Stepmom Page #4

ANNABELLE:

Don't touch me! I'm allergic to you!

She starts sneezing furiously and scratching. Ben comes out of the

kitchen carrying a steaming cup of potion.

BEN:

"Those who travel far and near this

will make you DISAPPEAR!"

ANNABELLE:

I have to work on my video project!

Don't follow me! I can put myself to

bed.

She races upstairs. Rachel follows. So does Ben. And George.

BEN (O.S.)

Excuse me --

RACHEL:

(following into

Annabelle's room)

Annabelle let's get something clear.

ANNABELLE:

I don't have to listen to you! You're

not my mother.

RACHEL:

Thank God for that!

She leaves the room SLAMMING the door behind her. Takes a breath,

turns, and walks back in.

RACHEL:

What I meant and perhaps I didn't say

it well was you have a great mom. You

don't need another one. But when

you're at this house --

ANNABELLE:

This is my daddy's house --

RACHEL:

This is my house too!

ANNABELLE:

And this is my room so get out!

BEN (O.S.)

Excuse me.

Rachel throws open the door. Ben stands there innocently.

BEN:

I made you some cocoa. See?

RACHEL:

Thank you Ben. That was so sweet of

you.

(pointedly to Annabelle)

Goodnight Annabelle. Sweet dreams.

Rachel leads Ben to his room. With Rachel safe out of sight,

Annabelle takes the puppy into her arms and cuddles it.

INT. BEN'S ROOM - RACHEL'S AND LUKE'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Rachel, dead on his feet, reads "Goodnight Moon" to Ben.

RACHEL:

"In the great green room there was a

telephone and a red balloon..."

BEN:

Aren't you going to drink your cocoa?

It's the good kind.

RACHEL:

(faking a big sip)

Mmmm! Tasty. You're a master chef Ben.

Just like your dad.

Ben points to the book -- she 'reads' skipping pages, a hundred

miles an hour desperate to get to the end of the book.

RACHEL:

"Goodnight moon, goodnight hush,

goodnight mush, goodnight goodnight

goodnight Gracie -- Goodnight Ben!

BEN:

No! You're cheating -- you have to start

from the beginning and you have to read

the whole thing I can't sleep otherwise.

Ben's eyes are glued to her. She lays down next to him, yawns.

RACHEL:

"In the great green room there was a

telephone and a red balloon..."

BEN:

"And a picture of the cow jumping over

the moon..."

RACHEL:

(laying head down)

That's nice Ben.

Ben reads until Rachel's asleep. He looks at her in AWE.

BEN:

Rachel! Rachel!

No response. Rachel's really asleep. He lifts her head. It flops

down! In HORROR he jumps off the bed and with a quick look back,

races from the room, and...

...DARTS down the hallway, BUMPING into walls -- He LEAPS inside

Annabelle's room, SLAMMING the door behind him.

ANNABELLE:

Ben! What's wrong?

BEN:

(triumphantly)

I killed her!

Ben and Annabelle gape at one another, stunned.

EXT. JACKIE'S HOUSE - MORNING

Rachel pulls up FAST in Luke's Grand Cherokee. As she SCREECHES to

a stop, the kids pile out with their gear.

Rachel takes an anxious look toward Jackie's place. Here we go.

INT. JACKIE'S KITCHEN - MORNING

The clock reads 8:10. Rachel and the kids enter. Annabelle's hair

is brushed forward, hiding her face. Ben is ebullient. Jackie's

edgy, ready to snap.

JACKIE:

How do you hold down a job? It's 8:10.

You were supposed to be here at 7:00.

She's missed her sunrise Groom'n Ride.

RACHEL:

This is Friday, her riding lesson is

on Tuesdays.

(pulls out post it)

I got it right here...

JACKIE:

Every Tuesday except the 3rd Tuesday of

the month when it's switched to Friday

except in April when she rides on

Thursday. It's not that hard. Didn't

you have a mother?

RACHEL:

(flinching)

Can I please have a cup of coffee?

JACKIE:

We don't have any coffee.

RACHEL:

What is this? The Betty Ford Center?

JACKIE:

Annabelle, how's your video rep...

Annabelle RUSHES past her. Ben saunters off after his sister.

Jackie turns to Rachel, accusingly.

JACKIE:

What happened with Annabelle? Has

nothing I said gotten through to you?

RACHEL:

Maybe you could back off just a little

bit --

JACKIE:

What did you do?

RACHEL:

Nothing. Look, I want to talk to you

about...well...Luke said to ask you...

Jackie's edge sharpened by Rachel's unease.

RACHEL:

See, the place where I can connect

with Annabelle is my photography.

Because she loves video and all...

And...?

RACHEL:

She's been talking about this little

editing machine, it's only...

JACKIE:

...a ridiculously expensive and

inappropriate item, which her father

and I have already told her she is far

too young to own. But you apparently

want to buy her forgiveness, with...

RACHEL:

(had enough)

Forgiveness? For what, exactly?

Silence.

JACKIE:

How much time have you got? Let's

start with this morning. Why did she

run from this room?

Long beat. Then, Rachel looks dead on at Jackie.

RACHEL:

Luke was in the shower this morning and

Annabelle sort of walked in without

knocking.

JACKIE:

I'm sure that didn't upset her.

Everyone in our family takes showers.

RACHEL:

I was in there in him.

The air is thick with tension.

JACKIE:

Did you or Luke talk to her about it

afterwards?

RACHEL:

No. I thought it might be uncomfortable

for her --

JACKIE:

You mean for you. A 10-year-old girl is

coping with the fact that her father is

never coming back to live with his

family. She sees her father naked with

another woman for the first time.

And you think it's best for her if every-

one pretends it didn't happen?

(turning away)

This isn't going to work out.

RACHEL:

You're damn right. I'm gonna sick of

your imperious bullshit. I never said I

was Betty F***ing Crocker. If every time

life hits her in the face you want to

have a 12 hour talk every third Friday

or the month -- go ahead! I have a life!

JACKIE:

Oh and I don't because I have a children?!

The problem is you're too self-involved

to ever be a mother.

RACHEL:

Maybe the problem is your kids. Maybe

they're spoiled, coddled brats!

JACKIE:

Get out!

RACHEL:

(holding up Post Its)

But it's not on the schedule!

JACKIE:

You got to hell!

Jackie turns away, storming out of the room.

RACHEL:

Ah Ah Ah! You owe me a quarter --

INT. YMCA KITCHEN - DAY

Luke stands in an apron before Annabelle's Girl Scout Troop,

rolling out a large pie dough. They imitate his every move.

LUKE:

Now Ladies, the secrets to a great pie

is the crust. And the secret to a

great flaky pie crust comes from less

flour and more...what?

ANNABELLE:

Ice cold water.

LUKE:

(adoringly)

That's my girl...

Rachel watches from a corner.

LUKE:

Blueberry pie must be topped with vanilla

Haagan Daz and/or creme fraiche...now the

secret to a great creme fraiche is...

ALL THE GIRLS:

Orange peel!

LUKE:

...which also is the secret to...

ALL THE GIRLS:

French toast!

LUKE:

Now don't forget to teach your fathers

that. Next week...apple brown betty!

He takes off his apron and walks toward Rachel as the girls file

out...

RACHEL:

She said no.

He doesn't even know what she's talking about.

RACHEL:

The editing machine. I mean,

Annabelle would have really loved it.

She looks down.

RACHEL:

It would have been great for us,

so obviously, Jackie just...

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