Brooklyn Page #12

FRANKIE:

She’s not laughing, Tony. I think

it’s too late. She’s a Yanks fan.

More laughter. But Tony is watching her carefully.

73 EXT. STREET. NIGHT 73

Tony and Eilis outside Mrs Kehoe’s. Tony comes in close to

Eilis, holds her, kisses her cheek. Eilis is stiff, a little

afraid.

TONY:

(softly)

I love you.

Eilis stays in the embrace a moment longer, then pulls away.

EILIS:

I..Thank you for the evening. It

was lovely.

She walks down the path towards her house, leaving Tony

staring wistfully after her.

74 INT. BATHROOM, MRS. KEHOE’S HOUSE. NIGHT 74

Eilis in the bathroom in her dressing gown, cleaning her

teeth. She stops, and looks at herself in the mirror - maybe

trying to imagine herself older, married, a mother, an

American. The bathroom door rattles.

(CONTINUED)

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SHEILA (O.S.)

Sorry!

Eilis is pulled out of the reverie and opens the door.

EILIS:

I’d finished. (Beat, and then,

tentatively) Sheila... Can I ask

you something? Why aren’t you

married?

SHEILA:

Because my husband met somebody

else and left me.

EILIS:

Oh. I’m sorry.

Sheila shrugs.

EILIS:

And...Well, would you get married

again?

SHEILA:

Has someone asked you?

EILIS:

No. Not really.

SHEILA:

I won’t ask what that means. Would

I get married again? No. I want to

be waiting outside the bathroom of

my boarding-house forever.

Eilis doesn’t know how to take this.

SHEILA:

Of course I do. That’s why I go to

that wretched dance every week. I

want to be waiting outside my own

bathroom. (Beat) While some bad-

tempered fella with hair growing

out of his ears reads the newspaper

on the toilet. And then I’ll wish I

was back here, talking to you.

She laughs despairingly, and shrugs.

75 EXT. BROOKLYN COLLEGE. NIGHT 75

Eilis emerges from her class, starts to walk down the stairs

and stops, scanning the entrance hall. Tony isn’t there. She

walks down the stairs slowly, still looking around. She stops

in the entrance hall and waits for a moment.

'Brooklyn' YELLOW Script Dated 24th April 2014 57.

76 EXT. BROOKLYN COLLEGE. NIGHT 76

Eilis stands waiting outside, looking up and down the street

for Tony. No sign. She gives up and starts to walk up the

street.

TONY (O.S.)

Eilis!

She looks around. Tony is on the other side of the street,

breathless and smiling. Eilis smiles broadly back, with

visible relief.

TONY:

I’m sorry.

EILIS:

I thought you weren’t coming.

TONY:

Yeah. I thought you’d think that.

That’s why I wanted to be here no

matter what.

EILIS:

I need to say something to you.

Tony’s face falls. He thinks he knows what’s coming.

TONY:

Can you... Can we talk about

something else until we get to Mrs

Kehoe’s?

EILIS:

It’s not...

TONY:

Please?

They start to walk along the street together.

TONY:

So. Ten minutes before I’m supposed

to meet you and I’m standing ankle-

deep in sewage that’s pouring

through this old lady’s ceiling.

Eilis looks at his shoes, reflexively.

TONY:

Yeah. Even if you were thinking of

inviting me in for a coffee, I’d

have to say no, for your sake.

(CONTINUED)

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EILIS:

So how did you fix it in ten

minutes?

TONY:

I didn’t. I spent the whole ten

minutes explaining to the old lady

that I had to be somewhere and I’d

be back. She didn’t want to let me

go.

EILIS:

So the sewage is still pouring

through the ceiling?

Tony shrugs.

TONY:

Oh, what’s the difference between

six inches of sewage and a foot?

Eilis laughs. Tony looks at her anxiously - is she really

going to break off their relationship? Eilis stops.

EILIS:

Let me say what I want to say. I

think... I think you’ll... I don’t

think you’ll mind.

Tony takes a deep breath.

TONY:

Okay.

EILIS:

You remember that after I had

dinner at your house, you told me

that you loved me.

Tony nods, sombre and nervous.

EILIS:

Well, I didn’t really know what to

say. But I know what to say now. I

have thought about you and I like

you, and I like seeing you, and

maybe I feel the same way. So the

next time you tell me you love me,

if there is a next time, I’ll..I’ll

say I love you too.

TONY:

(excited)

Are you serious?

EILIS:

Yes.

(CONTINUED)

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TONY:

Holy sh*t! Excuse my language, but

I thought we were going to have a

different kind of talk. You mean

it?

EILIS:

I mean it.

TONY:

So why aren’t you smiling?

She flashes him a quick, forced smile.

EILIS:

Can I go home now?

TONY:

You love me?

EILIS:

Yes. But don’t ask me anything

else, and don’t talk about our kids

being Dodgers fans.

TONY:

(laughing)

You want kids who like the Yankees?

EILIS:

Tony, please don’t push me.

TONY:

(suddenly sober)

All right. I’m sorry.

They walk on.

77 EXT. STREET. EVENING 77

Eilis is walking down a Brooklyn street on an early summer

evening, holding an envelope. The trees are green, children

are playing in the street, the last of the daylight is

glinting off the roofs. Eilis takes it all in; she’s happy.

She reaches Father Flood’s parish house and knocks on the

door.

78 INT. SACRISTY. EVENING 78

Father Flood is scanning the letter contained in the envelope

while Eilis watches him intently. He hands it back to her

thoughtfully.

(CONTINUED)

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FATHER FLOOD:

Well. You’re marvellous. That’s all

I have to say. And it looks to me

as though you didn’t just pass

those exams. You, you flew through

them.

Eilis smiles shyly.

FATHER FLOOD:

Most people who come and visit me

without notice are in trouble, of

some kind or another. I can’t

remember the last time anyone came

here with good news.

EILIS:

I have saved some money. I’ll be

able to pay next year’s tuition and

pay you back for last year.

FATHER FLOOD:

One of my parishioners paid. He

needed to do something for mankind,

and I won’t tell you why. He’s not

out of the woods yet, either, so he

can cough up for next year, too.

EILIS:

I’d love to know what sort of woods

he’s in.

FATHER FLOOD:

Yes, well you won’t hear it from

me. How’s Tony?

Eilis looks at him, surprised to be asked.

EILIS:

He’s well. Thank you for asking.

FATHER FLOOD:

He’s a solid man. Qualifications

and a boyfriend, Eilis. You’re not

the miserable young girl who wanted

to go home last winter.

EILIS:

That seems like years ago.

79 INT. DINING ROOM, MRS KEHOE’S HOUSE. EVENING 79

The girls and Mrs Kehoe at the end of their evening meal.

They are collecting plates and putting crockery by the sink

ready for washing up.

(CONTINUED)

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