I Smile Back Page #5

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Bruce doesn’t respond.

LANEY (CONT’D)

Bruce, I’m serious we can’t keep

him.

BRUCE:

It’s just a puppy Laney. All kids

get a puppy. Why can’t our kids

have a God damn puppy? Why does it

have to be such a big deal? Why

does everything have to be such a

big deal.

LANEY:

Because puppies turn into dogs and

dogs get old and die. What’s a dog

live, ten years?

BRUCE:

Yes. Ten enjoyable f***ing years

that the kids can grow up with a

dog. Only you could manage to turn

getting a puppy into a negative.

LANEY:

I’m trying to spare them a

negative, don’t you understand? The

dog will die and they will be

heartbroken!

BRUCE:

That’s life Laney. That’s how it

works. Puppies die and Bingo will

die too. The kids will handle it.

LANEY:

But I can’t handle it.

BRUCE:

Then why bother loving anything?

Why bother loving me?

Laney doesn’t respond. Bruce softens. He sits down on the

bed, puts his arm around her.

LANEY:

I just don’t understand why anyone

bothers to love anything at all. I

mean by the time you’re three

you’ve pretty much figured out that

everything you love is going to be

taken away. Every three year old

should run into traffic.

Pink (03/02/2014) 2525.

BRUCE:

Come on, Lane. You don’t mean

that.

LANEY:

I do mean it. Might as well cut

their losses.

Bruce hugs her for a moment trying his best to comfort her,

then tries to lighten the mood.

BRUCE:

That could be a new market for

me.... Insurance for three year

olds.

Laney pulls away.

LANEY:

Bruce I’m serious!

BRUCE:

So what do you suggest?

LANEY:

To not fall in love. To not get

married and have kids. To not

pretend that it’s all going to be

okay when nothing is going to be

okay.

BRUCE:

Well, thankfully most of us like to

fool ourselves.

Bruce quietly observes her for a moment, narrows his eyes

slightly while something occurs to him. He treads lightly,

masking the real question with concern.

BRUCE (CONT’D)

You okay?

LANEY:

Yeah. Of course I’m okay. Why

wouldn’t I be okay.

Bruce brushes his fingers through her hair.

BRUCE:

I just worry about you that’s all.

LANEY:

I’m fine. I’m going to check on the

kids.

Pink (03/02/2014) 26.

28 EXT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 28

Laney picks a few action figures up off the floor. She

gently opens the door to Eli’s room. He’s tossing and

turning.

29 INT. ELI’S ROOM - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS 29

Laney jostles Eli.

LANEY:

E, wake up. You’re having a

nightmare.

Eli opens his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks.

LANEY (CONT’D)

What’s the matter E? Another bad

dream?

Laney instinctively puts her hand on his forehead to check

for a fever.

ELI:

We were walking down the street to

go see dad and you were wearing

headphones

Eli is still crying, little boy fresh out of a nightmare.

LANEY:

Take a deep breath, it’s okay...

tell me...

ELI:

I was trying to warn you but you

wouldn’t listen to me- you couldn’t

hear me because you were listening

to your headphones.

Laney brings a tissue to his nose.

LANEY:

Blow

ELI:

I tried so hard -

Eli blows his nose.

ELI (CONT’D)

I was yelling and you didn’t hear

me and there were all these cars.

(MORE)

Pink (03/02/2014) 27.

ELI (CONT’D)

And then I got trapped and I

couldn’t grab you and then the car

just hit you - and you were dead.

Laney holds him tight.

LANEY:

That will never happen Eli.

ELI:

How do you know?

LANEY:

Because I don’t have an iPod.

ELI:

It’s not funny mom!

LANEY:

It can’t happen because I won’t let

it happen.

Laney tucks Eli back in bed. She begins rubbing his head.

LANEY (CONT’D)

Go to sleep. Mommy’s here.

30 INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT - SAME 30

Laney lets Bingo out of the crate. She opens a cabinet and

takes out two brown lunch bags and a box of crayons. She

takes a loaf of bread and two small bags of organic chips

from a drawer. She’s about to make the kids’ their school

lunches but changes her mind. She opens another cabinet,

takes out a secret bottle of vodka and pours herself a nice

tall glass. She goes over to the phone, flips through the

school directory, searches for a name, picks up the phone and

dials. She looks down the hall to make sure nobody can hear

her.

LANEY:

Is this Diane?

(pause)

LANEY (CONT’D)

I’m so sorry I know it’s late. This

is Laney Brooks, I’m Eli’s mom.

(pause) I’m fine. Actually no, I’m

not fine. I’m calling because Eli

came home today with a bunch of

stories about how the Pilgrims were

thieves and Thanksgiving is a lie.

(MORE)

Pink (03/02/2014) 28.

LANEY (CONT’D)

He said that John told him. It’s

none of my business what you teach

your kids but I was really hoping

that you could - (pause) Sure I

understand that but um, well I’m

trying to teach my son to be

grateful for what he has which is

hard and Thanksgiving is - (pause)

but that’s a really important -

(pause) but that’s your opinion -

(pause) Look - I’m not calling to

have some kind of debate with you I

just want to - (pause)

Laney is fuming mad.

LANEY (CONT’D)

I have a great idea- why don’t you

leave the teaching to the teachers

(pause)

LANEY (CONT’D)

That’s fine, and you can go f***

yourself. And tell your little brat

to stay the f*** away from my kid.

Laney slams down the phone, searches through her bag and

locates her coke stash. She taps some coke onto the table,

rolls up a 20 dollar bill, snorts a line. She sits down at

the kitchen table and begins to flip through a magazine. She

gulps some vodka. She flips through the magazine again,

another gulp of vodka. Laney is clearly trying to drown out

the demons - fast. She gets up, leaves the kitchen.

31 INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS 31

Laney makes her way down the hallway. She’s not in great

shape. She grabs onto a wall and steadies herself.

Continues. She opens Eli’s door, enters.

32 INT. ELI’S ROOM - CONTINUOUS 32

Laney sits at the foot of his bed and watches him sleep for a

moment. She gets up, walks to...

33 INT. JANEY’S ROOM - CONTINUOUS 33

Laney peeks her head in, the little girl is fast asleep.

Laney eyes her childhood teddy bear sitting on the shelf near

Janey’s bed - battered, one eye missing. She takes it from

the shelf, lies down on the floor.

Pink (03/02/2014) 2929.

Face to face with the bear, Laney kisses it. She looks at it

again before she places it between her legs, eases onto it,

her crotch against the bear’s nose. She focuses on the family

picture next to Janey’s bed. She starts rocking back and

forth, eyes closed. This is a disturbing scene although Laney

masturbating is actually less troubling than her desperation

for connection.

The quivering stops, Laney pulls the bear from under her,

rolls onto her back. Glow-in-the-dark plastic stars glitter

on the ceiling. A combination of emotion and drugs overtakes

her.

34 INT. HALLWAY LEADING TO MASTER BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS 34

Laney moves slowly down the hall into her bedroom.

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