Carnage Page #4

His cell phone stuck to his ear, ALAN uses the moment to

step out on the landing and ring for the elevator.

21.

FEMALE ASSOCIATE (O.S. - TEL)

Mr. Cowan? Mr. Cowan? We’re

looking at the paperwork but we

haven’t seen the annual report.

Did you see it?

ALAN:

There’s not a word in the annual

report. But the risk wasn't

officially established. There's no

proof.

FEMALE ASSOCIATE (O.S. - TEL)

OK.

He hangs up.

NANCY is on the landing as well. PENELOPE and MICHAEL

quickly amble down the hall toward the elevator.

PENELOPE:

How about tomorrow?

ALAN:

Tomorrow I'm in Washington.

MICHAEL:

You have business in Washington?

ALAN:

At the Pentagon.

NANCY:

Look, the main thing is to get the

kids to talk. I'll come over to your

place with Zachary at seven-thirty

and we'll let them talk it through.

What? You don't seem convinced.

PENELOPE:

If Zachary hasn't acquired

accountability skills, they'll just

glare at each other, it will be a

disaster.

ALAN:

Accountability skills, Mrs.

Longstreet? What are you talking

about?

PENELOPE:

I'm sure your son is not a maniac.

NANCY:

Zachary is not a maniac.

22.

ALAN:

Yes he is.

NANCY:

Alan, don't be an idiot. Why are you

saying that?

ALAN:

He's a maniac.

MICHAEL:

How does he explain what he did?

NANCY:

He won't talk about it.

PENELOPE:

He should talk about it.

The elevator arrives. ALAN holds the door open and puts one

foot inside as he speaks.

ALAN:

Mrs. Longstreet, that's a lot of

"shoulds". He should come here, he

should talk about it, he should feel

sorry. I'm sure you're much more

evolved than we are. We're trying to

get up to speed, but in the meantime

try to indulge us.

MICHAEL:

Hey come on! What happened here? This

isn't what we're about.

With friendly authority, MICHAEL claps a hand on ALAN’s

shoulder and leads him back into the hallway. The elevator

door closes.

PENELOPE:

I'm talking about him. About Zachary.

ALAN:

I got that, yeah.

NANCY:

Alan.

NANCY gives her husband a long look.

In the secret language of couples, the single name

pronounced and the reproving look get the best of ALAN.

Everyone walks away from the elevator.

MICHAEL:

Want some more coffee? Real coffee?

23.

NANCY:

Coffee, thank you.

Pause. Michael looks at Alan.

ALAN:

Coffee, all right.

PENELOPE has made no signs of going for the coffee.

MICHAEL:

It’s OK, Pen. I'll get it.

8 INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY 8

PENELOPE, NANCY and ALAN are standing in the living room.

They are all very uncomfortable.

Awkward silence.

NANCY:

I see you're an art enthusiast.

NANCY leans over and delicately picks up a book featuring

the painter, Bacon.

NANCY (CONT'D)

I love Bacon, too.

PENELOPE:

Oh yes, Bacon.

NANCY:

(leafing through the

book:
)

Cruelty and splendor.

PENELOPE:

Chaos. Balance.

NANCY:

Yes...

PENELOPE:

Is Zachary interested in art?

NANCY:

Not as much as he should be. Your

children are?

PENELOPE:

We try. We try to make up for the

lack in the school curriculum.

NANCY:

Right.

24.

PENELOPE:

We try to get them to read. Take them

to concerts and galleries. I do

believe that culture can be a

powerful force for peace.

NANCY:

You're so right.

MICHAEL comes back with the coffee.

MICHAEL:

(as he walks in:
)

Is cobbler cake or pie? This is an

important question. I was in the

kitchen, thinking. Why should Linzer

torte be a pie? Go ahead, go ahead,

don't leave that miserable little

piece.

PENELOPE:

Cobbler is cake. If there’s no crust

on the bottom then it can’t be pie.

Taking MICHAEL’s lead, they sit down again, clearly not for

long - NANCY hasn’t even taken her coat off.

ALAN:

You're a gourmet chef.

PENELOPE:

I like cooking. It's something you

have to do out of love or not at all.

The way I see it, if there’s no crust

on the bottom, then it's not pie.

MICHAEL:

What about you guys? You have other

kids?

ALAN:

I have a son by a former marriage.

MICHAEL:

I was wondering. I know it's not

important but what were they arguing

about? Ethan won't say a word on the

subject.

NANCY:

Ethan wouldn't let Zachary be part of

his gang.

PENELOPE:

Ethan has a gang?

ALAN:

And he called him a snitch.

25.

PENELOPE:

(to MICHAEL:
)

Did you know that Ethan had a gang?

MICHAEL:

No. But I'm thrilled to hear it.

PENELOPE:

Why are you thrilled?

MICHAEL:

Cause I had one too, I was the

leader.

ALAN:

So was I.

PENELOPE:

What does the leader of a gang do?

MICHAEL:

You know, you got five, six guys who

like you and they're willing to

sacrifice themselves for you. Like in

Ivanhoe.

ALAN:

Like in Ivanhoe, exactly!

PENELOPE:

Who even knows Ivanhoe any more?

ALAN:

So it's another role model. Like

Spiderman or whoever.

PENELOPE:

Well apparently you know more about

it than we do. Zachary wasn't quite

as silent as you first said he was.

And why did he call him a snitch?

Forget it, silly question. That's a

silly question. I mean I don't even

care, that's not the point.

NANCY:

We're not going to get into these

children's quarrels.

PENELOPE:

It's none of our business.

NANCY:

Right.

26.

PENELOPE:

What is our business is this

unfortunate incident. Violence is our

business.

MICHAEL:

When I was the leader, in fifth

grade, I beat Jimmy Leach in a fair

fight and he was stronger than me.

PENELOPE:

What does that mean, Michael? What

has that got to do with anything?

MICHAEL:

No, nothing.

PENELOPE:

We're not talking about a fair fight.

These children weren't having a

fight.

MICHAEL:

Right, right. I was just remembering

something.

ALAN:

It's not very different.

PENELOPE:

Yes it is. Excuse me but there is a

difference.

MICHAEL:

There is a difference.

ALAN:

What difference?

MICHAEL:

Jimmy Leach and me, we agreed to

fight.

ALAN:

Did you mess him up?

MICHAEL:

A little, sure.

PENELOPE:

All right, enough about Jimmy Leach.

Would you mind if I talked to

Zachary?

NANCY:

Of course not!

27.

PENELOPE:

I wouldn't do it without your

permission.

NANCY:

Talk to him. That's completely fine

with us.

ALAN:

And good luck with that.

NANCY:

Stop it, Alan. I don't understand

you.

ALAN:

Mrs. Longstreet is acting...

PENELOPE:

Penelope. I think we'll do better if

we're on a first name basis.

ALAN:

Penelope, you're acting on a desire

to educate, and I think that's just

great...

PENELOPE:

If you don't want me to talk to him,

I won't.

ALAN:

Go ahead and talk to him, lecture

him, do whatever you want.

PENELOPE:

I don't understand how you feel so

uninvolved here.

ALAN:

Mrs...

MICHAEL:

Penelope.

ALAN:

Penelope, I am very involved. My son

injured another child...

PENELOPE:

Deliberately.

ALAN:

See, that's the kind of thing that

irks me. We know deliberately.

28.

PENELOPE:

But that's what makes all the

difference.

ALAN:

The difference between what and what?

We're only talking about one thing

here. Our kid picked up a stick and

hit your kid. That's why we're here,

right?

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