The Manchurian Candidate Page #5

MELVIN:

Not these.

Beat. Marco stares at him.

MARCO:

No I don’t.

Melvin’s face falls, disappointed. Fumbling in his clothes,

he finds a SPIRAL NOTEBOOK, dog-eared, and fat with

newspaper clippings -- tries to press it into Marco’s hands.

MELVIN:

It’s bad, sir. It’s making me crazy. I

write it down, every night, after I wake

up, I try to get it all -- it doesn’t

always go together -- all of what I can

remember, and --

MARCO:

(gentle)

-- Al, you know, maybe you should be

going to the VA and talking to a doctor,

I mean if these dreams are really --

MELVIN:

-- I’ve been to doctors!

The notebook DROPS BETWEEN THEM, and PAGES SCATTER on the

floor. Both men go down to collect them --

MELVIN:

I’m so stuck, sir. I mean -- I remember

Shaw saving us, but it does not make

sense -- it should have been you. And

Shaw, he --

8/18/03 12.

MARCO:

Well, that’s -- it’s over and done.

We’ve got to move on --

-- Marco rocks back on his heels as he stares down at a

SKETCHY PORTRAIT OF AN ARABIC WOMAN whose face is covered

with intricate designs -- Marco stares curiously, as if he

recognizes her --

MELVIN:

I can’t get my hand around it. I thought

maybe, if you had the dreams ...

MARCO:

(shaken)

You need money --?

MELVIN:

No. No sir.

Self-conscious (people are staring) Melvin shoves the

notebook back inside his jacket.

MARCO:

-- here -

Marco already digging for a crumpled twenty. Melvin waves

it off, backing away, suddenly pissed.

MELVIN:

I don’t need your money.

MARCO:

Okay. Okay. Well, look, Al, I gotta --

MELVIN:

Go.

MARCO:

-- run, yeah. But.

(awkward)

It was great seeing you. And good luck

to you.

Melvin just scowls sadly at Marco. Flash of glass, a door

opens and closes, and Marco is gone.

38 EXT. H.S. PARKING LOT - DAY 38

Marco is motionless in his car, head resting against the

steering wheel. He straightens up, with a thousand-yard

stare. His hands are trembling. Slowly, he grips the

steering wheel ... tighter and tighter ... until the

trembling stops.

8/18/03 13.

39 INT. SUPERMARKET - CHECK-OUT COUNTER - NIGHT 39

A pretty CASHIER (ROSIE) empties Marco’s basket: bottled

water, three romance novels, a bottle of No-Doz, a bag of

tomatoes and two dozen boxes of instant noodles.

40 INT. APARTMENT BUILDING - CORRIDOR - NIGHT 40

Marco comes up the stairs with his groceries. An ELDERLY

WOMAN sticks her head out from her apartment door:

WOMAN:

-- Thirty seven.

Marco stops, looks at her blankly.

WOMAN:

From the landing. Every week it gets

longer. I’m worried about you.

He takes the romance novels out of his grocery bag and hands

them to her.

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