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INT. BEDROOM -- ANNA'S HOUSE -- FRENCH CONCESSION -- NIGHT Petr falls asleep. Rose and Anna tiptoe past him. INT. LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT Mark, Emilia, Anna and Rose sit around and drink tea. Rose weeps. ROSE'S FLASHBACK In the night club, Rose serves tables in her waitress uniform. Walter, inebriated, pounds on the piano while roaring military songs. As Rose passes by, Walter stretches out his hand toward Rose's waist. Rose scurries to avoid him. He jeers at her. WALTER Hello, babe, have a drink with me? Rose ignores him and quickens her pace. Walter rushes to Rose, drags her into his arms and enforces a kiss on her. Rose pushes Walter away and gives him a slap. Walter, annoyed, punches Rose on the nose and cups her chin. WALTER (CONT'D) Damned, Jewess bitch. A Nazi soldier ushers Rose into an office in the jail. Rose glances at the OFFICER seated at a desk and recognizes Walter, stunned and speechless. WALTER (CONT'D) Hello, Girlie, fancy meeting you here. What can I do for you? ROSE Uh, Officer, please do me a favor. WALTER What sort of a favor? I'm glad to do it. ROSE You know, my friend, Hans, he is here, in prison. Please release him. Release him, please, I beg you. WALTER (chuckling) Ha, what a fucked up favor. Okay, no problem. But, how can you repay me? ROSE I, I... WALTER Strip, strip off your clothes, now. Outraged, Rose reluctantly takes off her clothes. Walter grasps her naked body and subdues her, forcing her to have sex with him on his desk. Rose experiences torturous agony and pain in labor, perspiration moistening her flushing face. A MIDWIFE cradles a crying baby in her arms and puts him beside Rose. BACK TO SCENE Anna holds Rose's hands tightly. Emilia pours a cup of coffee for Rose. Mark paces up and down, and then, slumps into a chair. MARK (sighing) Rose, listen, we should keep this to ourselves, for your sake, and also for the child's sake. EMILIA You're right. We couldn't let the Jewish community here know Petr's birth. We'd protect him from disdain. Sometimes, gossip is horrible. ANNA The child is innocent. It's not fair to despise and ridicule him because of his Nazi father. MARK So, I consider letting Petr have a father, I mean, a decent father to hush up the fact. ANNA Hans said he'd be the father. MARK Hans? EMILIA Hans? It's not a bad idea. ROSE You're so thoughtful. I'm very grateful to you. But, I can't involve Hans in my trouble. ANNA It's not your fault. We shall handle the thing together. We have no choice. Hans is the only proper person, I guess. INT. HANS' HOUSE -- INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENT -- NIGHT Hans draws the jewel case from his pocket, opens it and looks at the rings. He closes the jewel case and puts it into a drawer of his desk. HANS I'm sorry, Anna. INT. CAFE -- FRENCH CONCESSION -- DAY Hans and Anna, face to face, sit at a table, drinking coffee. ANNA I've something to tell you. HANS I've something to ask you too. ANNA Say it. HANS You say it first. ANNA Okay, well, I, uh, last night, Rose told us, me and my parents, Petr's birth. HANS So, you knew who his father is. ANNA Yes. HANS And, you also knew the cause, the reason. ANNA Yes. As to my parents' opinion, we shall protect Petr from gossip, scorn and hatred. HANS How? ANNA We, my parents and I, finally agreed, unanimously, that, uh, we'd work together to hush up Petr's birth by... HANS By what? ANNA By, uh, nominating you as his decent father, instead of that disgraceful Nazi bastard. HANS Whom? Nominating whom? Pardon, I couldn't quite catch what you said. Would you please kindly repeat it? ANNA You. HANS Me? ANNA Yes, you. HANS Okay, then, let me be. But, I worry about you. I don't want to hurt you. ANNA I can endure it. Rose's sacrificed more. HANS Anna, both you and Rose are so remarkable. ANNA Now, it's your turn, you said you'd ask me something. HANS What I'd ask you is the same matter. Hans and Anna stare at each other, holding their hands tightly. (CONTINUING) |