Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Page #13

MIERZWIAK:

It's no big deal.

MARY:

You are such a sweetheart.

There's an embarrassed moment as that line hangs in the air.

Then Mary plunges ahead to bury it.

MARY (CONT'D)

Anyway, the quote goes "How happy is the

blameless Vestal's lot! The world

forgetting, by the world forgot: Eternal

sunshine of the spotless mind! Each

prayer accepted, and each wish resign'd".

She smiles, proud and embarrassed.

MIERZWIAK:

That's lovely.

MARY:

Really? I thought it was appropriate

maybe. That's all.

(beat, then quickly)

I really admire the work that you do. I

know it's not proper to be so familiar

but I guess since we're outside the

workplace I feel a certain liberty to --

MIERZWIAK:

It's fine, Mary. I'm happy to hear it.

MARY:

Okay. Good. Great. Thanks.

(blurting)

I like you, Howard... an awful lot. Is

that terrible?

Mierzwiak seems momentarily taken aback, then returns to his

unflappable self.

MIERZWIAK:

You're a wonderful girl, Mary.

She leans over and kisses him, then pulls away quickly.

MARY:

I've loved you for a very long time. I'm

sorry! I shouldn't have said that.

MIERZWIAK:

I've got a wife, Mary. Kids. You know

that.

MARY:

(suddenly weepy)

I wish I was your wife. I wish I had

your kids.

Mierzwiak comforts her with a hug. It turns into kiss. He

pulls away.

MIERZWIAK:

We can't do this.

MARY:

No you're right. Once again. You're a

decent man, Howard.

He smiles sadly at her. She smiles courageously at him.

MIERZWIAK:

I want you to know it's not because I'm

not interested. If that means anything.

They look at each other a long while, then Howard goes back

to locating and eradicating blips of lights.

EXT. JOEL'S APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT

Stan sits in the van and smokes a cigarette. He has an

unobstructed view into Joel's bedroom window. He watches

Mierzwiak and Mary. They're talking as Howard works. It

appears to be a very serious discussion. A car pulls up

outside. Stan turns to see. A middle-aged woman gets out,

checks the address on Joel's building, approaches the only

lit window, watches Mierzwiak and Mary inside. Mierzwiak's

resolve has apparently weakened and he and Mary kiss again.

This time it leads to groping, partial undressing, and

falling onto the bed alongside the unconscious Joel. The

woman in the window is transfixed. As Mierzwiak fumbles to

unzip his pants, he catches sight of the woman in the window.

He practically shrieks and jumps up.

EXT. COUNTRY ROAD - DAY

Joel and Clementine walking, hand-in-hand, look up

simultaneously.

INT. JOEL'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

Mary looks confusedly at Howard.

MARY:

What?

She follows his eyes and sees the woman in the window, who

turns and walks off in a huff.

MARY (CONT'D)

Oh my God!

Mierzwiak is already in his coat. He's out the door.

EXT. JOEL'S APARTMENT BUILDING - CONTINUOUS

The woman is at her car. Stan watches from the van.

Mierzwiak is hurrying to the woman.

MIERZWIAK:

Hollis! Hollis!

HOLLIS (THE MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN)

I knew it, Howard. I don't even know why

I bothered to copy the damn address.

MIERZWIAK:

It didn't start out to be this. I came

here to work. It's a one-time mistake.

Mary is right behind Mierzwiak now. Hollis is in her car.

MARY:

(heroically)

Mrs. Mierzwiak, it's true. And it's not

Mr. Mierzwiak's fault. I'm a stupid

little girl with a stupid little crush.

I basically forced him into it. I swear.

Hollis turns, looks at Mary and then at Mierzwiak.

HOLLIS:

Don't be a monster, Howard. Tell the

girl.

Stan is out of the van now, listening. Mary shivers in the

cold, hugs herself. There's a long silence. Then:

MARY:

Tell me what?

Hollis and Mierzwiak have locked eyes. Mary looks back and

forth between them. Hollis starts her car.

HOLLIS:

Poor kid. You can have him. You did.

She drives off. Mary watches Howard with increased

foreboding.

MARY:

What, Howard?

MIERZWIAK:

We... have a history. I'm sorry. You

wanted the procedure. You wanted it

done... to get past. I have to finish in

there. It's almost morning. We'll talk

later.

He shuffles inside. Mary stands there, unable to digest

this, struggling in vain to remember. Stan watches.

STAN:

Let me take you home.

Mary shakes her head "no." She walks off, dazed.

EXT. CHARLES RIVER - NIGHT

Clementine and Patrick lie on their backs on the frozen river

and look up at the night sky.

PATRICK:

I could die right now, Clem. I'm just

happy. I've never felt that before. I'm

just exactly where I want to be.

Clementine looks over at him. Their eyes meet. She sobs.

CLEMENTINE:

I want to go home.

She hurries toward the shore, slips on the ice, gets up, and

continues, now running.

INT. COMMUTER TRAIN - NIGHT

Mary, in shock, sits in the empty fluorescent car. She tries

to look out the window but can only see her own reflection.

INT. JOEL'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

It's deathly silent as Mierzwiak and Stan work on completing

the job. Mierzwiak locates a light hidden very deep in the

map of Joel's brain. He targets it.

EXT. ROWBOAT - DAY

Joel, the size of a ten year old, sits fishing with his

oversized father. Clementine is naked and in the boat, too.

She's reading The Play by Stephen Dixon.

CLEMENTINE:

I love this book, Joel. Thank you so

much for telling me about it.

Joel is his father. The father is drunk and sullen. He

faces away from Joel, looks out at the lake.

FATHER:

Don't be like me, son. Don't waste your

life. You'll come to a point someday

where it'll be too late. You'll be sewn

into your fate...

JOEL:

It was horrifying, seeing my father like

that.

There was no hope for me if his life was

such a failure. And he saw failure in

me, too, written in my future.

Clementine watches the frightened, confused Joel.

CLEMENTINE (CONT'D)

Joel, you're not sewn in. He's wrong.

FATHER:

...and there'll be nowhere to go except

where you're headed, like a train on a

track. Inevitable, unalterable.

The scene poops out of existence with a flash of light.

INT. CHINESE RESTAURANT - NIGHT

Joel finds himself eating Chinese food and sitting across

from Clementine. He is ragged and jarred.

JOEL:

I'm done, Clem. I'm just going to ride

it out. Hiding is clearly not working.

CLEMENTINE:

Yeah.

JOEL:

I want to enjoy my little time left with

you.

CLEMENTINE:

This is our first "date" date.

JOEL:

Do you remember what we talked about?

CLEMENTINE:

Naomi, I guess.

JOEL:

Yeah.

CLEMENTINE:

What was I wearing?

JOEL:

God, I should know. Your hair was red.

I remember it matched the wallpaper.

CLEMENTINE:

Egad, were you horrified?

JOEL:

No! I think you were wearing that black

dress, y'know, with the buttons.

She is wearing the black dress.

CLEMENTINE:

No, you were with me when I bought that.

At that place on East 6th. It was later.

INT. DRESS SHOP - SHOP

The scene has already been erased. It's just a decayed husk.

A vague Joel watches a vague Clementine model a black dress.

INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT

Clementine wears a generic black dress now.

JOEL:

Right. Something black though.

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