A woman takes a selfie on a tram. A phone rings – it’s not hers. Elsewhere on the tram Sandra watches her phone ring – caller id says “Mum”. She lets it go to messagebank.
Sandra sees Karen – sees her wipe away a tear. Sandra considers, then approaches: “Are you ok?” No. Karen has just been at her Aunt Kay’s funeral. Her mother’s sister’s funeral. Her closeted, lesbian, aunt’s funeral. Karen gives a soliloquy about her aunt, our mortality, and a rage against a life and death in the closet. Still and moving images counterpoint Karen’s credo: images of the priest, a coffin, Karen looking at her mother, her mother looking at her then her mother turning away, images of a shared life, Kay’s ‘longtime companion’, a leather fag Mike balling his eyes out, of our busy lives hurrying towards death.
At a Café Sandra and Karen sit together in a comfortable silence. Café sounds, snatches of dialogue, the world around them tries but fails to penetrate. At a table nearby a couple enraptured in a kiss. Sandra calls it. They know each other sexually but do they want more? They smile to each other: a connection.
***************
AFTERNOON. A tram travels along Victoria Parade.
INSIDE. A Middle Aged Woman sits with her back to us. The Woman takes photos of the world outside. We see what she is photographing when she looks at the image. The Woman takes a selfie – checks it – we see her face. Against this background we hear the following conversation.
GUY: (Out of shot) Last night I dreamt you were having a three-some with two other girls.
GIRL: (Out of shot) Oh yeah. Were they hot?
GUY: (Out of shot) Yeah of course they were hot – except one was my sister.
The Woman deletes the selfie – takes another one.
A mobile phone rings. The Woman checks her phone – it’s not ringing.
In another part of the tram Sandra is looking at her phone ringing – caller id says “Mum”. She lets it ring out. The phone beeps to alert her that there is a voice message. Sandra looks up and sees Karen across the tram. Karen is lost in her own thoughts. Her eyes are red from crying. She brushes away a tear. Sandra continues looking, concerned. Karen turns, maybe she felt someone was looking at her, she sees Sandra. A half smile of recognition. Sandra warmly smiles back. A beat. She approaches Karen.
SANDRA: Karen?
KAREN: Hi.
SANDRA: Are you ok?
KAREN: Not really.
SANDRA: Oh.
Sandra waits, unsure if she should ask more. Karen would like to talk.
KAREN: I was at my aunt’s funeral.
SANDRA: I’m so sorry.
They remain silent. What to say?
KAREN: Her name was Kay. After I came out I had to leave home. Aunt Kay called me. She said we should talk. She said she understood. I never called her.
Sandra takes this in.
KAREN: She was my mum’s sister.
CAROL (Karen’s mum) looks point blank at the camera.
KAREN: (Voice over) Aunt Kay was a big ‘ol dike but we never talked about it. My mum…
Carol nods.
KAREN: (Voice over) …probably blamed Aunt Kay that I’m a lesbian.
Karen looks straight to camera – nods like she is acknowledging us.
A SERIES OF SHOTS of a funeral scene: priest, grave, casket, mourners.
PRIEST: (Voice over) Let us commend Kay to the mercy of God.
KAREN: (Voice over) She wore the uniform: short hair, large t-shirts with daggy logo and cargo shorts…
PRIEST: (Voice over) (Overlapping) Matthew 26:41 speaks to us…
KAREN: (Voice over) …she gave great big hugs…
PRIEST: (Voice over) …Watch and pray…
KAREN: (Voice over) …and fed me an endless supply of chocolate teddy bear biscuits.
PRIEST: (Voice over) (Overlapping)…that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
KAREN: (Voice over) She lived with Pam.
PRIEST: (Voice over) (Overlapping) Romans 8:5-7 implores for they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh;
KAREN: (Voice over) It was always Pam and Kay – at Christmas, at birthdays – Pam was Kay’s “friend”.
A SERIES OF SHOTS of a shared life.
PRIEST: (Voice over) But they that are after the Spirit are of the Spirit.
KAREN: (Voice over) Everyone was always polite…so polite to never mention that Pam and Kay were a couple of old dikes.
PRIEST: (Voice over) For to be carnally minded is death;
KAREN: (Voice over) Some old guy gave the eulogy – called Pam, Kay’s “longtime companion” – so 80’s. Say it. Just fucking say it. Pam was her partner. Her wife.
PRIEST: (Voice over) …but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
KAREN: (Voice over) Everyone knows. No-one cares now. Not even the religious fucker committing her soul to heaven or hell or wherever.
A SERIES OF SHOTS of the funeral scene.
PRIEST: (Voice over) Because the carnal mind is enmity against God.
KAREN: (Voice over) What the fuck? Did my mother choose these passages?
PRIEST: (Voice over) For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
KAREN: (Voice over) Pam didn’t say anything.
PRIEST: (Voice over) Let us pray. Our Father who art in heaven.
KAREN: (Voice over) They were together, God…
PRIEST: (Voice over) Hallowed be thy name…
KAREN: (Voice over) As long as I can remember.
PRIEST: (Voice over) Thine kingdom come.
KAREN: (Voice over) Not a word.
PRIEST: (Voice over) Thy will be done.
KAREN: (Voice over) …nothing…
PRIEST: (Voice over) On earth as it is in heaven.
KAREN: (Voice over) Not one fucking word.
PRIEST: (Voice over) To give us this daily bread. To lead us not into temptation…
KAREN: (Voice over) Nothing about their life together.
PRIEST: (Voice over) But to deliver us from evil.
KAREN: (Voice over) Nothing about Kay’s and Pam’s great adventures overseas.
PRIEST: (Voice over) While death is the separation of the spiritual dimension of each person.
KAREN: (Voice over) Nothing about how every year before the Oz Open she would watch the ‘85 final when Martina beat Chrissie.
PRIEST: (Voice over) From the body the physical dimension.
KAREN: (Voice over) Because they met at that match – sat next to each other! What are the chances of that?
PRIEST: (Voice over) The physical body will be reunited with the soul.
KAREN: (Voice over) Kay loved Martina and Pam barracked for Chrissie. Kay was so out and proud about her love for the most well known lesbian in the world but she could not be out about her love for Pam.
PRIEST: (Voice over) At the Last Judgement.
KAREN: (Voice over) A life and death in the closet.
Karen stares straight at us blinking away tears of sadness and anger.
Carol sternly looks directly at us.
– POINT OF VIEW of walking through city streets amongst strangers.
PRIEST: (Voice over) Teach us, Lord, not to hold onto life too tightly.
– A SHOT of a partly decomposed bird.
PRIEST: (Voice over) Teach us to hold it lightly, not carelessly, but lightly and easily.
– Street sweepers wash away the debris from a summer party.
KAREN: (Voice over) My mother’s silence.
REPEAT. Karen stares straight at us blinking away tears of sadness and anger. A long moment.
PRIEST: (Voice over) Teach us to take it as a gift, to enjoy and cherish, while we have it.
KAREN: (Voice over) This refusal to engage. Her stubbornness.
REPEAT. Carol looks sternly at us.
PRIEST: (Voice over) And to let it go gracefully and thankfully when the time comes.
KAREN: (Voice over) Kay let her off the hook by playing along with the silence.
PRIEST: (Voice over) I believe in the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
KAREN: (Voice over) This did not help me.
REPEAT. Karen stares straight at us blinking away tears of sadness and anger. A longer moment.
PRIEST: (Voice over) We therefore commit her body to the ground;
KAREN: (Voice over) No, Aunt Kay could not understand.
PRIEST: (Voice over) Earth to earth.
REPEAT. Carol looks sternly at us. We wait for her to do or say something. She turns and walks away.
KAREN: (Voice over) Aunt Kay would not have the right advice for me.
PRIEST: (Voice over) Ashes to ashes.
KAREN: (Voice over) Kay would be pushing me into the closet.
PRIEST: (Voice over) Dust to dust.
KAREN: (Voice over) While Carol held open the door.
PRIEST: (Voice over) In the sure and certain hope.
KAREN: (Voice over) I should have called her…
PRIEST: (Voice over) …of the Resurrection to eternal life.
KAREN: (Voice over) …to show her a way out of the closet.
Karen stares at us: earnest, desperate, tired.
Sandra stares at us, taking it in, but does she get it?
EVENING. Sandra and Karen sitting at a table in a bar, facing each other. OFF SCREEN we hear bar chatter: “Hi. How are you?” Karen is distracted by something off screen behind Sandra. Karen smiles. Sandra looks for what has distracted Karen.
CUT TO:
At a nearby table a Man (or it might be a Woman we can’t tell because he or she has their back to us) kisses the Woman she is with. The Woman’s eyes are closed, lost in the rapture.
CUT TO:
Sandra smiles. She turns to face Karen. They smile to each other. They are silent. This moment could go either way.
SANDRA: Things got busy.
Karen shrugs her shoulders, nods, smiles. Sandra turns serious.
SANDRA: What do you suppose will happen with us?
KAREN: I don’t know.
They smile and hold on each other. Karen holds out her hand to Sandra for a handshake.
KAREN: Hi Sandra. I’m Karen.
Sandra takes her hand, shakes it. Smiles. They hold hands a little longer than acquaintances normally would. A connection.
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