Chapter 10 PART 10

INT. DINER - DAY This is a great place -- a major hub of social life in Hale. The food is greasy and good, Mrs. Pressman is the waitress, and the CROWD the essence of what is wonderful about a small town. Bob, Maggie and Ike sit on the counter. Mrs. Pressman CHUFFS about the luau, then moves around the corner. BOB Mrs. Pressman, I think were ready to order. Mrs. Pressman Were out the special because somebody... (indicates COOK with head) ...didn't order enough sausage. BOB Let me have the garden omelette. Egg whites only. Ike looks at Maggie. Hed bet a thousand bucks on what shed say

next. MAGGIE I'll have the same. IKE (clears his throat) Of course. MAGGIE What was that? I cant order my eggs without sarcasm? BOB Neutral corners you two. You're on the same team now. Any more fighting and its fifteen minutes in the penalty box. (gently, to Ike) Maggies the nicest person youll ever meet. But shes always focusing out there. Shes got to start focusing more in here. (taps his chest) Thats why shes had some -- whatever you want to call it -- problems in the past. (to Maggie) Thats what were working on -- focus. Right, Maggie? Focus on Maggie. Focus

on Bob. As Bob has been talking, Ike has been watching Maggies face. The joy seems to have drained out of her. MAGGIE (quietly) Right. BOB (to Ike) I lead Maggie through a visualization exercise. All the sports shrinks use this head stuff. Visualize the end zone, if you catch my drift. Bob takes out a notepad and hands it to Maggie. BOB (contd) Heres todays mantra: "Its an open field to Big Bob." IKE Tell me. When you get to the altar, will you spike the bouquet? MAGGIE You know, there's no... Before Maggie can finish, Ike intercepts her.

IKE Well, Im off. A reporter work is never done. (heading to the door) Mrs. Pressman, thank you. Mrs. Pressman Tootaloo. INT. ATLANTIC HOTEL - MOMENTS LATER GRANDMA JULIA (VO) Id like to explain about the weddings. There are reasons why they didn't come off. Three weddings, no "I dos". You cant believe how much cake we were left with. I should weigh three hundreds pounds. I dont think her father thought spending so much money on booze that nobody drank. We hear Grandma as through the hotel doors, we see Maggie exit the diner. She gets a bag from inside the cab of her truck and

comes inside the hotel where she finds Ike talking to Grandma, who is having tea with her friend, NETTA. MAGGIE Ike... Hi, Grandma. IKE Gram here was going to give me the skinny on why you run from marital bliss. GRANDMA JULIA Right, cover your ears, Netta. not that she's afraid of the wedding, she's afraid of the wedding night. Innocent girls are terrified of "the one-eyed snake". (getting into it) Why, when I was a virgin bride, I took a knitting needle with me into the bed... Ike winces. MAGGIE Actually, Grandma, I charmed the one-

eyed snake awhile ago. GRANDMA JULIA Oh, yeah, I forgot. Ill tell you one thing, your grandpa didnt forget that wedding night. (no Netta) You can take your hands off your ears, Netta. Your teas getting cold. MAGGIE Can you excuse us a minute? (then to Ike) May I have a word with you, please? Maggie moves toward door. IKE Bye, Netta... Bye, Grandam. He steps over to Maggie in the doorway. MAGGIE I found this and didnt know if it was something interesting. Maggie hands Ike a 30-year-old LP: Miles Davis "Kind of Blue." IKE (excited) Oh, my God -- Its Miles Davis. This

is "King of Blue"! This is the original recording. Hard to find in good condition. Where did you find this? MAGGIE (casual) It was in the attic. It was jus sitting there gathering dust. IKE Its valuable. Hang onto it. MAGGIE No. You take it. She steps outside, leaving Ike with the record. IKE Hmmm... Figuring out what kind of music I like and then finding me a rare album. Youre not trying to soften me up, are you? MAGGIE No -- Im cleaning an attic. wouldn't try the impossible. She turns and walks back to the diner where Mrs. Pressman is

outside watering plants. Ike looks after Maggie and then back down at the record in his hand. Somehow it makes him sad. CUT TO: INT. IKES CAR - LATER THAT DAY Ike drives through Hale gobbling french fries from the fast food bag in his lap. Ike passes THE INN HALE BAR, same dump of a tavern he talked to bartender at. ANGLE ON: MAGGIES CAR parked a few cars down. He pulls over and parks. He gets out and speaks into his tape recorder. INT./EXT. THE INN HALE BAR -- DAY Ike approaches the window of the bar. Theres a DRUNK MAN and a DOG sitting outside. Inside, we see two figures from the back,

arms around each other. One is definitely Maggie. The other is definitely not Bob. MAGGIE (coaxing) Cmon. Lets go. As Maggie helps the man get up, we see that its Walter, Maggies father -- dead drunk. WALTER (belligerently) I havent had any fun since you got your drivers license... They stumble and lurch, exiting the bar toward Maggies car. MAGGIE Im not exactly having fun, either... Steady. WALTER (to Dog) Good boy, Port Hole. MAGGIE His name is Skipper, Dad... Steady. WALTER I changed it. (then to Drunk) See you later, Mr. Travis. (then to Maggie)

That guy has a problem... Maggie, you can run everyones life but your own. Maggies having trouble keeping him steady as she opens the car door. Ike is there in a flash to help her pull Walter into the car. WALTER (contd) Good daughters let their fathers pass out. Walter passes out on the front seat. MAGGIE (without difficulty) Ike... Please dont write anything about this -- IKE No. Forget about it. Don't even think about it. Maggie looks at him with real gratitude. She swings the car door shut. MAGGIE Watch your leg, Dad. (then to Ike) Im so tired of this.

IKE Why dont you let him sleep it off in the trunk. Ill take you for a ride. Then well come back for him. (to Drunk on bench) Keep an eye on him. DRUNK MAN Im too loaded. IKE I was talking to the dog. (turning to Maggie) All right? Maggie thinks about this for a moment. She takes a deep breath. MAGGIE Okay... Ill just grab my jacket. CUT TO: EXT. ROAD - LATE DUSK TO NIGHT Establishing of Ikes car driving. INT. IKES CAR - LATE DUSK TO NIGHT Maggie and Ike ride along. IKE My dad managed a business and two mistresses. He wanted me to be a novelist. More? Maggie nods, IKE (contd) My mother wanted me to become a musician. 0 for two. But at least Im a journalist and we all know journalism is literature in a hurry