Houseboat Page #5

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- Who's Cinzia?

- Cinzia is our maid.

- She doesn't know how to cook.

- So l see. Where is your father?

He is doing the laundry at the Laundromat.

We have to bring our clothes there.

Cinzia doesn't know how to wash.

- What does she do?

- Everything.

- They have been married for 1 5 years.

- What happened?

Mr Winters, your first batch is dry.

Would you put it

over on the table, please?

Harry told her that he was going

to night baseball games every night.

Every night?

That's an awful lot of baseball.

He carried a portable radio

so he could keep up with the games

in case she asked him any questions.

They are sneaky... Men.

- So Gertrude followed him.

- Naturally.

He met this blonde at this motel.

Took a room?

Do you know anybody that goes

to a motel to sit in the lobby?

Well, she listened at the door.

The bases were loaded

and there were two out.

So she peaks through the keyhole.

Pretty dirty, it needs another...

Bases loaded, two out.

- l'll tell you later.

- Hi.

l've been looking for you.

Can we go someplace and talk?

My laundry is in for another inning,

is it important?

Not very. lt's just that John and l

are through, l've filed suit.

l'll tell you later.

Let me know the final score.

l can't say l'm surprised.

Any chance of you and John

patching it up?

None. Obviously,

there's another woman.

ls there another man?

Now that you bring it up,

yes, there is one.

- Do l know him?

- Not very well.

Daddy, come here.

l want to talk to you.

- Can l, l mean tonight too?

- Of course.

- Even if it doesn't thunder?

- Especially.

lsn't that nice?

That's a clever idea.

How did you think of that?

Once in the Vatican, l was looking up

and l said to myself,

''How in the devil

did Michelangelo paint that ceiling?''

l always thought he had a pogo stick.

lsn't that amazing?

Now they match. Thank you.

- Who sir, me sir?

- Yes sir, you sir.

- No sir, not l sir.

- Who then sir?

- Gold Cap.

- Who sir, me sir?

- No sir, not l sir.

- Who then sir?

Want to get in the game?

No. These ropes are shot.

l'm going to change them.

You'll set the whole boat adrift.

Angelo is coming tomorrow.

Leave it for someone who knows how.

Sure. l forgot for a minute

that l was a lamebrain.

Sometimes you behave like one.

Where did you get all that new rope?

Go to your room.

You're not getting anything to eat tonight.

Thanks. l'm trying to lose weight.

Now, where were we?

Thank you, Michelangelo.

Now everything matches.

Help!

Help!

Help!

Help!

Help!

Help!

- Who is it?

- David.

Help!

lf you want to go down the river

to Aunt Carolyn,

l'll drive you there in the morning.

- l can hitch.

- l'll drive you there.

Now, everybody get some sleep.

Come along, you.

Come on, you.

Good night, David.

- Good night, Roberto.

- Good night, Cinzia.

So, you are leaving in the morning?

He doesn't care.

Who dived in for you, Aunt Carolyn?

Speak to him. Ask him not to go.

That's all he is waiting for.

lf he wants to, l'm not going to stop him.

l've done my best.

You are like my father.

Completely pig-headed.

- ls the right word pig-headed?

- lt will do.

David is a child.

Do you know what it is

for a child to be alone?

l know.

He has been terribly hurt.

He loved his mother very much.

After all this you expect him

to be grown-up like you?

Grown-up, pompous

and knowing everything.

Pig-headed.

All right, l'll talk to him in the morning.

ln my own pig-headed way.

- A little bit pig-headed is all right.

- You ought to know.

Daddy...

When are you coming to bed?

l'll be right there, darling.

- Thank you. Good night.

- Good night.

What's going on?

How did we get out here?

Why didn't you awaken me?

My alarm-clock didn't go off.

Stop that singing, stop it.

- Tell me, what happened?

- We broke loose in the wind.

Now we're stuck or we could have

floated all the way to the ocean.

We could have had one of those

economy cruises to Europe.

Please, stop singing!

Why didn't you awaken me?

- What would you do?

- Well, l would have...

l don't know.

- What kind of a bird is that?

- Who cares?

l have an appointment

and l can't be late.

Someone will come soon,

perhaps Angelo. So we wait.

- Dolce far niente.

- That's wonderful. Dolce far niente.

- What does that mean?

- lt's a saying. ''How sweet to do nothing.''

ln America

they can pull you in for that.

Poor Americans.

ls it all right?

- Look at me, l'm swimming.

- lt's wonderful.

That's enough.

- Marvellous.

- You were to speak with David.

l haven't got time.

l have to get off this boat.

You have plenty of time.

You didn't cut that rope, did you?

You have got the knife.

- Come on, let's have breakfast.

- We've had breakfast.

l had bacon...

Catch anything?

l used to fish in this river

when l was a kid.

What's this?

The Huckleberry Finn approach?

As a matter of fact,

l didn't know very much about it.

Messy business.

Had to get my sister

to help me take them off the hook.

She enjoyed it.

Blood-thirsty little creature.

Shouldn't you have cast that out further?

Are you going to teach me

how to fish too,

just like everything l try to do?

Like l was a real lamebrain.

- Sorry.

- l'll pay you for the rowboat.

l'll pay you for the house, too.

Someday. l'll save up.

All right. lf you want to.

- You're baiting that all wrong.

- What's wrong with it?

You don't lay it on.

You got to put it on here.

You must have worked

your little sister to pieces.

That's very kind of you.

Thank you.

- How's that?

- Terrible.

- What's wrong with it?

- You just can't cast.

- All right, show me. Go ahead.

- All right.

That's pretty good.

- Wait, l think l've got something.

- Reel in. Set the hook.

Come on, reel in.

Don't reel in so fast, you'll lose him.

- lt must be a big one.

- lt sure looks it.

Take it off.

Here! Here, give it to me.

You don't even know

how to take a fish off the hook.

Everything l try to do,

every little thing.

- Sometimes you gotta.

- l guess sometimes you ''gotta''.

l think the striped perch

is the prettiest thing there is.

l think it's practically a shame to catch it.

Look at it. lt's dead already.

Why does everything have to die?

For the same reason

that everything has to live.

That's what l get from my teachers.

Double talk.

Think what the world would be like

if nothing ever died.

There would be no room for the new

and beautiful that's being born.

l'm not making room for anyone.

Let them come and get me.

That's encouraging.

You sound as if you enjoy living.

lt's better than nothing.

l have to die some day,

probably a long time before you.

- lt doesn't bother me much.

- Who are you making room for?

lt might be another William Shakespeare

or a George Washington.

Or even a lamebrain like you.

But l prefer to think

that no one ever really leaves.

When you're dead, you're dead.

Take another look at that fish.

l can see there is more than one

pig-headed member of this family.

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