The Bridges of Madison County

Hi, sis.

MichaeI, if I couId just get you to sign this right here. . .

. . .which gives you the contents of the safe deposit box.

Thank you. And this one which cIears the bank. . .

. . .of aII responsibiIity for the contents.

It's kind of exciting.

Maybe we'II find out that your mother had secret miIIions.

Why don't we get started? Your mother is interred. . .

. . .at the Cedar Heights FuneraI Home untiI arrangements can be made.

I thought it was arranged.

-There's a probIem. -What probIem?

Your mother Ieft expIicit instructions to be cremated.

-I don't understand it either. -When did she decide this?

ApparentIy just before her death.

-I don't know anybody who gets cremated. -Lots of peopIe do.

Nobody in my famiIy did. Dad bought pIots at Prairie HiIIs. . .

. . .one for him, one for Mom.

-The wiII cIearIy states-- -I don't care what it says.

Maybe Mom was deIirious. Maybe she didn't know what she was saying.

If she wanted to be cremated, why the heII did she Iet Dad buy 2 pIots?

She was very specific.

She wanted her ashes to be thrown off Roseman Bridge.

-What?! -Bizarre!

Mr. Peterson, are you sure Mom wrote aII this?

It was notarized and witnessed by Mrs. Lucy DeIaney.

-Maybe you couId ask her. -Who the heII is she?

I remember her, I just don't--

I don't care if it's IegaI. We're not cremating her or throwing. . .

. . .her ashes off some bridge where we can't visit her. . .

. . .because she'II be bIown aII over!

-And peopIe driving aII over her, dogs-- -We're not doing it.

I'm not even sure it's Christian.

Maybe it's an ItaIian thing. She was ItaIian.

Doesn't matter!

Move on.

We can come back to this.

Why don't we open the box?

MichaeI, Iook at these.

Have you ever seen these pictures?

It was in this enveIope from 1 965.

She's not wearing a bra.

That's the HoIIiweII Bridge.

-In case anyone's interested. -Why are there 2 deeds here?

This is for the additionaI acres he purchased in '59.

And this?

Those were biIIs of saIe from equipment your mother soId.

-This is for the originaI Iand parceI. -BeautifuI picture of her.

What?

CouId you come here for a minute?

What?

Where are we going?

She say anything in there about me? About Ieaving me anything?

No.

What's going on?

We were just wondering if it might be better. . .

. . .if CaroIyn and I Iooked at this stuff ourseIves.

We don't want to keep you waiting around.

I'II contact your office about the IegaI work.

''I struggIe to. . .

. . .put it together in a way that aIIows me to continue. . .

. . .knowing that we're on separate roads.

But then, I Iook through the Iens of my camera and you're there.

I start to write an articIe and I find myseIf writing it to you.

It's cIear to me now that we have been moving towards each other. . .

. . .towards those 4 days, aII of our Iives. ''

I don't want to hear anymore. Burn the damn thing.

I don't want to hear it.

Throw it away.

What's he saying now?

He just goes on about how if Mom ever needed him. . .

. . .she couId reach him through the NationaI Geographic Magazine in D.C.

He was a photographer.

He promises not to write again.

And then, aII it says is:

''I Iove you, Robert. ''

Robert!

Jesus!

I'II kiII him.

That wouId be some trick. He's dead. That's what this Ietter is. . .

. . .from his attorney.

He Ieft most of his things to Mom.

And requested. . . .

What?

That he be cremated and his ashes thrown off Roseman Bridge.

Damn him! I knew Mom wouIdn't have thought that up herseIf.

It was some damn perverted. . .

. . .photographic mind infIuencing her.

When did the bastard die?

'82.

Wait a minute, that was. . .

. . .3 years after Daddy. . . . Do you think. . .?

I don't know! I'm compIeteIy in the dark.

That's what I get for moving away.

We were kids when this happened.

I can't beIieve it.

Do you think that she. . .

. . .had sex with him?

Must be nice inside your head with Peter Pan and the Easter Bunny.

Don't taIk to me Iike that. She was my mother!

Now I find that she was. . . . She was a. . . .

A what? Don't say that!

What am I supposed to think?

I can't beIieve she never toId me.

We spoke at Ieast once a week. How couId she do that?

When did she meet him? Did Dad know?

Is there anything eIse in that enveIope?

No, I don't think so.

You read it.

You read it.

''January, 1 987.

Dear CaroIyn:

I hope you read this with MichaeI.

I'm sure he wouIdn't be abIe to read it by himseIf. . .

. . .and he'II need heIp understanding aII this.

First and most of aII. . .

. . .I Iove you both very much.

And aIthough I feeI fine, I thought I'd put my affairs. . .

. . .excuse that word, in order. ''

I can't beIieve she's making jokes.

''After going through the safe deposit box. . .

. . .I'm sure you'II find your way to this Ietter.

It's hard to write this to my own chiIdren.

I couId Iet this die with the rest of me, I suppose.

But as one gets oIder. . .

. . .one's fears subside.

What becomes more and more important. . .

. . .is to be known.

Known for aII that you were during this brief stay.

How sad it seems to Ieave this earth. . .

. . .without those you Iove the most ever reaIIy knowing who you were.

It's easy for a mother to Iove her chiIdren, no matter what.

I don't know if it's as simpIe for chiIdren.

You're aII so busy being angry at us for raising you wrong.

His name was Robert Kincaid.

He was a photographer and he was here in 1 965. . .

. . .shooting a NationaI Geographic articIe. . .

. . .on the covered bridges of Madison County.

Remember when we got that issue, when we got the subscription. . .

. . .how we feIt Iike ceIebrities?''

That's Roseman Bridge.

That must be Robert Kincaid.

And that's Mom's medaIIion.

''I don't want you to be angry with him.

I hope after you know the story, you think weII of him, even gratefuI. ''

-GratefuI? -''It's aII there in the 3 notebooks. ''

''It was the week of the IIIinois State Fair.

The two of you were going with Dad to exhibit. . .

. . .CaroIyn's prize steer.

It was the Sunday night you Ieft. I know it sounds awfuI. . . . ''

But I couldn 't wait for you to leave.

You were going to be gone until Friday.

4 days.

Just 4 days.

Richard! Dinner!

-What I teII you about the door? -Sorry.

WouId you Iike to say grace?

Grace.

More sauces.

A piece of bread.

Thanks.

Damn drawer.

Here.

You can't get mad at it.

Sorry. Didn't mean to yeII.

I want you to stay away from anything too spicy.

And you promise me.

I swear. OnIy fiIters. No more than haIf pack a day.

-I've got my orders. -Doc ReynoIds said so.

I know, I'm onIy kidding.

-Are you sure you don't want to go? -I'm positive.

What are you going to do as a woman of Ieisure?

Same thing I do as a hired hand, except with Iess heIp.

I won't be abIe to sIeep. I can't sIeep without you next to me anymore.

It's onIy 4 days.

Oh, God, where have you been?

You missed them. They aIready Ieft.

Why do you Iove me so much? I don't Iike you.

Get down.

You Iike that song?

It's just you and me.

Just you and me.

Hi.

I get the distinct feeIing that I'm Iost.

You supposed to be in Iowa?

Then you're not that Iost.

I'm Iooking for a bridge.

One of those covered bridges in this neighborhood.

Roseman Bridge?

That's it.

You're pretty cIose. It's onIy about 2 miIes from here.

Which way?

You go that way and come to Cutter's and turn Ieft.

To Cutters?

Cutter's a farm. SmaII house, cIose to the road.

Big, mean yeIIow dog.

Mean yeIIow dog. Okay.

Then you go aIong that road untiI you come to a fork.

It's onIy. . . . Less than haIf a miIe.

And then where, after the fork?

The right.