花逢月满永不残 (1978) 5.9

2c

Nick Peterson

ffb

: We forgot about the flowers. Nick Peterson: You're about the sexiest bozo ever to wear to a funny blue dress. [first lines] [Nick pulls his truck up to Beulah's Star Ice Castle Lanes, or, depending on how you read the marquee sign, Beulah's Ice Castle Star Lanes] Nick Peterson: Hey, Charlie. Charlie: Hi, Nick. Nick Peterson: How ya doin'? Charlie: Beats the hell out of me. Hey, what are *you* doin' home? Nick Peterson: Beats the hell out of me. Charlie: Hey, Beulah, rack 'em up! Come on! Nick Peterson: Howdy, Les. Les: Hey! Nick, what the hell are *you* doin' here? Nick Peterson: Beats the hell out of me. [Nick peers around a corner to watch Lexie being trained in ice-skating by Beulah, who is shouting out instructions about Lexie keeping her head up and so forth, and telling her she isn't doing well enough. Lexie spots Nick and runs over on her skates] Alexis Winston: Nick! Wow! Nick Peterson: [grabbing her into a hug and allowing her to spin him around] Ohhh. Beulah Smith: Hey, that was the fastest pre-med course in history! [Nick hugs Beulah while still hugging Lexie] Beulah Smith: What are you doing home? Nick Peterson: I couldn't stay away from my girls. [Marcus, Alexis, Beulah and Nick are all in a restaurant booth, with the remains of their dinners on their plates. They have been chatting and arguing about a few topics] Beulah Smith: Well, if we're through with that, there's something that I'd like to discuss. Marcus Winston: Well, now, what could be more important than finding out what old buddy here [gesturing at Nick] Marcus Winston: is doing home in the middle of his first year? Beulah Smith: I'd like to see this competition. Marcus Winston: The subject closed. Beulah Smith: [sarcastically] I'm glad to see that at least you have an open mind. Marcus Winston: Now, now, wait a minute: Lexie's a fine skater. But there's a big difference in this Seven Counties Kiwanis Competition! Now, this is big time things; it's worse than being professional. A little country girl go up there, they eat her alive. I just don't want you to get hurt, honey. Beulah Smith: Marcus Winston, you are so full of bull, it boggles the mind. Where the hell are you coming from? Marcus Winston: [dismissively] Ahhh... Beulah Smith: [tough as nails] You're what's hurting her! Let her be. She's good. She's got more natural talent than anyone I've ever seen, and that includes those girls at the Olympics. [Lexie has been hanging her head all this time, but now she looks up and speaks plaintively] Alexis Winston: Let me go, Daddy. I know it's scary, but I really want to do it! Beulah Smith:

f8d

Christ, Marcus, it's one competition! Marcus Winston: She's too young. Alexis Winston: I'm too *old*! It's already too late! If I wait any longer, there won't be any chance at all. [Marcus turns and studies her anguished face] Marcus Winston: For what? Alexis Winston: For me. Just - for me. [She rises and leaves the table] [Jennifer Warren leads Alexis into a busy restaurant in the building where all of the skaters are living temporarily. Warren guides Lexie to a table] Deborah Machland: There are five girls that the judges have been looking at since - sit down - since the last Olympics. So they're the ones that everyone expects to win. Now, even if you're as good as they are, they're gonna win, because the judges are gonna think you're a flash in the pan. Alexis Winston: So, if I can't win... Deborah Machland: I didn't say that. I just want you to know what we're up against. Alexis Winston: I dunno ... Deborah Machland: If you're not tough enough, you're never gonna make it. The pressure, the pace... even the other girls are gonna kill you. [last lines] Alexis Winston: Stay with me? Nick Peterson: You bet. Hockey Coach: Hell, if I were, uh, a pretty good shot, skate pretty fast, once in a while score a few goals, I guess I'd still be worried as hell about somebody who could skate harder, shoot harder and is more suicidal. Nick Peterson: Oh, there ain't [imitating Robert DeNiro in "Mean Streets"] Nick Peterson: nobody, nobody more suicidal than me. Hockey Coach: I don't know why you want to beat yourself to death playing hockey. I mean, you can speak English, for Christ's sake. [Lexie has achieved a triple which has all of her skate-competitors jealous. But not her trainer, Deborah. After the practice, Deborah stops the car on a highway above a cliff down to a deep gulch; the metaphor cannot be any clearer] Deborah Machland: The next time you pull a stunt like that, it's over, you hear me? You could get hurt very easily, and then where are we? A stupid show-off thing with the triple. Alexis Winston: [beginning to cry] But I did it. I've been working on it, I wanted to surprise you. Deborah Machland: It was a lousy triple. Alexis Winston: [crying] You didn't even see it. Deborah Machland: You're not good enough for a triple! You're not good enough. Let me tell you something. Triples may be big crowd-pleasers, but to world-class judges, it's just a piece of show-off acrobatics. You can't win at this game with that kind of crap. You know what the judges want, and you do it better than anybody else, and that's what wins. Annette knows that; your goddamn coach here does. [softly] Deborah Machland:

98