Carol Page #11

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THERESE:

You take it. I don’t feel like

eating.

RUBY ROBICHEK:

You sure? This is good brisket.

THERESE nods. RUBY takes THERESE’S meal and shovels it into

her food box.

RUBY ROBICHEK (CONT’D)

You’re a good kid. I can getthrough two, three days with this.

THERESE summons a smile in reply, at a loss for words.

EXT. MIDTOWN MANHATTAN. SAME DAY.

From a distance, we see CAROL’S car pull swiftly into aparking space near FRED HAYMES’ law offices. CAROL gets out

of the car and walks briskly down the busy street into thebuilding.

INT. HAYMES LAW OFFICES. MOMENTS LATER.

FRED HAYMES, CAROL’S lawyer, is just returning to his officewhen he catches CAROL delivering a small Christmas present tohis SECRETARY.

CAROL:

SECRETARY:

Merry Christmas, Katherine. Ohhh...

CAROL:

It’s nothing, I assure you. (looks

up) Well, there he is. Now will you

talk to me?

FRED HAYMES:

I didn’t want you to come all theway down here-

CAROL:

Just - give it to me, straight,

Fred. What am I not to worry aboutuntil after the holiday?

They settle inside FRED’S office and FRED closes the door.

FRED HAYMES:

(after a beat)

Look, Jerry Rix served some papersthis morning. To my completesurprise. Why don’t you sit down?

CAROL:

Why is it people think you’re goingto take bad news better if you’resitting down?

An awkward silence. FRED clears his throat.

FRED HAYMES:

Harge has sought an injunctionwhich denies you any access toRindy until the custody hearing.

And I’m afraid Harge has changedhis mind about joint custody. Hewants sole custody of Rindy.

CAROL:

What?

CAROL is stunned. She sits.

CAROL (CONT’D)

We’ve already reached an agreementon custody. What is this all about?

FRED HAYMES:

They’ll be filing papers on thetwenty-ninth in District FamilyCourt for the, uh, permanentcustody petition.

CAROL:

Can he do this? Is it - right?

FRED HAYMES:

I don’t know if it’s right, butit’s legal.

CAROL:

On what grounds.

FRED HAYMES:

(stalling)

Listen. Let’s - deal with this

after Christmas. You’ll have a

chance to-

CAROL:

(she interrupts him)

On. What. Grounds.

FRED HAYMES:

They’re petitioning the judge toconsider a morality clause.

CAROL:

A morality - what the hell does

that mean?

FRED HAYMES:

(after a moment)

Okay. I won’t mince words with you.

Abby Gerhard.

CAROL:

Abby is Rindy’s godmother. Abbyis... (to herself, really) He’s...

If he can’t have me, I can’t haveRindy - That’s...

A silence.

FRED HAYMES:

I’m sorry. But they seem serious.

CAROL looks up to FRED, nods.

CAROL:

When’s the custody hearing?

FRED HAYMES:

It’s hard to say. With the holidaysand a backlog of cases...

CAROL:

Your best guess, Fred.

FRED HAYMES:

Not before the middle of March.

Could be April.

A silence.

CAROL:

Can I see her?

FRED HAYMES:

(not unkindly)

Not - let me put it this way - Itwould not be advisable under the-

CAROL:

At school? In an office with a-?

FRED HAYNES:

The issue is not-

CAROL:

Surely a visit supervised by a

teacher or a-

FRED HAYNES:

Carol, these are seriousallegations. Forcing contact beforethe hearing you simply invitefurther scrutiny concerning yourconduct.

CAROL:

My conduct! Jesus Christ. I’m hermother for God’s sake. (beat)

Morality clause. I see.

FRED HAYNES:

Do you.

CAROL:

No. There’s nothing moral about

taking Rindy away from me.

CAROL looks back at him in a state of frozen disbelief.

EXT. FIFTH AVENUE. SAME AFTERNOON.

CAROL reenters the street in a numbing daze. She passescrowds of Christmas SHOPPERS with places to go and things todo. She’s not one of those people. She finds herself walkingback in the direction of her car through the glare of winterlight. She puts a cigarette to her lips and begins searchingthrough her purse, struggling to find a light. Finallyglancing up she is struck by the sight of truck backing outof the lot, and collides with a PEDESTRIAN clearing way.

A VOICE:

Watchit, lady!

CAROL:

Pardon me.

CAROL turns into a shop window where she finally manages tolight her cigarette, taking several deep drags. Looking upshe focuses a moment on the display. It’s a vacation theme:

sunglasses on mannequins, cameras slung around their necks,

luggage stacked in artful piles. She lets her gaze fall on alarge two-tone brown leather suitcase.

INT. RECORD SHOP. EAST 50’S. SAME LATE AFTERNOON.

THERESE waits for a requested title at the front counter of amidtown record store. The STORE CLERK returns with her

request:
A Billie Holiday album, with “Easy Living”

prominently displayed on its cover.

THERESE:

Yes, that’s it, thank you.

She hands him a five-dollar bill and he begins ringing her

up. As she waits for her change, she spots two SHORT-HAIRED

WOMEN at the listening station, sharing a single pair of

headphones. The more mannish of the two, in horn-rim glasses,

leans against the railing dressed in tailored trousers andjacket over a button-down shirt. The other wears a sleeklytailored woman’s suit, very professional. They are obviouslya couple of some kind: New York lesbians. THERESE observesthem for a moment, until the woman in slacks looks over - andTHERESE quickly looks down.

EXT. RECORD SHOP. EAST 50’S.

RICHARD, waiting outside with his bike, turns to find THERESEwalking briskly out of the record shop.

THERESE:

Let’s walk. I want to drop this athome.

RICHARD:

Your wish is my command.

They start down the block toward THERESE’s apartment.

RICHARD (CONT’D)

Find what you wanted?

THERESE:

(no big deal)

Yeah... Something for someone atthe store.

RICHARD:

You up for the jazz club later on?

THERESE:

Ohh, I don’t know.

RICHARD:

S’fine. (beat) But you should stopby on Christmas sometime. My Mom’ssort of planning on it.

THERESE:

Christmas... that’s for families.

I’d feel - I don’t know...

RICHARD:

You are family, Terry.

They turn down a small driveway, cutting through an emptylot. THERESE tries to change the subject.

THERESE:

I’m thinking of putting together aportfolio, you know, of mypictures. Start taking portraits,

even. Apply for jobs. Maybe at anewspaper. Maybe at the Times.

Dannie knows someone-

RICHARD:

Have you been thinking any moreabout Europe? (no answer) Terry?

THERESE stops, brooding, and RICHARD stops and turns to her.

RICHARD (CONT’D)

What?

THERESE:

How many times have you been inlove?

RICHARD:

(laughs, not sure wherethis came from)

Whoa. Never. Until You.

THERESE:

Don’t lie. You told me about those

two other girls.

RICHARD:

Come on. They were - I had sex withthem. That’s not the same thing.

THERESE:

Meaning... I’m different because wehaven’t...(quietly) gone all theway?

RICHARD:

No, no - that’s not what I - hey,

what’s this all about? I love you.

That’s what’s different.

THERESE nods. They resume walking.

THERESE:

Have you ever been in love with aboy?

RICHARD:

(after a long beat)

No.

THERESE:

But you’ve heard of it?

RICHARD:

Of course. I mean, have I heard ofpeople like that? Sure.

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