Affliction Page #12

Margie's face falls. She retreats from the room as he speaks,

taking her coat and pocketbook. Wade and his old man, she

thinks:
just the same.

Wade looks out the window and she gets in her car, drives

off.

Wade holds his inflamed jaw; he can hardly see straight. Pop

turns on the TV in the living room, boosts the volume.

Pop comes back in the room, gets the Canadian Club, pours

himself a drink.

WADE:

Leave the bottle out!

Pop growls, goes back to wrestling on the TV. Wade walks to

the cabinet, removes a pair of pliers from the tool drawer,

goes toward the bathroom.

In the BATHROOM, Wade opens his mouth -- it hurts -- takes a

bite of whisky, sets the bottle on the toilet tank.

He looks at the stranger in the mirror, reaches inside his

mouth with the pliers. Prying his mouth open, Wade Whitehouse

locks the pliers onto a large molar in the back, squeezes

and pulls.

He steadies himself, pulls again, yanking the pliers from

his mouth. The bloody rotted tooth clatters in the sink. He

takes another bite of whisky.

Rolfe's voice plays over:

ROLFE (V.O.)

You will say I should have known

terrible things were about to happen,

and perhaps I should have. But even

so, what could I have done by then?

Wade never went inside. He lived

almost wholly out there on his skin,

with no interior space to retreat

to, even in a crisis.

Wade takes another swig, sets the whisky bottle in the LIVING

ROOM beside the TV set. Wade and Pop exchange looks.

Wade exits through the KITCHEN, snatching his coat.

CUT TO:

EXT. BARN - DAY

Wade spits blood into the snow as he grabs a gallon can of

gasoline from under the porch.

He crosses to the barn, prepares to pour the gas into the

beat-up red truck.

CUT TO:

EXT. CONCORD - DAY

Wade's Ford pickup passes J. Battle Hand's office, keeps

going. Grass peeks through the snow at this lower altitude.

CUT TO:

EXT. LILLIAN'S HOUSE - DAY

Wade parks the truck, walks past leafless bushes to a charcoal-

gray split-level with pink shutters. He pushes the door bell;

the first notes of "Frere Jacques" play.

Lillian opens the door; Jill's footsteps approach.

LILLIAN:

Wait there. She'll be right out.

(looks back)

Is there snow on the ground up in

Lawford?

WADE:

Yeah, lots.

LILLIAN:

(to Jill)

See. Get your boots.

WADE:

Hi honey.

JILL:

(going back inside)

Hi.

LILLIAN:

Have her back tomorrow night by six.

WADE:

No problem. Look, I...

LILLIAN:

You make me sick. I can't believe

you've sunk so low.

WADE:

Low as what? What have I done? It's

bad to want to see your own daughter?

LILLIAN:

You know what I'm talking about. For

what you're doing to me and to the

child you say you love so much. Love.

You won't get away with it.

Jill returns, wearing parka and boots, heads out with her

father.

LILLIAN:

Bye, honey! Call me tonight if you

want.

Wade and Jill approach the truck.

JILL:

Are we going in this?

WADE:

Yeah. My car's in the shop. This'll

be fine.

JILL:

It's pretty old.

WADE:

It belongs to Pop.

JILL:

Pop?

WADE:

Grandpa. My father. It's his.

JILL:

Oh.

Wade opens the truck door. Jill climbs in with her overnight

bag, looks back to the door where Lillian watches.

CUT TO:

INT./EXT. WADE'S TRUCK - DAY

The Ford heads north.

WADE:

(winking)

How about a Big Mac?

JILL:

Mommy won't let me eat fast food.

You know that. It's bad for you.

WADE:

C'mon, we can always sneak a Big

Mac. And a cherry turnover. Your

favorite. What do you say?

JILL:

No.

WADE:

What do you want, then?

JILL:

Nothing.

WADE:

You can't have nothing, Jill. We

need lunch. Mr. Pizza?

JILL:

Same thing, Daddy. Mommy says --

WADE:

I know what Mommy says. I'm in charge

today, though.

JILL:

Okay. So we'll get what you want.

What do you want?

They stop for a light. Silence.

WADE:

Nothing, I guess. I guess I can wait

till we get home. Maybe we'll stop

by Wickham's for a hamburger when we

get to Lawford. That suit you? You

always like Wickham's.

JILL:

(looking ahead)

Okay.

WADE:

Fine.

Pause. Wade looks over at Jill and realizes she is crying.

WADE:

Oh, Jesus, Jill, I'm sorry. What's

the matter, honey?

She shoves her clenched fists hard against her legs.

WADE:

Please don't cry. Please, honey.

JILL:

(regains composure)

What are you sorry for?

WADE:

I don't know. For the food business.

I guess. I just thought, you know,

we'd sneak a Big Mac on Mommy, like

we used to.

JILL:

I want to go home.

WADE:

(quick)

You can't.

Jill looks away. Wade pulls a six-pack from under the seat,

pulls off a beer, takes a swig.

JILL:

(quiet)

That's illegal, you know.

WADE:

I know.

JILL:

You're a policeman.

WADE:

Nope. Not anymore. I'm nothing

anymore.

JILL:

Oh.

CUT TO:

INT. WICKHAM'S - DAY

Wade and Jill enter Wickham's, crowded with out-of-state

hunters at the end of the deer season.

WADE:

Jillie, you want a cheese grilled

sandwich?

NICK:

It's called a grilled cheese sandwich,

you dub.

Wade, flaring, reaches across the counter and grabs Nick by

the shirtfront! Nick's arm knocks over a cup of coffee.

The diner goes silent. Hunters look up. Jill's face is white;

she starts to cry.

Wade looks over -- it takes him a moment to react -- bends

down, comforting her. He wipes her nose with a napkin.

WADE:

Jill, please, it's alright. Nothing

happened.

JILL:

I want to go home.

WADE:

(rigid)

Okay, let's go home, then.

They head for the door. Nick eases over:

NICK:

(delicate)

Wade, I got a message for you.

(Wade turns)

Jack Hewitt, he's looking for you.

Wants you to clear your stuff out of

his office in Town Hall.

WADE:

His office. You mean my old office.

NICK:

Well, I guess -- that's what he said.

WADE:

He got his deer yet?

NICK:

No, he's out now. Somewhere on the

mountain. I'd stay away from him if

I were you. He's real pissed.

Wade takes Jill's hand, exits.

CUT TO:

EXT. TOWN HALL - DAY

Jill waits in the old red truck parked outside.

Wade emerges with cardboard boxes of office miscellany, rifles

laid across top. He shoves the boxes and guns into the back

of the pickup, gets in and drives off.

CUT TO:

EXT. WHITEHOUSE FARM - DAY

Wade and Jill pull up the drive, past Margie's car, into the

barn. Her trunk and two side doors are open.

Margie comes out back with a battered suitcase, goes to her

car. She's leaving. A plastic bag of clothes sits in the

trunk.

Wade and Jill get out, approach:

WADE:

Going somewhere, Margie?

MARGIE:

I'm just cleaning out some of this

stuff that's built up. For the rummage

sale. And some things for the

cleaners. And the laundromat.

WADE:

Don't lie to me. You're leaving me,

I can see that.

MARGIE:

Don't be silly. Hi, Jill.

Jill, suitcase in hand, looking pathetic, tries to smile. A

sadness passes over Wade's face.

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