Never Let Me Go Page #3

---

egg and chips, too, then.

Five sausage,

egg and chips. Drinks?

Five Cokes, please.

It was good.

It was really good.

What?

Sorry.

You know, there's something

I've been wanting

to talk to you lot about.

The problem is that

back there at The Cottages

it's impossible.

Someone's always

listening in.

So,

someone was saying

that some Hailsham

students in the past

have managed

to get a deferral.

Apparently those

Hailsham students

could have

their first donation

put back by three

or even four years.

As long as they qualified.

If there was a boy

and a girl,

and they were in love

with each other,

really properly in love,

and they could prove it,

then they would be given

a few years together

before they began

their donations.

Where did you

hear about this?

When we were

at White Mansion.

People there were

always going on about

this Hailsham couple.

When the guy was

only a few weeks

from donation,

he just went to see someone.

He applied,

and everything got sorted out.

I suppose you lot

would know about

that sort of thing.

Being from Hailsham,

you'd know how that

sort of thing works.

Who is it

you go to?

Who would we talk to

if we wanted to apply?

To be honest,

I don't know what

you're talking about.

Come on.

Do you expect us

to believe that?

Everybody knows

Hailsham is special.

So what is it?

Why keep these

things to yourself?

There were lots of

stories at Hailsham.

I don't think many of them

turned out to be true.

It may be

down here.

Yeah.

That's it.

God, it must be her.

Yeah, that's her.

It's not her.

I'm not her.

No, you're not.

It was really

close, though.

Oh, shut up, Tommy!

It wasn't close.

It wasn't close at all.

And I knew

it wasn't gonna be her

before we even got here!

It was never

gonna be her.

They never, ever model us

on people like that woman.

Ruth, don't.

What?

We all know it,

we just never say it.

We are modeled on trash.

Junkies, prostitutes,

winos, tramps.

Convicts, maybe,

as long as they

aren't psychos.

If you want to look

for Possibles, if you

want to do it properly,

look in the gutter.

That's where we came from.

Hey.

We should go back.

Don't tell me

to calm down!

You walked down the pier

and you left me there.

You knew

I was well upset.

Out here.

Chrissie and Rod

are pretty obsessed about

this rumor, aren't they?

About the deferrals?

Mmm.

I was thinking about it

again last night,

and if this

rumor's true

it might explain

a few things.

Such as?

Well,

The Gallery,

for instance.

We never got to

the bottom of it,

what The Gallery was for.

Pictures, poetry

and sculpture.

Say something

about yourself.

That's the whole point

about art, isn't it?

It says what's inside of you.

It reveals your soul.

Yeah. So?

Suppose for a second

that the rumor is true.

That there is

a special arrangement

for Hailsham students,

if they're in love.

Well, there would

have to be

some kind of way

to decide if couples

are telling the truth

and not just lying

to put off their donations.

That's what

The Gallery

could be for.

In The Gallery

they have everything

about us they need to know.

So if we say that

we're in love,

they can look

into our souls

and they can see.

They'll know

if it's real love

or if it's just a lie.

That's a strange idea, Tommy.

What?

No, no. I don't think

that's any stranger

than any other idea.

And didn't Miss Lucy say that

making art for The Gallery

wasn't even important?

Yes.

But look what

happened to her.

Are you thinking

of applying?

With Ruth?

No.

It wouldn't work.

Why?

Because

you forget that

you got lots of stuff

into The Gallery

over the years,

and if I applied

they wouldn't have

anything to go on.

It's all just rumors

and theories.

Yeah, I know.

Tommy.

Kiss me

And never

Never

Let me go

Lock my heart

Throw away the key

Feel my love

I know what

you think, Kathy.

I know you think that you

and Tommy would have made

a more natural couple,

and you believe

that there's a chance

that Tommy and I

will split up some day.

And when we do,

perhaps that will be

your chance with Tommy.

Chance to do it

right this time.

But you see,

the thing is, Kathy,

although Tommy

really likes you

as a friend,

he just doesn't

see you that way.

He told me about

the porno magazines.

We had quite

a laugh about it.

He doesn't understand

what you were doing.

But I did.

Oh!

I said

I'll just be

five minutes.

I want to be

a carer.

It's you who

I apply to, isn't it?

Yeah.

I said that

I'm applying.

I'll bring

the forms tomorrow,

and that'll start

the process.

By the time

Ruth and Tommy

actually did separate,

my carer training

had already begun.

So I was hardly ever

at The Cottages.

It had never occurred to me

that our lives,

which had been

so closely interwoven,

could unravel

with such speed.

If I'd known,

maybe I'd have kept

tighter hold of them

and not let unseen tides

pull us apart.

Once I began working

with my donors,

I didn't have much time

to dwell on Tommy or Ruth.

Eventually,

so many years had passed

I came to think

I would never

see them again.

Many carers find

themselves just going

through the motions,

waiting for the day

that they can stop

and become donors.

But for the most part,

being a carer

has suited me fine.

I quite enjoy

traveling across

the country,

shuttling from

center to center,

hospital to hospital.

Here you are.

Dark chocolate.

If you knew how many

shops I had to go to

before I found those.

I thought I wasn't

allowed to eat so soon

before the operation.

Oh, you're not.

But I am.

And after the operation,

you can wolf down

the whole packet in one go.

For me,

the real test

of being a carer

is when a donor completes

earlier than expected.

On the second

or even first donation.

Can I just have

a quick word?

Okay.

I was wondering who'd be

working on Hannah today.

I'd never say

I've become immune

to the completions.

But they are something

I am able to live with.

You're Hannah's carer,

aren't you?

Hannah's carer?

Yes.

I'm sorry, it's always hard,

but there were complications.

You need me

to sign the release?

Please.

Are you going

to leave now?

We can quite easily

provide you

with a bed tonight

if you've got

a long drive.

I can be back home

in under two hours.

It's always better

to wake at home,

isn't it?

Is that someone

you know?

Yeah.

Actually,

we grew up together.

Oh.

How is she?

Were you close?

We haven't seen each other

now for almost 10 years.

Well, Ruth isn't

as strong as we would

hope, at this stage.

She's done

two donations.

She has.

You think

she'll complete

on the third?

I think she wants

to complete.

And, as you know,

when they want to complete,

they usually do.

Kathy.

I've been

keeping tabs on you

over the years.

And Tommy, too.

What do you

hear about Tommy?

That he's done

his second donation, too,

Rate this script:5.0 / 3 votes