"What the hell?" "Hey." "You know which side ofthe border you're on?" "You got a name, boy?" "Guess... somethin' must have cut your tongue off." "Either that, or... you've got somethin'... to hide." "Ah." "Never can tell." "You hear me plain enough." "Ah." ""Walter R. Henderson"." "Now, I want to ask you one last question." "You see this here card?" "Is it you?" "Or a relative ofyours?" "Well, I'm gonna call up this number... and see ifthey can tell me who you are." "I ain't got beds enough to be puttin' up mutes." "Operator, I need a line out, please." "Los Angeles, California." "Area code..." "Uh, what?" "Well, can you..." "Can you tell me the exact location ofyour hospital down there?" "Uh, where the hell's that?" "Oh, okay." "All right." "Yeah, um..." "Okay, I'll be there." "I'll get there as fast as I can." "Just..." "Will you tell him that I'm coming, okay?" "Okay." "Steven, I think you will have to change that." "This section right here?" "Yeah, because it's in the copy." "Anne, honey?" " I just got the strangest phone call." " Who from?" "From some hospital in South Texas..." "a place called Terlingua." "They say they found Travis." "Oh, no." "What are you going to do?" " Well, I'll go down and-and get him." " Oh, Walt." "What am I gonna do?" "I can't leave him down there." "What about Hunter?" "What am I supposed to tell him?" "Uh, well, just tell him I had to go on a business trip." "I mean about Travis." "Well." "I guess you better tell him the truth." "10 to Van Horn." "90... to Alpine." "118 south." "Terlingua." "You must be the brother of the mute." " Mute?" " Ja." "They couldn't squeeze the time of day out of him." "Must be in a kind ofjam, huh?" "I don't know." "I haven't seen him in over four years." "Is that right?" "Well, a lot can happen to a man in four years, I guess." "All kinds oftrouble... expensive trouble." "What do you mean?" "Well, down here... a man gets himself into a fix sometimes." "And it costs a little to get him out." "You understand what I mean." "I don't understand you." "I wish you'd get to the point, 'cause I'd like to see my brother." "All right, sir." "But first I would like to ask you something." "Did your brother ever get hisself into a car wreck?" "Uh, car wreck." "No, uh, not that I know of." "Then he must be mixing with some hard company." "I'd like to see my brother now, ifyou don't mind." " He disappeared." " You mean he's not here?" "After I came all this way?" "He's been gone since early this morning." "We have his possessions nevertheless." "Saved them." "We'd be glad to turn 'em over to you... as soon as you take care of our little reward." "Travis?" "Travis." "Hey." "Don't you recognize me?" "It's Walt." "It's your brother..." "Walt." "What the hell happened to you anyway?" "You look like 40 miles of rough road." "Come on." "Let's get in the car." "Trav?" "Come on." "Yeah." "Come on." "Here, Trav." "Here's your stuff." "I got that back at that clinic back there." "Sure picked a hell of a spot to land in." "I don't blame you for running out of it." "Um, look, Trav... we got quite a bit of traveling' to do here." "You're not gonna clam up the whole way, are you?" "I mean, it'll get kind of lonely." "Trav?" "Would you mind telling me where you disappeared to for the last four years?" "Uh, have you seen Jane or talked to her?" "Gee, Anne and I, we sort of gave up on you." "We actually..." "We thought you were dead, boy." "It's pretty, uh..." "Okay." "Well..." "Yeah." "Well, gee, Trav, maybe you wanna get cleaned up... you know, take a shower or something?" "Um, I think I'll go back into town and get you some new clothes." "You could use a new set of clothes, couldn't you?" "Wh-What size shoes you wear?" "Right." "We'll see." "I'm probably one size bigger, huh?" "So, where'd you find that beard?" "It's pretty snazzy." "Okay." "I'll zip into town and zip right back." "I won't be gone long." "You'll be okay, won't you, Trav?" "Yeah, I'll..." "I'll be right back." "Damn it." "You mind telling me where you're headed, Trav?" "What's out there?" "There's nothin' out there." "Don't you trust me or somethin'?" "Huh?" "I'm just trying to help you, Trav." "That's all." "Now come on." "It's all right." "Come on with me in the car." "Huh?" "Kind of feels good to be in new clothes, huh?" " Hello." " Hi." "Hunter?" "It's Daddy." " I thought you'd be in bed already." " I'm watching TV." "Guess who I'm visiting here in Texas." " Who?" " Your father." "Do you remember your father?" " No." " Not at all?" "I remember he was kind of skinny." " He was?" " I think he was." " Well, guess what." " I don't know." "I'm gonna bring him home to visit." "Travis." "Do you remember your little boy?" "Hunter." "Well, he's with us." "He's been living with Anne and me ever since you disappeared." "We didn't know what else to do, so we just kept him." "One day, he wasjust standing at the door." "All he could tell us was that someone brought him there in a car." "He didn't know what had happened to you orJane." "We tried evervthing we could think of to find you orJane." "We tried to locate her." "She'd vanished too." "We didn't know what else to do." "Travis..." "I don't know what kind oftrouble you got into." "I don't know what happened." "But, damn it, I'm your brother, man." "You can talk to me." "I'm tired of doing all the talking." "Fill it with unleaded, please." "You know, I'm gettin' a little sick of this silence routine." "You can talk." "I can be silent too, you know." "I'd just as soon that both of us keep our mouths shut for the whole rest ofthe trip." " Paris." " You know..." "What?" "Paris." "Paris?" "Did you ever go to Paris?" " No." " Could we go there now?" "It's a little out of the way." "Uh, no, I've never even been to Europe." "Anne keeps wanting to go there." "'Cause, well, she's from France, you remember?" "But we never seem to find the time 'cause my company keeps me kind of busy." "Let's go, Trav." " What's the matter?" " Where we going?" "We're gonna fly to L.A." "You're not afraid of flying, are you?" "We're..." "leaving the ground?" " Yeah." " Why?" "Because it's too far to drive." "It would take an extra two days." "I can't afford the time, Trav." " Why?" " Be..." "Look, it's just easier to fly, Trav." "It's faster." "Come on." "Let's get you home, okay?" "I'm gonna get you home, get you settled, and then you can do whateveryou want." "Let me out, or I'll jump." "Sir, we can't stop the plane every time somebody gets terrified." "You don't get on a plane and then refuse to leave the ground." "You don't do things like that." "This isn't the wilderness." "You're living with people now." "Okay?" "You should've hired a private plane." "Do you realize how many people you're detaining?" "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "Okay?" " Okay, I'm fine now." " Bye now." "This is getting a little ridiculous, Travis." "Are you gonna leave me?" "No, I'm not gonna leave you." "It's all right ifyou leave me." "I don't know, honey, no." "He just..." "He just panicked or something." "Well, it won't do any good to try another plane." "It wasn't the plane." "He'll just get off again." "Well, we're just gonna have to drive it." "That's all." "Message forJoy Stockwell." "Joy Stockwell." " Yeah, it'll take a good two days." "Austin will arrive at any minute." "I don't understand why you have to have the very same caryou had before." "They're all alike." "All the cars we have here are 'birds, Olds, Chevies or whatever." "I'm not even sure I can locate the same car you had before." "I know, I know." "Uh, my brother left something in the car." "We're hoping we can search the car and find it." "Oh, well, I'll just contact our lost and found department for you ifthat's the case." "No, no." "We have to have the very same car." "Well, I can't do that." "There's no way I can trace that car for you." " Why not?" "You got the license number right on your form there." " Well, yes, but..." "Just give us the license number." "We'll find it." "But I can't allow you on the lot, sir." "Why not?" "We're already on it." "I just have to ask you to come back to the office with me." "Travis!" "What?" "I don't think we're gonna get the very same car." "But I can rent you a model that'sjust like the one you had before, sir." "We need the same car, Walt." "How are we gonna go in another car?" "Give us the number, will you, please?" "Come on." "Pretty please." "All right." "That number is 667DJ P." "Six" " Remember that?" " 667DJ P." " That's right." " It's..." "It's got a bump on the hood." " Yes, it does." " What's that?" " What?" "That... what you got in your hand." " A picture." " Oh?" "Picture ofwhat?" "A picture... of, uh, Paris." "Paris?" "Really?" "Yes." "Picture of a piece of Paris." "Where'd you get a picture of Paris?" " Can I see it?" " Yes." "This is it?" "This is Paris?" "Looks just like Texas to me." "It is." "Paris, Texas?" " It's right here on the map." " There's really a place called Paris, Texas?" "It's right here." "Well, how come you got a picture of a vacant lot in Paris, Texas?" "It's mine." "I know that, but how come you got it?" "Uh, I purchased it in-in the mail... a long time ago." "You bought a picture of a vacant lot in the mail?" "No." "I bought the land." " Oh, you bought that lot." " Yes." "Oh." "Let me see it again." "There's nothin' on it." "Empty." "Why in hell would you want to buy a vacant lot in Paris, Texas, for Chrissake?" "Um..." "I forgot." "Here, Trav." "Do you remember what Mama's very first name was?" " Mary." " No, I know." "I mean, uh, her..." "before she found Daddy." " Her maiden name?" " Yeah." "You don't remember her maiden name?" "No." "Zaquine." "Zaquine." "Yeah, Spanish." " Her father was." " Yeah?" "I don't believe it." "You finally decided to eat." "Eating and talking." "Before you know it, you'll be back in the land ofthe living, Trav." "You want me to drive?" "Sure." "You think you remember how?" "My body remembers." "You can sleep while I drive." "Okay." "Well, Trav... think maybe you're ready to... tell me what the hell happened to you over the last four years?" "No, not yet." "Travis?" "What?" "Where are we, Travis?" "What happened?" "Why'd we get off the highway?" "Jesus Christ." "I can't even sleep for five minutes without some crisis." "Why'd you turn off?" "I don't know where I turned off." "Didn't have a name." "That's great." "That's just dandy." "Here we are in the middle of the Mojave Desert in a place that doesn't have a name." "I can find the highway again." "Trav, I need to talk to you a little bit about Hunter." "How old is he now?" "He's eight in January." " He's seven then." " Yeah." "See, what I wanna talk about is, uh..." "Well, he's... he's like part ofthe family now." "Anne and me are like his parents now." " Anne's your wife." " Yeah." "You remember her, don't you?" "No." "Does he think that you're his father?" "Well..." "Anne told him you were coming." "Well, who does he think I am?" "I..." "I told him you're his father." "But, see..." "Well, you've been gone a long time, Trav." "How long have I been gone?" "Do you know?" "Four years." "Is four years a long time?" "Well, it is for a little boy." "It's half his life." "Half a boy's life." " I remember now." " What?" " Why I bought that land." " Oh." "Why?" "Well, Mama once told me that, uh... that's where she and Daddy first, uh, made love." " Oh." "In Paris, Texas?" " Yeah." " She told you that?" " Yeah." "So..." "I figured that that's where I..." "I began." "I..." "I mean me, Travis Clay Henderson." "They named me that." "I started out there." " Paris, Texas, huh?" " Yeah." "So, you think maybe you were conceived there?" " Yeah." " Well, you could be right, Travis." "Daddy always had a joke about it." "What was the joke?" "He, uh..." "He would introduce Mama as the girl he met in Paris." "And then he'd wait, uh, before he said "Texas"... till everybody thought that... he meant..." "He would wait before he said "Texas" till everybody thought... after everybody thought he was talking about Paris, France." "He-He always laughed real hard about it." "So you live in Los Angeles, huh?" "Well, we live in the suburbs, but I got my business in town." "Yeah?" "What's your business?" "I make billboard signs for advertising." "Oh, yeah." "So you're the one who makes those, huh?" "I love those." "Some ofthem are beautiful." "I'm not the only one in the world that makes 'em, Trav." "Trav?" "This way." "Nice, huh?" "Just been in here three months." "I really like it, but I took a beating on the financing, I tell ya." "Like everybody else nowadays, I guess." "Hi, baby." "Mmm, everything okay here?" "Oh, sure." "We just missed you a lot." "Yeah." "I missed you too." " Come on in." " Travis." "My God." "We were beginning to wonder ifwe'd ever see you again." "It's been so long." "Did you have a good trip?" "Yeah, it was fine." "Hunter?" "Hunter, this is Travis." "Hi." "I bet it was really hot coming across the Mojave Desert." "Yes." "Too bad you had to drive." "What happened?" "Well, Travis just, uh, didn't feel like flying." "Oh, I don't blame you." "I can't stand airplanes anymore, especially since we live in this house." "All we hear is planes day in and day out." "I like 'em." "You used to fly, didn't you, Travis?" "No." "Oh." "I thought I remembered Jane telling me once... that you flew to Dallas together..." "or somewhere." "Um..." "Maybe I'm mistaken." "Honey, he hasn't slept in a bed since we started for here." "I swear to God." "I don't think that's even necessary." "Where has he been sleeping then?" "Well, he doesn't sleep." "He has to sleep somewhere." "Okay, but I don't think he's even gonna use it." "He's got to get tired sometime." "Oh." "There is a towel for you, Travis." "And some underwear and socks from Walt." " Oh." " Good night." "Good night." "Thank you." "Okay." "Get some shut-eye." "Okay." " Sweet dreams." " All right." "You polished them." "That's very nice ofyou, Travis." "Would you like to come in and have some breakfast?" "Aren't you hungry?" "We are going to have strawberry waffles." "Do you like them?" "Do you want some?" "Well, there is hot coffee on the stove ifyou want some." "Look at that truck." "Hi." " Decided to rough it, huh?" " Yeah." "What'd you do... spit-shine these?" "I can get you a job at the airport doing that." "Hey." "You wanna trade these new boots for those old boots?" "Yeah, you can wear 'em." "Thank you." "Travis?" "I have to rush off to get Hunter to school on time." "We will be back this afternoon." "Walt's office number is on the dining room table." "See you later." " Okay." " Bye." " Anne?" " Yeah?" "I was just thinking." "Maybe, uh, I can meet Hunter after school... and we could walk home together if he wants to." "Oh, that sounds like a great idea, Travis." "Walk home?" "I don't wanna walk home, Mom." " Why?" " Nobody walks." "Everybody drives." " Come on, Hunter." " No." "It won't hurt you to walk home once in your life." " No, no." "I don't want to." " I don't wanna walk, Mom." "Everybody else..." " Travis, I insist." "He'll wait for you out in front." " Everybody will see me." "Walt can tell you how to get there." "It's not far." "And get in the car, Hunter." "We are late as it is." "You're mean." "Awesome!" "I flunked kindergarten." " Can I come with you?" " Sure." "I'm really sorry about this, Travis." "It's not easy for him, Anne." "Anne, it's okay." "He's in here." "What are you doin'?" "Driving." " Where to?" " Just driving." "You're not hiding out in there, are you?" "No." "Hunter, Travis is your real dad." "You know that, don't you?" "Dad, when are they gonna make spaceships like they make cars?" "Hunter, I'm asking you a question." "Can you answer it?" "What?" "Well, Travis went to meet you at school, and he wanted to walk you home." "Nobody walks." "That's not the point." "Travis is your real dad, and he wants to talk to you." "Why?" "What about?" "Okay, come on." "Let's go have dinner." "Come on." "Hey, Trav, do you remember the time... that Anne and me came down to visit you about five years ago?" "No." "You and Jane were down in Texas, right there on the coast." "Hunter was about three." "Don't you remember that?" " No." " I remember." "We went fishing." "Yeah." "I took some Super 8 on that trip." "And I put it all together." "I thought maybe you might like to see some of it." "Wh-What is it?" "Movies." "You know, Super 8." "Oh." "Walt, maybe Travis doesn't want..." "What?" "Well, maybe he'd like to wait a while before he looks at it." "Well, it's up to him." "I just thought maybe you'd like to see some of it." "Movies?" "Sure." "Great." "There's some great stuff in it." "Some great shots of Hunter in it." "I've already seen it." "Well, you have to see it again." " Come on." "Help me set up the projector." " Okay." " That's me driving." " I know." "You're gonna be good." "Time for bed now, Hunter." "Aw, Mom." "Don't complain." "It's past 10:00." " Good night, Dad." " Good night, baby." "Mmm." "Good night, Dad." "Do you think he still loves her?" "How would I know that, Hunter?" "I think he does." " How can you tell?" " Well, the way he looked at her." "You mean when he saw her in the movie?" "Yeah, but that's not her." "What do you mean?" "That's only her in a movie... a long time ago... in a galaxy far, far away." " What are you looking for?" " Uh, I'm looking for... uh, the father." " Your father?" " No, no." "Just a father." "Any father." "What does a father look like?" "There are many different kinds of fathers, señor Travis." "Well, I just..." "I just need one." " You think you're gonna find him in there?" " Well, I don't know where else to look." "Oh, I see." "You want to look like a father." " Yeah." " Mmm." "Ahora." "Tell me." "Do you want to be a rich father?" "Uh, no." " A poor one?" " No." "Pues, ¿cómo pues?" " Uh, in between." " No, no." "There is no in between, huh?" "You either have to be a rich father or a poor one." " Rich." " Bueno." "Un momento." "A ver." "Ahora, sí." "Okay." "A ver." "Huh?" " ¿Qué tal?" "¿Eh?" " Está bueno." "Okay." "One thing you must remember." "To be a rich father, señor Travis... you must look to the sky and never at the ground, eh?" "Mire." "Little higher." "Eso." "Mm-hmm." "Ahora." "Camine." "No." "Este..." "You must walk stiff, señor Travis." "Con confianza. ¿Me entiende?" "Um, con respeto." " Uh, dignity." " Eso." "Con dignidad." "Ahora." "Mm-hmm." "You got it." "Who is that guy?" "You know him?" "Yeah." "He's my father's brother." "No." "They're both brothers." "No. they're both..." "They're both fathers." "No." "Aw, forget it." " But both whose father?" " My father." "How-How can you have two fathers?" "Just lucky, I guess." " Well, bye." " Bye." "That's my dad's suit." "I mean Walt." "That's okay ifyou call him "Dad"." "Yeah, I borrowed it from him." "He said it was okay." "What are those pictures?" "That's my dad... and your grandfather." " What was his name?" " Travis." " Same as yours." " Mm-hmm." "Where is he now?" "He died... couple ofyears after this picture." "In that car." " Oh." "He's dead." " Mm-hmm." "But can you feel that he's dead?" "What do you mean?" "You know when he was walking around and talking, right?" " Yeah." " So can you feel that he's gone?" "Yeah, sometimes." "I know he's dead." "I never felt like you were dead." "I could always feel you walking around and talking someplace." " Yeah?" " I feel Mom too." " You do?" " Don't you?" "Yeah." "That's me when I was in the navy." "Hmm." "You were a general?" "No." "That's when I was..." "That's when I was in the band." " Oh." " The high school band." "Now, here's you." "I like this picture." "That..." "Look at that." "That is really wild." "It's weird when it... when it..." "when there's water in between." "And then it turns into nothing." "Then it goes... pshh." "Yeah." "That's a great picture." "And this is my mom." "Your grandmother." "I don't know." "Itjust seems like everything has changed between us so fast... ever since Travis came." "What's changed?" "I'm just afraid." " Afraid ofTravis?" " No." "Then what?" "Ofwhat will happen to us ifwe lose Hunter." "We're not gonna lose Hunter." "Then why do you keep pushing them together?" "It's almost as ifyou wanted him to leave." " Who?" " Hunter." "You know what I'm talking about." "You keep promoting this father-son business between them." "It's not "business"." "Travis is his father, and Hunter is his son." "That's a fact." "We've known that all along." " Travis happens to be my brother." " I know he is." "Well, what's this promotion bullshit?" "You want us to go on pretending that we're the parents of my brother's son?" "How long do you expect Hunter to buy that?" "I was never pretending." "I love him, just like he was my own flesh and blood." "So do I." " Hi, Anne." " Hi, Travis." "You don't sleep much, do you?" "Travis." "There is something I have to tell you." "I was not going to, because somehow it makes things easier that nobody knows." "I never even told Walt or Hunter." "Well, what is it?" "After Hunter came to live with us..." "Jane used to call asking about him." "She made me promise not to tell anyone she was calling." "Did she ask about me?" "Yes, in the beginning." "Where did she call from?" "Places in Texas." "What places?" "Let me finish, Travis." "After what happened between you and Jane... she decided Hunter should be with us." "She said she couldn't be a mother to him anymore." "She stopped being a mother to him a long time before that." "Travis, I don't want to feel I'm hiding something." "She was young." "She wanted something." "I just couldn't figure out what it was." "I just didn't realize how much rage I had." "A little more than a year ago, she stopped calling." "I haven't heard from her since then." "Nothing?" "Not a word." "But on the last call... she asked me to open a bank account for Hunter." "A bank account?" "All I know aboutJane now is... she goes to this bank on the fifth of each month... and wires money for Hunter." "Jane still sends him money?" "Sometimes a hundred dollars." "Sometimes 50 or five." "For Hunter's future." "I had the bank trace the wire." "It comes from a bank in Houston." "What bank?" "I wrote it down ifyou want it." " What's the date today?" " The first of November." ""I don't think we should do that anymore"." ""You're right"." ""Heh." "I meant the other thing". "Oh"." "You will all be caught with your diapers down!" "That is a promise!" "I make you this promise on my mother's head!" "For right here, today, standing on the very head of my mother... which is now on God's green earth... which everybody who wasn't born in a fuckin' sewer... ought to know and understand to the very marrow oftheir bones!" "They will invade you in your beds!" "They will snatch you from your hot tubs!" "They will pluck you right out ofyour fancy sports cars!" "There is nowhere... absolutely nowhere in this godforsaken valley..." "I'm talking about from the range of my voice right here... clear out to the goddamn Mojave Desert and beyond that... clear out past Barstow... and everywhere else in the valley all the way to Arizona." "None ofthat area will be called a safety zone!" "There will be no safety zone!" "I can guarantee you the safety zone will be eliminated!" "Eradicated!" "You will all be extradited to the land of no return!" "It's a navigation to nowhere!" "And ifyou think that's going to be fun... you've got another thing comin'." "I may be a slime bucket... but believe me..." "I know what the hell I'm talking about!" "I'm not crazy!" "And don't say I didn't warn you!" "I warned you!" "I warned all ofyou!" "Thought you were afraid of heights." "No, I'm not afraid of heights." "I'm afraid of falling." " Oh, yeah?" "Well, just don't look down." " No." "Uh, too bad things don't look the same on the ground." "What do you mean?" "Well, things are clearer up here." "Might clear things up." "Yeah, I had a talk with Anne last night." "Yeah, she's pretty upset." "Yeah, I know." "I'm gonna leave." " What?" " I'm leaving." "Hey, I didn't tell you this in order to make you leave." " I'm not trying to get rid ofyou, Travis." " I know that." "What good is that gonna do?" "That's not gonna solve anything." "I'm gonna find Jane." "How are you gonna do that?" "It's been four years." "She's completely disappeared." "I tried to find her." "I tried everything." "I couldn't find her." "Yeah, well, I haven't tried yet." "I can find her." " What makes you so sure?" " I just know." " Can we go down now?" " No!" "Goddamn it!" "You tell me what happened, Travis!" "I'm sick ofthis fuckin' mystery." "I've been treating you like a spoiled kid ever since I picked you up in the desert." "Now you tell me what happened with you and Jane!" "Shit!" "I know." "It's none of my business." "Uh, I'm gonna need to take, uh... money, credit cards." "All right, sure." "You can have 'em." " You know you'll get it back." " Forget that." "You can have it." "I'm gonna find her, Walt." "Hunter!" "Is that your car?" "Yep." "Come on." "Radical!" "This is not bad stuff." "Anne puts it in lunch every day." ""La vache qui rit"." "Sticky." "La vache what?" "Rit." "Rit." "I like it." " Dad?" " Yeah?" "Where'd you go all that time?" "Mexico." "How come?" "I didn't know where else to go." "Where did Mom go?" "I don't know." "But right now, she's somewhere in Houston." "That's where the space center is." "Yeah." "That's what I wanted to talk to you about." " I gotta go away now." " Why?" "Because I'm gonna find her." "What about me?" "You just found me." "Can I come with?" "What about Walt and Anne?" "You mean we'd never come back here?" "Well, sure, but..." "I don't know when." "I want to come with." "I wanna find her too." "When do we go?" "Right now." "Then come on." "Let's go." "First we gotta stop and get supplies for the trip." "Okay." "We gotta buyjackets, T-shirts, toothbrushes... stuff like that." "Maybe even walkie-talkies." "Walkie-talkies?" "What for?" "Just in case." " Do you know what?" " What?" "This whole galaxy... the whole universe... used to be compressed into a tiny spot this big." " And..." "And do you know what happened?" " What?" "It went..." "and blew up." "All the spar..." "Everything went flying all over the place and formed space." " It was just gas." "It was floating around." " The Earth was?" "Yeah." "The Earth was really gas." "And..." "And the sun formed, and it was so hot that... that the Earth just formed into one hard, big ball..." " Yeah?" " of oceans... nothing but ocean." " Yeah?" " So there was sea animals." "Then under the water, a volcano went..." "And the hot lava hit the water and formed rock to make land." "You know how to make a collect call?" " You dial the operator and tell her that you're..." " I know." "Good." "Then call Walt and Anne." "Why?" "Because..." "So they don't worry about you, so they know where you are." " What am I gonna say?" " Just tell 'em the truth." "Tell 'em, uh, that you're with me and that we're going to Texas." "They're gonna flip out." "I know." "But you can handle it." " Okay?" " Why can't you do it?" "I can't do it." "Why?" "Because it has to be you." "Gee." "Why can't he do it?" "I mean..." " Hello?" " Hi, Dad." "Hunter." "Where are you?" "You know what time it is?" "I've been calling everywhere looking for you." "Travis got a truck." "He was talking about..." "Yeah, yeah." "Hunter, just listen to me now." "Where are you exactly?" "In San Bernardino." "San Bernardino?" "Hunter, what do you mean you're in San Bernardino?" " Let me talk to him." " Wait, honey." "How did..." " Let me talk to him." " All right, all right." "Hunter?" "Are you all right?" "Yeah." " What are you doing?" " I'm on a trip, Mom." " With Travis?" " Yeah." "We bought some walkie-talkies, and I..." " Where are you going?" " We're on our way to Texas." "Tell me where you are, Hunter." "Just tell me where you are." "We're at a gas station." "What's the name of it?" " Texaco." " Oh, my God." "Hunter, you tell Travis to turn around... and come back here right now." "Do you understand me?" "Let me talk to him." "What should I do?" "Just... hang up." "Bye, Mom." "Gotta go now." "Hunter." "Hunter!" "Did they flip out?" "Yeah, she did." " You're not sorry you came, are you?" " No." "Well, you can go back to them anytime you want." " You just tell me." "Okay?" " I don't wanna go back." "Well, I know, but just in case you change your mind." "I'm so used to calling her "Mom"." "Anne?" "Yeah." "She sounded so sad." "I know." "What do you think Mom will look like now?" "I don't know." "Do you remember her?" "Not really." "Only from that little movie we saw." "You look happy then." "Yeah." "Mm-mmm." "You keep that." "Night." "Dad, if a guy put a baby down... traveled at the speed of light for an hou..." "If he traveled at the speed of light... he would..." "he would come back in an hour." "He would be an hour older, but the little baby would be a very old man." "Oh, yeah?" "Well, how long would it take him to get to Houston?" "Uh, if... if they were to travel..." "I'd say about three seconds." "Uh, over." "I didn't get that last part." "It would take them three seconds to get from California to Houston... on light speed." " This is Houston?" " Yep." "How are we gonna find her in a big city like this?" " I know where she'll be." " Where?" "A bank." "She's going to deposit some money in a certain bank today." "This is a bank?" "What kind of bank is this?" "Looks like a drive-in." "I've never seen a bank like that." "Me neither." "There'll be so many cars, we'll never find her." "Oh, yeah, we will." "Come on." "W..." "We'll split up, and then we'll cover more ground." "Okay?" "Yeah." "We could use the walkie-talkies." "Hey." "Now you're goin'." " I'll let you out here." " Okay." "Can you hear me, Dad?" "Over." "Loud and clear." "Good." "Hunter in position one." "Over." "Travis in position two." "We got it covered." "I told you these weren't toys." "Over." "10-4." "Over and out." "Dad!" "She's just leaving the bank!" "Get over here!" "Dad, can you hear me?" "Can you hear me?" "She's leaving the bank!" "Get over here!" "Dad!" "Come on!" "Dad!" "Wake up!" "Wake up!" "She's leaving!" "She's leaving the bank!" "Dad!" "Wake up!" "Wh-Where is sh..." "I..." "I'm on my way!" "Oh, no!" "She went that way!" " Which way did she go?" " That way!" "You sure it's her?" "Come on, come on, come on!" "Let's go!" "Hunter, did you really get a good look at her, or what?" "It must have been her." "I know it was her." "Oh, God, I hope we haven't lost her." "Can't this piece ofjunk go faster?" "There's 10,000 cars here, Hunter." "How are we gonna find her?" " Which one is it?" " Go faster, Dad!" "Go faster!" "What col..." "W-What color..." "The car was red, right?" "Yeah." "A little red Chevy." "Well..." "You see anything?" "I don't know which one it looks like, Hunter." "You'll have to help me." "Look." "Can you see it?" "No, not yet." " I see her!" "I see her!" " Where?" "Where?" "Over in that lane!" "In that lane!" " Which lane?" " The right one!" "All right, all right." "Settle down." "I see it." "Okay." "Is that her?" "Look at..." "See if it's her." "Can you tell?" " I can't tell." " Wait a minute." "There's two red cars now." "Which one is it?" " Huh?" " Uh, the right..." "The left one!" " You sure?" " Yeah." "The left one." "Okay." " You sure this is the one now?" " Yeah." "I hope you're right, Hunter." "Ifwe're following the wrong car, we're gonna have to wait a whole other month." " I'll be eight then." " You'll be what?" "I'll be eight then!" "Let's get closer." "We could wave!" "No, no, no." "We don't wanna get too close." "We might scare her, and she'd have a wreck or somethin'." " Okay?" " Okay." "I guess so." "Well..." "I wonder where she's going." "Maybe to work." "What do you think?" "Yeah." "Could be." "Looks like a girl's car to me." "Could it be hers?" "Could be." "Get in the truck, and I'll tell you my plan." "Okay." "Roll the windows up, lock the doors." "And if anybody talks to you, tell 'em your daddy's inside and he'll be right back." " Okay?" " Okay." " You okay?" " Yep." "Could y'all put some ice on it?" "I'm still rehearsing." "SergeantJojo, call foryou, Booth 22." "SergeantJojo, Booth 22." "Okay, new bit, new bit." "You guys are gonna love this." "The girls here spend so much time with a guy that most ofthem live alone." "But it's tough living alone in a city like this." "A lot ofviolent things happen here." "Stuff like..." "like rape, like murder." "Especially from the police force." "Uh, Tupperware parties... violent things." "And when you live alone, you gotta think about..." ""Do I need some kind of protection at home?"" "And ifyou're a girl, you can live with a guy or you can live with a dog." "That's a tough decision, let me tell you." " What normal-thinking adult wants to live..." " Nurse Bibs, you're needed in Booth 7." " with something that hates to take a bath..." " Nurse Bibs, Booth 7." "and that throws up on the carpet, that chews on your underwear." "Dogs, on the other hand, are real cute." "They got cute little noses, cute little tails." " Again?" " A lot of sick people out there." " This looks like the dog act to me." " Yeah, right." "Let's hear some rock 'n' roll." "Hey, how's it going?" "Let's hearyou play." "Give us something good." "You're getting better all the time!" " ## There was a little girl ##" " Sir?" " ## Who lives in the wild ##" " Sir, you're in the wrong place." " ## Who loved to complain ##" " It's too early." "All the girls are downstairs." "Guys, this is the..." "Please get it right 'cause I'm getting..." "I'm getting cranky." "## There was a little girl ##" "Mother Dana, call for you, Booth 19." "Mother Dana, Booth 19." "Hello?" "Yeah." "Who do you want?" "I want to see a blonde girl with kind of short, straight hair, about 25 years old." "Okay." "She's coming down." "Stay on the line." "Hello, honey." "Oh, mercy." "You know, 23..." "I've worked 23 ofthe 24 booths in this place." "Uh..." "Poolside makes 24." "So, what can I do for you today, hmm?" "I've got an idea." "How about water polo?" "Having fun." "Lots of fun." "No?" "Uh, well, tell you what." "Why don't you just tell, uh, Nurse Bibs where the pain is?" " Maybe I can find a cure, hmm?" " Why don't you look at me?" "I am looking at you." "No, but I'm over here." "Can't you see me?" "Listen, sweetheart, if I could see you, I wouldn't be working here." "Well, what do you see?" "I see what you see." "Nurse Bibs." "Nurse Bibs and a rubber horse." "Oh." "Oh, I see." "Th-Thank you, Nurse Bibs." "Thank you." "Hi." "Are you out there?" "Well, I see your light's still on, so I guess you must be out there." "Hmm?" "It's okay ifyou don't wanna talk, you know." "I don't wanna talk either sometimes." "I just like to stay silent." "Do you mind if I sit down?" "No." "Thanks." "My legs get a little tired from standing all the time." "Is this your first visit here?" " Yes." " Oh!" "Well, this whole thing must seem kind of strange to you, huh?" "You realize that I can't see you even though you can see me?" "Well, that takes a little gettin' used to." "Oh." "Am I..." "Am I looking at your face now?" "Oh, God." "It don't matter." "Oh." "If, um..." "If there's anything you wanna talk about, I'll just listen." "All right?" "I'm a real good listener." "Is there somethin'..." "I don't know." "Is there somethin' I can do for you?" "Do you mind if I take off my sweater?" "I'll just take off my sweater." "No, no." "No." "Don't." "Please." "Please leave it on." "I'm sorry." "I just don't know exactly what it is you want." "I don't want anything." "Well, why'd you come here then?" "I..." "I want to talk to you." "Is there something you want to tell me?" "No." "You can tell me." "I can keep a secret." "This, uh..." "Is that all you do isjust talk?" "Well, yeah." "Yeah, mostly." "And listen." "What else do you do?" " Why are you laughing?" " I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "So what else do you do?" "Nothin' really." "Oh, well, we're not allowed to see the customers out here." "Where do you see them then?" "Do you go home with them?" "No, sir, we don't." "We're not allowed to have any outside relationships with the customers." "Yeah, but you can really see 'em ifyou want to, can't you?" "I mean, you can go home with 'em ifyou want to." "All these places say that." "How much extra money do you make?" "How much..." "How much money do you make on the side?" "I'm sorry, sir." "I think you'll maybe want to talk to one ofthe other girls." "I'll see if I can find one for you." "No." "No, no, no!" "Please." "Please." "Please don't go." "I just don't think I'm the one you want to talk to." "Please." "Please don't go." "I'm sorry." "All right." "I'm, um..." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "That's okay." "You know, I..." "I know how hard it is to talk to strangers sometimes." "Just relax." "Relax and tell me what's on your mind." "I'll listen... to you." "I don't mind listening." "I do it all the time." "She was there, wasn't she?" "What's that?" "A vacant lot." "I bought that land when we were all together, with your mom." "I thought we might live there someday." "Where?" "Paris, Texas." "Where's that?" "It's close to the Red River." "Do you like it?" "You mean we'd live on dirt?" "Why do you drink that stuff?" "It stinks." " Wait a minute." "Where are you going?" " To the truck." "Have another one?" "Come on, Dad." "This is not a place to bring a fancy woman." "Would you say?" "Ifyou had a fancy woman, would you bring her in a place like this?" "What's a fancy woman?" "Oh!" "God." "My mother..." "Not your mother... but my mother... was not a fancy woman." "She was..." "She never wanted to be a fancy woman." "She never even pretended to be a fancy woman." "Then what was she?" "She wasjust plain." "Just plain and good." "She was very good." "But my daddy..." "See, my daddy had, uh..." "He had this idea... he had this idea in his head that was kind of... kind of... kind of a sickness." "What idea?" "He had this idea about her... and... he looked at her... but he didn't see her." "He..." "He saw this idea." "And he told people that she was from Paris." "It was a big joke... but he started telling everybody all the time... and finally it wasn't a joke anymore." "He st..." "He started believing it." "And he actually believed it." "And she..." "Oh, God." "She would get so embarrassed." "She..." "She was so..." "She was so shy." "Vámonos, muchacho." "Left, Dad." "Hunter, it's me." "I was afraid I'd never be able to say the right words to you... in person... so I'm trying to do it like this." "When I first saw you this time... at Walt's..." "I was hoping for all kinds of things." "I was hoping to show you that I was your father." "You showed me I was." "But the biggest thing I hoped for... can't come true." "I know that now." "You belong together with your mother." "You belong together with your mother." "It was me that tore you apart... and I owe it to you to bring you back together." "But I can't stay with you." "I could never heal up what happened." "That's just the way it is." "I can't even hardly remember what happened." "It's like a gap." "But it left me alone in a way that..." "I haven't gotten over." "And right now, I'm afraid." "I'm afraid ofwalking away again." "I'm afraid ofwhat I might find." "But I'm even more afraid of... not facing this fear." "I love you, Hunter." "I love you more than my life." "Hey." "Can I tell you something?" "Sure." "Anything you like." "It's kind of long." "I got plenty of time." "I knew these people." "What people?" "These two people." "They were in love with each other." "The girl was... very young... about 17 or 18, I guess." "And the guy was... quite a bit older." "He was kind of raggedy and wild." "And she was very beautiful, you know?" "Yeah." "And together they turned evervthing into a kind of an adventure... and she liked that." "Just an ordinary trip down to the grocery store was... full of adventure." "And they were always laughing at stupid things." "He liked to make her laugh." "And... they didn't much care for anything else... because all they wanted to do was be with each other." "They were always together." "Sounds like they were very happy." "Yes, they were." "They were real happy." "And he... he loved her more than... he ever felt possible." "He couldn't stand being away from her, uh, during the day when he went to work." "So he quit... just to be home with her." "Then he'd get anotherjob when the money ran out... and then he'd quit again." "But pretty soon, she started to worry." " About what?" " Money, I guess." " Not having enough." " Mmm." "Not knowing when the next check was coming in." "Yep, I know that feeling." "So he started to get kind oftorn inside." "How do you mean?" "Well, he knew he had to work to support her... but he couldn't stand being away from her either." "I see." "And the more he was away from her, the crazier he got... except now he got really crazy." "He started imagining all kinds of things." "Like what?" "He started thinking that she was seeing other men on the sly." "He'd come home from work and accuse her of... spending the day with somebody else." "He'd yell at her and break things in the trailer." "The trailer." "Yes." "They lived in a trailer home." "Excuse me, sir, but were you in to visit me the other day?" "I don't mean to pry." "No." "Oh." "I thought I recognized your voice for a minute." "No." "Wasn't me." "Mm-hmm." "Please go on." "Anyway, he started to drink real bad... and he'd stay out late to test her." "What do you mean "test her"?" "To see if she'd getjealous." "Mm-hmm." "He wanted her to get jealous, but she didn't." "She just worried about him... but that got him even madder." "Why?" "Because... he thought if she never got jealous of him that she didn't really care about him." "Jealousy was a sign of her love for him." "And then one night... one night she told him that she was pregnant." "She was about three or four months' pregnant... and he didn't even know." "And then suddenly evervthing changed." "He stopped drinking and got a steadyjob." "He was convinced that she loved him now because she was carrying his child." "And he was going to dedicate himself to making a home for her." "But a funny thing started to happen." "What?" "He didn't even notice it at first." "She started to change." "From the day the baby was born, she began to get irritated with evervthing around her." "She got mad at everything." "Even the baby seemed to be an injustice to her." "He kept trying to make everything all right for her... buy her things, take her out to dinner once a week." "But nothing seemed to satisfy her." "For two years, he struggled to pull them back together... like they were when they first met... but finally he knew that it was never gonna work out." "So he hit the bottle again." "But this time, it got mean." "This time, when he came home late at night... she wasn't worried about him orjealous." "She was just enraged." "She accused him of holding her captive by making her have a baby." "She told him that she dreamed about escaping." "That was all she dreamed about... escape." "She saw herself at night, running naked down a highway... running across fields... running down riverbeds." "Always running." "And always, just when she was about to get away, he'd be there." "He would stop her somehow." "He would just appear and stop her." "And when she told him these dreams, he believed them." "He knew she had to be stopped, or she'd leave him forever." "So he tied a cowbell to her ankle... so he could hear at night if she tried to get out of bed." "But she learned how to muffle the bell by stuffing a sock into it... and inching her way out ofthe bed... and into the night." "He caught her one night when the sock fell out... and he heard her trying to run to the highway." "He caught her, dragged her back to the trailer... and tied her to the stove with his belt." "He just left her there and went back to bed... and lay there, listening to her scream." "Then he listened to his son scream." "He was surprised at himself because... he didn't feel anything anymore." "All he wanted to do was sleep." "And for the first time... he wished he were far away... lost in a deep, vast country where nobody knew him... somewhere without language... or streets." "And he dreamed about this place without knowing its name." "And when he woke up, he was on fire." "There were blue flames burning the sheets of his bed." "He ran through the flames... toward the only two people he loved... but they were gone." "His arms were burning, and he threw himself outside and... and rolled on the wet ground." "Then he ran." "He never looked back at the fire." "He just ran." "He ran until the sun came up... and he couldn't run any further." "Then when the sun went down... he ran again." "For five days, he ran like this... until every sign of man... had disappeared." "Travis." "Ifyou turn the light off in there, will you be able to see me?" "I don't know." "I never tried." "Can you see me?" "Yeah." "Do you recognize me?" "Oh, Travis." "I brought Hunter with me." "Don't you want to see him?" "Yeah." "I wanted to see him so bad that I didn't even dare imagine him anymore." "Anne kept sending' me pictures of him... until I asked her to stop." "I couldn't stand the... pain... of seeing him grow up and missing' it." "Why didn't you keep him with you, Jane?" "I couldn't, Travis." "I didn't have what I knew he needed." "I didn't want to use him to fill all my emptiness." "Well, he needs you now, Jane... and he wants to see you." "He does?" "Yes." "He's..." "He's waiting for you." "Where?" "Downtown... in a hotel." "The Meridian." "Room 1520." "1520." "You're not going, are you?" "I can't see you, Jane." "Don't go yet." "I..." "I used to make up long speeches to you after you left." "I used to talk to you all the time... even though I was alone." "I walked around for months talking to you." "Now I don't know what to say." "It was easier when I just imagined you." "I even imagined you talking back to me." "We'd have long conversations... the two of us." "It was almost like you were there." "I could hear you." "I could see you, smell you." "I could hear your voice." "Sometimes your voice would wake me up." "It would wake me up in the middle of the night... just like you were there in the room with me." "Then... it slowly faded." "I couldn't picture you anymore." "I tried to talk out loud to you like I used to... but there was nothin' there." "I couldn't hear you." "Then..." "I just gave up." "Everything stopped." "You... just disappeared." "Now I'm working here." "I hear your voice all the time." "Every man... has your voice." "I'll tell Hunter... that you're coming." " Travis?" " What?" "I'll be there." "Good." "Meridian Hotel." "Yeah." "Room 1520." "Yeah!" ""Why, you little"..." "Yeah!" "Yeah." "Your hair, it's wet." "Oh!"