Peaches Page #4

Just that she grows up safe.

Monash Street, Swan Reach.

REPORTER:
And?

STEPH:
Thank you.

JUDE:
Safe.

[Knocking on door]

What's this? Neutral territory?

You can pick the lock from the balcony.

They used to do it at school when they

wanted somewhere private to... You know.

They never check the rooms during the week.

Christ.

I couldn't think of anywhere else

to talk in private.

I want to ask you some stuff

about before I was born?

- Ask Jude.

- She won't talk about it.

Maybe she's scared...

that you'll turn out to be like Jass

and not her.

It's what keeps her awake at night.

Well, that and hating me.

Make me permanent.

- I can't.

- Why can't you?

I just can't.

There won't be anyone permanent

in six months.

Steph, I'm gonna go.

I have to prove that I can get one thing right.

- I have to pay her back.

- Pay who back?

"Whom," she'd say, wouldn't she?

Convent girl.

Nothing's right anymore.

You were there before,

when things were different.

How come all the good stuff

happened back then?

How come it all happened for you?

Hard work and a commitment to excellence?

You had specs...

and a stammer.

What happened to your stammer?

It was panel beaten out of me.

Take me back to then.

Take me back

to when all the good stuff happened.

No.

"Scab." F*** me!

I must be time traveling.

I'm in the f***ing '60s.

Oh, f*** it!

[Alan grunting]

- F***ing scab! Let's go.

- Bloody prick.

Hey!

Years ago,

they would have finished me off properly.

Everywhere you look...

Declining bloody standards.

Oh, f***.

So apparently I'm the despicable shithead

they think I am.

Christ.

- What is that shampoo?

- La Flair.

La Flair. That's it.

"La Flair," stupid bloody name.

With active fruit concentrate.

[Jude singing Live It Up]

Hey.

Yeah?

Can we get some different shampoo?

I'm sick of that stuff.

- Yeah.

- Cool.

[Whooping]

Hello?

Hello?

Hi.

[Steph giggles]

I did it. I did it. I did it.

How about that?

[Steph laughs]

Hey, who's for the Cannery Cavalcade?

- Good day, stranger.

- Hi. Did you commune?

No, I did the washing up, though.

I thought you might drop in

so I can show it off.

ALAN:
Sh*t!

[Alan groans]

What did you expect, Al?

You pour salts in one end,

you're gonna get sh*t out the other.

Poor dickless bastard.

And you'd be hung like a dinosaur yourself?

Careful, Steph. Your slip's showing.

- Are you laughing at me?

- No.

What are you doing?

Well, he might be dickless,

but he's still my brother.

- What are you up to?

- Nothing.

- Jesus!

- I've got a joke for you.

What goes, "Ha, ha, ha, plonk"?

A man laughing his head off.

- Where'd you hear that?

- Don't know. I've always known it.

It was Johnny's. Hanoi Harry.

He had this weird bloody

Vietnamese sense of humor.

No one else even smiled,

but he used to crack up every time.

- His real name was Bnh.

- Yeah.

He was a good bloke.

Tt bun, that's what they'd say.

Good heart.

You're lucky he was your dad.

I love you.

Let's not go there, eh?

[Steph giggles]

Don't!

- Don't get too cocky, Steph.

- What'll you do, fire me?

Do you have any idea

how compromised I am with this?

Then what are you doing here?

I wanted to see what it was like

to take a risk again.

And what's it like?

It's f***ing unreal.

[Both laughing]

Steph:
Ouch!

- Alan, do you think I'm sexy?

- No.

JASS:
I'm never leaving Johnny.

We're going to live to a great old age...

and have a tribe of kids...

who'll grow up warm and tanned, loved.

And then we're going to die together

in our sleep.

His ancestors talk about hungry ghosts.

We're not going to be hungry ghosts.

Until it's our time to come back...

- Can't you knock?

...we'll be happy ghosts.

You know how I told you

all that stuff about...

how signing on at the cannery

gives you two families instead of one?

- Capital T tradition and stuff?

- Yeah.

I think someone sold us a pup.

You know, years ago, I thought

of going away with Jass and Johnny.

But...

But?

The moment sort of passed.

ALAN:
[Stammering] My old man built this.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

- Well, the whole family did it.

- Yeah?

Every night and every weekend

for six months.

- Here. Look. Look.

- Really? It's pretty cute, you know.

- Look.

- Oh, yeah.

"Taylor and Sons 1969 with thanks."

Dad used to say when you work for the...

Oh, yes, you are hanging to the left tonight.

When you work for SRC, you're lucky

'cause you've got two families...

instead of the one.

- Did he cry in the Bambi movies as well?

- No, I'm serious, Jude.

'Cause, you know,

Bambi was really quite sad.

I mean, this is who I am, you know?

I'm gonna be the union rep.

- Are you?

- I'm serious, Jude.

Look, I'm serious.

I need you to commit.

And if you don't want...

If you don't want to help me, it's okay...

but let's forget the whole thing.

All right. That's all right.

Yeah. Now will you kiss me?

Jude, look.

- I don't know how to say this but...

- Do you think I'm ugly?

Look, don't interrupt me

or finish my sentences ever.

I...

I want to wait until... The sex thing until...

- Until it's right, yeah?

- What?

And I think you're beautiful.

Look, I've messed up...

I've messed up a lot of relationships before.

And I don't want to with you, okay?

Really?

[Whispering] Is this because

you're a communist or 'cause you're scared?

I'm scared.

Deal.

- Communists do do it, don't they?

- Yeah.

Like... Like...

Bunnies. Look at China.

WOMAN:
[Over P.A. System] All personnel on

the floor are expected to report at all times...

which is required by law...

How can you expect us

to produce less and employ more people?

I think at this point, we should probably

look at some figures, shouldn't we?

If you reach for the graph that I sent you

in the memorandum over a week ago...

- comparing the figures of productivity...

- Listen, I got that graph...

...at the cannery.

I employ on merit, union members or not.

That's the law, you know?

That's a lie.

What, do the figures scare you?

What's that doing here?

Oh, felt like a change of scenery.

That man, with the specs and the stammer...

where did he get to?

He pissed off somewhere.

Having a good time without us.

Bastard.

I was looking for him.

He's disappointed you, hasn't he?

You wanted him to make it all right again,

but he can't.

You're going to have to do that for yourself.

We have to stop, Steph.

Why?

Only you've got to call it.

- Hi.

- Hi.

- You did not.

- What? I did.

That's so bizarre.

J-A.

Whoa, it's moving fast.

- Jass.

- What's the message, Jass?

Our? Our.

S.

O.

- N. Son.

- Our song.

Our song? Our song.

- You're pushing it.

- No.

- Yes, you are.

- Fiddlesticks!

Okay.

Say goodbye, my one true lover...

as we sing a lover's song.

How it breaks my heart to leave you

now the carnival is gone.

How does it go?

[Singing The Carnival Is Over]

Steph. Steph?

What are you up to?

You're trying to kill Jude, are you?

Steph.

JUDE:
What are you trying to do?

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