Birthday Girl Page #4

He warily unwraps a little wooden box. He opens the lid and

fishes out a simple gold ring. He holds it in his palm.

JOHN:

I can't take this.

He puts it back in the box, hoping it will disappear.

She fishes it out again and holds it on her palm for him to

take.

JOHN:

I can't take it. I'm not really a

ring guy.

She takes his hand. He automatically yanks it away like he's

been burned. She takes his hand again and to stop it becoming

unbearable, he allows Nadia to push the ring onto his ring

finger. It goes on easily.

JOHN:

Okay. No big deal. Thank you. Yes

thanks. Thank you.

INT. LOUNGE - NIGHT

John and Nadia sit next to each other on the couch watching

T.V. John's gaze seems to go through the T.V. and a thousand

yards beyond. Nadia is knitting a half-finished jumper, blood

red.

John stands and disappears out of shot.

JOHN (O.S.)

If anyone gets this message please

call as soon as possible. It's an

emergency.

John sits back down. He steals side-glances at her. Her mouth.

Her red-painted fingers knitting fast.

John flips through the channels --

The Money Programme.

Antique's Roadshow.

Cup Rugby.

Eventually he offers Nadia the remote control. She takes,

aims it at the T.V. but doesn't press it. Just as it seems

she won't, she does: University Challenge.

They watch University Challenge with Nadia still aiming the

control and smoking. After another long pause she flips the

button --

The Money Programme.

Antiques Roadshow.

Rugby.

She flips again then hands the controls back to John and

they watch University Challenge.

Nadia puts down her knitting, stretches and yawns.

INT. LOUNGE / STAIRS - NIGHT

Nadia climbs the stairs. John watches her, hovering in the

doorway of the darkened lounge.

He hears the bathroom door close before venturing up.

INT. BEDROOM - DAY

John sits on the edge of his bed. He c*cks his head:

Door opening and shutting; feet padding along landing; door

closing. Silence. He squeezes his door open and peers down

the dark landing. The coast is clear.

INT. BATHROOM - DAY

Brushing his teeth, staring accusingly at his reflection.

Spits. Finished, he takes a deep breath and opens the door,

and gives a small shout.

Nadia is standing right outside the door; Nightshirt, damp

hair, toothbrush in her mouth.

JOHN:

Good night.

He squeezes past and quick-steps down the landing.

INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT

He climbs into the big bed, fully clothed, turns off the

light and lies there in the moonlight.

After twenty seconds, the bedroom door clicks open. John

climbs out of bed as casually as possible and stands around.

JOHN:

You should go now. We'll talk in the

morning.

His eyes widen but he can't speak. He wants to but she's

placed her hand across his mouth. She reaches down and takes

his hand, and draws it towards her, slowly tracing his fingers

across her breasts. She unbuttons her shirt and pulls his

hand inside.

He's breathing hard, her right hand still clasped over his

mouth. Her free hand lowers to press against him, and unzip

his fly. He lets out a moan.

We concentrate on their faces. Above the silence all we can

hear is John's breathing -- Before long Nadia looks down --

He's come.

Nadia turns and walks out, leaving John marooned, gasping in

and blowing out, angry almost, buttoning his trousers.

EXT. JOHN'S CLOSE - NIGHT

Exterior view of John's darkened house. A fox trots across

the Cul-De-Sac and sits under John's car, where it curls up.

INT. JOHN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

John lying in bed staring out at a streetlight.

INT. NADIA'S ROOM - DAY

The morning. Nadia opens her eyes in the sun-filled room.

INT. LANDING - DAY

She pads down the hall in her nightshirt and opens the door

to the bathroom. There on the toilet, naked, is John. He

gives another short shout. Nadia holds his eye for a couple

of seconds too long, before shutting us inside with him.

EXT. JOHN'S GARDEN - DAY

John sprints down his lawn, scattering the big black crows

eating his garden. He jumps the fence, and across the fields.

EXT. COUNTRYSIDE - DAY

John jogs along by a river in the countryside behind his

house, wearing shorts and a tee shirt. His breath billows

around him in the sharp morning air.

He stops running by a gate overlooking a small hill. He

doubles up to recover, panting hard.

INT. JOHN'S GARDEN - DAY

Two wild rabbits are nibbling the remains of a big breakfast

left on the lawn. John climbs heavily back over his fence.

There's a deck chair out there, surrounded by the remains of

breakfast. Some glossy Russian magazines, a full ashtray,

Nadia's knitting.

The patio door is ajar, the net curtain billowing. He scans

the garden jumpily. The boy next door is on his trampoline,

bouncing up and down, watching John at the top of each bounce.

INT. JOHN'S HOUSE - DAY

Sweating from the run, John peers up the stairs. The house

is silent. In the lounge he picks up the phone and dials a

number.

ANSWER MACHINE:

You have reached From Russia With

Love. If you are interested...

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