Up one flight of stairs, a single man sits on the step, smoking a cigarette.
One of the men by the mailboxes checks his pocketwatch, which is attached to a key chain. We HEAR the sound of a door opening; they look up.
The man sitting on the stop stands; and looks.
SONNY backs out of an apartment, the arms of LUCY MANCINI wrapped around him. She doesn't want to let go of him; she draws him back into the apartment for a moment, and then he comes out alone, adjusting his clothes.
He jauntily skips down the steps, trailed by the bodyguard on the first floor, and moves outside toward his car. The men quickly take up their positions. As he gets in his car:
DRIVER:
Pick up your sister?
SONNY:
Yeah.
The car drives off; accompanied and escorted by the bodyguards in their cars.
INT DAY:
CONNIE'S HALL (SPRING '46) He knocks on the door. No answer. Then again.
CONNIE'S VOICE Who is it?
SONNY:
It's me, Sonny.
We hear the bolt slide back, and see the door open. SONNY enters, but CONNIE has quickly moved into the hallway, her back to him.
SONNY:
(tenderly) Connie, what is it?
He turns her around in his arms.
Her face is swollen and bruised; and we can tell from her rough, red eyes that she has been crying for a long time.
As soon as he realizes what's happened, his face goes red with rage. She sees it coming, and clings to him, preventing him from running out of the apartment.
CONNIE:
(desperately) It was my fault! I started a fight with him and I tried to hit him so he hit me. He didn't even try to hit me hard Sonny, I walked into it.
Sonny listens, and calms himself. He touches her shoulder, the thin silk robe.
SONNY:
I'm goin' to have the doctor come over and take a look at you.
