The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond Page #4

- Who knows?

I have

an excellent alternative,

an invitation

to a Halloween party

at Julie Fenstermaker's place

next month.

- Where is her place?

- North of Father's, of course,

and so less affected

by the incidents surrounding

last spring's floods.

- Thank you, dears,

for coming today

to support

the Memphis Park Commission.

I have invited a precious group

of Memphis youths to my garden

to perform one of their

darling little pageants.

And this one, I believe,

is entitled

The End of Summer.

- I'm sorry, Mr. Dobyne,

but your mother says

she does not wish to see you

this afternoon.

Come back some other time.

I'm sure she'll be feeling...

differently soon.

Oh!

- Son.

- Yeah, Dad?

- If your mother

don't recognize you anymore,

wouldn't it be better

not to visit her anymore?

Your mother got pride,

you know?

And I think maybe

it might be a relief to her

if you stopped

going out there...

like I did.

She don't want to be seen

by her son

in her present,

awful condition.

- Somebody's got to check

on her present, awful condition

to see that it doesn't

get worse.

- How could it get any worse?

- There are very few conditions

in life that can't get worse

if nothing's done

to at least try to...

check 'em.

Dad, you know

what I could do?

I could serve Fisher Willow

as more than an escort

to parties.

She's hinted repeatedly

that she'd like...

intimacy with me.

- Well...

I just...

- The intimacy would have

to end up in marriage,

maybe not soon

but eventually.

Here comes the Pierce-Arrow.

- Well,

I'll just step inside.

I'll just step inside.

- Take your bottle, Dad.

- Light a cigarette for me,

will you, please?

Am I crowding you?

- No.

No.

- What?

Camels?

- Yeah.

- Good.

I'm gonna test your powers

of observation.

Describe to me

the scene on the package.

Tell me what's all in the

picture on the camel package.

- A camel, man on a camel,

palm tree,

pyramid in the background...

That's all I can remember.

- Most people forget

the figure behind the camel,

the man on foot

behind the camel rider.

- I hadn't noticed him either.

It's so lovely,

so peaceful here.

I almost never feel

really peaceful, you know?

When I accepted

Julie's invitation

to this Halloween party,

I was killing two birds

with one stone.

- Which two birds do you mean?

- Julie was really

my only good friend

at All Saints' College before

I went to the Sorbonne in Paris.

The other bird, well...

I've missed you,

Jimmy,

my only attractive escort

to Memphis parties.

Don't.

Don't go yet.

Why are you so anxious

to leave?

- I'm not anxious.

- Fisher,

you're shivering.

You must be chilly.

- People don't always shiver

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes