Heavenly Creatures Page #4

HERBERT:

You're partial to a nice bit of mackerel, aren't you, STEVE?

STEVE:

Well . . . actually, I'm not much of a fish man, Mr. Rieper.

HONORA:

glances at his album.

HONORA:

You have been splashing out!

STEVE:

Oh! . . . I've got my board money . . .

STEVE:

starts fishing in his pockets.

At this moment . . . Pauline comes into the kitchen, through back door.

She strides past Honora, HERBERT and STEVE

.

PAULINE:

(Brightly) Hello!

HONORA:

Well? Tell us! How'd it go?

Pauline disappears into the lounge.

PAULINE:

(O.S.) (Calling) Got an A, Mum!

HONORA:

glows with pride. STEVE is emptying his pockets on the bench. HONORA

pats STEVE's hand.

HONORA:

Don't worry about it now. We'll sort it out after dinner. You go put

your record on.

HERBERT:

Doris Day!

STEVE:

I think she's very talented!

INT. RIEPERS'HOUSE/LOUNGE - EVENINGCLOSE-UP. . . gramophone needle

drops onto a record.

FAST PULL-BACK . . . from the speaker as the opening notes of "Be My

Love" by Mario Lanza burst out. Records from the cabinet lie scattered

on the floor. Pauline is clutching a Mario Lanza album.

STEVE backs toward the hallway door, holding his Doris Day album

forlornly.

HERBERT chuckles at him through the kitchen doorway.

HERBERT:

(Laughing) Ya gotta be quick in this house, mate!

Pauline stares misty-eyed at the album cover. HERBERT

calls out.

HERBERT:

(O.S.) (Tongue in cheek) Hey! Isn't it that Irish singer . . . Murray

O' Lanza?

PAULINE:

(annoyed) He's Italian, Dad! The world's greatest tenor!

Mario Lanza starts singing . . . HERBERT comes into the lounge, miming

the song with a limp fish. He gesticulates a grand operatic fashion.

PAULINE:

Stop it! You're spoiling it! Go away!

She pushes HERBERT out of the room, into the kitchen.

CUT TO:

EXT. SCHOOL GROUNDS - DAY

It is the Phys Ed period and the 31 other girls of 3A are lying on

their backs in the quad doing leg stretches to tinny music. MRS.

ZWARTZ, the teacher, is patrolling the rows of flexing bodies.

MRS. ZWARTZ Left, right . . . Ieft, right . . . one and two and one and

. . .

Pauline and Juliet are sidelined on a bench. Pauline is writing in a

textbook. She notices Juliet glancing at her leg. Juliet moves closer.

JULIET:

Can I have another look?

Pauline purses her lips and quickly pushes her left stocking down . . .

She has a large ugly scar running up her left shin, from ankle to knee.

JULIET:

That's so impressive!

Pauline does not look convinced.

JULIET:

(Conspiratorial) I've got scars . . . they're on my lungs.

Pauline looks surprised.

JULIET:

I was in bed for months during the war, ravaged by respiratory illness.

CUT TO:

INSERT:

INT. ENGLISH HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHTLittle 5-YEAR-OLD JULIET, alone in

her hospital bed, coughing and looking miserable.

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