Suddenly, Last Summer Page #6

Thank you, doctor.

My poor baby. My angel.

-ln this place.

-lt's all right, Mama. I'm just fine.

Say, you look pretty good,

Cathy, considering.

-So do you, George, considering.

-We wanted to see you...

...but Violet said not while

you were at St. Mary's.

The doctors there didn't want

anybody to see you, so we didn't.

Oh, my, that's a pretty dress.

When did you get that, honey?

In Paris. Cousin Sebastian

bought it for me.

Yeah? I'm wearing one of his suits.

Yes, I recognize it.

Wasn't it sweet of Vi to give George

Sebastian's wardrobe?

Nothing else she

could have done with it.

It's the thought behind

the deed that matters.

Have you seen Aunt Vi recently?

Yes, we saw her last night.

At her house.

She invited us to

a little private supper.

She's had this elevator installed.

-Cutest little thing.

-We got business to talk about.

You know how children are,

how critical they are.

What did Aunt Vi say last night?

That you were in extremely

capable hands.

And I can tell they are capable too.

Mr. Brossard, the new lawyer we got...

Such a nice man too,

a tower of strength...

...in all these awful months

since Sebastian's been gone.

It nearly killed Violet.

I know, I was right there.

You didn't see her the way I did,

grieving like a madwoman.

I mean, like her heart would break.

He was her whole life.

She worshiped the ground

beneath his feet.

When she got this letter

from that place with the funny name...

What letter?

From the authorities, I suppose,

telling what happened to him at...

What was the name of that place?

Where he passed on?

-Cabeza de Lobo.

-That's it.

-Did you see the letter?

-No.

I guess it told all about how

he had this heart attack...

...and how Catherine was...

...not quite herself, poor baby.

I'm myself now.

Aren't l, doctor?

Of course you are.

And don't you worry

about what people say.

Nobody in the city knows

what you've been through.

Do they, George?

Not a thing.

Nobody even knows you've

come back from Europe.

When they question us...

...we just say that you stayed abroad

to study something or other.

Can we talk to her alone?

Yes, on a little private

family matter.

Just some papers got to be signed.

Some business.

Is that all right with you?

Don't worry. Since I've been allowed

to smoke, I've become a perfect lamb.

My little girl was

always a perfect lamb.

Thank you.

-Cathy, Sebastian left a will.

-A generous, thoughtful will.

He bequeathed to us, to you and to me,

$50,000 each...

...after taxes are paid.

-Sebastian always was very kind.

-lsn't that the truth?

There is a legal problem.

It's very complicated, but

Mr. Brossard, this new lawyer, is...

-...trying to get it through probate.

-Only it won't go through probate.

-Why not?

-Aunt Vi.

Well, you see, it has to do with you.

With your being ill.

-She doesn't trust me with the money?

-50 grand is chicken feed to Aunt Vi.

-Then what is it?

-When you went off your rocker...

Shut up, Mama. Cathy's not

that far gone. Are you, Cathy?

-When I "went off my rocker"?

-Yeah. You said something.

You made up some crazy story

about Sebastian.

-When she heard whatever it was...

-Last night...

...not a word would she say

except that you babbled.

That was her word for it. You "babbled"

some story about Sebastian...

-...and how he lived and...

-Died...

...in a place called Cabeza de Lobo.

What you said gave her a real turn.

When the doctors decided you were crazy,

she wanted you to stay at St. Mary's.

Or even right here. This seems

such a nice place too.

-With that nice, capable doctor.

-Go on.

Written permission was needed

to keep you here.

So that was the point

of the private supper.

You've got to understand.

This $1 00,000 is the most

important thing ever.

George will have all sorts

of advantages now.

Things we couldn't give, since 1 929

killed your father and our nest egg.

Mother, you didn't sign those papers?

-You didn't commit me to Lions View?

-Not yet.

But, Cathy, the way Aunt Vi put it,

there was no choice at all.

Mama's got to sign.

Besides, honey, it's not like

it was for always.

They say in no time

after the little operation...

...you'll be able to...

What "little operation"?

Oh, Cathy! Oh, Cathy!

There's only one "little operation"

they perform here.

It's on the brain.

It's called a lobotomy.

You may have heard

or read about it. I have.

It's that nice, young

doctor's specialty.

In cases of hopeless lunacy...

...he bores holes into the skull

and operates on the brain!

Oh, honey, please don't

talk about it. Please!

-You can't let them!

-Stop. It's not the end of the world!

-Don't sign.

-They say it don't hurt at all.

-Don't let them!

-No worse than having your tonsils out.

And then, afterwards,

you're all right again.

Miss Catherine.

-Those faces!

-Look, for the love of...

-Get her back to her room.

-What are you doing here?

Doctor, we've just come

from your office.

-What is all that noise? Is it fire?

-What happened?

I don't know. We were having this

little chat about your treatment...

...and all of a sudden, she flew

out of the room and down the hall.

I'm sure it's the right thing,

what you and Violet are doing.

-lt is the right thing for her.

-Come on.

-We're so grateful to you.

-Come on.

Having you look after her...

Will you get me Dr. Van Vitch?

-Yes.

-Thank you.

I'm sorry they upset you.

Miss Catherine, don't ever run away.

Where will you cut, doctor?

I'm not at all sure that I will.

Where will you cut my brain, doctor?

In front? Or further back?

I suppose I'm to have my head shaved.

It seems like a waste.

I just had my hair fixed this morning.

Then to have it all cut off

right after it.

I tell you, it's funny.

You were the one

who was going to help me.

Help me!

Don't talk like that.

Why not?

Now I sound insane, don't I?

-Are you trying to?

-No, and I'm not.

You've got to believe me, doctor.

I am not.

Insane is such a meaningless word.

But lobotomy has a precise meaning,

hasn't it?

Are you going to operate?

Tell me, please, are you going to?

I don't know yet.

Poor doctor.

I bother you, don't I?

Yes, you do.

Well, I'll try not to anymore.

-Three cc, please.

-Yes, doctor.

Must I take off my pretty dress?

Of course not.

I want to help you.

Trust me.

I want to trust you.

It seems to me that

I need help very much.

-His eyes are so blue.

-Who?

The doctor.

Wonder why he isn't blond.

They usually are with eyes that blue.

-I'm blond.

-Are you?

Funny. We were going to blonds next.

Blonds were next on the menu.

Now you just relax.

Let yourself go.

All last summer, Sebastian was

famished for blonds.

Fed up with the dark ones.

Famished for blonds.

The travel brochures he picked up...

...were advertisements of blond,

northern countries.

Think he'd already booked us

to Stockholm and Copenhagen.

Fed up with the dark ones,

famished for the light ones.

That's the way he talked about people,

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