Complete Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald (Illustrated) (499 page)

Koster
: Always. (
pause
) The whole thing is a racket — mother nature’s favorite racket. (
points out the window
) It’s like that plum tree — making itself more beautiful than it ever will be again. Love is a swindle — it couldn’t be put over on the square.

Bobby
: Do people in love always make fools of themselves?

Koster
: A man can’t make a fool of himself in a woman’s eyes by anything he does for her sake. Do anything you like — turn cartwheels for her, dress up like Santa Claus, write her a poem in Chinese, pass out on her doorstep — only one thing to avoid —

Lent
(
his voice only
): Don’t — ever — make — sense.

They jump, and the CAMERA MOVES to show Lenz looking in a window.

Bobby
(
to Lenz
): Did you ever take a girl out and get drunk?

Lenz
: Often. (
looks knowingly at Bobby
) Did you act very cute last night? Well, don’t apologize. Send flowers. Only flowers. They cover up everything. (
with his usual touch of cynicism
) Even graves.

DISSOLVE TO:

76 A STREET — BOBBY

standing beside “Heinrich”, looking covetously over a wall at a lilac tree — then stealthily helping himself.

DISSOLVE TO:

77
THE LILAC BRANCH

held in Pat’s arm as they roll along the streets of the city. Evening. The lights shining.

Pat
(
dreamily
): Wonderful air. It smells of spring.

Bobby
: We can go out into the country. (
Pat shivers
) Are you cold? (
she turns up her collar and tucks her hands in her coat pockets
) Your dress is too light.

Pat
(
shakes her head
): I don’t like heavy things. It’ll be nice when it’s really warm this Summer. (
he spreads a robe over her lap
) Cold makes you miserable.

Bobby
(
solicitously
): Would it make you warm to drive?

Pat
: I don’t know how.

Bobby
(
surprised
): You can’t drive?

Pat
(
shakes her head
): And once we had three cars.

Bobby
(
looking straight ahead
): Herr Breuer might have taught you.

Pat
: He likes girls to be helpless.

Bobby
(
critical
): He would.

Pat
(
dreaming
): If I had a car, I’d drive about the streets every evening — half awake, half dreaming. Then one wouldn’t need anyone else.

Bobby
(
thoughtful
): You do need someone — in the evening.

Pat
: Yes. It’s odd — when it turns dark you need someone.

Bobby
(
moved
): Let me teach you to drive.

DISSOLVE TO:

78 THE COUNTRYSIDE —

 —
white with moonlight. The engine off. The shrilling of frogs.

Bobby
(
practical
): — Now, we’ll start from the beginning again. First the ignition — a sort of spark —

Pat
(
with meaning
): Everything starts with a spark.

(
she starts the car running
)

Bobby
(
indicating the directions
): Remember — first speed — second speed — third speed. She goes into first speed. The car moves.

Pat
(
frightened
):
Heavens!
It’s actually going!

Bobby
: First speed is the strongest.

Pat
: And the safest?

Bobby
: Not always. Now, second speed. (
a screech as he leans forward; his arm has gone around her
) No, always the clutch.

Pat
(
laughing as his arm presses her
): Always the clutch — for all speed.

Bobby
: Now third — the fastest.

The car slows up.

Pat
(
appalled
): What have I done?

Bobby
: It’s in neutral.

Pat
: How uninteresting. (
with meaning
) I don’t like neutral.

Bobby
(
getting it
): Neither do I. (
he leans toward her but at that moment, before the car quite stops, she gets it in third and they go forward. He cautions her
) Not too fast.

Pat
: What happens if you’re caught?

Bobby
: No license. You’d go to jail.

Pat
(
laughing
): The woman pays. Even in a car.

Bobby
(
sentimental
): But even in a car — there’s always some place where it’s light and warm.

CUT TO:

79
CLOSE SHOT. THE LITTLE AREA AROUND THE DASHBOARD.

Their hands just touching.

DISSOLVE TO:

80 THEIR HANDS OVER A TABLE —
 — in Alfons’ Cafe, later in the night. Another gay night, with music and a friendly crowd at the tables. Alfons behind the bar and superintending supper.

Bobby
(
romancing
): — then I batted around the world on freighters — especially South America.

Pat
: I’ve always wanted to go to South America.

Bobby
(
thinking hard
): Well, there’s Rio de Janiero — and Buenos Aires.

Pat
(
expectantly
): Yes?

Bobby
(
inventing
): You roll down to Rio. It’s wonderful. Then — then you roll down to Buenos Aires. They have monkeys — no, they have coffee. Monkeys and coffee.

Pat
(
mock serious
): All rolling around, I suppose. Did you stay there long?

Bobby
: Oh yes — years. Mostly in Rio de Jan —

Pat
(
interrupting
): I know — and Buenos Aires. I mean, did you go up the Amazon?

Bobby
: There weren’t any Amazons. There was mostly coffee —

Pat
: And monkeys.

Bobby
(
fascinated with himself
): Yes. Monkeys and coffee. A big harbor and the cities white and high above it, and crocodiles and jaguars and orchids growing in the darkness — (
he stops, suddenly ashamed of his romantics. The radio is playing
) That’s a new American tune… it’s called “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Baby.”

Pat
: It’s sort of sad. Tell me more about South America.

Bobby
: Well —

(
he takes out Koster’s picture of the Senorita which he has purloined from the frame in the garage, and hands it across the table; then suddenly he looks up to see Koster and Lenz standing beside them.
)

Koster
: I’d like to hear about South America, too.

Lenz
: At last we know where he is every evening. Hello, Pat.

Koster
: Has Bobby told you how he took us with him to South America?

Bobby
(
very flustered
): No, I —

Koster
(
seeing the picture
): Great Snakes! A live Senorita! What do you think of her, Gottfried?

Lenz
(
examining it
): Not bad — her chassis is sprung. Is this the one who sued you for breach of promise, Bobby?

Bobby
: Now look here —

Koster
: No, that’s the one he married. Does she know you’re out tonight, Bobby?

Pat, amused, looks fondly at Bobby. Alfons comes up.

Alfons
: A round of cocktails on the house — The Three Comrades — always together.

Pat
: I’m afraid I’m — extra.

Koster
: No, you’re not. We welcome you. One and all, we approve of you.

Alfons
: And what will you have in honor of this? Some pork chops?

Pat
: Divine.

Alfons
: Waiter, the chops! (
to the group
) A wonderful pig — took two firsts.

The waiter sets down a tray of drinks and shows a dish of raw chops.

Koster
(
gloating
): Very promising.

Alfons
(
raising his glass
): Pros’t! To the new recruit — now an old soldier.

Smiling, Pat drinks with the Three Comrades.

DISSOLVE TO:

81 INTERIOR ALFONS’ CAFE

 — several hours later. Alfons is closing up. Pat and the Three Comrades are moving toward the door. False dawn has come up outside, making a blue oblong of the door; through which we see a procession of horse-drawn wagons and dog carts passing. The drivers are chanting a folk song:

“In Einem Kuhlen Grunde”

Bobby, Lenz and Pat
: Goodnight, Alfons.

Koster
: Good morning, rather. Those are the carts coming into market.

Lenz
: Come on — we’ll go to the market and buy all the flowers inthe world.

They run for the nearest wagon, one simply overflowing with piles of cut flowers. Koster and Lenz swing themselves up front with a good-natured peasant.

Koster
: Ten marks for a ride in your caravan.

Bobby and Pat get in the rear of the wagon and lie back luxuriantly against the flowers. The tail-board is just high enough to hide them. Lenz, in front, throws a handful of flowers, which arches over the high heap and falls on them.

Bobby
: You don’t really love me, do you?

Pat
(
shaking her head
): No. Do you love me?

Bobby
: No. Lucky, isn’t it?

Pat
: Very.

Bobby
: Then nothing can hurt us.

Pat
: Nothing.

Bobby
: (
puts his arm around her with a passion that belies his words
): But you’d better not get lost in here, because I’d never be able to pick you out from the other flowers.

His arm around her — she lies closely to him.

Pat
: I’m not this kind of flower. I’m afraid the hothouse variety. (
she picks up a blossom and addresses it rather sadly
) I’d love to be like you, my dear.

Bobby
(
holding her close to him; passionately
): Oh you are — you are!

They lean far back into the flowers as the song rises to a climax and stops. Then silence, broken only by the sound of the horse’s hoofs through the half-darkness.

FADE OUT ON “ACT ONE”

(
About the first third of the story
)

82 FADE IN ON:

AN EXECUTIVE’S OFFICE —
 — modern but not lavish. A map of the city is spread on the desk, and Herr Breuer is marking off with a crayon a district as big as several wards. Beside him stands a tough, brutal looking young man in semi-military garb.

Breuer
: — From now on, then, I will be the unofficial mayor of this district. Is that clear?

The Lieutenant
: Yes, mein Herr.

Breuer
: Anything of importance must be brought immediately to my attention.

The Lieutenant
: I understand, mein Herr. From now on the district will be run from this office — by and for our organization.

Breuer
: And for Germany.

The Lieutenant
(
carelessly
): Oh yes, and for Germany.

A secretary appears in the doorway.

The Secretary
: I have Fraulein Hollmann on the phone, Herr Breuer.

The Lieutenant salutes and departs. Breuer picks up his phone.

Breuer
: Hello, Pat. You’ve been hard to find this week… No, you can explain later…

(
he stops smiling
) Can I see you tonight?… Then I shall be at the opera myself. Afterwards you and your friend will be my guests for supper.

(
he hangs up, frowning
)

CUT TO:

83 BREUER’S FACE

 — above a white tie he is adjusting in the mirror. A butler is snapping a buckle on his smooth vest.