"For your information, the pediatrics luncheon at 1:00 p. m." "in the Aurora Borealis Room." "Thank you." "Dr. Fleischman, isn't it?" "That's right." "You spoke last year." "Yes, I did." "Everyone's inside." "Enjoy." "Thank you." "Hello, Joel." "I'm Dr. Sophie Howard." "Sophie." "Don't miss the prenatal panel." "I'm moderating." "I'll be there." "This guy is clearly presenting interstitial fibrosis." "He's got fingers like spatulas." "He's in complete denial." "Hi." "Hey." "How are you?" "Great." "Dr. Fleischman." "Hi." "Hi." "I'm Dr. Julie Geist, and this is Dr. Susan Hessburg from Anchorage." "Hi." "We read your paper." "And we'd love to talk about it." "Ah, well, uh, what are you drinking?" "Pina coladas?" "Sounds good." "Uh, excuse me." "Three pina coladas, please." "Thank you." "All right." "Here's looking at you." "Cheers." "Good morning, Cicely." "8:00 a. m., muchachos." "Time to finish those flapjacks, knock back that second cup ofjoe and get ready to greet the day." "Temperature's creeping towards double digits as the solar drought continues." "Twenty-three days and an average hour and a half of sunlight every day." "No relief on the horizon." "Which only makes sense, because there is no horizon." "Our friends at the weather service are calling for another storm, and as we know, they've been batting a thousand lately." "Hey, let's check the social calendar, huh?" "Nothing." "Total blank." "It's cabin fever season, people, that time of the year when... four walls feel like they're just going to come in here and choke the spirit right out of you." "Time to lock away those firearms and hang tough." "No way through it but to do it." "Out of the way!" "Go on!" "You heard me!" "Amscray!" "Get outta here!" "Do you speak English?" "Parla inglese?" ""Parle"inglese?" "Is there anyone here who speaks English?" "C'e qualcuno qui che parla inglese?" "C'e qualcuno." "C'e qualcuno" "What's with the tape, Ruth-Anne?" "Doing a cruise or something?" "No." "I've always wanted to read Dante in the original, Shelly, and this just seemed the perfect time to take it up." "Cool." "What's Dante?" "It's a he, dear." "Dante Alighieri, Italian poet." "He wrote The Divine Comedy, one of the great works of literature." "It's that funny, huh?" "Wow." "You're doing all this just to read a poem?" "Well, it's a long poem." "Oh." "C'e qualcuno qui che parla inglese?" "C'e qualcuno" "Qui che parla inglese." "Well, thank you, Shelly." "Prego." "É niènte." "Well, that fits pretty snug." "How does that feel?" "Stupid." " Walt." " I don't want one of these." "We've been over this." "I'm not depressed." "For three weeks, you barely got out of bed." "You told me yourself, you've had several episodes of uncontrollable crying." "Just a little bushed is all." "I can handle it." "Look, seasonal affective disorder, which is what this is, is very common around here and in Scandinavia." "Basically in the Arctic Circle." "Okay?" "It's physiological." "It has nothing to do with how tough you are." "If you have prolonged lack of sunlight it will inhibit the production of serotonin, which will inevitably lead to- to symptoms of depression." "I mean, I could prescribe an antidepressant, but I just" " I like to avoid medication wherever I can." "And I've seen this work on other patients." "It's just a tool." "It's not a cure." "But if you use it properly, you will notice pronounced elevations in your mood in just a few days." "All right." "Good." "Now, you should start slow." "All right?" "A thousand lux for 30 minutes." "If that feels good, you can add 10 minutes a session until you work your way up to an hour." "All right?" "I'll check in with you as soon as I get back from Juneau." "You're going toJuneau?" "Oh, yeah." "Annual medical conference." "It's the only thing that's kept me going for weeks." "They actually have three hours of sunlight this time of year." "Have a good trip." "All right, I will." "Thank you." "My last appointment." "Chris here with the K-Bear afternoon traffic advisory." "Commuters, leave a little early today, 'cause I see some caribou out there on Main Street." "There's our own mayor, the Honorable Ms. Edna Hancock, having a little trouble." "Go get 'em, Edna!" "My guess is, this year's heavy snowfall... has altered the caribou's usual migratory patterns." "Maybe they're just looking for a little change of scenery, something we can all relate to this time of year." "In any case, they're here, so let's show a little respect for our antlered cousins, shall we?" "I don't know, Fleischman." "This doesn't look very good." "Oh, come on!" "This is flurries." "I've seen you take off in much worse." "No, it's not this." "It's what's happening over those mountains that worries me." "Why can't we fly around it?" "You cannot fly around an entire storm." "But I don't understand why." "What is going on with you?" "Under perfect conditions, you're a basket case." "Now, all of a sudden, you want to take off in the middle of a storm?" "Listen." "I've got to get out of here." "If I don't see some sunlight and find myself around some educated men and women... who can talk about something other than long underwear and transmission fluid" "I'm telling you, I gotta get out of here." "Anchorage, this is Cessna 1-8-3-Delta-X-ray... requesting a weather briefing from Cicely toJuneau." "Roger, Cessna 1-8-3-Delta-X-ray." "Stand by." "I think it's clearing up, you know." "Eagle Peak reporting ceilings at 800 feet, visibility a quarter mile, heavy mountain obscuration." "V. F. R. not recommended in your area at this time due to heavy snow showers." "Thanks, Anchorage." "Have a good one." "Out." "Well, tough luck, Fleischman." "What?" "That's it?" "Are you kidding me?" "Just like that it's over?" "You heard him." "We're socked in." "I'm telling you, I can't go back." "It would literally kill me." "Not as fast as that storm will." "It's the one perk I get all year." "Two hours." " If it doesn't clear up by then, we're going back to town." " All right." "All right." "Deal." "One Mooseburger Parmigiano, side of slaw, fruit cocktail." "Thank you, Shelly." "You're welcome." "Could you speak more slowly, please?" "Puo parlare più lentamente, per favore?" "Could you repeat that, please?" "Vuol ripètere, per favore?" "Vuol ripètere, per favore?" "Shelly." " What?" " You do speak Italian." "Poco." "Picked it up in high school." "Why, I think that's marvelous." "Somehow I'd never pictured you as the studious type." "Oh, I didn't study, Ruth-Anne." "Mostly, I just hung out with Mama and Papa Inocenzi." "Johnny Inocenzi's folks." "He had the hots for me junior year." "Turned out to be a real creep, but his parents were this great couple that didn't speak a word of English." "Mostly, we just hung out in the kitchen, scarfing biscotti and speaking " eye-tie. "" "And you picked it up that easily?" "Same thing with Spanish." "Never even cracked a book." "Why don't you join me?" "What?" "Practice with me." "These tapes get pretty dry after a while." "Really?" "You want to study with me?" "I think it would be fun." "Fresh." "No one's ever asked me to study with them before." "Order up." "Comé si chiama questo in Italiano." "Eagle Pass, zero visibility, total mountain obscuration." "Wind, three-five at two-one." "Gusting to four-niner, blowing snow in all quadrants." "Do you wish to file a flight plan?" "Over." "Are you kidding?" "No." "Thanks, Anchorage." "Anchorage out." "Sorry, Fleischman." "Hey, how about I buy you a beer?" "Yeah, that's just what I need- another beer at the Brick." "Another day listening to Maurice spew on about some MiG that got away... or Chris theorize about what would have happened... if Wittgenstein had met Isadora Duncan in Vienna." "As if anybody cares." "It's freezing." "I'm not flooding it." "I didn't say anything." "I didn't flood it." "Did you tryjumpers?" "Uh, yes, Holling." "We tried everything." "It's just too cold." "Can anybody get out here?" "We've got ice-fog conditions right now, Maggie." "Be kind of tricky." "Is it an emergency?" "What do you mean, is it an emergency?" "Holling, we're stuck in a snowstorm in the middle of nowhere." "Negative, Holling." "It is not an emergency." "Are you nuts?" "Have you lost your mind?" "Will you just button it, Fleischman!" "Holling, we're fine." "We just wanted to let you know where we are." "Copy." "Someone will be out as soon as it gets better." "Okay." "Thanks." "Airport out." ""Fine. " I don't understand." "I mean, you call this fine?" "We're trapped in a cabin." "Do you not see?" "This is the size of a footlocker." "Fleischman." "I'd like to know how you'd characterize the Titanic" " What, an unexpected dip?" "Look, Fleischman, get a grip." "First of all, we're not trapped." "And secondly, you know, this place is equipped for emergencies." "Anyone who tries to come over the pass in these conditions is more likely to get hurt than we are." "I'd like to know whose bright idea it was to put an airport on the exposed side of a mountain range?" "Fleischman, you want to get us some wood?" "How-dee-do, Marilyn." "Walt." "Got a little problem, sweetheart." "Uh, he's not here." "Oh, I think you can handle this." "I need a bulb." "Oh." "Did it break?" "Burned out somehow." "Hmm." "You're not supposed to wear it in the snow, Walt." "Moisture's bad." "Oh?" "And don't drive with it either." "You know, Dr. Fleischman was right." "I haven't felt so good in years." "My mind, it's- it's like it's clearer or something." "I've been roaring through these crosswords like nobody's business." "Well, take it easy on the visor, Walt." "Never fear, darling." "* Oh, grasshopper sitting on a railroad track singing Polly Wolly Doodle all the day *" "* Pickin' his teeth with a carpet tack singing Polly Wolly Doodle all the day *" "* Fare thee well, fare thee well Fare thee well, my fairy fay *" "* I'm going to Louisiana for to see my Suzi-Anna *" "* Singing Polly Wolly Doodle all the day *" "Per favore, signore." "Dové si ferma I'autobus?" "Um" "Sounds like" " No." "It really doesn't sound like that." "Just start me out, dear." "Si ferma." "Right." "Si ferma." "All" "Si ferma all" "Why don't you just give it to me?" "Si ferma all'angolo laggiú, signorina." "Come on." "You're kicking butt, Ruth-Anne." "Thank you, Shelly, but at this rate I'll be dead before I ever get to Dante." "Well, if you are, big deal anyway." "I mean, I took a look at The Divine Comedy." "I didn't get a single laugh, even in " eye-tie. "" "Nel mezzo del cammin'di nostra vita." "Blah, blah, blah." "And who is this Beatrice chick anyway?" "I mean, get a life." "Or is that supposed to be the joke, that this guy is so hung up on this babe that he can't think about anything else?" "Like, Popeye and Olive Oyl?" ""I am what I am. "" "Hey, weird me out." "There's a page missing." "No kidding." "Six pages." "They have some nerve!" "What are you doing?" "I'm going to give those spaghetti-heads a piece of my mind." "The company's in Milan, isn't it?" "Probably just getting to work." "Let's see." "I don't really think this is necessary." "You wait your entire life to learn Italian and then" "Buongiorno." "lo una lamentela sul vostro corso." ""Turbo Italian." "English-speaking Edition. "" "Bene." "Posso aspettare." "La mia amica, Ruth-Anne Miller, ha comprato una- whatchamacallit- copia del vostro libro I'altro giorno e voi, imbecilli." "Avent lasciato fuori sei pagine del quaderno." "Vorrei una nuova copia adesso!" "No!" "Tre settimane non é accettabile!" "Ascolti la sua colpa e vostra!" "É scritto proprio qui." ""Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back!"" "lo voglio che, uh, che lo mandiate via Federal Express... e voglio che lo mandiati oggi!" "L 'indirrizo e Ruth-Anne Miller." "Cicely- Non isela." "Alaska." "Stati Uniti." "Basti cosi." "Arrivederla." "They're sending you another one." "Randi." "Deficit financing was never intended to become permanent policy." "It was a temporary response to crisis conditions." "Keynes said so himself." "Stay with me now." "We're going beyond Galbraith." "Beyond Milton Friedman even." "The air's a little thin up here." "Walt, I don't know what the hell you're talking about." "All right!" "Listen up!" "Could I have your attention!" "Will you kill the juke, please?" "What's up, Edna?" "We've got a crisis on our hands." "The highway patrol said they'd be here by nightfall." "I'm not talking about the snow." "I'm talking about those caribou out there." "They're just feeding off the lichen, Edna." "They're impeding freedom of movement, and as your mayor, I say it's time we do something about it." " Rattle their sound systems." " What?" "Low-range harmonic waves." "100,000 hertz, say." "Transmit in three-second bursts." "They don't like that kind of thing." " Thank you, Walt." " Mess with the head, the body follows." "It's simple." "We get together some four-wheelers, bang some pots and pans" "The entire herd out of town." " Why?" " " Why?"" "Live and let live." "They're wild animals." "Pests." "They get into your garbage, foul your lawn." "Now, who's coming with me?" ""Once more unto the breach, dear friends." "Once more!" "Or close up the wall with our English dead. "" "Fine." "I didn't become mayor to win a popularity contest." "I'll do it myself." "I've got the next round." "Okay, Walt?" "What's with Walt?" "I have no idea." "Is he dipping into the akvavit again?" "He's been drinking root beer floats." "It's the visor." "What?" "He's abusing it." "It's hot, huh?" "Yeah, well, open a window." "Sure." "I mean, with these fumes we could be asphyxiated in here." "Fleischman, you never run out of things to complain about." "First, it's you're too cold." "Then it's you're too hot." "You got me pegged, O'Connell." "Hey, I think I just found dinner." "Oh, yeah?" "Yeah!" "Let me guess." "Franks and beans." "Smoked oysters." "Stoned Wheat Thins." "No way." "Yeah." "Hey, look." "Linguine, extra virgin olive oil." "Wine?" "Whoa." "We actually have wine?" "Ha!" "Le Bon Pasteur." "Hey, this is a pretty good Pomerol." "I mean, it's no Petrus, but yeah, this is highly drinkable stuff." ""I used this place when my snow-go threw a tread." "Glad to return the favor." "Maurice Minnifield, '91."" "Good old Maurice." "Remind me to give him a break on his digitalis when we get back." "There's garlic powder, basil." "Oatmeal." "Did you see any canned clams?" "No, but I've got tuna here." "It's albacore." "Well, I guess we could improvise, huh?" "And I saw a frying pan." " Do you see a pot to boil in?" " I've got a frying pan and I've got a pot to boil in." "Whoo!" "Great." "So, we can toss the garlic into the olive oil, add a little tomatoes and tuna and boom!" "We'll have linguine alla pescatore marinara." "Bravissimo." "Feeling better, Fleischman?" "Yeah, maybe a little." "Hey, why don't you get some snow in the pot, huh?" "All right." "Holling, come on in!" "Thank you, Walt." "Uh, uh, Walt, I've been, uh" "Listen, Buddy Rich may have had the better chops, but I'll take Krupa any day." "Old Gene could swing Buddy off the stage in no time." "Listen to that left hand." "Uh-huh." "How about some halvah?" "Uh, uh, no, thanks." "What brings you out in this weather, Holling?" "Well, frankly, Walt, I'm a little concerned about you." "About me?" "Why?" "Are you feeling okay?" "Never better." "Your behavior at the bar today" "You didn't know I could quote Shakespeare, huh?" "Pulled that one out of the hat." "You know, usually this time of the year, I'm as ornery as a brown bear in brambles." "But since I got this little wonder, I'm a new man, Holling." "Look here." "Letter to my brother." "Page five." "Haven't corresponded with him in ages." "Been writing to lots of people." "That is good, Walt." "Dusted off the old rowing machine." "I was talking to Marilyn today, Walt, and" "Not bad for an old trapper, huh?" "Uh, she thinks that, uh, you're overdoing the visor." "I feel 20 years younger." "I'm invincible!" "Marilyn says that it's a prescription item." "It should be used in small doses." "Look at me, Holling." "You see anything wrong?" "Well, uh" "I don't have a problem." "I never told this to anyone, but I used to- every winter, I used to kick my dogs." "Old Prince would hide at the sound of my footsteps." "Now look." "Those dark days are gone, Holling." "I'm seeing things in a whole new light." "Ah." "Why don't we let that breathe until the pasta course." "In the meantime" "Whoa." "Might I suggest this nice chilled Acacia chardonnay?" "Ah!" "Great." "It's cold." "Mmm." "Well, salute." "L 'chayim." "Ah." "Well, that's not bad." "Mm-hmm." "Mmm." "Want a smoked oyster?" "Please." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "Hey, you know what this reminds me of?" "Hmm?" "Snow days." "Did you have those when you were a kid?" "Mm-hmm." "In Queens, whenever there was a snowstorm, we'd sit around the radio at breakfast, listening for the school closings." "You'd sit there with bated breath." "P. S. 173." "P. S. 164." "If they got to your number, it was the single greatest feeling in the world." "Like winning the lottery, like being told you've got an extra day of your life." "What?" "Nothing." "No, what?" "Nothing." "Come on." "I just got this incredible urge to, um, to kiss you." "Yeah?" "Yeah." "What could possibly be stopping you?" " Ed." " Ed?" "Oh, boy, am I glad to see you guys!" "It's a beauteous evening, calm and free." "Broad sun is sinking down in its tranquillity." "It's 9:00 p. m., Cicely." "Do you know where your caribou are?" "Chris in the morning with an evening storm update." "Supposed to be getting more of the white stuff throughout the p. m., so you might want to put a shovel to your roofs before they take on more weight." "I know Route 6 is still closed to traffic, but Lowell Grippo says he spotted the highway department out at Carson Junction." "So hang in there, people." "The plows are on the way." "And finally, we just heard via shortwave radio that Ed Chigliak turned up safe and sound out at the airport." "He's going to be crashing with Dr. Joel and Maggie O'Connell throughout the night." "So hang in there y'all, and, Ed, get a weather report before you pull out the camera next time." "You warm enough, Ed?" "Thanks, Maggie." "Say, there wouldn't be any more pasta left, would there?" "Um, no." "I believe you killed it there, along with the garlic toast and vegetables and fruit cocktails." "Okay, it's your turn, Fleischman." "Eight." "Yes, I see." "Thank you." "Sorry." "Well, with, uh, three houses, Dr. Fleischman, that's, uh, $850." "What?" "For Marvin Gardens?" "I can't believe you let him have it for BO Railroad." "All right, it's my turn." "Bless you." "Yes!" "Free Parking!" "You know, technically... there's no such thing as Free Parking." "What do you mean, there's no such thing as Free Parking?" "If you were to look in the rules, the Parker Brothers rules actually have no reference... to putting money in the middle of the board and - and taking it out... if you land on Free Parking." " I've always played that way." " Uh, me too." "Well, you know, doesn't make it right." "No, no, Fleischman, everybody plays that way." "Well, to be quite honest, it's always bugged me." "I'd really like to know how these things get started." "Oh, uh, maybe it's just like thatJerry Mathers rumor." "What?" "Jerry Mathers." "You know." " Leave It To Beaver." " Yeah, I know whoJerry Mathers is." "What about him?" "Oh, well, there was this rumor going around for a while thatJerry had died in Vietnam." "And, like, everybody believed it." "But come to find out, it was totally untrue." " Huh." " I'm sorry." "I don't get your point." "Oh." "Well, I don't know." "I just kind of thought it was the same thing like you were saying." "Well, I-I don't see the connection between Jerry Mathers and Free Parking." "Oh." "I mean, we were talking" "This is a perfectly balanced, artificial construct of supply and demand... where, if you tinker with the teeniest of details, the whole thing can come down like a house of cards." "I believe that there is an aesthetic and there is a rhythm to playing Monopoly... the way that it was meant to be played." "Fleischman?" "If this is so important to you, why didn't you bring this up before we started playing?" "Take the money, please." "Oh." "You know what I think?" "I think that if you'd landed on Free Parking, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now." " As a matter of fact, I think you'd be pocketing the money." "Tell me, Ed, are you going to be sneezing all night?" "Sorry, Dr. Fleischman." "Spaghetti alla bolognese per la signora." "Thank you, dear." "Prego." "Shelly sure gets a kick out of your lessons, Ruth-Anne." "Just look at my little calzone." "Chirping away like a chickadee." "I'd like some Parmesan." "Get off my case!" "It's not my fault!" "Where's your license?" "We've got to exchange all that stuff!" "Forget it!" "The damage was minor!" "Are you all right, Walt?" "Came out of nowhere!" "I came out of nowhere?" "I'm plowing Main Street." "He comes completely across into my lane!" "We're just lucky somebody never got hurt!" "There was a caribou." "What?" "I was trying to avoid a caribou!" "There was no caribou." "Now just settle down, both of you." "Nothing is going to get solved this way." "Just sit down." "We'll get a cup of coffee and we'll get this thing worked out." "And, Walt, take off that visor." "It was a caribou, Holling." "Hey." "I want that license, and I want it now." "Ah, bite me!" "How much for the peas, Ruth-Anne?" "I don't believe this." "Fleischman?" "Are you awake?" "Are you kidding?" "I'm stuck next to someone with the REM cycle of a gerbil." "It's kind of cute, actually." "What?" "In a way." "White zone is for loading and unloading passengers only." "Ed?" "Keep your hands inside the boats at all time." "Ed?" "Look, you were talking in your sleep." "I am?" "Yeah, and it's rather annoying." "I'm sorry, Dr. Fleischman." "I can't sleep a wink here." "I'll try not to talk anymore." "I'm sorry." "Oh, please." "Why don't you just kick him in the teeth next time, Fleischman." "What?" " It's not his fault." " Well, whose fault is it?" "Mine?" "Ever since Ed's got here, you've just been rude and abusive." "You know, I didn't ask him to come here." " I'll try movies for $100!" " Shh!" "He eats all the food, he rolls on top of me, and look at him." "He doesn't even have the good grace to feel guilty about it - sleeping like a baby, moaning, wheezing." "Shh!" "How many licks to the center of a lollipop?" "Whoo!" "Walt's really over the bend, Holling." "We're lucky nobody got killed last night." "You know, I think he's addicted to that darn thing." "It's like a little hypomanic episode." "You know, those little monkeys on coke." "They'll keep hittin' that demand bar until they just keel over." "I'm sureJoel could handle it, but he's stuck out at the airport." "Yeah, well, I think we've got to do an intervention, Holling." "You mean like A. A.?" "Yeah, a few of us, we get together, you know, we just-we tell Walt how it is." "How?" "Tough love." "I had this buddy back in West Virginia" " Eddie King." "He got real happy with this Romilar - you know, the cough syrup that has the codeine in it." "Started acting real wild, carrying a gun and holding up drug stores." "Uncle Roy Bauer and me, we set him down, we read him the riot act, we dump all the Romilar in the toilet." "What did he do?" "Well, we had to break his arm 'cause he went for the piece." "He came around after that." "Tough love, huh?" "I'll see you later, Holling." "Okay." "Scusi, signora." "Puo lei dirmi quale autobus va al fòro Romano?" "Scusi, signora." "Puo lei" "Look." "Ollie Orange." "He wants to say hello to Andy Apple this morning." "Hi, Andy." "Top of the morning, Ollie." "How's it hanging?" "Okay, I guess." "Uh-oh." "Here comes Lucy Lemon." "Hey, break it up, you guys." "You can't mix apples and oranges." "Are you going to buy something, or are you just going to handle everything?" "Sorry." "That is a fresh produce section." "It's not a preschool." "Come on, Randi." "Pardon me." "Which bus goes to the Roman Forum?" "Fleischman, wake up." "Huh?" "He's gone." "Ed's gone." "Look, it's 10:30 in the morning." "He's probably out answering nature's call." "No, I don't think so, Fleischman." "His boots and his backpack are gone." "You know, this is all your fault." "What?" "You hurt his feelings." "I'm sure he just decided to leave." "I didn't hurt his feelings." "Oh, right." ""You eat all the food." "You take up all the floor space. "" "O'Connell, he was asleep." "How do you know that?" "He was snoring." "He could have been faking." "Come on, get up." "We're going to have to go get him." "What?" "Get up." " Come on." " Look, he didn't hear me." "Fleischman, do you realize that he might not even make it back to Cicely?" "Those drifts are above his head." "He could die within a hundred yards of here." "You really think I hurt his feelings?" "Look, I'll take the southeast." "You take the southwest." "All right?" "Rendezvous here in a couple of hours." "You know, I didn't mean to hurt his feelings." "It's just" "Things were going so well with us, and he shows up." "Come on." "We've got to get going." "All right." "All right." "Don't stop till we get through Rabbit Ears Pass." "Okay, Edna." "I can't believe the thinking in this town." "Lockstep stupidity." "Right, Edna." "Okay, Hank!" "Come on!" "Step right up!" "Let's go!" "Come on, baby." "Come on!" "Follow the leader!" "Whoa!" "Come on!" "Walt?" "Hey, Walt!" "You in there?" " Yeah?" " Hey, Walt." "What do you want?" "Just want to chat, Walt." "What about?" "May we come in?" "All three of you?" "It's cold out here, Walt." "Well?" "We've all been friends for a long time, Walt." "And we care about each other." "We care about you, Walt." "Yeah?" "So?" "You've got a serious visor problem, Walt." "I don't have any problem." "I can stop this any time I want." " Prove it." " If you mean about last night" "It's more than the business last night." "You're out of control, Walt." "I waited for you two hours at the community center." "You were going to show me some pelts." "I had to replace a carburetor." "Walt, I drove by today, you were out there chopping wood without any gloves on." " It's 20 below." "You're lucky you still got your fingers." " Didn't feel a need, that's all." "That's stupid, Walt." "Wearing improper clothing in weather like this?" "Good way to get yourself killed." "You used to be a lot smarter than that." "I'm, uh-Well, I" "Give me the visor, Walter." "Give me the visor, or we'll have to take it from you." "Give it to him, Walt." "I'll put some coffee on." "Sit down, Walt, buddy." "Want a cheroot?" "I was feeling so good, like when I was on Wall Street." "Early '50s, I. B. M." "I was in on the ground floor of Polaroid, Xerox." "Grab those tigers by the tail and ride them for all they're worth." "Close, close, close." "Got in your blood." "Top of the world." "Guess you kinda see some parallels, huh, Walt?" "It's why I had to leave." "Doc said I was addicted to the action." "I wasn't in control." "Ed!" "Ed!" "Hello, Dr. Fleischman." "Ed." "Hey, are you all right?" "Oh sure." "Fine, thanks." "You sure?" "I was just doing some shooting while we still had the daylight." "What are you doing out here?" "I've been trying to find you." "We thought you were trying to make it home on your own." "Oh." "Look, you know, you've got to understand, last night, I" "What I said- I didn't mean it, really." "I didn't mean it." "Not a word." "Oh, that's all right." "You're kidding." "You sure?" "I guess Jerry Mathers and Free Parking don't have all that much in common." "Well, you know, I'm not- I'm talking about the other stuff, the" "You know." "Why don't we- Let's go back to the cabin." "All right?" "We can make some popcorn, play a little more Monopoly." "I'll even let you be the top hat this time." "Well, I kind of like the shoe, actually." "All right, you be the shoe." "Come on." "All right." "All right." "Next time- not that there's going to be a next time- do me a favor and leave a note or something." "Oh, all right." "All right." "Skies may still be grim- 24 days and counting." "They opened up Route 6, and the weather service isn't calling for more snow... till Sunday at the earliest." "So, something to be thankful for." "**" "Hey, Ruth-Anne." "Comé va?" "I don't know, Chris." "I feel lousy." "Well, let's get out of this fishbowl, huh?" "Want some coffee?" "Uh-huh." "Okay." "What's up?" "Well, I've always wanted to read The Divine Comedy in Italian." "And now I find I have no facility for language at all." "I'm terrible, in fact." "Shelly is the one who has the gift, and she has absolutely no use for it." "She thinks Dante is boring." "She doesn't even want to visit Italy because she likes Chinese food better." "Can you imagine?" "Yeah." "Antonio Salieri." "Amadeus." "Salieri was the court composer in Mozart's day, right?" "Very big." "Huge." "Top of the charts." "He knew his stuff was dog meat compared to Mozart's." "Itjust drove him nuts." "He couldn't figure out why the good Lord up above... would give the gift of genius to this little brat instead of him." "Couldn't handle it." "But, Chris, Salieri killed Mozart." "Right." "That old green-eyed monster." "Huh." "Fifteen minutes yet?" "See you tomorrow, Walt." "Well, thanks for the lift." "Hey, bed rest and hot baths and plenty of fluids there." "All right?" "All right." "Sure, Dr. Fleischman." "Well, I'll see you, Maggie." "Feel better, Ed." "Okay." "Thanks." "Ride home?" "No, thanks." "My truck's just right down the street there." "Well, you know, I'm sorry about last night." "Yeah." "Well, me too, huh?" "What are you sorry about?" "Well, you know, I" "What are you sorry about?" "Everything." "You know." "Just the way I acted." "And Ed." "Right." "What did you think I was sorry about?" "Well, you know, I kind of thought- But never mind." "It's nothing." "Anyway, good night, huh?" "Right." ""La gloria de colui che tutto move..." ""per I'universo penetra, e risplende..." ""in una parte più e meno altrove." ""Nel ciel che più de la sua luce prende fu'io, e vidi cose che ridire né sa né può chi di lá sù discende. "" "Why don't you read some, Ruth-Anne?" "Oh, no, thank you, dear." "Please." "Okay." ""Perché appresando sé al suo disire," ""nostro intelletto si profonda tanto," ""che dietro la memoria no può ire." ""Veramente quant' io del regno santo..." ""ne la mia mente potei far tesoro," ""sarà ora materia del mio canto." ""O buono Appollo," ""a I'ultimo lavoro..." ""fammi del tuo valor sì fatto vaso," ""come dimandi a dar I'amato alloro." ""Infino a qui I'un giogo di Parnaso assai mi fu." "Entra nel petto mio, e spira tue... ""