-- the pleasure of sofia. serrano.
i'm sorry about my coat. it's too big for your closet.
i overdressed. i mean i underdressed.
do you have another room to put it in?
happy birthday. her upbeat physicality is intoxicating. sofia hands david her present.
welcome.
okay.
so this is what's become of rock and roll. a smashed guitar behind a glass case displayed on some rich guy's wall.
i like it. she turns and walks away, david following close behind.
- how did you get all this stuff, this apartment, this life - david is looking just over her shoulder. she turns to see an almost disturbingly large portrait of david aames, sr. she turns back.
i see.
you are, but the food's good.
it doesn't. sound life-threatening. someone passes, bumping her slightly, into him.
i'll improvise -
red dress, strappy shoes?
-- wow, she's really staring at you.
and she seems to be growing.  less happy.
i think she's the saddest girl to ever hold a martini. julie gianni sits on the steps watching. the girl, and the dress, looked much happier in the bedroom. julie rises and begins to move.
you have another apartment?
i'm not going in there.
i hear her coming.
no. david pulls her inside. shuts the door behind them.
who did these paintings?
well, two of them are geniuses.
i am an actress.
are you about to compliment, my phone voice?
oh, i'd only disappoint, you. see - i'm not. qualified. i can spell.
i'm surprised you're surprised.
me neither. beat. they drop the act. a powerful, awkward moment.  and the door opens.
brian! come in here!
she looked dangerous.
don't worry. i'll get. us all something. jacks and cokes? she exits, leaving the two friends.
where you going?
huh?
hang on, i'll go with you.
no, i have to work tomorrow.
hey paulo! a large goofy dog comes running at her, and then proceeds to slather david with love too.
i love living here. and i refuse to clean up!
i've got to work around the clock to keep this place. david eases the dog away as he examines the oddly exquisite dolls. he grabs a look at her in the other room. a bit of leg between boot and skirt. as he admires the dolls:
for 14 years. but i don't dance like you dance. she laughs to herself, steals a look at him. turns away.
do you want something to drink?
well, it's mine and you can't have it. david examines a humorously embarrassing vacation photo of a sloshed sofia, a guy's arm reaching for her breast. dedication reads: to sergio! marry me!
it's a nickname.
it's a long story, and we don't know each other.
that's because i'm really an arms dealer.
you do now. what about you? what's your nickname? david freezes. and then decides what the hell - to tell the truth.
you're not staying over.
oh please. somehow, i can't play the violin for you. although. it must be hard controlling all those people's lives. everyone at that party is connected to you for survival in some way, it seems. david looks at her, mentally assessing her level of guile.
ever been married?
12,008.no.
right. do you want to hear jeff buckley.  or vikki carr?
everyone said "don't go to new york." but i just think good
you think i'm naive. he decides she's for real. he turns back to the photos on her fridge.
i have to get to sleep. truthfully -- i'm also working mornings as a dental assistant.
i've never drawn such a true likeness before.
already? hang on. okay - done. sofia offers her drawing. it's a caricature of a good- looking guy surrounded by money, cars and very thin girls. he snatches it, studies it, and what he sees hurts him in surprising ways.
maybe i didn't add enough money --
let's see yours.
wow. i feel bad. you said to draw a caricature.
well, it's very good.
you monster. how much for?
and what happens when your friend calls you tomorrow?
i see that friendship is important to you.
your career is one i'd worry about. david looks down. she's hit a nerve.
i'm sorry -
when did you change?
every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around. david shakes his head a little. her words strike right to the heart of him.
what are you watching?
i've seen this thirty times.
is he a fraud?
good point.
oh, well that's comforting. it's safe for benny. i'm in! david moves closer to her.
we better watch out. they regard each other, and david gets up off the sofa. it's true. the promise is too great to not savor it, and walk away for now. thrill remains in the air.
where are you going?
come here, i want to tell you a secret. he pauses a moment, and turns. in this instant, a fleeting instant, it's the oddest thing. he can see their entire
i meant that to be your forehead. david stands. he looks around the small apartment.
pleasure delayer. he is still somewhat stunned by the evening, and the girl. he actually wants to run his company.
hello. he steals a kiss. they both feel like they're getting away with something.
did you get to work alright?
you dreamed you'd never see me again.
julie.
i thought you were going straight to work.
how was your house after the party?
the party. remember? red dress.  strappy shoes.  i spilled something on your shirt.  sweet and sour.  and the saddest girl to ever hold a martini. he looks at her, completely lost and spacy.
it's been a long time. i tried to see you but your people wouldn't let me.
sure.
let's go out and do something.
hi!
nothing.
where's the bathroom?
hello again.
i don't talk like that.
red dress, strappy shoes?
david --
no.
i'll tell you later.
i'll tell you in another life.  when we are both cats. david looks at her. his eyes flash at her choice of words. perhaps there is hope. sofia stares at. him, worried about his sanity as he goes overboard with his praise of her turn of a phrase. push into close-ups as they struggle to deal with the discomfort of this moment.
well, this is where i leave you.
no, i live just around the corner.
i'd rather walk.
seriously, i don't need you to walk me home. thank you.
great. we'll go catch a movie or something.
so. we'll meet up soon. the word sounds a lot like goodbye and they both know it.
and it worked. get up.
that's right. i agree. ugh.
david. i'm not going to lie to you. i liked the way you looked. but if you don't pull it together, i'll forget the other guy. you know that. other guy - you?
i don't. have a mother-savior bone in my body. it's not about that. you're coming inside. but if this
shut up.
he went with you, didn't he?
i wish you hadn't gotten in the car with that girl.
your eyes apologized better. come on. portrait of the two, her leading him to the door, the crisp glycerine morning overhead.
holy god, this is going to change my life in a zillion different ways.  i must be nuts.
you've got to take the plates off, david.
it's going to be fine, you'll see.
i hope that shrew at the front desk gave you shit about it.
good, because i know that the problem wouldn't be you delaying something you were dreading.
nooooo, it couldn't be that. she pulls off one of the plates.
i mean, i agree, it's very important to have.  she pulls off another one of the plates. she grows a bit emotional.
 the right car.  she pulls off another one of the plates. tearing slightly.
 to take you where you want to go.  24 hours a day.  quadrant by quadrant, his face is restored to a pale- skinned and tender.  perfection.
well, your ears are in the right place. and the rest of it is.  not too bad at all. tenderly she kisses, and hugs him.
do you love me? i mean, really love me.  because if you don't, i'll just.  have to kill you.
i love you. i love you. i love you.
is this a dream?
was i snoring?
i'm dreaming about you. mmmmmmm. he gets up and goes to the bathroom.
they kiss. the kiss expands, as he moves to the back of her neck. he caresses her body. she kisses his fingertips. her back to him. tangled in sheets, they ease into lovemaking with the perfect fit of two bodies meant for each other. he gently grabs a handful of her hair. his hand stops. it's not sofia's hair. he slowly turns her face to his, and we glimpse david over the shoulder of the woman who is not sofia. he leaps out of bed, falling to the floor, the sheet tangled around him. he turns on the light. julie gianni hides her face from the light, like a night animal caught in the intrusive glare of day. when she speaks, it is with sofia's cadence and accent.
yes, david, i'm sofia. i'm sofia. he accepts it, all of it, whatever it is, just to hold her. they kiss, gently, then more powerfully.
open your eyes. they walk away, down the street, into a beautiful vanilla sky. sofia slips her arm around his shoulder, as we've seen earlier.
it's a problem.
i'll find you again. she regards her lost love, taking him in. david treasures his last moments with her.