Before Midnight Page #14

CELINE:

The final solution? Very rational

thinking behind it.

JESSE:

(Laughs)

Oh, okay, so we're there now? Us

versus the final solution? Okay!

Let's do it, alright? Let me ask

you this, alright? Do you think

Henry's life would be helped by a

more consistent presence by you and

me?

CELINE:

Here we go...

Jesse gets up from the bed, puts his pants back on, and joins

Celine on the couch.

JESSE:

No. You won't drop it, so let's

talk about it. Alright? Let me

just ask you one question. Do you

think Hank's life would be better

served by a more consistent presence

from you and me?

CELINE:

Yes! I think it'd be better if he

lived with us...

JESSE:

Okay.

CELINE:

... And I think his mom is a f***ing

alcoholic, hateful c*nt that used

the time that we were in Paris and I

was giving birth and almost dying to

(MORE)

93.

CELINE (CONT'D)

legally move Henry out of New York.

F*** her.

JESSE:

Okay. I agree with you.

Unfortunately, we cannot go get him

out of America but we could, if we

wanted to, go to him. Now, I know

it would be a big move, but what do

you think? I mean, is there any way

you could be happy in the U.S.? Is

that just out of the realm of

possibility? That you could find a

comparable job there?

CELINE:

Comparable job? Are you kidding?

JESSE:

No.

CELINE:

Why am I the one that always has to

make the compromises?

JESSE:

Oh, Jesus Christ. Don't be so

dramatic, okay?

CELINE:

Well, moving to Chicago is pretty

f***ing dramatic to me.

JESSE:

I'm not saying we should move. I

just want to talk about it. Can you

be my friend for like two seconds so

we can talk?

CELINE:

Okay, two seconds.

JESSE:

Alright. Do you remember that time

that you were like 35 minutes late

to pick the girls up from school and

you were so stressed out because you

knew they were out there in the

playground wondering what the hell

had happened to you. Okay, that is

the way I feel all the time, you

know like I f***ed up. I mean, I

left him behind and I just wanna go

get him.

94.

CELINE:

You always get like this when you

drop him off. You're sad, so you

start a fight. He's fine. He's a

great kid. Okay? But the truth is,

he doesn't need you the way he used

to. You missed the opportunity to

be with him everyday of his childhood,

you just did. And you can cry about

it but he's growing up. You're a

great father in other ways. You got

divorced, like millions of other

people. Was it ideal? No. Listen,

if in one month, you still want me

to quit my job and give up everything

I have ben working towards all these

years, just ask me. But right now I

feel the same way I always have. I

would move back to the US if that

diseased ex-wife of yours would give

us joint custody. But every other

weekend amounts to sh*t Jesse, that's

less than thirty days a semester and

I don't think it's worth it for us

to change our entire lives over that

kind of time.

JESSE:

I know, you're right.

CELINE:

Right, right? See? I'm being the

rational one.

JESSE:

Oh, it's just such a shitty position,

you know? I mean Hank didn't do

anything but he's the one getting

kicked in the teeth.

CELINE:

We all get dragged through our

parents' lives. If it wasn't me,

your marriage would have ended over

something else and you know that.

JESSE:

Absolutely.

CELINE:

Or even worse, he would have been

raised by two miserable parents.

95.

JESSE:

I know. I just really f***ed that

up.

CELINE:

You mean you f***ed up by moving to

Paris to be with me?

JESSE:

No. That's not what I meant...

CELINE:

I knew that was going to cost too

much.

JESSE:

That's not what I meant at all!

CELINE:

I told you not to do it.

JESSE:

Stop it.

CELINE:

I moved to New York with you for two

years and gave up everything, but I

needed to be home to give birth to

the twins because it was a complicated

birth and I wanted to be with my

mother. And you wanted it too!

JESSE:

Yes. Okay.

CELINE:

Okay. That's the one thing I asked

from you, the one thing. And now

you're going to blame me forever.

JESSE:

Stop it will you? Stop it. If you

don't want to move back to the States

we won't. End of story. I'm just

trying to find a way where I can be

more of a consistent presence in his

life, and ideally I'd like to do

that as a family.

CELINE:

'As a family?' Or what?

JESSE:

What the f*** does that mean?

96.

CELINE:

I feel a passive aggressive threat

in everything you say. Either do

this, or I will resent you for the

rest of our lives.

Silence.

CELINE (CONT'D)

No? Am I Right? You know what?

I'm sensing something... I think the

problem is that you don't want me to

have a more substantial job. On

some level, you feel threatened by

my achieving anything that could

diminish your status in our

relationship.

JESSE:

My status in our relationship? I

teach two courses a semester at the

f***ing American school. Ok wow,

that's really some status.

CELINE:

Now I don't think it's any coincidence

that you feel that way at the same

time that I have a truly exciting

job opportunity.

JESSE:

This whole train of thought is

complete horse sh*t and you know it.

CELINE:

I have a question for you. If we

didn't have the girls, all our crap.

Would we even still be together?

JESSE:

What? I mean you are the f***ing

mayor of crazy town, do you know

that? You are.

CELINE:

You know what I think? I think you

need to move to Chicago. I think

Henry needs you and I think I need

to stay in Paris with the girls and

take this job.

JESSE:

Why are you doing this, huh? That

is a ridiculous idea.

(MORE)

97.

JESSE (CONT'D)

Like I'm gonna lose you and the girls?

No. Why do you make everything so

difficult?

CELINE:

Jesse, you're unhappy with me. You're

blaming me for taking you away from

your son.

JESSE:

That is a completely irrational

response to something I am just trying

to feel my way through.

CELINE:

Listen, Jesse. We've just spent the

last six weeks here and it's been

great. You've been able to write

everyday and the weather's been nice.

But I didn't want to come to Greece

originally.

JESSE:

I know.

CELINE:

All right? There could be a

revolution any second...

JESSE:

Don't.

CELINE:

People eat a lot of feta and olive

oil, they act all happy but they

actually talk about how "angry" they

are... and it confuses me and I don't

know what's going to happen in the

next few weeks.

JESSE:

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let me tell you

what's going to happen alright. The

same thing that always happens:

Nothing.

CELINE:

Alright. You know what? I have had

absolutely zero time for myself, I

have ten thousand emails I have to

answer that I didn't answer...

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