A Long Way Down Page #5

Us...

- Being away together?

- No.

No, it feels good.

I thought I knew what I was doing

with the press and then...

And then what?

- The Jess meltdown and...

- No, no, no.

Then I realised I'd got it all wrong.

I thought people would like it.

I thought we'd make money and

people would find it eccentric

- and heart-warming.

- Heart-warming?

Four people survive suicide,

find hope, blah, blah, you know.

I mean, it's the kind of

good-news story the press love.

However,

I underestimated how

much they hate me.

It's not just about you, Martin.

You know,

I envy you.

You, your cancer.

I mean, it's so cut and dry.

No, really. Really, JJ,

I am so impressed with you.

I mean, you hardly

let it phase you.

And that is something to drink to.

Here you go.

Put hairs on your chest.

Your health.

Do you know what I feel when

I wake up in the mornings?

Humiliated.

Do you know what I

feel at lunchtime?

Humiliated.

My life is a constant

stream of humiliation.

I don't feel sad. I don't

feel angry. I just feel...

Humiliated.

Yeah.

To humiliation.

OK, God gives you three wishes.

Oh, God's not a tombola

machine, Martin.

He doesn't just give wishes.

Three wishes. Anything you want.

That's easy. OK, billions of pounds

- and my own personal hitman...

- OK.

and a court waiver

over anything that I want to do.

- Really? Um...

- Mmm-hmm.

Well, I'd... I'd want

a bit more help.

A bit more of a life.

What's a bit more of a life?

Just what other people have.

What do other people have?

And I'd wish my son all better.

That's why I don't do wishes.

I'd want to be famous again,

the right kind of famous.

I mean, being famous is great.

Everyone think it's

difficult, but it's not.

I mean, you get to have the

best seats in restaurants.

People smile at you

on 'planes. It's great.

And whatever you do, you feel

vindicated by your own fame.

And you never ever feel humiliated.

Well, it's certainly better

than real life, anyway.

Wow!

You're so deep.

No, I'm just honest.

- Martin! It's...

- What?

You're nothing if

you're not noticed.

OK, fame or your kids?

- Mmm...

- Martin, you don't mean that.

Don't I?

All right, this is a bad game.

OK.

I wonder what JJ would

choose as his three wishes.

'Cos, obviously, you'd...

You'd want to cure your

cancer, for a start.

I'm going to go, uh,

use the restroom.

Then you'd probably

want loads of money

so that you could donate

it to Cancer Research.

You know, other people are

allowed to be in pain.

You know that, Jess?

Hey, mis amigos ingleses.

How are we doing tonight?

No, it's... Just leave it.

Peachy, Angelo. Peachy.

Great. Keep drinking.

You're sitting in my seat.

What?

Uh, I'd find another seat, but

you're also sitting on my shawl.

Oh, sh*t, sorry.

- There.

- Thanks.

You know, I think I recognise

you from somewhere.

Ah.

Yeah, um... There's this thing...

That may have been in the

papers a bit recently, so...

No, that's not it.

Are you in a band?

- What?

- Yeah.

- You supported Alt-J.

- Yeah.

- Manchester Towers.

- Two years ago.

It was the first time

we came to Britain.

- You're the front man, right?

- Yeah.

I remember loving your lyrics.

Really? Yeah, wow!

You know, I... I wrote those.

Adolescent sh*t mostly.

Are you still serious about it?

Er...

I was. Now, not so.

What's your name?

JJ.

Which stands for?

Er... John Julius.

Hi, John Julius.

I'm Kathy.

Hello, Kathy.

Wow!

This is brilliant! Yeah!

- I love it. This is beautiful.

- Yeah.

Beautiful!

- Who's that?

- That is, uh, my uncle.

Ah! I think I recognise him.

Yeah. He's, uh...

He's vaguely famous.

Ah, a failed musician with

a vaguely famous uncle.

I am a lucky girl.

I enjoy it all the time, Angelo.

See you later, mate.

- Come on, let's go!

- Go where?

- We're going to go dance.

- No, no, no, I'm happy to watch.

- No, no, come on.

- Martin, I don't...

Come on!

Whoa!

- So, uh, you're out here on your own?

- Mmm-hmm.

Other people just crowd it and

make it about themselves.

So you're... You're

here with family?

Your uncle and...

Uh, yeah, a bit of family,

friends, sort of.

But you don't like them?

I mean, you ran away

from them at the bar.

No, it's just they can

be a little, um...

- A little intense, you know?

- Mmm-hmm.

And you don't like intense?

No, uh...

Yeah, I can't really talk

because I'm intense.

Good.

Because if you're looking

for a neurosis-free girl,

you're bang out of luck.

- Oh, yeah?

- Yeah.

- Really?

- Yeah, I...

I once set fire to my hair

just to see what would happen.

I was 10 and it didn't

improve my look.

Oh, that's, that's nothing.

When I was a kid, I jumped off our roof

just to see if I could hurt myself.

And, um, yeah,

I broke my leg and I...

I kind of liked it.

OK, well, how's this for psycho?

I carved my ex-boyfriend's initials

- into my left inner thigh...

- Ah...

as a way of telling him that

no-one else would ever see there.

- Beat that.

- Um...

Easy. I...

I recently told some

people that I had cancer

to avoid telling them

the real reason

I had for attempting suicide.

That is intense.

- What... What was the... real reason?

- I...

You know what? I don't know.

I do know that I am

now part of a pact

- that I had to lie to become a...

- What pact?

Just a...

Just a bunch of desperate

people being desperate together

as a way of feeling a

little less desperate.

OK, you win the psycho game.

Good. Good. I always

wanted to win that game.

I haven't done this

for a while, so...

Mmm.

- OK, now I'm going to say something.

- Oh, f***!

Because if I wait and say

nothing and then you spot me

after you've pissed, I think

that would probably be worse.

Wait, how did...

How did you even...

Just took a credit card and

a bit of spit, you know.

Hotel security is not

what it should be.

How long have you been there?

I just really wanted to

apologise for earlier.

Because I don't know...

I don't know why I said that.

And then I was probably

gonna try and shag you.

She's really pretty, though,

So, well done.

- Hey...

- You don't have to say anything.

You can take that one

as a compliment.

Then, I'll just leave quietly.

Hey, uh, Jess...

You know, I really would prefer

it if you didn't say anything.

You do know she's a

journalist though, right?

- What?

- Look in her bag.

'Cos I saw her check her

recorder in the bar.

- Oh, my God!

- Still, she f***ed you, though, right?

So, at least she's thorough.

Hey, hey.

"What pact?"

"Just... just a bunch

of desperate people

"being desperate together

"as a way of feeling a

little less desperate."

I think it's sweet.

I think it's unsanitary.

No, only part of you thinks that.

The other part thinks it's sweet.

Oh... Hmm.

- Why are you waiting here?

- I'm waiting for them to finish

this tray of scrambled egg

and bring in a new tray.

But the scrambled egg's

never fresh, Martin.

I mean, I might not have

Rate this script:3.0 / 1 vote