Jennifer 8 Page #25

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96:
INT. LIVING ROOM. HOUSE. NIGHT.

The whole house is going around in a haze of booze and colored

lights and laughter. Buddy Holly supplies the music "True Love

Ways" and ROSS is a victim of the nostalgia. Dances close with

MARGIE. Among the kaleidoscope of passing couples are HELENA &

BERLIN. Eyes closed and oblivious of everything but each other.

But someone is staring at them. About forty years old with big

hands. Too old for acne but the skin is bad. Got a scar on his

cheek like a ladder in a stocking. He continues to stare until

the dancers separate. Music ends and he's already in the crowd.

BERLIN arrives with a whisper for MARGIE and next thing HELENA

is on her arm heading for the stairs. Obviously a "ladies room"

run. Everly Brothers next record up and SERATO appears through

the crush. Spots ROSS who wants to know "What happened to you?"

SERATO:

Duty Sergeant f***ed up .. can

you believe it, I'm on tonight ..

"How long have you got?" "One big drink." And they head for it.

Did you get my message?

BERLIN:

No.

SERATO:

I left a message on your machine.

It wasn't me calling. Sam around?

This last question to ROSS who delivers a typically large shot.

ROSS:

Yeah .. I guess she's in the kit-

chen .. We got a so-called prof-

essional cook out there having a

nervous breakdown over a turkey ..

BERLIN:

Are you sure you didn't call?

SERATO:

I spoke to old whass-his-name

a couple of times. But not to

her, and I never asked for her ..

ROSS:

Her who?

BERLIN:

Someone's calling the institute

to talk to Helena. Says he wants

to ask her some more questions ..

SERATO:

Not guilty ..

And he pushes off to see his wife. BERLIN looks around worried.

BERLIN:

You got a quiet phone somewhere?

ROSS:

Hey, John, don't start getting

antsy over this tonight. It may

well have been the local cops?

BERLIN:

That's just what I wanna find out.

97:
INT. BATHROOM. HOUSE. NIGHT.

MARGIE fixes HELENA's lips. Big on the lipstick. Another layer

of magenta is going on "Are you sure I look O.K." Her question

interrupts the Revlon "You're the prettiest girl here by about

two hundred per cent." MARGIE moves in again for the lower lip.

MARGIE:

How you doing on those shoes?

HELENA:

Don't mix very well with beer.

Perhaps she is a tiny bit tipsy? MARGIE smiles and says "Press."

MARGIE:

Girl like you should be drinking

chill white wine. Press. All done.

A knock on the door. "Come in" and BOBBY sticks his head inside.

BOBBY:

That woman in the kitchen says

if she doesn't get help within

10 seconds, she's gonna resign.

MARGIE:

That woman is a disaster ...

She turns to the mirror in exasperation and mends her own face.

Alright, tell her I'm coming. No,

wait a minute, honey. Take Helena

for me, and find John? And don't

let go of her hand until you do ..

INT. LIVING ROOM/DEN. HOUSE. NIGHT.

A pause in the Music amplifies conversation. Bullshit and beer

and everyone talking about nothing. BOBBY leads HELENA through

the row. Can't find Berlin and now they're in the den. The ser-

ious Guzzlers have made it base. Everyone talking and everyone

lying but no Berlin and BOBBY is about to make a major mistake.

BOBBY:

I'll just go see if he's in the

kitchen .. you stay right here ..

Her protest is absorbed in sound. And anyway he's already gone.

At once she is vulnerable. Doesn't know if she's staring at the

back of a head or straight into someone's face. "Didn't we meet

somewhere?" The question comes from the man with the scar. He's

drunk as a dog and already got a tattooed hand around her waist.

VENABLES:

Hey, Popeye!

POPEYE:

Hey, Fat Guy! Gimme 2 minutes. I'm

about to ask this lady for a dance?

Trash aftershave and lousy breath and clearly the answer is no.

If I told you I'd driven all the way

from Oakland would you dance with me?

Willy Nelson starts to sing. And HELENA attempts to break away.

What's so special about the other guy?

You like cops, don't you .. I'm a cop ..

HELENA finds the top of a couch. Holds it like a raft of secur-

ity. But where ever she goes this frightful mouth is following.

.. let me ask you a question? How do

you know the difference between one

guy and another? .. Maybe you don't ..

Maybe you only know the "difference"

when you're dancing? (he laughs) If

you knew what I looked like, you'd

dance with me. I look like John Wayne ..

HELENA:

I know what you look like. Excuse me.

She navigates the back of the sofa. Collides with somebody and

apologizes. "I'm sorry. Is anyone sitting there?" Enough ambiv-

alence in the question for the guy not to know she's blind. No.

No one sitting there. Simultaneously a pair of middle-age crew

cuts occupy the sofa. A second later HELENA sits bang into one

of the laps. Spilt drinks and surprise all round. Pleasant sur-

prise for the victim. He's a lecherous looking old bastard and

Helena's dress rides up for a damned good view of the lingerie.

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