by Rolf De Heer
POP; [os] Oh, that’s lovely... oh yeah, do that again... oh that’s nice... ha ha ha...
Buhhy looks in hut hastily retreats as a shoe hits him on the head.
Eh get the fuck out of here! You pervert! Give your mother some privacy.
MOM: [05] Go back to bed Bubby!
Buhhy lies hack down on the sofa.
SCENE 31 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE - DAY
Buhhy is sitting alone at the table eating his howl of bread and milk.
POP: [os] Why the hell do you call him ‘Bubby’? Bubby’s a stupid name.
MOM: [os] I was waiting for you to get back... but it suits him.
POP: [os] Yeah. A stupid name for a stupid kid.
There is the sound of Mom and Pop's laughter and receding footsteps outside the door.
Buhhy eats a little more^ then all is still. Buhhy sits aloney deep in thought.
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SCENE 32 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE - DAY
Buhhy is in the bedroom. He has Pop's small suitcase open on the bed in front of him and is going through the items in ity mainly clothes. He picks each item up out of the case, inspects it and puts it
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down on the hed, until everything is laid out separately.
Buhhy stands back and considers Pop's belongings.
SCENE 33 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE - DAY
Buhhy is sitting at the table again, with Mom's make-up kit and small mirror before him. With a large pair of blunt scissors he is cutting his hair. He carefully puts all the clippings onto a saucer.
SCENE 34 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE - DAY
Buhhy, with an extremely scraggy haircut, is awkwardly attempting to make toffee at the stove. He pours some sugar into a saucepan. He begins to stir with the wooden spoon.
SCENE 35 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE - DAY
Buhhy is at the little mirror again, sticking the hair clippings onto his face with the warm toffee. Examining his progress in the mirror, he makes a Pop-like chuckling sound.
SCENE 36 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE - DAY
Buhhy walks out of the bedroom in his Pop persona. His hair is now short like Pop's, he has a heard of sorts, and he is wearing Pop's ridiculously ill-fitting clothes, right down to the clerical collar.
Buhhy is quite pleased with himself. He is chuckling and laughing in an exact replica of Pop's laughs and chuckles. He practises Pop's voice.
BUBBY: [as Pop' You’re a sexy woman Flo.
The resemblance is uncanny. Buhhy chuckles again.
SCENE 37 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE - NIGHT
The murmur of Mom and Pop's voices can he heard, and the key going into the padlock. Buhhy gets up from the table and walks about with Pop's walk.
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The door opens. Mom and Pop walk m, drunks Mom wearing the gas mask. She closes the door without bothering to padlock it, pulls the gas mask off and throws it onto the floor. They both stop and stare at the approaching Bubby.
POP: What the fuck...
Pop walks past Bubby.
Kid’s completely crackers.
BUBBY: [as Pop] You’re a weirdo.
Pop disappears behind the kitchen where the toilet is, shaking his head. Mom doesn*t know whether to laugh or to get angry.
as Pop] You’re a sexy woman Flo.
Mom is drunkenly confused.
MOM: Am I? Thank you.
Bubby puts his hand on his mother^s breast.
BUBBY: as Pop] God you’ve got great tits Flo, great big whoppers of things.
Mom giggles. Bubby undoes the buttons of her dress, takes out a breast and begins to stroke it.
[as Pop] Ohh... one of the seven wonders of the world, Flo. It’s perfection.
Mom puts her hand affectionately on Bubby's shoulder.
MOM: Oh Bubby. My little boy...
BUBBY: Gates of paradise.
Pop emerges from the toilet and sees whaPs going on. Mom screams and pulls away.
MOM: Aahh! He’s attacking me Harold!
POP: Jesus Christ! Fuck me!
Pop runs up and belts Bubby. Bubby staggers back.
BUBBY: [as Pop] Get the fuck out of here!
Pop belts Bubby again.
POP: Ya mad bastard!
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Bubby belts Pop
BUBBY: [as Pop^ Ya mad bastard!
POP: You fucking cunt, you get the bastard out of here...
Mom grabs Bubby by the head and starts dragging him towards the door. As he's being dragged^ Pop kicks him in the arse a number of times. Bubby tries to maintain his Pop persona but is losing it.
BUBBY: You’ve got lovely skin Flo...
POP: You sexual pervert!
BUBBY: You’re a weirdo!
POP: Get that cunt out of here! Get out! Get out of here!
BUBBY: Leave Bubby alone!
Mom heaves him through the doorway into the corridor.
SCENE 38 INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Bubby lands on the floor of the corridor. The door is slammed shut. He panicSy begins to cough and wheeze and choke. He is gasping when the door opens momentarily and the gas mask is thrown out to him. The door slams shut again.
He scrambles after the gas mask, puts it on. He pants as his panic subsides.
Through the gas mask, he becomes aware of his surroundings... a hare corridor with a light at the end. A trail of rubbish disappears round the comer, though from Bubby's view the corridor doesn't seem to go anywhere.
Bubby cringes hack on the floor against the door.
SCENE 39 INT. CORRIDOR - DAY
Bubby, still curled up on the floor against the door, wakens to the door opening behind him. He opens his eyes hut doesn't move.
POP: Oh... doormat. Excuse me.
Leaving the door open. Mom and Pop step over him and walk down the corridor, disappearing round the comer.
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SCENE 40 INT. BUBBY’S PLACE - DAY
Buhhyy in his Pop pexsona and still weaving Pop s much-too small clothes, is comprehensively trashing the apartment, laughing, hurling saucepans and food around, smashing chairs, up-turning the sofa, scattering or breaking anything he can find.
SCENE 41 INT. BUBBY’S PLACE - NIGHT
The door crashes open as Mom and Pop stagger in, blind drunk. Pop falls over some rubbish as soon as he*s in the door. He laughs.
POP: Hahahaha!
BUBBY: Hahahaha!
Pop tries to get up. Mom helps him.
POP: Fucking kid’s trying to be me again. Shut the fuck up kid! You useless shit, you perverted bastard! You’re good for nothing! Nothing except messing things up, isn’t he Flo?
He throws a handful of rubbish at Bubby. Mom, meanwhile, starts belting Bubby but is too drunk to be very effective.
MOM: Messed the place up good and proper, didn’t ya you little cunt!
Pop attempts to join in the beating.
POP: You cunt! Useless cunt, why don’t you piss off!!
Bubby is holding his arms around his head to take the blows from Mom and Pop.
BUBBY: Leave Bubby alone! Leave Bubby alone! Leave Bubby alone!
Pop stumbles and falls again.
POP: You stupid useless kid you should have been left to die!
Mom stops flaying Bubby, looks at Pop.
MOM: What did you say?
POP: I said the kid should have been left to die!
Mom turns on Pop and starts laying into him. Pop gives as good as he gets.
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MOM: You, you bastard, I kept him alive for you!
POP: Ah, wasn’t worth the trouble you fat cow!
Buhhy is confused by the sudden turn of events.
BUBBY: [bellowing] YOU BE STILL!! Be still... be still...
The force of Bubby's voice causes Mom and Pop to cease hostilities. They sink to the floor holding onto each othery laughing.
[whispers] Be still...
SCENE 42 INT. BUBBY’S PLACE - NIGHT<
br />
The armchairs have been righted and Mom and Pop are slumped in them in a drunken sleep. Buhhy is searching through the rubbish.
He finds the roll of clingwrap and goes behind Pop's chair. He wraps Pop s head in clingwrapy then holds him while he struggles. He soon becomes limp.
BUBBY: Now, you be still Pop.
He moves behind Mom's chair.
Mom, you be still too.
He starts to put clingwrap around her head.
SCENE 43 INT. BUBBY’S PLACE - DAY
Buhhy wakes up at his mother's feet. Her head and face are still covered in clingwrapy as are Pop's.
Buhhy gets up and rummages around until he finds his howl and his spoon.
SCENE 44 INT. BUBBY’S PLACE - DAY
Buhhy stands holding his howly waiting for Mom to feed him.
SCENE 45 INT. BUBBY’S PLACE - NIGHT
Buhhy is lying on the mattresSy trying to sleep. He has managed to drag Mom onto the mattress next to himy still clingwrapped.
BAD BOY BUBBY
SCENE 46 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE - NIGHT
Mom is still lying on the mattress. Bubby is trying to force a cockroach into dead Kat^s mouth. He wrinkles his nose occasionally^ indicating that dead Kat is beginning to smell somewhat. He looks across to Mom.
BUBBY: as Bubby] You’re a sexy woman Flo.
He gives up on dead Kat and eats the cockroach himself
SCENE 47 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE - DAY
Bubbyy in his own clothes^ is picking through the rubbish on the floor looking for things to eat. He finds an old potato^ bites at it, discards it and continues his search.
SCENE 48 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE - DAY
Bubby is standing against the wall, considering. He looks at the air vent.
SCENE 49 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE - NIGHT
Bubby is sitting on the back of the sofa, looking at the gas mask. He suddenly gets up. He picks up the gas mask, puts it on and hesitantly opens the door.
SCENE 50 INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Wearing the gas mask, Bubby slowly makes his way down the corridor. He gets to the end and turns the comer.
SCENE 51 EXT. DERELICT STREET - NIGHT
Bubby is standing in the doorway of a derelict building in a derelict street. He looks around. All is quiet.
Bubby adjusts his gas mask. He takes several steps forward, then walks into the middle of the road.
He stands for a while, then turns around in a circle, looking at
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everything around him. Then he stands again as he hears something.
A panel van of yobbos comes roaring around the corner^ heading straight for him. Bubby stands petrified. The yobbos scream and yell at him.
YOBBOS: Get off the road you fucking greenie bastard! Get a look at the bastard will you! You fucking poofter bastard!
The panel van^ its horn blaring^ almost runs Bubby down. Bubby turns and runs back inside.
SCENE 52 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE - NIGHT
Bubby sits in the derelict apartment^ thinking. A Pop-like chuckle forms in his throat.
SCENE 53 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE/CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Dressed as Pop and chuckling as Pop, Bubby puts the gas mask and dead Kat (wrapped in clingwrap) into Pop's small suitcase.
He walks tentatively into the corridor, hesitates, sniffs the air. He tries a cough. He walks on bravely.
SCENE 54 EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Bubby is walking down a silent street in an old part of town, peering around. There are factories, houses, warehouses and vacant lots.
Suddenly a screaming woman emerges from a house and runs down the street screaming. Bubby stops and looks for a moment, then continues walking as if this was normal.
SCENE 55 EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Bubby is walking along when a man in a wheelchair comes hurtling towards him, a woman's handbag in his teeth. Bubby watches the wheelchair zoom past, followed moments later by a man running after it, yelling, followed moments later by a woman.
The woman stops when she draws level with Bubby.
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WOMAN: He snatched my bloody handbag!
Bubhy watches her carefully. When she snorts with disgust he does the same. She looks after the disappearing wheelchair and chaser.
Bloody bastard!
Buhhy looks in the same direction.
BUBBY: [same inflection'] Bloody bastard!
WOMAN: Yeah.
BUBBY: Yeah.
WOMAN: See ya.
BUBBY: See ya...
She walks off. Buhhy watches for a moment^ can't figure anything outy continues walking.
Bloody bastard... bloody bastard...
SCENE 56 EXT. VIEW OF CITY - NIGHT
Buhhy standsy looks and listens. The city is spread out in front of himy hlack and hroodingy hut with an attractive twinkle. Buhhy ponders its heartheaty not quite sure what it isy hut fascinated.
Then the strains of a small choir singing a hymn come to his attention. He doesn't know
SCENE 57 EXT. DESOLATE SITE - NIGHT
A hugey desolate pre-construction site. Buhhy is crossing ity heading for the source of the singing as fast as he can go, stumbling^ half runningy wonderstruck.
SCENE 58 EXT. STREET CORNER - NIGHT
A group of six or seven people in Salvation Army uniforms is standing under the streetlight of a deserted street comer singing the hymn.
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Buhhy approaches, slowly, cautiously, not really knowing what he is seeing or hearing. He finally dares to come near, and brings his face to within inches of each singer in turn, listening to their voices, staring into their eyes. He squeezes the large breast of one of the older women singers. She removes his hand while she continues to sing.
Bubby moves across to a slight young woman with small breasts. He pokes his finger at one of the small bumps. She smiles while she continues singing. Bubby^s eyes are within an inch of her eyes. He tries out his vocal chords in tune with the hymn, finds that this works. He takes a place next to the girl and sings with them, the words somewhat garbled but the tune roughly correct.
There is a look of ecstasy on his face. He belongs.
SCENE 59 INT. PIZZA JOINT. - NIGHT
The pizza bar has a video juke box near the front entrance and rows of laminex tables filed with Italian princesses. Madonna look-alikes and gangly youths of Italian descent. Many are eating pizzas and smoking at the same time.
The Salvos and Bubby enter. The young Salvo, Cherie, ushers Bubby to the empty table at the back, while the other Salvos do the rounds of the tables with their collection boxes.
Bubby absorbs the rows of people, the music, the sounds and sights and smells. He particularly notices a very fat girl leaving with a takeaway pizza.
The other Salvos sit and hand their collection boxes to the senior Salvo as a waitress comes over.
WAITRESS: Is it the usual?
SENIOR SALVO: Shall we have the usual?
SALVO: Yeah.
The senior Salvo nods as he takes money from a collection box. The waitress writes the order.
WAITRESS: Okay. ^Ah, two specials, no pineapple! All right, beautiful, thanks very much.
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The senior Salvo hands her some money from the collection box. Bubhy watches the transaction with interest.
SCENE 60 INT. PIZZAJOINT. - NIGHT
Bubhy is happily wolfing down a large wedge of pizza. Apart from being terribly hungryy he didn^t know anything could taste this
good.
SCENE 61 INT. CHERIE’S ROOM - NIGHT
Cherie is a different person out of uniform. She has a lithe young body and a sparkle in her eye. She and Bubhy are naked on the hedy where she*s encouraging Bubhy to lick her between her legs.
CHERIE: Lick... your tongue! Here, dummy.
> She waggles her tongue. Bubhy does the same.
CHERIE: Yeah, now lick me here.
Bubhy tries to do what he's told.
CHERIE: Oh Christ, that prickles.
SCENE 62 INT. CHERIE’S ROOM - NIGHT
Bubhy is sitting on a chahy still naked. Cheriey also still nakedy is shaving his face.
SCENE 63 INT. CHERIE’S ROOM - NIGHT
Cherie is astride Bubhyy fucking him slowly. Bubhy is wiggling his tongue to himself with newfound technique.
CHERIE: Yes, you were very good. You like singing?
She sings a few barSy all the while still fucking him.
You like that?
Bubhy nods.
When I want to feel close to my special friend Jesus, I sing him a very special song. You want to hear it?
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Though not certain what she meanSy Buhhy nods. Cherie sings beautifullyy a haunting song in German. Buhhy is entranced.
As she singSy Cherie becomes more and more transported. At the end of the song she climaxes.
CHERIE: It’s my good friend Jesus’ favourite song. Do you like it.^ Buhhy nods. Cherie laughs.
You’re a dag...
BUBBY: Christ kid, you’re a weirdo!
Cherie laughs again.
CHERIE: Yeah, that’s what you are, a weird kid, nothing but a big, weird kid.
Buhhy chuckles as Pop.
SCENE 64 INT. CHERIE’S ROOM - DAY
Buhhy wakes up in Cherie's hed. Cherie is not there.
SCENE 65 INT. CHERIE’S ROOM - DAY
Buhhy finishes getting dressed in Pop*s clothes. There is a note pinned to his coaty hut Buhhy ignores ity just leaves it there.
Buhhy picks up Pop's suitcase and leaves the room.
SCENE 66 EXT. FOOTPATH - DAY
Buhhy emerges from a hallway into the bright sunshine. He squintSy feels it warm on his face. He opens his eyes and sees a small tree planted in the footpath in front of him.
Puzzled hy its appearancey he goes over to it. He puts his suitcase down and looks at it very closely... the harky up at the leaveSy down at the roots. He holds the trunk and looks up at the leaves again.
A sudden loud yelling wakes him from his reverie. He sees a man in shorts and blue singlet advance on him with a chainsaw.
TREE LOPPER: Hey, piss off out the way mate, I got to cut this tree down. Hey! You fucking deaf.^ You’re a queer looking
