 Early
December 1990. CHRISTIE’s bedroom. JULIE sits on the
bed. CHRISTIE enters. He puts his bag down and takes his coat
off. His jeans and sweatshirt are splattered with paint. It takes a
couple of seconds before he notices her. He jumps. |
| JULIE. Sorry. |
| CHRISTIE. Fuckin’ hell … |
| JULIE. What’s up? |
| CHRISTIE. Nothin’, just frightened me. |
| JULIE. It was meant to be a surprise. |
| CHRISTIE. It was. |
| JULIE. A nice one. |
| CHRISTIE. It is. |
| CHRISTIE goes over to the bed, kisses
JULIE and sits
down next to her. |
| JULIE. Yer mam says you’re been out all day. |
| CHRISTIE. I have. |
| JULIE. How did yer get on? |
| CHRISTIE. Fuckin’ brilliant. |
| JULIE. Yeah? |
| CHRISTIE. Got shit loads done. Wanted to bring it home
but it’s all still wet. Wanted to show yer. Six little canvases. I
felt … sound. Capable. S’fuckin good when yer feel good at
something, innit? |
| JULIE. Are yer askin’ me or tellin’ me? |
| CHRISTIE. What’s up? |
| JULIE. Nothing. |
| CHRISTIE. Mardy. |
| JULIE. I’m not … just been waiting ages. |
| CHRISTIE. I didn’t know, did I? Been workin’ – |
| JULIE. It’s good. I’m glad it’s goin’ well. I
just wanted to see yer. |
| CHRISTIE stands and starts getting changed. |
| CHRISTIE. Got covered. Reckon they look quite good like
this though. |
| JULIE. Mine was rubbish. |
| CHRISTIE. Eh? |
| JULIE. My day. If yer interested. |
| CHRISTIE. Course I am. Just gonna ask, wasn’t I?
If yer give us a chance. |
| JULIE. Go on then. |
| CHRISTIE. How was yer day? |
| JULIE. Me dad’s got a girlfriend. I went round. She
was putting Christmas decorations up. That’s serious, that isn’t
it? |
| CHRISTIE. What’s she like? |
| JULIE. Young. |
| CHRISTIE. Speak to her? |
| JULIE. Bit? |
| CHRISTIE. And? |
| JULIE. And what? |
| CHRISTIE. Have yer told yer mam? |
| JULIE. No. |
| CHRISTIE. Might be nothin’. |
| JULIE. He loves her. He told me. I wanted to throw up. |
| CHRISTIE. Things change. |
| JULIE. She’s called Bernice but he calls her
‘Bernie’. |
| CHRISTIE. It might be OK, yer know … it might be – |
| JULIE. Me mam still blames herself. Thinks he’ll come
back if she’s all smiles when he calls round. He’s a fuckin’
arsehole. |
| CHRISTIE. Sorry. |
| JULIE. S’alright. |
| CHRISTIE. D’yer wanna go away somewhere? |
| JULIE. Where? |
| CHRISTIE. Dunno. Just get on a train or somethin’.
Whatever. Somewhere new. |
| JULIE. OK. |
| CHRISTIE sits on the bed, pulls JULIE to him and they
lie hugging. CHRISTIE unbuttons JULIE’s trousers. |
| I can’t breathe. |
| CHRISTIE lets go. They lie side by side. JULIE
sits up
and buttons up her trousers. |
| I saw Luke’s mum before. She stopped me. I didn’t
think … She said she’d seen me wi’ you, out and about. She’s
nice, isn’t she? |
| CHRISTIE. She’s alright, yeah. |
| JULIE. She was pushin’ Anthony’s little girl in her
pram. She said to say ‘ello. She sent her love. Anthony’s engaged,
er know? |
| CHRISTIE. Right. |
| JULIE. It was Luke’s birthday last month. His
eighteenth. Did yer … I felt a bit funny an’ I didn’t really
know why. (Pause.) Christie? Am I talkin’ to meself or what? |
| CHRISTIE. What d’yer want me to say? |
| JULIE. Why yer bein’ like that? |
| CHRISTIE. I’m tired. |
| JULIE. You don’t even mention him now. |
| Silence. |
| CHRISTIE reaches under the bed and pulls out a packet
of photographs, he passes them to JULIE then sits on the floor, his
back against the bed. |
| What are they? |
| JULIE opens the packet. |
| CHRISTIE. Didn’t send a letter. Just them. |
| JULIE starts to look through. Long pause. |
| JULIE. I feel a bit sick. |
| CHRISTIE. I did yer a song. |
| JULIE. Christie. |
| CHRISTIE. What? |
| JULIE. Have yer showed anyone? |
| CHRISTIE. No. You. |
| JULIE. Have you spoken to him? |
| CHRISTIE. Not for a while? |
| JULIE. What’s a while? |
| CHRISTIE. I dunno. |
| JULIE. These are – |
| CHRISTIE. Why d’yer think I haven’t shown yer
before? |
| JULIE. I dunno. |
| CHRISTIE. Cos of this. |
| JULIE. Cos of what? I’m not saying anything. |
| Silence. |
| CHRISTIE. Are yer happy cos yer’ve proved your point? |
| JULIE. I’m not trying to prove anythin’ – |
| CHRISTIE. Been right all along. |
| JULIE. No. |
| CHRISTIE. Bollocks. |
| JULIE. I haven’t said anything. I think – |
| CHRISTIE. There’s more. All pretty much the same.
(Pause.) I don’t reply. |
| JULIE. You send tapes. |
| CHRISTIE. I sent one … Months ago. Happy? |
| JULIE. That doesn’t make me happy. |
| CHRISTIE. I don’t care what it makes yer. D’yer
want this song or not? |
| JULIE. I think yer should speak to him … write to him
or somethin’. I think yer need – |
| CHRISTIE. I don’t need anythin’, thanks … I
don’t need tellin’ what to do. |
| JULIE. I’m not telling yer what to do. |
| Pause. |
| CHRISTIE. I’m still a bit weird about the words at
the moment but I’ve got a tune sussed. Can play a few chords if yer
like. |
| JULIE. I’m in the middle of talkin’. |
| CHRISTIE fetches his guitar which is propped up against
the wall and start to play. |
| Chris … Christie. |
| CHRISTIE. Hang on a minute, will yer? |
| JULIE. I think yer should get in touch or somethin’
… maybe go and see his mum. I could come with yer if yer wanted. |
| CHRISTIE stops playing. |
| CHRISTIE. What for? Yer don’t even know her. |
| JULIE. I just think yer need – |
| CHRISTIE. D’yer want to listen to your song, Julie? |
| JULIE. No. |
| CHRISTIE. Can you just go then, please. |
| JULIE. What? |
| CHRISTIE. If yer not gonna listen to yer song, can you
leave. |
| JULIE. I don’t want to leave. I want to talk to you
about yer friend. |
| CHRISTIE. If yer not gonna listen to the song I wrote
for you, can you get the fuck out of my house? (Beat.) Please. |
| Silence. After a few moments CHRISTIE starts to play a
few chords. JULIE stands and leaves, pulling the door behind her.
CHRISTIE puts the guitar down and lies back on the bed. |
Early
December 1990. CHRISTIE’s bedroom. JULIE sits on the
bed. CHRISTIE enters. He puts his bag down and takes his coat
off. His jeans and sweatshirt are splattered with paint. It takes a
couple of seconds before he notices her. He jumps.