Original subtitles

Love is like a butterfly, soft and gentle as a fly. The

multicolored moods of love are like its batting wings.

Love makes your heart feel strange inside. It flutters like the winds in

Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing.

There's nothing I can do.

A total eclipse.

Ruby, I've told the boys to wipe their feet on the doormat before they come

the house, but you apparently told them not to dirty the doormat, so now they're

stepping over the doormat and wiping their feet on the whole carpet.

What we could do within that front garden is a sheep dip.

I'd like to go early today, if you don't mind.

Yeah, of course I don't mind.

Anything special?

That man who chatted you up, the one that walks his dog.

You're having coffee with him after all.

Oh, no, no, I've forgotten all about that.

Very wise, Ruby. Life is complicated enough.

Oh, what a bit of rushing about to do. You know, the curtains to wash and the

paintwork to clean and the telephone people are coming and...

He started walking his dog earlier now.

Go when you like, Ruby.

He always holds me on when we cross the road.

A lot of men that do that. It makes you feel that whatever might go wrong when

you're out with them, you won't get run over.

Oh, they can't get the car out.

Aha!

See you tomorrow, Ruby.

What did you say your friend's name was?

Josie.

We're eating at the Manor Hotel.

I'm shopping first.

Don't forget your seatbelt.

You're trying hard not to show.

Oh, come on, sunshine. Either we're doing this job or we're not.

I can't get into it. It isn't my scene.

Being a father hasn't done much for your sense of adventure, has it?

I mean, it's a job, isn't it? With money.

Right.

Number...

28. Mrs Murdoch.

28, 28.

There we are.

All right. Let's go and introduce ourselves.

Closer to the table.

Well, we've got to look functional.

Hello, Mrs Murdoch.

My name's Adam Parkinson. This is my brother, Russell.

We just thought we'd let you know that we'll be cleaning your window from now

on.

Very nice.

What happened to Jones?

Mr Jones?

Oh, moved on to better things. He's opened a shop.

I see.

Well, I'm afraid it's not convenient at the moment.

Oh, no, no, no, no, that's all right. We're just getting acquainted with the

customer. We don't actually start any work till the day after tomorrow.

You'll do them properly?

I want them doing properly, mind.

When we finish, you'll be able to see the Eiffel Tower.

I want the corners doing, mind.

No extra charge for the corners.

And the insides.

The insides, right, yes, sir. Half price for the insides.

How much?

Um, answer, sirs.

Ten quid all in.

A Friday, sir.

Right.

Mrs. Murdoch.

Fridays.

Every month.

Monthly. Right. See you Friday morning, then. If I don't answer the door, you

can start.

I might be in the back.

Friday, then.

The Eiffel Tower.

No extra charge.

Ten quid, eh?

It's only going to take us an hour.

Three of those a day, and we're on 180 quid a week.

Six a day, and that's Barclays Here I Come.

She was coming out a bit strong, wasn't she? Oh, they're all going to be like

that.

We're entering the bored housewife territory.

Do you realise our bodies are in jeopardy?

All we've got to do is take the money and the coffee and the cakes and run

hell.

I'll toss you for the bathroom window.

Well, I must say, you look fantastic.

You haven't got a line anywhere. How do you do it? Oh, I have, really.

They don't come on duty until later in the day.

I gave up when I was 40. I used to spend hours in front of the mirror with my

brushes and pencils. It was like trying to restore an old house.

You get the foundations right and then the roof would cave in.

I treated myself to a facial a few weeks ago.

They made up my eyes with what they called the autumn shades.

I looked like E .T.

Do you remember our flat -sharing days?

Oh, we were young and powerful.

We always seemed to be summer.

Crimson lipstick, nylon stockings, bras like scaffolding. I could go threatening

the universe with our ears pierced and our breasts bound and gagged.

I tried going without a bra last year.

but I couldn't help feeling that part of me had escaped.

And if I rushed upstairs or ran for a bus, I didn't know where they were.

Do you remember Billy Waring?

Oh, Billy Waring.

You used to take the telephone to bed in case he rang.

Oh, how I loved Billy Waring. All I wanted to do in life was marry Billy

have kids for Billy Waring, cook for Billy Waring.

Die for Billy Waring.

God, he was ugly.

He was kind, though. Yes.

Is Ben kind?

Yes, he is.

Peter was jealous.

I'm sorry about Peter.

Oh, it's all right. He died doing what he enjoyed, spying on me.

I was going off to do some shopping with my sister.

He didn't believe me, so he followed me in the car.

I knew he was there.

In fact, I was...

quite looking forward to arriving at my destination, to seeing his face when he

saw that it was true.

And then there was this crash.

Oh, Josie.

I had one little moment, that's all.

One little discrepancy years before.

A kiss in a car park after an office party.

Peter found us, and after that, everything turned into a nightmare.

Oh, my...

Am I talking like this? Come on, Josie, snap out of it.

Here's to us.

May we never kiss in a car park.

May we never kiss in a car park.

Now, what's for dessert?

I can't see a thing.

Neither can I.

Eternal youth.

Eternal youth.

So, we've met everybody now.

It's a serious bit to start the morning.

Good.

I must admit, it's not what I had in mind for you. I mean, I'm not likely to

bring up the subject of my son's profession at a dinner party, but it's

than nothing.

The days of snobbery are over, Dad.

There's only two types of classes now.

Those in the fertilizer and those about to be in it.

I see.

I managed to avoid the about -to -be -in -it stage and went straight for the in

-it category.

Stay dead.

It's just fate. There you go.

Hey, there's no meat in that, is there?

No.

OK. Stand by.

You'd better spoon it out, I think.

That way we'll have a gentle unfolding rather than the avalanche.

Wow.

Globules.

Just eat it, will you?

Oh.

Do you notice some of those fantastic smells coming from those houses?

Oh, yeah.

Sort of curry and sauces and herbs all acting like you could eat them.

I don't think we should discuss your mother's cooking while she's out. It's

speaking ill of the dead.

What about number 28?

Number 28. Oh, boy.

42?

42. Well, yeah.

I could get into 57, with a bit of persuasion.

57?

No, she's a bit fat.

My favourite's got to be number 19.

She wasn't in.

Yeah, I know, she's kind of mysterious, don't you think?

I presume this is all joke talk, is it? I mean, you are aware of the potential

danger in flirting with other men's wives.

Yeah, we're aware of it.

Yeah, it's just joke talk, eh?

I know you think you know it all, but just remember that behind every one of

those women there is a six -foot husband, and I don't want them knocking

door and dropping your remains in the hall.

Oh, you bet.

They're bored, you see, because they've only got to push a few buttons and all

the housework is done, right? So they've got all this surplus energy that

isn't... Your mother

said there's a cake somewhere in the kitchen.

Did she say what kind?

Homemade.

Homemade.

Might go and check it out.

If you want to live dangerously, sunshine.

Did she say whether it was chocolate or fruit?

Look, it's only a cake.

I'm asking you to go in there and get a cake, not diffuse a bomb.

OK, OK.

I'm going.

Dear God.

Well, it's just that sometimes she's OK with the chocolate, you know.

Your mother's OK with it.

Supposing we open a tin of peaches.

Can't you find it?

A sort of unidentified object lying there.

When will I go to the tray?

Message understood.

Make with the tin opener.

I guess not being able to cook has its compensations.

I mean, you can't become a bored, frustrated housewife till you become a

housewife, can you?

And I don't think Mum's going to make it.

You've been a long time.

Daniel, what are you doing?

I want to talk to you.

I've grown tired of you, the other men.

It's all right. It's your turn to twist the knife.

You were bound to grow tired of us.

Us?

What does that mean?

There never was an us.

Then what do you want to talk about?

Us.

Leonard, I must go.

I've been out all morning.

What are we going to do?

Nothing.

We're going to do nothing, Leonard.

We've been doing that for two years.

I can't leave Ben.

He's done nothing wrong.

He loves me, Leonard.

Is that the only qualification one needs?

And I can't have an affair.

I'm not made that way.

I've come to the conclusion that you are beautiful, Mrs. Parkinson.

I hope he remembers to mention that.

Please.

I've run out of...

There's no hope for us.

Couldn't you have tidied up?

Yeah, I was going to. I thought you'd be in later on.

I go out, I leave everything ready for you.

All you have to do is sit down and put the food in your mouth.

Yeah, OK, OK. Take it easy.

I mean, I can't go anywhere without being haunted by the thought that you'll

starve. Or by the thought that if I take two hours off, it'll take me 12 hours

to clean up after you.

I spent my entire life trying to avoid this kitchen.

I think you must have my book, Mum.

I mean, what would you do if I died?

People do die.

People wake up in the morning and find other people have died.

Why, it was me.

Now I have the added responsibility of having to stay alive to keep you lot

alive.

When am I going to come home, I ask myself, and find lunch ready for me?

What's wrong, Mum?

I just explained what... What's wrong?

What's really wrong?

Nothing's wrong. Everything's fine.

I had a lovely time. I had a nice meal with a nice friend, a nice drive home.

I need to talk to someone, Adam.

Will I do? I'll go mad if I don't talk.

Okay.

So? I'm here.

I told you once about...

A man I knew.

No. Yeah. A guy who went to New York. You fancied each other or something like

that.

He's back.

Nothing's happened.

We haven't... I only ever see him in the daytime.

I don't think I love him.

Because I love your father, and it feels different.

You mean one has all the excitement of trying to get to the top of the

and the other is like just sitting there?

Today we met.

It wasn't planned.

And I told him to go.

Is that all?

Yes.

Oh, I thought you were going to say you'd shot him.

Shot him?

Yeah. You know, something really worrying.

Look, shouldn't you be pointing out to me that I'm too old for all this

nonsense?

No.

You're a dying race, Mum.

When I get married, if...

I get married.

My wife won't suffer the way you have.

She meets a guy that turns her on, she'll probably just go right out there

do it.

My dad's a lucky guy.

You never accuse, do you?

You never blame.

Law of the jungle.

No use blaming the monkeys, is it?

Look, I understand, Mum.

I know everything you're saying.

It hurt me, Adam.

Everything hurts, Mum.

If it's anything.

You never did see Annie again, did you?

No.

You OK, Mum?

Mr. Parkinson, I forgot to tell you. A lady rang.

Amanda Colling.

Oh, yes.

What did she want?

She asked if you could call her. Something about lunch.

Well, keep till tomorrow, I think.

Thank you.

Bye, Mr. Parkinson.

Bye -bye.

Anything on television?

There's a good film later.

The Last Man, a hard -hitting western about a man who has a price on his head

and the secret of the gold.

I hate westerns.

All they do is shoot and spit.

Is there anything else?

Late night news?

Oh, yes, that'll be a bundle of fun.

Rail strikes, earthquakes, invasions, explosions.

Some silly fool trying to cross the Atlantic on a breadboard.

Oh, by the way, Ruby phoned. She can't come in tomorrow. She's got some rushing

about to do.

How did lunch go?

Oh, fine.

Had a lovely time.

Josie was telling me that when her husband was killed in his car, he was

on her.

Spying on her? What for?

He thought she was seeing someone else.

Silly man.

Isn't it possible that he was a worried man?

Yes, but spying.

There's something distasteful about spying on someone.

I wouldn't spy on you.

You might, if you had a reason.

Surprising what we do when we feel threatened.

Don't you ever want to change things?

Our life, for instance.

You talk about life as if it's something you buy on the shots.

I'm sorry, but when I got it home, it didn't suit me.

What I mean is the routine of it.

This house, for instance, I'd like to change that for a start.

You mean move?

Yes.

Why not? To the country. Yes, that's it. The country. A country cottage.

Fields and birds.

Different... Sounds. Different things.

My work is here.

Our friends are here.

What friends?

Well... The one you had lunch with today, for a start.

Oh, Josie.

I haven't seen her for years.

Probably won't see her again for years.

Well, not the country, then, but somewhere else.

It's important, Ben.

Is it?

Why?

I cook better in a different house. That kitchen never liked me.

Why?

Hello?

Hello, Ben.

It's Amanda.

Oh, hello.

I'm sorry to call you at home, but, um...

I'm going back to Spain.

Oh. When?

Oh, within the next couple of days. I, um... I just wondered about lunch.

Remember?

I owe you one.

Yes.

Why not lunch?

Tomorrow?

Tomorrow will be fine.

I'll call you in the morning.

Wonderful.

Look forward to it.

Bye, Amanda.

lunch with her last week?

Yes.

She flirted with you, didn't she?

Did she? I don't remember.

You told us.

I pulled a bird today, you said.

Perhaps I was boasting.

I don't know anything about you suddenly.

I'm trying to be mysterious.

Like you.

Me? Mysterious?

Nothing mysterious about me.

I wander around with a huge notice across me saying, I am a... A bored

housewife. I know.

He's different.

Ben is different.

The last few days.

He's coated in a kind of armour.

I can't get through.

I feel as if he's sitting inside it saying, don't touch.

He doesn't know about the thing I keep talking to you about.

And anyway, it's over now.

I just thought I'd keep you up to date, that's all.

Who is this Amanda, anyway?

Love makes your heart feel strange inside.

It flutters like felt wings in flight.

Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing.

Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle...