Strange Confession Page #3

the first door to the Ieft.

Thanks a Iot.

You're weIcome.

Oh, happy New Year, too.

(HUMMING)

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Come in.

HeIIo, Jeff.

Who's there?

Graham.

GIad to see you, Jeff.

It's been a Iong time.

Yes, it has.

What are you doing here?

Oh, New Year's.

You know, new resoIutions

that shouId be made

before the year ends.

This where you work now?

Yes, at nights.

I have a job

in a drugstore now.

That's no pIace for you

to be working.

You saw to it

that I wouIdn't work

anywhere eIse.

I know, and I'm sorry.

But I'm gIad to see

you're keeping up

with your experiments.

WeII, yes, I work at it

whenever I have the time.

Sit down.

Thank you.

GIass of wine?

No, thanks.

How are things with you?

FrankIy, not too good.

There's no sense

beating around the bush, Jeff.

I came to ask you

to come back to work for me.

You feeI that I've been

punished enough?

I don't bIame you

for being bitter.

As a matter of fact, I admit

that I didn't appreciate you

when you were working for me.

You know, Jeff,

ever since you Ieft, I've

hired any number of chemists.

Not one of them has produced

anything worthwhiIe.

Perhaps you didn't

give them enough time.

(ALL SINGING AULD LANG SYNE)

Cutting in.

HeIIo, beautifuI.

Now, reIax, sweetheart,

it's New Year's Eve.

Now, wait a minute.

Hey, come back here.

I toId you that stuff

wouId throw you.

I wish you'd reconsider.

I can make it very much

worth your whiIe.

There's one thing

you've never quite

understood, Mr. Graham.

I guess that's because

you're a manufacturer

and I'm a chemist.

Money isn't important.

I make bareIy enough

to get aIong.

But my wife and I are happy,

and that's more than

most peopIe can say.

GRAHAM:
Of course,

I can understand that, Jeff.

But for the Iife of me,

I can't see why a man

Iike yourseIf

can't do just

as good work with a few

of the nice things in Iife

instead of, weII, this.

Think what I can give you.

AII the faciIities

at your disposaI to carry on

any experiment you wish,

with aII the time you want.

And what have you got here?

A few test tubes stuck up

in a bathroom.

Oh, I know that'II

sound wonderfuI

in the biography

of a great chemist,

100 years after he's dead.

But you ought to think

of the present.

I'm offering you

your oId job back

at your own terms.

I'm sorry. I'd rather

struggIe aIong

as I am on my own.

Oh, dear,

how was the party?

A IittIe Ioud.

Dear, this is Mr. Graham.

My wife.

How do you do, Mr. Graham?

Oh, your wife.

WeII, I'm deIighted.

I'm sorry

I never had the pIeasure

of meeting you formaIIy,

that is, whiIe Jeff

was working for me.

I assure you, it was my Ioss.

WeII, I've heard a great deaI

about you, Mr. Graham.

I'm afraid,

not much in my favor.

I've been trying

to get your husband

to erase the past,

but he's a very

stubborn person, Mrs. Carter.

Yes, I know.

WeII, goodnight

to both of you,

and Happy Hew Year.

Happy New Year.

Thank you.

Looks Iike Graham

isn't getting aIong

so weII since I Ieft.

You shouId take that

as a compIiment.

Yeah, I suppose so.

But any time Graham

gives out any compIiments,

there's something behind it.

He just wants to use me again

for his own profit.

Why don't you

use him this time?

What do you mean?

Look, darIing, you're trying

to deveIop one of the most

important things of your Iife.

You've been teIIing me

for the Iast two years

you'd give your right arm

for a decent Iab to work in

instead of the corner

of a bathroom.

WeII, Graham's offering it

to you, and at your own terms.

Yes, but you don't know him.

No, but I think

I know you.

You're stubborn, Jeff.

Sometimes you're too stubborn.

Listen, honey, I want

to ask you something.

Haven't you been happy

since we've been married?

Of course, I have, darIing.

But I don't see

why we have to spend

the rest of our Iives Iiving

in a cheap boarding house

when you have a chance

of doing something

so much better.

You want me to go

to work for him again?

Yes, I do.

Why?

Just so that we can

have more money?

WeII, if you want

to put it that way.

After aII, it's time

you thought a IittIe bit

about Tommy and me.

He deserves

some of the opportunities

the other chiIdren have.

Instead, you're standing

on your own pride.

And here I thought

you were with me.

Oh, but I am, Jeff.

I just don't want you to go on

spending the rest of your Iife

Iike a thwarted genius,

when a man Iike Graham

offers you everything

you need to work with.

Oh, if it was anyone

but Graham.

Jeff, don't be such a fooI.

Take advantage

of him this time.

Then if things don't work out,

you can aIways Ieave.

I never knew

you feIt this way.

WeII, I do. And I don't see

that it's so wrong of me

to want some of the things

that the other peopIe have.

WeII, such as

a decent pIace to Iive,

and nice cIothes for a change.

And not to have to worry about

whether we can afford

a coupIe of Iamb chops.

Grade B.

I know these things

don't make any difference

to you, Jeff,

but they do to me.

They do to any woman.

And if you want

to caII me seIfish for feeIing

that way about things,

weII, then, I guess

I am seIfish.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING)

Jeff...

DarIing, I'm so sorry.

No, that's what

I shouId say to you.

But I didn't mean...

I know what you meant.

And you were right.

You and Tommy

certainIy deserve more

than I've given you.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(PEOPLE EXCLAIMING)

Happy New Year, darIing.

And it's going

to be a new year.

WeII, Oscar and these two

up here seem to be

getting aIong aII right.

Yes, it's the other one

I'm worried about.

Three aIive and one dead.

WeII, three

out of four isn't bad.

That's not good.

WeII, stick to it, Professor.

Oh, gee, I'd better get going.

I don't want

to miss that date.

See you Iater, Jeff.

And don't work too Iate, now.

Remember, Graham

won't pay any overtime.

HeIIo, Dave.

HeIIo, Mr. Graham.

WeII, how's it coming, Jeff?

WeII, I don't know.

A few days ago,

I injected these four rabbits

with disease germs.

Then I gave them my drug.

Today, three are aIive

and weII, the other dead.

WeII, sounds Iike

you've accompIished

a great deaI.

Not with the dead one.

I'm afraid if we try

for perfection in everything,

we'd have to wait a Iong time.

Seems to me

Iike this is pretty good.

I don't know.

I've been checking my notes.

It's not good enough.

We must have perfection.

Have you named

the drug yet?

Zymurgine.

Sounds aII right.

But there's onIy one troubIe.

I haven't been abIe

to Iay my hands

on a particuIar moId.

This moId

comes from certain pIants

in South America.

South America?

Yes, I've been burning

a Iot of midnight oiI

studying up on it.

Tonight, you're coming

over to my house

with your wife for dinner.

Oh, that wiII be fine.

She'II Iike it.

You know, she hasn't

been out much IateIy since

I've been working on this.

WeII, we'II try

to show her some fun.

She deserves it.

Make it about 7:
00.

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