“Unto the woman I will greatly multiply thy sorrow...”
The sermon rings in Grace’s head.
Groaning with grief, Bella - barely able to walk - is held up by Johnny and Fat Manny.
Grace - stoic, emotionless - holds Fatima’s children’s hands.
A large group of mourners follow the casket: Joey, Turtle, Mr. Cabral, Mr. Silva, Senhora Medeiros, Little Louie, Billy Maguire, O’Leary, Alex McPhearson …
Close view on Grace: her stoic expression CRUMBLES as her sister’s casket is loaded into the hearse.
As the hearse’s door closes, we catch a glimpse of the coffin with a tiny bronze plaque engraved: Spring Hill Caskets.
BELLA (V.O. from earlier):
God NO hurt nobody.
146 INT. BELLA’S SEWING ROOM - LATER THAT NIGHT
The room is dark.
A sliver of light from the hallway illuminates Grace lying on the daybed, curled around her Dora the Explorer doll ... weeping.
Bella quietly slips in, sits on the edge of the bed, gently pulling Grace’s head onto her lap ... stroking her hair.
GRACE:
Do you ever wish that we’d never come here?
Bella fidgets with Jose’s Saint Michael medallion hanging from around her neck.
BELLA:
Yes, querida ... but we were no safe there.
(Portuguese)
Sometimes, I think that all that sadness just followed me here like a little ghost.
Grace buries her face into her mother’s lap as Bella continues stroking her hair.
BELLA:
Your brother, he tells me about your new job.
OH NO ... NOT expecting to hear that from her, Grace raises her head. Hair sticking to her tear-stained face.
BELLA:
Why you don’t tell me?
Grace sits up ramrod straight on the bed, facing away from Bella.
BELLA:
Why you want to go so far away from home, from me?
Grace shifts nervously, readjusting herself, facing her mom.
GRACE:
I’m not going. I’m not taking the job.
BELLA:
Porque? Why?
GRACE:
Because of you.
BELLA:
Me? Why for me?
GRACE (determined not to cry):
Because ... I ... I can’t. How can I go and just leave you here all alone to take care of Fatima’s kids? That’s just not fair.
Bella slides Grace’s hair away from her face, gently placing the strands of hair, one by one, behind each ear.
BELLA:
So, you would do all this for me. For your mama?
Her dreams crushed, Grace nods, YES - looks away from her mother, fighting back tears.
BELLA takes Grace’s hands in hers and kisses them.
BELLA:
You are a good girl. You always make your mama so proud.
Bella turns Grace’s face towards her.
BELLA:
Querida filha, life is no fair.
(Portuguese)
There’s always going to be someone who has to carry the pain.
Locking eyes on Grace ...
BELLA:
But, this is not your pain to carry.
(a beat)
BELLA:
I want you to go.
The Fado music softly returns.
147 EXT. FATIMA’S GRAVE, CEMETERY - FEW DAYS LATER
A freshly dug grave, surrounded by white flowers.
Grace’s hand sweeps in and slowly begins to form a heart in the dirt, carefully filling in the shape of the heart with her fingers. She palms the space next to the heart, leaving her hand print.
148 EXT: VIEIRA FIRST FLOOR PORCH – BRIGHT, SUNNY DAY
Johnny loads luggage into Grace’s car trunk as Bella, weeping, SMOTHERS Grace’s face with kisses.
BELLA (tapping Grace’s head with hers):
You are brave. And strong.
And so stubborn like your papa.
Bella removes Jose’s Saint Michael’s medallion from her neck and places it over Grace’s head. Carefully draping it on her daughter’s chest ... Bella tenderly kisses the medallion.
BELLA (tearing up):
He would be so proud of you.
149 INT. GRACE’S CAR
Grace adjusts the rearview mirror: Johnny, his arm around a TEARFUL Bella, waves goodbye.
She turns on the ignition, fastens her seatbelt. Resting next to her on the passenger seat - her Dora the Explorer doll.
Grace waves one last goodbye out the window, DRIVING AWAY from the same inner city street where we first met her.
GRACE (V.O.):
In the end, I do believe we own every choice we make. But, do we really have free will? Or do our circumstances blur the lines ... coloring the choices
we make? ... I don’t know.
(pause)
But the one thing I do know, is that my beautiful sister didn’t choose to die.
(a beat)
She just CHOSE TO STAY.
Grace turns up the car radio - LEAVING Tremont Street behind.
New, more hopeful, UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS.
MUSIC CONTINUES OVER A SLOW MOTION IMAGE of ten-year-old Grace TWIRLING around, wearing her blue satin robe and feathered angel wings - first slowly, then SPEEDING UP as she TWIRLS herself into a BLUR of white feathers ... FLYING.
Special Thanks
This story would not be possible without the help of our family
and friends. Starting with my husband, Eric Haggman,
who is the award winning author of THE APOLOGY,
and my writing partner; my younger brother
Joe “Kicka” Fagundo whose memories of our early years in America was like a magical recording of many things that I had forgotten; Bob Hohman, Marianne Moloney,
Billy Gersh, Kyle Peters and Eden Rubel, our friends at
The Gersh Agency who expertly guided us through the script writing and rewriting process and introduced us to Hollywood; Melissa Cunha Roberts, our niece and tireless assistant who helped manage the countless variations and rewrites;
Ann Messenger, who designed the book and read and reread every version, offering insights; Katie Pensak who designed the cover; the many friends and family
who read the story and gave me welcoming input:
Julia Platt Leonard, Linda Russo, May Kernan,
Patti Melaragno, Connie and Gary Romagna, Jim Beardsworth, Joe and Mary Ellen Amicone,
Marit von Tetzcher, Chris Engel, Mary Ingram-Schatz,
Joann Mackenzie, Tricia Castraberti,
Matt Haggman, Danet Linares, Grace Leite, Odete Pascoa,
Lynn and Nick Kimball, Michael Liston, Jerome Hill,
Rishi Rajani, Jane Goldenring, Karen Lunder,
and Margaret French Isaac.
And most of all, our Fagundo family, who allowed us to take some creative liberties with not just my story, but theirs, too - encouraging the journey all the way: our beloved Mary, Bella, John, Joe (Kicka), Gloria, Alan, Kiki, Gail, Kelly, Mike, Manuel, Joey, Joe, Melissa, Jagger and Jamie … love you too, too much.
Thank you all,
What Geese Can't Fly Page 10
