Calvary Page #11

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(CONTINUED)

62.

69 CONTINUED:
69

LAVELLE has been trailing in his wake.

No doubt.

LAVELLE:

MONTGOMERY inhales the scent of the roses.

Who is it?

MONTGOMERY:

LAVELLE:

I don’t know who it is.

MONTGOMERY turns and looks at him.

MONTGOMERY:

You said you did.

*

*

LAVELLE:

I have no evidence it’s the same man.

MONTGOMERY:

It’s the same man. Takes a lot of

nerve to burn down a church. Helps

if you have a burning sense of

grievance. If you’ll pardon the...

He walks on. LAVELLE following.

MONTGOMERY:

We have to ask ourselves, What does

this man want? Well, he wants to

be loved, of course. We all want

to be loved. Failing that, he wants

to be admired. Failing that, he

wants to be feared. And failing that,

he wants to be hated and despised.

We should beware the man who wants

to be hated and despised. Don’t you

think?

LAVELLE:

(after a pause)

I think you read that in a book.

MONTGOMERY smiles. They move on.

LAVELLE:

I think he wants to stir up some

sort of feeling in others, that’s

true. He doesn’t want to be ignored

anymore. He wants to make contact.

MONTGOMERY:

Well he made contact alright.

Who is it? *

(CONTINUED)

63.

69 CONTINUED:
69

LAVELLE looks blankly at him. MONTGOMERY nods. *

MONTGOMERY:

Those roses’ll want cutting.

70

EXT. BEACH - DAY 70

VERONICA emerges from the water to find LAVELLE waiting

for her.

*

VERONICA:

Is this about the coke?

I can take it or leave it.

*

*

*

Really?

LAVELLE:

VERONICA:

Yeah. Most people can. The only

ones who can’t, had problems to

begin with.

*

LAVELLE:

We shouldn’t write them off,

though, the ones who had problems

to begin with.

*

*

VERONICA dries her hair with a towel. Studies him. *

LAVELLE:

What do you want to do with your

life, Veronica?

*

*

*

VERONICA:

Nothing. “Consider the lilies of

the field, how they grow. They

toil not, neither do they spin.”

*

*

*

*

LAVELLE:

That’s a very nice quotation.

(CONTINUED)

64.

70 CONTINUED:
70

VERONICA:

Ah sure everybody knows that one.

*

LAVELLE:

It’s hackneyed, yeah. Like “Turn

the other cheek,” and “Judge not,

lest ye be judged.”

They look at each other. *

VERONICA:

I’d like to be an actress, maybe.

I’ve got an absent father and a

domineering mother.

*

*

*

LAVELLE:

Well it’s a start. When did your

father leave?

VERONICA:

He didn’t leave, he was killed.

*

*

LAVELLE:

He was murdered?

VERONICA:

Hunting accident.

(pause)

Completely random.

(pause)

So there’s no use persevering,

Father. I’m a lost cause.

*

*

*

*

*

LAVELLE:

No one’s a lost cause, Veronica.

*

*

VERONICA glances at him, then strides away. *

65.

71

INT. RECTORY (STUDY) - DAY 71

*

FITZGERALD with a big smile on his face.

FITZGERALD:

Dreadful business, I must say.

Some little blackguard running

riot, I wouldn’t wonder.

He is standing between two desks, jingling the change in

his pockets. LAVELLE at one desk. LEARY at the other. *

LEARY:

Sure what can you do, in this day

and age.

*

FITZGERALD:

True dat.

(to LAVELLE)

Sorry about the other day, Father.

That was the drink talking.

LAVELLE:

What can we do for you?

FITZGERALD:

Well it follows on from what I was

saying. And it seems more necessary

now than ever.

(producing a cheque-book)

I’d like to make a donation.

LEARY:

(getting up)

Oh that’s grand!

*

LAVELLE:

To salve your conscience?

FITZGERALD:

Surely that’s in the nature of all

philanthropy? The expiation of guilt?

LEARY:

I’m sure you have nothing major to

feel guilty about, Mr Fitzgerald.

*

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

66.

71

FITZGERALD:

Oh you’d be surprised, Father.

And call me Michael.

LEARY *

Michael it is. Any charity is always

gratefully received.

FITZGERALD:

I know. I believe that’s Church

doctrine. And the Church needs all

the help it can get these days, hah?

LEARY *

Why would you say that?

FITZGERALD:

Well, y’know, what with all the

compensation that’s been paid out

over the years.

LEARY’s superficial smile freezes on his face. *

FITZGERALD:

I read where it’s up to two billion

now. And that’s just the Yanks.

And sure we all know they weren’t

the worst, now, don’t we?

LAVELLE looks blankly at him. Then blankly at LEARY to *

gauge his reaction.

LEARY *

I don’t know about that, now. And

anyways, most of those cases were

forty or fifty years ago. Raking up

old ground, it’s always seemed to

me. It’s time to forgive and forget.

FITZGERALD:

Oh I agree with you, I agree with

you. It’s time to move on. What’s

past is past. Et cetera, et cetera.

LEARY *

Ah...Would you like a cup of tea,

Michael, or something-

FITZGERALD:

No, no, can’t stop.

He sits in LEARY’s chair. Waves the cheque-book --*

FITZGERALD:

What are we talking? Ten? Twenty?

LEARY *

Twenty thousand?

(CONTINUED)

67.

71 CONTINUED:
71

FITZGERALD:

Twenty thousand euros, yeah.

LEARY perches himself on the desk. Excited. *

LEARY:

Why that’d be grand. That’d help

with getting the initial building

work off the ground.

*

FITZGERALD:

Twenty it is, then.

(producing a beautiful

Pierrot White fountain pen)

This is a David Oscarson pen.

Really expensive.

It’s lovely.

LEARY *

LAVELLE:

Why not make it fifty?

FITZGERALD and LEARY look at him. FITZGERALD smiles. *

LEARY:

Ah now, Father-*

LAVELLE:

If money’s no object, make it fifty.

FITZGERALD:

Why not make it a hundred?

LEARY’s jaw drops open. He looks at LAVELLE. *

FITZGERALD:

Means nothing to me.

LAVELLE:

I know it doesn’t.

FITZGERALD:

A hundred thousand euros, Father.

For your pet project. What do you

say to that?

LAVELLE:

I say, Thank you, Mister Fitzgerald.

FITZGERALD grins.

72

EXT. RECTORY - DAY 72

FIONA is playing with Bruno, rubbing his belly, flopping

his ears around.

(CONTINUED)

68.

72 CONTINUED:
72

FIONA:

Good dog. Aren’t you a good dog.

Yes you are.

LAVELLE appears. He watches them in silence, smiling.

73

EXT/INT. SLIGO TOWN RESTAURANT - DAY 73

LAVELLE and FIONA eating.

LAVELLE:

It’s my fault. *

FIONA:

How is it your fault what some

crazy person-LAVELLE

I should have done something.

Said something.

FIONA:

(after a pause)

What was Stanton was getting at?

LAVELLE:

If I could tell you I would.

You know that.

FIONA:

I thought I was the one supposed

to be in trouble, not you.

They look at each other.

VERONICA (O.S.)

How’s the fish?

They look up to see VERONICA BRENNAN, coked up, standing

over them. Glamorously dressed, a gin-and-tonic in her

hand.

*

*

LAVELLE:

Too many little bones.

VERONICA:

Isn’t that always the way.

She grabs a chair and sits at their table. FIONA looks at

her, then at LAVELLE.

VERONICA:

I’m not stopping. Meeting the fella.

LAVELLE:

You’re informing me of your adultery

in advance?

(CONTINUED)

69.

73 CONTINUED:
73

VERONICA:

Isn’t that more honest than in the

confessional when it’s all done-and-

dusted and there’s nothing you can

do about it?

FIONA:

What are you expecting him to do

about it now?

VERONICA:

Stop me from committing a mortal sin.

LAVELLE:

You have to stop yourself. I can’t

stop you.

VERONICA:

Then what good are you at all?

FIONA shoots another look at LAVELLE.

VERONICA:

You’re right, though. I mean, who

are you to lecture anyone when it

comes to sex?

FIONA:

He has as much right as anyone else-VERONICA

I don’t think virgins have any call

to be dictating-*

*

LAVELLE:

What makes you think I’m a virgin?

Fiona’s my daughter.

VERONICA:

Oh I thought she was just some young

one you were fiddling around with.

LAVELLE almost flinches.

FIONA:

Oh you b*tch.

LAVELLE looks at VERONICA with utter disgust. She notices

this, and smiles.

VERONICA:

You want to hit me now, don’t ya?

Go on. Hit me.

LAVELLE looks blankly at her. She grins.

Suddenly, FIONA hits her a massive slap to the face --

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