SUBTITLE:
Your daughter is going to give birth just like you did. Go and prepare everything the way your mother did for you, your grandmother and all of our women before her!
Stunned by Paraiti’s fury and out of options, Maraea rushes from the bathroom to do as she is told.
Rebecca has another contraction.
Paraiti rushes toward the bath, grabs a towel and gets inside the tub herself. She covers Rebecca’s shoulders and locks her arms around Rebecca’s nude body.
Unable to resist anymore, Rebecca lets herself rest in Paraiti’s arms.
Viscous remains of the white concoction still drip from her ghost-like skin.
INT. STAIRCASE — DAY
With great difficulty, Paraiti and Rebecca descend the stairs. Rebecca supports herself by hanging onto Paraiti’s ample, crooked frame.
INT. HALLWAY — DAY
Paraiti and Rebecca slowly walk through the hallway, entangled in a clumsy, awkward, but undeniably bonded embrace.
At the far end of the hallway, alone, Maraea sees them come. Without paying any attention to the servant, Paraiti and Rebecca disappear behind a door. Maraea follows them and closes the door behind her.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. BASEMENT — DUSK
The cellar, a small, damp hole, barely illuminated by the stove fire, resembles a tight and bloody womb.
The space is filled with the deep sound of Paraiti chanting a karakia, inviting the unborn to come to life, to the land of the ancestors and to be redeemed by the love of the people and relieved from all pains.
Not too far away, Rebecca can hardly stand on her feet. Maraea, seated on the dirt floor by her side, is holding her exhausted daughter.
Paraiti extends her arms towards Rebecca’s belly and, for a second, the three bodies gather together in such close contact that it makes an organic but murky cocoon.
When Rebecca feels the hands of the healer on her skin, she separates herself from the support of her mother, as if guided by the invisible strings of a master puppeteer, and leans over Paraiti.
Paraiti carefully begins to caress the swollen belly, searching for signs of life inside the womb.
Through a small window, the rays of the moon cast across Rebecca’s face. She holds the head of the medicine woman in her hands and, from a place unknown to her, beyond all her possible memories, a weak and broken voice follows the song of the ancient prayer.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. BASEMENT — NIGHT
Rebecca supports herself by gripping an overhead ceiling rafter. The position allows her slack body to droop in a squatting position with her knees wide apart.
On her knees facing Rebecca, Paraiti alternates between applying the soft massaging movements of her hands with heavier pressure on Rebecca’s womb.
Rebecca cries in pain and drops, limp. Maraea runs to her side and, holding her from behind, supports all her dead weight.
Paraiti works desperately. She searches for signs of life from the unborn baby. She cannot find any, but is undeterred. Placing her lips on Rebecca’s belly, over her womb, she whispers to the baby.
Nothing.
Paraiti strokes Rebecca’s stomach, then waits with quiet hands. Seconds later, she continues her massage.
The labour pains grow, making Paraiti’s work more desperate.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. BASEMENT — DAWN
The three women are spent. The birth has been prolonged.
Paraiti now applies pressure with her knees.
Rebecca cries out in pain. By this time, she recoils from everything.
Paraiti listens more closely to the baby in the womb.
With extreme care, she places her hands between Rebecca’s legs and receives the tiny body of a BABY GIRL … Her skin is brown!
Paraiti’s face shines, overcome with joy.
From a cord hanging between her breasts, Paraiti takes a small obsidian stone filed into a blade. She severs the umbilical cord that still unites Rebecca to the newborn body.
PARAITI
(To REBECCA)
You have a daughter …!
Nearly unconscious now, Rebecca lets her body drop. Maraea carefully rests her on the floor.
Holding the baby with both hands right in front of her face, Paraiti gently presses her forehead against the baby’s and, with a long and deep hongi, she welcomes the baby to life and to the land.
With a subtle, almost imperceptible breath, followed by a quiet small cry, the infant reacts.
Paraiti opens her blouse and warms the baby girl against her old and empty breasts.
Maraea embraces Rebecca, as if she could hold in her arms all the sufferings of her child. Not unlike a distorted ‘Pieta’ …
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. BASEMENT — DAY
The first light of dawn enters through the little window.
Rebecca, beyond exhaustion, rests in her mother’s lap with her eyes closed.
Paraiti then holds the baby very close to Rebecca’s breast and places the little mouth onto the nipple.
The newborn hesitates a few moments before taking to Rebecca’s breast but, once she does, she sucks vehemently.
For a few seconds, the three women are held together, surrounding the tiny body of the baby girl.
All is silent, apart from the sound of the baby sucking the mother’s milk.
Rebecca turns her face away from the child, totally disengaging herself from what is happening between herself and the baby, as if she doesn’t want to be in her own body anymore.
Making sure the baby is held securely by Maraea, Paraiti moves away, collects the placenta from the dirt floor and carefully places it in a piece of clean cloth.
Maraea strokes Rebecca’s face.
MARAEA
It’s all over. It’s all over … In a few months you will not even remember any of this …
Appalled by Maraea’s words, Paraiti turns towards her.
PARAITI
I te wa e no te ana te tamaiti i te u o toona whaea, kaua koe e whakatata mai.
SUBTITLE:
As long as this child is on her mother’s breast, you will not come near them.
EXT. BACK GARDEN — DAY
Paraiti holds the cloth containing Rebecca’s placenta. The baby is tightly wrapped across her breasts.
She kneels by the roots of a tree and digs a hole with her hands. She places the placenta in the hole and covers it with soil.
Paraiti prays, having given back to the earth, the origin of life.
PARAITI
He honore, he kororia, he maungarongo ki te whenua, he whakaaro pai ki nga tangata katoa, amine. E taku kaiwhakaora, tenei te tuku atu i te whenua ki te whenua, kia heria mai, kia kawea mai e koe te mauri o tera o nga tamaiti i mate mai, kia paiherehia raua, kia hoki atu ano ki te wahi i ahu mai raua. Kororia ki to ingoa tapu. Amine.
SUBTITLE:
Glory be to Thy holy name. The giver of life. I commit this placenta to the land. That it may be joined to the spirit and the life force of the mother and the baby lost in the past and together they may return to the womb of the land, the source of the universe. Glory be to Thy holy name. Amen.
Not too far away, half-hidden behind the veranda of the big villa, Maraea quietly observes the ritual burial of her granddaughter’s placenta.
INT. BASEMENT — EVENING
In a corner of the basement, Paraiti is seated of an old armchair. She is cradling the newborn girl in her arms. Close to her is an organised and tidy arrangement of herbs, leaves and clean tea towels.
Paraiti inspects with care the wound of the umbilical cord on the baby, then takes a bundle of fresh green leaves, puts them in her mouth and chews them. Once she is sure the mash of leaves is soft and moist, she applies it carefully to the wound.
Paraiti covers the wound with fresh leaves and finishes dressing the baby in strips of white cloth.
>
INT. BASEMENT — NIGHT
Rebecca sleeps, sprawled out on the floor, her limp body partially covered by blankets.
Paraiti sleeps peacefully in the armchair. On top of her, nestled between her breasts, but perfectly wrapped in clean rugs, rests the newborn.
The amber light of a small fire flickers with its warmth on them.
Right by the outside of the doorway that frames the basement entrance, huddled in her own body, sleeps Maraea.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. BASEMENT — MORNING
The basement area is now clean and tidy, luminous.
Paraiti opens her blouse and warms the baby girl against her old and empty breasts.
She massages the little body, admiring its perfection.
PARAITI
Too purotu … me too ataahua hoki!
SUBTITLE:
How perfect … and how beautiful you are!
Maraea, sitting on the stairs, forbidden to come any closer, watches Paraiti and the baby.
The baby begins to cry, searching in Paraiti’s dry breasts for the milk she needs.
Paraiti holds the child in her embrace and carries her to where Rebecca, still sleeping, lies helpless across the mattress.
Paraiti opens the camisole that covers Rebecca, and places the baby near her breast. Rebecca opens her eyes and reacts with fear and disgust to the presence of the baby.
With her left hand Paraiti positions Rebecca’s nipple, ensuring that the baby has a firm hold.
PARAITI
You may not want to feed this baby, but this baby will live.
Rebecca cries.
The baby cries.
Paraiti is broken by the pain of the mother and the child. Overwhelmed by a feeling of impotence, she confronts Maraea.
PARAITI (CONT’D)
Titiro, nau tera mahi, koina rawa too hiahia? Hoake! E puta.
SUBTITLE:
This is your doing! Are you happy now? Is this what you wanted? Go and make yourself useful! Get out.
Maraea disappears up the stairs.
INT. KITCHEN — DAY
Maraea cooks at the stove. She cries in silence.
EXT. FRONT GARDEN — DAY
Still in the sling, Paraiti holds the baby close to her chest.
Lost in despair, not knowing how to repair what she now believes is beyond repair, she kneels by the roots of the tree where only a few days before she buried the placenta.
PARAITI
Tohuhia mai, me aha ahau! Me pehea e ora ai i ahau te tamaiti nei? E te Matua …? Tupuna ma …? Awhina mai!
SUBTITLE:
Tell me what to do! How can I help this child? Parents, ancestors …? Help me!
Motionless, Paraiti closes her eyes.
INT. BASEMENT — DAY
Rebecca is sitting on a dilapidated armchair, all alone in the basement, like the forgotten queen of a defeated kingdom.
INT. HALLWAY — DAY
Maraea kneels, scrubbing the wooden floor. A bucket filled with water sits by her side.
Paraiti enters with the baby in her arms.
Maraea stops what she is doing and raises her face to look up at Paraiti.
MARAEA
It takes more than having a baby in your arms to be a mother Paraiti … You would never know about how far one is ready to go for them … That can be known only to those of us who have had our child growing inside our wombs … And that will never be your case …
Paraiti resents what Maraea has said. She is about to answer, but she contains herself and just looks back at Maraea with disdain. She covers the baby with her body and moves carefully to one side to pass by the servant.
MARAEA (CONT’D)
You think you’re so pure, Paraiti …But you and me … we are not so different.
That comment stops Paraiti. She turns to face Maraea for a second.
PARAITI
Katahi koe ka tino hee rawa atu.
SUBTITLE:
You couldn’t be more wrong!
Then Paraiti disappears through the door with the baby, on her way to the basement.
INT. BASEMENT — DAY
Still disturbed by Maraea’s words, Paraiti goes down to the basement.
Rebecca has fallen asleep on the sofa.
Paraiti quietly approaches Rebecca and sits by her side, holding the baby close to her own heart. After long seconds, Paraiti moves towards Rebecca and gently awakens her with a soft nudge. She holds the baby out to Rebecca.
Half-asleep, Rebecca is confused. She looks at Paraiti, puzzled.
Paraiti opens Rebecca’s blouse, undresses the baby, and uses Rebecca’s hands to wrap the baby in her own arms, skin on skin.
Rebecca takes the baby in her arms in an embrace she is not ready for at all …
Rebecca does not move.
Paraiti repositions the baby, softly making the contact more intimate.
Paraiti recites a karakia to bless them all.
PARAITI
E te kaiwhakaora, e tuku atu nei i enei inoi ki a koe, kia aroha mai koe, ki tenei o au i roto i ona mamae, nga mauhere i runga i a ia, whakakotahihia raua e te kaiwhakaora, aroha mai ki ona whakapapa, kia noho tahi, kia kaua hoki raua e wareware ki a koe te Kaiwhakaora, aroha mai ra, aroha mai kia ora tenei whakapapa, aianei mo ake tonu atu. Amine.
SUBTITLE:
I surrender myself in prayer, and I ask to heal the pain that surrounds this woman. Let the sacred bond between the child and her mother be redeemed. And let it be blessed with Your love. They shall never forget Your presence nor You theirs. Now and forever. Amen.
From a profound and old longing, Rebecca allows the blessing of Paraiti to soothe the buried wounds of her skin and her heart.
INT. KITCHEN — DAY
Maraea concentrates on folding with precision a never-ending pile of white linen serviettes.
Paraiti enters the room with the sole and explicit purpose of confronting her.
PARAITI
Kore rawa atu ahau i mohio he aha i taea ai e koe te rukahu i nga tau ko pahemo … Tata tonu koe ka puta … Engari kaore i tutuki …
SUBTITLE:
I don’t know how you managed to deceive everyone for so many years … You almost got away with it … But you did not.
Maraea keeps on folding serviettes obsessively, as if by continuing her absurd task she could hold on to a world that she refuses to accept has just crumbled.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. BASEMENT — EVENING
Paraiti clears the basement with water and a prayer.
Rebecca stands in the middle of the room with her baby in her arms.
Maraea, an exiled ghost, sits far away, at the top of the stairs.
Once Paraiti has finished her ritual, she holds Rebecca with much care and tenderness and helps her walk towards the stairs.
Rebecca walks slowly, not yet sure if she is ready to go back up to the house.
Paraiti gently encourages her.
Step by step, Rebecca goes up the stairs.
Just before passing by her mother, Rebecca turns her body away, preventing any possible contact between Maraea and her baby.
Rebecca leaves the basement with her baby.
Maraea follows.
INT. CORRIDOR — EVENING
Rebecca walks away with the baby in her arms.
Maraea follows, hastening her walk. She is about to put an arm around Rebecca’s shoulder, but her daughter’s sharp look stops her.
REBECCA
Don’t you have duties?
Maraea freezes, her arm falls limp.
Trying not to break down in her own grief, Rebecca leaves with the baby.
No more a mother to her daughter, but now a servant to her master, Maraea obediently goes back to the kitchen.
EXT. BASEMENT — NIGHT
A fire burns in the incinerator.
Nearby are familiar objects from the birth like the mattress and blankets.
Paraiti bring
s the objects to the fire, places them in the flames and watches until all the objects are consumed.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. REBECCA’S BEDROOM — NIGHT
Rebecca is in her bedroom, comfortably reclined in her marital bed, holding her daughter in her arms. Although she is back in the world where she belongs, she looks more lost than ever.
Paraiti sits on a corner of the bed, watching the mother and daughter. She reaches out and picks up a photograph of Rebecca and her husband.
PARAITI
Is he the father?
Rebecca turns to look at Paraiti. For the first time there is no conflict between the two women.
REBECCA
Yes, he is the father.
PARAITI
Does he know?
Rebecca denies with a silent gesture.
REBECCA
He doesn’t like savages.
Incredibly sad, Rebecca looks back at the little face of her baby.
INT. CORRIDOR — NIGHT
Paraiti prepares to sleep. Oti is by her side.
The old woman can’t take her mind off Rebecca’s words.
INT. REBECCA’S BEDROOM — NIGHT
Rebecca is lying on her bed. Beside her, the baby lies in absolute peace, trust and innocence.
Rebecca stares at the baby girl. Their eyes meet for a long second.
Timidly, almost not daring to, Rebecca reaches out her pale hand and touches the tiny little brown hand of her daughter. It is a gesture that lasts only a second. Rebecca pulls back immediately.
A grimace clouds the remaining beauty of Rebecca’s face, as if a shadow has crossed first her mind and then her heart.
EXT. FRONT GATE — MORNING
Maraea busies herself cleaning the leaded glass windows at the main entrance to the Vickers’ villa.
In the back garden, hitched to a post next to the white car, Paraiti’s mare munches happily from a feed bag hanging by a rope around her neck.
Oti lies between the mare’s feet.
Maraea reacts to the sound of a car approaching slowly. Realising that the car has stopped at the entrance to the villa’s drive, she rushes to see who is there.
An ELEGANT GENTLEMAN gets out of the car and waves the servant to approach.
Maraea obeys.
GENTLEMAN
Mr Vickers will arrive today. He has sent me with instructions that Mrs Vickers be at the station to meet him.
The gentleman reaches into his fine suit pocket and produces a telegram that he gives to Maraea. She receives it with her usual lowered gaze.
White Lies Page 14
