Bitter Moon Page #7

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of the story.

Then we'll see.

( men chattering )

Fiona?

Ooh!

Here you are.

I wondered where you were.

Ah, you missed dinner.

I completely lost track of time.

I'm really sorry.

Never mind. Dado's been

keeping me company.

Good.

How did the bridge go?

It was a disaster.

Really?

We had very,

very bad luck.

Never had such terrible hands

in my entire life.

Never mind, Dado--

unlucky at cards,

lucky in love.

May I offer you

a drink?

No, thanks very much.

I think some other time.

Are you coming, darling?

Goodbye.

Bye.

Smarmy ***.

I bet he'd like

to climb inside your pants.

You can talk.

I-- what do you mean?

God, Nigel,

I'm not a complete fool.

These sessions

with that American freak.

I know what the attraction is.

It isn't his big blue eyes.

I'm sorry,

I don't follow.

It's his wife you're after.

You've got the hots for her,

haven't you?

What?

I feel sorry for the girl,

that's all.

Yeah.

So sorry

that your tongue's hanging out.

Just watch it, Nigel.

Anything you can do,

I can do better.

( Fiona vomiting )

Oh, God.

Darling, I cannot

understand why you won't

take the Dramamine.

- I told you, they knock me out.

- ( intercom chiming )

Surely-- surely enough,

it's better to sleep

than suffer.

- Come on.

- Woman over P.A.: Good evening,

ladies and gentlemen.

to our gala

fancy-dress ball tonight.

See the New Year in

and dance till dawn

to the music

of Danny Garcia and his Boys.

For those without costumes,

stewards can supply

funny hats--

Funny hats,

for God's sake.

Here.

( ship horn bellowing )

Here, take another.

You like me taking pills,

don't you, Nigel?

If it's not one kind,

it's another.

I don't know why I bother.

Sorry, darling.

What're you talking about?

The pill, Nigel.

The pill.

We don't do it often enough

nowadays to make it worthwhile.

Oh, really.

Come on, please.

What are we doing here?

What are we looking for

that we can't find at home?

Seven years

and look where it got us.

I realize something now--

we shouldn't go to India at all.

We should be spending

the whole six months in bed.

Sorry, darling,

I'm not with you.

Too right you're not.

You're somewhere bloody else,

and I know where.

It's like a drug.

Actually, that's all

getting very boring.

If you're so obsessed

with your dirty-minded

little cripple

and his sexy wife,

why don't you just go back

for another helping

- and leave me in peace?

- Fine!

If that's how you feel,

I damn well will.

Oscar:

In time, Mimi became

a distant memory,

a closed chapter.

My sense of freedom

returned with a vengeance.

I hadn't dumped Mimi

for one particular woman.

I'd swapped her

for all of womankind.

And I resolved

to make up for lost time.

( pop music playing )

No more

emotional entanglements.

I just wallowed

in female flesh

like a pig in clover,

ricocheted from bed to bed,

grabbed whatever was going,

hurried on.

( man singing in French )

Every day held the promise

of some new

short-lived *** experience,

the shorter the better.

Every time I looked

into one woman's eyes,

I could see

the reflection of the next.

( both speaking French )

( grunting )

Oscar:

After two years

of screwing around,

I gave up

all pretense of writing

and turned night into day.

Like Dracula,

I rose at dusk

and retired to my pad

at dawn.

( laughing )

( speaking French )

No, mais non.

( speaks French )

The night is young.

"The night is young."

( speaks French )

- Eh eh!

- ( Oscar speaking French )

No!

Arrêt!

- Ah!

- ( screams )

( moans )

( muttering )

Oscar:

I was luckier than I deserved.

Just a concussion

and a fractured femur

that kept me lying there

like a mummy for weeks.

None of my conquests

bothered to check

if I was still breathing.

( woman on TV

speaking French )

Hi.

Well, I'll be damned.

Jesus.

So you didn't kill yourself?

What for?

I was dead already.

Well, you're looking great

anyway.

I'm feeling great.

Here.

I brought you these.

Thanks.

You may as well sit down

while you're here.

Where you been

all this time?

You bought the tickets.

You should know.

Martinique?

You stayed on?

What have you been doing

with yourself?

Working at a hotel.

Waiting tables?

Yes.

Till the manager

found out I could dance,

and then he put me

in a floor show.

Kind of him.

Oh, yes,

he was very kind.

He almost restored

my faith in human nature.

Only almost?

He did

until I remembered you.

( laughs )

Touché.

What are you doing

back here?

Just visiting.

I heard about your misfortune,

thought I'd see

if you needed anything.

You know what I really need,

baby?

I need you

to stay out of my life.

You haven't lost

your charm, Oscar.

I should have known.

Well, goodbye.

Remember the carousel?

Sure, I remember the carousel.

I remember it

like a trip to the dentist.

Easy, easy!

Ah!

Ah, ah, ah!

***.

Did you think I'd forgotten?

She came to see me

when I got out of

intensive care.

She said, "There's bad news

and there's good news.

You're paralyzed

from the waist down,

permanently."

"Okay," I said,

"let's have the good news."

"That was the good news,"

she said.

"The bad news

is that from now on,

I'm taking care of you."

Oscar:

We were a couple

once more.

She moved back

into my place

and looked after me

with a strange kind of

devotion to duty.

She was my cook,

my housekeeper, my jailer,

and my nurse.

Oh, couldn't you--

I mean,

it makes my leg shake

if you always shoot me

in the same spot.

You see?

It makes the leg shake.

Couldn't you find

some other place?

Oh, you want me

to have another go?

- No, not now, the next time--

- No, I can try it--

Now look

what you made me do, silly.

My God, you're not going

to use it again?

None left.

I'll get some more tomorrow.

Oscar:

It crossed my mind

that she might

still love me

in spite of everything.

After all, it's no fun

hurting someone

who means nothing

to you.

Hey, tiger.

Come and get it.

( water running )

Aren't you having any?

I'm going out.

Nothing in it?

Like what?

I don't know,

maybe tomatoes, mushrooms?

Oh, would you like

some mushrooms?

- Well, yeah,

that would be nice.

- ( phone ringing )

You want some,

go pick some.

Allô?

( woman talking )

Yes, I do.

Oh, no,

he's not available.

Who's calling, please?

( woman talking )

No, this is his nurse

speaking.

What the--

hey, who says I'm not available?

( woman speaking )

Ah, you heard.

Yeah, very sad.

- ( woman speaking )

- Who is it?

No, quite impossible,

I'm afraid.

He's completely

incapacitated.

( woman speaking )

I will.

You're welcome.

- Goodbye.

- Who was it?

"Paris is out.

Vieux jeu."

Beverly, you mean?

What did she want?

What did she want,

for God's sake?

How would I know?

Well, you might

have let me speak to her.

I said, you might

have let me speak to her.

I heard you.

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