The Libertine Page #7

Edith seems puzzled by this response.

MAURICE:

Ken, how have you been keeping busycooped up?

45.

KEN:

Well, I can't trade O.P.M., so I'mjust handling my own portfolio.

Stayin' in the game.

NINA:

(to Maurice)

What have you been doing?

Nina seems flirtatious.

MAURICE:

Just plugging away at my book.

KEN:

What kind of book deal you got?

MAURICE:

A good one.

KEN:

I bet you do.

NINA:

What's it about?

MAURICE:

The social contract. How the main

value of safety nets is not theiractual use so much as a sense of

security, allowing people to excelwithout the fear of penury. God,

why can't I put that in my book? It

always comes out so much clearerwhen you say it.

EDITH:

Clearer doesn't make it interesting.

NINA:

I think it sounds great.

KEN:

Socialist books make money.

MAURICE:

What was that?

KEN:

(catching himself)

I don't talk politics. My bad.

MAURICE:

You've just started.

46.

KEN:

Without thinking.

MAURICE:

You think I can't handle your opinion?

KEN:

Move on to someone else.

MAURICE:

Boy, spit it out.

KEN:

I'm no expert, but dependency breedsdependency.

MAURICE:

Who would have thought? A republicanin that sweater.

KEN:

Libertarian.

MAURICE:

Oh.

KEN:

Americans don't need to be treated

like infants.

NINA:

Ken will write you an amazon review.

I think the book sounds fab.

EDITH:

Are you two hungry?

MAURICE:

Yes, I believe food is part of everygood dinner party.

KEN:

Where's your bathroom?

INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT

Ken exhales and loosens his tie.

KEN:

F***.

Ken takes out a BOTTLE OF RITALIN and pours some on the sink.

He crushes them with a TOOTHBRUSH and snorts.

47.

INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT

Maurice, Nina, and Edith sit around a table of ITALIAN FOOD.

NINA:

I'm sorry about Ken. He's under a

lot of strain.

MAURICE:

I was more interested in his better

half anyway. Ros.?

Edith chugs her bourbon and pushes the glass for Maurice tofill.

MAURICE (CONT'D)

Nina?

NINA:

F*** ya.

Nina takes her new glass and puts it next to her almost fullmartini.

INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT

Ken rummages through the medicine cabinet. He finds a BOTTLE

OF VIAGRA.

KEN:

Bingo.

Ken pulls out his PHONE and snaps a photo of the prescriptionlabel. Ken keeps rummaging the bathroom.

INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT

Maurice, Edith, and Nina eat.

NINA:

(to Edith)

This pasta is great.

MAURICE:

I ordered it myself.

NINA:

And this is a great table. Great

room.

EDITH:

Is your apartment not so nice?

NINA:

No, it's great.

48.

They hear a CRASH as Ken trips in the hall. He enters,

looking wired.

KEN:

I, uh, thanks for having us.

Ken starts eating. Maurice passes him a glass of wine.

EDITH:

Are you feeling all right?

Ken gives a thumbs up.

NINA:

He's tops.

MAURICE:

You'll have to tell me what bottom

looks like.

KEN:

Have you hit bottom recently?

MAURICE:

I've never been better.

KEN:

I'm sorry, but if we're gonna talk,

then we might as well talk, right?

Otherwise, we're not really talking.

MAURICE:

Edith and I communicate

telepathically.

EDITH:

Is that where these headaches come

from?

MAURICE:

I've been tickling your medullaoblongata.

NINA:

Ken, don't you love this table?

KEN:

It's all right.

EDITH:

You two enjoying Dave?

KEN:

He's fine. Don't know why you senthim down.

49.

MAURICE:

You sent Dave downstairs?

EDITH:

I did.

MAURICE:

I thought they rotate guards.

EDITH:

Policemen.

(to Ken and Nina)

Dave made a little mistake on our

watch. Nothing that would come upat your apartment, but Maurice issneakier than he seems.

MAURICE:

I think they're sneaky too.

EDITH:

Would you like to know why I sentDave downstairs?

MAURICE:

Let's eat in the living room. It's

a casual dinner.

Maurice takes Ken and Nina's plates out of the room. Edithwaves that it's okay to leave.

LIVING ROOM:

The group gathers into the living room and puts food anddrinks onto the coffee table.

MAURICE:

Should I put on music?

EDITH:

Afraid of talking?

NINA:

Music is good.

EDITH:

(re:
wall collage)

Maybe Maurice will show you hisoriginal art.

KEN:

I was looking at that. Dish about

it.

Maurice walks to the collage.

50.

MAURICE:

Well, it's my wall of vindication.

Have you been keeping your pressclippings?

NINA:

Ken can't look at them.

MAURICE:

An innocent soul knows no shame.

KEN:

They miss any dirt?

EDITH:

This dinner party.

NINA:

You are handling your house arrestamazingly well.

MAURICE:

This is my favorite piece of coverage.

It's a Paris Times editorial about

how the French have the good sensenot to think the private lives oftheir politicians have anything todo with public performance.

KEN:

(to Edith)

Don't you own The Paris Times?

MAURICE:

And this is my least favorite thingon the wall.

Maurice indicates the infamous PERP WALK PHOTO of Maurice

being walked to the courthouse in handcuffs.

MAURICE (CONT'D)

How, in the land of innocent untilproven guilty, they can make a manwho is merely accused walk inhandcuffs before photographers isbeyond me.

EDITH:

It's grotesque.

MAURICE:

Ken, did you have to suffer thisbarbaric tradition?

51.

KEN:

My lawyer got me out of it.

MAURICE:

Good man. Or woman. They let meout a full half a block from the

courthouse so that every newspaperand news network in the world could

line up to take photos. I swear,

Home & Garden got a picture of me.

KEN:

About the only good thing he did.

F***er's mangling my case.

MAURICE:

Take my guy, Nicolas Denmar. He's

the best. As one innocent man to

another.

EDITH:

How on earth do you know he'sinnocent?

MAURICE:

The Brandill Towers wouldn't rent to

anyone guilty.

NINA:

Oh, Susan Myer is guilty.

MAURICE:

Who is Susan Myer?

KEN:

Computer hacker on the fifth floor.

MAURICE:

You mean there are three people underhouse arrest in this very building?

How remarkable is that? We should

start a book club.

KEN:

What would we read?

MAURICE:

Miranda rights.

Nina forces a laugh and puts her hand on Maurice's knee.

NINA:

It's very nice of you to have us.

52.

EDITH:

Nina, are you also in finance?

NINA:

I used to work at Sotheby's. Now I

just sit on museum boards.

MAURICE:

Why did you stop?

Ken mimes being pregnant.

MAURICE (CONT'D)

You have kids?

KEN:

Any year now.

EDITH:

Well then dear, it appears you quittoo early.

NINA:

Honestly, I'm not even sure I wantchildren.

KEN:

Say again?

NINA:

What I really want is to re-claimbeing a stay-at-home wife for thecountercultural, urban post-postfeminist.

EDITH:

Maybe you can turn it into a collegemajor.

KEN:

She doesn't mean no kids.

NINA:

Edith, I admire you and all, but wecan't all run empires.

MAURICE:

Not unless they were very small.

KEN:

(laughing)

Tiny empires.

53.

NINA:

(to Edith)

What's your accent?

EDITH:

France by way of London, Geneva, andNew York.

KEN:

Humble roots.

EDITH:

Maurice's English is better than myFrench. When we're alone, we speakEnglish.

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