"Listen to me, young lady, I've had just a battle I'm gonna take." "Mom, what's he talking about?" "Give me 5 dollars." "Listen to your father when he's talking to you." "What's he talking about?" "You know damn well what I'm talking about." "Maria, you've been thrown out of school." "I was not thrown out." "I quit." "Now give me 5 dollars." "You little—" "John, stop it." " You wouldn't dare." "If I had my way—" " John, shut up!" "Well, what's gonna happen?" "What's she gonna do with her life?" "I'm gonna get married." "To who?" " To Anthony." "Terrific." "Maria, don't be silly, Anthony's going to college." "Only to play football." "When he gets out, he'll be going to work with his father doing construction ...and be pullin' in a really bitchin' salary..." "Don't smoke in the house." " Besides, he's gonna marry me." "I'm gonna have a baby." "That's it!" " That's what?" "I will not have a goddamned tramp living in my house!" "Mom, did you hear what he called me?" "Bastard!" " Slut!" "Daddy!" " Get out!" "So there!" "John..." "Mom, I'm home." "Mom?" " John?" "What happened?" " John!" "He's dead." "Slaughter, what did I tell you about smoking on the premises?" "Lay off, Ed." "What's a PKE doing over here?" " Drop dead." "Hand me those pliers." "What's this?" "This is a lost cause, Ed." " What is?" "This!" " You're gonna pay for that!" "This crap isn't worth the time we put into it." "What's wrong with it?" " It's cheap!" "So?" " Cheap!" "Well, can't you fix it?" " No!" " Why not?" "Some things shouldn't be fixed." "Well, you don't have a choice in the matter, now, do you?" "The company employs you to oversee the fabrication of these units..." "Ed!" " No, no, no, you listen to me!" "The company employs you to oversee the fabri..." "Hi!" " What the fuck are you doing here?" "I got to tell you something." "You get tossed out of school again?" " Yeah." "What the hell did you do now?" " Come upstairs." "No!" " Always up..." "Listen, Maria, this isn't the time to be bugging me right now, OK?" "I got a game tonight and I've got my college entrance exams tomorrow." "This is important." " Yeah, well, so is this!" "This is more important, this is more important than football." "Really?" " I mean I'll have a baby." "What?" " A baby, stupid." "Whose baby?" " Yours, you jerk!" "How could you be so stupid?" " Oh, thanks a lot." "What are my parents gonna say?" "I've got a scholarship on the line." "What about me?" " Oh, what about you?" "How could you let this happen?" " I didn't just let this happen all by myself, you know." "Oh, try to pin the blame on me?" "I'm not blaming you, it's just..." "You did this on purpose." " I did not!" "You did this to keep me from going away to college." "Anthony!" "You said we'd get married." " What?" "You did." "You said we'd get married." " Do you think I'd marry you now?" "Why would I marry you now?" "High school drop-out, pregnant..." "You know, you squeeze that bread out and you sit around watching TV all day long, and you know how you look like by the time you're 21?" "Huh?" "Eew!" "You think I need that?" "I don't need that!" "These are the most important years of my life as a football player." "This arm..." "this arm is gonna make me famous." "It's gonna take me straight through college and into the NFL." "And people say that I'm a smart player." "They say I'm good with strategy." "That's why I practice so much." "That's why I've got to be devoted." "I wake up every morning at 6 o'clock and I run 3 miles." "And I do 60 sit-ups and 80 push-ups, and then I drink this mixture of 1 raw egg..." "Matthew?" "Matthew, is that you?" "It's me." "What?" "Why aren't you at work?" "Well, I..." " Speak up, for Christ's sakes!" "I quit." " You what?" "I quit." "You quit?" " I got fired." "Well, which is it, Matthew, you quit or you got fired?" "It's not that simple." "Yes it is, you quit or you got fired." "Which one?" "I quit." "You sure about that?" " Yes." "I quit." "You got a lot of fucking nerve, you know that?" "You go through jobs like most people go through underwear." "I'll get another job." "Expect me to support you your whole goddamn life, is that it?" " No." "What was that?" " I said no." "When are you gonna wake up and stand on your own two feet, huh?" "You're a grown man." "When I was your age, I was on my own." "I was makin' a damn good livin'." "I'll move out, then." "What was that?" "Tell me what you said." " You heard what I said." "Tell me what you said, coward!" "Come on!" " I said "I'll move out, then"." "That's a joke!" "You would not know how to take care of yourself." "You're to thank God I've been here to look after you." "And when're you gonna clean that bathroom like I ask, eh?" "But I did." "I did it before I went to work." " Hm, you call that clean?" "Yeah." "Do it again." "You eat yet?" " I'm not hungry." "Fucking kid's gonna waste away." "How many times I gotta tell you to clean that goddamn bathroom?" "But I..." " Do it!" "Now!" "That would look great on you." "I like this one, too." " Try on both." "Can I charge my parents' credit card?" " Sure." "The dressing room is right over there." "What's the problem?" "Oh, I wish I knew." "This damn car— it's always something." "Sounds like the battery." "Hey, Mr. Slaughter." " Hi, Grace, Joey, how are you?" "Fine." "That's nothing serious, Mrs. Black, just all the corrosion here on your battery terminals." "Joey, you wanna do me a favor, please?" "Go in the garage and give me a peace of sandpaper and a screwdriver, OK?" "OK." " Grace..." "Save our children!" "Close it down!" "What kind of questions do you have?" " I don't know." "Do you want to have an abortion?" " I don't know." "Do you have a boyfriend?" " No." "Who is the father?" " There is no father." "You?" "Sure." "You know, I'm looking at this guy, right?" "And I've looked at him a lot before." "So now, I know that I have this little piece of him actually in me." "Physically in me, and it makes me feel..." "So I'm talking to him..." "I'm talking to him and I realize..." "I'm..." "I'm talking to him and I realize that he doesn't even see me." "And I'm wondering what it was he was seeing when we did this." "I go over it in my head..." "And now I know what it was he was seeing." "It's really simple." "He's seeing my legs, he's seeing my breasts my ass my mouth he's seeing my cunt." "How could I've been so stupid?" "It's really all there is to see, isn't it?" "That's not true." "I don't know." "That's not true." "And you know that." "I don't know anything." "Who the hell do you think you are?" " I don't think I'm anybody." "You think you're somebody special, don't you?" "Just tell me what I've done." "You think you shit ice cream cone, is that it?" "All I want to do is clean the bathroom." "I've seen your kind." "I've seen them all my life." "You just keep taking, taking, like everything was owe to you, like the rest of us owed you something." "You're like a little kid." ""Gimme this!" "Gimme that!"" "Other people need things, too, you know, Matthew, huh?" "Do you ever think about that?" "Do you ever think about other people?" "Do you ever think about me?" "I think about you all the time." " What was that?" "Did you say something?" "I don't know what you want!" "I want a little cooperation." "I don't know, maybe it's my fault." "It's not your fault." " But then whose fault is it, huh?" "Whose fault is it, Matthew?" "If it isn't my fault, whose fault is it?" "It's my fault." " What was that?" "It's my fault." "It's your fault." " It's my fault!" "That's real big of you, Matthew." "Do you think that changes anything?" "Mom?" "Anybody home?" "Aunt Faye, Uncle Leo, what's going on, having a party?" "Hey, Peg, you're having a party?" "[*] Where's Mom?" "Mom?" "What happened?" "Where's Dad?" "He's dead." "Dead?" "Dead." "You killed him." "Get out of my house." "Hi, Carol." "It's me, Maria." "How do I know?" "I just..." "I didn't..." "I didn't mean to..." "I don't know!" "Look, I don't have any place to go." "What?" "Because you're my best friend!" "Excuse me." "Maybe it's none of my business but... are you all right?" "I only ask because you seem a little pale." "Are you hungry?" "Has something happened or you're hurt?" "Now, now..." "Everything will be all right, everything will be OK." "It's just a stupid thing to say, really stupid..." "How the hell do you know?" "I'm sorry, it just seemed like the thing to say." "Why say anything?" " I don't know." "There's nothing to say." " Maybe." "Give me five dollars." "I'm sorry." " It's okay." "Go ahead, take it." "I want you to have it." "I killed my father this morning." "My daughter would've been just about your age." "I didn't mean to, honest..." "It was an accident; we were just arguing." "I spent some time in a psychiatric hospital." "I didn't even know he had a bad heart." "After that my husband just didn't want children." "He always seemed healthy enough." "Wonder if deep down he blames me for her death." "I just slapped him." "I hate my husband." " You just never know..." "He's just like a child himself." "How can a slap on the face kill a man?" " He's so absurdly like a little boy." "Every summer we have to go to this ridiculous resort called Cape Holiday." "What?" "I hate Cape Holiday." " I'm sorry." "The days are like clockwork." "The same routine year in and year out." "Him off to the city every morning, with his briefcase and his pipe." "And back again each evening on the 17:15 train." "Me at home, dusting a house that never gets dirty never gets messed up." "There's no one there to mess it up." "Sometimes I come home and I find myself hoping that the house is a wreck filthy." "Complete disarray." "Sometimes I come home and I find myself hoping that the house has been destroyed by fire." "Well, thanks for the 5 dollars." "I don't care about any of that!" "What am I supposed to pay the rent with?" "Are you still sleeping with that slut?" "Yeah, will you tell her I'm gonna rip her lungs out the next time I see her!" "Oh, what?" "Let me see some proof." " What?" "Come on!" " I buy beer here all the time." "Not from me, adult." " Oh, where's that other guy, that lady?" "Look, they're not working right now." "I am." "You wanna buy beer now, you gotta show me proof." "Look, mister, I've had a really bad day." "Just take the money." "Please?" "Come back here a minute." "Come on, you want the beer?" "Yeah, I want the beer." "Why do I have to go back there?" "I don't want you going at the front, somebody might see you." "They could close me down for selling you beer." "There is no back door here." " Come on, give me a kiss." "Oh, gross!" " Hey, you want the beer, you gotta give me a kiss." "Okay, just give me back the money." " No way!" "Come on, it's not fair." "Well, you think it's fair you coming in here jeopardizing my business?" "Ain't jeopardizing anything, I wanna do business." "Right, so give me a kiss." "Ah, let me out of here." "You can keep the money." "Hey, I don't want the money." "I want the kiss." "You can't have both." "All right." "Here's the 5 dollars, Now give me a kiss." "On the lips." "Drop dead!" "You have to." "I gave you back the 5 dollars." "It's mine to begin with!" "Listen, do you want the beer or not?" " If you don't let me go I'm gonna scream." "Go ahead!" "My brother's chief of police." "I'll say you were stealing." "They're gonna believe me, not you." "Come on!" " Just a little kiss." "Listen, I'm not gonna kiss you, face it!" " Look I don't have to be nice about this." "I want that you just make it easy on yourself." "Give me a cigarette." "Hmm, if I give you a cigarette, you have to take off your shirt." "You're really disgusting." "Just business, honey, free trade." " Shut up and give me a cigarette." "Now take off your shirt." " Just wait a minute, will ya?" "Let me see you touch yourself." " I bet that gets you really excited, huh?" "Sure does." "How about you?" "They stole my baby!" "Fuck!" "What do you want?" "I don't want anything." "Really?" " Yeah." "Why?" "Because I don't think anything's gonna help." "What do you mean by that?" " Did you drink all that beer by yourself?" "Do you live around here?" " Not far." "I don't have anywhere to go." " So?" "Forget it." "So what do you want?" " I said I didn't want anything." "Then get lost!" " What do you want?" "I don't want anything from you, that's for sure." "Really?" " Yeah, really." "Say it." "I..." "I need some place to sleep." "What are these?" "Make your stomach feel better." "Where are you from?" " Around." "Have you run away or something?" "I'm a murderer." " Really?" "Who'd you kill?" "I'm not actually a murderer, but I thought about killing myself." "I know what you mean." " You do?" "I carry this with me at all times." " A hand grenade?" "Yeah." " Is it real?" "My dad brought it back from Korea." " What for?" "Souvenir, I would guess." "No, I mean why do you carry it about you all the time?" "Just in case." " Just in case what?" "Just in case." "Are you emotionally disturbed?" "Look, I just showed it to you because of what you said." "Forget what I said, put it away." "Do you think it's good idea to drink soda for breakfast?" "Keeps my skin clear." "What?" " It's true." "In ten years your bones are gonna snap like twigs." "Gotta have a glass of milk." "Milk gives me pimples." "You'll probably get more pimples from all the makeup you're wearing." "Makeup hides my pimples." " Sorry." "You live here alone?" " With my Dad." "Where's he?" " Visiting his sister." "Well, I gotta go see this jerk about a job." "Can I take a shower?" " Sure." "Thanks." "It's OK." "So what's wrong with it?" " Listen, cookie-puss, your warranty's expired." "So just shut up and blow!" "What do you want?" " I'm here to see Mr. Santiago." "He ain't in." " Get him." "What do you want?" "What is it, Bruce?" " Nothing." "Nothing much at all." "So, Matthew, your father tells me you need a job." "He tells me you need help." "Don't start it with me, Matthew, I'm only doing this for your father." "I don't do TVs." " But TVs is what we fix." "Television is the opium of the masses." " Matthew, be reasonable..." "I know you need a job." "You know you need a job." "It may not be what you're used to, but a paycheck's a paycheck." "Radios." "I'll do radios..." "phone answering machines, calculators." "I don't need help with that stuff." "Look... 300 a week, I'll give you all the radios and appliances you want, but... you got to work on TVs." "200 a week, and I only do radios and appliances." "But I need help with the TVs!" "I'm sorry, I can't do it." "Jesus Christ, I'm just trying to do your old man a favor." "I'm sure he appreciates it." "It was busted anyway." "Infant kidnapped at bus stop." "Hi!" "Who the hell are you?" " I'm a friend of your son's." "My son doesn't have any friends." "What the hell's goin' on around here?" "Answer me!" " Hey!" "You keep out of this!" "Answer me, Matthew!" "Why don't you just leave him alone?" "Listen, missy, you just better put your clothes back on... and get the hell out of my house." "I'll need all my clothes in the dryer, and I'm gonna wait till they're dry, and then I'll leave." "Is that right?" " Yeah, that's right!" "Well, I got news for you, you little harlot." "Hey, you all right?" "Matthew, where're you going?" "Matthew, get back here!" "You better be gone when I get back." "Man and the Universe Ned Rifle" "I hate Van Gogh." "Matthew, really s-sorry." "Look, I'm turning it off." "Play it and shut up." "Bring me a bottle of Scotch." "What the hell are you looking at?" "Here you go, Matthew." "It's on the house." " Shut up!" "How did you know what I was drinking?" " Get lost." "Your friend, the bartender warned me about you." "I don't have any friends." "Aha, he says that women aren't very safe in here." "Is that so?" "I know some people who think that you ought to be locked up!" "You gonna drink, or you gonna talk?" " Damn, you really are fucked up." "And you are not?" "Well, at least I'm a grown-up." "Listen, I don't wanna discuss your problems." "OK, let's discuss yours." " Why are you dressed in black?" "Is that a problem for you?" "No, I just think if a woman comes into a bar like this, dressed in black... may not be the kind of woman who likes to talk much." "Oh, but I love to talk." "OK." "What do you want to talk about?" "Oh, I don't know..." "Nothing in particular..." "The weather, maybe?" "The weather sucks." "I think it's kind of warm for this time of the year, don't you think?" "Damage to the ozone." " What is that?" "Ozone." " What is that?" "Keeps the Sun's ultraviolet rays from burning us up." "Where the hell have you been the last 10 years?" "Married." "I don't think this conversation is going anywhere." "Well, sure it is." "I am learning all this great stuff about the ozone." "Great!" "So, do you have a girlfriend?" " What's that got to do with anything?" "Maybe that's your problem." "I have a problem?" " Of course you do!" "Oh, and what do you think that is?" " I— I think you don't get laid enough." "Is that so?" "What kind of a relationship could a guy as screwed up as you possibly have?" "I don't have relationships." " So you just love'em and leave'em?" "I don't love anybody." " So you just have a girl?" "I take what I can get." "Now, if you're through talking, do you wanna go out back and fuck?" "Baby, you're talking to the mother of two." "You know that?" "You can't be talking to somebody's mother like that." "Bastard!" "Here, have a drink with me." "Oh, fuck off!" " No, seriously." "I mean it." "Stay." "And I think it's been very screwed up since my divorce." "They took the kids away from me like I'm unfit or something..." "Do you get a car?" "Here you are?" "I've been looking all over for you." "Maria?" " Peg?" "Where did you get that dress?" " Do you know him?" "Matthew, come home with us." "What?" " He has to, Peg." "Maria, if you come home right now, mom is gonna stab you in the heart with a steak knife, OK?" "You two are sisters?" " Don't go back to your father's house." "I have to go back." " Why?" " I have to." "Matthew, he's a monster." " What is going on here?" "Matthew is coming home to live with us for a while." "Maria, do you know who this guy is?" " I don't care who he is." "Who are you?" "Maybe he doesn't want to come home with us." "Leave me alone." " There!" "OK?" "Maria, come on, let's get out of here." "Are you sure?" " Yeah." "Maria, come on." "Please come home with me." " Why?" "I'm afraid of my mother." "Oh, Jesus Christ!" "I'm never gonna forgive you." " I know." "As long as I live, I'm gonna work your fingers to the bone." "OK." "Did you eat anything today?" " No." "Sit down, I'll fix you something." "Who's your friend?" "So, then he gives me back the five dollars, and he still wants me to kiss him." "Gross!" " Disgusting!" "I was so scared." "He's like sweating and rubbing his crotch and everything." "So what did you do?" " What do you think I did?" "You burned him with a cigarette." " Right in the eye." "Ouch!" " That man is going straight to hell." "And he's threatening he'd call the cops on me." "So was this before or after the baby disappeared?" "Just before it." " You've got to go to the police, Maria." "Yes, that man should be punished." "You know, that the baby..." "Well, I don't know, I can't be sure." "I didn't see anything." "Well, maybe they can talk to her." " She seemed so sad, so mixed up." "We're all mixed up, Maria." "We don't go around stealing babies." "You see, you're already convinced that she did it." "So what are you gonna do?" " About what?" "About being pregnant." "You ain't the father, are you?" "No, ma'am." " Mom!" "Eat your sandwich." "I went to the clinic yesterday, and I spoke to this lady." "How much?" " I need about 250 bucks." "What?" "For an abortion?" "Don't look at me!" "I spent everything we had on your father's casket." "The divorce lawyers took all my money." "I'll get a job." "I've got money." " No, thank you." "It's OK." " Why don't you get it from Anthony?" "I never want to see that jerk again." "Take the money from me." " No..." "You don't have a job, either." "I'm gonna take this job fixing TVs." " Maria, where did you get that dress?" "Belonged to my mother." "Fixed it?" " Yeah." "Thank you." " You're welcome." "Do you want some TV?" " I don't watch TV." "Why not?" " It gives you cancer." "It does not!" " Well, see for yourself." "Do you know what the word "empirical" means?" "Don't ask him, he thinks TV gives you cancer." "Means... information based on experience." "You can't know something unless you experience it first." "I borrowed it." "Do you mind?" " No." "I put a bed in here for you." "Where do you sleep?" " I sleep in there." "There's no bed in here." " I don't need a bed." "Are you nearsighted?" " Yeah." "Why don't you wear your glasses?" " They make me look stupid." "How do you mean?" " You know, brainy, like a librarian." "I like librarians." "Give me your hand grenade." " Why?" "Give it to me." "Maria!" "I don't want you getting any ideas." "Ideas about what?" "You know what." "Tomorrow you find some place else to sleep." "Got it?" "OK." "I don't know what your problem is, but I got problems of my own." "I am ashamed." "I am ashamed of being young." "I am ashamed of being stupid." "So have you been over to the clinic?" " Yes." "You gonna have an abortion?" " Suppose." "I think that's the right move." " Did you ever have one?" "An abortion?" " Yeah." "Sure." " When?" "A couple of years ago." "After you'd already had children?" " Exactly." "Why?" "Because I already had two kids I couldn't handle, and I hated my husband." "My second baby saved my marriage..." " No, my marriage is beyond saving." "Did you have the baby because your marriage needed help?" "Definitely..." "And I really liked to have another baby." "I like being pregnant." "Did you want to get pregnant the first time?" "I suppose." "I mean I didn't think about it." "When we first got married, we'd just spend the whole time fucking." "What the hell, we're married, right?" "So..." "And pretty soon I got pregnant." "That was OK except I was already kind of bored of my husband." "I was 17." "How old were you when you got married?" " 20." "Did you want to have kids right away?" " Oh, yeah, I couldn't wait." "Did you ever think about what you life might've been like if you never got married and had kids?" "No." " Never?" "What's the point of thinking about that now?" "Well, did you think about it then?" " Of course not." "Did you, Peg?" "Who thinks about that when you're 17 years old?" "OK, you stand here like this, you take one of the slugs ...and put it right in there where the groove is." "Put your foot on the pedal down here so, like this, and then you press down." "You take the arm, you bring it down slowly ...until the drill goes all the way through to the mark." "You got that?" " Right." "OK, then you take the arm, you let it go, you take your foot off the pedal." "You gotta let go of the arm first." "Remember that!" "Let go of the arm first." "Let go of the arm first, or you break the entire the machine." "As soon as you take your foot off the pedal, ...you slide the slug off the plating to the barrel like that." "Hi!" " How was work?" "Do you know how to type?" " Not very good at it." "I gotta learn how to type." "Typing's gotta be a lot better than drilling little holes in pieces of aluminum all day." "What time is it?" " 17:05." "Who are we waiting for?" "The husband of the lady I met on the bench." "How do you know what he looks like?" "I remember her saying he carries a briefcase and smokes a pipe." "A lot of men fit that description." "Yeah, but I think we'll know his kind when we see him." "Why?" " He seem childish..." "like a boy." "Kind of nave." " Kind of what?" "Nave." " Nave?" "Naïve." " Naïve." "Naïve." "Still here, huh?" " Mom, he has nowhere to go." "Shut up, you!" "Finish those potatoes!" "Mom, if I eat anything else, I'll explode." "Eat them." "And when you finish, get started on the dishes." "This is a well built piece of machinery." "They don't make things like they used to." "Mom, you never told us you were a secretary." "I hated it." "I hated working." "I was so glad when your father proposed." "Don't you consider being a wife and mother work?" "With the likes of you two it was torture." "Do you ever think of going back out to work?" "Never!" "You are going to support me." "The rest of my life you'll have to make sure there's food in my mouth and clothes on my back." "Got it?" "Now finish those potatoes." " Okay, okay." "It's not gonna be easy." " I know." "You'll have to work every minute of your life." "Mom, ease up." "Maybe you lie down." "Peg, don't play up to me." "OK, I think that's it." "I didn't want any daughters in the first place." "You'll have to type faster than that, to keep us out of poorhouse." "Good night, Mom." "Do you miss your kids?" " Sure." "Do you hate your husband?" " Absolutely." "Would you ever get married again?" " Of course." "Why aren't you asleep?" " I don't sleep." "Aren't you a little old to be running around with a 17-year-old?" "You want me to go?" " I don't know." "I'm not here to cause trouble." " There's no avoiding trouble." "You ride Maria pretty hard." "How I raise my kids is none of your business." "Sorry." "You like her more than Peg, don't you?" " Who said anything about Peg?" "I think Peg's prettier." "They're both pretty." " Peg's more level-headed, too." "She's wild—always has been—, made a mess of a marriage." "Maria sleeps on the floor." "You really do like her more, huh?" " I don't like to see her torture herself." "Have you two been screwing around?" "Want a cigarette?" "Don't change the subject." " I haven't touched her." "I don't think she knows much about how to make love to a man." "She must know something." "She's pregnant." "That's what I mean." "A girl who knows hot to make love to a man would never let that happen." "You think so?" "You stand a better chance with Peg, you know?" "And I bet she's great in bed." "We don't have much in common." "When was the last time you were with a woman?" "I don't remember." "I'm never gonna let you take Maria away from me." "I never said I wanted to." " She's gotta pay." "Your husband died of a heart attack." "No one dies of a heart attack." "They die of disgust... disappointment." "You're not the first woman in the world who's had a hard time." "You're an outsider, you don't understand." "A family's gotta stick together, come hell or high water." "Family's like a gun." "You point it in the wrong direction, you're gonna kill somebody." "Exactly." "You gotta leave this house." " I have to take care of my mother." "Your mother is a psychopath." " She's just in pain." "What are you doing in here?" "How does this work?" "What do you want to know that for?" "Give me that thing." "No." "How's it work?" "Why?" " I just wanna know." "See this pin?" "You pull that, wait 8 seconds, and..." " Boom." "Sleep in here tonight." "I don't mean with me, I just mean sleep here in a bed." " Peg says you have a reputation." "What kind of reputation?" " Dangerous reputation." "Peg's got a reputation herself." "I want to become a nun." " No, you don't." "Yes, I do." " No, you don't." "You're just having some kind of severe reaction." "I don't wanna feel anything." "Well, I bet nuns feel things." "You have to be dead not to feel things." "You don't wanna be dead, do you?" "I'm gonna go to the clinic tomorrow to have the abortion." "Will you come with me?" "If you want me to." "Why do you do this?" " Do what?" "Why do you hang around here and look after me like this?" "Somebody has to." "Why you?" "How long do you think it'll take?" " I don't know, not long, I guess." "Are you OK?" " Yeah." "You?" "Feel like smashing things up." "Relax." "There's nothing to worry about." "Why don't you go for a walk?" "I don't wanna take a walk." "You sure you wanna go through with this?" "What do you mean?" " Marry me." "Don't be crazy!" " Marry me!" "Have the baby, we'll be a family." " You're delirious." "Sorry." " It's OK." "How long do you think it'll take?" " I don't know, not long, I guess." "Are you OK?" " Yeah." "You?" "I feel like tearing somebody's head off." " Maria Coughlin?" "How're you doing?" " I feel like smashing things up." "Yeah, sometimes it gets like that." "It's first time?" " What?" "It's first time here?" " Of course." "That's some..." " Who the hell are you?" "John— John Bill." "How're you doing?" "I already told you I feel like punching somebody's lights out." "Yeah, first time's kinda tough." "But you know what's an amazing thing?" "You come in here the first time, your whole life's a mess, all this tension stuff..." "And then she goes in there, and when she comes out, everything's fixed." "What time is it?" " 5:03" "Did you mean that?" "Would you marry me?" "Yes." "Why?" " Because I want to." "Not because you love me or anything like that, huh?" "I respect and admire you." "Isn't that love?" " No, that's respect and admiration." "I think that's better than love." " How?" "When people are in love, they do all sorts of crazy things..." "They get jealous, they lie, they cheat they kill themselves, kill each other." "It doesn't have to be that way." " Maybe." "You'd be the father of a child who you know isn't yours." "Kids are kids." "What does it matter?" "Do you trust me?" " If you trust me first." "I trust you." " Sure?" "Yes." "Then marry me." "I'll marry you if you admit that respect, admiration and trust equal love." "OK." "They equal love." "Good." "I trust you." "Now it's your turn." "What?" " Go on up." "Maria, that's pretty high." "Don't you trust me?" " Of course I do." "You go on up!" "Maria, I'm twice your size." "If I fall on you from that height, I'll kill you." "Trust me." "This isn't a matter of trust!" "Matthew, go up!" "I will break your fall, I promise." "If I do this, will you leave your mother?" "What?" " You heard me." "Maybe." " Not good enough." "You're being selfish." "The woman's a sadist." " She's just in shock." "What's a sadist?" "Your mother or me?" " Wait a minute, look!" "What is it?" "The lady said her and her husband go to Cape Holiday every summer." "There's another one." "And over there, too." "There might be dozens." "But how many of them many belong to men who take the 5:15 train?" "Seven." "There were ten before the 5:15 came through." "The white fancy one is gone." " The yellow pickup truck, the Japanese model, 3..." "Three." "What're you gonna do when you find this man?" "I don't know yet." "Peg, don't you think Matthew is a handsome man?" "He's OK." "Why hadn't you made a play for him?" " Mom?" "What?" " You're unbelievable." "He's too old for Maria." " So what do you want me to do about it?" "Throw yourself at him." "I do not throw myself at men, Mom, OK?" "You used to." " Shut up and watch TV!" "Don't you snap at me like that!" "He's not interested in me." "That's what you think." " What do you mean?" "I've seen the way he looks at you." "Oh, right, and I've seen the way he looks at Maria." "Oh, you're just imagining it." "He likes you, I can tell." "You can?" " She's not giving him any." "What can I do for you, Matthew?" "I want my job back." " It's impossible." "I'm sorry about vicing Ed's head." "It's not what I'm talking about." " What?" "You lied to us." " When?" "When you applied for this job, you said you had attended MIT." "Did I say that?" "You never told us about your police record and four years of reform school." "You never asked." "I gave you a lot of responsibility." " I did a good job." "That's besides the point." "What difference does it make?" "I can't do it." " Why not?" "People are afraid of you." " I'll be nice." "Really, I promise." "Are you working now?" " Yes." "For a competitor?" " I fix televisions." "Well, work is work." "I need something stable, with benefits." "Pension plan type stuff, you know?" "Why the sudden interest in stability?" "I'm getting married." " Really?" "Listen, I promise I won't lose my temper any more..." "I won't make a fuss about bad manufacturing or faulty designs..." "I won't care about quality at all." "I just need a job, with the normal benefits for me and my dependents." "I can't give your old job back." " I'll take anything." "Eligibility for benefits starts after six months." "Fine." " You'll have to take a few steps down." "Can I help you?" " Yeah, my TV is busted." "Let's leave it here, I'll have a look at it later on." "Where's Matthew?" " He doesn't work here any more." "What?" " Yeah, he got fired." "You mean he quit?" " No, I mean he got fired." "Bullshit!" "Nobody in the right mind would fire Matthew." "He can fix anything." "Look, I'm telling you." "He got fired." "He scared the customers." "Well, what the hell do customers know?" "Matthew is a genius!" "We don't need a genius." "We need somebody who can fix TVs." "Yeah?" "Well, that's your problem, pal!" "What do you want me to do with this TV?" " Get the damn thing out of my sight!" ""Vicissitude – 1. a) The quality or state of being changeable;" "...mutability." "...b) Natural change or mutation visible in human nature or in human affairs." "...2. a) A favorable or unfavorable event or situation that occurs by chance." "...A fluctuation of state or condition;" "alternating change." "See – Change."" "Hey, mister?" "Who are you?" " My name's Maria." "What do you want?" "I think I know your wife." "What do you intend to do?" "I was in trouble and she gave me some money." "I just want to return it." "What's her name?" " Who?" "Your wife's." " Rachel." "Will you tell her I say thank you?" " Yes." "Ed..." " What... uh... what is it?" "Calm down, Ed." "What do you want?" "I just happen to notice that these boards they were wiring into the new models of the A67–9s." "Brilliant." "So what?" "We manufactured these boards last year, ...and too high a percentage of them checked out faulty... in these higher powered, larger memory units, so we stored them out back." "I know that, Slaughter." "Well, I just thought maybe there's been some kind of a mistake or something—" "Why do you always have to be such a pain in the neck, hm?" "Because it's my job." "No!" "Your job is to put these together the way we tell you to." "Right." "There." "You see?" "A67–9." "See?" "Yeah, I see it." " Satisfied?" "Since when do you watch TV?" " It was on when I came in." "How was work today?" " I don't wanna talk about it." "I decided to go back to high school." "Why?" " 'Cause I don't wanna work in a factory." "When we get married, you won't have to work at all." "But I want to, just not in a factory." "How can you go to high school pregnant?" " Plenty of girls do it." "I can teach you everything you can learn in high school." "I don't want that." " Why not?" "'Cause I just don't want it." "I met the man today." "What man?" " The husband of the lady on the bench." "All right, and what was he like?" " He was nervous." "Did you ask him if his wife stole the baby?" " You don't care, do you?" "Care about what?" "Can you stop watching TV for a moment?" " No." "Why?" " I had a bad day." "I had to subvert my principles and kowtow to an idiot." "Television makes these daily sacrifices possible." "Deadens the inner core of my being." "Let's move away then." "They have television everywhere." "There's no escape." "Besides, you won't leave your mother." "I will if you quit your job." " What?" "I don't like what's happening with you." "If you don't like your job, then you shouldn't do it." "Did you leave your mother?" " I'm not doing her any good staying." "After the baby." " No." "Now." "Maria, having a baby costs money." "In six months I'll have full medical coverage down at the plant." "Just try to be practical." "Level-headed." "What's so practical about being level-headed?" "Would you move away from the television?" "The news is on, and I wanna hear about the earthquake victims." "Why?" "What are you gonna do for them?" " Commiserate." "What's commiserate?" "To express sympathy." "Now move aside." " Is that like compassion?" "Now, compassion means to suffer with, which is different than just feeling pity." "You need a thesaurus." " A what?" "A thesaurus." "It's like a dictionary of synonyms." "Would you get me another beer?" "You're already drunk." " No, I'm not." "I don't get drunk." "Your job is making you boring and mean." "My job is making me a respectable member of society." "Where are you going?" "Where're you going?" " To the supermarket." "We need stuff." "Come here, your hair needs brushing." "Did you clean the bathroom?" " Yes." "I want you to do this kitchen floor." "I'll do it tonight when everyone's asleep." "Did you back him upstairs?" " Yes." "Change all the bed sheets tomorrow, before you go to work, and hang out the clothes that are in the washing machine." "OK..." "When's he gonna fix my sewing machine?" "You never use it." " I don't use it because it's broken." "He'll get around to it." "Don't forget milk." "We need milk." "I want you out of my house." "Fine." "But if I leave, Maria leaves with me." "No chance!" "We can go on like this for ever, Mom." " Don't call me "Mom"!" "Like it or not, I'm here to stay." " Freeloader!" "My paycheck kicks in to run this household, too, you know." "Who asked you for help, anyway?" " Maria did." "Maria is a child." " Soon to be my wife." "Over my dead body." "It's all set." "We go to Town Hall on Monday..." "You want a beer?" "What the hell's wrong with Peg?" "There is nothing wrong—with Peg." "I just don't wanna marry her." "Peg would take a punk like you and make a real man out of ya." "I don't think I could stand bein' a real man, to tell you the truth." "You may be able to convince Maria to marry you." "But you'll never be able to take her away from me." "I know how to deal with Maria." " You're a selfish bitch." "I brought her into this world, don't you forget that." "You don't deserve her." " Neither do you." "You wanna arm-wrestle about it?" "We'll drink for it." " What?" "We'll drink for it." "Whoever's left standing, wins." "Jean, I can drink you under the table." " That's what you think." "Scotch is your poison, isn't it?" "Mine's gin." "Jean, this is gonna be way too easy." "We'll get you out of my house one way or another." "You won't do it this way." " You're a fool of high ideal, pal." "You're gonna regret this whole thing in the morning, Mom." "Shot for shot." "There's two more bottles under the sink." "And don't you ever call me Mom!" "To motherhood!" " Bastard!" "Coffee." " Look, I don't want any trouble." "Coffee." " We're closing up." "Milk, no sugar." "Hi!" " Hi!" "You work late?" "They smashed my car up again:" "tipped it over to the street." "Bastards!" " I'm doing what I believe in." "And if you're gonna do that, you got to be ready to take a certain amount of shit." "I'm going to have an abortion." "Are you sure it's what you want?" " Yes." "You have to be sure." "You have to be sure or nothing ever changes." "People spend their entire lives making the same mistakes again and again." "I'm sure." "Are you alone?" " I met a man." "He knows you're pregnant?" " He wants to marry me." "Do you want that?" "Sometimes I'm sure I do, other times I'm not so certain." "He's a good man, but he's out of control." "It seems like meeting me has made him capable and ready." "I mean to give himself completely, you know." "Isn't that a good thing?" " I like him the way he is." "How is he?" "Dangerous... but sincere." "Sincerely dangerous?" " No." "Dangerous because he's sincere." "I see..." "And now he's becoming insincere?" " Not exactly, he's just sort of numb." "You changed him." " I didn't mean to, honest." "No, you didn't mean to, but still it happens." "People change each other." "People start becoming what others want them to be." "I just want him to be himself." "Impossible." " Really?" "How can you expect him to stay the same when you've come into his life?" "Then you think I should leave him?" "Look... hasn't he changed you?" " I guess so." "There you go." " I don't understand." "You don't have to understand." "Here's my husband." "I'll be there tomorrow." "As long as you know what you're doing." " I know what I'm doing." "Here..." "let me pour you another one, Jean." "Thanks." "Shit!" "I've been meaning to ask you something." " What's that?" "What's your mother like?" " I don't remember her." "You were that young when she died?" " She died giving birth to me." "No!" " It's the truth." "That's terrible." " I agree." "It's so unfair." " Of course." "I feel so sorry for your father." " I had a feeling you two had hit it off." "You can't blame him for hating you." " I never said he hated me." "But you don't get along." " No, we don't get along." "But, then, neither do you and Maria." "Me and Maria will get along just fine once you're out of the picture." "She'll waste away here with you." "And what the hell kind of life are you gonna be able to give her?" "Any kind of life she wants." "She wants to stay with me." " Says who?" "Look, let me tell you something, 'cause you know, it's not like I hated you right off the bat or anything." "Appreciate that." "It's just that I don't wanna see Maria make the same mistake I made—and that Peg made." "What mistake is that?" "Men." " Ah." "Children are OK, but marriage is always a last resort." "A woman can have anything she wants." "Anything!" "But we always make the mistake of thinking we need a man to do it." "Well, correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it sort of impossible to have a baby without a man around the house?" "Wake up, Matthew, this is the 20th century." "You can be artificially inseminated." "With that sperm banks and everything the possibilities are endless." "You're out of your mind." " I'm fed up, that's all." "You know, when my husband died, I— ...sure, I was in shock, but..." "what I really felt was relief." "What?" " Relief, yeah." "That man poisoned the past 20 years of my life." "Some nights I'd lay awake hoping he'd just sort of— ...well, disappear or something, and then, whack...!" "...Maria, with one slap, knocks him right out of my life." "Incredible!" "I was amazed." "The girl's a genius!" "Do you love him?" " Who?" "Your father." " I don't love anybody." "Yeah, right, I keep forgetting." "Drink up!" "You know with me and my dad it's like our... relationship is a record album... you know?" "And the phonograph that the record is playing on has a very old and worn-out needle." "You know what I'm saying?" "There are these... skips bad skips painful gouges..." "But in your head you compensate for it, you know." "You keep the beat because you know the song." "Most people buy laser disks now, you know, CDs... they don't wear out." "You can't damage the surface of CDs." "They are digital, not analog." "Would you like..." "for me to explain you, Jean, ...the difference between digital and analog recording?" "No." "It's really fascinating stuff." " I'm sure it is." "Jean..." " Huh?" "I think..." "I think I'm actually drunk." "I think so, too." "Matthew..." " What?" "What's goin' on here, mom?" " None of your business." "Pick up that bottle!" "You should've been home half an hour ago." "The other girl got sick." "What is this?" " What?" "This isn't gin." " Oh, that." "This is water." " Give me that." "Why are you watering down the gin, Mom?" "I'm not watering down the gin, I'm using that to water the plants." "Ah—what plants?" "Will you stop asking stupid questions and just go on up to bed?" "Oh, this is Scotch, it's real!" "Maria!" "What do you want?" " I just wanted to apologize." "Oh, great." "What happened to your football scholarship?" "I didn't get it, I failed my college entrance exam." "I'm sorry to hear that." "Maria, I want you to forgive me." " Sure." "Here, give me a lift." "Let me take these." " Thanks." "What did you do to your hair?" " Nothing." "I didn't know you wore glasses." "Matthew!" " Hmmmh..." "Get your hands off me, Anthony." "Don't get so high on Maria with me, Maria." "I'm not being high on Maria, just don't want your hands anywhere near me." "Now get me my groceries out of the trunk." "It's true about you and that psycho case, isn't it?" "What psycho case?" " Matthew Slaughter." "Yes." "As a matter of fact, it is." "We're getting married on Monday." "Now get me my groceries out of the trunk!" " What?" "Give me the keys, I can't do this—" " You can't do that!" "Why not?" " What about us?" "It's about time..." "I wanted a cup of tea, but there's no milk." "Maria, I left my hairclip up in Peg's room." "Can you go get it for me?" "Did you hear me?" "Why can't you get it yourself?" " What?" "Mom, you're a normal, healthy woman." "I don't see why I have to do every little thing for you." "What's gotten into you?" "Nothing's gotten into me." "I'm just—telling you the way it is." "Go get my hairclip." "Listen, Mom..." "I'm sorry about Dad." "Are you going to marry Matthew?" "Maybe." "It's your life." "You can do what you want with it." "That's right, it's my life, I'll do what I want with it." "Go get my hairclip!" "Here you go." "I'm going to bed." "Good night." "Emphysema?" "Heart disease?" "Venereal disease?" " No." "Are you allergic to penicillin?" " No." "Any other prescribed medication?" " No." "Other allergies?" " No." "Have you been hospitalized for any illness in the past 6 months?" "No." "Have you had an abortion before?" "No." "Soc." "Security number?" " Is Nurse Paine here?" "Why?" " No reason." "She's off today." "Soc." "Security number?" "081-50-9199." " O.K." "Drink this." "What is it?" " Just drink it and lean back." "Will this hurt?" " Don't worry, it's a simple procedure." "Yes, Matthew?" "Have you got a minute?" " Sure." "What is it?" "I just have a question." "I was a little confused." "The specifications manual for the new model reassembling calls for a particular piece, ...a circuit board, No." "A67–9—" " I know the piece." "Oh, it's just that I remember that we..." "manufactured that piece last year, and ...an unusually high number of them checked out to be faulty." "I'm aware of that." "It was a defect in the pressing of the b—" " Matthew, I understand!" "Oh." "Matthew, listen." "I appreciate your diligence." "But there are people in this company, highly qualified people, ...people in important positions, who are making decisions about these things." "And they know what they're doing!" " Mm-hmm." "Yeah." "If these people saw fit to include part A67-9 in the new model, ...well, then we have to trust that they have reasons for doing so." "Agreed?" "Yes." "So, Matthew, once again, thank you for your diligence and dedication." "But please, just go back down there." "Do your job!" "Yes, sir." " Excuse me?" "I'm sorry." " Good." "I quit." "Do you want to go home now?" "No, I have some things to do." "I'll be home later." "They found him this morning." "The police got an unidentified phone call, apparently." "They say he's okay." "Just fine." "What are you doing here?" " I live here." "Come on home, Matthew." " No." "Matthew, I spent all my life lookin' out after you." "Now you desert me?" "The two of us are better off on our own." "You're selfish." " I'm just trying to be responsible." "You're a fool, Matthew." "I've heard all about his, I mean everybody knows that girl's kid isn't yours." "Big deal." "Big deal?" "She's just taking advantage of you." "We better not talk about this, Dad." "Matthew, you'll always be a fool, you need somebody to look after you." "Why don't you just say it?" " Say what?" "That you want me to come home because you're—lonely." "Oh, bullshit!" "Why don't you just say that you're sorry for the way things never seemed to work out between us?" "What are you saying?" "It's my fault?" " It's nobody's fault." "It's that little slut's fault." "That's whose fault it is!" " Watch it, Dad." "Fucking, low-life bitch!" "You better get out of here, Dad." " What're you gonna do about it?" "I'm warning you, Dad." " Come on, what're you gonna do about it?" "I swear to god, I'm gonna knock you out." "Try it." "I'll knock your ass through your face." "Come on, try it." "What's the matter?" "You afraid, huh?" "Are you okay?" "I quit." "What?" " I quit my job." "Why?" "You're right." "We got to get out of here." "This is no place to raise a child." "Maria..." "I woke up in Peg's..." "bed this morning..." "I don't know—" " Stop." "I've had an abortion." "I don't want to get married." "I bought you this." "And who do you think you are?" " Leave me alone!" "What you've done to my cabinets?" "So get a hammer, I'll fix it." " Do you want something to eat?" "That man physically socked me, and you rehired him!" "Look!" "Look what I'm dealing with!" "I need you to get in there and get the guy out!" "Going back in there?" "Are you out of your mind?" "What happened?" " I don't know." "It must not be any good." "Are you sure?" "No." "You mean it might still go off?" "I guess so." "I'm sorry." "I lost my head." " It's okay." "What are we gonna do now?" "We could run." " We'd never make it." "I'll tell them that was my fault." " They'd never believe you." "I don't care if they believe me or not." "Why've you done this?" "Done what?" " Why'd you put up with me like this?" "Somebody had to." " But why you?" "I just happened to be here."