Original Sin

"You cannot walk away from love."

That was the advertisement in a Baltimore newspaper.

And that is how he found her.

She was a young woman in need of a husband.

And he was a man who wanted a wife.

It's too late to talk sense to him now.

You can't marry her, Luis. You've never met her.

I meet her today.

The boat from America comes at 6:00, we marry at 9:00,

by 10:00, I'm back at work.

Ridiculous. This is ridiculous.

A man needs a wife, isn't that what you've been telling me?

- Well, I sent for one. - From America.

What does she look like?

Comes a day in every man's life when a band is playing,

and he's the only one who can hear it.

Today is your day.

I love you, woman.

She is not beautiful.

She is not meant to be beautiful.

She's meant to be kind, true and young enough to bear children.

Go, go on. The sun will be up any minute.

That boat will be coming in.

But what about love, Luis?

Doesn't love come into this equation at all?

Love is not for me, Alan.

Love is for those people who believe in it.

Let's go.

Why are you laughing at me? You've been laughing at me all morning.

Ah, never mind. You go! Go on!

No, this is not a love story.

but it is a story about love,

and the power it has over our life--

the power to heal or destroy.

And this is where the story begins.

Mr. Vargas?

- Luis Vargas? - Yes.

You don't recognize me, do you?

Miss Russell?

Yes.

Julia Russell?

But this--this picture--

I've deceived you. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have. I...

I was unsure. You see, I...

I didn't want a man to be interested in me just because I owned a pretty face.

And... so I sent another woman's photograph and not my own.

I see.

I do hope you forgive me.

I-I meant to write many times. I tried.

But my courage failed me. So I...

Mmm. And, um...

Well...

Now I stand before you as I am, and you know the worst.

No, no.

Not the worst at all.

Only, not what I was expecting.

If my deception has altered your intentions, and

if you're not satisfied in any way--

No, no, no, it isn't that.

I am determined to make my way back to my home in Delaware.

- If you say so, I will. - M-Miss Russell.

Miss Russell, um...

You have been honest with me.

I will be honest with you, too.

And...

I will admit to a deception of my own.

You are exactly the image of your photograph.

Oh, yes, yes, I am. I am.

But I wrote to you that I-I am a clerk

in a coffee export house, and I am not.

- Oh. - I...

I own the house.

The business is my own.

Mmm.

You...

You did not want a woman to be interested in you

just because you owned a pretty bank account.

- Ah. Yes. - Yes.

Well... then we have something in common.

We are both not to be trusted.

Of course, if my-- if my deception has altered your intentions,

If you are not interested in marrying a wealthy man...

No, I think I could manage.

If you could manage a somewhat prettier wife.

I'll make the effort.

Hmm.

Uh...

Miss Russell.

Mr. Vargas.

Now we've all the time in the world to get to know each other.

- Well, no, not all the time. - No?

Uh, no, we are going to be married at 9:00.

Oh.

- Well, then, we'd better hurry. - Yes.

"Take this ring..."

"as a sign of my love..."

"and fidelity..."

"to you."

Music!

Music!

Music!

Ladies and gentlemen, a toast!

To our groom and his beautiful,

enchanting bride!

Will you dance with me?

Dance? Uh.

I--

I-I don't dance.

I say you do.

May their life together be like this dance, harmonious, smooth.

Dance for life never ending and--

- Alan, enough is enough. - I'm almost through.

You're through now. Sit down.

- Good luck to you. - Thank you.

Would you like to see the house?

Oh, no. I can see it tomorrow.

Yes.

You must give me a few moments. I'm shy of these things.

I will give you as many moments, days, nights as you need.

And when you want me to come to you,

I will.

Not before.

You would do that for me?

If you say so, yes.

Well, then...

I will say good night.

- Good night. - Good night.

Uh...

The room is there, to the right.

Hmm, yes. I think I'll find it.

Ah.

Ahh. Awake at last.

The day is half-gone.

I'm sorry. I'm not dressed.

I could wait outside, but then the coffee would be cold.

No, it's all right.

If someone brought me my coffee every morning before I dressed,

I would be very happy.

It would change the day.

But... you only drink tea in the morning.

I do? No.

Yeah. When I wrote I worked in a coffee company, you wrote back--

That was my sister.

She believed coffee to be a sinful pleasure

so I pretended to agree with her.

And as she read all my letters to you, I could not always tell the truth in them.

Well... all the more reason to forget them.

That's all behind you now.

What do you think?

About what?

Do you believe as my sister does

that, um, pleasure could ever be sinful?

Why did you choose an American wife?

well, uh...

Here, we are the past.

And there, you are the future.

Why did you, uh, choose to leave it?

To escape the future.

To become someone else, I think.

I am someone else with you.

Someone more like

myself.

Mmm.

And there, in his arms

she became someone else.

Someone more like herself.

uh.

Uh.

I'm telling you, man, I've never been happier.

There's no such thing as happily married, Luis.

It's an oxymoron, like "happily dead."

I thought you'd be slowly finding your way back to the whores by now.

Seeing some little Creole tart.

Not anymore.

Anyway, you've had her for yourself long enough, my friend.

When do we get to see her again?

Well, we're going to the theater next week--

There's an American touring company she wants to see.

Why don't you join us?

Soon comes the morning when the knell is rung

to take my living breath.

Come, come, the night is almost done.

Satan is near!

The shrieking, grim,

and hideous brim of hell to uncover.

Come, or you will share her wretched end.

Hellhound! Abominable monster!

Would that I had never been born!

Wonderful. Wonderful.

Disgusting.

Cheap melodrama.

Was it we who forced our way to you?

Who was it sent her to her ruin?

I...

or you?

What evil thing has risen from the ground?

Father, let angels now have charge of me

encamped around heavenly company.

She is condemned to die.

Here! She is redeemed on high!