HUNTER (V.O.)
wonderful all the
time.
Hunter and Chloe sit on a park bench with Benji, eating fast-food burgers and chips. Hunter realizes he's out of chips. While Chloe's not looking, Hunter spies some chips belonging to Benji and steals them.
19
EXT.
MOVIE THEATER – NIGHT
Hunter waits outside the Rialto, a trendy arthouse
theater. Hunter is looking at his watch, annoyed, when Chloe shows up. Hunter
forces a smile and kisses her.
HUNTER
(V.O.)
...And
eventually I began to wonder
whether
Chloe was exactly what I
was
looking for. For instance, one
night
she was late for the new IMAX
movie
because the baby-sitter
hadn't
turned up. That pissed me
off. And there were deeper
problems
than that.
20
INT.
CHLOE'S LIVING ROOM – NIGHT
Hunter and Chloe sit on Chloe's couch watching TV.
(We don't see it; it's close to camera, so we can make out Hunter's pained
expression). We hear bad melodramatic
TV MUSIC.
HUNTER
(V.O.)
She
didn't have a VCR or a
satellite
or cable, so we were
always
stuck watching some crap
made-for-TV
movie about a kid with
leukemia.
DOCTOR (O.S.)
(on TV)
I'm
afraid there's nothing we can
do.
WOMAN'S
VOICE
(also
on TV, hysterical)
Oh
God... oh please, please no!
21
INT.
TRENDY RESTAURANT – DAY
Hunter and Chloe are eating. Hunter is thinking,
trying to find the right time to broach something unpleasant.
HUNTER
(V.O.)
I
had to end it. But having been
Hunter
the Good Guy, I didn't relish
going
back to my usual role of Hunter
the
Unreliable, Emotionally Stunted
Heartbreaker.
MATCH CUT FLASHBACK to various women sitting in seat where Chloe is sitting.
OLD
GIRLFRIEND #1
(cold)
I'm
sorry, you're breaking up with
me?
You --
OLD
GIRLFRIEND #2
(crying)
--
self-centered bastard! I --
OLD
GIRLFRIEND #3
(angry)
--
can't believe I have wasted all
this
time with you! You --
OLD
GIRLFRIEND #4
(amazed)
--
useless, superficial loser!
Hunter's look seems to be in response to the
attacks.
CHLOE
Hunter...
We are back to the present: Hunter and Chloe.
HUNTER
(V.O)
And
then, something magical
happened.
Hunter,
I'm sorry, but I'm not sure
it's
working out. It's not you.
You've
been great. It's me. Well,
my
situation, anyway. With Benji,
and
his Dad... I'm not ready to
launch
into a relationship with
anybody
new.
HUNTER
(amazed
at his luck)
...
I think I understand ...
Hunter reaches out and takes her hand, gives her an
understanding look. Chloe starts tearing up.
CHLOE
You're
a wonderful, wonderful,
wonderful
man, Hunter. I'm so
sorry...
HUNTER
(V.O.)
I'd
never watched a woman cry
before
without feeling responsible.
I
could bestow forgiveness. It
was
amazing.
(out loud)
Listen,
you don't have anything to be
sorry
for. Really.
Chloe lowers her head, crying. Hunter discretely gives a nearby waiter the
waving-hand-holding-a-pen signal to get the check.
22
INT.
HUNTER'S FLAT – SITTING ROOM – DAY
Hunter sits there, savoring the breakup, listening
to cool music, drinking foreign beer, smiling.
Then, he has an idea, goes into the kitchen, comes back with the Yellow
Pages, looks under S...
HUNTER
(V.O.)
It
was the end of Chloe, and the beginning
of
a whole new thing. Single mums. Passionate
sex,
a lot of ego massage, and a guilt-free
parting
– what more could a man want? And
there
must be thousands of them, just waiting for
a
nice guy to sleep with and break up with.
Beautiful,
bright, gorgeous single mums...
Iris is CRYING HER EYES OUT. She looks like hell. SNOT dribbles from her nose. She barely has the energy to wipe it away.
A mournful Bright Eyes song is playing. We see
Dorian looking at his mom, his mouth open.
DORIAN (V.O)
The
crying had started again, and
it
scared me. Because now it was
in
the mornings, before breakfast.
She'd never done that before.
(aloud)
May I have some cocoa
puffs?
IRIS (V.O)
(crying)
No, it's not Sunday.
Iris takes down a box of ANCIENT GRAINS cereal –- No Preservatives, No Added Sugar –
from the cupboard. She reaches up for a bowl, which is blocked by some hastily-stacked plates. This sends her into a fresh wave of tears.
DORIAN (V.O.) (CONT'D)
I couldn't figure it out. Nobody
was dead. She had a job as a music
therapist, which is a kind of
teacher for sick kids, so there
was
enough money for food and
everything.
(aloud)
Should I fix my own breakfast?
IRIS
No, I'm doing it.
Iris pours milk over the cereal. The milk hits the cereal and splashes out onto the counter. This minor defeat brings another wave of anguish.
IRIS (CONT'D
(crying)
Oh Eru...
She composes herself, comes back into the dining room with the cereal and sits next to Dorian. She fixes his shirt collar.
IRIS (CONT'D)
So... are you looking forward
to school today?...
Iris breaks into fresh tears before Dorian can answer.