(Freda and Owen are in a public lunchroom, having coffee. He puts two cigarettes between his lips and lights them, giving one cigarette to her.)

FREDA ASHTON
(discovering that her cigarette is not burning)
It's not lit, is it?

OWEN THOMAS
Curses...must be sabotage.

(He lights her cigarette from his own.)

OWEN
I would mess that up. That was supposed to be dead suave. I got it out of a film.

FREDA
What I like about you...

OWEN
Go on. Don't stop there!

FREDA
Well, if you try something dead suave, as you call it, and it doesn't come off, it never seems to matter. Some people get all tensed up over it and make everybody feel terrible.

OWEN
That's this Peter you've been talking about.

FREDA
No, not only him.

OWEN
Well, I think he's a bit of a pain.

FREDA
You've never even met him!

OWEN
Uh, fair enough. Let's say I hope he's a bit of a pain.

FREDA
Why?

OWEN
Come on, now. What sort of a question is that? You know why.

(Freda begins coughing, being an inexperienced smoker.)

OWEN
(amused)
Don't finish it if you don't want it. I'm tickled, the way you hold it.

FREDA
Why? Well, how do you expect me to hold it?

(She dangles the cigarette from her lips, as a vamp might do.)

FREDA
Like this? We've got a tease down at the factory who holds it like this.

(She coughs again and decides to extinguish the cigarette.)

FREDA
Mum would have a fit if she saw me smoking.

OWEN
(seriously)
Freda...

(She does not answer.)

OWEN
(placing his hand on her arm)
Freda...

FREDA
(surprised)
Yes?

OWEN
Uh, I don't quite know how to say this, but...I've never met anyone quite like you before.

(She looks doubtful.)

OWEN
Oh, that's the truth now. Have you ever felt as if...well, I don't know...as if from now on everything could be different?

FREDA
(smiling)
You get that out of a film too?

OWEN
You just think I'm shooting you a line. I wish to God we had more time. I'm going back on Sunday.

FREDA
You didn't tell me that!

OWEN
No, I'm trying to forget it. I don't want to go.

FREDA
I don't suppose anybody does.

OWEN
Don't kid yourself. Oh, it's all right if you've got some of your own people to go back to.

FREDA
Well, haven't you any relatives over here?

OWEN
Gran and Grandad were living in Cardiff when I left Sydney. Tickled pink, they were, when they knew I was coming. They died within a week of each other when I was on the boat.

FREDA
Oh, I'm sorry.

(He holds her arm again for a moment.)

OWEN
Last leave, I couldn't wait to get back to camp. There were crowds, you know, in the RAF...here, in town...mooching around, YM, pictures, pubs. You look for a girl, but they just want to take you down, clean you out, buy me this, buy me that.

(Freda laughs.)

OWEN
I'm not just saying this, but you're the only one I've ever met I've really been able to talk to.

FREDA
(smiling warmly at him)
We'd better move.

(Owen nods his head and smiles.)

 

(from "If It's Got Your Number on It" by Elaine Morgan)