Carol Page #18

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CAROL:

Don’t do this. You had no idea. How

could you have known?

THERESE:

I - I should have said no to you.

But I never say no. And it’sselfish because I take -

everything. Because I don’t know -

anything. I don’t -know what I

want. How could I if I just say yesto everything?

THERESE begins to cry, softly. CAROL pulls over to the sideof the road, against a frozen bank of snow. She turns THERESEtowards her. She dries her tears. CAROL and THERESE regardeach other, calmly, steadily.

CAROL:

I took what you gave willingly.

A pause. CAROL runs a finger along THERESE’S cheek. She turnsback to the wheel. Restarts the car.

CAROL (CONT’D)

It’s not your fault, Therese -

Alright?

More silence. CAROL, at a loss to make the situation better,

accelerates quickly onto the highway.

INT. DRAKE HOTEL. CHICAGO. NIGHT.

CAROL is finishing a call with ABBY, sitting on one of thetwin beds, smoking. THERESE emerges from the bathroom,

switching off the light. She stands for a moment in the darkbefore she climbs into the other bed.

CAROL:

Thank you, pet... Oh, you know.

Shattered. Sickened... I hope so...

No... Talk tomorrow... And thank

you... I will. Night.

She hangs up the phone and looks down a moment. Then she

turns to THERESE with a sad tenderness.

CAROL (CONT’D)

You don’t have to sleep over there.

Silence. THERESE gets up, joins CAROL in the other bed. CAROLwraps her arms and legs around THERESE, kissing her gently onthe eyes, the lips. THERESE looks at her deeply and thenkisses her back, a long, lingering, searching kiss.

INT. DRAKE HOTEL. CHICAGO. MORNING.

A ribbon of daylight over THERESE’s face. Eyes still shut,

she reaches out for CAROL, but CAROL’S not there. No soundcoming from the bathroom. She lifts her head and checks theclock: 8 AM. THERESE sits up in the bed. There, seated in anarmchair in the semi-darkness, is ABBY. She smokes acigarette. And all at once THERESE understands what CAROL’Sabsence means. Silence.

THERESE:

She’s gone?

ABBY:

Early this morning.

THERESE:

Is she coming back?

ABBY:

No.

Piercing silence.

THERESE:

This is all my fault.

ABBY:

Nonsense.

ABBY puts out her cigarette, gets up and pulls open thecurtains. Cold, bright sunlight streams into the room.

ABBY (CONT’D)

We should get going.

INT. ROADSIDE DINER OUTSIDE OF CHICAGO. DAY.

THERESE stares out the window; she hasn’t touched her meal.

ABBY:

Eat something. (no response) Suit

yourself.

ABBY slides THERESE’S plate to her side of the table andstarts finishing it. THERESE turns to her.

THERESE:

Why don’t you like me? I’ve neverdone anything to you.

A pause. ABBY starts to say something, thinks better of it.

She leans in towards THERESE.

ABBY:

You really think I’ve flown halfwayacross the country to drive youback East because I hate you andwant to see you suffer?

THERESE:

It’s for Carol. Not for me.

ABBY:

(after a beat)

That’s - If you really believe thatthen you’re not as smart as Ithought you were.

Therese takes this in, then looks up at Abby. Silence.

THERESE:

With you and Carol... what

happened?

ABBY:

It’s completely different - I’ve

known Carol since I was 10 years

old...

(after a long beat)

It was... back when we had the

furniture store. Late one night. MyFord broke down near my Mother’shouse and... We tried to stay up,

but... curled up together in my oldtwin bed. And that was it... For a

while. And then it changed. Itchanges. Nobody’s fault. (beat)

So...

She opens her purse and searches inside. She produces an

envelope.

ABBY (CONT’D)

Here - she...

THERESE:

What?

ABBY hands her a letter.

EXT. ROADSIDE DINER. MOMENTS LATER.

In a WIDE lonely frame we see THERESE has stepped outside thediner to tear open the letter. As she reads, we hear CAROL’Svoice:

CAROL (V.O.)

Dearest. There are no accidents and

he would have found us one way oranother. Everything comes fullcircle. Be grateful it was soonerrather than later. You’ll think it

harsh of me to say so, but noexplanation I offer will satisfyyou.

We see ABBY leave the diner as THERESE continues reading. Sheclimbs in the car and starts the engine. A soft undertone ofMUSIC has emerged.

INT. ANOTHER MOTEL. NIGHT.

ABBY in the bathroom, washing out some clothes. Through acrack in the door, she spots THERESE, seated on the bed,

drained by tears, expressionless.

CAROL (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Please don’t be angry when I tellyou that you seek resolutions andexplanations because you’re young.

But you will understand this oneday.

INT./EXT. COUNTRY ROAD. DAY.

ABBY pulls the car off the road near a small grove of treesand fading clumps of snow. THERESE jumps out, makes for thetrees and tries to hide herself before she throws up. ABBYlights a cigarette and remains in the car, watching THERESEfrom a distance.

CAROL (V.O.) (CONT’D)

And when it happens, I want you toimagine me there to greet you likethe morning sky, our livesstretched out ahead of us, aperpetual sunrise.

INT. CAROL’S CAR. NIGHT.

ABBY, at the wheel, glances in the rear-view-mirror at

THERESE, stretched out asleep on the back seat of the car.

Distant passing lights comb over her repose.

CAROL (V.O.) (CONT’D)

But until then, there must be nocontact between us. I have much to

do, and you, my darling, even more.

Please believe that I would do

anything to see you happy and so Ido the only thing I can - I releaseyou.

INT. THERESE’S APARTMENT. NEW YORK. DAY.

THERESE, in her overcoat, suitcase beside her, stands in themiddle of her apartment. It’s full of her things, but itlooks like a foreign land. All the photographs on the wallseem as if they were taken by someone else.

INT. THERESE’S APARTMENT. THAT SAME NIGHT.

THERESE hunches over her sink, bathed in red light. She takesa quick deep drag of a cigarette, burning in an ashtray. Rowsof negatives hang from hooks underneath the kitchencupboards, over the trays of chemicals. She finds a certainshot on the enlarger, marks it, and focuses. She begins theprocess of developing the print.

Finally, she watches the photo in its bath slowly appear - ashadow here and there, a shape forming - and it’s CAROL,

asleep on her back, her body akimbo in a tumble of sheets,

one hand resting delicately.

INT. THERESE’S APARTMENT BUILDING. HALLWAY. LATE NIGHT.

THERESE is creeping down the half-lit stairway. She picks upthe phone without making a sound and stares at the dial. Shehangs up. Then in one continuous gesture she picks it upagain and dials the number. She stands frozen. One long ring.

Silence. Another long ring. Then someone picks up the line.

But there’s silence on the other end.

Nothing. THERESE is frozen.

THERESE:

Hello? (beat) Carol?

The silence that follows is like an answer. THERESE holds the

receiver close:
a precious thing.

INT. CAROL’S HOUSE. KITCHEN. NIGHT.

CAROL in the dark, on the other end, still. She makes amovement as if to say something, but doesn’t. We see herfinger softly graze the receiver button before pressing itdown.

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