Mr Darcy 24-25
SCENE 24
INT: BJ'S APARTMENT – NOON
(Brock and Henry walk in, calling for the ladies.)
Brock: BJ, Reba! Are ya'll not up yet? Geez,it's noon!
(Reba runs in holding her head)
R: Shhhh! Stop yellin'!
Henry: We were not yellin'. You're just hung over.
Brock: Is BJ OK?
R: Nothing that a little "Hair of the Dog" won't cure.
B: So I take it you girls had a good time.
R: That doesn't begin to describe it. We went out with the band after the concert. I haven't laughed so hard in so long. What did you guys do this morning?
B: Well, Will Darcy came over here again. At nine AM.
R: God! What's his deal?
B: He was bragging about how he kept Bingely from making the biggest mistake of his life by marrying your friend Lorrie Ann.
(Reba does a double take.)
R: He WHAT?
B: That's what he said. I thought it was that b – um, witch Caroline who did it but apparently it was all Darcy.
R: Poor Bingely! He follows Darcy around like a puppy! This is really the last straw. And Lorrie Ann has been heartsick. So not only did Darcy ruin the future of Mike Wickham, but he has destroyed the love of two dear people for no reason except to exercise his own power over them.
(Reba grabs her purse.)
R: BJ, get down here! You're taking me back to the crazy beanie lady, and it ain't to see the Beanie Baby Museum!
BJ: ( from offstage) If you're onawarpath,get a cab. I'mup for beanie baby VicePresident, and I will not sully the home of my Queen! Get a cab!
R: Of all the – Fine! Geez, I have to do everything by myself all the time…I get so sick of it…sick, sick,SICK!
(She stalks out the door,grumbling)
SCENE 25
EXT: The entrance to Beanie Baby Villa – afternoon
(Reba pays the cabbie, who drives away. She starts up the drive and is met by a blue '65 Aston-Martin with the top down, driven by Will Darcy.)
D: Reba! What are you doing here?
R: I need to talk to you. Please get out of your car.
(Darcy pulls over and gets out.)
D: I was coming to see you; I had to see you again.
(Reba's anger is overcome with curiosity. Darcy has the appearance of a forlorn puppy. His face has lost all its haughtiness. His eyes are sad, almost pleading. His palms are open in surrender. Reba allows him to go on.)
D: I have tried so hard with every fiber of my being to over come this. I have looked at it rationally from every angle and cannot make it work with my family, my connections, my money, or my hope for future generations, but it doesn't seem to matter. My heart is immovable and I cannot bear the struggle any longer.
R: What are you babbling about?
D: I can't eat; I can't sleep; I can't work. Every hour, every minute, every second is wholly consumed despite all my efforts and I am surrendering. You win, Reba.
R: I win what? Will, you're not making any-
D: I love you.
(Reba whitens and gulps.)
D: With everything that is in me, I love you. You are all I think about from the time I get up until I go to bed, but then I dream about you, too. I cannot imagine a world without you in it, so I am asking you, despite all the objections there will be from my family and business associates, and despite my own good judgment that tells me it's ridiculous, please would you end my torture and marry me. Here. Now. In Vegas.
(Reba closes her eyes, but her mouth stays open for a moment, wanting to respond immediately, but waiting for the words to form coherently first in her mind. Then she takes a deep breath.)
R: MR Darcy, I think the polite thing for me to do would be to say thank you and tell you that I'm flattered and that I am obliged to somehow let you down easy to spare your feelings. However, in this case, politeness is impossible. I never asked for your attention. As a matter of fact, I tried to discourage it as much as possible, and up until this weekend, you seemed to be doing the same. I'm sure your disgust of my low social standing will help you get over this crush very soon. I have no idea why you suddenly had this violent change of heart. I did nothing to do with it. And even if I had been interested for some ungodly reason, do you think anything could have tempted me to even have a date with the man who separated my best friend from the only man who she's ever truly loved and the only man who's ever been good enough for her?
D: Bingely is far and away a better person than Lorrie Ann.
R: How long have you known Bingely?
D: Five or six years.
R: Right. Lorrie Ann and I were in kindergarten together, Mr. Darcy. She may come across as a strong, brassy broad, but underneath, she's a shy sweetheart who's been stepped on by every man who's been with her since high school.
D: Then she needs to start matching her inner and outer selves.
R: But Lorrie-Ann's not the only problem I have with you. You also have ruined the future of apromising young software designer for no reason other than to feel your own power.
D: Oh,yeah, you just love Mike Wickham, don't you? Bless his little heart, he's just been wronged all his life.
R: Yes! By you!
D: You know nothing of the real Mike Wickham. You're just mad because your little pets aren't getting what they want. Talk about feeling your own power. Everyone in your family jumps when Reba says, "Boo!" I'm trying to be honest and open in admitting my misgivings about our relationship so we could start with no secrets.
R: Our "relationship?" What relationship? There will be none. From the day I met you at the barbeque, I have seen you snub people, insult people, and ignore people who may not have your money or influence, but have compassion for other humans besides themselves. You act as though simply because you have money and influence, I should jump into your arms and ride off into the sunset. Well, I am here to tell you that I'd just as soon jump into a trough full of snakes as marry you, or even date you for that matter.
(She turns to walk off, then realizes her cab is gone. She stops to use her cell. He waits until he's sure she has a ride coming, gets in his car, and drives back to the house.)
SCENE 26
INT:LORRIE-ANN'S HOUSE- EVENING
LA: Well, that just about does me in. Will Darcy in love with you all this time and trying to hide it. I had a feeling…and then this e-mail about Mike Wickham. I mean, who is telling the truth here?
R: Well, Mike had no one to back up his claims, and at least Will had that dentist from Raleigh that Brock knows.
LA: But Mike doesn't have friends around here.
R: Right, because he's in debt up to his Joe Boxers. But no one around here knew. When Will wrote that e-mail, I pulled up Mike's credit report. He hasn't paid a credit card bill in 18 months.
LA: But what he did to little Georgia Darcy is monstrous. It's a blessing Darcy walked in on them before anything happened. She could have been pregnant at sixteen. I just feel like an idiot. I mean, he seems so nice.
R: YOU feel stupid? Lorrie-Ann, I've always been proud of my ability to judge character. And now I realize I'm as bad as Will. I was judging Mike on his appearance of goodness. It barbs me to say this, but it looks like Mike has all the appearance of goodness, but Will has at least some goodness which is real, even if he did break your heart.
(Reba's cell rings.)
R: Kyra? What? That's great, honey. Bye.
LA: What'd she want?
R: Her band got a really good tour this fall all over the south west and Midwest- Austin, Dallas, Lubbock, then up into Okie City, Lincoln, Des Moines, and ending in Chicago.
LA: Sounds great.
R: Yeah. I'll never see her again.