Notting Hill Page #3

Thief leaves.

ANNA:

I think I will try this one.

She hands William a ?20 note and the book he said was rubbish.

He talks as he handles the transaction.

WILLIAM:

Oh -- right -- on second thoughts

maybe it wasn't that bad. Actually

-- it's a sort of masterpiece really.

None of those childish kebab

stories you get in so many travel

books these days. And I'll throw in

one of these for free.

He drops in one of the signed books.

WILLIAM:

Very useful for lighting fires,

wrapping fish, that sort of things.

She looks at him with a slight smile.

ANNA:

Thanks.

And leaves. She's out of his life forever. William is a little

dazed. Seconds later Martin comes back in.

MARTIN:

Cappuccino as ordered.

WILLIAM:

Thanks. I don't think you'll believe

who was just in here.

MARTIN:

Who? Someone famous?

But William's innate natural English discretion takes over.

WILLIAM:

No. No-one -- no-one.

They set about drinking their coffees.

MARTIN:

Would be exciting if someone famous

did come into the shop though,

wouldn't it? Do you know -- this is

pretty incredible actually -- I once

saw Ringo Starr. Or at least I think

it was Ringo. It might have been

that broke from 'Fiddler On The Roof,'

Toppy.

WILLIAM:

Topol.

MARTIN:

That's right -- Topol.

WILLIAM:

But Ringo Starr doesn't look

anything like Topol.

MARTIN:

No, well... he was quite a long way

away.

WILLIAM:

So it could have been neither of them?

MARTIN:

I suppose so.

WILLIAM:

Right. It's not a classic anecdotes,

is it?

MARTIN:

Not classic, no.

Martin shakes his head. William drains his cappuccino.

WILLIAM:

Right -- want another one?

MARTIN:

Yes. No, wait -- let's go crazy --

I'll have an orange juice.

EXT. PORTOBELLO ROAD - DAY

William sets off.

INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY

William collects his juice in a coffee shop on Westbourne Park

Road.

EXT. PORTOBELLO ROAD - DAY

William swings out of the little shop -- he turns the corner of

Portobello Road and bumps straight into Anna. The orange

juice, in its foam cup, flies. It soaks Anna.

ANNA:

Oh Jesus.

WILLIAM:

Here, let me help.

He grabs some paper napkins and starts to clean it off -- getting

far too near her breasts in the panic of it...

ANNA:

What are you doing?!

He jumps back.

WILLIAM:

Nothing, nothing... Look, I live just

over the street -- you could get

cleaned up.

ANNA:

No thank you. I need to get my car

back.

WILLIAM:

I also have a phone. I'm confident

that in five minutes we can have you

spick and span and back on the street

again... in the non-prostitute sense

obviously.

In his diffident way, he is confident, despite her being

genuinely annoyed. She turns and looks at him.

ANNA:

Okay. So what does 'just over the

street' mean -- give it to me in yards.

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