Words, Words: Food Poetry!
November 13, 2005 from Delicious! Delicious! www.deliciousdelicious.com
INT. MR. R.'S MANSION--STAIRS--SAME
Caryn skips down the steps in a hurry. Mr. R. appears at the top of the stairs, clothes rumpled from weeks in bed.
MR. R.
Caryn! Wait.
INT. HALLWAY
Caryn escapes down the long corridor. Mr. R. gains some ground behind her.
MR. R.
Caryn!
INT. LIBRARY
She weaves in and out of the fancy furniture sitting unused as always. Mr. R. bumps an end table and knocks over a vase that shatters to the ground, but he doesn't stop.
MR. R.
You don't understand!
Caryn disappears through the door at the end.
INT. DINING ROOM
Mr. R. pauses by the long, shiny table to catch his breath. Caryn breezes through the swinging door to the kitchen.
INT. KITCHEN
She whirls around and waits. Mr. R. barrels through the door in such a fury that he has no time to stop and smacks right into her.
Caryn doesn't budge as he regains his composure. He takes a deep breath.
MR. R.
Caryn. It's not true.
CARYN
Oh? Really? Beautiful, rich actress with whom you spend all your time suddenly turns up married to you? Makes sense to me.
MR. R.
No, it's not. I mean, it doesn't. We're not married. I never even wanted to marry her.
CARYN
How very sweet of you.
MR. R.
That's not what I'm saying. Just listen, okay?
He holds his hands out as if trying to grasp something, but then clenches them together as he tries to organize the words racing through his head. Caryn waits for the explanation.
MR. R. (CONT'D)
A. has always been after me. You saw how she acted. She told all her friends that we were a couple. And it always got back to me, but I just let it go.
CARYN
If it isn't true, why let people believe it?
MR. R.
I don't know. I guess I thought it was harmless.
Caryn folds her arms across her chest.
MR. R. (CONT'D)
But I began to see on this movie that her plans were far more detrimental than I initially thought. She kept pushing me to go out with her all the time. And everywhere we went, there were always photographers. Even in the backwoods of Mississippi, the papparazzi happened to appear.
CARYN
She wanted to create a story about you.
MR. R.
And the more I realized it, the further I backed away. Which of course incensed her to no end.
CARYN
Ah.
MR. R.
And so I ran.
CARYN
And hid.
MR. R.
Hoping that it was over.
CARYN
But the tabloids...
MR. R.
Yes, the tabloids. They'll take whatever story they can get. I'm sure she fed it directly to them.
CARYN
Why? Did she think that you would somehow start to believe it too?
MR. R.
I don't know what she thinks.
Mr. R. runs his hands through his hair and takes a seat at the little table in the corner.
MR. R. (CONT'D)
And I don't know what I'm going to do now. All this press will make the movie flop before it's even finished.
Caryn watches him for a beat before sitting at the table next to him.
CARYN
It's really none of my business anyway.
He stares at a spot on the table. Caryn forces a cheerful smile.
CARYN (CONT'D)
Well, at least you're out of bed.
Mr. R. looks up at the thought and takes in the room, a little confused.
MR. R.
Did you redecorate?
Caryn shrugs innocently.
CARYN
I got bored.
He stands up and goes to the fridge, but before he opens it, he peels off a magnet with "dumpling" printed on it. It isn't the only one. Dozens of little white and black magnets are arranged in mouth-watering descriptions of edible thoughts.
Mr. R. looks at Caryn, eyebrows raised.
CARYN (CONT'D)
Okay, I got really bored.
An almost imperceptible laugh escapes from his mouth.
CARYN (CONT'D)
You're gonna be okay, you know.
He returns the smile and nods.
MR. R.
Yeah. I know.
But it isn't the best performance of his career...
