Being There Page #14

SKRAPINOV:

(slaps Chance on

the back)

Ho! Ho! A dash of American

humor! Vladimar Skrapinov!

CHANCE:

Yes. I like that name very

much.

SKRAPINOV:

And yours, sir - Chauncey

Gardiner!

(in Russian)

How poetic! Chauncey, a name

of uncertain meaning! And

Gardiner, a bit of French,

a suggestion of a stroll through

the flowers! A beautiful name,

my friend!

108INT. WHITE HOUSE - PRESIDENT'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

A light from the adjoining bathroom filters into the

darkened bedroom. The President and the First Lady

are in bed. They each lie on their backs, a distance

apart and are silent.

FIRST LADY:

(after some time)

...Maybe you should talk to

somebody, darling.

PRESIDENT:

No, that won't do any good.

FIRST LADY:

(another pause)

...Is it me? Is there something

I've done?

PRESIDENT:

Oh, no, sweetheart - it's not

you...

FIRST LADY:

(another pause)

It's your damn job. It never

happened when you were a

senator...

PRESIDENT:

It's not that, I just...

The inter-White House phone buzzes, the President reaches

for it.

PRESIDENT:

(into phone)

Yeah, Kaufman - what is it?

KAUFMAN'S VOICE

(over phone)

Chief, we have a break in the

case. Our man at the Washington

Post says they are working on a

story that either the CIA or the

FBI destroyed Gardiner's files

before anyone could get to them.

PRESIDENT:

What? Why?

KAUFMAN'S VOICE

(over phone)

I can't say at this time -

neither agency will admit to a

thing.

PRESIDENT:

(getting out of bed)

Okay, get Honeycutt and Baldwin

over here, I'll be right down.

The President hangs up the phone as the First Lady stares

at the ceiling.

109INT. SOPHIE'S - NIGHT

Eve and Chance are talking. AMBASSADOR GAUFRIDI of France

edges toward them.

EVE:

Chauncey, you had Ambassador

Skrapinov eating out of your

hand, and you never told me

you spoke Russian. That's

incredible!

Gaufridi joins in.

GAUFRIDI:

It's extremely useful to speak

Russian these days. Are you

proficient in other languages,

Mr. Gardiner?

EVE:

Mr. Gardiner is a modest man,

Ambassador Gaufridi. He

doesn't advertise his acoomplish-

ments, his knowledge is for

himself.

Chance smiles, then turns away to select an hors d'oeuvre,

where he is approached by RONALD STIEGLER, a publisher.

STIEGLER:

Mr. Gardiner, I'm Ronald Stiegler,

of Harvard Books.

CHANCE:

(a two-handed

handshake)

Hello, Ronald.

STIEGLER:

Mr. Gardiner, my editors and

I have been wondering if you'd

consider writing a book for us?

Something on your political

philosophy. What do you say?

CHANCE:

I can't write.

STIEGLER:

(smiles)

Of course, who can nowadays? I

have trouble writing a post card

to my children! Look, we could

give you a six figure advance,

provide you with the very best

ghostwriters, research assistants,

proof readers...

CHANCE:

I can't read.

STIEGLER:

Of course not! No one has the

time to read! One glances at

things, watches television...

CHANCE:

Yes. I like to watch.

STIEGLER:

Sure you do! No one reads!

...Listen, book publishing isn't

exactly a bed of roses these days...

CHANCE:

(mild interest)

What sort of bed is it?

110INT. SOPHIE'S - NIGHT

KARPATOV, an aide, sits next to Skrapinov and his wife.

SKRAPINOV:

I want to know everything about

his relationship with Rand. And

found out the real reason the

President has singled him out.

(Karpatov takes

notes)

And I want this quote included in

the TASS coverage...

"Chauncy Gardiner, in an intimate

discussion with Ambassador Skrapinov,

noted that 'unless the leaders

of the opposing political systems

move the chairs on which they sit

closer to each other, all of their

seats will be pulled from under

them by rapid social and political

changes.'"

Karpatov writes out the quote.

111INT. SOPHIE'S - NIGHT

Eve is with SENATOR SLIPSHOD, MRS. SLIPSHOD, and DENNIS

WATSON of the State Department.

SENATOR:

I heard that he speaks eight

languages, and on top of every-

thing else, holds a degree in

medicine as well as law. Isn't

that true, Eve?

EVE:

Well, I really don't know,

Senator, but it wouldn't

surprise me.

MRS. SLIPSHOD

He's very attractive.

EVE:

Isn't he?

DENNIS:

Yes... Very.

112INT. RAND'S ROOM - NIGHT

Allenby enters the room quietly and stands in the shadows

watching Rand sitting up in bed with a large loose-leaf

type book on his lap. He has a dictaphone mike in one hand,

with the other, he moves his finger down a page and stops.

RAND:

(into mike)

Sell all 750,000 shares of C.C.T.

His finger continues down the page, does the same to two

more pages before stopping again.

RAND:

(into mike)

...Let's see - just sell a

million shares of Inland Oil.

(takes a beat)

Oh, and Mrs. Aubrey, have

30,000 shares of Standard

transferred into your name.

That's for you.

ALLENBY:

(steps out of

shadows)

...Ben.

RAND:

(looks up)

Robert... I was just cleaning

up some loose ends - getting

rid of some of the dead wood

so Eve won't have to put up

with it...

ALLENBY:

(a beat)

...Ben, I want to talk to you

about Chauncey.

RAND:

(smiles)

Oh, yes - Chauncey - you know,

Robert - there's something about

him that I trust - he makes me

feel good. Since he's been

around, the thought of dying

has been much easier for me.

Allenby is silent and thoughtful.

113INT. SOPHIE'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Dennis Watson is a homosexual and is coming on strong

to Chance.

DENNIS:

...You're fascinating, Mr. Gardiner -

I've never met anyone like you in

Washington before.

CHANCE:

Yes, I've been here all my life.

DENNIS:

Really? Well, where have you

been all my life?

(Chance smiles)

Tell me, Mr. Gardiner, have you

ever had sex with a man?

CHANCE:

(a beat)

No. I don't think so.

DENNIS:

We could go upstairs right now.

CHANCE:

Do they have a TV upstairs?

DENNIS:

A TV? I'm sure they do.

CHANCE:

I like to watch.

DENNIS:

You like to waaaaaatch? Well -

you wait right here, I'll go get

Warren.

Dennis hurries off. Eve appears, moves to Chance.

EVE:

Let's get out of here, Chauncey -

Let's go home...

Eve takes Chance by the arm and they move off.

114INT. WHITE HOUSE - OVAL OFFICE - NIGHT

The President sits behind his desk in a bathrobe, his

hair mussed. Standing before him are GROVER HONEYCUTT,

the Director of the FBI, and CLIFFORD BALDWIN, CIA Chief.

Kaufman stands to one side. All are red-eyed, tired,

and frustrated.

HONEYCUTT:

I never gave such a directive,

Mr. President.

BALDWIN:

Nor I, sir - it would be out

of the question.

PRESIDENT:

Gentlemen, I didn't call you

here at such an hour to make

accusations, I just want to

explore the possibilities.

Now, I have three questions:

Is the man a foreign agent?

Or, have we suddenly found

that our methods of gathering

data are grossly inefficient?

Or, thirdly, have the man's

files been destroyed? Now,

I'd like some answers.

BALDWIN:

Gardiner is not a forign agent,

there are now sixteen countries

investigating the man. We can

rule that out.

PRESIDENT:

Very well... Can we rule out

inefficiency?

There is silence in the room. A couple of looks, but

silence.

PRESIDNENT:

I see. What about question

three? Is it possible to

erase all traces of a man?

Rate this script:2.0 / 1 vote