"Can you tell me a story, Frank?" "Tell me something good." "Make me the hero, or..." "maybe I can get the girl." "I got one." "A long time ago... you and me were fighter pilots in the war." ""The Flannigan brothers."" "We were famous." "One morning, we were heading over to Germany when we got ambushed." "You and me versus 20 German fighters." "It was a mess." "A real dogfight." "It was touch and go but we were winning, until a Nazi came out of the fog, and started firing away at you." "Luckily, I came down and blew the son of a bitch up." ""Thanks Tiger-Five" you said over the radio." "Problem was your plane was hit and your controls were stuck." "You were heading towards Iceland." "There was nothing you could do." "You disappeared into the clouds." "Frank..." "Frank." "Frank." "What?" "Where are your clothes?" " Something happened." " What?" "I don't even wanna tell you, Frank." "I don't understand why this is happening..." "What happened?" " Jesus Christ." " What the fuck?" "We gotta go." "I can't drive." "I fell deep this time." "Didn't I, Frank?" "I don't know." "I don't know what happened." "Polly Flynn got mad at me." "She was yelling at me really hard." "So I went to go get dressed." "She starts pointing a gun at me." "She starts waving it around, pointing it at me, so I grabbed it from her." "Then she takes my pants." "She goes outside... and she lights 'em on fire with lighter fluid." "She's crazy, Frank." "She's fucking nuts." "I got in the car." "I was driving home." "Just driving down Fifth Street, like always." "And then... a kid... a kid comes out of nowhere, on a bike in the middle of the road." "And I hit him." "So, I can't leave the kid there, the poor kid." "I gotta put him in the back seat and take him to the hospital, right?" "Then when I went to pick him up... he was dead, Frank." "I mean..." "It was the most horrible thing I ever fucking seen." "I drove a block from Saint Mary's" "I dropped him in the frozen grass in front of the office building..." "And then I came to see you, Frank." "I don't think we should go back to Reno." "Now..." "There's an old wooden box in my closet, behind my sweaters." "Inside the box is 500 dollars and my will." "The will gives you instructions on what to do with my body, how and where to pay the rent, title to the car, that sort of thing." "Also, there's your dad's fancy gun." "Don't let anybody fool you." "That gun's worth money." "Now, if I can hang on... you'll soon both be old enough to live on your own." "But... if I do die... they may try to split you up." "Jerry Lee!" "No matter what..." "I want you two to stay together." "Sorry." "I really am, Frank." "Let's go eat something." "I don't feel like being around anyone." "I'm gonna get you some..." "some soup or something." "Alright." "One day you were feeling like shit, so you stole Dad's credit card and drove to the Cotton Tail Ranch." "You met this girl there, Candy." "And in the course of a week you spend 4,000 dollars on her." "She was good." "You made that clear, she was damn good." "You read her one of your stories while she sat on her knees." "When you were done, she told you the hummer was on the house 'cause your story was that good." "You were on a roll so you got a room and became a shut-in." "A man on a mission." "You didn't sleep for two days, and wrote four stories." "Th last one, your masterpiece, starred Candy as a lonely Asian stripper." "It was called "Hey Candy, it's me Romeo"." "You decided to get some rest and see the last frontiers, so you drove to Alaska." "But it's colder than shit in Alaska, and you started to feel guilty about Dad and his credit card." "So you drove back to Reno, and bought a solid gold watch with diamonds, and gave it to him." "He didn't know what to think." "A couple of days later he got the credit card bill and the son of a bitch had you committed to a mental hospital." "But it sure beat working." "You had all kinds of meds... and green grass as far as the eye can see." "And you didn't feel bad about Dad anymore because that watch you gave him... was a nice fucking watch." "What the fuck were you thinking, Jerry Lee?" "Frank, Frank!" "Hey Polly Flynn." "Jesus, you were in there forever." "Thanks for leaving the note." "He said he didn't have the nerve to shoot himself in the head." "You know he stole my gun?" "My gun." "What'd he do?" "Whatever it is, I didn't do anything." "Frank..." "I'm doing really well." "I've moved to Elko in a small apartment." "I still think about you." " Do you think we'll see any bears?" " Maybe." "Come on." "It would be really wonderful to hear from you." "But I understand." " Who's place is it, again?" " I don't know." "Love, Annie." "Aah, whiskey." "It's like they knew we were coming." "I wish we lived here." "I could make apple pie, you could hunt deer." " You know how to make apple pie?" " No." "It's okay." "I don't think I could shoot a deer." "Jerry Lee could even have his own room." "Or maybe you'll play for the Yankees, and we'll come here to get away from all your fans, and the reporters." "Like a secret hide-out or something." "God, I wish we lived here." "Hi." "I'm getting a check for Flannigan." "Here you go." "Flannigan!" "Where the hell've you been?" "I had to hire someone else." "I know, I just came by to pick up my check." "You should've called." "You know, whatever it was, maybe I could've helped." "Yeah?" "Do you have a phone book?" "Say goodbye to Daddy." "Look after your sister, all right?" "I can't go to jail, Frank." "You're not gonna go to jail." "Okay?" "Nobody knows anything." "We just lay low." "If anyone finds out, if the police or anyone finds out," " you gotta get me outta here." " They ain't gonna find out." "This TV's starting to drive me crazy." "That poor kid." "You see Polly Flynn?" "I pretended like I was asleep." "I ain't never been in love, Frank." "Marge is the only girl for me, I guess." "And she's just a picture I draw." "It sure don't feel like love with Polly Flynn." "If it does at all, it's when we're fucking." "Sometimes I feel like I love her then." "Never anytime else, though." "But then..." "I used to feel that when I used to fuck that fat old lady when we were staying at the Silver State." "Even then when I was about to let go, I felt like I wanted to marry her." "Here you go." "Thanks." "At least you've been in love, Frank." "I don't care what you say, that girl really did like you." "All she ever did was talk about you." "Hey." " You want one of these?" " Alright." " Hey Gary." " Frank." "I went by and I sat with him yesterday." "Seeing him there like that... it's hard not to think about the night that you guys jumped the train." "Yeah, I've been thinking about that too." "Why do you think he did it, Frank?" "I don't know much... but what worries me is you guys just fucking split." " Did you at least cover it up at work?" " No." "We just left, I was... drunk, and Jerry Lee was so upset, he was out of his mind." "But that looks bad." "I mean, somebody starts asking around..." "and now you're both fucked." "I know." "Why don't you ever come down on him, Frank?" "'Ey." "Come on." "Luck of the Flannigans." "Almost worse than mine." "Almost." "Uh..." "Jerry Lee said you owe him some money." "Yeah, I do." "Yeah, look, I owe him that money and I'd pay you, Frank." "I would pay you but..." "I've been betting the playoffs and I fucking lost the last three weeks." "I'm down a couple grand, man." "I should've bet it on the Tyson Douglas fight, that's what I should've done." "Buster Douglas is gonna win that fight, Frank." "Christ, Tommy." "Besides Jerry Lee, you're the unluckiest guy I know." "Don't you read the papers?" "Jesus, nobody thinks Buster Douglas is gonna make it outta the first round." "Hey guys." " Guess where I've been." " I don't know, where ya been, Al?" "I've been in the loony bin." " Could I get a vodka cranberry?" " Sure, hon." "Ugh, come on." "I happened upon a bottle of liquid acid." "And I couldn't stop taking it." "I ended up walking down Virginia." "Right down the center of town." "All I was wearing was my underwear and flip-flops." "Luckily I'm still half sane, though." "They say they try to get you straight..." "but they make you crazier than hell." "I ain't never going back to that place again." "Don't get thrown in a mental hospital Frank." "It's worse than you think." "It's alright, kid." " Are you alright?" " What?" "I said are you alright?" " Hey Barry!" " Yeah, Dad?" " We're gonna go grab a bite to eat." " Okay." " Okay, just get me something." " What do you want?" "I don't know, where're you guys going?" "We're gonna eat the ass-end out of a dead skunk." "Get mine with ketchup!" "The boy's sick." "I'm sure sorry to hear about your brother's leg." "What, six months after losing your mom?" "And you're only what... sixteen?" "I just turned fifteen." "I hired you when you were fourteen?" "Yeah." "Jesus." "Well, there you go." "What were you thinking out there?" "I mean, when you were just standing there." "I don't know." "Guess I was just... scared." "I'd be scared too." "Look, son..." "What you gotta do is think about the life you want." "Think about it in your head." "Make it a place you wanna be." "A ranch, a beach house, penthouse, doesn't matter what it is, but a place you can go hide out in." "Then when everybody's on your ass, or you can't stop thinking about your mom, you can go there." " Could it help my brother?" " I don't know." "Tell him yours." "I used to tell Barry stories all the time when his life was rough." "They seemed to help him out." "Gave him a place to escape to." "Gave him some hope." "Hope's the key." "Hey, boy." "What an asshole." "Come on." "Come on." "This is Mission Control at Houston, at three hours, two minutes into the flight of Discovery." "It's hard to tell if they're awake or not." "You look better." "I feel better." " Did they say anything about your leg?" " They ain't sure." "Depends if they can stop some sort of infection I got." "At least I shot myself in the leg that was already bad." "Yeah." "You're drunk, huh?" "Yeah." "You should drink more milk, Frank." "Hey." "You find anything out about the kid?" "Not much." "His name was Wes Denny." "He lived in a house, some sorta foster place I think." "I talked to a guy who knew him." "Said... his parents died in a car crash, and he'd been shuffled between homes his whole life, you know." "I mean, nobody really gave a shit about him." "For real?" "Yeah." " You ain't making it up?" " No." "He was like us, you know." "He didn't have anybody left." " I might have got us a dog." " What?" " No shit." " Oh yeah." " Where... where'd you get it?" " Stole it from some guy's yard." "I mean, he was gonna have frozen to death if I hadn't, but..." "We always wanted a dog." "Damn, that's something, huh?" " Frank, that's really something." " Yeah." "Frank?" "Can we go somewhere else, Frank?" "What happened?" " It's nothing." " Here, sit down." "Can we leave leave?" "Just stay here." "You gotta get away from your mom." "Can you at least just tell me a story like the ones you tell Jerry Lee?" "Yeah." "What do you want it to be about?" "Maybe it could be you and me on an island... in the Pacific Ocean." "With the sun." "And we could go swimming all day long." "And sleep on the beach." "I'm Officer Cook, this is Officer Mori." "We'd like to ask you a few questions, okay?" "What kind of car do you drive, Mr. Flannigan?" "It's a Chevy Caprice." " Where is your car?" " It was stolen." "Why didn't you report it?" "It's a real piece of shit." "It's been stolen a few times before." "Uh, we found your car, Mr. Flannigan." "It was burned and abandoned." "Where was the car stolen from?" "Uh, The Sands..." "Sands parking lot." "I leave it there all the time." "I live down..." "Rancho Sierra, it's just right down the street." "Are you aware that someone might have been killed... by an old beat-up car like yours in a hit-and-run?" " No." " A nurse getting off work... reported seeing a brown and grey station wagon parked right outside." "She said she saw someone moving something out of the car" " right where the body was found." " What color's your car?" "It's brown and grey." "Whoever stole it probably did that, right?" "Why are you in the hospital, Mr. Flannigan?" " My leg..." " What happened to your leg?" "Please, I'm just tired, I've had enough, okay?" "Can you just leave me alone, just for a little bit?" "Doesn't look like you're going anywhere." "We have your room number at the Rancho Sierra." "We'll be back to see you soon." "Fuck, Frank." "What are we gonna do?" "We're not gonna do anything." "They don't know shit." "They already know, I can tell." " They already know." " No they don't." "Okay?" "Thy don't know anything for sure." "They will, they'll find out." "You know that." "You gotta get me outta here, now." "No." "Okay, you gotta stay here until you get better." "I'm gonna go crazy if they come back." "Just get me outta here, Frank." "What are you doing with a Winchester?" " What's he got there?" " His dad's rifle." "What is it?" "It's a custom gold-plated Winchester 1894... and I don't think this thing's ever been fired." "My brother and I never shot it." "My mom said my dad got it on one of his lucky streaks." "I think he got it just before he took off." "Who'd he win it from?" "I'm not sure." "I looked it up before." "It ain't on any stolen list that I've come across." " What're you gonna do with it?" " I was hoping you could buy it." "I don't think I can give you the kind of money this thing is worth." "You should put a ad up on Gun Trader, or wait until the next gun show in March." "I'm in a spot." "All I could give you is 400." "And I don't recommend you take it." "That's just all I could give you for it." "I'll take the 400." "Okay." "Tommy, get him some coffee." "And make him take these donuts." "You guys are leaving, aren't you?" "That's what you need the money for?" "I don't know." "400 bucks ain't much to hit the road with, if that's your plan." "Yeah, I know." "And we don't even have a car." "You can get a piece of shit for 300, I don't know." "I was thinking of going over to Earl Hurley's lot, he'd set up credit with me." "Yeah, you could do that." "I might have a better option." "The Tyson Douglas fight." " I don't think so, Tommy." " Hey." "Frank, Frank!" "Come here." "Listen, look, I know this one's good." "And... and... and I just..." "I just need help getting there." " I just need a little bit of money." " Tommy." "It's Jerry Lee, okay?" "Hey man, I'll give you my car." "The odds are 40 to 1." "We bet 250 cash." "Alright?" "That means, worst case, you're walking out of there with at least 150 bucks cash and my car." "When's the fight?" "Tonight." "I want the keys to your car." "Right before we place the bet, okay, I get the keys." " Deal?" " That's a deal, Frank." "And don't tell Jerry Lee about selling the old man's gun." "My brother loved that asshole." "Jesus, Al, what the hell happened to you?" "You're not gonna fucking believe it, Frank." "Walking home last night, after I rented a movie, a couple of those fucking redneck bastards were waiting for me outside that gay bar on Virginia." "The one with the numbers on the outside." "Near the vegetarian joint, you know." "A-a-anyway... they, uh, called me a queer, they pushed me down, and, uh, kicked the shit outta me, man." "I thought I was gonna die." "It was that bad." "Finally I just curled up into a cannonball," " and tried to wait it out, you know?" " Yeah." "All 'cause I was walking by that place and wearing my acid-washed jean jacket." " I mean, what the fuck?" " Jesus, let me see." "It's just a jacket." "Fuck, I didn't even know who the fuck those guys were." "I never seen them before in my life, Frank." "Hi." "Gue-gue-guess what movie I was renting." "What?" "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for Christ's sakes." "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!" "It was a Saturday and I felt like being in a good mood, you know?" "Yeah." "Fuck, man." "Shit, I remember one of 'em stole the movie." "He-he-he-he picked it up and looked at it, and then he just took it." " What kind of sick fuck steals a movie?" " Hey, Al..." " your nose is... starting..." " Fuck." "Ah, shit." "Jesus Christ, I thought you weren't gonna show up." " I told you I'd be here." " Fight's starting in an hour." "You're a crazy bastard if you go through with it." "Hey, shut the fuck up, Al." "Heh, I wouldn't bet dead dick on Buster Douglas." "Hey, Frankie, don't listen to Al." "Remember he just got out of the loony bin." "Yeah, you're fucking crazy." "Buster Douglas is gonna bust the shit out of him." "No he ain't." "Hey." "The Tyson Douglas fight is about to begin." "Please place your final bets in the sports book upstairs." "And good luck from your friends at the Cal-Neva Casino." "250 on Douglas, please." "The undefeated heavyweight champion of the world!" "Mike Tyson!" "We're almost 90 seconds in and as yet," "Tyson has done no real damage to Buster Douglas." "All that can change with one big shot." "It's always sudden death." "That was a good round for Douglas." "Probably the best round I've ever seen him fight." "Let's see if Douglas can sustain it." "Tyson seems less aggressive than is normally the case, perhaps a little frustrated." "This is totally uncharacteristic of Mike Tyson." "He's just... he's not on." "That's a good right hand, and a good right uppercut, and two good right hooks by Douglas!" "He got it, he got it, he got it, he got it." "I don't think I've seen Tyson absorb this kid of punishment ever in his professional career." "Another right hand and now Tyson seems to be wobbling!" "Buster Douglas is completely dominating this round!" "Please move out of the way, thank you." "And down goes Douglas!" "As suddenly as that!" " Fuck, fuck, fuck get up!" " I told you." "Come on!" "Get up!" "Come on!" "Get up!" "Tyson came off the ropes with that terrific right uppercut." "Buster!" "I love you Buster!" "Let's see what Mike can do to finish." "And the bell sounds to save Buster Douglas at the end of round eight." "Tyson needed something like that desperately, to show the real champion that he is." "Let's see what Douglas can do when he comes out for the next round." "Clearly he was out on his feet as the bell sounded." "Oh!" "What a right hand by Tyson to begin the tenth round!" "Douglas comes back with a left and a right!" "Three solid shots, right on Tyson's face!" "Douglas comes back with a left and a right!" "Tyson is wobbling!" "Oh!" "Oh!" "Oh!" "Holy shit!" "Holy shit!" "Tell me what you've done yourself I would like to know" "Write it on the rocks and then" "Tell me where to go Why you say wait?" "9,450." "Holy fuck." "That's more money than I've ever had." " That's more money than I've ever seen." " It barely fits in my wallet." "Let's go to the strip club." "Have fun, Al." "Why?" "Tell me how you like yourself Tell me how you go" "Unlike you were someone else now" " I want to know" " Here." "Why you say wait?" "Why" " you say" " I was right, Frank." " Oh, wait" " This time I was fucking right." "You were." "So tell me something bad you've done Tell me 'bout your ghost" "Tell me 'bout the game you won And the one who lost" "Why you say wait?" "Wait" "Tell me 'bout your magic touch" "Every coin you toss" "The cat get out, the dog get in That's how it's always been" "Why you say wait?" "Why you say?" "Oh, wait" "I just don't want a minivan or another fucking station wagon." "Okay." "Hey, now that we've got some dough..." "We'd probably be able to find the kid's folks easier." " They gotta be out there somewhere." " I don't think he's got anyone." "Frank, everybody's got somebody, alright?" "And if we find 'em we can give 'em some of the money." " What if I can't find 'em?" " You will." "And when you do find 'em... maybe we'll get 'em some subscriptions to magazines." "Who knows what they like, but..." "most people like magazines." " I'll try." " Okay." "How the hell are you, Frank Flannigan?" "What the hell are you doing out there in this goddamned weather?" "I haven't seen you in a long fucking time." "It's been years, ain't it?" " Well..." "I need a car, Earl." " Today?" "It's goddamned Ice-land out there." "Seems like a strange day to be buying a car." "Well, hell, kid, what kind of car you want to buy?" "I got 1,500 to spend." "I don't wanna set up a payment plan or anything." "I was hoping to just pay cash on it." " You have anything in that ballpark?" " Well, I got a couple that might do ya." "A 1985 Honda Civic." "Maybe something bigger, Earl." "Maybe something you might be able to sleep in." "Jesus, that's a horrible fucking thought." "I got a Dodge Dart that Barry picked up." " Like the kind on the walls?" " Not that nice, but yeah, the same car." "I'll take the Dart." "I'll knock off a couple a hundred... if you can go out there and get it started yourself." "Well, don't do anything stupid." "Trying not to." "You're not a loser, kid." "But if you keep acting like one, then I don't know." "What I'm saying is... don't make decisions thinking you're a low-life." "Make decisions thinking you're a great man." "At least a good man." "And don't be a goddamned pussy." "Got a girlfriend?" "I used to." "Well, there you go, see?" "Some broad thinks you're alright." "Take care of yourself." " Frank." "Frank!" " What?" "Shit, Frank!" "Where the fuck have you been?" " What happened?" " Two cops were at my place." "The wicked king of clubs awoke It was to his queen he turned" "His lips were laughing as they spoke His eyes like bullets burned" "The sun's upon a gambling day His queen smiled low and blissfully" "Let's make some wretched fool to play Plain it was she did agree" "Jesus Christ, are we doing it?" " Yeah, but we gotta go now." " Alright." "Get me my boot." "Three kings with their legions come Preparations soon where made" "They voted club the days commander" " Gave him an army face and number" " Thanks for coming to get me, Frank." "All but the outlaw jack of diamonds And the aces in the sky" "Ah!" "Alright, let's go." "Come on, Frank." "Excuse me, sir!" "He give his sevens first instructions Spirit me a game of stud" "Stakes unscarred by limitation" " Where are we gonna go?" " Elko." " What's in Elko?" " I don't know." "'til his long, green eyes did glow Mud was left with the sighs and trembles" " Watching his hard earned money go" " Yeah, this way." " Right there." " No shit?" " A Dodge Dart?" " Yeah, it runs good!" "But the aces only flew through heaven And the diamond jack called no man friend" "Now here's what this story's told If you feel like mud you'll end up gold" "If you feel like lost, you'll end up found" "So amigo, lay them raises down" "Hola amigo!" "Hey!" "Cousin Harvey, you know, he was big." "Tall as a mountain, six foot five." "Aunt Shea thinks he's a gold mine." "A pile of gold." "She was so mean to him, eventually he ran away, went to San Francisco." "That's horrible." "Wanna come out of the blanket?" "Come on buddy." "He gets beat up at every single game he plays." "Every single game." "Ended up being some kind of computer genius." "A millionaire." "Who's got my fucking key?" "Tell me about that one about the pirates." "Nice and warm?" "After Mom died... we left Reno and set sail for Hawaii." "But on the way we got shanghaied by a bunch of crazed pirates." "The captain was a cross-dressing homicidal maniac." "Lethal with guns, knives, and nunchakus." "And the crew... they were just a bunch of lunatics that the captain kept addicted to morphine." "We spent months trapped on that ship." "Working like slaves." "Then, one night, Captain comes out of his quarters in a yellow bikini." "He does this amazing swan dive." "Like in the olympics." "The crew all followed him in." "You and me saw a school of sharks around the boat." "It was a real bloodbath." "The sea was rough." "But you took control." "You were a natural." "We washed ashore on this island." "We were nursed back to health by this guy." "Old Man Jenkins." "He taught us how to shoot guns." "And man, he looked just like Willie Nelson." "And the girls there, they were beautiful." "Turns out they thought we were kings." "So we decided to stay a while." "Man, it's a mess." "Can we go?" "I just wanna get to where we're going." "Okay." " No one knows how far I'll go" " Heaven knows" " Now there ain't no town I can call my home" " Wherever I roam" " I'm in so deep now I can't see" " Hard to breathe" " All my friends from enemies" " Let me be" " Give 'em hell, give 'em hell" " Give 'em hell, give 'em hell" "Give 'em hell Give 'em hell" "Hell when you're out in the pouring rain" "And the black cloud shouts and your heart is strained" "Give em hell and your highs will become your lows" "Come on in from the cold, sit and rest your bones" " It took my heart when it took your soul" " Left me cold..." "I missed my Marge." "I like the indian chopping the cowboy's head off with the tomahawk." "Yeah, that's a good one." "I'm gonna go get something to eat." "What do you want?" "I ain't hungry." "Sort of thirsty, though." "Get me some water?" "Maybe some popsicles?" "Yeah." "The three amigos." "Be back soon." "Oh, thanks" " That's the girl." " Oh yeah?" "The real bad-ass." " How was it?" " It was good." "Who the fuck is that?" "Hello?" "Annie." " Hi Frank." " Hello." "I work at a bakery." "It's a good job." "I live in an apartment not far from here." "Smaller than any motel I've ever stayed in, but it's pretty nice." "I painted it." "It has a full kitchen." "What color did you paint it?" "Um..." "The bathroom I painted white." "It was dark green." "And the front room..." "I painted a sorta cream color." "Look's good." "So, you guys on vacation?" "No." "No, it's, uh... nothing like that." " You two ready to order?" " I'm too nervous to eat." "I'll have a piece of apple pie and coffee." "You got it." "I still think about you." "All the time, I do." "I think about you too." "I'm really glad you're here." "Alright?" "I don't know how long I can stand here, Frank." "Okay." "My hair smells pretty fucking bad though." "Shampoo." " Alright?" "Yeah." " Yeah." "Yeah." " I'm fucking naked in front of you." " That's okay." "That's okay." "You got a pretty big dick, Jerry Lee." "Thank you." "Holy shit!" "Luck of the Flannigan's." "I think you got all that luck." "Alright out your head under." "Think I can rinse the back?" " Okay." "We'll get the back." " Alright." "Okay." "Way back, a long time ago... our dad got a job a a salesman at Used Car Magic." "Aunt Bernie got him the job." "She was the aunt that used to give him..." "Penthouse, and Hustler, and Playboy for slashing tires." "Anyway..." "The lot was owned by a guy named Ike, who was like old Earl Hurley, but was a Jesus Freak." "He drank and smoked and cheated on his wife, but he also loved God." "One day, this bombshell Iris walked onto the lot with Biff, a great dane Russian wolf hound cross." "She was looking for a Mustang." "Dad went to get the keys to the '64 convertible." "He says to Ike, "the woman of my dreams just walked in."" "Ike said, "remember:" "let the words trickle down your tongue, like the fruits of Jesus."" ""You're cute." she said, and moved her legs slightly apart." ""Hell yeah" Dad thought." ""Iris, I'm gonna blow your mind."" "They pull dover on a dirt road, and Iris stood on the hood shooting lizards with her stainless steel Winchester .357, while Dad ate fried chicken." "They did it on the hood, while Iris shot the gun off over his head." "Dad said it was the best experience of his life." "Next thing he knows, they're stopped off at Iris' house so she could shower." "Suddenly, the police broke in and screamed, "Drug raid!"" "They found a pound of weed, an M-16, and a crate of Russian grenades." "Irish shouted, "Let him go!" "He's just a man I found yesterday, a man who would have changed my life, and led me down the path to righteousness!"" "After only a week in jail, Iris was stabbed five times in the neck, while getting a prison-issued haircut." "Dad was sad as hell, 'cause he really loved Iris." "It was a hard time, until one day, about a year later, our mother walked onto the dusty lot." "Ike took Dad aside." ""Jimmy," he said," ""I think this might be the next gal for you."" "Then he gave him a hundred buck bonus, and the rest of the day off." "The end." "That's a hell of a story, Frank." "That damn woman, she was something, huh?" "I liked the part about fucking and shooting the gun off." "It's too bad Iris had to die." "But then he wouldn't have met Mom, and... we wouldn't be here." "I didn't want her to, but..." "she just did." "You know... a lot of the stories you tell, the cool girl dies at the end." "I mean, that one about the parachute didn't open for her." "Then the girl got caught on the rocks." "She ran outta air in her SCUBA tank before we could get to her." "And then there were those sand people, or whatever they were..." "they tortured her to death." "Yeah." "It's good that we're here." "I'm gonna sleep to that story." "Let's not talk anymore." "I don't wanna lose it." "This is where I work." "Seems like a nice place." "Are you gonna stay here for a while?" " Annie James, holy shit!" " Hi Jerry Lee." "I knew there was a reason we came to Elko." "I just..." " I couldn't figure it out." " It's good to see you." "I told her everything." "Yeah?" "I guess it doesn't really matter." "I just wish it was me instead of that kid, Annie." "I do." "No, don't say that." "What would Frank do without you?" "Anyway, you guys, you should go have some fun, huh?" "You gotta walk her home anyway, Frank." "No, he's gotta stay and keep you company." "No, we're good, right?" "We're pretty good here." "Annie James." "We gotta clean that." "Aah!" "Alright." "Fuck!" "Fuck." " Thanks." " Yep." "Over here." "Hey boy." "Hey." "Hi." "This is it." "Why are you here, Frank?" "To see you." " And to know that you're okay." " I am." "Yeah." "So what now?" "I don't know." "I know that I hurt you." "Yeah." "I know, yeah." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I don't care." "I hated doing that." "What you saw, I really did." "She made me do it." "She went on and on about all the things she's done for me." "And how that guy you saw was gonna kill her." "And he really did say he was gonna kill her." "You should go." "I'll walk you out." "I can't lose you, Frank." "Really I can't." "I can't go back there." "No, please!" "Frank, please!" "Frank!" "Frank." " Hey Frank, wake up." " What time is it?" "I don't know, all I know is I gotta take a leak, and I don't think I can get up by myself." "Alright." "Well, come on, Frank." "I'm about to piss myself." "If I do, I'm taking your bed." "Ah, the greatest feeling I've ever had." "I think this is the longest piss I think I've ever pissed, Frank." " I'm gonna be sick soon." " I'm almost done." "Frank." "Maybe you should just drink beer from now on." "I mean it looked like you drank half that bottle." "You know Willie Nelson, he said whiskey was the only thing that almost killed him." "More than any other drug, and I'm sure he tried them all, you know..." "Sure he has." "How ya feeling?" "I'm having nightmares." "Mind if I have one of those?" "We drank a lot of beers." "Didn't we, Frank?" "Yeah, I guess so." "Hey, that probably ain't too good for you." "It can't be that bad." "So, you think you could live in Elko?" "I think it could be pretty nice, you know, it's, uh... it's different." " You gonna start seeing her again?" " I don't know." "You still ain't ever told me what happened." "Yeah, well you probably wouldn't like her too much if you knew." "I think I have a pretty good idea, though." "You ever tell anyone?" "No." "You never talk about anything, Frank." "I know you better than anybody." "I don't even know what you're thinking anymore." "It doesn't have to be me, I guess..." "It's just not good to hold things in." "If you read the Willie book, you'd know that." "I went down to the Sutro that night." "And uh... saw her like that." "With some guy." "And uh... with her... down to her bottom underwear with her bare knees on that old carpet." "With her mom in the... in the room." "Well, she's had a hard life." "I mean, her mom's a hooker for chrissakes." "I keep... seeing her knees in my mind, you know?" "We're fuck-ups, Frank." "We're gonna be with people who are fuck-ups." "And to me... to me that makes sense." "You're the loneliest guy I know, Frank." "Everyone says that." "Even Tommy says that." " All I've ever done is fuck up." " Don't say that." "Oh come on." "I ain't never had a woman tell me that she loved me." "You have." "Annie told you that, didn't she?" " Yeah." " See?" " I ain't never done anything." " We're just getting started." "Maybe." "No girl's gonna fuck a guy with one leg." "A guy who's killed a kid." "Now, I'm just telling you the truth." "I'm just telling you the truth." "I made you something." "I drew this for you." "Oh, man." "That's funnier than hell." "Hey." "You're a good man, Frank Flannigan." "You are." "I love you." "You were heading towards Iceland and there was nothing you could do." "Your plane crashes into a goddamned blizzard." "You're almost snow-blind, when a polar bear the size of an elephant starts chasing you." "You pull out your pearl-handled .45 and out one round right through it's brain, killing it dead." "You take out your Air Force issue pocket knife and carve up a hole in the polar bear, and jump inside." "You walk all night, and in the morning you come across a cabin, and hear a girl screaming inside." "She's naked, tied face down on the bed." "An old guy with a whip stands over her, and goddamn if he isn't doing a line of cocaine off her ass." "A line the size of a deer antler." "You kick in the door, pull out your gun, and say, "Sir, I am a lieutenant in the American Air Force." "Put down that whip."" "Then the girl comes flying out and stabs him in the throat with a kitchen knife, and blood squirts everywhere." "And you leave his body to the wolves." "Her name's Marge." "She tells you you're the greatest man she's ever met." "You end up falling in love." "Goddamn if a meteor doesn't come flying from the sky and crash right next to your cabin." "Oil starts shooting out 100 years high." " What's going on?" " Sir, please move back." ""Honey" you ask her, "you own this land?"" ""No, we own this land." She says and hugs you." ""Goddamn." you say." ""We're gonna be millionaires."" "If you're traveling to the north country fair" "Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline" "Remember me to one who lives there" "For she once was a true love of mine" "See for me that her hair's hanging down" "It curls and flows all down her breast" "See for me that her hair's hanging down" "That's the way I remember her best" "If you go when the snowflakes fall" "When the rivers freeze and summer ends" "Please see for me if she's wearing a coat so warm" "To keep her from the howling winds" "If you're traveling in the north country fair" "Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline" "Remember me to one who lives there" "For she once was the true love of mine" "True love of mine A true love of mine" "I was going to the Yukon Lounge" "I started hanging out with this girl there" "She said her and husband had busted up" "She said she wasn't used to drinking but I could tell she was" "One night we drove to the Old Park Apartments" "She lived on the third floor" "It must have been around 4 a.m. when all our clothes dropped to the floor" "She was on top of me when I saw her kid staring at me" "Man, I didn't know she had a kid" "I didn't know she had a kid" "Please I ain't like that" "Oh, I ain't like that I ain't gonna be like that" "There was one who was 6'2" who'd show up to the house in a van" "Another who always greased his hair back with Vaseline" "And the guy who was a redhead who's hang me off the deck by my feet" "And then there was that guy who was in the military" "And the guy who lived in a Winnebago who would always make my mom cry" "Please I ain't like that" "I ain't gonna be like that..." "Can you tell me a story, Frank?" "Tell me something good." "Make me the hero, or..." "maybe I can get the girl." "I got one." "A long time ago... you and me were fighter pilots in the war." ""The Flannigan brothers."" "We were famous." "One morning, we were heading over to Germany when we got ambushed." "You and me versus 20 German fighters." "It was a mess." "A real dogfight." "It was touch and go but we were winning, until a Nazi came out of the fog, and started firing away at you." "Luckily, I came down and blew the son of a bitch up." ""Thanks Tiger-Five" you said over the radio." "Problem was your plane was hit and your controls were stuck." "You were heading towards Iceland." "There was nothing you could do." "You disappeared into the clouds." "Frank..." "Frank." "Frank." "What?" "Where are your clothes?" " Something happened." " What?" "I don't even wanna tell you, Frank." "I don't understand why this is happening..." "What happened?" " Jesus Christ." " What the fuck?" "We gotta go." "I can't drive." "I fell deep this time." "Didn't I, Frank?" "I don't know." "I don't know what happened." "Polly Flynn got mad at me." "She was yelling at me really hard." "So I went to go get dressed." "She starts pointing a gun at me." "She starts waving it around, pointing it at me, so I grabbed it from her." "Then she takes my pants." "She goes outside... and she lights 'em on fire with lighter fluid." "She's crazy, Frank." "She's fucking nuts." "I got in the car." "I was driving home." "Just driving down Fifth Street, like always." "And then... a kid... a kid comes out of nowhere, on a bike in the middle of the road." "And I hit him." "So, I can't leave the kid there, the poor kid." "I gotta put him in the back seat and take him to the hospital, right?" "Then when I went to pick him up... he was dead, Frank." "I mean..." "It was the most horrible thing I ever fucking seen." "I drove a block from Saint Mary's" "I dropped him in the frozen grass in front of the office building..." "And then I came to see you, Frank." "I don't think we should go back to Reno." "Now..." "There's an old wooden box in my closet, behind my sweaters." "Inside the box is 500 dollars and my will." "The will gives you instructions on what to do with my body, how and where to pay the rent, title to the car, that sort of thing." "Also, there's your dad's fancy gun." "Don't let anybody fool you." "That gun's worth money." "Now, if I can hang on... you'll soon both be old enough to live on your own." "But... if I do die... they may try to split you up." "Jerry Lee!" "No matter what..." "I want you two to stay together." "Sorry." "I really am, Frank." "Let's go eat something." "I don't feel like being around anyone." "I'm gonna get you some..." "some soup or something." "Alright." "One day you were feeling like shit, so you stole Dad's credit card and drove to the Cotton Tail Ranch." "You met this girl there, Candy." "And in the course of a week you spend 4,000 dollars on her." "She was good." "You made that clear, she was damn good." "You read her one of your stories while she sat on her knees." "When you were done, she told you the hummer was on the house 'cause your story was that good." "You were on a roll so you got a room and became a shut-in." "A man on a mission." "You didn't sleep for two days, and wrote four stories." "Th last one, your masterpiece, starred Candy as a lonely Asian stripper." "It was called "Hey Candy, it's me Romeo"." "You decided to get some rest and see the last frontiers, so you drove to Alaska." "But it's colder than shit in Alaska, and you started to feel guilty about Dad and his credit card." "So you drove back to Reno, and bought a solid gold watch with diamonds, and gave it to him." "He didn't know what to think." "A couple of days later he got the credit card bill and the son of a bitch had you committed to a mental hospital." "But it sure beat working." "You had all kinds of meds... and green grass as far as the eye can see." "And you didn't feel bad about Dad anymore because that watch you gave him... was a nice fucking watch." "What the fuck were you thinking, Jerry Lee?" "Frank, Frank!" "Hey Polly Flynn." "Jesus, you were in there forever." "Thanks for leaving the note." "He said he didn't have the nerve to shoot himself in the head." "You know he stole my gun?" "My gun." "What'd he do?" "Whatever it is, I didn't do anything." "Frank..." "I'm doing really well." "I've moved to Elko in a small apartment." "I still think about you." " Do you think we'll see any bears?" " Maybe." "Come on." "It would be really wonderful to hear from you." "But I understand." " Who's place is it, again?" " I don't know." "Love, Annie." "Aah, whiskey." "It's like they knew we were coming." "I wish we lived here." "I could make apple pie, you could hunt deer." " You know how to make apple pie?" " No." "It's okay." "I don't think I could shoot a deer." "Jerry Lee could even have his own room." "Or maybe you'll play for the Yankees, and we'll come here to get away from all your fans, and the reporters." "Like a secret hide-out or something." "God, I wish we lived here." "Hi." "I'm getting a check for Flannigan." "Here you go." "Flannigan!" "Where the hell've you been?" "I had to hire someone else." "I know, I just came by to pick up my check." "You should've called." "You know, whatever it was, maybe I could've helped." "Yeah?" "Do you have a phone book?" "Say goodbye to Daddy." "Look after your sister, all right?" "I can't go to jail, Frank." "You're not gonna go to jail." "Okay?" "Nobody knows anything." "We just lay low." "If anyone finds out, if the police or anyone finds out," " you gotta get me outta here." " They ain't gonna find out." "This TV's starting to drive me crazy." "That poor kid." "You see Polly Flynn?" "I pretended like I was asleep." "I ain't never been in love, Frank." "Marge is the only girl for me, I guess." "And she's just a picture I draw." "It sure don't feel like love with Polly Flynn." "If it does at all, it's when we're fucking." "Sometimes I feel like I love her then." "Never anytime else, though." "But then..." "I used to feel that when I used to fuck that fat old lady when we were staying at the Silver State." "Even then when I was about to let go, I felt like I wanted to marry her." "Here you go." "Thanks." "At least you've been in love, Frank." "I don't care what you say, that girl really did like you." "All she ever did was talk about you." "Hey." " You want one of these?" " Alright." " Hey Gary." " Frank." "I went by and I sat with him yesterday." "Seeing him there like that... it's hard not to think about the night that you guys jumped the train." "Yeah, I've been thinking about that too." "Why do you think he did it, Frank?" "I don't know much... but what worries me is you guys just fucking split." " Did you at least cover it up at work?" " No." "We just left, I was... drunk, and Jerry Lee was so upset, he was out of his mind." "But that looks bad." "I mean, somebody starts asking around..." "and now you're both fucked." "I know." "Why don't you ever come down on him, Frank?" "'Ey." "Come on." "Luck of the Flannigans." "Almost worse than mine." "Almost." "Uh..." "Jerry Lee said you owe him some money." "Yeah, I do." "Yeah, look, I owe him that money and I'd pay you, Frank." "I would pay you but..." "I've been betting the playoffs and I fucking lost the last three weeks." "I'm down a couple grand, man." "I should've bet it on the Tyson Douglas fight, that's what I should've done." "Buster Douglas is gonna win that fight, Frank." "Christ, Tommy." "Besides Jerry Lee, you're the unluckiest guy I know." "Don't you read the papers?" "Jesus, nobody thinks Buster Douglas is gonna make it outta the first round." "Hey guys." " Guess where I've been." " I don't know, where ya been, Al?" "I've been in the loony bin." " Could I get a vodka cranberry?" " Sure, hon." "Ugh, come on." "I happened upon a bottle of liquid acid." "And I couldn't stop taking it." "I ended up walking down Virginia." "Right down the center of town." "All I was wearing was my underwear and flip-flops." "Luckily I'm still half sane, though." "They say they try to get you straight..." "but they make you crazier than hell." "I ain't never going back to that place again." "Don't get thrown in a mental hospital Frank." "It's worse than you think." "It's alright, kid." " Are you alright?" " What?" "I said are you alright?" " Hey Barry!" " Yeah, Dad?" " We're gonna go grab a bite to eat." " Okay." " Okay, just get me something." " What do you want?" "I don't know, where're you guys going?" "We're gonna eat the ass-end out of a dead skunk." "Get mine with ketchup!" "The boy's sick." "I'm sure sorry to hear about your brother's leg." "What, six months after losing your mom?" "And you're only what... sixteen?" "I just turned fifteen." "I hired you when you were fourteen?" "Yeah." "Jesus." "Well, there you go." "What were you thinking out there?" "I mean, when you were just standing there." "I don't know." "Guess I was just... scared." "I'd be scared too." "Look, son..." "What you gotta do is think about the life you want." "Think about it in your head." "Make it a place you wanna be." "A ranch, a beach house, penthouse, doesn't matter what it is, but a place you can go hide out in." "Then when everybody's on your ass, or you can't stop thinking about your mom, you can go there." " Could it help my brother?" " I don't know." "Tell him yours." "I used to tell Barry stories all the time when his life was rough." "They seemed to help him out." "Gave him a place to escape to." "Gave him some hope." "Hope's the key." "Hey, boy." "What an asshole." "Come on." "Come on." "This is Mission Control at Houston, at three hours, two minutes into the flight of Discovery." "It's hard to tell if they're awake or not." "You look better." "I feel better." " Did they say anything about your leg?" " They ain't sure." "Depends if they can stop some sort of infection I got." "At least I shot myself in the leg that was already bad." "Yeah." "You're drunk, huh?" "Yeah." "You should drink more milk, Frank." "Hey." "You find anything out about the kid?" "Not much." "His name was Wes Denny." "He lived in a house, some sorta foster place I think." "I talked to a guy who knew him." "Said... his parents died in a car crash, and he'd been shuffled between homes his whole life, you know." "I mean, nobody really gave a shit about him." "For real?" "Yeah." " You ain't making it up?" " No." "He was like us, you know." "He didn't have anybody left." " I might have got us a dog." " What?" " No shit." " Oh yeah." " Where... where'd you get it?" " Stole it from some guy's yard." "I mean, he was gonna have frozen to death if I hadn't, but..." "We always wanted a dog." "Damn, that's something, huh?" " Frank, that's really something." " Yeah." "Frank?" "Can we go somewhere else, Frank?" "What happened?" " It's nothing." " Here, sit down." "Can we leave leave?" "Just stay here." "You gotta get away from your mom." "Can you at least just tell me a story like the ones you tell Jerry Lee?" "Yeah." "What do you want it to be about?" "Maybe it could be you and me on an island... in the Pacific Ocean." "With the sun." "And we could go swimming all day long." "And sleep on the beach." "I'm Officer Cook, this is Officer Mori." "We'd like to ask you a few questions, okay?" "What kind of car do you drive, Mr. Flannigan?" "It's a Chevy Caprice." " Where is your car?" " It was stolen." "Why didn't you report it?" "It's a real piece of shit." "It's been stolen a few times before." "Uh, we found your car, Mr. Flannigan." "It was burned and abandoned." "Where was the car stolen from?" "Uh, The Sands..." "Sands parking lot." "I leave it there all the time." "I live down..." "Rancho Sierra, it's just right down the street." "Are you aware that someone might have been killed... by an old beat-up car like yours in a hit-and-run?" " No." " A nurse getting off work... reported seeing a brown and grey station wagon parked right outside." "She said she saw someone moving something out of the car" " right where the body was found." " What color's your car?" "It's brown and grey." "Whoever stole it probably did that, right?" "Why are you in the hospital, Mr. Flannigan?" " My leg..." " What happened to your leg?" "Please, I'm just tired, I've had enough, okay?" "Can you just leave me alone, just for a little bit?" "Doesn't look like you're going anywhere." "We have your room number at the Rancho Sierra." "We'll be back to see you soon." "Fuck, Frank." "What are we gonna do?" "We're not gonna do anything." "They don't know shit." "They already know, I can tell." " They already know." " No they don't." "Okay?" "Thy don't know anything for sure." "They will, they'll find out." "You know that." "You gotta get me outta here, now." "No." "Okay, you gotta stay here until you get better." "I'm gonna go crazy if they come back." "Just get me outta here, Frank." "What are you doing with a Winchester?" " What's he got there?" " His dad's rifle." "What is it?" "It's a custom gold-plated Winchester 1894... and I don't think this thing's ever been fired." "My brother and I never shot it." "My mom said my dad got it on one of his lucky streaks." "I think he got it just before he took off." "Who'd he win it from?" "I'm not sure." "I looked it up before." "It ain't on any stolen list that I've come across." " What're you gonna do with it?" " I was hoping you could buy it." "I don't think I can give you the kind of money this thing is worth." "You should put a ad up on Gun Trader, or wait until the next gun show in March." "I'm in a spot." "All I could give you is 400." "And I don't recommend you take it." "That's just all I could give you for it." "I'll take the 400." "Okay." "Tommy, get him some coffee." "And make him take these donuts." "You guys are leaving, aren't you?" "That's what you need the money for?" "I don't know." "400 bucks ain't much to hit the road with, if that's your plan." "Yeah, I know." "And we don't even have a car." "You can get a piece of shit for 300, I don't know." "I was thinking of going over to Earl Hurley's lot, he'd set up credit with me." "Yeah, you could do that." "I might have a better option." "The Tyson Douglas fight." " I don't think so, Tommy." " Hey." "Frank, Frank!" "Come here." "Listen, look, I know this one's good." "And... and... and I just..." "I just need help getting there." " I just need a little bit of money." " Tommy." "It's Jerry Lee, okay?" "Hey man, I'll give you my car." "The odds are 40 to 1." "We bet 250 cash." "Alright?" "That means, worst case, you're walking out of there with at least 150 bucks cash and my car." "When's the fight?" "Tonight." "I want the keys to your car." "Right before we place the bet, okay, I get the keys." " Deal?" " That's a deal, Frank." "And don't tell Jerry Lee about selling the old man's gun." "My brother loved that asshole." "Jesus, Al, what the hell happened to you?" "You're not gonna fucking believe it, Frank." "Walking home last night, after I rented a movie, a couple of those fucking redneck bastards were waiting for me outside that gay bar on Virginia." "The one with the numbers on the outside." "Near the vegetarian joint, you know." "A-a-anyway... they, uh, called me a queer, they pushed me down, and, uh, kicked the shit outta me, man." "I thought I was gonna die." "It was that bad." "Finally I just curled up into a cannonball," " and tried to wait it out, you know?" " Yeah." "All 'cause I was walking by that place and wearing my acid-washed jean jacket." " I mean, what the fuck?" " Jesus, let me see." "It's just a jacket." "Fuck, I didn't even know who the fuck those guys were." "I never seen them before in my life, Frank." "Hi." "Gue-gue-guess what movie I was renting." "What?" "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for Christ's sakes." "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!" "It was a Saturday and I felt like being in a good mood, you know?" "Yeah." "Fuck, man." "Shit, I remember one of 'em stole the movie." "He-he-he-he picked it up and looked at it, and then he just took it." " What kind of sick fuck steals a movie?" " Hey, Al..." " your nose is... starting..." " Fuck." "Ah, shit." "Jesus Christ, I thought you weren't gonna show up." " I told you I'd be here." " Fight's starting in an hour." "You're a crazy bastard if you go through with it." "Hey, shut the fuck up, Al." "Heh, I wouldn't bet dead dick on Buster Douglas." "Hey, Frankie, don't listen to Al." "Remember he just got out of the loony bin." "Yeah, you're fucking crazy." "Buster Douglas is gonna bust the shit out of him." "No he ain't." "Hey." "The Tyson Douglas fight is about to begin." "Please place your final bets in the sports book upstairs." "And good luck from your friends at the Cal-Neva Casino." "250 on Douglas, please." "The undefeated heavyweight champion of the world!" "Mike Tyson!" "We're almost 90 seconds in and as yet," "Tyson has done no real damage to Buster Douglas." "All that can change with one big shot." "It's always sudden death." "That was a good round for Douglas." "Probably the best round I've ever seen him fight." "Let's see if Douglas can sustain it." "Tyson seems less aggressive than is normally the case, perhaps a little frustrated." "This is totally uncharacteristic of Mike Tyson." "He's just... he's not on." "That's a good right hand, and a good right uppercut, and two good right hooks by Douglas!" "He got it, he got it, he got it, he got it." "I don't think I've seen Tyson absorb this kid of punishment ever in his professional career." "Another right hand and now Tyson seems to be wobbling!" "Buster Douglas is completely dominating this round!" "Please move out of the way, thank you." "And down goes Douglas!" "As suddenly as that!" " Fuck, fuck, fuck get up!" " I told you." "Come on!" "Get up!" "Come on!" "Get up!" "Tyson came off the ropes with that terrific right uppercut." "Buster!" "I love you Buster!" "Let's see what Mike can do to finish." "And the bell sounds to save Buster Douglas at the end of round eight." "Tyson needed something like that desperately, to show the real champion that he is." "Let's see what Douglas can do when he comes out for the next round." "Clearly he was out on his feet as the bell sounded." "Oh!" "What a right hand by Tyson to begin the tenth round!" "Douglas comes back with a left and a right!" "Three solid shots, right on Tyson's face!" "Douglas comes back with a left and a right!" "Tyson is wobbling!" "Oh!" "Oh!" "Oh!" "Holy shit!" "Holy shit!" "9,450." "Holy fuck." "That's more money than I've ever had." " That's more money than I've ever seen." " It barely fits in my wallet." "Let's go to the strip club." "Have fun, Al." "Here." "I was right, Frank." "This time I was fucking right." "You were." "I just don't want a minivan or another fucking station wagon." "Okay." "Hey, now that we've got some dough..." "We'd probably be able to find the kid's folks easier." " They gotta be out there somewhere." " I don't think he's got anyone." "Frank, everybody's got somebody, alright?" "And if we find 'em we can give 'em some of the money." " What if I can't find 'em?" " You will." "And when you do find 'em... maybe we'll get 'em some subscriptions to magazines." "Who knows what they like, but..." "most people like magazines." " I'll try." " Okay." "How the hell are you, Frank Flannigan?" "What the hell are you doing out there in this goddamned weather?" "I haven't seen you in a long fucking time." "It's been years, ain't it?" " Well..." "I need a car, Earl." " Today?" "It's goddamned Ice-land out there." "Seems like a strange day to be buying a car." "Well, hell, kid, what kind of car you want to buy?" "I got 1,500 to spend." "I don't wanna set up a payment plan or anything." "I was hoping to just pay cash on it." " You have anything in that ballpark?" " Well, I got a couple that might do ya." "A 1985 Honda Civic." "Maybe something bigger, Earl." "Maybe something you might be able to sleep in." "Jesus, that's a horrible fucking thought." "I got a Dodge Dart that Barry picked up." " Like the kind on the walls?" " Not that nice, but yeah, the same car." "I'll take the Dart." "I'll knock off a couple a hundred... if you can go out there and get it started yourself." "Well, don't do anything stupid." "Trying not to." "You're not a loser, kid." "But if you keep acting like one, then I don't know." "What I'm saying is... don't make decisions thinking you're a low-life." "Make decisions thinking you're a great man." "At least a good man." "And don't be a goddamned pussy." "Got a girlfriend?" "I used to." "Well, there you go, see?" "Some broad thinks you're alright." "Take care of yourself." " Frank." "Frank!" " What?" "Shit, Frank!" "Where the fuck have you been?" " What happened?" " Two cops were at my place." "Jesus Christ, are we doing it?" " Yeah, but we gotta go now." " Alright." "Get me my boot." "Thanks for coming to get me, Frank." "Ah!" "Alright, let's go." "Come on, Frank." "Excuse me, sir!" " Where are we gonna go?" " Elko." " What's in Elko?" " I don't know." "Yeah, this way." " Right there." " No shit?" " A Dodge Dart?" " Yeah, it runs good!" "Hola amigo!" "Hey!" "Cousin Harvey, you know, he was big." "Tall as a mountain, six foot five." "Aunt Shea thinks he's a gold mine." "A pile of gold." "She was so mean to him, eventually he ran away, went to San Francisco." "That's horrible." "Wanna come out of the blanket?" "Come on buddy." "He gets beat up at every single game he plays." "Every single game." "Ended up being some kind of computer genius." "A millionaire." "Who's got my fucking key?" "Tell me about that one about the pirates." "Nice and warm?" "After Mom died... we left Reno and set sail for Hawaii." "But on the way we got shanghaied by a bunch of crazed pirates." "The captain was a cross-dressing homicidal maniac." "Lethal with guns, knives, and nunchakus." "And the crew... they were just a bunch of lunatics that the captain kept addicted to morphine." "We spent months trapped on that ship." "Working like slaves." "Then, one night, Captain comes out of his quarters in a yellow bikini." "He does this amazing swan dive." "Like in the olympics." "The crew all followed him in." "You and me saw a school of sharks around the boat." "It was a real bloodbath." "The sea was rough." "But you took control." "You were a natural." "We washed ashore on this island." "We were nursed back to health by this guy." "Old Man Jenkins." "He taught us how to shoot guns." "And man, he looked just like Willie Nelson." "And the girls there, they were beautiful." "Turns out they thought we were kings." "So we decided to stay a while." "Man, it's a mess." "Can we go?" "I just wanna get to where we're going." "Okay." "I missed my Marge." "I like the indian chopping the cowboy's head off with the tomahawk." "Yeah, that's a good one." "I'm gonna go get something to eat." "What do you want?" "I ain't hungry." "Sort of thirsty, though." "Get me some water?" "Maybe some popsicles?" "Yeah." "The three amigos." "Be back soon." "Oh, thanks" " That's the girl." " Oh yeah?" "The real bad-ass." " How was it?" " It was good." "Who the fuck is that?" "Hello?" "Annie." " Hi Frank." " Hello." "I work at a bakery." "It's a good job." "I live in an apartment not far from here." "Smaller than any motel I've ever stayed in, but it's pretty nice." "I painted it." "It has a full kitchen." "What color did you paint it?" "Um..." "The bathroom I painted white." "It was dark green." "And the front room..." "I painted a sorta cream color." "Look's good." "So, you guys on vacation?" "No." "No, it's, uh... nothing like that." " You two ready to order?" " I'm too nervous to eat." "I'll have a piece of apple pie and coffee." "You got it." "I still think about you." "All the time, I do." "I think about you too." "I'm really glad you're here." "Alright?" "I don't know how long I can stand here, Frank." "Okay." "My hair smells pretty fucking bad though." "Shampoo." " Alright?" "Yeah." " Yeah." "Yeah." " I'm fucking naked in front of you." " That's okay." "That's okay." "You got a pretty big dick, Jerry Lee." "Thank you." "Holy shit!" "Luck of the Flannigan's." "I think you got all that luck." "Alright out your head under." "Think I can rinse the back?" " Okay." "We'll get the back." " Alright." "Okay." "Way back, a long time ago... our dad got a job a a salesman at Used Car Magic." "Aunt Bernie got him the job." "She was the aunt that used to give him..." "Penthouse, and Hustler, and Playboy for slashing tires." "Anyway..." "The lot was owned by a guy named Ike, who was like old Earl Hurley, but was a Jesus Freak." "He drank and smoked and cheated on his wife, but he also loved God." "One day, this bombshell Iris walked onto the lot with Biff, a great dane Russian wolf hound cross." "She was looking for a Mustang." "Dad went to get the keys to the '64 convertible." "He says to Ike, "the woman of my dreams just walked in."" "Ike said, "remember:" "let the words trickle down your tongue, like the fruits of Jesus."" ""You're cute." she said, and moved her legs slightly apart." ""Hell yeah" Dad thought." ""Iris, I'm gonna blow your mind."" "They pull dover on a dirt road, and Iris stood on the hood shooting lizards with her stainless steel Winchester .357, while Dad ate fried chicken." "They did it on the hood, while Iris shot the gun off over his head." "Dad said it was the best experience of his life." "Next thing he knows, they're stopped off at Iris' house so she could shower." "Suddenly, the police broke in and screamed, "Drug raid!"" "They found a pound of weed, an M-16, and a crate of Russian grenades." "Irish shouted, "Let him go!" "He's just a man I found yesterday, a man who would have changed my life, and led me down the path to righteousness!"" "After only a week in jail, Iris was stabbed five times in the neck, while getting a prison-issued haircut." "Dad was sad as hell, 'cause he really loved Iris." "It was a hard time, until one day, about a year later, our mother walked onto the dusty lot." "Ike took Dad aside." ""Jimmy," he said," ""I think this might be the next gal for you."" "Then he gave him a hundred buck bonus, and the rest of the day off." "The end." "That's a hell of a story, Frank." "That damn woman, she was something, huh?" "I liked the part about fucking and shooting the gun off." "It's too bad Iris had to die." "But then he wouldn't have met Mom, and... we wouldn't be here." "I didn't want her to, but..." "she just did." "You know... a lot of the stories you tell, the cool girl dies at the end." "I mean, that one about the parachute didn't open for her." "Then the girl got caught on the rocks." "She ran outta air in her SCUBA tank before we could get to her." "And then there were those sand people, or whatever they were..." "they tortured her to death." "Yeah." "It's good that we're here." "I'm gonna sleep to that story." "Let's not talk anymore." "I don't wanna lose it." "This is where I work." "Seems like a nice place." "Are you gonna stay here for a while?" " Annie James, holy shit!" " Hi Jerry Lee." "I knew there was a reason we came to Elko." "I just..." " I couldn't figure it out." " It's good to see you." "I told her everything." "Yeah?" "I guess it doesn't really matter." "I just wish it was me instead of that kid, Annie." "I do." "No, don't say that." "What would Frank do without you?" "Anyway, you guys, you should go have some fun, huh?" "You gotta walk her home anyway, Frank." "No, he's gotta stay and keep you company." "No, we're good, right?" "We're pretty good here." "Annie James." "We gotta clean that." "Aah!" "Alright." "Fuck!" "Fuck." " Thanks." " Yep." "Over here." "Hey boy." "Hey." "Hi." "This is it." "Why are you here, Frank?" "To see you." " And to know that you're okay." " I am." "Yeah." "So what now?" "I don't know." "I know that I hurt you." "Yeah." "I know, yeah." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I don't care." "I hated doing that." "What you saw, I really did." "She made me do it." "She went on and on about all the things she's done for me." "And how that guy you saw was gonna kill her." "And he really did say he was gonna kill her." "You should go." "I'll walk you out." "I can't lose you, Frank." "Really I can't." "I can't go back there." "No, please!" "Frank, please!" "Frank!" "Frank." " Hey Frank, wake up." " What time is it?" "I don't know, all I know is I gotta take a leak, and I don't think I can get up by myself." "Alright." "Well, come on, Frank." "I'm about to piss myself." "If I do, I'm taking your bed." "Ah, the greatest feeling I've ever had." "I think this is the longest piss I think I've ever pissed, Frank." " I'm gonna be sick soon." " I'm almost done." "Frank." "Maybe you should just drink beer from now on." "I mean it looked like you drank half that bottle." "You know Willie Nelson, he said whiskey was the only thing that almost killed him." "More than any other drug, and I'm sure he tried them all, you know..." "Sure he has." "How ya feeling?" "I'm having nightmares." "Mind if I have one of those?" "We drank a lot of beers." "Didn't we, Frank?" "Yeah, I guess so." "Hey, that probably ain't too good for you." "It can't be that bad." "So, you think you could live in Elko?" "I think it could be pretty nice, you know, it's, uh... it's different." " You gonna start seeing her again?" " I don't know." "You still ain't ever told me what happened." "Yeah, well you probably wouldn't like her too much if you knew." "I think I have a pretty good idea, though." "You ever tell anyone?" "No." "You never talk about anything, Frank." "I know you better than anybody." "I don't even know what you're thinking anymore." "It doesn't have to be me, I guess..." "It's just not good to hold things in." "If you read the Willie book, you'd know that." "I went down to the Sutro that night." "And uh... saw her like that." "With some guy." "And uh... with her... down to her bottom underwear with her bare knees on that old carpet." "With her mom in the... in the room." "Well, she's had a hard life." "I mean, her mom's a hooker for chrissakes." "I keep... seeing her knees in my mind, you know?" "We're fuck-ups, Frank." "We're gonna be with people who are fuck-ups." "And to me... to me that makes sense." "You're the loneliest guy I know, Frank." "Everyone says that." "Even Tommy says that." " All I've ever done is fuck up." " Don't say that." "Oh come on." "I ain't never had a woman tell me that she loved me." "You have." "Annie told you that, didn't she?" " Yeah." " See?" " I ain't never done anything." " We're just getting started." "Maybe." "No girl's gonna fuck a guy with one leg." "A guy who's killed a kid." "Now, I'm just telling you the truth." "I'm just telling you the truth." "I made you something." "I drew this for you." "Oh, man." "That's funnier than hell." "Hey." "You're a good man, Frank Flannigan." "You are." "I love you." "You were heading towards Iceland and there was nothing you could do." "Your plane crashes into a goddamned blizzard." "You're almost snow-blind, when a polar bear the size of an elephant starts chasing you." "You pull out your pearl-handled .45 and out one round right through it's brain, killing it dead." "You take out your Air Force issue pocket knife and carve up a hole in the polar bear, and jump inside." "You walk all night, and in the morning you come across a cabin, and hear a girl screaming inside." "She's naked, tied face down on the bed." "An old guy with a whip stands over her, and goddamn if he isn't doing a line of cocaine off her ass." "A line the size of a deer antler." "You kick in the door, pull out your gun, and say, "Sir, I am a lieutenant in the American Air Force." "Put down that whip."" "Then the girl comes flying out and stabs him in the throat with a kitchen knife, and blood squirts everywhere." "And you leave his body to the wolves." "Her name's Marge." "She tells you you're the greatest man she's ever met." "You end up falling in love." "Goddamn if a meteor doesn't come flying from the sky and crash right next to your cabin." "Oil starts shooting out 100 years high." " What's going on?" " Sir, please move back." ""Honey" you ask her, "you own this land?"" ""No, we own this land." She says and hugs you." ""Goddamn." you say." ""We're gonna be millionaires.""