Sideways Page #22

JACK:

Oh, boy.

MILES:

(pointing at the room

phone)

She's been leaving messages here

too.

JACK:

Yeah. Okay.

He SNAPS the phone shut and puts it back.

MILES:

You should call her.

JACK:

I will.

(heading out the door)

See ya!

MILES:

Right now.

JACK:

Okay! Jesus!

Jack picks up his phone, sits on the bed and looks defiantly

at Miles.

JACK:

I've got no problem calling her.

Now Jack closes his eyes and brings the heel of his hand to

his forehead as he begins to concoct the BIG LIE.

JACK:

(opening his phone)

Wait outside, will you?

EXT. WINDMILL INN - DAY

Miles wanders out and looks down at Stephanie.

STEPHANIE:

That was fun last night.

MILES:

Yeah. Good food. You've got quite a

wine collection. Very impressive.

STEPHANIE:

Thanks. Hey, I talked to Maya this

morning. She said she had a good

time too. You should call her.

Miles says nothing.

STEPHANIE:

Where's Jack?

MILES:

He had to make a phone call.

Stephanie cuts her bike's engine and climbs off, propping it

up on the kickstand.

STEPHANIE:

So what are you up to today, Miles?

MILES:

Just kickin' back, I guess. I don't

know. Jack and I were supposed to go

golfing.

STEPHANIE:

Huh.

MILES:

Yeah, I reserved the tee time about

a month ago.

STEPHANIE:

Oops. Sorry.

MILES:

You golf?

STEPHANIE:

Me? No, I think it's kind of a stupid

game. I mean, at least, I could never

get into it. I tried it once.

MILES:

Huh. Jack loves golf. Crazy about

it.

Just then Jack cracks open the motel room door.

JACK:

(hushed)

Hey Miles. Miles.

Miles ducks back inside.

INT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS

JACK:

Do you have that other condom?

Miles reaches into his wallet and hands over the little foil

square.

MILES:

What'd Christine say?

JACK:

Lucked out -- got voice mail.

Everything's cool.

EXT. WINDMILL INN - CONTINUOUS

Jack bounds out of the room and down the stairs like a child

on Christmas morning.

Miles watches Jack climb on the bike behind Stephanie,

grasping her waist.

Stephanie and Jack PEEL OUT, leaving Miles alone on the

balcony.

CLOSE ON MILES --

As we begin to hear a SNIPPING sound which carries us to --

EXT. MOTEL ROOM BALCONY - DAY

Miles sits outside carefully trimming his toenails. SNIP,

SNIP, SNIP. MUSIC BEGINS for this mournful montage of

solitude.

INT. MOTEL LOBBY - DAY

Miles takes a styrofoam cup and helps himself to a cup of

complimentary COFFEE from a PUMP THERMOS.

Then he takes a look at the rack of pamphlets of local TOURIST

ATTRACTIONS -- a water park, a mystery cave, and of course

winery after winery.

EXT. WINDMILL INN JACUZZI - DAY

Amid turbulent water, Miles corrects his students' papers.

He is alone in the tub, but at the nearby pool STOCKY KIDS

play noisily with SUPER-SOAKERS.

OVER MILES'S SHOULDER --

The PAPER he's reading is marked up with circled spelling

errors, and one entire paragraph has been crossed out. Finding

a new error, Miles writes "NO!!!"

CAMERA PANS to reveal a STACK of papers already heavily marked

with corrections, some of them mottled with water stains.

INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY

Miles FLOSSES, his lips pulled back into a grotesque moue.

Then he brushes with a SONIC-CARE TOOTHBRUSH.

LATER --

Miles checks his machine.

SYNTHESIZED VOICE (O.S.)

No new messages.

He hangs up, disgusted.

EXT. CHINA PANDA RESTAURANT - DAY

A small Buellton eatery.

INT. CHINA PANDA - DAY

The only customer right now, Miles eats awkwardly with his

chopsticks.

EXT. DRIVING RANGE - DAY

Miles DRIVES ball after ball, unsuccessfully trying to release

his frustration.

EXT. BUCOLIC ROAD - DAY

The Saab roars past us, perhaps going a little too fast.

INT. SAAB - CONTINUOUS

Whistling absently as he drives, Miles leans over to turn

the radio on and fiddle around to find a good station. Then

all of a sudden --

WHUMP! The car has struck something with a hideous sound

followed immediately by the receding "ARF-ARF-ARF-ARF" of an

injured DOG in the Saab's wake. Miles applies the BRAKES.

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