Birthday Girl Page #5

He hangs up.

INT. LANDING - DAY

John stands with his ear to the bathroom door. The shower's

on.

INT. NADIA'S BEDROOM - DAY

It's empty. He slips inside.

Stuff everywhere. Cigarette cartons, several lighters, spare

wool, suitcase, rucksack. Huge poster of Bruce Springsteen

on wall.

Warily, he opens the bedside drawer: Different coloured bras

and knickers.

In her open suitcase lies a small wooden chest. He lifts it

out and puts it on the bed, hesitates, then opens it.

A pair of Russian Army field binoculars. He puts them on the

bed beside him. A small silver pistol, the size of a

Derringer. He studies it, and pulls the trigger. It's a

cigarette lighter.

A brochure of prospective husbands provided by the marriage

agency. After a dozen or so photos he comes across his page

but the photo has been cut out. He sees his name in the

strange lettering, under the hole.

INT. BATHROOM - DAY

Nadia in the shower, eyes shut, water pouring over her face.

INT. NADIA'S ROOM - DAY

John flicks through a stack of photographs. One of Nadia as

a young girl in a meadow, with binoculars around her neck --

John looks at the same binoculars on the bed next to him. He

turns them over in his hands.

He looks through them. He slowly lowers them. He's seen

something. He stands and crosses the room.

On the mantelpiece, in a silver frame, is his picture, cut

from the brochure. He holds it in his hands.

The shower has stopped. In a panic he replaces the picture,

the photographs, the gun lighter, the brochure, and the

binoculars.

INT. LANDING - DAY

Nadia leaves the bathroom, hair wrapped in a towel, and heads

straight towards us.

INT. NADIA'S BEDROOM - DAY

John shuts the chest, drops it back into the suitcase.

The photo of the binoculars girl is on the pillow. He whips

it under the bed just as Nadia enters.

She doesn't seem surprised to see him standing there, in her

room, in his tee shirt and running shorts.

JOHN:

Nadia. This isn't going to work. I'm

sorry. It's been a terrible mistake.

You must go.

He takes the ring off and holds it out to her. She doesn't

take it. He puts it on the bed.

JOHN:

I'm booking a flight for tomorrow.

I'm sorry.

John and Nadia on her bed, Nadia tearing off his tee shirt.

She gets on top.

EXT. JOHN'S CLOSE - DAY

The milkman hops a low fence between two houses. He waves to

a man watering his rose trees.

INT. NADIA'S ROOM - DAY

John and Nadia having sex. They don't take their eyes off

each other.

EXT. JOHN'S CLOSE - DAY

A mother corrals her school children into a Volvo. They don't

want to go.

INT. NADIA'S ROOM - DAY

John sits on the edge of the bed, holding his head in his

hands. The door has just shut behind him. He looks at his

left hand. He has the ring on.

VOICE OVER:

Problem solving. John identifies

most problems within appropriate

time frames...

INT. NATWEST BANK, ST ALBANS - DAY

The large oak doors of the bank swing open.

VOICE OVER:

Most of the time he develops several

alternative solutions to problems...

We move fast through the banking hall to the furthest counter.

The blind snaps up to reveal John, wearing a smart suit.

VOICE OVER:

He usually resolves or minimises

most problems before they grow into

larger problems...

INT. BEHIND THE GLASS - DAY

John's skilled hands loading a stack of banknotes into a

drawer. The cashier next along, Clare, smiles at him.

CLARE:

Good weekend?

JOHN:

Uh. Yeah. Pretty good.

CLARE:

Do anything special?

JOHN:

Uh. No.

VOICE OVER:

Communications. John listens and

comprehends well.

INT. BRANCH MANAGER'S OFFICE - DAY

John sits in front of a large desk, hands on knees.

BRANCH MANAGER (O.S.)

When communicating he is good at

selecting the most efficient methods

and displays effective verbal

communication skills...

Across the desk the Branch Manager reads a report out loud

in an impersonal, flat manner.

BRANCH MANAGER:

On one occasion John showed first

class communication skills in a

delicate customer situation.

INT. JOHN'S KITCHEN - DAY

Nadia opens a kitchen cupboard and stares inside at John's

groceries.

BRANCH MANAGER (V.O.)

Initiative. John is reasonably quick

to volunteer whenever others need

help. Although he is sometimes

reluctant and or unwilling to ask

for it himself...

She opens some pickled onions and pops one in her mouth.

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY

Cradling the jar of onions, she scans his bookshelf.

BRANCH MANAGER (V.O.)

He is adequate at resolving difficult

or emotional customer situations...

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