Runaway Bride

       MAGGIE
  Fair enough.
   (thinks a beat)
  Actually...

 Maggie move to TV.  She picks up Ike's stolen post-it notes and
 her wedding video on top of the TV, and goes to the front door.

       MAGGIE (cont'd)
  I'll just need one more day to make sure
  your check clears.

       IKE
  Ow!

       DISSOLVE TO:

 EXT. HALE STREET - THE NEXT DAY

 Ike and Maggie drive in Maggie's truck.  They pull up in front of
 a Bridal Shop.

 A spectacular dress fills the small window.  It's beautiful,
 romantic, sexy.  Maggie and Ike can be seen in the reflection.

       MAGGIE
  Even with everything that's happened
  I've still never been married and I
  still deserve a beautiful dress.

       IKE
  Agreed.

 Maggie gives Ike a smile that lights up the sky.  They go inside.

 INT. BRIDAL SHOP - DAY

 The place is fairly large and prosperous, probably the place to
 go in the Tri-County area.  A little FLOWER GIRL, 10, is being
 fitted on the pedestal in the middle of the room.  A saleswoman,
 POLLY, has taken the flower girl under her wing.  They are both
 under the expert eyes of a stern looking woman, MRS. WHITTENMEYER,
 the shop owner.  Also, the girl's MOTHER is there watching.

   POLLY
   (to the mother)
  She'll be the prettiest little flower
  girl in your daughter's wedding.

       MAGGIE
  Mr. Whittenmeyer.  Hi, Polly!

 The flower girl sees Maggie and runs and hides behind Polly.

       POLLY
  Hi, Maggie.  You'll have to excuse her,
  Maggie.  Some of the children are
  afraid of you since you dragged that
  little boy up the aisle.

       MAGGIE
  I didn't drag.
   (then to the girl)
  He tripped on his shoelaces.

 Mrs. Whittenmeyer comes forward to greet Maggie.

       MRS. WHITTENMEYER
  You've come for your dress.  Good! 
  I'll get it from the back.

 Maggie leads her to the front window.

       MAGGIE
   (happily)
  Actually, I would like to get this dress.

 She points to the dress.  She smiles back to Mrs. Whittenmeyer,
 expecting her to share her joy.  Mrs. Whittenmeyer darkens.

       MRS. WHITTENMEYER
   (to Polly)
  Polly, take Leslie into change.
   (then, to Maggie)
  But the one you have on hold is lovely.

       MAGGIE
   (pleasantly)
  Yes.  But I've changed my mind.

       MRS. WHITTENMEYER
  It's one thousand dollars.

 Maggie is keenly aware of Ike listening in.

       MAGGIE
  I have one thousand dollars.

       MRS. WHITTENMEYER
   (firmly)
  The other one is only three hundred
  dollars.

 Maggie lowers her voice, hoping to lessen the humiliation of the
 moment.

       MAGGIE
  Is this dress for sale?

       MRS. WHITTENMEYER
  It just seems like an awful lot of
  money to spend on one of your dresses,
  Maggie... You only wear them for about
  ten minutes.

 Ike watches with regret as Maggie's child-like enthusiasm
 drains away, her happy mood crushed by the tactless assault of
 the shop owner.  He's starting to see that it's no always easy
 being Maggie. There's a tremor in her voice.

       MAGGIE
  Yeah, that's a good point.
   (then, sitting)
  The other dress is nice.

 Ike calls out to Mrs. Whittenmeyer.

       IKE
  Mrs. Whittenmeyer.  May I talk to you
  for a second?

 She walks over to him.

       IKE (cont'd)
  I don't know much about this kind of
  thing.  I'm from out of town.  You're a
  salesperson, right?  You're here to
  sell wedding dresses.

       MRS. WHITTENMEYER
   (huffy)
  Yes.  I've been here for thirty years.

       IKE
  Perfect.  Because Miss Carpenter is
  here to buy one.  But not just any one. 
  She wants that one.

       MRS. WHITTENMEYER
  It's a thousand dollars!

 Ike goes over and takes the mannequin out of the window.  Mrs.
 Whittenmeyer catches the wig as he puts the mannequin under his
 arm.

       IKE (cont'd)
  Look, Aunt Bea, we're buying this
  beautiful dress and anything else she
  wants or I'm coming back here with a
  squirt gun filled with India ink.

 Mrs. Whittenmeyer wilts under Ike's fierce gaze.  She turns to
 Maggie.

       MRS. WHITTENMEYER
  Will he really do that?

 Maggie gives her a look.

       MR. WHITTENMEYER (cont'd)
   (to Maggie)
  Well, why don't you pick out some
  accessories while I get this ready,
  dear.  Polly, will you come help me,
  please?

 Polly comes to help carry the mannequin away.

 ANGLE ON POLLY AND MRS. WHITTENMEYER:

       POLLY
   (whispering to Mrs. Whittenmeyer)
  It's a thousand dollars.

       MRS. WHITTENMEYER
  Shhhh!  The man has ink!

 Maggie looks gratefully at Ike.

       IKE
  Tough to spend money in this town.

 TIME CUT: A FEW MINUTES LATER:

 Ike sits as he hears Maggie's voice behind him.

       MAGGIE (o.s.)
  What do you think?

 Ike turns around.  Maggie is standing on the pedestal, wearing
 the dress and looking unbelievably gorgeous.  She is overwhelming
 to behold and Ike has to struggle to keep his face under control.

       IKE
   (stammering)
  You look... uh... You look fine.

       MAGGIE
  Fine.  The newspaper's upside down. 
  That's better than fine.

       IKE
  Bob will be very happy.

 She glows.  Then the moment between them is broken as she
 suddenly remembers something and grabs the veil off her head.

       MAGGIE
  Bob!  I almost forgot!  I have to meet
  Bob!

 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 we're ready to
  order.

       MRS. PRESSMAN
  We're 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.  He'd bet a thousand bucks on what she'd say
 next.

       MAGGIE
  I'll have the same.

       IKE
   (clears his throat)
  Of course.

       MAGGIE
  What was that?  I can't order  my eggs
  without sarcasm?

       BOB
  Neutral corners you two.  You're on the
  same team now.  Any more fighting and
  it's fifteen minutes in the penalty box.
   (gently, to Ike)
  Maggie's the nicest person you'll ever
  meet.  But she's always focusing out
  there.  She's got to start focusing
  more in here.
   (taps his chest)
  That's why she's had some -- whatever
  you want to call it -- problems in the
  past.
   (to Maggie)
  That's what we're working on -- focus. 
  Right, Maggie?  Focus on Maggie.  Focus
  on Bob.

 As Bob has been talking, Ike has been watching Maggie's 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 (cont'd)
  Here's today's mantra: "It's 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, I'm off.  A reporter's work is
  never done.
   (heading to the door)
  Mrs. Pressman, thank you.

       MRS. PRESSMAN
  Tootaloo.

 INT. ATLANTIC HOTEL - MOMENTS LATER

       GRANDMA JULIA (V.O.)
  I'd like to explain about the weddings. 
  There are reasons why they didn't come
  off.  Three weddings, no "I do's".  You
  can't believe how much cake we were
  left with.  I should weigh three
  hundred pounds.  I don't think her
  father minded 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.  It's
  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.  I'll tell you one
  thing, your grandpa didn't forget that
  wedding night.
   (no Netta)
  You can take your hands off your ears,
  Netta.  Your tea's 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 didn't know if it was
  something interesting.

 Maggie hands Ike a 30-year-old LP: Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue."

       IKE
   (excited)
  Oh, my God -- It's 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
  It's 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. 
  You're not trying to soften me up, are
  you?

       MAGGIE
  No -- I'm cleaning an attic.  I
  wouldn't attempt 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. IKE'S 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: MAGGIE'S 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.  There's 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)
  C'mon.  Let's go.

 As Maggie helps the man get up,  we see that it's Walter, Maggie's
 father -- dead drunk.

       WALTER
   (belligerently)
  I haven't had any fun since you got
  your driver's license...

 They stumble and lurch, exiting the bar toward Maggie's car.

       MAGGIE
  I'm 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 everyone's life but your own.

 Maggie's 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 (cont'd)
  Good daughters let their fathers pass
  out.

 Walter passes out on the front seat.

       MAGGIE
   (without difficulty)

  Ike... Please don't 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)
  I'm so tired of this.

       IKE
  Why don't you let him sleep it off in
  the trunk. I'll take you for a ride. 
  Then we'll come back for him.
   (to Drunk on bench)
  Keep an eye on him.

   DRUNK MAN
  I'm too loaded.