"As a girl, you see the world like a giant candy store... filled with sweet candy and such." "filled with sweet candy and such." "But one day you look around and see a prison... and you're on death row." "You want to run... or scream... or cry." "But something's locking you up." "Are the other folks cows chewing cud till the hour come when their heads roll?" "Or are they just keeping quiet like you?" "Planning their escape." "On your left, honey." "What's that cashier's name?" "Can't say." "When did he start working here?" "Don't know." "Yesterday." "Who is he?" "Don't know." "Can't say." "What are you doing?" "It's called work, princess." "Kind of fun." "You might want to give it a go some day." "Attention, shoppers." "There's a Retail Rodeo special on aisle 3." "Liquid Drain Cleaner, 2 12-ounce cans for $5.00." "Liquid Drain Cleaner has churning power... and it will churn right through your pipes." "Ladies, you need female plumbing." "Shove something clean and new up your filthy pipes." "That's Liquid Drain Cleaner on aisle 3." "Have a good day... and thank you for shopping at Retail Rodeo." "Hey, Justine." "Can I talk to you for a second?" "Yeah." "I was just curious, uh... have you ever been to a Bible study?" "Yeah." "Yeah, well, we got a good one going on every Wednesday at the First Church of Nazarene." "Rodney comes, Bonita comes." "You got any interest in reading the Bible?" "I have my own, you know, beliefs." "Well, we don't preach fire and brimstone." "10 Commandments..." "gotta live by those." "Other than the usual ways... we're not interested in scaring people." "We're about loving Jesus." "Mm-hmm." "Yeah, I kind of like my nights to myself." "Well, maybe you'll have night after night of eternal hellfire all to yourself." "Just kidding you." "Drive safe." "Bye-bye." "Hey, Justine." "Hey, Teeny." "How was your day?" "The same." "How was yours?" "Wind was flipping up paint in our eyes." "Paint stings." "Feel like I've been attacked by hornets in my eyeballs." "Bubba, stand up." "Why?" "Oh, for Christ sakes." "Look at that couch, Phil." "Y'all got paint all over it." "This ain't gonna come off." "I bet the..." "Damn it, Phil." "Including this gorgeous eggplant shape..." "I think we got most of it up." "You two were stoned." "Keep frying your brain like that... you're gonna slip off a ladder and crack open your head bone." "You do really stupid things when you're high, Phil." "Like what?" "Like sitting on my couch with your big blue ass." "Everything just turns to shit." "We're finally getting nice things... and then everything just gets messed up." "Why is this TV buzzing?" "Oh, it's the wind doing that." "They say the wind's coming in different lately." "Different from what?" "What you reading?" "Catcher in the Rye." "I'm named after it." "What's your name, Catcher?" "Holden." "After Holden Caulfield." "He's the main character." "What's he do?" "He's put upon by society... the hypocrisy of the world." "I notice that you're, uh, not very social." "I'm a writer, so..." "What do you write?" "Novels, plays, screenplays... stories, poetry." "That's good." "Now Justine will be right over with you." "Where is she?" "Oh, I better go." "W-What happens at the end of your book?" "Oh, he has a nervous breakdown... goes to a mental hospital." "Hmm." "You don't get paid to pick your crack." "You get paid to work." "I'm not sure I can do makeovers." "Oh, come on." "A little pancake, eyeliner... mascara, rouge on the cheeks... and powder it up." "And then you take a moist tissue... roll it in a ball... and toss it in their face." "Geez Louise, I'm talking to a tree stump, girl." "Where are you?" "Sorry." "I'm just a little tired." "I'm telling you... it's the food you eat, Justine." "Look at me..." "I am 10 years older than you... and I've got 10 times your energy." "'Cause I don't eat meat, and I don't eat dairy." "It's probably why you can't get pregnant, honey." "Why you walk around with that hung-jaw look on your face." "It's the cheese in your pizza and the chicken in your salad." "I've been to the doctor." "He says I'm fertile." "Says I could repopulate the entire planet." "Then what's the deal here?" "Did he say you're getting enough vitamins?" "He didn't say." "Or you can make a kind of paint where, at different angles... the house is different colors." "Like, you stand at the front door... and the house is red." "But you stand at the street... the house is green." "Or you could make, like, an invisible paint." "Just make the whole house disappear." "Or what would be really neat is a paint that could change the molecular structure of a house... like a chemical acid deal." "What do you think, Teeny?" "I think you two are a pair of potheads." "OK, you getting a whole one of these or a half?" "I'm getting that right there." "OK, wonderful." "You didn't bring this into the store with you?" "No." "Then I'll go ahead and charge you for it." "This is a hand lotion... so don't put it on any other part of your body... even if that part needs lubrication." "We try to keep frivolous lawsuits to a minimum... unless, of course, the customer is at fault." "Do you always wear makeup?" "Oh, not very often." "Here's your change, and fuck you very much." "Excuse me?" "Thank you very much." "Good as new, I tell you." "Good as new." "Now, you might be interested in purchasing some of the products that I used today..." "Oh, I'm not buying anything today." "That'd be a mistake." "These are bargain prices." "I didn't bring my purse." "I hate my job." "That makes two of us." "I hate everybody here." "I hate Gwen." "I don't know what the hell she's so happy about." "I'm starting to understand why maniacs go out there and get shotguns and shoot everybody to pieces." "Maybe you're a maniac." "Maybe so." "You know your lips are real pouty, like a woman?" "And your eyes always look sad... the way they droop off to the side." "How old are you?" "Uh, 22." "I'm an old lady next to you." "How old are you?" "How old do you think?" "I don't know." "I'm 30 years old." "How long you been working here for?" "Forever and a day." "You don't have a car?" "I live down the street." "You can ride in here." "There's room." "Do you wanna come in?" "I don't know." "I'm in a funk." "Well, I'm not gonna beg you." "Well, I'm not gonna beg you." "You got to go there in your head..." "And I did, and things changed for me." "I'll be in my room." "OK, Tom." "I can look over my shoulder... figuratively speaking." "They call you Tom?" "It's my slave name." "Holden's what I call myself." "This is my room." "Not a lot to look at." "What are your folks like?" "They don't get me." "But they're all right." "They just..." "My husband doesn't get me." "Since when do you have a husband?" "Since 7 years." "He's a painter." "What's he paint?" "Houses." "He's a pig." "He talks, but he doesn't think." "I'm sick of it." "Did you go to college?" "Um, I had to drop out 'cause I had a problem with drinking and stuff... but I'll go back." "I just got to... prove to my folks I can fly straight." "Did you go to college?" "I was afraid I'd lose Phil if I went." "Now it'd be reason enough to go." "I was looking at you in the store... and I liked how you kept to yourself." "I saw in your eyes that you hate the world." "I hate it, too." "You know what I'm talking about?" "After living in the dark for so long... a glimpse of the light can make you giddy." "Strange thoughts come into your head... and you better think 'em." "Has a special fate been calling you and you not listening?" "Is there a secret message right in front of you... and you're not reading it?" "Is this your last, best chance?" "Are you gonna take it?" "Or are you going to the grave with unlived lives in your veins?" "Notifying your wife, for instance." "What did I say?" "If you had a wife." "What did I talk about?" "I talked to Margaret." "She, uh, filled out a red dress." "What else?" "Teeny, you're pretty." "Bubba, isn't Teeny pretty?" "I seen better." "I seen worse." "No, that's why I ain't never married." "You got yourself the best fish in the sea." "I wonder what it'd be like to be a woman." "All that smooth skin... long hair." "If I was a woman, I'd be a slut." "A lesbian slut." "Gwen says smoking marijuana lowers your sperm." "Lowers it to where?" "Maybe you're the infertile one around here." "Maybe every time you smoke a little doobie... you're killing our unborn children." "OK, close." "Why are you limping'?" "I..." "I twisted up my ankle on the stairs." "Mm-hmm." "I was wondering maybe you could give me a ride home." "Yeah, sure, OK." "All right, I'll talk to you about it later." "Mm-hmm." "All I know is, every woman should have one beau before any woman has 2 beaus." "He's not my beau." "He's my friend." "Happy Halloween, Retail Rodeo shoppers." "There's a Retail Rodeo special on all bulk candy on aisle 4." "Ghouls and goblins, witches and warlocks... wandering these aisles day after day..." "I put a Halloween curse on your hellish heads." "Good night, Corny." "Good night." "Happy Halloween." "Oh, I'm not a pagan, but thanks all the same." "Which ankle did you twist, Holden?" "My left." "Hmm." "Maybe you should put some cold water on it so it doesn't swell up and inflame." "OK." "You're a writer, so you have yourself a goal, I guess." "I used to, you know... lie in bed and imagine other cities... other jobs I could have... other husbands." "Now I don't even know what to imagine anymore." "Holden, I have a husband." "Thought you said he was a pig." "Well..." "Holden..." "I don't want to hurt anybody." "So I been thinking about what you're saying about my sperm being low." "I mean, I know I got good sperm." "It's baby-making sperm, but... suppose it couldn't hurt to have it confirmed by an expert." "Oh, who gives a shit?" "Who needs a fucking baby, anyway?" "You wanna make yourself useful around here?" "Why don't you get that goddamn TV fixed?" "What the hell?" "It sounds like a helicopter is landing in here." "You want a blackberry, honey?" "Man was selling 'em on the road." "No, thank you." "They're real sweet." "This is for you." "It's from Holden." "Where is he?" "He's got the day off." "He came by this morning with it." "Thanks." "Don't mention it." "Hey, Gwen." "Hi, sugar." "DearJustine... because of you, I'll be quitting the Retail Rodeo." "The last 2 days have been the most god-awful of my life." "I've not been able to get rid of you in my head." "I've never wanted anything so bad... and I have wanted many things." "I'd given up long ago on being gotten by someone else... and then you came along." "The idea that I could be gotten because of circumstance or never get got is the worst feeling I've ever felt... and I have felt many bad feelings." "I'm sorry I can never see you again, Justine." "Forgive me for being so weak, but that is who I am." "Good-bye..." "Holden Worther." "If, for some reason... you could change your mind and want to be with me... body and soul, meet me after work." "I will be waiting for you at 5 p.m." "outside Chuck E. Cheese." "If you are not there at 5:00... you will never see me again in your lifetime." "Gwen." "Hmm." "What's wrong?" "I'm OK." "I feel a little sick." "Let's go." "There he goes." "What happened?" "There he goes." "Gwen?" "Gwen?" "Justine?" "You're OK." "What's going on in here?" "Jesus." "Gwen, you sick?" "We got..." "We gotta get her to a hospital." "Justine, you drive her to Saint Catherine's." "Well, what time is it?" "It's a quarter to 5:00." "Why, you gotta be somewhere?" "Gwen." "Oh, I had a dream." "I had a dream I was sprouting a beard made of bean sprouts." "Oh." "I'm gonna let you off here, OK?" "OK." "You'll meet me inside?" "Uh, well, yeah." "You know what I'm gonna do?" "I'm gonna park the car... and then I'll come in and meet you in there." "OK." "Thanks." "You're a doll." " Hey!" " Ohh!" "Oh, God, I'm really glad you came." "I just ditched Gwen at the hospital." "Oh, God, thank God." "Where are we going?" "Let's go to my house." "No." "With your folks there?" "We'll just park somewhere." "Oh, this isn't well-planned." "Look, I don't know." "I don't care." "Wherever you want." "I just want to hold you." "Wherever you want." "I just want to hold you." "That's $45 even." "And I need you to fill this out for me." "Stay here." "I can't do it." "We'll be back here before you know it." "I don't want to." "I don't want to go." "Justine." "I'm yours." "I'm all yours." "Hey." "Hey." "Where you been?" "Gwen got real sick today." "She was throwing up all over the store." "I had to take her to the hospital and sat with her." "Did she sick up on you?" "No." "Did she sick up on anybody?" "Ha ha ha ha." "It's not funny, Phil." "It's serious." "I'm gonna go by there after work tomorrow, too." "And the next day." "Justine, what happened to you?" "What?" "Went down to Saint Catherine's to check up on Gwen." "I looked all over for you." "She was asking for you." "How is she?" "She was heaving up until there was nothing left to heave." "Doctor said she must've eaten something with some kind of parasite in it... some kind of bacteria." "I bet it was those blackberries." "They're gonna keep her in there until she gets better, so... you're gonna have to supervise cosmetics." "Stop it." "Somebody's gonna see." "Who cares?" "I don't care." "I crave you." "I want to know everything about you." "Who are you?" "I'm just this woman." "I moved to Texas when I was 11." "My daddy was in the air force." "I wanna knock your head open and see what's inside." "I've had so much pain in my life." "I know you have, too." "I can see it." "Holden gave me two of his stories to read." "It was more like the story of what a story would be." "It was about a boy who was put upon... whose mother is cold and selfish and whose father wanted him to play football." "Other people didn't get him, especially girls." "Soon enough, the boy comes to believe that no one can ever really know him." "He starts acting out... drinking and taking all kinds of drugs." "At the end, the boy kills himself by jumping over a bridge." "The second story was pretty much the same as the first... except, at the end, the boy kills himself by drinking a bottle of bug poison." "Your stories are intense." "I just want to leave some kind of legacy." "Something great." "And after that, I don't care what happens to me." "Don't say that." "I wish there was a story about me." "I don't know who would read it, though." "I would." "I like this." "I like having a secret." "You gave me a secret, Holden." "See?" "Now that you met me, you're mysterious." "And dark and twisted." "I'm doomed to hell, aren't I?" "Yes, you are." "What is it?" "That's Bubba's truck." "Get in the car." "Phil takes that truck to work every day." "Bubba picks him up and drops him off." "Why?" "Why would that truck be parked there?" "Well, I don't know." "If he finds out about us..." "I won't let him hurt you." "He's big, Holden." "He'll kill you." "He'll beat me, but he will kill you." "You can't worry about something that hasn't even happened." "I gotta go to the hospital." "All right." "Don't." "I mean, he could be following us." "Justine." "Poor lady." "She just passed." "What?" "Who did?" "Gwen." "She passed away." "Wha..." "What do you mean?" "I thought she had a stomachache." "Well, she got worse... and she was on life support all day, and..." "I don't understand." "It was God's will, Justine." "No one can understand it." "No point trying." "It was just Gwen's time to... fly away home." "Gwen died today." "What?" "Are you kidding?" "What for?" "Parasite." "Bacteria." "Something she ate." "Are you OK?" "Where were you this afternoon?" "Painting on Bovary." "Why?" "What time did Bubba bring you home?" "Knocked off early, about 4:00." "Bubba had a date with a stewardess." "Why?" "I can't believe she's dead." "I wasn't a very good friend to her." "Aw, don't say that, Teeny." "Of course you were." "Of course you were." "Retail Rodeo employees... this is Jack Field, your store manager." "Before we open today..." "I have some terrible and shocking news." "One of our best employees, Gwen Jackson... died yesterday." "Gwen was a real class act." "She had a good attitude." "She had ideas." "And we're all gonna miss her." "Now, if any of y'all need to collect your thoughts and remember Glen..." "Gwen... ahem... then today's the day." "You'll be excused from work... and we'll just have to do without you." "Gwen, this one's for you." "Holden had the notion to spend the day at Gabler's Creek... skinny-dipping and making love." "He said we'd be like Adam and Eve... rolling in the sticks and dirt and being one with the wilderness." "He was so fixed on the idea that even when the clouds were coming in and the sky was getting dark... he kept on swimming'." "All my thoughts turned to death." "I thought of Gwen's body rotting away." "I thought about what a nice person she was... so full of life and goodwill." "If there is a heaven, Gwen would be there... giving makeovers and offering up helpful advice." "I thought if I died today, what would happen to me... a hateful girl... a selfish girl?" "An adulteress." "A liar." "Oh." "What are we doing?" "Making one out of two." "I haven't thought this through." "Justine... you leave him." "And go where?" "With you on my arm... my folks would think I've changed... and they'd stop thinking I'm such a loner." "I have a girlfriend, a pretty one... who knows me and likes me, and they'd be so happy they'd give me money to write my novel." "But where will we go?" "It'll be like..." "Catcher in the Rye... but by me." "I'll be immortal, and then, likeJ.D. Salinger..." "I'll just vanish." " Hey, Teeny." "We been up to no good." "Got the day off on account of the rain." "I thought you might." "What are you doing?" "Say, I heard about your friend being dead and all." "I'm sorry." "Yeah, she was real healthy, too." "Well, at least you were with her when she went." "Isn't that right?" "You were with her when she went." "Yeah." "I wish it would rain every day from here on out." "Never have to paint again." "Now, you have to make sure you order the right ones when you run out." " Hey, Justine." " Hi." "How you holding up?" "Fine." "Real shocker." "I decided to move Cheryl over to cosmetics." "She got a little too creative on the P.A." "Maybe she'll watch her Ps and Qs over here." "If she don't, she's out on her butt." "Now you listen toJustine, sister." "Do you want me to help you get stuff out of storage?" "Oh... no." "Maybe later?" "All right." "Well, are you going to give me a ride home today?" "My ankle sure is acting up." "I got to get home." "But maybe Cheryl can." "What?" "You need a ride?" "Forget it." "I think we got to take a breather." "I'm nervous." "I feel guilty." "Well, can't we go to the motel?" "Not today." "Well, let's go to the storeroom." "Just be patient, Holden." "Um, I was wondering what time was that, uh, Bible study?" "It's tomorrow night at 8:00." "We'd sure love to have you." "Can I bring my husband?" "Of course." "You know, the couple that prays together stays together." "What's this?" "The Holy Bible." "There's one for you and one for me." "Not very light, is it?" "We're going to Bible study." "The couple that prays together stays together." "I heard it was the couple that lays together stays together." "Well, you heard wrong." "Cheryl... do you think you could take this one?" "Sure." "Sit right down here, ma'am." "We're going to make you pretty." "Now how do you like your hair?" "What?" "Are you going to do my hair?" "No, I just need to know if that's your usual way of wearing it... all big and high." "If it is, I'll just put more makeup on your chin to offset it." "You're going to want to take a whole bottle of this home with you." "It's got quite a lot of ingredients in it... so you're getting a good deal." "It's got ginkgo extract in it." "Do you know what that is?" "No." "It's extract of the ginkgo... and it makes your skin real slick so that any liquid will roll right off you... be it water, or lemon juice, or urine." "I'll put it in a bag for you." "Phil... what are you doing?" "what are you doing?" "What?" "We're going to be late for Bible study." "You're stoned." "You got paint in your hair." "Would you get in the shower, dummy?" "I completely didn't remember." "Ohh, get in the shower." "Working on your spiritual life?" "Yeah, I guess." "Ain't that a hoot and a holler?" "What do you mean?" "I saw you, Justine." "You saw me what?" "I saw you." "We got some things to talk about... you and me." "You come by my house tomorrow after work... if you know what's good for you." "Hey... where's Bubba?" "He left." "Well, I'm ready." "Let's go." "I don't know what to say aboutJesus." "I'm stoned." "Just let the other people do the talking." "Oh, geez... we forgot the Bibles, Justine." "Well, that's all right, they'll forgive us." "Howdy." "Welcome." "Hey there, people." "Glad you could make it." "Hi, Corny." "This is my husband..." "Phil." "Howdy, Phil." "Y'all are in for a treat." "We got a good discussion planned for tonight." "If man is made in God's image... what does that say about God?" "Yeah, that sounds like a good one, man." "Hey, Brandon, I want to talk to you about the casting of Pilgrim's Progress." "Phil, come with me to the car." "What?" "Come with me to the car." "I got to get something." "What are you doing?" "Get in the car." "Just get in the car, Phil." "What the hell?" "I don't want to go to Bible study." "Why not?" "Because I don't want to." "Now let's just get out of here." "Justine, this is embarrassing." "We're running away from Bible study like a couple of devil worshipers." "I don't care." "I'm not in the mood." "You are freaking me out, man." "Why?" "Why?" "Because we forgot our Bibles is why." "You just said 2 seconds ago they'd forgive us." "Well, they may not, all right?" "So can we please just get the shit out of here?" "All right." "I'm never going back to Bible study again." "I can tell you that much." "I don't care." "Fine by me." "Let's just go." "I look too white, don't you think?" "Not at all." "I'm just trying to match your face with your hair." "I was thinking you're not white enough." "I think I look kind of weird." "The first rule of fashion is you have to look weird." "What I'm doing has come straight here from France." "Oh?" "It's called Cirque du Face... meaning "Circus of the Face,"" "and it's all the rage with the Frenchies, ma'am." "Well, you're the professional." "That's right... and you're in good hands." "Justine, what happened to you?" "I looked over, and I saw you two driving off like vampires in the night." "Oh, gee... we... we forgot our Bibles." "Well, you could have just looked on with your neighbor." "It's a church, you know." "You can't make water without bumping your nut on a Bible." "Well, we felt bad." "What in blazes?" "Do you like it?" "I can't go." "What?" "I can't go today." "There's something important that I have to tend to." "I thought you said we'd go today." "Yeah, something came up." "Well, what?" "What came up?" "OK, look, uh..." "I think, um, maybe... somebody has found out about us." "Well, I'm starting to wonder if you even want to go." "I'm starting to think you don't get me." "Maybe I don't get you." "You do!" "You do get me!" "You just don't want to get me... because I'm too intensified for you." "Justine, who cares..." "Who cares if someone found out?" "Look, we don't have to live like this, Justine." "I know what it's like to go home every night and feel like you're hiding out." "We can leave all this behind." "That's easy for you to say, Holden." "You are not married." "Are you just going to give up?" "You going to go crawling back?" "Holden, you are going to get us caught!" "You're so fucking frightened... it makes me sick." "Wait... don't give up on us." "I won't." "OK." "OK." "I'll see you tomorrow, OK?" "OK?" "OK." "Good luck on your important thing." "Thanks." "Easy, Bits." "Easy, Bits." "Back in your corner!" "Back in your corner!" "Back in your corner, Bits!" "Come on in." "I want to show you something." "Sit." "You get in your corner!" "Get in your corner!" "I mean it!" "In your corner!" "In your corner!" "I'm in shock." "Why?" "You know why." "Bubba sat like that for what seemed like 10 years before he began to speak." "Finally, when he opened his mouth... he talked a blue streak about the sad ruin that was his life." "He talked about how he loved Phil... and how he loved me... and how he always wanted a girlfriend just like me and to be a guy like Phil and to be a guy like Phil to this imaginary girl like me who he never found." "Then he started on about giving up your dreams and how it's all a part of getting older." "Bubba had given up his dream of being Phil." "He had accepted his fate of being Bubba... always and forever." "Then last week... a door that had always been shut swung wide open." "Bubba felt that this was no chance coincidence." "A cosmic force was at work." "The sounds of me making love to a man who wasn't Phil was like a shout in Bubba's ear from the Creator himself." "What it meant, or what to do or why..." "Bubba didn't know." "All he knew was that he hated me for poisoning the well of idealism from which he had drunk for so long." "I was no longer Bubba's image of perfection." "I was just a liar and a whore... and that sickened him." "But on the other hand... he loved me for opening his eyes and releasing him from the bitter chains of envy that bound him to Phil." "Phil was no Superman... just a cuckold and a fool... and that was beautiful." "Bubba felt that there was just one thing left for us to do... something that would solve both of our problems and end this whole tragic saga." "Bubba, I'm not going to sleep with you." "But don't you see?" "This is my chance for liberation." "But one person's..." "But one person's... you know, liberation... is another person's badness." "There's just no way." "I'm going to have to tell Phil then." "Why?" "He's my best friend." "I can't keep him in the dark about something this big." "He's a cuckold." "But you want to cuckold him yourself." "That's different." "That's not about him." "That's about my salvation." "Look, you've got your choice to make..." "Destroy your marriage and break your husband's heart... or have sex with me right now." "In your corner, Bits!" "Down!" "In your corner!" "Justine!" "Justine!" "Justine!" "Oh!" "God!" "What?" "There was someone at that window." "Did you not see?" "Oh, you're paranoid." "I got to go." "Phil is never going to find out about any of this." "Don't fret." "Just get this damn dog away from me." "You're looking at a free man, Justine." "A free man." "Great." "Good for you." "Thank you." "Bits!" "Bits!" "Bits!" "All the tales of mystical places began with "once upon a time..."" "I'm nervous." "You're nervous?" "Why?" "Because I got to go to that doctor tomorrow and jism into a cup, that's why." "What if I can't do it?" "You can do it." "You know, if you said you'd help me..." "I'd feel a lot less nervous." "It's going to be on your lunch hour anyway." "OK." "You didn't even say nothing about the TV being fixed." "Oh." "Is it?" "Thanks." "You're welcome." "Well, aren't you a fright?" "Justine, have you heard from Holden?" "He didn't show up for work today." "I want to know what gives." "I know you two are friends." "We're not friends." "You eat lunch together every day." "No, we don't." "Well, if you see him... tell him Jack Field's looking for him." "Oh, my God!" "What are you doing?" "You're a hooker." "You hooker!" "I saw you." "You followed me." "So how many guys you gettin' with?" "You gettin' with every guy in the state?" "No!" "Holden, this is all because of you!" "He had me over a barrel." "If I didn't sleep with him... he was going to tell Phil about us." "I'm so alone!" "You've got to get ahold of yourself." "Are you drunk?" "Yes, I'm drunk!" "And I'll be drunk every day until the day I die!" "What do you care?" "You'll jump on any pecker that's put in front of you!" "It's not what you think." "I saw everything!" "Oh, God!" "Oh, my God!" "OK, go home, sober up... meet me after work... and we will talk about this." "Where are you going?" "I got to help Phil with his sperm." "What?" "Just go!" " Go on!" " Wait." "I can't share you, Justine!" "Maybe with one man... but not with a whole bunch of them!" "Oh, great." "Mr. Last, would you come with me?" "Wish me luck." "Good luck, honey." "Knock 'em dead, partner." "You look nice." "No, I don't." "I know you're angry, and I can figure why... but from where I stand... what happened yesterday was a wonderful thing." "Nothing happened yesterday, so drop it." "Well, I'm awful grateful to you, Justine." "I am." "Bubba, I mean it." "Let me just ask you one thing." "How do I stack up against Phil... you know?" "How do I stack up against him where it counts?" "Ma'am?" "Your husband has made a request for your presence." "Who's that?" "It's Justine." "Come on." "I can't do this on my own." "I need help." "What?" "You've never done it on your own?" "Not in a place like this." "Not when I have to hand over the results." "Just... let me hold your boob." "Here." "Ow!" "They're sore." "What's wrong with you?" "You look like death." "My stomach's cramping." "I feel sore." "Is it your period?" "No, it's just stress." "I know, this job's stressful." "I'm breaking out." "You're breaking out because you put so much makeup on your face." "Maybe you're pregnant." "What?" "No." "You know, sometimes I think to myself..." ""At least it can't get any worse."" "But it can." "It could get worse." "As long as you can say you hit rock bottom... you haven't." "Oh, my God... blackberries." "A blind man could go deaf... a widow could lose her children... babies starve and they never get food." "They never get any food!" "They just come into the world and they die." "Holden, calm down, all right?" "I can't calm down!" "It'd be easy if I was a hooker like you... then I could calm down all over town." "Hey!" "I am not a hooker!" "I..." "I know you're not." "I'm in agony." "Why?" "What do you mean why?" "I thought you hated your life." "I do." "I mean, I'm depressed, but... but you are really depressed." "I'll kill him." "I'll murder him in his sleep." "I'll kill my parents, I'll steal their money... whatever it takes..." "just... just whatever you want." "Just as long as it's you and me." "Please don't forsake me, Justine." "OK." "I can't take it!" "All right, I won't." "I won't, I promise." "I won't." "I promise, OK?" "I realized then that Holden was at best, a child... and at worst, a demon." "If I was ever going to go straight..." "I'd have to ditch him." "Sometimes to get back on the road to redemption... you have to make a few pit stops." "How much are the blackberries?" "Ah, a tin for $2.00, miss." "Here you go." "Thank you." "Have a blackberry." "We..." "We need a plan." "We can't keep living day-to-day." "We got to chart a course, and we just got to stick..." "Have a blackberry, Holden!" "They're..." "They're dirty." "They're sweet." "If I could only get my hands on some money." "If someone could just tell me the answer." "I got to do..." "But I never do anything... 'cause I end up thinking about it instead." "I got to do." "But do what..." "Whoa." "What?" "What was that for?" "They looked dirty." "They..." "like..." "I saw a bug in them or something." "Son, I understood your history." "Your father gave me a call, I gave you a job." "I even let you use that name... even though it isn't yours... and I never do that with other people in the store, so..." "I'm worried about Holden..." "Tom." "I'm..." "I'm worried about Tom." "I just befriended Tom recently... and now... well..." "I think he's mentally ill." "He's got this idea in his head that we've had some sort of affair... which is crazy... because I'm..." "I'm married..." "And..." "And he said..." "He's been saying all sorts of strange things and making threats... and drinkin'... and... and I just think he would be better off someplace where people... professionals... could take care of him." "Otherwise, I..." "I..." "I..." "He's going to get himself into trouble." "What are you doing in there?" "What's that?" "It's a home pregnancy test." "Why are you taking it?" "Because I still haven't gotten my period." "What's it say?" "Well, I haven't taken it yet." "Could you give me a minute, please?" "I want to be here when you find out, Teeny." "OK." "The little plastic doohickey's turning blue." "What's that mean?" "Blue?" "Bright blue." "That means I'm pregnant." "All right!" "I knew it." "Waste of time going to that sperm doctor." "We did it!" "We're going to have ourselves a baby." "Maybe." "Tomorrow... we're going to celebrate at Senor Tuna." "Yes, we are." "And I'm going to bring Bubba... you can bring some of your friends from work, or... the Bible-study guy... whoever." "Too bad Gwen's dead." "The test could be wrong, Phil." "It's a little early to be having a party." "Well, let's do it mellow then." "You sure don't seem too excited." "Oh, I'm excited." "It's just... you know, a lot of worries come along with having a baby." "Now don't think negative." "Think positive." "We could have ourselves a tiny Phil... or a tiny Teeny." "Teeny's going to have a teeny-weeny Teeny." "You think anything's going to change... having a baby?" "What do you mean?" "Everything's going to change." "Yeah, but I mean... do you think anything's really going to change?" "What do you mean?" "Gentlemen?" "Morning." "We found these out in the road." "Belonged to a fellow named of Burt Evans." "Tell us about everything." "Hello?" "Hi." "This is Dr. Williams returning the call ofJean Worther." "I'm calling from the Halin County Psychiatric Hospital." "Who was it, Tom?" "It was a wrong number." "Either of you seen Holden?" "That boy is out on his ass!" "Justine, something's going on." "Something is definitely happening." "OK, go find out." "What?" "What is it?" "What's happening?" "It's big." "What?" "It's very big." "Cheryl, come on." "I'm gonna kill you." "Somebody stole $15,000 from the safe." "Yeah." "They blew the thing open with a gun." "Oh, my God." "Not only that... but the cops know who did it." "Who?" "Somebody who works here." "Oh, Cheryl!" "Holden..." "Holden did it." "Fool left his cashier key in the door." "Oh, my God." "They can't find him, though." "They say he robbed his folks, too..." "Took off." "You in on it?" "What?" "!" "No." "I know you two played hooky in the storeroom." "I'll never rat on you." "I done some things myself." "Just tell me..." "you in on it?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "Suit yourself." "Justine... can we talk to you for a second?" "Come in." "Hi, Justine." "Go ahead and have a seat." "Justine, you like working at the Retail Rodeo, don't you?" "You like the company... and you like the people?" "You wouldn't want to jeopardize all that by making some silly error in judgment... would you?" "Holden stole $15,000 from the safe last night." "Did you have anything to do with it?" "No." "I don't know anything." "'Cause we know you're very tight with Holden." "I hardly know him." "I've seen you in the storeroom with him, Justine... on many an occasion." "I think you know him pretty well." "I don't know anything." "Justine!" "Justine!" "Justine!" "I did it." "I finally did something." "The police are looking for you." "Oh, who cares?" "I'm proud of myself." "Fuck them." "Fuck all of'em." "Hey!" "They think that I'm in on it, too, OK?" "Corny has got a camera in that storage room." "That Bible-thumping pervert has been watching us the whole time." "Well, we're out of here!" "Justine..." "God." "I got over $20,000." "I got a gun." "What else?" "Oh, God, I'm getting all goosey." "I think I'm gonna crash." "I'm pregnant, Holden." "It's my baby." "Not necessarily." "Yes, it is." "You know it is." "Even if it is... you cannot raise a baby on the run." "Yes, you can." "I mean, you can't raise a baby here." "You know that." "Justine." "You hate your husband." "You hate your job." "You love me, let's go." "I can't go tonight." "I gotta pack my things... and I'd have to get more money." "Well, then tomorrow." "I'll go to the motel, and I'll wait for you." "Just be there by noon." "Oh, this is just all going too fast." "Justine, what do you have to lose?" "Nothing." "Well, then be there by noon." "OK." "I love you, Justine." "This is all gonna work out." "I know it." "Oh, geez, wait." "I almost forgot." "Here's a story of your life." "You inspired me." "Hey, Teeny." "Hey." "Getting worried about you." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Justine, this is Floberta." "Floberta, this is Justine." " Hi." " Hi." "Congratulations on your expectation." "Thanks." "Well, you think it's a girl or a boy?" "It don't make no difference as long as it plays quarterback for the Cowboys." "Well, I hear Senor Tuna calling." "Yello." "Yeah." "Well, it's not right." "What is that supposed to mean?" "Hey, look..." "No." "You..." "No, you look." "You..." "You don't know shit, OK?" "Justine's pregnant." "You got that?" "Yeah, well, look... you better check your records again, pal... then you call me." "Dumb doctor says my sperm's no good." "Does that mean Justine's not pregnant?" "No." "It just means they messed up, is all." "They don't know everything." "They just got it wrong, is all." "It looks like that wind's picking up again." "How it all came down to this, only the devil knows." "Retail Rodeo was at the corner on my left." "The motel was down the road to my right." "I closed my eyes and tried to peer into the future." "On my left, I saw days upon days of lipstick and ticking clocks... dirty looks and quiet whisperings." "And burning secrets that just won't ever die away." "And on my right, what could I picture?" "The blue sky, the desert earth... stretching out into the eerie infinity... a beautiful, never-ending nothing." "Hey, Justine." "I know where you can find him." "Holden?" "He's at the Motel Glen Capri... and he'll be there till noon." "You done good." "You're a good girl." "Hey." "Hey." "What's going on in the bedroom?" "Looks like a twister hit it." "Oh, yeah, I was, uh..." "I was doing laundry." "I thought we'd been robbed." "A spokesperson from the sheriff s office will be joining me." "Why aren't you at work?" "They gave me the day off." "This is Ken Rudolph reporting from the Glen Capri Motel where a standoff between police and a local man has just ended in bloodshed." "Police had been given a tip that a man suspected of burglarizing a local Retail Rodeo discount store had been staying at the motel." "had been staying at the motel." "The man was a Retail Rodeo employee named Thomas Worther." "Worther allegedly began brandishing a handgun." "He then fired one shot, taking his own life." "Inside the motel room... police say they found $15,000 and a handgun..." "Oh, man." "Retail Rodeo..." "You know that guy?" "Thomas Worther was 22 years old." "Mm." "That is all the information we have at this time." "Of course, details are rather sketchy." "We'll continue to monitor the situation a spokesperson from the sheriff s office will be joining me in a few moments with an update." "But for now, I can tell you what we know." "Attention, Retail Rodeo employees... this is Jack Field, your store manager." "As most of y'all know by now... we lost another employee yesterday." "Holden was a thief and a disturbed young man... and what happened was a sad thing." "Perhaps we can learn a lesson from this tragedy... like don't steal and don't be disturbed." "The important thing is to move on." "Life does, and so should we." "This one's for you, Holden." "I thought we were gonna get a day to grieve and go to the movies." "What?" "What is it?" "I was just at your house, and the mail came... and Phil was opening letters." "And he opened this bill from a credit card company." "And, fuck... please don't tell him about us, Justine." "Please." "Please." "I love Phil." "I love him more than myself." "Please have mercy on me." "Hey, Phil." "Have you been sleeping around behind my back?" "What?" "I said, have you been sleeping around behind my back?" "Yes." "Why?" "Why?" "I don't know why." "Don't you love me?" "Don't you love me at all?" "Yes." "You're the only man alive that I love." "Oh, God, please don't tell me it's not my baby." "It's your baby." "Are you sure?" "It is." "I swear." "I swear to God." "Who was he?" "Oh, that doesn't matter." "Yeah, it does." "Was it someone from work?" "Yeah, I know who it was." "It was that Bible-study guy... wasn't it?" "That Nazarene." "That's why you're acting so spooked." "Yeah." "It was him." "I'm gonna beat his ass." "Phil, don't." "Ah, you're getting all swollen." "I'm sorry I hit you, baby." "I'm sorry, Phil." "I need to get stoned." "OK." "Get stoned." "I just gotta escape, you know?" "Yeah." "Do you ever feel like that... like you gotta escape?" "Yeah." "Yeah, I do." "What are those?" "Fake eyelashes, extra long." "J-Just do it normal for once." "You want me to make the other cheek purple to even it out?" "No." "Did you hear about Corny?" "He was going home after Bible study last night... and 2 beefy guys with painted faces pulled up in a truck and jumped him." "That's terrible." "Yeah." "That day, I read the story" "Holden wrote for me." "It was kind of different from the other ones but kind of the same." "It was about a girl who was put upon... whose job is like a prison and whose life has lost all meaning." "Other people don't get her new places all the time." "especially her husband." "One day she meets a boy who's also put upon... and they fall in love." "After spending their whole lives never getting got... with one look... they get each other completely." "That's my big baby." "In the end, the girl and the boy run away together into the wilderness... never to be heard from again."