Brief Encounter Page #9

---

Yes, I see you are, but you're

not quite closed yet, are you?

- Three Star?

- That'll do.

Oh, and have you got

a piece of paper and an envelope?

- I'm afraid you'll have to

get that at the book stall.

- Well, the book stall's closed.

Please, it's very important.

I should be so much obliged.

All right.

Just a minute.

- Thank you very much.

- We close in a few minutes, you know.

Yes, I know.

- Darling, I've been

looking for you everywhere.

- Please go away. Please don't.

- I've watched every train.

- Please go away.

- I can't leave you like this.

- You must. It'll be better,

really it will.

You're being dreadfully cruel.

It was just an accident

that he came back early.

- He doesn't know who you are.

He never even saw you.

- He laughed, didn't he?

- I suppose you spoke of me

together as men of the world.

- We didn't speak of you.

- We spoke of some nameless

creature who has no reality.

- Why didn't you tell him?

Why didn't you say we were cheap

and low and without courage?

- Stop it, Laura. Pull yourself together.

- It's true.

It's nothing of the sort.

We know we love each other.

That's all that matters.

It isn't all that matters.

Other things matter too.

Self-respect matters, and decency.

I can't go on any longer.

Could you really say good-bye,

never see me again?

Yes, if you'd help me.

I love you, Laura. I shall love you

always until the end of my life.

I can't look at you now

because I know something.

I know that this is

the beginning of the end...

not the end of my loving you,

the end of our being together.

But not quite yet, darling.

Please, not quite yet.

Very well.

Not quite yet.

I know what you feel about this

evening... about the sordidness of it.

I know about the strain of our different

lives... our lives apart from each other.

The feeling of guilt, doing wrong

is too strong, isn't it?

Too great a price to pay

for the happiness we have together.

I know all this

because it's the same for me too.

You can look at me now.

I'm all right.

Let's be very careful.

Let's prepare ourselves.

A sudden break now, however brave

and admirable, would be too cruel.

We can't do such violence

to our hearts and minds.

Very well.

- I'm going away.

- I see.

- But not quite yet.

- Please, not quite yet.

- That's the 10:
10.

It's after closing time.

- Oh, is it?

- I shall have to lock up.

- All right.

- I want you to promise me something.

- What is it?

Promise me that however

unhappy you are...

and however much

you think things over,

- that you'll meet me

again next Thursday.

- Where?

Outside the hospital

at 12:
30.

- All right. I promise.

- I've got to talk to you.

I've got to explain.

- About going away?

- Yes.

- Where will you go?

Where can you go?

- You can't give up your practice.

I've had a job offered me.

I wasn't going to tell you.

I wasn't going to take it,

but I know now it's the only way out.

- Where?

- A long way away... Johannesburg.

- Oh, Alec.

- My brother's out there.

They're opening a new hospital.

They want me in it.

It's a fne opportunity, really.

I'll take Madeleine and the boys.

It's been torturing me...

the necessity of making

a decision one way or the other.

I haven't told anybody,

not even Madeleine.

I couldn't bear

the thought of leaving you,

but now I see it's

got to happen soon anyway.

It's almost happening already.

Stanley!

When will you go?

Almost immediately,

in about two weeks' time.

- Quite near, isn't it?

- Do you want me to stay?

- Do you want me to turn down the offer?

- Don't be foolish, Alec.

- I'll do whatever you say.

- That's unkind of you, my darling.

The train for Ketchworth is

now arriving at platform three.

You're not

angry with me, are you?

No, I'm not angry.

I don't think I'm anything, really.

I just feel tired.

- Forgive me?

- Forgive you for what?

For everything...

for meeting you in the frst place,

for taking the piece

of grit out of your eye,

for loving you,

for bringing you so much misery.

I'll forgive you

if you'll forgive me.

Thursday.

All that was a week ago.

It's hardly credible

that it should be so short a time.

Today was

our last day together...

our very last together

in all our lives.

I met him outside the hospital

as I had promised at 12:30...

at 12:
30 this morning.

That was only this morning.

We drove into the country again,

but this time he hired a car.

I lit cigarettes for him

every now and then as we went along.

We didn't talk much.

I felt numbed and hardly alive at all.

We had lunch in a village pub.

Afterwards, we went to the same bridge

over the stream,

the bridge that we'd

been to before.

Those last few hours

went by so quickly.

As we walked through the station

I remember thinking,

"This is the last time

with Alec.

I shall see all this again,

but without Alec. "

I tried not to think of it,

not to let it spoil

our last moments together.

Are you all right,

darling?

Yes, I'm all right.

I wish I could think of something

to say. It doesn't matter...

- not saying anything, I mean.

- I'll miss my train

and see you to yours.

- Please don't. I'll come over

to your platform. I'd rather.

- Very well.

Do you think we shall ever

see each other again?

I don't know.

Not for years anyway.

The children will

all be grown up.

I wonder if they'll ever

meet and know each other.

Couldn't I write to you,

just once in a while?

No, Alec, please.

You know we promised.

Well, all right, dear.

I do love you so very much.

I love you with

all my heart and soul.

I want to die.

If only I could die.

If you died, you'd forget me.

I want to be remembered.

Yes, I know. I do too.

- We've still got a few minutes.

- Laura!

What a lovely surprise.

My dear, I've been

shopping till I'm dropping.

My feet are nearly falling off.

My throat's parched.

I thought of having tea at Spindle's,

but I was terrifed of losing the train.

- Oh, dear!

- Oh, this is Dr. Harvey.

- How do you do?

- How do you do? Would you be

a dear and get me a cup of tea?

- I don't think I could drag

my poor bones to the counter.

- No, please.

It was cruel of fate

to be against us right up

to the very last minute.

Dolly Messiter... poor, well-meaning,

irritating Dolly Messiter...

crashing into those last few

precious minutes we had together.

She chattered and fussed,

but I didn't hear what she said.

- I felt dazed and bewildered.

- Oh, dear. No sugar.

- It's in the spoon.

- Alec behaved so beautifully,

with such perfect politeness.

No one could have guessed

what he was really feeling.

And then...

- There's your train.

- Yes, I know.

- Oh, aren't you coming with us?

- I go in the opposite direction.

My practice is in Churley.

- Oh, I see.

- I'm a general practitioner

at the moment.

- Dr. Harvey's going out

to Africa next week.

- Oh, how thrilling.

The train now

arriving at platform four...

is the 5:
40 for Churley,

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote