麻豆社

Scenes 17 to 20

A co-production between 麻豆社 Radio 4 and Franco-German Company Arte

• SCENE 17

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• CLAIRE鈥橲 BEDROOM.
  
  AHMED AND CLAIRE ARE IN BED. SILENCE BETWEEN THEM. A POLICE SIREN GOES PAST OUTSIDE. THEN SOME NOISY DRUNKS.

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• HER: I should get double-glazing.

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• HIM: Quoi ?

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• HER: It never used to be this noisy.

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• SILENCE.

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• HER: Ahmed?

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• HIM: Yes.

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• HER: I think you should make a complaint.

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• HIM: Et c鈥檈st reparti avec cette plainte. C'est pas possible.

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• HER: There are procedures here. That鈥檚 what he said, isn鈥檛 it?

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• HIM: Je veux juste qu'on oublie cette histoire, on peut ?

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• HER: Well, I can鈥檛 just forget about it. They questioned me as well.

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• HE SIGHS.

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• HER: Personal questions. About us. Our relationship.

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• HIM: Tu lui as dit qu鈥檕n ne faisait plus l鈥檃mour ?

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• HER: Don鈥檛 make jokes.

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• HIM: So you complain.

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• HER: Maybe I will.

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• HIM: Ta plainte, elle n'ira nulle part.

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• HER: Why are you being so 鈥� defeatist?

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• SILENCE. MORE NOISE FROM OUTSIDE.

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• HIM: C'est mieux que d鈥櫭猼re en col猫re.

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• HER: I鈥檓 not angry. I鈥檓 just scared.

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• THE SOUND OF ANOTHER POLICE SIREN, IT IS ALMOST IN THE ROOM.

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• HER: Something鈥檚 changed. What鈥檚 wrong?

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• HIM: Nafisa called. My mother needs to go to the hospital.

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• SHE SITS UP.

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• HER: What鈥檚 happened?

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• HIM: Un souffle au coeur. Heart 鈥� irregular. They want to do some test.

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• HER: You鈥檙e going back.

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• HIM: Yes.

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• HER: When are you going?

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• HIM: Tomorrow.

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• HER: Maybe I should come over. In a few weeks. You know. Visit her.

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• BEAT.

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• HIM: Sure.

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• SCENE 18

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• PARIS METRO.
  
  SHE IS LISTENING TO HER LANGUAGE TAPE.

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• TAPE: How long have you known him? Je le connais depuis huit mois. Do you sleep together? Oui, nous couchons ensemble. What鈥檚 your favourite position? 鈥� Pardon ? 鈥� Which side of the bed do you sleep on?鈥� 脕 droite. How big are his feet? Je ne vois pas ce ... Do you love him?

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• HER: [INTERNAL] Je l鈥檃ime, mais ...

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• SCENE 19

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• HOTEL ROOM, PARIS.
  
  A LONG SILENCE BETWEEN THEM.

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• HER: Are you coming to bed?

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• HIM: Je suis pas fatigu茅.

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• HER: I didn鈥檛 think we鈥檇 be going straight to sleep.

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• HE GRUNTS.

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• HIM: You want to have sex.

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• HE GETS INTO BED.

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• HER: No 鈥� I don鈥檛 just want to have sex. I want to talk, Ahmed. What is wrong with you? I haven鈥檛 seen you for a month. I want 鈥� you to hold me 鈥� I want you to talk 鈥� To know how your mother is 鈥�

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• HIM: Rien.

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• HER: I haven鈥檛 seen you for a month. I want 鈥� you to hold me 鈥� I want you to talk 鈥� I want to know how your mother is 鈥�

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• HIM: Tu veux ci 鈥� Tu veux 莽a 鈥� Et moi, tu sais ce que je veux ?

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• HER: Tell me.

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• BEAT.

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• HIM: I want you to understand. But you can鈥檛.

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• HER: How can I if you won鈥檛 talk to me.

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• HIM: It is not about words.

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• HER: C鈥檈st 脿 cause de Londres ?

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• HIM: Non, c鈥檈st tes taches de rousseur. Et tes cheveux qui frisent. Et ta peau si blanche que j鈥檃i l鈥檌mpression de te salir quand je te touche.

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• HER: What? When you put your hands on my skin, you feel 鈥� dirty.

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• HIM: No.

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• HER: Hang on 鈥�

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• HIM: That is not what I said.

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• HER: That鈥檚 what it sounded like.

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• HIM: I say ...

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• HER: Because I鈥檓 not Muslim? Because I鈥檓 not married to you? You think I鈥檓 a whore?

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• HIM: Look dirty 鈥� I LOOK DIRTY next to you.

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• BEAT.

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• HER: What happened in London wasn鈥檛 my fault.

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• HIM: No.

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• HER: So stop blaming me.

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• HIM: Je ne te reproche rien 鈥� You make me feel鈥� different.

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• HER: Of course you鈥檙e different. You鈥檙e you.

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• HER: You knew 鈥� when you spoke to me. In the shop. You knew I made more money than you. That I have friends called Tom and Andrea. That I read from left to right. You knew that I was white.

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• HIM: No.

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• HER: What do you mean, no?

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• HIM: I didn鈥檛 think about that.

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• HER: Well, maybe you should have done.

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• HIM: 脟a n鈥檃vait aucune importance.

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• HER: It is important.

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• HIM: Not then.

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• HER: It is important when I鈥檓 sitting here, naked, watching my boyfriend end the relationship.

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• BEAT.

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• HER: Go on. Say it.

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• BEAT.

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• HIM: Je crois qu鈥檕n a besoin d'un break

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• HER: Thank you.

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• SCENE 20

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• HE IS TEACHING HER A SONG

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