Runaway Bride Page #9

IKE:

(feigning shock)

Imagine! Maggie Carpenter topless in a

public arena.

(checks photo again)

And I see there was a chill in the air.

Maggie swipes for the photo, but Ike is faster at pulling it away.

MAGGIE:

Give me that!

IKE:

But the most interesting thing here is

that I don't see the rose tattoo that

I've heard about on your back.

Gill takes off his guitar and sets it down.

GILL:

Ike bet me fifty bucks you don't still

have it, Mags. I said "You're on, man!

Maggie loved that thing!" And I could

really use fifty bucks.

Maggie is conspicuously silent.

GILL (cont'd)

(looking worried)

Mags?

MAGGIE:

I'm not gonna show you guys anything.

I am a soon-to-be-married woman. Now

give me that photograph.

Maggie seethes.

IKE:

Sure, I would love to give this to you.

Just give us one quick gander at that

rose, and, I'll gladly hand it over.

She tries to grab the photo again. Ike pulls it away.

MAGGIE:

Fine. Here.

Maggie quickly turns around and pulls down the back of her shirt,

revealing the top of her back and a pristine expanse of skin. No

tattoo.

MAGGIE (cont'd)

(turning back around)

Satisfied?

IKE:

Completely.

Gill is still trying to grasp the meaning of this.

GILL:

Maggie? You got it removed?

IKE:

Gill, I'll go ya double or nothing if

was a stick-on.

GILL:

(dismayed)

Maggie?

MAGGIE:

(admitting)

I'm really, really afraid of needles...

It doesn't make me a bad person.

Ike laughs. Maggie looks at him with rage. Gill dramatically

pulls down the front of his t-shirt.

GILL:

Look.

There it is on Gill's chest: the rose tattoo. Maggie sighs,

pained. Gill shows it to Ike. Ike looks at the tattoo. He

shakes his head at Maggie.

IKE:

(sincerely)

Look, look, man. I think the man is

heartbroken.

MAGGIE:

He is not!

Maggie moves the lever on the wall again, sending Ike back up to

the ceiling in the car. She grabs the photo from Ike and exits.

GILL:

I think I am.

Gill grabs his guitar and sits.

GILL (cont'd)

Hey, Ike, what would Jerry do?

The hydraulic lift stops moving. Ike leans out.

IKE:

Jerry. He'd play. He'd play... Jerry

would play his heart out.

Ike sings and taps along in tempo on the side of the car as Gill

sings and plays "Ripple".

CUT TO:

EXT. HOTEL PORCH - NEXT DAY, SATURDAY MORNING

As Maggie drives into town with Peggy, they see Ike on porch with

SHERIFF, POLICE CHIEF and MAIL MAN, all playing instruments as

a blues band. Ike is not bad on slide guitar. They all like

Ike.

Maggie "CHUFFAS" with Peggy and moves on.

EXT. SOFTBALL FIELD - LATER THAT DAY

CLOSE ON:

The slow, loopy pitch of a softball. A bat connects.

NEW ANGLE:

A big wholesome man, CORY, runs for first base. He just beats

out the throw. Bob, acting as umpire, yells, "Safe!" Happy,

Cory turns to the stands and waves.

ANGLE ON:

Maggie and Peggy, cheering loudly. Peggy tries to whoop harder

than Maggie, but that would be tough. From firs base, Cory waves

back to them. The two women sit back down and Maggie takes back

up with their conversation. Maggie is still al steamed up.

MAGGIE:

Okay, he's on base. Can we talk about

my life now? -- Ike's going to turn

that tattoo stuff into a big deal --

that I was never serious about Gill,

blah blah. He's totally out to get me.

PEGGY:

For what reason? Some personal

satisfaction?

MAGGIE:

That's what he says, but if he thinks

that I don't realize he's writing

another article, then he's an idiot.

PEGGY:

It's probably because you got him fired.

MAGGIE:

(sarcastic)

Ya think?

PEGGY:

Not that he doesn't deserve to get

fired... Look! Cory's going for

second!... Sneaky!

ANGLE ON:

Cory as he runs for second base and with a slide beats the throw

for the force out. The women jump and cheer -- Maggie, again,

the most boisterous.

ANGLE ON:

Dennis recognizes Ike as he walks up. Dennis tells Ike that he

is going to marry Maggie some day and shows Ike where Maggie is

sitting.

ANGLE ON:

Maggie spots Ike as they sit back down. She groans.

MAGGIE:

There he is. Snoop Doggy-Dogg.

PEGGY:

Where?

MAGGIE:

Over there. Ten o'clock. He's talking

to our little Dennis. Dennis will turn

into one of those "sources say" things.

PEGGY:

He looks better with that stuff out of

his hair. He's an attractive man.

Ike finds Maggie in the crowd and leaves Dennis.

MAGGIE:

I'd say you've been in the sun too long.

You handle him, okay? I could use five

minutes off from that creep.

Before Peggy can protest, Maggie climbs down off the bleachers

and goes and stands near the dugout near the rest of Cory's team.

PEGGY:

Okay, that's fine. I can do that.

Ike comes up to Peggy.

IKE:

Hello, Peggy Phleming, "not the ice-skater".

Ike indicates the seat next to Peggy.

PEGGY:

(protesting weakly)

That's Maggie's seat...

Ike sits down comfortably.

IKE:

... And this is Maggie's beer.

He starts drinking it. ON THE FIELD, Cory is getting ready to

steal third.

IKE (cont'd)

That your husband out there? Cory

Phleming, a local radio announcer.

PEGGY:

Have you listened to his morning show,

"Wake up with ballplayer"?

IKE:

Not yet. I had a phlemless morning. I

hear he's a pretty good ballplayer.

PEGGY:

This game is pretty important to him.

He made all-stars in high school, you

know.

IKE:

That must have made you proud.

Peggy takes a small sip off her soda.

PEGGY:

He was going with Maggie back then.

(quickly)

He was never one of her... I mean, they

were never going to get... They just

dated for a while.

Cory dives in for third and makes it. The crowd goes wild.

Peggy yells and jumps in.

PEGGY (cont'd)

Good job, honey!

But Maggie's whoop sails out above it all. Cory waves. But not

at Peggy. He directs his delight at Maggie, who jumps up and

down by the dugout.

Ike looks between Cory, Maggie and finally, Peggy. Peggy jerks

her waving hand back down to her side and sits down. Ike

pretends not to have noticed. The two watch as Maggie and Cory

smile at each other.

IKE:

It's nice that they're still friends.

PEGGY:

(looking at Maggie

and Cory)

Oh, sure. That was a long time ago.

See, she's not a man-hater at all.

She's very supportive of men...

Next BATTER hits one to deep left field and it lands in the grave

yard. Cory scores, greeted by Maggie. Ike and Peggy watch as

Cory and Maggie belly-bump and high-five each other in

celebration of Cory's play. No looks at Peggy. Ike keeps an

empathetic silence, seeing that Peggy is truly hurt.

PEGGY (cont'd)

I'll be back in a second.

Suddenly, Peggy stands, pushes past him and runs down the steps.

Maggie looks up just in time to catch Peggy's exit. Ike pulls

his tape recorder out of his pocket and starts speaking into it.

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