I Smile Back Page #15

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Laney sits on the bed where he's packing. She softens, he

doesn't.

LANEY:

Bruce, just listen. I found a

couple Xanax in the bottom of my

purse. I know I shouldn’t have

taken any but-

Bruce grabs Laney’s face in his hand like he’s going to snap

her neck off.

BRUCE:

What the f*** is wrong with you?

He squeezes tighter, then lets go.

BRUCE (CONT’D)

Why is it so easy for you to look

me in the eyes and lie to me?

He stares at her. Small pools of tears have settled in the

corners of Bruce’s eyes.

BRUCE (CONT’D)

Do you even love me Laney?

LANEY:

Of course I do.

BRUCE:

Just not enough I guess.

He looks at Laney with a mixture of love and regret.

BRUCE (CONT’D)

I’m going to Atlanta. I have some

business there and I need to clear

my head. Figure out where we go

from here.

LANEY:

When are you coming back? What

about Eli’s piano recital?

This is almost comical. He shakes his head. Laney, mother of

the year.

Pink (03/02/2014) 8787.

BRUCE:

I’ll be back in time. They’ll stay

with my sister until I get home.

LANEY:

What? You don’t trust me?

BRUCE:

No. I don’t.

He walks toward the door, bag in hand, turns back to Laney.

BRUCE (CONT’D)

This is my fault. I shouldn’t have

brought you. It was too soon.

LANEY:

So you’re just leaving? You’re just

leaving me here alone?

BRUCE:

Yeah. You always seem to find your

way home eventually.

He opens the door.

BRUCE (CONT’D)

I just don’t know if I want to be

there next time you do.

80A INT. BROOK’S HOUSE - DAY 80A

Laney unlocks her front door and pulls her suitcase in behind

her.

80B INT. BROOKS HOUSE - CONTINUOUS 80B

Laney parks her bag next to her, looks around and feels the

emptiness. Janey’s ballet outfit it on the bench, Eli’s

backpack. Laney walks into the family room. Slow but

deliberate.

80C INT./EXT. LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS 80C

Laney turns on a table lamp and gazes at a few photographs of

her family on the table next to it. She walks over to the

window, looks at the basketball court. It’s empty but for a

ball and Janey’s pink bike.

Pink (03/02/2014) 88.

81 INT. PIANO RECITAL - DAY 81

Modest suburban living-room, upright piano, folding chairs.

Eli is wearing a navy sports coat over a Knicks jersey. Janey

plays with her Barbie doll. Laney glances out the window and

then back to Eli who is doing his eye ritual, blinking hard.

He seems to have added a new step - he twists his mouth,

holds his lips in a tight squeeze, waits a beat, releases and

then again. A young girl SABRINA (age 10) finishes her

recital piece. The AUDIENCE claps. MRS. MATTINGLY (30’s),

Eli’s piano teacher, steps to the front of the room. She

gives Sabrina a hug.

MRS. MATTINGLY

Let’s give Sabrina another round of

applause.

Laney hears a car door slam. She looks out the window and

sees Bruce, still with rolling bag, just in time. He walks

in, scans the room. There is an empty seat next to Laney but

he chooses to take a seat in the back. Janey sees him and

leaps down the aisle.

JANEY:

Daddy!

She grabs his hand in an effort to lead him to their seats

but he doesn’t follow. Instead he scoops her up onto his lap.

Ostensibly he doesn’t want to interrupt Mrs. Mattingly but in

truth he doesn’t want to be near his wife. Mrs. Mattingly

sees him politely sitting in the back.

MRS. MATTINGLY

It’s okay Bruce. This isn’t

Carnegie Hall. Go sit with your

family.

As Bruce makes his way down the aisle we see Laney and Eli

slide over to make room for him. Bruce sits down next to

Eli, Janey on his lap. He puts his arm around his son’s

shoulder. Eli is twitching away. Laney and Bruce barely make

eye contact.

MRS. MATTINGLY (CONT’D)

So much has been written about

Beethoven’s deafness but my

favorite story is this one. After

the first performance of The Ninth,

Beethoven stared blankly at his

orchestra. A thoughtful musician,

realizing he couldn’t hear the

clapping, turned Beethoven around

to face the audience.

(MORE)

Pink (03/02/2014) 89.

MRS. MATTINGLY (CONT’D)

It was Beethoven’s eyes, not his

ears that conveyed the symphony’s

triumph. Now let’s use our eyes and

ears while we welcome Eli Brooks to

the stage. Eli will be performing

the final movement of the Ninth.

The Ode to Joy.

Eli, all three-foot nine walks up on stage as the audience

politely claps. He takes a seat at the piano. He composes

his hands properly but doesn’t begin. This is gut wrenching.

His eyes start twitching, his mouth is turning. Laney holds

her breath, eyes wide in anticipation.

BRUCE:

(under his breath)

Come on Buddy....

Eli goes through another short series of eye twitches and

mouth contortions. This moment is taking forever, the room is

silent in anticipation. A PARENT subtly turns around to look

at Laney for her reaction. Laney sits up straighter, stoic,

masking her nerves. And then amazingly, without any twitching

of the neck, contorting of the mouth, blinking of the eyes,

Eli begins to play - fingers on keys, wrists raised.

This, the sound of her son, is, perhaps, the most beautiful

Laney's ever heard. She secretly exhales and then because

she’s overcome with emotion, her eyes fill with tears. She

can feel Bruce watching her, she turns her head slowly. When

their eyes meet there is no malice. Instead a flicker of

hope, the mutual acknowledgement of their little boy’s

triumph. At that moment, as Eli takes his bow and the room

cheers, all is forgiven.

82 OMITTED 82

83 INT. BROOKS’ HOME - FOYER - DAY - SAME 83

Bruce unlocks the front door and lets everyone into the

house. Bingo, wagging his tail, is there to greet them.

BRUCE:

Don’t forget to take off your

shoes.

The kids smile. Leave their shoes on the mat. Put their

coats on the bench. All the while Laney is trying to compose

herself.

Pink (03/02/2014) 9090.

JANEY:

Why are you crying Mommy?

LANEY:

These are happy tears.

Laney walks over to Eli. Kneels.

LANEY (CONT’D)

E-you were extraordinary today.

Breathtaking. I don’t think I’ve

ever heard anything more beautiful.

Laney puts her hands on Eli’s shoulders. She takes him in.

Her beautiful boy.

LANEY (CONT’D)

I don’t deserve to be your mother.

Bruce is getting anxious about where this conversation may

lead.

BRUCE:

Who wants a snack?

JANEY:

Hot chocolate?

BRUCE:

Sure.

JANEY:

With marshmallows.

Bruce glances at Laney. Her smile belies her anxiety.

LANEY:

I have to run to the bathroom.

I’ll meet you there in a minute.

84 INT. BATHROOM - DAY - SAME 84

Laney closes the bathroom door, removes the tampon box from

the top shelf and pulls out the familiar white envelope. She

empties the contents of the envelope onto the floor. She

cuts lines, sniffs coke, glances at herself in the mirror.

Bingo scratches at the bathroom door, he wants to come in.

Laney ignores him.

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