Starring:
Mo McKynzie as Marisol Montgomery
KenYatta Rogers as Arthur Montgomery
Emmanuel Elliot Key as Sam
Aria Kulkarni as Elizabeth
Akanimo Effang as The Host
Director & Sound Designer: Nathan Gabriel
Assistant Director: Luke Kleeman
Writer, Creator, & Producer: Jade Madison Scott
Creative Producer: Virginia Wilson
Producer: Will Stokes
Script Consultant: Savina Barini
Dialogue Editor: Michael Ronstadt
Theme Composer: Sterlyn Termine
Show Art: Julia Patrick
Introduction/Content Warning
HOST
WGC Productions presents Small Victories. So, are you ready to actually talk to him or are you gonna keep having a little panic attack on the couch?
MARISOL
Psh, tch, I’m not having a panic attack. I don’t care.
HOST
Then why are you in here and not out there?
MARISOL
Why do you look like a bitch?
HOST
I don’t. You’re lashing out because you’re embarrassed that I’m right.
MARISOL
I…..you weren’t actually supposed to say anything.
HOST
Sorry.
(Marisol sits in silence.)
HOST
Well, aren’t you going to mention the discussions of death and of substance abuse and strong language and-
MARISOL
Do I have to go? Can’t I just stay in here?
HOST
No.
(Small Victories theme.)
INT. MARISOL'S LIVING ROOM- NIGHT
(Marisol and her father are as far apart as two people could be on a couch. Marisol has a death grip on her bag and her body is all twisted up. Her father is much more relaxed, but he can read the room.)
ARTHUR
So….how you been?
MARISOL
Besides the showing up on your doorstep homeless and crying thing?
ARTHUR
Nevermind.
MARISOL
No, I’m doing great. Same old, same old.
ARTHUR
I didn’t, I wasn’t thinking.
MARISOL
Well, I’ve been having some thoughtless nights myself, so.
ARTHUR
You, uh, you can stay for as long as you need to or want to. No rush.
MARISOL
I don’t plan to stay long. Probably a couple nights, I don’t wanna bother you for too long.
ARTHUR
You could never bother me, kid.
MARISOL
I, uh, how ‘bout you? What’s going on with you these days?
ARTHUR
A lot’s actually changed for me lately.
MARISOL
Oh? Take the juice out the gin or something?
(Beat.)
MARISOL
That was a joke.
ARTHUR
Actually, I am not drinking anymore.
MARISOL
Oh. Sure.
ARTHUR
I’m serious.
MARISOL
You always were.
ARTHUR
Kid-
MARISOL
My name’s Marisol. Not kid.
ARTHUR
Marisol, I…….I know I let you down alot, but-
MARISOL
Look, I’ve had a truly terrible fucking night. So, if you wanna give me the whole speech about how this time it’s different and how you’ve changed and how actually things are gonna be so much better for all of us, you can, but can we save the whole song and dance routine for later? I don’t wanna hear it right now.
ARTHUR
It is different this time.
MARISOL
It always is.
(Beat.)
ARTHUR
You hungry? I could order a pizza-
MARISOL
I ate before I got here. I’m going to sleep.
(Marisol stands and grabs her bag.)
ARTHUR
But-
MARISOL
Thanks for putting me up, okay?
ARTHUR
It’s your house.
MARISOL
Yeah.
(Marisol walks down the hall while dragging her rolling suitcase. Internal)
MARISOL
Well, this has to be a new rock bottom. Below the bottom. Crashing with my newly sober father. He better be lying, cause if he’s sober and I’m not that’s, so I fucked up a little bit that shouldn’t, I went for almost a third of a year and I could have keep going! I could’ve if I didn’t, point is it’s a big deal. Who cares if I screwed it up. He’s not better than me. He’s-
(Marisol steps into a puddle.)
MARISOL
What the hell? Is that….water?
(Behind her a massive wave, appearing from thin air, rockets down the hall. She drops her bag and sprints down the hall to her room.)
MARISOL
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Make it to your room. Make it to your room!
(Marisol doesn’t make it.)
MARISOL
Ahhhh!
(The wave over takes her totally. A dull rhythmic knocking can be heard in the distance. Marisol swims towards the knocking. The moment before she is as close to the noise as she possibly can be, she breaks through the water’s surface, sputtering and gasping for air.)
INT. BATHROOM- PAST
(Sam is knocking at the door. Marisol is sitting in a tub, still trying to catch her breath.
SAM
(behind the door)
Come on, you’ve been in there for hours. You’re gonna look like a raisin.
MARISOL
Sam?
SAM
(behind the door)
No. It’s Nelson Mandela. Yes, it’s me. Get out the bathroom. I gotta go.
(Marisol speeds to get out the bathroom. Slipping as she does so.)
SAM
(behind the door)
Jesus, what are you doing in there?
MARISOL
Don’t worry, Sam. I’ll be there. I’ll be there-
(Marisol rushes to the door and flings it open-)
INT. MARISOL'S BEDROOM- NIGHT
(Young Marisol is snorting Adderall off of her dresser, but her flow is all thrown off when she hears the door open.)
YOUNG MARISOL
Christ, Sam, I told you to knock before you….you’re not my brother.
MARISOL
And you’re not mine. I think I’ve reached my weird shit limit for the day. I’m going to bed.
YOUNG MARISOL
Woah, woah, woah, I don’t know what kind of brain disease you got, but this ain’t your house and this sure as hell ain’t your bed-
MARISOL
Marisol, look at me.
YOUNG MARISOL
How do you know my-
MARISOL
Look at me.
(Young Marisol really looks at her older self.)
YOUNG MARISOL
Holy shit.
MARISOL
Yeah.
(Marisol lies down.)
YOUNG MARISOL
What the fuck-
MARISOL
I don’t know. Don’t ask me about it. I’ve had a shitty day. I need to sleep.
YOUNG MARISOL
And I get that I do, but you must really have a brain disease if you think I’m not about to ask 70,000 questions-
(Young Marisol hops on the bed.)
MARISOL
Christ, Adderall makes me annoying as hell.
YOUNG MARISOL
Well, excuse me if some of us need to have a little external help to be able to get out of bed in the morning. So? Can everyone time travel in the future?
(In the following exchange they talk over each other.)
MARISOL
It’s not really-
YOUNG MARISOL
Is Rhianna’s new album good?
MARISOL
God, I wish I knew.
YOUNG MARISOL
Do I ever figure out how to make a pot roast that isn’t dry?
MARISOL
Yeah, you buy better meat.
YOUNG MARISOL
Do I ever get a boyfriend? Do I ever get a girlfriend?
MARISOL
Please, it’s not as fun as you think.
YOUNG MARISOL
Does Ollie really become Mayor of DC?
MARISOL
I don’t-
YOUNG MARISOL
Actually, what do we all do after high school?
MARISOL
Hold on-
YOUNG MARISOL
Like, do I get my grades up enough to go to college or, ooo, what about Sam?
MARISOL
He-
YOUNG MARISOL
Does he actually make it into Harvard like he wants to or, wait, after we get out of high school are we still close or do we, cause if he gets into Harvard he’ll just be really far away and if I don’t get in anywhere I’ll be stuck here, and it’ll be the farthest away we’ve ever, what’s wrong? Why’d you stop talking? Why do you look like that?
MARISOL
Yeah, he gets in.
YOUNG MARISOL
Really! Oh my fuck, that’s, he’s gonna be so happy! I gotta tell him, no, wait, can I tell him or would that be a time loop paradox thingie? I don’t care. I’m gonna tell him. Christ, doing all those flashcards with him paid off, huh? Why aren’t you excited? This is a big deal! We got into Harvard.
MARISOL
He got into Harvard. We did jackshit. He left. Just cause we’re twins doesn’t mean we do everything together. We were born alone and we’ll die alone.
(Young Marisol starts laughing)
MARISOL
Why are you laughing ? That wasn’t funny. I was serious. Why are you laughing??
YOUNG MARISOL
“We’re born alone. We die alone.” What are you? Batman?! And we weren’t born alone, genius, that’s literally what “twin” means.
MARISOL
That’s not-
YOUNG MARISOL
And I’ve already decided that I’ll be the one to die first, because a world without my brother just isn’t a world I wanna know.
(Marisol makes a pained noise.)
YOUNG MARISOL
So that’s a double wrong whammy for ya’. Pew. Pew.
(Marisol gets out of bed.)
YOUNG MARISOL
Hey, where you going?
MARISOL
I need a smoke!
YOUNG MARISOL
We still smoke?
(Marisol opens her bedroom door and steps out of it.)
INT. MARISOL'S HOUSE- FUTURE
(The hallway is more or less the same and Marisol doesn’t really recognize a difference. She walks through the hall muttering to and wanders right into the dinning room where an 11 year old girl, Elizabeth is doing her Spanish homework.)
MARISOL
-I…..who are you?
ELIZABETH
I was taught to not talk to strangers.
MARISOL
And I was taught that if some strange child suddenly appears in my house I either need to call the cops or a priest, so unless you want me to phone up Our Lady of Perpetual Help maybe you wanna start a conversation-
ELIZABETH
MOM!!
MARISOL
Little girl, this is my house. The only people here are me and my-
(Older Marisol walks in from the kitchen.)
OLDER MARISOL
(over action)
What’s up, superstar? Need…….
MARISOL
Oh.
OLDER MARISOL
Oh.
ELIZABETH
You two know each other?
OLDER MARISOL
Yeah. I…am….you wanna come in the kitchen?
MARISOL
Uhhhhhhh….
OLDER MARISOL
That’s a yes. Come on, I’m making dinner and I could use an extra pair of hands.
(Marisol follows her older counterpart into the kitchen.)
INT. MARISOL'S KITCHEN- FUTURE
OLDER MARISOL
So….
MARISOL
Are you me?
OLDER MARISOL
(her voice glitches badly here)
Got about 25 years on you, but I’d recognize that face anywhere.
(Older Marisol clears her throat. That’s never really happened before.)
OLDER MARISOL
Sorry.
MARISOL
What was that?
OLDER MARISOL
I don’t know. I guess it has something to do with the 23-year-old me running around in my kitchen.
MARISOL
Oh. Okay. I was wrong. Now I’ve hit my weird shit meter for the day. I think I'm gonna sit down now.
(Marisol slides to the floor.)
MARISOL
Hello, floor.
OLDER MARISOL
Um, I would love to help coach you through what is clearly a lot for you and, you know what, I’ll say it, this is a lot for me too, but I was serious. I actually gotta finish up dinner and sunset is chasing me like I stole something, so actually could you help me real quick and then we can process this motherfuck later? Hey, cooking never makes things worse, right?
MARISOL
Yeah. Okay. Am I going insane?
OLDER MARISOL
I don’t know how to answer that. Here. Start slicing the yams then cover 'em in sugar then bake ‘em for 20. Heard?
MARISOL
Heard, chef.
ELIZABETH
(from another room)
Can we do it now?
OLDER MARISOL
We’ve got 60 more minutes, superstar, okay? Just finish your homework and then we can do it, alright.
ELIZABETH
(from another room)
But homework is boring!
OLDER MARISOL
You know what else is boring? Being a middle school dropout with no marketable skills. That’s boring!
(Elizabeth laughs and Older Marisol laughs too.)
OLDER MARISOL
I’ll be there in a second, kid. Just power through for right now. Can you do that for me?
ELIZABETH
(from another room)
Yeah!
OLDER MARISOL
(to the daughter)
Great!
(Pause)
OLDER MARISOL
Sorry about that. She’s just really excited to light the candles. I spend every Friday slaving away in the kitchen, but blessing the candles, that’s the real draw. Alright, so after the yams you can move on to the okra. I’m gonna take the bass out the marinade and-
MARISOL
Who is she?
OLDER MARISOL
Right! Right, you don’t, uh, well that is my, our, she’s our daughter. Elizabeth.
MARISOL
I have a….that makes sense. She looks like you. Us.
OLDER MARISOL
Yeah, it’s the nose, but I thank God everyday that she’s taller.
(They both laugh.)
MARISOL
And is she like us?
OLDER MARISOL
No. No, Liz is a happy kid. Last week we all went to the zoo and she spent the whole time making faces and spitting out facts she read. Did you know elephants eat 400 pounds of food a day?
MARISOL
No.
OLDER MARISOL
Me either. She’s so smart. And she’s athletic too. Plays soccer. Actually, Coach is thinking about putting her on the travel team. I know you have no idea how cool that is yet, but trust me it’s really fucking cool. She's such a better kid than me. And she’s so sweet. She always wants to go volunteer with me and helping people is its own joy to her. And she’s always so eager. And so gentle. And she always speaks her mind. And her thoughts are so thoughtful and just, oh, she, she’s everything. Here, taste this.
(Marisol tastes the greens.)
MARISOL
More salt, a squeeze of lemon, and some turmeric wouldn't hurt.
OLDER MARISOL
(amused)
"Some turmeric wouldn't hurt" I'm such a cocky son of a bitch. Thanks.
(Pause.)
MARISOL
So, does it all work out then?
OLDER MARISOL
You mean do you get to be normal and have the dog and go to PTA meetings and have someone at home and sometimes travel the world? Yeah. It works out. We get it.
MARISOL
(tentative)
We get it?
OLDER MARISOL
Not for lack of trying, though. I mean, I had to put in a lot of hours to get this. A lot of work, but I’m here.
MARISOL
And we’re…okay?
OLDER MARISOL
We’re okay.
(Marisol sighs like the weight of the world has been taken off her shoulders.)
MARISOL
Sorry, it’s just been a really terrible year and it doesn’t matter cause I’m gonna be okay. So, like, what do I do then? Maybe we can speedrun this thing.
OLDER MARISOL
I don’t know if that’s how this works. Taste.
MARISOL
Needs ginger. I didn’t think time travel was how the world worked but here we are! You know, when all the weird shit started I thought I was fucking losing it, but it’s finally paying off.
OLDER MARISOL
Weird shit? What kinda weird shit?
MARISOL
You remember the eyeball thing?
OLDER MARISOL
Yeah, I remember. Um, give me a quick little rundown of the past couple months of your life, please?
MARISOL
Uh, I just sorta almost died, hopefully for the last time. I moved back in with Dad. Nina broke up with me last week. 30 minutes ago, I found a little 15 year old us in my room and there was this flood in my hallway-
OLDER MARISOL
Fuck.
MARISOL
What?
OLDER MARISOL
Shit!
ELIZABETH
(from another room)
Mom!?
OLDER MARISOL
I’m fine, superstar. Just goofing off. Do your homework!
MARISOL
Uh, you’re kinda freaking me out, man.
(The following conversation is a series of fierce whispers.)
OLDER MARISOL
Look, these next couple of months for you are about to be so important. Things are gonna happen during them that, if they didn’t happen that way, I don’t think I’d get to where I am today.
MARISOL
Okay. That’s a lot to take in-
OLDER MARISOL
Marisol, I like where I am today. I don’t want to be anywhere else.
MARISOL
Great. Me either. Just tell me what I need to do.
OLDER MARISOL
(she glitches badly)
You need to fix it
MARISOL
Fix what?
OLDER MARISOL
Everything. I remember the motel. I remember what I said to Oliver. The Host. Why I went home. You don’t have a job. You don’t have any hopes. You don’t have any dreams-
MARISOL
Jesus Christ.
OLDER MARISOL
You need to fix it.
MARISOL
Aww, gee willikers, well now that you put it that way, I know I need to fix it. Newsflash, asshole, I don’t know how to fucking do that.
OLDER MARISOL
I don’t wanna be too specific cause I know me so I know you and I know how you are right then and I know that if I tell you too much you’re gonna get self-destructive and ruin everything.
MARISOL
Rude! I haven’t been self destructive in, like, two days! I'm turning over a new new leaf-
OLDER MARISOL
Marisol, look at me. Look at me! I like my life, Marisol. We like our life, do not fuck us over on this.
MARISOL
But wait, wait, wait. If I’m talking to you, I mean, then didn’t this already happen before? Don’t you remember talking to you when you were my age? Like one of those time loop paradox thingies? Aren't we already kinda in the clear?
OLDER MARISOL
(she glitches badly)
No. This didn't happen the first time.
(Pause)
OLDER MARISOL
This is new.
MARISOL
Oh.
OLDER MARISOL
I don’t even know how I’m gonna begin to unpack this with Dr. Jacobs.
MARISOL
Who’s Dr. Jacobs?
ELIZABETH
(in the other room)
Mom?!
OLDER MARISOL
Look, we can talk more once she goes to sleep, but you can do it, okay? I believe in you.
MARISOL
Glad one of us does.
OLDER MARISOL
Just be brave. And smart. Be smart. And keep an open mind. And when you feel good that means it’s working, it does not mean that you should stop.
MARISOL
What the hell are you even talking about?
OLDER MARISOL
Do not stop! It will not be good for you! Stick to the schedule and don’t mix them with anything.
MARISOL
But-
INT. MARISOL'S PORCH- NIGHT
(Marisol is sucked back into her time. Marisol is standing outside smoking looking at nothing. She starts coughing.)
MARISOL
What the hell is in this cigarette?
(Her father has poked his head out of the door.)
ARTHUR
There you are.
MARISOL
Huh? Oh, yeah, couldn’t sleep.
ARTHUR
Well, when you come back in, make sure to lock up, alright?
MARISOL
Yeah, sure.
(Pause.)
ARTHUR
Welcome home, Marisol.
(Arthur leaves and the door shuts behind him.)
MARISOL
(to herself)
Fix my life in a few months or ruin my perfect future? Sure. fine. No pressure.
CLOSING
HOST
You have just listened to Small Victories. Starring Mo McKynzie as Marisol.
MO
Why do you look like a bitch? I don't care I'm gonna tell him! I'll admit this is a lot for me too.
HOST
KenYatta Rogers as Arthur
KENYATTA
You could never bother me, kid.
HOST
Emmanuel Elliot Key as Sam
EMMANUEL
No, it's Nelson Mandela. Yes! It's me.
HOST
Aria Kulkarni as Lizzie
ARIA
I was taught not to talk to strangers.
HOST
And Akanimo Effang as a Host. Theme Composer, Sterlyn Termine. Assistant Sound Designer, Michael Rondstadt. Script Consultant, Savina Barini. Executive Producer, Will Stokes. Script Supervisor, Virginia Wilson. Director and Sound Designer, Nathan Gabriel. Created and Written by Jade Madison Scott. If you’d like to support us subscribe to the WGC Productions Patreon where you can get behind the scenes features and other exclusive Small Victories bonuses. An equally appreciated way is to tell your friends, follow us @withgoodco across all social media platforms.