Infinitely Polar Bear Page #13

CAM:

But I think it could be fun -

AMELIA:

No. Not fun. Humiliating.

FAITH:

Do we need to spell it out for you?

CAM:

But I’ll make tea for everybody.

And cinnamon toast. We’ve got lots

of board games --

AMELIA:

(hissing)

We don’t want people to see how we

live!

CAM:

(exploding)

Big deal how you live! It’s not

your fault! Tell them your Dad’s

manic-depressive or bi-polar or

whatever they’re calling it these

days! Don’t not have friends

because of me!

The girls are thrown by this outburst. Cam slumps.

CAM:

F*** it. Forget it. Never mind.

He turns and walks back to the building, defeated. Faith and

Amelia look at each other, considering.

INT. APARTMENT BUILDING HALLWAY. DAY

Amelia and Faith stand outside their apartment with Thurgood,

Kim and Ali. Amelia takes her keys from around her neck.

AMELIA:

I’m warning you. You’ve never seen

anything like this.

THURGOOD:

I’ve been to messy houses before.

79.

Faith raises her eyebrows.

FAITH:

Not like this.

AMELIA:

(whispering)

I’ll run and close Daddy’s door.

Faith nods. Amelia opens the door and darts in. Faith

blocks the doorway.

INT. APARTMENT - CAM’S BEDROOM. DAY

Cam sits at his desk. A radio has been pulled apart and he

is soldering a circuit board. His room looks like a bomb

exploded.

Amelia pokes her head in the door.

AMELIA:

We brought some friends over.

Cam blinks, surprised.

CAM:

Really?

Amelia nods and closes the door.

INT. APARTMENT. DAY

Amelia and Faith stand in the middle of the squalor with

Thurgood, Kim and Ali, who seem stunned by the mess.

KIM:

Why do you have so much stuff?

FAITH:

(with authority)

Our Dad is totally Polar-Bear.

AMELIA:

(to Faith, correcting)

Bi-polar.

(to the rest, explaining)

Manic-depressive.

THURGOOD:

I have an uncle with that. He also

lives like a pig.

80.

KIM:

Hey! This is cool!

Kim happily bounces on the mini-trampoline in the middle of

all the squalor.

CUT TO:

The children fill the living room:

Amelia, Faith and Ali play Roulette.

Thurgood sits cross-legged on the mini-trampoline, bouncing

gently and staring at the album cover of “Guys and Dolls.”

Kim examines an old wooden cane. She pulls the handle and a

sword comes out. She is totally amazed.

Cam emerges from the kitchen with a teapot and a plate of

cinnamon toast points. He serves them all toast and refills

their teacups.

Cam has never seemed happier.

CAM:

Would anyone like to learn how to

make chocolate truffles from

scratch?

THURGOOD:

Me!

He leaps to his feet and follows Cam into the kitchen.

EXT. HILLSIDE. DAY

Cam comes into view, striding up the hill, whacking at the

tall grasses with his machete. Behind him, the children

begin to appear; they march behind him, fanning out on either

side, talking and laughing: Amelia, Faith, Kim, Ali,

Thurgood, and three other kids from school.

EXT. WOODS. LATER

The gang of children spreads out, searching the ground for

mushrooms and playing.

CUT TO:

81.

The children sit on a fallen tree trunk, watching, as Cam

demonstrates on Amelia how to twist someone’s arm behind

their back. Amelia grabs his arm and does it to him.

CUT TO:

Cam crams the kids into the Toyota. He lays the boys down in

the way back like cord wood. The engine turns over twice and

starts. The car is weighed down and drags in the back as Cam

drives slowly down the dirt road.

INT. KITCHEN. DAY

Amelia watches as Maggie frosts a birthday cake. Maggie

starts to pipe “Happy Birthday Faith” in white icing on the

top.

AMELIA:

I don’t think I’m black.

MAGGIE:

Of course you’re black.

AMELIA:

But I look white.

MAGGIE:

Sweetie, you’re black.

AMELIA:

Faith looks black. I look like

Daddy.

MAGGIE:

You’re a mix of both of us.

AMELIA:

Nobody thinks I’m black. When I

tell them. Nobody thinks I look

like you.

MAGGIE:

Amelia, I am black. Your mother is

black. So you’re black.

Maggie runs out of space on the cake, halfway through

“Faith.”

MAGGIE:

Damn it.

She throws down the pastry bag. Amelia feels guilty.

82.

AMELIA:

You know, you and Daddy could go

out to dinner some time. We don’t

need a babysitter.

MAGGIE:

You don’t?

Amelia shakes her head.

AMELIA:

We used to get scared, but we’re

not scared anymore.

Maggie puts her hand on Amelia’s head and looks at her.

MAGGIE:

You’ve gotten so old.

AMELIA:

(smiling)

If it makes you feel better, I’ll

tell people I’m black. Even if

they think I’m delusional.

EXT. STREET. NIGHT

Cam and Maggie walk to a restaurant. They are both nicely

dressed, wearing scarves and overcoats.

MAGGIE:

I think the last time we were at

Legal Seafood, Faith pulled shrimp

scampi all over my silk blouse.

CAM:

You were so sad.

MAGGIE:

It was my best shirt.

CAM:

That was the same dinner where she

trundled across the room and

punched me right in the nuts.

MAGGIE:

(laughing)

You were so sad.

He nods, laughs.

83.

MAGGIE:

Amelia told me she doesn’t think

she’s black.

CAM:

What? Her mother’s black. She’s

just testing you, being feisty.

She smiles at him with real gratitude. She links her arm

through his.

MAGGIE:

She also said they’re not scared

anymore. The girls seem to be in a

really good place.

CAM:

No kidding. Amelia beat up the

class bully last week. Kicked him

so hard in the knee she put him on

crutches.

MAGGIE:

Wow.

CAM:

I felt quite proud.

MAGGIE:

You seem good too, Cam.

CAM:

So do you. Well whaddaya know.

MAGGIE:

I’ll be so happy when I get a job

and I’m back here. Thanks for

making it possible.

Maggie smiles at Cam. He pulls her closer.

CAM:

Stop sleeping on the sofa. Let’s

sleep in a bed together.

Maggie laughs but doesn’t pull away.

MAGGIE:

Cam, I can’t go in your room.

CAM:

Why not?

84.

MAGGIE:

It’s beyond belief. You have three

bicycles in there.

Cam looks flabbergasted.

CAM:

That’s your reason?

MAGGIE:

Yes! There are cans of paint

thinner -- and the last time I went

in there I got motor oil on my

skirt. I mean it’s... it’s

ridiculous.

CAM:

Then I’ll clean it up.

Maggie laughs, teasing him.

MAGGIE:

That would be nice. It would make

it more inviting.

CAM:

You never said anything about this

before.

MAGGIE:

I’m done nagging you to clean your

room, you’re a grown man and it’s

your room.

CAM:

And my room is not inviting to you?

MAGGIE:

(amused)

No! Not to me or anybody else.

Probably not even to you.

Cam laughs, good-naturedly.

CAM:

Definitely not to me. I’m cleaning

it up. It’ll take me two days

tops. You’ll see. It’ll be a

thing of beauty.

They walk on.

85.

INT. FINANCIAL FIRM. DAY

Maggie sits in a waiting room, professionally dressed,

completely pulled together. Across from her sit three

handsome 24-year-old white men. Suits, ties, polished shoes.

They are talking, laughing.

YOUNG MAN 1

...of course I know Jim Quincy! We

were in the Delphic together at

Harvard... I actually won this belt

off him -

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