Stepmom Page #13

JACKIE:

(calmly)

Charlie Drummond used to be a

colleague at Random House. I'm

crashing at her place, while I take

some new protein injections my

oncologist recommended. I can only

get them in San Francisco.

Rachel's lips part. But no sound comes.

JACKIE:

Life's a trade-off. You get cancer,

your hair falls out, but you do get

to smoke dope.

RACHEL:

(please)

You're not dying.

The kid so painfully sincere.

JACKIE:

No such luck. I'm beating the sh*t

out of this. Pardon my French.

Rachel can't find her breath. She is clearly the worse off of the

two, in this moment. Then she starts to nod...

RACHEL:

You bet you are.

JACKIE:

How the hell would you know?

RACHEL:

I don't, but...

JACKIE:

How would you know anything?

That was sharp. Rachel startles slightly.

JACKIE:

I exercise, I eat the healthiest

foods, you live on pork rinds and

Ho-Ho's, and I've got cancer!

That leaves a silence.

RACHEL:

And cigarettes. I smoke, too.

JACKIE:

You are marrying the greatest guy

who walks this earth. Who I have

loved from my heart for twelveyears!

Listening?

JACKIE:

And you walk in. You smile that

smile. You move that boy. And

he's yours for free.

She sags back against the counter.

JACKIE:

And you. Love my kids. How f***ing

touching.

Comes forward. Stalks her.

JACKIE:

They came out of my body!

RACHEL:

See, I know that.

JACKIE:

I have given them morelove and

more care every fifteen minutes of

their lives, than you could manage

in the next fifty years!

Leans over the table. Rachel looks scared to death.

RACHEL:

Okay, I'm undeserving.

JACKIE:

Ironic, huh?

And staring in Rachel's eyes, Jackie's fierceness fades.

JACKIE:

Ironic, that I'm gonna need you.

All the air comes out. Her heart as naked as her skull.

JACKIE:

To be a little less. Undeserving.

The look holds. And holds.

JACKIE:

(quietly)

Drink your tea while I go vomit.

And turns, goes to the door. Turns back.

JACKIE:

You love my kids, that's a start.

(nods)

We'll work on it.

And gone. Hear her footsteps. Climbing stairs. Rachel lifts her

cup. Looks at it.

RACHEL:

(calling out)

This is very good tea!

Then tastes it. Makes a face.

EXT. BAR - EVENING

A graceful stone building with arched windows. Gas lanterns on the

exterior wall and burning dimly inside. Stone gargoyles smile down

on those who enter the heavy, bright red wooden door.

INT. BAR - EVENING

Drinks hour. Upscale crowd. Dim lights, clink of glasses, the hum

of private conversations side-by-side. Civilized as hell. And at

the deuce by the window...

...the man's head is down. We can't see Luke's expression, as he

stares at his clenched hands. We don't need to.

JACKIE:

I thought a phone call was

inappropriate.

No one smiles at the irony. Not much to smile about.

JACKIE:

I could have taken you to that

restaurant, but it would have

been a waste of money.

He loos up. She studies the pain.

JACKIE:

(softly)

I know. I wouldn't know what to

say. If it were you.

LUKE:

We're going to win this.

JACKIE:

(straight back)

Walk in the park. And thanks for

the 'we'.

Tears fill his eyes. None in hers.

LUKE:

You're not alone in this. You're

not alone. Jesus, you're not alone,

okay?

Jackie swallows. Tries a smile that doesn't get halfway there.

Looks down.

LUKE:

What happens next?

JACKIE:

I live or I die.

Looks straight in his eyes. We don't need the bullshit. Not us.

LUKE:

Tell the kids together?

She thinks. A barely perceptible nod.

LUKE:

Want Rache someplace else?

On that one. She has to smile.

JACKIE:

My compliments. On your learning

curve.

INT. JACKIE'S KITCHEN - NIGHT

Jackie carrying two steaming MUGS from her stove. These have

marshmallows floating in them. She sets them down in front of her

children. Ben starts plucking the marshmallows out of Annabelle's

mug. Annabelle doesn't care, too busy video taping...

...her father. Who sits with this tender, compassionate, and

therefore rather ominous smile. Doesn't take a smart kid like his

daughter to guess...

ANNABELLE:

So what's up? Who's marrying who

this time?

BEN:

Mommy's marrying Rache!

He's happy. Jackie reaches and shuts OFF Annabelle's camera. And

the directness in her gaze keeps the child from complaining.

JACKIE:

(simply)

Mommy's sick, guys.

BEN:

You have the WORST flu since...

JACKIE:

I have cancer. Do you know what

that is?

He doesn't. Someone else does.

ANNABELLE:

(real quiet)

It's what Grammy Lil died from.

Ben's eyes WHIP OVER to his sister. He sees the cold fear in her

face. BACK to Mom. She seems fine, calm, smiling even.

JACKIE:

Grammy had a different kind.

There are lots of kinds. Hers

was very bad.

BEN:

Is your bad?

ANNABELLE:

Shut up. She's going to die.

But the anger in her eyes isn't for Ben. She is glaring. At her

mom.

JACKIE:

Actually, I'm getting better already.

Straight. As if to an equal, an adult.

JACKIE:

I had a lot of treatments, and

they weren't any fun, but the

tests show the cancer got smaller.

LUKE:

A lot smaller.

Annabelle cuts him an angry look. He's on her sh*t list, too.

BEN:

So you're okay.

JACKIE:

I'm still sick, but I'm better.

ANNABELLE:

You lied to us when you nevertold us!

Ben hadn't thought of that. Nods now, yeh.

JACKIE:

That's right. And you're mad.

Annabelle just glares with all the hatred she can turn her fear

into.

JACKIE:

I know how scared I get when

you're sick. So I waited to tell

you. Until it was getting smaller.

I thought that was best, maybe I

was wr...

ANNABELLE:

You lied. If you lied then,

maybe you're lying now. I can

never belive you again!

LUKE:

Annabelle, never say 'nev...'

But Jackie's raised her hand. Jump back, Jack. The eye contact

with her daughter never breaks.

JACKIE:

We make mistakes. And we forgive

each other. Because we love each

other, very m...

ANNABELLE:

Where's Rache? It's Thursday,

we get to be with Rache!

BEN:

(the diplomat)

I'd rather be with Mommy.

ANNABELLE:

She's dying and Rache is your

mother now!

She jumps up from the table. HISSES at her brother...

ANNABELLE:

You are so STUPID!

And she RUNS, halfway to the door...

LUKE:

ANNABELLE!

She turns, STARTLED at the anger in that.

LUKE:

You do NOT run out on your moth...

ANNABELLE:

YOU'RE WORSE THAN SHE IS! WHY

DON'T YOU JUST DIE, TOO?

And BOLTS from the room. In the silence she's left behind.

BEN:

Annabelle's worse than everybody.

INT. LUKE AND RACHEL'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Rachel and Luke cuddled in bed, watching a video in the darkness.

At least, she is. Just now, he's watching her.

LUKE:

Well, I think you should tell him

you changed your mi...

RACHEL:

(softly)

It's no biggie.

She's still watching. It's a French-language comedy. She can feel

his eyes on her. Never turns...

RACHEL:

It's just an assignment.

LUKE:

It's Anna Sui, you should be

doing it.

RACHEL:

Are you hungry? You could make

us something?

She's still never looked at him. He can see she's getting irritat-

ed. He says nothing.

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