Carol Page #4

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THERESE:

(to Dannie)

Where do you work?

RICHARD:

(mock respect)

Didn’t you know - Dannie works atthe New York Times.

RICHARD and PHIL feign awe.

THERESE:

(she’s impressed)

No kidding.

PHIL:

Yeah, ‘cept printers don’t win

Pulitzer Prizes.

DANNIE:

(he shrugs)

It’s a job. (to THERESE) What I

want to do is write. That’s why Iwatch movies.

PHIL:

(rolling his eyes)

Everybody’s a writer....

DANNIE tries to blend into the woodwork. He catches THERESE’S

eye. She smiles at him. He appreciates it.

PHIL (CONT’D)

Say, Therese - before I get toodrunk to remember....

PHIL digs into a large messenger bag, pulls out a camera, anold Kodak, and hands it to THERESE.

THERESE:

You did it? It’s fixed?

PHIL:

He said it was a cinch. No sweat.

THERESE:

Thank you, Phil! I was missing it!

DANNIE:

So, you take pictures?

THERESE:

Well.

RICHARD:

She’s more excited by some chintzy

camera than she is about sailing

with me to Europe!

PHIL:

Women!

RICHARD:

You said it, pal!

RICHARD and PHIL laugh, toast, drink. THERESE isn’t amused.

DANNIE clocks this.

EXT. THIRD AVENUE. NIGHT.

THERESE walks with DANNIE. RICHARD and PHIL, now very drunkand rowdy, walk slightly ahead of them, with RICHARD guidinghis bicycle unsteadily along the pavement.

PHIL:

What you oughta do is hit Spain...

whatsitcalled - Pamplona. Catch a

bullfight!

Up ahead a couple is approaching who everyone knows: JACKTAFT and his girlfriend, DOROTHY. The men all speak to eachother as DOROTHY speaks to THERESE.

JACK PHIL (CONT'D)

Holy smoke, look who’s I don’t believe it! Does the

coming. Watch out, baby, it’s House Un-American Activities

a pack of commies! know you’re back on the

streets?

DOROTHY THERESE:

Terry, honey, it’s been ages. Hey Dottie. Hasn’t it? ICall me, would you? will, I promise!

RICHARD turns around as they pass, walking unsteadilybackwards with his bicycle.

RICHARD:

That son of a b*tch... You still

owe me for that poker game!

THERESE:

Richard, watch out, you’re-!

But she’s too late to save RICHARD from backing into alamppost. He falls down, the bicycle topples down on top ofhim. PHIL attempts to help but tumbles onto RICHARD, and theyboth dissolve into a fit of drunken laughter.

DANNIE:

(to THERESE)

Europe. Wow. You’re lucky.

THERESE:

Am I?

A beat as they watch PHIL and RICHARD make a meal of gettingup.

THERESE (CONT’D)

We should help them.

DANNIE:

(after a beat)

You should come to the Times for

dinner some time. I work at night,

so... I’ve got a good pal who’s ajunior photo editor. He loves topontificate. I’ll introduce you.

THERESE:

Really? That - I would - I’d likethat.

DANNIE:

(pleased)

Yeah? Okay, then.

And they’ve forgotten all about RICHARD and PHIL.

INT. THERESE’S APARTMENT. LATE NIGHT.

THERESE and RICHARD lie together side by side in bed. THERESEis fully clothed. RICHARD wears a tank-top undershirt andboxers. They are engaged in a pretty passionate embrace.

RICHARD starts to unbutton THERESE’S blouse. She stops him,

gently. He rolls on top of her. Again, she stops him. RICHARDrolls off THERESE, sits up. He takes her into his arms,

kisses her nose.

RICHARD:

Let me touch you.

THERESE:

Let me.

RICHARD:

You sure?

THERESE nods her head. RICHARD takes THERESE’S hand and

places it on his boxer shorts, over his cock.

RICHARD (CONT’D)

This okay?

She nods. RICHARD moves her hand inside his boxer shorts. He

puts his hand over hers and begins to guide her into a handjob, slow and steady.

THERESE:

Like that?

RICHARD lets go of THERESE’S hand and leans back, closes hiseyes. He lets out a low moan.

THERESE watches RICHARD intently the whole time, as if she’smore an observer than a full participant. RICHARD’S breathingrapidly quickens.

RICHARD:

(as he comes)

I love you, Terry.

RICHARD relaxes. THERESE pulls her hand out of RICHARD’Sshorts. She looks down at the semen on her hand. RICHARD sits

up, takes off his vest, switches off the light.

RICHARD (CONT’D)

Jesus, Terry, you shouldn’t look at

it.

RICHARD laughs, wipes THERESE’S hand with his undershirt andthrows it onto the floor. THERESE laughs, too. RICHARD leansforward, kisses THERESE deeply, tenderly. THERESE pulls awaysuddenly.

THERESE:

Sh*t, I forgot your aspirin.

THERESE jumps out of bed and runs to the bathroom. RICHARD,

exhausted and happy, falls back onto the bed.

INT. THERESE’S APARTMENT. LATE NIGHT.

RICHARD is asleep. THERESE sits at her small kitchen table.

THERESE holds CAROL’S gloves and the sales slip fromFrankenberg’s with CAROL’S name, address and signature neatlywritten on it. She considers the slip for a moment beforepropping it up against a salt shaker with the gloves. Shedraws her knees into her chest and rocks herself to and fro.

She watches RICHARD sleep.

EXT. THERESE’S APARTMENT. LATE NIGHT.

THERESE stands in front of a postbox, wearing a coat over hernight clothes. There’s not a soul in sight in the cold night.

She looks at a small package addressed to “Mrs. H. Aird” for

a moment before dropping it into the postbox. She looks up ather window a moment before being seized by a chill andrunning up the stoop to her building.

EXT. SUBURBAN NEW JERSEY STREET. LATE MORNING.

A MAILMAN pulls up to a large stone house with a gabled roof,

along the stately residential street. He grabs a handful ofmail, jumps down and begins walking up the driveway.

INT. CAROL’S HOUSE. ENTRANCE. LATE MORNING.

Mail is dropped through the letter slot, including THERESE’Spackage to CAROL. FLORENCE, CAROL’S housekeeper, glances overto the entry while mopping the floor.

INT. CAROL’S HOUSE. CAROL’S BEDROOM. LATE MORNING.

CAROL sits with her daughter RINDY, age 4, at CAROL’S vanity.

CAROL is brushing RINDY’S hair, as RINDY counts along,

pretending to powder her face with a powder puff.

RINDY:

Fifty-three, fifty-four, fiftyfive...(

she looks up at her mother)

sixty?

CAROL:

(kisses her forehead)

Fifty-six.

RINDY:

Fifty-six. Fifty-seven...

CAROL hears the sound of her husband’s arrival downstairs.

CAROL:

That must be your daddy. We’d

better finish up. Fifty-eight,

fifty-nine-

RINDY:

Come skating with Daddy and me!

CAROL:

Oh, I wish I could, sweet pea.

RINDY:

Why not, mommy? Pretty please!

HARGE, CAROL’S husband, appears in the bedroom doorway. Hecarries the pile of mail.

HARGE:

(to RINDY)

Hiya, sunshine.

CAROL looks up. She sees HARGE reflected in the vanitymirror. RINDY turns, sees him, jumps down from her mother’slap and runs to him.

CAROL:

You’re early.

HARGE:

Mail came.

HARGE waves it vaguely before setting it down on an end-

table.

RINDY:

Daddy! I want Mommy to come skatingtoo!

She leaps into his arms. He spins her around. CAROL hasn’tmoved from the vanity.

HARGE:

Okeydokey, smokey, one thing at atime.

He puts RINDY down. Catches sight of CAROL staring at him. Heputs the mail down onto the vanity.

INT. CAROL’S HOUSE. KITCHEN. LATE MORNING.

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