Excess Baggage Page #12

LIGHTNING shoots across the sky, casting everything intoblack and white lines, and there, on the hill behind the hotel, is a small,still figure standing in the rain.

WILL (CONT'D)

Emily?

He wipes rain off his face -- like that does any good --and trudges up the hill through a growing stream of mud and water. And sureenough, it's her.

WILL (CONT'D)

Emily, what are you doing out here?

She just stands there, holding the front of her shirt awayfrom her body to stare down at an enormous black blotch on it, as the rainsleets down her.

EMILY:

I stained my shirt.

WILL:

What?

EMILY:

I was playing with the god damn motel pen, and itbroke, and now I've got ink all over my shirt.

Will stares at the ragged shirt -- scruffy, torn, dirty-- he laughs.

WILL:

Emily, that shirt needs to be burned.

EMILY:

I hate god damn stains.

Emily starts crying. He blanches, puts his hands on hershoulders, staring at her in consternation.

WILL:

Hey, hey, it's just a beat up old shirt.

This isn't having the desired effect -- she's bawling.

WILL (CONT'D)

We'll buy you a new one. Here, you can have my shirt--

He's struggling out his shirt.

EMILY:

No no no. The rain comes and it washes the wholeworld clean. It just doesn't wash the people clean. We're all stained,Will.

WILL:

How long have you been out here, Emily?

She shrugs. He takes her hands, rubs them.

WILL (CONT'D)

Jesus, you're cold. Come on.

He tugs. She resists, rain plastering her face and hair.He wipes a sodden strand out of her face.

WILL (CONT'D)

Anybody can change, Emily.

EMILY:

Like you're going to change, Will, when you getto Tahiti?

INT. MOTEL #2/ROOM - DAY (RAINING)

They're soaked and Emily's teeth are chattering as Willpushes her into the motel room chair and crouches to drag her shoes offand rub her feet.

EMILY:

That hurts.

WILL:

I bet.

He grabs a discarded towel, rubs her hair.

EMILY:

Rain never killed anyone.

WILL:

The hell it didn't. You've got to get out of theseclothes.

She smiles, tired. He meets her eyes -- eyes for once candidand just plain young and tired.

WILL (CONT'D)

Thanks for not leaving.

She reaches out with a cold, gentle hand, to touch his face,so close, leans forward, kisses him. . . .

It's a long kiss -- before he breaks away. She frees thefirst button of her shirt.

WILL:

No.

EMILY:

I need you.

WILL:

You don't need me. You need something, but it'snot me.

EMILY:

Don't you ever get lonely, Will Pogue? Living behindall your locks and chains and secrets, don't you ever need anotherhuman being?

WILL:

I can't afford the stakes you play for, Emily.

EMILY:

Yes you can, Will. Just for a moment. Just to behuman.

And she kisses him again, and what he should do -- or mightregret -- doesn't matter.

INT. MOTEL #2/ROOM - DAY

Emily lies awake by Will's side in the bed, staring at theceiling, listening to Will's soft breathing. He rolls over, kisses her,smiles one of those sh*t eating grins everyone wears, when they're in lovewith the world because they just got laid.

WILL:

Hi.

EMILY:

Hi.

She's distant. Will drags clothes off a chair, frowns atthe wrinkled suit, but climbs into it anyway.

WILL:

You okay?

EMILY:

I don't want to go back.

He loses a bit of the rosy glow.

WILL:

Emily, it's hard truth time. I have to go back.I have to check on someone. And you have to go back. To clear upthis mess.

He straps on his watch. She turns to stare at the wall.He touches her face.

WILL (CONT'D)

I would truly love to hide out here with you forever,but that's not going to work, and you know it. For one thing, becauseUncle Tom is going to come through that door one of these days andkill me dead for making you suck my penis.

He smiles, trying.

EMILY:

Fine.

She grabs her clothes off the floor and drags them on, purposefullyignoring the stain.

WILL:

God, I could eat a horse.

INT. RESTAURANT/PAY PHONE - DAY

Will, relieved enough to be rude, speaks into the phone.

WILL:

Where the hell have you been?

INT. JOE'S AUTO PARTS/LIVING QUARTERS - DAY

Joe, casual, speaks into the phone.

intercut:

JOE:

Jail.

WILL:

Jail?

JOE:

Yep.

WILL:

What the hell --

JOE:

Pardon me for intruding, Will, but did you knowyour warehouse burned to the ground?

WILL:

Yeah, I know.

JOE:

I ask because I don't know if you've got TV's whereyou're at.

WILL:

You want to know what's going on?

JOE:

Nope. Nope. I don't want to know. I'd rather notknow. But I thought it might be good to be sure you know.

WILL:

I know.

JOE:

Then I figure you'll take care of it. When're youcoming home?

WILL:

I'm on my way.

JOE:

Well that's good. Things're a might peculiar aroundhere, though. You might want to wear a hat.

WILL:

I'll do that, Uncle Joe.

(beat)

Uncle Joe, there haven't been any strangers around,asking questions, have there? Maybe a guy in a suit?

JOE:

A nice suit, or a cheap suit?

WILL:

A nice suit.

JOE:

Just cops.

WILL:

That's good.

INT. THOMAS PERKINS' NEW AND IMPROVED DISCREET AUTOMOBILE- DAY

Thomas smiles -- not a nice smile -- snaps off his phonetapping device, and straightens his cuff, obscuring a military tattoo.

INT. RESTAURANT - DAY

Emily, shivering slightly, picks at her food, looking miserable.A plate of fish sits across the table from her, growing cold.

Will slides into the booth.

EMILY:

You get through?

WILL:

Yep.

EMILY:

Congratulations. I ordered you the fish.

WILL:

Oh.

He eyes the congealing creature with an expression lessthan rapturous, but takes a manful bite and swallows.

WILL (CONT'D)

Said the cops have been by.

EMILY:

What's wrong with the fish?

WILL:

Nothing. What I'm going to do is drop you off atthe police station. Then I'm going to get the hell out of there,while you go in and introduce yourself.

Emily, watching him wince his way through the fish, eyeshis plate, frowns.

EMILY:

What's wrong with it.

Will sets down his fork with a sigh.

WILL:

Emily, I'm sorry. I hate fish.

EMILY:

You hate fish.

She stares out the window -- coming to a decision here,building up inside defenses --

EMILY (CONT'D)

I think you should go to Tahiti, Will. Just geton that plane and go. Forget all this mess -- and take a few steaksalong, for insurance purposes.

WILL:

Am I missing something here?

EMILY:

Missing something?

She gives him a cool stare.

WILL:

Maybe I'm taking a lot for granted. But I thoughtsomething happened here.

EMILY:

Yeah, something happened here. It's called sex,Will.

WILL:

Uh huh.

EMILY:

And suddenly, after having sex, you seem to be thinkingI'm going to be changed into a nice person and I'm going to go trottinginto some police station and announce myself to the world.

Will isn't attempting to eat fish anymore.

EMILY (CONT'D)

Don't ever make that mistake, Will, of thinkingI'm a nice person, just because we had sex, because if there's onething I'm not, it's nice.

Will's sitting there, waiting for the punch line. It doesn'tcome. The silence grows.

EMILY (CONT'D)

I'm pregnant, Will.

He stares at her blankly.

WILL:

There's no way.

EMILY:

Not last night. Before last night.

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