www.able.co.nz Able 2022 JAUNTY STRING MUSIC PLAYS Rob, you're standing on my feet. I'm not standing on your feet, you're standing on my feet. Huh. You've done an incredible job, Jo. SHE LAUGHS WEAKLY People are staring at us. I bet you love that. Sash can't move like this. I like the way you move. Are you really as awful as you seem? HE LAUGHS You have the best dreams, Jo. Mum, I was thinking, maybe I could come back home. To live. Really? Really? Are you? I would be so happy. MUSIC CONTINUES Finn? Rob? SHE PANTS No, don't. Promise you'll never leave me. Rob, please don't do this. SHE GASPS MACHINE WHIRRS MACHINE BEEPS Rob. Why? MECHANICAL NOISES CONTINUE But why are we back here? People don't just collapse for no reason, do they? Well, none of the tests are telling us anything we don't already know. Which is actually good news. How can that be good news, for Christ's sake?! Have you been allowing yourself to get stressed? Because if you...have, that's probably why you fainted. I think, Jo, you need to avoid stressful situations and give yourself the time and space you need to recover. I'm going to suggest we keep you in under observation. A couple more nights. Rob... Will you get me a nightgown from home, please? I can't spend another night with polyester on. Yeah. Is there anything else you need? Maybe some clothes for the morning, and a wash bag, please. I'm sorry if I was a bit over the top. Somebody's got to stick up for you with these doctors. I'll see you later. Mrs Harding, can I come in? Just a minute. I am so sorry, I have to go. This really isn't a good idea. So you can't stop me? That's right, isn't it? You can't stop me. Ha! SHE GASPS ALTER EGO: Trust your instincts, Jo. That's the only way you'll find out what happened. Hello? This is Jo. I really like to talk to you, and I need a place to stay tonight. Can you please call me back? Thank you. Trust your instincts. SUBDUED MUSIC DOORBELL RINGS DOOR OPENS TENSE TONE Jo. You better come in. I don't remember much from last year, but you feel very familiar. Like you've been in my house. That's not true. I mean, like... ..he brought you in with him. Like shit on his shoe. No. Like a shadow following him. What are you doing here, Jo? PHONE RINGS You're pregnant, aren't you? Did you both plan it so you could be a family? Well, if we did, it's not working out very well for me, is it? He's not here, Jo! He's with you. But he's also still seeing you, isn't he? He's working out what he wants, yeah. Mm. I think he pushed me down the stairs. I don't know what was going on in his mind at the time, but I found out about all this, and I believe that he did it. Right. All this from the woman who believes that she went on holiday to a house that isn't there any more, who locks herself in a room with an imaginary friend. Come on, Jo. Yes, I've seen him a bit stressed, the odd staple has taken one for the team, but are you really suggesting that he pushed his wife of 30 years down the stairs? The woman that he loved? That he... That he still loves? It's just not real, Jo. SHE SIGHS SHE SOBS PHONE RINGS Thank you for coming in, Mrs Harding. Your father went walkabout last night and he had a fall. Kwame found him on the floor of the day room. Oh, my God! He was obviously upset, but... Dad. Look at you. I want to go up in the firework. You look like you've been in a war. HE CHUCKLES I... OK. Hm. HE IMITATES CRASHING WAVES HE IMITATES WAVES Please. HE STRAINS It's just not a good idea, Mrs Harding. I'll have him back by dinner. THEY CHEER AND LAUGH OK. OK! SHE SPEAKS DANISH I know you still miss her. I don't want a bench when I go. I don't want people sitting on me. PHONE RINGS OK, Dad. Turn that thing off, please. Dad. Rob is having an affair. And... ..I'm scared of him, Dad. I'm scared to go home. SHE SNIFFS It's difficult for him. He's married to someone who is better than he is. What? But that's not... And that's not even an excuse! Don't... Don't shut me down. It's not an excuse. It is difficult! It's... It's difficult when you are with someone who... ..can never be happy with you. We have that in common, me and, er... Oh. Rob. Rob, yeah. PHONE CHIMES I want an ice cream. A proper one. Not the bloody shit I get in Alcatraz. Right. You want ice cream and I want to shoot something. Let's go. BELL RINGS/MUSIC PLAYS Ay... Wahey! MUSIC FADES I'm shedding my skin. Jo? Hey. Hey, Jo, what's going on? SHE CRIES It's Rob. I can't stay with him any longer. SHE SOBS Oh! HE LAUGHS You like me. Right? You like me? I have a condom. I have a condom. No. Jo, no. Come on, I know you want to fuck me. What the fuck, Jo?! This isn't... This isn't what's been going on here! BELL RINGS/MUSIC PLAYS PHONE RINGS HE CHUCKLES It's... It's just I'm waiting for someone to return my call. ALTER EGO: And then what? We're on our way. I think I'm going to... ALTER EGO: Run away? SHE SIGHS I don't know what I'm going to do. PHONE RINGS Jo? Jo! I need.... Yeah. Toilet. Toilet. Do you want me to help you? Where are we? We're in the toilet. I can't see. Dad, I'm just here. Do you want me to close the door? Where's Kwame? I need Kwame. We're not at the nursing home, Dad. Kwame's not here. I can help. I'll take this. I'm just going to... OK. No, no, no, no. What are you doing?! I'm just... Get away! Dad, I'm just trying to help. Get the hell away from me! SHE GASPS You nearly killed her. What? SHE PANTS Who? Mum. You nearly killed her. HE SOBS Why so sad? She'll come in a moment, won't she? Right, Fred. That's enough excitement for one day. Thanks. PENSIVE MUSIC SHE SOBS It was only once. SHE CRIES Once is too often. PHONE RINGS Hello. Thanks for getting back to me. Yes, I need somewhere to stay, but I've got to sort some things out first. Thank you. Sash. Yes. I'm sorry. Can you guys come by the house tonight? Yes, thanks. Finn. Just...do it for me, please. Thank you. All right. Rob. Rob, calm down. I'm coming home. PENSIVE MUSIC SWELLS SUBDUED MUSIC Where have you been? What have you been doing? I've been very busy, Rob, putting things together. Hi, Mum. My baby. Mum! Hey. Hey. I was really scared. Sash, there are things I want to say. I need to say. OK. Ah, the prodigal mum. Shall we, erm...? OK. Not just to you, to all of you. You understand? I'm just going to go upstairs and freshen up. OK. Do you want me to stay with you? No, I'll be very quick. OK. I'll be right down. OK. OK. SHE BREATHES DEEPLY It's been difficult. I haven't wanted to worry you, OK? But your mum's really... Well, it's not good. Well, what do you mean? She's been... ..imagining things. You know, things that are not real. FOOTSTEPS APPROACH So... There, erm... There are some things that you need to know. OK. ALTER EGO: Keep calm. Don't let the engine overheat. Mum, are you OK? When you've been married for a long time, you get these periods where you plateau and where you just... ..get annoyed and distant with each other, and... Jo, I think you should drink some water. I think you're dehydrated. ..you forget to...to find out, you know, what's going on, what's really going on in the other person's life. Jo. And then... Jo. ..you come out of it and everything goes back to normal. It's like you've watered a dying plant just in time, but... But... ..this particular plant. For this particular plant, it's too late. This plant is fucked. Excellent. Sorry. Mum... ..what are you saying? I'm leaving your father. What? So sorry, kids. Dad. Dad. And also... Jo. I think it's been a really long day and I think we should leave it. No. They need to know... ..about Anna. Jo. Kids, do you mind? He's been seeing someone. What? Another woman. Erm... OK, Mum, listen... This sounds, just... Please. You don't believe me. Well... It's... You don't believe me! Come on. Jo, come on. Well, she was leaving you the night of her accident, so... ..probably is true, isn't it? What do you mean? How do you know? I wasn't allowed to say anything! Your father's been having an affair with a woman from work. Jesus, Jo, it's over. SHE SCOFFS She's having your baby! She's pregnant. The woman - Anna's her name - she's pregnant. You're having a baby?! Dad? Dad! Dad... Dad! What the fuck?! I just don't understand, Rob. What were you going to do if I remembered? Well... You're just going to walk away? Mum! I'm so sorry, kids. I am. We're awful. I'm just going to speak to your father. PENSIVE MUSIC LIGHTER SPARKS So, are we going to finish this? I didn't recognise you last year. You were cold, you were distant and you abandoned me. Don't you dare. Don't blame me for your fucking wandering dick. Last year was horrible for me. My baby left home. I started menopause. All the old ghosts started to come back, but I didn't go there this time. I got sad... ...and then I blossomed while you... You got your lover pregnant! Is that why you pushed me down the stairs? To get rid of me? You're insane. I heard you. "Oh, she imagines things that aren't true." But you've lied to me over and over since the night I landed at the bottom of those stairs. I can't prove it. But I know it. I know you did it. When? When did I ever hurt you? In all these years that we've been married, when did I ever do that? The truth is, Jo, you do imagine things. You don't know what's real and what isn't. I fucked up. I had sex with another person. I'm the bad guy. But please don't say that. Jo, please don't say that. Please! Please. SOMBRE MUSIC - You fly for an overnighter. - WOMAN: You know what? It'll be in that side pocket. - MAN: I'm sure it is. Let me check. - Nappy bag pocket. Inside. Oh, that zippy pocket thing. - Oh, there it is. - Everyone has a reason for flying, and our reason is you. Finn. Sash? SHE SIGHS Fuck! Rob? I know you're home! Shit fuck! Are you OK? Tickety-fucking-boo! Where are they? I told them we need to talk. You got rid of them because you don't want me to tell them what you did to me. HE SIGHS Well, a rational person wouldn't have brought them here in the first place, would they, if I'm so dangerous? But you're not particularly rational at the moment, are you? Jo... Jo, I don't want you to leave. Jo, please. Goodbye, Rob. Jo. Jo, you're right... Jo, we had an argument that night. We had a terrible argument. Tickety-fucking-boo! Are you drunk? I wonder why that is. It's because of this, and this. No, this! Are you going say something? Have you any idea what it's been like living with you for the last year? It's been a fucking nightmare! I told you to get the fuck out of my house. Get out of my fucking house! I said I wasn't going anywhere. And we both said some awful things. You didn't think to use a condom?! Well, sometimes we got carried away and I was straight in there because I didn't have to wait for her to get fucking wet! I wanted a second chance and you laughed and you said, "Fine, if you're not going to leave, then I'll go," that you'd put the house on the market and give me the commission because God knows I...I needed the business. Jo... Jo, we can get through this. I screwed up things with my boss because of you. My work! I loved my job! I loved it more than... Me! You wanted a photograph of the children. That one. Oh, yeah, go on! Take the photograph of our sweet little kids, the ones you fucking walked out on. I was grieving! You were being selfish. You reached for it. You lost your balance and you slipped. SHE SCREAMS SHE SIGHS You caught me. I don't understand. Why say you weren't there? Why not just tell me I slipped? Jo, I couldn't hold on to you. You slipped through my hands and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I've messed everything up, but I was scared. You know, who's going to believe that I didn't push you? But you woke up in hospital and you couldn't remember any of it. And I had a second chance. You lied to me. You lied to me all these weeks. You didn't tell me my marriage was over. Jo? Jo, I tried to save you. No. You pinned things on my timeline. You tried to woo me with it. You arsehole! I love you. I've always loved you. We can work through this. No, we can't. Jo... I tried to save you. ALTER EGO: Bullshit. We can work it out. It's not going to be easy, but we can... ALTER EGO: It's bullshit. He tried to save you?! Jo, I love you. ALTER EGO: It's bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, bullshit... SHE SCREAMS Jo. Think straight! ALTER EGO: You know what happens when things get buried? I mean, come on. Your father used a fucking fairy tale to excuse his behaviour. I'm sorry. Oh! SHE SCREAMS Oh, God, I'm so sorry. This is my fault. This is all my fault. This is my fault. I was grieving! You were being selfish! Lose a baby, get another one! You know what, if you're having a boy, you should call him Lucas! SHE SCREAMS SOFT PIANO MUSIC You let me go. You let go of me. Jo, I did a bad thing. I did a really bad thing, but I'm not a bad person. Bad things, Rob. How many bad things do you have to do before it makes you a bad person? SOFT PIANO MUSIC CONTINUES SHE SIGHS SUBDUED MUSIC You OK? Yeah. Ow! Sorry. Just checking. SUBDUED MUSIC CONTINUES Hello? Hello? Mum? Mum? Are you OK? You all right? SOMBRE MUSIC BUILDS Tak. GENTLE MUSIC WAVES CRASH CREATURES CALL I know you're not real. I fucking hate mermaids. PENSIVE MUSIC PENSIVE MUSIC SWELLS Subtitles by Red Bee Media Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.