<< MOMENTS LATER - INSIDE - CENTREVILLE HALL - LOBBY >>

Walking past the main front desk in the lobby, Erika stops at a wall of mailboxes. She quickly unlocks a mailbox and picks through the mail. She takes 3 letters and puts the rest back.

As she locks the mailbox, her cell phone buzzes in her pocket. She whips out her phone and a concerned look comes over her face looking at the screen.

An email pop-up banner on her phone reads "Office of the BURSAR." She puts her phone into her bag and heads out the door.

<< OUTSIDE - UNIV. OF MARYLAND - NORTH CAMPUS -- EVENING >>

The sun is setting brilliantly as Erika rides her bike across the lush campus.

She flies downhill, past a baseball field, around several buildings and finally stops in front of a large building that reads "ADELE H. STAMP STUDENT UNION" boldly across the lintel. She locks her bike to a nearby rack and jogs inside.

<< INSIDE - ADELE'S RESTAURANT - KITCHEN >>

The kitchen vibrates with action as cooks in white uniforms and chefs hats clang pots and pans prepping the night's courses, calling out commands to each other.

Students in their burgundy and black uniforms are hurrying to swipe their ID badges into the wall unit to clock in.

Erika quickly speed walks up and swipes her card, then turns around and fishes her phone out of her bag. She walks quickly to the back of the kitchen, leans her back against a metal serving station, and presses the phone on.

She taps the banner on the phone screen, types in her password and begins to read.

A male co-worker comes and swipes his card. He looks at Erika, whose face is now completely crestfallen and stops. He walks over to her.

CO-WORKER

“Erika, you ok?”

          Erika shakes her head, but doesn't look up, thumb scrolling slowly, eyes still scouring the phone screen.

ERIKA

“It's my monthly bill... Tuition's gone up, but my financial aid is locked in the same stupid amount since last year. How are we supposed to come up with another two thousand dollars just like that?”

          Her co-worker looks at her empathetically.

CO-WORKER

“Damn, that stinks. You talk to your parents?”

ERIKA

“Not yet, just got this today. But I know they're already strapped.”

CO-WORKER

“Maybe you can ask Mary for more hours if that'll help?”

          She looks at him with a glimmer of hope in her half-hearted smile.

ERIKA

“Maybe...”

          He gives her a reassuring smile and walks out the door to the restaurant.

An older white lady comes bustling in, struggling to carry a large crate of glasses. MARY. Erika quickly stashes the phone in her apron and takes hold of a side of the crate. They lift it onto the dishwashing conveyor together.

ERIKA

“Mary, I was wondering if I could take on a few more shifts?”

MARY

“I don't know, Erika. I think the schedule is full of servers and bussers. Unless someone wants to trade shifts with you, or someone gets sick, we don't have anything open.”

          Mary shrugs, wipes her hands on her apron, and walks on through the door to the restaurant dining floor.

Erika takes a deep sigh. She puts her hair up into a quick tight bun, and heads out of the kitchen to the dining floor.

<< INSIDE - ADELE'S RESTAURANT - DINING FLOOR -- >>

- ERIKA'S WAITRESS HUSTLE -

Erika works tirelessly, like an exhausting 80’s montage.

-- On the restaurant floor, Erika is very busy serving. she takes orders hiding her tension with a smile from a group of women who seem very indecisive, choosing, then shaking their heads again and again.

-- In the kitchen, she wipes sweat from her brow as she loads plates of food onto a huge tray, then almost drops it while maneuvering past another server heading into the kitchen as she heads out.

-- At the electronic register kiosk, she punches buttons on the touch screen, then slides a credit card down the side slot. She punches a few more buttons and an error message pops up.

Panic comes over her face as she frantically presses the buttons on the screen in vain.

-- On the floor, she serves a couple their food gently, thanks a group of guys as they leave, and humbly collects a measly tip of a few dollars and change left on their table.

<< INSIDE - KELLY AND ERIKA'S DORM ROOM -- NIGHT >>

Erika enters her room and turns on the light. The room is empty. She puts her bag down and slinks down onto the bed for a moment.

Leaning over to the phone on her bedside table, she picks up the cordless receiver and dials. After a few rings, a woman answers. MOM.

MOM (V.O. on the phone)

“Hello?”

ERIKA

“Mom?”

MOM (V.O. on the phone)

“Yeah.”

ERIKA

“Did you get the email from school?”

<< INSIDE - ERIKA'S PARENT'S HOUSE - KITCHEN >>

Bearing the same beautiful dark skin as Erika, Erika's mother stands at the stove ladling yellow pea stew from a large pot into a tall plastic container.

Her nightgown and silk headtie seem to suggest she's ready for bed. Her light island accent is evident as she speaks.

INTERCUT - ERIKA'S DORM/PARENT'S KITCHEN

MOM

“Hm, your father and I was just talking about it.”

          Through the open corridor behind her, A brown-skinned man sits at a dining table taking off his tan workman's boots.

DAD. The boots each hit the floor with a heavy thud. Mom adjusts the cordless phone between her ear and shoulder.

MOM

“I don't know where we gon' get this money uhn, Erika. You know Daddy hasn't been gettin' much jobs and your school fee is already high as it is.”

ERIKA

“Can't we, I mean I thought we could spread it out into payments?”

MOM

“I will call the people, but if all they can do is extend the payment plan we're already on, that will still leave another four hundred dollars we have to pay every month. If we don't have it all by the end of the semester you're going to have to leave school, uhn.”

          With a worn looking face, she scrapes the bottom of the pot and sighs. Dad looks over at Mom with concern.

MOM

“We just don't have it. You can't make that at the restaurant?”

ERIKA

“I can try, but I only make eight dollars an hour, and tips are…”

          Erika shakes her head in frustration.

Dad gets up and walks over to Mom.

ERIKA

“I mean I know the bussers work hard, but after we tip out, that's like thirty percent of my tips gone and even if we didn't tip out it still wouldn't be enough.”

DAD

“Bernadette, give me the phone.”

          He speaks with an accent slightly thicker than Mom's as he puts his hand out to her for the phone.

MOM

“Hold on uhn, your father want to talk to you.”

          She hands him the phone, and closes the plastic lid.

DAD

(brightly)

“Hey baby.”

          Erika's demeanor softens as she hears her Dad's voice.

ERIKA

“Hi Daddy.”

DAD

“I don't want you to stress yourself now. Your first job is to do good in your school work, alright?”

ERIKA

“I know Daddy, but I have to help. How else are we going to pay this money? I tried to get more shifts at work, but-”

DAD

“Your mother and I will make a way. Don't we always find a way? Just do what you can. I don't want you worrying yourself about work and your grades drop.”

ERIKA

“No. They won't Daddy.”

          Tears form in Erika's eyes.

DAD

“You work what you can, but I don't want you burning yourself out over this, you hear me?”

BACK TO ERIKA'S DORM

She purses her lips to the side as tears begin to fall down her cheeks.

ERIKA

“Yes Daddy.”

DAD (V.O. on the phone)

“Alright. I love you baby.”

          Erika's voice cracks in reply.

ERIKA

“I love you too Daddy...Ok...Alright...Good night.”

          As she hangs up the phone, keys jingle, and the door unlocks. Kelly walks in carrying a large stack of books.

Erika turns away quickly and wipes the tears from her face with the palm of her hands.

Kelly steals a few glances over at Erika noticing subtly.

KELLY

(gingerly)

“Rough night at work?”

ERIKA

“No, I... I'm fine.”

          Erika starts to take off her shoes, mumbling to herself.

ERIKA

“Dad's always trying to be brave.”

          Kelly looks over at Erika, but doesn't speak as she puts away her books. They change their clothes in silence.

<< LATER - INSIDE - KELLY AND ERIKA'S DORM ROOM >>

The room is dark. The only light is coming from Erika's small bedside lamp. Kelly is asleep in bed facing the wall.

Erika, in her pajamas, is kneeling down next to her bed holding a rosary. With her eyes closed tight, she prays passionately as she thumbs the beads.

ERIKA

“...Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee…”

          She prays, her body hunched and heavily pressed to the bed. The crucifix on the rosary swings gently as she prays.