Causo

 . MILITARY MEDICAL EXAM CENTER – WAITING AREA – MORNING

A group of young men, all in white briefs, stand in a long, uncomfortable silence. They’re in a sterile hallway with metal lockers and a faint antiseptic smell. Leonardo Rizzo, 20, sharp-eyed and tense, stands with arms crossed, trying to look calm.

Next to him is JIMMY, short and wiry, chewing gum like it’s holding his nerves together.

JIMMY
(to Leonardo, sotto voce)
What do you think they’re gonna do? Shave our heads and toss us straight into ‘Nam?

LEONARDO
Probably poke every hole we’ve got first.

Jimmy smirks, but it’s nervous.

JIMMY
Man... my cousin said they stuck a thermometer up his ass and called it a “medical opinion.”

Leonardo chuckles, despite himself.

LEONARDO
At least that’d be warm. This place feels like a freezer.

A SERGEANT appears in the doorway, clipboard in hand.

SERGEANT
Next eight! Move it!

Leonardo and Jimmy exchange a look.

JIMMY
Guess that’s us.

INT. EXAM ROOM – MOMENTS LATER

The eight young men file in. Two metal exam tables, a yellow line painted on the tile floor, and two doctors in white coats.

They stand, bare-legged and uncertain, facing the tables.

DOCTOR 1
Toes on the yellow line. Let’s go.

The guys shuffle forward. Leonardo’s heart pounds. He hears his own breathing, suddenly too loud.

DOCTOR 2 (flatly)
Drop your drawers.

A beat of silence.

GUY IN BACK
You serious?

DOCTOR 1
Wasn’t a suggestion, son.

Reluctantly, they all lower their briefs. The rustle of fabric, the creak of embarrassment.

LEONARDO (V.O.)
And just like that, eight guys became strangers in shame. Standing there, cold, exposed, pretending not to look at each other. No jokes now. Just silence.

DOCTOR 2
Bend over. Arms on the table.

Leonardo leans forward. The table is freezing. He places his forearms down and stares at a scratch in the metal as if it’ll distract him from what’s happening.

JIMMY (from next to him, whispering)
If I fart, I’m blaming you.

Leonardo stifles a laugh, shoulders shaking.

LEONARDO
Do it and I swear I’m leaving you here.

The doctor begins the inspection, moving down the line.

DOCTOR 1
Okay... okay...

He reaches Leonardo, spreads his cheeks. Leonardo’s entire body tenses.

LEONARDO (V.O.)
It was fast. Mechanical. But I felt it—every ounce of shame, every cold second of it.

DOCTOR 1
Okay.

The doctor finishes the last guy, gives him a slap on the butt.

DOCTOR 1
Next group!

Everyone quickly pulls their briefs back on. Leonardo breathes again.

JIMMY (as they move out)
Well, now I know what prison must feel like.

LEONARDO
You ever been that close to another guy’s ass?

JIMMY
No comment.

LEONARDO (V.O.)
We laughed. Because what else could we do? We were kids pretending to be tough, scared out of our minds. They checked our bodies like parts on a shelf. We weren’t soldiers yet. Just skin and numbers. And we hadn’t even made it to the war.

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Would you like to continue this story with Leonardo and the others after the exam, or focus more on his inner struggle with the draft and the war?