Father’s words

- Elio enters the room -

Father: So.. Welcome home.

Elio: Thanks.

Father: Oliver enjoy the trip?

Elio: Yeah. I think he did.

Father: You two had a nice friendship.

Elio: (Pause) Yeah.

- Silence -

Father: You’re too smart not to know how rare, how special, what you two had was.

Elio: Oliver was Oliver.

Father: (Chuckled) Because it was him. Because it was me.

Elio: Oliver maybe very intelligent, but...

Father: Oh nonono... He was more than intelligent. What you two had... had everything and nothing to do with intelligent. He was good. You were both lucky to have found each other, because you too, are good.

Elio: (Pause) I think he was better than me. He was better than me.

- Elio moves closer to his father -

Father: I’m sure he’d say the same thing about you.

Elio: Yeah. He’d say the same thing.

Father: Which flatters you both.

- Silence -

Father:

When you least expect it, nature has cunning ways of finding our weakest spot. Just ..remember I’m here. Right now you may not want to feel anything. Maybe you never wanted to feel anything. And maybe it’s not to me you’ll want to speak about these things. But... feel something you obviously did.

Look, you had a beautiful friendship. Maybe more than a friendship. And I envy you. My place, most parents would hope the whole thing goes away, pray their sons land on their feet. But... I am not such a parent.

We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster, that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty. And have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to make yourself feel nothing so as not to feel anything... what a waste.

- Silence -

Father:

Have I spoken out of turn? Then I’ll say one more thing. It will clear the air. I may have come close, but I never had what you two have. Something always... held me back, or stood in the way.

How you live your life is your business. Just.. remember, our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. And before you know it, your heart’s worn out, and as for your body, there comes a point when no one looks at it, much less wants to come near it.

Right now there’s sorrow... pain... don’t kill it, and with it the joy you’ve felt.

- Elio with tears -

( 🌹 玫瑰赠予 - 电波字幕组 - ）