Interiors

'I had dropped out of law school when I met Eve.

'She was very beautiful.

'Very pale and cool in her black dress,

'with never anything more than a single strand of pearls.

'And distant. Always poised and distant.

'By the time the girls were born, it was all so perfect, so ordered.

'Looking back, of course, it was rigid.

'The truth is

'she'd created a world around us that we existed in,

'where everything had its place, where there was always a kind of harmony.

'Great dignity.

'I will say... it was like an ice palace.

'Then suddenly one day, out of nowhere,

'an enormous abyss opened up beneath our feet

'and I was staring into a face I didn't recognise.'

"The basic popularity and appeal of Mao for so-called American Marxists."

This is supposed to go in the sequence -

in under the sequence in reel two about South Africa.

Um... what we wanna do is get two examples.

But the idea is his style was Marxist-Leninist -

Mao's style was Marxist-Leninist -

but that he was accessible to the lower classes because of his use of homilies.

An example would be:

"The hardest thing is to act properly throughout one's whole life."

What the hell does that mean? Or, even worse...

Eve, I wasn't expecting you.

- I hope I'm not disturbing you. - No, I just couldn't imagine who it was.

- Is Joey here? Where's Joey? - Joey's in the shower.

- Can I get you anything? - Oh, just some coffee, if you don't mind.

No, it's no trouble at all.

I think I've found a very nice vase for the foyer.

Uh-huh.

You'll probably think it's an extravagance, but it's not, all things considered.

These pieces are becoming increasingly rare.

Isn't that exquisite?

I hope you like it, because it's perfect for what I have in mind for the foyer.

We already have a vase in the foyer, Eve.

Yes, but this will never look right when we redo the floors.

I've never understood why the floors have to be redone.

What? We discussed all that, Michael. Don't you remember? You agreed.

You know, it costs money

to have these things done and redone two and three times over.

But the... It's such a large floor space.

That's why we agreed to the paler tones to make a more subtle statement.

Pale woods would be lovely.

I never agreed about anything, I'm always being told.

- I wouldn't put it that way. - How would you put it, Eve?

First the living room was finished, then it wasn't.

Then the bedroom needed more work. Now the floors have to be stripped again.

- You picked the sofa, then you hated it. - It was a lovely piece.

It just was the wrong scale. This is not an exact science.

Sometimes you just have to see it, then you get the feel of it.

- You didn't like that in the bedroom? - I knew you were gonna say something.

I get better use out of it here.

Well, if you utilised it in here, that's fine. It's meant to be used.

It's just that it was part of what we were trying to do in the bedroom.

It's the shade and the bedspread, they set each other off so nicely.

I thought... (Sighs)

- How much is the vase? - They're asking $400.

- Give me a break, Eve. - All right, Michael. I'll return it.

Would you mind closing the window? The street noises are just unnerving.

I hope you two aren't having another argument.

Not at all.

Oh, I love that suit. Unique colour.

Renata calls it "ice grey".

It makes you look very beautiful. Isn't she beautiful, Michael?

- Very lovely. - I don't feel lovely.

I'm exhausted. I've been running up and down Second Avenue all day.

Oh, wow. Is this for us? It's exquisite.

- No, I was just showing it to Michael. - It's too expensive, Joey.

Really? Well, that's too bad.

- Eve, let's keep it. - No, no.

Yeah, let's keep it. It's very beautiful. We'll work something out.

No, I was just carried away by it. I don't know why.

Guess it's because it's so unique. But it is an extravagance.

I'll just look for something along the same lines at a better price.

But I have to point out one thing. This really belongs in the bedroom

because it's too insignificant a piece for in here.

The shade is just wrong against all these slick surfaces.

- (Michael) I'll put it back. - No, I'll do it.

I just want to try it in a different spot.

I can fix something for you, something more inexpensive.

I've seen some nice pewters. Um, maybe gunmetal.

And I can make the shade in a smoother fabric, if you prefer.

But we should stick with my beiges and my earth tones.

- "My beiges and my earth tones". - Stop picking on her.

- Nobody's picking on her. - She's a sick woman.

- (Joey) That's great. - Yes, it's nice.

So how do you feel?

I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all.

- Coffee. - Oh, thank you.

Oh, I tell you, so many jobs. It's just exhausting.

Yeah, I know. I can't get over how you sort of jump right in and do it.

Well, I like it. I like to be busy.

And I think by now I can say that my comeback

is over the shaky period. Wouldn't you say?

I think so, I think your work is better, in fact, than it's ever been.

- Do you? - Yeah.

Well, I have to admit that I have received some rather special compliments lately.

- Oh, yeah? - Uh-huh.

Yes. Well, my spirits are high. I'm feeling good about myself.

Not to say that I don't run into an occasional setback,

but I haven't really felt so confident in a long time.

I can see it. I mean, you look better than you have in ages.

- Oh. Have you talked to Dad lately? - No. He's still in Greece.

When he comes back, I hope you'll corroborate the state of my wellbeing.

Of course.

I've certainly pulled myself together in a way that he never thought possible.

- I mean, you're really impressive. - Oh...

Well, maybe a reconciliation could finally be discussed.

Think so?

Well, it hasn't been that much time.

I really don't... I don't know.

Why are you always so negative about it?

I don't think that was negative.

Oh, you're always reluctant to encourage me. I don't know why.

Mother, I know that you're optimistic,

but it's really important for you to be realistic, too.

Is there something you know that you're not saying?

- No. - Dr Lobel doesn't think it's unrealistic

to hope that your father and I might reconcile.

It's just a goal. That's all.

Fine, I didn't say anything to get in the way of that.

You always make it sound as though it's impossible.

- Mother, I didn't say it was impossible. - Yes, you did. You imply that a lot.

Renata thinks it's going to happen.

- I'm sure she didn't say that. - She did. She implied that.

- Well, maybe you read into it. - No, I didn't.

She's just a person who looks on the bright side.

Oh, great. I think that's wonderful.

I just don't think you should delude yourself either.

You don't think there's any chance your father will ever live with me again?

- I didn't say that. - Renata thinks there's a good chance.

Just wait and see.

You just refuse to encourage me, don't you?

- Why don't you discuss it with Renata? - I will, thank you. I will.

Mother paced all the time.

She...

Um...

She was an insomniac.

You could always hear her upstairs,

pacing in the middle of the night.

But that was more when she... got back from the hospital.

I, uh...

I saw her...

the first day that they brought her back. Um...

She'd had all this...

electric shock therapy and... her hair looked grey

and I couldn't believe it. It was... It was like...

she was a stranger.

'After that, she was always sort of, um...

'coming in and... going out.

'I guess you...

'you never knew.

'Before her breakdown, she was a very successful woman.

'She was very demanding.

'She, uh...

'she put Dad through law school and she financed the start of his practice.

'So in a sense, it was like he was her creation.'

We kept getting shuffled around to aunts and cousins

and I guess Joey had the worst of it, 'cause...

As a kid, Joey was very high-strung. She was a bright kid, you know? She...

She was very sensitive.

'We'd spend some time with Dad, mostly long Sunday breakfasts.

'I always resented his relationship to her, you know.

'I always felt that he favoured Joey.'

It just seemed that they were very close and that I was left out.

I like Frederick.

He has dignity and promise as a writer.

My own strength is visual.

Your images are visual, Renata.

And in all candour,

- I much prefer Frederick to Mike. - Mike's fine, Mother.

Well, he uses a very strong aftershave.

- It permeates the house. - I don't wanna talk about it.

Do you think that if I bought him another kind of cologne he would switch?

- Can we talk about something else? - Well, let me give him some.

Then we won't have to talk about it. It'll just be my gift.

Could we please talk about something else?

Look, I wanna say something, I'm gonna be very direct.

I think the occasion calls for it.

I've done a lot of thinking about this matter

and a great deal of soul-searching.

Now that the girls are all on their own, I feel that for my own self,

I must come to this decision, though I don't take it lightly.

I feel I've been a dedicated husband and a responsible father,

and I haven't regretted anything I've been called upon to do.

Now I feel I want to be by myself for a while.

And consequently, I've decided to move out of the house.

I don't know how I'll feel about it when I finally do it, and it's not irrevocable,

but I feel it's something I have to try.

Now, as I say, it's not an irrevocable situation.

It's a separation.

It may be for the best. It may not.

But I wanted to lay it on the table, in front of everyone,

so that everything is open and as direct as possible.

Will you please not breathe in so hard?

- I'll move out. - What does that mean?

- I don't want to live in this house anymore. - Eve, think about it.

- I'll move out! - Look, it's not irrevocable.