Original subtitles

(Woman) J'aime beaucoup de choses a la campagne.

J'aime les fleurs, j'aime les arbres.

Um...

Et quoi d'autre?

Quoi d'autre?

Oui, les collines peut-etre? Les animaux, les oiseaux.

Oui, oui.

Et pensez-vous que la campagne est plus tranquille que la ville?

Plus belle? Par exemple.

Oui, mais pas assez excitante.

- Uh, quand j'ai venu ici... - Quand je suis venue.

Oh, gosh. How many times have I made that mistake?

It's common among the kids in my cIass. It's the thing they most often get wrong.

Oh, weII, what's the difference?

If and when I ever get to visit Paris again, I'II have Iong forgotten aII my French.

- I must be going. - No!

Stay. It's stiII earIy.

- I mean, what are you gonna do at home? - Nothing speciaI.

Right. I mean, how many times can you putter around the garden?

(Door opens)

God!

I can't beIieve my mother.

She's out there...

She's made friends with Peter and is trying to get him to write her biography.

Her stupid Iife. "As toId to."

(Woman) Oh, come on, now. She'II be gone in a coupIe of days.

Yeah, that's what you said Iast week. Time passes and she's stiII here.

Oh, Iook at this.

She wiII not stop picking the flowers, which I asked her pIease not to do.

She doesn't even bother putting them in water, so of course they die.

WaIking around in a snit is not gonna make the time go any faster.

When I ask Peter if he wants to go for a drive or take a waIk,

he's aIways busy writing his noveI.

But he's got pIenty of time to stroII around the Iake with her.

You must admit she's fuII of funny stories.

See? Men. She certainIy hasn't Iost her knack.

- Somehow I thought Peter'd be different. - Lane, it's your mother.

- Is that when you dated ErroI FIynn? - Oh, I was too oId for ErroI FIynn.

I mean, I met him when I was 16.

For ErroI, 15 was over the hiII.

Lane, I asked the Richmonds over for drinks tonight.

- I thought we aII might have a IittIe party. - What did you do that for?

Peter and I were gonna drive into town tonight,

we were supposed to see the new Kurosawa fiIm.

- Sorry. Why didn't you say something? - I did.

That's OK, Lane. We can catch it another night.

OK, but it's onIy there tonight.

- Where was I? - How we met.

Oh! It was Iike a bad movie. We both haiIed the same taxicab.

- We shared a cab and feII in Iove. - And I know nothing about physics.

- AbsoIuteIy nothing. - So what did you taIk about then?

TaIk? By the time the meter hit $3 she had her tongue in my ear.

Oh! LIoyd!

(d "Out Of Nowhere" on record pIayer)

What a nice turn of events.

I drop in to visit my daughter Lane and she has a writer renting her cottage.

I'm trying to write.

I think my Iife story wouId make a sure-fire bestseIIer.

I know. I remember reading about your expIoits in the paper aII the time.

You're too young, but anything, whatever your dad read, it's aII true.

No, I remember your picture in the Iong defunct "New York JournaI-American"

with an actor named Jeff ChandIer, who you dated.

What a memory.

What a memory! That was PaIm Beach!

I Iove PaIm Beach!

That's where LIoyd and I were heading when I decided to stop off to see Lane.

Um... I hadn't seen her, you know, since she... took the piIIs.

God, that had to be six, eight months ago.

Boy, what some peopIe wiII do for Iove.

Or the Iack of it.

Of course, I understand. I mean, if you've never had something

and then you experience it and then it's taken away...

Wow. Poor kid.

Try and stroke the baII to the rhythm of the music.

It'II give you a smooth motion.

- Yeah, but the music's so fast. - Keep it rhythmic, and keep your eye...

(Lane) Steffie, Mrs Mason thinks she's got me an offer on the house.

That's great. CongratuIations.

Two. Not great. But, after everything's paid off,

there'd be something to put a down payment on an apartment in New York.

I can get two for mine, and it's haIf the acreage you've got.

WeII, I can't reaIIy afford to be choosy.

At Ieast I have a customer. I think. I hope, at Ieast.

Don't give the pIace away. I can Iend you what you need.

No, Howard. Oh, God, no. Thank you, though.

No. You've been... You've been incredibIe to me through aII this,

- but I've gotta try and get my own Iife. - What can you do in New York?

I don't know. I...

Maybe my photography again. I was...

Or sometimes I think about writing, but I don't know.

It's awfuI, isn't it, at my age to be floundering around so?

I just... I don't know what I want.

A chiId. I'd Iove to have a chiId.

Lane, did you, by any chance, finish those chapters I gave you?

Yeah, aImost. They're wonderfuI.

I've been thinking about them. I'm discouraged.

- You shouIdn't be. You're wrong. - I just wanna start over, again.

You can't tear up everything you write, you know.

Otherwise of course you have to take tranquiIIisers to caIm down.

It seems so futiIe. I was supposed to be finished by now.

Next week is Labour Day. I have to be back at my job the day after.

If you wouIdn't Iet my mother seduce you...

Now, her Iife wouId definiteIy make a fascinating book.

Why? What's so fascinating about her frivoIous existence?

That she Ieft my father, who was a wonderfuI man,

for a gangster who used to beat her up aII the time?

You think that's compeIIing?

Was it the shooting? That wasn't fascinating.

That was pathetic.

Maybe it's that she's a survivor,

and the book I'm trying to write is about surviving.

You're right. She went on with her Iife, but I get stuck with the nightmares.

(LIoyd) Excuse me. Uh...

Diane wanted some ice cubes and you seem to be out.

Um, there's a... there's an ice machine just outside the back door.

And you're wrong to think your mother didn't suffer terribIy over that whoIe affair.

Right. Poor thing.

She experienced a IittIe hearing Ioss in her Ieft ear from the gunshot.

Noise trauma.

The onIy point I wanted to make - and I didn't mean to upset you -

is that some peopIe are survivors

and some aIIow Iife's tragedies to annihiIate them.

- This is just one of the crueIties of Iiving. - And in your book that idea is moving.

But the story of a 14-year-oId girI who kiIIs her mother's Iover is... sIeazy.

And the triaI was sIeazy and he was sIeazy.

And my mother was compIeteIy unconcerned.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. I'II get you those pages.

And they're good, you know, despite what you think.

I'm not gonna Iet you tear them up.

(PooI baIIs cIack)

- (Steffie) Very good. I'm very impressed. - (Howard chuckIing) You Iiked that?

Oh!

(Peter) I didn't know you were a pooI pIayer.

Now you know.

Did you ever get a chance to pIay that record I got you?

Yeah. Yeah, I did.

I pIay it aII the time.

It's so beautifuI. I was just Iistening to it Iast night.

Somehow I knew you'd Iike it.

Did I hear you say your book was about survivaI?

Yeah, weII, it's not reaIIy about survivaI.

It's about, you know. It's about everything.

Oh, reaIIy? Like the "EncycIopaedia Britannica."

Excuse me. I'd better get those papers and work.

Howard, it's so unIike you to be rude.

We don't need another book on survivaI. We aIready have the Boy Scout manuaI.

Lane says he's taIented.

WeII, if he's such a hotshot, why's he wasting his Iife on Madison Avenue?

It's because writing beer commerciaIs

and deodorant ads is more within his grasp.

I'm surprised at you. You're the kindest man in the worId

and you can't bring yourseIf to say one good word about Peter.

He's OK. I don't mean he's a bad person.

But I can't stand that Lane gets so moonstruck over his Iine.

- I mean, she bIushes when he's around. - Now you sound jeaIous.

What's the difference? She's going away anyhow.

I knew that was bothering you.

If you couId have seen her at the beginning of the year when she came up.

She was in such bad shape.

She needed someone to take care of her so badIy.

(Steffie) She's very fragiIe.

We used to spend Iong afternoons together,

winter evenings Iistening to music.

It was such a pIeasure watching her gain strength

and begin to enjoy things more.

I remember one night I was home aIone after we'd seen a movie together

and I noticed that I missed her

and I couIdn't wait to see her the next day.

And that's when I reaIised I never wanted her to Ieave here.

- Oh, Howard. - Thank you.

I never said anything.

I knew she was through a terribIe time and not reaIIy over it.

I didn't think she was ready to hear that someone had become

dependent on her.

I didn't want to...

I didn't want to say anything that wouId frighten her or cause her any confusion.

WeII, after aII, I am much oIder than she is.

So in the end I hedged and procrastinated and... obsessed over her.

And over the right moment to speak.

Next thing I knew she was head over heeIs in Iove with that tenant,

that sensitive young man who suddenIy started occupying aII her time.

WeII...

One can see how having Peter on the premises, just...

- (Phone rings) - Just the two of them for seven weeks...

...how she couId faII very much in Iove.

Never thought I couId feeI this way after Karen died.

(Lane) HeIIo?

Steffie! It's your husband. He says it's important.

(Sighs)

(Thunder)

Lane's changed towards me.

She used to get such a kick out of me.

She used to Iaugh at myjokes and teII me how pretty I Iooked.

She's become so angry.

What do you think, honey? This or the pink one, with the jacket?

- This one. - You're the boss.

Hey. Hey! Come here. Where you goin', huh?

Boy, oh boy! Am I Iucky I haiIed that taxi!

You're the onIy man I've known worth marrying since Lane's father.

The others were just nothin'!

Just nothin'.

And the proof is, when they asked me to marry 'em, I said no.

- I'm the Iucky one. - You, Iucky?

You inherited a machine that's grinding to a haIt.

Between my uIcers and my gaII bIadder and my angina...

The whoIe is greater than the sum of the parts.

Remember? Hm?

Said the bishop to the showgirI.

(Knocking)

- Sorry. - No, come in.

- You wanted to borrow this pin? - Oh, yeah.

But I've decided on a whoIe other outfit so I don't think I'II need it.

- It's IoveIy. Where'd you get it? - You gave it to me.

I did? What taste!

- Doesn't Diane Iook stunning? - She Iooks great.

Try to have a good time tonight. You don't wanna turn into a recIuse.

I just reaIIy didn't feeI up to having peopIe over tonight.

You have to Iearn to put the past behind you.

What's done is done.

It's easy to say.

I know you wanted to go to the movies with Peter.

Is he a good writer? I mean, seriousIy, couId he write my biography?

- Oh, Mum, don't be fooIish. - FooIish? I've been offered good money.

Peter's trying to write a serious book. You shouIdn't be distracting him.

God, he's aIways asking me miIIions of questions.

I don't think your memoirs are something you wanna make pubIic.

ReaIIy? I'm not ashamed of my Iife.

Your mother was offered a substantiaI advance.

Then she shouId find somebody eIse to write it.

And pIease Ieave me and Dad out of it.

I can't Ieave you out of it. That's the part everybody's interested in.

You're expIoiting an ugIy situation.

(Sighs) You've become so touchy IateIy.

I mean, if your Iife hasn't worked out, stop bIaming me for it.

It's up to you to take the buII by the horns. Make something happen.

I'm sorry. Not everybody's a human dynamo Iike you.

Your mother does have remarkabIe energy.

You were such a promising young girI, so bright, and you had my Iooks.

WeII, you had better bone structure than I did, but you Iacked my height.

And you had your father's inteIIigence.

You gotta do something about aII that. I mean, you're young, you're IoveIy.

Of course, you dress Iike a PoIish refugee.

I don't feeI too attractive these days.

Peter thinks you're beautifuI. And he's right.

- Does he? - He sings your praises.

He's probabIyjust being poIite.

You reaIIy Iike him, don't you?

- I don't know. - You've gotta be a IittIe cooI about it.

The one thing you shouIdn't do is Iet your desperation show.

I don't think I have.

I aIways feIt there was a fataI eIement of hunger in your Iast affair.

That's not true.

I don't think Jeff wouId have run quite so quickIy back to his wife

if he didn't feeI a certain pressure.

I sensed it.

His name was Jack.

And you were never around, so you don't know what happened.

DarIing, don't be so defensive.

I'm basing this observation on the time I saw you together.

And I'm not saying anything different than those high-priced psychiatrists have said.

When it comes to men, you're probabIy doing something to stand in your way.

- I probabIy am. - Yeah.

WeII, this is out. Looks Iike I'm going to a Iuau!

Oh, my God. Look at me.

I gotta redo my whoIe make-up.

It's heII, gettin' oIder.

EspeciaIIy when you feeI 21 inside.

AII the strengths that sustain you aII through your Iife just...

...vanish one by one.

And you study your face in the mirror and you...

You notice something is missing.

And then you reaIise it's your future.

So that's...

That's why I want you to find yourseIf whiIe there's stiII time Ieft to enjoy it.

(Thunder)

- Hi. - Hi.

- I guess I'm earIy. - The guests haven't arrived yet.

WeII, you Iook wonderfuI, aII dressed up.

It's starting to rain.

Maybe it'II cooI things off.

Let's hope.

WeII, you Iook IoveIy. (ChuckIes) I said that!

Thank you.

- Did you know the, um... - Steffie...

- Sorry. What were you gonna say? - No. What?

- You Iooked Iike you were... - No, nothing.

(Thunder)

Thunder's getting cIose.

Yeah.

So, who's the history professor?

The history professor? How did you know about that?

Did we taIk about that?

WeII, you mentioned to me one time that that might be the titIe of your book.

The history professor was my father.

He taught at a coIIege in Connecticut and he...

...he was fired during the McCarthy era.

He was bIackIisted. He had to do aII kinds of things to keep us going.

Like what?

He supported us by pIaying poker and betting the horses.

He sounds wonderfuI.

Yeah, he was.

I see what you mean by a survivor.

This summer went by too fast.

I had such high hopes for this book.

To teII you the truth, I'm floundering.

(CIap of thunder)

Is this the first time you've tried to write a book?

Oh, I've pubIished a coupIe of short stories.

Nothing... Nothing any good.

I've never been abIe to do it fuII time.

I've aIways been up to my neck with other obIigations.

You don't want to hear about aII this.

You know, Lane showed me some of your short stories

and I thought they were wonderfuI.

It's funny.

I've wanted to taIk to you so often,

but we never seem to be aIone.

We were aIone. We were aIone for a whoIe afternoon.

Running into you at the IocaI flea market is not exactIy private.

WeII, we waIked around together. You didn't say anything.

No, I didn't, did I?

WeII, I feIt awkward.

At Ieast you Iiked the record I found you

so the afternoon wasn't a compIete waste of time.

It's so funny because I used to be in Iove with a boy who just idoIised Art Tatum.

WeII, this was years ago on my first visit to Paris.

He was a student and he pIayed piano in a jazz cIub in the student quarter.

He didn't speak any EngIish.

And we spent a summer trying to make each other understand our feeIings.

The funny thing was it didn't matter that we onIy knew a few words.

Oh, anyway, that was years ago.

(CIap of thunder)

I hate thunder. I don't care how harmIess it is, I wanna get right under the bed!

- The air is fuII of eIectricity. - I'm serious!

- Where is everyone? I heard voices. - Hi.

- How do I Iook? Don't say "oId and fat". - (Peter) You Iook great.

(Steffie) You Iook great. What time are the guests arriving?

Any minute. Let's get some more Iights on.

Did Lane make any hors d'oeuvres?

(Thunder)

What were you two doing before we came down?

Excuse me? What?

I hope you weren't out on the porch. That Iightning's getting cIose.

- Oh, no. - No.

- Let's have some music. - AII right. Who wants what?

- WeII, you know about me. Peter? - Vodka.

- Stephanie, what do you want? - Vodka, pIease.

Have you given any more thought about my memoirs?

They deserve better than me.

They're too good to waste on a fledgIing writer.

You're patronising me.

- Lane says you think my Iife is triviaI. - I never said that.

(d "My IdeaI" on record pIayer)

- LIoyd, come on, dance with me. - Oh, honey, I'm such a stiff.

If you can figure out the universe, you can figure out the box step.

AII right.

See, there? You're terrific.

- I try. - (ChuckIes)

I had so many other things I wanted to say to you.

Oh, weII, it's, you know...

There are peopIe coming over and peopIe here, so...

- I don't wanna be pushy. - No, you're not pushy.

I wish you'd been here for the whoIe summer...

Yeah, weII, I couIdn't. I have obIigations, too, so...

- What is that record? It's terrific! - (Peter) It's Art Tatum and Ben Webster.

- It's funny. - What?

I reaIIy made a compIete fooI out of myseIf when I met you.

- No! You didn't. - I remember carrying on at great Iength

about writing and metaphor and choice.

- I Ieft no cIiche unturned. - No. ActuaIIy I just... No, I...

I just thought you were so sweet.

You reminded me of PauI, the boy that I knew in Paris.

- ReaIIy? - Yeah.

- Yeah. - WeII, I'm very flattered.

(Diane) Which one is Art Tatum and which is Ben Webster?

Art Tatum's the piano.

See, and I aIways feIt fooIish aII the time because...

- Why? - ...I was very taken with you right off.

I Iove aII the music from that era.

You don't have any Benny Goodman, do you?

Uh, not here.

Or Coon-Sanders Nighthawks?

(Thunder)

- Now, pIease don't panic when I say this. - No.

I just think that you're incredibIy IoveIy.

Peter, don't. Don't, pIease. Let's just stop this before it's too Iate.

You know, I can't.

I just... I just feeI flushed and... and my heart is pounding.

- (DoorbeII) - (Diane) Oh, the Richmonds are here.

Get it, wiII you, LIoyd?

- Oh, Howard! - Oh, it's pouring out there.

We were expecting the Richmonds. Let me get you a drink.

Hi, Howard. Hi. Oh, the Richmonds must be stuck. You're wet.

Yes, I know.

Look, my oId Ouija board! Look!

They take too Iong. What you want is a computerised Ouija board.

That way you can punch up any dead person you wanna taIk to.

- Howard, you did say Scotch? - Ask Lane to dance with you.

- Me? - Mm-hm. She'II be thriIIed.

- She's got a big crush on you. - I don't dance.

That's what everybody says. Come on. She's been so bIue.

- Lane? - Yes?

Go ahead. Go ahead!

Uh, Lane, uh, Peter was just asking me

if I'd ask you to dance with him.

Oh! No, thank you.

(Diane) Oh, yes, thank you. That music is fabuIous!

I used to go to HarIem to hear music Iike that.

I was dating a disc jockey. He used to caII records "sides".

- (Phone rings) - I have two Ieft feet.

I'II get that. I'II get it. You just enjoy yourseIves.

(CIap of thunder)

- Is she bothering you? - No, not at aII.

I Iike her energy.

It's the record you bought at the flea market, isn't it?

- I didn't know you Iiked jazz. - (Peter) I know you Iike Prokofiev.

Yeah, but not to dance to.

The Richmonds aren't coming. Their house is flooded.

ReaIIy? Then maybe we can go to the Kurosawa fiIm.

- In this storm? - WeII, you know, maybe.

Let's not Iet it kiII our evening.

The Richmonds aren't coming. We're Iucky. They're so boring!

(LIoyd) Then why did you invite them? (Diane) Uh-oh. Oh, God!

(Lane) This couId Iast for hours. (Diane) LIoyd.

(Steffie) Just Iight some candIes. (Lane) OK. I'II get some matches.

(LIoyd) I Iove waIking around in the pitch-bIack.

I think I just put my hand in the guacamoIe.

(Diane) LIoyd! The Richmonds are flooded, the eIectricity's gone off.

God is testing us and I, for one, am gonna be ready.

Where's the vodka?

(d "What'II I Do?" on piano)

T.

O.

M.

I don't know any Toms.

Oh, wait a minute.

Are you that dentist in Hackensack that tried to rape me when I was 15?

No? OK.

OK.

One more try.

(d "On A SIow Boat To China" on piano)

N.

Ooh, I.

C.

Oh, God. Nick.

Wait a minute. Are you in this room?

Is your ghost in this room, buIIet hoIe an' aII?

You were so bad.

But so gorgeous.

Do you stiII comb your hair Iike you were in SiciIy?

WeII, we had some good times.

It was hectic.

It was dangerous.

And then it ended.

(Howard) I think it's cIearing up.

(Lane) Yeah?

PIease don't move away from here.

I have to.

You know, I shouId never drink. My head reaIIy spins.

How are you gonna drive home?

Same way I aIways do:

thinking about you.

You know, in aII the time I've known you I don't think I've ever seen you drink.

No.

AIthough the year after my wife died I was never sober.

Of course, on the facuIty of the schooI where I work, it's... hard to teII.

I'm gonna miss you so much.

I'm gonna miss you, too, but we'II aIways stay in touch.

You know what I'm saying.

Howard, pIease.

I have to...

When you got that offer today to seII the house, I...

I reaIised suddenIy

we wouIdn't be sharing those winter evenings again.

Yeah, but you knew I was onIy up here to get weII, and not permanentIy.

Is the difference in our ages awkward for you?

I'm in Iove with Peter.

Isn't that the most ridicuIous thing?

Considering I don't think I even have a chance with him.

I did for a whiIe.

I keep teIIing myseIf that maybe it'II stiII work out aII right somehow.

And why Peter and not you?

No reason worthy of you.

How often I've wanted to touch you.

PIease. PIease, don't.

Now that I've embarrassed us both...

Let me make you some coffee.

You're gonna have a terribIe hangover tomorrow.

(Sighs)

I don't pIay this game that weII in the Iight, Iet aIone the dark.

Look how much it's cIeared up.

You can see a biIIion stars.

(LIoyd) It shouId be nice tomorrow.

So teII me,

is it true you worked on the atomic bomb?

No.

Did Diane teII you that?

Yes.

Not at aII.

I did one smaII, unreIated project at Los AIamos many years ago.

But when she's describing me to peopIe I'm the father of the A-bomb.

What branch of physics are you invoIved with?

Something much more terrifying than bIowing up the pIanet.

ReaIIy?

Is there anything more terrifying than the destruction of the worId?

Yeah.

The knowIedge that it doesn't matter one way or the other.

That it's aII random.

Originating aimIessIy out of nothing and...

...eventuaIIy vanishing for ever.

I'm not taIking about the worId.

I'm taIking about the universe.

AII space, aII time, just...

...a temporary convuIsion.

And I get paid to prove it.

You feeI sure of that, when you Iook out on a cIear night Iike tonight

and see aII those miIIions of stars? That none of it matters?

I think it's just as beautifuI as you do.

And vagueIy evocative of some deep truth that aIways just keeps sIipping away.

But then my professionaI perspective overcomes me,

a Iess wishfuI, more penetrating view of it,

and I understand it for what it truIy is.

Haphazard,

moraIIy neutraI

and unimaginabIy vioIent.

Look, we shouIdn't have this conversation.

I have to sIeep aIone tonight.

That's why I cIing to Diane and consider myseIf very Iucky.

She's warm and vitaI and hoIds me whiIe I sIeep.

That way I don't have to dream of photons and quarks.

I have a question for you, Richard.

Your daughter hates me.

Our daughter...

...hates me, and I Iove her.

She's my one chiId

and I want her to be happy.

She never got over the shooting, you know.

See, now, I'm a tough cookie.

I can fiIe and forget.

Rap once if you hear me, Richard.

I want her to forgive me.

So you speak to her. OK, Richard?

You two were so cIose.

She Ioved you so much.

You rap if you hear me, Richard.

Rap, Richard.

Rap once.

Rap.

(Footsteps)

(Peter) I Iove those oId songs.

Between the music, the candIeIight and the drinks,

it feeIs Iike we're in some exotic pIace.

Mm. I shouId never drink. My head swims.

What are you doing?

I've wanted to touch your face since the first time we met.

What do you want me to say to you?

Soon we'II be going in separate directions.

Peter, you must know that this is impossibIe.

Lane is my best friend. She's crazy about you.

I don't think I couId ever do that.

- And she's become so attached to you. - PIease.

I aIready feeI guiIty enough because I Ied her on.

Not on purpose. I just wasn't thinking about anyone but myseIf.

She's toId me about aII the time you spent together.

I know about aII your waIks and taIks by the Iake, under the stars.

She's toId me aII that.

I feIt very IoneIy.

I needed some company, and my marriage broke up.

I was Iosing confidence that I couId write this book.

I needed a voice to keep me from panicking.

But you made Iove together.

I didn't understand how vuInerabIe she was untiI it was too Iate.

I know it's my fauIt.

WouId you... WouId you have become serious about her if I hadn't come aIong?

I don't know. Maybe.

You do funny things when you feeI empty inside.

Look...

...I'm married.

You know, my kids come home from camp in a week. I have a Iife.

I know.

But is it the Iife you want?

Is it?

- You've been flirting with me for weeks. - PIease, just go away.

(Sighs)

My husband's a wonderfuI man.

Oh, he's bewiIdered because I wanted this summer apart.

He's a radioIogist.

He takes X-rays, but...

...I never Iet him take them of me because, if he Iooked inside, he'd...

...he'd see things that he wouIdn't understand and he'd be terribIy hurt.

Somewhere aIong the Iine I just...

...I just started going through the motions of my Iife.

Steffie...

I've just... I've just Ionged so to hear certain things said to me again.

I want so much to respond, but I can onIy run.

- Don't run. - I can onIy run.

That's aII I can do.

I knew you cared about me right from the beginning,

that's why I couIdn't Iook at you when you were around because I feIt so guiIty.

I wanna kiss you right now.

You can't. You can't because there's too many probIems.

This is just out of the question.

Out of the question. We're gonna be discovered.

Just pIease go away. It's out of the question.

(Opens door)

(d "When Day Is Done" on piano)

(Peter) Time for me to go home.

Sorry about the Kurosawa fiIm.

I made some coffee before. D'you want me to heat it up for you?

No, thanks. I'd rather stay drunk.

Maybe you'd better. I'm supposed to work tomorrow.

You've been in such a strange mood aII night.

Did you know that the universe was haphazard, moraIIy neutraI

and unimaginabIy vioIent?

Peter...

What happened to us?

What do you mean?

You know, we were getting so cIose

and we... we shared aII that time...

...and, um...

...and that night at the Iake...

I mean, did I... Am I misreading the signs?

Maybe you did.

I can't Iet myseIf get invoIved right now.

I'm gun-shy from my marriage and...

...I'm unsettIed about my Iife, my work.

Can I heIp?

They're my probIems. I don't wanna cause you any suffering.

You're doing so weII.

You need to think about your future.

Yeah, I know.

I know you're right. I...

It's siIIy, but I just...

You know, I have these dreams that, when we're both in New York...

...you know, we'd...

I don't know.

You know, we just... We feeI things so simiIarIy so much of the time

and that's so rare.

I don't... I'm sorry, I'm reaIIy tired. I don't know what I'm saying.

The funny thing is that I'II probabIy wind up caIIing you at 3am in New York

to keep me from going off the deep end.

(d "My IdeaI" starts up on record pIayer)

- Hi. Can I give you a hand there? - (Lane) No, that's OK.

Listen, I had a taIk with Peter.

And he doesn't wanna get invoIved right now.

And that's OK. I understand that.

He's... You know, he's got a Iot of probIems.

But I... But maybe things wiII be different Iater on. You know?

I'm gIad that things are out in the open anyway.

You know, I do feeI better.

We'II both be Iiving in New York.

Who knows? You know, anything couId happen.

(Phone rings)

Who couId that be?

HeIIo?

Oh, Ken. No, she's right here. One second.

Ken, Iisten to me. I toId you the Iights were out and the phone was out.

I couIdn't caII you!

Right. Yes.

I stiII don't know. I'm thinking about spending some time in New York.

No, pIease don't bring that up now. Look, it's Iate and I'm tired.

Let me just caII you tomorrow. Good night.

(Hangs up receiver)

Oh, God.

I didn't know you were stiII here.

(Peter) I heard your voice.

Peter, we're not aIone.

Steffie, I Iove you.

From the first day.

We couId be aIone.

I can't spend the night in the guesthouse.

Maybe not the whoIe night,

but we couId have some of it aIone together.

Oh, God.

WouId you?

Look, if...

If this means anything to you...

...I reaIIy want to, but I...

(Door opens)

(Door bangs shut)

(d "Night And Day" on record pIayer)

(Chatter)

(Woman) I just Iove this room. It's just perfect.

We couId knock this waII out and make one big room of this whoIe thing.

The room is big enough as it is. I Iove the size of this room.

OK, whatever.

- What about fishing? - The Iake has bass, Lane toId me.

Of course, you can aIways stock the Iake.

It seems so inane to dump fish into a Iake just to puII 'em back out again.

- No dumber than goIf! - Your wife's not a goIfer!

Gimme a break.

That's Diane Frazier.

I used to have such a crush on her when I'd see her picture in the newspaper.

- Diane Frazier? Wasn't she... - She was a modeI, pIaygirI.

She was aIways at the Stork CIub or EI Morocco with some tennis pIayer.

- Those peopIe Iead such exciting Iives. - Yes, don't they?

(Man) It's gonna be so great to get out of the city.

I'm so excited about buying a dog.

Our co-op doesn't permit dogs and I've aIways wanted a pit buII.

(Man) I'd Iove to go upstairs and take some measurements for our decorator.

Lane, is it OK to go upstairs?

Oh, weII, my mother's stiII sIeeping up there.

- ReaIIy? - Yeah. She's a Iate sIeeper.

I don't think I ever sIept past noon in my Iife.

- She'II be up soon. - Maybe we couId take a Iook the barn?

CouId you show us the barn? I know Mr Raines has some questions.

OK. You know where it is, don't you? Just foIIow that path out of the house.

I'II join you in one second. I just wanna finish up here.

- Are they gonna buy? - Looks Iike it.

That's great.

Lane, Howard caIIed,

and the stand that seIIs the corn and tomatoes you Iike is open again.

- He's gonna bring some over. - Uh-huh.

What's the matter? Why are you so depressed?

I just think about Peter aII the time.

Lane, just don't. Don't.

I think he's gonna write that book on my mother.

Good God.

They're aII supposed to go out today together.

If she ever gets up.

Oh, she's up. She said she'd be a IittIe Iate.

- (Mrs Mason) Lane, couId I speak to you? - Yes.

We reaIIy need you in the barn to answer some questions. Their finaI offer is 175.

175? You said two!

That's as high as they'd go. This area isn't what it was.

But I've reaIIy been counting on that money.

- Are you sure? - I'm sorry.

- (Knocking) - Yeah?

- Hi. - Hi.

Um, Diane said they'd be a IittIe Iate. I'II Iet them know that you're here.

You've reaIIy been avoiding me.

I think you shouId Ieave and go back to New York.

I'd Iike to know what's going on.

I'm having a hard time and, even though she tries to hide it, Lane is, too.

- Don't say that. - She thinks about you aII the time.

- And you? - NaturaIIy, I think about you.

And yet you avoid me.

Are you going to write Diane's biography?

BeIieve it or not, I'm thinking about it.

Why? What happened to the book about your father?

I know. I...

It just isn't coming. I toId you that.

I've been beating my brains out about it aII summer Iong and I...

I don't know. It's IifeIess.

And then I hear aII these sensationaI anecdotes and stories. You know?

This woman's had an incredibIe Iife. I mean, the shooting aIone is a book.

- Lane doesn't want it written. - I'm not so sure.

If I do it, I can protect her. Somebody's gonna write it.

Look, Peter, just put yourseIf in her pIace for one minute.

Here's this 14-year-oId girI.

Her mother Ieaves her father, who Lane adored

and moves in with this thug, who constantIy beats up Diane,

and Lane ends up shooting him.

It's compIeteIy wrecked her Iife.

You don't wanna put her through that again.

You know, peopIe staring at her as she waIks down the street.

I don't know.

(Sighs) I'm sorry. I'm reaIIy sorry. I don't...

I just feeI so... guiIt-ridden.

I'm just very tense.

Oh, Peter, pIease don't do this.

Oh...

Steffie.

(Sighs) Let's...

Let's go to Paris together.

"Let's go to Paris together."

My God. You reaIIy are a writer, aren't you?

This is why I have to stay away from you. Because you just make my head... spin.

I just can't... I can't do this.

I can't...

Oh, my God.

- I guess we shouId have knocked. - I aIways worry about rabies.

I read about a woman in the "DaiIy News"

who was bitten by a squirreI in CentraI Park and she got rabies.

(Mrs Mason) Nothing Iike that ever happens up here.

(Mr Raines) What bothers me are not the raccoons but gnats.

They drive you crazy sometimes.

(Mrs Mason) You don't have a big insect probIem here, do you, Lane?

Lane?

(Mr Raines) But you do have mosquitoes? (Mrs Raines) NaturaIIy, with the pond.

WeII, mosquitoes are rare. Aren't they, Lane?

- Lane? - It's... It's usuaIIy very pIeasant.

- I imagine the frogs'd eat the mosquitoes. - If the snakes don't eat the frogs!

Is it OK if we go upstairs?

Yes, um...

Sorry. I'm getting a headache. I'II re-join you in a few minutes.

OK, but hurry. There are many questions Mr and Mrs Raines have.

Yes. Now, what about hornets and bees?

(Mrs Mason) This is the country, Mrs Raines, not midtown Manhattan.

Oh, my God. I just can't beIieve that happened!

- It was my fauIt. - Oh, Peter, pIease!

I just can't handIe this!

Lane. Lane, I'm sorry.

Lane. Lane, I'm sorry. PIease forgive me.

- Lane! - Has this been going on Iong?

No. No! PIease. Jesus.

- Are you in Iove with him? - It's not what you think.

- What do you mean? - Lane, I just don't know what I've done.

- I just don't know what I've... - A Iot of things make sense now.

There's nothing to make sense. AbsoIuteIy nothing to make sense.

So many times I saw you and Peter Iooking at each other.

No, don't do that. Just don't do that.

This is my fauIt. Stephanie's not to bIame.

- Peter, pIease, Ieave us aIone. - I'm sorry you found out Iike this.

There's nothing to find out. You're making it worse.

There's not nothing. Let's get this out on the tabIe.

I want Steffie to go with me to New York or Paris.

Peter, the summer's over.

I'm going back to PhiIadeIphia and that's settIed.

I miss my chiIdren.

I can't pIay these games. I've been married too Iong. I just...

I don't know what I am. I don't know what I've done.

I just... I'm not who I thought I was.

I'm beginning to think that antique fair wiII be too crowded.

You're getting coId feet about driving aII the way to East Hope.

I am not. I just thought today's the wrong day.

We couId postpone it. You and Peter couId work on the book around here.

You know, Peter, I think we couId do a whoIe section on Las Vegas.

I know so many great Sammy Davis stories. He's the best.

(LIoyd) Did you teII Lane about our conversation?

(Diane) Oh, yeah. Listen, darIing.

LIoyd and I have decided that we wanna Iive here.

This house is our idea of heaven.

(LIoyd) I feII in Iove with the pIace the moment I stepped inside.

It was Iike coming home.

(Diane) I know you're off back to the city, but whenever you wanna use it, it's yours.

You know, weekends or the summertime. Whenever.

(LIoyd) You're gonna need a sweater. I better go up and get one.

I don't understand.

(Diane) You know one of my first projects? I'm gonna put in a pooI.

I never, ever Iiked the pond because there's Iive things in there!

Your mother's a wonderfuI swimmer.

I took her swimming in Santa Fe. She outdid everybody.

- She's got perfect Iegs for a bathing suit. - What are you taIking about?

(Diane) We're gonna move back here.

We've discussed it and decided to move back here.

LIoyd Ioves Vermont and I have aIways Ioved this house.

- And if... - You can't move back here.

- Why not? - Because I'm about to seII this pIace.

- You're seIIing it? - I toId you...

- Wait a minute. Since when? - I've mentioned this three times at Ieast.

- You have? - Don't you ever Iisten to me when I taIk?

Do you onIy care about what you have to say?

Why are you getting so nasty?

I got peopIe here right now - buyers. They're Iooking at it.

WeII, Jesus, wherever they are,

just go and find them and teII them the saIe is off.

- What? - You can't seII this pIace.

This is gonna be our home.

You can't teII me that now.

What are you taIking about? This is the famiIy house.

How can you seII this pIace? You don't own it.

- WeII, who owns it? - Uh... I do.

WeII, I mean, we do. You and me. Your father and I bought it.

But you gave it to me years ago.

I toId you then I might seII it and divide the money.

- You said great, you couId use the cash. - Was I sober when I gave it to you?

- You said it was mine. - To Iive in, darIing, but not to seII.

To Iive in? What does that mean? To maintain? To repair? To keep up?

Am I the caretaker?

You know me. I've said a Iot of things in haste.

When it comes to practicaI matters, I'm a dodo.

I can't afford to move without seIIing this house.

I've run up too many debts. It's expensive being sick.

- Nobody's throwing you out in the coId. - I've been counting on this money.

I haven't been working in two years. I've used up everything. I've borrowed.

DarIing, it's as simpIe as this: my pIans have changed.

- What?! - We want to settIe here.

Your father and I bought this house before you were born.

He'd have wanted it to stay in the famiIy.

- Can't we discuss this Iater? - You're such a phoney!

He bought the house, not you, and I've kept it going!

- (LIoyd) Lane! - CouIdn't you have just stayed away?

LIoyd and I are not young. We wanna settIe.

Who knows? Maybe we'II hate it and in a year we'II move.

My Iife is just not worth aII the troubIe!

Everyone, just stop it! Diane, Lane has been through so much.

- Don't get angry, sweetheart. - She doesn't care what she says to me.

- Like I'm to bIame for everything. - (Lane) You are to bIame!

- OK, caIm down. - I'm caIm, LIoyd. I am caIm.

We aII make mistakes, but what's done is done.

And if your Iife didn't turn out, don't keep accusing me!

You're the one who puIIed the trigger! I onIy said what the Iawyers toId me to.

- What an absurd thing to say. - It's not absurd. It's the truth!

I don't think this is the pIace to have that discussion.

I'm just wrecked! And you come and go with no guiIt!

I don't wanna hear any more of this. Stop it right now.

(Diane) It's her excuse for a Iife wasted, thrown away to spite me.

- That's not true! - Yes! Out of spite! Pure spite!

Maybe things couId have been different for me if I didn't have to go through that!

- Excuse me. CouId we see the attic? - Get out of here!

- Pardon me? - Get out of here! PIease, just Ieave!

- Diane! ReIax! - Get out of here now!

- Diane, just reIax. - OK, take the house.

- I didn't reaIise it meant that much to you. - That's enough.

I said she couId have the house! Now can we pack up and go?

That's enough!

There are things I might do differentIy if I had them to do over, but I don't.

My head is spIitting open!

OK, I'm sorry for aII the fuss.

We aII make mistakes.

Lane, can I have the sIeeping piIIs back?

- I don't know where they are. - They're not in the medicine cabinet.

- What's the difference? - That's the stupidest thing I ever heard.

What are you taIking about, "what's the difference"? Where are they?

I have no reason to get up tomorrow.

Then you're just gonna have to make up a reason.

What about aII your pIans about moving to New York

and setting up a photography studio? You're so damn angry.

If I haven't made it as a photographer by now, why wouId I?

I don't know. You'II just have to try harder, won't you?

So...

...you and Peter are in Iove with each other?

We just became very attracted to each other.

These things happen.

But you knew how much I cared about him.

This just happened by itseIf. I didn't instigate it.

You know, we're aII up here isoIated from the worId.

UnpredictabIe things happen.

(Sighs)

The truth is...

...I flirted with Peter...

...I wanted him to want me...

...but I didn't think it wouId go very far.

I just wanted to know that I couId be wanted.

And he seemed very chaIIenging.

You know, he's very cIever and busy with his noveI.

And he's charming and smart and...

Then sIowIy I began to see how...

...very vuInerabIe he is and...

...he's so uncertain.

And my heart went out to him.

And I began dreaming about him.

What's gonna happen? Are you gonna go away with him?

I can't. No, I can't do that.

It's... It's not so easy when you're married with... kids.

That's something I wouIdn't know.

Now give me those piIIs.

Tomorrow wiII come and you'II find some distractions.

You'II get rid of this pIace. You'II move back to the city.

You'II work. You'II faII in Iove.

And maybe it'II work out and maybe it won't.

But you'II find a miIIion petty things to keep you going...

...and distractions to keep you from focusing on the...

On the truth.

I don't know what the truth is and you don't either.

I just wanna swaIIow aII of this VaIium.

WeII, it's hard to die from VaIium. It takes about a miIIion.

- I'II take 'em aII. - Stop it. Stop it.

You're behaving Iike a petuIant chiId.

If you reaIIy wanted to die, you wouId have done that the Iast time.

I'm so IoneIy.

OK, stop it, and just give me the piIIs.

You reaIIy wanna die?

No.

That's my probIem. I... I aIways wanted to Iive.

(Diane) Where the heII is everybody?

Where is everybody? Boy, the going gets rough and everybody vanishes.

Lane, we're Ieaving!

Lane! God, I hate this outfit.

I Iook Iike one of the Hundred Neediest Cases.

You Iook beautifuI.

You know, I'm gonna miss this pIace.

Hadn't reaIised how pretty it was up here.

It's so tranquiI.

And it's been in the famiIy for so Iong.

It's the cIosest thing I can think of to roots.

It might have been nice.

Dear, it's my age taIking.

Never mind.

Never mind. It's not in the cards.

PaIm Beach wiII be fine.

The pIace is unimportant as Iong as we're together.

Oh, LIoyd.

Lane, we're Ieaving for PaIm Beach.

If you need me, we're staying with the Chasens.

And Iet's not have a wake over what happened before.

It's over and done with.

Life's too short to dweII on our tragedies. Right?

Besides, I'm sure we aII said things we're sorry for.

We're aII temperamentaI.

Otherwise, we wouIdn't aII be so fascinating.

I'm sorry if I caused you any grief.

OK? I wasn't thinking.

Oh, weII. It's over now.

Lane...

...you aIways Iiked this...

...and I want you to keep it.

Stephanie...

...this is for you.

I saw you admiring it and I'd Iove you to have it.

Thank you.

Jesus! Look at my hands.

Now, reaIIy, I am too young for Iiver spots. Maybe I couId merge them into a tan.

What do you think?

- Can I heIp with the bags? - Oh, my God! I forgot.

Howard, just in time to say goodbye and heIp with the Iuggage.

I'II get the door.

LIoyd, put that hanging piece on top, I beg you. Everything'II be mussed.

Thanks, Howard. Terrific. The door's open.

Lane, Iet them get it, honey. Come here. Come here.

Now... No, never mind.

You know where we're gonna be, with the Chasens,

so if you need me for anything -

your hair Iooks just darIing down Iike that -

you caII me. D'you hear me? OK.

And teII Peter that I've got to rethink my memoirs.

If I come up with a fresh approach, then I'II caII him.

Goodbye. Be a good girI.

Oh, God. Have you got my make-up kit? It's got my diaphragm in it.

I stiII traveI with it. It's Iike a Iucky charm.

Maybe I shouId donate it to the antique fair! (Laughs)

WiII I see you again?

I think you shouId Ieave.

I'm going to stay with Lane and then go back home.

It's funny. You meet somebody under strange circumstances.

You faII in Iove and then you go off in separate directions.

Peter, pIease don't make this hard for me.

- PIease. - I feeI so empty.

You haven't even gone yet and I feeI Iike I've Iost something I'II never find again.

(Car engine starts)

I'm so disappointed in myseIf.

Steffie.

Time wiII pass and you'II forget this summer.

And you? WiII you forget it?

I'II try.

It won't be easy, but I'II try.

Now she's off to PaIm Beach as though nothing had happened.

WeII, I reaIIy shouId be going, too.

My debts.

I have to manage the finaI saIe.

AII the detaiIs.

Lane, I want so badIy to teII you not to worry.

Howard.

And that I'II take care of you, that nothing wouId make me happier.

I've gotten so used to having you in my Iife.

- You're aII that gives it meaning now. - Howard, don't. Don't.

- I'm sure that... - I can't.

...when you Ieave here...

...I'II never see you again.

But I reaIIy did grow to Iove you.

(Peter) Lane.

I came to say goodbye.

I think it's better if I head back to the city tonight.

You haven't finished your book.

It's finished.

What a sad tone in your voice.

I Ioved aII the time we spent together.

And I appreciate your faith in me and...

...the encouragement.

I'm sorry I couIdn't Iive up to it.

WeII...

Take care of her, Howard.

(Sobs)

(d "My IdeaI")

- Hi. - Hi.

WouId you Iike some tea?

No.

- It's chiIIy. - Yeah.

It was chiIIy when I got up this morning.

In a few days it'II be September.

I know.

There are so many things to do, seIIing a house.

It'II keep you busy. That's good.

When do you have to go home?

In a coupIe of days I'II go back.

The kids need schooI suppIies and new shoes.

- Sweet kids. - Yeah.

Oh, Steffie.

Soon you'II Ieave here and you'II start aII over again in New York.

There'II be a miIIion things to keep you busy.

It's gonna be OK.