Jennifer 8 Page #14

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46:
INT. RECEPTION. INSTITUTE. DAY.

A huge Christmas poster advertises SHASTA-TRINITY ARTS/CRAFTS.

HELENA sits in the deserted foyer reading Braille. The volume

is the size of a phone directory. BERLIN appears via the main

entrance. Windswept and wasted and surprised she's still here.

BERLIN:

I'm sorry, someone slammed the

door on me. I couldn't get out.

HELENA:

It was probably the wind.

Hellava wind that turns a key! But he says nothing. Takes the

book while she gets into her coat. She's obviously made an ef-

fort. A change of clothes and her hair pinned up. But she has

got the sweater on inside out and the label is under her chin.

BERLIN:

What are you reading?

HELENA:

Hamlet. Have you read it?

BERLIN:

No.

HELENA:

You should. It's wonderful.

By now they're at the doors with BERLIN escorting her through.

47:
INT. RESTAURANT/DINER. TRINITY VALLEY. DAY.

Red brick walls and help yourself to salad. All but empty and

their food is yet to arrive. BERLIN is clearly having a tough

time with the conversation. Basically because there isn't any.

BERLIN:

.. I'll tell you what, if I prom-

ise to stop being a cop, will you

promise to stop being a witness?

HELENA sits frozen like she's waiting for results of an X-ray.

I mean, we don't havta sit here

waiting for me to ask the next

question? You could ask one, too?

HELENA:

Are you wearing a uniform?

BERLIN:

No.

HELENA:

Oh.

BERLIN:

Well, I'm glad we got the conver-

sational side of lunch over with.

HELENA:

I'm sorry .. I don't like sitting

in the middle of a restaurant .. I

feel like everyone's looking at me ..

BERLIN:

There's no one "looking at you" ..

There's hardly anyone in here. The

only person looking at you, is me.

And he likes what he's looking at. And maybe HELENA senses it.

HELENA:

Are you married?

BERLIN:

Was. But I don't like to talk about it.

HELENA:

You just asked me to ask you questions.

BERLIN:

I know, but you pick on the one time

in my life I like not to remember. I

was in the bad lands. Really not well.

It's something that happens to a lota

cops. We don't wanna talk about that.

HELENA:

"Thoughts that lie too deep for tears."

BERLIN:

Yeah, that'll do .. Is that "Hamlet?"

HELENA:

No, Wordsworth .. Do you like poetry?

His attention is temporarily elsewhere. A Lunch Party just arr-

ived. It's clear GOODRIDGE is profoundly unhappy to see BERLIN.

BERLIN:

I don't know, I haven't read much. I

don't think poetry's my kinda thing?

HELENA:

Do you pray?

BERLIN:

Pray?

HELENA:

You said, you were in the bad lands?

BERLIN:

No, I don't pray .. Had a dream once,

about God, just around the time I was

getting well .. He was a nasty lookin

little guy, moved into the apartment

right on topa me .. I said, don't you

listen to people's prayers? He said,

prayers? Not often. They're Junk Mail.

48:
INT. MERCEDES SEDAN. SHASTA-TRINITY INSTITUTE. DAY.

Big pines either side of the driveway. The Camera sits in the

back more interested in the approaching institute than BERLIN.

BERLIN:

.. I got really sick of the street ..

so I went to school and became a

Scientific Services Officer, which

is basically a Scene of Crime Off-

icer. Then this came up, and I got

what they call a Lateral Transfer ..

Pulls into a parking spot and the next sound is the hand brake.

I couldn't take another minute of

Los Angeles .. Felt like I'd said

sorry in every street in the city ..

HELENA:

Sorry?

BERLIN:

.. sorry your father, mother sis-

ter, whatever .. I couldn't take

another day of it .. Come on, I'm

gonna rob you of a cup of coffee ..

49:
EXT/INT. FIRE ESCAPE/APARTMENT. INSTITUTE. DUSK.

BERLIN looks down from the fire escape. For the first time the

place sounds busy. Cars arriving and doors slamming. Voices of

Students coming back from the weekend. "Why were you out there?"

HELENA waits inside and didn't realize he was back in the room.

HELENA:

Coz I wanted to feel the snow

on my face .. I think that's

when I heard her call him John?

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