Where the Water Takes You

Setup: Steven is a handsome single father of a 12-year-old boy, Isaiah. Emotionally scarred from his wife's infidelity, he struggles to balance a life between raising Isaiah and coping with his pain by drinking and promiscuity. From the perspective of a father, he’s a good man. From the way he treats women, he is contemptible. Chuck, Steven’s wingman, and best friend does not have Steven’s looks; the quest for true romance thus alludes him. Unlike Steven, however, he’s looking for a genuine relationship. The three lonely men find refuge at the Charlotte White Water Center. The center is a magical outdoor playground featuring 1,300 acres to run, paddle, ride, climb, and escape the cares of the world. It hosts the world’s largest artificial white river where brave souls can challenge class IV waters. Adjacent is a magnificent beer garden for the challengers and observers. Steven and Susan are sitting on a bench near the white water, nursing beers, just completing a practice run for the couple’s rafting competition. Other than Isaiah, winning the competition takes priority in his life. They are not having a pleasant conversation. Steven’s fourth relationship in eighteen months is about to end, leaving him without a rafting partner. She wants more in the relationship; he has nothing to give. She pours her bear over his head and leaves. It’s over. At that moment he spots Mariam at the other side of the river. She is beautiful. She is amused by the sight of Steven with beer all over him. They lock eyes, smiling. An enchanting moment. They cannot take their eyes off each other. The moment is fleeting, and he loses sight of her. Later that day Steven and Isaiah take part in a larger group rafting run. Mariam happens to be part of the group. Steven turns on his typical charm, ready for his next relationship. During the turbulent ride, Mariam accidentally strikes Steven with her paddle. He plays off her guilt by asking her on a date. She politely declines. Then, almost by compulsion, reconsiders. Only on the condition they meet at church first. Steven responds, "I don't do church." She politely accepts his answer and walks away. Then, almost by compulsion, he reconsiders. Story: Steven is sitting in a pew at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. While looking for Mariam a nun sits next to him. Steven is about to tell her that the seat is taken when he realizes … it’s Mariam! Steven and Mariam still go on the "date." They get acquainted as they share desserts at one of Charlotte's premier French bakeries, Amelie’s. Although their stations in life prohibit any romance, there is an undeniable kindred spirit between them. Mariam confesses how she felt sorry for Steven when she observed the breakup and suggests a platonic friendship with a woman may be what he needs in life. Her background as a counselor for children can help minister to him. Steven is intrigued when she divulges that she was once an addict and a jazz singer before her vocation. “I am not anyone’s project,” declares Steven. He pays for the deserts, and they say their polite goodbyes. But she gives him her number in case he changes her mind. Isaiah is having trouble in school. It’s a reoccurring emotional issue. Steven takes him to a highly recommended child psychiatrist, Juan. As Steven and Juan discuss Isaiah the therapist realizes that Steven also needs counseling. Juan will accommodate Isaiah in his busy schedule on one condition, that Steven also seeks therapy. Steven initially balks but then remembers that Mariam is a therapist. And besides, he can use a partner for the rafting competition. Steven agrees and later calls Mariam. He now has a Catholic sister as a friend and a rafting partner. Mariam and Steven develop a close friendship as they train for the white-water competition. It becomes clear that their friendship is opening areas of Mariam’s life that have not been dealt with. She starts to reconsider the motive of her religious vocation. Steven initially enjoys having a platonic friendship with a woman, precariously balancing an emotionally satisfying relationship with Mariam while having a physical relationship with another. Chuck challenges him that this is not normal, slightly motivated by the fact that he lost his wingman. Emotionally intimate moments occur as they spend more time together. They don’t realize it, but they are falling in love. During their time together Mariam reveals she always wanted to ride in a horse-drawn carriage. One evening, after a rafting training session, they stroll downtown Charlotte. Steven surprises her with a pre-planned appointment with one of the horse-driven carriages that roam the city. It is a special moment as they ride in the carriage. Steven begins to share his feelings as they ride, not looking at her. Then he realizes sleep has overtaken her, tired from the day’s training. He asks the driver for a blanket and carefully tucks it around Mariam. Then he asks for the complimentary wine. He drinks alone, enjoying the night while watching her sleep. Steven is not the same man anymore. Days later Steven and Mariam win the rafting competition. During the ride the white water jolts the couple together, pushing their faces together, their lips millimeters apart. They desire their lips to press. They don’t. They return to navigating the water. Later that evening an elderly couple mistakes them for a married couple. For fun, they play along with the charade. They accept an invitation to join them at the evening concert. But the role-playing serves only to bring to a boil the feelings between them. After the concert, Steven opens up about his feelings for her. He asks her to quit her vocation. Mariam is not ready for this and tells Steven their relationship was a mistake, and they should no longer see each other. Steven is devastated. Steven swings back to his old self. He goes back to his favorite bar, flirting with a beautiful woman. While flirting a distraught Chuck calls him, another failed romance. Chuck needs his friend. Steven promises he will come after he’s “done” at the bar. By the time he meets Chuck at his apartment, it’s too late. Chuck is dying from liquor and a drug overdose. Chuck dies with Steven by his side at the hospital. While Steven is grieving in the hospital lobby, Kathy, Steven’s ex-wife shows up. She wants to reconnect with Isaiah, and him. Steven rejects her plea. Isaiah and Steven get into a huge argument that night and Isaiah runs away from home. Steven has lost everything, even his desire to return to his old life, which reminds him of Chuck’s death. Isaiah and Steven reconcile at the cemetery while burying Chuck. Steven starts his transformation. He cannot return to his old life. Steven joins AA classes. He meets Juan for therapy and starts making amends with the women he’s hurt. He repeatedly turns down advances from women, intent on abstaining from any other relationships. He facilitates Kathy’s re-introduction into Isaiah’s life. He realizes he needs even more forgiveness than Kathy and takes ownership for driving her away during their marriage. But Mariam created a gap in him that nothing can fill. Mariam, in the meantime, left her religious vocation and returned to her life as a jazz singer. Then one day Steven gets a text from one of Mariam’s fellow sisters; informing him she is performing at a jazz bar. Steven watches her perform from a distance at the bar. At first, Mariam does not notice him. Then their eyes lock as she sings. They gaze at each other just like when they first saw each other at the white-water center. They meet at the bar after her performance. “New gig?” Steven asks. “For now,” Mariam replies. They start to get reacquainted. It’s four years later. Steven is sitting on a bench at the white-water center, sipping from a Diet Coke can. He looks peaceful, watching the whitewater from a distance. We focus on what he’s observing. Isaiah, older and with a ponytail, is guiding a raft with Kathy paddling next to him. Out of nowhere appears a little boy (three years old) crying, running to Steven. Steven holds him and comforts him. Mariam appears. She takes the child from Steven and puts him on her lap as she sits next to her husband. Mariam and Steven share a soft passionate kiss. Mariam points at Isaiah and tells the boy “Do you see where the water is taking your big brother?”