A Late Quartet Page #4

Now, if you don't mind,

I need to rest.

Practice, practice.

Get ready to do what we do best.

We have a performance coming up.

(FLAMENCO MUSIC PLAYING)

(SINGING IN SPANISH)

(FLAMENCO MUSIC CONTINUING)

(SIGHS)

(FLAMENCO MUSIC FADES)

(STRINGS PLAYING

SOFT, SAD MELODY)

Nina, he has Parkinson's.

Yeah.

He probably didn't want Gideon to know.

Not good.

It's not good.

(SOFT, SAD MELODY CONTINUING)

(PILAR BREATHING HEAVILY)

(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)

JULIETTE:
Hey.

- Hi.

- Hey.

I made your favorite breakfast.

You hungry? You must be.

Hey, I'm sorry about yesterday.

I was wrong. I'm so sorry.

- I don't mind.

- I just... I really stink.

Oh, that's OK.

I just wanna go to the bathroom

and take a shower. Just one second.

OK. I'll be right back.

(DOOR CLOSES)

Um...

(CELL PHONE BUZZES)

- (BUZZES)

- (WATER RUNNING)

(FOREBODING MUSIC PLAYING)

- Um... Where's your violin?

- ROBERT:
What?

I need rosin. I can't find it.

It's not by the couch?

No, it's not there.

It's not in the bedroom either.

ROBERT:
Oh, f***!

F***, I left it at the bar.

Really? What bar? I'll call.

I'll get it, just give me a second,

let me get out. I'll get it. F***!

(STRING QUARTET PLAYING

SLOW, SOBER MELODY)

- Hi.

- Hi.

Thank you.

- You look tired.

- Yeah.

Did you manage to get some sleep?

Only a few hours.

I didn't get a single minute,

you know.

I just lay in bed

thinking of us till sunrise.

We can't do this.

We can't, um...

What happened between us last night

is rare, Robert, you know?

And you don't deny these feelings.

You just have to live,

you just have to feel them.

I know. I really can't.

(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)

Hi, Jules.

This is, uh, Pilar.

We, um...

Remember I told you about her?

We run together in the park.

She's a fan of the Fugue.

I was just about to leave.

Please, you can have my chair.

She seems nice.

Yeah, she's... she's nice.

You took this whole

alternating chairs theme

a little too far, though,

don't you think?

- I mean, my God...

- F***. Oh, great.

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

It was a... It was a one-time thing.

- I... I just ended it. It's done.

- Yeah? You reamed me yesterday.

You were furious with me yesterday

for talking to Daniel

about securing the future...

I was really hurt

by what you said yesterday.

- ...the quartet's future!

- You said I wasn't good enough!

This is how you decide to communicate

this to me, by f***ing another woman?

I'm not good enough?

I don't give a sh*t

about first chair...

It's my life!

- ...that's all your ego. Bullshit!

- And the violin, it's everything!

I don't care!

- I love you.

- (SCOFFS)

I love you more

than anything in the world.

You have to know that.

I made a stupid mistake.

God, I f***ed up.

I'm asking you to forgive me.

I'll be out late.

I want your stuff out by midnight.

- No...

- Jules...

Get your stuff out of the house.

(ORCHESTRA PLAYING

SLOW, SAD MELODY)

(PHONE RINGING)

- It's Daniel. Leave a message.

- (MACHINE BEEPS)

PETER:
Daniel, I have news. Very good.

Gideon called. He changed his mind.

I spoke with Nina. She's standing by.

I'll call you later. Bye, bye.

Good news. Nina will be joining us.

Peter...

What's the matter?

You're upset about something?

I can't imagine...

I can't imagine playing

in the quartet without you, Peter.

You know, traveling without you,

performing without you next to me.

I don't... I'm not sure I can do it.

I don't think I want to.

Please don't speak that way.

When your mother died,

the big mistake I made

was allowing the quartet to break up.

I should have fought,

find a new violist,

stay together, despite all the sadness.

Instead of being weak

and scared and lazy.

Don't make that mistake.

Be brave. I got a second chance.

Not everybody does.

(UP-TEMPO, CHEERFUL

STRING QUARTET MUSIC PLAYING)

ALEXANDRA:
Thank you for inviting me

along on this ride.

DANIEL:
I just love it out here.

(ALEXANDRA SPEAKS

INDISTINCTLY)

Let me tell you what makes the Fugue

such a great quartet.

OK.

First, they have you.

And you're hypnotizing the audience

with your relentless precision.

They follow you like a cobra

follows a snake charmer.

Well...

Then... you have my father.

And he's adding color

and texture and rhythm.

He's always enhancing you,

he's lifting you up,

but he'll never outshine you.

There are many quartets

with an accomplished first violin.

It's the second violinist,

the quality of the second violinist,

that makes a quartet stand out.

And your father is great.

Then there's my mother.

She adds a depth of sound

that none of you could bring.

She makes you wanna weep

without exactly knowing why.

Is that the voice of a wounded soul?

The survival skills she had to develop

prepared her to perfectly serve

three masters at the same time.

The one she loves,

the one she partners with,

and the one she desires.

That was a long time ago, Alex.

It was before your parents got together.

Oh, yeah. Sure, sure.

Whatever.

To close a perfect square, you've got

the big-hearted man with the cello.

When the gates are secured,

emotions are welcome.

We can all sit down

ready to be swept away.

It's the ideal quartet.

Bravo.

Hey, what are you gonna do now

with Peter retiring,

everything that's happening

with Mom and Dad?

What's happening

with your mom and dad?

WOMAN:
Robert?

- Hi.

- Hello.

Grabbed the Gagliano for you.

Terrific.

Give it a try. We've got some time

before the auction starts.

- OK. Thank you.

- Yeah.

- Hi, Jules.

- So sorry I'm late. Hi. Juliette.

- Hi. Brenda Franklin.

- How do you do?

- Nice to meet you.

- Thank you.

- I'll be back in a bit.

- OK.

Thank you.

Perfect timing.

- Wanna give it a try?

- No, you go ahead.

(PLAYING DRAMATIC

MUSICAL PHRASE)

The lower register has

nice depth, it'll blend...

- Warm tone, responsive.

- ...very nicely with the viola. Yeah.

- The scrolls.

- I can see why Alexandra wants it.

Beautiful.

Let me see it, please.

The body's in perfect condition.

- Sure you don't want it?

- No, thank you.

- Yeah, we should bid on it.

- Definitely.

Can we talk now?

We're here to buy a violin, Robert.

Can we discuss this?

We've discussed it.

Well, we haven't discussed it.

I think that's the problem.

You know, we've... shared an intense

life for almost 25 years together.

I think that, you know,

deserves more discussion, you know?

And, um... I mean,

living and playing together...

Both of us knew going in

it wasn't gonna be easy.

(CHUCKLES)

That was exciting back then,

but we've had our ups and downs.

But on a whole, I think...

I think our marriage is a good one.

So I can't believe that one truly

regrettable night's gonna ruin all that.

I've loved you madly

since the moment I met you,

but I've always feared deep down that

you felt like you were forced into it.

That you wouldn't have married me

if you didn't get pregnant.

Because in so many ways,

you haven't really been there.

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