The Ice Storm Page #5

He pulls out a copy of Me, Myself and I, glancing again at

Elena.

PHILIP:

Elena. Elena Hood, am I right?

ELENA:

Yes.

PHILIP:

Reverend Edwards. Philip Edwards.

You came by and checked out the

congregation a couple of times last

year.

ELENA:

Yes, it was -- I ended up --

PHILIP:

(smiling)

No need to make excuses --

EXT. NEW CANAAN HIGH SCHOOL FIELD. DAY

A cool gray afternoon. A group of boys are playing flag

football on the field, while two groups of girls are gathered

underneath the bleachers at either end, warily smoking

c1garettes.

Wendy, Beth, and a couple of other girls are gathered in one

group.

BETH:

(referring to one of the

girls gathered in the

other group)

She said you licked Dave Brewster's

weenie in the third floor bathroom.

WENDY:

She's a liar. I wouldn't touch Dave

Brewster's dick if you paid me.

It's probably crawling with v.d.

after he put it in her, which he

did.

The conversation peters out at this point, as the two groups

of girls give each other the hairy eyeball from afar.

Wendy looks through from beneath the bleacher seats onto the

field where the boys are playing.

A group of boys break from a huddle, Mikey among them.

The quarterback takes the hike and Mikey runs out for a pass.

As he runs, his breathing increases in volume, filling his

ears, and transforming into the humming sound he'd heard

before.

The quarterback spots him and throws a long one.

He runs in an oblivion of beautiful white sound.

The ball drops next to him as he continues, in a world of his

own, to run.

Suddenly, the humming ends and he stops and turns around, to

see all the other kids just standing there looking at him.

One of them makes a pot-smoking gesture, as if that's the

explanation.

MIKEY:

(as he returns to the

group, ball in hand)

Did anybody hear that?

The other kids snicker. Wendy looks on, and catches Mikey's

eye for a fleeting moment.

WENDY:

I gotta go.

She takes hold of her bicycle and pushes off.

INT. COFFEE SHOP. DAY

Elena and Philip are seated at a booth.

PHILIP:

It's been a tremendously

transformative year -- maybe a

little controversial of course, but

we're breaking down the old

Unitarian barriers --

ELENA:

I suppose my reluctance was the

group aspect of it -- I've never

been much of a joiner, although I

still consider myself a somewhat

religious person --

PHILIP:

Well I of course flatter myself

that our church is not exactly what

most people would call organized

religion -- at times it's the

disorganization that's liberating --

and of course I've begun to

minister much more in what one

might call therapeutic

environments, in small groups, and

one on one, couples --

Elena looks outside the window, and sees Wendy speed past on

her bicycle.

ELENA:

(cutting him off)

My daughter. I haven't been on a

bike for years.

(still not really looking

at him)

When was the last time you rode a

bike?

PHILIP:

(a bit taken aback by the

abrupt topic change)

They say you never forget.

ELENA:

(jarred back to his

presence)

Forget what?

PHILIP:

Forget how to ride a bike.

Silence.

ELENA:

No, of course you don't, you're

right.

EXT. FIVE AND DIME STORE. DAY

Wendy pulls her bike up to the back, locks it, and walks in.

INT. FIVE AND DIME STORE. DAY

Wendy moves with a certain amount of stealth through the

aisles, arriving at the candy selection.

She looks around.

She takes a package of twinkies and slips them into the

oversized pockets of her painter's pants.

She turns around, and her breath goes out of her -- an OLD

WOMAN has been watching her shoplift. The woman looks sadly

at her, but says nothing. Wendy slowly walks past her and out

the back door of the store. The woman looks on.

EXT. FIVE AND DIME STORE. DAY

As she walks her bike onto the sidewalk, Wendy comes across

Sandy.

SANDY:

Hey Wendy.

WENDY:

Hey Sandy.

SANDY:

Mikey was looking for you.

WENDY:

Yeah? See ya.

She pushes off on her bike.

Sandy gazes after her. He takes his G.I. Joe out of his coat

pocket, and points it at her.

SANDY:

Bam.

EXT. SUBURBAN STREETS. DAY

Wendy flies along on her bike. It's a desolately beautiful

fall day.

EXT. SILVER MEADOWS PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE. DAY

Wendy rides by the front gates of the posh grounds of the

private psychiatric clinic. A security guard leans against a

booth.

Once a bit past the gate, she gets off her bike and walks it

into a grove of trees near the front drive.

EXT. SILVER MEADOWS. DAY

Mikey is waiting amid the trees next to his bike as Wendy

arrives.

MIKEY:

Want some gum?

WENDY:

Sure.

(pulling them out of her

pocket)

Twinkie?

MIKEY:

(opens his mouth,

displaying the gum on his

tongue)

I'm chewing.

She puts the Twinkies back, and pops the gum in her mouth.

They stand together chewing.

WENDY:

(after a pause)

Did you tell Sandy?

MIKEY:

Tell Sandy? What?

Wendy doesn't say anything.

MIKEY (CONT'D)

You didn't tell him either, did

you?

EXT. SILVER MEADOWS SWIMMING POOL. DAY

The wind is picking up and the light is fading. Mikey and

Wendy climb the fence around the pool, which is empty and

half-covered in dead leaves and twigs.

They climb down into the concrete recess and walk into the

deep end, leaning against the far wall of the pool.

They each matter-of-factly take their gum out and put it

behind their ears.

They begin not so much to kiss as to place their tongues in

each others' mouths.

We see them from high above the pool, as the dead leaves

swirl lightly around them, Mikey groping under Wendy's

poncho.

EXT. WILLIAMS HOUSE. DAY

To establish.

INT. WILLIAMS GUEST ROOM. DAY

A couple are in the final throes of lovemaking. We see Janey

Williams's face, more or less enjoying the proceedings. The

man gives a final heave and groan, and rolls off to reveal

himself to be -- Ben Hood.

JUMP CUT TO:

Janey smokes a cigarette. Ben is babbling.

BEN:

We were golfing, and you know,

golfing to me is something I'm

supposed to enjoy, and I was on the

goddam golf team in college, so

it's something one would assume I

do well -- I used to do well -- but

basically these days golfing for me

is like hoeing, or plowing.

Janey smiles briefly at this.

BEN (CONT'D)

It's like farming. I am basically

chewing up large tracts of

expensively landscaped scenery with

overpriced sticks, and George Clair

has obviously, in the mere two

years since he joined the firm, he

has obviously been taking secret

lessons with a golf pro, and I

assume the entirety of his

disposable income has been devoted

to humiliating me on the golf

course. And the guy talks -

incessantly -- throughout the

entirety of the miserable 18 holes

- on topics that are the supposed

domain of my department --

JANEY:

Ben--

BEN:

Yeah?

JANEY:

(gently)

You're boring me. I have a husband.

I don't particularly feel the need

for another.

BEN:

You have a point there. That's a

very good point. We're having an

affair. Right. An explicitly sexual

relationship. Your needs. My needs.

You're absolutely right.

JANEY:

You should probably get dressed.

The boys will be home soon.

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