Mysterious scene in FARGO

HOTEL BAR

Marge enters. She looks around the bar, a rather
characterless, lowlit meeting place for business people.

VOICE
Marge?

It is a bald, paunching man of about Marge's age, rising
from a booth halfway back. His features are broad,
friendly, Asian-American.

MARGE
Mike!

He approaches somewhat carefully, as if on his second drink.
They hug and head back toward the booth.

MIKE
Geez! You look great!

MARGE
Yah - easy there - you do too!
I'm expecting, ya know.

MIKE
I see that! That's great!

A waitress meets them at the table.

MIKE
... What can I get ya?

MARGE
Just a Diet Coke.

Again she glances about.

MARGE
... This is a nice place.

MIKE
Yah, ya know it's the Radisson,
so it's pretty good.

MARGE
You're livin' in Edina, then?

MIKE
Oh, yah, couple years now. It's
actually Eden Prarie - that school
district. So Chief Gunderson, then!
So ya went and married Norm Son-of-
a-Gunderson!

MARGE
Oh, yah, a long time ago.

MIKE
Great. What brings ya down - are
ya down here on that homicide -
if you're allowed, ya know, to
discuss that?

MARGE
Oh, yah, but there's not a heckuva
lot to discuss. What about you,
Mike? Are you married - you have
kids?

MIKE
Well, yah, I was married. I was
married to - You mind if I sit
over here?

He is sliding out of his side of the booth and easing in
next to Marge.

MIKE
... I was married to Linda
Cooksey -

MARGE
No, I - Mike - wyncha sit over
there, I'd prefer that.

MIKE
Huh? Oh, okay, I'm sorry.

MARGE
No, just so I can see ya, ya know.
Don't have to turn my neck.

MIKE
Oh, sure, I unnerstand, I didn't
mean to -

MARGE
No, no, that's fine.

MIKE
Yah, sorry, so I was married to
Linda Cooksey - ya remember Linda?
She was a year behind us.

MARGE
I think I remember Linda, yah.
She was - yah. So things didn't
work out, huh?

MIKE
And then I, and then I been workin'
for Honeywell for a few years now.

MARGE
Well, they're a good outfit.

MIKE
Yah, if you're an engineer, yah,
you could do a lot worse. Of
course, it's not, uh, it's
nothin' like your achievement.

MARGE
It sounds like you're doin' really
super.

MIKE
Yah, well, I, uh ... it's not that
it didn't work out - Linda passed
away. She, uh...

MARGE
I'm sorry.

MIKE
Yah, I, uh... She had leukemia,
you know...

MARGE
No, I didn't...

MIKE
It was a tough, uh ... it was a
long - She fought real hard,
Marge...

MARGE
I'm sorry, Mike.

MIKE
Oh, ya know, that's, uh - what
can I say?...

He holds up his drink.

MIKE
... Better times, huh?

Marge clinks it.

MARGE
Better times.

MIKE
I was so... I been so ... and
then I saw you on TV, and I
remembered, ya know... I always
liked you...

MARGE
Well, I always liked you, Mike.

MIKE
I always liked ya so much...

MARGE
It's okay, Mike - Should we get
together another time, ya think?

MIKE
No - I'm sorry! It's just - I
been so lonely - then I saw you,
and...

He is weeping.

MIKE
... I'm sorry... I shouldn't a
done this... I thought we'd have
a really terrific time, and now
I've...

MARGE
It's okay...

MIKE
You were such a super lady ...
and then I... I been so lonely...

MARGE
It's okay, Mike...