Departure Page #2

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most years in the summer.

[IN FRENCH] Here?

Not here. To the house.

I come here...

...to get away from the house, from them.

To think.

[IN FRENCH]

You're a bit of a clich. The poet.

- (COUGHS)

- (LAUGHS)

Not bad. Watch me. Like this.

Very good.

(COUGHS)

(CLMENT LAUGHS)

Soldier?

a va?

Elliot!

CLMENT:
Rimbaud.

Proust.

- You've read Rimbaud?

- [IN FRENCH] No, he's a fag.

- [IN FRENCH] Him too?

- He wrote Les Mis.

[IN FRENCH] You're a bit queer.

[IN FRENCH] It's slang. Forget it.

OK.

[IN FRENCH] It's normal.

[IN FRENCH] With a carrot up your arse.

[IN FRENCH] Nothing.

He had to wait, Victor Hugo,

till his mother had died

to be with the person he loved.

[IN FRENCH] See you tomorrow.

[IN FRENCH] From the poet? No, thanks.

[IN FRENCH] Can you come tomorrow?

CLMENT:
If you want.

(SOBS)

- Where have you been?

- I walked back with Clment.

- You've been smoking.

- No, I haven't.

- It stinks.

- No, it doesn't.

- BEA:
It's disgusting.

- God.

- What is wrong with you?

- Nothing.

- Get out. Just get out.

- (LAUGHS)

Get out.

- Go! Get out!

- Make up your mind.

(GASPS)

[CLMENT, IN FRENCH] You OK, soldier?

[IN FRENCH] It's big.

CLMENT:
You must breathe.

(DOOR SQUEAKS)

BEA:
Elliot?

- Yeah?

- What are you doing?

I'm... having a snack.

BEA:
Don't leave a mess.

OK.

BEA:
I'm sorry about... earlier.

Look, you know, the...

the dchetterie was closed and... I...

I'm sorry.

So am I.

you know, the bicycles you can hire...

- BEA:
Oh, yeah.

- ...are everywhere, which is cool.

But... How do you say?

People piss everywhere.

- No.

- Si.

CLMENT:

They make signs to stop people.

- Even on the Champs-lyses?

- [IN FRENCH] No, it's too classy.

- BEA:
Clment's come back to help.

- Yeah, I can see.

BEA:
He was just telling me about Paris.

- [IN FRENCH] Hot chocolate?

[IN FRENCH] Me too.

OK.

[IN FRENCH] You OK?

CLMENT:
Yeah, and you?

Yes.

Yes, yes.

- BEA:
Uh, rubbish.

[CLMENT, IN FRENCH] Bin?

- Uh, no.

- Ici. Bin. Um...

- CLMENT:
Poubelle.

BEA:
Poubelle, yes.

- Mum?

- Yeah?

Do we throw this away?

I don't know.

- Um...

- C'est le tlphone.

Oh, it's the old one, I think.

Yes, poubelle.

- It's a funny word.

- ELLIOT:
Mum.

I'm... I'm just not... sure

what we'll need.

Maybe I'll make a cake.

- Is that it?

- CLMENT:
No. This.

This,... this and this.

All this... life.

I wonder what happened

to that sandwich toaster.

Oh, I liked this oven. It was very...

Personable?

BEA:
I suppose they don't mean to,

but people are very careless

when they rent a holiday house.

Things break down.

(BEA SIGHS)

I don't know what I'm doing.

We've done this so often, packing up.

But we were always moving somewhere

else, somewhere better or bigger.

Weren't we, Elliot?

Not just... giving things up.

[CLMENT, IN FRENCH] Your mother's sad.

[ELLIOT, IN FRENCH] I don't think so.

it's like an 'ospital, but different.

- Is she crazy?

- No, she has cancer.

Oh.

How? I mean...

Smoking.

The first was just... but now her...

- ELLIOT:
Head?

- Yeah, and everywhere.

My father says she...

she's like a different person

because of... of the cancer.

Not my mother any more.

At first she was funny.

She made really strange comments,

you know?

Really.

She made us laugh.

[IN FRENCH] Then suddenly

she said horrible things.

We were in the hospital

and they were changing her bed.

She said something weird

and one of the nurses laughed.

- Understand?

- Oui, je comprends.

It drove me mad,

so I hit him in the face.

Dad said I shouldn't come any more.

He said I should stay here with my aunt.

While she is there... dying.

(YELLS)

(MAKES ENGINE NOISES)

WOMAN:
Hello?

- Sally.

- I borrowed this.

Those presents, you shouldn't have.

Oh, it was nothing.

And I guessed

that you were out for a bit?

No, we were there. Maybe at the back.

Anyway, I had to come back

and get on with all this.

It doesn't matter.

- You sold it?

- Yes.

Philip called and said.

Wasn't I supposed to know?

Oh, no, no, of course.

It's not quite finalised.

But you're packing.

Would you like coffee?

SALLY:
How's Elliot?

Horrible.

I should have told you

when the house went on the market.

You've always said how much you liked it.

- We're happy where we are.

- Are you?

- Happy?

- Yes.

Oh, it's quiet.

Dan's in Toulouse a lot, which is good,

because when he's home,

we tear strips off each other.

We'd hoped you'd come out more.

It's typical of Philip

to do it all so tidily.

He won't admit it,

but that's what he's doing.

Putting it all away.

First the house and then...

- It wasn't your choice?

- Is anything?

Maybe if we'd torn strips

off each other...

I wanted, well, I thought

we'd come here more.

I thought we'd retire.

I mean, not that I wanted to, but...

Or did I?

I don't know.

I wanted to go to Paris.

I thought that's what France was.

Not just another cold house

in the middle of nowhere.

Am I sounding ungrateful?

No.

It's happened before.

It wasn't my choice then either.

My parents...

Well, my mother, actually,

she made me give up a...

I had a child.

Before Philip. He knows. He knew.

They bought me a new set of clothes.

The child was going to be loved.

All neat. Tidy.

Beatrice...

I should have just knocked.

I've never been very good at friends.

- SALLY:
Come back and visit.

- (CHUCKLES)

SALLY:
A holiday.

On your own if you like.

I feel like I'm missing something.

Oh.

Oh...

(FRONT DOOR CLOSES)

[CLMENT, IN FRENCH] Nothing, nothing.

Did she ask for me?

OK. OK, bye.

There were thousands of fish.

The water was boiling with them.

It was disgusting.

Then they drained the water

into the river over there.

Wriggling over each other.

No one can live like that.

No one can live like that!

or for a studio audience?

Both.

He says I will be not happy

if I see her now.

Like I'm a baby

that will have bad dreams.

He wants you to remember her

when she was funny,

when she was well, that's all.

Stop it. And you hit someone.

CLMENT:
Do I come this evening?

[IN FRENCH] If you want.

[CLMENT, IN FRENCH] Your mum asked me.

Really?

Because you and I are friends, arsehole.

We don't know each other.

I know your mother is limited.

You know my mother has cancer.

I know you like Proust.

We share cigarettes. You like me, no?

- ELLIOT:
Maybe.

- Maybe, my arse.

In your dreams.

F***-sh*t.

Elliot!

Elliot?

You OK?

my body down an inky Thames,

past buildings painted black in mourning.

[IN FRENCH] Fag.

[IN FRENCH] Yes, I love you.

It's "I like you", not "I love you".

"I like you", not "I love you".

[IN FRENCH] Come for dinner.

[CLMENT, IN FRENCH]

If you want, soldier.

- [CLMENT, IN FRENCH] Soldier?

- Oui.

[CLMENT, IN FRENCH]

Your French is sh*t.

("CATCH THE WIND" BY OLIVER DALDRY)

We were foolish, we were kind,

so caught up inside of time

And the emptiness dividing us

by all we had to find

We'd be focusing our minds

on what we couldn't leave behind

In all the fire and smoke

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