"I DON'T" (the Aftermath)

By Kara Wild

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(On a lazy Saturday afternoon in September, Amy and her boyfriend,
Joel Silverman, sit at the edge of a crowd of tourists at a grand
civic center.  Joel tries to take pleasure in the nearby theatrics,
which range from clowns walking on stilts to a Middle Eastern folk
band, but he can see that Amy's heart is not in it.)  

(Her expression pensive, she watches Helen, who sits by herself a 
distance away, her pose melancholy.  Amy's attention is so fixed on 
her sister that when Joel brushes her shoulder, she lets out a gasp.)

JOEL:  Didn't mean to intrude.

(Amy flashes him an annoyed expression.  Then, when she realizes
how preoccupied she's been, she smiles apologetically and lets out
a sigh.)
     
AMY:  Sorry.  I've just been wondering whether I should go to her.  
You know, do more of the sisterly supportive thing.

JOEL:  If that's what you want.

AMY:  I just wish I knew what to say.  I *never* know what to say.  We've
never connected for more than five minutes at a time.     

JOEL:  Don't beat yourself up.  You've done a great job so far.  I don't 
think I've seen you so attentive.  

AMY:  Thanks.

JOEL:  You've undergone quite a change of heart since the days your 
sister was the "velociraptor."

AMY:  Actually, the transformation began a long time ago.  (reflective)  
The night of the Wedding from Hell.

JOEL:  I still can't believe you wouldn't let me join you.  The things 
I could have witnessed!

AMY: (gently amused)  You and I weren't in a serious relationship yet, 
remember?  I didn't want you to judge me by what I did to my family.  
(Joel smirks, cocks a brow.)  Besides, given what happened after the 
wedding, I'm actually glad you weren't there to rescue me...

(Swirl into a flashback, briefly replaying parts from "I Don't."  Sound 
muted, we see Erin, Rita, Helen, Jake, and Paul Meyerson fighting at a 
table.  Amy and Daria walk past them, off screen.)

AMY: (VO)  Daria and I escaped just moments before getting sucked into 
the maelstrom, and spent the next few hours gorging on cheese fries and 
thinking of ways to jinx the bowlers each time they took their turns.

(Cut to close-up of one overweight bowler poised to toss his ball.)

DARIA (OS, deadpan)  Let's *split*.

AMY: (OS)  *Spare* me your whining, kid.  We're staying.

(The bowler scrunches his face and tries to ignore them.)

DARIA: (faux annoyed)  This place has really gone into the *gutter*.  
Let's go.

AMY:  You've asked me *five* times in the past *seven* minutes, and 
the answer is still no.

DARIA:  So you'd rather I *choke* to death on the smoke fumes?

AMY:  Choke all you want.  You *don't strike* me as the delicate type.

(The bowler glares in their direction, beads of sweat forming on his 
brow.  He then winds up to take his turn.)

DARIA:  Shows you what *you* know.  (sounds of coughing.)  
HRGHMM-*RRMMM*-GRRUGHH-UGHH-UGHHH --!

AMY: (also coughing)  ARGH-ERGH-UGHH-UGHH --!

(The sudden loud spasms of coughing cause the bowler to lose his stride 
and send his ball whirling into the gutter, where it meekly dribbles up 
to the end of the lane and falls out of site.  Face burning with rage, 
the bowler once again turns to glare at Amy and Daria.  Pan over to show 
them smirking subtly at one another.

AMY: (softly)  Mission accomplished.  Now we can go.

(Cut to shot of them leaving the bowling alley.  Dissolve to shot of Amy 
driving Daria back to Windsor Hills Resort, the top up on her convertible.  
She glances at Daria, her face momentarily taking on a look of solemnity.)

AMY: (VO)  I spent three hours with a niece I'd barely seen since she was 
five years old.  During that time, we steered clear of soul-searching topics 
in favor of trading wisecracks.  Still, for some reason I felt this huge 
weight on my chest that, no matter what I did, kept growing heavier.  (Bt)  
And *no*, Smart Guy, it wasn't indigestion.

JOEL: (VO, innocent)  I never said anything.

AMY: (VO)  When we arrived back, we immediately smelled the carnage in 
the air.

(Dissolve to shot of Amy's convertible rolling up to the front steps of 
Windsor Hills Resort.  Cut to shot of her and Daria climbing out.  A golf 
ball whizzes on screen, coming within inches of hitting Amy.)

JAKE: (OS)  DAMMIT!

(Amy cocks a brow as she and Daria head inside.  Cut to inside the reception 
hall.  Pan over Erin crying in one corner as Brian stands over her, apologies
pouring out of his mouth.  Pan over more to show a tipsy Rita shouting insults 
at Paul, who looks as though he wishes he could get out of there.  Cut to shot 
of Quinn standing next to what remains of the buffet while Garrett, her 
bruised-up escort, fishes for the cutest delicacies to put on her plate.  
Daria breaks off from Amy and heads over to her sister, while Amy continues 
to walk and look about, her expression showing she believes she's entered
the loony bin.  Cut to shot of her walking toward the restroom, when a figure
leaps out at her from out of nowhere.)

MAN:  AGH!!

AMY: (repulsed expression)  UGH!  (She covers her nose.)

(It's the minister, bruised up and covered in vomit, looking obviously 
rattled.)

MINISTER:  Don't go in there -- she's a *hell* demon!  I was just lookin' for
sweet, innocent Daphne when suddenly She unleashed her venom!  O' Sweet Lord, 
SAVE me!

(Amy pays him no further attention as she heads into the bathroom.  The smell 
of vomit is obviously stronger, as Amy now cups both hands over her nose.  Cut 
to her POV: the bathroom is deserted, save a faintly moaning woman in one of 
the stalls.  The partially open door reveals that it's Helen.)

AMY: (VO)  I'd never seen her so pathetic.  At least not since Rita's wedding.

(Helen is hunched over the toilet bowl, her eyes red and teary.  Her hair, 
dress, everything is a mess.  Helen looks up at Amy slowly, not seeming to
recognize her at first.  But once stirrings of realization appear in her eyes, 
she braces herself against the toilet and stands up shakily.  Amy watches her 
with a mixture of amusement, wonder, and sympathy.)

HELEN: (shaky smile, utterly drunk)  Ameeeee sweetie we wond'red where y'took 
off to... aghhh my head.

AMY:  Here.  (She grabs hold of Helen and leads her over to a couch near the
mirror.)  You'd better sit down.

HELEN: (sinking down, her weight still against Amy)  Th'rooomz spinning.  
D'you... see ih spinning?

AMY: (cocks a brow)  Of course.

HELEN: (straining to articulate)  Iz like a berry-go-roun'... I mean a 
rerry-bo -- *no*, no...

AMY:  I know what you're trying to say.  (trace of tenderness.)  And maybe 
you should get to bed before you fall off.  Okay?

HELEN: (spacey)  Yeah, I don' like ih anymore anyw'y.

(Before Amy can stand up, Helen rests her head against her shoulder.  This 
gesture surprises Amy, who reacts by stiffening up, as though she's afraid 
any sudden movement might cause her sister to take her head away.)

AMY: (softly)  This whole day has felt like one big merry-go-round.

(The weight of the day seems to have also reached Helen through her haze.)

HELEN: (sniffling)  I messed up th' wedding, didn' I?

AMY: (faint smirk)  No.  All you did was remove the thin veil over our 
family's dysfunction and put it on startling display.  Had to happen sooner 
or later.

HELEN:  I din' even talk t' you.  I look for you once, buh you weren' there.

AMY: (glancing away)  You'd have probably found me in here. 

HELEN:  Didn' geh t' tell you how nice you look...

(Amy gets an expression of utter surprise.)

HELEN:  Our li'l Boo-boo-bidi-boo's grown up so nice an' big.

AMY: (amused)  Thank you, Helen.

HELEN: (doleful)  Buh if I tol' you, you prolly woul' h've laughed.  You 
think ev'rything's funny.

(Amy quickly stifles her smirk.)

AMY:  I wouldn't have laughed at that.

HELEN:  You... are you... laughing now?

AMY:  No, of course not.

(Helen wraps her arms around Amy and holds her tightly.  Amy's expression 
softens immeasurably.)

HELEN:  You won'... tell people you saw me... here...?

(Beat)

AMY: (sinking a little into her embrace)  No.  I won't.

(Dissolve to shot of Amy and Joel in the present.  Amy is turned away, a 
little sheepish about her revelation.)

AMY:  And with that, the weight on my chest just vanished.

JOEL:  So did you two ever talk about it?

AMY: (shaking her head)  The next morning, Helen had a crushing hang-over 
which turned her mood into absolute poison.  No one could get within ten 
feet of her, including me. 

(She sits back a little and turns her gaze toward her sister.)

AMY:  That was almost two years ago.  Might as well have been twenty.

JOEL:  I'll bet somewhere, deep down inside, she remembers that night.

AMY:  I should think so.  Mom sent her the cleaning bill.

JOEL:  You know what I mean.

(Amy glances at him, then turns away and reflects.)

AMY:  Even so, I've given up expecting some big loving gesture from her.
I've given up expecting anything, really.

(Joel moves to put an arm around her, but thinks better of it.  Amy is a 
million miles away, her mind going over the "what if"s and "could have 
been"s of her past, and there is no telling when she will be back.)


THE END


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This was originally a flashback scene cut from "All But Forgotten."
I decided to flesh it out a little to make a ficlet.

Copyright March 2006 by Kara Wild.  All rights reserved.