Winter of Our Dreams Page #4

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- I dunno. It's just a thing, that's all.

[groans]

[Lou] You got any dope?

- Do you need it now?

[Lou] No, I need some for later.

- Yeah, okay.

[machine gun fires]

[explosion]

[screaming]

- Prime the bomb!

Finish him off.

- No, let him burn.

[gun fires]

- Here you go.

It's just a movie about some war.

So, what have you been doin'?

- Nothin' much.

Massage my feet.

- Okay.

How's that?

- It's okay.

You tryin' to seduce me, are you?

- No.

- Didn't realize my

feet stretched that far.

- Yeah, well, now it's a leg massage.

- Well, don't go above the knees, okay?

- Why not.

- You might fall in.

[groans]

- Come on, huh?

Go on.

- Don't.

- Come on.

[sharp slap]

- This is hopeless, I

wouldn't get any sleep here.

- Well, what'd you come here for, anyway?

- Well, I shouldn't have, should I?

- You're mad.

You really have it, you know.

Lou?

[knocks on door]

- Hi, Jenny.

-Hi. What do you want?

- I just wanted to say hi.

- I thought you were sick or something.

- I'm okay now.

- Well, there's nothing here.

[Lou] I just scored.

- Okay.

It's Lou, she's just done a deal.

[rain patters]

Once again by myself

These words I'll face upon the shelf

Hope some night you'll hear and know

The way I feel tonight

You're just a poor excuse

[shirtless man] G'day.

- Hi.

I watched these burning

bridges burning bright

What's the time?

- I dunno.

Three, maybe?

Who's she?

[Lou] I dunno.

- What you listening to?

- A friend of mind who died.

[Lou reading] "September 16th, 1970.

Last night, Robby finally came over.

As a precaution,

I put an old globe that doesn't work

in the bedside light

so he wouldn't think I was prudish

for wanting to switch it off.

We sat on the bed, and I was

so nervous I was shivering.

He must've noticed,

so I said I was cold and

we got under the blankets.

He was really sweet and it happened.

But I must've said something hopeless,

or been really dumb or juvenile,

'cause he was so strange afterwards.

He said, "There you are.

"It's not such a big deal

after all, is it?"

It was very strained.

We talked for a while, mainly

about his speech on Cambodia.

Then he left.

I never felt so lonely."

[Lady reading] "They stood staring

at each other, both too overcome to speak.

Celia felt a sudden rush of exultation.

She was free of him at last.

The impossible had happened.

His mouth was forming

one last rationalization.

She felt the old urge to comfort him,

but repressed it, put

her finger to his lips."

But, even the most paranoid male reader

couldn't be threatened by this book.

On the contrary, Anne

MacKenzie's sympathies

are equally evident for

her male characters.

In a sense, all are ultimately victims.

I found the book touching

and compassionate.

But, without those traces

of mawkish self-pity

that have, for me,

marred so many recent books of this

genre.

It is with the greatest pleasure

that I declare launched

The Badge of Despair.

[applause]

[overlapping conversations]

- Do you mind movin' out of here,

this is a private function.

Would you move out, please.

I know, but it has nothing to do with you.

It's a private function.

[overlapping conversations]

- Oh, I don't know, I find

places like that absolutely great.

[jazzy music]

[knocks on door]

[Gretel] Yeah, what

does that exactly mean?

It's nothing, it's a euphemism.

I don't see how a nuclear war

could be limited.

- Long time no see.

- You got people.

- Yup.

- Men disturbing your flat again?

- I've been locked out, actually.

I brought you some pictures of Lisa.

I thought you might want

to use them in your article.

- You left rather early

in the morning last time.

- Yeah, I was gonna send you that money,

I really needed it.

[Rob] Better come in, then.

- Thanks.

[Michelle] Oh, he's the same I'd say.

[Tim] That's not saying much.

- Anyway, they all sit around pretending

they're Napoleon or Hitler or someone.

It goes on for hours and hours.

- This is Lou.

Tim, Michelle.

You know Gretel.

Sit down.

[Tim] What I was saying, Rob,

was there is some chance of

containing the whole thing now.

- You want a drink?

- No thanks.

- You mean, just killing a

couple of hundred million.

[Rob] Look, when they've blown us up

once,

there'll be enough left

over to blow our ghosts up.

- What's that got to do with it?

- What have you been doing, Lou?

- Oh, nothing much.

Got some flu.

- You working?

- No.

I was.

- Dole?

- Yeah.

- When you gonna write

that article, by the way?

- Which one?

[Tim] About the poverty line.

[Gretel] Why don't you write it?

- Well, I haven't got those

little letters after my name, have I?

[Tim] Wouldn't seem quite so impressive.

Besides, according to you,

my writing style's sh*t-house.

- One essay, that was.

- God, you're a hard marker.

[Michelle] Hey.

[Tim] What?

- I'm having one of those

'I've experienced this all before' things.

- Deja vu?

- Mm.

[Michelle] Just that I've been sitting

here listening to those words,

same thing that I'm saying now.

That's the trouble,

it's always so trivial.

Guess Tim and I are a bit telepathic.

Sometimes I'm thinking things

and I don't have to ask

him what he's thinking, I just know.

- That thing Michelle

said about telepathy.

You think she knows about Tim and me?

- I'm sure she does.

- Thought he was a pompous idiot tonight.

- He's alright.

- Oh, its well and truly run its course.

- I dunno.

I quite like Michelle.

[laughs]

- Didn't you see her eyeing me up?

- Oh, wishful thinking.

Why do you think Lou turned up?

- I'm not sure.

- I hope she's not gonna

be a constant guest.

[breathes heavily]

[gagging]

[wailing]

Oh, Christ.

- Did you know she was a junkie?

- Yeah.

- Thanks for telling me.

- Well, it's certainly withdrawal.

- Shouldn't she go to hospital?

- No, she won't go.

[doctor] She wouldn't let me give

her anything, either.

She's very determined.

By the way, who is she?

- Friend of ours.

- Well, she's going to need

someone with her all the time.

I'll come back in the morning, okay?

[Gretel] Thanks.

- You two should get some sleep.

- Yeah, thanks.

Sorry to get you up.

[sobbing]

[moaning]

[breathes erratically]

- I'm cold.

[heavy breathing]

[tense music]

[overlapping dialogue]

[animals braying]

[cat mews]

[deep growling]

[sirens blare]

[breathes heavily]

- How is she?

- She was dreaming, crying out.

She's quiet now.

- Should be just about over.

- I guess she should

stay here for a few days.

- I don't think she's

got anywhere else to go.

[piano music]

[yawns]

[Lou reading]

"Halfway through the speech,

Robby jumped up and shouted out,

'What about corruption in S... Sai...gon?'

Everybody started cheering."

[Gretel] G'day.

- Hi.

Thought I'd find you here.

- Eaten?

- No.

- We're just getting an appetite.

- How are you?

- Okay.

- Ian wants us to come to

dinner on Friday night.

Christen his new place.

- Another super vegetarian meal.

[Gretel] I wonder if his latest lady

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