On the Beach Page #2

PETER, HOW COULD YOU ?

I DON'T KNOW, REALLY.

I JUST HELD THE TOWEL

LIKE THIS AND--

VERY FUNNY.

YOU'RE STARTING TO GE YOUR FIGURE BACK,

AREN'T YOU, CHARLIE ?

YOU KNOW,

AFTER JENNIFER AND ALL.

A LITTLE HERE,

A LITTLE THERE.

BY THE WAY,

I INVITED CAPTAIN TOWERS

FOR THE WEEKEND.

OH, PETER,

YOU DIDN'T.

I HAD TO, REALLY.

WE HAD LUNCH TOGETHER,

AND HE STARTED ASKING QUESTIONS

ABOUT HOW WE LIVE AND ALL.

MARY, I WOULD HAVE LOOKED

AN AWFUL CLOD NO TO HAVE ASKED HIM.

HE'LL BE ALL RIGHT,

I THINK.

WAS HE MARRIED,

DO YOU KNOW ?

TWO KIDS.

AND THEY'RE GONE ?

YES, THEY WERE IN AMERICA.

NAPPIES FLYING IN THE BREEZE,

PABLUM EVERYWHERE-- THEY'RE

BOUND TO REMIND HIM.

WE'LL JUST TRY TO GET THEM

OUT OF SIGHT, THAT'S ALL.

HE'LL GET SODDEN

AND WEEP. I CAN' STAND THAT AGAIN.

HE DOESN'T LOOK

THE TYPE TO ME.

YOUR R.A.F. CHUM

DIDN'T EITHER.

NOW, MARY--

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO

WITH HIM FOR TWO DAYS ?

FOR ONE THING, I THOUGH A PARTY ON SATURDAY NIGHT.

TEN OR TWELVE PEOPLE.

WE HAVEN' DONE THAT FOR A WHILE.

WOULD YOU LIKE THAT ?

WELL, AS LONG AS THEY

ALL UNDERSTAND HOW I FEEL

ABOUT THOSE MORBID DISCUSSIONS.

WE WOULD HAVE TO GE SOMEONE FOR HIM, THOUGH.

WHAT ABOUT MOIRA ?

WHY NOT ?

IF SHE'S SOBER THIS WEEKEND.

JULIAN SAID:

SHE'D GIVEN IT UP.

NO, DARLING, YOU DIDN'T LISTEN.

JULIAN SAID SHE'D GIVEN UP

GIN... FOR BRANDY.

SHE SAYS SHE CAN DRINK

MORE BRANDY.

MOIRA'S NOT A BAD NOTION,

IN POINT OF FACT.

SHE'D KEEP HIM OCCUPIED,

AT LEAST.

BUT SHE'D HAVE TO STOP OVER,

AND WE CAN'T JUST PUT HIM

ON A COT.

PUT MOIRA ON A CO ON THE VERANDA.

SHE CLAIMS SHE'S NOT SLEP IN HER OWN BED THE LAS THREE MONTHS ANYWAY.

THAT'S NOT ENTIRELY FAIR.

IT'S ALL ON THE SURFACE.

I'LL RING HER UP TONIGH AND GIVE HER THE DRILL.

I WONDER WHAT HE'S LIKE

WHEN HE GETS A SKINFUL ?

PETER--

WHAT ?

YOU DO UNDERSTAND HOW I FEEL

ABOUT PEOPLE TALKING ?

SURE.

AND YOU DO LOVE ME ?

OF COURSE I DO.

THEN WHY DON'T YOU

EVER SAY SO ?

[ Man ]

GIVE HER WHAT FOR, MATE.

[ Horn Blowing ]

YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ME.

AM I ?

MM-HMM.

I'M MOIRA DAVIDSON.

M-O-I-R-A.

IT WAS A VERY FASHIONABLE NAME

IN BAD NOVELS WHEN MY MOTHER

WAS YOUNG AND IMPRESSIONABLE.

I'M A THROWBACK.

[ Laughs ]

WHERE'S HOLMES ?

OH, HE'S DECKING

THE HALLS WITH HOLLY.

HE SENT ME:

FOR BETTER OR WORSE.

BETTER, I'D SAY.

I'M YOUR DATE

OR WHATEVER YOU CALL IT.

HOW'D YOU RECOGNIZE ME ?

[ Laughs ]

I LOVE AMERICANS.

THEY'RE SO NAIVE.

THIS WAY, COMMANDER.

A NEW MODEL.

ONLY ONE HORSEPOWER,

BUT SHE DOES A GOOD

EIGHT MILES AN HOUR

ON THE FLAT.

QUITE A BUGGY.

OVER 70 YEARS OLD.

DAD SAID SHE WAS MADE

IN AMERICA.

I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED.

GIVE ME YOUR TOOTHBRUSH.

TAKE AMELIA'S HEAD WHILE I SEE

IF WE CAN GET US OUT OF HERE.

SHE'S STILL A WEE BI STICKY IN REVERSE.

ALL RIGHT, BOY.

HERE WE GO.

IS THERE A PLACE

WE MIGHT STOP WHERE I COULD

GET A LITTLE BREAKFAST ?

WHAT ?

"A LITTLE BREAKFAST."

DO YOU MEAN:

THAT IN ADDITION

TO EVERYTHING ELSE,

I HAVE TO WATCH YOU

EAT BACON AND EGGS

AND ALL THAT MUCK ?

I WAS ON A PARTY LAST NIGHT,

AND I GOT UP AT 8:00

IN THE MORNING TO MEET YOU.

I, UH--

OH, NEVER MIND.

HOP IN.

BUT YOU HAVE TO BUY ME

A COUPLE DRINKS:

TO GET ME STARTED.

[ Laughing ]

OH, INCIDENTALLY,

THEY DIDN'T TELL ME

WHAT TO CALL YOU.

WHAT'S THE PROTOCOL ?

MY NAME IS TOWERS,

DWIGHT LIONEL TOWERS.

REALLY ?

REALLY.

HANG ON,

DWIGHT LIONEL.

[ Cracking Whip ]

???? [ Piano ]

???? [ Continues ]

[ Towers ]

AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE'VE ONLY

BEEN IN PORT FOR THREE DAYS.

IT'S CALLED THESAWFISH.

MY SECOND HUSBAND

WAS AN AMERICAN.

WE TRAVELED:

ALL OVER THE WORLD,

AND EVERYWHERE WE WEN HE WOULD SAY TO PEOPLE,

"I AM AN AMERICAN.

I AM AN AMERICAN."

THEY FINALLY SHOT HIM IN ONE

OF THOSE EASTERN COUNTRIES.

OH.

WELL, I'M SORRY.

I WAS TOO.

HE WAS SUCH A NICE MAN

WHILE HE LASTED.

IS HE YOURS, MOIRA ?

OH, ON LOAN.

OH.

WELL... TOODLE.

[ Snickers ]

TOODLE.

[ Laughs ]

[ Guests Chattering ]

HE JUST DRINKS AND DRINKS

AND NOTHING HAPPENS.

AT LEAST HE HASN' BURST INTO TEARS.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

[ Man ] AMEN !

[ Man #2 ]

THAT'S SHEER BALDERDASH !

I NEVER HEARD SO MUCH

NONSENSE IN MY LIFE.

YOU MEAN TO TELL ME,

THIS WHOLE WAR WAS AN ACCIDENT ?

NO, IT WASN'T AN ACCIDENT.

I DIDN'T SAY THAT.

IT WAS CAREFULLY PLANNED,

DOWN TO THE TINIEST MECHANICAL

AND EMOTIONAL DETAIL.

BUT IT WAS A MISTAKE,

IT WAS A BEAUT.

IN THE END, SOMEHOW GRANTED

THE TIME FOR EXAMINATION,

WE SHALL FIND:

THAT OUR SO-CALLED CIVILIZATION

WAS GLORIOUSLY DESTROYED...

BY A HANDFUL:

OF VACUUM TUBES AND TRANSISTORS.

PROBABLY FAULTY.

[ Man #2 ]

THERE YOU ARE, JULIAN.

NOW WE KNOW:

WHERE THE BLAME LIES.

OH, NO, YOU DON'T.

NO. NO.

MAYBE WE WERE THE BLIND

MECHANICS OF DISASTER,

BUT YOU DON'T PIN THE GUIL ON THE SCIENTISTS

THAT EASILY.

YOU MIGHT AS WELL

PIN IT ON... MOTHERHOOD.

IT SHOULD BE PINNED

ON SOMEBODY.

YOU SCIENTISTS:

ARE THE LIKELY ONES

AS FAR AS I CAN SEE.

YOU BUILT THE BOMB.

YOU EXPERIMENTED WITH IT,

TESTED IT AND EXPLODED IT.

JUST A MOMENT, MORGAN.

THANKS TO YOU CHAPS,

A MOMENT IS ABOUT ALL WE HAVE.

EVERY MAN WHO EVER WORKED

ON THIS THING TOLD YOU

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN.

THE SCIENTISTS SIGNED

PETITION AFTER PETITION,

JULIAN, PLEASE.

BUT NOBODY LISTENED.

THERE WAS A CHOICE.

IT WAS BUILD THE BOMBS

AND USE THEM...

OR RISK THE UNITED STATES,

THE SOVIET UNION

AND THE REST OF US...

WOULD FIND SOME WAY

TO GO ON LIVING.

[ Scoffs ]

THAT'S WISHFUL THINKING,

IF EVER I HEARD IT.

[ Julian ]

I'M NOT AGAINS WISHFUL THINKING, NOT NOW.

[ Morgan ]

THEY PUSHED US TOO FAR.

THEY DIDN'T THINK WE'D FIGHT,

NO MATTER WHAT THEY DID.

AND THEY WERE WRONG.

WE FOUGHT. WE EXPUNGED THEM !

WE DIDN'T DO SUCH A BAD JOB

ON OURSELVES.

WITH THE INTERESTING RESUL THAT THE BACKGROUND LEVEL

OF RADIATION...

IN THIS ROOM IS NINE TIMES

WHAT IT WAS A YEAR AGO.

[ Holmes ]

JULIAN.

DON'T YOU KNOW THAT ?

NINE TIMES !

WE'RE ALL DOOMED, YOU KNOW.

THE WHOLE SILLY, DRUNKEN,

PATHETIC LOT OF US.

DOOMED BY THE AIR

WE'RE ABOUT TO BREATHE.

WE HAVEN' GOT A CHANCE !

STOP IT !

I WON'T HAVE IT, JULIAN !

I WON'T.

THERE IS HOPE.

THERE HAS TO BE HOPE.

THERE'S ALWAYS HOPE.

WE JUST CAN' GO ON LIKE THIS.

WE CAN'T.

WE-- WE--

[ Sobs ]

[ Door Closes ]

I SHOULDN'T DRINK,

YOU KNOW.

I INEVITABLY SAY

SOMETHING BRILLIANT.

SORRY.

[ Guests Chattering Softly ]

[ Puts Down Glass ]

[ Sobbing ]

[ Continues Sobbing ]

I--

I CAN'T HELP IT, PETER.

I'M SORRY.

I JUST CAN'T.

EVERYBODY'S GONE TO BED.

YOU LIKE THAT ?

SETTLES THE STOMACH.

I HAD A LOT TO DRINK.

I HAD A LOT TO DRINK.

JULIAN HAD:

A LOT TO DRINK.

JULIAN AND I:

ARE THE TOWN DRUNKS.

WHAT ARE YOU TRYING

TO FORGET ?

IT'S A DAMN SILLY QUESTION

IF I EVER HEARD ONE.

[ Chuckles ]

YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT.

IT'S JUST AN EXPRESSION.

YOU KNOW...

SOMEBODY SHOULD HAVE

GIVEN ME A COPY...

OF THE LOCAL GROUND RULES.

I MIGHT HAVE OPENED

MY BIG MOUTH.

[ Chuckling ]

DANGER STRUCK:

FROM THE WRONG QUARTER.

THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY

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