The Fabulous Baker Boys Page #16

Susie nods. Jack studies her. Something's on her

mind.

SUSIE:

Listen...

(looks into his eyes)

Nothing.

INT. JACK'S APARTMENT - DUSK

A record is spinning on Jack's phonograph as the sun

goes down outside his window. As we MOVE AWAY FROM

the phonograph and PAST the window, we FIND Jack at

the piano, playing along with the record,

lost in concentration.

EXT. BUILDING - CONTINUOUS ACTION

Susie is working on a Paris Opal, pacing, occasionally

glancing up at Jack's apartment, where the MUSIC can be

heard FAINTLY. After a moment, she drops her cigarette

on the sidewalk. There are half a dozen others

already there.

INT. JACK'S APARTMENT

The record finishes, but the needle doesn't pick up,

bumping into the label. Jack glances at the clock next

to him and gets up. He puts on a jacket, then takes a

pair of gloves and pulls them on carefully.

EXT. BUILDING

As Jack comes out of his building, Susie stops pacing,

surprised. Jack, wearing the same look of concentration

he had at the piano, doesn't see her and turns down the

other end of the street. Susie starts to call after

him, but stops.

EXT. JAZZ CLUB - NIGHT

The sun is gone now and the moon is in the sky.

We see the hot neon exterior of a tiny jazz club.

INT. CLUB - NIGHT

Jack is sitting in the shadows near the stage, where

a trio is playing. He has a drink in front of him,

but it is untouched. After a moment, the trio finishes

and the pianist, a huge black man named HENRY, nods to

the applause.

HENRY:

Thank you. As most of you know, we like to shake

things up here every so often just to keep you

people on your toes. So I'm gonna take a little

rest, grab myself a drink, and let an old friend sit

in. He drops by about once a year just to keep

his hands clean. Ladies and gentlemen.

Jack Baker.

Jack rises to polite applause and shakes Henry's hand.

As he settles behind the piano, he sits for a moment,

not moving, then nods to the two men behind him. As they

begin to play, we recognize the music from the record.

Jack waits, then brings his hands to the keys. As he

plays, his face is suddenly calm. Peaceful.

EXT. CLUB - NIGHT

Later. Jack comes out of the club and into the night,

lighting a cigarette as he moves up the street.

SUSIE (O.S.)

You were good.

Jack stops. Susie.

JACK:

I can keep the beat.

SUSIE:

Better than that.

Jack's face goes a little cold, but he says nothing,

beginning to walk again.

SUSIE:

What's the matter?

JACK:

Nothing.

SUSIE:

What'd I say?

JACK:

Nothing.

SUSIE:

You're upset.

JACK:

I'm not upset.

SUSIE:

All I said was you were good.

JACK:

(stops)

Look. You don't know good. All right?

SUSIE:

What's that supposed to mean?

JACK:

It means you wouldn't know good

if it came up and f***ed you.

SUSIE:

You were good.

JACK:

Let's make a deal. You shut up.

SUSIE:

You were good.

JACK:

(exasperated)

How do you know?

SUSIE:

(yelling)

Because I saw the other people!

And they knew you were good!

You were good, goddamnit!

Jack studies Susie, then glances off. For a moment,

they just stand on the corner, not talking.

SUSIE:

(continuing)

So you wanna get a drink?

INT. JACK'S APARTMENT

JACK:

Nina?

SUSIE:

Who's Nina?

JACK:

Friend.

SUSIE:

Friend? What's she look like?

Maybe I can help you find her.

JACK:

She's four feet tall. Ed?

SUSIE:

Ed? How many people live here?

Eddie walks around the couch and looks curiously at

Susie. Jack moves to the kitchen.

JACK:

I have to make him some chili.

Okay?

SUSIE:

(a look)

Sure.

INT. JACK'S APARTMENT - LATER

Light from a weak lamp, lots of shadows, as romantic

as Jack's apartment will ever get. Outside the window,

the city looks like a thousand jewels, gleaming.

Susie cradles a drink in her hand as she moves slowly

about the room, slipping, in and out of the shadows as

if they were veils.

SUSIE:

(at window)

Like diamonds, huh? I never get over it.

When I was a little girl, my mama'd stand me before

the window and tell me to close my eyes and make a

wish.Like I could reach out and grab all the lights

of the city and string them into-a necklace for

myself. She'd take my hand and when she closed her

eyes, I don't know, it was like she really

believed it.

JACK:

How come you didn't close your eyes?

She looks surprised by the question.

SUSIE:

I don't know. I guess I didn't

trust the night like she did.

Susie finishes her drink and sets it down.

SUSIE:

(continuing)

Let me have a cigarette, will you?

All of mine are down there on the sidewalk.

Jack looks at her curiously.

SUSIE:

(continuing)

Long story.

Jack gives her an American cigarette and lights it.

SUSIE:

(continuing)

You know, I saw you guys once.

You and Frank. At the Roosevelt.

JACK:

Must've been a cheap date.

SUSIE:

Soap convention.

JACK:

Soap?

SUSIE:

Yeah, they got a convention for everything. At

least he was clean. Boy, the guys I met when I

was with the service, you wouldn't believe. The

older ones, they were okay. Nice. Polite. Pulled

the chair out for you. But the younger ones ...

(shaking her head)

Mama used to say, dance with a man once, but if you

can feel calluses on his fingers, don't dance with

him again. She thought she had it all figured out.

But she wasn't so smart. There are killers with

palms like a baby.

Susie takes a long draw and blows the smoke out slowly.

SUSIE:

(continuing)

It wasn't so bad, though. I'd get a nice piece of

steak, flowers, sometimes even a gift. Usually

whatever the guy was into. Got a socket set once.

Believe it? The guy looked like held just given me

four dozen roses.

(almost wistful)

But I stayed at the Hartford once. You should see

the rooms. All satin and velvet. And the bed.

Royal blue, trimmed in lace clean as snow. Hard to

believe sleeping in a room like that don't change

your life. But it don't. The bed may be magic, but

the mirror isn't. You wake up the same old Susie.

(pause)

I didn't always, you know. If I liked the guy ...

Susie looks at Jack, but he just takes a drink. She

looks out the window again.

SUSIE:

(continuing)

Sometimes I wish the sun would never come up.

She stares at the lights another moment, then turns and

nods to the phone booth.

SUSIE:

(continuing)

So what's this?

Jack frowns, takes another drink.

JACK:

History.

SUSIE:

Huh?

JACK:

My father proposed to my mother

in there.

SUSIE:

No kidding?

It's a small phone booth.

SUSIE:

(continuing)

The both of them? In there?

JACK:

He called her.

SUSIE:

Oh. So what's it doing here?

JACK:

Long story.

SUSIE:

You sending me home?

Jack locks eyes with Susie, then glances away.

JACK:

They'd been out dancing all night and he took

her to the train station -- she lived over in

Brookhaven. Usually held ride with her, but this

time he didn't. Anyway, he starts walking home,

only as he's walking he starts getting nervous.

SUSIE:

Nervous?

JACK:

By the time he gets to the corner newstand, he's

got her meeting some rich guy on the train, the

rich guy's asked her to marry him, and he's reading

about it in the morning edition.

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