Carol Page #14

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THERESE (CONT’D)

For you. Merry Christmas.

CAROL:

No - You shouldn’t have.

But CAROL is pleased, and THERESE is pleased that she’spleased.

THERESE:

Open it.

She watches CAROL unwrap the package. It’s the Billie Holidayrecord with “Easy Living” on it.

THERESE (CONT’D)

I played it for you. At your house.

CAROL:

I remember. (beat; she looks up at

THERESE) Thank you.

THERESE picks up her camera, focuses on CAROL, and snaps apicture. CAROL brings her hands up to her face.

CAROL (CONT’D)

Oh God, I look a fright - don’t

THERESE:

You do not, you look... (she leansover and takes them back

down)wonderful... Just - stay likethat.

THERESE realizes she’s holding CAROL’S hands in her own. Shequickly looks around the diner, feeling slightly embarrassed,

but no one else is looking. CAROL clocks this, squeezingTHERESE’S hands and gently extricating herself.

CAROL:

Do you miss Richard?

THERESE:

(she thinks about it)

No. I haven’t thought about him allday. Or of home.

CAROL:

Home.

THERESE regrets using the word, watching CAROL’s mood darken,

slightly.

INT/EXT. PHILLY DINER. INNER PHILADELPHIA. LATER.

THERESE returns from the ladies room at the rear of the

diner, walking past a WOMAN IN HER THIRTIES gathering herTHREE YOUNG CHILDREN. At first THERESE doesn’t see CAROL,

then spots her through the window, at a pay telephone. Shesees her inserting her change and quickly dialing a number.

HEAR THE RINGS:
Once. Twice. Three times. CAROL glancestoward the diner window. Through the glass one of the WOMAN’sCHILDREN is making faces through the precipitation. Justbeyond is THERESE, paying the bill at the counter. CAROL

replaces the receiver in its cradle before the call can beanswered. THERESE turns to exit the diner and spots CAROLsmoking a cigarette.

INT/EXT. CAROL’S CAR. NIGHT.

CAROL drives. THERESE is sleeping, huddled up against thepassenger side window. A blanket partly covers her.

RADIO V.O.

...and that concludes our HolidayGreetings from President-elect andMrs. Eisenhower. This is WOR-

Pittsburgh wishing you and yours-

CAROL takes one hand off the steering wheel and pulls up theblanket so THERESE is covered.

EXT. TWO-LANE HIGHWAY OUTSIDE OF PITTSBURGH. NIGHT

CAROL’S car glides along the empty road, behind it, the eerieglow of the Pittsburgh industrial skyline, ahead of it: pitchdarkness.

EXT. ABBY’S HOUSE. NIGHT.

We see HARGE rushing out of the rear door of his car, hisCHAUFFEUR idling, and rushing up the walk of a dark,

brickfront bungalow.

INT. ABBY’S HOUSE.

Ferocious banging on the front door as ABBY rushes downstairs, tying up a robe as she goes. She opens the door. It’sHARGE, in a state, breathing hard.

HARGE:

I have to speak to her.

ABBY:

What are you doing? - You’re

supposed to be in Florida.

HARGE:

(after a beat)

I couldn’t do it. I had to - Rindy -

she wanted to see her mother on

Christmas. Not that it’s any ofyour business. Just go get her. Iknow she’s here.

ABBY:

You’ve got some f***ing nerveordering me around. And, no. She’snot here.

HARGE:

That’s impossible. She’s not home.

She’s not with me. She must be with

you.

ABBY:

(after a moment)

Yeah, you know, Harge, you have apoint. You’ve spent ten yearsmaking damned sure her only pointof reference is you, her only focusin life is you, your job, yourfriends, your family, your-

HARGE:

WHERE IS SHE. (beat; he composes

himself) She’s still my wife, Abby.

I’m responsible for her.

ABBY:

Well, you know, that’s some way ofshowing it, Harge - slapping herwith an injunction. I’m closing thedoor.

ABBY starts to close it but HARGE intercepts.

HARGE:

I love her.

ABBY:

I can’t help you with that.

ABBY quietly shuts the door. But each remains unmoving amoment, in the dark.

EXT. MOTEL. OUTSIDE PITTSBURGH. DAY

THERESE is stepping out of her room with her suitcase,

dressed for the day. She walks over to the next room and

quietly knocks on the door.

THERESE:

Carol?

When there’s no answer, she tries the door. It’s open.

INT. MOTEL ROOM. OUTSIDE PITTSBURGH. DAY

THERESE peeks her head into the room, to the sound of runningwater from the bathroom. She sees CAROL’s overnight case isopen on her bed, her things spread about the room.

CAROL (O.S.)

Therese, is that you?

THERESE:

Yes!

CAROL (O.S.)

Would you be a sweetie and fetch myred knit sweater? It’s in the small

suitcase. Upper left hand side.

THERESE:

Okay.

THERESE finds the case, opens it. She takes a moment to lookat CAROL’S clothes in the case before she actually touchesthem, feeling the fabrics, the silks and cashmeres, taking intheir powdery smells. Something at the bottom of the casecatches her eye. A glint of metal beneath some stockings. Sheremoves the stockings, revealing a small, pearl-handledpistol. She reaches out, tentatively, to touch it, just asCAROL calls out from the bathroom.

O/S CAROL

Hey, slowpoke...

THERESE quickly withdraws her hand and hurriedly replacesCAROL’S clothing. She grabs the red sweater.

THERESE:

Found it.

THERESE takes the sweater to the bathroom door and knocks

lightly. The door opens, revealing CAROL standing there witha towel wrapped around her. Steam filters out of thebathroom. THERESE hesitates a moment, then hands her thesweater.

CAROL:

Everything all right?

THERESE:

Yeah - I’m just - suddenly

starving.

CAROL:

(closing the door): I won’t be a

minute.

INT. CAROL’S CAR. ON THE ROAD. DAY.

CAROL drives, looking out on the increasingly frozenlandscape. THERESE is grabbing a sandwich from a basket onthe back seat. CAROL’S packed suitcase rests beside it.

THERESE settles back into her seat.

THERESE:

Do you feel safe? With me, I mean?

CAROL:

(laughs)

You’re full of surprises.

THERESE continues thinking, eating her sandwich.

THERESE:

But - Do you?

CAROL glances at her. THERESE holds her gaze. CAROL turns herattention back to the road.

CAROL:

It’s the wrong question.

THERESE:

But you’d tell me. If somethingscared you. And I could help.

CAROL shakes her head, smiles.

CAROL:

I’m not frightened, Therese.

THERESE considers this, then glances back at CAROL, who peers

out at the open road, the cool winter sun skating across her

face.

EXT. MCKINLEY MOTEL. CANTON, OHIO. DUSK.

CAROL’S car pulls into the drive of a small motel with anelaborate and large painted likeness of William McKinley onwood billboard.

INT. MCKINLEY MOTEL. CANTON, OHIO. DUSK.

The front desk of the blonde-wood hotel office. A very primHOTEL MANAGER assists CAROL, checking in.

HOTEL MANAGER:

Our standard rooms come equippedwith stereophonic console radios,

or if you prefer, the PresidentialSuite is available. At a veryattractive rate.

CAROL:

(thinks a moment, then)

Two standard rooms should be fine.

THERESE:

Why not take the Presidential

Suite?

CAROL and THERESE exchange a look.

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