Michael sits beside her with a cup of coffee.
CAROLYN(reads)"I suppose his coming into my lifewas, in many ways, prepared forweeks, maybe even months before.
There was a restlessness I feeling.
Out of the blue and for no apparentreason. There's nothing morefrightening to a woman whose beensettled down for almost twenty yearsthan to suddenly feel unsettled. Idon't know when it started ... I doremember one night in particular, alittle over a week before Robertarrived..."CAROLYN'S VOICE BECOMES FRANCESCA'S VOICE AS WE:
DISSOLVE TO:
1965INT. JOHNSON'S BEDROOM - NIGHTRichard is fast asleep while Francesca sits up in bed reading.
FRANCESCA (V.O.)"It was late at night after a longday. Your father was tired -- fightingall afternoon with that newequipment Robert Harrison convincedhim to buy. But I wasn't tired.
Lately, I could hardly sleep morethan two hours a night. I was readingsome John O'Hara novel, skimming thewords, turning the pages withoutabsorbing what I was reading. My mindwas far away. And no matter how Itried, I couldn't call it back."Francesca closes the book and turns off the light. Shenestles into the bed and tries to sleep. After a beat, sheopens her eyes and turns on the light. As she gets out of bedshe awakens Richard.
RICHARDWhat time is it?
FRANCESCALater. Go back to sleep.
RICHARDWhere you going?
FRANCESCAI'm not tired. I thought I mightfinish Carolyn's skirt.
RICHARDNow?!
(checks clock)It's after eleven.
FRANCESCAI can't sleep.
RICHARDAgain? Maybe you should see a doctor.
FRANCESCAI'm not sick, Richard. I'm just nottired, now go back to sleep beforeyou're up for the whole night too!
Francesca exits. Richard nestles under the covers, mumbling:
RICHARDIf you're not sick, how can it becontagious?
INT. ATTIC - NIGHTFrancesca sits at her sewing machine, working on Carolyn'sskirt. When the thread runs out, she checks her sewing boxfor another spool of that color. Not finding it, she raisesand walks to an opened closet. She pulls on a light cord andchecks her supplies.
There are shelves of boxes, crates, old clothes and shoes allcrammed together. She pulls out one shoe box and an entirestack of items tumble off the shelf onto her head.
FRANCESCADamn it! Shit!
She looks at the mess and decides it's time to re-organize.
LATER:
The clock reads 2:30 AM. The closet has been emptied.
Francesca rummages through box after box.
Two huge piles have been created -- one for items to be thrownaway, another for items to be kept. Francesca is wiping thebare shelves down with a rag and some cleanser. Looking up tothe bottom of the next shelf, she notices A SHOULDER STRAPhanging, wedged between the wall and the shelf. Pulling overa stool, she steps up to be eye level with the shelf.
It is an OLD HANDBAG -- of a style not seen since the fortieswhen she was a young girl. She pulls it down to examine. Itis very dusty and worn, but the snaps still work. She placesit against her side to see if it would still be fashionable.
She opens it and finds an old lipstick -- reading the bottomwhere the name of the shade is located.
FRANCESCA (cont'd)Ha, they don't even made this coloranymore.
She exits the closet and moves to an old mirror, trying thelipstick on. As she decides whether or not she likes it, athought occurs to her... she remembers something.
She crosses back to the handbag and feels the inside for acompartment hidden by a flap of material and a snap. Sheunsnaps it and an old BACK & WHITE PHOTO slips out. Shelooks at its image -- two young people against an Italianbackground. Francesca is twenty years younger with her armsaround a handsome, black-haired charmer named --FRANCESCA (V.O.)"Niccolo. I couldn't remember thelast time I had seen that face. Andthen the memories wouldn't stop.
Like an avalanche..."CUT TO:
FLASHBACK -EXT. NAPLES COUNTRYSIDE, 20 YEARS EARLIER - DAYA hot, breezy summer day. A young vibrant Francesca isstorming through an open field, angry, while Niccolo callsafter her in pursuit.
The following scene is played in Italian with subtitles.
NICCOLOFrancesca! Francesca! Where the hellare you going?
FRANCESCALeave me alone!
NICCOLOYou play these games and I'm supposedto follow -- run after you like aschoolboy. Well, I'm not! I'm fed up!
Niccolo stops. Several yards ahead of him, Francesca stopsand turns. Suddenly, she storms back towards him until theyare face to face.
FRANCESCASo that's it! You just give up!
NICCOLOWhat "give up"? You agreed with them!
Mommy and Daddy said stay away fromme and you said all right. What am Isupposed to do?
FRANCESCAFight for me!
Niccolo grabs her violently.
NICCOLOENOUGH! You don't know what you want!
Stop looking for me to tell you! STOPIT!
Francesca knows he's right. He releases her.
NICCOLO (cont'd)We can go back now and end it or wecan go back and you tell them off.
This is your choice! Not mine. But Iwon't do this anymore. This is forchildren!
Frustrated and sad, Francesca sits upon the ground. Niccoloknows she cannot face her parents yet he looks sympathetic.
EXT. JOHNSON HOUSE - DAWN 1965Francesca sits on the back porch in her bathrobe, looking outover the pasture as if she were watching the previous scenehappen right before her eyes.
In the pasture stands NICCOLO as he was twenty years ago.
Memories have overlapped. A field in Naples is now a pasturein Iowa and Niccolo is as real to her as the grass. He isstaring at her seated on the porch of her Iowa home, a womantwenty yards older than when he knew her. He smiles.
FRANCESCA (V.O.)"I had forgotten this. I had somehowremembered it being more his fault,his decision. Then I remembered wemade love in that field before weleft for home. And I remembered itwas my idea. I remembered tearinghis shirt and biting his body, hopinghe would kidnap me. I had forgottenthat too. And I wondered, as I satthere... how many other things I'dforgotten."RICHARD (O.S.)Frannie.
Startled, Francesca turns as if she were caught in the act.
Richard is fully dressed, prepared to start the day.
Francesca turns back to the pasture -- Niccolo is gone.
CUT TO: 从传统标准说,他不算漂亮,也不难看.这种字眼好像对他根本不适用.但是他有点什么,是一种很老,饱经风霜的神态,不是他的外表,而是他的眼神.
他左腕戴着一块外表很复杂的手表,棕色皮表带汗渍斑斑.右腕有一只花纹细致的银手镯.她心想这手镯需要用擦银粉好好上上光了,立刻又责备自己这种注意鸡毛蒜皮的小镇习气,多年来她一直在默默反抗这种习气.
罗伯特金凯从衬衣口袋里拿出一包烟,抖落出一支递给她.在五分钟内,她第二次使自己意外,竟然接受了.我在干什么?她心想.多年前她吸过烟,后来在理查德不断严历批评下戒掉了.他又抖落出一支来,含在自己嘴唇里,把一个金色吉波牌的打火机点着,向她伸过去,同时眼睛望着前路.
她双手在火苗边上做一个挡风圈,在卡车颠簸中为稳住打火机碰着了他的手.点烟只需一刹那间,但这时间已足够使她感觉到他手的温暖的手背上细小的汉毛.她往后靠下,他把打火机甩向自己的烟,熟练地做成挡风圈,手从方向盘抽下来一到一秒钟.
弗朗西丝卡.约翰逊,农夫之妻,悠闲地坐在布满灰尘的卡车座位里,吸着香烟,指着前面说:"到了,就在弯过去的地方."那座红色斑驳,饱经风月而略有些倾斜的古老的桥横跨在一条小溪上.
罗伯特金凯这时绽开了笑容.他扫了她一眼说:"太捧了,正好拍日出照."他在离桥一百英尺地方停下,带着那开口的背包爬出车子."我要花一点时间做一点探查工作,您不介意吧"她摇摇头,报以一笑.
弗朗西丝卡望着他走上县城公路,从背包里拿出一架相机,然后把背包往背上一甩.他这一动作已做过上千次了,她从那流畅劲可以看出来.他一边走,头一边不停地来回转动,一会儿看看桥,一会儿看看桥后面的树.有一次转过来看她,脸上表情很严肃.
罗伯特金凯同那些专吃肉汁.土豆和鲜肉-有时一天三顿都是如此-的当地人成鲜明对比,他好像除了水果.干果和蔬菜之外什么都不吃.坚硬,她想.他肉体很坚硬.她注意到他裹在紧身牛仔裤里的臀部是那样窄小--她可以看到他左边裤袋中钱包的轮廊和右边裤袋中的大手帕.她也注意到他在地上的行动,没有一个行动是浪费的.
周围静悄悄,一只红翼鸫鸟栖息在铁丝网上望着她.路边草从中传来牧场百灵的叫声,除此之外,在八月白炽的阳光下没有任何动静.
罗伯特金凯刚好在桥边停下.他站了一会儿,然后蹲下来从相机望出去.他走到路那边,同样再来一遍.然后他走到桥顶下,仔细观察那椽子的天花板,从旁边一个小洞里窥望桥下的流水.
弗朗西丝卡在烟灰缸里熄灭了烟头,打开门,把穿着靴子的脚放到踏板上.她张望了一下确定没有领居的车向这里开来,就向桥边走去.夏日午后骄阳似火,桥里面看来要凉快些,她可以看见桥那头他的影子,直到那影子消失在通向小溪的斜坡下.
在桥里面她能听到鸽子在檐下的窠里咕咕软语.她把手掌放在桥栏杆上享受那暖洋洋的感觉.有些栏杆上歪歪扭扭刻着字:"吉姆波--代尼逊,依阿华,歇莉.杜比,去吧,老鹰"鸽子继续咕咕软语.
弗朗西丝卡从两道栏杆的缝隙中沿着小溪向金凯走去的方向望去.他站在小溪当中的一块石头望着桥,她看见他同她挥手,吃了一惊.他跳回岸上,自如地走上陡峭的台阶.她目不转睛地望着水面,直到她感觉到他的靴子踏上了桥板.真好,这里真美,弗朗西丝卡点头说:"是的,是很美.我们这里对这几座旧桥习以为常了,很少去想它."他走到她面前,伸一小束鲜花,是野生黄菊花."谢谢你给我做向导,"他温柔地笑着."我要找一天黎明来拍照."她有感到体内有点什么动静.花.没有人给她献过花,即使是特殊的日子也没有过.我不知道尊姓大名,点头说"我听出一点点口音,是意大利人吧?"是的,那是很久以前了.
又回到绿色卡车,沿着柏油路,在落日余晖中行驶.他们两次遇到别的汽车,不过都不是弗朗西丝卡认识的人.在到达农场的四分钟之中,她浮想联翩,有一种异样,释然的感觉.再多了解一些罗伯特.金凯,这位摄影家--作家,这就是她想要的,想多知道一些.同时她把花竖起来紧紧抱在怀里,好像一个刚外出回来的女学生.
血涌上她的机颊.她自己能感觉到.她什么也没做,什么也没说,但是自己觉得好像是做了,说了.卡车收音机里放着一支吉他歌曲,声音几乎淹没在隆隆压路声和风声中,接着是五点钟新闻.
他把车转进小巷."理查德是你的丈夫吧?"他见过那邮箱."是的,""喝杯茶吗?"他回头看看她说:"如果没有什么不方便,我就要."没什么,她引导他把卡车停到屋后面-她希望自己做得很随便.她不愿在理查德回来时有个邻居对他说:"嘿,理查德,你那里在请人干活吗?上星期看见一辆绿色卡车停在那里.我知道弗兰尼在家,就懒得去问了."沿残缺的水泥台阶而上,到游廊的后门.小长毛狗围着金凯的靴子嗅来嗅去,然后走出去在后廊爬下,此时弗朗西丝卡从金属的盘子里把冰拿出来,并从一个半加仑的大口杯倒出茶来.他坐在餐桌旁,两条长腿伸在前面,用两只手拢头发,她知道他在注视着她.要柠檬吗?好.糖呢?不要,谢谢.
柠檬汁沿着一只玻璃杯的边慢慢流下来,这他也看见了,他眼睛很少放过什么.
弗朗西丝卡把杯子放在他面前,把自己的杯子放在贴面桌子的另一边,再把那束花浸在放了水的外面印有唐老鸭图案的果酱瓶.她靠着切菜台,用一只脚站着,俯身脱下一只靴子,然后换那只赤脚站着,以同样的程序脱另一只靴子.
他喝了一小口茶,望着她.她大约五英尺六英寸高,四十岁上下,或者出头一些,脸很漂亮还有一幅苗条.有活力的身材.不过他浪迹天涯,漂亮的女人到处都是.这样的外形固然宜人,但是真正重要的是从生活中来的理解力和激情,是能感人也能感动的细致的心灵.因此许多女人尽管外表很美,但他觉得她们并无吸引力.她们生活经历不够长,或者还不知生活艰辛,因此没有这种足以吸引他的气质.
可是弗朗西丝卡.约翰逊身上确实有足以吸引他东西.她善解人意,这他看得出来,她也有激情,不过他还说不上这激情究竟导向何方,或者是否有任何方向.