you you could! Try it again, come.
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SYLVIA, she tries to raise her legs: I canât now.
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GELLBURG: Why not! Come, this is wonderful... ! Reaches for her.
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SYLVIA: Phillip, listen... I donât want to change, I want Hyman.
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GELLBURG, his purse-mouthed grin: Whatâs so good about him?âyouâre still laying there, practically dead to the world.
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SYLVIA: He helped me get up, I donât know why. I feel he can get me walking again.
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GELLBURG: Why does it have to be him?
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SYLVIA: Because I can talk to him! I want him. An outburst: Â
And I donât want to discuss it again!
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GELLBURG: Well weâll see.
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SYLVIA: We will not see!
GELLBURG: Whatâs this tone of voice?
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SYLVIA, trembling out of control: Itâs a Jewish womanâs tone of voice!
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GELLBURG: A Jewish woman... ! What are you talking about, are you crazy?
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SYLVIA: Donât you call me crazy, Phillip! Iâm talking about it! They are smashing windows and beating children! I am talking about it! Screams at him: I am talking about it, Phillip!
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She grips her head in her confusion. He is stock still; horrified, fearful.
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GELLBURG: What... âbeating childrenâ?
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SYLVIA: Never mind. Donât sleep with me again.
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GELLBURG: How can you say that to me?
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SYLVIA: I canât bear it. You give me terrible dreams. Iâm sorry, Phillip. Maybe in a while but not now.
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GELLBURG: Sylvia, you will kill me if we canât be together ...
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SYLVIA: You told him we had relations?
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GELLBURG, beginning to weep: Donât, Sylvia ... !
SYLVIA: You little liar!âyou want him to think Iâm crazy? Is that it? Now she breaks into weeping.
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GELLBURG: No! It just... it came out, I didnât know what I was saying!
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SYLVIA: That I forgot we had relations?! Phillip?
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GELLBURG: Stop that! Donât say anymore.
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SYLVIA: Iâm going to say anything I want to.
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GELLBURG , weeping: You will kill me ... !
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They are silent for a moment.
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SYLVIA: What I did with my life! Out of ignorance. Out of not wanting to shame you in front of other people. A whole life. Gave it away like a couple of penniesâI took better care of my shoes. Turns to him. âYou want to talk to me about it now? Take me seriously, Phillip. What happened? I know itâs all you ever thought about, isnât that true? What happened? Just so Iâll know.
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A long pause.
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GELLBURG: Iâm ashamed to mention it. Itâs ridiculous.
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SYLVIA: What are you talking about?
GELLBURG: But I was ignorant, I couldnât help myself. - When you said you wanted to go back to the firm.
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SYLVIA: What are you talking about?-When?
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GELLBURG: When you had Jerome... and suddenly you didnât want to keep the house anymore.
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SYLVIA: And?âYou didnât want me to go back to business, so I didnât.
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He doesnât speak; her rage an inch below.
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Well what? I didnât, did I?
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GELLBURG: You held it against me, having to stay home, you know you did. Youâve probably forgotten, but not a day passed, not a person could come into this house that you didnât keep saying how wonderful and interesting it used to be for you in business. You never forgave me, Sylvia.
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She evades his gaze.
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So whenever I ... when I started to touch you, I felt that.
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SYLVIA : You felt what?
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GELLBURG: That you didnât want me to be the man here. And then, on top of that when you didnât want any more children... everything inside me just dried up. And maybe it was also that to me it was a miracle you ever married me in the first place.
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SYLVIA: You mean your face?
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He turns slightly.
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What have you got against your face? A Jew can have a Jewish face.
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Pause.
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GELLBURG: I canât help my thoughts, nobody can.... I