Father and
Son Father and
Son (A couple, MIKE and SALLY, lie in bed, asleep. On the bedside table is a clock radio. Camera lingers on it, the red, LED face says '7:01', as it changes to '7:02' it turns on, starts at a low volume, but slowly increasing...)
STEREO
(Newscaster) ...said it was
time to go. I'm Mark Harrison, the next news update will
be in half an hour.
STEREO
(DJ, speaks over
guitar of next track)
You're tuned to Clifton FM, the
local station that's on your frequency...
STEREO
(Music, The
Ghost in You, Counting Crows version)
A man in my
shoes runs a light
All the papers lie tonight
(A
man's hand reaches out of bed and pushes a button and
the radio stops getting louder. The man gets out of bed,
walks out the door)
(We see MIKE standing looking in the mirror, a frown on his face. We can still hear the radio from the next room...)
STEREO
(Music) but falling over you is the news of
the day
MIKE
Today... (Heavy sigh)
(Starts cleaning
his teeth)
STEREO
(Music) Angels fall like rain
and love, is all of heaven way
(MIKE and SALLY, are having breakfast... specifically: MIKE is sat down drinking some orange juice, a Sunday paper in front of him, he glances at it absent-mindedly; SALLY is pouring a cup of coffee out.)
SALLY
So it's today you meet him...?
MIKE
(Snaps back) Yes, it is! (pausing for
a moment, then more softly...)
Sorry... sorry... it's just a
big day... I can't help but be nervous...
SALLY
(nodding
understandingly) Aside from nerves... you're ok about this?
MIKE
Yeah,
fine... (thinking slightly) No... hell, why should I be ok about
it... how can I look him in the eyes... I mean
what father walks out on his wife and three month old
kid... what kind of cruel bastard would do that...?
SALLY
(A sigh, seemingly implying this is old territory) Remember
there were reasons
MIKE
Yeah, sure there were reasons,
there are always reason, but they only matter if you let
them...
SALLY
But the pressure, the redundancy, the rent,
the birth...
MIKE
Oh, yeah, you think I don't
know that, don't keep saying to myself that there were good
excuses... but face it, other men had the same problems, other
men lost there jobs, had problems with the rent, had a
new kid... but did they walk out, did they dump all
their problems on a post-natally-depressed woman, a woman they claimed to
love, for better for worse, for richer for poorer... listen, nowhere
in those vows was there a clause, of 'unless it get's
too much,' or 'until he feels trapped', believe me, I've checked...
SALLY
Mike, just listen to me... what's done is
done, the past can't be changed... you just have to live
for now, you can be together now, isn't that all that
matters?
MIKE
No.... there's so much more than that,
so much you wouldn't understand... the way a father...
SALLY
(interrupts, offended) Oh, yeah, silly me, this is a
testosterone problem... me and my pathetic oestrogen, we just can't understand
all this male bullshit... well while you wallow in your excess
machismo, I think I'll go out... I'll see you later... (walks
out the kitchen, we hear a front door slam)
MIKE
(Without anger, only remorse...) damn...
(A boy, PETER, walks into the kitchen, five or six years old, he's still wearing his pyjamas, chewing on a piece of toast)
PETER
Where's mum gone?
MIKE
She... just... er... had
to go shopping...
PETER
What were you arguing about?
MIKE
We weren't arguing... we were discussing....
PETER
Well, what were you disgussing?
MIKE
(MIKE
didn't pick up on the mis-pronunciation) Just a man... (adding thoughtfully)
a bad man... (feigning cheerfulness) But anyway, lets have a look
at your sister... (they walk out the kitchen together)
(MIKE enters the room, two kids, PETER, and a young (under a year old) girl, WENDY, are already there. A video, cartoon, is on the tv.)
MIKE
How is my little angel? (a gurgle of acknowledgement from
WENDY) Come here... (picking her up, she smiles approval) Has
your brother been looking after you?
PETER
Course I
have dad... I'm a good boy...
MIKE
(looks
thoughtfully) Yes Peter... yes you are.... you'll make a good father...
I hope you will...
PETER
Like you dad...
MIKE
No... no... you'll be better... you'll be so much better
than me...
(pause, they sit on the floor watching the tv)
PETER
Dad?
MIKE
Yes?
PETER
You know that man?
MIKE
What man?
PETER
You know, the one you and mum were disgussing... the
bad one... what did he do?
MIKE
He... he
wasn't like you... he didn't look after people... he didn't care
about other people... not like you with Wendy.
(WENDY smiles at the mention of her name)
PETER
Why
not?
MIKE
He was selfish... he was wrong... he
just didn't understand...
BOY
Understand what?
MIKE
(trying
to avoid getting exasperated)
Understand that other people can get
hurt... people we don't want to hurt...
BOY
Did
he hurt some one?
MIKE
Yes... yes... too many
people...
BOY
Did he hurt you?
MIKE
(with
meaning) More than I hope you'll ever know...
BOY
Then he was a bad man... a naughty man...
MIKE
(thinking about this) Yes... he was... a very bad
man...
(SALLY is sitting on a park-bench by a lake, ducks swim further up the bank where a family feed them bread. MIKE walks into view and sits beside her.)
SALLY
You found me then...
MIKE
No, I'm still at home looking after the kids... (He
regretted it as soon as he said it, a cringe on
his face as she made to get up) No... Sally... wait...
I'm sorry... It's just... everything... it's like I just don't know
what to do... I know what I ought to.... and what
I want to... but... why does it have to be so
hard...
SALLY
It's life, if it wasn't hard it
wouldn't be so interesting...
MIKE
For once I could
live with boring... (a faint smile crossed his lips, SALLY reciprocated,
he put his arm around her, she leans her head on
his shoulder, he kisses her on the forehead)
(whispers)
Love
you...
(she smiles)
(pause)
SALLY
You're still thinking
about it, aren't you?
MIKE
How can I not...
I mean... (grasping for words, SALLY lifts her head off his
shoulder) Say... say your father left your mother and you before
you even knew him. Then your mother had to work all
hours just to stand still, just to feed and clothe you...
just say that she worked almost everyday until you were twelve
years old, your mother was just this woman you'd see occasionally
while she slept or before she went to work... then you
meet him, and he's got this whole family of his own,
and you've a half-brother and sister you never knew... and he's
playing all happy families, yet you know how he hurt your
mother... could you ever forgive him... the man that ruined the
best year of your mother's life... could you forgive...?
SALLY
(A small pause) Yes... yes I...
MIKE
(interrupting)
Oh please... save me your sanctimonious, forgive and ye shall be
forgiven clap-trap... this is not the Good Book... (pronouncing with disdain)
...this is real-life, reality... don't you understand, it just doesn't work
like that...
SALLY
It seems you didn't want my
opinion, so what was the point asking... perhaps if you take
the time to think you might be slower in your condemnation...
(she walks off, MIKE remains there, lowers his head to his
hands and cradles his face...)
(MIKE is seen searching under the bed. SALLY enters the room, stands leaning against the door-jamb.)
SALLY
Oh, your back then,
I thought I heard the door open... Still thinking about him?
(compassion was in her voice)
MIKE
Yeah...
SALLY
(Noticing that he's still looking for something, she walks
over to him) What you looking for?
MIKE
You
know that box of stuff your grandad left you when he
died? Is it still around?
SALLY
Yeah, should be
under there, or in the cupboard... why?
MIKE
All
this talk of father and sons it just reminded me of
it... might be interesting to have a look through it again...
SALLY
I guess so... but shouldn't you be getting
ready, he'll be here in half an hour... (MIKE stopped
looking and sat still on the floor, she walked over to
him, sat on the bed looking slightly down on him) What's
your decision...?
MIKE
I think that.... I think... any
man who leaves his family in such dire straits then hopes
for forgiveness, after years of never seeing them... any man like
that.... (the words pained him, he was almost crying) ...he shouldn't...
can't be forgiven...
SALLY
Just see him, please... you
may find out you're wrong... (she walks out the room)
MIKE
(MIKE gets up and walks to the cupboard,
a couple of seconds later he removes a large cardboard box...
after opening and a slight amount of rumaging he removes a
small wooden case about 20 cm by 25 cm and 5
cm deep) Aaah, there you are... (he opens the box, a
gun is revealed, he picks it up, cradling it) What a
beauty, no wonder the old guy never wanted to get rid
of you... Didn't he have a name for you?... in the
war... what was it... oh nevermind... (he starts to load the
bullets into it) Nemesis... that's it, he called you Nemesis, the
Godess of retribution... how appropriate...
(SALLY is in the kitchen, a few pans on the cooker, she's just replacing a chicken in the oven. The doorbell rings. SALLY slams the oven door, and walks to the front-door.)
SALLY
(Calling upstairs) They're here...
(We hear the end of SALLY's sentence.)
SALLY
...a
bit early but they're here...
(MIKE stands up from where he was sitting, gun still in hand, down by his side, just stands there, breathing deeply, we see, in close up, his finger tighten slightly round the trigger)
(We see SALLY open the door, a twelve year old kid and a woman stand there. He looks eager.)
BOY
Is my dad here?
SALLY
(with a
strong smile she shouts upstairs again) Mike... they're here...
(we
hear a single gun-shot and a thud, SALLY's face drop
suddenly and she rushes upstairs. The kid makes a move to
follow)
(SALLY shouts) Stay there!
(We see SALLY enter the room, a look of horror on her face, she slumps to the floor, tears down her cheeks. She reaches out in front of her, there's a sheet of paper, she holds it to her face, reading through the tears.)
(We hear MIKE's voice reading) I said I could never forgive a man who left his wife as I did... so why should I expect my son to, I hope he can learn to forgive me, as I never forgave myself...
I'm so sorry...
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Page last updated on 12th November 1998
Maintained by Julian Fletcher (julian@innocent.com)