"Why do they always put braces on teenage girls at the exact moment... they're most self-conscious about their appearance?" "I don't know." " Tom." " I see him." " Tom!" " Jesus!" "Tom!" "Hello, Amy." "Hi, Darryl." "Amy, would you tell the kids you'll be right back... and shut the door and step outside and talk to us for a minute?" "Okay." " Be right back, you guys." " You're not supposed to go out, Amy." "She's goin' to smoke a cigarette." "Rudy, come on." "I'm really late." "Come on." " How was school?" " Stupid." "Why do you say that?" "We're supposed to write a story for English homework, but they didn't tell us what it's supposed to be about." "Well, what do you mean?" "I mean, they didn't tell us what it's supposed to be about." " They said do whatever you want." " Well, what's wrong with that?" "I don't know." "I just think it's unstructured." "Well, I'm sure you'll think of something." "If you can't, I'll help you." "Okay." "Here." "Don't forget your backpack." "It's not a backpack." "It's a knapsack." "Well, then don't forget the knapsack." "Hey." "Give me a hug." "Okay." "Somebody somewhere" "Don't know what he's missin'" "Tonight" "It must have all started" "With that darn old late show" "It made me so lonely" "And sad" " Guess who's been askin' for you?" " Oh, no." "Really?" " Is that his car?" " Oh, yeah." " Yeah, come in." " Mr. Everett." " Oh, yeah." "Brian." " Brian, hi." "I'm Samantha Ann Prescott." "I'm the lending officer." "Yeah, hi." "Hi." "How are you?" " Have a seat." " I am so sorry I was late." " Yeah, we missed you before." " I got held up." "It..." "Believe me, it's nothing I make a habit of." "I'm sure it's not." "Actually, would you mind..." "Would you get that door for me, please?" " Thanks." " Sure." "I always run out at 3:15 to meet him and run over to the sitter's house." "Anyway, Larry never seemed to mind about it, so I was hoping you'd feel the same way about it too." "Well, Samantha," "I realize that Scottsville is not exactly a major banking center." " No, it's not." " No, I know it's not." "But it's kind of a personal challenge for me... to see what we can do to bring local service up... to the kind of standards that we would be trying to meet... if we were the biggest branch in the state." "Now, that means I don't want anybody running out at 3:15 or 3:30... or whenever the bus happens to come in that day." "Is there anybody else who can pick your son up after school?" " Does your husband work in the area?" " Uh, no." "Rudy Sr. isn't on the scene, so to speak." "Well, I can give you a few days to make some other arrangement, but..." "Well..." "Brian," "I understand what you're saying and I think it's great." "Because there are a lot of things here that can use some attention." "But I've-I've been meeting this bus every day for three years now." "It really does..." "It just takes 15 minutes." "And if I take the time out of my lunch hour..." "Well, I'd prefer if you made some other arrangement, okay?" "I'll do my best." "So, how old's your son?" "Uh, he's eight." "Ah." "That's a terrific age." "Got a letter from Uncle Terry." "What?" "What room is he gonna stay in?" "Well, he can stay in the living room." "And you know what?" "He's not gonna live here." "He's only coming to stay here for a little while." "And it's okay if you don't remember him, because you were only six the last time he was here." "But, um, I think it's..." "it'll be nice if you guys... have a chance to get to know each other." "Don't you think?" "Hey, Rudy, would it distract you if I put on some music?" "No." " Did you think of a story?" " Uh-huh." " What's it about?" " My father." "What about..." "What about your father?" "It's just a made-up story about him." "Can I read it when you're done?" "It's not very good." "Don't say that." "Anyway, Bob, it's kind of this adventure story." "Rudy's father is a secret agent... or something, you know, working for the government." "And it made me feel kind of weird." "I never say much to him about Rudy Sr., because I don't know what to say." "And I don't know if I should just let him... imagine what he wants to imagine, or if I should sit him down sometime... and tell him that his father's not such a nice person." "Well, I don't know, Sammy." "What have you told him already?" "Not much." "He knows..." "He knows I don't have the highest opinion of him, and he knows that I don't want to see him... and I don't want to know anything about him... and I don't want to have anything to do with him ever." "But I've... tried to keep it kind of neutral." "Anyway, I could go into a lot more detail..." "No, it's an interesting problem." "I don't know what to tell you." "It's a little outside my personal field of expertise." "All right." "I'd be glad to give it some thought." "Okay." "What?" "No, nothing." "I'm just glad to see you." "I'm glad you called me." "I bet you were surprised." "Yeah, a little." " I should get going." " Really?" " Yeah, I have the baby-sitter." " Oh." "But thanks for a lovely evening." "Oh, thank you." " Hey." " Hey, Terry." " Where'd you get that hat?" " On the street for a dollar." "It's nice." "Well, you know, it's pretty much your standard woolen hat." "I had a very similar reaction to it." "Uh..." " Um, can I get that money from you?" " Oh, yeah." "Sorry." "Is that all you have?" "Yeah." "Can you borrow some more from your brother?" "Well, that would involve speaking to him." "Well, I'm definitely gonna be gone for a couple of days, Sheila." "Why do you have to stay for so long?" "Because my sister is not a bank, okay?" "I can't just show up..." " You're saying my brother's a bank." " Can we cut the puerile crap?" "I'm gonna be back as soon as I can, okay?" "I am not the kind of guy that everyone says I am." "I know you're not." "Okay, uh..." "I'll call you tonight." "Don't you wanna tell me that you love me?" "I love you." "That was really convincing." "Well, I think after this is over, you should seriously consider moving back home." "Yeah." " All right." " So you'll call me tonight?" "Definitely, yeah." "I'm gonna wipe these teardrops from my eyes" "There ain't no use for me to cry" "And there's some things I think I need to say" "Hello?" "Terry!" " Whoa." "That's me." " Terry." " Terry Prescott." " That's right." "Well, give me a cuddle." "How are you doing?" "Good to see you, man." " You too." "How you doing, Darryl?" " Where have you been?" "Ah, man, I've been all over the place." " Which way you headed?" " I'm goin' up to see Sammy." " Can I walk with you a bit?" " Yeah, yeah." " So she said you'd been to Alaska?" " Yeah, yeah." "How you doing, Mr. Parker?" "Good to see you." "Yeah, take care." " Were you working up there?" " Yeah, yeah." "Sammy says she was gettin' postcards from all across the country." "Oh, yeah." "I've been all over, man." "It's good to have you back here, I'll tell you that." "Oh, thanks, Darryl." "I'll see ya." "Keep enforcing the peace." "It'll be a little harder now that you're here, but I'll do what I can." " No, man, I'm reformed." " Oh, yeah." " All right, I'll see you around." " All right." " Don't be a stranger, all right?" " Take care." " Sorry about yesterday." " I don't care." "I was studying the bus description, and I got on the wrong bus." " I missed my stop." " I don't care, Terry." "I'm so glad to see you." "I'm glad to see you too, Sammy." "Um, so, you're coming from work?" "Uh..." "No, it's Saturday." "Yeah." "No, it's just you're dressed so formally." "Oh." "No." "You know, I thought I'd..." "I thought it was a special occasion, which it is." "It's good." "No, it's good." " I thought I'd get dressed up too." " It's okay." "You look fine." "Yeah, yeah." "This is the haute cuisine of garments." " What?" " Nothing, nothing." "So, how are you?" "I'm fine, Terry." "So, um..." "Oh, how's Rudy?" "We're fine, Terry." "How are you?" " Uh, yeah." " Where have you been lately, Terry?" "Uh, I know I haven't been..." "I got a postcard from you from Alaska." "Yeah, yeah." "I was out there for a little while." " That was in the fall, Terry." " I know." "I've been out of touch." " I was a little worried." " I've been to a lot of places." "I was down in Florida for a little while." "I was doing some work in Orlando." "Man, I've been all over the place." "Well, I wish you'd had just let me know you were okay." "Yeah, I didn't realize it had been so long." "You staying in town for a while?" "Well, I don't know." "I got all these things I gotta do back in Worcester." "Oh." "So I'm probably not gonna be able to stay for more than a day or so." "Oh." "I mean, I'm trying to keep to a schedule of sorts." "Oh." "That's..." "I just..." "That's all right." "It's a very worthy story, but I won't trouble you with it right now." "Are you expecting someone?" "Who would I be expecting here?" "You just keep looking around, that's all." "I was just wondering if we could get some more refreshments, actually." "I actually gotta confess to you, Sammy." "The reason that you may not have heard from me for a while... is that..." "I've been unable to write on the account of the fact that..." "I was in jail for a little while." "You were what?" "I served a little time, I guess, down in Florida." " It was just for bullshit." " What?" "What did you do?" "I didn't do anything." "Does it occur to you that maybe I was wronged?" " No!" "Oh, my God!" " Well..." "Would you please..." " Let me tell you what happened." " What happened?" "I got into a fight in a bar down in Florida... which I was not the one who instigated it at all." "Then they worked up all this bullshit against me... and threw me in the pen for three months." "I didn't write you 'cause I didn't want you to get all upset about it." "I just figured you would figure I was on the road for a little while." "It was stupid." "I'm sorry." "I didn't mean to make you worry." "You wanna know what?" "I can't run around doin' stuff... or not doin' stuff because it's gonna make you worry." "Because then I come back here, I tell you about my fucking traumas, and I get this "I've let you down" bullshit over and over again." "It just cramps me." "I just wanna get out from under it." "And now I'm back in this fuckin' hole explaining myself to you again." " Please stop cursing at me." " I realize I'm in no position... to basically say anything ever, but it's not like I'm down there in some redneck bar in Florida," "I'm having an argument with some stripper's boyfriend... and suddenly say to myself, "Hey, this would be a great time... to stick it to Sammy and get myself locked up for a few months. "" "You don't write me for six months." " I don't know where you are!" " I'm sorry." "I don't know if you're alive or dead!" " I'm sorry." " Then you show up out of nowhere..." " and tell me you were in jail?" " I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry, Sammy." "I'm really sorry." "Sammy..." "What?" " I'm in a slight predicament." " What do you need, money?" " Um, yeah." " Mmm." "I'm broke." "I gotta get back to Worcester tomorrow." "I got this girl there, and she's kind of in a bad situation." "So I just need to borrow some money." "Whatever you can spare." "I'll pay you back, man." " I'll pay you back." " I just..." "I really wish Mom was here." " So do I, man." " No one knows what to do with you." "I know how they feel, man." "Terry, can I ask you a question?" "Sure." "I mean..." "Do you ever go to church anymore?" "Come on, Sammy." "Can we not talk about that shit?" " Do you?" " Um, no, Sammy, I don't." " Can you tell me why not?" " Because I think it's ridiculous." "Well, can you tell me without, like, degrading what I believe in?" "I think it's primitive, okay?" "I think it's a fairy tale." "Well, have you ever considered that maybe that's part... of what's making things so difficult for you?" " No." " That you've lost hold... of not just your religious feeling, but lost hold of any kind of anchor." "I mean, any kind of trust in anything." "No wonder you drift around so much." "What's to stop you?" "How would you ever know if you found the right thing?" "I'm not really looking for anything, man." "I'm just, like, trying to get on with it." "Here we go." " Thank you." " Thank you." "Thanks, Sammy." "I'm really gonna pay you back." " Where we goin'?" " Pick up Rudy." "Well, do you not even want me to visit now?" "I can catch the bus at 5:00, if that's what you want." "Of course I want you to visit, you idiot!" "I've been looking forward to seeing you more than anything." "I told everybody I know that you were coming home." "I cleaned the whole fucking house so it would look nice for you." "I thought you'd stay at least a few days." "I had no idea that you were just broke again." "I wish you'd just send me an invoice!" "Hi, is that..." "Is that Malcom?" "Uh, hi." "This is..." "This is Terry Prescott." "I'm trying to get ahold of Sheila, and the phone isn't picking up." "I was wondering if maybe you guys..." "She what?" "Well, is she all right?" "Uh..." "Can I..." "Can I talk to her, please?" "Okay." "Um, then can you please give her a message... and tell her that I..." "That girl I'm with tried to kill herself." " What?" " She tried to kill herself." " Do you have everything you need?" " I think so." "What are you gonna do?" "I don't know." "Just send her the money, I guess." "Maybe you should stay home for a while." "Yeah, maybe that'd be a good idea." "This 15-year-old says she's sick of her brother trying to control her." "She's dropped out of school, she's doing drugs... and says there's nothing he can do about it." "I'm going to bed." "Do you have everything you need?" "Oh, yeah, thanks." "Good night." "Good night." "Terry..." "I'm really glad you're home." "Yeah, me too, Sammy." "Okay." "So we'll drop Rudy off at the bus, and then all you have to do is drop me off at the bank... and then pick Rudy up at 3:30 and drive him over to Carol's house." "And that's it." "She lives on Harvey Lane... right past where the DeWitts used to live." "Okay." "Rudy knows where she lives." "Okay." "God, Mabel, don't those colors hurt your eyes?" "Oh, no." "It keeps me fresh." "Yeah?" "Oh." "Hi, Sammy." "What can I do for you?" "Um, Brian, did you want us to hand these time sheets in... at the... at the end of the day or at the end of the week?" "Uh, yeah." "End of the day will be fine." "It just seems like an awful lot of extra paperwork." "I like paperwork." " You showed up." " Looks that way." "Put on your seat belt." " It pushes on my neck." " What?" "It pushes on my neck." "It's uncomfortable." "When someone slams into us and you go sailin' through the windshield, that's liable to be uncomfortable too." "Now put on your seat belt." "Mom's parents died in a car accident." "Yeah, I know." "They're my parents too." " They are?" " Yeah." " Your mom's my sister." " Yeah, I know." " So that means we have the same parents." " Oh, yeah." "Oh, yeah." "Um, Carol just called." "She said that Terry and Rudy never showed up at her house." "You've gotta be kidding." "These have to be filed by number..." "by the account number, not alphabetically." "Sammy?" "Sammy!" "Hey." "What are you doin'?" "Look." "If you hold it further down, you're gonna get a lot more power on that." "You should be able to hit that nail in in two or three hits." "Look." "See?" " Go ahead, try it." " That's not the way I hold it." "Well, the way you hold it is wrong." "Why can't I just hold it my own way?" "You can." "One there, one there, and one there." "All right?" "You got that?" "All right." "Good." "That's it." "Um..." "Brian, did you wanna see me?" "Yeah." "Yeah, I was kind of wondering what happened to you today." "Didn't Mabel tell you I had a false alarm about my son?" "Yeah, well, I kind of thought you were gonna work that out." "Well, I did work it out, more or less." "Then what are you doing leaving here in the middle of the day... without so much as a word of explanation to me, Sammy?" " Brian, don't yell at me." " I'm not yelling at you." "I'm just..." " I'm getting a little frustrated." " Well..." "I'm sorry." "Would you close the door, please?" "And Eddie Dwyer lives in Buffalo with his wife and two kids," " if you can believe it." " That's depressing." " Why?" " He just never struck me... as the marrying type." " Who are you talking about?" " Some wild kids we used to know." " Were you a wild kid?" " Not as wild as your mom." " Yeah, right." " You don't believe me?" " No." " Ask her." "Mom, were you?" "No comment." "What are you doing?" "Oh." "Just reading some of your compositions." "Why are you smoking?" "Um, because it's bad." "Don't ever do it." "I won't." "You know this used to be my room?" "Yeah." "Do you want it back?" "No." " Did you fight in Vietnam?" " No, I wasn't even born yet." " Were you ever in the army?" " No." "My father was in the army." "I know." "Unfortunately, he didn't fight in Vietnam either." "Were you friends with him?" "Not really." "I mean, we had some friends in common, I guess." " I didn't like him very much." " Why not?" " Well, he wasn't very likable." " Why do you say that?" "I don't know." "He was always, like..." "He always had to be better than you at everything, you know?" "Like, if you were all playing basketball or something, everybody's having a friendly game, he's ready to kill somebody if his team didn't win." "Or, if you told a joke or a story, he always had to tell a better one." "Kind of gets annoying after a while." "Plus, I thought it was pretty scummy how he split on you and your mom." "He was a prick." "He's probably still a prick." "Fortunately for you, though, your mom is, like, the greatest." "So you had some bad luck... and you had some good luck." "You mind if I ask you a personal question?" "I don't know." "Do you like it here?" "I mean, in Scottsville?" " Yeah." " Why?" "I don't know." "My friends are here, I like the scenery." "I don't know." "I know, I know." "It's just so..." "There's nothing to do here." " Yes, there is." " No, there isn't, man." "It's narrow, it's dull." "It's a dull, narrow town full of dull, narrow people... who don't know anything except what things are like right around here." "They have no perspective whatsoever." "No scope." "They might as well be living in the 19th century, because they have no idea what's going on." "And if you try and tell 'em that, they wanna fuckin' kill you." "What are you talking about?" "I have no idea." "You're a good kid." "Yeah, this doesn't apply to you, Sammy, but I've noticed that some of the employees... are setting their PC monitors to all kinds of crazy colors." "Purple, polka dot, what have you." "And it's no big deal, but..." "I mean, this is a bank, you know?" "It's really not appropriate." "So I'm asking that people use a more..." ""normal range of colors" in the future." "But like I said, this doesn't really apply to you." "No, my computer palette's pretty conservative." "Bob Steegerson." "What are you wearing?" "Mom?" " What's up?" " Do you know that you have... an enormous leak coming from the upstairs hallway here?" "Yeah, I did." "Are you guys sure you're gonna be okay?" " Yes, yes." " What is happening here?" "It's just the problem is, the pipes are corroded the length of the hall." "So every time I put a new piece in, it starts leaking further down." "Why don't I just call the plumber." "Why?" "He's not gonna do anything different than what I'm doing." " Yeah, we're only making it worse." " No, we're not." "Shut up." "Thanks." "Thank you." "So call if there are any problems." "If I'm not there, I'm either on my way back home or on my way." "Okay." "Nice to meet you, Bob." "Yeah, you too." "So, lights out at 10:00, and don't spend the whole night watching TV." "What's your idea of the whole night?" "Two hours, tops." "This kid is a sure bet to lead the way... for the next generation of California surfers." "What's your feeling about Bob?" "I don't really know him that well." "Well, I got bad news for you." "No." "Great." "Now what are we supposed to do?" " You know how to play pool?" " I've played it." "I don't think they let kids in here." "What?" "I don't think they let kids in here." "Well, we're not allowed to watch any more TV, so it's this or nothing." "But if we get into any trouble, you let me do the talking, okay?" "Okay." "Uh, I got 100 bucks here... says me and my nephew can beat anybody in here." "Only we gotta get the next game." "He's gotta be in bed by 10:00." "Just hit it nice and soft." "Nice and soft." "One, two, three." " Sorry." " Goddamn, Rudy." "I thought you said you could play." "Boys, it's all over but the cryin'." "Bob, are you... are you serious?" "Yeah." "I..." "I-I-I don't know what to say." "Sammy, I mean, I, um..." "Look, I..." "I know that, um," "I haven't been the most, um, decisive guy in the past." "But I don't know." "I am tired of fooling around." "And I love you." "I, I'm totally..." "I, I, I don't know what to say." "You could always say yes, or you could think about it some more." " Would you like to think about it?" " Yeah, that's it." " I wanna think about it." " Okay." "All right." "Fair enough." "Ahh." "She's strange" "She's strange" "She looks so sweet she can make you weak" "She's strange" "And she's long" "She's long" "It's all yours, baby." "Just make sure to hit it really gentle, but firm." "And hit it a little low so you get some back spin." "Okay?" "Don't even hit it." "Just kiss it." " What do you mean, kiss it?" " I mean, tap it." "Firm but very, very softly." "And don't take the shot until you know you're gonna make it, okay?" "Okay." "We creamed those guys." "We creamed them." "Shh, shh, shh, shh." "Don't move, don't move." "Let's go." "Go, go, go, go, go, go!" "What is going on here?" "We were out doing some stargazing... and Rudy lost track of time," "which I totally warned him about." "You are a bad kid." "Hey, I think it's okay." "Just don't tell her where we went, 'cause she'll be really mad at me, okay?" " I won't." " Hey." " I mean it, Rudy." "I'm not kidding." " I won't." "Did you know... my mommy used to take me and Uncle Terry out at night..." " to look at the constellations?" " Yeah." "Did you see that one..." "Oh, what's the one..." "It looks like a big "W. "" " Cassiopeia?" " Yeah." "Ow!" "Shit!" "I've got a great idea." "Why don't I call a plumber?" " Do whatever you want." " Oh, what?" "That makes you mad?" " No." " Ow!" " I'm sorry." " Geez." "Brian, get off my ass." " Excuse me?" " I did not change the colors..." " on your stupid computer screen." " Then that's all you gotta say." "There's nothing wrong with the work I do here." " I didn't say there was." " I was doing just fine before you." "And if you think that riding people in this petty, ridiculous way... is gonna improve service at this bank or anywhere else," " Can I please..." " you're out of your mind." " May I respond?" " No, that's all I have to say." "May I respond?" "First of all, I would appreciate it... if you would not use that language when you're speaking to me." "I don't talk to you that way." "I would appreciate it if you didn't talk to me that way." "Second... if you tell me that you didn't change the colors... of my computer screen, then of course I accept your answer." "But you and I are gonna have to find a way to work together, and that's not gonna happen with the attitude, with the lateness..." "I do not have an attitude and I am not late!" "Okay, not you." "You're not late personally." " Then don't say I'm late if I'm not." " I would like to finish." " Hey, Sammy." " Hey, Darryl." "They were where?" "Her brother tries to discipline her, but he works nights." "Okay, you're all set." "Dave, uh, my wife, Nancy." " Hello." " Hi." "And, uh, Mabel." " This is my wife, Nancy." "Mabel." " Hi." "Nice to meet you." " And Chuck." " Hi." "Nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you." "This is Sammy, our lending officer." " Sammy, this is my wife, Nancy." " Hi, nice to meet you." "Brian, I gotta sit down." "Yeah, sure." "Let's go into my office." " I can give you a ride home." " I'm fine." " Brian?" " Yeah?" "Mom." "Rudy!" "Look." "I-I am really glad that you guys are getting along so well, like you have no idea." "But If I can't rely on you to get him once a day..." " You can!" " What are you doing taking him... to play pool in the middle of the night... and then telling him to lie to me about it?" " I don't know." " God!" " Get out of the car." " What are we doing?" "You're going to Carol's and I'm going home." " Why can't I come with you?" " Because if you're such a baby... that you've gotta tell your mommy about us playing pool... when I totally asked you not to..." "Now I got to listen to her shit all day." "Then you're going to the baby-sitter so you can stay at the baby house." " But I didn't..." " You know what?" " Don't even fuckin' talk to me." " I didn't." "Get out." "You're working late." "How'd your wife like the bank?" "Oh, fine." "She wasn't feeling so great." " Oh, that's too bad." " No, I don't mean..." "She's not ill." "She just..." "I don't know." " Pregnant?" " Yeah, that's right." "She's pregnant." "Well, it can make you kind of cranky." "Yeah." "Look, I'm sorry that we've been stepping on each other's toes." " Yeah, so am I." " I'm really not that bad a guy." "I know you're not, Brian, but you're driving everybody crazy." "Well, I'm trying to do my best here." " And I'm getting it from all sides." " I know you are." "Anyway, we'll work it out." "Well..." "I could use a beer." "I could use a tranquilizer." "Last I heard, Rudy's dad was living in Auburn, but that was a year ago." "That must be so tough trying to raise a kid on your own." "I'm starting to think my wife wouldn't mind a crack at it." "Oh." "It's just hormones." "Well, no." "It isn't." "But never mind." " Thanks." " Sure." "Well, here's to improved employee-management relations." "Amen." "You know, you can't judge... all of Scottsville by the people in that bank, believe me." "Well, let's, um..." " Let's not talk about the bank." " Okay." "Let's just forget about the bank for tonight." "Good idea." " Sammy?" " Yeah?" "I want you to tell me who changed the colors on my computer screen." "I'll never tell." "Where were you?" "Nowhere." "I had dinner with my boss." " Kind of a late dinner, ain't it?" " Yeah." " How is Rudy?" " Fine." "He's asleep." " Did the plumber come?" " Yeah, the fucking plumber came." "Terry, just give me a break!" " What's the matter with you?" " Nothing!" "I'm..." "I'm just tired." "Wanna smoke some pot?" "No, I don't." "Why, you got some?" "So..." "Bob asked me to marry him." " Wow." "What are you gonna do?" " I don't know." "If he'd asked me the same time last year, I probably would've said yes." "But I don't know." "The minute he asked me, it was like someone was trying to strangle me." "Whoa." "Bad sign." "Yeah, I know." "Plus..." "Terry, I fucked my boss." " What?" " I know." "I know his wife is six months pregnant." " Jesus Christ, Sammy!" " I know, I know." "Um..." "I'm sorry I got so mad at you before." "I just..." " It's cool." " I just don't want him to be scared." "I really don't think that's his problem, Sammy." "No?" "What..." "What do you think his problem is?" "Well, I think his problem is that he's totally sheltered." "I mean, you treat the kid like he's three, so that's how he behaves." "Uh-huh." "Well, how do you think he should behave?" "Well, I don't think he should have to run and tell Mommy every time... he does something she might not approve of, for one thing." " Uh-huh." " I mean, I took him to play pool." "It was a little clandestine thing we did for fun." "It wasn't a big secret." "I mean, who cares?" "I was actually trying to be nice to him." "But he's so freaked out that he disobeyed your orders... that he's got to fucking squeal on me and I gotta listen to your shit." " And I didn't fucking do anything." " Okay." "First of all, he didn't say anything, Darryl did." "Okay?" "And second of all, I don't give a shit... if you take him out to play pool." "I was mad at you because you left him at the bus stop in the rain." "But no, I don't want you telling him not to squeal... because I don't want him put in that position." "Well, that... is a perfect example of what I'm talking about." "You are an idiot." " Are you saying Darryl told you?" " Yes!" " Good morning." " Yeah, good morning." "Could you shut the door, please?" "Brian, I just want to..." "Brian?" "That's enough." " You're awfully quiet." " Sorry." "So have you thought at all about what I said?" "Well... sure, I've been thinking about it." "So any decisions, or..." "Do-Do you want to think about it some more?" "I don't know, Bob." "It's not like we've been going steady for the last few months." " Yeah." "No, I know." " And we see each other twice, and then you suddenly say you want to get married?" " No, you're right." "You're right." " I mean, what are you talking about?" "I, I don't know." "I, um..." "Last year, I..." "I thought that maybe you were possibly... interested in that idea." "But I was the one who wasn't ready, you know, at that point, so that's why I sort of thought things slowed down with us." "Don't make me feel bad for you." "I don't want you to feel bad for me." "Yeah?" "Well, where were you last night?" " Hello." " This is Brian." "Brian, where are you?" "I'm buying milk." "Just thought I'd say hello." "Look, I know it's probably too late, but... is there any way you can come out for a little while?" "Brian, I think you're going crazy." "I know I am." "Can you meet me?" "Um..." "Okay." "Um, I have to go out for a little while." "Do you want anything?" "Like what?" " I don't know." " Where are you going?" " Yeah, where are you going?" " I just have to go out for a while." " Where?" " Yeah, where?" "I'm going to Mabel's house." "Why?" "You know what, Rudy?" "It's personal." "It's..." "It's a personal matter... that has to do with Mabel, and I just have to go... see her for a little while." "Listen." "Listen, I'm sorry I said you squealed on me." "I was totally out of line, and I really owe you an apology." " Did you hear me?" " I don't care." "I'd like to introduce myself." "I'm the other woman" "The other woman" "In your husband's life" "Now everybody's blaming me" "I'm the other woman" "But who are they to judge" "Who's wrong or right" "Their whispers might be different" "Oh!" "Oh!" "Oh-ho." "Oh." "Oh." "What's on your mind, Sammy?" "Well, a lot." "But principally, I was just wondering if-if you had an opinion." "If you know someone in your family... or even just someone who you really care about... and they just can't quite get ahold of themselves." "Ah!" "Guess who these are for?" " Me!" " That's right, my little friend." "Hello." "We're going fishing." "I got a new rod and reel, five lures, a hat, a knife and a fish scaler." "That's great, sweetie." "I'll get it." "Well, I'm not really sure why you're here, Ron." "Um, I know I haven't exactly been the model citizen since I got here." "But considering how things have been going for me lately," "I thought I was doing pretty well." "I also find it kind of discouraging that you seem to think that..." "I'm in need of some sort of spiritual guidance or what have you." "So much so, that you're willing to disregard the fact... that I don't believe in any of this stuff at all." " I didn't mean to discourage you." " I find it insulting." "Can I..." "Can I say something here?" "Sammy asked me to come talk to you because it's her opinion... that you're not gonna find what you're looking for... the way you're looking for it." " And how would she know?" " I'm really not here... to try to get you to do anything or believe in anything." "To try to get you to do anything or believe in anything." "And I'll tell you the same thing I told her, which is that as far as I'm concerned, the only way... she can help you is by her example, by trying to be a model for you... in the way she lives her life." "And that doesn't mean that she's supposed to be a saint either, if that's what you're smiling about." "I didn't realize I was smiling." "You know, a lot of people come to see me with all kinds of problems... drugs, alcohol, marital problems, sexual problems..." " Good job you have, man." " Well, I like it." "Because even in this little town, I really feel like... what I do is very connected with the real center of people's lives." "I'm not saying I'm always Mr. Effective, but I don't feel like my life is off to the side of what's important." "I don't feel that my happiness and comfort... are based on closing my eyes to trouble in myself or other people." "I don't feel like a negligible little scrap... floating around in some kind of empty void... with no sense of connectedness to anything around me... except by virtue of whatever little philosophies..." "I can scrape together on my own." "Well..." "Can I ask you, Terry..." "Do you think your life is important?" "Um, you mean like... me personally, like my individual life?" "Yeah." "Mmm..." "I'm not really sure." "What do you mean?" "I mean, it's important to me, I guess, and like, to, you know, other people who care about me." "But do you think it's important?" "I..." "Do you think it's important in the scheme of things... not just because it's yours or because you're somebody's brother." "Because I really don't get the impression that you do." "I don't think that anybody's life has any particular importance... besides... whatever, you know..." "like whatever we arbitrarily give it." "Which is fine." "I mean, you know, we might as well." "I think my life is as important as anybody else's." "I don't know, Ron." "A lot of what you're saying has real appeal to me." "You know, the stuff they told us when we were kids." "But..." "I don't want to believe in something... or not believe in it because I might feel bad." "I want to believe in it or not because I think it's true or not." "Yeah, I mean, I want to think that my life is important." "That it's connected to something important." "Is there any way for you to believe that without calling it God... or a religion or whatever term it is that you object to?" "Yeah, I believe that." "So Sammy, what example will you be setting for us tonight?" "What time are we getting up to go fishing?" "We're not going fishing." " What do you mean?" " Why not?" "I think you should go fishing with Father Ron." "I don't want to go fishing with Father Ron." "Well, I'm not going to take you." "I'll take you, sweetie." " I realize that you're mad at me." " I'm not mad at you." "But he didn't do anything to you." "And you cannot promise a little boy..." "After that religious conversation, I realized it's probably... not so good for him to be spending so much time with someone... who doesn't believe his life is important in the scheme of things." " Would you please." " I'm serious." "Listen." "I am sure if you put your mind to it, you can think of some other way of getting back at me besides this." "So would you please just give it some thought... and take him fishing tomorrow?" "I would, Sammy, but I really don't think it's good for him." "You suck!" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Hello?" " Hi." " Hi." " You remember my wife, Nancy." " Oh, yes." "Nice to see you." "Father." "Nice job." "Anyway, I don't know what the church's official position is... on fornication and adultery these days." "I felt hypocritical not saying anything to you about it before, so... what is the official position these days?" "Well, it's a sin." " Good." "I think it should be." " But we try not to focus... on that aspect of it too much right off the bat." " Why not?" "I think you should." " Well..." "Maybe it was better when you came in here... and they screamed at you for having sex with your married boss." "They told you what a terrible thing it was." "They were mean to you." "Ma-Maybe it would be better... if you told me that I was endangering my immortal soul, and that if-if I don't quit..." "I'm gonna burn in hell." "Don't you ever think that?" "Um... no." "Well, it would be a lot better than all this..." ""Why do you think you're in this situation"... psychological bullshit you hear all the time." "Well, why do you think you're in this situation?" "With which one?" "All of 'em." "I feel sorry for them." "Isn't that ridiculous?" "I've never been so bored in my whole life." "We should've been here around 7:00, 8:00 a.m." "What time is it now?" "2:30." "Was my father a good fisherman?" "Yeah, he was good at all that stuff, you know?" "He knew everything about the woods, hunting, fishing and cars." "If he wasn't such a pain in the ass, he would've been fun to be around." "Maybe he's nicer now." " I doubt it." " Well, I think he is." "How would you know?" "Did you ever meet him?" "No." "You ever been curious about meeting him?" "I guess so." "He lives near here." "I thought he lived in Alaska." "No, I lived in Alaska." "He lives in Auburn, as far as I know." "We could look him up in the phone book." "Wanna try it?" "All right." "But Rudy, I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but I'm not kidding, man, don't tell your mother." "Can I get you something?" "Or hey, do you want to go for a walk... or a drive?" "It's really nice out." "No, I'm not gonna stay long." "Bob, I don't want to get married." "Okay." "I've been thinking about it for a long time, and if you had asked me last year," "I'm sure I would have said yes." "Oh." "Thank you." "But I don't think it would've been a good idea then either." "I've been going through a really hard time lately, and I just..." "I think getting engaged to you or anybody else would be probably... the stupidest, most self-destructive thing I could possibly do." "Okay." "And I really think you need to grow up." "How about we fix my personality some other time?" "Okay." "I really hope we can still be friends." "Oh." "Yes, me too." "Bob!" " Bob." " What?" " I don't know." " I don't know." "I just..." "I..." "Sammy, I-I love you." "I..." "I really..." "I love you." "Oh, I love you too." " Oh, shit!" " What?" "What?" " I got to go." "I'm sorry." " Where do you have to go?" "I have to get Mabel her car." "Now?" "I don't understand." "How are we leaving things?" "I don't know." "Call me later." "This is incredible." "Mmm." "That is not what I mean." "I was born on this land" "This land is my home" "And she rules me and keeps me" "From worry and woe" "Well, it took everything" "She gave, now they're gone" "Maybe we should call first." "Well, we're right here." "Come on." " There he is." " His last name is Kolinsky?" "Yeah." "Come on." "Go ahead, knock." "Out of the yard, and the Mets add another run to their lead." "It's now 7 to 2, Mets." " Yes?" " Hi." "We're looking for Rudy." "Who should I say is calling?" " Uh, an old friend." " Who is it?" " He says an old friend." " How old is he?" " Hey!" " Hey, Rudy." "Hey." " Hi, I'm Terry." " Hello." "Uh, this is Rudy." "You don't say." "Rudy, meet Rudy." "I'll just be in the kitchen." "Nice meeting you." "Okay if we come in for a minute?" " What the hell are you doing?" " What do you mean?" " Would you back away from the door?" " Just want to come in..." " Would you back away from the door?" " All right, all right." "What are you doing here?" " Just wanted the kid to see you." " Now he saw me." "Now you saw me, all right?" "Now, do you mind?" " Man, you really..." " I'm trying to be polite, all right?" "Would you just take off?" "Just take off." " I just wanna..." " Do you know what you're doing here?" "Get out of here, all right?" "You know what, man?" "You're still a fucking asshole." "I'm an asshole?" "Get out of here." "Fuckin' asshole!" "Get your fuckin' hands off him!" "Get off!" "Fuckin' woman!" "Get the fuck..." "Hey, break it up!" "Listen, Officer, I just came down here to talk to the guy, and he starts shoving' me." " You're not the guardian?" " I don't even know if that's my kid." "Fuckin' lying piece of shit." "He's on our property." "I don't know who this guy is." "We have a right to protect ourselves." "Listen to 'em." "You can hear, they're out of their minds." "Look at how aggressive he is." "He started the whole thing," " and now I'm being arrested..." " Stop talkin'." "And what's gonna happen with him?" " Terry, stop talkin'." " All right, man." "Any idea where we might contact his mother?" "No, because he's not my goddamn kid." " Oh, my gosh." " What's the matter?" "What time is it?" "Oh, my God, it's 9:30." "Hey." "You know, Nancy's gonna be gone for the rest of the week." " Well, Brian." " Yeah?" "I don't mean to be..." "Couldn't we just..." "I mean, could we give it a rest?" "Yeah, sure, if you want to." "I mean, I just think..." "I don't know... we've had a great little fling, you know." "So why push it?" "Is that okay?" "I just..." "Yeah, sure." "Okay." "No, you're right." " So we're still friends?" " Mm-hmm." "Sure." "All right." "Around 2:00 this afternoon." "Yes." "A '97 red Subaru Outback." "New York plates." "AUZ 416." "Please." "Thanks for coming over." "I want to have a car handy, just in case." "No problem." "Yes!" "What-What about other towns?" "Yes." "Yes." "I" " I've called the Highway Patrol four times." "What am I supposed to do all night?" "Hello?" "Anyone hear from Sammy this morning?" " I didn't." " Uh-huh." "Well, if anybody ever hears from her ever again, would you let me know?" "Yes." " Thanks." "I'll give you a call." " All right." "It's gonna be all right." "We got on the phone with Rudy Sr. A bit, and he's calmed down." "He wants to forget the whole thing." "Darryl, I really appreciate this." " Hello." " Yeah, it's Brian." " Brian." " What the hell happened to you lady?" " Hello." " You're fired!" "Good!" " Rudy?" " Yeah?" "Is there anything you want to ask me... about your father?" " Oh, that wasn't my father." " What?" "That wasn't him." "I heard him tell the cops." "No, Rudy, that was him." "I wish it wasn't, but it was." "No, it wasn't." "Yes, Rudy." "It was." "Your father's name is Rudy Kolinsky." "He lives in Auburn." "Would you turn that off, please?" " You don't have to say anything..." " I want you to leave." "What do you mean?" "I mean, I don't think you should live here." "I don't think you know how to behave around an eight-year-old, and I don't know how to make you stop, so I don't think you should live here." "I, I don't know what else to say." " I don't know how to behave?" " That's right." "I think you don't know how to behave around an eight-year-old." "Are you out of your mind?" "Just listen to me." "I may not be the greatest mother in the world, but I'm doing the best I know how, and he doesn't need you... to rub his face in shit because you think it's good for him." "He's gonna find out the world is a horrible place... and that people suck soon enough, and without any help from you." "Believe me." "I think... you should get your own place." "I thought maybe you could..." "I, I'd be happy to, to help you out financially." " What do you mean, get my own place?" " I mean, I..." " You mean, here, in Scottsville?" " Yes." "Why would I do that?" "Why don't I just leave, period." "Well..." "If that's what you want to do, that's fine." "But that's not what I'm saying." "You're a very important person to Rudy." "And you are the most important person to me." "But I'm saying, I can't take any more of this." " Well..." " And I thought you could sell... your half of the house to me, and then I could pay you back a certain amount, whatever it is, over a period of time." "No, you know what?" "I'll just go." "Well, th-that's not what I'm saying." "Where are you gonna go?" "I don't know." "I just want to get out of this town." "And if you... have any sense when you get old enough, you'll get out of here too." "Your mom is gonna stay in this town for the rest of her life." "Know why?" "Because she thinks she has to." "She thinks there are all these things that she has to do." "But I'll tell you one thing about your mom:" "She's a bigger fuck-up than I ever was." "I mean, I know I messed up, okay?" "You think I enjoy getting thrown in jail?" "Because I wanted you to face that prick like a little man... and show you what kind of guy he is?" "I got a little carried away." "I know it." "I lost my temper a bit, which is not the end of the world, either." "Just for future reference." "And now she's gonna throw me out of my own house because... you know, because I fucked up a little bit." "Which I totally admit." "I was, like, totally ready to admit that." "I could go with you." "Thanks, man, but I, uh..." "I can't really take care of you." "Is..." "Is that for you?" "Yeah, I'm just gonna stay at Ray's till I leave." " You don't have to do that." " But that's what I wanna do, so..." "Are you gonna come back and say good-bye?" "No, I'm just gonna take off." "See ya." "Well..." "Look, I know you're upset about Uncle Terry leaving, and so am I." "But he is not in control of himself, and I don't want him hurting... your feelings anymore, or mine." "You might not like it, but that's the way it's gonna be, okay?" "I don't care." "You don't care?" "I don't care either." "Well, I'm sorry..." " you're having all this trouble." " Thank you." "But you made a good speech to me the other day about people..." " sticking to their commitments." " Yeah?" "Well, you made a commitment, Sammy, to this bank." " To this job." " I know I did." "And to working things out with this new son of a bitch boss of yours." "Whatever passed between us after hours doesn't mean you can just... walk away from that commitment." "Yeah, even if you have a legitimate family emergency." " I'm really sorry I didn't call in." " That's why I think, in the calm, cold light of day, that you and I both have to think real hard about whether... you really want to continue on here at Outpost Bankers Trust." " You've gotta be kidding." " You're not happy." "I'm not happy." "It's no good for you." "And it's sure as heck no good for the bank." "You know, you're the worst manager we've ever had." " Come on, Sammy." " By far, the worst." " I don't want to trade insults." " I don't want to be fired." " I've been working here seven years." " Well..." "If I were you, I'd be a little nervous firing... an employee I just had an affair with, okay?" "What..." "Don't..." "Don't threaten me." " I'm not threatening you." " I'm not threatening you." "I just..." "I think it's an area we oughta explore." "You explore it." "I'm going back to work." "Oh, and I have to pick up Rudy today because no one else can do it." "I'll find someone else when I have time." "Oh, yeah." "Fine." "Why don't you just take over the whole bank?" "Well..." "I called Uncle Terry where he said he'd be staying, but there was no answer." "So..." "I don't know if he's still in town or not." "Rudy, you're not speaking to me?" "I'm really sorry you're so mad at me, but I only did what I thought I had to do." "And I just hope you don't stay mad at me for the rest of your life." "Rudy, that's enough." "Rudy!" " Now you gotta cut this out!" " What did I do?" "You don't know what you're talking about." "There was nothing else I could do." "I don't know how... to explain it to you any better than that." "You cannot go on this way, because you don't know anything about it." " You don't know what you're doing." " Okay, I'm sorry." "I don't want you to be sorry!" "I want you to stop it!" "I'm stopping." "See, I'm stopping." "I'm stopping." " Ray's house." " Hi." "I, I didn't know if you'd left yet." "No, I'm not leaving till tomorrow." "Well, what time?" "Um, bus leaves at 9:00." "Well..." "I'd-I'd really like to see you before you go." "Can-Can I give you a lift?" "Do you want to have breakfast or anything?" "I think Rudy would really like to say good-bye." "Yeah." "I don't know." "I mean..." "Terry, you can't just leave like this." "All right, all right." "Um, I'll come by tomorrow morning." "All right." "Just..." "We have to be out of the house by 8:00, so I don't want to tell Rudy you're coming unless you think you can." "No, I mean, I'll be there." " All right." " All right." "You better get your sneakers on." "Sweetie, I'm sorry, but we have to go." "Why can't I miss school one day?" " Hi." " Hey, how's it going, man?" "Sorry I'm late." "So Rudy, if I write you a letter, will you write me back?" " Yeah." " That's gonna be nice for you... 'cause I write a pretty goddamn interesting letter." "Yeah, we'll see." "Well, all right." "Say good-bye." "Bye." "Do you need some cash for the bus?" "No, I got a few bucks." "Aren't you gonna be late for work?" "Oh, yeah." "It's okay." "Terry, I don't even know where you're going." "Well..." "Yeah, I don't really have a concrete plan yet." "I gotta go back to Worcester and get my stuff." " You gonna try and see that girl?" " Yeah." "I thought I'd try and show my face, let her brother have a crack at me." " What?" "I don't want..." " No." " Anybody to have a crack at you." " I'm just kidding." "I just..." "I just thought I'd check up on her." "And then after that, I don't know." "I've been thinking about Alaska a lot, you know?" "I've still got a lot of friends out there." "I don't really know." "Anyway, I'll write you." "You will?" "Sure, Sammy." "Of course I will." "You know that." "What's gonna happen to you?" "Nothing too bad." "I gotta tell you, and I know things didn't work out too well this time," " Terry..." " but it's really good to know... wherever I am, and whatever stupid shit I'm doing, that you're back at my home rooting for me." "It's all gonna be all right, Sammy." "Comparatively." "And I'll be back around this way again." "I feel like I'm never gonna see you again." "Of course you will." "You never have to worry about that." "Ever." "Just don't go anywhere until you know where you're going." " Please!" " I do know where I'm going." "I do." "I'm going back to Worcester." "And I'm gonna try to see that girl." "And depending on what happens there," "I'm gonna try and see if there's some work for me out west." "And if there is, I'm gonna go there this summer and make some money." "And if there isn't, I'll figure something else out." "Maybe I'll stay in the east." "I don't know." "I really liked Alaska." "It was really beautiful, and it just..." "It made me feel good." "And before things got so messed up, I was doing pretty well out there." "Seriously." "But I couldn't stay here, Sammy." "I don't want to live here." "But I'll keep in touch, and I will be back, because I want to see you and I want to see Rudy." "We'll have Christmas together." "How's that, huh?" "We'll have Christmas to..." "Come on, Sammy." "You can trust me." "Come on, Sammy." "Look at me." "Look at me." "Hey, Sammy." "Remember when we were kids, do you remember what we always used to say to each other?" " Of course I do." " Remember when we were kids?" "I'm just a pilgrim on this road" "Boys" "I'm just a pilgrim on this road, boys" "I'm just a pilgrim on this road, boys" "This ain't never been my home" "Sometimes the road is rocky along the way, boys" "Sometimes the road is rocky along the way, boys" "Sometimes the road is rocky along the way, boys" "But I was never traveling' alone" "We meet again" "On some bright highway" "Songs to sing and tales to tell" "But I am just a pilgrim on this road, boys" "Until I say fare thee well" "I am just a pilgrim on this road, boys" "I am just a pilgrim on this road, boys" "I am just a pilgrim on this road, boys" "Till I say fare thee well" "I am just a pilgrim on this road, boys" "I am just a pilgrim on this road, boys" "I am just a pilgrim on this road"