Grandma Page #7

KARL:

GO TO HELL!

ELLE:

Alright! Alright, Karl!

(pause)

I’m sorry! Alright? I am sorry.

I am not sorry that I did it. But

I am sorry that I didn’t tell you.

I am sorry I lied to you. That is

all I am sorry for. But I am sorryfor that.

KARL:

It was my decision too!

ELLE:

It’s my body. It’s always been mybody!

KARL:

And then you go - you f***ing go

and have a stranger’s baby? You’re

a psycopath!

ELLE:

Well I wanted a baby. I justdidn’t want a God damn husband.

KARL:

Right, so she grew up with nofather.

ELLE:

She grew up fine.

KARL:

Which is why you don’t speak toher.

Elle sags a moment.

KARL (CONT’D)

And you!

He points to Sage.

KARL (CONT’D)

Does he know? The father?

SAGE:

Yeah, he knows. He doesn’t want

it. He doesn’t care.

KARL:

Okay. Well, at least he knows. At

least you had the human decency totell him. But I’m not paying forit.

Karl goes back into his house.

KARL (CONT’D)

I’m not paying for that.

Sage and Elle stand there a moment.

SAGE:

...Grandma?

(pause)

Let’s go.

31 EXT. STREET - DAY 31

They sit on the trunk of Elle’s car. Elle is finishingflossing her teeth.

SAGE:

So you...you had an abortion?

Elle’s face fills with stress.

ELLE:

Yes. In someone’s basement.

SAGE:

Was it a doctor? Who did it?

ELLE:

He claimed to have gone to medicalschool. I don’t believe he ever

did.

SAGE:

...Did it hurt?

Elle doesn’t answer.

SAGE (CONT’D)

So were you... you used to likemen?

ELLE:

I always liked women.

(pause)

I just didn’t like myself.

(pause)

After I had your mom, I knew it wastoo painful. Life is too painfulnot to be what you are.

Sage looks down.

SAGE:

I don’t know...

ELLE:

You don’t know what?

(pause)

You having second thoughts?

SAGE:

(pause)

I want to have a family. I want to

have a baby someday.

(pause)

But not today. Not now.

(beat)

I want to go to college. I have myGPA up to a B.

(beat)

Some people...some people could

maybe do it all. But I can’t.

ELLE:

(pause)

You know what we have to do, right?

Yes.

SAGE:

Sage tears at a fingernail.

32 EXT. DOWNTOWN - DAY 32

Downtown. Some office buildings.

Elle drives, looking for parking.

33 EXT. DOWNTOWN OFFICE BUILDING - DAY 33

Elle and Sage are outside a tall office building.

different environment than we have been in.

It’s a

SAGE:

I’m scared.

ELLE:

You and me both.

SAGE:

(turns to her)

You’re scared?

ELLE:

I’ve been a little scared of yourmom since she was five years old.

Sage laughs.

ELLE (CONT’D)

No, I mean it. The straight A’s.

The incessant violin practice. She

used to take my cigarettes andempty out the tobacco and replaceit with Potpourri that she stolefrom Vi’s closet. I’d light up andget a lungful of potpourri.

SAGE:

Why’d she do that?

ELLE:

Cause she wanted me to quit.

(pause)

And she wanted to torture me.

...Ready?

Sage nods.

They go into the building.

34 INT. WAITING ROOM - DAY 34

Sage and Elle sit in the waiting room of some corporateoffices.

They look out of place.

A couple of guys in suits are there, glancing at themoccasionally.

Elle smiles at them and CLUCKS like a chicken.

ELLE:

BAWK-BAWK-BAWK. BAWK-BAWK-BAWK.

The men look away, embarrassed.

SAGE:

Sorry. My grandmother’s a chicken.

(pause)

BAWK.

IAN, a sharply dressed young man, comes down the corridor.

IAN:

...You must be Elle. I’m Ian. Hi

Sage.

SAGE:

Hi.

IAN:

You guys can follow me.

ELLE:

What happened to what’s her name -

Tiffany?

IAN:

I don’t know a Tiffany. I replacedSasha.

ELLE:

Boy, she sure goes throughsecretaries. You must feel like

your head’s on the chopping block.

Ian smiles opaquely.

IAN:

So nice to finally meet you...

35 INT. JUDY’S CORPORATE OFFICE - DAY 35

Judy, Elle’s daughter and Sage’s mother, stands up frombehind her desk. She’s attractive and formidable. She is

typing an email while walking on a treadmill-desk.

JUDY:

Come in!

ELLE:

What’s that?

JUDY:

Treadmill desk. I’ve had it for

two years.

ELLE:

Bit small, isn’t it?

(beat)

That was a joke.

JUDY:

That’s debatable. So what is going

on?

SAGE:

Umm...

JUDY:

Come on. What’s going on? Spit it

out.

ELLE:

Jesus, why do you have to be sobossy?

JUDY:

Because you are making me anxious,

extremely anxious showing up likethis, the two of you, in the middleof the day.

(to Sage)

What’s going on here? Why aren’tyou in school?

SAGE:

Because I’m on break.

JUDY:

Right.

(pause)

Are you pregnant?

(pause)

Please don’t tell me you’re f***ing

pregnant.

Sage lowers her head. Starts to cry.

ELLE:

She’s pregnant.

JUDY:

God damn it. GOD DAMN IT. YOU

A**HOLE. I SHOULD KILL YOU, YOU

KNOW THAT? WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT

BOX OF CONDOMS I BOUGHT YOU? DID

YOU EAT THEM? THERE WERE A HUNDRED

CONDOMS IN THERE!

Ian, Judy ’s secretary, pops his head in the door.

IAN:

Uh, your four-thirty are here.

Should I tell them

JUDY:

WHAT?

IAN:

Umm - I’ll just tell your four-

thirty that

JUDY:

I’ll use the little conference

room.

(to Elle and Sage)

You two wait here. I’ll be back in

fifteen minutes. Do not leave. Do

not leave.

She turns back to Ian.

JUDY (CONT’D)

Well? Bring them into the littleconference room. And then get me

an espresso. Espresso first,

actually. Then the clients.

Judy and Ian leave.

Sage turns to Elle.

SAGE:

Let’s go.

ELLE:

Yeah.

(pause)

Yeah, we better not.

LATER:

Elle and Sage sit on the couch. They straighten up as Judycomes back in.

JUDY:

This is my fault.

SAGE:

It’s not.

JUDY:

Yes it is, because you’ve been leftunsupervised, with way too muchfree time, for far too long.

SAGE:

I don’t need to be supervised.

JUDY:

Clearly you do. I mean, any idiotwould realize you need to besupervised, right?

Judy looks at Elle.

ELLE:

Are you saying I’m “any idiot?”

JUDY:

What is your involvement?

ELLE:

My involvement? I’m her

grandmother. And your mother.

JUDY:

Yes but what are you doing here?

ELLE:

I’m here for support.

JUDY:

Did you let them use yourapartment? For sex?

ELLE:

What? I’m not a pimp.

JUDY:

(to Sage)

How far along are you?

SAGE:

Ten weeks.

JUDY:

Thank God. First trimester. I’m

assuming you want to have anabortion.

SAGE:

Yes.

JUDY:

Who is it? That little creep?

SAGE:

Yes.

JUDY:

Uch, really?

SAGE:

Yeah. We’re not a couple anymore.

If we ever really were.

JUDY:

I told you that guy was a loser,

didn’t I? I told you he was a flat-

out loser.

SAGE:

You did. You were right.

JUDY:

I was right.

SAGE:

Yes.

JUDY:

So you don’t have any God damnmoney because you spent all yourmoney on shoes and garbage. So

it’s my assumption you went to her

(points at Elle)

You went to her to get some moneybut she doesn’t have any moneyeither so you came here. Am I

right?

Sage hangs her head.

ELLE:

You missed a few steps in between,

but you’re right.

JUDY:

And what about all those condoms I

got you?

SAGE:

We used them.

JUDY:

You and that rodent?

SAGE:

Yes.

JUDY:

You can get more, you know. I

didn’t make them by hand. I didn’t

knit them.

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