"And, of course, Gilbert didn't leave," the Wingless angel sighs.
"That's right," Kiku agrees, "He also gave his college money to Ludwig, who became a football star, made second team, all-American."
"And what about Gilbert? What happened to him?"
"He got four years older, waiting for Ludwig to come home and take over the Building and Loan."
"There are plenty of jobs for people like me," Gilbert tells Uncle Harry as they wait on the platform at the train station. He holds up some flyers, "Look at these: South America, wanted: construction experience. Yukon: engineering experience. And on, and on," he flips through the stack.
Gilbert is interrupted by the train whistle as it approaches the station. "Here's the train." he turns to his uncle, "Do you know what the three most exciting sounds are?"
"Sure," Uncle Harry yawns, "'Break time', 'bed time', and cats-"
"No," Gilbert shakes his head and counts on his fingers, "Train whistles, plane motors, and anchor chains."
A few minutes later, Gilbert and Uncle Harry are standing at the base of the train's stairs, waiting for Ludwig. "Luddy!" Gilbert throws his arms around his younger brother, "Welcome home!"
"Gilbert, Uncle Harry, it's good to see you again. Where's Mutti?" Ludwig looks around, like they're hiding her.
"Oh, she's at home, cooking a 'welcome home' feast that's fit for a king. Let's get you home, she'll be glad to see you."
"Oh, wait," Ludwig turns and takes the hand of a cute, little, auburn-haired young woman who stands shyly behind him, "Gilbert, Uncle Harry, I'd like you meet Feliciana Vargas."
"Feliciana Vargas Beilschmidt, thank you." she corrects him, surprisingly bold.
For a moment the other two stare at the couple in shock, then Gilbert hesitantly shakes her hand, "Well, it's nice to meet you… What am I saying?" he throws his arms around her, "Welcome to the family! Congratulations!" He hits his brother's shoulder, "Why didn't you tell anybody about this?"
"Oh, well it just happened," Ludwig defends himself as they start to walk to the car.
Gilbert turns back to his new sister. "What are you doing with a boring old guy like him?"
"Oh, well, nobody else would take him," she teases, "Besides my father offered him a job, so it was convenient."
Gilbert falls back a step in shock at learning that Ludwig wouldn't be taking over the Building and Loan, and Uncle Harry steps in, starting a conversation about cats. Ludwig walks next to him, "Gilbert, Feli spoke too soon, I haven't accepted that job. I know you've been holding down the fort here, waiting for me." Ludwig looks down at himself, "I forgot the luggage, you go ahead, I'll catch up."
A minute later Gilbert's caught up to them; they've stopped and are eating popcorn while Uncle Harry talks to someone. Feliciana looks up at Gilbert, "Gilbert, Gilbert, Gilbert," she hands him a bag of popcorn, "That's all Ludwig ever talks about. Where is he?"
"Oh, getting the luggage," Gilbert points over his shoulder, "So, that job?"
"Oh, yes! My family owns a restaurant in New York, and my father wants to get him started in business and accounting, or something."
"And it' a good job?"
"Oh, yes," she nods enthusiastically, "Not very much money, but a good future. Ludwig's just a genius with those things. My father just fell in love with him, and well…" she shrugs.
"So did you?" Gilbert finishes for her. She nods.
Gilbert stands on the front porch, looking up at the night sky. Everyone else was inside. It seemed like half the town had shown up to welcome Ludwig home, and subsequently, celebrate his and Feliciana's marriage. But he had felt like he was going to suffocate, not only in the house, but also in the town, and had come outside to try to get away from that feeling.
Uncle Harry drunkenly trips out the door, "Gilbert, here you are," he stumbles into his nephew, "I feel good," he slurs, "Better than if I was a cat." His eyes widen, "Maybe I am a cat… Did I feed the cats this morning?"
"Maybe you should go home and check," Gilbert suggests.
"Maybe I should." he looks around, "Now, have you seen my hat?"
Gilbert takes it off Uncle Harry's head, "Here."
"Ah, thank you," he stares at it in confusion, "Which one's mine?"
"The middle one."
Uncle Harry takes it and puts it on, "Now, Gilbert, old Building and Loan pal, if you could just point me in the right direction.
"Or course," Gilbert leads him to the sidewalk and turns him in the direction of his house. Gilbert starts to go back to his own house, but turns back when he hears a garbage can crash to the ground and a cat yowl.
"Sorry, kitty," Uncle Harry mumbles, then calls back to Gilbert, "I'm all right!"
Gilbert waves, then, not wanting to go inside yet, he lights a cigarette. He can hear the train whistle from across town. He sighs and pulls the job flyers from his pocket, then tears them in half, resigning himself to his fate.
"There you are," he turns to see his mother coming outside.
"I just needed some fresh air." he tells her, even though that's not completely true.
"What do you think of Feliciana?"
"Oh, she's great. She'll keep Ludwig on his toes, that's for sure."
"Did you know that Madeline Jones got back from college three days ago?" she hints.
Gilbert nods.
"She's a nice girl,"
He nods again.
"The kind that will help you find the answers you're looking for."
He shrugs.
She lightly slaps his arm, "Stop that, actually say something. Give me one good reason why you shouldn't call on her."
"Sure. Lars Mertens. He's crazy about her."
"Well, she's not crazy about him."
"And how would you know? You've talked with her?"
"I've got eyes, don't I? I know how to pay attention. She lights up whenever you're around. Besides, Lars is in New York, and you're here."
"And all's fair in love and war, right?"
"Well, I don't know about war."
"You know, Mutti, I don't think you could be any more obvious. You're trying to get rid of me."
She just smiles and places his hat on his head.
"Oh, well, 'Here's your hat, and where's your hurry?'" he adjusted his hat a bit, "All right, Mother, old Building and Loan pal, I think I'll go out and find a girl and do some passionate necking." he looks at her, "If you would just, ah, point me in the right direction."
She sighs and turns him. He points, "This direction." He walks a few feet, stops, then turns around and starts walking again, this time towards town. He tips his hat as he passes he mother, who's staring up at him in confusion. "Goodnight, Mrs Beilschmidt."
Marianne Bonnefoy stands between two men who are both flirting with her while she flirts back. She looks across the street, where Gilbert Beilschmidt is walking with his head down, looking distracted. She lightly pushes both men away, "Hold on," She says, "I think I just found myself a date." she starts to walk away, then turns back, "But stick around, just in case."
"We'll wait for you, Baby." one of the men calls as she darts across the street.
"Hi, Gilly," she greets him.
He looks up, "Oh, hi Marianne."
"Hey, what gives? Where are you headed?"
"Oh," he vaguely points down the road, "I'll probably just end up at the library."
Marianne walks along next to him, "Gilly, don't you ever get tired of just reading about things?"
Suddenly having an idea, he stops and grabs her shoulders, "Yes. What are you doing tonight? Let's make a night of it."
"What'll we do, Gilly?"
"What'll we do?" He repeats, wondering how long he can lead her on and put off his visit to Madeline, "Well, we can go out in the fields, and take off our shoes, and walk through the grass barefoot."
"What?" She looks up at him like he's crazy.
"Yeah, and then we can climb Mount Bedford, it's beautiful up there this time of year. And there's this green pool we can take a swim in. We can smell the pines, and we'll stay out all night and watch the sunrise. And everybody will talk, and it will all be a terrific scandal."
"Have you gone crazy?" she pulls away from him, "Walk in the grass in my bare feet?!" About a dozen people have gathered around them, and they all laugh. Marianne points out towards the mountain, "Why, it's ten miles out to Mount Bedford!" The crowd laughs again.
Gilbert throws his arms up, "All right, forget about the whole thing!" he angrily walks away.
Madeline Jones paces the upstairs hallway. Her brother Alfred is the only one home with her. Katerina Beilschmidt had called about half an hour ago. She looks out the window again, Gilbert is walking along the sidewalk in front of her house, dragging a stick across the fence. She opens the window, "Picketing?" she calls.
He looks up, "Just passing by,"
"Have you made up your mind?"
He looks confused, "About?"
"About coming in. Your mother just called and said you were coming over."
"Well, what does she know? I just happened to be passing by."
Madeline heads toward the stairs, "Alfred, I'm going downstairs." she calls. She stops to check herself in the mirror, combing her fingers through her hair, and straightening her dress, then sets up the painting she had made of Gilbert lassoing the moon. She starts Buffalo gals playing on the gramophone, then opens the door, "Won't you come in?" she asks Gilbert.
"Alright, but just for a minute." he wrestles with the latch on the gate, which has a tendency to stick, before finally flinging it open. Madeline flinches a little when the gate hits the fence. Gilbert walks up to the door, "I didn't know you were home," he says.
"I hadn't told anyone."
"When did you get back?"
"Wednesday."
He looks her over, "Where'd you get that dress?"
"You like it?"
He shrugs, "S'alright. Y'know, I'd have thought that you'd go back to New York, like Lars, and Amelia, and all the rest."
"Oh, New York is alright for vacations, but I'd get homesick."
"Hmm," Gilbert raises an eyebrow and looks a bit surprised at that.
Madeline gestures to the parlor, "Would you like to sit down?"
"Just for a minute," he agrees and follows her. He points at her painting, "You still remember this joke," he scoffs a little. He sighs and sits down, "Your house still smells like maple syrup."
"Thank you," she says curtly, a little hurt from his comment about the painting. They both fall silent for a minute, then she tries to sing along with the record, "And dance by the light…"
"Huh?" Gilbert looks at her, then nods, "Oh, yeah, that."
They fall into silence again. "Awfully nice about Ludwig isn't it?" Madeline finally says.
"I guess,"
"Well, don't you like her?"
"Sure, she's a peach!"
"Oooh. It's just marriage in general that you don't like."
"Oh, marriage is just fine for people like Ludwig, and Alfred, and Lars, and you,"
"Maddie?" Alfred calls from the top of the stairs, "Who's downstairs with you?"
"It's just Gilbert Beilschmidt."
"What does he want?"
"I don't know." she turns to Gilbert, "What do you want?"
"Not a thing," he looks confused, "I just came in to get warm."
Her face sets in determination, "He's making violent love to me, Alfred!"
"What?! Madeline, you tell him to go home! And don't you leave the house, Lars Mertens promised to call you tonight."
Gilbert stands up, red faced, "I didn't come here for this!" he declares.
"Well, then, what did you come here for?" she stands up to face him.
"Why don't you tell me? You're supposed to be the one with all the answers."
"Why don't you go home?" The phone starts to ring.
"I will! I don't know why I'm here in the first place. Goodnight!" he leaves, slamming the door behind himself.
"Maddie, the telephone," Alfred insists, "Lars is waiting."
Madeline pulls the record from the gramophone and breaks it over the edge. She sighs angrily, then picks up the telephone, "Hello?"
The door opens behind her, she turns to see Gilbert reentering, "Forgot my hat," he says.
"Hello, Lars," Madeline giggles, trying to see if her flirting with someone else will make Gilbert jealous.
"I thought I heard another voice, is there someone there with you?"
"Oh, it's just Gilbert Beilschmidt." Gilbert leaves again as she says it.
"Gilbert? Hey, put him on,"
She hurries to open the door again, "Gilbert!" she calls after him.
"He doesn't want to talk to Gilbert." Alfred objects.
"Yes he does, he asked for him. Gil-" she turns to call him again, only to find him standing right there. She holds out the telephone, "Lars wants to speak with you." she offers weakly.
He takes it, "Hello? Lars?"
"Gilbert! Hey, I want to talk to both of you, put Madeline on the extension."
Gilbert turns to her, she's still standing right next to him, "He says you should get on the extension,"
"Alfred's on the extension."
"I am not!" Alfred exclaims as he hangs up the extension.
"Here," she adjusts the telephone so that it's between both of them, "We can both hear."
"Alright," Lars continues, "Gilbert? You remember that night at Toni's, when you told me about that plastic made from soybeans?"
"Yeah," Gilbert's only half listening, the other half is watching Madeline.
"Well, I told my father about the idea, and he loves it. He wants to open a factory outside of Rochester."
That gets Gilbert's attention, "Wait, why not build it here in Bedford Falls? Build it in the old tool and machinery factory. You can get all the labor you want, too: half the town went out of business when that place closed down."
"Hey, that's not a bad idea." Lars agrees, "Now, Madeline, this is where you come in. Have you got any money? Madeline?"
She's more focused on Gilbert than the conversation, "Hm? Oh, yes, a little."
"Well put every cent into our stock. And Gilbert? We've got a job for you. That is, if you're not still married to that boring old Building and Loan. This is the chance of a lifetime, and I'm letting you in on the ground floor. Tell him, Madeline."
"It's the chance of a lifetime," she says dazedly.
No, no, no! This isn't right, he's going to explore the world! Not be stuck here with a job, and a wife... But Madeline… Madeline. He suddenly becomes angry at the unfairness of it all.
He drops the phone and grabs her shoulders, shaking her, "Now you listen: I don't want plastic, and I don't want ground floors!" he shakes her again as she starts to cry. "And I don't want to get married! To anyone, ever! You understand?"
"Yes," she sobs.
"I want to do what I want to do! And you-" he stops himself, "I want-" he wants her. He stops again and pulls her into his arms, "Oh, Maddie," he kisses her and she holds onto him, crying even harder. "Maddie, Birdie," He kisses her more.
At the top of the steps, Alfred watches in shock as the scene unfolds.
Feliciana Vargas Beilschmidt (Ruth Dakin Bailey) - North Italy