The Ice Storm Page #9

EXT. STREETS. DAY

Ben's car heading back to the house with Paul.

INT. HOOD CAR. DAY

BEN:

So how's school treating you?

PAUL:

All right.

BEN:

Classes?

PAUL:

Good.

BEN:

Grades?

PAUL:

Fine.

BEN:

Anyone special? You know...

PAUL:

Hnnn.

BEN:

Well it's good to see you -- we

miss you around the house and all,

but this St. Peter's, it's top of

the line, eh?

PAUL:

Yeah.

BEN:

You know Paul, I've been thinking,

maybe this is as good a time as any

to have a little talk, you know,

about -- well --

He makes a sharp turn. Paul puts his arms up on the dashboard

to steady himself.

PAUL:

(nervous)

About?

BEN:

Well, the whole gamut. Facts of

life and all. Some fatherly advice,

because, I tell you, there's things

happening that you're probably old

enough... well...

(pause)

For example, on the self-abuse

front -- now this is important -

it's not advisable to do it in the

shower -- it wastes water and

electricity and because we all

expect you to be doing it there in

any case -- and, um, not onto the

linen, and not on your sister's

underwear or any clothing belonging

to your mother --

He pauses to gauge the effect of his monologue on his son,

then continues.

PAUL:

Uh, Dad --

Just then Ben runs a stop sign and almost slams into another

car.

BEN:

Holy! Well. If you're worried about

anything, just feel free to ask,

and, uh, we can look it up.

PAUL:

Uh, dad, you know I'm 16.

BEN:

All the more reason for this little

heart to heart... great.

EXT. HOOD HOUSE. DAY

The car pulls up. Paul gets out, looking shell-shocked. He

sees Wendy waving to him from a second floor window. He nods

back.

BEN:

Um, Paul. On second thought, can

you do me a favor and pretend I

never said any of that.

PAUL:

Sure dad.

BEN:

Thanks.

In the doorway, Elena waits.

INT. HOOD HALLWAY. DAY

Paul knocks on Wendy's bedroom door. She opens it.

PAUL:

Hello, Charles.

WENDY:

Greetings, Charles.

INT. WENDY'S ROOM. DAY

Paul and Wendy sit on the floor.

PAUL:

How are the parental units

functioning these days?

WENDY:

Dad's like doing his Up With People

routine, mom hasn't been saying

much.

PAUL:

I don't know. Dad seems a little

weird.

WENDY:

Yeah well wait till mom opens her

mouth.

They both ponder silently. Then:

PAUL:

May I operate your telephonic

apparatus?

WENDY:

Why don't you use the phone

downstairs?

PAUL:

Calling an individual, Charles, in

New York. Confirming a social

outing for Friday night.

WENDY:

Can I come?

PAUL:

It's a one-on-one kind of date

thing.

WENDY:

With who?

PAUL:

Her name's Libbets.

WENDY:

Libbets? What kind of a name is

Libbets?

EXT. HOOD HOUSE. DAY

Morning. To establish.

INT. HOOD BEDROOM. DAY

Elena is coming out of the master bathroom in a robe, a towel

wrapped around her head.

ELENA:

The turkey in?

BEN:

Stuffed and baking.

INT. HOOD HALLWAY. DAY

Ben Hood pads down the hall in his bathrobe, tries the

bathroom door. It's locked.

BEN:

Anyone home?

INT. HOOD BATHROOM. DAY

The shower is running, but Paul is standing by the open

window, puffing on a joint and trying to blow the smoke

outside.

PAUL:

I'll be out in a second.

Ben walks back to the bedroom, smirking.

BEN:

Sure you will.

INT. HOOD DINING ROOM. DAY

One by one, each member of the Hood carried in a final item

to place on the overstuffed Thanksgiving table. Then, one by

one, they each silently take their seats.

They look over the table. No one moves.

BEN:

Well, it's great we can all be

together. And this Thanksgiving, no

hysteria, no yelling, especially

with grandpa not here, although we

miss him. So let's do it right and

actually, Wendy, why don't you say

grace. You used to love to say

grace, remember.

Wendy grimaces, as they all bow their heads slightly.

WENDY:

Dear Lord, thank you for

Thanksgiving, and for letting us

white people kill all the

Indians...

Everyone looks up.

WENDY (CONT'D)

... and steal their tribal lands

and stuff ourselves like pigs

Mutterings and groans: "Wendy!" "For Christ's sake" etc.

WENDY (CONT'D)

... while children in Africa and

Asia are napalmed and --

BEN:

Jesus all right enough!

They all unceremoniously start to dig in.

FADE OUT:

INT. WILLIAMS GUEST ROOM. DAY

Janey Williams is pouring Benjamin Hood a drink from a bottle

of vodka. Benjamin is already unbuttoned and shoeless; Janey

still fully dressed.

JANEY:

Here.

BEN:

After the Thanksgiving I had, I

need it. You having one?

JANEY:

In a bit.

She sits next to him, he kisses the back of her neck.

BEN:

You know, I think Elena might

suspect something.

Janey gives him a rather contemptuous look.

BEN (CONT'D)

(thinking aloud)

Maybe it's all for the better, you

know?

Yesterday, at dinner, well, she

hasn't said anything... has she

acted funny to you, I mean, have

you noticed anything?

JANEY:

(almost ironic)

Have I noticed anything? I'm not

married to her Benjamin, you are. I

think you've probably a better

vantage point from which to observe

her.

BEN:

Yeah, but, I -- I've been working a

lot lately, and -- No, that's not

it. I guess we've just been on the

verge of saying something, whatever

it is, just saying something to

each other. On the verge.

Janey gets up.

JANEY:

I'll be back.

Benjamin looks at her quizzically.

BEN:

Huh?

JANEY:

Birth control.

BEN:

Right. Gotcha.

She leaves the room.

He leans back onto the bed. Sits back up. Takes a sip of

vodka. Puts the glass down. Takes his socks off. He's now in

just his jockey shorts and shirt.

Faintly, he hears a door close. The front door?

He takes another sip.

He hears another sound.

BEN (CONT'D)

Janey?

Nothing.

He goes to the door and carefully opens it.

BEN (CONT'D)

(quietly)

Janey?

He hears, quite audibly, a car door open, close, Janey's car

start and pull out.

He runs to a front window just in time to catch a glimpse of

her driving off.

BEN (CONT'D)

Sh*t.

INT. GUEST ROOM. LATER

Benjamin sits on the guest bed, still in his underwear,

drinking from the bottle.

He gets up and starts to wander around the house, still

holding the bottle.

INT. MASTER BEDROOM. CONT'D

Benjamin saunters through. He presses on the king-sized bed --

it undulates.

BEN:

Water bed! Dig it!

He wiggles comically, making more waves.

JUMP CUT:

Ben idly goes through Janey's drawers.

INT. WILLIAMS MASTER BATHROOM. CONT'D

He rifles through the bathroom cabinet, checking out the

medicines.

INT. WILLIAMS BEDROOM. CONT'D

He notices a garter belt hanging from the walk-in closet

door. He picks it up and twirls it.

INT. MIKEY'S ROOM. CONT'D

Benjamin walks in, an obvious look of distaste.

He sorts through a few of Mike's things -- monster eyes that

glow in the dark, The Sensuous Woman, etc.

He twirls the garter belt absentmindedly, then tosses it into

the back of Mike's closet.

INT. GUEST ROOM. CONT'D

He finishes putting his clothes back on. As he reaches for

the door, he hears voices and quickly steps back in again.

Teenage voices. Mikey and Wendy.

MIKEY (O.S.)

See, no one's here. Maybe you want

to go to the basement?

WENDY (O.S.)

Maybe we can just watch some TV.

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