The Truman Show Page #9

Footsteps. Truman hastily drops the cardigan in the trunk and

shuts the lid. MERYL, standing close behind.

MERYL:

What're you doing out here?

TRUMAN:

(turning attention to an upturned

mower on the garage floor)

Fixing the mower.

Meryl doesn't look like she buys it.

MERYL:

(concerned)

Your sister called. She was worried about you.

TRUMAN:

(matter-of-fact)

I saw my father on State Street dressed as

a homeless man.

MERYL:

(attempting to comfort)

I kept seeing my brother for years after he died.

TRUMAN:

(irritated at her subtle dismissiveness)

What do you want?

MERYL:

I made macaroni.

TRUMAN:

I gotta go out. About a replacement...

(hastily adding)

...mower blade.

Meryl nods, not at all convinced. After an uncomfortable

pause, she turns and heads back to the house.

EXT. CAR WASH. DUSK.

TRUMAN ruefully examines the broken car aerial on his freshly

washed Oldsmobile. In the background is the warning sign he

has just ignored, "CLOSE WINDOWS, LOWER AERIALS".

Truman removes the metal coathanger from beneath the lavender

cardigan and forces the bent wire into what's left of the

severed aerial.

INT. TRUMAN'S CAR. DUSK.

TRUMAN motors down a busy shopping street, crowded on both sides

with PEDESTRIANS. As he drives, he tests his car radio.

Adjusting the tuner knob, he finds a station.

FEMALE VOICE (from radio)

...west on Atlantic...he's making a right

on Woodhaven...

Truman glances up at the street signs along his route and finds

that they coincide exactly with the streets quoted on the radio.

Distracted, he almost bowls over an OLD LADY on a crosswalk.

MALE VOICE (from radio)

...God, Truman almost hit Marilyn!...he's

on the move again, passing the Burger King...

Truman readjusts the radio as it starts to fade out. Suddenly

there is a piercing blast of feedback. He looks up and, as far

as the eye can see, every PEDESTRIAN, MOTORIST and SHOPKEEPER

along the street suddenly winces in pain and holds their right

ear at exactly the same moment.

MALE VOICE:

(from radio, in distress himself)

...something's wrong. Change frequencies...

Truman tries to pick up the channel once again but without

success.

EXT. DRUG STORE. DUSK.

Still shaken by his experience with the radio, TRUMAN exits

a Drug Store with a small, brown paper bag. Out of the corner

of his eye he catches a MALE BYSTANDER still checking his right

ear with his finger. He goes to say something to the by-stander

but thinks better of it.

EXT. REDLIGHT DISTRICT, QUEENS. NIGHT.

HOOKERS in white heels and spray-on skirts display their wares.

TRUMAN cruises slowly past in his Oldsmobile, the expression of

the prostitutes turning from seductive to contemptuous as each

is by-passed.

Suddenly Truman pulls sharply into the curb beside a leggy,

prostitute, VERONICA, wearing a platinum blonde wig. She is in

deep discussion with a fellow WORKING GIRL. Veronica recognizes

the car and instantly bends down to the open passenger window.

VERONICA:

Hey, Truman! Where you bin? You bin

cheatin' on me?

Veronica opens the door and folds herself into the passenger

seat.

INT. TRUMAN'S CAR. NIGHT.

VERONICA knows the form. As TRUMAN pulls away from the curb,

she is already removing the lavender cardigan from the

drycleaning bag on the back seat. She drapes the cardigan

around her shoulders.

VERONICA:

Bout time you got this thing cleaned.

(half-joking)

Don't tell me you bin makin' your old lady

wear it.

Truman passes her the brown paper bag without reply. Veronica

removes a bottle of perfume and proceeds to liberally apply it.

VERONICA:

(examining the bottle)

God, do they still make this stuff?

What's the Sell-By Date?

INT. FLUSHING MEADOW PARK. NIGHT.

From a vantage point in a disused tower high above the park.

CHRISTOF and CHLOE watch as Truman's Oldsmobile enters the park

grounds and comes to a stop near the large metal framed globe,

the Unisphere. Both Christof and Chloe wear earpieces, a

miniature television propped at their feet shows a close-up

picture of TRUMAN and VERONICA inside the car.

CHLOE:

(into a flip-phone,

condescending)

...you see him messing with the antenna...what

did you think would happen?..."lapse of

concentration", is that what you call it?

I call it amateur-hour...

(sarcastic)

In case you hadn't noticed, we don't get to

do it over.

Christof, totally unfazed, regards his zealous young assistant

with affection and even a mild amusement.

CHLOE:

(as she hangs up, querying the

smile that plays around his lips)

You think this is funny?

CHRISTOF:

The mask has slipped before. Everything

can be explained.

TRUMAN kills the lights and he and VERONICA exit the car

unaware that they are being observed.

CHRISTOF:

(adopting a more serious tone

as he returns his attention to Truman)

What's dangerous is that he makes the connection

between what happened today and the girl.

We focus on Truman and Veronica as they take a seat at the edge

of the pool surrounding the great steel globe.

VERONICA:

Like I say, I don't normally do this.

I gotta charge extra.

Truman nods his agreement and forks over several bills.

Veronica deposits the money in her purse and perches herself as

modestly as possible on the edge of the fountain.

When she is ready, Truman tenderly places his arm around her

shoulder. Veronica responds, hesitantly, becoming immersed in

her role. She reaches out her own hand and rests it on the

nape of his neck. Slowly both heads drift together, but stop

just short of their lips meeting, agonizingly close. So close

they can feel each other's breath, barely a sliver of daylight

separating them. Then finally their lips touch in the most

gentle of caresses.

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