Romulus, My Father

Papi.

Papi.

Shh.

Do they just fall out of the hive?

Nothing's happening.

Just wait, Raimond.

They think it's the sun.

DOOR CREAKS

For luck.

Wait on, boy.

Concentrating.

Whoo-hoo! (Laughs)

See you later, Jack.

Night, Mick.

Why do they all call you Jack?

That's my new Australian name.

What do you mean?

Maybe 'Romulus' is too hard for them to say.

WOMEN GIGGLE

Those girls keep looking at you.

They are just nice people. They like to be friendly.

Muti!

It's so nice to be home.

You haven't come home for ages.

I'm sorry, darling.

I've been so busy in Melbourne.

Doing what?

And...just a little spray of this please, sir.

This? Mm-hm.

Mmm.

And here.

Do I smell good? Yep.

Yep? Are we ready to go, then?

Go where?

Aren't you taking me to dinner in some fine restaurant, young man?

How's school? Good.

Guess what?

Women smile at Papi.

A lot.

Really? Yep.

I smiled at him once too, you know.

DOOR OPENS

And look...

..here we all are.

Here we are.

Morning, Muti.

Morning.

SWING MUSIC PLAYS

Good.

Kick, kick, back.

Whoo! (Laughs)

Cristal.

I miss you.

We used to meet in secret,

because if my parents had found out,

I would have been in big strife.

Because you were too young? Yep.

And your father was not German, he was Romanian.

And he was poor.

It was not allowed. Why not?

It was a bad time.

We were crazy about each other.

And I'll tell you a secret.

He loved me so badly,

when I tried to leave him...

..he shot himself.

What?

Took a pistol, pointed it to the side of his head

and then he just pulled the trigger and... Bang!

But he missed! (Laughs)

The bullet just scratched his nose.

Bombs falling on our heads out of the sky every night

and your poor crazy father shoots himself in the nose.

Oh.

You think you can just come here whenever you feel like it.

You don't write, nothing. I shouldn't have to write.

You treat this place like a hotel.

Every time you come, Christina, you cause trouble.

Yes, I always do or say something wrong.

You had no right to tell that story.

I love that story. Why?

Because it reminds me...

Because you want him to think I'm crazy fool.

No! Shooting myself.

I love that story because it reminds me we were happy.

Why you do this? All that matters is your feelings.

Look where they got you, Christina. You and your bloody feelings.

Who cares about my feelings?

Well, go back to bloody Mitru, then.

Raimond?

Rai?

Coo-ee!

Hi, Vacek.

Here you are. Got you some eggs.

Coo-ee!

You're sure you don't want a cuppa, Tom?

No, no, I'm right.

We want you to eat until you're as full as a goog.

Full as a tick, I'd say.

And how's your mother, Rai?

Oh, she's gone back to Melbourne.

When she comes to stay, she and Papi sleep in the same bed.

Ah, yeah.

But she never stays very long.

I reckon we should live together all the time.

Well, sometimes what you reckon and what you get ain't the same thing.

So, it's just you and your father again, then?

And Jack and Orloff.

Oh. And would the bird like tea too?

Yes, please, Miss Collard. And cake?

Yep, he likes his cake.

Here, Jack.

Oh, well. (Laughs)

Hora!

Hello, Fritz.

Hup, hup. Up. Hey!

Whoa! (Laughs)

APPLAUSE ON RADIO

Hi ho, everybody.

Hi ho, Jack.

Welcome to 'The Dulux Show'.

I'm thinking of sending him to St Joseph's.

Well, that's good. Good education.

Steam engine.

Expensive.

Yes, but I have an idea.

Oh, yes.

Ohh!

I have to tell you something... about Christina.

They've moved in together,

some place in Melbourne

and they're coming up here to live in Maryborough.

Why?

Mitru's got himself a job at the post office.

I'm ashamed.

He's my brother, but I'm ashamed. Don't be. Hora, don't be.

RADIO PROGRAM CONTINUES PLAYING

It will be alright, huh?

Raimond, they've got a new egg board in Castlemaine.

Yeah?

Shall we sell eggs?

CHICKENS CLUCK AND SQUAWK

Go, you stupid chicken. Come here! Go, go, go, go, go.

Go, go, go.

Holy moley!

There's billions of them.

They're all over the place.

Now you need to wash off all the shit.

Come on, come on.

Go, go, go, go, go.

Hey, Raimond, be careful.

Those eggs are sending you through boarding school.

SPLAT! Sorry.

Papi.

Papi!

Look! Papi!

Papi?

She's crazy. She's crazy.

Tell me you're not going to agree to this.

Raimond needs to see his mother.

Yes, of course,

but is it right that she comes here in front of you and your son...

No matter what she's done, we're still family.

..with my brother, to sit at your table, under your roof?

These things don't change.

Tell me you're joking. She's my wife.

But does she behave like your wife?

You just keep forgiving her, Gaita, no matter what it costs.

What more can I say? You've said enough.

So, where are we all going to sleep?

Raimond.

You, Muti and Mitru can have the bedroom.

Be quiet and finish your dinner.

That's very kind of you, Rai, but I'll sleep in the spare room.

Bet you don't know which star's which.

I bet I do.

That's the Southern Cross. I knew it.

Orion? Mm-hm.

That bright one there's Venus.

Oh, she's beautiful.

I bet you don't know which one is Constellation Mitru.

Oh, yeah? Which one's that?

Just the most handsome constellation in the whole universe.

There's no such thing. Oh, yes, there is.

Just 'cause you don't know about it...

Muti reckons that you can tell what's going to happen by the stars.

CLANGING, LOW VOICES

I don't think so.

Not me, anyway.

I know you and Muti are living together in Maryborough.

I don't reckon the stars knew about that.

No.

I mean, why would they be interested?

True.

Very true. (Laughs)

We need to talk about what's going to happen.

Nothing's going to happen. That's what's going to happen now.

We need to decide what to do.