The Berlin 88 : INT. 1883 TAVERN NIGHT

INT. 1883 TAVERN NIGHT
Johnson is sitting alone when the waiter walks in escorting Thompson, sits down.

THOMPSON
Surprised to see you here, not weeping because of lilies outside, which would of course force you to write another 300 page ode.

JOHNSON
No, just sitting here being rich,  widely read and wistfully remembering my many visits with the queen.

THOMPSON
I heard you were the prince’s favorite poet. Makes sense. You’re his equal intellectually - he is almost three.

JOHNSON
No, he actually is in his 30’s. Do not worry about being wrong; I’m sure you’re quite used to it by now.

Johnson takes a sip of wine

THOMPSON
You know, Johnson, you amaze me. Where do you get the time to learn every minutest facet of the royal family’s life, andbecome a worse and worse poet?

JOHNSON
From the author of “Boy, Look how Poor I am. Isn’t that Just Awful?”

Johnson finishes his wine and calls over the waiter

THOMPSON
You know, Johnson, talking to you is much like talking to a bumblebee, illiterate and distracted by colorful things.

The waiter comes back to refill Johnson’s wine. Thompson putshis glass under the wine bottle so he gets his refill first. Fred gets up.

JOHNSON
Tell me, Thompson, something I could never decipher from your endless treatises on the poor, do you plan on getting crucified too, or are you just too good for that?

Johnson takes a drink of wine, looks perturbed, waves over the waiter.

THOMPSON
Have you poisoned us?

WAITER
Yes, sir.

THOMPSON
My man, I am abit perturbed by that. Why would you do something like that?

WAITER
Society is to blame, sir.

THOMPSON
Fair enough.

Johnson waves the waiter away, and he walks away.

JOHNSON
Well Thompson, it appears we’re about to die, so the question is, who gets the last word?

FRED
Where’s the rest room?

Waiter points, and Fred walks by and we see him in the background of every section still dressed as a dandy.

CLOSE-UP OF BOTH JOHNSON AND THOMPSON REPEATEDLY IN QUICK SUCCESSION