JACK

                Marla, you liar, you big tourist.  I

                need this.  Get out.

     INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

     Jack, in pajamas, stares at Home Shopping Network on his TV.

                            JACK (V.O.)

                When you have insomnia, you're never

                really asleep and you're never really

                awake.  I hadn't slept in four days...

     INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - NIGHT

     Jack walks in and joins the crowd, looking around.  People

     are chattering with each other.

                            JACK (V.O.)

                -- But, in here, in everyone, there's

                the squint of a five-day headache.

                Yet they forced themselves to be

                positive.  They never said

                "parasite;" they said "agent."  They

                always talked about getting better.

                            LEADER

                Okay, everyone.

     Everyone sits in chairs.  Jack catches sight of Marla.

                            LEADER

                To open tonight's communion, Chloe

                would like to say a few words.

     Taking the lectern is CHLOE, a pale, sickly girl whose skin

     stretches yellowish and tight over her bones.  She wears a

     head bondage.  She clears her throat.

                            JACK (V.O.)

                Ahh, Chloe.  Chloe looked the way

                Joni Mitchell's skeleton would look

                if you made it smile and walk around

                a party being extra nice to everyone.

                            CHLOE

                Well, I'm still here -- but I don't

                know for how long.  That's as much

                certainty as anyone can give me.  but

                I've got some good news -- I no

                longer have any fear of death.

     APPLAUSE from around the room.

                            CHLOE

                But... I am in a pretty lonely place.

                No one will have sex with me.  I'm so

                close to the end and all I want is to

                get laid for the last time.  I have

                pornographic movies in my apartment,

                and lubricants and amyl nitrate ...

     The LEADER gingerly takes control of the microphone.

                            LEADER

                Thank you, Chloe.  Everyone, let's

                thank Chloe.

                            EVERYONE

                Thank you, Chloe.

     INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - LATER

                            LEADER

                Now, you're standing at the entrance

                to your cave.  You step inside your

                cave and you walk.  Keep walking.

     Jack's face, eyes closed, is motionless.

                            JACK (V.O.)

                If I did have a tumor, I'd name it

                Marla.  Marla...the little scratch on

                the roof of your mouth that would

                heal if only you could stop tonguing

                it, but you can't.

                            LEADER

                Now, find your power animal.

     INT. CAVE - JACK'S IMAGINATION

     Jack finds Marla smoking a cigarette.  Marla cocks her head,

     indicating whe wants him to --

                            MARLA

                Slide.

     INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - RESUMING

     Jack's eyes open and turn to Marla, watching her blow smoke

     rings with her eyes closed.

     INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - LATER

     Everyone stands and mills about, pairing-off.

                            LEADER

                Pick someone special to you tonight.

     Jack sees the ghastly spectre of Chloe ambling towards him.

     He tries to smile.  She smiles with a twisted, dying mouth.

                            CHLOE

                Hello, Mr. Tayler.

                            JACK (V.O.)

                I never gave my real name at support

                groups.

                            JACK

                Hi, Chloe.

                            CHLOE

                We've never actually talked.

     Chloe's eyes are eerily bright with desperation.  Jack, in

     a sincere attempt at levity, chokes out:

                            JACK

                You look good.  You ... look ... like

                a pirate.

     Chloe laughs, a little too much.  Jack squeezes out a laugh.

     Then he sees Marla, off by herself.  Someone heads for her.

                            JACK

                Excuse me, I have to...

     Jack gives a quick nod to Chloe and darts towards Marla.

     Chloe watches him go.

     STAY ON JACK AND MARLA as Jack CLAMPS his arms around her.

     He whispers into her ear.

                            JACK

                We need to talk.

                            MARLA

                Sure.

                            JACK

                I'm on to you.  You're a faker.  You

                aren't dying.

                            MARLA

                What?

                            JACK

                Okay, in the Sylvia Plath philosophy

                way, we're all dying.  But you're not

                dying the way Chloe is dying.

                            LEADER

                Tell the other person how you feel.

                            JACK

                You're a tourist.  I saw you at

                melanoma, tuberculosis and testicular

                cancer.

                            MARLA

                And I saw you practicing this...

                            JACK

                Practicing what?

                            MARLA

                Telling me off.  Is it going as well

                as you hoped... ?

                      (reads his nametag)

                "... Mr. Taylor."

                            JACK

                I'll expose you.

                            MARLA

                Go ahead.  I'll expose you.

                            LEADER

                Share yourself completely.

     Marla puts her head down on Jack's shoulder as if she were

     crying.  Jack pulls her head back up.  She deadpans at him.

                            JACK

                Why are you doing this?

                            MARLA

                It's cheaper than a movie, and

                there's free coffee.

                            JACK

                These are my groups.  I was here

                first.  I've been coming for a year.

                            MARLA

                A year?  How'd you manage that?

                            JACK

                Anyone who might've noticed either

                died or recovered and never came back.

                            LEADER

                Let yourself cry.

                            MARLA

                Why do you do it?

                            JACK

                I... I don't know.  I guess... when

                people think you're dying, they

                really listen, instead...

                            MARLA

                -- Instead of just waiting for their

                turn to speak.

                            JACK

                Yeah.

     Brief recognition between them, broken as the Leader passes.

                            LEADER

                Quietly, now.  Share with each other.

     Jack waits till the Leader's out of earshot.

                            JACK

                      (warning)

                It becomes an addiction.

                            MARLA

                Really?

     Jack sighs, then pulls back.

                            JACK

                Look, I can't cry with a faker

                present.

                            MARLA

                Candy-stripe a cancer ward.  It's not

                my problem.

                            JACK

                Please.  Can't we do something... ?

     Marla starts out of the room.  Jack follows her.

                            LEADER

                Now, the closing prayer.

     EXT. CHURCH - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS

     Marla gets to the sidewalk, moving quickly along.

                            JACK

                We'll split up the week.  You can

                have lymphoma, tuberculosis and --

                            MARLA

                You take tuberculosis.  My smoking

                doesn't go over at all.

                            JACK

                I think testicular cancer should be

                no contest.

                            MARLA

                Well, technically, I have more of a

                right to be there than you.  You

                still have your balls.

                            JACK

                You're kidding.

                            MARLA

                I don't know -- am I?

     Jack follow Marla into...

     INT. LAUNDROMAT - CONTINUOUS

     Marla walks with authority up to an unwatched DRYER.  She

     takes out clothes, picks out jeans, pants and shirts.

                            MARLA

                I'll take the parasites.

                            JACK

                You can't have both parasites.  You

                can take blood parasites --

                            MARLA

                I want brain parasites.

                            JACK

                Okay.  I'll take blood parasites and

                organic brain dementia --

                            MARLA

                I want that.

                            JACK

                You can't have the whole brain!

                            MARLA

                So far, you have four and I only have

                two!

                            JACK

                Then, take blood parasites.  It's

                yours.  Now we each have three.

     Marla gathers the chosen garments and heads out past Jack...

next