The Ice Storm Page #14

The Gadds choose each other.

MRS. GADD

Oh, my own husband. Isn't that

against the rules?

DOT:

Try again?

MRS. GADD

(relieved)

Oh, I think not.

Mr. Gadd smiles as they leave, obviously happy to go.

Finally, only Mark Boland, Neil Conrad, Janey and Jim

Williams, Rob and Dot Halford, Sari Steele, Benjamin and

Elena.

DOT:

Getting down to the wire!

Elena steps forward. Benjamin is obviously agitated.

Close on Janey's hands selecting -- away from Ben's equine

key ring.

She lifts up another key ring -- Neil Conrad, the teenager.

She hands the self-important-looking Neil his keys and they

turn to go.

Jim Williams smiles mysteriously to himself.

Ben suddenly lurches forward, semi-drunkenly, trying to

separate Neil from Janey.

THE GROUP:

(ad lib)

Hey hey Ben, hang on there a sec.

He backs off, ashamed, and, taking a step backwards, trips

over the coffee table.

Mark Boland helps lift him up.

BEN:

Sorry... maybe I should... the

bathroom?

DOT:

Right down the hall, Ben.

BEN:

(muttering)

Sorry, I'm sorry. Uh, I'll be back.

Dot follows Mark Boland down the hall behind Ben.

Suddenly, it's just Elena and Jim Williams, and Sari Steele

and Rob Halford.

ROB HALFORD:

(taking Sari's arm)

Actually, we didn't put our keys in

at all. But you won't spread it

around? It's my party, and Dot

isn't... hey, we're just going to

slip upstairs for a while. You

folks like a cup of coffee or

something before we go?

Elena and Jim look at each other.

ELENA:

Rob, we'll fix it for ourselves.

You two go and get acquainted.

We'll let ourselves out the front

door.

Jim and Elena stand there alone.

JIM:

Well, I have to say I don't have

much faith that my car keys are

still in that bowl. Doesn't seem

entirely safe, leaving your car

keys around?

ELENA:

Let me.

She takes the bowl and dips her hand in. Two sets are left.

One, her own, she avoids. She takes out Jim's keys and walks

across the room, handing them to him.

JIM:

Thanks, but -- oh, I don't think

so. It's been kind of a

discouraging evening.

ELENA:

You couldn't have hoped for much

better when you came up the walk.

JIM:

Somehow it was different in my

imagination when I thought about

it. Actually, I didn't think about

it at all, really.

They sit down on the sofa.

JIM:

You want coffee or something?

ELENA:

Well, maybe they have one of those

filter jobs in the kitchen --

JIM:

Look, Elena, the fact that we're

neighbors... you know, close

friends, well it sort of makes this

a little strange, don't you think?

ELENA:

My husband is probably passed out

in the bathroom, or at least he

wishes he were. I've been married

to him for 17 years and I don't

have any intention of going in

there to get him... so what I'm

proposing is that since your wife

has gone off with a boy, and since

you are standing here alone, I'm

proposing that you and I do what

makes sense. Stay warm. Pass some

time. That's all.

They both look at their hands.

ELENA:

Now don't make me feel as if I'm

being too forward, OK? If you don't

--

JIM:

What the hey. Let's go for a drive.

ELENA:

Okay. Shall we clean up around here

first? Do you think it's all right--

JIM:

Nah, that wasn't in the contract.

But they still walk around turning off lights.

In the hallway, Elena looks a bit mournfully at the light

seeping from underneath the bathroom door. She hears the

sound of running water from inside.

Then she goes into a sideroom and joins Jim. They pick up

their coats.

EXT. HALFORD HOUSE. NIGHT

Elena and Jim walk outside into the freezing, pelting rain.

Covering their faces, they jog to his car, an oversized

Cadillac. A thick glaze of ice forms on his windshield.

INT. JIM'S CADILLAC. NIGHT

They climb in.

JIM:

We're going to have to defrost this

thing for a while.

He turns on the ignition, and the vents start to blow cold

air at them.

He leans over and kisses her.

ELENA:

Do these seats go back?

That starts it. He jumps at her, unbuckling her and unzipping

himself.

They tangle uncomfortably for a few seconds. And then,

comically, he's in her.

With a groan, it's over in a flash.

Jim pulls himself off, readjusting his pants.

JIM:

That was awful, really awful. I'm

so sorry, Elena.

Elena has somehow worked herself into the cavity of the glove

compartment, and is trying to figure out how to extricate

herself.

JIM:

Things are really rotten at home.

You wouldn't believe how rotten.

Janey's sick. She's unstable, I

guess... it's not the right time to

tell you... but that's it -- it's

like I can't make her happy, the

boys can't make her happy, she just

doesn't --

ELENA:

Jim, maybe we should just go. I've

got to look in on the kids. Paul is

supposed to be coming back in from

the city.

JIM:

Jesus, let me make it up to you --

I can do better than that, honestly

--

ELENA:

Well, we can talk about it.

JIM:

That's fine. I wouldn't expect you

to see it any other way.

ELENA:

Maybe you just need -- look, can

you wait here a sec, I need to tidy

up -- just a minute, I'll be right

back. You'll wait?

JIM:

Of course.

She opens the door and walks back to the house.

INT. HALFORD'S. CONT'D

Elena hesitantly walks to the bathroom.

She opens the door. Ben's sitting on the floor, next to the

toilet, woozily flipping through the pages of a magazine.

BEN:

Elena.

ELENA:

Ben, I've got a ride home. Maybe

you should sleep this one off on

the couch here?

BEN:

I'll drive you --

ELENA:

Ben.

She sits on the toilet next to him, stroking his hair.

ELENA (CONT'D)

You're in no condition to drive.

We'll talk in the morning, OK?

He sits, accepting and quiet.

ELENA (CONT'D)

You'll get some sleep on the couch

out there?

BEN:

(looking up at her, with

gratitude)

Sure. I'll try. And we'll talk in

the morning?

ELENA:

We'll talk in the morning.

EXT. WILLIAMS HOUSE. NIGHT

Wendy walks up the drive in the rain, pauses, then goes to

the front door and knocks lightly. The door swings ajar. She

pushes on it, and lets herself in.

INT. WILLIAMS HOUSE. NIGHT

WENDY:

Anyone home? Hello.

Wendy wanders into the living room, then climbs the steps.

The sound of the wind and the darkness begin to scare her.

She goes into Mikey's room -- it's even more of a disaster

zone than usual.

She sees on the wall his dark-light poster of the 12 (sexual)

positions of the zodiac.

She notices the black garter belt on the floor, and picks it

up, absentmindedly swinging it in her hand as she walks out

of the room.

She walks back down the stairs and into the kitchen, leaving

the garter belt on the counter.

She opens the refrigerator, grabs a jar of peanut butter, and

scoops some up in her finger. As she puts her finger in her

mouth --

SANDY:

Wendy.

She gives out a little yelp.

WENDY:

Sandy, you scared the sh*t out of

me.

SANDY:

What are you doing?

WENDY:

Just thought I'd stop by.

SANDY:

Mike's out -- I think he went to

Silver Meadow to see if you were

hanging around there.

WENDY:

Yeah.

SANDY:

(pause)

Are you his girlfriend?

WENDY:

No.

INT. JIM'S CADILLAC. NIGHT

Elena gets in. They drive off silently.

EXT. STREETS. NIGHT

The car moves haltingly through the sleet and ice, inches up

a hill, then falters and slides back silently, circling a

couple of times before crashing into an embankment.

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