The Ice Storm Page #11

BEN:

(whispering)

Sure I do. Do I know what

loneliness feels like? Sure I do. I

know a lot about it, if that's what

you mean.

ELENA:

Benjamin. That's supposed to

explain it?

Seemingly tired, he stands before her. Silence. Elena sighs,

then walks into the den.

INT. DEN. NIGHT

ELENA:

We're going to the Halford's. The

number's on the calendar in the

kitchen. We should be home around

11.

WENDY:

(eyes still glued to the

TV)

Is it a big party? A big

neighborhood party?

ELENA:

I suppose. Why?

WENDY:

Just curious. If there's a problem,

I guess I'll just call you there to

interrupt.

ELENA:

What sort of problems are you

planning exactly?

Elena kisses the top of her head.

WENDY:

(still watching the TV)

Oh I thought I'd steal the station

wagon, drive up to a commune. Or

set the house on fire. You know.

ELENA:

Just bundle up. It's supposed to

freeze tonight. We'll see you in

the morning.

EXT. HOOD HOUSE. NIGHT

Elena and Ben emerge from the house, and look up at a

darkening, foreboding sky. A light rain falls. They jog

toward their car.

INT/EXT. HOOD CAR. NIGHT

The car moves slowly through the rainy suburban streets.

Inside, Elena and Ben don't speak.

EXT. HALFORD HOUSE. NIGHT

Their Firebird pulls up. There are already many other cars

parked on the lawn and driveway.

INT. HALFORD FOYER. NIGHT

Hood and Elena enter. Dot Halford accosts them.

DOT:

Ben, Elena. Wonderful! Wonderful!

So wonderful to see you.

Finishing the last of a celery canoe, she kisses the air next

to Ben's ear and gives Elena a manic hug.

Then, picking up a white salad bowl from the hall table:

DOT (CONT'D)

Would you care to play? New this

year.

Close on:
the bowl full of keys.

DOT (CONT'D)

Strictly volunteer, of course. You

can put your coats in the library

if you like.

ELENA:

Oh, damn. Uh, I've left the --

BEN:

You've...

ELENA:

In the car.

BEN:

Oh, yeah. Yeah, we'll be right

back, Dot.

INT./EXT. CAR. CONT'D

Ben and Elena climb back in the car and close the doors,

shivering.

ELENA:

This just isn't the best moment for

this.

BEN:

I know, I know. I had no idea --

ELENA:

That this was going to be a key

party?

BEN:

Yeah, well, if we'd understood we

could have invented some kind of

excuse. A key party -- did you see

how stuffed that bowl was already?

ELENA:

Well?

BEN:

I think we're here and we don't

have to stay -- we ought simply to

put in an appearance and then we

can head home.

ELENA:

Damn it, Ben --

BEN:

I'm not staying at this party so we

can go home with someone else's

wife. That's not why we're here,

right? We're simply being neighbors

here, and I think we should do just

that --

ELENA:

You're not going to --

BEN:

I'm not.

ELENA:

You have some marker, that's what I

think, if you want to know the

truth.

You have some marker and you're

going to put it on the house keys

so that Janey can find them and

then when I get back to the house

I'll find the two of you in there

and Wendy'll be able to hear you

and Paul will be back and he'll

hear you and I'll catch you, that's

what I think. She'll be swearing

and banging against the wall and

I'll catch --

BEN:

Elena.

She rubs her eyes.

BEN (CONT'D)

Elena, it's not what you think.

It's not a big plot. Honestly.

Honestly. I don't know if you want

to go over this now, but it's just

something that comes over me. I

don't feel good about it. I know

I've done what I didn't want to do.

I don't know --

ELENA:

Well, I'm really pleased to hear a

confession.

BEN:

Elena, you're just getting wound up

to get wound up.

ELENA:

Thanks for the diagnosis, Ben.

Thank you. So let's just go to this

fiasco if that's what you want to

do. Let's just go on in. I'd rather

talk to anyone else but you.

She pulls the keys out of the ignition, gets out of the car,

and slams the door. He follows her.

INT. HALFORD FOYER. NIGHT

ELENA:

Oh, Dot!

Elena, entering the house again, tosses the keys at Dot

Halford, who looks surprised.

Hood slides in behind his wife.

Dot drops the keys into the bowl.

Slow-motion, close up: the keys, on their equine chain, fall

in with a THUNDEROUS CRASH.

INT. HALFORD LIVING ROOM. CONT'D

The room is crowded with nervous, expectant couples and

various groupings.

Elena slips into a side room.

Benjamin heads over immediately to the drink table and pours

a stiff one, turning around to find at his elbow none other

than George Clair.

GEORGE:

Benjie!

BEN:

Clair, George Clair! What the hell

brings you to New Canaan?

GEORGE:

Well, it's the funniest thing. I've

been talking to some investors -- a

little outside venture, you

understand, between you and me --

about a scheme to manufacture a new

Styrofoam packaging. Little peanut

like pieces that can really keep an

item free from trauma during

shipping. Miraculous. Anyway, it

turns out the genius behind the

whole project is your neighbor, Jim

Williams. How about that!

BEN:

Well, hey, isn't that a one-in-a

million coincidence. A real

dreamer, Jim Williams, eh?

GEORGE:

Darned right. Look here, Benj,

whaddya make of this sequel to The

Godfather? You think it's gonna

work?

BEN:

Don't see how. I think the public's

had its fill of this gangster

stuff. No, trust me -- disaster

pics. And air hockey.

GEORGE:

Yeah, good.

Benjamin catches a glimpse of Janey, voluptuously attired,

across the room.

GEORGE (CONT'D)

Well, gonna make a break for the

hors d'oeuvres guy.

BEN:

Yeah, see you bright and early

Monday am.

(beat)

Say, where's the wife?

GEORGE:

(winking as he goes)

In Rhode Island with the folks. I'm

a free agent tonight.

At this, they both notice Elena slowly gliding across the

other side of the room. Clair gives Ben a sideways glance,

then moves on.

Ben makes straight for Janey, who pretends to be preoccupied

with a plant.

JANEY:

Oh jeez, Benjie. Well, here you

are.

BEN:

Damn right, but where the hell were

you?

JANEY:

(looking around)

What are you talking about?

BEN:

(whispering, but too

loudly)

Don't bullshit me around, Janey.

Jesus Christ, I waited around for

more than half an hour, in nothing

but my boxer shorts, and -- and

what's all that about? What the

hell happened?

Janey takes a sip of her drink.

JANEY:

A prior engagement overcame me.

BEN:

What?

JANEY:

Listen, Benjamin Hood. I have

obligations that precede your...

from before you showed up. One or

two, you know, good-natured

encounters, that doesn't mean

I'm... I'm not just some toy for

you. When I remembered some chores

I wanted to get done before the

party, I just did them, that's all,

because I wanted to do them before

I saw Jimmy.

BEN:

Jimmy? Jimmy? I don't know how to

take this. And what do you mean,

Jimmy? I thought you said you and

your husband --

JANEY:

How you take it isn't all that

interesting to me, Benjamin. I'm

sorry --

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