My Best Friend's Wedding Page #18

BELLMAN:

Miss, are you locked out,

or something?

She looks up. A small, wiry man of nearly 60, in a slightly faded

but neatly-kept uniform. On his cart, a ton of bags.

JULIANNE:

No, I just stepped out, because...

it's a non-smoking room.

And inhales deeply. Leans back against the door, to look up at him

more comfortably.

BELLMAN:

(politely)

Well, it's non-smoking floor,

too. Maybe you could go to the...

JULIANNE:

(seriously)

Why don't you have me arrested?

That wasn't sarcastic. He doesn't know what to say.

JULIANNE:

I mean that. Arrested, convicted,

put in solitary.

Another puff.

JULIANNE:

See, I'm a dangerous, criminal

person. I do bad things to

honest people. This, see, this

smoking? Tip of the iceberg.

Waves her hand.

JULIANNE:

Make a citizen's arrest, I won't

struggle. It'll be like getting

Al Capone on tax evasion.

Now she seems angry. But not at him. Her eyes fill with tears.

BELLMAN:

Can I... Can I help you, miss?

She squints at his nameplate.

JULIANNE:

Do you smoke, Richard?

BELLMAN:

Yes, ma'am, I do, but it's...

JULIANNE:

... a non-smoking floor, yeah.

Well, you know what?

And she takes the cigarette from her lips. Turns it around, holds

it out to him. Go ahead. He doesn't move. Please! And so...

... he reaches down, takes the cigarette from her hand. Staring in

her eyes, he takes a deep drag. Savors an expert nostril-inhale of

his exhaled smoke. Hands the cigarette back to her...

BELLMAN:

My grandmother always said,

"This, too, shall pass."

She swallows. Wipes at her eyes. Finds a smile.

JULIANNE:

Thanks, Richard. If you weren't

on duty, I'd buy you a drink.

He just nods. She waves. He waves back, pushes his cart down the

hall. As she watches him go, the door behind her suddenly OPENS,

and she...

... FALLS through it, flat on her back at Michael's feet. Staring up

at him, seeing that he looks as bad as she feels, she takes raw, deep

drag.

JULIANNE:

What happened?

MICHAEL:

(softly)

It's over.

And crouches down. Close beside her. The cigarette drops from her

hand, unnoticed on the carpet. So he lifts it, crushes it on the

heel of his shoe.

MICHAEL:

I want you to quit this sh*t,

it'll kill you.

She just nods, obediently. Okay, I will.

MICHAEL:

She denied it. Said I was crazy

and paranoid.

JULIANNE:

A bad combination.

He tries to smile. It's really hard.

MICHAEL:

There's this big brunch tomorrow

morning? At her place.

He lets the air out. Slow. So he won't cry.

MICHAEL:

She said "How can I call everything

off, what do I tell everybody?"

Shakes his head. Can you imagine that?

JULIANNE:

Michael...

MICHAEL:

No, it's for the best, it really

is. We were so wrong for each

other.

JULIANNE:

Maybe tomorrow, you'll feel dif...

MICHAEL:

The job thing would have broken

us up, eventually, anyway. She

couldn't have lived with it. I

know that now.

Julianne nods. Maybe that part is right. Maybe it would have

ended anyway. Maybe she can pretend she's not a monster.

MICHAEL:

And she's right, I'm crazy to

fall for someone. I hardly

knew.

Looks deep in her eyes. He's so glad she's there.

MICHAEL:

Hey. You still got that ring?

She holds up her left hand, the flapping sleeve falls away. The

ring is on a finger that is swollen and raw.

JULIANNE:

I tried it on. But it won't

come off.

He smiles at that. A sad smile of friendship. Then takes her

finger gently...

... into his mouth. It is something like a kiss. And when he

removes her moistened finger...

... he pulls the ring OFF. Nothing to it. She blinks.

JULIANNE:

It's mental, you know.

He doesn't understand that.

JULIANNE:

Should we take a walk? Or

maybe some food sent up, or

something...

MICHAEL:

I just want to be alone. Is

that okay?

She nods, sure. He kisses her cheek. Stands up.

MICHAEL:

Maybe I'll go back to New York.

Hang with you for awhile, huh?

Ben'll understand.

She nods again. Whatever you say. He steps into the open doorway...

MICHAEL:

Or we'll go somewhere. If you

have the time.

JULIANNE:

If San Antonio sweeps

Sacramento...

They smiles at each other. For real.

JULIANNE:

I've never been to Texas.

Imagine that. The look holds. Just above a whisper...

MICHAEL:

Thanks for coming to my wedding.

And then he's gone.

IN.JULIANNE'S BATHROOM - LATE NIGHT

Julianne brushing out her hair in the bathroom mirror, eyeing her

image with evident dissatisfaction, as she listens to the receiver

RINGING.

DIGGER (V.O. MACHINE)

Digger and George are with

family in the Hamptons until

Monday morning. Brevity is even

more in order than usual.

BEEP.

JULIANNE:

Hey, handsome. Brevity this...

Her eyes find the pack of cigarettes. Next to her toiletries kit.

JULIANNE:

(softly)

I won.

Her fingers touch the pack. As if an object of significance. Takes

it up.

JULIANNE:

Amazing, huh? I didn't do things

quite your way. But... I got it

down.

Cradling the phone against her shoulder, she carefully tears the top

of the pack completely open.

JULIANNE:

And forty years and nine grand-

children later, when I sit with

Michael on some rustic porch,

slogging through our sweet swamp

of nostalgic memories...

Reaches the pack toward the toilet.

JULIANNE:

No one is going to sweet the

details...

Turns it upside down, emptying a dozen cigarettes into the john.

JULIANNE:

Of one weekend in Chicago.

Drops the lid with a CLATTER. Hits the FLUSH.

JULIANNE:

Talk about celebration...

She lifts a tube from her toiletries kit. Stares at it, real

close.

JULIANNE:

I'm gonna brush my teeth with

actual toothpaste.

Turns it over, reads all the writing. Yep.

JULIANNE:

I guess I'm too exhausted to

feel the elation I so richly

undeserve...

Squeezes some paste onto her brush. Carefully.

JULIANNE:

So I'm gonna hold calls at the

desk... while I get my...

Start brushing.

JULIANNE:

(around, her mouthful)

God, it is toothpaste, they

should sell this stuff

commercially! Anyway, a girl

does need her...

Squints at her image. Laughs, spewing a little foam.

JULIANNE:

... well, we're a bit past

worrying about beauty sleep.

Let's just settle for not

frightening small animals.

She SPITS. Tells Digger's machine...

JULIANNE:

Anyway, I couldn't have done

it without you. Even though I

did, if you follow that.

Wipes her mouth. Stares off. The eyes a little dreamy.

JULIANNE:

Three words:
Happily. Ever.

Well, you know.

SMASH CUT TO:

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