Away from Her Page #11

quieter?

FIONA:

If you like.

108 INT FIONA’S ROOM - MARCH 2004 -AFTERNOON 108

Fiona sits in a chair. Grant sits on the bed. Smooths out the

sheets remembering their last encounter in this room. He

looks around at the walls which have many of Aubrey’s

drawings pinned up. They are all different angles of Fiona,

looking so much like the images we’ve seen of her in the

past, it’s uncanny.

FIONA:

You said you have some books for

me.

GRANT:

Yes.

He takes the books out.

GRANT:

Letters From Iceland.

FIONA:

Yes you said. By Auden.

GRANT:

(excited that sheremembers)

Yes. That’s right.

FIONA:

Now where is Iceland.

56.

Grant sinks. As he describes Iceland we see Super 8 and

archival footage of Iceland. Earthquakes, geysirs, highway

bridges carried off by giant movements of ice and water.

GRANT:

Iceland is... It’s in the middle of

the Atlantic. It’s an island. It’s

the youngest country in the world.

It’s constantly erupting. Volcanos

and earthquakes. It’s

always...shaking itself off.

Fiona replies with casual interest.

FIONA:

Hmm. Wouldn’t it be nice. To be

from a young country.

GRANT:

You are. That’s where you’re from.

Where your people are from. They

immigrated here in the late 1800’s.

Your people were on the first

voyage from the north. A place

called Akyuyeri. They came to

Canada. That’s where you’re from

Fiona. And I teach... I taught the

myths from there. Norse Mythology.

Fiona looks very vulnerable.

FIONA:

I must have been there then. Have I

been there?

GRANT:

No.

FIONA:

But ... Wasn’t I curious?

GRANT:

Oh you’re very curious. Very

curious.

He smiles tenderly. Strokes her hand.

GRANT:

You always said, there ought to be

one place you thought about and

knew about and maybe even longed

for - but never did get to see.

57.

She smiles sadly.

FIONA:

Did I I say that? *

GRANT:

Yes. You said that.

*

She smiles. Then something occurs to her.She looks at him. *

Upset. She looks quite angry and quite present. She stares at

Grant for a long time, totally familiar and direct. Grant

looks afraid of what she might be about to say.

Then her polite manner is back, suddenly. All of a sudden she

treats him like a stranger again.

FIONA:

Well I better go see to Aubrey.

He’ll be wanting a little walk

around I suppose. It was nice

chatting. I suppose you’ll be back

again tomorrow.

She goes to stand up. He takes her hand back. She looks down

at it.

GRANT:

Fiona.

FIONA:

Yes?

GRANT:

What are you doing? What are you

doing with Aubrey?

She takes her =hand back. Looks him in the eye.

FIONA:

He doesn’t confuse me. He doesn’t

confuse me at all.

She walks to the door. Turns around. Very polite and formal.

58.

FIONA:

Well. It was nice chatting. I

suppose you’ll be back again

tomorrow.

Grant sits on the bed for a while, thinking. He places the

books carefully on the bedside table.

109 INT BRIGHT HALLWAY- MARCH 2004 -AFTERNOON 109

36 fps. Grant is on his way out the door. He passes Fiona

helping Aubrey out of his chair. He holds onto the rail on

the wall and supports himself by leaning on her as he takes a

few tentative steps. A small group of residents and nurses

clap. Both Fiona and Aubrey look somewhat proud and bashful.

Grant leaves.

110 INT DINING AREA-MARCH 2004 - LATE AFTERNOON 110

Grant and Kristy eat slices of pie and drink coffee.

GRANT:

Who is he?

KRISTY:

He’s...Aubrey?

GRANT:

Yes. Aubrey.

KRISTY:

Aubrey. He was the local guy for

this company that sold weed killer

and all that kind of stuff. He was

a fine person.

Grant nods.

GRANT:

What happened to him? Did he have a

stroke?

KRISTY:

When he was not very old or even

retired he suffered some unusual

kind of damage. They just went on

holiday somewhere and he got

something, like some bug, that gave

him a terrible high fever? And it

put him in a coma and left him like

he is now.

(MORE)

58A.

KRISTY (cont'd)

Between you and me I wouldn’t be

surprised if it had something to do

with that weed killer. His wife is

the one takes care of him

usually.She takes care of him at

home. She just put him in here on

temporary care so she could get a

break. Her sister wanted her to go

to Florida.

(MORE)

59.

KRISTY (cont'd)

See, she’s had a hard time, you

wouldn’t ever have expected a man

like him-

GRANT:

I see.

Grant tries to use a calm, indulgent tone.

GRANT:

Do these affections between

residents...do they ever go too

far?

KRISTY:

Depends what you mean.

There is an awkward silence. Grant is getting nervous.

KRISTY:

The trouble we have in here, it’s

funny, it’s often with some of the

ones that haven’t been friendly

with each other at all. They maybe

won’t even know each other, beyond

knowing, like, is it a man or a

woman? You’d think it’d be the old

guys trying to crawl in bed with

the old women, but you know half

the time it’s the other way round.

Old women going after the old men.

Could be they’re not so wore out I

guess.

She stops smiling, as if she’s afraid she has spoken too

callously.

KRISTY:

Don’t take me wrong. I don’t mean

Fiona. Fiona is a lady. She’s a

real lady.

GRANT:

Well I sometimes wonder-

KRISTY:

(a little sharply)

You wonder what?

60.

GRANT:

I wonder whether she isn’t putting

on some kind of charade.

KRISTY:

A what?

GRANT:

Some kind of act. Maybe a kind of

punishment.

Kristy looks at him fondly. Pats his hand.

KRISTY:

Now why would she do that.

He looks at her in a way that makes her know that he’s

talking about something very real.

KRISTY:

Oh.

111 EXT ANDERSSON’S COTTAGE - MARCH 2004 -LATE AFTERNOON 111

Grant shovels snow. He throws himself into the work,

exhausting himself.

112 INT MEADOWLAKE DINING AREA/CORRIDOR-MARCH 2004 - MORNING 112

Grant watches from the the couch in the dining area while

Aubrey walks, a little more confidently now holding onto

Fiona for support. Fiona is wearing a very bright, tacky

sweater. Completely different from her other clothing.

Madeleine walks by. Grant gets her attention.

GRANT:

Excuse me. Excuse me!

MADELEINE:

Yes Mr. Andersson. What can I help

you with?

GRANT:

She’s...Fiona. She’s wearing

someone elses’ sweater.

Madeleine looks over at Fiona.

MADELEINE:

It’s pretty isn’t it.

61.

GRANT:

No. It isn’t pretty. It’s tacky.

And she would never wear it.

MADELEINE:

Well, if you like you can talk to

the on duty attendant on Mrs.

Andersson’s wing.

Grant keeps watching Fiona, supporting Aubrey as he makes his

way slowly across the room. Madeleine pauses to watch with

him.

MADELEINE:

It’s a marvel really. The way she’s

getting him up and out of that

chair.

She walks off. Grant watches Fiona laughing with Aubrey who

is smiling a little. Grant gets more and more upset. He goes

up to Fiona, grabs her wrists.

GRANT:

Fiona.

She is startled.

GRANT:

Fiona. I’m your husband. Fiona.

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