第16章 PART 16

EXT. CHURCH DRIVEWAY - CONTINUING Maggie flies toward a FedEx truck at next house just leaving. ANOTHER ANGLE: She gathers her dress and jumps in as Ike yells from window, then, quickly climbs out onto the lawn as the truck starts to pull away. IKE Maggie! Maggie looks back once, tearful and regretful, and disappears

inside the truck. The truck races off. The PHOTOGRAPHERS turn their cameras on Ike, en masse. He is enveloped by a barrage of bright lights. Ellie and Fisher, who have also stepped outside on chapel front steps, are looking around as Ike turns around the corner and past the church. ELLIE

Look, hes running after her. FISHER Look, hes in pretty good shape. ELLIE Poor Ike. They look after the FedEx truck and watch Ike chasing the truck down the road away from the church. IKE (running; yells) Maggie! ELLIE Where do you think shes going? FISHER Wherever it is, shell be there by ten-

thirty tomorrow. Cindy, Cory, Peggy and Meredith also rush out of the church and comment on Maggies runaway. Further down the road, Ike still chases the truck, yelling: IKE Maggie! As the truck rounds the bend in the road and disappears, Ike stops and stares alone after the disappearing truck. A swarm of

REPORTERS catch up to him, flashing pictures and asking questions. Another camera flashes and we cut to: A NEWSPAPER PHOTO Of Ikes stunned face on the cover of the USA Today. The caption reads: "Hit and Run: Runaway Bride Strikes again". And we see headlines in other papers. "MAGGIES MAD DASH"

"HARDWARE HONEY GOES NUTS AND BOLTS" "JOURNALIST WRITTEN OFF" "BRIDE TAKES HIKE...NOT IKE" "BRIDE TAKE RIDE" "MAGGIE SAYS I DONT" NEWSPAPER MONTAGE: INT. NEW YORK BAR - DAY Kevin, the bartender, reads Jays column, in the USA Today entitled "Maggies Mad Dash".

CUT TO: EXT. USA TODAY LOADING DOCK - DAY Various newspaper WORKERS also read Jays column in the USA Today entitled "Maggie Mad Dash" and "Hardware Honey Goes Nuts and Bolts" in another newspaper. FADE IN EXT. MAIN STREET/HALE - NIGHT (1-5 MONTHS LATER) Its a night like any other in Hale -- the regular order of

things has been restored on its quaint streets. Quartet sings in front of the hotel. LEE AND CORY CHUFFA: About where Peggy is. INT. HARDWARE STORE - NIGHT Maggie is sitting, end of a long day. Peggy sticks her head in entrance door. PEGGY You okay? Im closing. MAGGIE Im just finishing up, too.

PEGGY Want to go to Butchs for a drink or something? MAGGIE (interrupting) No, Im just going to head home. PEGGY Okay. Peggy starts to go, then moves close to Maggie. PEGGY (contd) (stepping closer and making a "V" with her fingers) You know, I was just thinking about

that geese thing. I think the "V" was half of a "W". A "W" for... MAGGIE What are you talking about? PEGGY Wedding. Wedding. (holding Maggies face) You just have to get the rest of your ducks in a row. MAGGIE Thank you. You still think that he was....

PEGGY Quick. Very quick. Peggy exits. Maggie stares, losing herself in thought. Then a VOICE startles her. VOICE (whispers) Marry me, Maggie. Maggie jumps and turns to see: DENNIS -- the kid from the high school football team, popping up from a low position near the counter. MAGGIE (softly) Hi, Dennis. DENNIS I am going to propose, you know. I mean, the right way. Soon as I turn eighteen. MAGGIE Youre sweet, Dennis. But youve got to go. Im closing up. Heres a candy bar and one for your brother. Dennis takes the candy and starts to go. DENNIS Im not giving up. A person shouldnt give up. Dennis exits. Maggie is alone. She turns out the lamp she designed, then on again. She turns off the other lamp on the counter and exits. We hold on Maggies designed lamp. CUT TO: INT. IKES HALLWAY AND APARTMENT - NIGHT Ike walks up to his door, carrying his mail and a bag of carryout. He opens the door and walks into his apartment. He pets Italics, who sits on his sofa bed. Without taking off his coat, he goes to his keyboard and plays music as he CHUFFAS to his cat about marriage and divorce. CUT TO: INT. MAGGIES HOUSE - DAY Dad and Grandma Julia are there. Grandma is making lunch. Walter is juggling oranges. Theres glass of beer on the kitchen counter. WALTER Thats Maggie. Home for lunch. GRANDMA JULIA Shes been doing this since the last wedding. I dont think its good. Maggie walks in and kisses Grandma on the cheek. MAGGIE Hey. Grandma, whats for lunch? GRANDMA JULIA Turkey and cheese. WALTER Honey, your grandmother and I were thinking about opening a wedding gift museum. Walter laughs. MAGGIE STOP! Walter looks at his daughter in surprise. Hes never heard a tone like this in her voice before. WALTER What? MAGGIE (quiet fury) Just stop it. Dont say another word like that. WALTER (putting down the oranges) Maggie, its just a joke... MAGGIE No. Its my life. WALTER A harmless joke. MAGGIE No, its humiliating and youve been doing it since I was a kid. I dont like it. Stop. You may not like having a daughter with problems. But guess what? I dont like having a father whos drunk all the time. Ill eat in my room. Maggie takes a plate and exits. GRANDMA JULIA That needed to be said. You know -- youre always making jokes about her, so they wont make jokes about your drinking. Walter reacts. CUT TO: INT. IKES APARTMENT - DAY Ike goes out on his terrace. He bounces a basketball. It doesnt bounce. He sits on the steps of the patio an stares. CUT TO: INT. MAGGIES WORKROOM/GYM - DAY Maggie is kickboxing. CUT TO: INT. MAGGIES WORKROOM/GYM - ANOTHER DAY Maggie is a bit melancholy as she works on her lamps. CUT TO: INT. IKES APARTMENT - ANOTHER DAY Ike quietly sits in bed writing and staring into space thinking. His cat sits on the windowsill. CUT TO: INT. MAGGIES WORKROOM/GYM - NIGHT Maggie jumps rope barefooted late at night. MAGGIE I need a plan... A plan to life... What would Bruce Lee do? Hed kick some ass... CUT TO: INT. MAGGIES KITCHEN - DAY Maggie in front of plates full of all sorts of types of eggs -- scrambled, poached, sunny-side up, Benedict, soft boiled, etc -- sits on the kitchen counter. She ties them all. EXT. NEW YORK STREET - DAY Establishing shot. Two MEN try to fix the engine of a taxi outside the restaurant. CUT TO: EXT. NEW YORK STREET - DUSK Eke walks by the T-shirt Vendor, goes into a subway station. EXT. ANOTHER STREET - DUSK Ike crosses a busy street where a MAN is being arrested. Ike is passing the upscale "Millennium Hardware Store". He glances at the window, looks away, stops and looks again. The window display is made up of an assortment of Maggies lamps. Logo "MAG" is on them. He smiles and walks on. EXT. CENTRAL PARK RESERVOIR - DUSK Ike stares out at water as he walks. EXT. IKES APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Ike walks along sidewalk, crosses street, enters his building. INT. IKES APARTMENT - NIGHT Ike opens the door to his apartment and flicks on the lights. He crosses to hang his coat in the closet. In the closet mirror, he sees and is stunned to find: MAGGIE, sitting on the couch holding Italics, the cat. MAGGIE Hello, Ike. He closes the closet and crosses to his desk. IKE Dont tell me. My doorman is one of your many admires... I knew I should have given him a better Christmas gift. Maggie smiles tenuously. Shes more than a little terrified. MAGGIE Ive been making friends with your cat. (then) Is it okay that Im here? IKE I dont have much choice in the matter now, do I? But I cant speak for Italics. (to Cat) Traitor! He moves to the kitchen. MAGGIE I dont blame you for being mad... Ike looks at her. Apparently the word "mad" is an understatement. MAGGIE (contd) ... Or... furious. Ike looks at her again. MAGGIE (contd) ... Irate? Livid? Hows that? He starts putting cat food in a bowl. The cat leaves Maggies side and starts to east. IKE Livid is good. So what is it, Maggie? You here on business? I saw your lamps. Theyre terrific. MAGGIE Its something Ive always wanted to do. Ike leaves the kitchen, turns on the balcony lights and re-enters the living room from the balcony. IKE You actually could make breaking and entering into a new career. (after opening the glass doors) So, what are you doing here? MAGGIE I wanted to talk to you about why I run or ride away from things. Ike moves away from her and sits on the steps near the balcony window, listening.