Good Morning, Jonah
A Comedy by Benjamín Gavarre
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Author: Benjamin Gavarre
Contact: bengavarre@gmail.com
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License: Shared under Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND
4.0)
Characters:
- JONAH (18): Caught between adolescence and adulthood (about to leave for
college). Smart, solitary, lives in
his own world.
- CHLOE (25): Older sister. Pragmatic, sarcastic, working a
temp job while figuring things out.
- GABE (18): The new neighbor from across the
street. Shy, sensitive, "indie kid" vibe. Into
poetry.
- MOM (Voiceover): Typical suburban mom. Shouts from the kitchen or
carpeted hallway.
- BUSTER: A stuffed Golden Retriever dog. Jonah manipulates it as
an imaginary confidant.
SCENE 1: My Room, My Kingdom?
INT. JONAH'S ROOM - DAY
(The room is upstairs and a total mess: high school
hoodies scattered, comic books, a Domino's pizza box. JONAH, in plaid flannel
pajamas, is in bed, covers pulled up to his waist. Lasers blast from a video
game on his phone. Jonah holds BUSTER, the stuffed animal, improvising a gruff,
mocking voice for it.)
JONAH: (As Buster) And in the blue corner, with a record
of three days without stepping foot on grass... Jonah the
Invincible! And in the other corner, the terrifying need to
socialize! Place your bets!
(Jonah laughs, subtly moving his hand under the sheet.
Suddenly, the door bursts open. It's CHLOE, carrying a basket of clean laundry.
Jonah jams the phone under his pillow and covers himself completely.)
CHLOE: (Enters without knocking) Okay, Jonah, seriously... What
is that smell? Doritos and teen angst? Your track hoodie has been on
the floor since Tuesday. Help me fold this.
JONAH: (Muffled from under the covers) Chloe! Ever heard
of knocking? Have you ever heard of personal boundaries?
CHLOE: Boundaries in this cave? The air is so stale I swear it looks
like the gym locker room. You look like a hibernating bear.
(Chloe tosses the laundry onto the bed. Jonah doesn't
answer. Chloe rolls her eyes and leaves, leaving the door ajar. Jonah peeks his
head out, relieved. He takes Buster and stares at him.)
JONAH: (To Buster) Did you see that? Privacy
invasion, Fourth Amendment violation level.
(Jonah moves the stuffed animal's paw, slapping
himself on the arm.)
JONAH: (As Buster) Well, pick up your trash, nerd!
JONAH: (Normal voice, indignant) Don't you start lecturing
me! My sister is enough. And besides, my pajamas smell
good, like lavender Tide Pods.
(Jonah leaves the stuffed animal on the headboard,
pulls the phone from under the pillow, and covers himself completely again,
watching the door.)
SCENE 2: The Unexpected Visit
INT. JONAH'S ROOM - DAY
(Jonah is at his desk (MacBook and LED lights). The
screen shows a steamy scene from an indie film with two guys about to kiss.
Jonah is focused. Buster sits next to the keyboard.)
JONAH: (As Buster, tilting the stuffed animal's head) Hey...
do they have fleas? Why are they rubbing against each other like that?
JONAH: Shut up, Buster. It's European art film.
(A quick knock on the door. Jonah jumps. He tries to
close the laptop, but the hinge jams and the system freezes completely with the
explicit image on full color.)
JONAH: No, no, no! Move, you piece of junk Mac!
(The door opens slowly. GABE peeks his head in,
holding his own laptop. He wears an open flannel shirt over a band t-shirt.)
GABE: Hello? Uh... sorry. Your mom told me to come
up, that you were the tech genius in the house... I'm Gabe, we
just moved into the house across the street.
(Jonah freezes in panic. He tries to yank the laptop
to hide it, but the cord pulls Buster to the floor. Desperate, Jonah abandons
the computer, dives into bed, and covers himself up to his head, grabbing the
phone to pretend.)
GABE: (Entering) Jonah? Are you in here?
(Gabe walks in, sees the lump in the bed, then sees
Jonah's laptop screen, perfectly lit up. Gabe stops, blinks, and smiles with a
mix of surprise and relief.)
GABE: Oh... oh. (Approaches the bed and sits on the edge) Hey... Everything
okay down there? Dumb question, I guess...
JONAH: (From under the covers) Wrong room. I'm not here.
GABE: (Laughs softly) I came to see if you could help me
with my laptop's Wi-Fi, but I think yours has an overheating
problem... Hey, it's really fine. A relief, actually.
(Jonah peeks just his eyes out, suspicious.)
JONAH: A relief from what?
GABE: It's just... I don't know anyone in the
neighborhood. And I was trying to write something for AP Lit... but I
was embarrassed. It said something like, "The one you see in
the mirror... doesn't know where to run." Kinda cheesy, I
know.
JONAH: (Uncovering his face completely) You write poetry?
GABE: I try. But with the moving boxes and my dad drilling
walls, I can't concentrate. And, well... don't worry about
that image on your screen. I like that kind of... European art
film, too.
(A tense, electric silence. Jonah sits up abruptly in
bed, blushing.)
JONAH: I was... doing research for an essay.
GABE: Right, Human Anatomy 101, I assume. (Smiles and
extends his hand) Come out of there, caveman. I'm Gabe.
(Jonah takes Gabe's hand, feels a spark, and awkwardly
pulls away.)
JONAH: Sorry! It's static from the carpet.
GABE: (Smiling, offers his hand again) Don't worry. Try
me again.
SCENE 3: Everything Smooth Sailing
INT. JONAH'S ROOM - HOURS LATER
(The room is tidied up. Jonah is in jeans and a clean
t-shirt. Both laptops work. Gabe is flipping through a Moleskine notebook.
Chloe enters without knocking.)
CHLOE: Wow! Did you call a deep cleaning service? (Sees
Gabe) Oh, you're the new kid. Gary?
GABE: Gabe. But if you want to call me Gary, that's fine.
CHLOE: Charming. Well, you deserve a medal for snapping my
brother out of zombie mode. Usually on Saturdays he's part of the
furniture.
JONAH: Chloe, for the love of God...
CHLOE: (Changing tone, a little nervous) Anyway, I came
to make an announcement. I got accepted at the startup in
Seattle. I'm moving next month.
JONAH: (Surprised) Really? But you said you didn't want
to leave Mom alone with the mortgage...
CHLOE: Mom can take care of herself, and you're even making your bed
now. It's time for me to get my own apartment, isn't it? (Looks
at Gabe, then Jonah) I'm glad you won't be stuck alone here in the
burbs, little brother.
JONAH: (Stands up and hugs her) You're going to do amazing in
Seattle, Chloe. And thanks... for never knocking, I guess
I'll miss hating that.
CHLOE: (Smiles, holding back a tear) Okay, don't get
intense on me. I'm going to Target with my
friends. Gabe, welcome to the Addams Family.
(Chloe leaves. Her voice is heard on the stairs:
"Mom, the neighbor got Jonah to change out of his pajamas, we have to
invite him for Thanksgiving!")
(Jonah laughs, embarrassed, sits down next to Gabe,
and puts Buster on a nightstand.)
GABE: Your sister is great.
JONAH: She's a headache, but I love her. Hey... about
earlier...
GABE: What's up?
JONAH: I don't know if... you just wanted to fix your
laptop, or if you really...
GABE: My laptop is broken... but the truth
is, I saw you from my bedroom window yesterday. I was looking for an
excuse to cross the street.
JONAH: Really? And you aren't freaked out by me? I'm the weirdo
who talks to his stuffed dog.
GABE: (Takes his hand) Weirdos are the only ones worth
knowing in this neighborhood.
SCENE 4: All in the Family
INT. JONAH'S ROOM - ONE YEAR LATER - LATE
AFTERNOON/EVENING
(The room reflects both of them: guitars, poetry
books, indie posters. The setting sun casts long, melancholic shadows through
the window, creating a warm atmosphere reminiscent of an Edward Hopper
painting. Suddenly, from the garage across the street, heavy rock drumming is
heard.)
GABE: (Turning down his phone volume) My dad again. He
bought a drum set for his midlife crisis.
MAMÁ: (Shouting from the backyard) Frank!! If you keep
playing like AC/DC I'm calling the HOA!! They're going to fine me!
(A male voice shouting apologies is heard from the
other side of the fence.)
MAMÁ: (From outside) Fine! If you bring that bottle of
Bourbon you promised, I'll look the other way!
(Jonah and Gabe burst out laughing.)
JONAH: To think that a year ago I was terrified Mom would come into my
room.
GABE: And now she's making bribes with my dad in the backyard.
(Gabe gives Jonah a tender kiss on the temple. Jonah
smiles and pulls a postcard from the desk.)
JONAH: Look what came. From Chloe, from Seattle. Says it
rains all day but the coffee makes up for it.
GABE: Good for her. (Takes BUSTER from the shelf) Hey, Buster... what
do you think of all this?
JONAH: (As Buster, winking) I think it's dinnertime and I
demand a cheeseburger!
GABE: (Laughs) This dog definitely has his priorities
straight.
(MOM shouts from the hallway downstairs.)
MAMÁ: Boys!! Come down for dinner! Gabe's dad brought ribs and
is telling me the story again about how you two fixed the frozen
computer! Hurry up!
(Jonah and Gabe look at each other, mortified but
happy, hold hands, and leave the room together.)
(CURTAIN)
