The End of the Tour Page #3

7.

Lipsky tosses Newsweek, opened to a photo of Wallace, onto

Bob’s messy desk.

LIPSKY:

He’s finishing up his book tour and I

want to go with him.

BOB:

That’s not a story.

LIPSKY:

He teaches at some small state

university, somewhere in Illinois.

Send me there. Please, Bob. This is

the sort of stuff I should be doing,

not 500-words on boy bands. Talk to

Jann?

17A

INT. ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE/LIPSKY'S CUBICLE - NYC - 1996 -17A

LATER:

Lipsky works at his computer. Newsweek with the Wallace

photo lands on his desk. Lipsky looks up and sees Bob.

BOB:

There had better be a story there...

Bob leaves.

LIPSKY:

(calls) There will be!

His smile fades. Now what?

18

INT. LIPSKY'S W 77TH ST APT/LIVING ROOM - NYC - 1996 - NIGHT 18

Sarah reads her own copy of Infinite Jest as Lipsky walks

back and forth across frame, gathering stuff to pack for his

trip. Laptop. Notebook. Wallace’s books, full of notations

and post-its. Tape recorder, packs of audio cassettes. He

considers then tosses in The Art Fair and zips up his bag.

20

EXT. LIPSKY'S W 77TH ST APT - NYC - 1996 - MORNING 20

A grey wintry morning. Lipsky, outside his building, hails a

taxi.

21

I/E. CAB/FDR DRIVE - NYC - 1996 - MORNING 21

Lipsky, in the backseat, reads Infinite Jest; he’s about

three-quarters of the way through it. He makes a note in the

margin, then glances out the window at the passing skyline.

8.

22 EXT. O'HARE AIRPORT - CHICAGO - 1996 - DAY 22

An American Airlines plane comes in for a landing on the

flat, grey, wintry landscape.

25 I/E. CAR/OUTSKIRTS - BLOOMINGTON - 1996 - DAY 25

Lipsky, on the road, drives past a sign for Bloomington.

26 EXT. 7-ELEVEN - BLOOMINGTON - 1996 - DAY 26

An American landscape of fast-food places and chain stores.

Lipsky’s Grand Am is parked in a 7-Eleven and Citco station.

He stands at a pay phone. (We never intercut during

telephone conversations.)

DAVID’S VOICE

(over phone) Hello?

LIPSKY:

David, hi, it’s David Lipsky.

DAVID’S VOICE

Where are you?

LIPSKY:

I think I may have made a wrong turn

somewhere. Let’s see, I’m on County

Highway 29, across from Circus Video?

DAVID’S VOICE

How’d you get this number?

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