Wishing Aces

1. EXT. SAINT CHARLES AVENUE, NEW ORLEANS - DAY

Saint Charles Avenue, a trolley clangs down. We pass popsicle colored Victorian mansions, children walking with their nurses, to a wedding cake house.

2. INT. LEGERE MANSION - DAY

We glide up the beautiful wide stairwell, on to a gallery, through beveled doors. Inside a band is tuning up. The last preparations are being made before Kitten's birthday party. Upstairs, Kitten, a beautiful woman 36 in a long velvet gown is standing before a Victorian dresser. She is gorgeous like a china doll from Paris. Her husband, Quint, 45, a stylish man, with thinning hair and a strong jaw gives her a diamond necklace.

He kisses her neck, while checking his watch.

She peers into the glass studying her lipstick, her powder, her rouge—fearing the cracks are starting to show. Offscreen the bell rings and guests begin arriving.

Quint adjusts his tuxedo collar and breathes impatiently at the door.

QUINT: Are you trying to annoy me?

3. INT. DOWNSTAIRS - DAY

Kitten, smiling tightly, walks from one person to the next, making sure the party's all right. She never stays long with anyone for fear she'll run out of trivia.

She sees Quint slip away, cooing into a lady's ear, tapping another on the rump.

Embarrassed, Kitten ducks behind black servants with platters of champagne and pops inside some idle chatter.

DOWAGER: What is the color of that wall paper? Would you say tangerine?

KITTEN: I don't know. Let's see . . . puce.

DOWAGER: Oh I do love a bit of puce.

Kitten watches Quint as he backs to a wall with another woman.

Mortified, she retreats to the kitchen to calm herself, but her face falls.

Across the room, her fifteen year old son Bunky dressed like a bum—blue jean cut offs, T-shirt, leather jacket, unlaced boots—is guzzling a beer.

She hurries to him, pushes back the mane hiding his face, and whispers something in his ear. He bolts, kicking his filthy tennis shoe against a table leg.

She bites her lip, walks stiffly to the dining room, smiling firmly. She tries to get Quint's attention and stutters on saying her son's name.

KITTEN: I need your help . . . with . . . Bunky.

QUINT: A minute.

Quint is engrossed in his bevy of women. She escapes to the sun porch, bright afternoon light pierces through the windows. A debutante stops her—this is the last thing she needs.

DEBUTANTE: Where is Bunky going to prep school? Lawrenceville Prep. My brother adored living near Princeton.

KITTEN: Well we thought maybe. He's trying to get into—

DEBUTANTE: He's going abroad. To the British school near Tumbridge Wells?

KITTEN: Excuse me.

Over her shoulder, Kitten spots Bunky outside, now shirtless causing chaos. He swoops up some champagne and knocks over the tray.

Kitten rushes into the bathroom and throws up.

4. EXT. - INT. ELSA ELLIS'S GRAND DINING ROOM - DAY

A stack of pancakes. Elsa an obese woman, 40, dressed in a frumpy housecoat is eating a stack and watching TV. Jamie, her husband hurries down the spiral stairs. He stands six feet three inches tall, with the bluest eyes south of heaven, and a 38-year-old physique as firm as a quarterback's. He is stylishly dressed in chinos slacks and oxford shirt.

Seeing Elsa, he pales, loosens his collar. He pecks the back of her head and takes two aspirin with his coffee. Upstairs, a door slams.

DAUGHTER'S VOICE (O.S.): I'm not coming in at 1:00. You can't make me. Y'all hear that! You can't make me.

JAMIE: (to Elsa) What did you say to her?

ELSA: She's your daughter. I don't have to deal with this.

More door slams. Jamie glances up anxiously, grabs his Gucci briefcase, and walks out.

5. EXT. - TULANE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

Jamie pulls into parking lot. We see students walking about. Several students walk up to him.

STUDENT: Dr. Ellis, you got my paper yet?

ANOTHER STUDENT: Have you corrected our quizzes?

Jamie nods, and hurries by them.

6. INT - JAMIE'S OFFICE - DAY

Jamie walks down a corridor skimming his mail. The department secretary, a tall brittle woman, fiftyish stops him.

SECRETARY: Professor.

She hands him a letter. Jamie takes it, pales. He goes in his office and opens the letter. In the doorway, the secretary sees his face cloud.

SECRETARY: Everything all right?

JAMIE: You got any boxes?

The secretary winces and leaves.

A VOICE (O.S.): What happened?

SECRETARY (O.S.): Dr. Ellis got fired.

A VOICE (O.S.): They denied him tenure?

Quickly, Jamie shuts the door and hides the letter in his drawer. Outside it has begun to rain.

7. INT - KITTEN'S DEN - DAY

Kitten is sitting with a stack of college brochures which she is studying. She reads a passage to herself, wondering about going back to school. Quint's footsteps in the hall. She hides the brochures in the crack of the chair.

Quint hurries in.

QUINT: Where did I put my pen?

Kitten nods.

QUINT: Stand up. Stand up.

KITTEN: It's not here.

He sees the brochures, looks at them absentmindedly.

She cringes for fear he'll be furious but he makes no connection between the brochures and her.

8. INT. EXT - BEAUTY PARLOR - DAY

Sunny hot fall day. Kitten goes to the beauty parlor, to get a facial and a hair cut. Her hair dresser goes to do the usual, but she stops him and shows him a picture she's cut out from a magazine.

BEAUTICIAN: Is that what you really want?

KITTEN: Why not?

Sniggers from ladies in the background.

9. MAPLE STREET SHOPPING - DAY

Shopping, she changes her suit for designer jeans, her Channel purse for a back pack and her silk blouse for a turtle neck. Then she trades in her Volvo for an MG

10. INT. - EXT. GIBSON HALL -DAY

She parks illegally at Tulane giving the policeman $50 in exchange for her parking place. Tipping is the way Kitten gets through life.

CAMPUS COP (looking at bill): What? Who is that person?