FADE IN:

INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY

Hedy (46) and her mother, Sonia (80), chat while playing Scrabble.

HEDY
Ma, suppose you could travel anywhere you
wanted to, I mean if money were no object.
Where would you want to go?

Sonia has a doubtful look. Long pause.

 HEDY (cont’d)
And, if you didn’t have this foot
problem, if you could walk okay.
Isn’t there some place you would like to visit?

A shorter pause.

 SONIA
Well, I suppose Israel.

 HEDY
Well, that’s not surprising.
Okay, let’s say besides Israel.

 A longer pause, again. Sonia thinks.

 SONIA
Not really. I’m quite happy where I am, I guess.
(little laugh)

HEDY
But there must be some place, some country
you’d be curious to see?
(a beat)
England, maybe?

SONIA
We had a chance to go to England,
don’t you remember? When
Daddy and I won tickets to London?

HEDY
Oh yeah…you decided not to go because…

 SONIA
…we couldn’t afford to! The tickets were
for the airfare only.
(a beat)
And anyway, I don’t like the thought
of flying across the ocean. All that water…
(a beat)
Of course, with Israel it’s different,
El Al has an excellent safety record…

 HEDY
Well…
(seizing on a sure bet)
Italy! Wouldn’t you like to see Italy?

 Sonia is shaking her head, pursing her lips.

HEDY (cont’d)
Opera, you love it! Museums…?
Art! C’mon, Ma! Culture!

SONIA
No…I’ve always been happy to stay
here, with what I have… You know we
never had much, we always had to scramble
just to make ends meet; I never had time for
dreaming like that.

 HEDY
But Ma… aren’t you ever curious to see
other places? How other people live??

Sonia is pensive.

SONIA
You know, Auntie Rose has travelled
all over the world, she can’t stay still,
she’s never satisfied…I’m not like that.

HEDY
But Ma. It can be so… so enriching to
see how others live. Aren’t you curious at all??

SONIA
And Uncle Nathan and Aunt Eleanor
went to the islands once, and they got
told off once: ‘Well, if you don’t like it
here, don’t come here!’

HEDY
Huh? Who said that to them?

SONIA
The…the people at the hotel, I
don’t know, I guess maybe Aunt
Eleanor was complaining about the
room or something…she was kind of
spoiled…

HEDY
Hmmm…but Ma…

SONIA
(shaking her head)
I know people who’ve been to Mexico.
There are children there who go begging
on the streets, it would make me too sad…

 Hedy sighs, finally realizes it’s no use.

HEDY
So…whose turn is it?

SONIA
(relieved)
Mine! Okay, I’ll just go here for now…

FADE OUT.