Reincarnation,
Part 2
INT.
JAKE'S OFFICE AT THE HERALD-DAY
JAKE is peering at the late edition copy, using a red pen to make
large corrections and slashes all over it. He shakes his head,
picks up a small, plastic basketball and hurls it at the door to
his office. It narrowly misses CHRIS, who has walked through the
door.
CHRIS
That's abuse, man. Don't make me sue you for worker's comp.
JAKE
Chris, my man, get in here!
CHRIS
You're not going to dress me up in women's clothes again, are
you?
JAKE
Not today. But I did see a lovely blue number that would look
ravishing on you.
CHRIS
You are SO not funny. What's up?
JAKE
This copy stinks. Who's putting this together, someone's
four-year-old?
CHRIS
(deadpan)
I did.
JAKE
And I expect better from you. Really, Chris, why is this edition
such a bore?
CHRIS
Slow news day. Not much happening in the magical world that is
Bay City.
JAKE
If there's no news, we CREATE the news. There must be something
more exciting than the revamping of the hospital day care....(he
stops talking as Vicky knocks on his door)
VICKY
(flashing him a huge grin)
I know something more exciting than day care.
CHRIS
If you two are going to start that, I'm leaving.
VICKY
Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you, Chris.
CHRIS
It's not embarrassing, it's sickening.
VICKY
Well, don't go anywhere. Jake, I brought a surprise for you.
JAKE
Okay, Chris, now you can leave.
VICKY
(grabbing Chris' arm)
No, Jake, get your mind out of the gutter. I really do have a
surprise for you.
JAKE
New Jaguar? Tickets to the Stones?
VICKY
(going back to the door, reaching out and pulling Kat in, Claire
in her stroller)
No. This is your surprise.
Jake stares at her for a moment, then looks back at Vicky and
shrugs.
VICKY
Squidgie.
JAKE
(a huge smile crosses his face)
Squidgie?
VICKY and KAT
Squidgie.
CHRIS
(quietly)
What the hell is Squidgie?
JAKE
(he grabs Kat in a huge bear hug)
THIS is Squidgie. Katie Daimler. What are you DOING here?
KAT
Like I told Vicky, I just decided to track you guys down.
JAKE
I'm glad you did. Who's this?
KAT
Claire. My daughter.
JAKE
So, you're a mom. Pretty amazing. Oh, Chris, this is Katie. Katie
Daimler. Vicky and I knew her when she was a little girl in
Lassiter.
CHRIS
Nice to meet you. (He and Kat shake hands) Where's the name
'Squidgie' come from?
KAT
Oh, geez....
VICKY
(laughing)
Oh, man....
JAKE
Okay, Chris....you know the sound that mud makes when it squishes
between your toes?
CHRIS
(A puzzled look on his face)
Yeah....?
JAKE
Well, Katie had this small....accident....one day.
KAT
Accident, my rear end. (She and Vicky start to giggle). It wasn't
an accident, Chris. Jake decided to play a practical joke on me.
When I was eight years old...and Chris, think about what kind of
seventeen year old plays a joke on an eight-year-old...we had
this huge rainstorm---
VICKY
---Jake found a mud puddle on the playground where we'd taken Kat
for an afternoon.
So, she's on the swings, I'm pushing the swing, when all of a
sudden, Jake comes running over like someone has set his shoes on
fire----
KAT
---Grabs me off the swing, starts running ACROSS the playground,
carrying me like a sack of potatoes, and literally just tosses me
into this mud puddle----
VICKY
---For absolutely NO reason! Poor Kat's covered in mud, and when
she stands up, she literally sounds like---
KAT
----a loud 'squidgie'.
JAKE
You two have selective memories. I never actually THREW Kat into
the mud puddle.
VICKY and KAT
You LIE!
KAT
You TOSSED me into that puddle. Don't even try to deny it. It's
not going to work.
JAKE
(A cheshire-cat grin on his face)
Okay....well, possibly.
VICKY
Possibly. Definitely.
KAT
But I've forgiven you, Jake....really, I have. Just hope that it
doesn't rain while I'm here.
CHRIS
That sounds like the Jake I know. My vote's with Kat and Vicky on
this one, Jake.
JAKE
You're supposed to be my best friend and you won't back me up
here? Okay, Chris, get out.....
Jake shoves Chris out the door, both of them laughing. Jake turns
back to Vicky and Kat.
JAKE
So where are you staying?
KAT
I've got a room reserved at the Bay Inn Motel.
VICKY
Oh, no. I don't think so. You guys are going to stay with us.
KAT
Vicky, no...we'll be fine. You weren't expecting company...
VICKY
You're not company. You're family.
KAT
(With a smile)
Thanks...if you guys really don't mind...I would love to see your
boys, too...
VICKY
I can't wait to introduce them to you. They're going to love
you....
JAKE
Well, we've got a couple of hours before they come home from
school. Can I treat you two lovely ladies to lunch at Carlino's?
VICKY
Ooh, Kat, don't pass up Carlino's. Best pasta this side of the
Mississippi.
KAT
How can I pass that up?
The three of them leave the office, Jake pushing Claire's
stroller.
CUT TO:
INT.CARLINO'S-SAME DAY
REMY is waiting tables at Carlino's. She smiles at them as they
come in, and seats them nearby the bar. They place their orders
and Jake picks up Claire out of her stroller. She begins to
giggle as he holds her up in the air and jiggles her around.
KAT
She likes you, Jake.
JAKE
Hey, the girls always love me. So where's her dad?
Kat looks down, silently. Jake and Vicky exchange a look.
JAKE
Look, Kat, if you're not comfortable talking about it....
KAT
(shakes her head)
No, it's okay. It's just not a part of my life I particularly
enjoy remembering. Aside from Claire, it's one of the worst two
years of my life.
VICKY
Kat....what happened? The very last letter I had from you said
you were going to college, you had a scholarship for
communications....
KAT
I did go to college. I'm only a semester short of finishing my
degree. But while I was in school, the end of my junior year....I
met Quint.
JAKE
Claire's father?
KAT
(She nods)
Yep. Claire's father. And I'm going to make this as short as
possible.....we started dating. We dated for about seven months,
and it was perfect. I really thought I'd met the man of my
dreams, the man I was going to marry. Then I got pregnant. And
the abuse started....
VICKY
Oh, God....
KAT
I was three months pregnant when he shoved me down a flight of
stairs. Thank god, I didn't lose her. But I started to realize
that I had to get out, if I wanted to protect myself and my
child. I was stupid, though. He promised me it would never happen
again. He lied. At six months, he broke my arm. At seven months,
I left him. But where did I have to go? No family to depend on,
no one close to help me keep him away. So I went back to him.
VICKY
Kat, you didn't....
KAT
I couldn't support myself or my baby, Vicky. I had nowhere to go.
Believe me, every night, I would lay there, feeling this little
person kick in my stomach, feeling Quint breathing next to me,
and crying because I was so scared that he was going to hurt both
of us.
JAKE
Why did you finally leave?
KAT
Claire was two months old. She was crying and colicky. Quint
hadn't touched me since breaking my arm and I thought we were
past the abuse...I really thought we were going to be a family.
Quint was good with her, gentle....until that night. She was just
so fussy. I put her down in her cradle for just a minute....I was
so tired and so worried....all the things a new mother feels.
Quint was in the bedroom and he yelled at me to get her quiet.
When she didn't get quiet immediately, I heard him get up and I
saw him move into the living room towards my daughter. I thought
maybe he was going to pick her up, hold her, try to calm
her...but then I saw his hand go down over her mouth....
JAKE
That son of a---
KAT
(her eyes are teary and she has trouble getting the words out)
I tried to get him to let go of her...she was struggling to
breathe....but he just shook me off. So I grabbed this lamp...a
ceramic lamp....and I hit him with it, as hard as I could. It
knocked him out. The next few minutes were just a blur....I threw
some things in a bag for us, grabbed the baby, and I left. I got
in my car, and I just drove. I drove all the way from
Philadelphia....to Chicago, where I found a woman's shelter.
VICKY
You've been in Chicago for the past four months?
KAT
(nods)
The shelter helped me to find a job, an apartment, day care for
Claire. It's not an ideal situation, but at least I know that my
child is safe.
JAKE
I can't believe you've gone through this, Kat. I'm so sorry.
VICKY
So am I. Kat, if there's anything you need, anything at all....
KAT
I didn't come here for handouts or for pity. I came here because
I needed to reconnect with my childhood, reconnect with you guys.
I knew that having you in her life would only make her life
wonderful, like it did mine.
They stop talking as Remy brings their food, and they all dig
into the pasta.
KAT
You were right. This spaghetti is to die for. I may have to make
my home as a transient outside their front door.
JAKE
Anytime you want Carlino's spaghetti, all you have to do is ask.
VICKY
And we'd better hurry....the boys will be home in about an hour.
KAT
Don't you dare make me rush to finish this spaghetti, Vick. Or
I'll pull a noodle through my nose
VICKY
(laughing)
Ewww....but remember, Jake and I taught you that trick.
FADE OUT
