"Look at this." "He's alive." "This dog, you call it bull pit?" "No, pit bull." "That's no pit bull." "I don't know what he is." "Bet he lost somebody some money, though." " Give me your gun." " Shooting him?" "Are you sick?" "They left him out to suffer and die." "They threw him out the fucking window." " Terrible." "People wait for us." " They're used to waiting." "Poor little guy." "Jesus, I think he broke his hip." "Shit!" "Fuck." "He's got a lot of bite left in him." "Bull pit is not playing with you." " No shit." " Come." "You want police coming?" "They used him like a fucking ashtray." "Bunch of assholes." " Let's get him in the trunk." " What?" "There's an emergency vet just here." "I like this guy." "He tries to bite your face off." "He is meat." "You want dog, I buy you nice puppy..." "Why the fuck do I want a puppy, Kostya?" "Where you go, Monty?" "Wait." "I not go near bull pit, Monty." " This is disgusting." " I told you." "It's not a pit bull." "He's a good dog." "A tough bastard." "He wasn't lying down for anybody." " Sometimes you very stupid man." " If we wait longer he'll be dead." "You wanted to shoot him." "That was a mercy thing." "He's not ready to go." "He wants to live." "He tell you this?" "It's like a baby, OK?" "They don't bitch and scream like that." "They see the doctor coming with the needle..." " It's good for them in the long run." " You have no baby." "I can't even talk to you, Kostya." "C'mon, you son of a bitch." "Quit standing there." "Fucking help me out here." "Distract him for me or something." "Go on." "I'm trying to help you, you little prick!" "Come on." "Quien es mas macho?" " Monty es mas macho." " What gives in your little head?" "Little of the tricks, the quicks." "Boom, bam, he's nabbed!" "Little tricks, quicks." "You are bleeding." "Bites." "Dog's blood." "Learn to relax a little." "Live a little." "You have hole in neck and blood is coming out." "A little love bite for saving his raggedy ass." "Rule number one." "You cannot grab half-dead animals." "We have people waiting for us." "People with money." "You want to play this cowboy." "No, dogboy, in middle of highway." "Dogboy?" "Funny, Kostya." "You mastered the language." "You're bad luck." "You bring bad luck on me." "Everything that can go wrong go wrong." "It's not you and me now." " It's you and me and Doyle." " Doyle?" " Doyle." "Doyle's Law." " It's Murphy." "Who is Murphy?" "Who's Doyle?" "It's Murphy's Law." "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong." " Him, yes." " Yes, him." "What's up there, Monty?" "Hey, Doyle." "Easy, Doyle." "Easy." "Easy." "What do you want, Simon?" "I'm hungry." "I woke up an hour ago, I was hungry." "So?" "Go up to 110th Street." "110th Street?" "C'mon, man!" "I can't go up there." "Put that away." "I'm not looking for a mercy pop or anything." "I'm done, Simon." "This morning, I was shaving." "I cut myself, look, four times, man." "C'mon, Monty, give me a break." "I can't go up to Harlem." "Look at me." "The yo's, they'll eat me alive up there." "I'm out of business, Simon." "Take your jones elsewhere." "Leave me be." "Are you afraid that I'm going to nark you out?" "You know who I am." "You're not listening." "I got touched." "OK?" "I'm over." "Game over." "Five years I've been coming to you." " Five years." " Get out of here." "Get the fuck out of here." "Fine." "I'm leaving." "No need to get all nasty about it." "But I'll remember this." "Alright?" "I'll remember this." " What's his name?" " Doyle." "Hi, Doyle." "Excuse me, sir." "Can I help you?" "Hello?" " Hello?" " Sorry, what?" " Do you have an appointment?" " No, no." "I used to go here." "I have to ask you to leave." "And take the dog." "Yeah, OK." "We'll just be a minute." " No dogs on the school grounds." " OK." "I understand." "Check this out." "He's alright." "Look what a little punk I was." " In the middle with the ball." " I guess you weren't the centre." "No." "No." "I started, though." "Freshman year." "Varsity, point-guard." " Yeah?" " I still hold the assist record." "No." "Marvin Ray broke the record last year." " He did not." " He did, too." " Are you sure?" " Positive." "I coach the girls' team." "Well, we were undefeated that year." "Then I got kicked out for fighting." " It all fell apart." " Too bad." "Listen, you know where Jacob Elinsky is?" "He's an old friend of mine." ""Now let us sport us while we may" "And now, like am'rous birds of prey," "Rather at once our time devour," "Than languish in his slow-chapp'd power."" ""Let us roll all our strength, and all our sweetness, up into one ball;" "And tear our pleasures with rough strife" "Through the iron gates of life."" ""Thus, though we cannot make our sun stand still, yet we will make him run."" "Good." "That's good." "An excellent reading." "What do people think?" "What's going on here?" " Luke?" " Can I go to the bathroom?" " No." "You went 20 minutes ago." " I have a bladder infection." "The poem." "To His Coy Mistress." "Andrew Marvell." "It's not real deep or anything." "The guy wants to get laid and he's telling her to give it up." "Excuse me." "One minute?" " What's going on?" " Who's that?" "Look who's here." "Sorry to drop in on you." "Just want to talk to you a second." "What's going on?" " What is this, going on here?" " Teaching my class." " In a circle like that?" " Yeah." "That's cool." "I like that." "Class." "Sorry to interrupt." "Little change of plans." "I gotta see my father tonight." "There's these people." "They're throwing me kind of a... going-away party." "So maybe you and Frank could meet up somewhere, maybe that place with the... things that Frank goes to." " I'll find you later." " OK." " Yeah?" " Of course." "She's cute, with the red shirt." "I think she's giving me the eye." " How do you do it?" "I don't know how." " See you later." "Maybe, like, midnight, I think." " Midnight?" "Midnight's OK." " Yeah?" "Alright." "Come on, Doyle." "Have a nice day." "Sorry about that." "Oh, Christ." "Do you have a minute?" "Sure." "Yeah, come on in." "I thought that no students were allowed in the teachers' lounge." "I won't squeal on you." "Yeah." "Take a seat." "What can I do for you?" " Why did my paper get B-minus?" " It's what you earned." "No one else in the class can write." "We all know it." "Forget them." "You're not competing with them." "But I am." "OK?" "I am competing with them." "When I apply to colleges, they look at these things called grades." " If they're not good enough..." " Your grades will be fine." "Vincent Miskella writes about his grandmother dying and you give him an A-plus." "Meanwhile, the night of the funeral, know where Rhodes scholar Vince is?" "Getting smashed at a basketball party and slapping girls' asses." "What is that?" "A charity A-plus?" "Everyone always writes about their grandmother dying." "You know why?" "Not because it's so traumatic, because it's a guaranteed A-plus." "And you're all sentimental." ""Very powerful, very moving."" "No, it wasn't." "You didn't care." "I didn't care." "Nobody cared." "That's what grandmothers do, they die." "Sometimes... guys have a hard time showing their emotions." "So, slapping my ass, that's his way of mourning his grandmother?" "What did your mother say when you got that?" "When I got what?" "The..." "Yeah." "She said," ""Where did you get the money for that?"" " And?" " And what did I say or where did I get the money?" " What did you say?" " I said he likes me." "Does he?" "No." "Why do you care so much?" "Just curious." "So,  you're not gonna change the grade?" "No." "I'm not gonna change the grade." "Great." "This was a big waste of time." "Hold on." "Slaughtery." "I can't talk." "Employment number's due." " I just..." " Call you later." "I'm supposed to meet you at Mont..." "Frank." "Coming out with us tonight?" " Nah, gotta meet some friends." " Big date?" "Can I bang her first?" "You wish." "Nah, it's a going-away party." "Listen." "You still holding those OEX contracts?" "Believe it." "Why?" "Nervous?" "Claims numbers are dropping." "I'm not comfortable with it." "Claims drop, so employment must go up?" "C'mon!" "Frank, look at me." "Everybody thinks this cos it's nearly always true." "When it rains, people get wet." "Right or wrong?" "Not this time." "I got a theory." "Look." "Good." "You've got a theory!" "Look, Frank." "Fuck you and your theory." " Good." "Nice." " We're in deep." " You've got 60 million dollars..." " A hundred." "A hundred fucking million?" "What are you two doin'?" "You wanna join the unemployed?" "Back to work." "Sal, you knew." "They raised my limit to 100." "A week ago." "They raised it a week ago." " What, you want me to sit on it?" " First, don't raise your voice." "You cannot put me, you or this firm in jeopardy by putting $100 million on one idea!" "Right or wrong?" " C'mon!" " Yeah." "Listen." "I think we're in for a low number, alright?" "140, 135." "Who gives a shit what you think?" "You're being a cowboy." "You come in, you don't even shave." "Stop playing with this and listen." "You come here drinking your Red Bullshit, you stink of booze, out all night partying, that's OK." "But when you become a cowboy, I draw the line." "I am still your boss and I am telling you, sell half those contracts." "Is that clear?" "Do I make myself clear, Frank?" " Do I make myself clear to you?" " Yeah." "Yes?" "Good." "Have a good day." "And by the way, we're still on for Friday." "Courtside." "Don't be late." "It's mayhem at the Ex change, awaiting the unemployment number." "Salomon Brothers, along with most others, feel the number will be high, around 250, 000..." "Sallie's looking for a high number." "280,000's their call." " Fuck Salomon Brothers." " Fuck Salomon Brothers?" "Yeah." "They're hedging their bets, want everybody on their side." "What's the big deal with the employment number, anyway?" "Look, more jobs, fewer people hunting work, harder to find good people." "You gotta raise wages to get them." "Means inflation goes up." "Got it?" " Yeah." " I didn't think so." "That's why I do this and you hand out junk mail." "Get off my desk." " A striped shirt and a striped tie?" " Yeah, it's for the ladies..." "Do the ladies ever say you look like a fucking optical illusion?" " Go away." "Disappear." "Come on." " I'm out of here." "Better hop to, sonny boy." "You're not picking up the phone to sell those contracts." "Didn't your daddy just cut off your allowance?" "I'm a little surprised." "You're not going to disobey a direct order?" "Marcuse, do I come into your bedroom, tell you how to blow your boyfriend?" "No." "Go away." " Hey, Schultz!" " Yo?" " What you got on unemployment?" " 250, 270, somewhere in there." "Big number!" "Frank." "We alright?" "We're good." "So who really knows...?" "The number's coming out..." "Get me out, now!" "We're goin' for a ride now!" "Where've you been?" "I got up at seven this morning." " You were already gone." " Yeah, I just..." "I needed to walk around, you know?" " How long you been on the stoop?" " All day." "I've been waiting for you." " It's a beautiful day." " Yeah, I guess it is." "Mr Doyle." "I missed you this morning." "Montgomery, I want you to talk to me." " About what, Nat?" " How you're feeling." "How do you think I'm feeling?" "I don't like to assume." " Well, good." "Don't." " What do you want?" "I want to be like that girl in the X-Men, who walks through walls." "Go on." "If I can't do that, I don't know, boom, one shot to the head." "Problem solved." " Don't joke about that." " Who says I'm joking?" "What are we doing tonight?" "Before you kill yourself." "Uncle Nikolai's throwing me a party down at Bridge." "Figured we'd all head down there." "Come on." "I have to go." "I got no choice." "Might as well try to have fun." " Isn't it over with those guys?" " Yeah, it's almost over." "It's never really over with these guys, but..." "That's a nasty habit you have, you know that?" "Come take a bath with me." "No, not right now." "Go on." "Go ahead." "You can't see me being a father?" "No." "I can see you fathering children." " I couldn't see you raising any." " I won't raise my own "chalupas"?" "I'll raise my own chalupas." "We're definitely not having kids if you call them chalupas." "I think we would have very,  very beautiful babies." " Show me that." " What?" "No, no, no." "I can't believe you did that." "I can't believe..." "Why?" "You've lived in the States all your life." "You've been to Puerto Rico twice, on vacation." "I'm very proud of my heritage." "Yeah, but..." "What does that mean?" "What, so I should get an Irish flag tattooed on my ass?" "There's not enough room on your skinny white flat ass." "Well, between you and me, the kids should be just about right." "Kids?" "We're not having any." "It's probably your mother." "Coming!" "Doyle, cut it out." "Kostya, you have the worst timing ever..." "Sorry to bother you, ma'am." "Is Montgomery Brogan in?" "Monty?" "Monty!" " Montgomery Brogan?" " Yeah, that's me." " Agent Flood, Drug Enforcement." " I can see that." "What is this?" "We've got a warrant to search your apartment." "Are you serious?" "Go ahead." " Easy, Doyle." " I see no tags on that dog." " Inside he doesn't need tags." " I could have the pound take him." "Seen too many men bit by these mean bastards." "Doyle!" "C'mon." "Sit." "You mind if I have a seat?" "No." "Be my guest." "Ms Riviera?" "That's your name, right?" "I need you to stay right here, ma'am." "Can't have you sneaking around." "This sofa's not very comfortable." "Maybe it's your posture." "Posture's very important." "No, it's this Castro convertible." "It's very uncomfortable." "It's kinda lumpy." "I just don't understand it." "It looks like such a nice sofa." "How much did you pay for this sofa, Ms Riviera?" " Maybe it's the padding." " Yeah." "Could be the padding." "Yeah." "Probably the padding." "Go on, get it over with." "There's something lumpy in here, Mr Brogan." "It's a good thing I found this." "It's gonna make your sofa so much more comfortable to sit on." "Shit." "Mr Brogan, I do believe you're fucked." "Royally." "Shit." "Baby?" "Are you OK?" "Yeah." "This'll be the best night of my life." "Best night of my life." "I just..." "I've been waiting all day." " I know." "I know!" "I know..." " Do we get any time together?" "Could you just talk to me?" "We haven't been talking." " This is our last night." " No." "It's not our last night." "My last night." "Not your last night." "You got all kinds of nights." "You got nights with your girlfriends." "Going out clubbing." " Sitting at bars..." " You and me equals our." " Our last night." " Sit at home watching movies." " All kinds of nights." " What can't you understand?" "Know what?" "I can't do this right now." "OK, babe?" "I need you to just be quiet." "Please just be quiet." "We haven't talked about this." "You can't even look me in the eye." "I have to go." "Meet us in Chinatown." " Where are you going?" " I have to see my father." "Do me a favour." "Wear that silver dress tonight." "OK?" " You want me to?" " Yeah." "That's how I want to remember you." "Very nice, very nice." "Hello, beautiful lady." "Beautiful baby." "You look like Halle Berry, they tell you this?" "Come back." "I make you half-black, half-Russian baby." "So many beautiful woman." "I love this area." " How much is rent?" " You can't afford it." "Trust me." " What're you doing here?" " Something is wrong?" "No." "I'm having the time of my life." "What do you think, dumb shit?" "Uncle Nikolai wants me talking with you." "Make sure you come to club tonight." "You're the third person to say that." "What the fuck is going on?" " What does he want?" " I don't know." "You come to say you don't know?" "You got a phone." "You do not answer my calls." " Uncle wants you at the Bridge." " I'll be there." "Christ's sake!" "Tell him." "I'm bringing friends." "I'm bringing Naturelle." "Monty." "Wait." "Please." "Why you bring her?" " Why wouldn't I?" " We discussed this before, no?" " You get very mad at me." " Will you stop with that already?" "I already told you." "It wasn't her." " You know this?" " Why would she?" "Maybe her aunt is illegal alien." " These Mexicans...!" " She's Puerto Rican." "A US citizen." "That's more than I can say for you." "The Feds, they bust her..." "Feds?" "Why are you filling my head with this shit?" "You're crazy." "You ask her?" "No, I didn't ask her." "Listen." "Before you leave, you should know." "See you down there." "Those guys coming back in yet?" "Little by little." "It was hard on those guys." "I went to elementary school with that guy Nick." "Remember?" " Nicky?" " Nick." "Yeah, yeah." "Good kid." "Place looks good, though." "Wanna take your coat off?" "Nah, I'm feeling a little cold." " That's a helluva steak." " Only the best for you, sweetie." "I'll send you cookies every month." "Peanut butter, right?" "That's it." "I talked to Sal." " Dad..." " See if he can help." "He's been out of it for 20 years." " He knows people." " That's not the point." "I don't want you to get involved." "OK?" "I mean it." "I'm gonna be alright." "You'll still be a young man when you get out." "I know you don't think about it but don't start any trouble..." "Don't worry about me." "Please." "Should never have happened." "You wanted money, you could've done anything." "Doctor, lawyer." " That's all I'm saying." " Don't lay that on me." "When Sal's crew were squeezing you for payments, did you wish I was at law school then?" "Not one word from you back then." "Where d'you think that money was coming from?" "Donald Trump?" " That was a mistake." " Let's forget it." "There were lots of mistakes." "I was drinking after your mom passed." "Please." "Please, don't do this." "An 11 -year-old boy with a dead mother and a drunk father." " I got no one to blame but myself." " Stop." "Stop." "It wasn't you, Pop." "Gotta take a leak." "Yeah, fuck you, too." "Fuck me?" "Fuck you." "Fuck you and this whole city and everyone in it." "No, no, no." "Fuck the panhandlers grubbing for money, smiling at me behind my back." "Fuck the squeegee men, dirtying the windshield of my car." "Get a fucking job!" "Fuck the Sikhs and Pakistanis, bombing down the avenues in decrepit cabs, curry steaming outta their pores, stinking up my day." "Terrorists in fucking training." "Slow the fuck down!" "...one of those operations to elongate your penis..." "Fuck the Chelsea boys with their waxed chests and pumped-up biceps." "Going down on each other in my parks and on my piers, jiggling their dicks on my channel 35!" "Fuck the Korean grocers, their pyramids overpriced fruit, their roses wrapped in plastic." "Ten years and still no speak-ee English." "Fuck the Russians in Brighton Beach." "Mobster thugs sitting in cafes, sipping tea in little glasses." "Sugar cubes between their teeth." "Wheeling, dealing, scheming." "Go back where you came from!" "Fuck the black-hatted Hasidim, strolling down 47th Street in their dirty gabardine with their dandruff, selling South African apartheid diamonds." "Your wife deserves this." "Fuck the Wall Street brokers, self-styled masters of the universe," "Michael Douglas, Gordon Gecko wannabe motherfuckers figuring out new ways to rob hard-working people blind." "Send those Enron assholes to jail for fucking life." "Bush and Cheney didn't know about that shit?" "Give me a fucking break!" "Tyco." "ImCIone." "Adelphia." "Fuck the Puerto Ricans, 20 to a car, swelling up the welfare rolls." "Worst fucking parade in the city." "Don't get me started on the dumb-in-the-cans who make the Puerto Ricans look good." "Who's this guy?" "Get the fuck outta here!" "Fuck the Bensonhurst Italians." "Pomaded hair, nylon warm-up suits, their St Anthony medallions." "Swinging their Jason Giambi Louisville Slugger baseball bats, auditioning for "The Sopranos"!" "Fucking crack your head open!" "Bensonhurst!" "Bensonhurst!" "Fuck the Upper East Side wives with their Hermes scarves, and $50 Balducci artichokes." "Overfed faces getting pulled, lifted and stretched all taut and shiny." "You're not fooling anybody, sweetheart!" " Taxi!" " Fuck the uptown brothers." "They never pass the ball, never wanna play defence, they take five steps on every lay-up to the hoop, then they wanna blame it all on the white man." "We're not giving it up." "Slavery ended 137 years ago." "Move the fuck on!" "Fuck the corrupt cops with their anus-violating plungers and their 41 shots, standing behind a blue wall of silence." "You betray our trust!" "Fuck priests who put their hands down an innocent child's pants." "Fuck the church that protects them, delivering us into evil." "And while you're at it, fuck JC!" "He got off easy." "A day on the cross, a weekend in hell and the hallelujahs of legioned angels for eternity." "Try seven years in fucking Otisville, J." "Fuck Osama Bin Laden, Al-Qaeda, backward-assed cave-dwelling fundamentalist assholes everywhere." "On the names of innocent thousands murdered," "I pray you spend the rest of eternity with your 72 whores roasting in a jet-fuelled fire in hell." "You towel-headed camel jockeys can kiss my royal Irish ass!" ""I notice how many of what I once thought were evidences of repression..." " Fuck Jacob Elinsky." " ...sexual or otherwise."" "Whining malcontent." "Fuck Francis Xavier Slaughtery, my best friend, judging me while he stares at my girl's ass." "Fuck Naturelle Riviera." "I gave her my trust and she stabbed me in the back." "Sold me up the river." "Fucking bitch." "Fuck my father with his endless grief, standing behind that bar, sipping on club soda, selling whiskey to firemen and cheering the Bronx Bombers." "Let's go, Yankees!" "Fuck this city and everyone in it." "From the rowhouses of Astoria to the penthouses on Park Avenue." "From the projects in the Bronx to the lofts in SoHo." "The tenements in Alphabet City to the brownstones in Park Slope, to the split-levels in Staten Island." "Let an earthquake crumble it." "Let the fires rage." "Let it burn to fucking ash." "Then let the waters rise and submerge this whole rat-infested place." "No..." "No, fuck you, Montgomery Brogan." "You had it all and you threw it away, you dumb fuck!" "What do you think of Naturelle?" "A good girl." "Your mother would've liked her." " You trust her?" " Do I trust her?" " Why do I have to?" " You think I can?" " Where are you taking this?" " I dunno." "People are saying weird things." "I'm hearing stuff around." "Like, maybe she made the phone call on me." " Why would she do that?" " Maybe they got to her." "They find someone, put the screws on you..." "She loves you." "She'd never betray you." "I don't know." "I don't know." "Everything's gotten so strange." "I look at these people around me." "I'm thinking, these are my friends?" "I don't even know these people." "And Naturelle, even." "Do I really know her?" "I don't know." "It's all..." "The only people I trust are you, Jacob and Frank." " The guys I grew up with." " I miss those boys." "I know." "I'm meant to be meeting them." "They're waiting for me." " I gotta get going." " What about your food?" " I can't." " OK." "I'll see you in the morning." "No." "No, why?" "I'm taking the bus up." "Forget the bus." "I'll drive you." "Take half as long." "Take... this." "They'll let you keep it." "When you was a kid, you slept in that fireman's helmet." "You wanted to be just like Daddy." "I tell you about the fights we had, naming you?" "You wanted to name me James." "James Brogan Junior." "Good strong name." " Your mother said it was boring." " She liked Montgomery Clift." "A Place in the Sun." "Her favourite." "I'd say, "Clift, look what happened to that poor fuck."" "Died way too young." "Bad luck." "Bad luck." "I'm gonna go." "OK?" "See you soon, Pop." "Monty..." "He'll work for me." "I'll have his job." "I gotta go." "Talk to you tomorrow." "Cocksucker." "How you doing?" " Good to see you." " How you doing?" " Good." " Come on in." " Want a beer?" " Yeah." "Cool." "There you go." "Cheers." "Jesus Christ!" "Yeah." "New York Times says the air's bad down here." "Yeah?" "Fuck the Times." "I read the Post." "EP A says it's fine." "Somebody's lying." "Yeah." " You gonna move?" " Fuck that, man!" "As much good money as I paid for this place?" "Hell, no." "Bin Laden could drop another right next door, I ain't moving." "What do we say to him?" "We say nothing." "He's going to hell for seven years." "What do we do, wish him luck?" "Just get him drunk." "Make sure he has one last good night." " That's it." " So you're up for this?" "Yeah." "I don't know why he invited me." "What are you talking about, man?" "We hardly see each other any more." "You and I are his friends from the past." "Yeah, like his friends from the present have done him much good!" "I just..." "Just can't believe he's going away for seven years." " Someone turns him in and..." " Don't feed me that shit!" " What shit?" " Don't feed me that bullshit." "Yeah, he got caught." "But hello, Monty's a fucking drug dealer!" "Shit." "What, are you driving a vintage Super B?" " No." " No." "He is." "Paid for by the misery of other people." "He got caught." "He'll be locked up." "I tell you something else." "You two are my best friends in the whole world." "I love him like a brother but he fucking deserves it." "He deserves it." "What's he planning to do with Doyle?" "How the fuck should I know?" "Maybe leave him with Naturelle or something." "They should at least let him take Doyle with him." "What?" "Let him take Doyle." "He wouldn't be so lonely." "You can't take a fucking dog to the hoosegow, Jake." "I'm just saying, it'd be kinda nice if you could." "Yeah." "It'd be nice." "Monty's tough." "I think he'll be OK." "If it were me, I'd never last a day." "But Monty, he's different." " Yeah?" "You believe that?" " Yeah." " You don't fucking get it, do you?" " What don't I get?" "You want the simple version?" "Guys who look like Monty don't do well in prison, right?" "He's got three choices." "None of them are good." "One, he can run." "Two, catch the bullet train." " Bullet train?" " It's just what his choices are." "His third choice is prison, that's it." "That's what he'll do." "He'll go, I'll see him when he gets out." "Maybe." "I'll tell you what." "After tonight, it's bye-bye, Monty." "What does that mean?" "If he runs, he's gone." "He ain't coming home." "He pulls the trigger, they close the casket, he's gone." "They lock him away, he's gone." "You'll never see him again." " I'll see him again." " You won't." "I'll visit him, see him when he comes out..." "This is such horse-shit." "This is so like you, Jake." " You won't see him." " Like me?" "Exactly." "You will never see him again." "You think you'll kick back with some beers, reminisce?" "Old times, still gonna be friends." "It's over after tonight, Jake." "Wake the fuck up." "Let her go." "That's a good-looking girl you got there." "Them Spanish broads." "That's a scary look." "See the look he gave me?" "Naturelle Riviera." "What a name." "You see the rack on that girl?" "Take another angle, man." " You can't fucking touch her." " No, no, no, no." "You're missing the point." " She touched you." " You're lying." " Am I?" " Yeah." "That's sweet." "You really trust her." "All I know is she's walking away." "Yeah." "We just signed her release." "Probably having a big party tonight over at Jimmy's Bronx Cafe." "Sure, why not?" "Big celebration." "She's got that whole fancy apartment to herself now." "You thought she was with you for your looks?" "Shi-i-it." "Girl saw a pot of honey and she licked it clean." "She's a real smart girl." "You, on the other hand..." "You're supposed to be smart." "Got yourself a scholarship to a fancy private school?" "Not bad for a punk from Bay Ridge." "Then you get yourself thrown out for dealing weed to rich kids." "What up with that?" "You know what happens to pretty boys like you in prison?" "They're gonna love you." "Yeah, maybe." "But then again, ... maybe not." "Jeez, Your Honour, what can I say?" "I messed up." "You know, my mother died." "I was so worried about my father, I needed to help him out." "My head was turned." "I got hooked in with the wrong people and I made a big mistake." "I really did, but... it was my first time." "I'm sorry." "It will never, ever happen again." "Time served." "Probation." "You don't read the papers much, do you, smart guy?" "In New York, we've got a wonderful thing called the Rockefeller Laws." "Let me educate you." "You had a kilo in your sofa." "That kind of weight makes it an A 1 felony." "15 years to life minimum, first offence." "With that spread in sentencing, judges get swayed by prosecutors." "If Mr Prosecutor's wife busted his chops that morning, you're fucked." "You're gone for good." "If you get lucky, really lucky, like, he got good trim the night before, maybe he'll plead you off to an A2." "That's three to eight for first time." "Minimum." "How much of that you pull is up to the mood of the prosecutor." "And he's going to ask us, did he play ball?" "So,  why don't you tell us about your friend Nikolai?" "Let us make it easy on you." "Can I ask you one question?" "Sure." "When you have your dick in his mouth, does he just keep talking like that?" "Seems to me he just never shuts up and I'm..." "I'm curious." "Isn't that annoying?" "You're fucking a guy in the mouth and he just won't shut up?" "Look here, you vanilla motherfucker, when you're upstate taking it in the culo, by a bunch of guys calling you Shirley, you'll only have yourself and Governor Rockefeller to thank." "Let's get the hell outta here." "Tell the US Attorney we got a hard ass." " You need a girlfriend." " I need a girlfriend?" "Wait a minute." "When was the last time you had a girlfriend?" "When did you last get laid?" " I've got prospects." " Yeah, you got prospects." "You know what?" "You're in the 62nd percentile, you are." " What is that?" " The 62nd percentile?" "That's where you rate." "Bachelors in New York compete for the same women." "Straight bachelors." " And I'm in the 62nd percentile?" " Yes, sir." "So I'm better than 62 percent of them?" " You're rated higher, yeah." " But worse than what, 38 percent?" " 37." "No 100th percentile." " How d'you come up with 62?" " There's a science to it." " A science to it?" "Sounds very scientific." "May I enquire as to your rating?" "Funny you should ask." "I fall right in the 99 percentile." "Of course." " Who came up with the ratings?" " I did." "You came up with the ratings?" "And you get a 99." " That's very interesting." " Yeah?" "What are these based on?" "It's a system." "That's your rating." "It doesn't make you a bad person." " No, just a bad bachelor." " A better-than-average bachelor." " What are the criteria?" " First, money." "You have none." "Trust funds don't count for shit because Mommy and Daddy can turn off the cashflow." "That keeps you out of the top ten." "Ten percent of the gold-diggers?" "Ten percent period." "Two, you got chronic bad breath." "No offence, but most women won't stick with a guy with stank breath, so..." " Fuck you." " No need to get annoyed." "I am annoyed." "What puts you in the 99 percentile?" "I wanna know." "OK." "Well, first of all, I..." "Besides your salary, all the money you make." "Alright." "I happen to be blessed with a very big dick." "Genetics, man." "Doesn't dyeing your hair drop you a few places?" "No." "Not at all." "Would only bother women if it bothered me." " Going grey does bother you." " Doesn't." "So why smear that gloop over your scalp ten billion times a day?" "Hair's a non-issue, Jake." "Well, are table manners an issue?" "That silver thing to the left of your plate, that's called a fork." "People eat rice with chopsticks or a fork." "Grown people don't eat fried rice with their bare hands." " You don't know how to behave." " You bust my balls over how I eat?" "You spend your week figuring how to defraud foreign governments, then you get out of there and go out into the strange world outside your office, called reality, and you don't know how to behave." " I rest my case." " You wanna tell me about reality?" "Jacob, you're a rich Jewish kid ashamed of his wealth." "You walk around unhappy 24/7, trying to make up for being born privileged." "Fuck that!" "You know what?" "That's just some knee-jerk liberalism bullshit, man." "You call that reality?" "So what's Monty?" "Let's see." "Monty's going to prison." "He's a doughnut." "Big fat zero." "Yo." "Let's not go to practice." "Just today." " So don't go." " Let's go to my house." " Yeah!" " C'mon, Nat." "Let's go." "My mother won't be home till late either." "And there's food." " Good." "I ain't got no money." " Peter's home." " So?" " What's that?" " Nothing, I don't care." " You don't care, Nat?" " What do you mean now?" " Yeah, right!" " You've likeded him forever!" " I never likeded him." "You always try to hook us up cos you want me as a sister-in-law." "That'd be nice, but don't pretend you don't like him." "Nat, please, OK." "Every day you come to my house." ""Peter, walk me home..."" "Every day?" "What kind of bullshit is that?" " What's up, Simon?" " How you doin'?" "Good, good." " What's that?" " A new guy." "Golden." "He's good." "He's big, big." "Like, beep-beep!" "Back up the truck." "I'll handle my business, alright?" " Just trying to help." " Alright, take it easy." " When she break up with him?" " Like, a month ago." "But she don't stop." "She calls the house, she hangs up, please...!" "Did he break up with her or she broke up with him?" "Excuse me." " Why doesn't he...?" " Excuse me." "You got a light?" "Can I borrow your lighter for a second?" "Thanks a lot." " What's he doing?" " He's loco." " I've met you before, haven't I?" " You are familiar." "Where from?" " You were in my brother's class." " Pete." "Yeah, I know who you are." "Nat." "Come on, let's go." "We got practice." " I'll catch up." " Alright." "Whatever." "You stupid..." " What you got practice for?" " Basketball." "Seriously?" "You play?" "Come on!" " You a guard?" " Three spot." "Small forward?" "No shit." "That means you're strong and quick." "I play the one." "Point." " Skip practice, you'll get the boot." " Just wanna finish my cigarette." "Funny, I wouldn't have made you for a ball player, you know?" "You look more like a..." "Like a runner." "Like a track star." "Where you from?" "No, I mean..." "You from uptown?" " You on a scholarship?" " What?" "I can't be from Riverdale?" "You can be from wherever you want." "Just... curious." "I didn't mean nothing." "I was on a scholarship, too." "It's a good thing." "You're lucky." "What's your name?" "Nat?" "Natalie?" " Naturelle." " Naturelle?" "You serious?" "Naturelle?" "I like it." " How old are you?" " 18." "Are you 18?" " Why?" " Cos it's not every day" "I meet such a pretty girl who plays three spot." "That's deadly." " How old are you?" " Old enough to have to ask." "You're too old to be hanging out in the playground." "I wasn't hanging out." "I was passing by." "What if I was 17?" "I might shorten the conversation a little." "But you're not, you're 18." "So we got no problem." "What do you say I come see you play sometime?" "Seriously." "I'd like to." " Maybe." " Maybe?" "I'll be the one behind the bench yelling, "Get back on D!"" "See you." "Hey." "I want you to meet somebody." "Who's that?" "She's just the girl for you." "Hey, Jody." "Are you back there?" " Hey, baby." "How you doin'?" " Hi." "Is this your little brother?" "He's a cutey." "Don't bother." "I'm in the 62nd percentile." "Cos you don't work on Wall Street." "That scale is skewed on money." " Everybody knows about this?" " Everybody at this bar." " Phew..." "You see that ass?" " She's beautiful." "Yeah." "One of the guys at school, this biology teacher, Terry..." "D'you ever meet Terry?" "No, I don't think so." "Anyway, he really likes this girl." " A student?" " A student." "Yeah." "A junior." "I mean, the girl's 16." "17, maybe." "I don't know." "I mean, she's not real pretty." "Not in the classical sense." "But she..." "I don't know." "She's got something." "And I told him." "I told Terry he ought to just forget about it." "And he's kind of obsessing." "It's kind of scary." "The way he talks about it." "But he's like,  "Five years from now, she'll almost be out of college, and I'll be 36..." "You know."" ""You know?" "Nothing wrong with that."" "You haven't fucked her yet, have you?" "Have you?" "Sorry." "Did you listen to what I said?" "No, I haven't fucked her." "Of course." "That's good." "Because, man, big mistake." "I am not a pervert." "Know what a man should never ask in a Victoria's Secret shop?" "Does this come in children's sizes?" "Think about that." " What's that supposed to mean?" " It's literal." "A joke." "Literal?" "Why do we do this?" "Why can't we sit down." "You shut the fuck up, have a beer, a drink..." "Francis Xavier Slaughtery." "Hey, baby." " Hey, Naturelle." "Nice to see you." " You, too." " Hi." " How you doing, Jake?" " You look fantastic." " Thank you." "What are you up to?" " Frank's eyeing the bartender." " Yeah?" "What's the verdict?" "Guilty of looking good." " She's just tits, Francis." " Yeah?" "Did you see her ass?" "Girl's got a fine ass and she's oozing sex appeal." "She's oozing somethin'." "That is so typical." "That's what I'm talking about." "Why is it if a woman walks in with great tits, every other woman in there says she's a slut?" " I have great tits." "I'm no slut." " Says you." "Another thing..." "When I call a girl and say, "Let's meet for dinner,"" "why can't I get off the phone for half an hour?" "That's a sickness." "And tell me this." "Please explain this to me." "Why is it that women feel the need to cry after having great sex?" "Why is that?" "What is up with that?" "Oh, my God." " What?" " Are you serious?" "Yes." "It's a joy thing, it's not..." "Please!" "You're just a sad fuck, Francis." "Looks like you've been demoted from the 99th percentile." "You should've been here for Jake's story about his imaginary friend." " OK." " So, where's your man?" "Like he's ever on time?" "Better be tomorrow." "How's his dad doing?" "Like he's aged 20 years in a few months." "That's too bad." "C'mon, we gotta keep this upbeat." "Make sure he has a good night." "Alright." "Why don't you give us some more sex tips to cheer us up?" " Touche." " Where's the little girls' room?" "I know she cries after having sex." "I'd bet money on that shit." "Like to know, wouldn't you?" "Set 'em up for the Dead End Kids." " Been waiting long?" " No." "We got here early." " Naturelle?" " Bathroom." "These are on me." " Cheers." " Thank you, Jody." "Come by Sunday." "It's my birthday." "Yeah." "Thanks, Jody." "You don't have to come." " I was just saying." " No, thanks." "Thank you." " Fuck Sunday." " Hey." "Fuck Sunday." "The whole city came out to say goodbye." " You got a lot of young fans." " Yeah." "I think we're the oldest people here." "We?" "This is my guy." " How you doing, big man?" " It's the man." "The man's arrived." "Coming and going." "Seven years." "That shit ain't no joke." " That's nervous!" " That's the word." " Damn, you alright?" " Trying not to think about it." "What is this?" "What's going on here?" "That's the legendary DJ Dusk." "My man from Fort Greene." "He's nice. 17 years old, man. 17!" "Gets the girls jumping." "But forget about the crowd." "VIP's set up for you." "These are my guys." "Do we come in here?" "No, go in through the back." "Door's open for you." "Hey, listen up." "Don't lose your temper until it's time to lose your temper." "Hear me?" " Take care." " Catch you on the other side." "Hey, Elinsky!" "Mr Elinsky." "My God." "What are you doing?" "I didn't know you ever left school." "I thought you had, like, a bed in the boiler room." "Mary D'Annunzio." "Mary B-minus D'Annunzio, that's me." "I'm kidding." "It's not a big deal." "That's OK." "I'm here with friends." "The guy who came today?" "He knows people, right?" " D'you think he could get us in?" " No, I don't think..." "They won't let anyone in." "They say it's too crowded." "But I have to get in." "I have to." " Are you a fan of Dusk?" " Yeah, sure." "He's the absolute truth." "He is so truth." "I can't believe you're into Dusk." "No offence," "I thought you'd be more into show tunes or Barry Manilow." "No, I think Dusk is very good." "Actually, I prefer his earlier work." " Hey, Jake!" " His earlier work?" "What're you doin'?" "C'mon, they're holding the door." "We're together." "You're the man with the dog, right?" "You again." "Yeah." "Isn't it past your bedtime?" " No, I'm with Jake." "We're..." "lovers." " Lovers?" " She's kidding." " Really?" "Come in." "Plenty of room for lovers." " Can my three friends come?" " Girls?" " No." " Mary." "Please." "Are you out of your mind?" "You can't take a bunch of guys in." " She can't go in there." " No, it's good, it's good." " Monty!" " These two." "Yeah." "Y'know, I've seen pictures of this room." "Like, Daft Punk was in here." "So, who are you?" "Are you someone famous?" "Hey, D'Annunzio." "Give it a rest with the questions." " Have a little champagne." " OK." "Who's that?" " One of Jake's students." " What?" "Enjoy." "Champagne for my real friends, and real pain for my sham friends." "Cheers." " Like that?" " Yep." "Does anyone want to go dance?" "C'mon." "Dance with me." "You go ahead." "Go do it." "I'll catch up with you." " Sure?" " Yeah." " Daphne, you got any whiskey?" " What kind do you want?" " Macallan 18." " I'll see if we got any upstairs." "Hold up, I'll come with you." "Back in a flash." "I can't believe you brought my student in here." "C'mon." "C'mon, she's cute." "She's cute, she is." "She talks too much but she's cute." "You're gonna get me fired." "You realise that?" "She's gonna tell her friends, they'll tell their friends, they keep talking..." "What'll they say?" "You met her at a club, ran into her, talked a little bit." "You've done nothing wrong yet." " What do you mean, yet?" " She's hot." "She's all over you." "She's 17." "Alright?" "She's my student." "I can't, you know, just touch her..." "No, not now." "But in seven months, she'll graduate." "The age Naturelle was when I met her." " Like I said, not yet, you know?" " OK." " I'm kidding." " Well, you know..." "No." "I'm giving you a hard time." "You're smart, you're way too smart for that shit." "Really." "You've always been smart about that stuff." "I respect that, I really do." "I do." "Here." "What do you say?" "I tell you, one more of these and I'm pissed." " Listen." "Make me a toast." " You want a toast?" "Yeah, come on." "I'm not going to see you for a long time." "I want to have a nice memory." "Say something nice." "OK." "Jesus, Jake." "Relax." "Don't..." "Here." "Here's to Doyle." " To Doyle." " Alright." "Your dog now." " No!" " Yeah." "He loves you." " Yeah?" " He loves you, really." " And he needs a home." " Yeah, I don't know..." "You've seen the size of my apartment." "Right?" "So what?" "Doyle's a tough dog." "He's seen worse." "He'll learn to live in a small space." "He'll survive." " What about Nat?" " She's moving in with her mother." "The woman fucking hates him." "And Doyle detests Frank and my father's allergic, so..." "Saving him." "Saving him..." "I swear, the best thing I ever did was save that little son of a bitch." "Cos every day that he's had since, that's because of me." "Will you take him home, will you give him a home while I'm gone?" "I'd be honoured." " Yeah?" " Yeah." "This joint is jumpin', boy." "It's a smorgasbord of girlies." " And you're the talent scout!" " How you doing?" " Good." " Good?" "So who's that little tart with you, Jake?" " My student." " Hot student." "What?" "No!" "Not the student?" "Terry's friend, the student?" "You know what?" "Remind me never to tell you anything." "Leave him." "He's the only honest man in the room." " Doing noble work." " Party begins without me?" "That's right, you fat Russian fuck." " Fat Ukrainian fuck!" " Yeah, there's a difference?" " Monty, you here long?" " Not long." " You open shampanskoe without me." " The clock's ticking!" " I don't have time." " Hello, Frank." " Konstantine." " Kostya, please." "I am good." "I am better when our friend comes back to us, no?" "Jason, yes?" " Jacob." " My shampanskoe, you like?" "It's OK." "Monty, I have beautiful woman." "Very nice." "I'm not really in the mood." "I got a nice girl..." "I know, I know." "Tonight is special night." "Last night as free man." "I pick her out special, just for you." "The last girl you picked for me had three teeth." "All in the back." "Funny you should say that." "Why is it funny I should say that?" "What you say, it was funny." "Kostya, when you..." "That's an expression." " If you say that..." " It's a euphemism, right?" "Can you explain this?" "You're the English teacher." "I think what he means," "Kostya, is that when you say, "Funny you should say that,"" "that means that it reminds you of a funny story." "No, no." "It was funny what you say." ""Funny you should say that."" "It makes no sense." "This is what I deal with." " This is what I'm talking about." " I'm with you." " Come." "You see her." " I don't think so." " Naturelle is here." " We go quick." "You see this bitch." "Find some nice girls for my friends." "They're on their own." "I'm fine." "Let's just go down." "Come with me." "No, no." "Forget that." "I gotta talk to you for, like, five minutes." " Shall I stay here?" " Yeah." "Look out for Naturelle and... your field trip." "Should I tell Nat you're having sex with prostitutes?" " No, don't say this." " Say what you want." "Just don't go away, alright?" "We'll go uptown and get Doyle." " So when can we hook up?" " I get off at four." " We going to the private room?" " Of course." "The private room." "I gotta talk to Frank for five minutes." "After girl, Uncle Nikolai wants talk with you." "I know, Kostya." "Give me five minutes." " They're waiting." " I know!" "Five fucking minutes." " She looks good in silver." " Yeah." "You know, Naturelle..." "I've told you this, right?" " What?" " She's the only girl" "I kept fantasising about after I'd slept with her." " Is that normal?" " That's a pretty good normal." " My ace deuce." " Fellas." " Tomorrow?" " That's right." "Nothing but a catnap." "Stay cool." "Fuck!" " How you doing, brother?" "Alright?" " Six months, you know?" "Six months before I got pinched, I was gonna come to you." " "Put me in stocks, in mutuals."" " Don't do this." ""I'm gonna kick back, watch my coin multiply, we'll get rich together."" "I just thought, I can take out a little more to live on." "I got greedy." "Greedy." "I fucked myself." "You'll go round the twist thinking about this." "That's all I can do." "All I can do is think about it." " I won't make it, Frank." " You will." "There's a thousand guys up there who are harder than me." "Some junkie doesn't want to pay me, with Kostya behind me, I'm pretty scary." "Up there, I'm a skinny white boy with no friends." "Those guys are going to use me up and end me." "No, they won't, man." "You know why?" "You're smarter than all of them." "You get up there, keep your eyes open, your mouth shut." "You're gonna know the names, the whole scenario." " You'll have it wired in a week." " It's overcrowded." "They got bunk beds in the gymnasium to handle the overflow." "I'm going in a room with 200 other guys, Frank." "So picture this." "First night, lights out." "The guards are going, looking back, laughing at me." "You are miles from home." "Door closes, boom." "I'm on the floor, some big guy's knee in my back." "I give it a go but there's too many of them." "They pull a pipe from a mattress and beat my face." "Not to hurt me." "To knock all my teeth out so I can give him head all night without biting." "Let's say I make seven years, minus 84 days for good behaviour." "What then?" "What kind of skills do I have?" "Can't get a job in the straight world or go back to this." "It's 15 years to life for a second pinch." "I mean..." "I'll be a 38-year-old punked-out ex-con, with government dentures." "38 is still young." "You'll get out, you and me, we'll start something." "A fucking bar." "We're Irish kids from Brooklyn." "We should have a bar." "How could we not have a bar?" "We'll have free hot dogs on Monday Night Football." "An old jukebox in the corner." "Green beer on St Paddy's Day..." "I hate green beer." "You've worked 15 years to get away from it." "I hate the shit, too." "But we got options, right?" "I appreciate the thought." "I don't see it." "Seven years, you'll have your own show, without me." "I've known you since I was three." "Have I ever broken a promise to you?" "Have I ever once broken a promise?" "Have I ever said I'm gonna be somewhere and not shown up?" "No." "I'm gonna be there when you get out." "You hear me?" "I'm gonna fucking be there." "I know." "I know you will." "But you can't be there tomorrow." "And it's all about tomorrow." "Listen." "I got one idea." "One way I might buy myself a little room to breathe." " I need a big favour from you." " Cool." "Jake the snake." " What are you doing?" " Don't panic." "Who gives a shit?" "I give a shit." "You know what happens if someone sees me?" " I beg your pardon, Mr Elinsky." " Are you drunk?" "Yeah." "And I had some E earlier." "I didn't need to know that." "You know, Naturelle is cool as shit." "She knows everyone who works here and I love that name, right?" "You know, 100 percent Naturelle." "All Naturelle flavours." "What's with her boyfriend, Monty?" "It's like he owns this place." "Mary." "Would it be possible to avoid talking about this at school?" "I mean, this whole night?" "Would it be possible for you to give me an A for this semester?" "Tell me you're joking." " Tell me you're joking." " I'm joking." "That's what I love about you." "What?" "What's what you love about me?" " Never mind." " Do you think I'm weird?" "No, I don't think you're weird." "Are you allowed to stay out this late?" "On a school night?" "You think my mother gives a shit?" "She's probably at her boyfriend's anyway." "I need to sleep." "No." "Can't sleep yet." "Dusk is turning it on." "Is there a bathroom in here?" "Is there?" " Yeah." " Yeah?" "Where is it?" "It's right up the stairs." "Back there." " You need to pee?" " No." " Hey." " Hey." "Can I ask you a favour?" "Keep an eye on Monty tonight?" "Just try to stick with him." "What's the matter?" "He's just acting really strange." "He's going to prison soon." "How do you want him to act?" "I want him to act scared." "He is scared, Naturelle." "Believe me, he's scared." "I just don't want him to hurt himself." "So will you watch him for me?" "I don't think he wants me here." "Why?" "Why wouldn't he want you here?" "You see the way he looks at me lately?" "It's like he doesn't trust me." "What reason does he have not to trust you?" "I'm going to go uptown, Francis." "So when you see him, just..." "Cool." "I got it." " Are you alright?" " How could he do this?" "Just throw it all away?" "I'm his oldest friend." "What did I do to stop it?" "What did I say?" "Nothing." "Not a word." "When he started selling weed to the kids at Coventry," "I didn't say shit." "Everybody's talking about buying from Monty, the whole school." "I knew they were gonna nail him." "I knew it." "I didn't say a word." "Fucking last ten years, I've watched him get deeper with these friends, these fucks you wouldn't want petting Doyle." "Did I say, "Careful, Monty." "You better cool out, man"?" "I didn't say shit." "I just sat there and watched him ruin his life." "And you did, too." "We both did." " We all did." " Monty never listens." "You know how stubborn he is." "I told him to quit a hundred times." "Did you?" "Before or after you moved into his apartment?" " Not tonight!" "Don't start." " Who paid for that?" "I need a drink." "JD, shot." "Before or after he gave you that platinum necklace?" "Wanna watch your mouth?" "What paid for the Cartier diamond earrings?" "This silver dress?" "Paid in full by the addictions of others." "That's what I'm saying." "You two fly down to San Juan." "First class, all the way." "What do you think paid for Puerto Rico?" "Listen!" "You'd never been to PR in your life before Monty." "You told him to quit?" "The hell you did." "You knew the deal the minute you met him." "Come on." "You never had a job in your life." "You live off the fat of the land." "You never said a goddamn word." "Who are you to get all righteous with me?" "Did you disown him?" "His best friend said nothing but it's my fault?" "I'm the evil one?" "I never took his money." "Never once." "How long you been saving this?" "I came to talk to my friend Francis." "A minute ago you were my friend." "Are you drunk?" "Tell me you don't know what you're saying." "I'm Irish." "I can't get drunk." "I know exactly what I'm saying." "In seven years, I'll be at the prison gate." "You'll be married to money." "What is wrong with you?" "You want me to be the bad guy?" "Fine." "I'm the bad guy." "Are you happy now?" "Francis..." "All I'm saying is you knew where he hid the money." "You knew where he hid the drugs, didn't you?" "What the hell are you saying?" "What the hell are you saying?" "You know what I'm saying." "I told Monty when he first met you, but he wouldn't listen to me." "I told him Naturelle Riviera, she ain't nothing but a Spic skank skeezer." " Nat..." " Move." " Been looking all over for you." " Another one?" " Here you go." " Is she alright?" "Can we get out of here?" "No." "We gotta wait for Monty." "I kissed her." "You what?" "My student." "I..." "I kissed her." "Who you trying to be?" "R Kelly?" "I kissed my 17-year-old student." "Jake." "Have a drink." "Shut the fuck up." "Excuse me." "Could I have a water?" " Fuck that." "Hit him." "Hit him." " OK." "I don't wanna drink any more, Frank." "Give him the whiskey." "Shut up." "Drink." " Montgomery." "How's the party?" " Nice." "Thanks for setting it up." "The first time I went to prison, I was 14 years old." "Skinny little boy." "Very afraid." "By the time I came out, I had a beard." "I was a grown man." "I went back to my home town." "I found my mother." "I kissed her and she screamed." "She didn't recognise me." "I have been in three different prisons." "Three different countries." "And you know what I learned?" "I learned prison is a bad place to be." "Seven years is a long time." "Some men will do anything to avoid seven years in prison." "Your father... is a hard-working man." "Where's his bar?" "In Staten Island?" "2192 Bay Street." "He drives in from Bay Ridge in a 1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer." " Should I tell you how many miles..." " Khorosho." "Your father." "I like your father." "A hard-working man." "He's had bad luck." "Everyone in the neighbourhood loved your mother." "Tak?" "Yeah." "Everyone said she was a beautiful woman." "I want to help your father." "I could use a man like that." "A hard-working man." "A man I could trust." "I could take care of your father." "You understand?" "You don't have to do this." "I never said anything to anyone." "Leave my father out of it." " I asked you a question." " I know exactly what you mean." "I have a good job for your father." "It will help him with the money he owes." "No, thank you." "Good weapon." "Accurate." "And reliable." "No jams." "Have you ever fired a gun?" "At someone, I mean." " No." " It's toy for you." "Not toy." "Prop." "A prop for you, like an actor." "Am I wrong?" "With a gun, you feel more... dangerous." "I wouldn't know." "It's not mine." "I didn't say anything." "I never said anything, Nikolai." "I swear to God." "They came after me to get to you." "I know that, you know that." "They tried." "I never said anything." "I believe you, Montgomery." "This is my advice to you." "When you get there, figure it out, who is who." "Find a man nobody's protecting." "A man without friends." "And beat him until his eyes bleed." "Let them think you are a little crazy but respectful, too." "Respectful of the right men." "You're a good-looking boy." "It won't be easy for you." "But remember, I was 14 when I first went." "Va vyzhil." "I tattooed "survive" on my hand the night before I went away to prison." "And I did." "We do what we have to do to survive." " Monty, please." "Monty!" " Now we have this other problem." "Who knew you kept the stuff inside the sofa?" "Your girlfriend and Kostya." "Nobody else." "Get him up." "Kostya ratted you out." "He made a call and stole seven years from your life." "They put the clamps on him." "Instead of being a man about it, doing his time, he sold you out." "It's not true." " You know how to use it?" " Yeah, I know." "Good." "He does not deserve to live." "He betrayed you." "He betrayed me." "He stole from you." "He stole seven years." " End him." " No, no, no." "No." "Don't do this." "Shut up!" "Shut up." "Don't talk." "You motherfucker." "Why'd you do it?" "Why?" "You let me think it was her." " Why tell me it was her?" " Don't..." " Why say it was her?" " Kill this cockroach." " Why?" " Monty, no." "Why?" "Why?" " Why tell me it was her?" " Do it!" "I have no choice." "I have no choice, Monty." " Please." " Why?" "Why?" "Why?" "I have no choice." "I have no choice." "You told me to trust this man, I trusted him." "Now I'm gone seven." "Clean up your own fucking mess." " Careful." " You do what you want with him." "When I walk out this door, I'm done." "I'm out and my father's out." " You are being foolish." " You gonna let me go or not?" "Remember what I told you." "A man... with no friends." " Monty, please." "Don't leave me." " Monty, come on." " Please!" " You were my friend." "Monty." "I'm sorry." "Don't leave me." "Come on." "You are missing your party." "You know what time it is?" " You know what time it is?" " Late at night." "No, it's early." " You up for a little more still?" " Yeah." "Yeah, definitely." "Hey, that's Jake." "Remember Jake?" "Come here." "Go see Jake." " What time is it?" " I got a couple of hours." "I'm sorry for everything I put you through, Naturelle." "I've been confused." "I've been... thinking that you..." " Doesn't matter." " It matters to me." " Don't hate me when I'm gone." " I could never hate you." "I love you." " Stay with me." " One last thing I gotta do." " Don't go." " I'll be back." "Wouldn't that be the life?" "Working a tugboat." " Out on the river every morning." " Yeah, it'd be nice." "It'd be nice." "What time you got?" " Quarter past six." " Alright." "Alright." "Come on." " You ready for Mr Doyle?" " Yeah." "The leash is yours." "I need you to make me ugly." "I can't go in looking like this." "I told you." "It's all about the first day." "If they get one look at me looking like this, I'll be finished." "You said anything." "You just said you'd do anything." "This is what I need." "What are you thinking?" "I give you a black eye, no one will mess with you?" " I need more than a black eye." " Fucking help me here." " I need you to really fuck me up." " I can't do it." " You can." " I won't hit you." " I think you want to a little bit." " What?" "You think I've deserved it for years." "You give me that look, like you'll smack some sense into me." "Here's your chance." "I need it." "This is your favour? "Make me ugly"?" "Where the hell is this coming from?" "This is bullshit!" "Don't pussy out on me, Frank." "I need this from you." "I won't fight back..." "I'm not gonna kick your..." "What the fuck do you want from me?" " This is insane." " Shut up!" "Shut up." "Nobody's talking to you." "Stay out of it." "Enough!" "This is bullshit." "Let's go get breakfast." "Forget this shit." " No breakfast." " Hey!" "Don't do this, Monty." "Where's this bullshit you fed me?" ""I'll be there for you."" " I will, but I won't hit you." " Bullshit." " He doesn't know what he's doing." " This is convenient for you." " That's what I think." " Convenient?" "Send me away, say, "Bye, Monty," take care of Naturelle for me." "I would never fucking cross that line." "You're full of shit!" "Frank, he doesn't mean it." "The way you look at her." "Her titties, her ass." "You've wanted to fuck her for years." "Don't fucking do this!" "Stop it!" " Don't do this!" " Now, Frank." "Now." "Do it." "Do it, you fucking pussy." "Stop, Frank." "Stop!" "I'm sorry." "That's enough." "Stop." "Oh, my God!" "Monty!" "Oh, my God!" "OK." "It's alright." "Just get me inside." "Get me inside." "Of course I will." "Oh, my God, baby." "Oh, my God." "Monty, let me take you to hospital." "Why did you stay with me all this time?" " Should've left me long ago." " Stop talking like that." "I'll wait for you." "As long as it takes." "Don't cry, baby." "I'm such an idiot." "Naturelle, I blew it." "I really blew it." "Who's that?" " Who did this to you?" " We gotta go." "Let him take you to the hospital." "It's OK." "It's OK." " How did this happen?" " He just showed up like this." " Monty." " He's a mess." "Look at him." "Oh, God." "These people are hooligans." "I'll take him to the hospital." " Say goodbye here, Pop." " You don't trust my driving?" "I can't do it this way." "Just let me walk away, Pop, please." "It's easier." "Yeah." "Easier?" "My God, you don't understand." "Let me drive you there." "I need to know where it is for visits, you know?" "OK, buddy?" "Help me out." " Help me out?" " OK." " Give me the bag." " No hospital, Pop." "No hospital." "Let's go." " I gotta go." " One second." "Wait, wait, wait." "No, no." " I don't want you coming to visit." " No." "I want you to be happy, so you forget about me." "Live your life." "I figure we take the Henry Hudson to the Sprain Brook Parkway, then to the Taconic." "That should get us there." "Easy drive to Otisville." "Jesus, look what they did to you." "I tell you, Monty, it'll be OK." "It looks bad, I know it, but when the swelling goes down, it'll be OK." "Them hooligans sure gave you a licking." " How many were there?" " I don't know." "A bunch of 'em." " You get some good shots in?" " Yeah, I got some good shots in." "Give it a month, you'll be better-looking than ever." "Pop." "You were right." "It wasn't her." "It wasn't Naturelle." "Of course it wasn't Naturelle." "Cool dog." "You're a cool dog." "Give me the word and I'll take a left turn." " Left turn to where?" " Take the GW Bridge." "Go west." "Get you stitched up and keep going." "Find a nice little town." "On the way, stop in Chicago for a Cubs game." "You always wanted to see Wrigley Field." "Dad..." "I'm saying, if you want it, if that's what you want, I'll do it." " No." "They'd take your bar." " My bar?" "Jesus, my bar." "They can take my bar to hell and back." "You think my bar means more than my only child?" "Give me the word and we'll go." "They'll find me." " Sooner or later." " You know how they find people?" "They find them when they come home." "People run away but they usually come back." "Then they get caught." "So you go and you never come back." "You never come home." "We'll drive." "And keep driving." "Head out to the middle of nowhere." "Take that road as far as it takes us." "You've never been west of Philly, have you?" "This is a beautiful country." "It's beautiful out there." "Looks like a different world." "Mountains, hills, cows, farms and white churches." "I drove out west with your mother one time, before you was born." "Brooklyn to the Pacific in three days." "Just enough money for gas, sandwiches and coffee, but we made it." "Every man, woman and child alive should see the desert one time before they die." "Nothing at all for miles around." "Nothing but sand and rocks and cactus and blue sky." "Not a soul in sight." "No sirens." "No car alarms." "Nobody honking at you." "No madmen cursing or pissing on the streets." "You find the silence out there." "You find the peace." "You can find God." "You take the high road and I'll take the low road" "And I'll be in Scotland afore ye" "But me and my true love" "Will never meet again" "On the bonny, bonny banks of Loch Lomond..." "So we drive west." "Keep driving till we find a nice little town." "These towns out in the desert, you know why they got there?" "People wanted to get away from somewhere else." "The desert's for starting over." "Find a bar and I'll buy us drinks." "Two." "I haven't had a drink in two years, but I'll have one with you." "One last whiskey with my boy." "Take our time with it." "Taste the barley." "Let it linger." "And then I'll go." "I want you to keep that." "I'll hold it for you." "I'll tell you, don't ever write me." "Don't ever come visit." "I'll tell you I believe in God's kingdom and that I'll be with you again, and your mother, but not in this lifetime." "You'll get a job somewhere." "A job that pays cash." "A boss who doesn't ask questions." "You make a new life and you never come back." "Monty, people like you." "It's a gift." " You make friends wherever you go." " How you doing?" "You're gonna work hard, keep your head down and your mouth shut." "You'll make yourself a new home." "Here you go, James." "You're a New Yorker." "That will never change." "You got New York in your bones." "Spend the rest of your life out West, but you're still a New Yorker." "You'll miss your friends, your dog, but you're strong." "You got your mother's backbone in you." "You're strong like she was." "You find the right people and get yourself papers." "A driver's licence." " What's your name?" " James." "James." "Not from around here, are you?" " No, I'm from out west." " Let's just get your picture." "Be still, give me a smile." "OK." "Now give me a bigger smile, James." "Bigger." "OK." "You forget your old life." "You can't come back." "You can't call, you can't write." "You never look back." "You make a new life for yourself and you live it." "You hear me?" "You live your life the way it should have been." "And maybe, and this is dangerous, but maybe, after a couple of years, you send word to Naturelle." "Four, three, two, one..." " Happy New Year." " Happy New Year." "Feel that, right there?" "Your mother's a lunatic." "Hurry up." "I need company." "Get a new family and raise them right." "You hear me?" "Give them a good life." "Give them what they need." "You have a son." "Maybe you name him James." "It's a good strong name." "And maybe, one day, years from now, long after I'm dead and gone, reunited with your dear mother, you gather your family together and tell them the truth." "Who you are, where you come from." " You tell them the whole story." " I was arrested..." "And then you ask them if they know how lucky they are to be there." "It all came so close to never happening." "This life came so close to never happening."