September

I really like many things about the countryside.

I love flowers, I love trees.

Um...

And what else?

What else?

Yes, the hills, perhaps? The animals, the birds

Yes, yes.

And do you think the countryside is quieter than the city?

More beautiful? For example.

Yes, but not exciting enough.

- Uh, when I came here... - When I came.

Oh, God. How many times have I made that mistake?

It's common among the kids in my class. It's the thing they most often get wrong.

Oh, well, what's the difference?

If and when I ever get to visit Paris again, I'll have long forgotten all my French.

- I must be going. - No!

Stay. It's still early.

- I mean, what are you gonna do at home? - Nothing special.

Right. I mean, how many times can you putter around the garden?

God!

I can't believe my mother.

She's out there...

She's made friends with Peter and is trying to get him to write her biography.

Her stupid life. "As told to."

Oh, come on, now. She'll be gone in a couple of days.

Yeah, that's what you said last week. Time passes and she's still here.

Oh, look at this.

She will not stop picking the flowers, which I asked her please not to do.

She doesn't even bother putting them in water, so of course they die.

Walking around in a snit is not gonna make the time go any faster.

When I ask Peter if he wants to go for a drive or take a walk,

he's always busy writing his novel.

But he's got plenty of time to stroll around the lake with her.

You must admit she's full of funny stories.

See? Men. She certainly hasn't lost her knack.

- Somehow I thought Peter'd be different. - Lane, it's your mother.

- Is that when you dated Errol Flynn? - Oh, I was too old for Errol Flynn.

I mean, I met him when I was 16.

For Errol, 15 was over the hill.

Lane, I asked the Richmonds over for drinks tonight.

- I thought we all might have a little party. - What did you do that for?

Peter and I were gonna drive into town tonight,

we were supposed to see the new Kurosawa film.

- Sorry. Why didn't you say something? - I did.

That's OK, Lane. We can catch it another night.

OK, but it's only there tonight.

- Where was I? - How we met.

Oh! It was like a bad movie. We both hailed the same taxicab.

- We shared a cab and fell in love. - And I know nothing about physics.

- Absolutely nothing. - So what did you talk about then?

Talk? By the time the meter hit $3 she had her tongue in my ear.

Oh! Lloyd!

What a nice turn of events.

I drop in to visit my daughter Lane and she has a writer renting her cottage.

I'm trying to write.

I think my life story would make a sure-fire bestseller.

I know. I remember reading about your exploits in the paper all the time.

You're too young, but anything, whatever your dad read, it's all true.

No, I remember your picture in the long defunct "New York Journal-American"

with an actor named Jeff Chandler, who you dated.

What a memory.

What a memory! That was Palm Beach!

I love Palm Beach!

That's where Lloyd and I were heading when I decided to stop off to see Lane.

Um... I hadn't seen her, you know, since she... took the pills.

God, that had to be six, eight months ago.

Boy, what some people will do for love.

Or the lack of it.

Of course, I understand. I mean, if you've never had something

and then you experience it and then it's taken away...

Wow. Poor kid.

Try and stroke the ball to the rhythm of the music.

It'll give you a smooth motion.

- Yeah, but the music's so fast. - Keep it rhythmic, and keep your eye...

Steffie, Mrs Mason thinks she's got me an offer on the house.

That's great. Congratulations.

Two. Not great. But, after everything's paid off,

there'd be something to put a down payment on an apartment in New York.

I can get two for mine, and it's half the acreage you've got.

Well, I can't really afford to be choosy.

At least I have a customer. I think. I hope, at least.

Don't give the place away. I can lend you what you need.

No, Howard. Oh, God, no. Thank you, though.

No. You've been... You've been incredible to me through all this,

- but I've gotta try and get my own life. - What can you do in New York?

I don't know. I...

Maybe my photography again. I was...

Or sometimes I think about writing, but I don't know.

It's awful, isn't it, at my age to be floundering around so?

I just... I don't know what I want.

A child. I'd love to have a child.

Lane, did you, by any chance, finish those chapters I gave you?

Yeah, almost. They're wonderful.

I've been thinking about them. I'm discouraged.

- You shouldn't be. You're wrong. - I just wanna start over, again.

You can't tear up everything you write, you know.

Otherwise of course you have to take tranquillisers to calm down.

It seems so futile. I was supposed to be finished by now.

Next week is Labour Day. I have to be back at my job the day after.

If you wouldn't let my mother seduce you...

Now, her life would definitely make a fascinating book.

Why? What's so fascinating about her frivolous existence?

That she left my father, who was a wonderful man,

for a gangster who used to beat her up all the time?

You think that's compelling?

Was it the shooting? That wasn't fascinating.

That was pathetic.

Maybe it's that she's a survivor,

and the book I'm trying to write is about surviving.

You're right. She went on with her life, but I get stuck with the nightmares.

Excuse me. Uh...

Diane wanted some ice cubes and you seem to be out.

Um, there's a... there's an ice machine just outside the back door.

And you're wrong to think your mother didn't suffer terribly over that whole affair.

Right. Poor thing.

She experienced a little hearing loss in her left ear from the gunshot.

Noise trauma.

The only point I wanted to make - and I didn't mean to upset you -

is that some people are survivors

and some allow life's tragedies to annihilate them.

- This is just one of the cruelties of living. - And in your book that idea is moving.

But the story of a 14-year-old girl who kills her mother's lover is... sleazy.

And the trial was sleazy and he was sleazy.

And my mother was completely unconcerned.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. I'll get you those pages.

And they're good, you know, despite what you think.

I'm not gonna let you tear them up.

- (Steffie) Very good. I'm very impressed. - (Howard chuckling) You liked that?

Oh!

I didn't know you were a pool player.

Now you know.

Did you ever get a chance to play that record I got you?

Yeah. Yeah, I did.

I play it all the time.

It's so beautiful. I was just listening to it last night.

Somehow I knew you'd like it.

Did I hear you say your book was about survival?

Yeah, well, it's not really about survival.

It's about, you know. It's about everything.

Oh, really? Like the "Encyclopaedia Britannica."

Excuse me. I'd better get those papers and work.

Howard, it's so unlike you to be rude.

We don't need another book on survival. We already have the Boy Scout manual.

Lane says he's talented.

Well, if he's such a hotshot, why's he wasting his life on Madison Avenue?

It's because writing beer commercials

and deodorant ads is more within his grasp.

I'm surprised at you. You're the kindest man in the world

and you can't bring yourself to say one good word about Peter.

He's OK. I don't mean he's a bad person.

But I can't stand that Lane gets so moonstruck over his line.

- I mean, she blushes when he's around. - Now you sound jealous.

What's the difference? She's going away anyhow.

I knew that was bothering you.

If you could have seen her at the beginning of the year when she came up.

She was in such bad shape.

She needed someone to take care of her so badly.

She's very fragile.

We used to spend long afternoons together,

winter evenings listening to music.

It was such a pleasure watching her gain strength

and begin to enjoy things more.

I remember one night I was home alone after we'd seen a movie together

and I noticed that I missed her

and I couldn't wait to see her the next day.

And that's when I realised I never wanted her to leave here.

- Oh, Howard. - Thank you.

I never said anything.

I knew she was through a terrible time and not really over it.

I didn't think she was ready to hear that someone had become

dependent on her.

I didn't want to...

I didn't want to say anything that would frighten her or cause her any confusion.

Well, after all, I am much older than she is.

So in the end I hedged and procrastinated and... obsessed over her.

And over the right moment to speak.

Next thing I knew she was head over heels in love with that tenant,

that sensitive young man who suddenly started occupying all her time.

Well...

One can see how having Peter on the premises, just...

- (Phone rings) - Just the two of them for seven weeks...

...how she could fall very much in love.

Never thought I could feel this way after Karen died.

Hello?

Steffie! It's your husband. He says it's important.

Lane's changed towards me.

She used to get such a kick out of me.

She used to laugh at my jokes and tell me how pretty I looked.

She's become so angry.

What do you think, honey? This or the pink one, with the jacket?

- This one. - You're the boss.

Hey. Hey! Come here. Where you goin', huh?

Boy, oh boy! Am I lucky I hailed that taxi!

You're the only man I've known worth marrying since Lane's father.

The others were just nothin'!

Just nothin'.

And the proof is, when they asked me to marry 'em, I said no.

- I'm the lucky one. - You, lucky?

You inherited a machine that's grinding to a halt.