The Goodbye Girl

1

Here's our stop, come on.

This time next week... California!

You excited?

Me, too. I can't wait.

Were you ever there?

Once, for six weeks,

touring with some musical.

In the middle of December we went swimming.

- Which musical?

- What's the difference?

I'm tryin' to tell you

how beautiful it's gonna be.

We're gonna look for a little house

way up in the hills.

Near the movie studios?

Yes, your window will face Warner Bros.

You can watch them blow up

the world from your bed. All right?

Oh, God. Can you imagine

your very own orange tree? And lemons!

I think the musical was Fiddler on the Rool.

I stayed with Grandma. I was 4.

You were never 4. You were born 26!

Do you think I'll be in the same grade?

Of course you will! Everything's the same

out there, only it's three hours earlier.

You'll graduate younger.

A girl from California's in our class.

She went to school

with Helen Reddy's daughter.

What about you?

After this picture they'll be saying:

"There goes Tony DeForrest's little girl."

Yeah, but he's not a star,

he's just an actor.

Stars have to be actors first.

- And he's not really my father!

- You're such a stickler for details!

Can I show Tony all my things first?

Later. You have homework to do.

We're moving in four days.

Do I have to do homework?

Suppose between now and Friday

they teach brain surgery?

I wouldn't want you to miss it.

We had it last week in science.

- Are you serious?

- Dumb! You know you're dumb!

I thought maybe in frog dissection.

What do I know?

Can I just show him my new sweater and jeans?

All right!

But wash your face and brush your hair.

And no makeup!

Tony?

Sweetheart?

You in the bathroom?

We cleaned out Alexander's!

We bought everything on sale...

...so you'd better like it

'cause we can't exchange it.

I bought you a present. Babe?

Come out and see!

Babe?

Oh, my God!

What happened?

He's gone!

He left without us!

For California?

For Italy.

- Can I read it?

- Yeah.

"Dear Paula,

this isn't an easy letter to write."

Doesn't start off too good, does it?

"Where in the hell do I begin?

"You know, you and the kid mean a lot to me."

The kid?

"I turned down the job in L.A.

It was just a lousy TV picture anyway.

"On Monday, Stan Fields called.

"I got the Bertolu..."

Bertolucci.

"Bertolucci picture."

- Who's Bartolucci?

- An Italian director.

What'd he direct?

What are you asking questions

like that now for?

"It's six months shooting in Spain and Italy.

"It's a hell of a part, and I want it.

I broke my ass..."

- Give me that!

- "Ass!" I've heard the word before.

"I broke my ass for 12 years and things

are finally beginning to break for me.

"I told you when you first moved in here

that it was never going to be permanent.

"I'm not even divorced from Patti yet."

Who's Patti?

- I told you about her.

- No, you didn't.

I thought you would be upset if you knew

you were living with a married man.

I wasn't living with him, you were.

I was in the next room.

They were practically divorced.

"I left early today because I didn't think

a goodbye scene would do us any good."

This is one of the worst letters

I've ever read in my whole life.

Isn't it terrible?

"I wish I had something

to leave you and the kid."

He didn't leave us anything?

"I had to sell my watch and camera

to pay off the loan sharks."

He owed money to sharks?

I'll explain it some other time.

"But I know you'll be all right.

You can always go back to dancing."

Dancing? I'm 33. I can hardly walk anymore.

"You deserve more than I can give.

"I wish the both of us

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