T&B's Second Meeting at Rodi's
Todd is sitting at the bar at Rodi's when Blair waltzes in. She immediately
goes to the bar (she doesn't seem to notice Todd a few feet away) and begins
chatting with the bartender, Rocky. Todd watches Blair while she and Rocky
talk. His eyes never leave her.
Rocky: What'll it be, beautiful?
Blair: I don't know Rocky, I'm staying over at the Waterside Inn, and I've been out on a walk for about an hour down along the river, across the park...
Rocky: Long walk.
Blair: Yeah. Um, I'll have a scotch and soda, please.
Rocky: You got it, babe.
Rocky leaves to get her drink and Todd quickly moves over to the stool next to Blair's.
Todd: Hey.
Blair: (looking Todd over) You.
Todd: Now, don't you know that it's dangerous for a woman to walk alone by the river after dark?
Blair: Thanks for the advice.
It's very obvious that Todd has been drinking. His face is just inches away from Blair's.
Todd: What would you want to do that for, anyway? You looking for some married jerk who's home you want to wreck?
Blair: And what are you looking for, huh?
Todd: What you got? I live here. You want to go upstairs.
Blair: Charming. (she turns away from him)
Todd: Now, what are you looking at me like that for? That married jerk go back to his wife, leave you all by your lonesome?
Blair: (turns back around to look at him, eyes flashing) Why, you seem all out of sorts tonight, Mr. Manning. Now, don't tell me that you're still mooning over that girl that you told me about -- the one that threw you over for that little preppy guy.
Blair can give as good as she gets. Todd looks down at his lap -- she hit a nerve.
Todd: I hope I never see the two of them again as long as I live.
Blair: Well, then I hope so too.
Rocky: (coming over to them) Hey, Manning, you said you were working nights this week. It's way after 11:00, you know?
Todd gets up from his stool reluctantly. Blair is watching him. He pays Rocky and heads out the door. Blair's eyes follow him on his way out. She shakes her head slightly.
--end scene--
It's 3:00 AM -- several hours have passed since Todd left to go to work at the hospital. Blair is still sitting at the bar, talking to Rocky. He's trying to pick her up. Blair turns him down.
Blair: You are way too good for me.
Rocky: Let me be the judge of that. From what you've said, you seem to have that Holden guy out of your system. Why not give me a shot?
Blair: You know, that's the problem with listening to me, see, I only tell half the truth. Max may be out of my life but I don't think he'll ever be out of my system.
Rocky: You know how I gave up cigarettes?
Blair: How?
Rocky: Pistachios. (he motions to the bowl next to them)
Blair: Pistachios.
Rocky: Mm-hmm. Think of me as pistachios.
Blair: Why, thank you, Rocky, but I think Max is a habit that may take the rest of my life to break.
Rocky turns away and Blair starts to root through the bowl of pistachios. She picks one, but it turns out to be just the empty shell.
Blair: Empty Great. Typical. I pick an empty one.
Suddenly, someone's hand darts out and snatches the bowl away from her.
Blair: Hey, what --! (she sees who it is) Todd.
Todd: (munching on pistachios, eyeing Blair) What's the matter, Blair? Did I scare you?
--end scene--
Rocky is arguing with Todd, trying to get him to leave. But Todd wants to buy a drink.
Todd: Come on, I'll even buy her one, hell, I'll buy you one!
Rocky: I told you, Manning, I gave last call an hour ago. Now, I'm closing in five. Sweet dreams. (he goes to another area of the bar)
Todd: That's fine. You know what, from now on I'm taking my business to The Palace hotel.
Blair: (still eating pistachios) They won't let you in.
Todd: Why not? They let you in.
Blair: You know, I don't even need this. (throws a pistachio back into the bowl) If you came here to make my life miserable, somebody got ahead of you, all right?
Todd: What's the matter Blair? You still mooning over that married guy that went back to his wife? Don't you know? There's nothing more boring than unrequited love.
Blair: Oh yeah? (she moves in close to his face) Then you ought to know.
Todd: (moves his face closer to hers) Buzz off. (his eyes are hooded, and he looks like he's about to kiss her)
Blair: (pulling away) Yeah, buzz off. So what are you doing back here, Todd? Hmm?
Todd: I live upstairs, remember?
Blair: Yes, I remember -- you told me that earlier -- but I also remember that you left to go to work at the hospital.
Todd: Well, I have a confession to make. Todd's been a very, very naughty boy.
--end scene--
Blair: So what'd you do, Todd?
Todd: Well, you promise not to tell?
Blair: Cross my heart and hope to die.
Todd: I went to work with booze on my breath... (he moves his face closer to hers) And they sent me home with a note on teacher.
Blair: (pulling away again) Well, that was really smart. I thought your pardon depended on your job working out at the hospital.
Todd: Let me tell you something abut this pardon, all right? It makes all the bleeding hearts feel good, but it doesn't change anything. Nobody changes. You're born bad, you stay bad.
Blair: (a flicker of sympathy in her eyes) Come on, Todd. It doesn't have to be that way. You know that.
Todd: It is that way. People talk about change all the time but nobody believes it. They give you a name...they call you evil, they call you bad -- whatever -- and then you've got to live with it no matter what. No matter how lonely you get, nobody believes you can change -- even the people that you care about and the people that you know care about you. They still tell you "Get lost, stay out of my life."
Blair: (softly) And they mean so much to you.
Todd: And then, when you start to realize that you're going to life the rest of your life like this -- you know, alone forever -- things start to build up inside you, and build up, until you feel like you're going to explode, you know? (looks at Blair) What am I telling you this for? Like you're going to understand.
Blair: Believe me, Todd, I know exactly how you feel.
Todd: No way, babe, you can't even begin to know how I feel. Nobody can.
Todd gets up and leaves, Blair staring after him.
--end transcript--
Rocky: What'll it be, beautiful?
Blair: I don't know Rocky, I'm staying over at the Waterside Inn, and I've been out on a walk for about an hour down along the river, across the park...
Rocky: Long walk.
Blair: Yeah. Um, I'll have a scotch and soda, please.
Rocky: You got it, babe.
Rocky leaves to get her drink and Todd quickly moves over to the stool next to Blair's.
Todd: Hey.
Blair: (looking Todd over) You.
Todd: Now, don't you know that it's dangerous for a woman to walk alone by the river after dark?
Blair: Thanks for the advice.
It's very obvious that Todd has been drinking. His face is just inches away from Blair's.
Todd: What would you want to do that for, anyway? You looking for some married jerk who's home you want to wreck?
Blair: And what are you looking for, huh?
Todd: What you got? I live here. You want to go upstairs.
Blair: Charming. (she turns away from him)
Todd: Now, what are you looking at me like that for? That married jerk go back to his wife, leave you all by your lonesome?
Blair: (turns back around to look at him, eyes flashing) Why, you seem all out of sorts tonight, Mr. Manning. Now, don't tell me that you're still mooning over that girl that you told me about -- the one that threw you over for that little preppy guy.
Blair can give as good as she gets. Todd looks down at his lap -- she hit a nerve.
Todd: I hope I never see the two of them again as long as I live.
Blair: Well, then I hope so too.
Rocky: (coming over to them) Hey, Manning, you said you were working nights this week. It's way after 11:00, you know?
Todd gets up from his stool reluctantly. Blair is watching him. He pays Rocky and heads out the door. Blair's eyes follow him on his way out. She shakes her head slightly.
--end scene--
It's 3:00 AM -- several hours have passed since Todd left to go to work at the hospital. Blair is still sitting at the bar, talking to Rocky. He's trying to pick her up. Blair turns him down.
Blair: You are way too good for me.
Rocky: Let me be the judge of that. From what you've said, you seem to have that Holden guy out of your system. Why not give me a shot?
Blair: You know, that's the problem with listening to me, see, I only tell half the truth. Max may be out of my life but I don't think he'll ever be out of my system.
Rocky: You know how I gave up cigarettes?
Blair: How?
Rocky: Pistachios. (he motions to the bowl next to them)
Blair: Pistachios.
Rocky: Mm-hmm. Think of me as pistachios.
Blair: Why, thank you, Rocky, but I think Max is a habit that may take the rest of my life to break.
Rocky turns away and Blair starts to root through the bowl of pistachios. She picks one, but it turns out to be just the empty shell.
Blair: Empty Great. Typical. I pick an empty one.
Suddenly, someone's hand darts out and snatches the bowl away from her.
Blair: Hey, what --! (she sees who it is) Todd.
Todd: (munching on pistachios, eyeing Blair) What's the matter, Blair? Did I scare you?
--end scene--
Rocky is arguing with Todd, trying to get him to leave. But Todd wants to buy a drink.
Todd: Come on, I'll even buy her one, hell, I'll buy you one!
Rocky: I told you, Manning, I gave last call an hour ago. Now, I'm closing in five. Sweet dreams. (he goes to another area of the bar)
Todd: That's fine. You know what, from now on I'm taking my business to The Palace hotel.
Blair: (still eating pistachios) They won't let you in.
Todd: Why not? They let you in.
Blair: You know, I don't even need this. (throws a pistachio back into the bowl) If you came here to make my life miserable, somebody got ahead of you, all right?
Todd: What's the matter Blair? You still mooning over that married guy that went back to his wife? Don't you know? There's nothing more boring than unrequited love.
Blair: Oh yeah? (she moves in close to his face) Then you ought to know.
Todd: (moves his face closer to hers) Buzz off. (his eyes are hooded, and he looks like he's about to kiss her)
Blair: (pulling away) Yeah, buzz off. So what are you doing back here, Todd? Hmm?
Todd: I live upstairs, remember?
Blair: Yes, I remember -- you told me that earlier -- but I also remember that you left to go to work at the hospital.
Todd: Well, I have a confession to make. Todd's been a very, very naughty boy.
--end scene--
Blair: So what'd you do, Todd?
Todd: Well, you promise not to tell?
Blair: Cross my heart and hope to die.
Todd: I went to work with booze on my breath... (he moves his face closer to hers) And they sent me home with a note on teacher.
Blair: (pulling away again) Well, that was really smart. I thought your pardon depended on your job working out at the hospital.
Todd: Let me tell you something abut this pardon, all right? It makes all the bleeding hearts feel good, but it doesn't change anything. Nobody changes. You're born bad, you stay bad.
Blair: (a flicker of sympathy in her eyes) Come on, Todd. It doesn't have to be that way. You know that.
Todd: It is that way. People talk about change all the time but nobody believes it. They give you a name...they call you evil, they call you bad -- whatever -- and then you've got to live with it no matter what. No matter how lonely you get, nobody believes you can change -- even the people that you care about and the people that you know care about you. They still tell you "Get lost, stay out of my life."
Blair: (softly) And they mean so much to you.
Todd: And then, when you start to realize that you're going to life the rest of your life like this -- you know, alone forever -- things start to build up inside you, and build up, until you feel like you're going to explode, you know? (looks at Blair) What am I telling you this for? Like you're going to understand.
Blair: Believe me, Todd, I know exactly how you feel.
Todd: No way, babe, you can't even begin to know how I feel. Nobody can.
Todd gets up and leaves, Blair staring after him.
--end transcript--