Friends & Crocodiles Page #4

- That was 18 months ago, Paul.

- Yeah, I've been busy.

I'm in The Queen's Head, 81 Sunderland Avenue.

That's hardly round the corner,

and no, I can't come.

- I have to go to this meeting, it's important.

- Come on, Lizzie,

you'll only keep wondering about it

if you don't come.

(DRILLING MACHINE WHIRRING)

(SURRENDER BY SWING OUT SISTER

PLAYING ON JUKEBOX)

For a moment,

I thought you weren't gonna come in.

For a moment, I wasn't.

I ordered you a drink, I presumed...

You used to drink this.

Should I get you something else?

No, this is great.

There's no need to be nervous.

I'm not nervous.

So, how's the job?

- Venture capitalists. Are they performing well?

- It's interesting.

It could hardly fail to be, really, you know,

trying to guess the future, back winners.

Be ahead of events.

(PEOPLE CHEERING)

This is an interesting place to choose

to have lunch, Paul.

Yes, I come here often.

I was an arrogant sh*t when you worked for me.

But, you know, success,

like some lousy rock star, that's what it was.

It was so predictable. It went to my head...

you lose touch with who you were

because you can't quite believe

what's happened to you.

It's like you have to behave like that.

And I'm sorry.

I'm truly sorry.

- What's the matter?

- No.

I'm just surprised. I wasn't expecting that.

Well, you can go now, if you want.

The exciting bit's over.

I feel, you know,

if anybody should be saying sorry...

- Don't even start.

- Everything was so intense, so chaotic.

Maybe that's why all sorts of things

happened in history.

I talked to the press.

- I thought you'd never ever forgive me for that.

- It's in the past.

It's gone. It's completely gone, Lizzie.

You know, if you think about it,

pubs haven't really changed at all

in the last 60 years.

They should become a lot more feminine,

don't you think?

The feminisation of pubs.

Pink lights, soft lights...

You know, I should pitch that at work, shouldn't I?

I often think of you at work

because you were right, of course.

Computers.

We're just starting to get them in now,

and I wish I knew more than the guys

about how they work.

Wind power.

Not quite so big at the moment, but...

Do you want another round?

- You all right, Lizzie?

- Yeah, I was just...

I just had an amazing thought, fabulous notion.

- What are you doing, Paul, at the moment?

- This and that.

You know, that bastard you met

in the street with me was a disaster.

Sometimes I pick the wrong types.

But, you know,

I'm giving one or two things a whirl.

I've lost a bit of money, but I've still got enough.

You wouldn't... I can't believe I'm saying this,

you wouldn't join our firm?

- They wouldn't have me.

- Of course they would.

No one's better than you at reading the future.

You'd be brilliant for us.

The signing of the century.

Okay, it was a crazy idea.

It was just one of those things you blurt out.

I'd be honoured.

- Would you? Would you really?

- Yes.

Yeah, it'd be exciting to pick successes

in a more business-like environment.

- Are you sure?

- I am sure.

And you wouldn't have a problem, you know,

your ex-secretary being a...

being a sort of... equal?

It's a team business, Paul.

- You'd be on...

- On my best behaviour.

I promise.

I'd love to be part of your setup, Lizzie.

He's here.

Welcome, Paul.

I'll introduce you to everybody

when the moment is right.

You'll meet the whole floor.

A lot of names to digest in one go, I know,

especially, as we happen to have

five Lauras at the moment.

Laura T, and Laura B and Laura W,

and the other Lauras.

You'll get used to everything here very quickly.

You'll be seeing them all at our meetings.

Straight through there. That's your office.

I hope it's sufficient.

We don't go in for big private spaces.

In fact, we're in the middle of review.

This whole space is under review.

(PHONE RINGING)

We're gonna have our regular

Monday morning meeting in precisely 22 minutes.

See you there.

Since it's the first day, I'll forgive you.

You're not going to have those assistants

escort you to work every day, are you?

Certainly not.

They just wanted to see what

venture capitalists really look like.

Great view. I like it already.

- It's just a pity about the decor.

- What's wrong with it?

I like it.

Travelling light, I see.

Paul, you will come to all the meetings?

I know you're called a consultant,

but you will come?

I said you would.

- It's important here, because...

- It's a team.

It is a team.

I love teams.

A line of soup.

Farmyard. Wonderful smells.

A line of soup supported by a line of outlets.

A line of surprising seafood outlets.

Make the ocean do the talking.

Electric books are the things to be getting into.

Everybody knows they're gonna be taking over.

Reading books on screens,

pocket-sized electric books

can carry over 1,000 titles in one electric book.

One moment, you're in the middle of

David Copperfield,

you hit a bit of a slow patch, not to worry.

Now it's Portnoy's Complaint.

Mingle and edit. Edit and mingle.

A flaky, very flaky meal...

What I mean is, a homemade-looking snack,

that you eat walking along,

for the busy working woman.

A sort of English-Chinese roll,

but your mother could have made it.

Or else, a gadget...

- to turn the...

- Pages of your electric book.

That's right.

While you're in bed the book will be on a screen

and you can flick the pages

without ever having to touch any paper.

This is the future for entertainment.

You live inside it, you select where you go.

You're alive in 3D.

Nobody dictates where the story goes, you choose.

You are the film director, you are the storyteller.

You are the master.

It's great, isn't it?

People rather like to be told stories.

What happened?

Where did he go?

(LOUD, REPEATED BANGING)

- Is there anything you want?

- I just wondered what the noise was.

The noise is me.

(BUTTERWORTH CHUCKLING)

Well, whatever it takes.

We're restructuring as you can see

and not before time.

Our space is now communal.

No special desks, no ownership of surfaces.

As the work happens, the space happens.

We're all a team.

A unit that lives and breathes

in the same environment.

As open as the sky. Hm?

(LAUGHING LOUDLY)

(PHONE RINGING)

What's this about?

Why is he being such an arsehole?

I think you should give him his office back.

I think it's important to him.

I mean he is a sort of solitary thinker, isn't he?

That's his speciality.

(BUTTERWORTH YELLING)

I thought he was meant to be giving us

his great report.

- All his big ideas.

- Give him his office back and he will.

Thank you.

Any day now, Paul will be giving his report.

This better be worth waiting five months for.

As you know, over the past few months,

Paul has been working as a separate team.

A team of one, you might say,

which on occasions, has had added members,

but was essentially a focused project of his own.

And now we are going to hear

the fruits of his work.

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