INT.  STUDIO APARTMENT - WEST HOLLYWOOD (WEHO) - DAY

Guest apartment in large, traditional Hollywood 30's house. Apt. opens onto a private patio with built-in BBQ. The interior walls are original stucco, painted an amorphous color which could be something like "Meditation Banana." 

A white bamboo armoire with three drawers suitable for swimsuits and hanging space for two nudists corners the room. New shelving units crowd the rest of the wall, each struggling with an asymmetric organizing system which over the years has lost everything from snowshoes to passports, some more than once.

At the built-in desk is JOE ACTON, writer-in-residence and dressed in the fashion of Hollywood writers -- Costco, Zappos, and off-season Tommy Bahama -- grapples through a conversation on his cell.

SUPER: January 9, 2019

                         ACTON
               What's not to get? I was in Oregon,
               then 5 days ago I got into my POS 
               2006 Pathfinder, drove to West Hollywood
               and moved into this place. 
                   (listens)
               No. Why does everyone automatically 
               assume we broke up? I've just deployed
               to WEHO. I'm like the military but
               without air support and lace-up boots.
                   (listens)
               Three months.
                   (listens)
               Because three strikes are a turkey, 
               three goals a hat trick, the father, 
               son, and Executive Producer are the  
               Holy Trinity. And like a series, I'm 
               either renewed or canceled. How do I
               know why I picked three?
                   (listens)
               No, I haven't met anyone famous. I've
               been here three days... though I did 
               meet a New York actress yesterday
               at a writer's cafe.
                   (listens)
               Not surprisingly, it's a cafe/coffee 
               joint where writers work from. Yesterday
               I counted 27 of them beating the hell out
               of their laptops.

FLASHBACK

INT. WRITERS COFFEE/CAFE JOINT - DAY

Two-story cafe with individual tables on the second floor, picnic tables, and pub tables on the first... kitchen and coffee machines next to the front door. Library quiet except for the staccato sounds of laptop abuse. 

                         ACTON (V.O.)
               I was there working on my new series 
               pilot, "Fork In The Road" when a 
               girl/woman -- I can't tell anymore 
               -- walks up and says,

                         GIRL/WOMAN
               Excuse me, is this table taken?

                         ACTON
               Don't think so. The last guy
               abandoned ship 15 minutes ago.  

                         GIRL/WOMAN
               You don't mind if I sit here?

                         ACTON
               I dare ya.

She laughs, sits down, and Acton goes back to work. Thirty minutes later he heads for a refill and cookie. As he returns he can't help but notice GIRL/WOMAN is reading the pilot on his open laptop. 

                         ACTON
                If you find any typos feel free 
                to fix them.

                        GIRL/WOMAN
                     (startled)
                Oh, I'm sorry. I saw you reading
                and typing and realized it was
                screenplay.

                         ACTON
                Technically, a teleplay. 

                        GIRL/WOMAN
                      (interested)
                Oh, television is why I'm here. I
                just got in from New York. I'm
                an actress.  
                      (nods to laptop)
                Are you an actor and
                those are your sides?

                        ACTON
                An actor? No... I'm just a lowly
                writer. 

                        GIRL/WOMAN
                You're NOT an actor? You look like
                an actor. 

                        ACTON
                I'm trying to look like a writer.

                       GIRL/WOMAN
                A writer? Oh, I don't date writers. I
                definitely do NOT date writers!

For the briefest of moments, Acton experiences a minor stroke-like condition causing him to nearly blurt out, 

                        ACTON
                     (righteous indignation)
                "WTF is wrong with you? I'm wearing
                a belt older than you are."
                     (but instead manages)
                Actors everywhere rejoice.

Her writer's rule freshly vindicated, GIRL/WOMAN gathers her belongings and heads for the second floor.

BACK TO PRESENT 

                         ACTON
                  I have no idea who she was. I
                  didn't recognize her.
                      (listens)
                  You are not the first to suggest
                  I am on the pop culture spectrum.
                      (listens)
                  Yeah... I can live with that.

END SEQUENCE