Misha Williams

 55 
BRIAN 
Like what? 
 
RUTH 
Well…like making us some money. 
 
BRIAN 
Oh, I see. So you don't think your weekly house 
allowance is enough? 
 
RUTH 
Eight pounds, fifty? Well… 
 
BRIAN 
I'm very sorry. I just didn't think you were such a 
secret little materialist. Aren’t there other things to life 
than spending money on useless products? 
 
RUTH 
Oh, Brian. I feel I've hurt you now. That's the last thing 
I wanted to do. Oh, Bri-bri! 
 
"M" 
This is getting too much for me! 
 
"M" gets up and starts to go. 
 
Yes. It's time you gave her a treat. Take her into town 
and buy her some underwear. 
 
BRIAN 
Shall we go into town? 'Buy you some… thermal 
underwear? 
 
    
 
 
      RUTH 
Oh, lovely! 
 
BRIAN 
(To "M" discreetly) Let's be realistic. (To RUTH) And 
dearest, I noticed you had your eyes on that self 
adjusting leg rest in the orthopaedic shop. 
 
 
 

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 56 
RUTH 
Oh, could we?… 
 
BRIAN 
I think we could even stretch to a cream tea at the 
Cumberland. 
 
RUTH 
You're trying to drive me to ecstacy. 
 
BRIAN 
And a film. 
 
"M" 
Something romantic and funny. 
 
BRIAN 
Something romantic and funny. 
 
RUTH 
Oh, Bri-bri, you do spoil me. I really am silly to 
complain about things. 
 
She snuggles up to him. "M" shrugs and leaves. 
 
    
 
 
     BRIAN 
Go and get ready, sweetheart. 
 
RUTH 
Alright. 
 
She starts to go and then stops. 
 
Darling….Last night I awoke about three o'clock…You 
were asleep and I saw a woman leaning over you…. I 
wonder if it was Charlotte. I know you loved her so 
much that perhaps you draw her back…in some form or 
other. 
 
BRIAN 
I don't think so.  
 
 
 

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 57 
RUTH 
You loved her more than me. Of course I can 
understand why. She was special and I'm pretty 
ordinary.  
 
BRIAN 
You are the most special woman in the world, so don't 
talk nonsense. Nobody could surpass you in looks, 
intelligence, knowledge of German and Spanish, 
anything, and that's why I shall always love you, 
dearest, more than anybody else, past or present. 
Anyway, we'll go out and live it up. Why not?… I'll just 
have to phone the bank manager for a loan first. 
 
They both chuckle. As they fade into blackness, NINA gets into her bed 
as JESS hands her a letter out of a shabby opened suit- case. ALBERT 
sits in a chair. 
 
 
SCENE EIGHTEEN. BRIGHTON GUEST HOUSE. 
 
NINA is reading out a letter to ALBERT and JESS. 
 
NINA 
"Darling Cheeky. I never dreamed…a love like this was 
possible…It is an elevating and"…(To JESS) Can you 
read that? Oh, Puggy's writing was unspeakable. 
 
FAWCETT enters slowly. 
 
FAWCETT 
Immeasurably. 
 
JESS 
"Immeasurably".  
                                     
NINA 
"Immeasurably profound, utterly independent of the 
gross passion and robbing, I think, even death of much 
of its terror." So romantic. Oh, dear I'm feeling a little 
under the weather. But I'll try and persevere… 
"It brings to my mind… the beauty of the Eastern 
belief…" 
 

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 58 
FAWCETT 
"…that we two have played out our parts together in 
another existence before this and will play them 
together still in ages to come". 
 
NINA 
"A loss?…not of body to body but of soul to soul"…No 
sorry, it's " love, not of body to body but of soul to 
soul". Erm. Oh, my godfathers. "The…" What's that?  
Oh, his handwriting! "The chastening joys of many 
phases of existence"… Dear Puggy, couldn't you ever 
learn to put a comma in the right place? 
 
FAWCETT 
"Will merge into a glorious eternal unity…That perfect 
love and happiness which is the fount of all existence." 
 
NINA 
"It would be unreasonable to believe we have finished 
with all sorrows, but whatsoever is in store, Cheeky, 
will only cement our love". 
 
She wipes away a tear and then carries on cheerfully. 
FAWCETT leaves.  
NINA 
Oh, dear. I think the staff here are trying to poison me. 
I've never felt so unwell. 
 
ALBERT 
We'll go and let you have some rest. 
 
NINA 
No, no. I want to show you that cutting. 
 
She rummages through the yellowing bits of paper. 
 
NINA 
A Mr Rattin, a Swiss trapper talked to my husband 
recently. He met him and says he was being held by 
savages as a sort of mascot. Mr Rattin wants to return 
with a rescue party… 
 
She passes the cutting to ALBERT. 
 

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 59 
ALBERT 
This is some years old. Many years. 
 
NINA 
I thought that was a recent report, that one. I thought 
it was last year. Oh well. Never mind. 
 
ALBERT 
It says Rattin did go back to rescue your husband but 
never returned. But that was over thirty… 
 
NINA 
Thirty years? That many? But they're still alive now. 
I'm sure of it. Albert… I believe your film can truly 
shake the world with the revelations I'm going to give 
you. In that case there…I managed to get some papers 
from my son's house. Take them now before he finds 
out. 
(Singing) "Wee bonnie boat like a bird on the wing…" 
 
NINA starts to choke and fall back in pain. 
 
NINA 
(Dramatically quiet) All who have experienced sorrow 
can understand how I feel. 
 
 "M" draws a black veil across the scene. BRIAN appears in a spotlight. 
 
 
 
SCENE NINETEEN.  BRIAN'S BUNGALOW IN CARLISLE/GREY AREA. 
 
BRIAN speaks to the audience. "M" officiates during the scene. 
 
BRIAN 
I had a call at ten pm from the landlady of Mother's 
boarding house saying that Mother was asking for me 
and that it looked like the end. I immediately set off in 
the car. I drove through the night but found on arrival 
that Mother was dead and her body had already been 
taken to the undertaker's chapel.  
 
 
 

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