Game 6 Page #8

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INT. THE BARRYMORE THEATER - THE STAGE

Nicky and Peter still conferring. Jack and Renee approach.

PETER:

I feel shaky about one line in

particular. If I can get past this

line. I think I can handle the last

long speech.

RENEE:

Which line, Peter?

PETER:

The Son says to the Father, This

could be it.

NICKY:

And the Father replies?

PETER:

That's the line I can't ever, for

the life of me remember. I just

can't get it.

JACK:

It's the same line. The Father

simply repeats what the Son says to

him.

RENEE:

This could be it.

NICKY:

This could be it.

PETER:

I know it sounds easy. But

something happens between the time

I hear the line and the time I'm

suppose to Jrepeat it.

JACK:

This could be it.

PETER:

(long pause)

This could be it.

JACK:

Let's work on it.

PETER:

(long pause)

Let's work on it.

INT. THE BARRYMORE THEATER - AISLE - A LITTLE LATER

Nicky and Paisley Porter make their way out of the theatre.

PAISLEY:

Do you think he can do it?

NICKY:

I don't know.

PAISLEY:

He's a very sweet man.

NICKY:

Where are you going now?

PAISLEY:

Home.

NICKY:

Someone waiting for you?

PAISLEY:

No one's waiting.

NICKY:

There's a certain kind of wounded

young man who uses his oddness to

get laid. Is that our Steven?

PAISLEY:

If I'm sleeping with him, and I

haven't said I am, then so what?

NICKY:

(quietly)

So everything. That's so what. So I

begin to hate him. So I want to do

him grave harm.

PAISLEY:

But you don't even know me. How can

you care what I do with whom?

NICKY:

I know you both. Enough. How much

knowledge does it take before a man

does something crazy.

PAISLEY:

Do you want to talk about doing

crazy things.

NICKY:

Yes.

PAISLEY:

Never mind.

INT. LOBBY - CONTINUOUS

They enter lobby daylight, squint a little.

NICKY:

What? Come on, Paisley.

PAISLEY:

Our Steven not only disguises

himself.

NICKY:

Yes.

PAISLEY:

He goes to the theater armed.

MUTED BACKGROUND VOICES ON THE LOBBY PA: Jack Haskins and

Peter Redmond.

JACK (V.O.)

This could Pbe it.

PETER (V.O.)

This could be it.

They look up at the speaker.

PAISLEY:

He feels he has to defend himself

if necessary.

NICKY:

I'm actually beginning to enjoy

this.

EXT. BARRYMORE THEATRE - DAY

Wide of the theater. Nicky says goodbye to Paisley.

Reverse angle, Elliot watches them from across the street.

Nicky goes back inside the theatre. Paisley walks west on

47th street.

Elliot waits for a moment, then follows her.

INT. STEVEN SCHWIMMER'S LOFT

The Port-O-San. Steven emerges and goes to the stacked

cardboard boxes against the wall. His hate mail. He is

wearing a bath towel like a prayer shawl over his sweat

clothes.

He drags one of the boxes to the ratty armchair. He sits in

the chair by the filthy window that looks west toward the

early-setting sun.

He takes a letter from the box, opens it, reads it, lets it

fall to the floor. Takes another letter, opens it --

There is a knock at the door.

Steven tenses, does not move.

Another knock.

He moves warily toward the door.

PAISLEY (V.O.)

Steven, it's me. Will you open

please.

Steven releases the dead-bolt lock and opens the door.

STEVEN:

You've come to me. I wanted to

believe you would one day.

PAISLEY:

I haven't come to you.

STEVEN:

But you're here. So you must have

come to me.

INT. STEVEN SCHWIMMER'S LOFT - A LITTLE LATER

Steven is back in the chair by the window. Paisley nervously

prowls the loft.

PAISLEY:

In other words I never understood

until today how much pain and

anxiety you've been causing with

your reviews. Steven, it's so

unfair.

STEVEN:

Of course it's unfair. The truth is

always unfair. Why do you think I

live this way? Hiding out. Stealing

electricity from a lamp post.

Because people who write the truth

are outcasts of society. I can't

live openly, in a nice clean

doorman building, with my name on

the mailbox. They'd come after me

in packs.

PAISLEY:

Not if you stopped hurting people.

Write the truth gently.

STEVEN:

The truth is never gentle. Listen

to me carefully. Each of us lives

in the thinnest possible wrapping

of wishes and dreams. Truth is the

force that penetrates this wispy

skin. It hurts and maims.

(reaching down to clutch a

fistful of letters)

Look how they hate me for telling

the truth. It's an education,

Paisley. The College of Raw Nerves.

Letters dripping blood. Cries of

revenge.

PAISLEY:

Yes. I've seen your victims. One

past and one future. I thought I

might convince you to reconsider.

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