The Skeleton Key

"I lost no time, of course, in telling my mother all that I knew...

"and we saw ourselves at once in a difficult and dangerous position.

"Something must speedily be resolved upon, and it occurred to us...

"at last to go forth together...

"and seek help in the neighboring hamlet.

"No sooner said than done. Bare-headed as we were...

"we ran out at once in the gathering evening and the frosty fog.

"The hamlet lay not many hundred yards away...

"though out of view, on the other side of the next cove...

"and what greatly encouraged me...

"it was in an opposite direction...

"from that whence the blind man had made his appearance.

"And I shall never forget how much I was cheered..."

"To see the yellow shine in doors and windows..."

"But that, as it proved..."

"Was the best of the help we were likely to get in that quarter."

"For you would have thought..."

"Men would have been ashamed of themselves..."

"No soul would consent to return with us to the..."

Audrey? Sorry.

Mr. Talcott's gone.

Okay.

Front desk, in case anyone shows.

I think you'll be waiting a while, hon.

No. Didn't we call? He said he had family.

Yeah.

But they don't want to have anything to do with him.

You can dump it out back.

Okay, take a look.

I interview tomorrow.

What about your job?

I had enough of that place.

- What happened? - Here's your beer.

- Thanks. - Sure.

I lost a patient today. Mr. Talcott.

- I'm sorry. - You should have seen it.

The second he died, it was like...

they couldn't wait to get him out of there.

It's just a business to them.

It is a business, but at least he had you.

No. It's supposed to be a business about caring.

They couldn't care less.

Wait. This is Terrebonne Parish. It's the freaking swamps.

I get the hours I need to start nursing school, and I get paid.

And I get to help somebody, my way.

They got gators in the swamps, and guys missing teeth.

Are we dancing here, or what?

Cary, look.

This work you're doing, are you sure it's not changing you?

I'm 25 years old. What's wrong with a little change?

Oh, my God.

Hello?

Hello?

Now that right there is what love is all about.

Old-fashioned devotion, like what you read about.

You must be Caroline.

I'm sorry, the door was open, so I just walked in.

Oh, no. It's a big house. I didn't hear you.

It's okay.

So much for getting their affairs in order.

I'm sorry. I'm Luke Marshall. Estate lawyer.

We talked on the phone.

Oh, right.

The docs figure a month maybe. He's pretty far gone.

I understand.

His wife's having kind of a rough time with it.

Most people do.

Violet, you have a visitor.

May I present Miss Caroline Ellis?

She works down at the hospice in New Orleans.

Caroline, this is Violet Devereaux.

You have a lovely home.

I'm sorry. It's just hard. The idea of a stranger living here...

I understand, really.

She's Old South, you know. She thinks women still curtsey.

So, he can't talk at all?

No. Stroke pretty much paralyzed him.

- Which side was affected? - Both.

It happened about a month ago, up in the attic.

That's where she found him.

Ben?

You have a visitor. Meet Miss Caroline Ellis.

Hello, Ben. I'm Caroline.

She's not from around here. She not going to understand my house.

She's from New Orleans.

She wasn't raised in New Orleans. You hear how she talks?

- Who knows where she comes from? - Hoboken, New Jersey.

What do you want a Southern accent?

The last one left, Violet.

All right.

But she's not going to understand the house.

The last girl left, huh?

Wait. Let me talk to her, we can straighten things out.

I can't help anybody who doesn't want my help.

She does want help. She's just scared.

Of what? Politeness?

No. He's the love of her life and he's dying.

They've been together forever.

She's losing her soul mate here.

I don't know about you, but that'd put some sandpaper up my ass.

Aren't you a romantic?

Look.

The last girl quit.

You're the fifth interview since. She shoots down everyone.

It's not personal.

But you being here means he's really dying.

He's dying whether I'm here or not.

What'd she mean about the house?

What?

She said I wouldn't understand the house. Why'd she said that?

All I know is her cheques clear.

Look, forget it.

If it makes you feel any better, I'm still looking for my dream job, too.

All right.

So if you talked to her, what would you say?

I'd say she could look all she wants...

but I doubt she'd find any better than you.

So she'd do well to treat you like it.

Okay, here are my rules. No knitting.

No joining a bridge club.

And no playing bingo.

Okay, good. Good rules.

I'm serious, they'll try and suck you into their elderly ways.

It's less than an hour away. I'll be back all the time.

Yeah, well, you better.

Whenever you want to talk to someone who wasn't around for World War II.

Jeez, what is it with you and old people?

Come here.

He'd be proud of you. You know he would.

Hello?

I need to pay for some gas.

Hello?

Is somebody back there?

I'm sorry.

Excuse me. I just need to pay for some gas.

Jesus.

$17 for the gas.

Keep the change.

Mrs. Devereaux?

I'm unpacked.

Hi, Ben. Remember me? I'm Caroline.

I'll be taking care of you for a while.

There's not a lot of light in here for you, is there?

So you're a fan of the blues, huh? Well, so was...

You have to let go.

Ben, you're hurting me.

Ouch.

There you are.

Time for his remedies.

Scoot over, child.

9:00 in the morning and 7:00 at night.

He takes his pills in powder form. I'll show you how.

Be sure he drinks it all down.

- What's he taking? - Oh, Coumadin and such.

He gets the tremors sometimes. Don't let that frighten you.

And a kiss to make it taste better.

You're scrawnier than I'd hoped. Prettier, though.

I bet you're all marked up, aren't you?

- Marked up? - Written on.

I know you young people are always...

jabbing yourselves with ink and needles.

You're written on, aren't you?

Not where you can see.

Well.

He's to be bathed daily, his linens changed.

Don't bother with the housework. I'm the only one that knows how.

How long have you two lived here?

Let's see.

We came over from Savannah in '62.

We bought this house from a brother and a sister.

They'd inherited it a long time ago, from their parents.

Lived here since they were children.

There they are. Martin and Grace.

Charming people.

But they fell on hard times, had to sell.

You keep their picture?

Yes. I like to pay my respects to the memories of this house.

All right. Come along now.

This is the dining room.

We only use about half of the rooms.

The others are for Ben's antique business.

What he couldn't sell, we stored here.

Except for the attic.

That has crystal and china.

And I keep a very close account on that, just so as you know.

There are more than 30 rooms in all.

In the old days, they made a separate key for each room.

For the owner, they made a skeleton key.

This will open every door.

This one is yours.

I have mine.

Now, the pantry's right out here.

You know, we may have to ask you to go into town now and then.

Was there a mirror here once?

I noticed in the bathrooms also there are no mirrors.

Child, when you get as worn-out and wrinkled as we are...

you don't need any reminding.

If you want a small one for your own purposes...

that's fine with me.

- What'd you do with them? - Put them away.