The Anniversary Party Page #13

She puts down the phone. Stares into Joe's face, looks up at

a photo on the wall that she took of Joe and Lucy.

EXT. BACKYARD LANDING

Jerry and Judy are making out.

JUDY:

Are you my big brave boy? Are you my

brave hero?

JERRY:

You're crazy baby. I love you.

JUDY:

Are you my big hard hero?

JERRY:

Do you want me to save you? Do you want

me to save you?

JUDY:

Oh yeah...

JERRY:

Oh yeah... I'm gonna save you.

JUDY:

Oh yeah?

JERRY:

Let me heal you, baby.

JUDY:

(mantra)

Oh Jesus oh Jesus oh Jesus.

Grunts, groans, a scream, a peel of giggles.

JERRY:

Oh yeah.

INT. MASTER BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

Gina pulls Joe's clothes out of the closet, out of the

drawers. There's an overnight bag on the bed.

EXT. POOL AREA

Cal and Sophia lie cuddled on a lounge chair, blissed out,

counting the windows of the house.

SOPHIA:

...no, no, start again.

CAL AND SOPHIA:

One, two, three, four...

Clair wanders up. She's changed into her own clothes.

CLAIR:

I've lost my husband and my beeper. Have

either of you seen either of them?

INT. LIVING ROOM - LATER

Clair, Mac, Sophia, Cal and Gina are waiting. The overnight

bag rests near the coffee table. No one speaks.

There are sounds of the search party approaching.

NEW ANGLE:

Panes, Skye, Sally and Joe come into the room dogless.

JOE:

What is it?

GINA:

Let's go upstairs, okay?

Joe looks from Gina to the others.

GINA (CONT'D)

Let's go upstairs.

They move out of the room.

SALLY:

(on the way upstairs)

Is it Otis?

Skye and Panes look at the other guests.

SKYE:

What happened?

INT. MASTER BEDROOM

Gina closes the door.

JOE:

The suspense is killing me.

GINA:

Harry called.

JOE:

(growing dread)

And?

GINA:

(there's now way to say it)

Lucy overdosed.

JOE:

(a long moment)

But she's alright.

GINA:

She's in ICU.

Joe's legs give way. He sort of sits on the floor.

JOE:

(laughs; shakes his head)

Stupid tart.

GINA:

She left a note.

JOE:

(realizes the import; to Gina)

F*** you.

Tears start down Sally's face.

GINA:

You need to call your dad.

JOE:

Leave us alone right now.

GINA:

I've booked you a flight and packed you a

bag. You just need to get into a car and

go.

SALLY:

Would you leave us alone right now?

GINA:

I love her too, Joe.

JOE:

Alright, good. Thanks for your trouble.

So will you leave Sally and me alone

right now?

SALLY:

(a shrug; simply)

Everybody hates the messenger.

Gina exits.

SALLY (CONT'D)

(to Joe)

I'm coming with you.

Joe starts to cry. Sally holds him, kisses him, strokes him,

rocks him.

JOE:

(inconsolable)

I don't want you to go.

He wipes tears away that start afresh; his nose is running,

he wipes that too.

JOE (CONT'D)

I can't got tonight. I don't want to be

on a plane on my own tonight.

SALLY:

I'll be with you.

JOE:

I don't want to go tonight.

SALLY:

You don't have to.

They sit on the floor. Sally soothing, rocking Joe like a

baby.

JOE:

(bereft)

Stupid tart.

INT. KITCHEN - LATER

Gina's put up some coffee. Sophia, Cal, Mac and Clair stand

around awkwardly. Sally comes into the room.

MAC:

How's he doing?

SALLY:

Not good.

GINA:

He's gonna miss his flight.

SALLY:

Yeah.

Al the guests are a little stunned.

GINA:

Is he not going? I booked a flight.

SALLY:

He's not going tonight.

GINA:

I told his father he'd be on that flight.

SALLY:

Well you could tell him otherwise. It

was good of you to be all this help. But

he doesn't want to go tonight.

GINA:

Jesus, Sally. I'm not the enemy.

SALLY:

And you're not the wife.

GINA:

It's not a contest.

SALLY:

Damn straight.

CAL:

Should I go up?

SALLY:

I don't think so.

CAL:

You want us to stay?

SALLY:

Maybe not.

MAC:

So much for ecstacy, right?

They all laugh a little.

SOPHIA:

Let's get the kids.

CLAIR:

Oh my God, the sitter.

SALLY:

(laughs)

Oh Clair, you're so... You know. You

just put things in perspective.

INT. MUSIC LIBRARY - CONTINUOUS

Joe listens to the answering machine message Lucy left that

morning. He plays it again and again.

HE fast forwards to his father's voice. Presses the STOP

button. Sits there, stunned.

JOE:

(dials phone, a moment)

Hey, Dad...

INT. GUEST BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

Cal and Sophia bundle up their sleeping kids. The CAMERA

follows them to the landing as they head downstairs, pass

Sally who is coming up.

SOPHIA:

I'm going to be home all weekend, call if

you need anything.

Sally kisses Cal's cheek.

CAL:

Hang in.

INT. MASTER BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

Panes and Skye are f***ing on Joe and Sally's bed. Sally

walks in on them searching for Panes' ear, her best buddy.

SALLY:

(resigned)

Oh perfect!

EXT. BACKYARD LANDING - MEDIUM FULL SHOT

Jerry and Judy lie alongside each other, hands propping

heads. They aren't privy to anything that's happened.

JERRY:

I call that a perfect day.

JUDY:

A perfect night.

JERRY:

Damn near.

(long moment)

And a damn near perfect drug.

JUDY:

Hm. We should do it again.

JERRY:

Just every once in a blue moon, you know.

JUDY:

Hm.

(a long moment)

You think we should ask them for their

landscaper?

JERRY:

Hm. Do you like f***ing out of doors?

JUDY:

Not as a rule.

JERRY:

(a long moment)

They didn't sign their goddamn tax

returns!

EXT. HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Sally stands at the threshold, watches Cal and Sophia load

their kids into the car.

INT. FOYER - CONTINUOUS

Clair and Mac and Gina hug and say their goodbyes to Sally.

GINA:

(kisses Sally; whispers)

Take good care of it.

SALLY:

Count on it.

EXT. HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Monica and Ryan return from their unsuccessful search. They

come through the gate with it's sight: KEEP GATE CLOSED.

Monica and Ryan start for the kitchen entrance.

INT. KITCHEN - FROM MONICA AND RYAN'S POV

Sally and Joe are alone in the room. They hold each other,

weep...

RYAN:

(appalled)

Jesus Christ, it's a f***ing dog!

MONICA:

(regards them)

Don't go in, Ryan.

RYAN:

What?

MONICA:

Let's just go home, okay?

INT. KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS

A much embarrassed Panes and Skye enter.

PANES:

Coffee?

JOE:

Sure.

PANES:

I'll do it.

Panes starts to make some; Skye starts to clean up glasses

and ashtrays.

SALLY:

You don't need to do that.

SKYE:

I don't mind...

SALLY:

Relax. You've done enough.

EXT. KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS

We see Judy and Jerry bounding around the side of the house.

Jerry has his briefcase in his hand. They are laughing.

They enter the kitchen. The camera stays outside. We see

them brought up short by the gloom, but hear nothing.

INT. KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS

Sally and Joe are at the table, signing their tax returns.

Jerry supervising. All is quiet. Judy's sunk into a chair.

INT. FOYER - CONTINUOUS

Morning's finally come. Light fills the room, empty except

for party debris.

INT. LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

It's empty but for glasses, wrapping paper, abandoned dishes

of leftover cake.

INT. EMPTY KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS

INT. GUEST BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

The bed is rumpled and indented from the sleeping children.

Their drawings and paints strewn all over the floor...and

Walls.

INT. EMPTY DEN - CONTINUOUS

INT. MASTER BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

The bed still shows the remains of Panes and Skye's love

making.

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