Post by Max Stone on May 12, 2023 7:07:24 GMT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAX STONE!
And onnnnnnne last autograph….
We find ourselves looking at a close up of document covered in print. We see it long enough to make out the name "MAXWELL MASON STONE" before an arm reaches in to sign on the bottom line. Another hand reaches in and picks up the stack.
Lawyer: Alright, and one last autograph from you too and we will be on our way.
A woman with black hair and glasses that we are now seeing for the first time looks down at the documents and signs her name above "STEFANIE STONE." She puts the pen down and looks over at MAX and they both nervously chuckle.
Lawyer: And by the power vested in me by the state of California, you are now DIVORCED! You may kiss the former bride.
Both Max and Stefanie give Lawyer no reaction.
Lawyer: A little divorce attorney humor. See you kids later.
A moment later, Max and his now ex-wife, Stefanie, are exiting the lawyer's office. He holds the door open for her in a gentlemanly way. They make the walk to their respective cars.
Stefanie: Thank you for finally doing this. I know you have a really crazy travel schedule so I appreciate you coming back to LA to get this done on short notice.
Max: No problem… it’s been a long time coming. Probably should have done it years ago.
Stefanie: I guess neither of us were really in a rush.
Max: Guess not.
Stefanie's walk comes to a halt as she approaches her car.
Stefanie: Well… I guess this is it. Best of luck with everything.
Max smiles but it's not exactly a happy one. Bittersweet at best.
Max: Hey… do you want to get a bite to eat?
Stefanie: Um…
Max: At one point we thought we were going to be together for the rest of our lives. What's one last meal before we go our separate ways for good and never see each other again?
Stefanie: Fine. Can we get sushi? Not a lot of great sushi options in Arizona.
Max: Sushi it is.
Max walks over to his car where he has totally forgotten that Brenny AKA Butters has been waiting for him so they can continue filming this documentary that they started on.
Butters: I hope everything went okay in there.
Max sighs.
Max: I guess as good as a divorce can go. Weird seeing her again. I hadn't seen her in about 8 years. She still looks great.
Butters: Hey, we can pick up filming tomorrow. I imagine something like that could be heavy.
Max: Thanks man. Before I go… your uncle told me he would make it up to me for agreeing to do this whole documentary thing. I know what he can do for me. Tell him to get his private jet all fueled up because that's what's going to be taking me back and forth to Europe for the foreseeable future.
Butters: I’ll let him know.
Max: On second thought… you wanna make an easy 100 bucks?
Butters: Sure, that sounds good!
Max: Grabbing one last lunch with Stef and I think I’m gonna do some drinking. You wanna hang out in the car some more and drive me home after?
Butters: I can cancel all my other plans, yes.
We cut to a Sushi restaurant where Max and Stefanie are enjoying a colorful assortment of rolls. The waiter brings Max another bottle of Sapporo and takes an empty one away.
Stefanie: It's five o'clock somewhere.
Max: Eh, I ain't got nothing to do for the rest of the day. Flying back out sometime in the next few days.
Max takes a swig of the beer and Stefanie gaps and puts her hand over her cheek.
Stefanie: Oh my God… it's your birthday today.
Max smirks and shrugs his shoulders while still holding the beer bottle.
Stefanie: Happy Birthday, Max… oh my God I had you fly all the way back from England to finalize our divorce on your birthday.
Max laughs at the guilt she’s showing.
Max: In my business, that's what we call a "heel move."
Stefanie: Max, I'm so sorry. It completely slipped my mind.
Max: Don't worry about it. We had to get it done eventually and you kind of need this finalized before you remarry… Sam?
Stefanie: Steve.
Max: Steve. I'm happy you found someone who will treat ya good.
Max raises his bottle in the air.
Max: To Stef and Steve.
Stef clicks her glass of water with Max's beer bottle.
Stef: Anyone special in your life right now?
Max laughs. Another one of those where it's not a very happy sounding one.
Max: There was someone I would have considered special but it only lasted a few months. She had this cool costume shop and did all this stuff for movies. She even got me to try weed for the first time.
Stef laughs in surprise.
Stef: YOU smoked weed?
Max: More like ate a bunch of high dose cookies. It was a weird night.
They both laugh and then the laugh turns to an awkward silence. Max takes another swig of the beer and finally asks a question that's been floating somewhere in his mind for the past eight years.
Max: So… what was the straw that broke the camel's back? When was it that you decided enough was enough?
Stef: We don't have to do this, Max. Let's just enjoy this nice birthday lunch.
Max: I've gotta know. I know I was a pretty shitty husband and I know the reasons why you left. That's been well documented and I'm sorry I wasn’t better.. But what was the MOMENT that you made the choice?
Stef shakes her head. She takes a sip of her water. Max realizes she won't give the answer he's looking for and decides not to probe anymore.
Max: Sorry… it was just something that I've always been curious about. You don't have to answer.
Stef: Have you worked out the stuff going on with the guy inside your head?
The Maniac? How the fuck does she know about the Maniac? As far as Max is concerned, the Maniac was kept locked away and nowhere near this marriage.
Max: … what?
Stef: Sorry…
Max: No, it’s okay. Really, it is.
Stef: I, um… know that you have an entirely different side to you.
Max sits in silence for a moment as he processes what he’s going to say next.
Max: Yeah… I've got it under control. It's just me, Max. I got some help that really freed me up and made me feel better.
Stef: That's good.
She smiles a nervous looking smile at him. She was around him long enough to know when he’s lying but as they approach their last few moments together, she decides that it’s not worth talking about any further.
Max: I’ll ask for some to-go boxes.
We cut to the front of the Japanese restaurant where Max and Stef say their last goodbyes in front a cool little Koi pond.
Max: I guess this is it… for real.
Stef: For real. Take care, okay?
Max: You too. Wishing you nothing but the best in your marriage.
Stef: Thank you, I appreciate it.
They walk away in separate directions. Stef to her car and Max to his. He sits on the hood of the car and watches Stef pull out of the parking lot.
Max: And like that… she’s gone.
Max looks back into his car and sees Butters passed out in the back seat. He gets the creeping sense that he is not alone and that’s confirmed when he looks over and sees the Maniac sitting on the hood right next to him. The Maniac is staring daggers at Max.
Max: What do you want?
Maniac: “I got some help that really freed me up and made me feel better?”
Max: Yeah, so?
Max is whispering without looking at the Maniac to hide the fact that he’s having a conversation with himself.
Maniac: You’re still continuing to deny me after all I do for you.
Max: All you do for me? Like what? Taking over and locking me out? Yeah… I know all about the time you spend out and about while I’m completely in the dark.
Maniac: What are you talking about?
Max: Oh, come on…
An older couple walks by and have probably noticed Max talking to himself. He stops for a few moments and waits for them to clear.
Max: You’ve been taking over without my permission and threatening our teammates and our boss. You’re a loose cannon.
Maniac: Forgive me for seeing everything the way it is.
Max: You’re becoming a liability! You’ve never been honest with me. Were you ever going to tell me that you made yourself known to Stef?
Maniac: I never did that. You managed to fuck that up all on your own, buddy.
Max: Fuccccckkkkk you.
Max jumps off the hood of the car and taps on the back window, waking Butters up in the process.
Later that evening…
Max is back in that fancy penthouse apartment that stylistically does not match him whatsoever. He lies on the couch with his feet up and watching the screensaver of Netflix content change every 15 seconds. He sits up and takes a drink of whiskey and then laughs as he sees himself on the screen as a part of a collage of wrestlers in an advertisement for IIW Worlds Collide. And then an itch appears that he just can’t scratch as he really starts to focus on the photo of himself on the screen. He has no memory of ever taking that photo and comes to the conclusion that it must have been the Maniac that was in control of his body at that point in time. Max now finds himself trying to recall all kinds of different moments that he knows he wasn’t present for and starts really asking himself questions. But one such question is on his mind and in his birthday drunken state grabs his phone off the table and makes a call.
The phone rings for around 30 seconds and as Max is deciding that maybe this isn’t such a good idea, he hears Stef on the other end pick up.
Stef: Hello?
Max: Hey… Stef…..
Stef: Max… listen clearly. We agreed not even 5 hours ago that we would never cross paths again.
Max (interrupting): I know. Please, just answer me one question and we’ll be done, okay?
Stef: Max, please. We already went through that and it really doesn’t matter what made me want to leave you, okay? Got it? Goodb…
Max: My split personality. How did you know?
Stef: Know what?
Max: How did you know that I’m not the only one here? Did he take over when I wasn’t aware?
Stef: I don’t know… honestly I can only think of one time.
Max: Which time?
Stef: Max, it was a long time ago. I don’t have the best memory. Does it matter?
Max: He didn’t ever hurt you, did he?
Stef: No.
Max: Are you SURE?
Stef: Yes, you never physically hurt me, okay?
Okay, that’s a relief. Time to get some more information. Max gets to his feet and begins to pace around the living room.
Max: Okay.. okay.. One time, you said? Do you remember when?
Stef: Uh… it was around the holidays. 2013 I think? Somewhere around Christmas.
Max is trying to remember everything he can from around that time. It was nearing the end of the relationship.
Max: 2013… that was around the time we went to Mexico wasn’t it?
Stef: Sure, if it makes you feel better.
Max: What did he say to you? How long was he there for?
Stef: Max, I have to go.
Max: C’mon give me something!
Stef sighs loudly. She doesn't want to say this as it is something that she would have preferred to leave in the past where it belonged, but here it goes...
Stef: It was when your mother came back.
WHAT?
Max: … My mother?
Stef: Yeah… remember when she knocked on the door out of the blue?
Max: I haven’t seen my mother since I was 8 years old.
Stef doesn’t know how to respond.
Max: You mean to tell me my mom knocked on the door?
Stef is realizing that Max has no memory of this and now she takes pity on him.
Stef: She knocked on the door and I opened it and let her in. The second you saw her, your eyes rolled back into your head and you started screaming at her to leave. She ran away in tears and you immediately fell right to sleep and didn’t wake up until the next morning and never mentioned it. I never really wanted to bring it up because quite honestly you scared the shit out of me.
Upon hearing this news, a look of unparalleled anger falls on his face.
Max: Thank you. I really appreciate you telling me this.
Stef: I really have to go now. Goodbye, Max.
Max: Goodbye, Stef.
Max hangs up the phone and festers for a moment. He then HURLS his phone at the TV screen, creating cracks of light all over the screen.
Max (yelling): WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?
Max looks down at the couch where the Maniac is now sitting and staring back intensely.
Max: You’ve been hiding this from me all this time?
Maniac: I’m not hiding anything!
Max: BULLSHIT! Mom found us and you HID IT? You never told me?! You took over and made the fucking decision all on your own? YOU FUCKING HID IT?
Maniac: I told you I didn’t do it! Why the hell would I do that to you? She matters just as much to me as she does to you.
Max: You fucking liar…. You fucking Maniac.
Maniac: Nothing I can say will make you believe otherwise. You can sit here and accuse me of whatever you want to accuse me of but the time has long passed for you to stop blaming me for all your problems.
Max: Why? You backstab me at every turn. I’m your goddamn hostage stuck living side by side with you. I don’t have any control over my own life because of you.
Maniac: Keep on telling yourself that. Who was right there by your side when you were left alone for 16 hours a day, huh? Who made it fun for you in that dark and quiet apartment all that time while she was off working dead end jobs and trying to live her dream? Who encouraged you to live YOUR dream and push you every single step of the way? I’ll give you one hint: it wasn’t that woman who left you there to fend for yourself!
Max doesn’t know what to say. A tear falls down his face as he’s remembering things he’s long chosen to forget.
Maniac: You wouldn’t have made it through life if it weren’t for me and now you stand here in this big ass penthouse with your fat paycheck and constantly tell me I’m ruining everything. You tell yourself you’re the good guy because it’s that jerk Maniac who’s doing all the bad stuff. Give me a fucking break. I am you and you are me. We’re one in the same. The good, the bad and the ugly.
Max starts to speak and Maniac cuts him off.
Maniac: Shut up. I’m done hearing you talk. Now we made a promise to each other that we were never going to stop until we became the best wrestler to ever do this and I have no intention of stopping now. I know you don’t either. In fact, I know you agree with my methods.
Max: No way.
Maniac: If you didn’t, then you wouldn’t be able to see me anymore. Funny how that works, yeah?
Max picks his whiskey glass off the table and downs the rest.
Max: So how do we settle this?
Maniac: Settle what?
Max: Me vs. you. How does this end?
Maniac laughs as he slowly walks up and looks Max dead in the eyes.
Maniac: It never ends.
All of the sudden, the STEREO SYSTEM comes to life with loud metal music. Metallica to be exact. The Maniac smiles a devilish grin and begins to walk backwards as song lyrics kick in.
You (You), you're my mask, you're my cover, my shelter
You (You), you're my mask, you're the one who's blamed
Do (Do), do my work, do my dirty work, scapegoat
Do (Do), do my deeds for you're the one who's shamed
You (You), you're my mask, you're the one who's blamed
Do (Do), do my work, do my dirty work, scapegoat
Do (Do), do my deeds for you're the one who's shamed
Max fiddles with the knobs on the stereo system trying to turn down the volume but it won’t change at all.
Maniac: Happy birthday, Max Stone!
The Maniac disappears into thin air as Max is left with loud music playing.
I'm your dream, make you real
I'm your eyes when you must steal
I'm your pain when you can't feel
Sad but true
I'm your dream, mind astray
I'm your eyes while you're away
I'm your pain while you repay
You know it's sad but true
Sad but true
I'm your eyes when you must steal
I'm your pain when you can't feel
Sad but true
I'm your dream, mind astray
I'm your eyes while you're away
I'm your pain while you repay
You know it's sad but true
Sad but true