An Education (11 page)
Authors: Nick Hornby
From the hallway:
JACK (
out of sight
)
out of sight
)
Good grief.You should see this!
DAVID
enters.You can hardly see him for all the parcels and flowers he’s carrying.
enters.You can hardly see him for all the parcels and flowers he’s carrying.
DAVID
It’s a special day.
JENNY,
delighted, moves the dictionaries to make way for
DAVID’S
presents.
delighted, moves the dictionaries to make way for
DAVID’S
presents.
JACK
Makes your dictionary look a bit feeble, eh, Graham?
GRAHAM
Gosh!
GRAHAM
looks pained.
MARJORIE
notices.
looks pained.
MARJORIE
notices.
MARJORIE
And ours, too, come to that.
DAVID
And these are for you.
DAVID
gives
MARJORIE
a basket of beautiful roses.
gives
MARJORIE
a basket of beautiful roses.
MARJORIE
Oh, David.
DAVID
(
to
GRAHAM)
to
GRAHAM)
Hello, young man.
JACK
David, would you like a drink?
DAVID
I’d love one.
GRAHAM
I’d best be going. I’ve got a stack of homework to do.
GRAHAM
says his goodbyes.
DAVID
sits down in his place.
says his goodbyes.
DAVID
sits down in his place.
MARJORIE
Wonderful to see you, Graham.
GRAHAM
(
to
JENNY)
to
JENNY)
Goodbye, Jenny.
JENNY
(
brightly, without looking up
)
brightly, without looking up
)
Bye, Graham.
GRAHAM
makes to leave with a last attempt to catch
JENNY’S
eye, without success.
MARJORIE
shows him to the door.
makes to leave with a last attempt to catch
JENNY’S
eye, without success.
MARJORIE
shows him to the door.
JACK
A little something warming?
DAVID
You know me so well.
Hearty laughter from the two men.
JENNY
Can I open anything yet?
MARJORIE
comes back into the room.
comes back into the room.
MARJORIE
Wait for me.
DAVID
Before you open that lot, I’ve got a surprise. Next weekend, we’re all going to Café de Flore to celebrate Jenny’s birthday.
JACK
(
flatly
)
flatly
)
Lovely.
DAVID
Café de Flore is in the Boulevard St Germain. In Paris.
JENNY
giggles her delight.
JACK’S
smile is a little more forced.
giggles her delight.
JACK’S
smile is a little more forced.
JACK
How d’you mean, Paris?
JENNY
You know the one, Dad.
JACK
(
panic rising
)
panic rising
)
But . . . We don’t have any French money. And besides, it’s too . . . I don’t think it would
agree
with me.
agree
with me.
JENNY
Dad!
JACK
The French don’t like us, Jenny, you know that. John Sutton from work, he went there last year. They were very rude to him.
JENNY
understands
DAVID’S
ploy perfectly, and the role she must play. Her eyes fill with tears.
JACK
notices.
understands
DAVID’S
ploy perfectly, and the role she must play. Her eyes fill with tears.
JACK
notices.
I don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun, but . . . It’s just not for me, Europe.You’ll have to go another time.
JENNY
(
bitterly
)
bitterly
)
You’ve just said you don’t like Europe. What’s going to change? It’ll have to be Europe, won’t it? Because it certainly won’t be you.
MARJORIE
I’ll take her.
JACK
(
genuinely indignant
)
genuinely indignant
)
To the Continent? And leave me here on my own?
JENNY
Oh, for God’s sake.
JENNY
gets up furiously and takes her presents to the other side of the sitting room.
gets up furiously and takes her presents to the other side of the sitting room.
JACK
looks cornered. He needs to find a way out.
looks cornered. He needs to find a way out.
DAVID
What do you think? You know what Jenny’s like about France, Jack. About French films and books and music.
He looks at
JACK
for a response.
JACK
for a response.
JACK
(
discomfited
)
discomfited
)
Of course I do.
DAVID
Sorry.Yes. It goes without saying. She’s your daughter. Jenny likes to joke about how you’re a stick-in-the mud and all the rest of it, but I know that’s not who you are. Otherwise she wouldn’t be who she is.
JACK
(
uncertainly
)
uncertainly
)
No.
DAVID
But I can also see that I’ve acted out of turn, and I’m sorry.
JACK
looks at
JENNY.
Even he can see that he can’t do this to her.
looks at
JENNY.
Even he can see that he can’t do this to her.
JACK
What about your Aunt Helen?
DAVID
catches
JENNY’S
eye and she smiles.
JACK
smiles, too; he’s off the hook.
62catches
JENNY’S
eye and she smiles.
JACK
smiles, too; he’s off the hook.
EXTERIOR: TWICKENHAM, STREET - NIGHT
The Bristol is speeding down the road.
JENNY
An hour late.
DAVID
We’ll make it, I promise.
INTERIOR: HEATHROW HOTEL BEDROOM - EVENING
DAVID
and
JENNY
enter the room.
and
JENNY
enter the room.
DAVID
OK, there’s a flight at eight in the morning.
JENNY
Good.
JENNY
stares at the featureless sitting room.
stares at the featureless sitting room.
There’s no bed.
DAVID
I pushed the boat out and got us a suite.
JENNY
A suite!
DAVID
If work stops us getting to Paris until tomorrow, then work can buy us a nice hotel room. Anyway, it’s a special occasion, isn’t it?
JENNY
I’d have thought that tonight of all nights we only need a bed.
Close on
DAVID’S
reaction - she hasn’t forgotten that tonight’s the night.
64DAVID’S
reaction - she hasn’t forgotten that tonight’s the night.
INTERIOR: HOTEL BEDROOM - NIGHT
DAVID
and
JENNY
in bed, in a dimly lit bedroom.They are kissing -
DAVID
more passionately than
JENNY
. He is making little whimpers of excitement, and
JENNY
is clearly trying hard to hide her nerves.We’re acutely aware of her age, and of her virginity. Suddenly
DAVID
breaks off.
and
JENNY
in bed, in a dimly lit bedroom.They are kissing -
DAVID
more passionately than
JENNY
. He is making little whimpers of excitement, and
JENNY
is clearly trying hard to hide her nerves.We’re acutely aware of her age, and of her virginity. Suddenly
DAVID
breaks off.
DAVID
Hold on one second. I’ve got something.
Rather absurdly, he disappears into the other room to look for something. He comes back with a banana.
JENNY
stares at him.
JENNY
stares at him.
I thought . . . I thought we might want to practice with this.
He brandishes the banana.
JENNY
shrieks with horror.
JENNY
shrieks with horror.
JENNY
With a banana?
DAVID
I thought we might get the messy bit over with first.
JENNY
David! I don’t want to lose my virginity to a piece of fruit.
DAVID
I’m sorry.
DAVID
attempts to kiss her again.
JENNY
wriggles clear.
attempts to kiss her again.
JENNY
wriggles clear.
JENNY
I think the moment might have gone.
I think we should wait until Paris.
DAVID
I’m an idiot and I’m sorry.
JENNY
doesn’t deny it.
doesn’t deny it.
JENNY
David . . . if tomorrow night does happen, it will only ever happen once.
DAVID
(
alarmed
)
alarmed
)
Why will it only ever happen once?
JENNY
Because the first time can only ever happen once.
DAVID
(
relieved
)
relieved
)
Oh.
JENNY
So, no baby-talk. No Minnie. Just treat me like a grown-up.
DAVID
looks chastened.
looks chastened.
(
brightly
)
brightly
)
I know. Let’s go and sit in our sitting room.
DAVID
(
cheered up
)
cheered up
)
All right! We’ll order up some champagne.
JENNY
looks at him with what might, from one angle, be construed as fondness.
looks at him with what might, from one angle, be construed as fondness.
Juliette Greco on the soundtrack.
DAVID
and
JENNY
take the trip down the Seine past the Eiffel Tower.
DAVID
and
JENNY
take the trip down the Seine past the Eiffel Tower.
They peruse the bookstalls along the river bank.
JENNY
poses with the Seine and Notre Dame behind her.
DAVID
takes her picture. She looks fantastic in the clothes
DAVID
has given her for her birthday.
poses with the Seine and Notre Dame behind her.
DAVID
takes her picture. She looks fantastic in the clothes
DAVID
has given her for her birthday.
A handsome Parisian on a moped rides by and eyes up
JENNY,
to
DAVID’s
annoyance.
to
DAVID’s
annoyance.
DAVID
and
JENNY
dance by the banks of the river. They end up at sunset with wine and a picnic looking out across the Seine.
65and
JENNY
dance by the banks of the river. They end up at sunset with wine and a picnic looking out across the Seine.
EXTERIOR: PARIS HOTEL - DAWN
JENNY
is smoking on the second-floor balcony of a simple, pretty Parisian hotel, wearing a glamorous-looking slip and looking across at the Sacre Coeur.
66is smoking on the second-floor balcony of a simple, pretty Parisian hotel, wearing a glamorous-looking slip and looking across at the Sacre Coeur.
INTERIOR: HOTEL ROOM - DAWN
The bedroom is simple and romantic - everything the airport hotel wasn’t.
DAVID
is lying amid rumpled sheets, smoking what is clearly a post-coital cigarette, and watching
JENNY
from behind.
DAVID
is lying amid rumpled sheets, smoking what is clearly a post-coital cigarette, and watching
JENNY
from behind.
DAVID
Do you still feel like a schoolgirl?
JENNY
turns and steps in, smiles, shakes her head.
turns and steps in, smiles, shakes her head.
It wasn’t too uncomfortable?
JENNY
Not after the . . . first bit. It’s funny, though, isn’t it? All that poetry, and all those songs, about something that lasts no time at all?
DAVID
looks at her. She isn’t being cruel. She just doesn’t know any different. She returns to the view. He smokes ruminatively.
67looks at her. She isn’t being cruel. She just doesn’t know any different. She returns to the view. He smokes ruminatively.
INTERIOR: CLASSROOM - DAY
JENNY’S
English class, including
HATTIE
and
TINA,
file past
MISS STUBBS
at the end of a lesson.
English class, including
HATTIE
and
TINA,
file past
MISS STUBBS
at the end of a lesson.
MISS STUBBS
And your exercise books on my desk in a pile, please.
MISS STUBBS
clearly has something to say to
JENNY
, but is hesitant;
JENNY
wants to talk to her, too, but is equally shy. Eventually
JENNY
produces a bottle of perfume from her school bag.
clearly has something to say to
JENNY
, but is hesitant;
JENNY
wants to talk to her, too, but is equally shy. Eventually
JENNY
produces a bottle of perfume from her school bag.
JENNY
I bought this for you.
She holds it out.
MISS STUBBS
doesn’t take it.
MISS STUBBS
doesn’t take it.
MISS STUBBS
That’s very kind of you, but I can’t accept it.
JENNY
Why not?
MISS STUBBS
(
gently
)
gently
)
It’s because of people like you that I plough through illiterate essays by Sandra Lovell about her pony. But I know where this came from, and if I took it, I’d feel I would be betraying both of us.
JENNY
puts the perfume back in her bag and starts to leave, but stops when
MISS STUBBS
speaks again.
puts the perfume back in her bag and starts to leave, but stops when
MISS STUBBS
speaks again.
You can do anything you want.You know that.You’re clever and you’re pretty . . . Is your boyfriend interested in clever Jenny?
JENNY
(
frustrated
)
frustrated
)
I’m not quite sure what you’re trying to tell me.
MISS STUBBS
I’m telling you to go to Oxford. No matter what. Because if you don’t, you’ll break my heart.
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