Hannah and Her Sisters Page #16

They begin to walk down the street.

LEE:

(laughing)

Well, listen, you didn't know me

before Frederick. I'd...I'd start

with a beer at about ten in the

morning, and...go on.

ELLIOT:

(looking at Lee)

Oh. You must have been, uh, very

unhappy.

LEE:

Yeah, unhappy and fat.

(chuckling)

And I still find the meetings very

comforting, you know.

She shrugs.

ELLIOT:

I'll never understand it. You're

so bright and charming and beautiful.

LEE:

(laughing)

Oh, God.

ELLIOT:

(overlapping, chuckling)

I think to myself

(laughing)

what problems could she possibly

have?

LEE:

(gesturing, laughing)

Don't let me get started on my

childhood.

(stopping in her

tracks, remembering)

Oh, you know what? There is a

bookstore.

ELLIOT:

(stopping alongside her)

Yes?

LEE:

(overlapping, pointing)

A couple of blocks from here. If

you don't know about it, you should.

You'd really love it.

ELLIOT:

Yes?

LEE:

(nodding)

Yeah, you would.

ELLIOT:

(looking around for a

moment, then gesturing

to Lee)

Well, i-if-if you have some free

time...

LEE:

(nodding)

Yeah, sure.

(chuckling)

ELLIOT:

Thank you.

They begin to walk again as the movie cuts to the interior

of the Pageant Book & Print Shop, an old, serious bookstore.

A nude print hangs at the end of one of the library shelf-

like bookcases, which are packed, row after row, with books.

An unseen Elliot and Lee carry on a conversation as the

camera moves down an aisle, past the rows of books. A piano

playing "Bewitched" is heard. Pictures hang on the aisle

ends of the shelves.

LEE:

(offscreen)

Isn't this great?

(chuckling)

They have everything here.

ELLIOT:

(offscreen, distracted)

Yes, it's-it's wonderful.

LEE:

(offscreen)

What book did you want to buy?

ELLIOT:

(offscreen)

What? Book?

LEE:

(offscreen)

Your book? You wanted to buy a book?

The camera moves past another aisle of books to reveal Lee,

browsing through a shelf.

ELLIOT:

(offscreen)

Oh, book? Oh, no, I...

(laughing)

I'm killing time. I...I-I just,

uh, w-want to browse, uh...

LEE:

(looking up at a row

of books)

Well, you sure picked the right

place. I mean, you can stay here

all afternoon, not buy anything and

just read.

She walks down a center aisle, the camera still in its

parallel aisle, following her.

ELLIOT:

(offscreen)

Unless, of course, if-if you had

some time, I mean, we could get

some coffee.

LEE:

No, I don't have time.

Lee stops at the row where Elliot has been browsing. She is

hidden by a shelf; only Elliot is seen as he talks to the

offscreen Lee.

ELLIOT:

(gesturing)

No, no. I-I-I understand completely.

No problem. Y-you're busy. I-I-I...

LEE:

(offscreen, chuckling)

You seem tense. Is everything all

right? You feel okay?

ELLIOT:

(overlapping)

No! No...

LEE:

(offscreen)

No?

ELLIOT:

(gesturing, looking

at books)

Uh, yes!

LEE:

(offscreen)

Yes?

Elliot starts walking down the center aisle, in the same

direction Lee had walked up. He continues to talk to her as

she remains offscreen in a nearby row.

ELLIOT:

(offscreen

momentarily, hidden

by a shelf as he talks)

Yes.

LEE:

(offscreen)

Everything's okay?

(chuckling)

ELLIOT:

Yeah. How are you?

LEE:

(offscreen)

I'm...all right.

ELLIOT:

(offscreen

momentarily, hidden

by another shelf as

he walks)

How-how's Frederick?

Elliot stops walking to browse through some books.

"Bewitched" still plays.

LEE:

(offscreen)

Fine. Oh, we went to the Caravaggio

exhibition at the Met. It's such a

treat to go through a museum with

Frederick. I mean...you learn so

much. Do you like Caravaggio?

ELLIOT:

(turning to talk to

the offscreen Lee)

Oh, yes. Who doesn't?

(pointing)

Look!

Elliot turns and walks back down the center aisle to a row

of books he'd already passed.

ELLIOT:

(pointing to a book

on a shelf, continuing)

e.e. cummings. I'd like to get you

this.

LEE:

(offscreen, laughing)

Oh, no, I can't let you get me that.

That's too much.

ELLIOT:

(pulling the book off

the shelf and browsing

through it)

Oh, oh, yes. I-I-I-'d like to, uh,

uh, very much.

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