INT. KITCHEN - LATER
Sitting at the kitchen table, Carolyn is in the middle ofreading the letter to Michael.

　　CAROLYN"-- going over and over in my mindevery detail, every moment of ourtime together and I ask myself, "Whathappened to me in Madison County?" Istruggle to put it together in a waythat allows me to continue knowingwe're on separate roads. But then Ilook through the lens of my camera,and you're there. I start to write anarticle and I find myself writing itto you. It's clear to me now we havebeen moving towards each other,towards those four days, all ourlives --MICHAEL(rises)Goddamn sonofabitch! I don't want tohear anymore! Sonofabitch! Burn thedamn thing! I don't want to hear it!

　　Throw it away!

　　Carolyn continues reading silently. Michael's curiosity getsthe best of him:

　　MICHAELWhat's he saying now?

　　CAROLYNWell, he just gets on about how ifmama ever needed him, she could findhim through the National Geographicmagazine. He as a photographer. Hepromises not to write again. Then allit says is...

　　(beat)I love you... Robert.

　　MICHAELRobert! Jesus! I'll kill him.

　　CAROLYNThat would be some trick. He'salready dead. That's what this otherletter is.

　　(takes letter andskims)From his attorney. He left most ofhis things to mama and requested...

　　(she stops)MICHAELWhat?

　　CAROLYNThat he be cremated and his ashesthrown on Roseman Bridge.

　　MICHAELDAMN HIM! I knew mama wouldn't havethought of that herself. It was somedamn perverted... photographic mindinfluencing her! When did the bastarddie?

　　CAROLYN'82.

　　MICHAELWait a minute! That was thirty yearsafter daddy. Do you think...?

　　CAROLYNI don't know. I'm completely in thedark here. That's what I get formoving away.

　　MICHAELThis happened way before we both gotmarried. I... I can't believe it.

　　(then, innocently)You think she had sex with him?

　　Carolyn cannot believe he is this dense.

　　CAROLYN(sarcastic)My Lord. It must feel real niceliving inside your head with PeterPan and the Easter Bunny.

　　MICHAELDon't talk to me like that. She wasmy mother for Christsakes. And now Ifind out she was... She was a --!

　　CAROLYNDon't say that!

　　MICHAELWell, what am I supposed to think?

　　CAROLYNI can't believe she never told me? Wespoke at least once a week. How couldshe do that?

　　MICHAELHow did she meet him? Did Dad know?

　　Anything else in that envelope?

　　CAROLYNNo, I don't think so. I --She dumps it over and a SMALL KEY FALLS OUT. Pause, asCarolyn and Michael look to each other -- they grab the keyand run out of the kitchen, almost comically falling overeach other in their obsession to put this puzzle together.

　　A SERIES OF JUMP CUT --From one lock to another as they try to find the keyhole thatfits the key -- they try closets, attic doors, jewelry boxes,night tables, vanity drawers... Finally --INT. BEDROOM - DAYAt the foot of their parents bed sits an WALNUT HOPE CHEST,covered with a tapestry. Michael and Carolyn look to eachother first, before one removes the tapestry and the othertries the key. It fits. They open the chest to find:

　　Camera equipment, a chain with a medallion that reads"FRANCESCA," three leather bound notebooks -- and a sealedenvelope with "Carolyn or Michael" written on it.

　　CAROLYN/MICHAELYou read it!

　　Carolyn relents. She takes out the lefter and reads:

　　CAROLYN"January, 1987. Dear Carolyn. I hopeyou're reading this with Michael. I'msure he wouldn't be able to read itby himself and he'll need some helpunderstanding all this, especiallythe parts about me having sex..."Insulted, Michael pulls the lefter out of her hand anddefiantly attempts to read it aloud himself to disprove hismother's claim. But after looking at a few lines, hesurrenders and hands the lefter back to his sister.

　　CAROLYN (cont'd)"First, and most of all, I love youboth very much and although I feelfine, I thought it was time to put myaffairs, excuse that word, in order."MICHAELI can't believe she's making jokes.

　　CAROLYNSshhh. "After going through thesafety deposit box, I'm sure you'llfind you're way to this letter. It'shard to write this to my ownchildren. I could let this die withthe rest of me, I suppose.

　　(cont'd)But as one gets older, one fearssubside. What becomes more and moreimportant is to be known -- known forall that you were during this briefstay. Row said it seems to me to leavethis earth without hose you love themost ever really knowing who youwere. It's easy for a mother to loveher children no matter what -- it'ssomething that just happens. I don'tknow if it's as simple for children.

　　You're all so busy being angry at usfor raising you wrong. But I thoughtit was important to give you thatchance. To give you the opportunityto love me for all that I was..."Carolyn and Michael look to each other like two schoolchildren about to take a difficult exam. They continue.

　　CAROLYN (cont'd)"His name was Robert Kincaid. He wasa photographer and he was here in1965 shooting an article for NationalGeographic on the covered bridges ofMadison County. Remember when we gotthat issue and looked at thosebridges we'd seen for years but nevernoticed? How we felt likecelebrities? Remember when we startedgetting the subscription?

　　They don't remember.

　　CAROLYN (cont'd)I don't want you to be angry withhim. I hope after you know the wholestory, you might even think well ofhim. Even grateful.

　　MICHAELGrateful!?

　　CAROLYN(reads)"... It's all there in the threenotebooks. Read them in order.

　　If you don't want to, I supposethat's okay too. But in that case Iwant you to know something -- I neverstopped loving your father. He was avery good man. It's just that my lovefor Robert was different. He broughtout something in me no one had everbrought out before, or since. He mademe feel like a woman in a way fewwomen, maybe more, ever experience..."MICHAELThat's it!

　　Grabbing the letter, he starts putting everything back in thetrunk.

　　CAROLYNWhat are you doing?

　　MICHAELThis is crazy. She waits till she'sdead to tell us all this. Well, I gotnews for you. She was my mother.

　　That's enough for me. I don't have toknow who she was.

　　CAROLYNWell, I'd like to read them.

　　MICHAELNo. We're going to lock this up and --CAROLYNSTOP IT!

　　(Michael freezes)I want to read them! If you don'twant to, then just leave. But don'tyou push me around like I'm some muleyou paid for -- I already GOT AHUSBAND!

　　Michael is stymied. 、