Harbor Lights
A man and a woman meet in a coffee shop to hold vigil over the affair
their spouses are having - just across the street. But which is the greater affair?

In the real world, relationships tend to have… pros and cons. Multiple factors weigh in on when and where chemistry sparks, and whether such moments are fated to stand the ever-challenging test of time. “Happily ever after” is just for movies, right?

Well, SOME movies. Other films - including Michael Parsons’ short Harbor Lights - eschews the meet cute formula, providing the slice of life of two (well, really theoretically FOUR) people whose reality isn’t so “cute” at all. 

Meet Michelle and Jack: patrons of a highbrow coffee shop overlooking a breath taking waterfront. Forget Starbucks. Anyone frequenting this location is guaranteed to have it all. Or do they? And what are Michelle and Jack rendezvousing for? 

Upon Jack’s arrival, almost instantly the subtly-subtext heavy dialogue flows:

She gives him a brief nod. He settles into the booth opposite her.

MICHELLE 
About time.

JACK
Sorry. The sitter’s car broke
down. She had to Uber. How are you?

MICHELLE 
How do you think?

JACK
Well, its Wednesday. You’ve got
two coffees, and you’re waiting.

MICHELLE 
And I’m waiting.

JACK 
I’m sorry.

Michelle takes a sip of coffee.

MICHELLE 
I know. The sitter. She’s a problem.
If she talks --

JACK
I don’t think we need to worry about that.

MICHELLE
The kids are getting older now.
What if they start talking?

JACK
Then that will make for an
interesting discussion.

“Interesting’s” an understatement. Clearly, this isn’t the first time the two have met. And – reading anywhere between these lines reveals some SORT of affair is going on. 

The two stare out at the Harbor night. Or, Jack does. Michelle’s attention is focused elsewhere: on a third floor window of a nearby brownstone. What she’s waiting for tells a heart-twisting tale:

Somewhere on the third floor are Michelle’s husband and Jack’s wife; due for their own little meetup… what they THINK is a secret affair, that’s been going on every Wednesday for months.

The light snaps on that brownstone. A shade is drawn. Jack grabs Michelle’s hand; both of them are gloved… an odd detail, considering they’re indoors.

JACK 
Don’t look across the street at
that law firm, with your husband
and my wife inside. Just feel the
wind off the ocean chilling this
window, smell the coffee in your
mug, and be a long ways away
from that third floor. With me. 

In that moment THEIR chemistry sparks – exposing one of those messy real-life factors. All this time spent monitoring their unfaithful spouses’ has brought Michelle and Jack together… emotionally, at least. Though physically, they've made a point to keep their distance.

Is tonight the evening they’ll take the gloves off (literally) and move on for a new future… together? What constitutes a happily ever after in such a tragic tangle of relationships? What good is a water front view, if all it does is distract from the pangs of real life?

Smart and emotionally raw, Harbor Lights is an easy-to-shoot short which could make a name for the right actors (and director.)  Don’t wait for a “happily ever after” to come to you. Read and consider this drama for your next project today!