"Where are we going in such a hurry?" "ASHLEY:" "You'll see." "I have plans." "ERIN:" "What kind of plans?" "I want you to marry me." "Erin, there's no way you're gonna be married Saturday." "Daddy, I love Ashley." "I'm going to spend the rest of my life with him, starting this Saturday." "Doesn't give us much of a choice, does it?" "Would you do us the honor of saying the blessing, Ashley?" "I'm sorry." "OLIVIA:" "Erin?" "The wedding's off, Mama." "I hope you're satisfied." "JOHN-BOY:" "The Second World War changed forever the course of our country and its people." "Some of those changes were immediately clear." "Others gradually seeped into our lives and left lasting, sometimes painful, impressions." "The whole world was in a great hurry and its frantic pace was most often reflected in the young men returning from battle." "[WHISPERING] Erin?" "[IN NORMAL VOICE] Erin?" "[ROCK CLATTERING ON WINDOW]" "Erin?" "Erin?" "ERIN:" "Who is it?" " It's me." "Ashley." "Ashley?" "Hurry up, put some clothes on." "I'll be right down." "[ELIZABETH GROANS]" "ELIZABETH:" "It's 3:00 in the morning." " Shh." "Ashley's back." "He's outside." "ELIZABETH:" "You're dreaming." " No." " You're not dreaming." "SERENA:" "Who's Ashley?" "ELIZABETH:" "Ashley Longworth Jr." "Erin's in love with him, but he's been in the Navy." "I think he's a dreamboat." "SERENA:" "I do too." "Boy, I wish some boy would come wake me up at 3:00 in the morning." "I'll wake you up if you want." "Heh, heh." "That's okay." "It's a bit different." "Hey, you two, get back to bed." "Oh, no, I look awful." "You sure do." "What are you gonna tell Mama and Daddy?" "Nothing." "And you better not, either." "[ERIN LAUGHS]" "It's romantic, isn't it?" "Just like a Van Johnson movie." "Would you quit pushing?" "ASHLEY:" "Let's get out of here." "ERIN:" "Heh." "I have this terrible feeling that you're still out on the South Pacific and I'm about to wake up." "No such luck." "I have a three-week shore leave." "I wanna spend every minute of it with you." "Where are we going in such a hurry?" "ASHLEY:" "You'll see." "I have plans." "ERIN:" "What kind of plans?" "This is for you." "Oh, Ashley, it's beautiful." "I haven't been able to get you off my mind since last summer." "I've felt the same way." "I want you to marry me." "Right now." "This very minute?" "ASHLEY:" "As soon as we wake up the justice of the peace." "You haven't answered me." "Can't we wait till this weekend, Ashley?" "It's only a few days away." "Even that seems like a long, long time right now." "It's not." "I don't like it, but if you want to wait, we'll wait." "But you haven't answered me." "I love you, Ashley." "And the answer is yes." "ASHLEY:" "My dear." "You're sure it's all right I stay here?" "Of course." "The Baldwins adore you." "They'd be hurt if you didn't stay." "And besides, we're taking care of the house for them." "ASHLEY:" "How are we going to get in?" "The Baldwin ladies have always tried to make things easier for people." "You're just as beautiful as I remember." "It's nice to have you back, Ashley." "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" " I like surprises." " I can tell." "ERIN:" "We're getting carried away." "We should stop." "Why should we?" "It's almost morning." "Do you want breakfast?" " Not really." "No." " How do you like your eggs?" " Any way you fix them." " Good." "As long as you're across the table." " Percy's got a big order here." " Sure does." "I can see I made a mistake with this." "Check all of this." "That looks high to me too." "BEN:" "Yes." "This one right here, I wanna have Jim-Bob help me." "It's big." "You got enough in stock?" " Hey, move over." " Why should I?" "I wanna sit next to Elizabeth." "It doesn't matter who sits next to who." "Now, just find a place." "Thank you, Rose." "All right, that's enough, you two." "Has anybody seen Erin?" "No, Mama." "I think she's with Jim-Bob." "JEFFREY:" "No, Jim-Bob's still asleep." "Thanks a lot, Jeffrey." "Well, she could have gone to work early." "Well, that's impossible." "Her car's still outside." "You guys are spoiling everything." "Serena, you not telling us something?" "If you know something, you better tell us." "Will we get in trouble if we don't?" "Serena, out with it." "Well, a boy came and got her last night." "I vow and declare." "Just stole her out of the room?" "It was Ashley Longworth Jr." "And Erin's gonna kill us when she finds out you told." "She went with him?" "Well, yeah, in that fancy car of his." "Where do you think they went, John?" "Did she take a suitcase?" "No, she barely got dressed." "Maybe they went to the Baldwins'." "Daddy, the Baldwin ladies are in Richmond." "I know." "I've never even met that young man." "Well, it's time you met him, right now." "You two kids ought to be ashamed of yourself." "Erin practically kidnapped and not a word out of either one of you." "I'm not a kid, and I'm not ashamed." "Elizabeth." "Wait for me." " It's them." "There's the car." " Think we ought to burst in on them?" "Damn right, I do." "Erin." "Erin?" "Daddy." "Mama." "What do you mean running off in the middle of the night?" "Hello, Mr. Walton." " Ashley, this is my mother." " Nice to meet you, Mrs. Walton." "It's nice to meet you too but I didn't think you were the kind of person who lures young girls out in the middle of the night." "What's going on around here?" "Ashley and I are engaged." "We're going to be married." "Isn't this kind of sudden?" "There is a war on, and I'm only on a short leave." "I wanna spend every minute of it with your daughter." "When is this marriage supposed to take place?" "Saturday." "Erin, there's no way you're gonna be married Saturday." "Daddy, try and understand how we feel." "I'm sure you and Mama felt the same way when you eloped." "I'm getting kind of sick of hearing that argument." "Your daddy and I knew each other years before we were married." "I've known Erin over a year." "I feel like we've never been apart." "ERIN:" "Daddy, I love Ashley." "I'm going to spend the rest of my life with him, starting this Saturday." "Our minds are made up." "We'd certainly like your approval." "Doesn't give us much of a choice, does it?" "Well, at least you two didn't elope." "I'll talk to your daddy." "Why don't you come over for supper, Ashley?" " We can get better acquainted." " Gladly." "Erin, you'll be home soon?" "[DOOR CLOSES]" " Corabeth, you are wasting your time." " I beg your pardon?" "Dusting the cans." "Nobody eats the labels." "Mr. Godsey, I simply cannot bear filth." "Now, you attend to your sorting of the mail and I will attend to my dusting." " Hello." " Well, what can we do for you today?" "I was wondering if you had any mail." "I just wonder who on this earth she could be expecting a letter from." "Mr. Godsey, don't keep the poor child in suspense." " She's been waiting to hear from Aimee." " Thank you." "[DOOR OPENS AND BELLS JINGLE]" "Serena, are you following me again?" "Yes." "Did Elizabeth tell you about Erin?" "What about Erin?" "Uh, Serena, why don't we go read Aimee's letter?" "Ashley Longworth Jr." "came to the house and he ran off with her in the middle of the night." "Oh, how romantic." "That must have been that strange car I heard going like hell on wheels." "Mr. Godsey, please do not use uncouth language in the presence of children." "There's only one child, and she happens to have a very big mouth and she follows me all the time." "Come on, Serena, before you blab to the whole world." "Ashley and Erin make a fine-looking couple, don't you think?" "OLIVIA:" "They're a bit too familiar with each other for my taste." "I have half a mind to lock Erin in her bedroom until the wedding." "Ha, ha." "Oh, Olivia." "You've got to trust young folks nowadays, God love them." "That's right, Liv." "Remember how you and me felt about each other." " Think I will lock Erin in her bedroom." "JOHN:" "Ha." "Supper's ready." "Supper's ready!" "Ashley, were you ever on an aircraft carrier?" "Yeah, I served on one for a while." "After that, I was in the Solomon Islands." "Must have been tough, never knowing what was gonna happen next." "ASHLEY:" "It wasn't the Naval Academy." "I imagine it was pretty miserable." "ASHLEY:" "It's a war we have to fight." "Why don't we save the war talk until after supper?" "Good idea." "Would you do us the honor of saying the blessing, Ashley?" "I'm sorry." "All right." "Liv." "Ashley, what's wrong?" "I couldn't do it." "There's no God in heaven, not for me." "You don't know how many times I've thought about this." "Home-cooked food and sitting on a porch swing with you." "Well, I wish the Navy fed you better, but I'm glad you get lonesome for me." "I hope I didn't embarrass you tonight." " No." " I'm an atheist." "I want your parents to know." "I don't want to hide anything." "I can't tell them that." "Maybe they'll understand." "We'll have to convince them that you and I are separate people and have different opinions." "Well, why couldn't we have a nice small church wedding?" "Maybe you'll feel differently after you come back from the Navy." "I know it's hard on you, but I can't be married in a church." "I don't know that you can understand, but I can't be married by a preacher." "I don't think I would feel married if we didn't have a preacher." "If we're married by a justice of the peace it'll be just as legal, it'll be just as binding and we'll love each other just as much." "Can you do that for me?" "I love you, but you're making this awfully hard." "We used to go to church together." "Why have you changed?" "I'd better be going." "I'll see you in the morning." "That's a fine-looking young man you got there, Erin." "Seems to be as nice as everybody says he is." "He is, Mama." "He really is." " What's wrong?" " Nothing." "Everything's fine." "How come he wouldn't say grace this evening?" "Not everybody is as religious as you are, Mama." " Wait for me." " Would you stop following me?" "Hold your horses." "No running through the house." "Would one of you kids go tell the bride-to-be to come down here?" "I'm not a kid." "All right." "Would you be a little lady and go get Erin?" "Did you want me, Rose?" "Oh, it's Grandma's wedding dress." "She said each one of us could wear it when we got married." "Well, it's your turn now." "Your mama wants me to get some measurements so she can start making it over for you." "I just hope we've got enough material for these nice long arms of yours." "All the better to hug Ashley with." "And how would you know?" "Because you talk in your sleep, and the things you say." "I think you ought to arrange to have a nice talk with Reverend Bradshaw." " Why don't you children run outside?" "ELIZABETH:" "Hmm." "Come on, fellow child." "I don't know what's gotten into Elizabeth lately." " She's gotten so snippy." " Heh." "I think she's just trying to be an adult." "Well, she's not very good about it, anyway." "Now, let me get these measurements so I can start on this dress before your mama gets back from church." "Why did Mama go to church?" "Well, you ought to know, it's your wedding." "She went to see the Reverend Bradshaw." "SERENA:" "So, what are we gonna do next?" "ELIZABETH:" "We?" "I was gonna pick wildflowers." "SERENA:" "Me too." "What kind?" "Oh, on second thought, I've gotta run an errand." "Here, you can pick wildflowers and I'll go to the store." "I'll go with you." "I can always look for flowers later." "Well, it doesn't take two of us." "Why don't you run the errand and I'll pick the flowers?" "I don't want to go alone." "I'd rather just go with you." "All right, fine." "Then we'll both pick flowers." "Good." "We can play afterwards." "No, we can't." "We've gotta do chores." "There are lots of them." "That's okay." "Doing chores with you is fun." "[SIGHS]" "Ashley?" "It's me." "I'm in here." "Have you been there all night?" "I haven't made a bed since I started my leave and I don't plan to make one until it's all over." "What you need, Ashley Longworth Jr., is a wife." "What I need is a maid." "What I want is a wife." "There's a difference, you know." "I have a present for you, something real special." "Grandpa left it to me when he died." "ASHLEY:" "Thank you." "I'll never let it out of my sight." "You better not." "It'll bring you luck on the high seas." "Let's not talk about the high seas today, okay?" "All right." "What do you want for breakfast?" "Is that all you know how to do?" "Well, I can make lunch too." "Oh, that's not what I had in mind." "Mm." "But that is what you're going to get." "Are you going to be this romantic 10 years from now?" "Even more." "I hope that's a promise." "I've been thinking." "This house is as good a place as any to have the wedding." "I know the Baldwin ladies wouldn't mind." "Well, Mama went to talk to Reverend Bradshaw this morning." "I can't ask her to change her arrangements." "You're gonna have to." "I promised myself that I would never set foot in a church again." "Mama, there's something I wanna talk to you about." "Ashley would like to be married at the Baldwin house." "Well, Mary Ellen got married on the mountain." "The way times are changing, I guess you can get married anywhere you want." "I'll talk to Reverend Bradshaw in the morning." "Did it ever bother you that Daddy wasn't a religious man?" "Your daddy's a very religious man." "He just worships in his own way, that's all." "Why do you ask?" "Because Ashley doesn't want to be married in church or by a Baptist preacher." "Has he got something against Baptists?" "I guess it's religion in general." "Are you telling me that Ashley doesn't believe in God?" "Mama, I don't care what he believes, because I love him." "I thought you said he was a churchgoer." "Well, he was when he first came here." "Something's changed him." "Erin, I don't think you should rush into this." "ELIZABETH:" "Erin, Ashley's here." "Tell him I'll be right down." "Listen to me." "When your daddy and I were first married we had more problems than we wanted to admit, even to each other." "Twice I packed everything and took John-Boy and went home and both times it was on a Sunday." " Because Daddy wouldn't go to church?" " And I wouldn't take no for an answer." "But, Mama, that was silly." "Not when you have children to worry about." "You both want what's best for them." "If you have different ideas about raising them, you have to compromise." "Not too many people want to compromise when it comes to religion." "But you and Daddy worked things out." "But at least your father believed in God." "If Ashley is an atheist you may be raising your children in a godless home." "Mama, I won't let that happen." "You might not have a choice." "Erin, I'm sorry, but I" "The joy's gone out of working on this dress." "Mama?" "I know how you feel and I'm sorry but I am going to marry Ashley." "SERENA:" "Elizabeth thinks you're a dreamboat." " Oh, thanks, Serena." " You're welcome." " Don't you?" " You'll do." "[CHUCKLES]" " Good evening, Mrs. Walton." " Hello, Ashley." "Will you two go upstairs, please?" "Gladly." "Ashley, Erin just told me about your loss of faith." " I didn't want to keep it a secret." " I appreciate that." "She seems determined to marry you, and I can't stand in her way but I want you to know that I don't approve." "Oh." "I'm sorry to hear that." "I love Erin very much." "You are not being fair to her." " She says you've changed." " I've admitted that." "If you can change your mind about God, you might change your mind about Erin." "I don't think you should rush into this." "I can't wait." "We may never have another chance." "That is all the more reason to wait." "[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]" " I wish your mother understood." " I tried to tell you, didn't I?" "ASHLEY:" "I love you, Erin." "Ashley, please slow down." "We're as good as married." "I think we should talk." "What's the matter?" " Do you think we're rushing things?" " No." "Not at all." "Do you?" "We've both changed so much in the last year." "I just wanna make sure we're still right for each other." "Your mother put the fear of God into you, didn't she?" "No." "Ashley, you're different in a lot of ways." "People change." "That's part of life." "Maybe we should wait, so we don't make any mistakes." " You mean wait until I believe in God?" " I didn't say that." "I haven't lost my faith in you." "I'm sorry to hear that you have." "Ashley, you're twisting everything I'm saying." "[ENGINE STARTS]" " Where are we going?" " I'm taking you home." "The marriage is off." "OLIVIA:" "Erin?" "The wedding's off, Mama." "I hope you're satisfied." "JOHN:" "Ashley." " Hello, John." "I hear you and, uh, Erin had a parting of the ways last night." "I'm sorry to hear that." "Best thing for her, for both of us." "She's so much a part of your family she'd be miserable trying to live any other way." "I've always tried to teach my children to respect others people's beliefs." "I've been thinking about it." "I won't go against my principles, but I'm asking Erin to go against hers." "That's why I've stopped by to return this." "Would you give it to her for me?" "Why don't you give it to her, son?" "I'd rather not." "It'll only make things worse, especially for Erin." "All right." "I'll take care of it." "Thank you." "[KNOCKING ON DOOR]" "Please, go away." "JOHN:" "It's your father." "[SIGHS]" "The door's open." "Ashley asked me to give you this." "[SOBBING]" "Oh, Daddy, I'm so miserable." "I know, honey." "It's the worst kind of pain in the world." "I never should have told Mama how he feels." "It's not your Mama's fault." "She just spoke her mind." "That's not the reason a man changes his mind, you know." "Something did." "Honey, maybe he's just not ready to get married." "[SOBBING]" "Daddy, we waited so long to be together." "Now this had to happen." "Hey, Jase, you gonna get behind that piano tonight and play a few songs?" "Nope." "I'm gonna sit down with you and try to unwind over a nice cold beer." "Ah, the brothers Walton." "How are you?" " Fine." "You?" " Great, great." "Having a party at the Baldwin place." "You wanna come?" " No." "No, thank you." " Oh." "Sorry to hear that." "Oh, Erma Jean, I'd like you to meet Ben and Jason Walton." "I already know these two, Ashley." "They're not half as much fun as you are." "Now don't say that." "They were almost my brothers-in-law." "Look, Ashley, the sooner you and Erma Jean move on the better it'll be for all of us." "Ooh." "Army man ready to do combat?" "Come on, Jason." "He's blotto." "Erin was lucky she found out what kind of a man you were before she brought you into the family." "Why?" "One black sheep more or less shouldn't matter." "Let's go, Ashley." "Don't wanna mess up that pretty uniform." "Anybody want half a ham and cheese sandwich?" "JIM-BOB:" "I do." " Oh, no." "ERIN:" "I never wanna eat again." "Well, that's good." "The food bill's been getting kind of high, anyway." "JIM-BOB:" "Gotcha now." "What did you do to your chest?" "Well, Elizabeth does it all the time." "What kind of a thing is that to teach your cousin?" "Oh, don't scold her, John." "Kids will be kids." "I am not a kid, and I wish you'd just stop calling me that." "And, you, are you happy now?" "You've made an absolute fool out of me." "I'm so tired of you following me around." "Would you just stay away from me, please?" " Elizabeth, Serena is part of this family." " I don't care." "Keep out of my sight from now on." "I vow and declare, I've never seen Elizabeth so upset." "I didn't mean to hurt the child's feelings." "Oh!" "Bite your tongue, Rose." "I better go see to Serena." "Anything going on over at the Dew Drop Inn?" "Ashley was there." "He'd been drinking." "JASON:" "I don't think we should talk about it now, Ben." "I think Erin should know about it." "He was with Erma Jean Small." "Erma Jean Small?" "BEN:" "Hanging all over her." "I'll tell you, Erin, it was a good thing you didn't marry him." "I guess I shouldn't have said anything, huh?" "I guess not." "ELIZABETH:" "What do you want?" " I'd like to be alone, if you don't mind." "I do mind." "I was alone here first." "Just don't say anything." "[ELIZABETH HUMMING "WEDDING MARCH"]" "When I'm finished with you, you'll wish you'd never been born." "ELIZABETH:" "You'll never catch me." "You're old and slow." "ERIN:" "You wish." "ELIZABETH:" "I'm harder to catch than a man." "In your case, it's impossible." "ERIN:" "You wench." "ELIZABETH:" "Time out." "Erin, will you tell Elizabeth I'm staying with Nana tonight?" "Well, I think she can hear you." "Ugly old flowers." "Boy, I really hurt her feelings." "You didn't do a lot for mine, either." "You know, we're pretty strong." "You wanna go beat up Ashley?" "I've gotta do something." " Good luck." " I'll be back." "[PIANO PLAYING "AS TIME GOES BY"]" "Did you ever see hair like this, Bess?" "Thick as honey." "I could kiss every strand." "Mind if I join the party?" "Well, if it isn't Erin Walton, come to check up on poor Ashley." "You're the last person I expected to see here tonight." "Wear it in your nose, Erma Jean." "He's all yours." "Do you want a push?" "If I wanted to swing, I would." "I'm sorry I was so mean to you last night." "Doesn't matter." "I'm staying in Nana's room now." "I'm not gonna hang around with you anymore." "I think I might be sorry for that." "Why don't you just go away and leave me alone?" "You don't have to hate me just because I got mad at you once." "Well, I do." "We're gonna have to live together." "We might as well try to get along." "I always wanted a little sister, and that's what you're just like to me." "You're Mary Ellen's little sister, and she never treated you that way." "I'm Erin's little sister too, and you saw how we were fighting last night." "I still like her." "Why did you fight?" "Because she wanted to be alone, and I wouldn't let her." "Everybody needs their privacy, Erin, me, you." "That's one of the reasons I was mad at you." "You weren't letting me get any." "So you don't want me hanging around." "I didn't say that." "I wanna be with you sometimes, but I wanna be alone too." "Well, do you wanna be alone right now?" "The flowers in our room are a little wilted." "I was hoping we could pick some more." " Hi." " Oh, hi, Cindy." " I came by for these things." " Oh." "I'm surprised that in your condition Olivia even allows you to carry a load of groceries." "Well, Olivia sent me." "Mr. Godsey." "I understand that Erin has broken her engagement with Ashley Longworth Jr." "Well, she's pretty broken up about it, Corabeth." "Have you any idea what caused the demise of the relationship?" "Well, it's private." "Well, you know, it is my understanding that he has been frequenting the Dew Drop Inn and very often overindulges." "Well, I wouldn't know." "Corabeth, I don't think, uh, Cindy wants to talk about Erin's troubles." "Well, please tell Erin that I am always available for advice on affairs of the heart." "Well, I'll be sure and pass it along." "It's $1.10." "There you go." " Thank you, Cindy." " Thank you." "Bye-bye." "You know, uh, I am concerned about the Baldwin ladies' rose bushes." "Don't you think you might drop by there and check on them?" "Oh, well, I thought that John was doing a pretty good job of taking care of the Baldwin place." "Course, if you wanna go over there and spy on Ashley, go ahead." "Why, Mr. Godsey, you are unspeakable." "[SNIFFLES]" "Are those Ashley's letters?" "You were right, Mama." "He's no good." "I didn't say that, Erin." "I just said he wasn't right for you at the moment." "Sometimes I hate him so much it scares me." "And you think by burning his letters you can get back at him?" "Just looking at these hurts me so much." "I wanna forget that I ever knew him." "Did I ever show you any of my old boyfriends' letters?" "No." "There was one from Delbert Wall." "Delbert's family moved to Richmond." "We wrote to each other every day." "And then all of a sudden I quit hearing from him." "Finally, I got a letter telling me he was married." "I wanted to tear that letter up and feed it to the chickens." "Why didn't you?" "It would have been for the wrong reasons." "Tearing up his letter wouldn't get Delbert out of my heart." "Took your daddy to do that." "Mama." "[SOBBING]" "[KNOCKING ON DOOR]" "[GROANS]" "[KNOCKING CONTINUES]" " Good morning, Corabeth." " How do you do, Mr. Longworth?" "I can see I came not a moment too soon." " Are you ill?" " Violently." "Oh." "Well, I had meant to pay you a social call much earlier." " I must apologize for my bad manners." " Don't worry about it." "I brought you a crêpe Florentine pour votre appétit, heh." "[SPEAKING IN FRENCH]" "I beg your pardon?" "Heh." "Come in." "You'll have to forgive the condition of the house." "I, uh, wasn't expecting any guests." "Oh, heh, heh." "Well, perhaps I should have called first." "Not at all." "It's a delightful surprise." "Sit down, please." "Thank you." "Mr. Longworth, heh I must confess that I have been most concerned about the deterioration of your relationship with Erin." "I thought perhaps I might be of some service." "Yes, there is something." "I seem to be losing my self-control." "I've wronged Erin for another woman, a married woman." "Oh." "Pray, go on." "I can't help myself." "Every time I lay eyes on her, I'm driven mad with passion." "I want to sweep her into my arms and take her to the end of the earth." "Well, um...." "Does this woman reside in the vicinity of Walton's Mountain?" "Corabeth it's you I love." "Mr. Longworth, I am appalled by your behavior." "Call me Ash, Cora." "Oh!" "[DOOR SHUTS]" "That's the way, honey." "Working with your hands is a good way to clear your mind." "It's gonna take a lot of pruning to clear my mind." "[VEHICLE APPROACHING]" "John, we have to talk to you about Ashley." "We feel that you should be made aware of the very grave situation at the Baldwin residence." "What's the problem?" "Well, Ashley Longworth is simply destroying that house." "He has littered the living room with beer bottles and ashes and his behavior at night is most unseemly." "He accosted my wife." "CORABETH:" "Now, Mr. Godsey, I would hardly say that he accosted me." "I'd go over there myself and punch him right in the nose..." " ...if it weren't for my weak heart." " Please." "Try and look at it from Ashley's point of view, Mr. Godsey." "An untouchable woman, possessed of all the social graces not to mention a certain physical attractiveness." "I know you're taking care of the Baldwin residence." "I figured you'd better know what's going on." "Thank you, Ike, Corabeth." "I don't know what's gotten into Ashley, Daddy, but something's wrong." "Seems to have lost his senses." "He's not the same young man that came here a year ago." " I'm gonna go talk to him." " Want me to go along with you?" "Come on." "[KNOCKING ON DOOR]" " Morning, Ashley." "Mind if we come in?" " I was just getting ready to leave." "Won't take a minute, son." "You'll have to excuse the condition of the house." "I'll, uh, have it cleaned up before I go." "Ashley, are you all right?" "We've been worried about you." " Why wouldn't I be all right?" " We heard what you said to Corabeth." "That woman deserved it, the way she was nosing around here." "Oh, you didn't think I was serious, did you?" "Doesn't make any difference what we think." "It was a cruel thing to do." "Well, I'm sorry if I hurt anybody." "What about Erin?" "Things just didn't work out, that's all." "If you'll excuse me, I gotta get ready to go." "Ashley, I really don't think you should be going back to war in this frame of mind." "I don't see why that should make any difference to you." "You were almost part of the family." "Look, I'm fine and I'm sorry if I hurt anybody." "ERIN:" "Well, so am I." "I've never been so angry with someone in my entire life." "I love you, but I don't understand you." "I'm sorry." "I really am." "I don't believe you." "You don't care about anybody, not even yourself." "Is that true, Ashley?" "Yeah, sometimes." "You know, war can do that." "Make a man stop caring about everything including himself." "When I was in the Navy, I never saw death up close." "We just pointed the guns at some faraway island." "We never saw the shells explode or the people die." "A few of months ago, we were beached in the Solomon Islands." "For the first time in my life I was face-to-face with somebody who wanted to kill me." "I was stronger than he was." "I strangled him with my bare hands." "As I felt the life draining out of his body I prayed to God to help me stop." "When he died, something in me died too." "Now, that God used to give me strength." "Now I don't feel anything at all." "Can't go around blaming God for what happened, Ashley." "I went to war too, you know, and I took other men's lives." "And it haunted me for a long time, like it's haunting you." "I just came to believe that I gotta give more back to life than other men do." "I'm not one that understands much about God." "I've come to believe in him." "I've come to feel him very close when I walk through the woods or when I stand on top of the mountain or when I look in my children's eyes or my wife's eyes." "Someone once said that God is love." "I don't understand that, either but I've come to believe it." "It took time, but I came to believe it." " Goodbye, son." "Take care of yourself." " Yes, sir." " Bye-bye, Ashley." " Bye-bye." "Sure looks fine in his uniform, doesn't he?" "Looks like a match to me, Liv." "In time." " Is it all right if I still love you?" " Is it all right if I love you back?" "JOHN-BOY:" "Ashley Longworth Jr. was to return many times to Walton's Mountain." "As time passed, he was able to resolve the terrifying spiritual wound that killing another human being had caused." "SERENA:" "Does Ashley Longworth Jr." "have a little brother?" "ERIN:" "Why?" "SERENA:" "Because Elizabeth needs a dreamboat." "ELIZABETH:" "Good night, Serena." "SERENA:" "Besides, she's following me around everywhere." "If she had a dreamboat, she'd follow him." "ERIN  ELIZABETH [IN UNISON]:" "Good night, Serena." "SERENA:" "Good night, lonely hearts." "[ENGLISH" " US" " SDH]"