"Here comes Richard." "All right, you there, stand aside." "Stand aside." "Let us through." "Can't you see this man is gravely injured?" "Out of the way." "I warned Captain Ralph if he continues running these foreign refugees, someone will be shot." "Hey, hey." "You, you, you." "Hey." "This man has been shot." "Hey, Tom." "Tom, you should've been with me last night." "It was a hell of a night." "You sure look like hell." "Who shot you up?" "Who else?" "The goddamn Cuban coast guard." "Getting so as a man cannot make a decent living without somebody taking a shot at him." "Hey, how about a drink?" "No, not now." "I'll see you later." "Joseph." "Good morning, Tom." " Thought you was working today." " Where's Eddy?" " Working on his eye." " What happened to his eye?" "Somebody balled his fist in it." "Goddamn it, don't come in here." "Oh, it's you." "What are you doing here?" "You've never quit this early." "What are you so jumpy about?" "Come on back and have a look." "What did you do to your mouth?" "Oh, some kind of trouble last night." "There." "Ain't that a beauty." "It comes with four ammo clips and 200 rounds." "Where'd you get it?" "You know the tuna boat that was in yesterday?" "First mate had it." " What'd you do, fight him for it?" " No, I beat him at poker." "Fight came afterwards." "Well, keep that locked up." "Don't worry." "As long as the kids are here, it'll be locked." "Eddy, why do you get into fights?" "Oh, it's truth and right, Tom." "I keep hoping that truth and right will win, but then somebody comes along and knocks truth and right on the ass." " You hurt?" " No, I hurt, but I ain't hurt." "Hell, they were only trying to prove that I was wrong." "About what?" "Damned if I can remember." "How do you think the boys will take seeing us, Tom?" " I don't know." " I've got everything ready." "I put two extra cases of Coca-Cola onboard this morning." "Be nice to have the boys again, won't it?" "After four years?" "Eddy, there won't be nothing like it since the big fire." "I rank it right along with the Second Coming." " Oh, yeah." " You gonna have one at Mr. Bobby's?" "Yeah." "You mind if I go along for one?" "My liver's giving me hell this morning." "You still got a liver?" "I had the last time I looked." "I don't wanna get the shakes." "Go home and go to bed, Eddy." "Tom, it is the queen mother's birthday." "I mean, 87 today and still a wonderful woman." "I mean, a bit on the stiff side for me, but still a wonderful piece, by God." "Go home, Eddy." "Beautiful." "Dead." "You're a hell of a shooter, Thomas." " Joseph, break out that Very pistol." " Got it." "Tom, give us a toast to the queen, an eloquent one." "All right." "Gentlemen and lady the queen mother." "I do not think she would like this island, and I'm not sure that she would do very well here, but, gentlemen and lady, the queen," "God bless her." "Careful out there, damn it!" "Take it easy, Tom." "Those things could hurt people." "The hell with take it easy." "Watch me bag the commissioner's house." " You'll burn it." " If he burns it, I'll pay for it." "Try it, Tom, try a red one." "Here, just get a red one, burn the son of a bitch." " Burn him, what do you say?" " Burn him, burn him." "Take it easy, Tom." "We don't have to play rough." "This is my night, mine and the queen mother's, so get out of my way, and watch me nail Brown's dock." " He's got gas on it." " Not for long." "You did it, Tom." "How about the commissioner, Tom." "Try a green one." " He is ashes now." " Tom." "Tom." "Oh, Jesus." "You did it, you son of a bitch." "You did it." "Well, you wait till you see this one." "You keep your good eye on this one now, Willy." "That was a hell of a shot, Tom." "Now for Brown's gas." "Well, you certainly cooled him." "Yeah, he needed cooling off." "Tom, you're drunk, bad drunk." "Tom, where you going?" " Tom." " Thomas." "Tom?" "Come on back, Thomas." "Tom." "What's the matter with him?" "His kids are coming tomorrow." "Where's Eddy?" "Shouldn't he be bringing the car by?" "Shouldn't we be getting down to the dock pretty soon?" "You can walk down." "I'm not gonna meet the plane." " You're kidding me, ain't you?" " No." "You haven't seen those babies in four years." "I gotta work." "What are you doing?" "What the hell's going on?" "You wanna say hello to your kids?" "They didn't wanna interrupt you working, so they stayed in the car." "Yeah." "What the hell." "That's what I say, Tom." "What the hell." "Well, you might as well come in, get out of the rain." "Damn it, Papa." "Papa." "Come on, Andrew." "Papa." "Papa." "Hello, Davy." "Gotcha." "Did you draw that, Papa?" "That's my mother." "She sure is pretty." "How come you didn't draw one of our mom?" "Well, your mom..." "I didn't work very much when I was with your mom." " You still paint, don't you?" " No." "Well, how come?" "I wanted to try something new when I came to this island." "You did that in Paris, didn't you?" " Yes, you remember Paris, Tom?" " Sure." "Remember how we used to shoot the pigeons with a slingshot?" "Why'd you do that?" "We ate them." "Going to the café with Mother because it was so cold in the apartment, and the three of us sitting in the corner by one of those..." " What do you call them?" " Braziers." "I thought that was what ladies wore." "Well, what do I know?" " Do I have to sit here?" " What's the matter, Davy?" " I've got a headache." " Why don't you lay down." " I'll get an aspirin." " I'm all right." " Go lay down if you don't feel well." " I'm all right." "He's always like that." "Mom says he's going through P.U. Birdy." " What's that?" " You know, P.U. Birdy." "Like when you're 14." "bring you the nightly broadcast of Elmer Davis and the News." "Hitler, proclaiming that the triumph over France was the most glorious victory of all time, ordered a ten-day celebration in Germany." "It doesn't make any sense, me and Andy being here." "What kind of sense is that?" "He doesn't care about us." "Oh, come on." " German and Polish refugees..." " He's our father, isn't he?" " He's your father." "It's different with us." " Different?" "What do you remember about him, huh?" " Lots of things." " Did he ever hit your mother?" " No." " Well, he hit ours." " I remember." " So do I." "Boy, the fights they had" "You were too little to remember it." "Well, I remember Mom crying a lot." "I remember the night that he hit her, and she screamed, and how scared we were." "I remember all that, all right." "He was mean then." "He's nicer now, don't you think?" "He hasn't changed." "Still a mean bastard." "That's what Mom always says." "Look, Dave, don't you know by now that when two people get married, they fight a lot?" "Now, he just couldn't have done anything that bad." "You weren't there." "You don't know him like me and Andy know him." "Damn it, Davy, give him a chance, will you?" "Who did he ever give a chance?" "Besides you." "Davy, you're a bastard sometimes." "Just because you're bigger, don't call me names." " Knock it off, Andy." " You aren't my boss." " I'm your older brother." " Half brother." "Half-assed." " Oh, now you're gonna get it." " Hey." " All right." " Don't." "Hey." "What's going on here?" "Well, we were..." "Why, you little..." "It's all right, Davy." "It's all right." "Jesus Christ, here he comes." "Tom." "Tom!" "Jesus, what a son of a bitching hammerhead." "How the hell did that thing get inside the reef?" "What's going on?" "Who's shooting?" "Oh, God." "Tommy!" "Tommy!" "Throw the fish, Tommy!" "Throw it!" "Would you like me to stay down here with you so you won't have to drink alone?" "No, Andy." "You aren't getting mixed up in anything, are you?" "I don't have to drink." "I don't have to do anything except earn my living." "I just feel good, Andy." "Did you see me shoot him true?" "Eddy, it was the greatest thing I ever saw." "I only asked if you wanted me to stay so you wouldn't be lonesome." "I've never been lonesome in my life, Andy." "I'm just happy." "What I've got here makes me happier." "Papa, is Eddy a rummy?" "The only reason I ask is because when I was down below," "I saw him take eight drinks from that bottle since we started in." "Saw him shoot that shark, didn't you?" "Boy, did I." "That's not the way rummies shoot." "Wonder why David's afraid of the dark." "Don't know." "Weren't you?" "I don't think so." "I was always afraid of dying." " You ain't working tomorrow, are you?" " No." "Good." "Then we can break training and drink these." "After today, I think we need it." "Thank you for today." "Not at all." "Anybody that couldn't hit that hammerhead with one of those things ought to throw the bloody thing away before he got into trouble with it." "You sure know how to shoot it." "At that range, no one could miss." "I did." "You were shooting awfully close to him, Tom." "Did everything but hit it." "I panicked." "Simple as that." " What's that?" " Papa." "God almighty." "What is it?" "It's a freighter that's been torpedoed, Andy." "You mean the Krauts are right out there?" "Really?" "Stay back." "Is he dead?" "Let's go see." "I've never seen a real dead person before." "You heard your father." "Boys, go back to the house." "Come on." "Do we have to?" "Come on." "Come on." "Tom, will the boys go to this war?" "Tommy will be 19 next month." "I will pray for a short war." "Do it often." "Why did you come to a place like this, a British island way the hell away from everything?" "I used to come here fishing in the old days." "I like it." "The people here leave you alone." "The only thing I don't like about it is not seeing you kids." "You still love Mother, don't you?" "I don't think I've ever truly loved anyone else." "Then how come you got divorced?" "Your mother and I were very poor, very young, for a long time, very, very happy, but it went bad for us." "With Dave and Andy's mother, we always had money." "She needed it, like the apartment in New York and the house in Palm Beach and all the parties and friends she had." "But didn't she need you?" "Not really." "I don't think she ever really did need me." "Your mother did, though, as much as I needed her." "Then how come you got a divorce from each other?" "I don't know, we..." "Maybe we loved too much, demanded too much." "We wore it all out." "Hell, I blew it." "But you still love her." "Yeah, I still love her." "Hello, Tom." " Lil, how are you?" " Wonderful." "This your son?" "Yes." "Tommy, Lil." "Pleased to meet you." "I think he's beautiful." " Who's she?" " Friend." "She doesn't give it away free, though." "That kind of friend." "Let's see if we've done any good with this thing, huh?" " Can I try?" " Sure." "Dad, who are those people?" "Refugees from Europe." "Jews, mostly." "They come in from Lisbon and Istanbul." "How they got there is anybody's guess." "They work their way through these islands and try to get boats to the States or Cuba." "Who takes them across from here?" "Now?" "Only Captain Ralph." "What happened to the others?" "Caught or sunk." "They sure look pitiful." "They're the lucky ones." "They got here." " Finished?" " Yeah." "Holy jeez." "Andy." " Hi, Dad." " Hi." "You finished?" " All done." "Wanna see it?" " Okay." "Put that down, Tom." " Where's Eddy?" " Eddy?" " Well, you see, he's..." " I'm here." "Well, I'll be a sad son of a bitch." "Dad?" "Yeah, Andy, what is it?" " I'm 10 now, you know." " Sure." "Is 10 too old to kiss your father good night?" "I don't think so, Andy." "Good night, Dad." "Good night, son." "Okay." "Try now." "Well, we'll have to send to Miami for a new pump." "You mean we can't use it?" "Nope." "Well, how are we gonna go to the bathroom?" "Over the side." "Over the side?" "How?" "Carefully." "Fish!" "Get that rod, Davy." "Sit down." "Put the butt in the socket in the chair and keep it there." "Keep the drag off so you can slack it to him when he hits." "If he hits with the drag on, he can jerk you right overboard." "He took it." "The drag, damn it." "The drag." "Sorry, I forgot." "Listen, Davy, a fish like this can kill you." "If you had the harness on, it'd pull you right over the side." "Well, then what do I do now?" "I think I'd hit him, Davy, now." " Hit him again." "Really put it to him." " Caught it." "I think I've got it into him." "Holy Moses." "Ease up on the drag, Davy." " He's gone." " No, he's not." "Ease up on the drag, quick." "What's he gonna do?" "He's gonna start his run now." "We'll chase him." "You okay?" "What's happening now?" "I don't dare ask anybody down there." "The fish is sounding." "It will just keep going down until Davy stops him." "And Davy is gonna have to try to get him up." "What can I do?" "You hold it, Davy." "He'll get sick of it, then he'll come up." "My shoulders are killing me." "Rig the harness for us, will you?" "Tie down the line if the loops are too long." "Damn it!" "Why does he have to keep sounding?" "He'll come up, you'll see." "All of a sudden, there won't be anything to it." "Wanna rinse your mouth out?" "Just" "Just swallow just a little, now, and spit the rest out." "Over an hour and a half." "Well what do you think, Joseph?" "Will you stop worrying?" "I can't help it." "I'm the one in the family that always worries." "You don't know him like I do." "He'll let that fish kill him." "Just so he can show Papa that he can take it." "Take her ahead just a touch, Joseph." "Ahead just a touch." "He's sounding again, Davy." "He's right under the boat." "You gotta get to the stern." "Loosen up on the drag a little so you can get the butt out." "I've..." "I've seen a grown man, strong, you know, big shoulders, like a bull, quit with half the work you put in on this fish already." "Big guy." "Trained for it." "Fished all the time." "I've got to stop him." "Son..." "Your hands and your feet, they don't mean a damn thing." "They hurt, and they look bad, but they're all right." "That's the way a fisherman's hands and feet are supposed to look, right?" "It will toughen them up for the next time." "The point is, are you all right?" "You sure you don't want me to take him?" "Wouldn't be like quitting now." "It just makes sense, you know." "Am I doing anything wrong?" "You're doing perfectly." "Then why do you want me to quit on him?" "Son he's giving you an awful beating." "I don't want him to hurt you." "He's the one with the hook in his mouth." "He isn't giving me a beating." "I'm giving him a beating." "The son of a bitch." "I don't care if he kills me." "Son of a bitch." "Save your wind." "And if you stay calm and quiet, we'll stay with him forever." "How's the line, Tom?" "I don't think there's 10 feet left." "He's stopped him." "Three hours." "This is where the fight really starts." "See if you can get some line back on him." "Back on him, Joseph." "Get some line out of his belly." "He's come up from way down, he's got a bellyful of line, and you can get some of it." "Oh, no." "He's going out again." "No, no, that's all right." "That's supposed to happen." "He's on the outturn now." "He circled in toward you, and you got line." "Now he's taking it back again." "Try him again, Davy." "You've got him coming in." "Now, get on that line." "Try him again." "This is the time, now." "He's really coming in." "Stay with him, Davy." "Steady." "There's the hook." "You got him now." "Hang with it, Davy." "He's coming in just fine." " You ready for him, Eddy?" " Sure." "You watch him, Tom." "Slack up on your drag." "Davy, he looks as big as a log." " Can you reach him?" " Not yet." "Keep him coming." "Easy." "Easy." " Can you reach him now?" " Not quite yet." "Easy." "Easy." "He really was as big as Eddy said he was, wasn't he?" "I'm sure of it." "I've never seen a bigger fish, ever." "You know, it sounds crazy, but in the worst parts when I was the tiredest I began to love him, more than anything on earth." "I know." "I'm sorry we lost him." "I'm glad he got away." "You're a good boy, Davy." "And I'm proud of you." "God knows how much I love you." "Oh, Papa." "Papa." "Get any mail off the pilot boat?" "Mail don't amount to much of anything." "A couple with women's writing on them." "One from New York and one from Palm Beach." "Pretty writing." "One from the gentleman who sells your stuff in New York." "And a couple more unknown to me." "Would you like to answer them for me?" "Yes, sir, if that's what you want." "I'm educated way beyond my means." "Nice morning." "I've been thinking all night about how I'm gonna miss all this." "Dad, you know, I've decided what I'm going to do." "Yeah, what?" "I'm going up to Canada and join the RAF." "Sure." "I'm gonna be a fighter pilot." "You talk to your mother about this?" "Just after graduation." "What did she have to say?" "She was worried about what you'd say." "You know how much fun we've had this summer?" "You know how much I wish we could all be together, all of the time?" "You know, that Dave is some brother." "I was so proud of him with that fish." "Dad, I know you love him the most." "And that's right, because he's the best of us." "Why do you say I love him the most?" "You ought to." "I've loved you the longest." "Wanna go get some breakfast?" "Not yet." "I think I'll go for a walk, okay?" "Okay." "Thanks, Dad." "Okay, boys." "Well, guess we better get on board, huh?" "Guess we better." "We've had a swell time." "Goodbye, Papa." "You okay, Andrew?" "You can't keep the plane waiting all day, you know." "Papa, can't I stay with you?" "I don't want you to be all alone." "Well, be a good boy and take good care of your brother." "Okay?" "Goodbye, son." "Goodbye, Eddy." "Goodbye." "Well, Tom." "Yeah." "I'll see Mother in New York before I go." "Is there anything you want me to tell her?" ""Hello."" "Right." "Good luck, kid." "Davy, it's from Papa." "Read it out loud." ""Dear boys, it was good to get your letters." "Good to hear all is going well."" "So much has changed since you were here." "The war still seems remote to us on the island, but yet closer." "There are a few more refugees coming through here now." "The Germans are sinking a lot of ships in the stream between here and Florida." "Sometimes at night you can see them burning." "Often two and three at a time." "There isn't enough navy, British or American, around to do anything about it." "Work has been progressing steadily and well since you left." "I've completed five or six pieces to sell in New York and am now working very hard to get ahead so we can fish." "I love the sea and would not be anywhere else." "She's my home, my religion." "Perhaps, correctly, I should say that she is what we have instead of religion or God." "She creates life, and she ends it." "She has beauty and great mystery." "And she is eternal." "This island is a lovely place." "But the house is empty." "I think I know almost all there is to know about living alone." "And I have known what it is to live with someone who you love and who loves you." "I've always loved you boys." "But I've never before realized how bad it is that I do not live with you." "I feel isolated." "I keep remembering how happy I became when you were all here." "You moved into a part of me that, when you moved out, became empty." "And it's been bad for a long time." "When you were here, we experienced happiness." ""Now in the night, I'm lonely for it." "But I know the loneliness is only a stage on the way until you all come back."" "on the way until you all come back."" "All my love, your father." "Hey, Tom." "Let's have the best one of the day." "Why the hell didn't you guys take care of him?" "Don't get plugged, Tom." "He's upstairs." "Lil's with him." "How is he, Lil?" "Tight as a tick." "What's the matter?" "How many times have I told you not to get into fights?" "We're just unlucky, you and me, Tom." "Maybe we're lucky with women, eh?" "Anybody hit you first?" "All of them." "But I hit at them first." "Damn." "I'm dying for a drink." "I bet you are." " Get him to eat." " No, you can, but I can't." "I'll beg him to eat." "I'll plead with him to eat." "I'll even set him an example by eating." "But, Tom, what he wants is a drink." "Wouldn't you?" "He doesn't like things to happen to Eddy." "Ain't that the truth." " He's okay, isn't he?" " Yeah." "Can I buy you a drink?" "No, thanks." "Take one up to Eddy and Willy, though, if you would." "Sure." "Let me have two beers." "Thanks for taking care of Eddy." "You don't have to thank me." "I like him as much as you." "And I feel sorry for him." "Are you going to work today?" "No." "We could go up to my place." "What's the matter?" "Hello, you." "I went out to your house." "How'd you get here?" "On the morning plane." "You going to spend your day in that place?" "I was, but I just had a change of plans." "Good." "Can I offer you a ride home?" "Who was your friend at the bar?" "Just my friend at the bar." "Driver, stop here." " Why are you stopping?" " It's a nice walk." "But what if I don't wanna walk?" "Take the car, I'll meet you there." "I'll never understand why things have to go your way." "Because I like it that way." "How long can you stay?" "A day, maybe two." "I wanna kiss you." " You in love with anyone?" " No." "You?" "I'm afraid so." "Bastard." "Isn't it terrible?" "The first time I meet you since I left you, you're not in love with anyone and I am." " You left me?" " Yeah, that's my story." " Is he nice?" " Very nice." "Who is he?" "A general, and he loves me very much." " You gonna marry him?" " He just asked me." "And?" "I accepted." "Don't be so stuffy just because I'm in love with someone." "You don't consult me when you fall in love with people." "How much do you love him?" "I didn't say I loved him." "I said I was in love with him." "I won't even be in love with him today or tomorrow if you don't want." "I don't want not to be polite." "Go to hell." "Yes, you may kiss me, if you like." "Really gonna marry this military character?" "Yes." "In June." "The 6th, to be exact." "Any more questions?" "You're not jealous?" "Oh, Tom, really." "Does it really mean anything to you?" "You think it doesn't?" "You think I'm pretending?" "Well, you might be." "You're a wonderful actor." "I've seen you play all your great roles." "The one I loved you best in was when you played the faithful husband." "And you were doing it so wonderfully." "There was this big spot on your trousers." "Every time you looked at me, it was bigger." "That was at the Ritz, I believe." "That's where I played the faithful husband the best." "You're a little confused." "I think you played it best on the Normandie." "To the Normandie." "That was a role of greatness." "It was, I believe, my best friend at that time, the one who later became the second Mrs. Thomas Hudson." "Remember her?" "Oh, Tom, you were magnificent." "To our best roles." "I hear you've given up painting." "Is it true?" "Do you still love me?" "Haven't I given any sign of it?" "Yes." "Did I?" "You think making love to a woman is enough." "You never think about her wanting to be proud of you." "Or about small tendernesses." "You locked yourself away behind that wall of yours." "A protective shell you built to keep out intruders." "Why couldn't you have been more needing?" "Make me feel wanted, necessary?" "It's a damn give-and-take-- Take it away, I'm not hungry." "What did you come here for, a moral lecture?" "No." "You wanted to get approval of your marriage to that military asshole." "Well, I damn well don't need either." "I'm doing very well with my life right now, thank you." "I don't need any of your goddamn charity." "That's the trouble, you never did." "Just what did you think you'd get by coming here?" "Can I have another drink?" "Here's to us, to all our mistakes and all our losses." "Tommy." "Sorry I said all those things." "Well, those things are good for me." "I've been saying them myself." "Quite often, for a long time now." "Do you remember skiing at Schruns that year?" "The year that Joan came to stay with us." "I remember everything." "All three of us together." "When you came down from work you had two lovelies waiting for you and in love with you and a little boy who adored you." "I think of it quite often." "So happy together." "Remember skiing with Tommy on your shoulders?" "How we'd sing together, coming down through the orchard behind the inn at dusk." "That was the year of all the avalanches." "Yes, we were snowed in for a week that year, remember?" "Joan was such a good friend." "You know, I never knew, really." "Until that crossing on the Normandie." "I still don't understand how we could have been such good friends and had such a lovely time and have it all turn out so badly." "Why were we so stupid?" "Oh, God, Audrey." "Can I have something else to drink?" "Isn't there some wine in the house?" "I'll look." "You heard from Tom?" "Yes." "You remember when he couldn't speak any English?" "How dirt-poor we all were together in Paris?" "We were never poor together, Tom, not really." "Can I have that wine now?" "Sure." "He's dead." "Isn't he?" "Sure." "Tommy." "Tommy." "Think she'll be back?" "Why should she?" "How can such things happen, Tom?" "He was shot down on a routine sweep over Abbeville." "When he bailed out, his chute caught fire." "Oh, my God." "Tom." "Tom." "Don't you want nothing?" "Don't you want something to eat?" "Tom, you've got to eat." "No, thanks, Joseph." "Tom, I just don't give a damn no more." "Neither do I." "Damn it." "What the hell they kill Tommy for?" "Joe, come on." "Sorry, Tom, but I just can't." "I know." "I guess essentially, I'm a very stupid man." "I've been here all day." "Wanting to ask forgiveness of someone wishing it all hadn't happened." "Wishing I had him always." "That's silly." "I can't have him." "I have to let him go." "I have to remember how he was and write him off." "I have to do it, sooner or later." "I wanted to do it now." "But I can't." "Tom?" "I've seen Joseph." "He says we're going across tomorrow." "What's it gonna be, then, Tom?" "Going to Key West, ain't we?" "Tom." "Can I have a drink?" "Thanks." "I knew you were my pal, Tom." "Couldn't have nobody better than me." "I'm with you on anything, Tom." "You're a rummy, Eddy." "No, I ain't." "You always said I wasn't no rummy." "Not really." "You know I'm not a rummy." "I ain't, am I?" "Listen, Tom, I won't drink." "I'll quit." "We'll go to Key West and you can work in the mornings, and we'll fish in the afternoons, just like you did before you came here." "I'm a good man, Tom." "You're not going." "You're not gonna cross alone." "It's dangerous to go alone." "It's only 100 miles." "You think having a rummy on board is gonna make any difference?" "What's the matter, Tom?" "Ain't no use calling me names, is there?" "What did you have to call me a rummy for?" "So you'd believe it." "Who's gonna be your mate?" "Joseph." "I'm closing up the house." "What do you mean, you're closing up the house?" "I'm not coming back." "You're just-- You're just leaving like that?" "Where are you going, Tom?" "I'm going to be with my kids." "I'm through with this island." "Tom, we're old pals." "Why won't you take me?" "You belong here." "What the hell would you do on the mainland?" "It's for your own damn good." " You're just upset." " I'll see you, Eddy." "I feel as bad about it as you do." "Hell, Tom, I'm fond of them" " like they was my boys." " I'll see you, Eddy." "Poor damn rummy." "Oh, hell." "What's the matter?" "What are you looking at me like that for?" "How did you get here?" "Somebody's gotta look after you, haven't they?" "I knew you'd take me." "Do you see him?" " It's Captain Ralph, ain't it?" " Yeah." "Give him a drink." "You'd better break out some cans of that soup and heat it up." " They look like they could use it." " Right." " What happened?" " German submarine." "They boarded us about 10 last night." "They'd been out a long time." "They wanted anything we had." "What are you gonna do with those people?" "Well, we could take them in to Key West." "No, they ain't got a legal paper among them." "Immigration will tie up your boat, and Ralph and me will go to jail." "Five years." "Five years, at least." "That's some rap, brother." "Well, what's gonna happen to them?" "Who knows?" "Hell, Eddy, they're Jews." "Where were you gonna take them?" "Into Cuba, but they're getting very nervous over there." "They say German subs are landing spies all over." "I can't say that it's not risky, Tom." "Where did you figure to put them ashore?" "Bacuranao." "It will be pretty close to daylight by the time we get in." " Tom?" " What about surf?" "Not bad this time of year, Tom, 3 or 4 feet." "Tom." "My God, how did we get into this mess?" "Better get that soup out to those people, Eddy." "That's coming from the wolf packs way up north." "It's just naval gibberish, you know, one sub to another." "What is your name?" "Hudson." "Thank you, Mr. Hudson." "When do we reach Cuba?" "Oh, about an hour or so." "We have friends in Havana who will help us." "My God, I can't believe that we've already reached Cuba." "After all this time." "How long has it been?" "Two years." "Two years since we left Vienna." "Have you ever been to Europe, Mr. Hudson?" "Yes, I lived there about 20 years ago." "You can't imagine how bad it is now." "I don't know how to thank you for..." "Better get in and out fast, Tom." "The light will be coming up in about ten minutes." "Want a drink?" "No, I think I'll take this one straight." "I'm scared as hell." "So am I." "The thing I don't like is trouble." "You used to be pretty good at trouble." "That was the old days." "I was younger." "Didn't know how much trouble there really was." "You got about 5 feet." "How much water you got on the stern?" "About 4 and a half feet." "Get the dinghy off." "Think you can make it through this surf?" "I can make it." " Hold it right here till I tell you." " Okay, chief." "Eddy." " Take that." " Oh, boy." "Don't shoot that unless I tell you." " I don't want anybody to get hurt." " Okay, chief." "Just like the old days, when we use to run booze from here." "Hey." "Over you go." "It's the goddamn Cuban coast guard." "No!" "No!" "Oh, God!" "Oh, no!" "Put one right through it." "We'll play to hell trying to fix that thing." "There's a lot of water between here and Key West." "Think we can make it on one engine?" " We'll have to." " Tom." "Tom." "A boat." "What do you figure, Tom?" " Crank her up, let's get out of here." " All right." "What can that boat do?" "Maybe 14, 15 knots." "There's another one." "Oh, Jesus." "Do you know this coast?" "Know it's no good, why?" "I think we should go around that reef there." "There's a river inside it." "We could duck in there." "Hell, there are dozens of channels back in that river." "If we can get in there, they'll never find us." "Figure we got enough water to get across the reef?" " It's your boat." " Yeah, and everybody's ass." "The hell with it." "Either we got enough water, or we don't." "They're shooting at us." "The bastards are bloody shooting at us." "You always said I shouldn't get into fights, Tom." "How is he?" "He's dead." "You were a good man, Eddy." "Best I ever knew." "Which channel do we want?" "The one on the right." "What now?" "No luck." "What's up?" "Listen." "We're downwind, Tom." "Maybe they ain't heard us." "Don't bet on it." "We've got ourselves pretty well screwed this time, Willy." "Yeah, we've been screwed from the start." "Joseph, we're gonna go up this channel right here." "Tom, there ain't no way out of there." "We still got a chance." "They must be on the other side of those trees." "Break out some rope." "Willy, get the boat turned around." "Tom." "She's loose, Tom." "Give me the Very pistol and another can of gasoline." "All right, now, you know what to do." "Remember what I told you." "Keep the sun at your backs." "You'll hit the Havana road, maybe three or four miles due east of here." " Got it?" " Yes." "Good luck." "Thank you, Mr. Hudson." "Thank you very much." "I loaded the green one for luck, Tom." "Get the boat to the end of the channel." "Get the engine started." "Let's get out of here." "I'll fix you up real good, Tom." "Just lay quiet, now." "How are we back there?" "We're all clear." "You lay quiet." "Just take it easy." "I've always loved you and couldn't help it and can't help it now." "I wish I could be some real good to you." "Maybe I can if we get by this one and the next one and the next one." "Tom." "I love you, you son of a bitch." "Try to understand if you can." "I'm trying, Joseph." "Oh, hell." "You never understand about anybody that loves you." "Tom, don't you die." "Not me, Joseph." "Not me." "I've had a lot of luck to have such a life." "I wish there was some way to pass on what I've learned, though." "My God, I was learning fast there at the end." "Tom." "Tom." "I know now there is no one thing that is true." "It is all true." "Tom?" "Oh, Tom."