CLOSER ON: Adam and Matthew talking—we hear their conversation in the pool.
ADAM
All the chapters are short, and they have titles.
MATTHEW
Like “My Father Meets the Cat.”
ADAM
And Chapter Two—“My Father Runs…”
MATTHEW
“… Away.”
ADAM
And Chapter Three—“My Father Finds…”
MATTHEW
“… the Island.”
ADAM
And the author’s name is…
MATTHEW
I don’t know.
ADAM
Ruth Stiles Gannett. If you love a book, Matthew, you should remember the name of the person who wrote it.
MATTHEW
I can remember Ruth.
ADAM
Ruth is just fine.
CLOSER ON: Grace and Paul Goode in the hot tubs, where Tarzan is listening to their conversation.
GRACE
But you go back there, to Loge Peak—you ride that chair?
PAUL GOODE
That old two-seater is gone—it was a Riblet double, built in the sixties. You took four lifts to get to the top of Loge Peak.
GRACE
There’s a quad now, isn’t there?
PAUL GOODE
A high-speed Poma quad. You take only two lifts now, and the new chairlift follows a different line to the top.
BACK ON: Adam and Matthew in the pool.
ADAM
Do you like your Schwimmflügel?
MATTHEW
My what?
ADAM
Your water wings are German—they’re called Schwimmflügel.
MATTHEW
They’re water wings!
ADAM
Water wings are just fine.
INT. ELEVATOR, HOTEL JEROME. A LITTLE LATER.
Adam, Grace, and Matthew are wearing their hotel bathrobes and slippers—their hair is wet from the pool and hot tubs. The cowboy is used to them. Clara Swift avoids looking at Adam or Grace, but she is fixated on Matthew.
GRACE
(insistently, to Adam)
Paul said he skis at Loge Peak, but the new quad doesn’t pass over that gulch where Clara jumped out of the chairlift.
Adam sees that Clara Swift is upset to hear this; the cowboy is trying to comfort her.
MATTHEW
Who jumped out of a chairlift?
GRACE
Matthew—it was no one you knew, and it was a long time ago. No one jumps out of chairlifts anymore—you have to be crazy. I shouldn’t be talking about it.
ADAM
(looking at Clara)
No, you shouldn’t…
GRACE
I would love to ski there—with Paul, I mean—but I don’t want to be pushy. I can’t just invite myself to ski with him.
ADAM
I have to talk to him—there are things I should explain to him. I’ll say you’re an expert skier—I’ll say he should ski with you.
The cowboy gives Adam a what-the-fuck look. Now Clara Swift looks more closely at Grace. Adam tries to change the subject.
ADAM
(to Matthew)
Chapter Four—“My Father Finds…”
MATTHEW
I don’t know Chapter Four!
ADAM
“My Father Finds the River.”
CLARA SWIFT
(to Matthew)
That’s where the dragon is tied up.
Only Adam and the cowboy hear what Clara says.
THE COWBOY
(to Clara)
What dragon?
Clara is embarrassed that she spoke. Adam knows she must have read My Father’s Dragon to her son, when he was Matthew’s age.
GRACE
(to Adam)
What do you have to talk to Paul about? What things should you explain to him?
ADAM
I’ll tell you… later.
MATTHEW
(repeats, to himself)
“My Father Finds the…”
ADAM
“… River.”
MATTHEW
“… the River.”
Clara Swift is crying on the cowboy’s shoulder.
INT. BEDROOM, HOTEL JEROME. MATTHEW’S BEDTIME.
CLOSE UP: on Grace’s face on the pillow, eyes open, listening to Adam read My Father’s Dragon to Matthew.
ADAM (O.C.)
“The jungle began just beyond a narrow strip of beach…”
Grace rolls over, showing us the back of her head.
ADAM (V.O.)
Grace and I were trying to go to bed at Matthew’s bedtime. Paul Goode got up early for breakfast, because he was a serious skier.
ANOTHER ANGLE: on Adam in Matthew’s bed, reading to Matthew.
ADAM
Chapter Five—“My Father Meets Some Tigers.”
MATTHEW
How many tigers?
ADAM
I don’t know.
CLOSER ON: Grace, covering her head with her pillow.
ADAM (V.O.)
If Grace and I were going to take turns skiing with my father, we had to get up earlier. Matthew had no trouble getting up early. In my mind, I was already rehearsing my confession to my father.
DISSOLVE TO: Grace is asleep, the covers thrown back.
MATTHEW (O.C.)
(whispers)
Mommy is asleep.
ADAM (O.C.)
That’s why we’re whispering.
BACK ON: Adam reading to Matthew in Matthew’s bed.
ADAM
(whispers)
This is the last chapter tonight.
MATTHEW
(whispers)
I know…
ADAM
(whispers)
Chapter Six—“My Father Meets a…”
Adam points to an illustration in the book.
MATTHEW
(loudly)
“… a Rhinoceros.”
ADAM
(whispers)
Shh!
MATTHEW
(whispers)
“… a Rhinoceros.”
INT. ELEVATOR, HOTEL JEROME. NEXT MORNING.
Adam, Grace, and Matthew are dressed for skiing—the cowboy and Clara Swift are dressed as usual. Clara glares at Grace.
MATTHEW
(to his mom)
You were asleep. You missed Chapter Six—“My Father Meets a…”
GRACE
(as Clara glares)
What did I miss?
MATTHEW
(to his mom)
You missed the rhinoceros!
GRACE
I’ll have to catch up.
ADAM (V.O.)
I saw the way Clara Swift was looking at Grace. Clara knew Grace was one of those women who would try to sleep with my father—not just ski with him. I’d been too busy preparing my confession to think about what Grace was preparing to do.
INT. BREAKFAST ROOM, HOTEL JEROME. CONTINUOUS.
Paul Goode is being seated at a table set for four, but he’s with only one other person—the beautiful Chinese woman who was his co-star in Leaving Hong Kong. He is dressed to ski; she isn’t. They’re already seated at their table when Adam and his family arrive in the breakfast room and are seated at an adjacent table.
ADAM (V.O.)
It was hard to get to breakfast before my father. Grace was taken aback that he wasn’t alone.
GRACE
(whispers)
She’s not here to ski.
ADAM
(whispers)
The woman with the tattoo in…
GRACE
(whispers)
I know who she is!
Paul Goode waves to Adam’s family; Grace is agitated.
A WIDER ANGLE: Otto and Billy are seated together at a nearby table. Otto waves to Grace and her family, too.
The CHINESE MAN and his LITTLE GIRL enter the breakfast room, joining Paul and the Chinese woman at their table—the woman’s husband and daughter. They’re dressed for skiing.
GRACE
(embarrassed)
Two skiers in the family.
PAUL GOODE
(to Adam and Grace)
Otto can take the kids to see the animals in the Antler Bar. It’s a long wait for their pancakes.
Otto likes little kids; he holds the kids’ hands as they leave the breakfast room.
GRACE
(calls to Otto)
Thank you!
Grace points to Adam when she speaks to Paul; she is trying to sound casual, but casual doesn’t come naturally to Grace.
GRACE
He’s a blue-run skier—take it easy with him today. You can save the harder stuff for me, tomorrow.
PAUL GOODE
As you wish…
The way the Chinese woman regards Grace is not unlike the look Clara Swift gave Grace in the elevator.
ADAM (V.O.)
Here was another woman who knew my father; she was familiar with the kind of women who slept with him.