YOU'VE GOT MAIL

 EXT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER

 A small rally is taking place, with picket signs.  Kathleen
 is standing on a small speaker's platform, along with the
 Borough President.

        KATHLEEN
  My mother used to say to me that every
  book you sell is a gift from the
  heart...

 EXT. FOXBOOKS - DAY

 As 20 CHILDREN march in front of the store, holding little
 makeshift picket signs and singing songs.  "One, two, three,
 four, we don't want this Superstore."

 Customers go right through the line and into the store.

 INT. FOXBOOKS SUPERSTORE - DAY

 We can hear the pickets marching and singing outside --
 although the store is full of customers anyway.  The Fox men
 -- Joe, Nelson and Schuyler -- are sitting in the cafe.
 Nelson is holding a copy of a weekly newspaper, which has the
 old high-school yearbook picture of William Spungeon on the
 front page and a headline: William Spungeon Emerges from
 Hiding to Support Bookstore.

        SCHUYLER
  Who is this Spungeon anyway?

        JOE
  He's a writer.

        NELSON
  Well, I've never heard of him.  And
  neither has anyone else in this place.

 INT. TV SET - NIGHT

 As we see SIDNEY-ANN STRONGIN, a young and attractive PBS
 talk show hostess for a show called Inside Media.

        SIDNEY-ANN
  The New York Literary world was shocked
  this week when William Spungeon, the most
  famously reclusive author since J.D.
  Salinger, announced that he was coming
  out of hiding because of his loyalty to a
  small children's bookstore on the West
  Side of Manhattan.  Discussing this
  tonight is a man I happen to think of as
  one of this city's most underappreciated
  assets, Frank Navasky.

        FRANK
  Thank you.

        SIDNEY-ANN
  This all happened because of you, didn't
  it --

        FRANK
  Well, I knew William Spungeon loved
  children's books so I wrote a provocative
  column --

        SIDNEY-ANN
  Your specialty.

 Frank laughs.  Sidney-Ann laughs.

        FRANK
  And it kind of smoked him out.

 INT. KATHLEEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

 As she and Frank watch the television show.

        FRANK ON TELEVISION
  Technologically speaking, the world's
  out of hand.  Take the VCR.  The whole
  idea of a VCR is that it makes it possible
  for you to tape what's on television
  while you're out of the house.  But the
  whole point of being out of the house is
  so you can miss what's on television.
  Radio.  Now there's a medium I can get
  behind.

        SIDNEY-ANN ON TELEVISION
  Well, we're on television... and you're
  good at it.

        FRANK ON TELEVISION
  Thank you.

 Another little moment between them.

        SIDNEY-ANN ON TELEVISION
  The bookstore.  Tell us about it.

        FRANK ON TELEVISION
  Are you planning to collect radios?

        SIDNEY-ANN ON TELEVISION
  Do you think I should?

        FRANK ON TELEVISION
  The Shop Around the Corner is a true New
  York treasure.

        SIDNEY-ANN ON TELEVISION
  As are you.  I'd love to have you back.

        FRANK ON TELEVISION
  Any time.  Are we done?

        SIDNEY-ANN ON TELEVISION
  Not at all.

        FRANK ON TELEVISION
  Because I just want to say that the only
  show I do watch is yours.

        KATHLEEN
   (appalled)
  Omigod.

        FRANK
  Hey, I was just being polite.  Okay, I
  admit, I slobbered all over her.

 The show continues.

 EXT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - DUSK

 As we see Kathleen flip the open sign to closed.

 INT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - DUSK

 George is talking to Kathleen and Birdie, who is toting up
 the week's receipts.

        GEORGE
  And I can't decide whether to put
  sausages into the meat sauce or just
  chopped meat.  Last time I made it,
  Detective Carter and I never even sat
  down to dinner because --
   (he makes some sort of hand
    gesture indicating that sex
    prevented them from dining)
  and last night, I made margaritas in the
  blender, and I took the ice cube and --

        BIRDIE
  Spare us.

 George goes out the door.

 Birdie looks at Kathleen.

        KATHLEEN
  Don't tell me.  Not the slightest
  difference?

 Birdie can't bring herself to answer.

        KATHLEEN (cont'd)
  How could that be?  All this publicity
  and not one bit of difference?
  Oh Birdie, what am I going to do?  What
  would Mom have done?

        BIRDIE
  Let's ask her.

 She opens the locket hanging around her neck.  There's a
 picture of Kathleen's mother inside it.  Birdie holds the
 locket up to her face.

        BIRDIE
  Cecilia, what should we do?

 Birdie holds the locket to her ear and listens.  A pause.

        KATHLEEN
  Birdie?

        BIRDIE
  Shhhh.
   (after a beat, shrugs)
  She has no idea, but she thinks the
  window display is lovely.  Good night
  dearie.

 Birdie smiles and picks up her shopping bag, goes out the
 door.

 EXT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - NIGHT

 It's starting to rain.  Kathleen lowers the grate over the
 store.  As she turns to walk away, William Spungeon steps in
 her path out of the shadows.

        KATHLEEN
  Oh my goodness, hello.  What are you
  doing here.

        SPUNGEON
  Loitering.  Lurking.  Skulking.
  Stalking.

 He laughs.  So does she.  Dramatically, he whips out an
 umbrella and opens it over the two of them.

        SPUNGEON (cont'd)
  You look very beautiful.

        KATHLEEN
  Thank you.  But I'm a wreck.

 He touches her cheek suddenly.  Kathleen starts.  Then he
 blows on his hand.

        SPUNGEON
  An eyelash.  It's gone.

 Kathleen relaxes.  They start walking.

        KATHLEEN
  Are you writing another book?

        SPUNGEON
  I'm in the home stretch.  I'll be done in
  approximately six more years.

        KATHLEEN
  Should I discount?

        SPUNGEON
  It's about a man on a quest for knowledge
  who meets a woman he cannot resist.

        KATHLEEN
  If I discount I have to fire someone
  because I can't discount with this
  overhead but whom could I fire?  I
  couldn't fire anyone.

 Spungeon suddenly puts his hand through Kathleen's hair.  She
 stops, frozen in place.

        SPUNGEON
  You have your mother's hair.  Thick,
  wild, the color of Nebraska wheat.

 He grabs her and tries to kiss her.

        KATHLEEN
  What are you doing?  Let me go.

 He backs her into a wall.

        KATHLEEN
  Stop it.  Are you crazy?

 She kicks him in the shins, wiggles free and runs away.

        SPUNGEON
   (calling after her)
  If you change your mind, you can E-mail
  me.  Hermit@AOL.com.

 INT. COMPUTER SCREEN - NIGHT

 The mail form says "To:" and Kathleen types in "NY 152".

 The form says "Re:" and Kathleen types in:  "Advice"

 EXT. KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

 Rain is falling.

        KATHLEEN (V.O.)
  I need help.  Do you still want to meet
  me?

 EXT. JOE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

 Rain is falling.

 We hear the sound of the computer.

        JOE (V.O.)
  "Where?  When?"

 INT. NUT SHOP OF BROADWAY - DAY

 George, Kathleen and Christina in the shop.  Kathleen is
 buying more lollipops.

        KATHLEEN
  We're meeting in a public place.

        CHRISTINA
  Well don't go anywhere with him.  Don't
  even go out to the street with him
  afterwards.  Get a dial cab to just sit
  there and wait for you.

        GEORGE
  Did you tell Frank?

        KATHLEEN
  There's nothing to tell.

        CHRISTINA
  But did you tell him?

        KATHLEEN
  He's away.  At the 32nd anniversary of
  the Chicago Seven trial.

        GEORGE
  And he's gone to a place where there are
  no phones.  Do you even know this guy's
  name?

 Kathleen shakes her head no.

        CHRISTINA
  And you're going to meet him in a bar?

        KATHLEEN
  Not a bar.  That place on 83rd with the
  cheesecake.