Excuses, excuses.

EXT. SANTA MONICA COURTHOUSE - DAY

BRUCE FINK, 38 overweight and coffee-stained, shuffles up the courthouse steps fifteen minutes late for his own divorce proceedings, in keeping with his soon-to-be-ex-wife's expectations.

High atop the steps, KAREN stands with her lawyer, arms akimbo.

KAREN

You look like shit.

BRUCE

Sorry I'm late.

KAREN

What happened to the nice pants I bought you?

BRUCE

I had to have the waist taken out.

KAREN

Is that waist with an 'I' or an 'E'.

BRUCE

Fuck you, Karen.

Half of a conversation...

EXT. PARK - DAY

A young man chats on a phone in a park.

PHONER

Well, maybe you can borrow some money from your dad or something.

A pause.

PHONER

Really, prison? What for?

A pause.

PHONER

Wow. Well, I guess it could have been worse.

A pause.

PHONER

It could have been THIRD degree murder.

A pause.

PHONER

First is worse than third?

A pause.

PHONER

Well, sooorrry. I'm not a lawyer. I thought it was like burns... or karate belts.

A pause.

PHONER

Yeah I get that... noooooooow.

I don't know. CAN you?

INT. BAR - NIGHT

A MAN steps in from the cold through the thick carcinogenic exhaust of the evening crowd.

His eyes come to rest on a WOMAN at the bar, her beauty radiating through the tufts of smoke.

He approaches.

MAN

Can I buy you a drink?

WOMAN

What do I look like? Freecreditreport.com?

MAN

Sorry, MAY I buy you a drink?