THE EXIT

Written by

Jim Peacock

spwriter@yahoo.com
(615) 482-7172
 FADE IN:

EXT. COUNTRY HIGHWAY – DAY

From above we see a red vintage convertible as it moves along

a 2-lane country road. Nice car in its day but clearly needs
some work. The sun shines brightly on this perfect Sunday
morning. Classic country plays on the radio.

MARTY (V0)
You ever notice how people over a
certain age just can’t seem to
connect? Timing’s always off. One’s
fresh off a heartbreak, the other’s
still stalking their college crush
on LinkedIn...I’m told.
Nobody moves on; not really. ’Cause
no one ever gets to say the things
that need saying. Too much pride.
Too much hurt. Too many half
written texts that end with “hope
you’re well”.
And then there’s the real killer.
Some folks honestly believe
there’re more important things than
love. Like careers. Or a house at
the beach. Or Costco memberships.
Anyway what you’re about to see
happened to me awhile back. And
yea, all the coulda-beens still
rattle around in my chest like
spare change in a dryer.
So, brace yourself.

INT. CAR – CONTINUOUS

MARTY (late 30’s), handsome in a rode-hard kind of way,

unshaven, hair a mess, is behind the wheel. This is a man who
hasn’t smiled in awhile.

He glances at a green road sign FRANKLIN, TN 30 MILES, as it

rushes past. In the rearview mirror the sign slips away. He
turns off the radio as the car slows and veers off the road.

INT. CAR – ROADSIDE TURNOUT - CONTINUOUS

Marty picks up the phone, scrolls his messages. Pauses over

an old message from RACHEL, and clicks to read.
 2.

RACHEL (VO)
Saw a man today who looked a lot
like you. Took me back. Hope you’re
well.

INT. CAR - CONTINUOUS

Marty reaches above the visor and pulls out a wrinkled and
creased photo of a younger him and a young woman. She’s
holding his cheek as he hugs her. Marty rubs his finger over
the photo, carefully puts it back. On the phone, his thumb
hovers over the call button.

He presses CALL.

INT. KITCHEN – DAY (INTERCUT)

RACHEL (late 30’s), cute in a girl-next-door way, hears the

ring and looks at the screen. Surprised, she hesitates, looks
to see if she’s alone, and answers. Warm but cautious.

RACHEL
Hey, stranger.

MARTY
Hey you.

RACHEL
(laughing)
You live dangerously. Where are
you?

MARTY
I was driving through. Saw the
exit. Thought of you.

She looks offscreen — someone’s calling her.

RACHEL
I have to go. We’re heading to
church.

He hesitates.

MARTY
Which church?

RACHEL
(Laughing)
You wouldn’t dare!

Silence. Hesitates.
 3.

RACHEL (CONT’D)
Conduit Church, Franklin.

Rachel disconnects as Marty keys the church into his GPS.

CUT TO:

EXT. CONDUIT CHURCH, FRANKLIN, TN – DAY

A modest, sun-washed church building. People gathering,

chatting, visiting.

Marty pulls into the parking lot and steps out of the car. He
wears the same dirty jeans, but now sports a wrinkled white
shirt and a gawd-ugly green tie.

A car pulls in behind him and Rachel’s husband STEVEN, 40’s,

square-shouldered, buttoned up, opens the door as she steps
out. From the back seat an 8-year-old boy, JOEY, jumps out
and runs to join his friends.

Several greeters mill near the front door. BROTHER DALE,

plump, short steps, nearly runs to be the first to pump
Marty’s hand.

BROTHER DALE
Brother, we’re so happy to have you
with us today. The spirit told me
we’d have a stranger. I just didn’t
think he’d be so... mysterious.
Here have a breath mint! Amen

MARTY
That’s me. Man of mystery. Thanks.

INT. CHURCH – DAY

A hymn echoes through the modest sanctuary as Marty enters,

sees Rachel with Steven and JOEY. Marty takes a seat across
from the family and a row back. The choir sings a hymn, way
too loudly and off-key. Rachel and Marty’s eyes meet. She
gives him an amazing smile.

FLASHBACK – INT. BEDROOM – MORNING

The younger Rachel from the photo, laughing with Marty in

bed, tosses a pillow at him. They laugh lie tangled in
sheets. She gives him that same amazing smile and laughs.

BACK TO PRESENT:
 4.

Their laughter fades, the hymn ends, and PASTOR LEDBETTER, a

wiry, short, 20-something, steps to the pulpit.

PASTOR LEDBETTER
Thank you to our choir for that
amazing...
(coughs)
execution. Welcome sinners and
welcome friends! The Devil don’t
knock polite, friends! No sir. He
kicks the door in and brings
snacks! He makes sin look like a
good idea, all in high heels, a
colossal figure, curves that don’t
quit, and perfect hair.

Pastor Ledbetter glances at a young 20-something GIRL

matching that description on the front row. She smiles and
crosses her legs slowly. Congregation murmurs a few “Amens.”

PASTOR LEDBETTER (CONT’D)

(dabbing at his brow)
Demons don’t come with horns and
pitchforks. They come wearing your
old varsity jacket. They say just
one little dinner won’t hurt.

He steps down from the pulpit like he’s confronting a mob. A

few startled “yes lords!

PASTOR LEDBETTER (CONT’D)

(looking directly at the
girl)
If the devil can’t steal your soul,
he’ll steal your attention!
You’ll be sitting in the Lord’s
house thinking about thighs and
lies!”

Congregation murmurs louder. One older lady fans herself

dramatically.

PASTOR HOLLINS
In Jesus’ name — gimme an amen!

CONGREGATION
(overlapping)
“Amen!!”

Throughout the sermon Marty and Rachel sneak glances at each

other. Chemistry is brewing under the surface, and we see it
with facial closeups, glances, and sweaty palms.
 5.

He watches her. She feels him watching, twists to smile at

him, that amazing one, then quickly turns back when her
husband looks at her questioningly.

Further back, two older ladies see the interaction between

Marty and Rachel. It’s pretty obvious.

LADY #1
Who’s that ogling Rachel. Woo,
makes my liver tingle.

LADY #2
That ain’t your liver talking
Darlene, but if it looks like sin,
walks like sin, quacks like sin...

LADY #1
Might be her ex. Might be divine
intervention. I’m leaning toward a
mess.

EXT. CHURCH – LATER

Service is over. Families pour into sunlight. Kids chase each

other. Coffee urns steam at folding tables. Marty lingers on
the edge, unsure. Rachel exits, spots Marty. She murmurs
something to Steven and walks toward him.

EXT. CHURCH SIDEWALK – CONTINUOUS

They stand close, yet apart. A strange electricity in the

air.

RACHEL
You really came. Crazy as ever.

MARTY
Yea. Both counts.

RACHEL
You look…
(corrects)
It’s been a long time.

MARTY
You look the same.

RACHEL
You don’t. I genuinely thought you
were a hallucination. Like that
time I fasted too long and saw
Beyoncé in the baptismal font.
 6.

MARTY
Nope. Just me. Older, balder, and
spiritually under-qualified.

RACHEL
I figured. The pastor said “welcome
back sinner” and stared right at
you.

MARTY
He looked at me like I owed him
money.

RACHEL
Do you?

MARTY
Not him. Pretty sure I owe God an
apology - and a fruit basket.

RACHEL
(Glancing at Steven)
You’ve got 30 seconds to repent.

MARTY
That enough time to get you to
leave your husband and elope?

RACHEL
Elope where exactly? The church
basement? I think they store
folding chairs and resentment down
there. After you left I forced
myself to move on.

MARTY
Moved on, huh? You still do that
thing with your nose when you lie.

RACHEL
I’m not lying. You think you know
me now?

MARTY
I remember the version before grad
school and carpools.

RACHEL
That version had great legs and
poor judgment.

MARTY
I was the poor judgment?
 7.

RACHEL
You were the legs, too.

A LADY looks over at them and nudges her husband

LADY

Why don’t you look at me like that?

Marty looks over at Joey, chasing a soccer ball with friends.

MARTY
That one yours?

RACHEL
Yeah.

MARTY
He’s got your eyes.

RACHEL
And your timing.

Marty freezes. Rachel sips her coffee like it’s weaker than
her willpower.

MARTY
Wait—what?

Rachel calls to the boy

RACHEL
Joey come over here.

MARTY
Joseph?

RACHEL
He likes banjo, old country. Hates
carrots. He’s got your
restlessness, too. It drives me
nuts. He’s the love of my life.

Joey jogs up to Rachel. Marty instinctively steps back,

unsure what to do with a small human.

JOEY
(cheerful)
Hi!

RACHEL
Hey, sweetheart. This is an old
friend. Marty.
 8.

JOEY
(eyeing Marty’s disheveled
clothing)
You look like someone who doesn’t
like church.

MARTY
(raising eyebrows)
You’re not wrong.

JOEY
Neither do I. Too many hugs, too
many kisses from old ladies. Yuck.
And no Wi-Fi.

MARTY
Wow. Honest and blunt. You might be
my spirit animal.

JOEY
What’s a spirit animal?

MARTY
It’s a grown-up excuse for being
weird in public.

JOEY
Cool. Can you be my spirit animal?

MARTY
Only if you use it to escape Sunday
school.

Joey laughs, bright and unguarded. Rachel watches, amused,

but quietly emotional. She quickly wipes away a tear.

JOEY
Wanna kick the ball?

MARTY
Only thing I’ve kicked in years is
regret.

JOEY
Regret’s a weird name for a ball.

RACHEL
That’s your father’s genetics
talking.

Marty gives her a questioning look, then looks at Joey.

 9.

MARTY
Alright. But go easy on me. I’m
old, mysterious, and have bad
knees.

JOEY
I’m eight. I have no mercy.

MARTY
(looking back at Rachel)
Eight, huh?

They head to a grassy spot. Joey kicks the ball hard toward
Marty who stumbles trying to trap it, and wipes out.

JOEY
You okay?!

MARTY
Totally. Just inspecting the ground
for safety hazards.

JOEY
You’re weird.

MARTY
Thanks. It’s genetic. Give me a
minute.

Joey sits down beside him

JOEY
You seem sad.

MARTY
I’m not sad. Just emotionally
disorganized.

JOEY
Nope you’re sad. My mom gets like
that when she listens to old
country music.

They sit in silence. A warm, strange kind of peace between

them. Joey runs off when a friend calls. Marty gets up, limps
back to Rachel, half-laughing.

MARTY
I think he dislocated my spiritual
vertebrae.
 10.

RACHEL
Yeah, he does that. He has this way
of crashing through people’s
boundaries like they’re paper.

MARTY
He’s amazing.

RACHEL
So. Are you visiting, passing
through?

MARTY
Actually, I saw the exit sign on 96
and decided to confront my
emotional baggage head-on.

RACHEL
Right. Just what church was built
for.

They pause by a low retaining wall. She sits. He does too,

leaving space between them. Marty glances at Steven leaning
against the car, checking his watch.

MARTY
He seems decent.

RACHEL
He is. We’ve built something
steady. Safe. Doesn’t mean it’s not
complicated.

MARTY
He seems… steady.

RACHEL
He flosses. That’s all I’ll say.

MARTY
Wow. Just devastating praise.

RACHEL
You want fireworks? Marry a
drummer. You want health insurance,
a 401k, and a house on the lake?
Marry Steven.

A beat

RACHEL (CONT’D)
You still in the band? Still
writing love songs?
 11.

MARTY
Nah, now I mostly write passive-
aggressive emails to my landlord.

She gently pulls away, gets up, gives Marty a hug.

RACHEL
(whispering in his ear)
I’ll head back to my perfect life
now and repent for whatever just
happened in my chest.

She breaks away, starts to head back to her family waiting

at the car.

MARTY
Rachel, wait.

Rachel stops and turns.

MARTY (CONT’D)
I’ve loved you from the day we met,
and I guess I’ll love you till the
day I die. You’ve got a new life
now, and I know I’ll never be a
part of it. But thank you. I needed
this.

Rachel walks back to him and reaches up on tiptoes to hold

his cheekc and give him a memorable, long kiss. Finally she
breaks away and whispers.

RACHEL
Me too. Everything. Me too.

She turns and heads to the car. As Steven opens the door for
her she turns and smiles at Marty, then steps into the car.
Steven gives Marty a dirty look as he gets in and spins his
tires in the gravel. Several people turn to look.

BROTHER DALE
(appearing out of nowhere)
Come back soon, mister mystery man.
Join the choir. Lord knows we need
you!

MARTY
(waving over his shoulder)
I don’t think so.
 12.

EXT. HIGHWAY – DUSK

Marty drives, calmer, reaches for the radio and cranks up

some classic country.

MARTY (V.O.)
Some folks say closure’s a myth.
Maybe. But sometimes you gotta sit
across from your ghost before you
finally stop letting it drive. She
was my almost. My what-if. And for
a long time that coulda-been
consumed me.

Driving out of town he stops for a traffic light. A car pulls

up beside him, a woman (late 30’s) in the driver’s seat,
glances over and gives him the most amazing smile; not flirty
just human. The light turns green. She drives off. He watches
for a second, then presses the gas.

FADE OUT.

THE END