The Turning Point Page #6

Emilia?

Oh, don't you look nice.

- You should see the glamour out front.

- I don't wanna think about it.

- You're doing Anna.

- The suicide scene.

All the other ladies will be in short tutus

and do at least a hundred pirouettes.

So this not-so-young lady will be

covered to the floor and act up a storm.

This is a knockout.

Wanna be my date for the party?

- Or do you have one?

- No, that's kaput.

Terrific dress you gave Emilia, too.

But you shouldn't have.

Why not? She's my godchild.

You just shouldn't have, that's all. Good luck.

Even now, there are moments

when it all comes together.

The dancing, the music, the lights...

Your mother chose to get married.

You got 19 curtain calls.

And you got pregnant.

I can't watch it any more.

They're too old for it. That depresses me.

I'm too old to do another one.

That depresses me more.

It's a beautiful ballet, Michael.

It'll live forever.

Why can't we?

Why aren't you watching?

It hurts. I keep seeing me and Emma

rehearsing for you.

Hey, if I ask you a question,

will you answer me truthfully?

What?

Jesus, can you believe this?

I've wanted to ask it for 20 years.

OK.

If I hadn't been pregnant, would you have

used me as Anna instead of Emma?

I don't remember, Deedee.

Honestly, I don't.

I wish to God I didn't.

Hurry up. You're going to miss my ballet.

I think she's gonna do it for you, Deedee.

It's wonderful.

I've gotta take my bow.

- To Emilia, dearie.

- I'm so glad for her.

Tradition is continuity,

and thank God I've lived to see it.

Second generation in our own family.

And yours, of course. Now,

what should we do with our baby ballerina?

I think she'd be lovely in Sleeping Beauty.

Perfect. We'll warm her up this season,

and then she'll warm up the box office

the next season.

- Do you want to tell her?

- No.

- I think it's a fabulous idea.

- I do too.

Isn't it wonderful? Aren't you excited?

I'm so proud of you. I was so excited...

- Has anyone seen my b*tch of a wife?

- Now, dearie.

Very smart of you to do Anna.

Next time you'll have to lift me, Emma.

My back is ready for traction.

- Oh, poor Freddie.

- It's worth it.

- You know what we'd like you to do, Emma?

- A new ballet?

- Tradition makes a company...

- This is "tradition" night.

Oh, shut up, Michael.

I'd like to restore the full-length

Sleeping Beauty to our repertoire.

Oh, thank you very much,

but I don't think I could dance that any more.

No. But you could stage it.

You know it inside out.

It'd be fun, a new challenge.

She'd do it beautifully.

Don't you think so, Michael?

I think your timing's lousy, Adelaide.

Excuse me.

I really must do something to my face.

For God's sake, Adelaide.

Dearie, even Emma has to move on.

Like all the rest of us.

Hello, Deedee.

Champagne, please.

Emma?

Do you remember the fairy tales

we used to take turns reading to Emilia?

Like the one about the two princesses?

Every time one would open her mouth,

out came diamonds and rubies.

Every time the other one opened her mouth,

out came newts and hoptoads.

Newts and hoptoads, coming out.

Yes.

One of those little toads

has already made an appearance.

- Really? When?

- Tonight, in my dressing room.

When you said I shouldn't have

bought that dress for Emilia.

Twice you said it. Just before a performance.

I danced better tonight than I have in years.

So I heard.

Another little toad. You must have kept

quite a few bottled up all these years.

No.

Embalmed, really.

No, I think not.

Why don't you let them out?

I don't have a performance tomorrow.

OK.

Pick.

This is a tiny little one.

I'd practically forgotten him.

Why'd you make your best pal doubt herself?

And her hubby? Why, Emma?

Why'd you take the chance

of lousing up her marriage?

Why'd you say, "You better have that baby.

If you don't you'll never hold onto Wayne?"

I'm just curious.

You have a curious memory.

But don't we all. As I remember, I said if you

had an abortion you might lose Wayne.

No. That's sweet, but that's inaccurate.

I remember exactly your words.

For lo, these too many moons.

And eventually I figured out why you

said 'em, because I also remember...

that you said, " Forget about Michael's ballet,

there'll be others."

You clever little twinkle-toes.

You knew a ballet like that comes along

once in a career, and you wanted it.

Real bad.

So you lied to make sure

you got what you wanted.

I never had to lie to get what I wanted.

I'm too good.

Really.

Yes.

And I suppose if you said "bullshit"

you'd say it in French, wouldn't you?

If that word came as naturally to me as to you

I'd have used it several times by now.

In English.

But I think it's more appropriate

that you say it to yourself,

for trying to blame me for what you did.

Deedee, the choice was yours.

It's much too late to regret it now.

The same to you, Emma, me darlin'.

I don't regret mine.

Then why are you trying

to become a mother at your age?

That's not a little toad.

That's rather a large bullfrog.

I don't wanna be anybody's mother.

I think of Emilia as a friend.

And one reason I tried to help - stupid me -

I thought you'd be happy if your daughter

became what you never could be.

Meaning you. It's so lovely to be you?

- Well, obviously you think so.

- No.

And anyway, I doubt if

Emilia could become you.

She's as talented as you are,

and she works as hard.

There's one thing, dearest friend, that you are,

that Emilia, poor darling, is not.

And what, pray tell, is that?

A killer.

You'd walk over anybody

and still get a good night's sleep.

That exactly how you got

where you are, Emma.

Good girl.

Deedee...

Deedee...

- I'm sick to death of yourjealousy.

- So am I.

Stop blaming your life on me. You picked it.

You picked it. You never let me

find out if I was good enough.

- You weren't. That's why you married Wayne.

- I loved Wayne.

So you said to hell with your career

and got pregnant to prove you meant it?

- Yes.

- Don't lie to me, lie to yourself.

You knew you were second-rate.

You got pregnant because Wayne

was a dancer and that meant "queer" then.

- To prove he was a man, you had a baby.

- That's a goddamn lie.

It's the truth and you know it. You saddled

him with a baby and blew his career.

Now she's better than you were

and you're jealous.

You're certifiable.

You'll use any excuse.

- What excuse?

- For trying to take away my child.

- I return the compliment. You're a liar.

- And you're a user. You know that?

You're a user, and you always have been.

First me, and then Michael.

Pretending to be in love with Michael.

Then Adelaide, and now Emilia.

- How Emilia?

- "How Emilia."

That display five minutes ago, upstairs.

Curtsy, embrace, applause.

It wasn't for her, it was for you.

You were using Emilia so that everybody in

the room would say, "Isn't Emma wonderful?"

You are wonderful. You are really amazing.

It is incredible how you keep going on.

You're over the hill and you know it.

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