The Fisher King Page #24

LYDIA smiles.

CUT TO:

EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT.

PARRY and LYDIA walk up ahead from ANNE and JACK.

WE INTERCUT THE TWO CONVERSATIONS;

JACK:

So what do you think?

ANNE:

Well...like my Aunt Margie said -

Some matches are made in heaven...

and some are made in hardware stores.

JACK breathes a heavy sigh.

ANNE:

....What's the matter?

JACK:

I'm beginnning to understand you.

ANNE smiles and hooks her arm into his. Instead of this seeming

a burden, JACK accepts her arm and smiles back.

CUT TO:

PARRY and LYDIA.

LYDIA:

(self-conscious)

...I..uh..I get to read some of the books

but mostly I..just calculate production

costs from first edition hard cover

publication to paperback. After

paperback it's basically someone

else's problem.

PARRY:

It sounds exciting.

LYDIA:

(calling him on his lie)

Why does it sound exciting? There's

absolutely nothing exciting about it.

PARRY:

(genuinely)

Well, you're calculating costs that

could have an affect on whether or

not the book is published and if

it is, it could be a book that...

HE picks up some garbage as they walk and carries it.

....might somehow change the way people

think or act - a book can do that

and you would be a part of creating

a cultural shift that could change

our society forever.

HE drops the garbage in a garbage can. LYDIA watches, curiously.

LYDIA:

We mostly publish trashy romance novels.

PARRY:

Well - empires have fallen

because of trashy romances.

LYDIA considers this. THEY continue to walk. PARRY spots a drunk

in a doorway. HE yells to him.

PARRY:

Hey Martin...!

MARTIN:

Parry? Don't you look all duded up!

PARRY:

This is Lydia!

MARTIN:

Nice to meet you Lydia! Got a quarter?!

LYDIA is mortified by the introduction. PARRY smiles proudly.

THEY continue to walk.

LYDIA:

How do you know him?

PARRY:

Martin worked for the sanitation

department until...

HE is cut off when A LARGE MAN walks by, bumping into LYDIA

without apology.

...Hey!

The LARGE MAN continues walking as PARRY reaches to his back pocket

to pull out his SLINGSHOT. From behind, JACK yells out;

JACK:

PARRY!

PARRY and LYDIA stop and look to JACK and ANNE. PARRY

reluctantly leaves the sling shot where it is. LYDIA doesn't

understand what's going on. THEY all continue walking.

LYDIA:

SO .... what do you do?

PARRY:

Well, I'm in search of the Holy Grail.

JACK:

PARRY!

ANNE:

(saving it)

How about The Szechuan House?

PARRY:

(pats LYDIA'S arm)

I'll tell you later.

CUT TO:

INT. CHINESE RESTAURANT - NIGHT.

ANNE and LYDIA sit opposite JACK and PARRY.

THEY are served three large orders of dumplings.

ANNE:

Oh..I could eat all of these

LYDIA is nervous about this. As everyone begins to eat, SHE eyes

her chopsticks with reluctance.

PARRY looks at her and smiles encouragingly.

LYDIA forces a smile back, picks up her chopsticks and dives in.

PARRY watches her in adoration. JACK subtly tries to get PARRY

to stop staring. But PARRY is glued to his vision.

LYDIA, even more awkward now with her new nails, drops her first

dumpling into her lap.

LYDIA:

Oh..god...

To save her from embarassment, PARRY drops his dumpling into his

lap as well.

PARRY:

Oh boy...

LYDIA takes her napkin and dips it into a glass of water.

PARRY follows suit.

When LYDIA removes the napkin, her glass falls over.

PARRY forces his glass over, as well.

ANNE and JACK are looking at this mirror exercise in fascination.

PARRY:

(to LYDIA)

Can't take us anywhere, huh?

LYDIA can't help but smile - a little more at ease now. Grateful

she is not the clumsy center of attention.

FADE TO:

LATER IN THE EVENING.

WE PAN the table as everyone eats their main courses.

LYDIA, we discover, has another eating idiosyncracy. SHE

unconsciously, but quite loudly, smacks her mouth when she chews.

LYDIA (O.C.)

SMACK..SMACK...SMACK...

WE HEAR THIS SMACKING OFF CAMERA as we begin on JACK; trying not

to look at LYDIA but having difficulty enjoying his own meal.

CAMERA moves to PARRY, staring at her, helplessly in love, not

paying any attention to his own food; moving to LYDIA "SMACK,

SMACKING" , beginning to accept PARRY'S attraction in her and,

warming up to the idea, SHE throws a smile at him in between

"smacks"; and finally ANNE, chewing quietly, staring at JACK

with her eyes widened twice their normal size, indicating her

disbelief at LYDIA'S vocal variety of noises.

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