INT. KITCHEN - LATER
Carolyn opens the first notebook which is dated AUGUST 1965.
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.
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