HONEY # 7

…continuing on from HONEY # 6

161 INT. DINING ROOM. DAY

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto continues over HONEY looking closely at
one particular photo in Helen’s album. We do not see it. She thinks
for a moment, picks up the photo album she had looked at earlier,
flicks through it until she finds a particular photo. She looks at it
for a moment:

Jasper smiling at the camera, a violin tucked into her neck, bow in
her right hand, a small kid’s orchestra behind her.

HONEY thinks for a moment, stands and walks out of the room.

162 DANIEL AND HELEN’S BEDROOM. DAY

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto continues over HONEY walking into the
room, looking around.

163 INT. CAR. DAY

Music continues over DANIEL sitting in the passenger seat alongside
JASMIN, driving. He does not look happy. JASMIN holds out her hand.
DANIEL takes it, tries to smile.

164 INT. HELEN’S CAR. DAY

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto continues over HELEN driving into the
street where she, Daniel and Jasper live.

165 DANIEL AND HELEN’S BEDROOM. DAY

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto continues over HONEY opening and closing
drawers, cupboard doors – looking for something.

166 INT. KITCHEN. DAY

Music continues over as HELEN walks into the kitchen. She notices
Honey’s journal on the table, hesitates a moment, moves to open it,
decides not to, walks into the dining room.

167 INT. DINING ROOM. DAY

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto continues over. Helen sees her open
photo albums, walks to the white leather couch, closes them, replaces
them in the pile of albums, making sure that the pile is neat, tidy.
Symmetrical!

HELEN (calls out)
Honey!

168 DANIEL AND HELEN’S BEDROOM. DAY

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto continues over HONEY opening the door to
Helen’s walk-in closet. The battered old red suitcase is in view but
Honey pays no attention to it.

169 INT/EXT GRANNY FLAT. DAY

Music continues over HELEN walking towards the door to the granny flat.

HELEN (calls out)
Honey!

On seeing no sign of Honey in the flat, HELEN takes out her mobile
phone, enters a number.

170 EXT. FLORIST. DAY

Music continues over DANIEL carrying a large bunch of red roses. His
mobile rings. He takes it out, looks at the screen, decides not to
take the call, walks up to the passenger door of JASMIN’S car.

The Violin Concerto finishes.

171 DANIEL AND HELEN’S BEDROOM. DAY

HONEY picks up the photo of Daniel, Helen and Jasper with the broken
glass. HONEY seems not to hear the sound of the back door opening and
closing.

172 INT.HALLWAY. DAY

HELEN moves to walk upstairs but stops – her attention caught by
Honey’s journal resting on the kitchen table.

173 INT. KITCHEN. DAY

HELEN walks into the kitchen, picks up the vial of pills alongside
Honey’s journal, reads the label.

174 DANIEL AND HELEN’S BEDROOM. DAY

HONEY looks at the photo of Daniel, Helen and Jasper. Her attention is
caught by the sound of a chair scraping on the floor downstairs.

175 INT. KITCHEN. DAY

HELEN sits, pulls Honey’s journal towards her, opens it.

176 INT. STAIRWAY/HALL. DAY

HONEY creeps down the stairs slowly, quietly. At a point where she can
see into the kitchen she stops. She can see HELEN’S back as she leans
over looking at Honey’s journal. HONEY watches her for a long moment.
HELEN turns a page. HONEY creeps to the back door, opens it quietly,
walks out, closes the door gently behind her.

177 EXT. BACK YARD. DAY

HONEY climbs over the fence into the neighbor’s back yard, drops into
a flowery garden.

178 INT. KITCHEN. DAY

HELEN turns another page of Honey’s journal. The sound of the front
door bell. HELEN closes the journal, returns it to the position she
found it in, walks out.

179 EXT/INT. FRONT DOOR. DAY

HELEN opens the front door to find HONEY standing there, smiling, a
big bunch of flowers in her hand.

HONEY
Went for a walk.

HONEY hands the bunch of flowers to HELEN.

HELEN (laughs)
Thank you Honey.

180 INT. KITCHEN. DAY

HONEY and HELEN sit at the kitchen table drinking coffee. HELEN holds
Honey’s vial of pills, looks at HONEY.

HONEY (evasive)
I get bad headaches. (A BEAT) I was looking at your photo albums before. And…

HELEN
That’s OK. That’s what they’re for – to be looked at. HONEY Can I ask
you something?

HELEN  (laughs)
You’re as bad as Jasper. Questions, questions, questions…

HONEY
You can look at my journal if you want.

HELEN nods, thinks for a moment.

HELEN
I was looking at it before you arrived with…

HELEN points at the flowers in the vase on the table.

HELEN
I hope you don’t mind!

HONEY laughs, shakes her head.

HONEY
Find anything interesting?

HELEN  (smiles)
Yes.

HELEN pulls the journal towards her, opens it, flicks through a few
pages to the one that has the photo of the mum, dad and smiling
daughter seen earlier (scene 115).

HELEN
That’s not you is it?

HONEY shakes her head.

HELEN
Who… (are they)?

HONEY
I don’t know. I just found it, and…

HELEN nods, flips it over. On the other side is written:

MUM AND ME AND OUR HONEY BEE.

HELEN
 “Mum and me and our Honey Bee?”

HELEN looks at HONEY quizzically. HONEY looks away.

HELEN
Why have you stuck it in your journal?

HONEY (shrugs)
No reason.

HELEN nods, flips the page, looks at the burnt photo of Honey and her mother.

HELEN
Is this you and your mum?

HONEY nods nervously. She both wants to and dreads talking about her mother.

HELEN
How old were you when your mum died?

HONEY shrugs, looks away.

HELEN
You’re one big question mark aren’t you?

HONEY
If you were a shrink, your next question would be, “Why do you think
that is, Honey?”

HELEN (laughs)
“Why do you think that is, Honey?”

HONEY
You heard the joke about insanity is hereditary?

HELEN shakes her head.

HONEY
You get it from your kids?

HELEN laughs. HONEY’S smile is forced.

HONEY
You ever feel…kind of empty?

HELEN stares at HONEY, a little shocked by the question.

HONEY
Sorry…

HELEN gestures with her hands: “It’s OK.”

HONEY
As if there is something missing?

HELEN is not sure she wants to have this conversation.

HELEN
Something?

HONEY
In here?

HONEY puts her hand on her heart.

HONEY
Like you want to be filled up with…!

HELEN
With what?

HONEY
I don’t know, but…(A BEAT) I want to be filled up with it!

HELEN (nods)
What is it? That missing ‘something’?

HONEY
Was hoping you’d be able to tell me, eh!

HELEN laughs, shrugs, holds up her hands: “Beats me!”

HONEY
But you’ve got Daniel, Jasper…

HELEN
Yes, and I love them both to death but…

HONEY
But?

HELEN
But, every since I was a girl I’ve had this nagging feeling  that…that
there is…

HELEN can’t find the word.

HONEY
Something to make your soul sing?

HELEN (laughs)
Yes. Something to make your soul sing. Where did you hear that? It’s perfect.

HONEY
It’s from one of my poems…

HELEN
No way!

HONEY smiles, nods, flips through pages as she recites.

HONEY
 “Something to make my soul sing; With love for nearly everything;
Except for roaches, ants and flies; And biting insects in the skies.”

HONEY has arrived at the page on which the poem is written, surrounded
by caricature drawings of roaches, ants and flies. HELEN is amazed.

HELEN (laughs)
Yes, a world without roaches…and things that sting…

HELEN disappears inside herself for a moment, turns and looks at HONEY
– who looks directly into her eyes.

HONEY
I miss my mum too. Heaps.

HELEN’S eyes fill with tears. HONEY takes her hand, entwines her
fingers with HELEN’S. Tears stream down HELEN’S cheeks.

181 INT. DANIEL’S STUDIO ‘LOFT’. LATE AFTERNOON

Seen through the ‘curtains’ in Daniel’s loft:

JASMIN moves to music in the studio below – Tim Buckley’s ‘Sweet
Surrender’ as DANIEL, sits at his computer, touching up the photo of
Jasmin from his exhibition with ‘Photoshop’. JASMIN turns the music up
louder, smiles at DANIEL.

CLOSE UP ON JASPER, looking down, her eyes wide.  Her POV:

JASMIN sits beside DANIEL, leans close, talks animatedly. What she
says cannot be heard above the music.

TIM BUCKLEY (sings)
“Just too hard, just too hard to surrender to love.

JASMIN looks into DANIEL’S eyes then kisses him on the lips.

In a wider shot it becomes apparent that JASPER, dressed in her school
uniform, has long hair. This is a flashback.

JASPER observes the scene unfolding below her for a moment before
returning to the futon, lying down on it and staring at the ceiling.

JASPER (voice off)
…so I had to pretend that I wasn’t there and then dad asked me why I
didn’t come around after school like I said I would…

182 JASPER’S BEDROOM. NIGHT

JASPER (short hair, the flashback has finished) and HONEY sit propped
up in bed together - Jasper’s illustrated bible stories book open in
front of them.

JASPER
…and I had to tell him I was at Claire’s… Claire’s my best friend…was
my best friend…but mum spoke to Clair’s mum and she said I hadn’t been
there and…oh, lying is so difficult!

HONEY
Sometimes its best not to tell the truth.

JASPER
But you get into so much trouble too, lying. Life is really very
complicated, isn’t it?

HONEY laughs, hugs JASPER.

JASPER
Is kissing someone the same as having sex with them?

HONEY shakes her head.

HONEY
I’ve got a question for you.

JASPER
A trick question?

HONEY
No, about a photo I saw in your mum’s albums.

JASPER stares at HONEY, wide eyed; nods.

183 INT. DANIEL AND HELEN’S BEDROOM

DANIEL and HELEN lie in each other’s arms.

DANIEL
Would you admit to taking anti-psychotic medication?

HELEN
There’s something I have been meaning to tell you, darling.

DANIEL laughs. HELEN smiles, cuddles close.

184 JASPER’S BEDROOM. DAY

HELEN, in a dressing gown, stands in the doorway looking at:

HONEY and JASPER lying asleep together in Jasper’s bed.

DANIEL, a towel around his waist, walks up, puts his arms around
HELEN’S waist, looks at JASPER and HONEY, smiles, rests his head on
her shoulder. HELEN smiles, kisses DANIEL’S cheek.

...to be continued...