"There's a lot of good people, just point them out." "There." "Mr. Wilson." "I'm going to mingle." "I'll see you later." "Good luck." "Thank you." "So now we're onto the 3rd of 3 pieces by Zeppelin Crespo tonight." "I believe this to be the best one... at least the most interesting and unusual." "This is what Crespo called a head trumpet painting or sometimes a flubug painting." "These were made during a very brief period between Crespo's incarcerations and when public health records first indicated a diagnosis of autism." "This painting, lot number 21, is titled" ""My True Love, True, True, True."" "Let's start the bidding for this amazing work at $7,000." "Ladies and gentlemen do I have $7,000 for this wonderful Crespo?" "Thank you, ma'am." "Can I have $7,500 for a good cause?" "$7,500, Bernadette has on the phone." "Do I have $8,000 in the back row, sir, with the hat." "You like this one?" "Let's get it to $8,500." "Come on people, I know there's money in this crowd." " $9,000, for this beautiful..." " It makes me happy." "But I'm going to buy the UFO." "$9,500, Bernadette has on the phone." "Do I have $10,000?" "Where did you come from?" "North Carolina" "Allright, Charlie, I'll be right here." "Mr Wark." "Hello?" "A Tweeleree repeating rifle..." "I'm guess you never hear'd that before, have you?" "No sir, I haven't." "Well, I recon, you never have because it come to me in a vision." "Now, here..." "I couldn't finish Lee's cock on the front... so I painted around on the back." "That's General Lee's cock?" "Ya." "Now this other one over here..." "Madeline, he is really great." "I'm serious." "We just saw..." "this stuff is excellent and when people hear his ideas..." "Can I talk to him?" "Let me talk to him." "Well, we're outside right now." "I'm standing outside... but we were were just inside and he's got tons of stuff" "I'm telling you, he's going to bowl people over." "You know what, don't crowd him, just..." "I heard he's really shy." "Can you e-mail me pictures?" "Find someplace, go to Kinko's or something." "Madeleine, this is Bill Mooney." "You remember me?" "Oh of course I do." "I want to put my two cents in that" "I agree that Wark is much better for you than Micheaux would be." "And I think that you should come down here yourself, maybe." "Because I think he would really be into that." "And I think it would make a big difference." "Oh." "OK." "You are so great." "Really." "Let me think about it." "And I'll call you back." "OK bye." "He says he thinks it would make a difference if I went down there." "Is this the Battle of Antietam?" "Which one?" "Oh, yeah." "I recognize the corn fields." "I love all the dog head men." "And computers." "And all the scrotums." "Away on the sea..." "I fear life goes for me, viewing see spray and white caps astern." "Oh!" "A stout heart, my love, pray God grants to me... and a promise of my safe return."" "You know who wrote that?" "Who wrote that?" "Glow-ray." "You don't know her, do you?" "I've never heard of her." "Tell me." "That's because she come to me in a dream." "I dreamed that." "And I put it in the mouth of a nigger slave right there in that picture after getting captured." "Bless his heart." "Who is that out there?" "That's my husband George." "You met him." "He's got a nice face." "Oh, he's from here." "His family lives not too far away." "The Johnstons." "Have you heard of them?" "I see a face and it sticks in my head." "And I paint it." "I'll paint your legs if you want." "Put them in a painting" "Cause you got pretty legs." "You ever heard that before?" "Yes." "I bet you have." "I'm not kidding, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!" "Yeah." "I'll give him a day, maybe and then I'm going to call." "Make sure you overnight the Cheerwine." "Cheer, like "Cheerleader"." "Today." "I want him to have it immediately." "It's his favorite soda pop." "It's regional." "You can only get it down here." "George says you can only get it down here." "So, do that?" "OK, bye." "If this happens." "Oh my God." "It will." "I think I'm in love." "It will!" "You gonna make her a bird." "Fuck!" "Where are the cigarettes?" "Top of the fridge." "Where?" "Right there." "I can't find them." "Then we're out." "I found them." "I told you, they were right there." "We're out of cigarettes." "You got any matches?" "No." "Well, can I use your lighter?" "Perhaps?" "Thanks!" "Don't mention it." "Are you too busy to help out?" "!" "You too busy with them coming any minute?" "And I know I can't even ask you what's new because if it ain't... on the sport pages in the funnies you won't know about it." "Holy cow." "Did you eat all the rest of my eggs?" "What did you do with my eggs?" "!" "Stuffed them up my butt!" "How come every time I read the paper you bother me?" " Go somewhere else." " I'm back." "I can't spread the paper out anywhere else." "You got your own room to go to!" "Have you seen all the shit she's got in there?" "!" "Where have you been?" "Gone." "Did you go to the store?" "Yeah." "Did you remember to get my Vantages?" "No." "I forgot." "I figured you would." "No cigarettes in the whole damn house." "And no eggs." "Where's Ashley?" "How should I know?" "What?" "Have you met her?" "Is she thin?" "How could I have met here, Ashley?" "Use your head." "I bet she is thin." "I bet she's prettier than I am, too." "I know I'm gonna hate her." "I can't wait." "Oh, did you know I lost two more pounds?" "Yesterday all I had to eat was a hot dog with a little bit of mustard and no bun." "I think you can tell that I've lost some weight." "Johnny, look." "It's got all these exercises you can do during your pregnancy." "It's got like 14 exercises you can do after you give birth to flatten your stomach." "Isn't that great?" "You making that for them?" "Yes." "Don't mess." "Go sit or something." "I can't!" "I'm too excited." " Ashley, sit down!" " What's she like?" "!" "Have you thought of anything?" "Huh?" "'Cause I know if we have a little boy that we'll name him Johnny, but I was thinking that if we have a girl we could name her Jonni too, but just spell it with an "I"." "What do you think?" "I think it's stupid." "Well, so are you." "You're stupid too." "Johnny, Ashley, Pat, Eugene." "Peg." "Peg." "What did I say?" "What did I say?" "I'll be fine, right?" "I'll be fine." "Was that a car door?" "I thing they're here." "They're here!" "Oh lord!" "Damn it." "Look at this mess!" "Are you coming?" "You haven't seen your brother in 3 years!" "Quit it!" "I'd think you'd want to know what's going on with him and welcome him." "Oh, for heaven's sake." "Come on Eugene, George is here." "George is here." "You're here!" "You're here!" "You're here right where we live!" "Hi!" "Hello!" "Hi!" "Look at you." "You're here." " You're about to burst." " I know." "I wrote you about it." "You're so thin." " Hi, Momma." " Darling." "I'm so glad to see you." "I thought you'd never get here." "Guess what's upstairs?" "Mr. Johnsten." "Hi!" "Wow, you're so beautiful!" "Fermented cheese just for you." " Hi, Pat." " Hi." "How do you do?" "Do you diet?" "No." "I run." "And swim." "What was that?" "I smashed your birdie!" " No, darling..." " Ashley!" "I just bumped the wall." "I'm sorry." "We can replace it." "Can't we replace it?" "I declare, Ashley." "I'll pick it up!" "I'll pick it up!" "Let me do it." "No, wait a minute." "You go on, upstairs and I'll see if we got anything to feed you after I clean up Ashley' mess." "You still got 3 left." "No wonder he's thin." "She sure don't look like she can cook." "I love her." "Johnny?" "I'm Madeleine." "I married George." "You got any cigarettes?" "What?" "No." "Sorry." "I don't smoke." "George got any?" "Oh." "George doesn't smoke." "He give it up?" "I can tell you're brothers." "You're just as handsome." "He give up being an asshole, yet?" "Madeleine?" "What was that?" "Madeleine, I'd swim too, but I wouldn't be caught dead in a bathing suit like this." "See, I'm about to have a baby." "No!" "I am too." "Any day now." "But I've got this exercise book, and I'm trying to lose weight 'cause Johnny hates it when I'm heavy." "And I can't stand it either." "Do you have kids?" "Oh no." "No." "Have you ever been married before?" "When did you and George get married?" "It'll be exactly 6 months tomorrow." "I'll be damned." "I know." "I actually find it hard to believe myself." "How's Johnny?" "Good." "He still working at Replacements Ltd?" "Still there." "Back living here." "It's good you come down here." "I want to know everything there is to know about you." "I want you to tell us every little thing." "God." "That would be so boring." "Not to me." "What makes you tick?" "All we got is dry cereal for you." "That's fine, Pat." "Can I do anything to help?" "No." "Nobody messes in my kitchen." "Oh, OK." "Pat, your little ceramic thing." "It wasn't..." "Are you wearing make-up?" "'Cause, you could wear more if you wanted to." "You're so tall." "I'm fair." "But, I like to experiment with a lot of different looks." "Were you born in Chicago?" "I was born right here." "I've lived here all my whole life." "My favorite animal is the meerkat." "Do you know what they are?" "They're so cute." "I've got this little charm bracelet with meerkats on it." "Did you have lots of boyfriends?" "I bet you did." "Did you ever try out for cheerleading or anything?" "I tried out, but I didn't make it." "I was born in Japan." "You were not." "My father was in the diplomatic service." "And then we moved to Africa." "And then to Washington, DC for a short while and then back to Africa and then to Chicago." "Wow." "What kind of things did you like to do when you were a little girl?" "What type of things?" "Reading and horseback riding." "At the same time?" "No." "I never tried it at the same time." "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" "I have a half-brother now but he's gone now." "So that's why this is pretty much my family." "And children are the most important thing." "They're so important." "Can you still have kids?" "Ashley!" "George wrote that you own a art museum or something?" "Yes." "An outsider gallery." "Self-taught artists." "That's my cellphone." "Don't worry, I'll just call back." "And that's why we're here really." "We drove down to meet-have you heard of this artist from Pinnacle..." "David Wark?" "Wark?" "He lives about half an hour away." "Most people haven't heard of him yet." "Anyway we drove down to meet him." "For the gallery." "I wouldn't think you'd have to come all the way down here from Chicago to find a good artist." "And I insisted to George..." "I said if we're this near anyway, let's come here." "You drove all that way?" "We stayed one night." "We had sort of a little honeymoon." "And then last night we stayed in Asheville." " You stayed in Asheville last night?" " Yes." "Last night." "Well." "And then we work up early this morning to see David Wark." "And that's so exciting." "He paints mostly his conceptions of the Confederate War." "It's extraordinary." "He's not schooled or trained." "If you get him talking he goes off on these ideas, and it's strange because he sort of gets confused with his own personal history and that of the world." "Momma Peg does arts and crafts!" "That's great." "And George told me that you do woodworking, Mr. Johnsten." "Just call him Eugene." "That's his name." "Eugene." "Come on." "I want to show you your room." "I'll get that." "No." "It's OK." "I like to carry things, it's good for me." "I bet you went to college, huh?" "I want to go to college." "Here's you all's room, it's the nursery" "You'll love this." "Paw made that cradle." "Johnny helped him." "Of course they need to paint it." "They made this?" "Yeah." "Here's the bathroom." "We're going to share that, 'cause my bedroom's right through there." "So if you get lonely at night and you want to talk you can just go like, knock on the wall and then I'll know it's you and I can come out and we can talk." "Shouldn't I tell Pat about her thing?" "I should replace it." "No." "Don't worry about it." "She's got lots of them." "And I want her to like you." "And Madeleine, you keep calling her Pat." "Her name's Peg." "Oh, fuck." "I'll let you alone right now." "OK." "I want to hear all about how you and George met and everything." "Was it love at first sight?" "Yeah." "Really?" "Yeah." "I saw him at the gallery and a week later we were married." "I love that." "It's so... fuckin' cool," "Madeleine." "Can I help you unpack?" "There you are." "We thought we'd lost you, George." "Look at you!" "You just light up a room." "Hey, man." "Hi." "Where you going?" "I'm late." "Some of us do real work, you know." "Where's Madeleine?" "Sit down, it's breakfast!" "Hi." "If you go to the mall today get me the Cliffnotes for "Huckleberry Finn"." "Let's go to the mall." "I love that book." "It's my favorite." "Don't you love it?" "No." "I'm getting the Cliffnotes." "It's for his GED." "He didn't graduate high school." "We just loved each other too much to wait." " Ashley!" "Do you ever stop it?" " No." "See you later." "How you getting to work?" "Norman's giving me a ride." "If he ever fuckin' gets here!" "Let's go to the mall now." "Let's do." "You'll love the mall." "It's got like a thousand fountains and it's got this fudge factory!" "And it's got a Nike store, and a Barnes and Noble's, and I can show you Aladdin's Castle which is this arcade where I first saw Johnny." "And there's Joanne's Nuthouse which is where you get nuts and almonds." "Hey guys, Madeleine wants to go to the mall!" "Johnny Johnsten!" "Johnny Johnsten!" "Johnny Johnsten!" "Johnny Johnsten!" "Goddamn it!" "Who's got their Panther pride?" "Count down, boys." "Johnny, 200 more days." "Panther pride!" "Panther!" "Let's catch scratch those motherfuckers!" "Next year," "I guaran-goddamn-tee it they're going to fuckin' at least go to the fuckin' Superbowl again." "Guaran-goddamn-tee it." "I'm serious." "I will not get a girlfriend ever." "I'm sick of it goddamn it." "Tarra, are you in love?" "You're in love." "Yes, I'm in love now." "His name is Keith." "Why don't you ever bring him around here?" "No." "He's a professional football player." "Shut up!" "What position?" "Fullback." "I worked with this one guy." "He liked to go deer hunting." "He got a tic stuck on his anus." "He thought it was a hemorrhoid." "He kept on putting Preparation H on it for week, made it all supple." "He had his wife look at it and she screamed," "Oh my God, it's a tic." "He pulled it off and stomped it and it wouldn't even crush because the Preparation H made it so soft." "I don't know what love is, dude." "Man, my neighbors are just driving me up the wall." "And they're in love." "They're technically in love, but they're fighting over a fuckin' goddamn mini-dish." "Get a mini-dish, is all I'm saying!" "Just get a goddamn mini-dish." "This is the best fuckin' job I ever had." "Shut the fuck up." "I tell you what though, you should come over to the house, man." "I got that Superbowl on tape." "I been watching it like every other day." "I always feel like they're going to win, you know, if I watch it on tape I fell like they're going to pull it out." "But they never do." "They never do." "Let's do it now." "Here?" "Yeah!" "Don't you like 'Cinnamon Fizz'?" "We can play beauty parlor." "Why hello, Miss Madeleine." "You called about..." "'Cinnamon Fizz'." "Don't you just love the way that sounds?" "I suddenly have the urge to drink this." "Oh, that could be hormonal." "Pica." "Do you feel like you want to eat dirt?" "Or clay, as well?" "NO!" "Yuck!" "What do you think I am?" "Clay." "No." "Yuck." "What'd you say that was-pica?" "Yeah." "You might need iron, or something." "Do you take supplements?" "No." "I bet that's why George married you." "Why?" "What's wrong?" "Nothing." "The head's just on my nerves." "I'm fine." "I'm fine." "I'm fine." "What are you going to name it?" "Junebug." "I mean, his real name will be Johnny but we'll call him Junebug." "And if it's a little girl we'll christen her Junebug Johnsten." "Can't you see a little baby named Junebug?" "So you don't know what you're having?" "A baby." "No, I meant a boy or a girl?" "Oh that." "I don't know." "I don't want to know." "I want to be surprised." "I don't care, so long as it's healthy and it looks like Johnny." "What does he want?" "I don't know if he wants a baby right now." "But I know just as soon as he sees it he's going to fall in love." "He's just going through a phase." "I read in one of my books that that can happen." "How long has he been like that?" "Two years." "But I know as soon as he sees that baby he's going to snap out of it." "I think." "Yep." "What do you think?" "I don't know him." "Gosh, I wish that I could grow my nails out like this." "I'm always biting on mine." "I do too." "But these are wrapped." "You are kidding me!" "These are fake?" "Yeah." "I used to bite my own ones right down to the quick." "George doesn't even know." "I even bite my toenails." "You do not!" "I do too!" "I didn't think anybody else in the world did that!" "Ashley, what are you doing to her?" "Cinnamon Fizz." "Do you like it?" "It's way past your nap time, Ashley." "You know what the doctor said." "Come on." "I am not finished with her yet." "She's a grown-up." "She can finish her own fingernails." "Let me have that please." "I don't want that on my carpet." "Go on." "Can I bum one of those?" "For later." "Tah." "Don't tell George." "How was your day?" "!" "When's dinner?" "Oh God." "Don't stop." "Don't stop." "Don't stop there." "Do what you do..." "I'm serious." "Oh hey." "Don't talk to me 'cause I'm working out." "Did you not go?" "No!" "The Camaro still tore up?" "Can't you fix it?" "George wanted to take us to a fancy dinner tonight after the shower but we got the church thing." "Hey, why don't you ask George?" "He could help you fix it." "18, 19." "When did he call there?" "This morning." "It was his sister who's a lawyer." "Did you know that he had a sister who's also a lawyer?" "What, a real lawyer?" " I don't know." "Maybe." " Fuck." "She's definitely negotiating something with somebody in New York." "Okay." "What gallery?" "It sounds like it could be Mark Lane." "Right, of course." "She thinks because they're in New York..." "Yeah." "She's influenced by their highfalutin talking." "Wait." "Did she sign anything?" "I have no idea." "I mean, probably not." "I doubt it." "I highly doubt it." "OK." "No, I can handle this." "I can deal with this." "Okay." "Are you having fun?" "It's fine." "You know what?" "I got to go." " You don't want me to call?" " Okay, darling." "Bye." "Okay." "Bye." "I think it's time for a game, ladies." "The how big is your belly game." "It's huge!" "This is Madeleine." "This is my new sister." "Hi, Nice to meet you." "She's George's wife." "Isn't she pretty?" "That's my little tuxedo" " Did you do that?" " I did." "You are so good!" "You can make anything, Miss Peg." "Do you have children?" "No." "The reason people like meerkats... you got 2 eyes looking right at you." "That makes them look kind of humanoid to you." "The meerkat approaching you creates a hostile defense until it can smell you." "Ashley?" "Ashley!" "...help in reproducing individuals where they're young." "Only the offspring of the alpha female are allowed to live." "The others, if they happen to get impregnated accidentally, while the alpha female is pregnant sometimes try to sneak their young in with a newborn of the alpha female." "They live in social groups of which non-reproducing individuals contribute to the welfare of the..." "Look at these." "Thank you so much." "It's just too much." "Here, open this one." "Okay." "What's this?" "That's a baby spoon." "That should be in a museum." "I bet that's as old as crap, Ash." "Who's that from?" "I don't know." "Hush!" "Who gave this little old spoon?" "George and me." "I love it." "Thank you so much." "I love it." "Thank you so much." "It means so much that you're here with me." "I don't believe that can go in the dishwasher." "Thank you." "Goddamm it!" "Hold on second." "Hold on." "Sorry." "Why are you swearing?" "I was trying to tape this fuckin' thing on TV and it won't work." "Well, did you use a tape I already used?" "Maybe the tab thingy is pushed in." "No, I did that." "I pushed it in." "No, you push it in if you don't want to tape something." "That's why it didn't work." "Here, let me help you." "What are you trying..." "No!" "No!" "Go on!" "Forget it." "Go on." "Forget it." "Fuck it." "Go on." "God loves you just the way you are but he loves you too much to let you stay that way." "Lucille." "These people got the wrong house." "We're having a little thing for Ashley." "Her friends." "Kind of last minute." "We want that woman been courting my brother's pictures." "Is she here?" "Hi Mrs. Speas!" "Hi." "We're having my baby shower." "You should come on in." "Who you got with you?" "Madeleine?" "!" "God." "You all come on in." "Sure." "Come on in." "I'm Madeleine." "I've been trying to call you all day." "How did you find us?" "A roomful of ladies." "Did you do this for me?" "Of course." " That's my sister." " How do you do?" "Oh, I think it's that retarded artist Madeleine knows." "I'm telling you they're not the right gallery for him." "They won't take care of him." "He sounds pretty good on the phone." "Course he never came himself." "Right." "That's why I came down here, because I love your brother's work, ma'am." "I love it." "They said you came down here because your husband lives here." "Who said that?" "The New York people." "No - it's just a coincidence." "They said you was small potatoes." "That's right." "Ma'am, honestly," " I can make your brother money." " Dear Jesus..." "If that's what you want." "Glory be to you, Lord," "I want to say thank you for this day and for the blessings of this party and for my friends and all my presents-which I love." "And for the gift of life growing inside me." "Help me to be a good Christian mother, and to raise the child to praise your name, Jesus." "Amen." "Amen." "Sister Glow-ray from a beam of light on high." "For those who suffered April 15, 1865 in the Battle of Bentonville." "Who saw the Satan Sherman victorious on North Carolina ground." "Forever we honor their risen souls..." "Amen." "Amen." "How are you?" "Just great." "Yeah?" "Have you been good?" "My wife Madeleine." "This is Mary." "We were kind of in school together." "A couple of years apart." "George Johnston, you can't hide from me." "Get up here." " How you doing?" " Hey, Bud." "I'm good." "You remember Emily?" " Hi." "How are you?" " How are you?" " I'm wonderful." " Nice to see you." "Hey, Pastor, this is my wife Madeleine." "This is Bud." "Hi." "You're so young." "It is nice to meet you." "Look." "Who's that?" "Will we see you tomorrow morning, Mrs. Johnsten?" "That's you, darling." "Oh, me!" "You don't know who you are yet, huh?" "No." "Well Eugene, I'm gonna pray with you family here real quick." "And then I got to get this show on the road." "Alright?" "Lord, I just thank you for this fellowship tonight and for the safe return of George to his home flock." "I pray, Lord, that you would bless his marriage to Madeleine." "Or God that it would be a spirit filled union." "That they would see the impermanence of this world." "And pray, Lord God that you would banish the Devil and all evil-doers from their door, no matter where they are in the kingdom, Lord." "Praise you Jesus." "Amen." "You ready for that song?" "Uh oh." "Come on." "Kind of a big room." "It's good." "Come on." "Alright everybody, you all knew that we had a treat when you heard George Johnsten was back in town." "Now don't tell a lie." "Who of you all thought that he was going to get out of here without giving us a hymn?" "This wasn't my idea." "Now, I know you're a little rusty, so I want to get Eddy McGee." "Come on, Eddy and bring your son up here." "Come on up here and help this man out." "You remember the number don't you?" "I think I need the book." " It's 283." " Thank you." "This one here is, he's 16." "His voice just broke." "He's singing bass." "Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling," "Calling for you and for me;" "See, on the portals He's waiting and watching," "Watching for you and for me." "Come home, come home," "Ye who are weary come home;" "Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling," "Calling O sinner come home." "Oh for the wonderful love He has promised," "Promised for you and for me," "Tho' we have sinned He has mercy and pardon," "Pardon for you and for me." "Come home, come home," "Come home, come home," "Ye who are weary come home;" "Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling," "Calling oh sinner come home." "I don't think I'd ever move back to Baltimore." "This is just so much more peaceful." "Yeah, I hear you." "Momma Peg made it." "She makes most of my maternity stuff." "It's so beautiful." "Such lovely work." "It's not much, but I'm kind of proud of it." "You sew?" "Oh no, I can't do anything with my hands." "You don't have to." "You're smart." "George knew that when he married you?" "Hey." "Why doesn't Madeleine help you with you report?" "She'd be good at it." "It wouldn't take much." "You all could do it tonight." "Couldn't you?" "Please." "Sure, I can help you." "You all ready to skedaddle?" "I bet you get an A." "Where did you get that?" "Hey Peter, we're going to go home." "Come on!" "You need an engraved invitation or what?" "You coming to bed?" "Not now." "I'm looking for something." "My Phillips-head." "Peg?" "Peg?" "No, it's me Ashley." "There's some 'Zingers' on the bottom shelf." "Oh, I'm just getting a carrot." "Dolly would be a nice name." "I turned the light on and everything." "Are you going to go?" "She's really, really smart and she wants to help you." "I'll wait up for you, OK?" "He's ready for you." "OK." "You look so pretty." "You smell good too." "All baby powder and shampoo-y." "I'm going to bed." "OK." " Good night." " Good night." " Thank you." " OK." "So what do we do?" "Write a paper." "They don't believe you read it unless you can write a paper on it." "So... a paper." "Have you read any of it?" "Yeah." "I looked through it." "Did you think it was funny?" "No." "I thought it was long." "OK." "What?" " Nothing." " What?" "You smell like George." "OK." "How about I help you with some of the themes?" "OK, how about you help me with some of the themes." "OK?" "OK." "How about escape?" "Huck, and Jim, are constantly managing to just wriggle out of one situation before..." "Who's Jim?" "The black man." "The slave." "Traveling down the Mississippi." "Oh, yeah." "Jim." "OK." "Well, their relationship is a..." "Well, it's Huck's... gradual sort of... love affair with this slave is the major theme..." "Wait." "They fall in love with each other?" "No, not love affair like that" "I don't think you're talking about the right book." "I'm not talking about a romance." "Two people can love each other and it's not really..." "It's more..." "It's more respect." "Huck comes to see this slave as a real person." "A whole person." "Like himself." "And that's a new insight." "This is what you'd call a picaresque novel." "That's good word to use." "And it means, usually, a main character that's traveling like 'Don Quixote', or 'Candide'." "You think I'm a complete idiot, don't you?" "No." "God no." "I just don't know how much of this book you've read." "And it's a pity, because it's a great book." "And it is really funny." "Doesn't this boy's dad try to kill him?" "Yeah." "That's not funny." "You're doing this to make fun of me." "No, I'm not." "I'm trying to help you." "Let's just read the first chapter." "It actually lays out a lot of the themes." "Are you listening to me?" "Will you do it?" "What?" "Just read the first chapter." "I don't have to." "That's why I got this." "You're right." "This thing it tells you everything I could have told you." "I don't even know what I'm doing here." "Do you?" "It's been hard, lately, around here." "What do you mean?" "Just with everything." "You know?" "Oh." "Did you not want to have children?" "I would have gone to Washington D.C. In 12th Grade." "You know?" "Except for her." "She kept looking at me all junior year." "And I couldn't concentrate." "That fucked me up." "So, when is this due?" "Any fucking time now!" "No, I meant the paper." "Tell me what you're doing here." "What do you mean?" "Tell me what you and George are doing here?" " Johnny." " Fuck you." "I don't need George sailing in here all-help out poor Johnny, some shit." "No." "None of us need shit from you." "Okay?" "Johnny." "And fuck Huck Finn!" "Fuck!" "Johnny, stop!" "Stop." "Oh God." "Sorry." "Darling, I'm trying to help you." "I wasn't laughing at you." "I wasn't laughing at you." "We didn't come here to upset you." "Okay?" "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." "OK?" "Just be still." "Sorry." "There." "What are you doing?" "Hey." "Oh shit." "I'm sorry." "Oh my god, Johnny, it's so sweet almost." "I'm sorry." "What, you think I'm a fuckin' idiot?" "Ever since you got here you've been playing me, man." "Don't tell me you didn't mean anything by it." "I know it when I see it." "I'm not stupid!" "I'm not an idiot!" "Johnny, you completely misunderstood me." "I was helping you." "Sweetheart, listen..." "Oh shut up!" "You bitch!" "Fuck!" "Where the hell you think George come from anyway?" "He's no better than us!" " He doesn't think" " And neither are you." "Alright?" "Flaunting around!" "We all see it!" "We're not stupid." "I don't know what George isn't giving you, but you want something." "Oh he taught me... to love him." "He promised to laugh." "He called me his blossom." "He called me his flower." "A blossom to cheer him though life's weary hour." "But now he has gone and left me alone." "The wildflowers to weep and the wild birds..." "Where would I be if I was a screwdriver?" "You may be seated." "You all, when was the last time you were so filled up with the Holy Spirit that people mocked you?" "And said, That person must be drunk." "That person must be filled with new wine." "I think I have to confess that that time for me may have been never." "Well, I don't like that she was "just helping him out"." "I don't think anyone ever taught her how to do." "Do what?" "Do right." "Don't be dumb." "I like her." "She means well." "George likes her." "She doesn't know George." "She loves him." "What do they have in common?" "He loves her." "And then she's up all hours with Johnny?" "I don't like it." "I want you to say something to her." "Are you listening to me?" "Don't be stupid." "But just find out if she and George are happy." "And tell her Johnny and Ashley are real happy." "We don't need some stranger coming in here messing things up." "She ain't a stranger." "She's family." "She's still strange." "She's older." "She's too pretty." "And she's too smart and that's a deadly combination." "Hi." "Speak of the devil." "So, how was church?" "Where's George?" "Gas." "He left again?" "Eugene says that you and Johnny stayed up late last night." "Yeah." "I was helping with his paper." "Kind of." "Talking." "I guess that's the way you do things in Chicago?" "What?" "Say up late?" "Yeah." "Talking." "Remember when we used to go honkytonking at the Grange?" "Be quiet, Eugene." "We stayed up till all hours." "Eugene, nobody's listening to you." "Eugene, sit up straight." "And remember what I said." "She's a very strong personality, isn't she?" "That's just her way." "She's not like that inside." "She hides herself." "Like most." "What are you looking for?" "Oh, nothing." "My screwdriver, I guess." "It's nothing." "How long have you been doing woodworking for?" "I'd love to see your..." "Hey!" "Hey!" "You all!" "I think this is it!" "Hi." "They're getting really close." "I knew I should have washed my hair this morning." " What can I do?" " Hey, Ashley." "Could you cut my toenails?" " Are you sure this is it?" " Sure." "Let me get my scissors." "They been coming all morning, I've been timing them." "They're really close." "Johnny?" "!" "Where you going?" "Bring the car up front." "Don't just stand there." "Go get the car." "Hey, do you have any of that nail polish left?" "I know I have clippers." "I'm just looking!" "What's going on?" "Your baby that's all." "Where you been?" "It's OK." "Relax, honey." "We got plenty of time." " What do you want me to do?" " Why don't you got get the car." "Your daddy's got it." "Okay." "I need my little suitcase it's..." "No, don't tell me that." "I want to do something important." "Call the doctor?" "Lord have mercy!" "What do you think I'm doing?" "The line is busy." "Go get her little suitcase!" "How can every line at the hospital be busy?" "What if we had an emergency?" "Breathe." "Hey, it's alright." "It's fun." "It's fun." "Just think after all this I get to take home a baby, too." "Damn it to hell!" " It's better than Christmas!" " Come on, let's go." "Come on, get up." "I got it!" "Thank you." "Could you go grab my flower flops please." " Where are they?" " They're in there." "I know." "But where?" "By my side of the bed." "What do they look like?" " Shoes!" " Brown!" "I'm sorry." "You stay here." "When George gets home tell him to come on to the hospital." "He'll be a help." "OK." "Pop the trunk!" "I'm trying." "We'll keep you posted." "You OK?" "Ashley, you're the one having the baby." "I know!" "Come on, let's go." "I don't want your water breaking." "We just had that upholstery cleaned." "Can you get in?" "Watch your head." "I hope it's a big baby." "I want to lose like 40 pounds." "Will you ride with your wife!" "Heaven's sakes." "Is everybody in?" "What do you think?" "We bucking up." "Will you drive, Eugene?" "Look!" "Come on." "You'll get your one of your own soon enough." " Hello?" " Bernadette!" "Oh, thank God!" "Did Jane ever get through to you?" "We've been trying to call." "I really don't want to be the one to tell you this." "What?" "David Wark isn't going with us." "No!" "What?" "Why?" "His lawyer or his sister, called yesterday and said they want to show in New York so they're signing with Mark Lane." "Oh shit." "I just saw them." "He was here." "He ate cake." "He went home with all the balloons." "He said he enjoyed the party." "Did you throw him a party?" "No, it was... nevermind." "What else did they say?" "I don't know what happened." "They offered them something he wanted." "I don't know what it was." "You'll have to talk to Tommy." "Tommy spoke to her..." "No." "No." "Don't let anyone call him." "I'm going to go there." "I'll go back there and I'll see him." "He likes me." "We have a thing." "I'm just going to tell him how much I love him and..." "We're not going to lose him." "We're not going to lose him." "So, okay?" "Okay." " Okay." " Okay." " Love you." " Love you too." "Bye." "Bye." "There's got to be a cigarette in this house." "Are you allergic to any medications?" "No." "Are you taking any medications?" "No." "How many children do you have?" "Where you been?" "Timbuktu?" "Sir, I'm sorry." "You can't smoke in here This is a non-smoking facility." "Hey, wait a second." "Hey, come back." "Can I get you anything?" "My husband just walked out of the room." "He went to smoke a cigarette." "He'll be back." "We have to go." "We have to go to Pine Mountain." "What?" "Why?" " Wark's signing with Lane Gallery." " Are you smoking?" "!" "No!" "Come on, give me the keys." "Hurry." "I'll drive." "No." "I'll drive." "You're too slow." "Oh and Ashley's gone into labor." "They've all gone to the hospital." "What?" "What?" "It means something." "What?" "Family." "Can I drop you off, George?" "Please." "I don't understand why you don't know how much this means to me." "Do you want me to lose him?" "Because I will." "And they won't take care of him." "You know that." "And actually, he's why we're here in the first place." "We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him." "I know." "You need to be there, I agree with that, but I just don't think it's my place." "I think it is." "OK." "I'll leave you when we're closer to him now." "I'll leave you there and go back to the hospital." "Really?" "Are you sure?" "If that's what you want." "If that's what you think is right." "According to my chart and according to everything, you've done extremely well..." " Hey." " Hey." "It's as if I have this personal, spiritual connection to what you do." "You know?" "Ever since I was a child," "I've been drawn to things from the South." "It's as I recognize something." "It's as if ever painting is like my child." "My own child." "It's not just a commodity." "These other dealers, they would just treat you like a commodity and they would never understand your vision and your mission." "I believe, Mr. Wark," "I love your work more than Mark Lane does." "I'm a collaborator with God." "This life here is just a saddening well of tears." "I got no great wish to tarry here." "And I'm ready to ascend anytime." "But my job here is to make the invisible visible." "I want to help you." "I want to give you the opportunity to do just that." "I can." "There." "Right there, that's my Niggerland Uprising series." "Poor old nigger slaves arising up against their evil oppressors." "I never could draw a colored face." "I've never known one personally." "I just look in a mirror and put my own in there." "Or... somebody I like." "There's a surprise in there." "Look at them faces." "George." "Hubby." "His face stuck with me and I put him in a painting." "I want you to tell him that he's helping me get my message to the world." "You could reach the whole of Europe with me." "Think about that." "Sissy says New York." "Okay, well, if New York is the obstacle" "I can absolutely guarantee you that we would show in New York." "We work with Mimi Steinberg there..." " Jew?" " Love you." "What?" "Jewess?" "That lady?" "That wouldn't be what we want'n to do." "Mark Lane is Jewish." "What?" "Nothing." "I would be your representative." "Personally." "To the whole world you would only deal with me." "Whatever you want, I would get it for you." "A Barker's Fruit Basket." "You get me one of those." "I had one when I was a kid." "I don't know if they still make them or not." "You get that and the deal is yours." "That's all you want?" "You promise to join me with God's angels in my quest, you done that." "And you believe in Jesus Christ as your personal savior." "I believe in you." "I look in your eyes and I view your soul, clear as spring water." "I can see that you're good." "And that you strive for righteousness." "So you get me a big old Barker's Fruit basket with a lot of navel oranges in it and the deal's yours." "I make my mark on your paper." "Right here it is." "Where?" "There." "Finished." "Thank you." "Didn't no one say them people were Jews to me." "George is staying." "George, darling, why don't you leave your cellphone on?" "I've been trying to reach you." "I got him back." "And you can't believe, it's the most bizarre thing, all he wanted was a fruit basket." "Well, that's good for you." "I know." "Have you heard of a Barker's basket?" "Listen, we lost him." "George, what happened?" "She didn't want the fetal monitor and it came fast." "I have to come to the hospital." "You could have." "What?" "There's nothing to do." "Will you come get me?" "No." "I'm going to stay with Ashley." "I guess you should, you could take a cab." "Bluebird Cab." "I'm going to get back to her now." "You got the acid reflux?" "Don't you want some?" "OK." "It's funny how you're gone all the time but you always here when I need you." "Isn't that funny?" "Is Madeleine alright?" "She's on her way home." "To Chicago?" "No, no." "Here." "Did she ask about me?" "Is she too old to have babies?" "Wait a second, that's none of my business." "You don't have to answer that." "Is she?" "No, no, not." "I don't think she is." "We haven't really talked about it." "Oh, you better." "For the relationship to work out." "That's what they say, anyway." "I hate hospitals, but it really wasn't all that scary..." "all the needles and stuff." "It wasn't all that bad." "I'll tell you what the scariest thing is to me." "The scariest thing to me is Johnny." "It is." "He didn't say nothing." "Not one word." "I don't know what it is." "I think he really did want it, too." "It's a boy." "You know how I know?" "'Cause I heard him tell your pa to paint the cradle brown." "You wouldn't put a baby girl in a brown cradle." "You just wouldn't." "I don't know what he's thinking." "It's not my fault." "Course not." "And all that time and all that stuff I got and all those months." "It was just all for nothing!" "And those fucking doctors!" "They think that they know everything!" "But they don't know anything." "They don't know anything." "I don't understand." "I don't understand why would God let this happen!" "Why would he." "I just wanted something good to come out of all of this!" "I mean it." "I really mean it." "I bet I'm real pretty right now." "Boy, these things really make you think, huh?" "You know what?" "I'm craving some nuts." "Well, I am too!" "And they won't give me any." "You want me to go see if I can get you some peanuts?" "Would you?" "You always know what I need." "All want in the whole world is for Johnny to love me like he did in high school." "You held him, didn't you?" "He was beautiful." "He was perfect." "He was." "He was blue." "You'll come back and see me tomorrow, won't you?" "And can you all stay for the service?" "We want to and I have to figure out..." "I know." "You got stuff you got to get back to." "I know." "But you'll be there in spirit." "I will." "I know." "I don't understand, but you make me feel better about things than anybody else." "And you don't even do anything!" "I love you." "I'm so happy that you and Madeleine are my family." "You too." "Okay." "Bye." "Hey, send her my love." "Okay?" "Yeah." "Thank you so much." "I'm sorry to get you out of bed." "Oh... well." "I'll call you soon." "I'm really happy." "Well." "I'm just so sorry for your family's loss." "Piece of shit." "I'm gonna sell it." "George?" "I'm sorry." "We're going home tomorrow." "We are?" "But I haven't seen Ashley." "I took care of it." "You don't want to tell her why I didn't go..." "There's nothing to do." "So we're going." "Darling, what happened?" "Don't touch it." "George?" "Mayo?" "What?" "You want mayonnaise on these?" "No, I don't..." "does George eat mayonnaise?" "Lord yes." "He could eat it with a spoon!" " You'll tell Ashley that I..." " Sure." "And I promise I'll write." "I got it." "She'll like that." "But don't worry about Ashley." "She's a firecracker." "You looking forward to the drive?" "You and George play car games?" "You know like name the presidents and count billboards and such as that." "We used to love that." "Watch out though, he's a cheat." "Where's George?" "You need any help?" "All done." "You got another one of those?" "Don't tell Madeleine." "I guess she's gonna stay around." "I hope so." "I guess she'll find out all my faults, sooner or later." "Well..." "She's got lovely hands." "I'll give her that." "But you don't have a thing wrong with you George... not a thing." "You OK?" "Oh!" "Wait a second." "Look what I found." "Hey." "I just remembered I woke up this morning and I rolled over and I saw it lying under there, but I was half asleep, so I was just sitting in the kitchen and I remembered." "So strange." "Isn't that funny?" "I have done some screwing in here, I guess." "I never saw any of your woodworking." "Yeah, well, it'll hold til next time, I guess." "Thank you." "Hey." "Fine." "I know." "Just 'cause I want to." "I was waiting until after you got up." "How are you this morning?" "What's that?" "Old bird." "Yeah I know you're sad." "I know." "It's OK." "I'm right here." "Hey, I was thinking what do you think about maybe sometime later we could try again or what?" "I'm so fuckin' glad we're out of there."