Pure Magic: The Mother-Daughter Bond Page #4

---

"For Hogarth's honor'd dust lies here."

Gosh. I never knew that was here.

I must come and draw it sometime.

Here.

-What?

-Draw it now.

-Come on.

-Don't be silly.

-Draw it now.

-I've got shopping to do.

Well, just forget the shopping.

-I like being with you so much.

-Good.

Are you all right? I've got you.

Sorry, I'm not used to drinking at lunchtime.

Oh, God, I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

I don't know what happened to me.

I think you just fell.

I must go.

Bye.

-Hello.

-Very '60s.

I was washing nappies at the time by hand.

-I'm taking you out on the town tonight.

-Oh, good.

It's my writers' night, remember?

Unless you're going out with a man.

That would be my lucky day.

Actually, I've been thinking...

I've got someone in mind for you

at my writers' group.

-Oh, no.

-No. Wait and see.

I think you'll find the group

interesting anyway.

-I just saw Darren.

-Oh, yes?

-Did you tell him?

-Tell him what?

-That you're leaving him.

-No.

I kept thinking

he had someone else on his mind.

Bastard likes girls too much.

"l wake up early. I love the early morning...

"and while my coffee brews...

"there's a garden at the back of the flat

where the birds come to feed...

"and in my slippers I check each flower.

"When my coffee's made,

I read some poetry.

"l do this now every day, and try to learn it.

"By now, I'm ready to write and I sit down...

"using Paula's method of free writing.

"l have her in mind...

"as a teacher, you see.

"And I get it all down,

and they come back to me.

"Mother, father, brother...

"my cousins.

"And I think, this has been a life

and I can give it value...

"find new pleasures in it...

"by making it into literature.

"So then I read back what I've written

and make changes--"

Bruce, thanks very much. That was great.

I think everyone would agree it was.

-That was really good.

-Thank you.

So, why don't we take something from that

about the family...

and try and, sort of...

do a sketch of early childhood, maybe.

Sort of really tap into

your sense memory from childhood.

Make it a very accurately drawn,

a very precise picture.

So, as usual...

we've got pens and papers

for you to use everywhere.

So, go and find a quiet corner

and have a think about it...

and I'll come round and chat to you

whilst you are doing it, okay?

-You don't have to do this, Mom.

-No, I will, now I'm here.

Okay. You could use that stuff over there.

Just see what occurs to you.

This looks great.

A memory from 30 years ago.

-A catastrophe?

-Wow.

-You should read that out later.

-No.

-Yeah, go on.

-No.

You should.

-Really?

-Yeah.

"I'd put the children to bed at last.

"lt was such a struggle.

"I'd hate them by the end of the day...

"and thought I was the only parent...

"who felt that way.

"They'd be screaming upstairs,

throwing things out of their cots.

"I'd put on my coat

and shut the front door behind me.

"And I'd go out and walk across the fields...

"for miles, as I do now.

"Or I'd go to a pub where no one knew me.

"l made sure I'd be back before my husband.

"But they'd be asleep at last.

"l wanted to kill myself out of guilt.

"l still haven't recovered from those cries.

"What is it about those cries?"

-ls that the first thing you've ever written?

-Yes.

-Very touching.

-Thank you.

-Have a nice evening.

-I will.

May, I'm Bruce, by the way.

Hello.

Would you like to come out

with some of us tonight? Max and Hilary?

I really like what you did. It was....

It was gutsy.

Thank you. It's a bit late for me,

I get a bit tired.

-Right.

-I enjoyed that. It was good.

-Bye, Paula. Bruce.

-Bye.

I could go all the time.

Mom, why don't you go out with Bruce?

-Yes, I will. Not tonight, but another night.

-Good.

-But I enjoyed it.

-Yeah, well, I'd like that very much.

Hello.

I spent the morning shopping.

And I hope you don't mind...

but I've bought something.

How kind.

How kind you are.

Do you like it?

It's beautiful.

I feel so....

-What? What do you feel?

-Filled up by it.

And ignorant.

-lgnorant that I don't know anything.

-But that you want to know.

Keep still.

Look, I haven't got time to keep still.

And it's years since I did this.

I love it.

I'm no good at it, but I don't care.

If you asked me to describe my life

and what I've done...

as you did yesterday,

I'd have to say, "Nothing much."

I just wasn't there.

I was always too worried about everything...

to live in it properly.

I was a terrible housewife.

But that's what all the women did then.

We weren't like Helen and Paula.

And I just went along with it.

Until....

Until what?

Well, until a few minutes ago, actually.

Looks like we've got a rebel on our hands.

A few years ago...

an intelligent man who lived nearby,

he was an antique dealer...

and he started to like me.

And twice he took me into his bed.

-Did you like it?

-Oh, yes.

And I planned to go away with him.

I was gonna go to my husband and explain.

I never saw him again.

I couldn't upset anyone.

This cigarette's made my chest

all congested.

I can't breathe.

And what would happen if you did breathe?

I'd say:

"Would you....

Would it be too much trouble....

"Would you mind....

"The spare room's....

"Would you come to the spare room

with me?"

Would you?

What do you see?

A shapeless old lump?

Oh God, I can't....

Can I do something to you?

I feel such....

I'm sorry, I should have been

doing this before.

Do you want to touch me?

You can touch me.

Will you touch me?

If you'll let me.

I thought nobody would ever

touch me again...

apart from the undertaker.

-Oh, God!

-There.

Hot.

I'm so hot.

I think I'm burning up.

And I'm floating in a most peculiar way

And the stars look very different today

-Hello.

-Hi.

-Just getting things shipshape.

-I'm so glad you've perked up.

I thought I might take the blinds down.

Is that all right?

If you feel like it, yeah.

I heard a song today, at Bobby's.

Here I am sitting in a tin can

Far above the world

Planet Earth is blue

Are you all right?

Calm down, Mom.

Is it because you miss Dad?

No, I just like the song.

Funny that. I hadn't got you down

for a Space Oddity.

-A what?

-It's the name of the song.

We're gonna have to lay an extra plate

for dinner.

Why?

So, what's he been saying?

-Who?

-You know who.

But you've left him, surely?

Why do you keep saying that?

Repeating yourself like a bloody parrot.

When the time is right, I will.

Well, you know, I didn't really

get the chance to go into things.

-You had lunch.

-Yes, we did.

He took you out. He told me.

-Did he?

-Yeah.

And?

Well, you know,

I couldn't just plunge in. It'll take time.

It's a long game. Don't they say that?

Mother, my whole bloody life

depends on this.

Well, I don't know.

With men you have to coax, negotiate.

They're like frightened birds.

I mean, if you say, "boo," they'll fly away.

-And you're the expert now, are you?

-Well, I do know something.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes