's Oswald.
JODIE
I'm Jodie.
OSWALD
Well, ain't that pretty? Come inside and grab a snack.
JODIE
I don't know. Well, I do need some company. I love you, Toto, but I need a human being to talk to.
JODIE heads to the trailer's door.
SCENE CHANGE: INT. OSWALD'S TRAILER
OSWALD
Welcome to my home.
JODIE
No offense, sir, but I never thought I would enter a trailer home in my entire life.
OSWALD
None taken, little lady. A child shouldn't be raised in a small space like this anyway. There's nothing to really look at that's interesting. Have a seat at the table. I'll have those wieners out in a second.
JODIE
Thank you, Mr. Oswald.
JODIE takes a seat at the small table. TOTO hides under her feet to sleep. OSWALD turns off the stove and puts the sausages on the plates. He then puts the two plates on the table and takes a seat.
OSWALD
Careful, they're hot.
JODIE
Thank you so much, Mr. Oswald. Mind if I give one to Toto?
OSWALD
Allow me.
OSWALD hides a sausage under the table. TOTO goes to eat it.
OSWALD (cont.)
Now, I want you to tell me why you're out here on your lonesome. A girl like you shouldn't be out here by herself.
JODIE
I'm looking for the shelter.
OSWALD
The shelter! That's on the other side of town, girly. The real question should be why are you going to a shelter? You ain't bein' abused at home, are you?
JODIE
Of course not. I'm going the shelter to get my friend out of it. My friend, Ben, got bit by my neighbor's dog, and my father sued her. Now, Ben's in the shelter until the court date because she brought social services into the case.
OSWALD
I can't see why she should've if he was the one that got bit by her maniac dog.
JODIE
Ben's parents went to jail for child abuse, and my father got custody of Ben afterwards. Mrs. Hanagan knew that law would be against anyone with a foster child.
OSWALD
Jodie, I may not have experience with children or the law, but if I do know anything, it's this: I believe your little friend, Ben, is going to be just fine. You are a great sister to him. After this case falls over, he'll be back. I suggest you go home to your mama before she gets worried sick about you.
JODIE
But I'm scared for him. I heard horror stories about the shelter. What if something bad happens to him?
OSWALD
Now, now, princess. Ben sounds like a strong boy. He'll be fine. If I do know anything, he'll return home a lot quicker than you think. He'll come back unharmed, too. Now, how about some tunes on the radio? Maybe some Madonna will cheer you up.
OSWALD clicks on the "On" button on the radio that sat on the windowsill.
RADIO MAN
We interrupt our commercial free hour with breaking weather coverage from New York City. Tornado warnings in the Jersey area. Strong winds are blowing through, and meteorologists highly recommend citizens to stay in their homes until the winds pass. We will keep track of the storm on this station and other stations of the tri-state area. That is all. Now, back to our originally scheduled commercial free hour.
JODIE
Tornado warnings? I have to go home now!
OSWALD
No, you're not, girly. It's too dangerous. Tornado warnings mean tornados are in the area. You are staying here until the winds pass over.
JODIE
What's safe about a trailer park?
OSWALD
There's an underground bunker for the trailer lot at the edge of this park. It's big enough for everyone that lives here. All I need is your home phone number, so I can phone your mother where you are.
JODIE
She'll be mad for sure.
OSWALD
But she'll be relieved to hear that you're safe from the storm that's coming ahead. Just go to the bunker. I'll get to the phone.
OSWALD pats JODIE's head and pushes her outside.