Cliff House: "...Just Float Away"

Wednesday, February 10, 1993

SETTING: A Springfield MOVIE THEATER. ROGER and JENNA stand outside of the screening rooms, talking . . .

JENNA: Roger, I don’t know how much more I can take of this. We can’t go anywhere alone without being bombarded.

ROGER: Jenna, I can’t deflect everybody. You’re big news now. Every reporter in town wants a piece of you.

JENNA: If that’s so, I think Gilly is right.

ROGER: About what?

JENNA: Don’t get angry . . .

ROGER: I’m already angry.

JENNA: No, no, now. . . I’m going to move out of your apartment.

ROGER: No!

JENNA: Yes, I am . . . Into a hotel room, until after the trial.

ROGER: Would you cut it—

Suddenly, MICHELLE BAUER appears, and averts their attention.

MICHELLE: Jenna!

JENNA: My goodness, what are you doing here? And who brought you?

HOLLY (Having followed MICHELLE): I did.

ROGER is surprised to see her.

In the following scene, two things happen, one of which is heard, and the other seen. JENNA and MICHELLE talk, while ROGER and HOLLY—for once—fail to make eye contact. They each glance at the other, but at the wrong moments, neither catching the other’s eyes.

MICHELLE: So, what are you doing here?

JENNA: Hiding out from the enemies.

MICHELLE: You mean, spies?

JENNA: No . . . Since I was on television last night, I’ve become sort of famous, and there are all these reporters that want to do interviews with me.

MICHELLE: My dad let me watch some of it last night. You looked beautiful on television.

JENNA: I didn’t feel very beautiful. I think I was too nervous.

MICHELLE: It’s like that story, only this time you’ll get all the jewels, so you won’t have to be sad any more.

JENNA: Oh, I’d like that—only if you’re my princess-in-waiting, because it wouldn’t be any fun without you.

MICHELLE: I’d like that.

HOLLY [Cutting in]: There is a hot fudge sundae waiting at the diner for you. What do you say—shall we go? [To JENNA] You should see this movie—you might learn something.

JENNA: Oh?

MICHELLE: I don’t think Jenna would like it very much. It’s about this horrible king, who never likes any of his wives, so he has their heads chopped off.

JENNA: He does sound like a terrible sort. What on earth were you seeing that film for?

MICHELLE: Homework assignment for English history. Anyway, I’m glad people don’t do things like that now.

JENNA: So am I, considering that I’m English.

HOLLY [With her trademark sarcasm]: Yes, you come from quite a tradition, don’t you?

JENNA [Not flinching]: Yes, yes I do. But America has traditions. I hear they used to burn witches at the stake.

ROGER interrupts before this escalates . . .

ROGER: Ah—I think we’d better be going, Jenna.

MICHELLE: Can’t she come with us to the diner?

HOLLY: Oh, I think she’s busy. Besides, we want to work on your paper.

As any reasonable schoolgirl would, MICHELLE ignores this and turns to JENNA.

MICHELLE: They have real hot fudge.

JENNA: The kind that sticks to the roof of your mouth?

MICHELLE: Yes.

JENNA: Ah . . . Roger, how could I resist?

HOLLY: I don’t think . . .

ROGER [Who can’t resist either!]: Well, I personally wouldn’t want to miss it for the world. [To JENNA] Besides, you need some protection.

HOLLY: From whom, the press?

ROGER [Looking pointedly at her]: From whoever. [To MICHELLE] C’mon sweetheart, you ride with us. First one there gets the most hot fudge!

MICHELLE: Okay!

As they walk away, JENNA looks at HOLLY . . .

JENNA: Coming?

Nor can HOLLY resist. . .

ROGER, JENNA, HOLLY, and MICHELLE are now squeezed into a booth at the DINER.

MICHELLE: I wonder where’s Stavros.

HOLLY [Irritated]: Hopefully he will show up soon.

MICHELLE [To JENNA]: Maybe he will let us make our own sundaes. C’mon, let’s go ask.

JENNA and MICHELLE leave ROGER and HOLLY in the booth. As JENNA and MICHELLE approach the counter, JENNA has a confidential word with MICHELLE:

JENNA: You’re not very keen on Holly, are you?

MICHELLE: She’s trying to be nice, but I don’t think she’s very good at having fun.

JENNA: Oh, I see.

MICHELLE: Besides, she’s my father’s friend. You’re mine.

JENNA is touched by this avowal of honest friendship.

Back at the booth . . . ROGER tries to speak to HOLLY. She averts her eyes.

ROGER: Uhm . . . You know, I think it’s great, the way you’re looking after Michelle.

HOLLY: I’m not looking for your approval.

ROGER: Listen, is there some way we could just talk?

HOLLY: Why don’t you just go, Roger? She looks safe; there are no reporters here. Why don’t you just make an excuse and leave?

ROGER: I know that you’re upset about what happened at WSPR. Do you think you could just . . . talk to me?

HOLLY [Looking at ROGER]: What do you want from me?

ROGER: I want you to admit that we are connected, that we share a child together. What happened at WSPR was business. That’s all.

HOLLY: It was a hell of a lot more than that and you know it! Or was it just another thing in a long line of things that you have taken away from me for years—from my dignity to my daughter, from the one man I might have had a good relationship with—

ROGER [Sarcastic]: Oh, yes, the highly esteemed Ross Marler?

HOLLY [Vulnerable and angry]: Don’t you dare! And now my job. Whether you think I was performing up to your high standards or not is beside the point. You know, I would have expected this from a major corporation, from a stranger, but from you? You, this man who . . who will not let go of this “connection” to me, for some godforsaken reason known only to you! From you I expected some kind of compassion, Roger. [Dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief, her voice trembling] You know that I am holding on to this world as we know it by a very slender thread. . . I feel like I’m in some kind of a bubble. You can see me. I can see you. You think you’re with me, but I’m in a bubble . . . encased . . . and I can’t—I can’t breathe. But the thing that I’m . . . the thing that really scares me . . . is that I could just float away. There’s nothing to hold me anymore. That job was my last anchor and you took it away from me! . . .It seems to me that every time I try to rebuild my world after some lousy thing happens to me you take—you wreck it! Maybe you’ve committed your final act, Roger, because I just might float away now. There’s nothing—there’s nobody—to stop me.

ROGER watched and listened intently as HOLLY spoke . . . But they are interrupted by a laughing MICHELLE and JENNA, who come bearing two gigantic sundaes.

JENNA: I think the manners police are after us.

MICHELLE: We made a huge mess!

ROGER [Genuinely distressed]: Uhm . . . Listen, Michelle, I’m so glad we got a chance to run into you, but we’re really gonna have to be going.

JENNA: Do we, really?

ROGER [Shaken]: Yeah.

JENNA to MICHELLE: All right, sweetheart, you can eat mine as well. Bye.

ROGER: Bye.

HOLLY ignores ROGER, and he and JENNA leave. MICHELLE reaches for her sundae, but suddenly stops. She notices HOLLY’S sadness, and might be said to notice HOLLY for the first time.

MICHELLE: Are you okay?

HOLLY: Yeah, I’m fine.

MICHELLE [sourly]: I hate it when adults lie to kids.

HOLLY: You’re right. I’m not.

Next scene:

HOLLY contemplates the sundaes.

HOLLY: You should eat it.

MICHELLE: You’re not eating yours.

HOLLY: I’m on a diet.

MICHELLE: You’re already thin.

HOLLY: That’s because I don’t eat stuff like that.

MICHELLE: Sounds pretty boring.

HOLLY: That’s me. . . . So, I was gonna help you with your paper.

MICHELLE: I’ll do it later.

HOLLY: Your dad said you were gonna need some help.

MICHELLE: He was wrong.

HOLLY: He said . . . your mother was the writer in the family and she always helped you with your papers. I couldn’t be as good as she was, but I could help you.

MICHELLE [Closing herself away]: No.

HOLLY [She nods]: I’m sorry.

MICHELLE [Making a point]: My mom knew how to make my reports funny, because she was funny. She ate ice cream sundaes with me, even though she was always trying a new diet. She said, “Sometimes you just need hot fudge to keep going.”

HOLLY takes the point. She examines the soda and eats a spoonful of whipped cream. MICHELLE giggles.

MICHELLE: You’ve got some on your nose! . . .[They both laugh.] I like you better this way.

HOLLY: Good to hear laughing! [More laughing] Dive into it!