C4 Cats

MONICA’S LIVING ROOM - DAY

Now Monica receives Annie, she is chewing on a bag of cookies, while Monica is satisfied with a cup of green tea. There is a cup for Annie on the coffee table. The two go on talking and eating /drinking at the same time.

"I didn't see you yesterday, friend, after the incident. So, did everything go well?"

"If you are referring to me arriving at the publisher on time and delivering my manuscript, yes, of course, it worked. Now let's see if it will work out for me to be called by that phone and be informed that they are going to publish. And that they pay me for less R$ 2.00 per book."

"Monica, this is very little! They will sell the book for at least R$ 20.00; why only two bucks for you?"

Monica smiles smartly. "If I sell a million copies, I will earn TWO MILLION royalties, do you understand?"

Annie chokes on the piece of cookie she chewed.

"Yeah, I hadn't seen it from this perspective!"

"That's how you win in life, darling, thinking calmly and in the long run. What's the use of paying R$ 10.00 if I don't sell even 100 copies? Besides the publisher kicking my ass, I won't have the heart to write another one."

Annie speaks in a not-so-convincing tone. "Oh, dear, I wish everything would work out."

Monica notices her friend's tone. "Is there a problem, Annie?"

Annie gets up, drops the package, takes the cup, and drinks all the tea at once as if it were whiskey.

"Jonas. He picked me up at the Malthus snack bar. It looked like I was committing adultery."

Monica straightens up in the chair. She holds emotions. "Did he offend you, did he hurt you?"

Annie is quick to answer: "N-no! Just that idea that he and his parents have... That Seu Aurélio is a cruel competitor that needs to be fought."

"Oh, dear, there is for everyone! The neighborhood is so big..."

"I just wanna see what it will be like if a Dalmerri or Extrabom appears in the neighborhood!"

Monica reacts humanly, penalized.

"I'm going to talk to him, friend."

"No, Monica, you don't have to..."

Monica gets up, goes to Annie. Put your hands on her shoulders, apply strength.

"What a hell you don't need, you do! Jonas needs to understand that we are in capitalism, where the customer is the boss. If you want to eat at the Malthus cafeteria or Seb's bodega, whatever, it's your money!"

Annie speaks softly, "Actually, it's my parents /"

"You understand, friend. And don't worry about it. I'm here to help you."

Annie is thrilled, "As always, right!"

Such a touching moment between friends, the two embrace.

RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Célio comes in. Tito receives him effusively.

"Good morning, my boy!"

"Seu Tito, do you have any more posters? Chief Roldão asked to put one up at the police station. He didn't know."

Tito is intrigued. "Didn't you stick in the snack bar?"

"I stuck in several strategic locations, sir. But, the neighborhood is large, it will need more."

"I will provide more posters; you can leave them to me. For now, you have nothing to do. Take your money."

The association's furniture is second-hand. Tito opens a rusty drawer, moves inside, and takes out two R$ 10 bills. Célio receives them with a smile.

"Thank you, mayor!"

Célio leaves. Tito smiles with the "mayor".

"And so I win another voter. That way I run for Parliament on Royal Hill!"

MALTHUS SNACK BAR

Aurélio at his post is placing fresh snacks. Men in uniform from a certain soft drink company deliver crates. There are already customers at tables.

A conveyor asks Aurélio, "Can you check it out, sir?"

Aurélio leaves the other side of the counter and checks the bars with the invoice. Meanwhile, Ed comes in and sits down.

"All right, young man."

"Sign here, please."

Ed calls him restless, "Seu Aurélio, can you attend me, please?

"One minute!"

Aurélio puts the note on the counter and signs. He delivers to the loader and he cuts off the company's carbon and delivers the client's copy with the payment slips. The loader thanks him with a nod and leaves with his colleagues, taking the empty bottle racks.

Aurélio approaches Ed, suspicious of what he will “ask”.

"What will it be this time, son? Please, something that really fills you."

"I won't complain if you serve me a cheese pastry."

Aurélio scratches his head with the pen. "Look, Ed... I have this flavor, but... Did you never notice that cheese tastings don't taste like anything? The cheese melts and mixes in the dough when we fry, at the end the tart is hollow. Turns a lie!"

"But, it's already something. Better than water like yesterday."

"I have ground beef pastry that I made yesterday /"

Ed replies haughty, stubborn, "A cheese pastry, Seu Aurélio..."

Aurélio is not satisfied. "Did you say… and to drink?"

"Mineral water!"

Aurélio closes his hands, holds on to not choke Ed.

CASCAIS BAKERY

Annie goes inside the Jonas family commerce. The man himself is at the counter, delivering bags of products to satisfied customers who leave. The place is tidier than the Malthus snack bar and has more varieties of pasta. Annie goes to the showcases, shelves, and crates of sweets, cakes, cookies, and homemade pieces of bread. Jonas arrives from behind and begins the dialogue.

"I haven't seen you that happy in a while."

Annie suddenly turns to him. "Oh, Jonas, you scared me!"

"Sorry, it wasn't my intention." He is kinder than yesterday, "what will it be today?"

"Is your father there?"

"He went to pay bills at the lottery. I'm glad you arrived on time."

Annie talks and goes to a table. "Yeah, start with one of those Capuchins that only you know how to prepare the way I like it, and those sugar-filled donuts I saw there."

"Your wish is an order!"

Jonas smiles sweetly at Annie and leaves. Annie, also smiling, starts to think about the conversation she had with Monica.

"Poor little guy, Monica. He was just upset because of the Malthus diner. Nothing else to matter, everything is already settled. You don't need to talk to him, no."

Jonas arrives with the donuts and she gets excited, starts to eat.

MONICA’S LIVING ROOM

Monica is sitting in a chair in front of her computer. She checks sheets on the tape printer. She clicks and opens the text editor software. On the monitor, we see that she has already written the title "Hope alive, by Monica Silva". Monica presses “enter” until the next page opens. Monica takes a deep breath, types "chapter 01" and when her imagination starts to flow in her fingers...

...boom! The monitor goes off. Monica screams in fright and annoyance.

"Son of the/"

Monica covers her mouth, looks around as if she were in front of the reader. Monica gets up, goes to the switch. Turn on, the lamp does not light. She picks up the remote, points at the television, it doesn't light up. It's a lack of energy.

"My god! Is there a lack of light in the neighborhood? Are we like this, guys?"

Carina, in a hurry, comes into the background and wants to know what's going on.

"Hi, neighbor! Did the neighborhood lack power or was it just my house?"

"In mine too, Carina. I think it was in the whole neighborhood."

Fábia Peres calls again, "Hey, Monica..."

The two again react stressed. They turn around, and Fábia Peres is standing at the living room window.

"...I didn't know you were such a person who does a cat."

"Like Fabinho?"

"Have you ever seen a blender fly?!" Fábia reacts furiously. She extends the blender with some mixture and threatens to throw it at Monica.

Monica laughs. "Smash, you're the one who will pay!"

Carina appeases. "There was no electricity in the neighborhood, Fábia. I don't know where Monica's fault is."

Fábia Peres answers petulantly, "And then I'm the stupid one. I took a look at the other side of our street and everything is normal between them."

Monica and Carina go to the window. From their sights, they observe the residents behaving normally; even the noise of a vacuum cleaner is heard.

"Indeed..."

Monica has an idea: "Did just miss it on this block, or this side of the street? So..."

Monica leaves. Carina and Fábia go after her.

RICARDO’S ENTRANCE HOUSE

Monica is knocking hard on the door of another house. Carina and Fábia are behind. The door opens after a moment. Ricardo Oliveira, 27, looking like a bohemian Russian, appears behind her. Ricardo appears scratching his face, sleepwear. He's wearing boxer shorts, Carina turns around, blushing, innocent.

Ricardo says sleepily, "Did I win the lottery? Three beauties like that at my door so early /"

Monica replies furiously: "Cut it out the early, it's ten in the morning! What did you do with our light, Ricardo?"

Ricardo scoffs, "I'm not anyone's father!"

Fábia replies, "That's what I thought!"

"So-and-so, it's not helping!", Monica scolds her and turns to Ricardo, "I'm referring to our electricity! It was missing right on our block."

"Is it my business?"

"Do you think I forgot those stairs, pole wires, and various tools I saw you taking in your car the other day?"

Flashback:

Monica passes by the sidewalk in front of Ricardo's house and sees him in the background talking to another neighbor, with the equipment mentioned by her being placed in a van.

End of flashback.

Ricardo is embarrassed, wipes imaginary sweat.

Monica remains vibrant, she knows she is right. "And then?..."

"You saw me that day, but I was doing a little job. After all, I need something to live on, right?"

"Yes, you got paid to make a clandestine power connection. How bad, Ricardo! I just wonder what Seu Tito is going to talk about. Just he, who was elected saying he was so correct and conservative."

Ricardo disguises. "Look, you can't prove anything against me. I think it's better to forget this boring chat and go in for a cup of coffee."

Fábia dumbly asks, "Is there power in your house?"

It's a total shame. Ricardo reacts furiously.

"Go to wash a dish! You don't need any energy for that!"

Ricardo slams the door in the ladies' face. They got scared.

Monica ironically thanks Fábia. "Thanks, Fábia!"

"Ah, come on! You think I'm stupid, but at least I got the cause of our problem, right?"

"Yeah, keep thinking to see if Fabio really threw the girlie mags away."

Fábia is swayed by the hint but insists on denying it. In another angle, Célio is walking on the sidewalk and is going to meet the girls. He smiles when he sees Monica.

"Girls! Hello, Monica..." He notices the location, "Ehr... What are you doing at this suspect's door?"

Carina replies, "Precisely, he is suspected of causing a power outage on our block."

Monica completes, "The neighbors across the street still have energy; that is, it is not a general fault of the neighborhood."

"Yeah, I don't miss mine either. I just came from the Association, but there's nothing to do. I got some change." Suddenly, just Monica, “do you want to go with me to the Malthus Diner?"

Monica reacts with emotion, interest. "Oh, well, asking like this... I want to."

"So let's go." At the two girls, he says, "Call Escelsa."

Carina is supporting. "Bye, Monica!"

Monica winks at Carina and leaves with Célio. Fábia is eaten with rage.

"Is this thing between the two guys really serious?"

"Feeling smell of envy here?

"Oh, oh, God forbid. The definition of envy is not what fits. I would say 'contempt'."

"Why?"

"Because that one is going out with another guy while Fábio, who already has me, is distracted by her."

"But then, it is no longer Monica's fault. And it is good to check even the bidding of the magazines."

Carina turns and walks away from Fábia. She holds herself in anger and goes to the other side.

RICARDO’S LIVING ROOM

Ricardo is standing on the phone. The power is already back. He waits to be answered, he is furious.

"Hello, Antenor? What the hell was that? Didn’t I tell you to be careful? The power fell on the block, people came to accuse me!", pause, "yes, they already found out that it was the cat we did. Watch out to the voltage of your devices, damned, before you set the neighborhood on fire and they blame me!", pause, "ok, I'm going over there to check!"

Ricardo turns off by hitting the hook.

“Idiot!"

Ricardo goes to his room to wear better clothes. Then he leaves.