"You ain't ever gonna amount to nothin'." "Already spent a dime this morning and ain't even had a decent breakfast." "Give me the chalk." "Why don't you comb your hair, Sonny?" "It sticks up." "Look like you smelled a wolf." "I'm surprised you had the nerve to show up this mornin' after that stompin' y'all took last night." " Well, it could've been worse." " What'd you say?" " Could've been worse." " Yeah." "You could say that about nearly everything, I guess." "A few football teams have had some luck with tackling." "Keeps the other team from scoring quite so often." "Sounds too rough for me." " You don't even care if it was your last game." "You ain't ever gonna get stomped for your own high school ball team again." " Where's your school spirit?" " Don't know." " You workin' today?" " No, the truck's being greased." "Now, you see, this is what I get for betting' on my hometown ball team." "I ought to have better sense." "Wouldn't hurt if you had a better hometown." "Do you mind pointing that at the floor till I get by?" "I don't want my eye poked out." " Don't let Billy get too far away, will you, son?" "You're a damn sight more dangerous in a pool hall than you are on a football field." " Hey." "You ever heard of tackling?" " Hey, Duane." " Boy, I froze my ass last night." "Hey!" "Why the hell can't you kids learn to tackle?" "Hey, how about taking Genevieve some change, being as you're goin' that way?" "Hike me one!" "Here comes the bomb, Crawford!" " Look at that, Larry." "They can catch." " Feisty sons of bitches, ain't they?" " Wish they could tackle." " Or do something useful." "Team wasn't worth a kiss-my-ass this year." " Hey, hup!" " Hup!" "Straight out, Crawford, one more time." "Whoo-ee!" "All right, you boys." "Cut it out." "I got enough problems without you playing that game over again." " We could have run off to Mexico with this, you know." " Mmm." " Hey, play that new one we heard." " Which one?" "Down payment on breakfast." "Let somebody prosperous play the jukebox." "Nobody prosperous would eat here." " Well, I ain't very hungry." " Well, I am." " Say, you want the pickup first tonight?" " Nah." "I oughtn't get it first every Saturday night." "It's half yours, you know." " Go ahead." " You sure?" "Sure, I'm sure." "Anyways, I got lots of deliveries to make, and I have to go clear to Ranger this afternoon." " Okay." " I'll be lucky to get back for the second show." "Give me that coffee, hon?" "I need another cup." "My goodness, Sonny." "Frank hadn't ought to work you so late on weekends." "That's what I keep telling him." "You ain't got in in time to see the comedy in three weeks." "Hope you don't want no popcorn, 'cause there ain't none." "And you missed the newsreel too." "And the main show's done started, so I'll just charge you 30 cents." "Thanks, Miss Mosey." "I was wondering if my daughter had deserted us, too, when I heard her voice." "Pa!" "Pa!" " Hi, Pa." " Kay was our only daughter." "I know a father's not supposed to have favorites... but when it's Kay..." " Mmm, you smell good." " You like it?" " What's that?" " An atomizer." " Where'd you get it?" "A present?" " Who from?" " Oh, somebody." "I decided you had a wreck." "What's happened to you?" "You look different." " I do?" " Yeah." "You look all lit up inside." "You're not wearing your usual deadpan look... that "how did I ever get into this family" look." "Oh, Father." "Oh, I know." "You've been taking those vitamins that Dr. Gray sent you, huh?" "That's right." "I guess I'll get me some of those vitamins." "I'll get it, Delilah." "What's the matter with her?" "She looks kind of queer." "Guess what." "What?" "It's our anniversary." "What?" "We've been going steady a year tonight." "Yeah?" "Seems like a lot longer." "You should have got me some anniversary present." "You can have another stick of gum." "That's all I got on me." "You can give me a dollar too." "That's how much it cost me and Marlene for the show." "Hi." "What y'all doing back here in the dark?" " He's coming for me in a few minutes." " I'll get your coffee." "Where'd the boys go?" "Ben had some date, and Tommy went to basketball practice." " Oh, Delilah, will you bring the coffee, please?" " Yes, Mrs. Banks." "I don't see why they should get the pickup first all the time." "All they ever want to do is neck anyway." "Buckley says I'm not too young for a man to marry." " I didn't marry your mother till I was 25." " Oh, I know, Pop..." " Need some help, Jessie?" " Yeah, I sure do." " Hey, so long, Sam." " Bye, Sam." "Come on!" " Good night." " Good night, Sam." "Sure did like the picture." " Well, good." " Good night." " Good night." "Crack your window." "Leave the motor running." "It's just too cold in here." "Number two on the national chart." " Your hands are like ice." "I could put on my gloves." "What's the matter with you?" "You act plain bored." "Quit!" "Quit!" " You said this was our anniversary." "Let's do something different." "Well, I like that." "You cheapskate." "Didn't even get me an anniversary present, and now you wanna go and get me pregnant." "Oh, my God, Charlene." "It was just my hand." "Yeah." "One thing leads to another." "My mama told me how that old stuff goes." "We'll have plenty of time for that when we get married." "You wasn't no livelier than me." "That's 'cause you ain't good-lookin' enough." "You ain't even got a ducktail." "Well, anyway, I'm done late." "Let's go on home." "Some anniversary." "If that's the way you feel about it, I'd just as soon break up, Charlene." " What?" " I don't want to spoil no more anniversaries for you." "That's the way nice girls get treated in this town." "I might have known you wasn't dependable." " You wasn't even in the backfield either." " Now, what's that got to do with it?" "This jacket's got a hole in the pocket, but you needn't ask me to sew it up for you." "And you give me back my pictures too." "I don't want you showing them to all the other boys and telling 'em how hot I am." "You wasn't very hot." "I hope you ain't down in the mouth about Charlene." " I ain't blue about her." " She don't even have a good disposition." "What are you blue about then?" "There ain't nobody to go with in this town." "Jacy's the only pretty girl in school, and Duane's got her." "I call that his tough luck." "You don't have to eat so fast." "You ain't in a race." "Jacy will bring him more misery than she'll ever be worth." "Did your dad give you this?" "He needs all he's got." "It wouldn't hurt you to take a little something from him once in a while." "I don't know." "You and Duane both in a boarding' house." "Him with a mother and you with a father." "It don't seem right." "And your dad's taking too many pills, you know." "Yeah." "Then I'm no one to talk." "I never did get on with Mama." "Still don't." " Say, I hear Dan's goin' back to work soon." "I guess you'll be quittin' before long." "Honey, we got $4,000 worth of doctor bills to pay." "I will probably be making cheeseburgers for your grandkids." "Look at the little ducktail over here!" "Oh, go to hell." "What's wrong with you, you duck ass?" "Well..." "I wonder what my chances are this morning... of interesting you kids in John Keats." "None at all." "Joe Bob." "Well, I read that poem of his about the nightingale... and I didn't think it was so good." "Sounded like he wanted to be a nightingale." "Right." "I don't think he wanted to be a nightingale, Joe Bob." "Maybe he just wanted to be immortal." "All you have to do to be immortal is lead a good Christian life." "Anyone can do it if they love the Lord." "Well, maybe so, Joe Bob." "Maybe so." "Here now." "Let me..." "Let me read you this." ""When old age shall this generation waste..." ""thou shalt remain..." ""in midst of other woe than ours..." ""a friend to man..." ""to whom thou sayest..." ""beauty is truth;" "Truth, beauty." ""That is all ye know on earth... and all ye need to know."" "Run, you little pissants!" "Run!" "Tough it out!" "Tough it out!" "You gotta be men like the rest of us." "Ain't none of you pretty enough to be women." "Here, Joe Bob, quit flapping your arms." "You look like a goddamned goose." "Even for a preacher's boy, you ought to be in better shape." "What kind of female you ever gonna get?" "Tough it out!" "Tough it out." "Run, you little pissants." "All right, off the court." "If y'all didn't jack off so damn much, maybe you could stay in shape." "Come here a minute, Sonny." "Now, you do me a favor, and I'll do you one." "Sure, Coach." "Now, my old lady's got to go over to the doctor in Olney tomorrow." "You know women." "There's always something wrong with them." "Yeah, I guess." "Well..." "Take it from me." "Anyway, I haven't got time to drive her." "Now, if you'll do this for me..." "I'll get you out of civic class." "I'll be glad to." "That's the best offer I've had all day." "You tell her you got to get back in time for practice... so she won't stay in there too long." "I've got enough bills to pay already." "Hey, you know what's the trouble with you little pissants?" "You ain't got no school spirit!" ""Anarene High School We love you..."" "You need a haircut." "Hey, come on, Jimmie Sue." "We're hungry over here too." " I'm comin'!" "I'm comin'!" "Hold your horses." " It's been a half hour." "Uh-oh." "Better watch it." "Here comes your mama." "Jacy, we're havin' supper at home tonight." "I expect you there in 15 minutes, you hear?" "Okay, Mama." "I was just giving the boys a ride." "Mmm." " Hey, Abilene." "Now, here's a tune that's been, uh, on the pop hit list for a number of weeks." "You listen and tell us the name of this one." "What is it?" " What is it, huh?" "Hear it again." " "Shrimp Boats."" ""Shrimp Boats." You got it." "Very good!" "Very good, Carlos." "You were in on that too." "All right." "There's a hundred twenty dollars." "We're goin' along fine." "Now we come to City Limits." "This is geographic." "Guess you hate me tonight, huh?" "Oh, Mama, you know I love you." "But I love Duane, too, even if you don't like it." "I don't care." "I'd just hate to see you marry him." "That's all." "You wouldn't be rich any more, and in about two months..." " I don't care about money." "Not at all." " He'd stop flattering you." "Well, you're pretty stupid then." "Well, you married Daddy when he was poor, and he got rich, didn't he?" "Scared your daddy into getting rich, beautiful." "Well, if daddy could do it, Duane could too." "Not married to you." "You're not scary enough." "Well, you're rich and you're miserable." "I sure don't want to be like you." "Not much danger of that." " You slept with him?" " Mama!" "We'll go to the doctor sometime and arrange something... so that you don't have to worry about babies." " You do have to be careful of that, you know." " But, Mama, it's a sin, isn't it?" "Unless you're married?" "You know I wouldn't do that." "Oh!" "Don't be so mealymouthed." "I thought, if you slept with him a few times... you might find out that there isn't anything magic about him." "Then we can send you away to a good school and you can marry some wealthy boy." "But I don't want to leave." "Why can't I just stay here and go to college in Wichita Falls?" "Because everything is flat and empty here." "Ain't nothin' to do." " Can I have some of that?" " Help yourself." "Don't you have any?" "Well, yeah, but I feel like smelling good right now." "Don't you ever feel like doing anything right now?" "You ought to leave your face just like that." "All you really need now is a little eyebrow pencil." " Okay." "Good night." "Just remember, beautiful... everything gets old if you do it often enough." "So if you want to find out about monotony real quick... marry Duane." " Hello." " Abilene, you... you asleep?" " No." " Feel like company?" "Now again, here's Warren Hull!" "Well, I thought I'd drive out, see how my well is coming." "Drill hard." "You're better at oil wells anyway." "Oh, hello, Sonny." "What you want?" "Uh, Coach said you needed a driver." " Didn't he tell you I was coming?" "No, he didn't mention it." "I thought he was gonna drive me himself." "I guess he just couldn't get off." "Let me just get the radio." "Is it something bad?" "No." "Just something... dreary." "Thank you." "Here's the keys." "Uh, I guess I'd better be getting back to the school." "It was nice of you to drive me." "Well, it beats sitting through civics, ma'am." "Wouldn't you like to come in and have a soda... if you can stand me for a few more minutes?" "Oh." "Okay." "I hate these northers." "Ah." "Would you prefer milk?" "Just sit at the table." "Or you can go right now if you want." "I..." "I was just scared to be alone for a minute." "I'm sorry I made you come in." "I'll take a Dr. Pepper." "You'll never forgive me, I know." "Go on." "You don't have to stay any... any longer." "Thank you for the Dr. Pepper." "I guess you'll be glad when basketball season's over." "Why?" "Well, Coach probably don't get to stay home much... during football and basketball season." "My God, you don't know a thing about it, do you?" "You better go on to basketball practice." "Thanks for the Dr. Pepper." " Hi, Jacy!" " Oh, hi." " Duane coming?" " Mm-hmm." "Say, you know Bobby Sheen, don't you, over to Wichita Falls?" " Sure." "I met him at the country club." "Well, he's gonna have this midnight swimming party tonight." " You want to run over there with me later?" " I can't." "I guess you heard about the last one." "His folks were gone to Miami, and everybody swam naked." "Yeah?" " His folks are gone again, so it will probably be pretty wild." "Sure wish you could come." "Bobby has great parties." "A lot of kids from the club gonna be there." "Gee, Lester, I'd like to go." "I'm gonna have a big problem with Duane though." "Well, don't go off without me." "Maybe I can." " Hi, Duane." " What did Lester want?" "Hmm?" "Oh, Lester, he's such a bore." " Hey, Abilene." " What do you say, buddy?" "Hey there." "Hi." " Merry Christmas." " Uh, this here's Jackie Lee French." "Jackie Lee, this is Lois Farrow, my boss's wife." " Hi, Jackie." " What do you mean kissing her like that?" "I ought to slap your face." "Oh, why don't you just kiss my ass?" "I never come here to referee no fight." "Well, good." "Then come and dance with me." "Uh, uh..." "You get yourself a drink, honey." "I'll be back." "Hi, Ruth." "A thousand barrels..." "A thousand barrels of oil a day." "Lousy field." "It's too hot in here." "Let's go outside." "I don't want a lot of drunk hillbillies tromping' on my feet." "I got something to give you anyway." " Hey, Sonny." " Hey, Sonny." "Hi." " Hi, Sonny." " Hi, Dad." "How you doing?" "Okay." "Well, that's good." "See you." "Sure." " My Christmas present." " Yeah." "Oh, goodness." "I haven't had time to get you anything yet." " Well, that's okay." " I just couldn't get loose a minute to shop." "I hope you like it." "I saved up for six months to get it." "Oh, it's just beautiful." "It's just what I've been wantin'." "You're so sweet, spending' all that money on me." "Oh, you're so sexy, Duane." "I just wish I didn't have to leave you tonight." " Well, you don't." " Oh, I do too." " I could just kill my mother." " What do you mean?" "She made me promise to go to a swim party in Wichita with what's-his-name..." "Lester Marlow." " Well, goddamn." "What kind of thing is that?" " 'Cause his folks are so rich." " Don't be mad at me, Duane." " I ain't mad at you, but goddamn it!" "It's all Lester's fault." "He keeps asking Mama." " Well, goddamn!" " All I wanna do is stay with the man I love." "Goddamn!" "No, no, Duane." "I gotta go." "I gotta go." "What do you think you're doing, asking my girl for a date?" " You turn me loose!" " I'll turn you loose anytime you're ready to fight." "Come on." "Let's have it out." "Come on, Marlow!" "Here, knock off that shit, boys." "This is the Christmas season." "Run along here, Wichita." "I can't stand here all night protecting your shoeshine." "I just don't know what I'm gonna do about him." "He's so crazy about me, he doesn't have good sense." "Well, I'm not saying anything against Duane, but that's a roughneck for you." "They never are very sophisticated about these things." "Well, merry Christmas!" "Come in and let's have some punch, boys." "Hi, Sonny." " Oh, hi." " Want to help me?" "Okay." "You're not dancing." "Don't you have a girlfriend?" "Well, I did have." "We broke up a couple months ago." "Oh?" "Why?" "Do you mind my asking?" "I was goin' with Charlene Duggs." "She thought I got fresh with her." "I never did really." "I guess we broke up because we didn't like each other much to begin with." "I hope you're not sad about it." "I don't think Charlene's near nice enough for you." "Didn't see you dancing." "No, I don't dance much." "Will you drive me to the clinic again next week?" "Oh, you bet." "We better not dawdle here." " Bobby." "Hey, look!" "New victims!" "Hi, Jacy." " Hi." " Glad you could make it." " We're dressed informally, as you can see." " Hi, Jacy." " You know Annie Annie." " Want to join the club?" "Sure." "Well, you gotta get undressed out there on the diving board." "So everybody gets to watch." " We all do it the first time." " That's the rule." "Yeah." "I did it last Easter." " Okay?" " Okay." "Everybody out for the strip show." "Don't pay any attention to Sandy." "He's my little brother." "If he gooses you or anything, I'll make him go to bed." "Goodness." "Hope I don't fall off this thing." "Sandy can fish you out if you do." "Duane, been lookin' for you." "Where's Jacy?" "Aw, don't remind him." "We just got him quiet." "You want a drink?" " Okay." "Where'd you get it?" " Found it in a guy's car." " When he weren't looking." " Let's all go do something!" "Good idea!" "Why don't we try and hunt up some pussy?" "Aw, you wouldn't know what to do with it if we found some." "Hey." "What happened, Duane?" "Lester took his girl to a swimming party." "Let's all go out and get a fuck." "Hey, I know where there's a heifer." "It belongs to my Uncle Hank." "Yeah." "Why the hell not?" " I say a heifer beats nothin'." " Pussy's pussy." "I don't want no heifer." "Hell, what we ought to do is buy Billy here a piece of ass." " Yeah, we oughtn't let him die a virgin." " Yeah." "Mama says idiot kids don't live long anyway." "He ain't no idiot kid." "He just don't talk." "I bet he's still a virgin though." "Hey, we oughta fix him up with Jimmie Sue." " Ew!" " It wouldn't make no difference to Billy." "Look, I don't think we should try anything like that." "Why not?" "It wouldn't cost us more than a dollar and a half." "Hell, if that's all she costs, we ought to get her ourselves." "Shit!" "Heifer's better than Jimmie Sue." "Get the stupid little thing in here." "I ain't got all night." "Come on." "Let's get those pants off, boys." "Whoo!" "You ain't gonna be a virgin much longer." "Come on, Billy." "We're gonna get you laid." "Whoo!" "Strap her on, Billy." "Now come on." " Do the job, Billy." " Get her, Billy boy." "Why, this is the dumbest thing I ever seen!" " He don't even know what to do." " Come on, Billy!" "Damn it." "Put it to her, boy." " Get her, Billy." " Come on, Billy." "Screw it to her, boy!" "You kids stop that yelling out there." "Got a hold of this thing." "It ain't even in!" "Goddamn..." "What you..." "Goddamn, you stupid little thing!" "Couldn't even wait." "Look at this mess!" " You okay, Billy?" " You all right?" "Well, now I know." "Idiot's as bad as Mexicans." "Don't bother me no more for that crazy thing." "Wouldn't mess with him again for less than three and a half." "Which one of you bloodied his nose?" "I've told y'all not to fight with Billy 'cause he don't understand about fightin'." " What happened, Sonny?" " It weren't none of us, Sam." "Nah." "It was Jimmie Sue." "Jimmie Sue?" "How'd he get messed up with her?" "We all chipped in and bought him a piece of ass." "Thought he was getting tired of being a virgin." "She got mad about somethin' and bloodied his nose." "Now, you boys can get on out of here." "I don't want to have no more to do with you." "Scaring a poor, unfortunate creature like Billy... just so's you could have a few laughs." "I've been around that trashy behavior all my life." "I'm getting tired of putting up with it." "Now, you can stay out of this pool hall... out of my café and my picture show too." "I don't want no more of your business." "We didn't mean for anything bad to happen, Sam." "We..." "You didn't even have the decency to wash his face." "We're his best customers." "He can't run us off." "Can he?" "Lucky I fell asleep." "I'd hate not to be able to shoot no pool." "You're sure he won't come?" "You know he won't." "He's just startin' basketball practice." "It's all right." "I'm sorry I cried." "Just a-scared, I guess." "Oh, he ain't gonna come." "They're probably running plays right now, I bet." "No, not scared of that." "Scared I could never do this, I guess." "Can't seem to do anything without crying about it." "How could you like me?" "Oh, I like you." "I'm glad." "Well, come on in." "I ain't gonna throw bottles at you." "Hi." "What have you been doing?" "You lost weight." "Ain't had any of your cheeseburgers in weeks." "Well, come on." "I'll fix you one... even though that wasn't a very nice thing y'all done to Billy." "Can't blame Sam." " Was that your idea?" " No." " Duane's?" " Huh?" "He was there, wasn't he?" "Just didn't have the decency to own up to it." "Oh, don't worry." "I won't tell on him." "I should though." "Sure smells good." "One thing I know for sure..." "A person can't sneeze in this town without somebody offering him a handkerchief." " What you mean?" " Nothin'." "Just an awful small town for any kind of carrying-on." "Don't forget to put some onions on 'em." "And some people got a lot of guns." "All right." "You don't need my advice anyway." "Why don't you go play a record?" "These will be done in a minute." "I just came in to say hello to Genevieve." "Sonny?" "Food's gettin' cold." "What are you grinnin' about?" "Chicken-fry me a steak, and try to use meat this time." "I heard about the ball game last night." "121 to 14." "Must be pretty near a record." "Sam, I'm sorry." "I reckon y'all need glasses." "Hold still." "Hold still." " Want some more cookies?" " Mm-mmm." " More milk?" " I'm full." "Hey, how come you've stayed with the coach?" "You don't like him much." "Oh, I weren't brought up to leave a husband." "I guess that's why." "Maybe I was just scared to." "I never noticed how ugly this room is." " What's your favorite color?" " Oh, I don't know." "Blue." " Maybe I'll repaper it." " Well, why'd you marry him?" "I don't know." "My mother didn't like him." "Maybe that was it." "But I was 20 years old." "I thought hairy-chested football coaches were about it." "I'm gonna buy us a new quilt." "A blue one." "What do you think he'd do if he found us?" "Shoot us probably." "He's always glad to have an excuse to use his deer rifle." "I thought you boys wanted to fish." "Come on." "Keep an eye on them corks, Billy." "I don't think there's anything in this tank 'cept turtles." "That's what I like about it, tell you the truth." " Want to try one?" " Sure." "I never liked to clean fish or eat them either." "Spend half your time picking out bones." "Yeah, I just come out here to get a little scenery." "Too pretty a day to spend in town." "You wouldn't believe how this country's changed." "First time I seen it, there wasn't a mesquite tree on it... or a prickly pear neither." "I used to own this land, you know." "First time I watered a horse at this tank was more than 40 years ago." "I reckon the reason why I always drag you out here... is probably I'm just as sentimental as the next fella when it comes to old times." "Old times." "I brought a young lady swimming out here once." "More than 20 years ago." "It was after my wife had lost her mind and my boys was dead." "Me and this young lady was pretty wild, I guess." "In pretty deep." "We used to come out here a-horseback and go swimmin' without no bathing' suits." "One day, she wanted to swim the horses across this tank." "Kind of a crazy thing to do, but we done it anyway." "She bet me a silver dollar she could beat me across." "She did." "This old horse I was a-ridin' didn't want to take the water." "But she was always lookin' for somethin' to do like that." "Somethin' wild." "I'll bet she's still got that silver dollar." "Whatever happened to her?" "Oh, she growed up." "She was just a girl then really." "Here, let me help you with that." "Why didn't you ever marry her after your wife died?" "She was already married." "Her and her husband was young and miserable with one another... like so many young married folks are." "I thought they'd change with some age, but... didn't turn out that way." "Is being married always so miserable?" "No, not really." "About 80% of the time, I guess." "We ought to go to a real fishing tank next year." "Nah, it don't do to think about things like that too much." "If she was here, I'd probably be just as crazy now as I was then... in about five minutes." "Ain't that ridiculous?" "No, it ain't really... 'cause being crazy about a woman like her is always the right thing to do." "Being a decrepit old bag of bones... that's what's ridiculous." "Gettin' old." " My God, I'm glad it wasn't on fire." "I would have burned to death before you got one button undone." "I'm going to get a drink of water." "Hi." "I wondered where you went." "Annie Annie asleep?" "Yeah." "Nice." "You a virgin?" "Guess I am." "Too bad." " I don't want to be though." " I don't blame you." "Come see me when you're not." "Why don't we just take off and go someplace?" "I'm sick and tired of this town." " You're the only friend I got here." " You mean go and stay gone?" "Except Jacy." "No, I don't know." "Hey, we could go to Mexico." "Be back sometime Monday." " You reckon the pickup would make it?" " It might." "How much money you got?" "Oh, 30 bucks about." "Well, I got 40." "We could make a run with that." "Come on!" "Okay." " You boys want..." "Hey, where you going?" " Mexico." "Where?" " Better come with us, Sam." "We're headed for the valley." " Going where, did you say?" " Mexico." " I hear it's about the wildest." " Yeah, all the way down." "You're going all the way to Mexico tonight in this old heap of junk?" "My God." "Reckon the town get along without us till Monday?" "Oh, I reckon." "If I was young enough to bounce that far, I'd go with you." " Need any money?" " No, we got plenty." "Well, you'd better take some for some insurance." "Take money below that border, it sort of melts sometimes." "Well, thanks, Sam." "And try not to drink too much of that buggy water." "Oh, we'll just drink beer and tequila." "Yeah." "You catch the clap, you'll wish you hadn't drunk nothin'." "Oh, well." "We'll see you." " Adios!" " So long!" "Duane." "Hey, wake up." "We're back." "Oh, my stomach don't feel so good." "Got any more of those Tums?" "Aw, you ate 'em all before we got to San Antone." "Well, Genevieve will have something." "My stomach, it don't feel so good." "Closed." "Closed?" "Yeah." "I never seen it closed before." "No, not even for Christmas." "Maybe Sam will have something." "'Cause I'm sick." "Oh, it ain't that early." "Must be some kind of holiday." "Sam don't close on holidays." "Maybe he had to go someplace." " Well, let's go ask Andy, huh?" " Okay." " Hey, Andy." " It's a wonder somebody don't steal the town." "Hey, where is everybody?" "Asleep, if everybody's got any sense." "Well, why'd Sam close the café?" "Oh, yeah, y'all been gone, ain't you?" "Gone to Mexico." " You don't know about it." " About what?" "Sam died yesterday morning." " Died?" " Yep." "Quite a blow." "Keeled over on one of the snooker tables." "Had a stroke." "Sam the Lion?" "Yep." "Sam's dead." "He was quite a feller." "He had his own way of doin' things." "That's for sure." "They found his will..." "craziest thing you ever heard." "He left you the pool hall, Sonny." "What do you think about that?" "He left Genevieve the café." "That's the only thing he done that made any sense." "Left the picture show to old Miss Mosey." "Hell, she's too far gone to even run a popcorn machine." "And the craziest thing of all... he left a thousand dollars to Joe Bob Blanton, the preacher's boy." "Beats all I ever heard of." "He could just as easily left that to me... 'cause I deserve it least as much as that ignorant little bastard." "Anyhow, it's done." "They're burying him tomorrow." "Duane's gonna get it, sure enough." "Don't shit in your pants." "Everybody can't please everyone." " You better get somethin'." "Come in." " I love you." " I love you too." "Oh, Duane, hurry." "What's wrong, honey?" "Um, I don't know." "That tickles." "You know I can't stand to be tickled." "What's the matter?" "Aren't you gonna do it?" " I don't know what's wrong." " What do you mean?" "How could anything be wrong?" "Just go on and do it." "Oh!" "What's the matter with you?" "I don't know." "I don't know." "Something's happened." "Well, get off a minute, for goodness sake." "You might fall and mash me." "I don't know what happened." "It was Mexico." "No telling what you got down there." "I just hate you!" "I don't know why I ever went with you." "I don't know what happened." "Put your clothes on." "You think I wanna sit around here and look at you naked?" "I might have known you couldn't do it." "Now I'll never get to not be a virgin." "What'll we tell everybody?" "The whole class knows." "I just wanna cry." "I think you're the meanest boy I ever saw." "My mother was dead right about you." " I don't know what happened." " Don't go out there!" "We haven't had time to do it." "They'd know." "I don't want one soul to know." "You'd better not tell one soul." "You just pretend it was wonderful." "Hell, I'm sorry." "I don't know what happened." "Oh!" " If you say that one more time, I'll bite you!" " Now here's Tony Bennett." "Oh, gee, tell us about it, Jacy." "What was it like?" "I just can't describe it." "I just can't describe it in words." "Jacy?" "Jacy?" "I can do it now." "I know I can." "Jacy?" "Oh, quit prissin'." "I don't think you did it right anyway." "Come on." "It's your graduation present." "Hope you like it." "I never seen one as nice." " Hello." " Jacy?" "What's on your feeble mind, Duane?" "Same as it's been." "I want a date." "Uh-huh." "Why don't you just go back to Mexico?" "I guess girls are just easier to please down there." "Just go out with me once more." "Just one more time." " You can at least see me." " Uh-uh." "You find somebody else to pester." "I've got a new boyfriend now, and I can't be talkin' to you." " What new boyfriend?" "Who?" " Bobby Sheen, of course." "Bobby Sheen?" " You crazy?" " I certainly am not." "I guess I've just been wanting to go with him all along and never realized it." "Maybe we'll see you in Wichita sometime." " Goddamn it!" "Goddamn it to hell!" "Well, I hate to see you go, Duane." "I don't have a goddamn thing to stay for." "The roughnecks say you can get a job out in Odessa anytime." "Come on back if you don't." "Hey, listen." "You hear they busted up, let me know." " Hi." "I didn't hear you." " Gene home?" "No." "He and Mama went to the club." "What are you doing home on a Saturday night?" "Bobby Sheen ran off and got married." "Annie Annie Martin." "Want me to turn the TV off?" "No." "I'm gonna go play some pool." "Just tell your daddy that well came in okay." "I wish I could go to the pool hall." "I've always wanted to." "It's terrible the things girls aren't allowed to do." "Well, hell, come on." "I'll show you the pool hall." " Aren't there people there?" " If there are, they'll be in back asleep now." "Won't bother us." "Got my own key." "Okay, I will then." "Goodness, it sure is dark in here." "What a night." "I never thought somethin' like this would happen." "How about hopping' out?" "Oh, he's just awful, Mama!" "Why do you fool with him?" "Daddy's a nicer man than him, isn't he?" "Oh, he sure is, beautiful." "Your daddy's a very nice man." "I oughta have been givin' Abilene hell instead of him." "I don't know what I'm gonna do." "Bobby was the last one." " No." " I'm just gonna be an old maid." "Honey, that's just the way it goes sometimes, you know?" " You win a few, you lose a few." " What do you do?" "Nothing's ever the way it's supposed to be at all." "You're right." "Come on." "I want to tell you something." "What I've done has not worked out too well." "I think maybe we better think of something else for you, huh?" "Right now, I guess Ruth Popper's got about as good a setup as anyone." " Ruth Popper?" " I think Sonny's reasonably good-looking..." " Sonny?" "Sonny Crawford?" " Oh, don't you know about that?" "It's been going on about six months now." "I thought you kids knew everything." "It's the silliest thing I ever heard of." "She's 40 years old." "So am I, honey." "It's kind of an itchy age." " You want an orange?" " I don't believe it." "Sonny's always wanted to go with me." " Pretty easy shot, Sheriff." "Sheriff, we got some trouble." "Goddamn you, Monroe!" "You made me scratch." "Sorry, Sheriff." "Didn't mean to, but..." "Well, Johnny Clarg's little girl's kinda been kidnapped." "They said they saw the preacher's boy put her in his car about two hours ago over at the drugstore." "Well, what the hell?" "Maybe Joe Bob just give her a ride home." "Be doing' her a favor in this hot weather." "Who would want to kidnap Molly Clarg?" "Don't ask me." "I just know she's not home." "They was seen headed out of town toward Olney... and, well, Miz Clarg's kind of afraid that Joe Bob might be... gonna molest her or somethin'." "Sonny, you and some of these boys come with us." "If that's the way it is, no telling what we'll find." "Molly!" "Molly!" "Get him!" "Ain't you goin' to?" "Here's my little girl." "He's the one that done it." "Why don't you get him?" "If my husband was here, he'd kill him dead!" "What'd you do to that child?" "We know you done something." "Come on." "Filthy!" "Filthy, filthy!" "Here now." "Grab her." "None of this goddamn frenzy." "Filthy, filthy, filthy!" "It's the Lord's justice, Son." "You'll have to suffer with the murderer and the thief." " The Lord will help you now." " Sonny, you drive that Plymouth to town." "We gotta get this man to jail." " Doctor said he didn't do nothin'." " Never had the guts." "Preacher's boy." "Sheriff figured he'd done somethin'." "Yeah, stands to reason." "Were you there?" "Did you see anything?" "Oh, weren't nothing to see except Miz Clarg." "And if she had a gun, she might've killed us all." "And Joe Bob didn't do nothin'." "Oh, you know he must've done somethin'." "Scares me to death." "You just never can tell when somethin' terrible's gonna happen." "It's okay." "They got him now." "I called you before." "You did?" "Mm-hmm." "I felt lonesome." "Thought you might wanna drive around a while." "Well, I'm supposed to be someplace." "I'm still a little scared." "Please take me riding." "Well, where will we drive?" " You ever hear from Duane?" " Had a postcard." "I really feel sad about that." "He's, uh..." "Makes 320 a month." "Said he bought a car." "Guess I'll always be a little bit in love with Duane." "We just had too much against us." "It wasn't easy being the one to break up." " Sonny?" " What?" "Not here." "I'm too old for screwing' in cars." "I don't like to hurry." "Why don't we go to Wichita and get a motel room?" "I'm afraid to right now." "I think my folks are watching me." "They know I don't want to go to college." "They might think we're gonna run off and get married." "We'll do it when it's safe." "We got all summer." " Hey, Duane." " Hey, buddy." "I didn't know you turned roughneck." "Gotta make a livin' somehow so's I can afford to keep the pool hall open." " When'd you get in?" " Oh, about 2:00." "Thought I'd surprise you." " This yours?" " Yeah." "How about that?" "38,000 miles on her." "She runs like new." " Say, you want a beer?" " Not me." "It's about all I eat for breakfast any more." "Hey, sure is a nice car." "Yeah, I like to drive it so much I thought I'd just drop home for the weekend." "Yeah, you can't take too good care of a car like this." " I wash her every week." " Oh, it looks great." " Hear about Joe Bob?" " Yeah, I always knew he was crazy." "He didn't do nothing..." "except get her to take her underpants off." " He's out of jail now." " Yeah." "Are you still screwing that old lady?" "No." "Yeah." "I been kind of busy." "I seen old Leroy last week." "He said he thought you and Jacy had been going together a little." "Yeah." "We have a little." "She's been kinda bored, so once in a while we go out, eat Mexican food or something." "The way I hear it, that ain't all you been eating." "Well, whoever told you that don't know what he's talkin' about." "Sure, I been goin' with her." "Why not?" "Never said I blamed you for it." "I don't blame you much." "Just never thought you'd do me that way." "I thought we were still best friends." "We are." "What you so mad for?" "I never done nothin' to you." " I guess screwing' my girl ain't nothin' to you." " I ain't screwing her." " Hell you ain't!" " Well, I ain't." " She's not your girl any more anyhow." " She is my girl." "I don't care if we did break up." " Hell, you don't live here any more." " That don't make no difference." "I'll always live here." "I'm gettin' her back." "I'm tellin' you right now." "She's gonna marry me one of these days when I get a little bit more money." " She won't marry you." " Sure, she will." " We always meant to get married." " She's going off to college soon." "I doubt I'll ever get to go with her again myself once she gets off." "I never saw what it could hurt to go with her this summer though." " She's never gonna marry you." " She is, by God!" "Don't you tell me she won't!" "She'd never let you screw her." "That's for sure." "Hell, I was just seein' how honest you was." "Jacy would never let you screw her." "You ain't that good a cocksman." "You never even screwed Charlene Duggs all that time you went with her." "Course I didn't." "You know why?" "'Cause you had the pickup all time Saturday night!" "That's why." "Nobody could have screwed her in the time I had left." "I could have screwed her in five minutes." "I wouldn't even need no pickup." "Oh, yeah?" "Well, the only reason she went with you as long as she did... was 'cause you was in the backfield and I was in the goddamn line." "What you talkin' about?" "Me and her was in love." "Oh, you was." "She likes me just as much as she ever liked you." " That's a lie." " I'll stay with her all night one of these nights too." " She done promised." " You won't either." "Yes, I will." "Why shouldn't I?" "She done told me you couldn't even do it that time in Wichita Falls!" "What about that?" "What happened?" "Sonny?" "There's a lady in the waiting room." "She sent you this." "Could you tell her I'm asleep?" "Please." "All right." " That too cold?" " Nah, it's great." "Say, I hear Duane joined the army." "Good place for him too." "Aw, he was just holding that bottle." "Didn't mean to hit me with it." "That boy's always had meanness in him." "Of course, Jacy's just the kind of girl that brings out the meanness in a man." "She's just like her grandmother." "I hadn't ought to talk about 'em anyhow." "We was all good friends once." "Dan roughnecked with Gene Farrow." "He and Lois, they used to live in this little one-room place over the newspaper office." "Hell, Lois couldn't afford a flour sack, much less a mink." "I've always had a soft spot for her though." "Yeah, I wondered a lot of times, you know, what would have happened... if my Dan had made the strikes that Gene made." "They offered that rig to him first." "Yep." "Dan Morgan never took a chance in his life." "Do you wish y'all had made it?" "Oh, sure, I wish we'd made it." "Guess the army won't take me now I just got one good eye." "You want to go over to Korea and get yourself killed, huh?" "You ain't got your senses back yet..." "what few you ever had." "Well, café won't run itself." "You rest up now." "Oh, here's for the cheeseburger." "Okay, I'll bring your change when I bring your supper." "Thanks." " Sonny?" " Come on in." "Oh, I was so worried." "I just had to see you." "Oh, I been missing you." "And I'm a lot better than I was." "Here, sit down." "You just can't believe how famous we are." " We're all anybody talks about in this town now." " Yeah, I guess so." " I want us to get married." " What?" " I really do." " Get married?" "Just as soon as you want to." "Don't you want to?" "Oh, yeah." "I bet the whole town will be knocked for a loop if we do." "They'll never forget it." " Ain't you goin' to college?" " Oh, I don't care about that." "I love you, and that's more important." "You were so dear to fight for me." "My folks won't like it, but we can run off." " They'll kill us." " No, they won't." " Kill me anyhow." " They'll get over it." "You're working for Daddy now anyway." "Pretty soon, they'll love you just as much as I do." "Can we?" "Sure." "I just hope I can see to drive." "Don't you worry." "I can drive." "Don't do that, Sonny." "Why not?" "We're man and wife now." "We can do anything." "Not while I'm driving." "I might have a wreck." "Goodness." "Wouldn't it be just awful if Mama and Daddy got the police after us?" "Oh, they don't even know where we are." "Well, I had to leave 'em a note, you know, so they wouldn't be worried out of their minds." "You shouldn't have done that." "I had to." "I figured they'd have to know sometime." "Well, what could they get us for?" "We got a right to get married, ain't we?" "I guess so." "I wish you didn't have that stupid eye patch." "It's really creepy." "I can take it off pretty soon." "'Bout two hours, we'll be in Lake Texoma... and have a room to ourself, hmm?" "My goodness, you're sitting so close I can barely drive." "Oh, goodness." "Howdy." "What part of Texas y'all from?" " Anarene." " Newlyweds, ain't you?" "Well, y'all better follow me on in." "I think somebody's lookin' for you." "We ain't done nothin' wrong." "Ain't we got a right to get married?" " How can you arrest us just like that?" " I ain't arresting you." "I just want you to come with me till we find out somethin'." "I don't know what your rights are." "I guess we better follow him, honey." "I'll just be heartbroken if my folks have done this." "You think I worked like a dog all my life so my daughter can end up in a pool hall?" "We was gonna get another apartment." "I'll bet you was." "Where are your car keys, hon?" "It's a hell of a note." "A hell of a note." "Just a hell of a note!" " Oh, shut up and take her home." " You bet I will!" " I'm tired of this." " You take her car." "As far as I'm concerned, he can walk!" "Not much of a wedding night, huh?" "Nope, not much of one." "Here, have a little drink of bourbon." "It'll pick you up." "Take all of it." "I'm gonna drive." "You won't believe this, Sonny, but you're lucky we got you clear of her quick as we did." "You'd have been a lot better off staying with Ruth Popper." "Does everybody know about that?" "Of course." "Sounded like a good deal to me, kiddo." "You shouldn't have let Jacy turn your head." "Well, she's prettier." "I guess I shouldn't have though." " I guess I treated her terrible." " Guess you did." "Sure weren't out of Texas very long." "Well, Oklahoma's not much of an improvement." "It's not the same now." "Nothing's really been right since Sam the Lion died." "No." "No, it hasn't." "Oh, God." "I get sad if I think of Sam for long." "Did you know he had beautiful hands?" "I guess you liked him, didn't you?" "I guess everybody did." "Well, I'll tell you." "It was different with me, Sonny." "I loved him." "He loved me too." "Are you..." "Are you the one he used to take swimming' out in the tank?" "He told you about that, huh?" "Yeah, I was the one." " I guess if it wasn't for Sam, I'd..." "just about have missed it... whatever it is." "I'd have been one of them Amity types that thinks that... playin' bridge is about the best thing that life has to offer." "Old Sam the Lion." ""Sam the Lion." You know, nobody knows where he got that name." "I gave it to him." "One night, oh, it just came to me." "He..." "He was so pleased." "I was 22 years old then." "Can you imagine?" "I'll tell you, Sonny... it's terrible to only meet one man in your whole life who knows what you're worth." "Just terrible." "I've looked too." "You wouldn't believe how I've looked." " Well, now I know why Sam liked you." " Loved me!" "Loved you, I mean." "Do you?" "Well, I can kind of see what he saw in you too." "Nope, I'll just go on home." "Go on, get out." "Think I could..." "think I could learn to drink?" "You might." "You better keep on practicing." "That Logan boy's a quarterback now, ain't he?" "Boy, we finally got us a team." "Didn't back in your day, did they, Sonny?" "Nah, we wasn't much good." "Well, you just never learned the fundamentals... you know, blocking and tackling..." "not like this team." " When was it you graduated?" " Last year." "You don't mean it?" "Seems like longer than that since you and old Duane played ball." "I seen old Duane a while ago." "He's home on leave." " Wearin' his uniform." " I ain't seen him yet." " How are you, Chuck?" " Fine, Coach." "Now, listen, see if we can't stretch that goddamn thing a little." "You know a man never ought to cheat..." "unless'n it's for a good cause." "He's a good old boy, ain't he?" "Hi, Miz Jackson." "Duane here?" "That's his car out there, ain't it?" "He's here if he ain't walked off." " Hi." "How you been?" " Oh, pretty good." "Yeah, I been thinking all week that, you know, I'd run into you." "Yeah." "I heard you was going off to Korea." "I thought I'd better get over here and see you before you got off." "Glad you did." "I'm taking the bus out early in the morning." "Oh." "Thought you might want to go to the picture show." "Miss Mosey's having to close it." "Tonight's the last night." "Yeah, might as well go." "Hate to miss the last night." "Take the Mercury." "Be the last chance I'll have to drive it for a while." " Ready, Matthew?" " All ready." "Take 'em to Missouri, Matt." " That was a good movie." " Yeah, I seen it here before once." "Why don't we run over to Wichita and drink a little beer, huh?" "Okay." "I got lots of time till morning." "Sure." " Well, so long, Miss Mosey." " Sorry you're closing the show." "Nobody wants to come to shows no more." "Kid baseball in the summer... television all the time." "If Sam had lived, I..." "I believe we could have kept it goin'." "But I just didn't have the know-how." "Won't be much to do in town with the picture show closed." "Yeah." "Well, so long." "Duane." "You watch out now overseas." "Sure weren't no women around." "I guess the next piece of ass I get will be yellow." "Wished I was going with you." "Hey, why don't you take care of the car for me?" "What, your ma don't need it?" "I wouldn't want her driving it, no better than she can drive." "You might help her take the groceries home, you got the time." "Okay." "You ever, uh..." "You ever hear from Jacy?" "No, not a thing." "She don't get home much." "Ain't been back to town since August." "I guess she just stays in Dallas all the time." "Yeah, probably does." "I guess there's lots to do down in Dallas." "I ain't over her yet, you know." "I ain't over her yet." "It's the damndest thing." "That's the only reason, uh... the only reason you and I got into it that time, you know." "Reckon she likes it down in Dallas?" "It's hard to say." "Maybe she does." "You reckon you and her would have got it all straighted out if I hadn't have butted in?" "Oh, no." "No." "No." "They'd have annulled me, too, even if we had." "Y'all, uh..." "Y'all never even got into the motel?" "No." "Well." "Better get on before we both freeze." "Here are the keys." " So long, buddy." " So long, Duane." "Be careful." "I'll take care of the Mercury for you." "I'll see you in a year or two if I don't get shot." "He run right out in front of that station." "Christ, he didn't..." "Trucker didn't have a chance." "Yeah, he's out here all the time doin' something." "I could see it wasn't your fault." "You can call the kid retarded." "You couldn't help it." " Sand was blowin'." "I never noticed him." " Yeah." "Hard to see." "Never figured nobody would be in the street." "What was he doin' out there, anyway, carrying that broom?" "Aw, he weren't doin' nothin'." "He's just an old simple-minded kid." " Never had no sense." " Sorta retarded." "Wasn't your fault." "Hell, no, mister." "I can see that." "He was just a dumb old kid." "Never was good for nothin'." "Didn't know enough to keep his ass out of the cold, morning' like this." "Let's go to the café." "I ain't had no breakfast." "I'd still like to know what was he doin' lugging that broom around this time of day." "He was sweeping', you sons of bitches!" "He was sweeping'!" "Y'all got some crazy kids in this town, if you ask me." "Hi." "Could I have a cup of coffee with you?" " I guess." "I'm sorry I'm still in my bathrobe." "What am I doing apologizing to you?" "Why am I always apologizing to you?" "You little bastard!" "Three months I've been apologizing to you without you even being here!" "I haven't done anything wrong." "Why can't I quit apologizing'?" "You're the one ought to be sorry." "I wouldn't still be in my bathrobe if it hadn't have been for you." "I'd have had my clothes on hours ago." "You're the one made me quit caring if I got dressed or not." "I guess just because your friend got killed... you want me to forget what you did and make it all right." "I'm not sorry for you." "You'd have left Billy, too, just like you left me." "I'll bet you left him plenty of nights whenever Jacy whistled." "I wouldn't treat a dog that way." "I guess you thought I was so old and ugly... you didn't owe me any explanation, you didn't need to be careful of me." "There weren't anything I could do about you and her." "Why should you be careful of me?" "You didn't love me." "Look at me." "Can't you even look at me?" "See?" "You shouldn't have come here." "I'm around that corner now." "You've ruined it." "It's lost completely." "Just your needing me won't make it come back." "Never you mind, honey." "Never you mind."