"Come on, let's go." "Let's play some cards here." "Are we gonna play cards, or we gonna drink?" "Three." "Damn!" "Relax, honey." "It's only a quarter." "Let's go, now." "What have we got here, boys and girls?" " Cuatro." "Hellfire." " Lady wins." "Pay up, boys." "Okay, let's have another look at 'em." "Roll them around." "What do we got?" "Thank you, ma'am." "Oh, no!" "Five." "Dang!" "You better try your luck somewhere else." " Taps me, boys and girls." " Bye." " Here I am again." " Fresh money." "That's a lot better." "Come on." "All right, now." "Come on, let's go one more time." " For old time..." " Official." "Can you beat it?" "No, you can't." " Let's have your money." " Your luck has changed." "A very pretty lady." " Let's have your money." " Your luck has changed." "A very pretty lady." "All right." "Lucky!" "You're in early tonight, sweetheart." "My TV is on the bum." " You owe me for the weekend." " They were regular customers." "Yeah, but I sent them around the first time." "I should get a royalty." "You can kiss my royal ass." "Another round over here." "JB straight-up, Seven and Seven, and a vodka-tonic, please." "Please hurry." "They're getting crazy over there." " How are you?" " How am I?" "Terrific. $20." "That's what it is all over town." "I thought you'd be a lot more than that." "I should be." "You wanna pay for my drink?" "I'm the tooth fairy." "Why don't you wait for me outside?" "Give me 10 minutes." "Well." "My, my." "Perhaps I could interest you in season tickets?" " Darling." " What?" " I love you." " I love you, too." "I don't have no money, though." "Wait a minute, baby." " I'll tell you what we're gonna do." " You dirty tramp!" "I've got a portable radio." "It's worth $25." " Gets FM and everything." " I am not a swap shop!" " Don't you do nothing for poor folks?" " Would you get out?" "Now, baby..." "You're gonna cost me the whole goddamn night!" "I told you I was sorry, now." "Wait a minute." "I told you I was sorry." "You know how many times Elmore Pratt says he's sorry in the course of a year?" "None." "Zero." "You can see that it's a very big deal." "I am extremely sorry." "I got no goddamn money." "This your family here?" "Yeah, you can tell, right around the eyes and nose." "That little peckerwood's family." "Do you see much of him?" "I sure would like to meet your family sometime." " They seem like real good folks..." " Get out of here!" "Stupid garbage beggar!" "Hey, cowboy." "Can you afford some company?" "Hiya, honey." "Hi." " How you doing tonight, Peg Leg?" " Fine, sweetie." "Say, girlfriend." "Hey, dig, I gotta tell you something." "I had this john..." "Hi." " This is a good spot." " Christ." "I wanna take you out on a date." "No sex involved... just coffee and a sweet roll." "And I'm gonna get that $20 that I owe you." "Listen close." "You're a beggar, you're stupid, you smell, you're ugly..." "You expect me to believe that I'm ugly?" "Hell, I'm not ugly." " Hey, sugar." "Want a date?" " How much?" "I want you to meet my family, is why." "I know a guy that will kill you if I ask him to." "It's $20." "Oh, shit." "Creep, you made my night." "You just got me busted." " Who's gonna bust you?" " He's gonna bust me." " You gonna bust her?" " Yeah, I'm gonna bust her." "Shit." "Wait a minute, now." "Hang on a second." "Mary, get out of here." "Was that a cop that I hit?" "What did you hit him for?" "Assaulting a cop." "Do you know how dumb that is?" "I'd have been out of there in half an hour." "That's what they have bail for." "I've known some squirrels in my life, but you are up there at the top of the tree." "I was just trying to help." "I didn't know a whore gets out of jail so easy." " I ain't no whore." " Out!" "Shut the door." " Say, have you been doing this very long?" " It's been a treat." " Where do you want me to send that $20?" " Don't push me, bud." "I should have read my horoscope this morning." "I would have known this was gonna happen." "Must be a Virgo." "Must be a goddamn Virgo." "I should have known I was due for a Virgo." "God darn!" "Ouch!" "You're gonna have to quit this streetwalking before you hurt yourself." " Where are you going with that?" " My place." "God darn it!" "Fine, buy me the best." "He must have gone bankrupt..." " This is a place?" " I don't pay no rent." "It's still too much." "The man who owns this place don't even know I'm here." " At least he won't miss it much." " I ain't going nowhere." "Are you crazy?" "Think I'm gonna make the Ten Most Wanted list off a little scuffle?" "Try to understand me." "You cannot hit a cop." "They'll be looking for you." "They'll beat you to death." " You think he got a good look at me?" " He would know you." "What are you gonna do?" "I don't know." "I'll just go across town for a couple of weeks." "I didn't do nothing." "I guess I cost you plenty, didn't I?" "Not really." "It's Monday night." "Football." " You can stay here all you want to." " Just tonight." "Thanks." " Where the heck do I lay down?" " Right there." "You'll wake up feeling like a pregnant teenager." "I don't know who you are, but I think I might." "Rickey..." "Rickey's told me about a lady he sees looking at him sometimes." "You frighten him." "He's afraid of you." "Look, he is our son." "I don't know what you think you have to do with him... and I don't want to know." "Now, I'm sorry... but my husband said if you keep it up, he's calling the police." "He is a happy little boy... and we love him very much." " Hey, John." " Hey, Elmore." " Where the hell were you last night?" " I had some trouble, couldn't get here." "Well, you won't have to worry about that no more." "What did you do, Vernon?" "Give me my walking papers?" "Car washers ain't hard to replace." "I got me two nights of pay coming here." "Checks come out on Friday." " I'll be gone by then." "I need it now." " Friday." "Checks come out on Friday." " I'll be gone by then." "I need it now." " Friday." " Hey, Dewey." " Don't talk to me, man." "Your car running?" "What the hell do you care?" "You ain't using it." " I need a ride out of here." " Take a damn bus." "I ain't got the money." "I need you to carry me an hour or two down the road." "Look, man, I'm going home and get some sleep." "You know who the hell Vernon called at 3:00 this morning to come and wash these damn cabs when you didn't show?" " Pratt." " Yes?" " Trying to get Dewey fired, too?" "No, sir." "No, sir." "Get your gloves on." " You're ready to go." " Yes, sir." " Hey, Arthur." " I'll see you later." "I'll be right with you." "Yeah, so you guys go get ready now." "Put your gloves on." "All of a sudden, there was a shortage of lockers." "That's my locker, Art." "You ain't paid the rent in over two years." "You don't need it no more, anyway." "Where's my lock?" "What did they do, break it?" "They just pay me to sit in a chair and make sure the towels are clean." " Where's my stuff at?" " It's up there." "Dorm kind of grows on you, don't it?" "Are you leaving?" "It's been suggested that it would be the smart thing for me to do." "So am I." "Hell, it's turning into a migration." "How are you going?" "Pretty damn close to the road, baby." "Unless, of course, you went out and bought us a set of plane tickets." "Are you leaving because I got you in a bunch of trouble or something?" "I need a vacation." " What do you ladies do with all your money?" " Goes into our pension fund." " Got anyplace special you going back to?" " No." "No" " Which way do you wanna go?" " West, I guess." " How far?" " I don't care." " Ever been to California?" " No, it's too far!" "Probably about as far as you can get from Mobile." "The open road." "God damn it!" "Here, do you want me to help you?" "Let me help you, now." "That's right." "I wonder why so many people go to California in the first place." "I hear the fruits and vegetables are great out there." "Drugs, avocados... palm trees, suntans, beach parties... movie stars and celebrities." "Sunset Strip." "Mexicans." "Any of that stuff sound good to you?" "Earthquakes." "Earthquakes." "Have a wreck!" "Sure is comforting to know... there's still people in this world willing to help other people." "What your pot-smokers never had was family." "Never had them no church, chores, sports, discipline." "You take us, for example." "We're just an average family like anybody can have." "All you gotta do is put your shoulder to it... and make it go." "I'll tell you one thing." "If the police realized that they've got themselves a responsibility... to kill a few people every now and then..." "I'm not just talking about your niggers, either... things would begin to change around here." "One time, I made myself $2,500 in a single fight." "It was over there in Pensacola." "What's the matter?" "That little bastard in the brass buttons." " What did he get?" " Only my wallet." "Over $200." "We ain't got the money to pay for it every time we eat." " Anything else?" " Just coffee, please." " You want a cup of coffee?" " I'd like another cup of coffee." " Two coffees." " That's gonna change the tax." "Sorry for the trouble." "Elmore, you tell me one single..." "Haven't you got any money?" "We are gonna be traveling on wit and grit, gal." "I sure as hell hope and pray to the good Lord in heaven... you ain't left yours back in Mobile." "You don't get syphilis off a goddamn toilet seat!" "What do you think I am, anyway?" "Some back-ass-ward kid?" "Tell me, what other things have you brought in my house?" "Anything I got, I got off of you!" "Bullshit!" "You ain't never got nothing off of me, bimbo dick!" "Nothing I'd recommend, chicken tits!" "Is this another damn place we can't come into thanks to your dirty, fucking mouth?" "Amy!" "Where are you?" " Come on, Amy." " Where have you been?" "Redneck!" " Elmore!" " What?" " Have you ever been to California?" "No!" "I hear they have real good-looking people out there." "Don't believe that." "I met a guy from out there one time... had the worst case of pimples of anybody I ever saw in my life." "Well, was he nice?" "Yeah !" " Most people that have pimples are nice." " That's not nice." " Did you leave any friends back there?" "One." "I didn't." "I lived there all my life and I didn't have any friends." "I'd like to meet myself some real nice people." "You ever meet more than two nice people in your life, one of them's faking it." "Will that be cash or credit card?" "Cash, please." "Go." "That's a $20 bill, damn it!" "Wait a minute!" "That's $20!" "Get back here!" "Don't forget to count your change!" "Look, that's it." "We don't need that." "Wait a minute!" "Get out of there!" "Look out!" "Get out of the damn road!" "Be careful." "Girl, you gonna get killed!" " Where are y'all headed?" " California." "LA, I bet, right?" "Every pretty girl I know either dreams about it or packs up and moves out there." "I figure they're all out there, waiting on me." " You going all the way to LA?" " Yeah." "Little stop in San Diego Naval Base for about 14 months." "You a model?" "Anyone could see I'm too short." "You've been sitting since you got in the car." "Let me ask you something." "What's he to you?" "He's my cousin." "Lucky for you there's no family resemblance." " Lucky for me." " He's ugly." "You can park right across the bridge." "Is that all right?" "You can park right across the bridge." "Well, thank you anyway, but how do I get around town?" "Boy, anyone in uniform is a guest here." "You and a date could get in for free." "If you don't accept that hospitality, we gotta figure you out of your head... and I'll lock you up for the general good." " Well, I'm hungry." " Good." " Break out the gumbo." " All right." "Hey, cousin, you in love or you back in business?" "We'll just let him wait in the car and sleep, baby doll." " Thank you." " You're welcome." " You want a cold drink?" " Thank you." "We'll get you filled up yet." "I got ice cream, here!" "Ice cream!" "Ready?" "I'll have another one ready for you in just one sec." "Here you go." "Fill them up, boys." " I'm loaded." " Let's go!" "Damn!" "Give me a little more of that." " What's happening?" " Look here." "Get him." "Hold him down, boy." "Jesus!" "My, they're strong." "Come on, let's go over here." "Oh, shootify." " You wanna try again?" " Yes." "All right." "I think you've won something." "Haven't you won something, now?" "I have?" "One more." "Sorry." " You get one for that." " I wanted the big one." "Winner!" "Ice cold beer, here." "All right." "$6, please." "Peanuts!" "Peanuts, here!" "Hot salted peanuts!" "Four beers." "I'm Spivey." "This here is my hometown." " This here is Stromberg." " Hi." "Goose Gosler." "And Yankee strangler Bartini." "And as I said before, I'm Spivey." "Goose here's right enough." "You must be a movie star." "I tell you, four good-looking youngsters like yourselves you all ought to have dates." "Honey, you ought to try and keep track of all the beer these youngsters drink." "It will amaze you." "I know you'd love to dance." " Ice cold beer." " Popcorn, Cracker Jacks!" "Let me explain the principle of the game." "All you have to do is watch the Black Queen." "Bartini!" "You think we ought to try to get out of here?" "You sure are the best-looking woman in this town." "Shit!" "Spivey, you had better cut this boy's beer right off." "Shit!" "Spivey, you had better cut this boy's beer right off." "He's right." "Even some of the whores I seen in Germany were better-looking..." " than our high-school cheerleaders." " You know how beat-up them whores are." " You know, baby?" " Know what?" " You and me ought to get married." " Ease off." "Me and my daddy, we got nearly 1,100 acres of sugar beets." " Is that right?" " Yes." "I reckon I'm just the one for you." "Spivey, what the hell are you doing?" "Oh, God, kid, this is funny." "Don't make me laugh." "Oh, crap!" "This son of a bitch must be in another navy." "You've got the wrong lady, kid." "Get in here!" " Let's go!" " Let's get the hell out of here." " What about him?" " To hell with him." " He's taking us all the way to San Diego." " Bullshit." "How far are you gonna get in a stolen car?" " Get in here, boy." " They got my money." " It's their hometown, son." " They got my goddamn money!" "I can see you wanna go, son." "How come you be carrying so much cash, boy?" "I just won it." " You a card player?" " No, pinball." " Pinball?" " Yeah." "I'm a wizard." " You're what?" " The boy is a wizard." " I thought they wore pointed hats." " They do." "In the funny papers." "Let me ask you something." "What do you think they'd come up with if them boys had been digging in your pockets?" "Put me in a room with a pinball machine, and I'm gonna win money every time." "Every time." "You think he's as good as he says he is?" "Nobody ever is." "Where in hell did Louisiana get a pinball wizard?" "Not the same place we got ours." "Hell, I'd have had that machine figured out if we'd had a little more money." "I was having trouble with the flipper speed and the tension on the ball spring wasn't the same." "You ought to go to playing marbles 'cause you always use the same thumb in marbles." "You know, being short is an advantage in pinball, too." "It affects how light reflects off the glass down here and up here." "It's different." "Don't worry about it." "You told us you'd win money." "You turn around and lose it." "That ain't no big deal." "If you did that in my business, they'd break all the bones in your face." "What business are you in?" "I'm a fighter." " When was your last fight?" " I ain't had it yet." "You two get in the car." "Get some sleep." " Where you going?" " A walk up the street." "Don't worry." "We'll figure something out tomorrow." "I'm not." "I'm just gonna get some of our money back." "You crazy?" "What are you gonna do, stick them up?" " What can you do that I can't do?" " Make them smile." "What do you mean?" "You're serious?" "You'd screw one of them punks?" "Honey, we'll get to LA." "I gotta be at the base." "We all got to be somewhere." "Look, sugar, you relax." "It ain't no big thing." "This is what I do." "You're a hooker." "That's what you do when you're too short to be a model?" "Jesus Christ!" "I've been using all the goddamn charm in the world ever since you got in the car, and all it takes is cash." "That's all." "You should wear a sign telling people what you do." "They wouldn't have tried to rape you." "They'd just have paid you with the money they robbed off of me." "Well, LA's the right place for you, that's for damn sure." "Just don't wear it out between here and there." "You know something?" "Now that I look at you, you look like a goddamn whore." "You look like a goddamn fucking whore!" "Listen, boy." "A whore is a 16-year-old with a bad reputation." "I am a hustler." "What the hell is the difference?" "Hush, boy, you done said it all now, have you?" "You get out of here or I'll break your damn neck, son." "You know, actually, a 16-year-old that's got a bad reputation is is a slut, see?" "I think this is where we get off." "Didn't you and your folks ever camp out or go fishing?" "No, we always lived indoors." " Did you leave any family back there?" " No." "Did you?" "My little boy." "How come you'd leave him so fast?" "When I had him, I let him be adopted." "Then a couple of years after that, I started thinking about him." "I wondered what he looked like and if he was smart or not." "If we'd know each other if we ever passed each other on the street." "So I went by the hospital where I had him... and I paid this nurse $300 to tell me who it was that had him." "For years, I've been going by his school and his house." "I snapped a picture of him once." "Sooner or later, I'd have done something real dumb... and messed him up." "The people who have him told me if I came by any more... they were gonna call the cops." "Ain't no way you could adopt him back?" "No." " Have you ever been married?" " Yeah." "Tell me." "Her name was Dixie." "Met her on a Tuesday and I married her on a Wednesday." "The girl didn't want to see me get away." "After a year or so, she wanted me to quit boxing." "'Cause she was always worried about me." "You'd understand that." "Hell, I wasn't about to quit, so she left." "Lives out in Provo, Utah, now." "I know where Provo is." "Heck, you've given up boxing." "Why don't you just go on over there and look her up?" "I might do that." "Maybe you two could get back together." "Probably not." "See you in the morning." "Elmore, come on, wake up." " Wake up, there's a train coming." " So?" "We ain't sleeping on the tracks." "We gonna get on it." "Come on now, wake up, Elmore!" "Get up!" "Come on." "Here it comes." "Elmore!" "We ain't gonna get on no damn freight train." "You sure are gonna feel like hell if I get killed." "That's just what's gonna happen to you, too." "It's your fault, not mine." "You can't do this first thing in the morning when your muscles are cold..." "My muscles ain't cold." "I've been up all night swatting bugs." "You don't even know which way the damn thing's going." "It's pointed west." "You ever see anybody jump a freight train before?" "No." " You watch cowboy movies?" " Yes." " All right, stay there." " Okay." " I'm the hero and we've been bushwhacked." " Okay." "Got but one horse left." "I'm gonna ride by and pick you up." "Stay there." "Where the hell you going?" "Open your eyes!" "Damn it!" "Stop the train!" " Babe, I gotta drop you." " No, wait till the train stops!" " I've got to drop you now." " No!" " Are you all right?" " Yeah." "Say, what's that mean right there?" "That means the bus leaves at 10:40." " What time is it?" " It's 10:50." "It seems like there's one in the morning for Baton Rouge." " What's it cost?" " About $20." "None tonight?" "Yeah, but I need till the morning to get a hold of the money." "Where do you plan on sleeping tonight?" "Under another tree?" "I ain't no Indian." "Read a magazine." "Oh, God." "Hi, you got $20?" " For what?" " A good time." "Shoot, there ain't no whores in this town." " I'm temporary." "You got a place here?" " My truck's got a camper." "My truck's got a camper." "Where is it?" " Where did you come from?" " Heaven." " That's the guy I want." " What the hell are you doing?" "Shut your damn teeth." "You don't wanna bite your tongue off." "There you go." "If you don't quit hitting people, we won't have a town left to run to." "There is a bus leaving in 30 minutes now." "I don't want to be around you if you keep on robbing people." "We ain't Bonnie and Clyde." " Can I ask you a question?" " Yeah." "You ever roll a drunk afore?" "Yeah, plenty." "All the time." "Well, don't do it again when you're around me." " It's really lousy." " Okay." " What the hell are you doing?" " I'll do your nails." " Bullshit." " Give me your hand." "I've never done a man before." "I need the practice." "Lots of men in LA have their nails done." "Yeah?" "Queers, faggots, and fruitcakes." "Is that what you gonna do when you get to LA?" "Yeah, manicures." "You think I'm traveling 3,000 miles just to work a new corner?" "What are you gonna do?" "I'm gonna get by." "It's all I've ever done, it's all I wanna do." "Getting by isn't good enough for me anymore." "If I can't change this time, I hope to hell I die." "People don't change." "That little dab of polish right there ain't gonna make a gentleman out of me... or a queer, either one." "I just am what I am." "I got some news for you, sweetheart." "So are you." "When I was born, the doctor didn't deliver a baby girl whore." "It's not a birth defect." "If you're able to change from being what you are, which is a goddam whore, then why do you have to wait to get to Los Angeles to do the changing?" "I never said it was easy." "You change your life first, I will change what I do... and that will change where I go and who I am with." "I can't change traveling with a criminal son of a bitch... who slugs cops, runs out on lunch checks, and robs drunks." "It'd amaze the hell out of you how little I've robbed in my life." " What'll you have?" " Give me a beer." " How you feeling, Cory?" " Better." "Don't go home too early tonight." "Town's loaded." " Who makes the fights?" " Jack Tazio." " Where's he at?" " He'll be around." " Can you get home okay?" " Yeah, I'll be all right." "Thank you very much." "You'll love my fights." "I gonna cut up real easy, you know." " A lot of blood, mess, everything." " You forget it." "You wouldn't stand for three minutes on those rubber legs." "That might be, Jack." "But I'm gonna keep getting back up till the whole goddamn joint is sick to their stomachs." "All right." "You see that kangaroo back there in the black shirt?" "I didn't get a fight for him this week." "If he's stupid enough to get in the ring with a stumblebum like you" " I'll sign the check." " Thank you, sir." "Yes, sir." "And if he says no, you head for the door and walk." "I'll do that." "Thank you." "How are you boys doing?" "Listen, you don't work this street till you check with me." "If you're passing through, keep going." "You don't hang around and take work from my girls." "You do, and you'll be sorry." "You want to work, I'm easy to find." "You been seeing the sights?" " Do you have any money?" " A little bit." " Could I get something to eat?" " Yeah." "Try one of these." "The old boy might've learned something making this one." "Señor, could we have another masterpiece, please, for the lady?" "And a glass of milk." "Did you have some trouble?" "Or are you just feeling bad?" "The hamburger you are about to eat will not make you feel any better." "But they will give you a prize if you can get out the door before you throw up." " Where did you get the money for that?" " I sold some blood." "They didn't even ask me where I got it." "Thank you." "You gonna say you're sorry?" "Are you traveling with me?" "Would you say you're sorry?" "Please?" "I'm sorry." "It's okay." "You mean, they don't even ask you how old you are... how's your heart, or your brain?" "Just go ahead and let you fight?" "Yeah." "Well, the old boy had heard of me." "What'd he hear?" "That I take a licking, and I keep on ticking." "Very funny." "You think we'll see much of each other out there?" "I guess." "I don't know nobody in LA." "I guess the minute you know somebody, that's gonna be it for old Elmore Pratt." "That's not what I said." "You know, I've been thinking about getting a job out there." "Like what?" "I don't know." "Why don't you turn around so I don't have to holler at you?" " This is the head of the bed, up here." " That's right." "I thought you were just gonna get by." "That's only if I was alone." "Do you think it's a good idea?" " I'm listening." " Well... it is." "What was that?" "Haven't you ever been courted and wooed?" "Courted and wooed?" "Is that what that was?" "I think you left out a whole bunch of stuff." "Well, there ain't nobody perfect." " Elmore." " What?" " What kind of fighter were you?" " Lazy." "I laid down a lot." "On purpose?" " What for?" " Money, honey." "Is that how you're gonna fight tonight?" "And there's no chance that you could get hurt?" "No." "Ten seconds into the first round... my wearying legs will be so far gone, it'll give that boy a clear shot at my chin and we're gonna be on the road to LA." "Does he have to hit you in the head?" "He'll probably insist on it." "Beer." "Peanuts, here!" " You're in my seat, mister." " I don't see no name on it." "Yeah, that's my seat." "Get out." "Mister, get out of my face." "You done lost your seat." "Yeah, well, I'm getting it back now." "Marvin!" "Hi, honey." "Baby, your daddy's gonna kill that bum." "No mercy, Marv." "Just get in there and kill him, baby." "May I have your attention, please." "Ten rounds of heavyweight boxing." "From Mobile, Alabama, at 191 pounds... in red trunks, Elmore Pratt." "And our own hometown contender... with a string of 10 straight knockouts... future champion of the world..." "Marvin "The Fist" Bleitz!" "Marvin Bleitz." "You both know the rules." "Keep the punches up." "Break when I tell you to, use the neutral corners, and keep it clean." "Go back to your corners." "When the bell rings, come out fighting." "Don't go down too easy, baby boy." "I'll be waiting for you behind the barn." "When are you gonna pick a winner?" "Hi, honey." " How are your legs?" " I couldn't do two rounds with you." "I ain't talking about endurance, I'm talking about foot speed." "He's always late out of his corner." "Get your hands up." "Get against the wall." "Got yourself a good provider there, huh?" "When you're working on your own, you're costing me money." "It's an easy way to get yourself killed." "I won that money in a boxing match, not in a fight." "What do you mean "fight"?" "Busting up queers and drunks." "Pendejo." "Now, let me explain to you what's going on here." "We got us a protective this end of town." "We get 20% to protect you from us." "You miss a payment or do some bad arithmetic... and you'll wind up in a deep hole on the other side of the border." "That's just a letter for my kid." "Really, that's nothing." "It's just a letter for my kid." "Honestly..." "She's got a kid somewhere." "She's writing to him." ""I should not be writing this letter, but maybe I could die." ""Hope it don't do no harm to know you got two mamas."" "Shit." "Who needs this?" "She's writing to her kid and telling him not to forget her." "She loves him." "Gringa puta." "The hell you love him." "If you did, you'd never have written this." "See?" "I love the kid." "I'm giving his ass a break." "Because you made a mistake, tonight you get a special deal." "I get 100% of the $100." "Did you have car trouble?" "No, just trouble." " Yeah, I heard about that." " Well, you can't get through there now... so you just take a detour..." " Any of y'all going through to California?" " No." "Is anybody going on to Los Angeles?" "Try the guy over there at the KW." "His name's Gilly." " Appreciate it." " Yeah." " You alone?" " No, I got a woman with me." " Got a lot of stops between here and there." " We're not in a hurry." " Don't mind the company." "Leaving at 7:00." " We'll be here." "We are not open yet." "Anything a man can do around here to get a room for the night?" " Go see the cook." " Thank you." " I hope you like Mexican food." "I'm going back to Mobile." "It'd be a lot easier just to go ahead and go on to LA." "No, it wouldn't." "You were right." "People don't change." "This isn't the first time I've started out for LA." "I've changed men, cities, my name, even religions." "I give up." " We're almost there, darling." " Where?" "LA?" "I was never going to LA." "I always wake up before the dream gets good." "Everybody wakes up." "When I was in the Marines... every time I closed my eyes, I thought I was banging Marilyn Monroe." " To go to LA, you have to have a dream." " No, all you need is a good job." "What if you can't get one?" "What if there's nothing out there for you?" "If I'm gonna end up broke, I might as well end up broke in Mobile." "I used to know this real nice lady there." "She had a beauty shop." "I'm sure she'd give me a job doing nails if I asked her." "You don't want a decent job." "You're just scared to death." "I don't know nobody in LA." "You'll go back and stand on your street corner till your damn plumbing drops out." "That's what you wanna do." "That isn't so." "You wanna wind up in some damn Gulf coast saloon screwing 40 gay sailors?" "Selling your own blood for pocket change." "You're a goddamn loser, girl!" "Well, listen to the champion of the world." "How the hell would you know a winner from a loser?" "At least I've tried." "I worked at it." "I wanted things to be better." "You wanted to lose." "You fixed it to lose." "I don't lose." "They paid you to lay down, didn't they?" "Nobody could pay me to lay down until I couldn't think of something else to do." "You are a loser." "Losing is your business." "It's what you do best." "I've won a lot of fights, baby." "I've won more than 50% of the contests I have participated in." "Any dumbass in the world knows there's a difference between... throwing a fight, winning a fight, and losing a fight." "Any dumbass in the world knows there's a difference between... throwing a fight, winning a fight, and losing a fight." "Really?" "Well, you ask the dumbass you were fighting, buddy." "You lost." "You ask the dumbass referee." "You lost." "Ask the dumbass peanut vendor and any dumbass stupid enough to ever bet on you." "You lost!" "You've been on your back more than I have." "I didn't lose two nights ago." "I won." "Won myself $100." "And if you could've kept your sorry ass off the street... we'd be on a Greyhound bus now bound for California..." " I can't stay in here." " We'd have money in our pockets," "Bitch!" " You going east?" " West." " Thanks anyway." " Wish I was." " I'm looking for a ride." "Are you going east?" " In about a week." "Sir, I'm looking for a ride." " You got it." " You don't even know which way I'm going." "If you're as nice as you look, we'll get there sooner or later." "All you'll get from me is talk." "I ain't too bright." "If you're broke, I got a couple of bucks." "Let's discuss it and dance." "You sure have traveled a long way not to go nowhere." " I'm still on the move." " What about my dance?" "Sit down and relax, she'll get to everybody." " If it kills me." " It probably will." "There is nothing in the whole wide world that's any dumber than a whore is." "Dumbest thing about a whore is her choice in men." "You don't choose men." "You ain't with them but five minutes." "About as long as your fights last." "Hey, buddy, take the girl and your noise outside." " Yes, sir." " You let go of me." " This man told us to leave." " I don't care what he said." "I ain't going nowhere with you." "Like hell you're not." "Excuse me." "We'll be right back with you, ladies and gentlemen." "Any of you boys out there now got a lady that ain't too good in the sack?" "Or else maybe she don't do your fingernails just the way you want them done?" "Any of you feel that way?" "Here's your chance to get it done by a real professional." "We got the world's champion of the world right here." "What's it gonna cost?" "The man says, "What's it gonna cost?"" "Come on, darling, tell us." "Plenty." "How about a trip to New Orleans, baby?" "That ain't enough." "$20." "Cash." "What do you think this is, the Five and Dime?" "You know, there probably ain't no California." "$30." "And my rig's got a sleeper." "Hey, babe, how about a trip to Seattle?" "You all forget it. $30, and that's all I got." "So just shut up." "You cheapskate!" "You never threw $35..." "It was all a joke." "We were just messing around up here." "Messing around?" "You haven't messed around till you've messed around with me." " I'm just a big old gentle bear." " I'm sure you are." "Elmore!" "Even smell like one, too!" " Did you call?" " Yes I did." "I didn't." "You don't learn, do you?" "Hit him, Elmore!" "Got it real good!" " Y'all still play dance music in here?" " It's been a while." "Would you care to dance?" "Hey, wait a minute!" " You're not going to drop me again?" " No, not again." " You know, I still owe you $20." " You're good for it." " You think we can make it on our feet?" " Hell, yeah." "We got four of them now."