ANN [sounding drunk because of the drug's effect] Sooooo happy.
[Joe stops, turning round to look at her. Interrupting, as Joe
almost walks on] How are you this evening? [She stirs on the
bench, luxuriously] Mmmmmmmmm.... hmmmmm.... mmmmmmmmmmm..."
JOE [rushing over to prevent her from falling off] Hey! hey, hey,
hey. [Turning her on her back] Hey, wake up!
ANN. Thank you very much, delighted.
JOE. Wake up.
ANN. No, thank you. [Raising her gloved hand to him] Charmed.
JOE [tentatively, shaking her hand] Charmed too.
ANN [after a pause] You may sit down.
JOE. I think you better sit up; much too young to get picked up
by the police.
ANN [as he straightens her] Police?
JOE. Yep, po-lice.
ANN. Two-fifteen and back here to change. Two forty-five...[she
wavers slightly, not fully awake].
JOE [putting a foot up on the bench] You know: people who can't
handle liquor shouldn't drink it.
ANN [she looks up at him] If I were dead and buried and I heard
your voice beneath the sod my heart of dust would still rejoice.
Do you know that poem?
JOE. Huh, what do you know? [Sitting down] You're well-read,
well-dressed; you're snoozing away in a public street. Would you
care to make a statement?
ANN. What the world needs is a return to sweetness and decency in
the souls of its young men and-[unable to support it, her head
falls on his shoulder] mmmmmhhhhhhhhmmmmm.....
JOE [he takes his money from his breast pocket and puts it into
his trouser one] Yeah, I er, couldn't agree with you more, but
erm-[hears a car approaches and whistles. A taxi pulls up. Joe
gets up, pats her on the shoulder]. Get yourself some coffee;
you'll be alright. [He goes over to the cab, looks back to see
her lying back down. The driver notices too and looks away
innocently when he sees Joe looking at him. Joe goes back over to
Ann, trying to stir her] Look: you take the cab.
ANN [without stirring] Mmmmm. Joe looks back at the driver who
rests his arm against the window, impatiently.
JOE. Come on; [takes her up by the arm] climb in the cab and go
home.
ANN [as she drags herself to her feet, helped by Joe]
Mmmmm...mmmmmm, so happy.
JOE. You got any money?
ANN. Never carry money.
JOE. That's a bad habit.
ANN. Mm.
JOE. Alright, I'll drop you off; come on. [He leads her to the
taxi].
ANN [brightly; noticing it for the first time] It's a taxi!
JOE. Well, it's not the superchief. [He follows her into the
cab].
CAB DRIVER [says something in Italian] Where are we going?
JOE [to Ann] Where do you live?
ANN. Mmmmmm? [Closing her eyes] Colliseum.
JOE. Now, come on, you're not that drunk.
ANN [laughing] If you're so smart I'm not drunk at all. I'm just
being [her head falls against his chest] verrrrry haaaappy......
JOE. Hey, now, don't fall asleep again.
CAB DRIVER [first speaks something in Italian] Where are we- we
going? [Joe says something in Italian, impatiently.] Ok. [Turns
back around].
JOE. Look, now where do you wanna to go? Hmmm? Where shall I take
you? [Holding her jaw, shaking her head; Ann moans in annoyance]
Where do- where do- where do you live? Huh? huh? Come on. Come
on, [lightly slapping her face with his hand] where do you live?
[The driver looks back, unimpressed] Come on, where do you live?!
ANN [mumbling, half-asleep] I....ohhhhh....Colliseum.
JOE [hopelessy; to the cab driver] She lives in the Colliseum.
CAB DRIVER [shakes his head] It's wrong address. Now look, senor:
for me it is very late tonight ... [some Italian] ... wife ...
[more Italian] ... I have three bambinos-three bambinos, you
know, bambino? [he pretends to cry like a small child] My- my
taxi go home, I- I go home er to- together. Senor-.
JOE [giving up, sitting back] Villa Marguta, fifty-one.
CAB DRIVER [pleased, finally] Villa Marguta, fifty-one. [Pleased]
Oh, [some Italian]! The taxi drives off. The cab arrives outside
the address.
CAB DRIVER. Yes, Villa Marguta fifty-one. [some Italian] I am
very happy. [Joe looks grimly at Ann, asleep beside him] Thousand
lira [some Italian]. Joe responds in Italian. He reaches into
his breast pocket then, remembering, his trouser one and gives
the driver the money].
CAB DRIVER. One, two, three, four mila*. [Gives him back some].
JOE. Ok. [Says something in Italian then gives him back the
money. The driver thanks him in Italian]. Ok, ok. Now look: take
a little bit of that;
お願いがあるんだが・・
take her wherever she wants to go. [The
cabbie thinks for a moment, unsure] Hmmm? Capito? Capito. [Some
Italian. The driver nods and they say goodbye to each other. The
driver takes one look at Ann sitting asleep and quickly calls out
to Joe as he leaves].
CAB DRIVER. Oh- no, no; moment, moment, moment! No, no, no [the
cabbie pulls him over by the arm] (JOE. Alright). No, no, no.
JOE [leaning down to the window] Alright, alright; look: as soon
as she wakes up, see? she tell you where she want to go. Ok.
CAB DRIVER. Moment, moment: my taxi not for sleep; my taxi-no
sleep. You understand? you understand?
JOE. Look, look, pal: this is not my problem, see? I never see
her before. Huh? Ok.
CAB DRIVER. It's not your problem, it's not my problem. What you
want: you don't want girl, yeah? Me don't want girl-. Police:
maybe she want girl.
JOE [he relents] Stay calmo, stay calmo, ok, ok, ok. [some
Italian, reassuring him as he opens the cab door and drags Ann
out].
Joe walks up the steps, followed by Ann, head down barely able
to keep awake. He arrives at the front door. As he stops, leaning
forward to open it, Ann rests her head on his shoulder. Before
going through he straightens causing her to stand up, balancing
herself, and then goes through; Ann follows. He shuts the door
behind her, taking her by the hand up the steps. Without thinking
she walks around the outside of the small spiral stairwell
instead of following him up so Joe turns her around with his
hand, leaning over the railing from above (ANN [blissfully
unaware as he leads her around] So happy.), and leads her back
around to the bottom of the steps (ANN. So happy.) and up the
right way. She staggers up steps after him, stopping by a door
as Joe goes to unlock his one a few steps up. In her stupor, she
raises her hand and is about to knock on the neighbour's door
when Joe sees her, running over to catch her hand just in time.
He leads her to the door and unlocks it. He goes in and turns on
the light.
