Louder Than Words Page #3

What?

Nothing.

I think your mom's been

looking for that.

MARIA:
Boys are so immature.

Oliver called Amy a

freakazoid today.

Real subtle, Oliver.

[ WINCES ]

I mean...

It's so obvious he likes her.

Why doesn't he just tell her?

Wouldn't it be easier if people just

said exactly what they were thinking?

But I guess then I'd have

to do it, too.

Maybe it's not that easy.

[ RESPIRATOR PUMPING ]

You looking for something?

My long-lost innocence.

Ask your mother.

Maria?

Hi there. Did you finish

your homework?

Yeah.

Why doesn't daddy talk more?

Did you just try to talk to him?

Yeah.

It's just... it's

just who he is.

It doesn't mean that

he's angry at you.

Duh. Why would you

even say that?

Because when we were

first married,

he wouldn't talk to me

all that much,

and it kind of scared me.

Why?

I know...

Sometimes...

I'm...

MARIA:
I'm gonna tell daddy to

talk to you more.

No. No, no, no, honey. No,

don't.

Thank you anyway, but don't...

don't mention it, okay?

Daddy has a lot on his mind.

Okay.

What's okay?

Nothing.

You're a good girl.

You're the best girl.

We got the diagnosis.

The DNA is consistent with a

strain of rabies

found in silver-haired bats.

The bite itself would

barely leave a mark.

It might well have occurred

while she was sleeping,

which would explain why

you wouldn't know.

But I don't understand,

because you said

the chances were 160

million to one.

That statistic is accurate.

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

So?

You see, once there's

symptoms of rabies,

there's nothing more

anyone can do.

Now, her eyes are no longer

reacting to light.

We've given her two eegs,

which are the... the

brainwaves test,

standard protocol before

removing life support.

Removing life support?

Yeah.

Do you, um, have a room where

I can go and cry?

We don't really have

any private...

why don't I find you an office?

MICHAEL:
We should go see her.

[ CRYING ]

[ RESPIRATOR PUMPING ]

MARIA:
I knew you were there.

I knew you were all there.

DOCTOR:
We're ready.

So who would like to

be in the room?

Last summer, mom smelled

smoke in the house.

Of course she blamed me.

She was giving me the

third degree,

so finally told her that

Maria had snuck one.

Maria must have killed you.

[ LAUGHS ] Yeah, she wanted to.

But I let her tweeze

my eyebrows.

It was like her dream come true.

I'm not gonna go back to school.

I can't handle it.

I'm going to stay here

for mom and dad.

[ RESPIRATOR PUMPING ]

NURSE:
I'm sorry. You

can't be on the bed.

What?

It's against regulations.

What are you talking about?

No, no, I-it's fine. Stay put.

I'll take responsibility.

[ ALARM SOUNDING ]

[ ALARM FADES ]

It's mommy, Maria.

I'm with you.

I'm with you.

[ OVERLAPPING CHATTER ]

...outside the home of John

and Brenda fareri,

whose daughter Maria has died

after contracting rabies,

her death caused by a

silver-haired bat.

She passed away after just 10

short days in the hospital.

Deaths from rabies are an

extremely rare occurrence.

[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]

They'll lose

interest eventually.

[ RING ]

[ RING ]

[ RING ]

Bye. Bye.

You guys don't have to wait.

No, it's fine.

Let's just get this over with.

Okay.

Love you.

Come here.

Take care, okay?

Yeah.

See you soon.

Okay.

I'm going to get a job.

I'm gonna look tomorrow.

I didn't say anything, honey.

[ TRAIN HORN HONKS ]

[ P.A. ] Can I have your

attention, please.

All service to...

[ ROCK MUSIC PLAYING

OVER HEADPHONES ]

Hey.

Did you go to any classes today?

[ SIGHS ]

[ CHILDREN YELLING, TALKING ]

[ VACUUM WHIRRING ]

[ TOOLS WHIRRING ]

[ NO AUDIBLE DIALOGUE ]

BRENDA:
Just tell the

bursar's office

to send us whatever it is

they're worried about, and

I'll... I'll fix it.

Okay, I will.

Your sister got a job

as a barista.

Cool.

And, um...

We ought to start thinking

about Christmas.

Yeah.

Maybe we could just be together,

but...

Like maybe if we went somewhere

that's not christmassy.

[ "JOY TO THE WORLD"

INSTRUMENTAL PLAYING ]

Merry Christmas.

Oh, you expect someone

else to join?

No.

Happy Christmas.

MICHAEL:
I feel like there was

more food here earlier.

BRENDA:
We ate it.

No, but there was, like,

plates and stuff.

There was more.

More... there was more here.

Yes, there was a piece of fish.

It's, like, all here.

Very rich. It's very rich.

I'm solid for as in

science and math.

It's history that worries me,

so I'm gonna ask for some

extra-credit work.

Maybe you should talk to your

guidance counselor.

It's not that bad, like an a-,

but I know I can get it to an a.

That's what I mean, sweetie.

You know, you hear about kids

committing suicide

in high school

because they get their first b.

Maybe it would be better to

get it over with

and just get one now.

Oh, my God. You are so mental.

Come on, dad. Come on, dad.

Uh, sorry. I push where?

Where?

That one right on the top,

right...

sh*t.

We need to decide on the

paneling today.

Here's the breakdown if we go

with the quarter oak.

And if we go with...

John.

JOHN:
"This may sound mean,

but I have to admit I hope Amy

isn't as popular as..."

MARIA:
...As she was

in sixth grade.

It's kind of hard to have one

of your best friends

incredibly popular

with everyone.

[ CHUCKLES ]

Oh, we had to write our top wish

in English class today,

and even though I have a

million wishes for me,

like being a star or a really

famous scientist,

I wished for the health

and well-being

of all the children

in the world.

It's weird.

JOHN:
"It's like it just

wrote itself."

Are you ready, John?

Tamar wants us to

stop by the site

before we go to the office.

[ DOOR CLOSES ]

John.

John?

John?

Why aren't you at work?

Dad got pulled in to some

meetings, and...

Are you all right?

Yeah.

Are you sure? Can I

do anything?

No. Thank you.

I don't... I don't think anyone

can get this out.

It's gotten into the

metal or something.

Okay.

[ SIGHS ]

[ DOOR OPENS ]

[ DOOR CLOSES ]

[ SIGHS ]

Your dinner's on the stove

if you're hungry.

Thanks.

Trouble's waiting

on the corner

he's been telling you

that I'll be there

I'm losing [ SIGHS ]

I'm losing you now

[ ARGUING ]

BRENDA:
Were you just going to

run out of the house?

Were you gonna leave a note?

Yes. I did leave a note.

So I'm supposed to

approve of you

going off to Seattle

with some boy

that we haven't even met?

What is in Seattle?

What's here?

I have a job at a coffee shop

where I'm a sitting

duck for people

to continually come in and say,

"be strong for your parents."

Right, like I didn't

lose anything.

I can't believe you're using

Maria to rationalize this.

Don't you understand anything?

What is it that I

don't understand?

Dad is this zombie,

and you go around cleaning,

pretending that

everything's fine.

Maria was the only one

who could get away

with talking about anything

that mattered around here...

So I'm leaving.

MARIA:
Picking my top wish

seemed hard at first.

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