05x07 - Friends at a Distance

[bunniefuu]

[waves crashing]

Good morning.

Oh, good morning.

I'm the carpenter Mr. Riddle talked to you about me.

Oh yes. Come in, come in.

How do you do? I'm Susan Parker.

[door closing]

I'm terribly sorry I would greet you by name,

but to tell you truth, I haven't mastered it yet.

I am called Boleslaw Sublinski.

Oh dear.

Bo-les-law Sublinski.

Boleslaw Sublinski.

Look, would you mind terribly if I just called you Bo?

Bo?

Yes.

If you like.

[laugh]

Well, it's not a matter of if I like.

It's a matter of necessity.

[Laugh]

You really don't look like a bo at all.

You know, you, you have the most important looking head.

Would you let me draw you sometime?

Draw me?

Yes.

Well, I draw illustrations for children's books

Would you sit for me some time?

Mr. Riddle said it was shelves you wanted.

Oh, yes, I do.

But first let me give you a cup of tea, huh?

Thank you, no.

There's a great deal of work waiting in my shop to be finished.

Oh.

Alright.

I, uh,

I just got the shipment of toys in and

I want a nice place to display them.

Now I thought,

some shelves right there, maybe three or four of them.

Not a whining fancy an hour.

Just the shelves.

Just the shelf shelves,

[music]

you know.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Oh.

Why? It's very pretty music.

[laugh]

It's beautiful workmanship, isn't it?

Yes.

Yes, I have not seen anything like this since I was a boy.

Oh, you, you German?

I'm an American citizen.

I was born in Poland.

When I first came to America,

I went to Chicago.

I'm new here.

Oh, welcome.

I think you gonna like it here.

Thank you.

You were saying about the shelves?

Hmm.

[laugh] You're the carpenter.

Give me your ideas. Now, what do you think earn your two bits?

I'm afraid it will cost a great deal more than ¢, madam.

Mmm, well, not too great a deal, will you. I'm just a poor widow.

Oh, I'm sorry.

[laugh] So am I.

I'm not a very good carpenter.

Mr. Riddle told me you did beautiful work.

He's very nice.

I'm learning.

Well.

[humming]

What did you do before?

Before?

Hmm, in Chicago.

First I dug pitches then, I worked with a gardner.

Now, I'm becoming a carpenter.

Hm-hmm.

And what did you do in Poland?

I had no trade.

Oh.

[music]

What's the matter?

Nothing. I am thinking.

Oh,

Well, now, that's a very rare thing these days.

You go right ahead.

When I was a boy in the nursery, we had an arrangement for the toys.

I think it would do very nicely for you.

Oh?

We could put the shelves here in the middle of the room.

So you could walk around them.

About this wide,

with an edge. That way the toys would not fall off.

I like that. That's a very good idea.

And beautiful designs covering the boards.

It's a very pleasant sight.



Yes, I'm sure it is.

And if it'll save me any money, I'll help you paint the

whatever you're going to make.

Very well.

The designs are crude but,

very effective.

I remember them clearly.

There is a farmhouse.

A nice little farmer.

And his big angry wife running after him with a rolling pin.

And a cross eyed pig.

How I love that pig.

Now how about some tea?

Thank you I'd like it very much.

Good.

How do you take it.

Plain, please.

Plain it is.

Here we are.

Sit down.

Thank you.

Oh, You're welcome.

Why don't you sit down, relax, enjoy it.

[music]

All right took them on over here.

Take a look at this.

Now, does she remind you of your old love?

Yes.

Now my heart reacts.

[laugh]

I must say she's awful cute.

And I just love it.

I think it looks absolutely wonderful.

Yes.

Really does take you back to your old days, she, doesn't it?

That is pretty far back, but yes, she does.

That was a beautiful house with magnificent gardens.

But that is all gone now.

Oh, no, it isn't.

Not really, not if you remember it.

You can keep things alive for yourself, you know, if you want to.

Do you keep your husband alive for you?

Hm-hmm.

Oh, no, not in a morbid sense.

Oh, no. Indeed.

You see, our time together was wonderful.

And I remember it was with pleasure.

Not sorrow.

You have had tragedy in your life.

Yet you seem happy all the time.

Well, now, you know, there's a little trick to that.

You can wake up every morning and decide

whether you're going to be happy

Or unhappy.

I always decide today,

I'm going to be happy.

That's a good trick.

Oh, sure.

But if you dig deep enough,

you can always find something to be happy about.

Living in this wonderful country,

you cannot imagine how difficult a day can be.

That's all past.

This is your country now.

I think you sacrificed too much to get here.

and had to enjoy it.

You are right.

Thank you!

I like being right.

As the song goes.

-Relax and let yourself go-- -Yeah, relax and be happy.

That's right.

I thought I'd forgotten how

but I find to my delight that I have not.

Good, I'm glad.

Well, the job is done.

And a mighty good job it is, too.

I will say good night.

Thank you for dinner. It was delicious.

[laughs]

Oh, I'm a wizard with hot dogs.

Good night!

Boleslaw.

Very good.

Yeah. It ought to be.

I've been working on it all day.

You know somehow the

bo just doesn't suit you at all.

Thank you.

Good night.

Good night.

Hel- hello, Paula?

This is Susan Parker.

[laugh] Yeah I, I hope you're not all booked up for tonight.

Yeah. Oh, hi.

Be right with you.

Well I, I have two tickets for the little theatre production,

Romeo and Juliet.

I made some posters for them and they gave them to me.

Oh, no, well tonight's the last night.



Oh.

Yeah, well, all right. Have a good time.

See you, bye.

I will go with you.

You what?

That is, if you cannot find a friend to escort you.

I will be very happy to go with you.

Oh, well.

There are a few people I should ask first.

Fine.

And if they cannot go, I will go with you.

I love the theater.

My mother used to take us all over Europe to the different theaters.

Paris, Vienna, London.

I remember a Shakespeare festival at Stratford and Avon.

[laugh]

I'm afraid the local interpretation of Shakespeare

is going to be a far cry from Stratford.

It has been

so long since I've seen anything make belief.

I'm sure I could not help but enjoy myself.

And your company.

Well, thank you.

I will come back at a quarter to eight.

And if you are free,

it will make me very happy.

Bye, bye Madam.

Do you have a title?

There were titles, yes.

[music]

Are you a prince?

I was in line for princehood.

But that was a long time ago.

May I tell you something.

Mr. Boleslaw Sublinski.

It still shows.

Good afternoon, madame.

Good afternoon, your highness.

[music]

[violin playing]

[doorbell rings]

-Good evening! -Good evening.

Shall we go?

Your other friends could not attend.

Well, I didn't call anyone else.

The theater is right across the park.

If we hurried we can get , I think.

[music]

I think it was truly marvelous. [laugh]

Well, they've got nerve. I'll say that for them.

They'll try anything. Absolutely anything.

Of course, everything was not perfect.

No, I should say not.

Oh, thank you.

Especially when lady copied this dress rolled up with a curtain.

[laugh]That we did not have at Stratford and Avon.

No, I imagine you didn't.

Well, good night.

Do you have any coffee?

Oh, no, I'm sorry I use the last drop this morning.

But there's always tea.

Anything so long that we won't have to say good night just now.

[Laugh]

Come in.

[door opening]

[Door closing]

You haven't seen my little rat sniff.

Looks like I ought to sell fortunes back here, doesn't it?

I think it's charming.

Thank you.

Sit down.

Do you tell fortunes?

Well, uh,

I'm afraid not.

I'm quite good at reading the tea leaves

Oh.

My governess, who said she was a gypsy, taught me.

Boleslaw,

Very good.

[smiling]

May I tell you that I admire you tremendously?

Oh.

How can that be?

[lighting match stick]

Must be horrible.

to lose the world you know and love and

have to start all over again

in one completely alien.

You lost your world.

I lost one person.

You lost everything.

If you are lucky, one person can be everything.

Yes...

I, uh...

I started to say that I, I admire your courage.

Prince one day,

Ditch digger the next, carpenter the next,

and all with your head up.

They are all honest professions.

[laugh] You know, you just won't let me compliment you, will you?"], index ,…}



I'm sorry.

It has been so long since I've had the occasion

to receive a compliment.

I think I'm out of practice.

Well,

I thank you for the thought

and for warming up the tired blood in my veins.

Oh goodness sake, you make me sound like a tonic.

Pardon?

Ah, nothing it was just a bad joke.

Now, is it that we'll not receive the compliment?

Perhaps we're both just a little out of practice.

May I?

Oh, yes. Thank you.

[laugh]

What is it?

Is it I?

Ah.

Yes.

Partly you.

It ju- it just struck me how dreams come true.

[laugh]

You know, when I was a little girl,

I used to dream about meeting a prince.

On a beautiful white horse.

[laugh]

But who could have guessed that he'd turn off with graying hair

driving a pickup truck.

It is paid for and in excellent condition.

Oh, please don't be angry.

The idea just tickle me, that's all.

I wonder

I wonder how many of our dreams do come true.

But change to the point where we don't recognize they have come true.

In essence.

[kettle whistling]

You are a dream Susan.

A dream that I didn't even think to wish for.

With you I am alive again.

I am alive. And I did not even know I was dead.

You take yours...just plain, don't you?

Thank you for remembering.

[putting cup down]

[putting the kettle down]

[putting cup down]

I must go now.

You haven't even hardly finished your tea, I mean

I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude.

but I'm so full with pleasure. I cannot take anymore.

Will I see you tomorrow?

[putting cup down]

I don't know.

Will you?

We will go walking.

Come at five.

After the walk, I'll cook dinner.

Good night Katana.

Does that mean something good?

Yes.

I will see you tomorrow at five.

All right. [music]

I can find my way out.

All right.

Goodnight.

[door closing]

[music]

[humming]

Good morning Susan.

Oh, good morning, Ms. Partridge.

There.

What can I do for you?

I need the scratch pads for the kitchen.

Certainly. [laughs]

How did your Polish friend liked the play last night?

Oh, very much.

Did you know that his wife can hardly speak a word of English?

No I didn't.

These are, uh, ¢ each.

I'll take three.

Can't even put a simple sentence together.

They rent a guest house from a friend of Irma Wills.

Irma says that she never sticks her nose out the door.

Should I charge this Mrs. Partridge?

Uh, yes dear.

-Goodbye. -Bye.

[door opening]

[door closing]

Oh, for heaven's sake what's the matter?

You hardly know the man.

[putting down the kettle]

Good afternoon.

Do you mind if we browse?

Not at all. Come right in and make yourself at home.

Thank you. Come on in Edgar.

Meth, we should be back at the theater it's ten o'clock.

But I want to look at those cute little music classics over here.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Something is wrong.

Mr. Sublinski, I



I think you should have told me you're married.

I know this.

But at first it,

it was of no importance.

Then it's importance became far out of proportion to the fact.

I'm not sure what you mean by all that.

The fact is that, well, you are married

and this is of the greatest importance to me.

Of course, I knew you would feel that way.

That is why I did not want to tell you so soon.

I wanted you to trust me more.

To trust you.

Yes, so that I could explain to you my situation.

Oh, look, I'm, I'm sorry.

You really don't have to explain anything to me.

And there's certainly no excuse for my being rude with you.

So forgive me, please. I'm sorry.

Perhaps you, you just don't understand.

Uh, this is a small town and I'm in business here and

well, uh,

one's reputation is important.

Reputation?

Yes.

We, we, we went to the theater together and you walked me home,

and that's all we're doing.

Do you care only what other people think?

Uh, excuse me.

Would you like some tea?

Quite, some lime.

Thank you.

Please Susan, listen to me.

Goodbye, Mr.Sublinski.

If you will just mail me a bill for the shelves,

I'll see to it that you get your check right away.

Please, there are circumstances I would like to explain.

Excuse me, uh, there you are.

-Oh, thank you so much. -And you, sir?

Well, I never had the tea in a store before.

Well, there's a local custom around here.

That's very nice. [laughs]

Aren't the music boxes beautiful?

-Oh, there're adorable. -They're imported from Germany.

How much are they?

Oh, they're about, uh, a -- ..

[music and footstep approaching]

[door opening]

-Good evening. -Good evening.

May I speak to you?

I won't take but a moment.

Okay, well.

May I come in?

No, I'm sorry. I-- I'm working.

And you said, it would just take a moment.

All right.

It will be difficult for you to understand my problems.

The problems of all those in my troubled country who wish to leave

have not been yours. Thank God.

I was fortunate to have friends in America.

My friends in Chicago were especially helpful.

They're very wealthy.

In many cases, money was the key to our prisons.

It was arranged for me to leave.

And I could bring my wife also.

If I had a wife.

But I was not married.

Wander and I worked in the resistance together.

We were great friends.

I married her so she could escape also.

But you you're, you're you're still together.

In a strange country.

We have had great need of each other.

I admire and respect her.

With us, it could have been love.

My goodness, who knows? We hardly know each other.

I know.

And you know in here.

No, no.

It will stay there.

When I left here this afternoon,

I thought our situation was not hopeless.

I thought it could be changed.

But when I

looked into her eyes, I saw so much hurt there already.

I knew I could not add to it.

You said I had sacrificed too much already to come here,

not to enjoy it.

I will do for her what you had done for me.

I am no longer the dead man walking downhill.

One foot dragging after the other.

I see where I'm going.

I enjoy the walk.

Wander and I have come a long way together.

We will go on together.

But it will be better now.

Well, thank you very much for letting me know all this.

It makes it, my dream, even better.

Why is that?

Oh, my prince,

Gray hair, pickup truck and

married. [laughs]



I'm sorry.

Oh, no, not at all.

No.

The only essential is that he'd be noble.

And he was.

We will be friends?

Of course.

-Goodbye, my friend. -Goodbye.

[close the door and locks]