A Dry White Season Page #6

JOHAN:

Chris, Jonathan was fifteen, like

me. Would you use force on me?

CHRIS:

You're not a terrorist. If you

were --like an increasing number

of them, you'd deserve it. Look,

every time you pick up the

newspaper...

BEN:

(interrupts; focusing

on the paper)

My God, one hundred shot! They

didn't have to kill them.

SUSAN:

This bloody Bruwer woman reports

one hundred shot, but the radio

said only twenty and the police

were attacked first.

SUZETTE:

I thought the idea was to give

them their own areas, banstustans.

Let them live with their own kind.

No chance of conflict then.

Everybody's happy.

(CONTINUED)

28.

CONTINUED:

JOHAN:

And who would do the work?

Pardon?

SUZETTE:

JOHAN:

The work, who'd do it?

SUSAN:

You for a start. Come on!

me clear these dishes.

Help

As Johan stands, to clear the table. He turns to his

father with a smile, and shrugs --an irritated Suzette

joins them.

INT. GORDON'S HOUSE (SOWETO) -NIGHT

The small dark room is crowded. The one oil lamp --on

the table --At the table sits Gordon... his glasses on

the end of his nose.

Emily is sitting by the stove. Robert stands beside her

chair, watching, listening.

The youngsters are sleeping in opposite directions on the

iron bed.

Wellington is sitting beside Gordon at the table. There

is something wild in his manner. He looks everywhere as

if he is scared of being attacked unawares.

The black cleaner from John Vorster Sq. stands near the

table. Gordon is reading aloud from a handwritten

document.

GORDON:

'On the second day of our detention

at John Vorster Square we were

taken to one of the top floors.

We were ordered to undress and

they started to beat us with fists

and sjamboks. This for a long

time.'

Wellington nods and gets more paranoid. The black cleaner

puts an understanding hand on his shoulder.

GORDON:

'On one day me and Jonathan...'

Gordon pauses... steadies himself... pushes his glasses

up his nose... clears his throat...

(CONTINUED)

29.

CONTINUED:

GORDON:

'... We were asked questions for

the whole day and night by Capt.

Stolz and different policemen -they

never stopped. They tried to

force us to say we were the

leaders at our school, that we

were working for the A.N.C. and

got money from overseas. Capt.

Stolz wanted to know the names of

the students committee and where

he can find Toni Mtimkulu --

Everytime they asked question,

they beat us. It was bad beating.'

Wellington nods again. Emily closes her eyes to shut out

the image.

GORDON:

'We told them we had done nothing

and didn't know about all the

things they are asking us; on two

occasion they put a wet bag over

my head and I --couldn't breathe

--I thought I was going to die.

One day I heard Jonathan being

beaten. He was screaming and

crying, and then a noise like

tables and chairs being knocked

down, and Capt. Stolz shouting

"you bastard, get up, do you hear

me?" Ngubene, don't pretend here,

get up." Then the next day I

heard he had gone to hospital and

I never saw him again.'

There's a long silence. Gordon closes his eyes and

struggles with his grief. Emily sobs, Robert looks on

in anger. Then, finally, Gordon offers a pen to

Wellington, who is about to sign the foot of the statement,

when...

... Suddenly there is the sound of a TRUCK APPROACHING.

Wellington rushes to the front window and peers outside;

then panics, fear in his eyes, he runs into a bedroom and

jumps through the window.

Everyone in the room is bewildered.

The front door bursts open. Emily sits impassively looking

at the five policemen (two whites and three Africans).

The youngest child startled from his sleep starts to cry.

Emily goes to the bed and picks the child up and returns

to her chair.

(CONTINUED)

30.

CONTINUED:

LIEUTENANT VENTER

Stay right where you are.

He notices the papers on the table and picks them up. He

looks at them and realizes their importance.

Capt. Stolz walks into the room and surveys the room and

its occupants. Lieutenant Venter hands him the papers.

He goes through them, nodding to himself as he reads

silently. He folds them neatly and puts them into his

inside jacket pocket. He walks up to Gordon.

STOLZ:

(to Gordon)

On your feet! So, you must be

Gordon Ngubene?

Gordon doesn't answer.

He turns to the cleaner who automatically stands.

STOLZ:

We know each other, don't we?

Calmly, he paces round the room looking around, then when

he reaches the bed where the 10-years-old girl is watching

terrified, he pulls off the blankets, yanks the girl

off the bed by her arm and frantically searches the bed.

The child cries. Robert the brother goes to his sister

and hugs her as he glares at Stolz with anger and hatred.

STOLZ:

(turning to Venter)

Gert, in daardie kammer.

(Gert, that room)

(turning to the other

one)

Jaimie, in die ander.

(Jamie, the other room)

LIEUTENANT VENTER

Niks, Kaptein.

(Nothing, Captain)

STOLZ:

Take the bastards away.

The other policeman appears from the other bedrooms empty-

handed. Gordon and the cleaner are roughly handled as

they are handcuffed by the African Security Police.

Over his shoulder Gordon manages to give Emily one last

look, as he's hustled out of the house.

(CONTINUED)

31.

CONTINUED:

Emily sits motionless, anger in her face. She can hear

the sound of the CARS DRIVING AWAY.

Margaret (her neighbor) appears at the door.

INT. BEN'S STUDY -NIGHT

Behind Ben's house, are the servants' quarters attached

to the garage.

Ben has adapted what would have been a maid's room into

his study and the adjoining room into a do-it-yourself

workshop.

The study has photographs of Ben's past as a provincial

rugby player, of his family, school staff and TRECHIKOFF

reproduction.

On a cupboard are trophies of individual sports at

university.

He works off a plain desk on which is a handsome pipe-

rack with several pipes. His indulgence is a comfortable

easy chair.

Ben's study, containing only the figure of Ben. He's

hunched over his desk, looking blankly at the newspaper.

His shirt is unbuttoned, his jacket slung across his

chair. He draws heavily on his pipe, wreathing his

head with smoke in the beam of the single desk light.

He sits in his chair:

Gordon's voice rises in his thoughts.

GORDON (V.O.)

That day, Mister Ben, sir, when

they whipped Jonathan, you also

said we can do nothing. God as my

witness today:
I must know what

happened and where he lies. His

body belongs to Emily and me.

He mutters --more a prayer than a curse.

BEN:

Jeezus --Jeezus --Jeezus Christ.

JOHAN:

Good night, Papa!

(CONTINUED)

32.

CONTINUED:

Johan is entering, knocking on the half-open door. He's

in his pajamas and dressing gown, ready for bed. Ben

looks up at him. Johan kisses his father who suddenly

clasp his son hard, clinging to him for dear life.

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