"Hello?" " It's me." "It's done." "I need you in Brooklyn." "An Iranian jeweler is giving me problems." "He needs to disappear." "He's here in Little Odessa." "Brooklyn's no good for me." "You know that." "You owe us a debt." "It's important." "Don't you want to see the old neighborhood again?" "I'll call you when I get there." "I'm taking you in, Lee." "Not a chance." "Come on out." "Or do I have to come in and get you?" " That's the whole story, Arch." " All of it?" "You didn't kill him." "I did." "Long time ago." "The day I looked away and hoped he'd change." "I'll have to tell Jen." "I'd like to tell her myself." " So, is that it?" " That's it." "Hold the doors." "What?" "Huh?" "Reuben, get the tea." "It's me, Ma." "Hey." "That will kill you." " Did you get the syrup?" " Hmm?" "I forgot, sorry." "How is Mama?" "She all right?" "You shouldn't smoke." "Holy shit." "What the fuck is he doing here?" "Wake up, wake up, wake up." " Come on." "Get out of the car." " What are you doing?" " Get out of the car!" " What are you doing?" "!" "Son of a bitch." "Hey." " You're late." " I know." "I was with Mom." "I am going to be gone for awhile, all right?" " Okay." " Finish counting the pennies and put them in a box." "Hey." "What is it?" " Is he gone?" " Yeah." "If I let you in on something..." " promise to keep it a secret?" " Sure." "Don't say "sure," this is big." "Okay." "What is it?" " I can't tell you." " Come on." "You can't say that." "Yeah?" "Well, it's gonna cost you." "How much?" "Those." "The cigarettes right there." " Those?" "Okay, how about one?" " No." " Two cartons every week." " Fine, fine, man." "What is it?" "You never heard this from me, understood?" " Yeah." " You tell anybody, you go to the dump." " I know." "All right, what is it?" " Your brother's here." "In Brooklyn." "Where is he?" "I saw him go into the Metropole in Queens." "That's all I can say, kid." "Shh!" "Shh!" "Go to bed." "Go back to bed." "Close the door." "She will be all right." "Shh." "Josh." "Josh." "Hey." "It's me." "Get out of here." "Okay, then we'll meet later." "It's not safe." "Then we'll meet later, somewhere else." "I can't do that." "I'm sorry." "You look good, though." "You're growing." "Mom's gonna die." "She's got a brain tumor." " Does Pop still work at the stand?" " Yeah." "Be on the boardwalk, near Nathan's" " tomorrow at 4:00." " Okay." "Come here." "How'd you know I was here?" "I won't do anything." "Just tell me." "Sasha Ronov told me." "Nobody can know I'm here." "Not your friends, not any other relatives, nobody." "Don't discuss it with Sasha or anybody else." " Okay." " Okay?" "See you tomorrow." "Fucking Mickey Mouse." " Who'd you tell about me?" " Nobody." "Don't insult me or I'll cut it off!" "I told your brother and the guys." "I told Victor and Yuri, but they won't say anything." " Yuri still run the station?" " Yeah." "You going there now?" "Get up!" "Get the fuck up!" "Let's go." "Volkoff's looking for you." "I know that." "This asshole picked the wrong fucking time to be hanging around my house." "Bad fucking luck." "He wants you bad." "He comes around all the time asking where you are." "We got a problem." "You all know I'm here and that's a problem." "We're gonna work together." "Don't worry, I've got some money for you." "What if we don't want to help?" "Reuben?" " Hey!" " Hey, Ma." "I haven't had much to say." "You were always so quiet." "Aw, so introverted." "You don't go out with girls?" "Uh, none of them will go out with me." "Oh, no you mustn't say that." "Why, don't say that." "Oh, you're beautiful." " You think I'm beautiful." " Yes." "Stop it!" "Reuben, you are beautiful." "What's the matter?" "Nothing." "I know." "I love you too." "Ma, does it hurt?" "Hey." "It's fucking-- it's fucking cold out here." "So you're gonna tell me about Ma?" "She got sick like five months ago." " What happened?" " She got some headaches." "They said she'd be dead by now." " Nathan's." " Oh." " You bar mitzvahed?" " Yeah." " You get a lot of money?" " Not too much." "You can make a lot of money from those things, you know?" "All your friends bring you money-- all your relatives." " You got friends?" " They're all schwartzes." "What about the girls?" "They're schwartzes too." "Pop says not to hang with them." "I wanna come home and see Ma." "They think you're dead." "What'd you do?" " Did some things." " There's a lot of rumors." "Biggest killer in the world's a rumor." "Brooklyn should be called "Rumors."" " How you doing, you okay?" " Mm-hmm." "We'll do something this week." "Okay, let's go." "Let's go home now." "Son of a bitch." "I'll race you." "Don't worry." "She doesn't look so bad." "Grandma, calm down." "Come on, Josh." "It's no big deal." "Come on." "Did you let him in?" "Did you let him in?" "He gets what I got, is that it?" " Come on, Josh." " Don't you fucking hit him!" "Get out of my house." " Get out of my house..." " Josh!" "Come on!" "or I swear to you, you'll get belted." "Get out of my house." "Get out of my house!" "Get out of my house!" " You fucking man." " Fuck you!" " Get out of my house." " I'll fucking kill you!" "You fucking lay a hand on me!" "Get out." "Get out, I said!" "Murderer." "Out!" "You go to your room!" "Alla Shustervich." "Alla Shustervich." "It's Joshua Shapira." "What do you want from me?" "I wanted to see you." "But I didn't do anything." "I know that." "How you doing?" "I'm gonna go home now." "I heard about your pop." " I'm sorry." " Heard about you." "Couldn't come here anymore, if that's what you mean." "Then why are you here?" "I'm leaving soon." "I wanted to see everything." "Alexa told me about you." "Said you left because of Boris Volkoff." "You've been here long enough." "You know if Mr. Boris don't like somebody, he can keep them away." " That's all it is." " So you didn't do anything?" "Well, don't go telling people I'm here." "I just wanted to tell you that I understand." "'Cause here I am." "I can't talk to anybody... or do anything." "You know?" "I hope I see you again." "Anyway, you can go home now." " Hello?" " Reuben." " Yeah?" " It's Joshua." " Hey." " Be home at 10:00." " We'll go to a movie, okay?" " Okay." " You like the movies?" " Yeah, what are we seeing?" "Whatever." "Be home at 10:00." " Bye." " Okay." "He was making a call in the phone booth when the mice found him." "Through the head." "No one saw it." "No one saw it happen." "I don't even know who would want to do this." "Busy." "Reuben." "My name is Alla, you remember me?" " I was friends with Sasha." " Yeah." "I have to talk to you." "Your brother came to see me the other day." "Have you seen him?" "'Cause I really need to talk to him." " You like movies?" " Yeah." "Meet us on the corner of 3rd and Brighton." " 10:00." " Okay." "Okay." "See you." " But I need it!" " I don't have your fucking leg." "Jesus." "Come on!" "Give me my leg!" "Shut up!" "I gotta deal with this fucking crazy man, here, and you don't help." "Look, I can't be hopping around like this!" "I don't have your fucking leg." "Would you please get the fuck outta here?" "You got my leg." " He's got my leg." " Fucking nut." "Our man is Ahmad Pahlevi." "Real camel jockey." "We've heard about him." "He'll be tough, the mice love him." " So?" " So he's untouchable." "The cops are pussy cats." "You guys know that." "This guy is nothing but some dumb stukach." "Make him go bye-bye." "You'll see what happens." "He's ratted on so many people, every asshole in the city, including the mayor, will think it was the Italians or the schwartzes who did it." "Empty the whole round into his head." "It's bye-bye, Ayatollah." "You're gonna need guns." "You got guns?" "I can get 'em." "Mr. Boris, believe it or not." "Keep them small specials, throw aways." "It won't be long before Volkoff finds out I'm here." "I think one of his guys recognized me." " How do you know that?" " Because he sees everything." "So what happened to the guy that saw you?" "You won't be seeing him no more." "This was in the garage." "Reuben, Reuben!" "What are you doing?" "You don't have any homework?" " No, I finished it." " Are you sure?" "What?" "No, but you should do your homework, otherwise you will end up like, uh, the dumb..." " goyam in our neighborhood." " I just told you, I finished it." "Well, then, go." "Go home and read." "Why do you force him all the time?" "Let's go." "Let's go." "I don't" " I don't want to go." "We gotta go get this person." "What the fuck are you talking about?" "Alla Shustervich." "She said she saw you." "She wants to see you." "I didn't tell her where you are." "I said we'd pick her up." "What?" " Where are we going?" " 3rd and Brighton." " Get in." "Hurry up." " Where are we going?" " We're gonna see a movie." " My mom thinks I'm coming back early." " How old are you?" " 22." " When was the last time you went out?" " I don't know." "Get in." " Pick a movie." " What movie?" "Look in the paper." "Just make sure it's in the city." "Can I smoke in here?" "It's Freddy." "He's here." " I heard him." " Freddy is dead, buried and consecrated." "We won, remember?" " He's coming back for us." " Kincaid's right." "Fred Krueger's history." " Come here." " Joey!" " Thank God." "I thought for a minute" " What?" " Dragging us in here." " Yeah, cut it out!" "You're putting one serious dent in my beauty sleep." "The pipes are cold." "The boiler is cold." "See for yourself." " Good night, Reuben." " Good night." "Good night." "So why do you wanna talk to me?" "I don't know." "I didn't expect to go to a movie and everything." "I just... wanted to talk some more, you know?" "It don't make no difference to me." "Then what are you doing here?" "Did you kill Boris Volkoff's son?" "That's what you're here for now, right, to shoot someone?" " That's why you left." " I can go all over." "Except here." "You can't tell anybody I'm here." "It's no big deal." "Just don't go around shooting your fucking mouth off." "I can't go back to Brighton right now." "What else can I say, you know?" "How'd you know about my father?" "I wanted to see you." " Make sure you were okay." " No, I mean, how'd you know?" "I don't wanna talk anymore." "Gonna give me your number?" "Can go out?" "We'll go out this week." "You'll make a call." "Huh?" "I don't know." "What?" "I have my own phone." "Number's listed." "Does that hurt?" "You know I can't afford it." "You just want your dress." "Boris could help." "You know he'd help me." "He helps everybody." "And I would never accept it." " He could lend you the money." " Mm-hmm." "You take something from him, and then you keep taking." "You can never get away." " You can." " You can't." "It's too easy." "It's weak." "The weak are the killers that come quietly." "And that's how they kill." "Like the tumor." "It's God punishing me." "I have to believe that, because if I didn't, I couldn't believe in anything." "You will always have your son." "My son." "I had two sons once." "I always tried to teach them." "I always tried to do my best." "I really played music-- I played Mozart for him when we was five months old." "Then, I bought him a piano." "I practiced with him." "I read bedtime stories... every evening." "I was stupid, I guess." "You know, to read to a child of two years old" ""Crime and Punishment," I think that's stupid." "You just can't force them." "I never force anybody." "But you know, there's a saying:" "When a child is six years old, he says the father can do everything." "When he is 1 2 he says the father can almost do everything." "When he's 16, he says the father's an idiot." "When he is 24, he says, father wasn't maybe such an idiot." "And then when he's 40, he says, if I only could ask my father." "But I'm afraid my sons will never ask themselves that." "Are you worried that I'm married?" "It isn't the first thing on my mind, believe me." "I mean, does it bother you?" "Does it bother you?" "Don't you think we should talk?" "Speak English?" "Is she a good fuck?" "I think we should talk, don't you?" "I'm not gonna be in Brooklyn long." "But I'm gonna see Ma before she dies, whether you like it or not." "I'm gonna do it with or without your help, but I wanna make a truce." "Truce, all right?" "I don't wanna see Ma with us fighting." "Your lady friend up there, how long have you been doing her?" "Before or after Ma got sick?" "I love your mother." "Yeah, does Reuben know about her yet?" "It's me, Ma." "Yoshi." "Now you promise me you'll take care of your brother." "Do you remember when you were little, you gave Papa all your models-- your little plane models?" "I don't remember." "Oh, you-- you said, "Papa," "I made all these plane models for you."" "But I know you can change." "You don't believe it, but I know you can." "Mm-hmm, I guess so." "You go to Grandma's party on Sunday, tomorrow." "I can't go." "You go for me." " I'll go." " She-- she won't say it, but she would love if you were to go." "I'll go, Ma." "I love you, Ma." "Lay down, Ma." "This is gonna be our hangout." "You know, every time I come here the teachers rush us through." "Can't even enjoy it." "These guys don't look too happy in there, though, do they?" "You know what?" "I haven't been to school in like months." " Why not?" " It's boring." "I'd rather be smoking bud in a museum." "Let's go see the snakes." "I'm fucked up." "Don't do that." "Don't do that." "Just scared it's gonna smash through the glass or something, bite your head off." "If it could, it would." "It might." "Well, I ain't standing near it." "Are you gonna take someone to the dump?" "Make them disappear?" "That's what Sasha always says." "He says you guys take schwartzes and shit to the dump." "Anyone who goes there never comes back." "% Don don!" "%" "Sasha's a nobody." "He should shut his fuckin' mouth." "What's the matter?" "Oh fuck, I gotta puke." "Do it in the fucking corner." "Wow." "What the frick is going-- how did you get in here?" "What is" "What are you guys doing here?" "Whoa!" "Whoa!" "You all right?" " You all right?" " Yeah, I'm fine." "Get the fuck up." " Wrong door." " Yeah." "When are you gonna leave?" "Get some sleep." "You want some?" "Got the munchies." "So where you gonna go?" "We're Jews, we wander." "Didn't they teach you that shit in Hebrew school?" "Maybe back to Russia." "Are you gonna stay until after Ma dies?" "Don't say that." "She could still pull through." "Okay." "So don't say that." "I hear her crying all the time." "You've been very strong." "You don't always have to be that way." "You can feel sad about it." "I'll try and stay a little longer." "Are you going to Grandma's party on Sunday?" "We'll see." " Josh?" " Yeah?" "I love you." "Good night." "Feel better and go to school." "What are we gonna do about his wife?" "If you think she'll say shit after we get through with him, you're out of your fucking mind." "She's no problem." "If she is, someone will visit her too." "Does that backroom have alarms?" "There's no alarm." "I got a key." "It's probably the least protected place in the whole fucking city." "We'll bring him to the dump." "We'll do it there." "We'll burn the body." "If there's no body, there's no crime." "We'll drop the gun there." "They can't pin it on anybody." "All right, Sunday's the night." " Hello?" " It's Joshua." " Wanna get something to eat?" " lsn't it late." "I'll come by and pick you up." "We'll go to the diner near you." "The one on Utica." "I better go." "How long you worked at a candy store?" "Three years." " Looks pretty boring." " It's okay." "I help old ladies pick out candy." "I had to do something, so that's what I'm doing." "It could be worse." "Some people have to do really bad shit." "I remember once my mother told me and my brother she had to fuck a guard to get out of Russia." " You wanna go?" " I'm taking the subway." " You'll get killed on the subway." " I'll go on the subway." "You like that?" "I hate it." "You want a ride?" "No." "You asleep?" "Did everybody talk about me?" "While I was gone, I mean." "Yeah." "What did they say?" "I don't know." "They just wanted to know what you were doing." "Did you think of me?" "Not really." "Sometimes." "I wondered where you went." "Why are you so tired?" "I don't know, maybe it's because you don't let me sleep." "Are you gonna go out and see your brother?" "He's nice." " He's smart." " Hmm." "Smart kid." " An American." " Hmm." " Think I'm dumb?" " Hmm?" " You think I'm dumb?" " No." "I'm not smart, though," "like all the professors in the organizazia." "My family is smart, though, in Russia." "Aunt Irene, Uncle Alec, my parents, my grandparents" "everybody's smart." "You up?" "I just wanted to tell you guys, if something goes wrong you don't panic." "You tell me." "Or if you can, we just go on as planned." "You forget about it." "Okay?" "You know where you're going?" "We are here to celebrate the 80th birthday" "of my mama." "Tsilya Sokolova." "80 years." "To our mama." "To our mama." " Dad, can I talk to you?" " Not now." "Sorry." "Thank you, Mr. Volkoff." "You have been very generous." "I've treated you with respect." "Which I would not do for someone else in your situation." "And I'm grateful." "I've asked for only one thing in return from you." "I've spared your family." "But I've heard rumors about that mongrel of a son of yours." "Do you have anything to tell me?" "I will hold you responsible if he's here." "Do you understand me?" "You would know." "I know what it is to lose a son." "All right." "I trust you." "Put him down." "Do you believe in God?" "Wait 10 seconds, see if God saves you." "Get the tongue." "Bring the body." "Oh fuck." "Drop the gun." "Wipe it down." "Can't remember the rest of it." "I guess... that's enough for now." " What's that?" " The Mourner's Kaddish." "Come here every week, It's the place my father died." "Let's go." " Going away?" " Yeah." "I thought we were going to do some things." "I guess I'll just be sorta hanging around after you leave." "Guess this is it." "Got no choice." "Sorry, I can't make it tonight." "Please don't ask." "Shh, shh." "Are you going through my mail again?" "I found some of my letters in one of your drawers." "I know you haven't been in school for two months." "Don't run away." "I want to talk to you." "Reuben, I want to talk to you!" "Can I talk to you?" "I want to talk to you." "Open the door." "Open the door!" "All right." "Don't want to open the door." "I'm sorry I hit you." "But you're always running away." "I don't want you to see Joshua anymore." "Joshua's not your brother anymore." "Understand?" "I've spent my life trying to make things better for you." "I don't make apologies." "If I make mistakes, I'm sorry." "You think I like working at the stand?" "Do you think I enjoy selling gifts and magazines?" "It's only because of you." "To make money for you." "Your brother is a different story." "He's a street rat." "You may think you know all about him, but believe me you don't." "He has no ambition." "No desire, no nothing." "I know you don't respect me, but Lord knows I tried my best." "Reuben..." "Does your girlfriend respect you?" "Came to say bye." "Pop did that to you?" " We're going for a ride." " What's this?" " Shut up." "Shut the fuck up!" " Hey, hey." "We're going for a ride." "Don't worry, don't worry." "It's my son." "Stop." "Turn around." "Take off your coat." "Take off your pants." "Kneel down." "Aren't you gonna say anything?" "You're a big man." "Is that it?" "You're a big man?" "I don't need a gun to be a man." "I don't know... what made you what you are." "All I ask you is to leave Reuben alone." "Please." "Even you must know there's nowhere you can go anymore." "You have destroyed us." "You have destroyed our family." "Joshua?" "Joshua?" "Hey, Mom." "Hey." "Water?" "Mom?" "Mom?" "Mom, are you okay?" "Mom?" "Mom?" "Mom!" "Hey, Josh." "Can I talk to you a sec?" "I know you're gonna leave and all, but there's something I gotta tell you." "It's your mom." "She's dead." " Hey, Sasha." " She did it, she left a kid in the car." " Hey, have you seen Josh?" " She left the fucking baby" " What the fuck is wrong with you?" " Somebody just stopped me on my bike." "If Josh is still here, you gotta tell me." "Come on, man." "He's at Alla's house, all right?" "It's on 4th and Newkirk, I think." " Which house?" "Which address?" " I don't know which house." "You'll never find which house!" "Ma?" "Josh is home." "Love you, Ma." "Ma, Josh is home."