"It was the summer everyone thought the Russians were going to invade Long Island any minute," "And president Kennedy was going to Berlin to head them off." "Sputnik had been around the world 10 times," "And mr." "Rossi, our neighbor, swore he saw it fly right over his backyard." "But I had other things on my mind that summer," "And so did everyone else on my block." "Mine is definitely big." "Is not!" "Is so. 'Cause I was born first." "Bull!" "Mine is 10 times bigger." "Drop dead!" "O.K., then prove it." "The Meyer twins were always fighting about something." "They'd do almost anything to get Kathryn's and Barbara's attention." "What'd I tell you?" "Gross!" "You're stretching it!" "That's a cheat." "I am not!" "Look." "They're even." "Exactly even, Mickey." "What are you staring at..." "Toad?" "Nothing." "Still can't catch a firefly?" "Hey!" "Give it back!" "They were always teasing me." "Mickey was the worst." "Once, behind the Rossi house," "He said he wanted to kiss me..." "Then he spit in my ear." "Booger balls!" "Yeah." "He really is a creep." "Too bad he's such a great kisser." "He kissed you?" "When?" "Last night, during father knows best." "And..." "Max kissed Barbara." "Come on, Kathryn!" "Hurry up." "Well, did he lean way back and make a sound like this?" "Then it wasn't a love kiss." "That's a fact, Kathryn." "Don't embarrass yourself, Alice." "Besides, what would you know about L-O-V-E?" "Hey, you guys!" "Wait!" "Wait for me!" "Kathryn was right." "I guess I didn't know much about it." "But I read everything I could," "Like modern romance, encyclopedias, even stuff that took a whole month to get in the mail." "But still, I felt like it was some big secret everyone was in on but me" "Except sometimes, late at night, when Sheryl came home." "Right after she moved in last winter," "The boys started coming around." "They wanted her to go steady and be their girl, but she wasn't interested." "Oh, what a night!" "Mr. O'Conner." "Hi, dad." "Who's, uh, who's this?" "Is this Brad?" "Jimmy." "Yeah!" "Jimmy." "She talks about you all the time." "Good night." "Good night." "Hope you had fun." "If I could just be her for one night, even for just one minute." "I found out everything about her" "That she played the same song every night" "Ruler of My Heart." "I knew that every Friday after school, she bought a brand-new scarf at Woolworth's." "That she put her favorite perfume on every night before she went to sleep." "It was ambush." "That she thought Brenda Lee was all right because she turned down a date with Ricky Nelson," "That J.F.K. Was the coolest catholic she knew... outside of her dad," "And that a nun at Mount Saint Mary's slapped her in the face with all her might and she didn't even cry." "That she never slept in anything at all, even in the middle of winter." "She didn't know me or my name, but I wanted to laugh her laugh and dream her dreams." "Your attention, please." "The 8:03 from Manhattan will be arriving in five minutes." "I've tried just about everything." "I'm about to give up!" "I'm telling you, Carol." "The answer is headstands." "What?" "Headstands." "Bibs swears it." "She's eight weeks." "Bibs Ginsburg?" "The rabbit died?" "She's eight weeks." "I have to stand on my head?" "Do you want to have another baby?" "Somebody ought to put a net on that one." "They should take away her license but-but she always drives like that." "She drove to Carvel's and back in four minutes" "Just for an egg cream." "How would you know that?" "Amy Luchesi's sister said that she ran the fastest at Mount Saint Mary's." "She didn't even sweat." "Oh, Alice." "Roll up your window." "Hi, dad." "Hi, honey." "Thanks for picking me up." "I barely made it here." "So what else is new?" "How was your day?" "Hey, funny face." "How's my girl?" "Hmm?" "Hi, dad." "Look what I got your mom." "They're beautiful." "Hi, honey!" "You'll love the beach." "I do my David Niven." "Carol, you know how I get like David Niven?" "I look him in the eye and say the word..." "Ballplayers." "The old man's dumbfounded." "He was?" "Yeah." "So I say, what metropolitan life needs isn't a better policy." "metropolitan needs a better spokesman- somebody everyone can identify with." "That's great." "It means I might pal around with Roger Maris this fall." "Did you hear Bibs Ginsburg's pregnant?" "Hank was on the train." "No, I didn't." "How many is that for them?" "A lot." "Dad?" "Where they going to put them all?" "At least we don't have to worry about it." "And to say it in front of Alice!" "You know it upsets her." "Alice doesn't know what we're talking about." "Of course she does!" "It makes her uncomfortable." "You're so oblivious sometimes!" "I'm oblivious?" "Larry, that's not fair!" "Well, it's true, isn't it?" "Unbelievable!" "The wrong lane!" "I didn't know there was anything worse than a gutter ball." "I swear, mister." "I never saw her before in my life!" "How should we score that?" "Minus zero!" "What a dufus!" "You got my heart a-beating wildly." "You and me, Saturday night." "There'll be magic in the air!" "Come on, sweetheart." "Your Romeo's arrived." "Give me a little smile-something!" "Give me an indication." "Come on." "What's the matter?" "Saint Mary's girls don't drink beer?" "We're afraid you wouldn't know which end of the bottle to suck." "If I wanted it busted, I'd do it myself." "Who are you?" "I work here." "I'm Rick." "Want to let go of my hand?" "Think you can control yourself?" "I'll stop shaking when you do." "My shoe size is 7." "I want the green laces." "They're gone." "They're not gone!" "Jeff holds them for me every Saturday." "Jeff's gone." "You want a tight fit or loose fit?" "What do you think, genius?" "I think you're a catholic girl." "Just give me my shoes, all right?" "Do you believe in love at first sight?" "No." "Me neither." "Yes!" "Beat that one, Mickey!" "See, I always score higher." "You do not." "She stuffs." "She definitely stuffs." "Yeah, they're definitely cheaters." "No." "They're real." "Oh, right!" "Like you might know." "We're friends." "I see her all the time." "You're a liar!" "She wouldn't be caught dead with you." "She would so." "Oh, yeah?" "Then prove it." "Get her to sip this." "Come on." "She's your bosom buddy." "Go ahead." "Yeah, Alice." "I'm not asking her!" "Are you scared?" "Just go!" "Go!" "Go!" "Keep going!" "Go on!" "Sheryl O'Conner." "Sheryl O'Conner, please come to the cashier." "Sheryl O'Conner." "I thought that if either of my parents died," "I'd die, too." "That if they stopped breathing," "They'd draw me back inside." "Like they once told me, they kissed each other and breathed me into life." "That Sheryl still lived, that she put on her shoes and combed her hair, all with her father dead, seemed more surprising to me than anything else in the whole world." "Sherry, my condolences." "Sheryl?" "I-I apologize!" "What?" "I apologize about your dad." "I mean, I'm sorry..." "A- about your heart." "I mean, his heart." "Your dad's?" "I can't right now, O.K.?" "Leave me alone, please." "I didn't know you could bowl this late." "Hey, now." "So you are..." "Alice." "Alice Bloom." "From across the street." "Some people call me Alley," "But not my dad or my teachers," "Only people who I like, who like me back." "But there aren't a lot of people like that." "Anyone seen Sheryl?" "Listen, Alley." "Could you keep a secret if I asked you?" "Me?" "You never saw me tonight, O.K.?" "It's really important." "Sure." "Ha ha." "Thanks." "Hey, Sheryl!" "What's your favorite color?" "I guess it's blue." "Hey, now." "We're closed." "I just wanted to bring these back." "Sure." "No charge." "Thanks." "Hey, you want to talk?" "About what?" "Those aren't exactly party clothes you're wearing." "What'd they say?" "Time heals all wounds?" "God has his reasons?" "Truth is..." "Maybe he does." "Doesn't make a god damn bit of sense." "It's a mortal sin to say that." "It's a sin to believe anything else." "You don't know what you're talking about." "Then why did you come here?" "I told you..." "I just-I walked out in your shoes." "Yeah, you did." "I had nowhere else to go." "Then don't go anywhere." "You said you were closed." "I lied." "Hi." "This is Sheryl" "Sheryl O'Conner." "My dad died." "This is stupid." "I don't want to do this." "O.K." "Here's something." "Tonight this old guy" "I don't even know who he was, but he was telling me that when my dad was young, he was this really great dancer, and all the girls at the copa used to hang all over him." "I would have loved to see that." "I never even saw my daddy dance before." "I mean..." "Not really." "What am I supposed to do with this?" "Bury it." "For what?" "You know, for like a time capsule." "Then we'll pick a day and get together and dig them up, like July 4, 1999." "You made one of these?" "A long time ago, after my old man split." "Doesn't seem like a big deal." "Just because they're your parents doesn't mean you got to love them." "I love" "I loved my dad." "Then you're one of the lucky ones." "You better get in there before you get in trouble." "Yeah." "Well, listen, I'll see you on the 4th of July, 1999." "O.K." "I'll bring the potato salad." "And I'll bring the fireworks." "Hey." "Hey, now." "Hey, now." "Thank you." "I mean, thanks for tonight." "It's my pleasure." "Sherry?" "Where have you been?" "Oh, honey." ""Yes, girls, can you believe it?" ""two years ago, I was turned down" ""for modeling jobs in Hollywood." ""they said I was too flat-chested." ""I tried barbells, swimming." "Nothing helped." "Then I discovered new Lady Magic Cream."" "These will grow, too, right?" "Your nipples?" "No." "They stay the same- exactly the same." ""Results in just 30 days or your money back."" "That's perfect." "They'll be just right for Mickey's party." "We'll have to wear a bra." "Probably." "They won't get... too big." "I wouldn't worry about it, Alice." "Hey!" "Woo!" "Wow." "Ow!" "Hey!" "Shit!" "Ozzie and Harriet live here?" "I think I saw Doris Day." "Oh, my god." "It's the lube head" "From the strike and spare." "He's kind of cute..." "For a greaser." "Her father died." "My condolences, ma'am." "Could you just tell her it's Rick?" "Hey, now." "Want to go get a coke or something?" "Yeah." "Definitely." "Now hold on a minute." "Is he your friend?" "Yeah, mom, he's a friend." "What are you, afraid to come alone?" "Well, you know, we were in the neighborhood." "I don't want you leaving this house." "Mom, I'll be all right." "I can't breathe in there." "That is so trampy." "Come on, Barbara." "Let's go." "Alice." "Don't get all excited." "They're not going to ask you to come along." "Sherry, who are these boys?" "I don't know." "Doo-woppers, punks, communists, mom." "All right." "We're out of here." "Bye, mom." "Don't worry." "I'll be O.K." "Come on." "A little more." "A little more." "Come on." "O.K., sweetheart." "You're on." "I thought you said you went to catholic school." "Yeah." "But they've been telling us about guys like you since I was in the first grade." "I don't want to say anything, but do the girls in Queens actually fall for this kind of routine?" "What routine?" "You know, stuffing me with oysters and tequila." "You got your hair trimmed." "You've got on aqua velva." "It's not aqua velva." "Well, it's too bad." "It's my favorite scent." "I was waiting for you to call." "Thought I should give you a little time." "That's funny." "All I got is time." "It's like it all just stopped," "Being in that house with my mom all alone." "It's so horrible" "That people you love can die like that," "That they can just disappear." "Just because they're gone doesn't mean you got to stop loving them." "I mean, you never know." "You might see him again." "Where?" "On the other side, that's where." "You got to keep your options open, right?" "I like that." "Your turn." "I couldn't say" "Venus was in the sky that night, but it could have been." "After that night, they were inseparable." "I saw them everywhere." "Like at the strike and spare, she'd hang around all afternoon waiting for his break." "Sometimes they'd even hang out on her lawn when her mother wasn't around." "No one was happy about it." "Mr. Bell said if he'd wanted them in the neighborhood, he would have never left Queens." "And mr." "Rossi, he heard they all had records, and he'd call the cops if it kept up." "But me, I didn't care if they'd all been in Sing-Sing." "I wanted them to stay around forever." "Best of all is when he'd bring her back late and park down the block, not to wake her mom, and it would just be us in the middle of the night in the darkness." "Did you try the headstands?" "Yeah, I tried it." "Felt like a jackass." "I bet." "And 11." "Thank you." "Look, enough of the headstands already." "Did you try a vinegar douche?" "Maybe I'm not ready to have another baby." "Maybe it's his plumbing." "Aah!" "Ah..." "Jesus." "If her shorts get any tighter, she'll have to have them surgically removed." "Why don't they lie down on the grass and get it over with?" "Ha ha!" "Hee!" "Aah!" "Oh..." "It's probably just a phase." "My princess better not go through that phase." "My innocent little one." "Oh, god." "The front seat of Gene's buick." "Tex Williams playing on the radio." "Must have been 1948." "That was your first kiss?" "You're close." "Do you remember when Larry kissed you like that?" "Yeah." "Don't, don't, don't." "Hey, what is that?" "It was supposed to be a surprise." "What is that?" "You got a tattoo?" "That's beautiful." "That's going to be there forever, you know." "Aah!" "They're definitely doing it." "Definitely." "Doing what?" "You know, doing it" "Banging, boffing, balling." "The sex thing." "Forget it." "She's too young to understand." "I am not." "I know as much as you." "My parents do it on their heads." "Oh, Alice." "You're such a weenie." "Dummy, the guy gets on top of the girl." "Wham, wham, wham." "Then you have a baby." "Only if the guy sweats." "The guy's gotta sweat and the lady's gotta drink it." "Who told you that?" "Dad." "Maybe it's not the sweat she drinks." "Maybe it has to do with where you go to the bathroom." "Oh, ooh!" "Oh, ooh!" "Hey, she'll know." "Yeah." "You go ask her." "We'll wait here." "She's your best friend, right?" "I'm not asking her." "Hey!" "Let go!" "Stop it!" "No!" "Ow!" "You're hurting me!" "Stop it!" "I'm not asking her!" "Let go!" "Don't!" "Stop!" "No!" "Aah!" "Ohh!" "Alice castrated Mickey!" "Ohh!" "Alice, I'm not going to ask you again." "She said it was an accident." "I think the best thing to do is to apologize to the Meyer boy." "Let's go." "Listen to her for once." "Stop taking her side." "Mickey's a liar." "He said Sheryl and Rick were doing it." "Doing what?" "Banging." "Banging?" "Banging, boffing, balling." "O.K., now, that's enough." "Mom, why do boys have to be such babies all the time?" "Well, they need the practice so they can become husbands." "Now, good night." "Mom, you love dad, don't you?" "Yeah." "And he loves you, too." "Now go to sleep." "How come you and dad never kiss like Sheryl and Rick?" "Well, we did." "It's just, um..." "We used to, but it's different now." "It changes." "Why?" "Well, you just get older, that's all." "You just get older." "No, the problem is with your daughter." "Dad said it was over, like polio and the iron lung." "Sheryl's mom put her foot down." "Rick wasn't allowed to come around anymore." "And I had to apologize to Mickey Meyer" "And go to his birthday party." "Honey, look who's here." "Sorry we're late." "No problem." "Hi." "The twins are really looking forward to this." "The whole gang's downstairs." "It'll be all right." "Mom!" "Have a good time." "We have chips and dip, mms." "I'll take this." "She'll be fine." "Have a good time at the play." "Hi, Alice!" "Hi, Alice!" "Do you need more candy?" "No, thanks, mom!" "No, thanks!" "How's the game?" "Great!" "Great." "Can I get anything?" "No, thanks." "No, thanks." "O.K., I'll see you all later." "4." "1, 2, 3, 4." "She's gone." "Get the book." ""This is the first time" ""the inexperienced bride has ever seen a full-blown erect penis." ""She will sometimes become so excited" ""that she'll squeeze too hard and unwillingly hurt her partner."" "Ooh!" "Ooh!" "Ooh!" "No way!" "That's it!" "I'm never doing it!" "Nobody's touching mine!" "Don't you want to have a baby?" "I'll buy one." "Whoo!" "Whoo!" "Whoo!" "Go, Barbara!" "Oh, god!" "She frenched him!" "French!" "French!" "Whoo!" "Whoo!" "Whoo!" "Go on, Alice." "Kiss and make up." "Open your mouth so he can tongue you." "And close your eyes." "Wider!" "Ha ha ha!" "Ha ha ha!" "Her mother should take her into her room and explain the facts of life, the birds and the bees, and all that." "Then her father should take her into a room and explain trash" "How about I go to Carvel's and get some shakes?" "That's a great idea." "I'll come with you." "Mom, you can't just ground me like this." "Yes, I can." "What is it?" "It's the girl from across the street." "I think she's puking." "Hey!" "Hey, now!" "God, what's the matter?" "What happened?" "I want..." "To kill him." "Oh, one of those, huh?" "Well, O.K., come on." "Boys." "Oh, I swear." "Some guys just function that way." "This guy Larry Winant put a rat down my back once." "Did you get bit?" "No." "It was dead." "See, when they like you, they got to do something to drive you crazy." "Then six months later, he gave me my first kiss." "How many glasses is that now?" "It's them!" "It's the Meyers." "I'm not going back." "I'll drown myself." "Alley, calm down." "God." "Relax," "O.K.?" "Leave it to me." "Hello?" "No, this is Sheryl from across the street." "Yeah, she's fine." "Everything's O.K." "Hold on." "She wants to talk to you." "Can't you stay with me until my parents get home?" "Alley, I'm not staying here all night." "I'm sorry." "But we don't have to stay here." "No one would have to know." "Only Rick." "What?" "You could tell your mother you were babysitting." "That's perfect." "She said if we were going to chase the night together," "I'd have to change my looks." "I didn't mind." "I didn't mind at all." "What if we get caught?" "He said he'd been with lots of girls before me." "No big deal, right?" "I set him straight." "You can see it in his eyes now." "I can tell nobody ever really loved him before me." "I knew the moment we met we'd be together forever." "W- well, who told you?" "Nobody tells you." "You just feel it." "It's like being on fire." "Your body's glowing, like you're burning up." "Your heart beats so fast, it feels like it's going to burst." "I knew it." "I wish I'd been in love 10,000 times already." "Checkmate." "Oh, not possible." "Not again." "You shouldn't have exposed your queen." "Two moves ago, you could have had a draw." "What is it with you?" "You dress like shit and clip people?" "I just dress like shit." "Hey, now." "Hi." "Hey!" "What are you doing here?" "I had to see you." "God I was ready to bust in your door." "I couldn't get out." "Sherry, that ain't right." "You can't have her doing that to you." "She's really scared, my dad gone and all." "She'd do something crazy, I know her." "How'd you get out tonight?" "Well, I'm babysitting." "Somebody put a frog down her throat, and she got sick." "Hi, Alice Bloom." "I ate the frog." "No, Rick, you have it all wrong." "It's not that they don't like you." "Mrs. Carpenter thinks you look exactly like" "Frank Sinatra or Little Joe." "They just think that Sheryl's too young for you, that's all." "Well, tell them that Romeo and Juliet, they were 13." "Tell them to mind their own business," "Starting with your old man." "What?" "Nothing, Alley, it's nothing." "Don't worry about it." "My dad?" "What did he do?" "He said something to my mom." "It's no big deal." "Who hasn't?" "Who cares, right?" "So come on." "Let's go have some fun." "They took me under the boardwalk." "He said there was nothing to be afraid of, but I was scared." "How you doing?" "Here you go, sweetie, have a sip." "Alley, don't." "You want to dance with me?" "Me?" "No, I-I- me, I can't." "Come on." "I wondered if anyone would ever feel about me the way Rick felt about Sheryl." "She said I should make a record" "About all the stuff that happened that night," "Both the good and the bad." "Then we'd bury it with hers and play it again in 50 years." "I couldn't stop talking." "But Sheryl was worried about getting me home, and that was that." "I've got it all figured out." "You should run away together." "How about Hawaii or Tahiti?" "Look, I have all these maps." "Get in bed already, would you?" "Ha ha ha ha." "Oh, you wear ambush, too?" "It's my mom's." "Well, mr." "Bell- it's Barbara's dad" "He said Rick was in prison." "Is that true or false?" "No." "He's just made a couple of wrong turns, that's all." "I guess you're a right turn." "I'm all he's got, really." "He doesn't have any family." "See, if he had died before meeting me, he would have never been loved by anyone." "You need someone to love you to keep your spirit alive after you die." "It's like my baby brother," "I guess." "What?" "You have a brother?" "I did." "He had trouble breathing or something." "They say he never cried or anything." "I didn't know that, Alley." "I'm sorry." "My dad, he-he bought him this yankees' cap." "It's still outside in the garage with some of his other stuff." "I wish-I wish I were Roger Maris or someone." "Ha ha ha ha." "No, you don't." "You'd be in the dugout all the time." "You and I wouldn't be tight like we are." "We're tight?" "Yeah." "O.K., good night." "Good night." "Alley!" "You listen to this record, too?" "Well..." "Yeah, I just bought it." "That's some view, Alley." "They're here." "O.K., not a word about tonight." "When do we bury our records?" "Uh, maybe tomorrow." "Lose the scarf, blue." "Sheryl!" "Sheryl!" "Hey, blue." "I got my record." "I can't today, Alley." "I must have a hangover or something." "You sure?" "Yeah." "I just don't feel right." "Yeah, I think I have a hangover, too." "Yeah, right." "See you soon." "Wait, Alley." "Listen, can" "Could you help me?" "Sure." "Tell Rick that, um, that I'm sick, and tomorrow night, midnight, I promise." "Uh, I'll go." "No, I'll run." "I'll get my dad to take me." "Drink lots of ginger ale." "I thought you said you never wanted to go bowling again." "I've been practicing..." "In my room." "Why don't I get the shoes, and you can grab a couple of cokes and some pizza." "I can't." "I mean, I'll stay with you." "Hey, now." "Size 11 and a 5." "Lane 13." "You all have a good time." "I'm telling you these aren't right." "They're size 5, sweetie." "They're the wrong color." "Come on, Alice." "Red always makes me feel sick." "Remember, I used to get bloody noses all the time?" "That was red." "O.K.!" "O.K., change 'em." "She can't make it." "She's got a bug." "What are you talking about?" "She's got a bad stomachache." "She's sick." "She can't make it." "Get out of here." "Hey, guys." "How do you know him so well?" "From getting shoes." "I don't want you anywhere near him." "He's a punk." "He is not." "He's an electrician." "Sheryl told me." "They're still in love." "Sweetheart, you don't know about love." "Sheryl is 17, O.K.?" "Well, Juliet was 13." "That's a made-up story, Alice." "The Meyers met in high school." "They're still married." "And what about Cinderella?" "What about Cinderella?" "She was the youngest sister." "She couldn't even drive when she met the prince." "I want you to be more careful who you talk to." "Me?" "You're the one who should be careful." "Honey come here." "It's all your fault." "Why did you have to stop them?" "What're you talking about?" "Why do you have to make everyone's life miserable?" "What'd they ever do to you?" "Alice" "Jesus, Alice!" "You don't know anything about love." "Just how to make it go away." "Alice!" "Hi, gang." "Have a good time?" "What happened?" "So, I explained to Alice" "That I'd spoken to Sheryl's mom" "Because I knew her husband would've wanted to do the same thing." "You know what she said to me?" ""Did he write you a letter from heaven?"" "I don't know what we'll do with her." "Larry she's a little girl." "Hey, Carol, she's out of control." "In the middle of the bowling alley, she's yelling at the top of her lungs that I don't know about love." "Well, maybe you don't." "What do you mean by that?" "I asked you a question, Carol." "It might be a headache on its way, a stomachache on its way" "I asked you a question." "Maybe I don't want to have another baby." "Maybe it's not time." "It's only been a year." "I mean, Larry, maybe I just can't," "O.K.?" "Carol." "They all thought it was over, that Sheryl had come to her senses and forgotten him." "I was the only one who knew that she would sneak out night after night and go to him." ""S-h-e-r."" "I could be anyone." "Sherwood." "Sherman." "Sherbet." "We could have been born thousands of miles apart, spoken different languages and everything." "Never even met." "Nothing else matters, does it, Rick?" "I mean, not our family, our friends, nothing, right?" "What's the matter?" "You're about to dump me?" "No." "Hey, why do I always want to be inside you?" "I don't know." "It's just something about being..." "Being this close all the time." "And I can't stand not being with you, Sherry." "You got to tell your mom we're going to see each other." "I can't." "I can't do that." "Well, why not?" "What's the big deal?" "We're not kids anymore." "Rick, I know." "We have a priest over at my house every five minutes." "She's already threatening to send me to some retreat." "So, I'll come and rescue you." "I can't tell her now." "When are you going to tell her" "When I'm driving a Buick?" "After I apply to school and I've got some fancy degree?" "That's just a bunch of bullshit, Sherry." "I know." "I know it is." "Well, listen," "Friday night, I got tickets to Roy Orbison, O.K.?" "Now, it's real simple." "You talk to her and you tell her what's going on." "Then we'll go over to vacra's first." "We'll celebrate." "We'll have a great night." "It's just so hard." "I mean, what if stuff goes wrong, you know?" "What, like your mom?" "No, it's not just about my mom." "I mean, people stop liking each other all the time, you know?" "And, like, what if you decided to go to school?" "Or what if I got pregnant?" "Hey, now wait a second." "School was your idea." "O.K., you're not going to get pregnant." "We're careful." "Yeah, but what if?" "Look, I don't know, you know?" "We go to Mexico." "You know, we find some guy," "We drink a bunch of margaritas." "I don't know." "Rick." "See you Friday night." "Don't worry about your mom." "Bet you can't catch me." "Father John says it's the best unwed mother's home in the state." "He's taking care of everything." "I have to talk to him." "That's not a good idea, Sherry." "Don't." "I can't just disappear like that!" "That's not fair, mom!" "What has fair got to do with it?" "I can't disappear!" "Do you think it's fair that your daddy died?" "No!" "I'll lose you, Sherry." "I won't have anyone." "I have to see him." "For god's sake, Sherry, you're 17 years old." "Then I'll have an abortion." "Bite your tongue." "Don't make me call the police." "Sherry!" "You don't love him." "How do you know that?" "What are you going to do?" "You want him to go to school" "And support a wife and baby?" "We will make it." "Honey, he's going to end up working in some damn bowling alley and hating you for the rest of his life." "Sherry, honey, if you really do love him, you'll let him go." "That's what your daddy would have said." "I know that, mom." "I know it." "Oh, baby." "Baby." "Sheryl said her mom had found out she'd been sneaking out to see him, and she was going to send Sheryl away." "I had to get to Rick." "Don't punk out on me, Alley." "O.K. I promise." "I imagined him coming for her in the middle of the night." "Her suitcase would be packed." "He'd throw pebbles against her window, and they'd escape to some island no one had ever heard of." "Maybe they'd take me, too." "Mom, I've got to go out." "I got to get my bike fixed." "It needs a new chain..." "Rick took us down by the water." "The ocean's different at night, dark." "No, stop!" "You can't listen to it." "Leave it alone." "It's mine!" "I have to go take my bike!" "Hey, whoa!" "You're not going anywhere." "Leave me alone!" "I have to go!" "Hey!" "They said she was going to her aunt's in California." "I couldn't get to Rick." "I couldn't get to anyone." "The next day was the hottest day of the year." "The TV said there was a storm front over the Atlantic, and it would rain any day." "There was no wind, no rain, nothing." "You could hear yourself breathe." "You could hear your heart beat if you listened." "Listen, mrs." "O'Conner, if Sheryl doesn't want to talk to me, let her tell me herself." "Oh!" "What's the matter?" "Did you guys have a fight or something?" "I don't know." "Come on, man." "Cool out." "You're going to see this chick again." "I don't want to just see her again, man." "I need to talk to her." "What's the matter?" "You falling for this chick?" "I got to talk to her, man." "Watch out!" "What are you doing here?" "I came to talk to Sheryl, mrs." "O'Conner." "I got a right to talk to her." "Sherry's not here." "Please leave us alone." "Sherry?" "Sheryl?" "Sheryl!" "Listen, I don't want to cause any trouble here, O.K.?" "I just want to talk to your daughter." "Sheryl!" "Sherry." "Sherry!" "Sheryl!" "I want you off my property." "I need to talk to Sherry." "Sherry!" "I'm calling the police." "No!" "Sheryl!" "Hey!" "Sherry?" "Somebody help me out here!" "Dad!" "Come on, guys." "Help me out here." "Stop!" "Larry?" "Oh, god." "Stay out of the neighborhood!" "Sheryl!" "No!" "Sheryl!" "No!" "Rick is going to be O.K., honey." "Please come out." "Alice, he was going to hurt mrs." "O'Conner." "She's not visiting her aunt in California..." "Is she?" "No, honey." "No, she's not." "Where is she?" "Tell me the truth." "Sweetie," "Sheryl got pregnant by that boy." "She had to go away to a place where young girls go to have babies." "That's what happens when you're not married." "F- for how long?" "A long time, sweetheart." "A long, long time." "That's what happens." "Mom said Rick was in jail for a whole week" "And that they should have charged him with melodrama." "Dad said if he ever came around again, he'd kill him." "What are you doing here?" "Rick." "You should be at home." "It's for you." "She still loves you." "Where the hell is she?" "Where's the rest of the note?" "I ate it." "I memorized it, and then I ate it." "Alley, I'm not going to take you." "Now, that's that." "So just tell me where she's at." "Where is she?" "They'll never let you see her, and I can help." "If I get caught with you, that'll be kidnapping." "Do you understand that?" "Well..." "I drew a line." "It's 325 miles one way." "I can be back tomorrow night." "I'll tell them that I hid behind the library." "Let me see that." "I have to see her, too." "Then I-I'll come right back." "I promise!" "He told me some things, things I didn't know, like how his dad walked out one day and never came back and how his mom went crazy and landed in some bug house." "He couldn't stop talking about all the trouble he'd been in after that because he didn't care about anyone or anything and how Sheryl had changed all that." "I told him some stuff, too, like about Sheryl's baby." "One thing was for sure" "My parents would be glad to take it" "If it was a problem." "Visiting hours are Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00." "You'll have to come back with a parent, dear." "But I just want to drop off some stuff" "Her hand cream and her favorite perfume." "Tell her it's cousin Alice." "I'm sorry." "There's no exceptions, dear." "But I have to see her." "Please!" "But I'm her cousin Alice." "What are you doing?" "What are you doing?" "Where are they?" "What did they say?" "I'll be back." "Excuse me." "Have you seen Sheryl O'Conner?" "Alice?" "Alley, this is insane." "How'd you get here?" "We drove all night." "Wait" " Rick's here?" "Yeah, in the car outside." "He wants to see you tonight at the diner down the road." "Can you get there?" "But he came to get you." "Hurry up." "She's coming!" "Midnight." "I'll tell him that you'll be there." "I don't know if I can, Alley." "Come on." "Come on." "Come on." "You got to go." "O.K. Hurry." "Go down the stairs on the left." "It's your favorite." "I'll see you tonight." "So what's the deal?" "I saw her!" "She's fine." "She wants to meet you tonight." "What did she say?" "She was so surprised." "Is that it?" "Did she say something else?" "Well, she said that- that she missed you..." "And she couldn't wait to see you." "Good girl." "He sat..." "And he waited." "He said he knew she was coming," "But I could tell he was scared." "I was scared, too." "Hey, now." "Want some coffee or something?" "I'm sorry." "I mean..." "Everything happened really fast." "Um..." "I tried to get to you, Rick." "It doesn't matter." "I tried..." "To call." "Hey." "I want you to come with me..." "Tonight, right now." "Aren't you even going to mention the baby?" "Yeah." "Um..." "I'm going to put it up for adoption." "Um..." "They said that there's a catholic hospital, and they'll give the baby a really good home." "They say?" "What do you expect me to do, Rick," "Go to Mexico and get drunk on margaritas?" "I can't do that." "Hey, I'm not asking you to do that." "We don't have any money." "And we don't have insurance." "Babies get sick all the time," "And you need money for insurance and food and..." "A house." "I'll sell shoes." "I'll wash windows." "I'll clean toilets if that's what I got to do." "I can make it work." "And we'd end up splitting up after a couple of years." "I drive all the way up here," "At least you can look at me." "Come on." "Look at me." "It's my whole life, Rick." "That's what you're asking for." "Yeah." "I never said I was this tough." "You can pawn it for the insurance or something." "You said nothing could change it." "Alice?" "That once you love someone like that, nothing else matters." "No." "You don't understand, Alley." "We could run away together," "Take a freighter to Bali or drive all the way to South America on the Pan American Highway." "It'll be just the three of us, like that night" "Stop." "Stop." "Stop it, Alley." "You've got it so twisted up, following me around like I'm some god damn princess, wearing my perfume and listening to my records." "I'm just this girl that lived across the street from you, and I don't now." "You have to go home." "But I don't belong there." "You have a family." "You can't just leave them like that, 'cause if you do, it'd just kill them." "It would just kill them, Alley, that's all." "Alice, come on." "You have a bus to catch." "Go on, Alley." "Hey, now." "I'm going to be traveling on, so soon as I land someplace," "I'll drop you a line." "Come on." "We gave it our best shot." "Come on." "You'd better get on the bus." "Alley oop!" "You be good." "I wanted to call out to them, to say goodbye or just a hey, now." "But it was enough just to see them together one last time." "Alice?" "Oh, sweetie!" "Larry!" "Larry, she's home." "I thought I was a dead man." "But he said things about love and forgiveness, things I was only beginning to understand." "Someone heard that Sheryl had run away." "Mrs. Carpenter swore she saw her in Manhattan with an older man." "Mrs. Rossi said she had an abortion in Mexico and was living in El Paso." "But I got a postcard from Salt Lake City." "Sheryl said that they were heading west, and so far, things were going fine." "And by the way, she hoped I had buried my record and I shouldn't dig it up for 50 years." "Hey, Alice." "Hey, Max." "It's Mickey." "Oh." "Hey, I heard you ran away." "Yeah." "For two whole days?" "Mm-hmm." "That's cool." "You know, I'm not coupled up with Kathryn anymore." "I didn't know you were steadies." "Well, we weren't." "I mean..." "Not really." "I like her and all, but her feet were kind of big." "You know..." "I'm getting a Chevy coupe when I get older." "A V-8." "In red." "A Chevy?" "That's nice." "Take you out for a spin sometime." "I mean..." "If you want." "Maybe." "Hey, now." "The Russians never did invade Long Island, and mr." "Rossi turned out to be all wrong about seeing Sputnik flying over his backyard." "But I learned some things that summer, things I'd never forget."