A Dry White Season Page #13

The CAR SCREECHES to a halt outside Emily's house.

Stanley gets out of the car and greets the startled

neighbors... and acknowledges the friendly shouts of

children.

Stanley looks around, then goes back to the car, opens

the back door, leans and says something. Suddenly, to

everyone's astonishment, Ben crawls out of the car;

Stanley hustles him into Emily's house.

Stanley waves at the people, a sign of assurance, then

closes the door behind him.

INT. EMILY'S HOUSE -AFTERNOON

Ben stands awkwardly for a moment, taking in the room and

the people in it. He then walks over to Emily who is

standing at the table. He goes to shake her hand.

BEN:

How are you, Emily?

EMILY:

Well, thank you, Mr. Ben, sir.

Eh, that's father Masonwane, our

priest, and that's Margaret from

next door.

Ben nods at them. Stanley sits himself down.

(CONTINUED)

69.

CONTINUED:

STANLEY:

(raising his hand in

greeting)

Mfundisi...

(priest)

... Sisi!

(sister)

EMILY:

(to Ben)

Please sit down. Take this chair,

the other one is broken.

BEN:

(apologetically)

I didn't mean to disturb you.

I've come to talk to you.

EMILY:

(as she sits on the

broken chair)

Yes, it's good. What I want to

know is why did they kill him. He

didn't do them nothing. You know,

Mr. Ben, sir, I washed his whole

body for he was my husband. And

I know a man who killed himself,

he doesn't look like that.

MARGARET:

Master, you must understand she's

still raw inside.

BEN:

I'm sure.

Robert walks in, looks at Ben and walks into his bedroom

to fetch something, then as he's about to go out:

EMILY:

Robert, where are you manners

today? Don't you greet visitors?

Robert stops momentarily and looks at Ben with hostility

and hurries out of the room banging the door.

EMILY:

I'm sorry for his rudeness.

PRIEST:

(to Ben)

You have to understand what's

happening to our children today,

they're like wasps when you burn

their nest.

(CONTINUED)

70.

CONTINUED:

MARGARET:

That's right. Our children are

saying 'that's enough!' Things

have to change in this country.

They accuse us of being cowards.

BEN:

Emily, I have really come to

assure you that I will do all I

can to help you find out what

really happened to Jonathan and

your husband --we cannot bring

them back to life, but we can make

sure that this sort of thing won't

ever happen again.

PRIEST:

You mean well, sir, but it's

better to forgive. If we keep the

pain alive then hate and

bitterness will remain with us.

BEN:

The air must be cleared. So we

can breathe again.

PRIEST:

The air can only be cleared if we

forget about yesterday's thunder.

EMILY:

Mr. Ben is right. It's not that I

want to go on with this thing

because it's a bad thing that

Jonathan died, that Gordon died

that's hard enough to bear, but

I can forgive it. But they

covered Gordon's name with dirt

and we must clean it up, else

he'll never have peace in his

grave.

STANLEY:

(to Ben)

You must understand for us,

suicide is a coward's way out, how

do they say, it's a 'cop out.'

BEN:

Gordon wasn't a coward and we'll

prove that. We have a very good

advocate for the inquest. His

name is De Villiers. I have

confidence in him and the truth

will come out.

(CONTINUED)

71.

CONTINUED:

EMILY:

The truth must be known. They

killed my husband who wouldn't

hurt a fly and they killed

Jonathan who was only a child...

PRIEST:

Those people who did it are sinful

people who don't know what they're

doing.

STANLEY:

He! Mfundisi, what are you saying

now? You mean...

PRIEST:

We must help them. That's the

only way. They need our help, not

hate, but love.

PRIEST:

I pity them and I ask the Lord to

help me so I can learn to love

them.

STANLEY:

If that's what you preach in your

church you will soon be starving.

EMILY:

They covered his name with dirt.

PRIEST:

Aren't you afraid sis Emily?

EMILY:

No. In the end one grows tired of

being afraid.

STANLEY:

Amen!

Ben has been listening to the discussion with interest,

this being the first time he has heard Africans talking

seriously about their problems.

BEN:

Emily, Stanley and I will do all

we can. As I said we have a good

advocate. Everyone involved with

Gordon's death will be questioned

and all that's known regarding

what happened in John Vorster

Square will come out.

(CONTINUED)

72.

CONTINUED:

MARGARET:

How can anything come out of that

John Vorster Square? Who there

will say:
'Yes, we killed the

boy and Gordon?'

BEN:

Lawyers ask questions.

MARGARET:

And don't policemen lie?

EMILY:

Thank you, Mr. Ben, sir for what

you're doing.

BEN:

(standing)

I'm pleased I came.

STANLEY:

(to Ben as he goes to

the door)

Wait, let me check the situation.

He opens the door and walks out.

EXT. EMILY'S HOUSE -AFTERNOON

A small group of youngsters are there, hands thrust into

their pockets, hanging around in a stony silence.

Robert is standing by the door.

Stanley calls one of them and talks to him --the boys

look around and say something.

As Stanley goes back to the door, passing Robert, he

ruffles his hair.

STANLEY:

(to Robert)

Take it easy.

(then to Ben)

It's okey, dokey, but hurry.

Ben hurries out of the room. The children stare at him.

BEN:

(as they go to the

car)

Do I...

(CONTINUED)

73.

CONTINUED:

STANLEY:

(interrupts)

Yes, on the floor man.

Stanley opens the back door for Ben. Who crouches on

the floor.

Some of the boys snicker and one bursts out laughing.

As Stanley gets into the car he shouts at them:

STANLEY:

Okay. Kids, time to go home. Be

careful.

BOY:

(shouting back)

Sure 'bra' Stanley. Take it easy.

Stanley drives off at speed.

EXT. OUTSKIRTS OF SOWETO -LATE AFTERNOON

Stanley is driving, they have left Soweto. Ben still on

the floor.

BEN:

Are we still in Soweto?

STANLEY:

Why don't you look for yourself?

Ben rises and sees that they're at least a mile out. He

is not amused.

BEN:

(sitting up)

What the hell are you playing at?

STANLEY:

(as he bursts into

loud laugh)

Precautions, Lanie.

BEN:

(exposing)

Don't call me Lanie! What does

that mean anyway?

STANLEY:

(still laughing)

You will not understand, Lanie.

They drive off.

74.

INT. BEN'S BEDROOM -NIGHT

Susan and Ben are in bed. Susan is in Ben's arms, she is

relaxed and loving.

Ben talks quietly and calmly.

BEN:

I think I am without awareness.

I have always cared about people,

call it a social conscience. But

my visit to Gordon's house made me

experience another dimension of

human conditions.

SUSAN:

The poverty, ja...

BEN:

No, I expected that. But

listening to them talk made me

realize that I did not know the

blacks. Now I question my

attitudes, my concerns as Ben, and

complacence as a white person.

SUSAN:

Ben, I know your anxiety about the

inquest. All will be cleared up,

in a legal way, and you'll be back

to your normal self. Now let's

turn off the lights.

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