Friends With Benefits

By Swati Sharma Singh

Prachis house. Int. scene1

Prachi wakes up. Alarm ringing on phone. She stops the alarm.

Sits up straight with a concerned look on her face . grabs a plastic container from the kitchen and goes to the loo and pees in it.

Takes out 3 pregnancy kits from the bag and goes near the sink .

Test one kit,matches with the cover. Its positive.

Tests another kit, its positive. Checks the cover again and again like looking for a different outcome.

Bell rings. Prachi hides everything in a plastic bag, leaves it on the slab and opens the gate. Bai enters.

Prachi sits down in living room.

Bai – memsaab ye phekney ka hai kya? (she is holding the plastic bag in her hand) Prachi – (startled) nahi….main dekh loongi (takes the bag from her hand) (googles on her phone)

Types- how accurate are….

Google suggests – how accurate are pregnancy kits? (she selects)

Answer appears – Pregnncy kits are 99 percent accurate however you may also do the HCG (human chorionic ganadotrophin) test to be a 100 percent sure.

Test lab. Int. scene2

Prachis number appears. She approaches the counter.

Prachi (to attendant)- (whispering almost) HCG

Attendant – what mam?

2

Prachi – (coming closer) HCG ?...PREGNANCY TEST?

Attendant – yes mam sure. You have the doctors receipt?

Prachi – doctors receipt ? …no I don’t have that

Attendant – wo lagega mam, uske bina nahi hota hai.

Prachi – okay.

Doctors clinic.int.scene 3

Prachi is sitting across a doctor. He checks the kit. Puts it down.

Doctor – (writing on his pad) your age?

Prachi – 25

Doctor – mrs?

Prachi – miss?

Doctor (reaction – slightly judgy) (write something) – so prachi this shows that you are pregnant.

Prachi – I want to take the HCG doctor . just to be sure.

Doctor – okay. You want to know anything about the abortion process? Prachi – (defensive) i.. I am not sure about that, mainey abhi father se baat nahi ki hai. Doctor – (slight shrug) (writes the receipt for HCG)

LAB.int.scene 4

Prachi giving blood.

Prachi (asks attendant) –report kab tak mil jayega ?

3

Attendant – (looks at the clock) (its 8) – morning me mil jayega.

Prachi – reaction

Outside lab building. Ext . scene 5

Prachi (msgs Abhishek) – hi.can we talk?

Abhishek – hi. Whats up?

Prachi – I missed my periods. I took the kit test . its positive. Just gave the blood test to be sure. Abhishek (calls)

Prachi – hello

Abhishek – kahan ho tum ?

Prachi – bas lab se nikal rahi hun. Tum kahan ho ? can we meet somewhere? Abhishek – yaar prachi . I would have but I am really stuck today . wont be possible. Prachi – okay. So main kal report lekey call karti hun.

Abhishek – ya ya . take care.

Prachis house. Int. scene 6

Prachi wakes up with morning sickness, vomits. Has water. Calls abhishek. Abhishek doesn’t pick , calls twice thrice. He doesn’t pick.

Keeps the phone down. Phone rings she picks up hoping its abhishek , its just the alarm. Puts off the alrm.

4

Lab.int.scene 7

Prachi picks report from the lab.

Abhisheks house.int. scene 8

Prachi rings the bell. Staff boy opens. Recognizes prachi.

Staff boy – Namaste mam.

Prachi – abhishek hai?

Staff boy – bhaiya ….so rahe hain.

Prachi – (enters abhisheks bedroom . he is sleeping . she sits besie him) abhishek , (shakes him gently) abhishek.

Abhishek (waking up.lazily) – haeyy

Prachi – we need to talk, (hands him the report)

Abhishek – sits upright .

Prachi – kya karna hai?

Abhishek –(looks at report ) tablet aata hai. Abortion pill. Le lo. Itll wash off. (gets up and stares outside)

Staff boy – bhaiya nashta bana doon?

Abhishek – nods to staff boy

Staff boy – mam aap kuch logey.

Prachi – chai aur paratha.

Prachi ( to abhishek) – it’s a life .

Abhishek – (half giggle) no prachi its not a life. Jab tak tum mey se bahar aakey saans na ley. Its just a cell.

5

Prachi – tum aur main bhi cell hi they .

Abhishek – (slightly agitated) kya chahati ho tum. You want to keep it ? kyat um akele handle kar paogi? (deep breathe) it would have been a serious question if we were married or something. We were just doing each other.

Prachi – blank

Abhishek (holds prachi and hugs her) – (with a kidding kind of expression) are you sure its mine?

Prachi – (straight face looks at him) yes. I am not sleeping with anyone else. Abhishek kisses her forhead.

Prachi fights back tears.

Abhishek – do you want the doctors number?

Prachi – no I have a doctor .

Cut to…

Abhishek dropping prachi to the gate.

Abhishek – lemme know if you need anything.

Prachi – sure.

Doctors clinic. Int.scene 9

Prachi is lying on a patient bed. Her legs spread out under a sheet. Her jeans kept on the chair. Doctor reaches under the sheet with his gloved hand and checks.

Doctor- (concerned expression) its quite developed .

Cut to…

Prachi and doctor sitting across the table.

6

Doctor – tumhare last periods kab huye they ?

Prachi – I don’t remember doctor. Kabhi kabhi date aagey peechey ho jata hai. I never kept track.

Doctor – hmmm…I would have suggested the pill. Par checkup ke mutabik main tumhe procedure recommend karunga. Kal ko kuch hissa agar andar reh gaya to infection ho sakta hai.

Prachi – kab kar saktey hain ?

Doctor – checks schedule- tomorrow between 12-3 . uske baad tum ghar bhi ja sakti ho. But tumhare saath kisiko aana hoga. tumhe personal assistance ki zaroorat padegi.

Outside clinic door. Int. scene10

Prachi is on phone abhishek speaking on the other side.

Abhishek – prachi I understand this is very sensitive. But you know me na. main hospital environment handle nahi kar paunga.

(takes a pause) I can ask one of my friend. You know they won’t judge.

Prachi (frowns. Defensive) – no no no … pls tum kisi se ye baat share mat karna. I’ll manage Abhishek – okay . as you say. Keep me posted.

Prachis house . int. scene 11

Prachi reaches home and breaks down hugging her pillow. Mother calls

Mom – hello! kaisa hai mera bhachcha.

Prachi - (holding back tears ) theek hun mom

Mom – low low kyun sound kar rahi hai

Prachi – actually thoda thakaan hai bas

7

Mom – oho , dhyaan rakha kar. Doosrey sheher me hai, kaam ke saath thoda rest bhi karna chahiye.

Prachi – haan mom. (pause) mom

Mom – haan beta

Prachi – (toying with the report like she is about to tell her ) ek call aa raha hai. Baad mey baat karti hoon.

(cries . pulls herself together . sees the watch. Its 7 . calls sara)

Sara- hello! Pata hai main aaj tere hi bare mey soch rahi thi. Whats up

Prachi – kaisi hai

Sara – sahi hun yaar . bas office se nikal rahi thi . tu bata?

Prachi – yaar I needed some help .

Sara – ya ya bol

Prachi – kal mujhey ek medical procedure ke liye jana hai aur mere saath kisi ka hona compulsory hai . tu chal sakti hai?

Sara – are you crazy or what ? offcourse main chalungi . hua kya?

Prachi – kal batati hun. Par tera job ka…

Sara – ill take leave stupid . best friend ki health jyada important hai ya kaam . kaam to chalta hi rahta hai

Prachi – thanx yaar

Sara – see you tomorrow. Time msg kar dena. Main ghar aa jaungi. Meri car mey chal lengey. Ok . bye.

Clinic building. Ext. scene 12

sara parks the car.

8

Clinic . int. scene 13

Bahar ka maternity board dekh kar sara chaunk jati hai. Samajh jaati hai ki prachi ka medical procedure kya hai.

Sara – (looks at prachi, and whispers, lip movement ) – abhishek ?

Prachi – nods

Cut to…

Prachi and sara are sitting on the waiting bench. Just then a nurse passes from in front of them with a new born crying baby . its like this is happening in slow motion for prachi.

Sara clutches prachis hand to console her.

Another Nurse- prachi aap hi hai na?

Prachi – ji

Nurse – aaiye

Prachi enters a room .

Clinic operating room. Int . scene 14

Prachi is lying down on the operating bed . wearing the operating robe. Her legs spread out . (camera side angle or behind prachi )

Nurse gives her anesthesia.

Prachi blinks. Once. Twice.

Just before she is about to loose consciousness prachis mind voice. – “I don’t want to “ Eyes close slowly and screen blacks out .

Appears on screen – friends with benefits

(one second later ) - ? – question mark appears in front of benefits.

By Swati Sharma Singh