Chapter 8 PART 8

INT. ATLANTIC HOTEL - HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER Maggie walks towards Ikes room, checks that no one sees her and enters. INT. IKES HOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS Maggie lets herself in the modest room and turns on the lights on. She spots on audio cassette on the desk near the door. holds the cassette up to the light to read the hand-written label. It says "Miles Davis" on it. She pockets the tape. She walks to the living room. MAGGIES POV: Ike has placed post-its on a framed picture, using the frame as a bulletin board. Post-it notes lay out the information he has gathered under headings and subheadings. Parents "Mother"

deceased, subheaded by "Walter" and there is one for "Brian", "Gill", and "Bob". Maggie smiles and shakes her head. She rips one post-it down and reads it to herself. MAGGIE (reads) "How does she get all these guys to propose? She's not that beautiful." (snorts) Bite me, paper boy. She begins ripping many of other post-it off the picture frame. MAGGIE (contd) (as she takes post-its) Rude... Shes ripping them down, fast and furious, then shoves them in her shoulder bag. INT. ATLANTIC HOTEL HALLWAY - CONTINUING

Ike comes down hallway as Harvey puts his shoes out to be shiny. BACK INSIDE THE ROOM Maggie, looking around, discovers the wedding video on the coffee table and grabs that, too. MAGGIE (contd) Thief! THE SOUND OF A KEY IN THE DOOR makes Maggie jump. She flees to the bathroom, and shuts and locks the door. Just as Ike enters, he sniffs and looks around the room, instantly knowing something is up. He sees all his notes gone and a glimpse of Maggie as she closes the bathroom door. Ike is steaming. A BUMP sounds from the bathroom. He goes over to the door and tries the handle.

Its locked. He starts to pound on the door. IKE All right, I know you're in there... You steal my research... You're messing with the first amendment now. Open up. Open up. You got no place to go. INT. IKES HOTEL BATHROOM - CONTINUING Ikes wrong. Maggie is already trying to open the first bathroom window. Its stuck. She climbs over the bathtub, opens that window and starts to climb out. IKE I want to have a very serious discussion with you as to why youre such a pain in the ass. We HEAR Ike slamming his body against the bathroom door. As Ike breaks in, he runs to the window and yells after her.

EXT. IKES HOTEL WINDOW - CONTINUOUS IKE (contd) Thats breaking and entering. Ill call the sheriff. MAGGIE You do that. And remind him hes bringing the wine to the luau. Thanks. She disappears around the ledge of the building and runs off. Ikes neighbor, Harvey, sits reading near his window. CUT TO: EXT. MAGGIES HOUSE - NIGHT Establishing. INT. MAGGIES HOUSE - NIGHT CLOSE ON: A CASSETTE PLAYER. We see the familiar handwritten label: "Miles Davis." "Kind of Blue" plays as Maggie listens in a chair, looking shell-shocked, surrounded by the post-its she

stole from Ikes room. We see as she reads them: "Father, two- fisted drinker," "Peggy, best friend, but Peggy doesn't totally trust Maggie," "Bob" -- doesn't love him. Overwhelmed, she finishes reading the last note, leans back, puts her feet up on the table, deep in the mood of the melancholy music. The CAMERA MOVES on the last note on the floor next to her chair. It reads: "SHOWS NO REMORSE". FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN: EXT. MAIN STREET/BEAUTY PARLOR - NEXT DAY Its early morning. Mrs. Pressman hands Peggy a cup of coffee to go. Peggy walks to the beauty parlor, unlocks the front door

and goes in. INT. BEAUTY PARLOR - DAY Peggy enters and starts about her opening duties. She turns on the lights and turns and sees her friend, Maggie. MAGGIE Do you think I flirt with Cory? Peggy stops in her track. Maggie is sitting curled up in a salon chair. She looks like she hasn't slept. PEGGY Good morning to you, too. You look good. MAGGIE Thank you. Do you think I flirt with Cory? PEGGY Yes. Maggie looks miserable. MAGGIE I don't mean it. Peggy moves to the salon mirror near Maggie with her cup of coffee. PEGGY I know. I think sometimes you just

sort of spaz-out with random excess flirtation energy and it just lands on anything male that moves. MAGGIE On anything male that moves? As opposed to anything male that doesnt move? Peggy pours her coffee out of its Styrofoam cup into a ceramic mug. PEGGY Like certain kinds of coral. Peggy sits in the salon chair next to Maggie. MAGGIE Im going to kill myself. PEGGY Why? MAGGIE Because you think Im all like... "Hey man, check me out". PEGGY (friendly) No, I dont think youre like, "Im charming and mysterious in a way that even I dont understand and something

about me is crying out for protection from a big man like you". Very hard to compete with. Especially to us married women who have lost our mystery. MAGGIE But you havent lost your mystery! Youre very mysterious! PEGGY No. Im weird. Weird and mysterious are two different things. MAGGIE But Im weird. PEGGY No. You're quirky. Quirky and weird are two different things. MAGGIE Peggy, theres distinct possibility that I might be profoundly and irreversibly screwed up. Despite that, I love you and I can promise that I will no longer flirt with Cory, and I

beg your forgiveness. Maggie looks ready to cry. PEGGY Im not worried about you and Cory or Cory and me or even that you're irreversibly screwed up. But, Maggie, you've been like this since we were kids. And I think now that you are aware of it and that it hurts peoples feelings, maybe its time to move on with your life and commit to someone of your own, like Bob, if hes the one. MAGGIE I think you're right. (then) Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? PEGGY Something that brings warmth to my heart. (pause) Duckbill platypus. MAGGIE

Its only funny at Camp Birchwood at three in the morning at a tick hunt. It's not anymore. Maggie makes her funny face. Peggy doesnt laugh. PEGGY You're right. It's not funny now. Maybe we both grew up. MAGGIE Thanks. Will you fix my hair? CUT TO: EXT. MAGGIES HOUSE - LATER THAT MORNING Maggie exits her house, gets on her bike and rides off towards town. INT. IKES HOTEL ROOM - LATER THAT MORNING Ike is still in bed. He slowly blinks awake, stretches, and is about to throw off the covers when Maggies voice breaks the silence. MAGGIE Freeze. Hold on to those covers -- I didnt come here to see Ike Junior. Maggie smiles cheerfully at Ike from the foot of the bed. He narrows his eyes at her. IKE I take it the desk clerk is one of your many admirers. MAGGIE (deadpan) How do I do it? Im not that beautiful. Ike notices Maggie is holding two coffees. IKE Coffee. Now. Maggie hands it to him. MAGGIE Youre welcome. Your notes made interesting bedtime reading -- if you like trashy fiction. Your observations are distorted, ungrounded an incomplete. You must be very proud. IKE Im not a boastful man. Whats your point? Ike puts a shirt on as Maggie speaks. MAGGIE My point is that one again, youre getting it all wrong. That wont improve your reputation any, and its not very flattering to me either. So, Im going to give you a chance to write the truth. IKE Really. Maggie turns away from him as he dresses. MAGGIE Ive decided to cooperate and let you interview me. (beat) For a thousand bucks. Ike clears his throat as he stands putting his pants on. MAGGIE (contd) I want a big wedding and a killer dress and for a grand I will answer all your questions and let you follow me around. Ike takes his coffee with him as he picks up his glasses, puts them on and crosses to the window. IKE My magazine doesnt pay because for stories. Its not what you call ethical. MAGGIE Oh, but making up the facts as you go along is ethical? Actually, I meant you. You probably got severity or expenses or both. Ill take your check. No credit cards. IKE (to Maggie) You've seen the post-its. I've already got more juicy material than I need. Why should I pay you dollar one? MAGGIE Because I think youre writing on spec and with a first person interview, you might actually sell that thing. Ike knows she's right. IKE Too much. MAGGIE Seven-fifty. IKE Five hundred. MAGGIE Six-fifty. IKE Done. Scowling, he writes out the check and hands it to her. Maggie looks at it and smiles sweetly. CUT TO