Vera Drake

Hello, George. Only me.

How are you today, dear?

Having a little doze, or just resting your eyes?

I'll make you a fresh cup.

Shan't be a minute. Couple of biscuits.

Here you are then, dear.

That better?

Yes, thank you.

- A little bit... - a bit more?

You sure?

Drink your tea up before it gets cold.

I'll be on my way.

Tell Ivy I was asking after her, won't you?

And don't get up to any mischief.

Ta ta, dear.

- Hello, Reg. - Afternoon, Mrs. Drake.

- You all right, dear? - Can't complain.

- Going off for your tea? - Yes.

- What you having? - Bit of bread 'n dripping.

- That all? - Cup of tea.

Look after yourself, Reg. I told you.

You ought to come over to our house for tea one night.

- I don't want to put you out. - Oh, don't be daft.

What about tomorrow? You could come over after work.

You know where we are. Number 82.

I'll feed you up a bit.

Do you fancy that?

- You sure? - Be no trouble, Reg.

- Go on, then. - Oh, lovely.

See you tomorrow, then.

Now don't you forget!

- Hello, Nellie. - All right, Vera?

- Isn't it cold? - Yes.

That's better.

Nice cup of tea.

- That you, Ethel? - Ethel: Hello, mom.

- Nippy today, weren't it? - Yes.

Ooh. Hold up, Ethel.

- 'Scuse, mom. - What you doing?

I'm washing me hands like you told me to.

Oh, yes. Your dad's here. Hello, dad.

- Hello, mom. You all right, Ethel? - Yes.

- Sid: All right, dad? - Yes, thank you.

- Good day? - Not bad, you?

- Can't complain. - Oh, Ethel. Take the teapot through.

God, I'm starving. I could eat an 'orse.

Wash your hands, dad, I'll put the tin on the table.

Just get me slippers on.

Well he's all on his tod, ain't he? Seems a nice enough fellow, though.

- Oh yes. Hard worker. - Is he the little bloke... bald?

- No. - No. Stocky fellow.

- Lives opposite. - Oh, yes. Does he?

I shouldn't wonder he don't have bread and dripping every night.

- There ain't nothing wrong with bread and dripping. - Not every night.

- I wouldn't mind. - Oh yes? Like to see your face

if I put bread and dripping on the table every dinnertime.

No, I'll do him a nice stew.

- Can we have dumplings, mom? - Of course, we can.

- I love a dumpling. - You are a dumpling.

- Oh, that's nice. - What you got your work clothes on for?

- It's a Tuesday, dad. I've got me night school. - Oh, yes.

- That's right. - I've gotta leave in a minute.

Dumpling.

I'm meeting David this evening.

You're looking very flat-chested.

Have you lost weight?

I don't know.

- That was lovely, Vera. Thank you very much. - Very tasty.

You're welcome, I'm sure.

Why don't you sit on the settee, Reg? Make yourself at home.

Yeah, Reg. Sit down. We'll have a smoke.

Make a fresh pot, Ethel.

- Here we are. - Nah, go on.

- Sid? - Oh, cheers, mate.

How's work going, Stan?

- Was it motors? - Motor mechanic, yes.

Well, they bring 'em in. We mend 'em, push 'em back out again.

It's just the two of us, see? Me and my brother.

Oh, a family business like?

Well, it's Frank's business. I work for him... with him.

Have you always worked on the roads, then, Reg?

- No. I started in the war. - Vera: Oh.

- Oh, what kind of war effort did you have, Reg? - Pioneer corps.

- Oh, yes? - We laid tarmac on the American bases.

- Sid: Did you? - We did.

- Went out in France... 1940. - Stan: You was out there early?

Dunkirk. We done a running when they broke through.

Then we went out a few days after D-day.

- Same as you, dad. - 'bout a month after D-day, we went out there.

- Just after the battle of Caen. - Oh, yes?

It was murder then. Mind you, others had it worse than us.

I was in the service corps... driver.

We pushed from Normandy into northern France, Belgium,

and I ended up in Hamburg.

I was in Hamburg and all, Reg.

- Was you? - Vera: Not then, though.

- No, after the war. National service. - Reg: Oh, I'm with you.

Sid: I'll tell you, they've got it worse over there... the Germans.

We all had it bad.

- Stan: It weren't cozy for no one, was it? - Right along, dad.

No, but we done demolition before the war...

- me and my brother. - Oh, does he live around here?

Not now. He's in Australia.

- Melbourne. - Vera: Ooh, is he?

He went out two year ago.

That's a long way away, isn't it?

Reg: Well, he was in Burma in the war.

- My brother was in Burma. - Reg: Was he?

Well, he met a few Australian blokes,

came back, married a Scottish girl and went out there.

Oh, well, I never...

was he a p.o.w., Reg?

He don't talk about it, Stan.

No, my friend won't talk about it, neither.

You lose any mates, Reg?

A few, yes.

I lost a couple of pals, and all.

I lost my best mate.

- Ah, that's right... bill. - Did our basic together and everything.

Out in Palestine...

he got ambushed in an orange grove.

I had to pack his kit up for him like...

sit next to Reg.

- It's dreadful, isn't it? - Terrible.

Vera: You warm enough, Reg?

Put the fire on, dad.

I lost my mom in the blitz.

Did you, Reg?

Chapel street market, 1941... March.

Well now we remember that bomb, don't we, dad?

- It blew all the windows out. - Yes, it did.

It was just around the corner, Penton street.

- Sid: Opposite the church. - Reg: Oh, yeah.

Our flats never got touched.

She popped in to see my aunt, went shopping...

gone.

Another cup of tea, Reg?

Sorry to hear that, mate.

That was a lovely spread, Vera.

Thank you very much.

Well, enjoy your pub.

Make sure you wear a coat, Susan, if you're traveling

- in an open top sports car. - Yes, I am.

Cheerio, chap - goodbye, Sir.

Good night, Sid.

- Night, dad. - Night-night, Ethel.

Ethel: Night-night, dad.

Night, Ethel.

Good night.

Where are you tomorrow, Mrs. Wells'?

No, Mrs. Fowler's tomorrow.

I was at Mrs. Wells' this morning, bless her.

- Night-night, love. - Night, dear.

Ooh, Stanley, your feet!

- Warm 'em up for us. - Come on, then.

I reckon that reg would make a good husband

- to some nice girl. - Where's a bloke like that gonna meet anybody?

We managed to find each other.

Sure enough.

Miracles do happen.

Let me go.

Don't.

Stop.

- You're terribly beautiful, you know. - I should get a...

- I should get a taxi. - Shh.

Come on, let's dance.

Don't be silly.

- I do apologize. - What?

I haven't got a gramophone.

It's not funny.

- It's not funny. - It's not funny?

It's not funny...

not funny?

Oh, morning, Mrs. Fowler.

Good morning, Mrs. Drake.

Oh, I'm in your way, here?

Lost something?

- I am in your way, aren't I? - Oh, it's just...

I can't see for looking, sometimes.

I'm like that myself.

Among other things.

All right, mother?

Ain't you been up today?

Leave it alone.

You getting married yourself, Sir?

No, I fear.

No, it'll be a sister of mine that's getting married.

- Oh, lovely. - Yeah.

But to tell you the truth, I haven't met her man yet.

He's a bit of dark horse, so I...

- just lower your arm for me. - Yeah.

So when are you catching the boat?

A week this Saturday coming.

- Oh, doesn't give us much time, then. - From holy head, I'm goin'.

- Just lower your arms for me please, Sir. - Yeah, yeah.

Thank you.

So I'll be having the waistcoat with it, then?

That's no problem whatsoever, Sir.

As I said, it's, uh... we charge 10 guineas for the two-piece suit,

moving up to 13 guineas for the three-piece.