Mumford Page #8

MUMFORD:

Lives downstairs from me. She's got

a great dog named for Danny Ainge.

SKIP:

(sparks to that)

Really? I'm the only person I know

that likes Danny Ainge, outside of

Celtic fans. Maybe Phoenix.

MUMFORD:

Well, there's Lily.

SKIP:

Did you know that Danny Ainge was

drafted by the Blue Jays? Do you

know what kind of athlete you have

to be to play in the NBA and in the

bigs?

MUMFORD:

Amazing.

SKIP:

Unbelievable...

(SLAP... SLAP)

...And Lily named her dog after him?

Far out.

MUMFORD:

What kind of person do you have to

be to do this?

Mumford gestures off in the one direction we have not yet

seen.

SKIP:

What?

MUMFORD:

This --

CUT TO:

REVERSE ANGLE:
The baseball diamond is sitting in the vast,

lush grounds behind the PANDA MODEM WORLD HEADQUARTERS, a

brand new, distinctively original, high-tech office park.

Wherever there is an opportunity for tasteful signage, it is

in the motif of a Giant Panda -- sweet white face, black

eyes and ears, round body.

Skip is suddenly self-conscious, embarrassed.

SKIP:

I would've traded any of it to have

made the Mumford High varsity.

Mumford takes that in. SLAP... SLAP.

SKIP:

So I guess Henry Follett is a patient

of yours. He's my pharmacist.

MUMFORD:

Yeah.

(SLAP... SLAP)

Guy's got some serious sex fantasies.

Skip is a little surprised to hear this from Mumford, but he

just throws the ball.

MUMFORD:

Pretty good, too. Lots of detail.

Nothing hard core. Old-fashioned

ones, from back when people cared

about atmosphere and character.

SKIP:

Uh-huh.

MUMFORD:

Problem is, his fantasy life's a lot

better than his real one. Nothing

can live up to it. His wife got sick

of it and left him. Took his kids

with her.

SKIP:

I wondered what happened to her...

Skip is fascinated, but a little uncomfortable. Mumford seems

oblivious, unusually talkative --

MUMFORD:

Of course, it's not that simple.

There's something powerful going on

there. We've got a lot of work to

do.

(announcer voice)

It's hit to the warning track!

For the first time, Mumford throws the ball way high, like a

long fly ball. Skip, delighted as a dog, takes off running

and just barely catches it on the run. He pegs it back to

Mumford.

MUMFORD:

In these fantasies, Henry Follett is

played by a handsome guy with biceps.

Can you imagine that? Where your

self-esteem has to be?

(throws him the ball)

Man, I'd just like to move the guy

to the point where he gets to appear

in his own fantasies.

INT. MUMFORD'S OFFICE - DAY

Silence. Nessa sits staring at Mumford defiantly, an unlit

cigarette in her mouth. Mumford looks at the clock -- 3:00 --

and stands up, session over. Nessa quickly lights her

cigarette with the lighter concealed in her hand and stands

up too. She exhales a huge cloud of smoke and walks quickly

to the back door of the office, which Mumford has opened for

her, and goes out.

Mumford waves half-heartedly at the cloud of smoke as he

walks to the door to the waiting room and opens it.

MUMFORD'S POV:
As the door swings open, the first figure we

see is Mr. Cook; he twists around at the sound of the door.

He acknowledges Mumford and then sighs as he steps aside to

reveal, sitting exhausted in a chair, his daughter --

SOFIE -- a young woman whose actual appearance is somewhat

disguised at present by her wan, ashen visage. She regards

Mumford with some resignation. Her father helps her out of

the chair. Sofie keeps her eyes on Mumford.

CLOSE ON Mumford, watching her.

INT. MUMFORD'S OFFICE - DAY

LATER. Mr. Cook is gone. Sofie is sitting up on the couch,

facing Mumford. She looks like she might pass out at any

moment, but her voice is stronger than you'd expect.

MUMFORD:

Feel free to lie down. Most people

do.

SOFIE:

I'd better not, I'll fall right to

sleep. I think it's too soon for me

to be sleeping with you.

A joke. Mumford smiles.

MUMFORD:

What can you tell me about this?

SOFIE:

Oh, lord. It's almost too exhausting

to tell you...

(tiny smile, to herself)

...about my exhaustion. I didn't

really want to come. I'm not hopeful

right now. But I couldn't take the

look on my dad's face. He's a truly

kind person, which is pretty

extraordinary if you knew the story.

He's the opposite of me, I guess --

all stamina and resolve.

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