Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus Page #2

No.

- No. - No?

God, no.

Is that why you came up here in the

middle of the night?

I, um...

Well, I would like to, uh...

I'd like to take a portrait of you and

your... Your wife.

I don't have a wife.

Well, then I would like to take a

portrait of you, just you.

When?

Now.

It's not a good time for me.

Come back tomorrow night at 9.

Tomorrow?

Okay.

Okay.

Do you have trouble sleeping, Diane?

Actually, it's "Diane. "

Why would you want to take a portrait

of someone you've never seen, Diane?

Most nights I have trouble sleeping.

Did you get the key?

The key?

Diane, come back tomorrow night at 9.

Hey, watch it, Vern.

I forgot something.

Looks like gin rummy.

Foo-Foo, don't you bother Donald, now,

you keep still for Mummy.

They're adorable, aren't they?

And such beautiful coats.

I'll be to bed soon, darling.

I...

I thought I'd go for a walk.

Okay.

Be careful.

Lionel?

Hello?

Hello?

Lionel?

Do not go near him, ladies and

gentlemen.

He has taken lives already.

In captivity, we have the upper hand.

But isn't Lionel a good doggie?

Drink a cup.

Turn around.

Don't look at me.

Turn around.

Take off your camera.

Just put it on the table.

Please close your eyes now.

I only wanna take your portrait.

Diane...

...please close your eyes.

Step back from the window.

Are your eyes closed?

Yes.

Don't turn around. Keep your eyes

closed.

- And please disrobe. - What?

You can keep your undergarments on if

you like. The bath is getting cold.

I don't want to.

I think I should go.

I'm sorry.

Hello.

Take anything in your tea?

Now, tell me something.

Tell me something about yourself.

Are you rich?

You look rich.

My parents are.

So you were a spoiled child?

Did you eat caviar? Did you have

servants?

Yes.

What were their names?

Scott was my chauffeur...

...Gisela was my German nanny, and

Catherine was my French nanny.

Did you ever show your nanny your tits?

Now, when you were a teenager...

...there must have been a doorman you

made love to in the basement...

...or a chauffeur, a gardener, an

elevator man?

Did you ever give him a blowj*b on the

way down to the lobby?

- No. - No?

Did he want you to?

Well, did he?

Probably.

How could you tell?

I...

He used to stop the elevator between

floors.

And?

And stare at me.

Did you like that?

It terrified me.

Of course, but...

But did you like it?

One time I showed him my underwear.

So? Then I'm right.

Chauffeured girls don't expose

themselves.

They don't show their tits.

- Don't they? - I don't know. Do they?

You tell me.

Where have you been hiding?

I suppose I did. I exposed myself.

Till my father caught me.

Where did this occur?

- I n the bathroom. - To whom?

To the neighbors.

I would touch myself in front of the

window.

Really?

Did you ever see anyone watching?

I saw you...

...through my window.

And right away I wanted to come into

your home.

And when you were young, did anyone

like me ever come to your house?

There was a little boy. He had...

He had a purple birthmark across his

face.

I saw him in the park and I...

I followed him all the way to his front

door in the Bronx.

But he disappeared before I could...

Shortly after that, I dropped doing

that sort of thing.

And I planned on going so many places.

Where?

All sorts of places, everywhere.

Where? Tell me.

A doll hospital...

...the city morgue...

...the insane asylum...

...dumps, flophouses, everywhere, I.

And instead, I was my husband's

assistant.

Join me?

Would you like to take off your

slippers?

Wanna step in?

My condition is called hypertrichosis.

When I was a teenager, I woke up every

morning at 5 a. M...

...to shave every part of me that

stuck out from my clothing.

Grew back so quickly it was hardly

worth the effort.

Besides, it made me prickly.

Would you please close your eyes again?

Can I trust you to keep them closed?

Yes.

Well, just in case, put this on.

Do you like to go swimming?

Yes.

Did you get the key?

That little boy...

...was so beautiful.

Have a cookie.

I must be brave.

I must be brave. I must be brave.

I must be brave.

Twenty, 19.

- Oh, my God! - Good morning.

I'd better go.

Sleep all right?

Lint brush.

Thank you.

Will you come back?

Do you want me to?

You still need to take my portrait.

Tell me a secret.

I wanna live in a big house someday.

Out of the city.

With a big back yard and a dog.

Leaving Manhattan gives me hives.

Tell me another secret.

I actually had a dream we were gonna

have another baby.

A baby?

Huh.

Now it's your turn. What's your secret?

I think I'm ready to take some time off

from the business.

Really?

What are you gonna do instead?

I'd like to take some photographs...

...of my own.

Of what?

I don't know.

Our neighbors.

Good. Yeah.

I think that sounds great.

Allan?

Is it okay?

Sweetheart, it's wonderful.

Thanks, sweetheart.

Where you going?

Just up to the neighbors. I...

I thought I'd try Mrs. Rebushong first.

Eat your broccoli, Sophie.

Who is she?

She is, uh, Althea.

Oh.

Uh, she's, uh...

...an admirer.

- An admirer? - Yes.

Who does she admire?

At me, I guess.

Why isn't she your girlfriend?

Well...

She doesn't touch me.

Goddamn it.

Hey.

I'm here.

Lionel?

Lionel?

I'm here for the picture.

I'll be right there.

Hi.

Take off your camera.

- We're going out. - Now?

Come on.

Ready or not, here I come.

Come out, come out, wherever you are.

Okay, let's play again.

- Scarlett. - Lionel.

Great to see you.

Brought a wig and a friend.

Come on.

That's a good boy.

You're a good boy.

That's it.

You're doing really, really good.

Would you like to get a bite to eat?

Now? I don't wanna go anywhere now.

This is terrific.

Look at his socks.

I thought you might enjoy it.

- Thank you for coming. - Jose, you know

it's my pleasure.

You know, the fire left her with no

hair.

Yes, well, you know, this is close to

her natural color.

Oh, you're a genius.

Let's give it a try, huh?

It's a wonderful thing. Extraordinary.

Anytime, sincerely.

My mother made me swear I'd go through

life without ever seeing a dead person.

I like it.

It's not catching.

I know.

Elliot Eldemeyer told all the kids in

my school it was.

It's genetic, of course.

Do you know what you look like without

it?

- Without the hair? - Mm-hmm.

I have no idea.

Mrs. Arbus.

Oh, Allan.

I'm sorry, I...

Did you have fun?

Allan...

That feels good.

- Does that feel good? - Yes.

What do you like about it?

It scares me.

I love you.

I love you.

Lionel?

What's that?

I'd like to meet your husband.

What kind of Scotch is this?

That is Macallan. Eighteen years, I

think.

Good stuff. Like it.

Well, good.

It's actually a gift from Diane's

father.

The fur man.

Do you like to watch television?

Had to take a lie-detector test, it was

awful.

You didn't have to take it. What'd you

tell them?

Nothing important.

Yeah, well, it's just as well.

Guess they would have got suspicious if

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