The Hustler Page #6

SARAH:

Please ... please ... please.

She pushes him away and shakes her head.

SARAH:

You're too hungry.

They stand there for a long moment: she looks away; he looks down at

the floor. Then Eddie takes the bag of scotch and places it underneath

her arm.

EDDIE:

Take it. It's yours.

He leaves her there in the hall and walks off.

DISSOLVE TO:

32 INT. FLOPHOUSE - AFTERNOON

A door opens. A hotel manager shows Eddie into a dingy, barely

furnished room.

MANAGER:

You can have this one for a buck and a half a

night, or seven bucks by the week.

EDDIE:

By the night.

MANAGER:

In advance.

He reaches in his pocket and pulls out some bills.

DISSOLVE TO:

33INT. BUS DEPOT - NIGHT

Eddie removes his bags from the locker. The sight of the lunch counter

reminds him of Sarah. But the lunchroom is empty; only the janitor is

there, mopping up. Eddie picks up his bags and goes out.

DISSOLVE TO:

34EXT. LIQUOR STORE - NIGHT

Eddie, on his way back to the hotel, stops at the same liquor store for

a bottle.

DISSOLVE TO:

35 INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

He enters his room, puts down his bags and the liquor, and sits on his

rusted brass bed. From his pocket he pulls out the few crumpled bills

he has left. He looks at the money, shakes his head disgustedly, and

closes his eyes.

CUT TO:

36 INT. BAR WITH POOL TABLE - NIGHT

It is a friendly, neighborhood bar for business people and cocktail

drinkers. Eddie walks casually by the pool table and over to the bar.

EDDIE:

Bottle of beer.

He turns on his stool to watch the game.

EDDIE:

Hey, uh, mister? Hey, okay if I grab a cue?

PLAYER:

Hey, you're Eddie Felson, aren't you?

EDDIE:

Who's he?

PLAYER:

Now, look, fella, I saw you playing at Ames the

other night.

EDDIE:

Hey, I'll tell you what -- I'll play you

jack-up pool -- just keep one hand in my

pocket.

PLAYER:

(returning to his game)

Oh man, you're way out of our league.

Eddie goes back to his bottle of beer.

DISSOLVE TO:

37INT. ANOTHER BAR - NIGHT

Some bills drop on a ragged, beat-up pool table. Two men, dressed in

work clothes, stand around looking disgruntled.

FIRST MAN:

What are you stuck for?

SECOND MAN:

Three. That's enough for me.

EDDIE:

(picks up the cash)

Thanks ... Can I, uh, buy you fellas a drink?

MEN:

Okay... Okay.

They go to the bar.

FIRST MAN:

You know, you shoot good. But you also shoot

lucky.

EDDIE:

(nodding his head)

Yeah. I shoot lucky.

DISSOLVE TO:

38INT. BUS DEPOT - EARLY MORNING

Eddie sits at a table, smoking, waiting. The paper bag with the whisky

is on the table. Sarah, dressed in a dark suit, limps toward him. He

mashes out his cigarette in the ashtray. When he looks up, he sees

Sarah standing nearby. She seems cold and suspicious as she limps

toward the table. She pauses and looks at him. They stare at one

another for a long moment. He gets up, puts his arm around her shoulder,

and walks away with her. As they walk, she hesitantly puts an arm

around his waist.

CUT TO:

39INT. SARAH'S APARTMENT - MORNING

A hand reaches up to open the wooden shutters. As they open, we see

Eddie, in his underclothes, on the bed. Sarah, in a robe, walks up

and joins him in bed as they both peer out the window.

SARAH:

Why did you do that?

EDDIE:

I wanted to see what kind of a day it is.

SARAH:

A day like any other. People come, people go.

EDDIE:

Give me a drag.

She hands him her cigarette. He starts to put on his wristwatch.

SARAH:

What time is it?

EDDIE:

Eleven o'clock ... I'll be back later.

SARAH:

Why?

EDDIE:

Come here.

He kisses her on the cheek.

SARAH:

Oh, you need a shave. You mustn't go looking

like that. There's a razor and shaving cream in

the bathroom. Compliments of the house.

EDDIE:

What did you say that for, Sarah?

SARAH:

How did you know my name was Sarah?

EDDIE:

You told me.

SARAH:

I lied. When I'm drunk I lie.

EDDIE:

Okay. So what's your name today?

SARAH:

Sarah.

(pause)

Eddie, look. I've got troubles, and I think

maybe you've got troubles. Maybe it'd be better

if we just leave each other alone.

He kisses her again, this time on the lips.

EDDIE:

I got my things over at the hotel. I'll bring

them over later ...

(shifts position, pulls her close)

Come here.

SARAH:

(in his arms)

I'm not sure ... I don't know.

EDDIE:

Well, what do you want to know? And why?

He reaches out and closes the shutters.

CUT TO:

40 EXT. CITY STREET - DAY

Sarah emerges from a neighborhood grocery store loaded down with a

Cheese Doodles carton full of food. A woman runs out of the store to

give her a parcel she left behind.

SARAH:

(warmly)

Thank you.

WOMAN:

Prego.

She carries the carton across the street to her apartment house,

quietly saying hello to a couple of neighbors along the way.

CUT TO:

41 INT. SARAH'S APARTMENT - DAY

Sarah's apartment is a typical city studio apartment: one cluttered

room for sleeping and eating, and a small kitchenette. As Sarah knocks,

Eddie is perched on the window sill. He goes to open the door. Sarah

enters.

EDDIE:

Where you been all day?

SARAH:

At school. It's Thursday.

EDDIE:

Oh, I forgot.

He pulls her schoolbooks out of the carton and takes her purse.

SARAH:

You were asleep when I left. I didn't want to

wake you. Did you go out?

EDDIE:

Yeah, I went out for a couple of hours.

She unloads liquor and canned goods from the carton, then goes to join

Eddie by the window. Sarah takes a cigarette lighter out of her purse

and hands it to Eddie.

SARAH:

(off the lighter)

Present ...

He takes it.

SARAH:

You know, I've been living here for almost three

years. Now in three days it seems as if I know

everybody. When I pass people on the street

I want to stop and say, "Listen, I got a

fella."

EDDIE:

(strokes her hand)

Thanks.

SARAH:

Eddie, where do you go when you go out?

EDDIE:

Museums ... art galleries ... concerts.

She smiles, then she gets up and returns to the kitchenette.

EDDIE:

Well, I believe you when you say you go to

school.

SARAH:

You want to go with me?

EDDIE:

What, are you kidding? See that book?

(holds up a book)

I've been trying to get through that book ever

since I first got here. I haven't finished the

first chapter.

(off her bookcase)

Did you read all them books?

SARAH:

Mm hmm.

EDDIE:

You got it all in your head?

SARAH:

When I'm sober. They get a little mixed up

when I'm drunk. Most of the time they're mixed

up.

EDDIE:

(angrily)

Oh, stop talking about yourself like you're a

lush or something. I don't like it.

(genuinely concerned)

Maybe you ought to go to a clinic, get some

treatments.

SARAH:

I'm getting treatments right here.

He comes up behind her and puts his arms around her.

EDDIE:

I'm hungry.

SARAH:

Take your choice. I've got enough so we won't

have to go out of the house till Tuesday.

EDDIE:

What did all this stuff cost you?

SARAH:

When you've got money, you'll pay.

EDDIE:

No, c'mon, I wanna know. I wanna keep score.

SARAH:

The bills are right here. You didn't say what

you wanted.

EDDIE:

(off the canned goods)

Don't you ever cook anything?

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