Wolf Page #3

and it kills me.

I know I can't...

You'll never forgive me, will you?

No.

Okay.

But still...

...I'd like your permission...

...to ask Alden to forget

about the Eastern European thing...

...and keep you on

as senior editorial consultant.

Will you let me do that for you?

I'm gonna get you, Stewart.

Well, I have my offer to-

The deal with Alden

is not completely closed.

- What a f***ing brilliant guess.

- Mr. Alden will see you today at 12:30.

Roy, get on the phone

with your list of authors...

...and ask them if they'd like

to form a partnership with us...

...in a publishing house

of their own.

Tell them

we're leaving MacLeish House...

...because we've heard

that the new unofficial policy...

...is to push everything that sells and-

This will get them.

Bury everything

that doesn't take off like a rocket.

Tell them we've got enough investors

to get it off the ground.

- Two things.

- Go.

- How many investors do we have?

- I don't know. I haven't called anybody.

- But you want me to say it anyway?

- Yes.

- Second thing:
Is any of this true?

- Not yet.

You're my god.

Mary, we'd better start calling writers.

We'll begin with Maude.

- Mr. Randall.

- Hello, Mr. Randall. Excuse me.

Don't get up.

I just wanted to tell you

that I'm turning down Eastern Europe.

Well, I more or less

thought you would.

Nice seeing you again, sir.

Come on.

Thattagirl.

Whoa, baby.

You all right? You all right?

Are you crazy? Don't you have enough

brains to stay away from animals...

...when you know they're frightened

of you?

I didn't know it was me

they were frightened of.

Are you an idiot? You nearly

stampeded the horses last Monday.

Can't you see that animals

are disturbed by your presence?

- Hey, sorry. I just wanted to say hello.

- You're not hurt, I hope.

You haven't fallen

since you were 12.

I'm fine.

Well, here you still are.

You get lost?

- No.

- We were talking.

Yes. Yes, of course.

Henry and Caroline are coming

to lunch. I told them you'd join us.

Did you?

What a pity.

I'm having lunch with...

- Will.

- Will.

It doesn't really matter to Laura

what your name is, Mr. Randall.

What is important to her

is that you're unemployed...

...and inappropriate,

and I don't approve of you.

Well, we're gonna miss your company,

my dear.

Yes, I know.

Shall we start cooking?

Your little place?

It's one of the guest houses.

I only stay here when I'm in town.

I'm sorry...

...but I just realized I have nothing

but peanut butter and jelly...

...and a carton of milk.

I'm afraid we'll have to cancel lunch.

Are you serious? Peanut butter

and jelly is mother's milk to me.

Listen, whatever you think

is going to happen isn't.

Please don't take anything for granted

because we exchanged a few words...

...the other night.

I don't take anything for granted,

Ms. Alden...

...except perhaps some small measure

of civility from my hostess.

So, what do you do?

Why do you care?

I don't.

I was just making

polite conversation.

I'd rather not discuss what I do.

You know, I think I understand

what you're like now.

You're beautiful. You think men

are only interested in you...

...because you're beautiful.

But you want them to be interested

in you because you're you.

The problem is that,

aside from that beauty...

...you're not very interesting.

You're rude. You're hostile,

You're sullen. You're withdrawn.

I know you want someone

to look past all that...

...at the real person underneath.

But the only reason that anyone

would bother to look past all that...

...is because you're beautiful.

Ironic, isn't it?

In an odd way,

you're your own problem.

Sorry, wrong line.

I am not taken aback

by your keen insight...

...and suddenly challenged by you.

Shall we have the rest of our milk

in the living room?

Are all of these you?

Yes.

My father keeps this cottage empty

just for me, so when I show up...

...I'll have a place to stay that's as far

away from him as possible.

Pictures were thrown in

by the decorator.

He had a mawkish side.

Is this you?

My mother. She died when I was 12.

I'm sorry.

And this?

My brother. He died last year.

Yes...

...I remember.

He had some kind of an accident.

No, he killed himself.

He was diagnosed

borderline schizophrenic...

...and, well,

I guess he got tired of the title.

He lived with me on and off.

Nice face.

Yeah.

Well, he was pretty nice

for a little brother.

This is really something.

Isn't it?

This is where I used to come

to bury my pets.

And this is where I realized...

...that one day I would die.

Standing right here, on this spot,

I realized...

...that one day I would be over.

I wanna tell you something.

A few days ago,

something happened to me.

I was driving in New England,

and I hit an animal.

Oh, God.

A wolf.

In New England? Are you sure?

I'm absolutely positive,

and when I tried to touch it, it bit me.

- Did you get checked for rabies?

- Yes. No, I'm fine.

But this is really

gonna sound insane.

Since it happened,

I feel as though the wolf...

...passed something along to me.

A scrap of its spirit in my blood

or something.

I don't know. Suddenly,

my senses are all incredibly acute.

I feel just so...

...great.

I'm just not the kind of person

who walks around feeling great.

I don't know. I'm different.

More alive.

Stronger.

- Well, it sounds strange, but-

- It's better than living in Bosnia.

No, no, I wasn't going to say that.

I was going to say...

...that whatever it is,

if you feel great...

...maybe you should just accept it

as a gift.

Well, I'm afraid it will have a price.

There is that.

Would you like to stay for dinner?

If it's not peanut butter and jelly,

and I don't tell my father?

Yes.

Well.

- Let's get back before it gets dark.

- Are you cold?

No, but we will be.

- What is it?

- I don't know.

- Here, sit down.

- No. I think I wanna get inside.

- Well, all right, all right.

- Sorry.

It's not that far. Lean on me.

- No.

- Come on, don't be silly.

You are talking to an

almost-professional psychiatric nurse.

Elevated, but you'll live.

Is this the same kind of attack

you had the other night?

I don't know.

Don't be upset with me...

...if I tell you this, okay?

You are beautiful.

And the nicest girl.

Are you hungry?

Can I get you something to eat?

- I can't eat.

- Then go to sleep.

Next thing you know, it'll be morning,

and I'll be at your door with coffee...

...and eggs and toast.

And bacon.

Oh, you think I can't get bacon?

Well, I just may surprise you.

- I don't know where I'm going.

- Someplace nice.

Any idea how this happened?

None.

Well, you ever sleepwalk?

Not that I know of.

It sounds like you took

a walk in your sleep...

...fell down,

and knocked yourself out.

Now, I feel some scalp lacerations

back here, Will.

And, you know,

nothing bleeds like the scalp. Okay.

I'm gonna make some arrangements

for you to have an EEG...

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes