Scene 30 - The Land of Enchantment

(Bruce sitting at hotel restaurant booth, looking down at table, palying with salt and pepper shakers. The restaurant is sparsely furnished, with a distinctively Southwestern flavor. Bruce notices girl scouts outside of restaurant window, wearing very bright, white blouses, selling cookies. Blouses are so white in the New Mexico sun that they appear to be glowing. Bruce watches the girls selling cookies for a while, then looks up, smiles, as Carol arrives.)

(Carol walks toward camera, smiling. She is decked out in blue jeans, boots, silver and turquoise.)

(Bruce, standing, extends hand. Touches Carol on shoulder as they both sit down.)

Carol: Nice accomodations. You got this place with the money the school gave you?

Bruce: I got a special package deal.

Carol: Whom did you have te sleep with?

(Bruce recoils slightly at this.)

Carol: Loosen up. (Touches his arm) Just a joke. I don't know about you, but this is my first real vacation in years.

Bruce: (Still somber) Yeah.

(Waitress appears.)

Waitress: How are we all doing today? Have you had time to decide what you might want? Maybe we can start off with a couple of drinks...

Carol: What kind of dry reds do you have?

Waitress: Dry reds we have (recites list).

Carol: Ooh, I think the (local wine) sounds good. I'll try that.

Waitress: And you, Sir?

Bruce: Oh, I'm fine for now.

Carol: Yes, but in an hour he'll be finer. Make that two.

Waitress: (Repeats Carol's choices to her, for approval.)

Carol: That'll work.

(Waitress collects wine list, leaves table.)

Bruce: Well, you're as assertive as ever today.

Carol: I'm just committed to seeing that you have a good time this trip.

Bruce: (Sarcastically) Well, thank you for looking out for my well-being, Carol.

Carol: (Looks serious) Hey, look. As far as I'm concerned that whole fire drill we went through at school is resolved. I didn't try to get you in trouble. You didn't get in trouble, the cat that you are. That wasn't the scene. I was only expressing my concern about what looked like a volatile situation. Okay, so maybe I overreacted a bit. I was just trying to express myself. (Touches Bruce's hand) So why don't you express yourself for a change and ask me how my flight was?

(Waitress returns with drinks)

Bruce: (Smiling, still looking down) How was your trip?

Carol: Bumpy. Very bumpy. I need a drink. (Picks up glass) Cheers.

(Bruce pick up glass. Doesn't drink.)

(Carol nearly downs whole glass.) Hey, this is pretty good. I like red wine.

Bruce: So when do the girls get back from Chaco Canyon?

(Carol finishes her glass of wine.)

Carol: (Looking off to her left. Gestures waitress with wine glass.) Oh, tomorrow sometime. What's the matter, coach? Afraid to be alone with me?

Bruce: No, but I'm not going to baby sit you if you drink too much. Not this time. We are at 7,000 feet. It's hard enough just to breath.

(A long pause. Carol sits and stews, looking at Bruce. She is visibly agitated.)

Carol: I'm a big girl. But I forget, that threatens you.

Bruce: What do you mean?

Carol: Oh, come on. What do you think about when you're with a real woman? You wonder how the little girls are making out...

Bruce: You don't know anything of what you're talking about.

Carol: That's right, I don't. And that's because you shut me out. You've always shut me out. Even before you got married. Even when we were together.

Bruce: Didn't happen.

Carol: What didn't happen?

Bruce: Us being together. I though I was supposed to have used you to get to Dianna. Isn't that how it went?

Carol: Is it?

Bruce: Well, that's whay you've told me...

Carol: Well, now I'm asking you.

Bruce: I don't even want to have this conversation.

Carol: You brought it up.

Bruce: No I didn't. Well, even if I did, if you ever though about anything before jumping off saying stupid things you'd realize how crazy it was. But go ahead animagine any old insane thing you want. I won't stop you.

Carol: (She is livid with anger.) Oh yeah? Well imagine this. (Throws Bruce's glass of wine in his face. Waitress arrives at same time with another glass of wine. Carol grabs the glass, takes a mouthful and spits it out into Bruce's face. She puts the glass down and storms away, only to return a second later to pick up glass and throw the remaining wine in his face, then throw the glass down on the table. She storms away.)

Waitress: We have and excellent laundry service.

Bruce: Thank you. Is there a therapy service, too? (Takes money out of wallet. Bruce gives the money to waitress as he gets up and leave the table.)

Bruce: Carol?

(We see Carol standing in elevater, looking up, waiting for doors to close. She looks furious, like she may be about to cry, but is holding it in. Bruce gets in elevater just as doors start to close.)

(In elevator)

Bruce: I'm sorry.

Carol: (Biting her lip. Looking at elevator ceiling.) Give me another bottle of wine and I'll break it across your head.

Bruce: Why are you so angry? What did I do?

Carol: Nothing. (Doors open.) Only don't you ever call me crazy, Bruce. Never again, if you know what's good for you. Excuse me. (She brushes by him to exit elevator.)

Bruce: (Steps out of elevator. Camera tracks him, but remains in elevator. Bruce opens arms in gesture of expasperation.) Hey! (Elevator door closes.)

(Carol is at her hotel door, fumbling with key.)

(Bruce walks up to Carol.)

Bruce: Well if I really wanted this kind of abuse I would have stayed married.

Carol: Shut up, Bruce.

Bruce: You'd have to admit that you and Dianna have a few qualities in common.

Carol: (Opening door. Turns around, curious.) Like what? Like in the sack? You slept with her, Bruce. Then you married her. You slept with then married my best friend, after telling me that you needed more space.

Bruce: Carol! Don't be so... Get a grip. You're just so... unreasonable.

(Then, becoming fully cognizant of what happened in the restaurant) You just threw wine all over me! What I said wasn't that bad, was it?

Carol: (Starts to laugh, despite her anger) Did I do that?

Bruce: You can be incredibly unreasonable when you go off.

Carol: Now there's an idea. Come on in and help me go off. (Intimate smile) I'm sory I threw all that wine at you, spit it in your face. That was a very fluid scene, huh? Come on in so we can share some more fluids. (Carol makes tidying up gestures to Bruce's shirt and face with her hands.)

Bruce: Deja vu... Carol, maybe we shouldn't be doing this here.

Carol: Morals? From you?

Bruce: No, it's just, well... Carol, it would be too complicated.

Carol: (Pushes Bruce, fairly hard) You go to hell then. Damn it, Bruce! It's not like I'm asking you to marry me! This is my vacation. We're both adults. What's wrong with a little, well, say companionship? Hmm? You think you know me. But you don't I'm not trying to trap you. You think you have to be so guarded. Why do you have to be so guarded all the time? (Makes puppy dog eyes. Puts arms around Bruce's neck.)

Bruce: You make it hard to say no.

Carol: Well, let me make it a little harder. (They kiss) You're the one that always makes things so complicated. (Another kiss) you have to give into the magic every now and then. Don't I show you a good time? Don't I know how to blow your whistle? (They look at each other in earnest for a spell, then kiss some more.) (Side view of the two of them in close embrace after kissing. Carol grabs Bruce's belt with one hand as she opens the room door with the other.)

Carol: Come on, Boy. Come on. (Whistling. Holds hand like she's offering a dog a bone.)

(Bruce and Carol disappear into doorway.)

(Camera begins to follow them into bedroom. Door closes. Camera stops outside of closed door.)

(Closed door fades to shot of translucent curtains being gently blown inward, like a sail, toward camera. The light source illuminates curtains from opposite the camera, giving them a diaphonous quality. Subtle wind noise accompanies this image. AFter about ten seconds of this the wind stops, allowing the curtains to resume their normal position, hanging relaxed, straight down. This is accompanied by a breathy, feminine sigh.