"It's coming for us, Captain!" "It has eyes as big as basketballs." "It can see everywhere, even in the pitch black water." "It has a beak like Mom's parakeets, but a thousand times bigger, that can cut you right in half, and eight legs that can rip a blue whale's head off, and tentacles that feed it to its beak." "If it gets me, I'm toast." "If it gets you, you're a bacon sandwich." "Watch out, Captain!" "The leviathan has the ship!" "We're going under, Wee Wee!" "Hey, Johnathan?" " Johnathan." " What?" "Man, I told you to check the traps, not go swimming." " We went fishing." " You can't fish underwater." " And who is we?" " Me and Wee Wee." "Don't molest that pig, and go get ready for school, please." "Naw." "Take your medicine." "Mm-mm!" "All of it." "Come on." "Chew it up." "I wanna see it gone." "Linda!" " Hello." " You have a collect call from" "Caller,sayyourname." "David." "Doyouaccept?" "Yes." "Hey, Dad." "Is Jo there?" "No,she'snot." "Would you like me to give her a message?" "No, never mind." "I wrote her a letter." "Whenareyougonnacome home  and take care of your business, son?" "Okay, well, uh..." "I gotta go." "I 'lltryit laterthen." " Listen to me, if you" "Sowhatdo youwant tostudyin schooltoday?" "Seamonsters." "Seamonsters arenotasubject." "Let'sdomathinstead." "Okay." "I'mnineyearsold , andyou're27 ." "Yes,sir." "Thatmeansyouwere18 whenyouhadme." "Yeah,well,let'snot  domathtodayeither." "Whydon'twe studyscience?" "Wecando dinosaurs." "Howaboutprehistoric seacreatures?" "Okay,fine." "Solongas they'rereal." "Which one's this?" "Predator X, which is a pliosaur with 12-inch teeth." "So was that the baddest creature in the ocean?" "Some people say this one's the baddest, a megalodon." "But pliosaurs are cooler than sharks, and the megalodon only had 8-inch teeth." "Do you think there was really an asteroid that killed them like that book says?" "I guess so." "Well, you know, I think that's dumb." "I don't think an asteroid can destroy everything that's on the whole planet." "I don't even think a nuclear bomb can do that." "We dropped a couple of those on Japan in World War II, and it didn't do nothing." "I still got a radio from the 90s that was made in Japan." "But they say that asteroid was a million times stronger than an atom bomb." " Hey, hombre!" " What's up, Curtis?" "What's up, buddy?" " Hey, Curtis." " Hi, Jo." " We got a question for you." " Okay." "What do you think killed the dinosaurs?" "Well, there was a polar shift, and Earth's magnets got reversed." "It went from being 80 degrees to like 500 degrees in the shade, and they all melted and became tar." "That's where oil comes from." "Fossil fuels." "Now we fight wars over dead dinosaurs... and drugs." " Probably right about that." " I totally am." "Let me guess." "You want a yellow one?" "Yes, and some birdseed, please." "You know, you don't have to buy the parakeet, Curtis." "I know, but you know what they say." "When in Rome, do as Romans do." "Shit in the pope's hat." "Something like that." "Well, here's your, uh, medicine." " Thank you, Doc." " Mm-hmm." "The FDA would not approve." "But screw 'em." "This is a pilgrimage." " What's a pilgrimage?" " Precisely." "This day in modern medicine has made the pilgrimage an anachronism." "Kind of like a spider or something?" "A tarantula?" "No, yeah, an old one that's out of fashion, lost its touch." "How many birds you got now?" "Just this one." "And just a little something extra for..." "I don't take money for the medication." " Extra for the beautiful" " I don't do that." "It's for the beautiful parakeet, Jo." "It's my favorite one." "Bye, Curtis." "Bye, girl." "Bye!" "Woo-hoo!" "Woo-hoo!" " Got you something." " Thank you." "Thank the jellybean stalk." "Thank you, jellybean stalk!" "Ohh!" "Whee!" " Hey, Mark." " Hey." " Hey, Grandpa." " Hey, buddy." " You hungry?" " Yeah." "Grandma's cooking dinner." "She got some of that chicken casserole you love." "Hey, Johnathan, will you take that stuff inside and then go help Grandma?" " Grandpa and I are gonna talk." " Okay." "We'll see you in a minute, buddy." "What's up?" "Well, David called." " What'd he say?" " Not much." "I told him you'd had your electricity disconnected." "And?" "Well, he asked me if it'd be okay if you moved home." " I am home." " No." "I mean with us." "Well, it's a good thing Linda wants that as much as I do." "Sweetheart, I don't think he's coming back." "Linda says she's fine to have Johnathan stay with us till things get a little better for you." "She doesn't think I can take care of my own son, huh?" "I didn't say that." "Are you gonna have dinner with us or what?" "JoLynn!" " Hey, Grandma." " Hey." "Let me see your hands." "Oh, Lord, go wash those mud mitts right now." "No, no, no, not there." "I'm preparing food." "Go to the bathroom." "And don't touch anything!" "Fingernails too." "Is your mom giving you your eye medicine?" "Yeah, twice a day." "Straighten." "Oh, go on." "Hey, Grandpa, will you tell me the story about the sea monster in the lake?" "Okay." "We were dropping anchor, and this green ensign" "Now, when I say green," "I mean greener than a bullfrog's nipple, greener than them beans right there, okay?" "Has no idea what he's doing." "He's letting that chain run out into the ocean, and that chain has links on it that are this big." "So before we know it, that guy is ripped clean off the deck, and the only thing sitting there is a severed leg and a trail of blood leading straight overboard." " Whoa." " Have we heard enough?" "No, Grandma, this is the best part." "Now, you eat those vegetables, and I'll continue." "So now I have to dive in to try to retrieve the body." "I mean, for proper burial, right?" "How did you know he was dead?" "'Cause I had to swim through a cloud of blood and sharks." "Did the sharks eat him?" "Probably." "I don't know 'cause I never found the body." "It was too dangerous, so I just froze and watched." "And all of a sudden, up from below came something." "I swear I don't know what it was, but it had these big tentacles that came down and wrapped themselves around this full-grown tiger shark like it was a little bitty football." "Was it a giant squid?" "Maybe, but it jetted back into the deep blue before I could get a good look at it." "I will promise you this, though." "There is nothing in the entire ocean that would ever stand a chance against a creature like that." "All right, are we done?" "'Cause I have completely lost my appetite." "Can I be excused?" "Canyoube excused?" "MayI beexcused?" "Fine." "Hey." "What do you say?" "Thank you, Grandma." "You're welcome." "I love you." "Love you too." "Bye, Grandpa." "Bye, Captain." "Can you please pass the salt?" "Pretty please?" "With shark guts on top." " Hey, baby, what's the matter?" " My head hurts." "Let me see your eyes." "Here, lie down." "I'll get you some medicine, okay?" "Here, baby, here." "Come lie on Mama's lap." "Come lie down." "Chew it up." "The pressure's gonna go down." "It hurts real bad tonight." "I know." "Just hang in there, okay?" "Just keep chewing." "Johnathan!" "Johnathan!" "Ah!" "No!" "No!" "Johnathan, no, no, no, no, no!" "No!" "Come on!" "Grandpa's gonna be here in a couple minutes." "Go get cleaned up." "I got a favor to ask you." "Ask away." "It's kinda hired for me, but I'm, uh..." "I'm a little behind on my rent." "Oh, boy." "How far behind?" "About three months." "Three months?" "Good Lord, JoLynn." "You know I'd love to help you, but I gotta be honest with you." "The way they've cut back my retirement, we just flat don't have it, honey." "When David called, did he say he wasn't coming back?" "He didn't say anything." "I don't know what he's gonna do." "That's the truth." "Honey, I will do everything I can to help you out." "Okay?" "No promises." "Thanks." " You all set?" " Mm-hmm." "His headaches have gotten a lot worse." "He's been sick to his stomach a lot." "Johnathan, please." "I know the trab was our big hope after the laser surgeries, but often it takes more than one procedure to lower the pressure." "With glaucoma, many times surgeries just don't work." "Now, you and your husband need to prepare yourselves for the fact that Johnathan may just need to take meds for the rest of his life." "So the drops are working to control the pressure spikes?" "Yeah, they make his vision blurry though." "He complained about" " Well, he complains about it a lot." "Well, he needs them though." "You need to make sure he takes them." "After that allergic reaction, he's afraid of the drops." "I'm gonna keep him on the myotics." "The spikes are just too dangerous." "I'm going to have to add an oral inhibitor, and we'll see how he does." "Contact me immediately if he experiences any shortness of breath." "Now, my adding these may make him... a little tired and weak, just a little sluggish." "But that could be good for you." "Boys can be a handful." "You ready, Johnathan?" "Let's go." "Can I go check the fishing lines at Mr. Upshaw's pond?" "Yeah, that's fine." "Just don't get caught, okay?" " No swimming." " Yes, ma'am." "I got to go give her a hand in the garden." "This is how I maintain my girlish physique." "Hey, Mark?" "Yeah." "Thank you for taking us to the doctor today." "Of course." "You know as well as I do that those are not hog tracks." "You know where they came from." "Did you talk to Johnathan?" "Yeah." "He denies it." "Seemed a little dodgy to me though." "If she would just keep an eye on that boy, teach him some respect for property." "Don't start." "What are these doing out?" "It's okay, fishy." "I'm here to save you, so Mommy don't eat you." "Hah!" "Gotcha!" "I don't think you taste good anyway." "Johnathan, you went swimming." "Come on, let's go." " Where are we going?" " We're going home." "But we're going to Grandma's for dinner." "Look, I don't want you going to Grandma's again, okay?" " Not without me." " Why?" "Because I said so." "Look, she's pissed because you keep breaking all her stuff." "I didn't mean to." "I know, I know." "It's just shit anyway." "The whole house is full of shit." "We're not going there anymore." "Look, I'm gonna take care of you from now on, okay?" "Till Daddy comes back." "Okay." "Come on." "From now on, nobody can come in the house, okay?" "Nobody." "Especially Grandma and Grandpa." " You hear me?" " Yes, ma'am." "Go!" "1, 2... 3, 4..." "I can't do it if you don't hold my feet." " Hey, JoLynn!" " Oh, God." "It's Natalie." "Hey!" "Sorry to drop in unannounced." "What happened to your phone?" " Oh, it just got shut off." " Oh, well, ain't that shitty." "Hey, Johnathan, looking like a stud." "Hey, Aunt Natalie." "Hey, I wanna tell you something." "Hey, 20 more minutes of P.E. while we visit." "Wee Wee, help!" "Come on, you never get out anymore." "I know, but I can't just leave Johnathan here by himself." "He can take care of himself." "I mean, really, what's the worst that can happen?" "A pig get in your house?" "It wouldn't be the first time." "All right." "Hey, if me and Aunt Natalie went out tonight," " would you be good?" " Yes, ma'am." "And I don't want you to let Wee Wee in the house, and I don't want you going down to Grandpa's." "Okay." "All right, I'll pick you up at 8:00." " Bye, sweetie." " Bye." "Where are y'all going?" "Get rent money." "G-49." "Hey, are you sure he's got this?" "Relax." "We can't lose." "He's like a computer genius." "Hi." "We need six computers split two ways." "That's $90." "It'll be 45 apiece." "Natalie, that's all the money I've got." "Okay." "Stop bitching." "Pretty soon we are gonna be splitting jackpots." "Firstnumberout will determine the wild number, andit'sgonnabea nine ." "Oh, there he is." "Markeverything endingin9through69." " Hey, cowboy." " Hey, ladies." " This is JoLynn." " Looking good!" " Nice to meet you, JoLynn." " Hey, it's nice to meet you." "What have we got here?" "Good." "Bingo Bill gave you lucky number six for me." "That's my hot box." "Are y'all feeling the fortune tonight?" " Oh, yeah." " Me too." "Now, let me go do whatever it is I do, all right?" "I told you he was cute as hell." "Here you go." "Don't tell Mama, Wee Wee." "Bad pig!" "Bad pig!" "You're a naughty pig!" "Bad!" "G-49." "Damnit ." "I'mon." "Come on, 63!" "Or an 18." "B5." "B1." "Bingo!" "Sorry." " It's a winner." "Wehaveagood bingo." " What the hell?" " Look, I'm sorry, all right?" "No!" "You said we had this!" "You'd pull your dumb-ass strings." "You really think I could rig a damn bingo game?" "Are you that damn stupid?" "What is this, some shit line?" "Look, I got lucky." "Sorry you didn't." " You son of a bitch." " Natalie..." "Get out of here, you trashy ass." " Hey, hey!" " Don't touch me." "Oh, one whore sticking up for another?" " That's my sister." " Oh, must run in the family." "You don't know shit about my family." "Oh, I don't?" "What's that?" "Bet your husband has no idea you're out here whoring it up at a bingo parlor for a dollar." "Please." "Yeah, give me a call sometime." "We can do that." " Your sister's got my number." " Get out." "I got it, I got it." "Sorry about that, y'all." "Bitch." "Sorry." "It's cool." "Oh, look at these tomatoes." "Oh, they look so ripe." "Yeah!" "Tomato guts!" "Tomato man!" "So how's David?" "I don't know." "You tell me." "I haven't heard from him in over a month." "I haven't either." "Mark offered for us to move in with him and Linda." " Why don't you?" " What do you think?" " Till David comes back." " Oh, please." "Hey, at least the man's trying to do something with his life." "It's about time." " Yeah, must be nice." " At least you got one that's trying to make something out of himself for you." "Must be nice." "David asked you to call and check on me, didn't he?" "He leaves me for two months with nothing but a letter, but he calls you?" "You don't got no phone." "Well, I'm not the one that racked up a $500 phone bill, booking a tour all over kingdom come either." "I'm just trying to help." "Chill out." "Help?" "You just helped me lose everything I had." "You think I wanted to drag your lame ass out of the house?" "Then why did you?" "You never come over unless you want something." "Maybe I just don't want to see you end up like Mom." "You really think I'm gonna drink myself to death" " because a man left me?" " I don't know what you'd do." "You've always been the depressed, serious type." "Maybe if you relaxed for once, you could find someone better." " More coffee?" " Yeah, fill 'er up." "She likes it black." "Get a new wig, bitch." "Kiss my ass!" "Ow." "Stupid thing." "Come on!" "Hey!" "Go, Wee Wee!" "Go, go, go!" "Go, go, go!" "Woo-hoo!" "I'm so sorry." "I will talk to Johnathan in the morning." "No." "No." "No, this time you're gonna do something." "What do you want me to do?" "You let her run all over you, and now her boy too." "Why don't you do something?" "They're your family too." "All right, I will." " Good." " I will take care of this." "What the hell?" "Johnathan!" "Wee Wee, what are you doing in here?" "Oh, my God." "Johnathan!" "Johnathan!" "What the hell, Johnathan?" "What did you do to my plants?" "I wanted to make brownies." "Are you an idiot?" "Why would you do that?" " That's your medicine!" " I don't know." "It's a gonna take me months to grow 'em back!" "Fuck!" "Can I come in?" "I'm sorry I yelled at you." "I'm sorry, Mama." "I don't know why I did it." "You did it 'cause you're a kid." "I keep asking you to be a man for me, but... you just need to be a kid." "I miss Dad." "Me too." "You'll never leave me, will you?" "I will never leave you." "I love you." "I will always, always love you." "No matter what." "No matter what you become and... no matter if you grow up and do bad things." "I will love you more than God does." " Sheriff Cole, you're back." " I'm sorry, JoLynn." "How come with all the deputies you got, you come see me personally?" "Could you step outside, please?" "I'm fine right here, thank you." "Well, I need to know where your pig is." "How come you asking?" "Well, your neighbor down the hill here, they pressed charges this morning." "My neighbor?" "That's my husband's parents." "I understand that, JoLynn, but I have to issue you a citation for trespassing and vandalism perpetrated by your pet pig." "I know." "Come on." "I'm also gonna need to know the whereabouts of your pig, currently." "Well, you're looking at her." "Where" " God dang!" "That's not funny, JoLynn!" "I'm gonna tell you something right now, and I mean it too." "You contain your pig, all right?" "If I catch him off the premises one more time," "I'm gonna confiscate and the euthanize the damn thing." "That's bullshit!" "Ham and egg bastard." "Pig shit everywhere." "Get away from me!" "Ham hock-lookin' son of a bitch." "Yah!" "Hey." "Well, Linda, they gave me a $250 ticket." "You happy?" "I didn't want for you to get a ticket." "Well, then why did you call the cops on me?" "I wanted to make a statement." "Well, I'm here now." "Make your damn statement." "Say what you want to say to me." " Okay." " Say it!" "You need to get your kid under control." "And maybe you should teach him not to steal, while you're homeschooling him sub-kindergarten skills." "Kind of like you did your son?" "The one that walked out on his family?" "At least I teach my son to be a human fucking being!" "That's enough." "Outside." "You gonna run me out like a little dog now?" "Get outside." "Now." "Come on." " Damn it!" " Will you please calm down?" "She doesn't like the fact that I'm a high school dropout, and I'm homeschooling my son, but yet he can't see the damn chalkboard." "I need to tell you something." "No!" "You know, she's refusing to accept that he's going blind, even though she's constantly complaining that he's breaking her little shit." "Shush!" "Let me talk, okay?" "Wee Wee just didn't get into her garden last night." "Johnathan led her there." "Tore the whole thing to pieces." " You saw him?" " Yeah." "I fired a shot up into the air to run him off." "You have got to get this situation under control, okay?" "If you can't afford to pay rent or utilities, you damn sure can't afford to feed a 300-pound nuisance." "David gave him that pig." "He loves her." "A full-grown pig is not a pet." "You wanna tell your grandson that?" "No." "I'm not trying to tell you what to do." "I'm just saying that with your circumstance, you have got to explore some options." "Come here." "I gotta go." "I'm sorry." " Who's there?" " Uh, it's JoLynn." " Hey, buddy." "Hi." " Hey, Curtis." "I was just, uh, I was just riffing." "I got cooler songs." "I was just riffing around." " Do you mind if we come in?" " Please, please, come on in." " Come on in." " You got a fish tank?" "Yeah, yeah, saltwater." "Where's all the fish?" "There's just one." "I used to call him Neptune." " Now I call him Inept-tune." " What kind of fish is he?" "He's an octo-wuss." "Might as well be a chocolate starfish." "He's a shit fish." "You never see him." "He just hides all day." "But that is Plisskin." "He's a total bad ass, always trying to escape and shit." "But breaking out is impossible." "Breaking in is insane." "That is Peter North Parker, you know, 'cause he's a spider, man, he's just so big and all." "And this is Claws Meine." "Let me show you something." "Check this out." "That is love at first sting, right there." "Yoohoo!" "Johnathan!" "He is obsessed with the ocean." "If you had a shark in there, he would never leave." " Johnathan, you like music?" " Hmm?" " You like music?" " Mm-hmm." "Check this out." "Some dude in Austin gave this to me for a bag of weed" "Uh, weed killer." "Said it was an import." "You like this?" "I don't like it." "I love it!" "Well, it's yours." "Take it." " Can I listen to it first?" " Of course!" "All you want." "You wanna go outside for a sec?" " Yeah." " Okay." "Okay." "Hey, Johnathan, make yourself at home." "All of it?" "All of it." "Shit." "I only have a week's worth left." "All I got's a couple days' worth." "What about his regular meds?" "I told you about the complications he has." "He just responds better to the hydro than he does with the pharmaceutical crap." "The only guy I know is Lonny." "He only sells a quarter pound." "I can't afford that much." "We can go in half." "I can't afford that either." "Maybe I could sell some shit." "Ratshot owes me some." "Oh, it's too bad we live in Texas." "If we were on the coast, hydro would be doctor's orders." "Yeah." "Man, you ever think about leaving Texas?" "I don't know, man." "I like it here." "In Texas, you may have shit, but you'll always have your dignity." "Here, you can throw your head in a toilet bowl, lick it clean, that'll at least make you the baddest son of a bitch in the room." "How do you figure that?" "the Alamo." "Which reminds me, you wanna see my dad's most prized possession?" "I don't know." "What is it?" "I'll be right back." "My old man never let me listen to Ozzy Osbourne because he pissed on the Alamo." "You'd think Ozzy pissed on his mother's grave, he's so serious about it." "Check this out." "What is it?" "That is an actual musket ball from the Alamo." "Seriously?" "Hell no!" "It's an old fishing weight I hammered down." "I told him it was pried from Colonel Travis's bedroom." "He's so proud of that, you'd think it was Bowie's own blade." "I just don't have the balls to break his heart, tell him the truth now." "That's really awful, Curtis." "Aw, the old bastard's happy." "That's all that matters." "I wonder how many times I've been lied to by a man just to make me happy." "Well, he'd be a fool." "Shit." "I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm-- I'm sorry." "No, that's" " I mean-- No, it's fine." "Uh..." "No." "I should probably go check on... check on Johnathan anyway, huh?" "Shit." "Johnathan..." " What?" " What are you doing?" "I'm looking for Neptune, but I can't find him." "I'm telling you he's the shyest pet." "You'll never find that lazy water bastard." "Johnathan, let's go." "GuesswhatIdid today?" "Itwasababy, butitwasthe realthing." "Themom'sstillout there." "Sorryyoucouldn'tbethere, butGrandpasaysahunter takesa shotoncehehashim." "Wehaveto celebrate withjellybeans." "Jellybeans!" "Mmm, good." "Nothing like those old ones." " Hey." " What?" " What are you doing?" " Looking for something to eat." "Well, go play, and I'll make something to eat." "Johnathan!" "No, no, no." "Wait, wait, wait, wait!" "Hey, you can't use the bathroom anymore." "Why?" "Just don't, please." "If you gotta go, go out back like Dad." "If you gotta go number two, then just go behind the shed." "Look, I'm serious, okay?" "Go play, and I'll make us some oatmeal." "Go on." "Did you put any sugar in it?" "We're out of sugar, thank you very much." "You got any jellybeans left?" "Yeah." "All right, put those in there." "Gross." "Why can't we go to Grandpa's?" "Because I told you not to." "I don't want no more." "Can I play a song now?" "After we finish your scales, okay?" "All right, D-minor." " Hi." " She made me pull over to look at the parakeets." "No, that's fine." "They make great pets." "No, she won't be getting one." "I would have to take care of it." "Oh." "Hey, Julie." "No, I couldn't open the attachment." "They're pretty!" "I want one!" "You don't take care of your puppy or the turtle." "The puppy is ugly and poops on the floor." "Turtles are stupid." "I want a parakeet!" "Which one do you like, sweetie?" " No, Kimmie, let's go." " I want a blue one." "I got yellow ones." "I don't want a stupid yellow one!" " I want a blue one!" " Hold on one second." "Kimmie's about to throw a hurricane." "I don't have any blue ones here, but I just live right up the street." "We could go get a couple there." "She has a blue one at home!" "Pick one of these if you want one, and let's go." "Stop it!" "Stop it!" "Stop it right now!" "No!" "Stop it!" "No!" "Why do your eyes do this?" "I have nystagmus and glaucoma." "Eww." "Want some jellybeans?" "Sure." "Hey, Mama, you want a jellybean?" "No, thank you." "Hey, why'd you take my jellybeans?" "Come on, Kim!" "Okay." "Uh, Kim?" "You'll have to excuse the place." "It's a bit of disaster since my husband's been on tour." "Oh, really?" "My little brother is in Afghanistan." "Oh, no, my husband's a musician." "Oh, cool." "I'm sorry." "Excuse me, I have to take this." "Hey, Julie, hey." "No, I haven't." "No, hey, shut up, shut up, shut up." "You'll never believe where I am right now." "This is Captain Johnathan and first mate Kim looking for any sea monsters in the area." "I don't wanna be a first mate." "I wanna be a mermaid." "Why a mermaid?" "Mermaids are boring." "They don't fight." "I don't care." "I wanna be a mermaid." "Then get in." "If you wanna be a mermaid, you have to get in the ocean." "I'm not getting in there." "Watch out!" " Why?" " Sea snake!" "Man the harpoon!" "Kim!" "It's just an old spring." " No, it's a sea serpent." " Don't be stupid." "A pretty bluebird." " Thank you." " Mom, get it away from me!" " Here, piggy, piggy, piggy!" " Get it away from me!" "We have to go." "Be careful." "Watch your step." "Get in the car." " We gotta go." " Okay." " We'll get our own ride back." " Are you sure?" "Yeah, that's fine." "We'll walk." "Okay, thank you." "Bye." "Hey, Grandma!" "Well, hey, there, little rascal." "Where you been?" "You wanna help me fix my garden?" " No." " Why not?" "'Cause Mom says that I couldn't come into your house or your yard." "Why'd she say that?" "I don't know, but can I have a drink from the hose?" "Of course." "But don't tell Mom." "Why?" "'Cause our water got turned off today." "Well, sure, of course." "Okay." ""Hello,Jo." "Well,hereIam." "Betterlatethannever, Iguess." "Ihope." "Istartedto writeyou  athousandtimes, butthewords justneverseemedtofit." "ThismorningIwokeup ina motelroominMemphis tothesightof oneregallittlecockroach perchedonmy pillow, juststaringat me ." "AndbeforeIknewit, allI couldthinkabout wasGalveston, thatnightwe spenttogether, thatmorningwe woketofind  anentirearmyofcockroaches closinginon  lastnight'sdinner." "Ourveryfirsttaste offreedom." "Everythingwas sosimplethen, soclear." "Itwastheone timeIknew exactlywhatIwanted." "Ijustwantedyou ." "Imissyou,Jo." "Ido." "Iknowthis  hasbeenhardonyou,  butthingsreallyseem tobepickingupouthere." "Theshowsaregettingbetter, andI finallyhavealittle moneytosendyourway." "IwishIwas sendingmore ." "How'sWeeWee andtheWonderBoy ?" "Ihopehe understands." "Iusedto seethe world likehedoes." "Nowthere'saquestion foreverything." "Ican'tseemtohold  ontoanything." "IwishIcouldjust goback tothatmotelinGalveston, whereitmadesense." "Idon'tknowwhy Ican't." "MaybeI 'mbroken." "MaybeI couldfixit." "Butfornowon,  I'lljustkeepsearching." "Searchingforyou."" "No shit." " That's it?" " I got this too." " Dang." " I know." " Not bad." " I know." "Hmm." "Man, it won't scan." "Something wrong with it?" "I don't know." "It says you won 200 bucks." "Hey, Leon, can you take a look at this?" "God darn it!" "I told you to move that bucket." "We all gonna be millionaires?" "I don't know." "I think the scanner's busted." " You gambling, honey?" "No, this is a Tennessee Lotto." "Oh." "So you guys can't cash this here?" "Sorry, JoLynn." "It's only good in Tennessee." "Come on, Johnathan." "I'd drive to Tennessee for 200 bucks." "Johnathan!" "Please come take your medicine and brush your teeth." " Okay." "Guess what." " What?" "I was just reading that a lobster doesn't have a brain." " Really?" " Mm-hmm." "And its kidneys are in its forehead, and its teeth are in its stomach." "Please chew with your mouth closed." "So if you're ever facing a giant lobster," "I'll bash it in its forehead to kill it." "I am a lucky, lucky woman." " Okay, go to bed, please." "" " Oh" "Please forgive me for being a bad wife and mother." "I know I ain't good at giving my child what he needs." "I promise you..." "I promise you I'll be better." "I can't do this on my own." " Hi." " Hi." " Are you Johnathan?" " Yeah." "Who are you?" "I'm Gale." "Can I talk to you?" "I just wanna ask you a few questions." "I'm friends with your grandma." "Okay." "So where's your mama?" "Asleep." "Have you had breakfast?" "No, but she'll probably make oatmeal when she gets up." "You don't like oatmeal, do you?" "No." "I heard that you have a pet pig." "Yeah, Wee Wee." "And I heard that Wee Wee sleeps in your bedroom." "Sometimes, but Mama don't like her in the house." "She doesn't?" "Hmm." "Well, can I see your bedroom?" "Okay." "Who the hell are you?" "I'm Gale with Social Services." "Step away from her, Johnathan." "I'd advise you to put down the gun, ma'am." "What are you doing in my house?" "I'm just doing my job." "Now, there's no reason to be upset." "Do you have a warrant?" "No, not yet." "Then get the hell out of my house!" "I'd advise that you comply with our investigation." "Well, I'd advise you to stay the hell off my property." "Okay, but if you don't cooperate," "I come back with a court order and an officer to escort me." "Let's talk about this." "You stay the hell away from my son." "I don't want you to ever talk to that woman again." "Ever." "Sincethelittle boy'sdadwasaway, themamaleviathan sentseamonsters toattackhishome." "Thecrabmonstercamefirst." "Andthencamethe big fat one  witha thousandeyes." "No matter how many sea monsters the mama leviathan would bring, hewillalwaysprotect hismother." " Yes?" " I'm looking for Mark." "He's out back working." "Hey, stranger." "Hi." "Something wrong?" "Why'd you call CPS on me?" "What are you talking about?" "I'd expect that from her, but not from you." "Oh, boy." "Yeah, we had a fight about it." "Yeah, well, they came to the house." "Well, I'm sorry, JoLynn." "This is not my doing." "This is her thing." "I happen to think you're a pretty good mother." "She's just trying to do what she thinks is right." "Now, I'm in no position to judge anybody, but the way you and David live, that is not the way we raised him." "Let me show you something." "Can you see those medals right there?" "Now, those are my most cherished personal possessions, and here they sit in this dirty garage because they don't go well with her knickknacks." "Sometimes in life you got to choose your battles." "Now, her little ceramic trinkets may mean more to her than those do, but those do not mean more to me than she does." "I'm sorry." "That's..." "That's the most pathetic thing I've ever heard." "Come on." "Don't make fun of me." "No, I mean she's luckier than hell to have you." "Yeah, she is." "Hey, uh... do you ever think you could love somebody else?" "Now, why would you ask me that?" "I mean, do you feel like you love her 'cause she's the one?" "Or did you decide long before she threw you out in the shed?" "Frankly I don't see what the hell difference it makes anyway 'cause it's not like I'm going anywhere." "Sweetie, sometimes in life you get to choose your family and sometimes you don't." "But that doesn't make them any less family." "I mean, like you." "To me, you are my daughter." "You always have been, and you always will be." "And that's just the way that is... 'cause I love you." "No matter what you may decide to do." "I owe you more than I could ever repay." "No, you don't owe me anything." "For once, I'm offering you something." "I'm listening." "A freezer full of meat." "Will you, uh..." "Will you meet me back at the generator at 9:00?" "And don't tell Johnathan." "I'll be there." "The only true weapon for a sea warrior is a trident!" " Hey." " Like Poseidon." "What?" "Come sit down with me." "Come here." " You having fun?" " Yeah." "Good." "Hey, you wanna go on a trip with me?" "Where will we go?" "Wherever we want." "Can we go to the ocean?" "Yeah, we can try." "When will we go?" "Tomorrow." "But you gotta promise me something." "What?" "You can't tell anybody." " Okay?" " Okay." " Promise?" " I promise." "Okay." "It's just gonna be me and you." "What about Wee Wee?" "We'll have to ask Grandpa to take care of her." "Okay." "Okay, go on." "Oncetherewas alittleboy, and him and his mom and his pig wentoutto theocean, andhe'stryingtoprotect hismomfromthe leviathan 'causehekilled herlittlebaby, theleviathan'sbaby." "Sharky piggy, piggy, piggy, piggy!" "Come on." "Andtheleviathan isa giantoldoctopus thatcouldstandonland ." "Realseamonster." "Sothelittleboy  andWeeWeethe SharkPiggy wenttogo fight thisleviathan." "Wee Wee, no!" "After5 milesof swimming, digestivesystemsgrowling forhungerandfood, thislongarmcameup andscoopedup WeeWee ." "Luckilyitdidn'teat her  beforeI couldsaveher ." "Hesaidit wasworthit for saving his mom and his pig." " Johnathan!" " What happened?" "You knocked yourself out." "Why did you jump out of the boat?" "I don't know." "My eyes hurt." "Oh, God, not now." "Okay." "Curtis!" "Hey, what's up?" "You okay?" "Look." "Can we come in?" "We need your help." "Oh, shit." "Yeah, yeah." "You sure you want to make a nine-year-old take vapors?" "I have to." "If we don't relieve the pressure, the damage is permanent, so..." "I'm not gonna let him go blind." "All right, listen, I want you to open your mouth, and I'm gonna blow air into your mouth, okay?" "Okay." "It might make you cough a little bit, but I want you to hold it in as long as you can." "Can you do that for me?" "Hold it." "Hold it." " It tickles." " I know it tastes funny, but that's 'cause it's medicine, okay?" "You did a good job." "Now we're gonna do it one more time for me, okay?" "So that phone's gotta be worth at least a couple hundred bucks." "And then the scratch-off is as good as cash." "Where'd you get this phone at?" "Don't matter." "Look, I need this for him." "Okay." "I'll do it..." "for you." "For Johnathan." "For Johnathan." "It's a nice phone." "Yeah." "Hey, Lonny!" "Hey, man." "Hey, it's Curtis, yeah." "Yeah, hey, could you maybe come by my place and bring that real cute kewpie doll that I like so much?" "No, the Q.P. doll." "The real nice one." "Buddy, I need a quarter pound of hydro." "The best you got." "All right, all right." "All right, thanks." "Bye, buddy." "He's gonna call back in 10." "If we gotta go somewhere, you're driving." "I can't, Curtis." "Johnathan's inside." " I'm not leaving him." " He's passed out cold." "If he wakes up, he'll be fine by himself." "No, man, if something happens, I'll lose him." "If something happens, I got two DWIs already." "If I get caught driving again, hmm, uh-uh, no way." "No way." "I am way too pretty for prison." "No, I'm not driving, Curtis." "I can't." "At least you get to drive a balls-to-the-wall classic." "This is a 300 effin' Z, baby." "170 horsepower, rear wheel drive, V6." "Man, this car costs $30,000 when it was brand-new." "Yeah, in like 1982." "Hey, 1986, man." "Yeah, well, what's it worth now?" "Who cares?" "It's got T-tops." "Man, they don't even make those anymore.." "And that rear window is louvered." " That is some posh shit." " Mm-hmm." "That's like having French blinds on your car." "Mm-hmm." "There he is." "I'll be right back." "How you doing, Lonny?" "Shit, man, I've had better days." "Hey, man, push me on this thing, will you?" " What?" " Yeah!" "I used to love this thing when I was a kid." "Push me." "Okay." "Hey, not so fast." "Hey, do I look like a screaming schoolgirl?" "Aaah!" "Now hop on." "How long has it been since you've been on one of these?" "Been awhile." "I hate these damn things." "I'm sorry, Lonny." "I can't stay and play in the park all day." "Seriously, I..." "Seriously, I think I'm gonna vomit." "Can we just-- Can we just do this?" "It's all there." "There's a point in a man's life when he yearns to enjoy a place like this." "Is everything all right?" "See you around." "Sorry, Curtis." "Sometimes you gotta throw a dog a bone or else he'll come after yours." "Oh, my God." "Hey!" "Hey!" "Mom!" "Mom!" "Mom!" "Mom!" "Mom!" "Johnathan!" "Johnathan!" "Can you hear me?" "Go to the window!" "Open the window." "Come on, get your stuff." "We gotta go.." " Why?" " Do it, please." "Where's Curtis?" "He had to go help some people." " What are you looking for?" " It don't matter." "Hotdogs!" "Grabyourhotdogs!" "Getyourmustardand relish." "Getyourfixingshere." "Sorry, Curtis." "Come on, let's go." " Are you gonna answer it, Mama?" " No, just pedal faster." " Go get your clothes, okay?" " Why?" "Just do it!" "Isthatyou?" "Yeah, it's me." "Oh." "I'm sorry." " I'm" " I'm real" " No." "Listen, I'm sorry." "This is all my fault." "Don't say anything." "I don't know if they're listening." "But if you bastards are, I want you to know what you don't find was never there." "I got to go now." "Idon'tknowifthey  cantracethis,but ... don't worry about me." "Theydon'tknowwho you are ." "Ijust" "I just called to say that you and... and your special someone are safe." "Iwouldneverdoanything tohurtyou." "Thank you so much, Curtis." "I can never repay you." "Thankyou." "No." "I got to go." "Bye, girl." "Bye." " Let's make some noise." " How?" "A lot of noise." "Let's put on a concert." " Like Dad?" " No." "We'll wear makeup." "Eww." "Makeup?" "Yeah." "Boys wear makeup too." "On stage." " Why?" " So girls can see 'em." "But I don't want girls to see me." "So their mamas can see them." "Close your eyes." "Shake your head and go crazy!" "Yeah!" "Hey, I gotta go check on the generator!" " Okay!" " Keep the concert going!" "Okay!" "Go crazy!" "Whoo!" "Come on." " Good girl." "Yeah, come on." "Come on." "I know." "I know, honey." "I know." "Mark, you can't do this." "Will you put that away?" "Get on in there." "That a girl, that a girl." "I'm sorry, girl." "I'm sorry." "Do it, JoLynn." " Johnathan!" " Grandpa!" " Johnathan!" " What?" "Get your ass back up here!" "Come on!" "Stay away from the generator." "It's dangerous." "Was that Grandpa?" "No." "It's none of your business." "Come on." "Don't do that to my arm." "It hurts." "I'm sorry." "Grandpa had to take Wee Wee, so let's go inside." " Can you feel that?" " Mm-hmm." "Does it feel good?" "You gotta push harder." "That's just like I do." "Oh, yeah, that feels good." "Oh, yeah, that's the stuff." " You got cute little feet." " Thank you." "They're stinky, but they're cute." "They're coming to get you." "Yeah, monsters." "Raah!" "This little piggy monster went to the stinky fish market." "This little piggy monster said no." "This little piggy had some ham." "This little piggy had none." "Aww!" "This little piggy went, "Wee wee wee wee wee wee wee!"" "all the way home." "What'd I say, Mama?" "What's wrong?" "Mama, what's wrong?" "Everything's gonna be okay." "Everything's gonna be okay, Mama." "Everything's gonna be all right." "Promise." " You promise?" " I promise." "You okay?" "Yeah." "Come here, baby." "Come lie down with Mama." "Come on." "Johnathan!" " Morning, Captain." " Morning." " You hungry?" " Mm-hmm." "Shall we say a prayer?" "God is great, God is good." "Thanks for the food, Jesus." " Amen." " Amen." "Eat all your medicine." " Is it good?" " Mm-hmm." " You ready?" " Ready." " Can I ask you a question?" " Mm-hmm." "Why don't we just let the parakeets go?" "They'll die if we do that." "It's better this way." "Wait, hold up." ""Jo..." "Ifoundthebottom." "Andit'sin thesameplace it'salwaysbeen." "I'msorry Iputyouthroughthis ." "Ithoughtthiswas  whatI wanted." "ButI wantmy family." "Ineedmy family." "I'mcominghome." "Andifyoulet me, I'llmake  thisupto youand Johnathan." "Ipromise." "IfyougetthisbeforeIdo," "Ishouldbe  justaroundthecorner." "Sowe'llsee whogetstherefaster, meormy words." "Iloveyou." "David."" "Hey, if I give you a dollar, would you put a stamp and throw that in the mail for me?" "I got it." " Thanks." " Thank you." " Johnathan, are you ready?" " Mm-hmm." "What tickets do you have available that will get us to the beach?" " One way or round trip?" " One way, please." "Okay." "Well, Miami..." "for an adult and a child would be $367.50, and for San Diego, it would be $409.50." "Okay." "You got anything cheaper?" "Well, there's always Galveston." "How much?" "Galveston would be $90.25." "Perfect." "You know, I'm gonna help you." "I got the quarter." "Oncetherewasalittleboy, and he got a little piglet once hewasonlyfiveyearsold." "One, two, three." "Oncehewasnineorso , himandhismom and his pig  wentoutto theocean 'causehelovesthe sea ." "AndhimandSharkyPiggy wenttogo find thelittleboy'sdad ." "Hewaslostintheocean ." "Butinsteadtheyran into themamaleviathan." "Inanger,theleviathan triedtokillus,  andhehadtofight tothedeath." "AndI kepton stabbingit andstabbingit  andstabbingit ." "Stupidoctopus." "Theylivedhappilyeverafter witheatingoctopuseveryday."