Houseboat Page #6

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Let me try to explain it to you.

Here, hold on.

See this pitcher?

Try to think of this pitcher as being me.

My body.

The pitcher has no use at all

except as a container for something.

ln this case it contains water which

you can think of as my life force.

- Try to lose that.

- OK.

- Got it?

- lt's easy.

There.

The only thing is it isn't lost.

lt's part of the whole river.

lt's still in the universe.

- You haven't lost it. Get rid of it.

- What about this?

Look out.

What about it?

l get the idea.

lt will evaporate, become a cloud

and come down someplace else as rain.

- That's pretty clever of you.

- l guess you can't lose anything.

You're right.

Probably not even life itself.

lt's just that everything

is constantly changing.

Perhaps when our life force,

our souls, leave our bodies,

we go back into God's universe

in the security of being part

of all life again.

For all we know, that sort of life

after death may be beautiful.

lf you say so.

Pop, don't do anything beautiful

for a while, will you?

- l'll try not to.

- And give up smoking.

lt's bad for older people.

l'll just go in and get my orange juice.

Keep up my strength.

Hey, David.

Ahoy there.

- Grab a hold of this line.

- OK. Throw here.

l've got it.

How do you like what happened to us?

- Where's your father?

- He's inside.

That's about the fourth time

this summer it's broken loose.

Where's the ltalian pastry?

The ltalian pastry is inside.

l found your knife the other day,

you must have dropped it.

Thanks, l've been looking all over for it.

l stole it from you.

- What?

- You can tell the police if you want to.

Do you think l'm crazy?

l don't even remember where l got it from.

- Have you got that tied fast?

- Yeah.

About that rope.

l took it from your boat yesterday.

lf we're going to play true confessions,

l've got about 1 5 years head start.

We'll have to wait for the tide.

About an hour and a half.

You're going to be late for your office.

What's the difference?

Dolce far niente.

- Pais.

- Not yet, but l'm getting there.

lt's wonderful.

lt shows what can be accomplished

with cheap child labour.

lt's about time. Get downstairs.

We'll take the ladder.

How about you?

l'll take the steps.

l forgot to wear my blue jeans tonight.

- l love you madly.

- Good night.

We'd better hurry.

l can hear them tuning up

over at the Country Club already.

Tom, l want you to know

l'm very flattered.

But, whatever got you out of your shell?

Even a hermit needs

a change of scenery occasionally.

And this is very pretty scenery.

Alice knew how l felt about you

all along.

- ls it all right to mention her now?

- ls it all right to mention John?

- Only with a snarl.

- l can manage a snarl for John.

lt's so nice to have you back.

So very nice.

- Miss Jibson.

- Gibson.

Gibson... You have overlooked.

You're so right, ''l have overlooked.''

Good night, Cinzia.

Will you see that the children get to bed?

Yes, Signor Winters,

l shall out the lights in half an hour.

- You do that. You out the lights.

- lt is the wrong word?

- lt's charmingly the wrong word.

- l shall turn out the lights in half an hour.

Congratulations.

l bet if you really tried you could learn

how to do the laundry too.

- Elizabeth is sleeping.

- Good.

l found my old English book

you asked me for.

l was using it for a doorstop.

Teach me.

Why do you want to learn English?

You've got a really cute accent.

- Charming?

- Yeah, charming.

l spit on charming. Teach me!

This will be the first time for both of us.

''Adjectives and Adverbs.''

Do you want to go that deep?

Yes.

''An adjective modifies a noun

or a pronoun.

''An adverb modifies a verb,

adjective or other adverb.

''Like cautious and cautiously.''

Cautious and cautiously.

- Do you like your Aunt Carolyn?

- Sure thing, she's cool.

Your father likes her

very much, doesn't he?

l suppose.

She's a lot like our mother used to be.

The way she talks and everything.

l mean, they were sisters.

Am l teaching you English or ain't l?

Yes, go on, Signor Professore.

''Poor, poorly. Great, greatly.''

- Something wrong?

- What?

- Something wrong?

- No, l know this music very well.

lt is most pretty.

ls that correct - most pretty?

- Very pretty.

- Thanks. Very pretty.

lt's an old cornball.

''Almost ln Your Arms''.

ln ltaly we call it

''Quasi nelle tue braccia. ''

- How does it go in English?

- ''How we are changed

''by things that seem

''so small.

''One look

''can write a book.

''One touch can say...''

''Different, differently.

Beautiful, beautifully.

''Different, differently.

Beautiful, beautifully.''

- Come on, it's not that hard.

- Well, it is for me.

l haven't learned any English tonight,

but l've learned one thing.

lt's time for me to go home.

Go to bed, David. Good night.

Good night.

ls it all right if l sit here for a while?

l'm not sleepy.

- Sure.

- ''...ly''.

Surely.

- Hello there.

- Look, presents.

Why shouldn't we celebrate Christmas

on the 4th of July?

One for you.

One for you and there, one for you.

- Who sir, me sir?

- Yes sir, you sir.

- No sir, not l sir.

- Who then sir?

Come in.

Are you really leaving in the morning?

Any hope of you changing your mind?

Before you go, l want you to know

how grateful l am to you and...

- That's a present for you.

- For what?

For everything.

With that fine ltalian hand

that can't cook or do the laundry,

you've managed

to put a family together.

l thank you with all my heart.

- lt's a dress.

- l see.

- lt's unusual.

- Carolyn helped me pick it out.

Of course.

l thought it was a little gaudy

with those flowers,

but she thought

you might prefer it that way.

Carolyn is a very knowing woman.

You are an attractive girl

and you'll look well in that.

Thank you.

l've got another surprise for you.

How would you like

to go to a dance tonight?

l would love to, yes.

- Angelo will pick you up at 8:00.

- Angelo?

He's been dying to take you

to the Sons of ltaly Ball.

l hear it's a very nice affair,

so l took the liberty of accepting

the invitation for you.

You've got to get out

and have a good time.

You're in the United States now.

Three cheers

for the red, white and blue.

Daddy, are you taking Cinzia

to the dance tonight?

Not Cinzia,

there are lots of dances tonight.

l'm taking Aunt Carolyn

to the Country Club dance.

ls that getting to be a thing

with you and her?

- How would you like me to answer that?

- Any way you want to.

Greetings, everybody.

- ls the dame ready?

- The lady is finishing dressing.

Cinzia, your date is here.

Straining at the leash.

Good evening, Mr Donatello.

Holy jumping cow.

- What a dress.

- You've certainly improved that dress.

Will you assist me?

This is the necklace my mother wore,

the night my father proposed to her.

- Proposed?

- l've never had it on before.

Excuse me,

l just remembered something.

My brother is very sick, very sick.

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