Infinitely Polar Bear Page #11

INT. LIVING ROOM. MOMENTS LATER

Gaga looks extremely displeased, both hands on her cane. Cam

stands across from her, hands in his pockets.

CAM:

We live in a rent-controlled

apartment.

GAGA:

I know that. I pay your rent.

CAM:

And we’re very grateful -

GAGA:

Piffle. It’s dirt-cheap.

CAM:

The point is... I can’t afford to

take care of the Bentley. I can’t

even afford to fill up its gas

tank.

GAGA:

If you’re asking me for gas money -

CAM:

I’m not asking for gas money, Gaga.

Cam suddenly becomes nervous, uneasy. This is hard for him.

66.

CAM:

The girls are both phenomenal

students... they’re not being

challenged. If you really want to

help, I think they would flourish

in private school.

Beat. She scowls at him.

GAGA:

I don’t think that’s teaching the

girls a very good lesson, do you?

Cam looks confused, then resigned:

CAM:

I suppose not.

Gaga takes his hand in an attempt to be supportive:

GAGA:

We all believe in you, Cameron. We

know it’s not too late for you to

amount to something.

INT. VALIANT. NIGHT

They drive home in silence. The girls pout in the back seat.

CAM:

Girls, look. I’m sorry we can’t

take the Bentley. It just doesn’t

make sense. I know it’s

disappointing.

They don’t respond. Then, in a coldly rational voice:

AMELIA:

You should’ve taken it and then

sold it and bought the crepe cart

and then you could’ve made lots of

money and we wouldn’t be so poor.

CAM:

Sweetie, although crepes may be

delicious, they’re not exactly the

goldmine you think they are.

Especially during a recession.

AMELIA:

Well, then we could’ve sold the

Bentley and just had some money.

67.

CAM:

(sighing)

Gaga would never let me sell that

car.

AMELIA:

But she was giving it to you.

CAM:

That’s not how it works. It’s hard

to explain.

Beat.

FAITH:

It was our one chance to have

something that other people might

want. Nobody wants what we have.

They ride on in silence.

EXT. TRAIN STATION. DAY

Maggie walks out of the station, with Cam and the girls. Cam

carries her suitcase. The girls brim over with excitement.

AMELIA:

We have a surprise for you.

They can’t contain themselves. They run to the Valiant.

Maggie slows as she approaches the car. Inside, a DOG is

barking like mad and scrambling back and forth over the

seats. Cam whistles and when the dog sees him, he starts

whining and wagging his tail, scratching at the windows.

FAITH:

That’s Jock! That’s our dog!

AMELIA:

Daddy got him for us!

FAITH:

Amelia named him!

MAGGIE:

Why is he acting like that?

AMELIA:

He was abused by his last owner.

So any time Daddy leaves him he

gets really upset.

68.

FAITH:

Because he loves Daddy! Because

Daddy saved him!

As Cam puts the suitcase in the trunk:

CAM:

We’re working on it.

Maggie looks unenthusiastic.

MAGGIE:

And this is the new car?

CAM:

It was abused by its last owner.

But Daddy saved it!

Cam opens the passenger side door for her, with a flourish.

Jock streaks out and tears down the sidewalk, going after

another dog who is on a leash. Cam and the girls race after

him.

CAM:

Jock! No! Bad dog! Jock!

It is chaos.

EXT. RAYMOND PARK. DAY

Bundled up, the family kicks a soccer ball around. Jock runs

between them. Some distance away Kim and Ali watch from the

swings. Cam sees them.

CAM:

Don’t those little girls live in

our building?

AMELIA:

Yes. But they’re really mean.

CAM:

(amused)

Mean? They’re wearing identical

pink parkas. How mean can they be?

(calling)

Hey! Hey!

He waves at them to come over. Hesitant, they do.

69.

EXT. RAYMOND PARK. LATER

Maggie sits on a bench with Faith in her lap. Cam plays a

spirited soccer game with all the little kids in the park.

The ball comes toward Cam, who is smoking. He throws down

his cigarette and dodges a kid, then passes the ball to Kim,

then picks up his cigarette again when the ball is gone.

INT. APARTMENT BUILDING HALLWAY. NIGHT

The girls both hold onto Jock’s leash as they walk toward the

apartment. Cam and Maggie follow behind.

CAM:

They seem like nice kids. You

should have them over sometime.

Both girls scowl at him over their shoulders.

AMELIA:

No way.

FAITH:

I’d rather die than have people

over to our shithole.

The girls take off running down the hall. Cam looks

exhausted. Maggie looks at him; he shrugs, beleaguered.

CAM:

They crush my soul.

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING. DAY

Spring. The early crocuses are coming up.

INT. APARTMENT. NIGHT

The apartment is a disaster. Art materials lie all over the

table. Amelia bangs out a song on the piano and sings at the

top of her lungs while Faith does a dramatic dance. They are

both in their nightgowns.

AMELIA:

“Here we come, here we come, we’re

the pirates, and we’re going to

make you swab the decks...”

70.

CAM (O.S.)

(calling from the kitchen)

Faithie-bear, could you clean your

stuff off the dining room table?

FAITH:

(twirling)

I’m busy.

Cam emerges from the kitchen, a mixing bowl in his arms. He

is whisking something and wearing a utilitarian apron.

CAM:

Dinner will be ready soon. It would

be awfully nice to have a place to

sit down and eat it.

FAITH:

Later!

Cam watches, frustrated.

CAM:

Now. Now.

She keeps dancing. Suddenly Cam explodes, HURLING THE BOWL

AT THE WALL.

CAM:

NOW!

Both girls are startled out of their musical reverie. Then

Faith explodes:

FAITH:

You are so MEAN! I am not your

SERVANT!

CAM:

No! I’m the goddamn servant! All

I do is cook for you and drive you

around and tend to your every

need...

He watches, furious, as she stomps by him.

CAM:

...you treat me like a goddamn

maid!

Cam turns off the stove. Grabs his overcoat and scarf.

CAM:

I’ve got to get out of here.

71.

Amelia jumps up from the piano and gets in his way.

AMELIA:

We don’t have a babysitter.

CAM:

You don’t need a babysitter.

AMELIA:

But it’s night-time. We get

scared. Faith gets scared.

Cam looks for his keys, wallet.

CAM:

You need to toughen up. What is

there to be scared of? Wolves?

Vampires?

AMELIA:

Rapists.

Cam shakes his head and puts on his coat.

CAM:

If a rapist knocks, don’t let him

in.

AMELIA:

What if they force their way in?

That’s what rapists do!

CAM:

Just kick him in the balls!

Amelia runs to block the door. Jock starts barking and

jumping around.

AMELIA:

(panicked)

No, Daddy. Don’t go.

Amelia drops to the ground and grabs Cam’s leg.

CAM:

I don’t get it. You never want to

be seen with me, you won’t have

your friends over, you won’t let me

talk to people -- I can’t take it

anymore! I need to spend time with

adults, not a bunch of bossy brats!

Unhand my foot!

72.

Cam leaves the apartment, slamming the door behind him. The

dog barks constantly.

INT. HALLWAY. NIGHT

Cam steams down the hall. Punches the elevator button.

Waiting at the elevator, he pulls a pack of cigarettes from

his pocket.

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