The Shrine Moving On

Drop it by 5,000.

-Not a cat in hell's chance!

-He's trying to help.

Shafting us for a quick commission.

He thinks we're pitched too high.

He didn't say that when he was on the sofa eating my Battenberg.

They sell loads of properties.

They do if you sell 'em for buttons.

Look, mate, it's normally a fiver.

It's £6.20 on the meter mate and that's what it is, it's £6.20.

I do this trip every night and it's a fiver at the most!

Look, mate, I've had a long day, right, and I'm not in the mood.

We've all had a long day, it's £5 normally and I'm not your mate!

Don't give me that, mate, you said the best route.

The best route, the cheapest route - it's the same thing!

No, it's not. I cut out the traffic lights for you.

You didn't do it for me, pal.

You said get me there fast.

Yeah, not rip me off for six quid.

Huh?

It's not silver, it's white gold as well.

How much?

It's a present. You wanted a bracelet, didn't you?

I didn't want you to go out and buy one.

What am I, a mind reader?! Come on, love.

-Legalised robbery.

-The meter's there.

I didn't look at it, I didn't think I'd be going the tourist route!

You could have said something.

-RADIO CRACKLES LOUDLY

-And shout over this noise?

You're shouting your mouth off now, aren't you?!

-They're the experts.

-Experts!

A bit of a kid with a mobile and a man bag.

Marcus thinks in the current climate we have to be realistic.

An estate agent,

I'm not taking advice from some numpty called Marcus.

-He can't help his name.

-That's what they said about Judas.

Listen to me!

And he was cheaper, only 30 pieces of silver.

Stop being so bloody-minded.

Oh, here we go again. I thought you'd be pleased.

It was a bargain.

-Bargain? A £200 gas bill.

-It'll get paid.

-Take it back.

-I can't.

I can't.

Get it off a bloke in a pub, did you?

-Nice one, so that's what you think of me?

-Keep your voice down.

-Give the thing here, it's going in the bin.

-Er, are you totally stupid?

Take that and open the door. Go and overcharge somebody else!

-No, I tell you what...

-Open the door!

-Shove it and get out.

-What?

Well, obviously you need the money more than I do.

It's not about money.

You're howling like a deranged parrot over £1.20.

-It's about principles, this.

-Exactly, mate, and I've got some.

So I wouldn't rip off some sad prat on minimum wage.

No, you're not having it.

-It'll remind you what a stupid husband you've got.

-I don't need a bracelet for that.

You are an ungrateful cow.

Don't slam the door!

Eh, they only employ you cos you're cheaper than a guard dog.

Oh, what about you, fantastic voyage!

Here, go buy yourself a day saver.

Oh, nice one, yeah. Take the long way home, why don't you!

WHEELS SKID

What did you say?

Oh, nothing, mate, wouldn't waste my breath on a barmpot like you.

Stop shouting!

I don't need this. Get out me way.

Grow up!

DOOR SLAMS

GATE CREAKS SHUT

LOUD IMPACT

Carol!

Carol!

SOUND OF RUNNING FOOTSTEPS

POLICE SIREN WAILS

Did anyone see anything?

I'd just got out of the taxi.

You saw it?

Well, not exactly, no, but I can guess whose fault it was.

I did.

You actually witnessed the accident?

Yes. I saw everything.

MOURNFUL PIANO MUSIC PLAYS

SOUND OF BRUSH SWEEPING PAVEMENT

I'm Sarah, it was my husband...

The police...

The police said that you... That you saw what happened.

It was very quick.

He... he died instantly.

I promise he didn't feel a thing.

SHE SOBS

Th... th... thank you.

Come in, I'll make you a cup of tea.

People keep making me tea.

SHE SNIFFS

He used to nod at me in the mornings, your husband.

Ryan.

Ryan. Getting into his van.

Electrician, time served, not sure what difference that makes,

he always used to say it...

Time served.

DISTRESSED SIGH

Was the taxi going too fast?

The driver didn't stand a chance.

SOBS LOUDLY

I had to tell the police what I saw.

I'm not looking...

I just want to know how.

If anything could have any been different.

Of course.

I am so sorry!

If there's anything we can do, anything at all.

SOBS AND CRIES

SOBS INCONSOLABLY

HE CLEARS THROAT

Hiya.

I live over there.

SNIFFS AND STARTS TO CRY

I've just bought some roses from our back.

FIGHTS BACK TEARS

SHE SOBS

SOBS UNCONTROLLABLY

# May I have the pleasure of

# Your hand to lead this dance

# Aware that you will tread upon

# My toes

# In hopelessness I spin you...

Look.

Don't let her see you.

You've just called me over.

I don't want her to think we're spying on her.

Well, she is on the street.

Oh, that poor girl.

Do you think she's got enough flowers?

Her world's been turned inside out.

You can't begin to imagine what's going on in her head.

No.

# This marble floor is shaking

# These perfect steps so roam

# Aware I close these ballroom doors

# From the truth

# Just play that soft, sweet music

# Just stay a while with me

# I don't know the notes and I don't know the time

# I don't know the steps and I'm trying to

# Trying to hi-i-de

WINDSCREEN WIPERS SQUEAK

It's a flaming shrine.

It'll be all right, once he's buried all this will stop.

OK.

WHEELIE BIN TRUNDLES

CELLOPHANE RUSTLES

Damn!

HE GRUNTS

DOOR SLAMS

We could win a prize, Memorial Pavement Best in Bloom.

Stop it.

I'm telling you, it's Chelsea Flower Show out there.

I blame Princess Diana for all this nonsense.

-Here, do this for me, will you, I haven't got me glasses.

-Oh.

Mmmm.

He must come from one hell of a big family.

Well, he might have lots of friends.

Keep still then.

-I might need a tetanus.

-Oh.

I could get lock jaw.

Please, God!

-It affects the brain, you know.

-Does it?

-You like inflicting pain.

-I love it.

You had a tetanus when you stood on that nail, you won't need another.

Kathy from next door was leaving half a dozen Chrysanths.

Said she'd couldn't even remember speaking to him,

-couldn't even remember what he looked like.

-She told me the same.

What's all that about then?

People like to show their support. Do the right thing.

There, all out.

Have we bought flowers?

A white rose cross. I felt we should.

Besides, we can't be the only ones in the street that haven't.

BANGS CUPBOARD DOOR SHUT

ON PHONE: Standing looking at the flowers here.

OK, Marcus. Ah, what a shame.

Mr Jones isn't coming.

Hello, Marcus, little fella, is he, this Mr Jones?

Got a baldy head?

Tell him from me, will you, he hasn't got a flat tyre

but he does have the worst suit I've ever seen in my life.

DOOR SLAMS

Yoo-hoo.

It looks like we're getting back to normal.

Are we?

I saw her, widow woman, removing the stuff from around the tree.

Oh, did you?

You said, once he was buried all this would stop.

I was wrong.

What?

Only the dead flowers have been taken away.

She's out there now, tying new ribbons and bows around it.

They're lovely.

We had these at our wedding. I don't know what they're called.

Gypsophila, they last ages.

I try to only get man colours, yellow or white, no pinks.

I... I was just curious.

Why don't you take them to the cemetery?

Do you take flowers there as well, you don't mind me asking?

He wasn't buried.

Ryan was cremated.

This was on holiday in Malaga.

Right.

We scattered his ashes last week.

We would have done it earlier but you have to book.

Book?

With the football club.

They allow a minister to say a few prayers

then the groundsmen scatter them.

It's what he wanted.

It's going to be his birthday next week, he's 34.

DOOR SLAMS

He's been cremated.

TOILET FLUSHES

He's been cremated.

Him, her husband, no grave, no headstone.

Not even a plaque or anything?

Nothing. He's playing centre forward for the reds.

I can't get a decent shot of the house

without getting the tree and flowers in.

Do you think it's discouraging buyers?

They ask if the road's exceptionally dangerous.

-Lethal if you walk across it without looking.

-John!

They ask how often people visit.

We never even notice it's there.

No?

No.

When buyers dream of a new home, they don't see wreaths.

You don't say.

I'd advise you to drop your price.

Oh, I see, because that'll make them feel less sad?

John!

I suppose getting it for a song

will make them wreaths magically disappear.

The photos will be on our website tonight.

I'll be in touch.

Do you always come after dark?

Not always.

I couldn't have stopped, you know that, don't you?

Head and chest injuries consistent with being hit at 25 mph,

they said that, they said that at the post-mortem.

More to it than that, though, weren't there?

It wouldn't have made any difference.

You weren't speeding but... Well, your head wasn't right.

And that was my fault.

It was both of our faults.

And what I said, to say that to another working man.

I was out of order.

I wound you up.

Some shifts I don't even take home the minimum wage.

You were right.

Ah, no, we're all entitled to the same respect

no matter what we earn.

It's nothing to do with wages.

I am a... sad prat. Petty.

Me gob ran away with me and a man's dead.

-Every time I walk past this tree...

-Yeah, I know.

The coroner said not to blame myself but...

It's the small things that you do, that's what it's about in the end.

I don't want to buy some cheap hovel that'll cost a fortune to fix up.

CHEERING FROM OTHER ROOM

Neither do I.

Hopefully, we'll finish up with a bit of money in our back pockets.

We can do things, decent holidays, sun, sand, sea and...

And?

Sangria.

SHE SIGHS

TAPPING

I'm knocking.

All this knocking adds up. That's £4.50 you owe me.

I'll pay you in kind.

Will you now?

Knocking again.

Do you know how long it is since we...

It hasn't been that long.

Hasn't it?

My birthday. No, wait, our anniversary.

Christmas Eve.

No! Christmas Eve? Last Christmas Eve?

You kept your beard on.

Leave the dominoes.

-I've got this.

-Come on!

SHE CHUCKLES

-Hurry up, walk faster.

-Heels!

I want to grab you, carry you into the house

and make mad passionate love.

But at my age it's either one or the other!

What the...

SINGING "ABIDE WITH ME"

Keep walking. I don't believe this.

# Not a brief glance I beg a passing word

Find something with some oomph!

Woohoo!

MUSIC: "Dancing In The Dark" by Bruce Springsteen

That outside, it's nothing to do with us.

We don't need glasses.

Get you!

We've had a good night, I'm not letting anything spoil it.

# I come home in the morning

# I go to bed feeling the same way...

DOORBELL CHIMES

-That'll be the door.

-So?

INSISTENT RINGING

Ignore it.

URGENT KNOCKING

Can you show some respect?!

It's his birthday today. His wife and kid are out here.

MOURNERS SING GENTLY

MUSIC STOPS

MOURNERS SING OUTSIDE

Don't even think about it.

The mood's gone.

We have got to move.

-Reduce the price of the house.

-No.

We have to.

No. No.

They'll be here any minute.

You said that 20 minutes ago.

At last!

Keep smiling, don't say anything contentious.

Don't mention football or the government.

Excuse me, could you put me some water in this,

only I'd like to leave some flowers outside.

-Right, that's it.

-Where are you going?

-Anywhere?

-What if they turn up?

-They won't.

-They might come later.

-Tough.

-You can't just leave.

-Watch me.

John, John!

Is this a bad time?

CHURCH BELLS PEAL

Take this.

What it is?

Please just take it. I want you to have it.

I don't want your money.

-It might help, for you and the girl.

-I said no.

It'll make me feel better.

It wasn't your fault.

That's what I keep thinking, I keep thinking that,

keep saying to myself it wasn't my fault,

only I can't bring myself to get in the taxi, I can't go to work.

Leave me alone.

-Take it, please.

-I said, get away from me!

OK, Marcus, thanks. Bye.

They're coming at two o'clock.

Forget it, there's no point.

They take one look at that tree and don't even knock.

We may as well take it off the market.

We might find a buyer that doesn't mind.

Soggy flowers, hymns outside the window,

strangers knocking for water.

I tell you I'd mind.

It won't be there forever.

When I spoke to her, she said he's going to be 34.

And?

Not he would have been 34, but he's going to be 34.

Her head's messed up. I think she'll keep this going.

They could be singing hymns round that tree when he's 54.

What if...

What if we...

What?

What if we moved the flowers and things.

Just for a little while.

We couldn't do that.

No, you're right.

No, we couldn't.

You mean just until after the viewing?

Bring everything inside. Then put it straight back.

I don't know.

These buyers whizz around, they're in and out in five minutes.

Even the slow ones barely make ten.

I suppose it would hurt if she didn't know.

She won't know.

We do need to sell.

Can't go on like this.

You're not kidding.

Maybe we should forget it.

KNOCKING AT DOOR

Oh!

Mr and Mrs Mason.

This is the master bedroom.

It's a good size.

The fitted wardrobes are included.

Is it not noisy sleeping at the front?

No, we sleep very well. It's a very... quiet... street.

Hey!

Now the kitchen is lovely and bright.

Is this the living room?

Oh, it's lovely and bright.

I don't understand.

Is it south facing?

We get the sun in the afternoon.

We recently decorated in here.

Are you leaving the carpets?

MUFFLED NOISES OUTSIDE

That's a gas fire behind there, is it?

-Have you seen, somebody's moved all the stuff...

-Calm down, calm down.

It's gone, it doesn't make any sense! Why would someone move it...

Carpets, yes.

Sorry, is this a gas fire?

Yeah. It's very warm when it's on.

And the neighbours, what are your neighbours like?

-Our neighbours are...

-Very quiet.

They keep themselves to themselves, very quiet. We hardly ever see them.

SHOUTING AND CRYING OUTSIDE

I do like it. And it's in a nice area.

John!

-Well thank you for coming.

-Carol!

-I hope to see you again soon.

-Did you see anything?

Is everything all right?

Some low life scum's stolen everything.

I hadn't realised everything had disappeared.

I can't believe it. I mean, what goes through their heads?

I bet it's those kids that hang around.

-I'd like to get my hands on 'em.

-Look, don't worry about this,

you've got enough to worry about without all this. Come on.

Why can't people show some respect?

Try not to upset yourself.

You're best not dwelling on it. You've got enough to worry about.

-It wasn't hurting anyone, was it?

-No.

-Course not.

-No.

It won't happen again.

I'll nail his photos to the wood

and I'll tie the flowers on with barbed wire.

I hope their thieving hands fall off!

SHE SOBS

# They smile in your face

# All the time they want to take your place

# The backstabbers

# Backstabbers

# They smile in your face

# All the time they want to take your place

# The backstabbers... #

How selfish are we?

We're good people.

And you compared the estate agent to Judas Iscariot.

Ten minutes later and she would have been none the wiser.

She's been back and forth all evening.

New flowers, more photographs,

pushing that little one.

-She's not still out there, is she?

-She's not, no.

Let's reduce the price again.

-Be sensible, Carol.

-Oh yes, sensible.

Look, it's not my fault Molly Moos' husband got killed.

If we hadn't priced too high,

we'd have sold before that accident happened.

And you blame me?

We can't go any lower.

I want to leave the kids something worth having.

We're never going to sell this house, are we?

He was out there again from down the road.

He's always flaming there, they weren't related, were they?

I don't know.

Perhaps they were good friends or maybe he just feels... you know.

I suppose that's what people do these days.

Normal people bury their dead,

buy a headstone and put flowers on it.

They do not decorate trees on pavements, light candles

and sing hymns.

I can't look her in the eye.

I know.

What are we going to do?

We'll tell her tonight.

And then?

I don't know, we could go out for tea.

I mean, we've slashed the price of the house,

we have a dead man's flowers in a bin bag in our hall,

we've broken that poor girl's heart and we're still no closer to moving.

What are we going to do?

We're not criminals. We'll explain, apologise, it'll be fine.

Drive!

I want it back.

-Sorry?

-I know it was you.

You'll have to help me here, I haven't had my second cup of tea yet...

I want his scarf, he'd worn it, it smelt of him.

Scarf?

It was you. You took Ryan's things.

Eh, whoa, hang on a minute!

I've been thinking about it.

I wouldn't do that.

I want the scarf and the photos.

I haven't taken anything.

It's making you feel bad about yourself, that's what you said!

Look, let go, Sarah. Let go, Sarah.

It wasn't me.

It was them.

Them?

Next to it...

Carol and him... John.

You're lying.

I saw them. He cut the ribbons.

And you never told me?

Look, to be honest with you...

it was kind of a relief.

You took the things down.

You removed my dead husband's photographs.

Only while someone came to view our house.

We never meant to hurt you.

You didn't even put them back.

-We were going to.

-I don't believe you.

You wanted me to think it had been vandalised?!

Hoping it would put me

off because it's interfering with your little lives.

Maybe we should all go inside?

Don't want everyone to know what selfish people you are?

There's no need for that.

We were going to tell you tonight.

Of course you were.

You can't keep a memorial there for ever.

You stood there and watched me cry.

On the day that my Ryan died,

you were the only person that gave me any thread of comfort.

In that nightmare, I clung onto what you said...

"He died instantly,"

you said, "he didn't feel a thing."

Now I know you're a liar, I can't trust anything you've said.

We understand, but...

You don't, no-one does.

No warning, no time to say goodbye.

It's a violent, horrible, unnatural end and it happened here,

in front of you.

A good man died, right here, and that's worth marking.

You want me to keep my grief hidden, to go away, put it in a box,

just so you can keep the street tidy?

Well, I won't.

Every flower, every photograph, every candle tells me

that people haven't forgotten about him.

And I want my little girl to grow up and see that.

You asked if there was anything you could do for me, remember?

Don't speak to me again.

WOMAN CRYING

Oh, John!

BABY GURGLES

If you want your photographs you'll have to talk to me.

I suggested taking the things away.

It was my fault, not John's.

I'm sorry.

You should have spoken to me.

I know, but you wouldn't have listened.

Your life revolves around that piece of wood.

You don't understand.

No, I don't.

I've watched you,

you spend more time standing there than you do with your child.

That's a terrible thing to say.

I have tried to be sympathetic, to put myself in your shoes,

I've tried but I can't anymore.

What's wrong with wanting to remember him?

We remember in our hearts...

not because we decorate the pavement.

I need to look out and see that tree.

We don't want it chopped down.

I'm sorry.

We argued.

He walked in front of that car because we were arguing.

Me and John argue all the time.

It's a dreadful thought that we could...

part on bad terms...

but we're human, people argue.

You can't tread on eggshells.

Do you know the last thing I said to him?

Grow up.

No matter what was in his head at that moment your husband knew

that you loved him.

I need to see that tree.

It reminds me what an ungrateful cow I am.

It reminds you of the pain of the argument.

He wouldn't have wanted that.

It was an accident, Sarah.

MUSIC: "Who Knows Where The Time Goes?" by Fairport Convention

# Oh who knows where the time goes?

# Who knows where the time goes?

# I'm not alone

# While my love is near me

# I know it will be so

# Until it's time to go

# So, come the storms of winter

# And the birds in spring again

# I have no fear of time

# For who knows?

# All my love goes

# And who knows where the time goes? #

Did you buy them?

I grow them from cuttings.

I have more time these days.

Are you not working?

Cab's still off the road. I look at the dent and...

You should get your cab fixed.

MUSIC: "Focus" by Ryan Keen

You know, my Ryan loved flowers.

He wouldn't have liked the idea of them rotting on a pavement.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd