Go to Part 1 if you haven't read it = https://tribune.net.ph/2023/12/sunset-girl-1/
THERESE —Another thing, Terence. How many people did you cheat to get to the top?
TERENCE — Are you accusing me of…
THERESE — Just asking. Answer me.
TERENCE — A few.
THERESE — Be honest, please, I beg you.
TERENCE — Okay, okay, more than a few.
THERESE — My gut feel is that you cheated a lot of people.
TERENCE — Yes, Therese, a lot.
THERESE — Make a complete detailed inventory — names, when, how much more or less, as far as you can remember.
TERENCE — I can't remember.
THERESE — You mean you won't remember.
TERENCE — Okay, I will do it.
THERESE — That's your ticket to heaven, you know. Not a stone left unturned. You have to return every penny. Your accountants can do everything. If your victims are dead or you cannot find them, give it to the poor. I have to go. It's late, and I feel woozy from the tequila you had me drink.
TERENCE — Can I take you home?
THERESE — No. I live five blocks away. (She pours more tequila) I enjoyed it terribly. I have terminal cancer of the pancreas, stage two, incurable. You also have been my sunset guy.
TERENCE — All the while you were talking of death, you were talking more about yourself. Tequila will kill you, you know.
THERESE — I hope so. The doctor gave me a year. I'm trying to shorten it to six months. By the way, I have learned to like you a lot in just one afternoon. Beyond your velvety life, I can see myself in you actually.
TERENCE — I feel the same way. Love at first sight. (They laugh)
THERESE — For the road, Terence? Cheers. Down the hatch. (They empty the glasses) I'm not coming back. I gave you your sunset. I enjoyed it terribly. (They embrace)
TERENCE — Help me throw my empire away.
THERESE — I am not good at that. Ask Him (pointing a finger up; she heads for the door.)
TERENCE — Wait, wait.
Terence is frantically writing a check. Drunk from the tequila, he folds a crumpled check and slips it into her cleavage, almost stumbling into her.
THERESE — Watch it.
TERENCE — (Raising both hands) No touch, Therese.
THERESE — Thanks for the company. Wow, it's been a long time since I felt so good.
TERENCE — When you help someone, you help yourself five-fold. Read the check, damn it.
THERESE — (Stops at the door and reads it) You're kidding. I can't take this.
TERENCE — You're doing me a favor. Take the damn check.
THERESE — (Sobs and leaves) I won't be back.
TERENCE — Hell, drop in sometime?
(Narration with related visuals: As Therese leaves, he closes the blinds. He sits in the dark for an hour before leaving his office)
With the money, Therese bought a modest beach house in Martha's Vineyard on Cape Cod and a second-hand Benz. She left money with her sister for their aging mother. Terence was envious and bought a nearby beach house. He invites her over.
THERESE — Are you following me?
TERENCE — Nope. I'm following Him.
THERESE — Oh. How nice. So, we're both headed His way.
TERENCE — (Narration with related visuals) Therese and I, the teenager and the tycoon, watched a thousand sunsets together, over Cabernet this time, as she could no longer handle tequila. We brainstormed regularly on how to give more love to the chaotic world. It triggered our adrenaline — hospitals, senior homes, an open-air theater for concerts, whose income goes to the poor.
Therese did not die in a year, as the doctors predicted. She lasted another seven years. She was so happy. Happiness has a way of healing people. The spirit can heal the body somehow. She was managing this huge orphanage for homeless kids. She loved the kids and they loved her back. I paid for her chemo three times a week for three years, a small fortune.
After she died, I had a hard time giving my vast empire away for the Lord and paying back the people I had cheated because there were just too many. Now, I spend my sunsets alone on the beach, writing my book on the meaning of life, as Therese had taught me in one frenzied afternoon in my office. The title will be "Sunset Girl."
Everyone thought I was mad to give away my empire, except the Lord, of course.
(For those interested in producing this short-film movie, send an email to eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com)