"Did you think we were gonna be together forever?" "You know, you act like such a little kid." "Like, you're a little eight-year-old runnin' around, bein' goofy." "You know, I just can't stand it anymore." "What do you want me to say?" "Don't say nothin'." "Can I say I'm sorry?" "It's too late." "Just don't say nothin'." "Can I kiss you one last time?" "Tell me." "Tell me that you love me." "Do you love me?" "They used to get around, walkin' around, lookin' at stuff." "They used to try to find clues to all the mysteries... and mistakes God had made." "My friend George said that he was gonna live to be 100 years old." "He said" " He said that he was gonna be the president of the United States." "I wanted to see him lead a parade and wave a flag on the Fourth of July." "He just wanted greatness." "The grown-ups in my town, they were never kids like me and my friends." "They had worked in wars and built machines." "It was hard for them to find their peace." "Don't you know how that feels?" "I like to go to beautiful places... where there's waterfalls and empty fields." "Just places that are nice and calm and quiet." "Come back here!" "You will not defeat me!" " Hi, George." " Hi." " What you doin'?" " Nothin'." "You will die in the graveyard of- You know what I mean." "'Cause I am smooth!" "Bam, bam, Bud-dy!" " Who's cat is that?" " This is Nancy the cat." "I'm baby-sittin' her for my cousin." "She's in Florida somewhere." "So, why aren't you over there with Vernon and them?" "My head hurts." "Yeah, my legs hurt." "I love you!" "I love you!" "This is war!" "When I look at my friends, I know there's goodness." "I can look at their feet, or when I hold their hands," "I pretend I can see the bones inside." "This place is falling apart faster than we can do anything." "You're supposed to be a leader, Damascus." "You oughta look around and see the hazards." "I'm holding you for a day's pay." "You're holding me for a day's pay?" "A day's pay?" "End of discussion." "I've got a train yard to run." "That's what I'm talkin' about." "I'm talkin' about conditions." "I'm talkin' about goin' home every night and not coughing up blood." "I'm talkin' about I got burns on the back of my neck." "I'm talkin' about animals runnin' up, tearing' up track." "What am I 'posed to do when one of those dogs bite me, huh?" "Your workman's compensation doesn't cover that, does it?" "Think about it, Damascus." "You're a good worker." "Don't do anything you're gonna regret six months from now." "Mm-hmm." "I'm thinkin' about it." "The first time George saw his dog, it was sittin' in some feces." "It didn't have anywhere to go, no one to love it." "It couldn't do no harm but walk." "Ears are nasty, his head is nasty, his legs are nasty, his tail's crooked." " Ahhh!" " Get off me, man!" "You play too much." "Hey, Augie, now that Damascus quit, I bet my dad makes you supervisor." "Yeah, wouldn't that be fun?" "Maybe you'll get a raise." "Hey, could I get a light?" "I am absolutely disgusted with all of you." "Completely disgusted." "Look at what you eat for lunch." "Look at that." "What is that?" "That's preservatives." " It's fudge." " Euless." " Nobody cares what you're saying." " It causes cancer." " You're gay." " I'm not gay." "I have a wife, okay?" "It causes cancer." "At least, if you're gonna eat that, have some almonds." "How do you deal with yourself?" "When I go to the bathroom," "I like to be proud of what happens." "I like to be proud of the whole experience." "I like to know that it smells sweet, not horrible." "Hold up, hold up." "There are two hot dogs with chili somewhere in my pant suit." "Why are you always toting that toothbrush around for?" "I'll tell you what." "Why don't you guys try some salad?" " I have a mixed salad in my bag." " Euless, I don't eat at all." "I don't eat at all." "And you don't stretch before you work, either." "When I get a hankering for something to eat, I chew it and spit it out." "Know what I'm sayin'?" "Hey, there's those kids again." "They're trying to steal a car." "No." "Uh-uh." "Excuse me." "You'll not touch that." "No." "It's that crazy nigger, Rico Rice." "You just get off that bike." "My dad's at lunch right now, but you know what he said he'd do if he caught you around here again." "I'd like to see him try." "Sonya, excuse me, but you're already busted for stealin' Nathan Worthin's car." "If my pop comes out here shootin' his machine gun, it ain't gonna be me goin' to federal prison or sittin' in the electric chair." "Shock!" "This piece of junk ain't doin' nothing' but sittin' in a ditch." "Well, duh." "I gotta fix the damn thing." ""Well, duh." "I gotta fix the damn thing."" "I believe it's on." "Whoo!" "Now say that to my face, playboy!" "Whoo!" "Burnt bacon!" " Oh, man!" " Come on, get it on!" "Break it, break it, break it." "Break it up." "Break it up." " Come on, man!" " You'll get us all fired." "Here's the story." "Buddy, George and Vernon, you can touch the bike." "Sonya, you cannot." " What's happening, Buddy?" " What's happening?" " How're you doin'?" "Long time no see." " Yeah." " How's your moms?" " She doin' all right." "Yeah?" "Still got trouble gettin' to sleep at night." " That's tough, man." " Yeah." " She's been through a lot, you know?" " Yeah, but she's okay." "I just gotta sing to her before she goes to bed at night." "Otherwise, she can't get to sleep." "Kinda stupid, but it don't bother me." "Makes me sleepy too." "What kind of songs you sing to her?" "Uh... she likes the theme to Blazing Saddles." " How's your pee?" " How's my what?" "Your pee." "Your urine." "Is it clear?" "Oh, yeah, yeah." "Good." "Means you're healthy." "Cool." " Why are you tryin' to get pregnant so bad?" " Who's gonna have a baby?" "I don't know." "I guess I just wanna be a baby's mama." " What about Darrian?" " Oh, child, please." "He is too ugly to be the father of my child." "Let me tell you, guys ain't nothin'." "They break up with you, then they beg you to get back, and then they break up again." "You should've just left them alone the first time." "I know." "It's like if you don't wanna go with a guy, and you break up with them, then they beg you to go back so that they could break up with you." "Then they can go tellin' their friends, "Oh, yeah, I broke up with this girl."" "I don't understand why they go through all that." "They get on my nerves anyway." "I mean, I swear, my ex boyfriend makes me sick." "He always wanted to argue." "He'd act childish." "He's older than me." "Y'all know y'all are not gonna find nobody in this town... that's, that's even close to bein' perfect." "Y'all gotta get out, go traveling'." "You see Nasia and George at the park today talking?" "Yo, man, what's up with that, yo?" "She better not be tryin' to hurt my feelings, and she better not be hookin' up with him." "Man, this is something that girls do, man." "They try to dump you and then go with your best friend, yo." "It's just Denise and all them putting' words in their head." "She wouldn't be tryin' to talk to me, yo, 'cause I wouldn't talk back to her." "That's why she's talkin' to George." "I don't care about the other girls." "I care about Nasia." "I think about her all the time." "What's that?" "Oh, I dug this up in the ground yesterday." "Why you do that to it, man?" "I don't know." "I was bored." "Destructive kind, yo." "Cheer up, man." "Hey, George." "You know, your Uncle D walked out on us today." "That man's crazy." "I swear, Rico's father thought he was gonna have a conniption fit." "I thought he was gonna bust." "What do you call it?" "A crazy move?" "Nothing shocks my dad, man." "That's why he's the boss, and that's why he just bought a K-Car turbo, as in King Car Turbo." "That's right." "That's a good-lookin' dog." "He is a nice dog." "Where'd you get him at?" "I don't know." "I just found it." "Yeah, I seen a dog like that on television." "Man, that's rare as crap." "Smells like crap." "Have you had that thing checked out for a hysterectomy?" "I think it's got halitosis or something." "You should give it cold lima beans with a little bit of salt." "Anyways, are you gonna keep that puppy?" " No." "My uncle won't let me keep a dog." " Oh, that's right." "Old Damascus would probably cut its head off or somethin'." "He's a crazy man." "I remember this one time we were over at Barry's house." "He was havin' a cookout." "And Barry's cat started freakin' out, right?" "Like he was high, like he was physically insane, right?" "And that cat starts pushing' over people's drinks, you know, using' the restroom everywhere, and Damascus shows up, right?" "And he pulls a whip out of his, out of his shorts." "That cat runs to the left, and he pops it to the left, then he runs to the right and pops it to the right." "And then he pops that cat like right on the bridge of its nose, and that cat rolled over and started shakin', right?" "And it was so gross, it was like a - like a dead, old, gross, dead... squirrel." "Ohh." "Excuse me for a second, would you, please?" "I've just had my fruit cup." "You're gonna make me vomit, talkin' about dead squirrels." "No, this - This is little Bobby." "No, that's little Bobby's cousin." " Oh, it's just Richard." " That ain't no Richard." " It's Richard." " Richard might be his middle name." " It is too Richard." "Look, it's on the back." " You don't know him." " Girl, no." " It's written on the back of the picture." "Why do you let them come over here?" "Because you know without me you won't know about things." "Oh, and here comes Vernon." "Look at Vernon." " Please." " That boy live here?" " Come in." " Hey, Vernon, baby, how're you doin'?" " Lookin' good today." " What's up, y'all?" "All y'all lookin' good too." "I know I look good." "Hey, can I speak to Nasia?" " No, you don't." " Uh-uh." "Nasia." "Anything you got to say to her, you can say it to all of us." " Thank you." " Shut up." "I don't like you anyway." " No way." " Uh-uh." "You don't come in here with that." "You don't come up in my house, dissin' my friends." "What is your function?" "I'm just playin', Nasia." "What's up with your brother?" "Why he ain't call me?" " Huh?" " Your brother." "What's up with him?" "Girl, Denise told me he ain't had no muscles." "What do you want?" "I want to know what's up with you and Buddy?" "What do you mean?" "I mean " "You ain't been callin' him or nothin', man." "He told me." " He said y'all don't even talk no more." " Yeah, 'cause we broke up." "Broke up?" "For what?" "Because he acts too much like a little kid." "I'm looking for a more mature person." "Man, he 13, you 12." "Y'all both little kids." "What else y'all supposed to act like?" "He's supposed to act more mature." "But you know what?" "I found somebody better." " Who?" " George." "George?" "George is stupid." " Oh, God." " His skull ain't even fused together, man." "He can't even take baths." "He stink." "He wear the same jeans every day." "He don't even talk, man." "I think something wrong with that boy for real." "You know what?" "This is not even your problem." "Why" " It is my problem." " No, it's not." "Yes, it is, because Buddy is like my little brother, all right?" "And I'm just tryin' to look out for him." "You his first girlfriend." "This is comin' from my heart right here, you know?" "You just tryin' to act like your sister or somethin', tryin' to be fast." " What's wrong with you?" " You know what?" "I don't really care what you think." "I mean, I like Buddy up to a certain point." "But you know what?" "He acts too much like a little kid, so I found somebody else." "I don't want him goin' around goin' crazy because some stupid little girl dumped him." "I just wanna know why you two - why you trippin'." "Because he's too young." "Case closed." "I've got people waitin' for me, so I'll talk to you later." "All right, whatever." "George knew if his uncle found his dog... he'd end up killing it... 'cause he was always killing' stuff- bangin' on things and makin' traps." "The dog was very old and lazy... and just ugly... but George still loved it." "It" " It had bumps." "I mean, not bumps." "More like bugs and fleas and ticks." "All kinds of pests, like, all over its legs." "Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me;" "when His lamp shone over my head... and by His light I walked through darkness;" "when I was in my prime;" "when the friendship of God was upon my tent;" "when the Almighty was with me;" "when my children were around me;" "when my steps were washed with milk... and the rock poured out for me streams of oil." "Thank you." "Hey, is that the Bible or Shakespeare?" "I mean, they - Yes, there are nice people here." "It's a nice town." "I mean, it's like any other place, I guess." "But it's got its good parts, and then on the other side of the coin, there are the bad parts too." "But it's really too bad you can't see the stars on account of all the smoke." "Man, you know what?" "My room ain't got no windows anyway." "Hey, man, are you still hanging out with that girl Nasia?" "No, man." "She dumped me last week at church." " What?" " Yep." " Geez." " For my friend George Richardson." " Uh-uh." " It's kind of stupid, though." "I mean..." "I gave my all to her." "I mean, a plastic ring and a kiss." "I mean, it's the thought that counts." "George - I mean, he's all right." "I mean, if-if somebody had to dump you for somebody else," "George is probably a three on a one-to-ten scale." "I miss having her around, bein' able to talk to her about my feelings and stuff." "I mean... she had this glaze in her eyes." "Just made me tingle all over." "Yeah." "It's like that one time I dated this white girl." "And everything was going good." "You know what I mean?" "Like, everything was cool." "And all of a sudden, for no - for no reason, she dumped me for this dude who was poor, fat and ugly." "And it's just like you said." "It's like I was lookin' at myself, like, man!" "You know, and it just made you feel like crap, man." "Like real crap." "Now the only women I even like are my mom's friends." "Your mom's friends?" " Yeah." " Hey, man, play your own game." "I just hope they're better lookin' than my mom's friends - all drunk and raisin' hell every night of the week." "I mean, my mom's friends are fine." "Man, my mom's all right, though." "I mean, she's a handsome woman, and I'd say she's almost perfect." "She's, like, just super nice." "You know what I mean?" "She'll knit you a sweater if you even shiver." " You know what I mean?" " Yeah." " Hey, Aunt Ruth." " Mm-hmm." "Why don't Uncle Damascus like animals?" "He just don't like 'em, George." "They bother him." "Does he like lions, even?" "I never asked him." "What about chickens?" "Does he like them?" "He'd like to eat 'em." "Does he like dogs?" "Why not?" "He just don't like to be bothered by them." "George had to be very careful never to get his head wet." "See, his fontanel was very, very, very, very soft." "Like a baby's head." "And when he soaks it or itches it, it irritates his brain." "He don't like it, 'cause if somebody hit him in his head, he'd probably die." "Stop playin'!" "Do you remember the first time we made love to this song?" "We were out in that field." "You buried me in that grass." "Why is it that every time you start talkin', you sound like you're gonna cry?" " George." " Huh?" " I miss Momma." " You didn't even know Momma." "So, did she love me?" "Not as much as she loved me." "Why not?" "'Cause you couldn't do the funny dance." "I can too." "Well, you can now." "Back then, you was only one years old." "You couldn't even stand up straight." "We used to call you Turkey Legs." "Good night, Whitney." "Good night." "# If ever you're afraid" "# Don't feel all alone" "# The Holy Spirit's watching you" "Hey, Buddy, you ever been baptized?" "No, man." "I ain't into that kind of stuff." "# The Holy Spirit is ever so near" "# He will always hear you" "# When you pray" "Hey, George, you like Nasia, man?" "No, man." "I saw you two talkin' the other day." "Man, we was just talkin'." "That's it." "Nothin' more." " We still cool, right, though?" " Yeah, man." "# Whenever you will go away" "# He will always stay" "Dunk man!" "Help me!" " Come here, boy!" " Aaaah!" "Dunk man!" "Let go of me!" "Aaah!" " Hi." " Hi." "I'm Tyler." "I can hold my breath for six minutes." "I got T.M.J.'s disease." " What's that?" " It's a jaw problem." "How you get that neck brace?" "I was trying to do a 360 on my skateboard, and I ran into a wall." "Shut up!" "I saw you over there talkin' to them Mexican girls, man." "You little punk, you can't skateboard." " Marco!" " Polo!" "Shut up!" "You ain't even playin'." "What's wrong with you, man?" "Man, I saw you bust today." "You can't even swim." "Talkin' about you can swim, but you can't even swim." " I bet you can't swim." " I swim better than you!" " You can't!" " Can't none of y'all swim." "I saw all of y'all bustin', doin' belly flops on the diving board." " You can't swim, neither." " I saw you doin' belly flops." " You can't even swim." " I had to get out of the water." "You was gonna drown me." "Man, you're crazy, man." "I be flippin' off old ladies' heads, off buildings " "Can you do a one-and-a-half?" "Can you do a one-and-a-half?" "All right, see, that's my case." " I can do a one-and-a-half, but you can't." " Man, get out of here." " One-and-a-half is a flip." " Man, y'all gotta see this cat head when he get in the water." "His head starts swelling up." "His gums start bleeding, yo." "You know them little - What you call this?" "Little dinosaurs you put in the water, they swell up." "Yeah, that's what he look like when he get in the water." "He like a sponge." "It's a damn shame!" "Come on, y'all." "Let's get out of here." " All right, bro." " Man, what's wrong with your little brother?" "What's wrong with you?" "Man, you know what I want?" "I want some "ah-cream."" "Man, enunciate your words, man." "Pronounce." "Ice cream?" "Is that what you said?" "Ice cream." "Big money, baby." "I need a new pair of shoes." "I really need a new pair of shoes." "Come on, big money!" "Hah, y'all sad and blue now, ain't ya?" " Hey, George!" "Check this out." " Don't do that." "Y'all pitiful about it, ain't ya?" "Well, look at you!" "You still tryin' to get a decent woman." "At least I had one." "Hey, man, she weren't that decent if she dumped you." " Yeah." " Man, I gotta use the bathroom, man." "Pee." "Who cares what you gotta do?" "Don't tell the whole world." "Man, look at this place, man." "Look like a tor - two tornadoes came through here." "It even looks worse than my mom's, my mom's yard, man, 'cause we don't mow it." "It even looks worse than that, man." "Hey, man, what's wrong with your mom?" "Well... she just got a hard time gettin' to sleep at night." "That's all that is." "I heard you gotta sing to her and stuff, man." "Yeah." "But that's none of your business." "How'd you get here so fast?" "I'll have to beat you up, man." "Shut up, punk." "Bring it here." "I'll" " Come here." "Hold on." "What?" "Bring it on, baby." "Come on, baby!" "Smooth." "Quit it!" "Come on!" "Stop it!" "Put me down!" "You about to cry, boy?" "Sonya, quit playing with that doo-doo, girl." "Sonya, put that doo-doo down, girl." "Sonya, quit playing with that doo-doo, man, 'cause I swear to God if you get any on me, I'm gonna beat you down." "God dog, Sonya, you gotta be the dumbest person in captivity." "Great." "You broke my nose." "Good." "Maybe you won't be goin' around throwing' doo-doo on people." "Oh, God, y'all stupid, man." "I love every one of ya." "See?" "Now it looks like gravy." "Man, shut up, man!" "Don't ever talk to me or touch me again." "Yo, George, I got my wrestlin' uniform in the mail yesterday." "Kinda cool, huh?" "It's too big, man." "It's like I could fit both of my legs through one leg hole." "I gotta take a leak, man." "What's up?" "Hey, George, guess what, man." "This Korean dude yesterday " "He told me this joke." "What do you call something that's brown and sticky?" " What?" " A stick." " Man, that's the dumbest joke." " Man, hell no!" "Open up!" "Not my nuts, man!" "Gettin' out of shape." "Are you gay?" "When I break your heart, I'll break your bones." "Everybody knows that, 'cause I am Buddy." "Man, hell no." "My hand fell in some piss." "That ain't fair." "Yes, it is." "Oh, God!" "Help me, dude!" "Come on!" "Let go of me!" "God, man!" "You act so retarded." " Ow." " George." "Man, I didn't mean to do that." "Are you all right, man?" "George, stay back, man." "George, come on, man." "I didn't mean to mess up your head like that." "Oh, man!" "Buddy?" "Buddy?" "Get up, man." "Ow." "Oh, my head." "Aw, man, you bumped your head hard." "You all right?" "Man, I think I'll be all right." "This was my fault, man." "Man, George went crazy with you, man." "I ain't never seen him do like that before." "You ought to be a boxer or somethin', George." " You all right, man?" " Man, someone call my mom." "Man, someone get a towel." "I'm gonna wipe up this water." "George, man, what's wrong with you?" "You crazy?" "I never seen you do like that." "You didn't have to hurt him like that." " Man, you're twice as big as he is." " We was all just playing." "Weren't we, Sonya?" "Buddy, what's wrong with you, man?" "What's up, man?" "He's bleeding." "Buddy." "Oh, man!" "We gotta think." "This is private property, man." "We gotta get him, man." "We can't just leave him here." "We can't - We gotta get him, man." "If we leave him here, man, somebody gonna find out." "Man, if my dad found out, man " " This is the worst!" " How will they know it's us?" "Hey, shut up!" "You're so stupid!" "Man, it was stupid, man." "It was." "It was stupid, man." "That's my boy." "I killed him." "I grabbed his head." "I pushed him." "It's my fault he's dead." "I killed him." "Get that spider off him." "Ain't nobody gonna find you here, Buddy." "Don't nobody come here." "What do you feed that dog?" "Gummy Bears." "What else?" "Sometimes syrup on a bagel." "See, that's why that dog is so doggone skinny." "You don't feed it enough." "Just nothing' but junk." "You need to go and find him some real dog food." "This is real dog food." "The dog's eating it." " Come on." " Don't look like it to me." "It's mostly on the ground." "Hey, Rob, are you gonna go to that union meeting tonight?" "I don't like that job." "I've been there 14 years." "All I'm sayin' is, they might want you down there for a little support." "Rico, he has put in a bunch of money down there." " Uh-huh." " And you haven't helped him at all." " I'm workin' there just the same as he is." " I don't care!" " Go on down the road." "Leave him alone." " Nice workin' with you, man." " Hey, take it easy." " Bye!" "What's that dog's name?" "Or do you just call it Dog?" "My friend Vernon calls it the Flash." "I don't like that name, though." "It gets on my nerve." "I hate that name." "It's too goofy." "I think Buddy ran away 'cause he still has a crush on me." "You have nice hands." "Some men came by my house last night." "Man, people have been talking." "What'd they say?" "They wanted to know when the last time I seen Buddy was." "Man, I can't do this." "I heard about the penitentiary, man." "I can't do that." "You didn't do nothin' on purpose, Vernon." "Don't nobody care about that." "All I know is, I can't do it." "And, man..." "I just, I just want out of this." "All my life " "It's like I can't trust nobody, man." "All my life, people have let me down." "I just want to be by myself and just think about this... and think about what I'm gonna do." "'Cause I know I ain't staying' around here." "I just wish I had my own tropical island." "I wish I was - I wish I could go to China." "I wish I could go to outer space, man." "I wish I had my... own planet." "I wish" " I wish there were 200 of me, man." "I wish" " I wish I could just sit around... with computers and machines and just brainstorm all day, man." "I don't - Man, I wish I was born again." "I wish I could get saved and give my life to Christ." "Then maybe He'll forgive me for what I did." "Man, and you" " It's like you don't even show no emotion, man." "It's like you don't even care if Buddy's dead." "I don't understand you, man." "Man, I just wish there was one belief - my belief." "When you walk around with no one to laugh with you... or to hold your hand, it's a different kind of walk, you know?" "I would have never even thought of the truth that George knew." "I seen through your skin and seen the words - the things you done, the chances you missed, the loss of all things." "Soon as the swelling goes down, I think he's gonna be okay." "Keep the ice on it for another 15 minutes after he wakes up." "Just like when you went and got baptized in the lake." "That was stupid." "Are you stupid?" "I just wanted to save that boy." "You make me sick sometimes." "You know that?" "See, my first kiss was..." "in the sixth grade." " Uh-huh." " It was with this boy Dimario." "He, um" " We had been going out for maybe two weeks." " Two weeks?" " I mean, we had pop kissed before then " "Pop kissed?" " But it wasn't like a French until about two weeks after." " A French?" "You stuck your tongue in somebody's mouth after two weeks?" " Yes, I did, okay?" " Oh, I don't know how to handle this." " You are too young to be doin' that." " Anyway, back to my story." "Okay." "Sorry." "Go ahead." "Anyway, it was after school, and my friend Latrice, she was like, "Oh, y'all need to kiss, y'all need to kiss, and I wanna see it."" "And I was like, "Latrice, no, you can't."" "And then we went outside, away from the candy store where we were standing." " We went outside in the courtyard." " Mm-hmm." " And he kissed me." " Outside in the courtyard?" " I gotta watch you after school, outside in the courtyard." " Oh, goodness, please." "Yes?" "Is this the home of George Richardson?" "I'm sorry." "He's in bed." "My name is Pamela Hurst." "Your son saved my son Tyler's life today." "Yeah, we all had a hard day today." "I understand there were some complications." "Yes, George is not supposed to go in the swimming pool." "His head is very sensitive, and he's not feelin' very well." "Your son is a hero, Mrs. Richardson." "George is not my son." "He's my nephew." "I almost lost my son today." "I appreciate you comin' by." "Hmm, I remember a time I kissed somebody." "I kissed him on the steps." "His name was Charles." "I cannot believe I kissed him." "I just started goin' out with him... like five minutes before I kissed him." "You're fast, man." "And next thing, we was on the steps kissing'." "Lord, your cousin reacted really crazy." "She spit out her soda." "It was terrible." "She was laughin' at you." "Yes, then we saw each other later on that night, and all we did was kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss." "Ugh, that's probably why I don't like kissin' anymore now." "If somebody stuck their tongue in my mouth, I'll have a heart attack." "I swear." "I can't stand that." ""Duh Da Nuh Na, a new kind of hero." ""George Richardson, a 12-year-old New Street resident," ""saved the life of an unidentified eight-year-old boy yesterday afternoon." ""The youngster had fallen into the water at the New Main Street public swimming pool..." ""while his mother was having a picnic with friends at the nearby playground." ""'Carelessness,' the mother blamed." "'It's my own fault." ""'Thank God for giving George the courage and strength to be such a hero." "He will always stand in my heart.'"" "Why'd they put that picture of me in my drawers?" "That's what you were wearing when they found you." "Oh, yeah." "I didn't want to get my pants wet." "Don't worry about it, baby." "You're the hero." "They'll get your picture done right one day." "What does the term "a rolling stone gathers no moss"mean?" "If you start something, finish it, otherwise you'll never accomplish anything." " I don't know." " Has your life ever been in danger?" "No, ma'am." "One time, my brother got my hand caught in a bear trap." "There was gushing - Blood was gushing everywhere, and we couldn't go to the hospital 'cause we didn't have the money." "So we tried some tape." "When was the last time you saw Buddy?" "Um... about two days after he disappeared - before he disappeared, I mean." "And what did he say?" "I haven't seen Buddy in almost six months." "What was the last thing he said to you?" "He said, "See you later, man."" "I broke up with Buddy because I fell in love with another man." "Hi." "Hey, Daddy, can I say something?" "I just want to say that " "You remember when you told me what happened was an accident, and I didn't believe you?" "Well, I do now." "And I, I love you." "I love you so much, sometimes I can't even breathe." "Hey, you wanna get outta here one weekend?" "Y-You wanna leave?" "Tsk." "You need to get a new shirt." "Baby, you smell funky." "You smell good." "They found Buddy in a peaceful place." "The water washed... his hands." "Hello?" "Hi." "This is Nasia." "You can talk." "I don't feel good." "What time is it?" "How's your head?" "I don't know." "It's my stomach." "You wanna come over to my house?" " I wanna see you." " No." "I don't think we should talk anymore." "Why not?" "I just ain't got nothin' to say." "George always knew he'd be a hero." "It's like something he can sense." "He can tell when somebody's in trouble, so he's, like, always there, trying to help out however he can " "walking' old ladies across the street, teaching kids stuff so they can walk across the street." "One time, George saw a dead man sittin' in a ditch... and he brought him back to life." "Just little things, but they can kind of be bigger to other people." "You know, the truth is, I respect you." "People might laugh, but you push on." "Endurance." "Like a real... athlete." "People have two faces - one they have for the crowds, one they keep for themselves." "People might push you down, but you just gotta get back up... and go back to work the next morning." "You know, I saved a man from death once." "I saved a man from death." "The truth is, we're all fighting' for salvation." "But at the finish line, you're probably a better man than me." "I'd like to help you " "if you think I can cut it." "Get the hell out of here." "What are you doin'?" "What you got your panties on for?" "Just makin' notes." "That's good." "The backyard is full of fire and electrical hazards." " I'm just makin' notes of all violations." " Oh, yeah?" "Let me see what else I can cut up." "Buddy's ma was a decent woman." "She didn't ask for no trouble." "But she would never let the preacher come inside." "Too slow." "Go back to bed." "Damn, you seen George lately?" "Ever since he saved that little boy, he been walkin' around in this superhero outfit." "Crazy, man." "He ain't been talkin' to nobody." "He's been" " It's like he in another world or something." "Like he above us now since he..." "saved that little boy." "I c-can't stop thinkin' about Buddy's mama." "She was so nice, man." "She, she don't deserve this." "I remember one night... we ain't had no food in the house." "So I left... and I walked past Buddy's house and his mama was on the porch." "And it's like she could feel that I was hungry." "So she let me in, and we ate." "It was, like, sardines and crackers, but..." "I felt so bad about eatin' it, man, 'cause I knew the next day that they wouldn't have no food." "They'd go hungry." "Buddy was so skinny, man." "And I got all this in reserve." "I felt so bad about that." "Can you keep a secret?" "I'm not a good person, and I don't think nice thoughts." "Well, we all just a little screwed up right now." "But when Buddy died," "I didn't cry." "What good is that?" "Well, that's you, Sonya." "You're like... your brothers, man." "They don't cry, they don't talk." "Just go around tearing' up stuff." "I guess it ain't all that bad." "I didn't care at all." "It didn't upset me." "Vernon, I don't have much to look forward to." "I ain't smart." "I ain't no good." "My whole family ain't no good." "And for the first time in my life," "I don't got no excuses for my future." "You can come, you can come with me, Sonya." "What if it's contagious?" "What if everybody that touches me loses what they got?" "I ain't gonna catch it 'cause I ain't got nothin' to lose." "Hey, what the hell you doin'?" "Get away from my car!" "Come back here!" "You awake?" "Your sister Whitney told me you had a dog out back of the house." "That, um... it was a little, ugly dog, but, uh, that you loved it." "Do you think I killed your dog?" "All I know is I come around back of the shed the other night " "I just hid him in the bushes and watched him bleed to death." "Yeah." "He was pretty, uh, cau-caught up, huh?" "Look." "I just want you to know... that, um... dogs... scare me, okay?" "And, um, dogs - they really make me nervous." "And, um... you know how... dogs play around, right?" "And they'll climb up on your leg... and start, you know, movin' up and down." "Well, one time..." "I was about, um..." "six years old... and this dog did that to me." "And... he knocked me down." "And he started humping' me all over my body." "And, um... it really messed my head up, okay?" "And I wanted so bad... to kill this dog." "I mean, I got a drill, and I came back lookin' for him." "And, you know, he had gone off someplace." "Someplace special." "I, um" " Your dog... never had a chance." "I never gave him a chance." "I mean, nobody told me nothin'." "Okay?" "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry, all right?" "All I can say is that... that..." "I-I messed up." "And, all of the sudden, the only thing... that hits me and I'm afraid of... is God's judgment." " Hey, what's been takin' you so long?" " My mom was yellin' at me." "Man, some men came by my house today lookin' for me." "Man, we gotta get outta here." "In his heart," "I think his uncle cared about him." "He knew George's helmet hurt his head." "So he made him a soft, new hat... out of the skin of his dead dog... and an old raccoon's tail." "George said he wanted to meet a real hero." "But I think he just wanted to walk into that parade... and take his place." "Maybe if no one would look after him, at least they'd look at him." "Um, excuse me." "Uh, I just wanted to say I enjoyed the parade today." "Thank you very much." "I thought you were the best part." " Hi." " Hi." " What you doin'?" " Nothin'." " Some people are lookin' for you." " I don't care." "You know, there's a place near the Arctic Circle called Lapland." "The people there are called Lapps." "You know, how we're called Americans 'cause we live in America." "Instead of dogs, you know, they have reindeer." "They do a lot of stuff with the reindeer - make clothes out of their fur... and they eat their meat too." "Are you a hero now?" "If I ever get in trouble, will you save my life?" "Just don't tell nobody my real name." "I'll tell 'em your name is Jorge." "That's Spanish for George." "Sometimes I smile and laugh... when I think about all the great things that you're gonna do." "I hope you live forever." "Vernon and Sonya finally stole a car." "But on their way out of town, she flipped it... and almost killed them both." "Do you see that?" "What do you see?" "I think the driver was, like, drinking or something." "And he drove and fell down." "And then his car got messed up." "I was on my way to work, and I just see a lot of smoke and a lot of blood down here." "I looked down, and I seen a car crashing." "And I hollered out for help." "Every time I look around, you and your brother are out somewhere!" " What are you doing down here?" " I didn't do anything!" " I saw the smoke blazin', yo." "Blood." " All right." "First, because it was going so fast, I guess." "But you don't see that." "But, see, what it did " "If the car would have backed up, it would have fell or at least ran into the pole." "This is the eighth time I seen you out here!" "Next time I'm not gonna keep runnin' out my house, looking for you and your brother!" "I was just standing at the bus stop, and I see this smoke coming out of the car." " Okay, Momma." " I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "My heroes " "My heroes are... the man that invented the steam shovel," "Chubby Checker, the Untouchables," "Dick Allen," "World Be Free," "Great Wall of China," "Uncle Sam and the president of the United States of, of America." "What makes someone a hero?" "I think a hero should be wise, strong and very talented." "They should also have a list... of dangerous and poisonous things." "What makes you a hero, George?" "I'm a hero because..." "I like to save people's lives." "Stuff like that." "Hey." "Hey, where are the rest of your friends?" "They're gonna miss the fireworks." "My friends are dead." "What do you mean, they're dead?" "They died?" "They all got killed in a train wreck." "Man, that's tough." "What are you talkin' about?" "All I know is I wanna be the strongest man in the world sometimes." "Well, there you go." "Hey." "Look at my tongue." "Ahhh." "We all want families who love us... because friends go separate ways." "Some of us know our place, our home, our comfort." "But for some, it's not that simple." "Buddy was just crazy." "He was playing in, in the bathroom one time." "He slipped." "My friend George, he told me that he could read God's mind." "He told me he knew what God was gonna create, who He was gonna let, let die... and stuff like that." "He also knew the future." "He said he would fight great wars, lead nations and build back up from a broken land." "Everyone thought he was crazy but me." "And who am I?" "My father was a banker, and my mom invented new perfume." "Smile." "# When I'm walking" "# In the shadows" "# Down this twisted road" "# Please watch over my soul" "# And lift me" "# Up so gently" "# So as not to" "# Touch the ground" "# May your light shine" "# All around" "# Take me by the hand" "# Across this broken land" "# Until my days" "# Are through"