Birthday Girl Page #11

JOHN:

Uh... Yes.

The manager smiles and taps the desk twice.

BRANCH MANAGER:

I'll leave it on your desk.

John is left alone.

INT. HALL / LIVING ROOM - DAY

The front door opens and John walks into his hall. The two

rucksacks are still side by side where they were the night

before...

INT. KITCHEN - DAY

He opens the fridge and pours himself a glass of orange. He

stops -- There on the draining board lies the bloody skin of

a rabbit. John jumps out of his skin.

Next to the rabbit skin is a hand-drawn map. A dotted line

winds around the map and ends with an X in a small wood.

He looks at the rabbit skin, with its eyeless sockets.

EXT. FOREST - DAY

John follows a path through a big silent wood, the low sun

flaring and catching his white work shirt.

P.O.V. OF JOHN

through binoculars, a long way off and squinting into the

sun.

Nadia lowers the binoculars and looks past us.

CUT TO:

John spots some figures lying on the grass in the distance.

He heads towards them, and watches them for a moment from

thirty yards away.

Alexei, Yuri and Nadia sit in a small clearing. A blanket,

cushions, bread and vodka are scattered around. Yuri is

strumming a guitar. Alexei and Nadia are laughing and

chatting. He removes a small twig from her hair and flattens

it under his big hand. John watches the gesture. It's so

intimate they could be lovers.

YURI:

(calls)

John. We can see you hiding.

John steps out of his hiding place and approaches the group.

Alexei has Nadia falling about laughing about something. He

smiles at her then nods to John.

Pieces of cooked rabbit lie in tin foil. Alexei feeds a piece

to Nadia with a big hunting knife. Nadia smiles at John, and

starts knitting.

YURI:

How is bank?

JOHN:

Fine. I thought you were leaving

today.

YURI:

To be indoors on such a day. It's

crime.

Nadia stops knitting and takes her shirt off and stretches

back to sunbathe in her black bra. Alexei takes the knife he

has just finished cleaning and holds the cold wide blade

flat above Nadia's bare stomach. Just before pressing it

down he looks across at John. Nadia yelps and sits up. They

laugh, and Yuri joins in. John laughs uneasily.

Alexei notices marks on Nadia's midriff. He asks her about

them in Russian.

John goes white, unable to understand Nadia's explanation.

He has no idea what she told him.

EXT. LAKE IN FOREST - DAY

At sunset, the four run towards a lake in their underwear.

They jump and dive in, and begin splashing each other.

John duck-dives under the water and swims through the sunlit

streaked green water. We see him under the water, swimming

towards us, caught by the sun's rays.

John surfaces, and wipes the water from his eyes. He spots

Alexei and Nadia playing in the water. Alexei grabs her and

throws her in the air and she comes down with a splash.

John treads water nearby. He watches them both hold their

noses and disappear under the surface.

They've both vanished. John ducks under the water.

John's underwater P.O.V.: It's too murky to see anything.

The two surface, breathing hard, laughing. John watches them.

Alexei holds Nadia tight and looks like he might even kiss

her. But instead he ducks her and holds her under the water.

John treads water nearby. She's been under a long time.

JOHN:

Hey.

John begins to swim toward Alexei. Just as he gets near,

Alexei lets Nadia surface, coughing and spluttering -- she

shouts at Alexei in Russian, angry.

Alexei makes for her again but she pushes him away, twice,

almost slapping him. She is very uncomfortable. She swims

away.

Yuri admonishes his friend in Russian. Alexei stares at John,

then swims off powerfully back towards the shore.

YURI:

He's just having fun. He's maybe too

strong you know...

John watches Nadia walk out of the lake towards her clothes.

INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT

John walks into his bedroom. Nadia is on the bed with a

dictionary. She puts it down. She speaks very slowly.

NADIA:

They go. John. They go.

JOHN:

What's wrong?

NADIA:

They go.

JOHN:

Of course. They go. Yes. Yes.

NADIA:

They go.

INT. JOHN'S SITTING ROOM - NIGHT

John stands at the end of the two sleeping bags.

YURI:

I understand. I'm so sorry

JOHN:

You can stay tonight.

YURI:

I have brought you trouble. Maybe I

should have come alone.

JOHN:

Good night.

Alexei stares at John as he backs out of the room.

INT. JOHN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

John closes his bedroom door and slips back into bed. Nadia

is already asleep. John lies back in the moonlight, and stares

at the ceiling.

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