Psycho Page #2

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SAM:

Mary, whenever it's possible, tax-

deductible or not, I want to see

deductible you. And under any

conditions.

(a smile)

Even respectability.

MARY:

You make respectability sound...

disrespectful.

SAM:

(brightly)

I'm all for it! It requires patience

and temperance and a lot of sweating-

out... otherwise, though, it's only

hard work.

(a pause)

But if I can see you, touch you even

as simply as this... I won't mind.

He moves away and again the weight of his pain and problems

crushes away his good humor. There is a quiet moment.

SAM:

I'm fed up with sweating for people

who aren't there. I sweat to pay off

my father's debts... and he's in his

grave... I sweat to pay my ex-wife

alimony, and she's living on the

other side of the world somewhere.

MARY:

(a smile)

I pay, too. They also pay who meet

in hotel rooms.

SAM:

A couple of years and the debts will

be paid off. And if she ever re-

marries, the alimony stops... and

then...

MARY:

I haven't even been married once

yet!

SAM:

Yeah, but when you do... you'll swing.

MARY:

(smiling, then with a

terrible urgency)

Sam, let's go get married.

SAM:

And live with me in a storeroom behind

a hardware store in Fairvale. We'll

have a lot of laughs. When I send my

ex-wife her money, you can lick the

stamps.

MARY:

(a deep desperation)

I'll lick the stamps.

He looks at her, long, pulls her close, kisses her lightly,

looks out the window and stares at the wide sky.

SAM:

You know what I'd like? A clear,

empty sky... and a plane, and us in

it... and somewhere a private island

for sale, where we can run around

without our... shoes on. And the

wherewithal to buy what I'd like.

(he moves away,

suddenly serious)

Mary, you want to cut this off, go

out and find yourself someone

available.

MARY:

I'm thinking of it.

SAM:

(a cheerful shout)

How can you even think a thing like

that!

MARY:

(picking up handbag,

starting for door)

Don't miss your plane.

SAM:

Hey, we can leave together can't we?

MARY:

(at door)

I'm late... and you have to put your

shoes on.

Mary goes out quickly, closing door behind her. As Sam stares

down at his shoeless feet,

CUT TO:

EXT. DOWNTOWN STREET - (DAY) - HIGH ANGLE

Shooting down at hotel entrance. Mary comes out, walks quickly

to a parked cab, gets in. The cab zooms up the awful street.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. LOWERY REAL ESTATE OFFICE - (DAY)

A small, moderately successful office off the main street. A

cab pulls up at the curb. We see Mary get out of cab, pay

driver, cross pavement to the office door.

INT. OUTER OFFICE - (DAY)

Mary enters office, crosses to her desk, sits down, rubs her

temples, finally looks over at Caroline, a girl in the last

of her teens.

MARY:

Isn't Mr. Lowery back from lunch?

CAROLINE:

(a high, bright, eager-

to-talk voice laced

to-with a vague Texan

accent)

He's lunching with the man who's

buying the Harris Street property,

you know, that oil lease man... so

that's why he's late.

(a pause, then, as

Mary does not respond

to the pointed thrust)

You getting a headache?

MARY:

It'll pass. Headaches are like

resolutions... you forget them soon

as they stop hurting.

CAROLINE:

You got aspirins? I have something...

not aspirins, but

(cheerfully takes

bottle of pills out

of desk drawer)

my mother's doctor gave these to me

the day of my wedding.

(laughs)

Teddy was furious when he found out

I'd taken tranquilizers!

She rises, starts for Mary's desk, pills in hand.

MARY:

Were there any calls?

CAROLINE:

Teddy called. Me... And my mother

called to see if Teddy called. Oh,

and your sister called to say she's

going to Tucson to do some buying

and she'll be gone the whole weekend

and...

She breaks off, distracted by the SOUND of the door opening.

MR. LOWERY and his oil-lease client, TOM CASSIDY enter the

office. Lowery is a pleasant, worried-faced man, big and a

trifle pompous. Cassidy is very faced loud and has a lunch-

hour load on. He is a gross man, exuding a kind of pitiful

vulgarity.

CASSIDY:

Wow! Hot as fresh milk! You girls

should get your boss to air-condition

you up. He can afford it today.

Lowery flashes an embarrassed smile at Mary, tries to lead

Cassidy toward the private office.

LOWERY:

Mary, will you get those copies of

the deed ready for Mr. Cassidy.

Cassidy pauses beside Mary's desk, hooks a haunch onto the

desktop, smiles a wet smile at Mary.

CASSIDY:

Tomorrow's the day! My sweet little

girl...

(laughs as Mary looks

up at him)

Not you, my daughter! A baby, and

tomorrow she stands up there and

gets her sweet self married away

from me!

(pulling out wallet)

I want you to look at my baby.

Eighteen years old... and she's never

had an unhappy day in any one of

those years!

(flashes photo)

Mary glances, cannot bring herself to smile or make some

remark, continues sorting out the deed copies, tries to ignore

the man's hot-breath closeness.

LOWERY:

Come on, Tom, my office is air-

conditioned.

CASSIDY:

(ignoring Lowery)

You know what I do with unhappiness?

I buy it off! You unhappy?

MARY:

Not inordinately.

(puts deed copy into

Cassidy's too-close

hand)

CASSIDY:

I'm buying this house for my baby's

wedding present. Forty thousand

dollars, cash! Now that ain't buying

happiness, that's buying off

unhappiness! That penniless punk

she's marryin'...

(laughs)

Probably a good kid... it's just

that I hate him.

(looks at deed)

Yup! Forty thousand, says here...

(to Lowery)

Casharoonie!

He takes out of his inside pocket, two separate bundles of

new $100 bills and throws them onto the desk, under Mary's

nose. Caroline's eyes go wide at the sight of the glorious

green bundles of bills, and she comes close to the desk.

Cassidy leans terribly close to Mary, flicks through the

bills, laughs wickedly.

CASSIDY:

I never carry more than I can afford

to lose!

(closer to Mary)

Count 'em!

LOWERY:

(shocked, worried)

Tom... cash transactions of this

size! Most irregular...

CASSIDY:

So what? It's my private money!

(laughs, winks, elbows

Lowery)

And now it's yours.

CAROLINE:

(staring at the money)

I declare!

CASSIDY:

(whispering)

I don't! That's how I'm able to keep

it!

(laughs)

LOWERY:

(hastily interrupting)

Suppose we just put this in the safe

and then Monday morning when you're

feeling good...

CASSIDY:

Speakin' of feeling good, where's

that bottle you said you had in your

desk...

(laughs, as if having

given away Lowery's

secret)

Oops!

(to Mary, patting her

arm)

Usually I can keep my mouth shut!

He rises, reels toward Lowery's office, pauses, turns, speaks

to Mary, meaningfully.

CASSIDY:

Honest. I can keep any private

transaction a secret... any pri....

(stopped by Mary's

cold gaze)

Lowery! I'm dyin' of thirstaroonie!

Lowery starts after him, pauses, turns to Mary. Cassidy has

gone into Lower's office.

LOWERY:

(quietly)

I don't even want it in the office

over the weekend. Put it in the safe

deposit box, at the bank, Mary. And

we'll get him to give us a check on

Monday - instead.

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