INT. MANHATTAN APARTMENT - DAY
The GROUP sit in a circle, listen as a BUSINESSMAN, near tears, gives his testimony.
BUSINESSMAN
...I mean you'd think with two mortgages out, repo guys staking out my car, my job on the line and my wife threatening to leave, you'd think I'd have the goddamn brains to stop, instead of staying in the chase, doubling down, which of course is what I did... I know I'm sick because I keep thinking if I just pulled that game out then I got a lock on the parlay and I'm flush going into Monday night and--
(breaking down, unable to continue)
MEMBER #1
... It's a disease, Leon.
MEMBER #2
Admitting you have a problem is the first step.
BUSINESSMAN/LEON
Then I guess I'm doing pretty good because I got one big fucking problem.
Someone claps. Everyone joins in. LEON smiles. Warm beat.
WALTER suddenly stands. BRANDON watches, concerned.
WALTER
My name's Walter. I'm new to the group.
(various "hellos")
Hi. I've been going to meetings like this for 18 years. Once a week, every Friday night, for 18 years. This, my friends, is my 936th consecutive meeting.
(enthusiastic applause)
Thank you. Thanks. And my hand to God, I haven't been to a track, casino or bet a game that whole time. Not a cent.
(murmurs of approval)
I've listened to thousands of sob stories by people like Leon here, and I gotta say, Leon -- if I learned one thing it's that gambling is not your problem.
LEON
It's not?
WALTER
Not even close. You're a lemon. Like a bad car, there's something inherently defective in you. And you. And me! All of us here -- we're lemons! Big, juicy, acidic, ice-tea flavoring lemons!
We look like everyone else but we're defective because when most people make a bet they want to win, while we, the degenerate gamblers of the world, we're subconsciously playing to lose.
All humans like going to the edge of the abyss, but what makes us different is we go all the way and hurl ourselves off into the void! And we like doing it so much we do it time after time after time! Me? I always felt most alive when they were raking away the chips, and every one here knows what I'm talking about.
People like us, even when we win, it's just a matter of time before we give it all back. But when we lose, and I mean the kind of loss that makes your asshole pucker to the size of a decimal point, there's a moment when you're standing there and you've just recreated the worst possible nightmare this side of malignant cancer for the 20th goddamn time and you suddenly realize -- hey, I'm still here, I'm still breathing, I'm still alive! In order to really live you have to be aware of your own mortality -- and a losing bet of a certain size is one of the best ways
WALTER CON'D
I know of getting that feeling. When you win, you defy death, but when you lose, you survive it, and that's remarkable!
Us lemons, we fuck shit up on purpose! We need to constantly remind ourselves that we're alive! Gambling's not the problem, Leon, your fucked up need to feel something, to convince yourself you exist, to test what's really real, that's the problem!
agregate