I Want to Live! Page #7

Come on.

Bad dreams again, Barbara?

Go away and leave me alone.

- There's your mommy.

- Bobby,

Sweetie,

Bobby, baby, baby.

Mommy's so happy to see you.

How is she?

With four days left, how would you be?

You're such a big boy now.

You must weigh at ieast 25 pounds,

I bet you. Yeah.

You remember how we used to play

Wibbleton to Wobbleton?

This is a game

we used to play every night.

And here we go.

From Wibbleton to Wobbleton is 15 miles.

From Wobbleton to Wibbleton is 15 miles.

Do you like that?

See, Peg? He remembers.

OK, sport. Here we go again.

From Wibbleton to Wobbleton is 15 miles.

From Wobbleton to Wibbleton is 15 miles.

From Wobbleton to Wibbleton,

from Wibbleton to Wobbleton,

from Wibble...

Come along. Let's get some ice cream.

No, no, you mustn't.

Peg, anything but losing him.

Maybe I could stand it

if it weren't for losing him.

You won't.

Sometimes I think everything inside me's

gonna bust wide open,

and I feel as though somebody's

pulling out my guts with their bare hands.

I never should have had him, Peg.

Even if I do miss the gas chamber,

I'll... I'll rot in prison.

I'll only cause him to suffer

by staying alive.

I'm glad I'm gonna die.

Barbara. Barbara, listen to me.

You've been granted a stay of execution

by the United States supreme court.

Oh, God.

Oh, God,

If I'd Known you were in the hospital, Carl,

I wouldn't have sent that last silly letter.

I shouldn't have anyhow,

but waiting two months

for the supreme court to review

my petition has been a strain.

I've been lying here thinking about

What you said on your last visit.

I do want to live, Carl.

Life does seem very dear to me.

I want to live,

and you're my greatest hope.

I can't believe it.

Carl dead.

We were counting heavily

on his investigation.

He didn't leave any notes on his new stuff.

it all went with him.

- Everything went with him.

- Don't say that.

You've got a lot going for you.

Al Matthews, those committees.

And me.

That isn't what you came to tell me,

Mr. Montgomery.

Yeah.

The supreme court

has denied your petition.

What's the new date?

June. June 3.

Yesterday I found two grey hairs.

Not bad, huh? Only two.

You've still got a coupie of legal shots

to fire. Al is in court right now.

I'm making a pitch

to the governor's clemency secretary.

And the paper's doing an editoriai

in favour of commuting your sentence.

Why not?

Win or lose, I sell a lot of papers.

Yeah.

Barbara, I...

Barbara, what I wrote about you

during your trial...

- The way I feel now...

- No.

This is a hell of a sendoff

you're giving me.

Everything but confetti.

Here in the Southland, today marks the

beginning of the end for Barbara Graham.

Our newsreel cameraman

catches her leaving Corona,

on what may be her last trip anywhere.

As I watch Barbara enter the car

that will speed her to the death cell,

I think how little she looks

like a condemned murderess

Who will lead off

California's first triple execution.

More like the pretty girl who a long time

ago took the wrong fork in the road of life.

Thoughts like these discouraged me from

crowding in with the usual questions.

- Still think you have a chance?

- What'll you wear tomorrow?

But, even now,

hope eternal rides with her.

At any time before her scheduled

appointment at the gas chamber at 10am,

the courts or the governor himself

may yet decide to halt the execution.

Here she comes,

- Wanna see her with me?

- Five minutes with Perkins is what I want.

- Five lousy minutes.

- He's refused you.

- Why are you so sensitive to his whims?

- It's his last night too.

It doesn't have to be Barbara's.

He could clear her.

Will you stop giving me a hard time?

Any execution is tough on the prison,

but with a woman in the death house...

Tell Perkins I'm standing by.

All night if necessary.

Yes.

You can wait here,

but please lay off the pressure.

- Hello, Barbara. My name's Barbara too.

- I'm Mrs. Graham to you.

- Whatever you like. This is...

- Let's skip the introductions.

- This isn't a garden party.

- I would get someone like you, fat-stuff.

- Now, now. That's the wrong attitude.

- Sign her over on the DW, please.

I wish you luck, Barbara.

We all do at Corona.

This is your cell.

You take the first watch.

I'll start the coffee.

And turn off that schmaitz.

Might as well get into

something comfortable.

- You'll be more comfortable in these.

- What's eating you?

You'll have to undress

so I can give you a complete shakedown.

You won't find anything

hidden on my body.

If I was gonna kill myself,

I'd have done it a year ago.

I'm sorry, but we have orders to follow.

- No,

- Mrs. Graham...

Get this straight, Miss Bedpan.

Nobody's gonna go pawing over me.

I'm through with all that stuff.

Now get outta here, Leave me alone,

- Don't get fresh with us or we'll...

- You'll what?

What can anyone threaten me with now?

All right to come in? it's the warden.

Yes, sir.

Do you have a cigarette for me?

- That's a switch.

- Thank you.

We'd like you to be as comfortable

as possible. Do you have any requests?

I wanna see my iawyer the minute he gets

here. That's all that counts right now.

- We've already arranged for that.

- Thanks.

- You haven't heard anything?

- No.

One more thing.

- The gas chamber...

- There's no use dwelling on that.

Just hope for the best.

It's right around here someplace, isn't it?

You can order

anything you like for dinner.

I don't feel like eating.

If you'll excuse me, I think I'll retire.

Yes, of course.

- Warden?

- Yes?

Don't forget to call me at 10.

- Warden?

- Yes?

She refuses to let me examine her.

Must I?

All right, all right. Forget it.

Very sharp.

I mustn't disappoint my public.

I can just imagine

what those papers are gonna say.

"Bloody Babs spent her last night

decked out in lounging pyjamas

of her favourite colour - flaming scarlet."

That's what they always call red

when I wear it.

Or any other colour, I'll bet.

Would you like some coffee,

Mrs. Graham?

Yeah.

Barbara. My name is Barbara too.

Come on, come on.

They sent some dinner

over for you anyway, Mrs. Graham.

- Take it out of my sight.

- You should keep up your strength.

It doesn't come from the belly.

Uh-uh.

- We agreed not to count the hours.

- Sorry.

- Where's that lawyer?

- He'll be here.

He'd better.

He's liable to lose an important client.

It's Father Devers.

- Hello, Barbara.

- Hello, Father.

I'm glad to see you.

My, my. I suppose those are

what is known as the hepcat's pyjamas.

- Yeah. You dig 'em?

- The most.

I don't know why I should feel so upset.

- I'm not afraid to die.

- Of course not.

You know, I think it'll be rather nice

to come face to face

with the one person in all the worid

who knows I'm innocent.

None of us are wholly innocent or guilty

in the eyes of God.

I meant Mrs. Monahan.

- I brought you this, Barbara.

- Thank you, Father.

What a lovely going-away present.

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