"It only happens once a year, and then they die." "It's like a mating ritual or something." "Isn't that romantic?" "Yeah." "Yeah, it is." " Chris!" " Dude, what the fuck?" " That's so not cool." " God!" "You scared me." " Sorry." " What happened?" " Shit." "They're gone." " You hit a deer or something?" " They're usually right here." " Sit down." " The party's that way." " The party's this way." " Danny." " Come on, it's prom night." "Whoo!" "Yeah!" "Class of '03, kiss my ass!" "Now look." "My God." "They're so beautiful." "Look, look." "You can grab the light." " Jesus!" " It's not funny." " You can turn the lights back on." " Come on." " They were so beautiful." " Told you, right?" " Please." "You're freaking me out." " There's more up there." " Now!" " Hang on." " Turn on the goddamn lights!" " Chris..." "All right." "I wake up." "Turn nfthe alarm." "I look outside so that I know what to wear." "I take a shower with soap." "And then I shave." "Sometimes I cry for no reason." "But I'm getting a handle on it." "I wake up." "I get dressed." "I take my meds." "When Lewis is gone, I make the cofee, which can be tricky." "I eat breakfast, but I don't read the paper." "It confuses me, which makes me mad." "I wake up." "I put on my coat and go to class." "I wake up." "Ten more seconds." "We'rejust doing one day, OK?" "No big deal." "And time." "It's OK, chief." "It's not a test." " Hey." " Hey." "That's a nice hug." "Want anything?" "Hi." " What are you having?" " Hot chocolate." " I'll have that." "Thanks." " OK." " Any problems this week?" " Nope." "Swearing?" "Crying?" " Sequencing or memory issues?" " No." "Taking your meds?" " So all's good." " Why?" "What's Lewis say?" "You're the only one who can talk about what's going on with you." "Well, in that case, I'm great." "There you go." " Careful." "It's hot." " I know." "Have you spoken to Mr. Tuttle yet?" " No." "I will." " When?" " You were a model before." " Chris..." "I wasjust wondering how you go from being a model to being a case manager." "After my head injury I realized there were more people in the world than me." "Wanna go to a movie with me sometime?" " I don't think that's a good idea." " Come on." "It'sjust a movie." "We should talk about the women in your life." " You mean besides you?" " Yeah." "Is there anybody?" "Think you should do something about that?" "I think about fucking you all the time." "I don't think they heard that over by the door." " I didn't mean it like that." "I meant..." " I know what you meant." "Would you have said that before your injury?" "So now you're gonna bring up the frontal lobe bullshit?" "Disinhibition." "That might be getting in the way of your meeting someone." "Asking a stranger for sex isn't the best way to start a relationship." " Not a good one." " You're not a stranger." " I have a relationship with you." " I'm paid to work with you." " Why are you here?" " You tell me." "I know why I'm here." "I'm here to help you get what you want." "What you really want." "But you've gotta know what that is first." "Ljust wanna be who I was." "Hey, kid, your mom called to remind you about Thanksgiving." "I told her you had a hooker in your room but that I'd be sure to pass on the message." "OK, so the menu for tonight is spaghetti amatriciana." "That's that pasta that's got the bacon in it that you like." "The tomatoes are on the counter, so open up the cans and put them in a pot." "Garlic press, asshole." "Fuck!" "Hello, 1-800-Flowers." "Ma'am, if I can send them to my own mother, anyone can send them to anybody." "And it just so happens to be our featured special." "Uh-huh." "Let's see." "It's got roses and lilies and snapdragons and fuji mums." "Australiums, which smell awesome, unlike tulips, which don't smell at all." "Lewis, I can'tfind the motherfucking can opener!" "They should last about a week or two." "That's right." "Terrific." "And your name?" "Kathy." "Is that with a C or a K?" "K. Kathy with a K. That's a beautiful name, Kathy." "Chris?" "I don't smell dinner." "Chris?" "I'm sorry, Lewis." " Feel better?" " Yeah, thanks." "Chop some lettuce, cucumber, whatever else you might want for your salad." " Let's talk about your afternoon." " We had to write again." "Oh, yeah?" "Let me guess." "Topic A, "Why am I all fucked up?"" "Or topic B, "Living with being all fucked up. "" "Reggie had us list a typical day, and I kept getting stuck on "I wake up. "" " I couldn't think of just a list." " Well, don't think of it as a list." "Think of it as a story instead." "Astory like what?" "Like, you know, "Once upon a time I woke up, took a piss, beat off in the shower... "" " How is that gonna help me?" " I don't know." "Stories are what help us make sense of the world." " I can't tell stories." " Use one you already know." "OK." "How about War andfucking Peace?" "That's a story." "I'd start a little simpler, though." "How about Goldilocks and the Threefucking Bears?" "Where's the cucumber?" " Come on." "Let's hear it." " You want me to tell you Goldilocks?" "Entertain me." "OK." "Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks." " And then?" " And then..." "I don't know, man." "She got eaten by a wolf." "Fucking hit by a truck." "This is stupid." "Start at the end." "Can't tell a story if you don't know where it's going." "And lose the wolf." "That's Little Red Riding Hood." "The three bears find Goldilocks asleep in their beds." "And then, um, she takes off." "Exactly." "All right, now, that's the end." "What happened before that?" "Um, one goes, "Someone's been sleeping in my bed, and she's still there. "" "And before that it was, "Someone is sitting in my chair. "" "Yeah, and then the bear kid's chair's all jacked up." "Then it goes all the way back to her walking in the door." " First she walks in the forest." " You sequencejust fine." "You just gotta start at the end, work backwards." "Write that down." " Hi, Mrs. Lange." " Hi, Chris." " He's in a good mood." " Oh, OK." " Good night." " Good night." "The harvest checks go out in a week or so." "That means we're going to be very busy the next few weeks." "Which is why I want you to write down" ""bank extra clean" in your little notebook." "Good night." "Mr. Tuttle?" "I'd like to apply to the executive training program in Wichita, but before I can, I have to have worked 100 hours as a teller at the branch." " Take that up with Mrs. Lange." " I have already." "We've been practicing." "She gave me some money." "She what?" "See?" "You said you'd think about giving me some hours at a window." "You have to be able to keep track of the debits." "Agood teller is primarily a good counter." "Ateller keeps track of money all day long, taking care to keep the corners on bills facing the same way." "At the end..." "Um..." "The end..." "Ends..." "At the end..." "At the end of the day, the teller balances the cash against the payout tickets." "Agood teller can go for years without being out of balance." "Mrs. Lange has never been out of balance yet." "But the real key is a friendly personality." "The motto of a teller is, "Be friendly and accurate. "" " "But mostly be accurate. "" " Very good, Chris." "Mrs. Lange also says the women's bathroom fixture needs a new bulb." "Good night." "He'll scoop the puck into the right corner." "Hartigan will center it to the far boards." "Defense pushed it back to the line to Lidstrom into the cornerfor Lang." "Lang floats it back to Lidstrom, skating on the blue line with it." "Now fires a rising shot." "Kicked aside." "But a goal pass by Pascal Leclaire." "Trevor Letowski carries it out to center ice." "Aglove save." "Now the puck bounces away from Lidstrom out to center." "In pursuit Manny Malhotra." "Detroit played better in the first period." "Malhotra is all overWilliams, forcing the Red Wings to have a power play in their own zone." "Here comes Lidstrom over the Columbus line." "Drop pass." "Samuelson with a shot." "Passed to Danny Stevens." "Stevens back to Pratt." "Lidstrom right down the center." "Fakes it left." "Pratt fakes a shot on the right and dekes out the goalie." "I think Mark..." "Game is tied..." "And there's Holmstrom, Johnny-on-the-spot, to fire it in..." "You cannot be serious." "That is pathetic." "That's Chris Pratt." "Put that fucking thing out." " Can I get you something?" " Yeah, an O'Doul's, please." "Yep." "This lady calls me over and she's, like, "How many Dorothys live in Kansas?"" "Hey." "Can you break a fifty?" "Like, tens and fives?" "Damn." "And I thought I was good-looking." " You having a good time?" " So far." "Well, that's all that matters, right?" "Enjoy yourself." "Hey, Chris Pratt, right?" "Gary Spargo." "We know each other." "I was a couple of years ahead in your sister's class." "We went out a couple of times, but never took." "How's she doing, anyway?" "Alison, right?" "Yeah, she's good, man." "She's married." "She has a baby." "Just my luck." " Well, it was nice seeing you, anyway." " Yeah." " You say hello to Alison for me." " OK." " Yeah." "Where are you?" " It's 2.50, chief." "Ten, twenty, thirty, five, forty..." "You were supposed to be here an hour ago." " Sorry, how much?" " 2.50." "That's not my problem." "I guess I'll see you later." "OK, bye." " Do you need any change with that?" " No, keep it." " Thanks, chief." " Whoa." "Excuse me, uh..." "T.J." "You must be one hell of a bartender, $17 tip for a $3 beer." " What can I say?" " You can say, "It's on the house. "" " It's not a problem." " No, no, no, no." "He insists." "Don't you, chief?" "Yeah." "Whatever." "Prick." "Shit, I apologize for that guy, Chris." "No, it's OK." "You know, I find myself apologizing for people pretty often these days." "I heard something happened to you." "So, what was it?" "Motorcycle accident?" "If you don't mind me asking." "I'mjust curious." "It was a car accident." "I was driving at night and I hit a combine that was stalled in the middle of the road, old Route 24." "Well, how does a thing like that happen?" " I had the lights off." " Really?" "They say I got thrown 90 feet." "Wait, I'm sorry. "They" say?" "Well, no, I can't remember any of it." "Well, thank God for that." "I remember, uh, right before it and right after it and one moment where I thought the medevac was gonna land on top of me." "Anybody die?" "Yeah, two friends." " You do any time?" " No." "But you're doing your time right now, though, right?" "So, you drink near beer and what else?" "It's like I can pick up a glass with this hand, can't always drink from it." "I fall asleep a lot, just nod off in the middle of things." " Yeah, me, too." " Oh, yeah?" "Yeah." "Well, I call tomatoes "lemons. " I know that's wrong." "And sometimes certain colors have certain smells." "That's weird." "Well, we all got our problems, right?" "There's an expression: "God closes a door, but he opens a window. "" "Or he closes the window and he opens the door." "My point is sometimes something good comes from an accident, you know?" "Sometimes you're out there and you..." "Man, she really wears that sweater, doesn't she?" "Fuck." "Anyway, it was a pleasure, Chris." " Yeah." " Take it easy." "Pnce upon a time, I woke up." "I took a showerwith soap." "I had breakfast." "I didn't read the paper." "I put on my coat." "I had Thanksgiving dinner with my family." "Coming around to you." " Got your key?" " Yeah, I got my key." " I smell money." " Shut up." "Barb, did you make any of this?" " No, I'm afraid not." " You used the thin ones, right?" " Not the thick nighttime ones?" " Yes, Alison, I used the thin ones." "You look great." "Lots of color in your cheeks." " Not sure about this coat, though." " Where's that from?" "Tenth grade?" " Well, I like this coat." " I bumped into Marilyn Hess last week." "She had Charlotte with her." "Wasn't she in your class?" "She was in my class." "Conrad was in Chris's." "Charlotte said for you to call her." "She looks fantastic." " Lost quite a bit of weight." " I love mushrooms." "What do you call a mushroom who goes into the bar, buys everybody a drink?" " I don't know." "What?" " Afungi." "This is all very good." "The relish in particular is nice." " Not too tart, not too sweet." " It was my grandmother's recipe." "Any other old family recipes?" "We can use them for the restaurant." " Restaurant?" " Chris didn't tell you?" "No." "He didn't tell us." "What exactly would you do at a restaurant, Chris?" " Well, I'd help Lewis." " We found a space, but it needs work." " Where?" " Waverly, near Overland." " Where is that?" " Southside." "It's a gas station." "Agas station?" "Really?" "We'd keep the door open during summer for an al fresco kind of thing." "If it's a gas station, you'd have to do some work..." "We'rejust fucking talking about it, OK?" "Excuse me." " There are some steps." " Oh." "Well, then, you better carry me." "Really?" "Chris?" " Hey, you." " Hey." "We gotta go." "If I don't get her down soon, she'll never sleep." "You should come by sometime." "We'll hang out." "And Dad's waiting down in the war room." "Hey, uh, you remember a Gary Spargo?" " Who?" " Gary Spargo." "He said he went out with you a couple of times." "Well, he probably did." " You look good." "It's great to see you." " Thanks." "Alison, right?" "Say goodbye to Uncle Chris." "All right, we'll see you later." "In the last three years, we opened two Jaguar stores and one Land Rover store." "So we're all about Ford now." "But a Porsche/Audi franchise, that'd be tight." "What do you do for the company, Cameron?" "As little as possible." "Boy, you got me on the run here." " There's a comforting sound." " This new?" "It was a gift from Charlie." "Whitehall, my partner." "Yeah, I know who CharlieWhitehall is." " It's a nice gun." " It's your move." "Check, by the way." "What'd you do?" " Sure you wanna do that?" " I think so." "You're gonna lose your queen, right?" " Really?" " Yeah, I'm gonna take her." "Check." "In fact, checkmate." " I didn't see that." " I got lucky." " Good game, Dad." " We got time for another quick one." "I think we should go." "Lewis, wanna go?" "Would you rather I let you win?" "Dad, I can't play chess anymore." "I'm sorry." " Well, it's good seeing you." " Good seeing you." "Happy Thanksgiving, son." "Can I say something?" "You won't get upset?" "What?" "I don't think you should go home anymore." " Jesus, Ted, you snuck up on me." " I'm supposed to sneak up on you." "They didn't have no morejellies, so I got you a custard." "Thanks." "You got a cold, Ted?" "No wonder I don't got pneumonia, given the house is cold enough to hang meat." "How come?" "Sherry won't have the heat on after nine." "Because of the baby." "We don't refer to it as "the baby" no more." " We don't?" " Sherry calls it "the little engine. "" " It makes her hot all the time." " Right." "Doctor told her she's got three times more blood in her and that's why she can't cool off." "Kid's not even born yet, I'm already awake all night." "You're lucky you don't ever have to worry about that stuff." "I gotta go." "Remember, lock the back door." "I will." " You left your door open again." " Oh, shit." "I thought I was good-looking." " Excuse me?" " I thought I was good-looking." "Well, maybe you were." " Chris Pratt?" " Yeah." "My friend would like to buy you a drink." "I used to dance atWetWilly's." "You know that place in Raytown?" "It got closed down on account of debts, so right now I'm working with Maura at the chamber of commerce." "I'm answering phones." "What do you do?" "Oh, I, um..." " Sorry, I forgot your name." " Again?" "It's Luvlee." "L-U-V-L-E-E." "Luvlee." "Now you'll remember me." "Anything about Kansas City, I can tell you." " Yeah?" "Like what?" " Did you know Teflon was invented here?" "And Eskimo Pies." "And McDonald's Happy Meals." "And "Melts in your mouth, not in your hands," MM candy coating." "You guys are so interesting." "Why don't we go somewhere quiet where we can hear what you two have to say?" " Why don't we do that?" " You wanna come?" "That's better." "I've seen you play hockey, you know." "Me and AliceWatts used to watch you play all the time." "I don't remember you." "I saw you play the night you beat the Raytown Cougars for the state championships." "It was your birthday." "Do you remember that?" " Yeah." "Yeah, that was a good game." " Yeah, it was." "You got your second five-minute major right at the end of the game." "Next game you would have sat on the bench." "But it was the last game of the season, and you knew that it didn't matter." "So what do you do?" "You go and slash the hell out of some shitty player at the end of a game you already won." "And, still, the whole crowd sings Happy Birthdayto you." "Me and AliceWatts were, like, "Damn, it must be pretty cool to be Chris Pratt. "" "Don't mind me." "And then I heard what happened to you and Nina and Danny and..." "What was the name of the pretty girl?" " Kelly." " Kelly, that's right." "And everyone was talking about how you, you know, you woke up this other guy." "I remember thinking, "God, we're the same age." "That could be me that it happened to. "" "Anyways..." " Are you OK?" " I wanna see you naked." " Shit." "I'm sorry." " No, don't be." "I'm flattered." " Oh, you got cold hands." " Sorry." "I see something still works." " You don't have to do this." " I know." "I want to." "How does a titan like Robert Pratt feel about you living here?" "He's never seen it." "Really?" "Tomorrow a bunch of us are hanging at this farm we're borrowing, celebrate Thanksgiving dinner, if you wanna come." "But wasn't that last week?" "Yeah, well, we'rejust getting around to it." "Luvlee wrote the address down in your notebook." "Hey, you know something?" "You're better than this." "Alot better." " Chris?" " Yeah." " DocWatson's got nothing on me, man." " Well, good night." "You get stoned?" "With somebody wearing perfume?" " No." " No, no, stop." "Don't move." "Were you with a lady tonight?" "Son of a bitch, you got laid." " I don't really wanna talk about it." " Oh, but you are, my friend, you are." "Come here." "So, tell me... did you get a hummer?" " Jesus, Lewis." " All right." "At least tell me her name." " Luvlee something." " Lovely?" "That's a name?" "Yes." "L-U-V-L-E-E." "That's a new one." "So what's this Luvlee something look like, huh?" "She's nice." "Here I am sitting at home alone every night while you're out getting blown and God knows what else by Luvlee something, who probably has a friend." " Lemons." "That's what it is." " What what is?" " That's her last name." " Luvlee Lemons?" "That's her name?" "Well, it's her stage name." "She's a performer." "Or she was." "And by stage, I'm assuming you mean the kind with a pole?" " What do you mean?" " Let's move on." " Where'd you meet her?" " Gary introduced me to her." " Who's Gary?" "Gary who?" " Gary Spargo." " Do I know this guy?" " I don't think so." " Ljust met him down at the local." " Huh." " Well, I better get some sleep." " Yeah." "Yeah, you better." "You dog." "Gary Spargo." "Whoa!" "You scared me." " I'm Chris." " Yeah, yeah." "Aaron Cork." "Got a good grip." "Come on in." "We've been waiting on you." " Is turkey supposed to be rare?" " I don't think so." "I totally undercooked it." "I've gotta put it back in." "You have to help me." "Hey." "You made it." "Tortilla salad, pierogies, egg rolls." "We made too much food." " There's nine of us." " There's seven." "You, me, Cork, Marty..." "Never mind." "I'm the chef." "Go on." "They're waiting for you." "You smoke ajoint to relax, but you won't let me rub your shoulders." "I will never let you touch me." "You're not comfortable with your sexuality." "Don't move." "Everybody, this is Chris "Slap Shot" Pratt." "Hey, Chris." "How you doing?" " Here's the Corker." "Avoid that guy." " Too late." "We're old pals." "This is Marty." "Marty is the guy you wanna teach you how to surf." " He's the only boy in Kansas knows how." " I went to Framington, man." "We played you guys in Division A." " I didn't really do sports." " Gare, we gottajam." "Too bad." "How many of these things you gonna need?" " I'm gonna take all of them." "Thanks." " Cool." "Good seeing you guys." "Marty, watch out." "It's heavy." " Hey, sit down." "Sit down." " This your farm?" "My Uncle Bone found it and kind of negotiated with the owner." " Wanna try some wine?" " I can't." "Come on." "Take it." " Marty?" " Yes." "Nice." "One for me." "And toast." "How about, uh..." "Fuck it." "Family, right?" " Hey, yeah." "Cheers, man." " Family's good." "Family." " Welcome." " Who are all these people?" " Whose place is this?" " Friend of a friend." "Bone?" " Dinner is served." " It's about time." " Can we get some water?" " Food." " Why the hell we eating burritos?" " Get your own water." " Want some gravy?" " What's wrong?" "Nothing." "Ljust remembered why I came here." "I'mjust saying..." "Check this out." "...some old farmhouse." "I don't know where it is." "No, that's water." "Mommy's doing dishes." "Mommy's cleaning up after a bunch of pigs." "I'll see you in three weeks." "Tell Grandma to put it on the calendar this time." "I love you, too." "Hey, Gare." "Hey, man." "Why don't you come on down?" "Couldn't sleep, huh?" "Well, that's the thing about good wine." "Doesn't make you sleepy." "But, then, it doesn't give you a hangover either, so..." "Unless your brain's all fucked up." " You played for Framington, right?" " No, man." "Let mejust clean up some of this mess." "What's this?" "This?" "This is a project I've been working on forvery many months." "Probably not ready for anyone to see yet, but such is life." " These all banks?" " Mm-hmm." "That's right, Chris." "They're all banks." "Why are you taking pictures of banks?" "Because I'm gonna rob one of them." "Well, we're gonna rob one of them." "Some nice little farm bank in the ass-end of nowhere where they get all that winter harvest cash." "You know what I'm talking about?" " You wanna steal from farmers?" " No, Chris." "I'm gonna steal from the corporate fuckers who rape the farmers." "Agribusiness fat cats who give the American farmer enough to grow his crop but not enough to live." " Fucking tragedy is what it is." " Totally tragic." "So we gotta find a bank in the middle of a lot of big farms where one time a year, i. e., right now, they're gonna fill that vault with cash so that Farmer John can pay Juan or Ramon to pick his crops." "There's this quiet, empty place with no security to speak of, and this quiet, empty place no one really knows exists." "I mean, isn't that why you drive an hour and a half each way to work there?" "What is this?" "Chris, I will totally understand if you feel betrayed, but I need your help." "You want me to rob the bank." " I can't do that." " Why not, huh?" "Because it's wrong?" "I don't know, but if I had..." "If I had my life ripped out from underneath me the way you had your life ripped out from underneath you," "I don't think I'd give even half a rat's ass about what was right or wrong." "I'djust fucking want my old life back, you know?" "Look at this shit." "Mopping floors, man." "Don't you want your old life back?" " You can't give that to me." " No, I can't." "But I can give you something maybe even better." "I can give you the power." "Power?" "Power." "Why don't you sit down?" "I'll tell you about it." "Please?" "My old man used to say to me, probably the only thing we ever really agreed on, whoever has the money has the power." "You might wannajot that down in your book." "It's something you're gonna need to remember." "Do you have the power right now in your life, Chris?" "Huh?" " Do you?" " I don't know." "How many janitors you know have any kind of power to speak of?" "Here's a question." "Who pays for your life?" "You go to the ATM, what, two, three times a week?" " Three." " Three times." "Where does that money come from?" "You drive a car." "Who pays for that?" "Who pays for the insurance?" "Given your track history, it must be more than the rent, which gets paid on the first of every month by who?" " Daddy." " Bingo." "Your old man, he'll pay money to take care of you, but he won't give you enough money to take care of yourself." "Why not?" "He doesn't think that you can, so hejust doles out enough money so that you have to depend on him." "You're as stuck as the farmers, Chris." "You star in your own tragedy." "My father would give me money if I asked." "Hey, hey, hey." "That's..." "That's bullshit." "I'm sorry." "Let's call him up." "Call him up, ask him." "Ask him for ten grand and see what he says." "Hell, ask him for one grand and see what he says." "Tell him you wanna start a business." "You can't." "I know." "I mean, you know, I went to prison for my sins, Chris, so I don't have to carry them around with me." "But you, your old man picked up the tab, so now you drive out Old Farm Road 24 once a week to the spot just to remind yourself, keep it fresh in your head, just what a piece of shit you think you are." " I thought we were friends." " We are friends." "Outside of some old blind guy dressed like Larry Flynt," "I'm the best friend you got right now, and I mean that." "You were Chris Pratt." "I was three years ahead of you and I looked up to you." "You were fucking beautiful." "But then..." "Well, now..." "I'm gonna help you." " How?" " I'll say it again." "Maybe you'll write it down this time." "Whoever has the money has the power." "Chris?" "Where are you going?" "Are you leaving?" "Come on, sweetie." "We figure it's 30,000 to convert to a restaurant, another ten or so to get us up on our feet, plus or minus a few thousand." "Show him the menu, kid." "Is there a separate dinner menu?" "We'rejust gonna be open for breakfast and lunch." " That way we have our nights free." " I see." "OK, we have the Abbie, the Huey." " Who are these sandwiches named after?" " People I've admired." " We could name one after you." " I don't think that's necessary." " Sure, sure." "Why not?" " Well, that's very kind, but..." "What's your first name?" " Reuben." " What's your middle name?" " Lewis..." " 30,000 seems a little low, boys." " This place is a gas station now?" " Yeah, but you make that work for you." "Keep the gas station theme, maybe you park a VW bus at one of the pumps, paint the name of the place on the side." "Yeah, the name of the place." "Uh..." "Yes." "Lew's..." "Lew's Your Lunch." "See, I'm Lewis, Lew." "The place isjust gonna be open for breakfast and..." "It's very clever." " But we don't have to call it that." " Yeah, I got lots of ideas." "Aside from that Reuben hiccup, I think it went pretty well." "I've got a good feeling about it." "Our man Hearn wasjazzed." "I don't know if you noticed." "I think he was pretty excited, don't you think?" "Chris?" " Chris?" " I'm right here, Lewis." " I thought you left me." " I didn't leave you." "Come on." "I'll drive you back to work." "Who can tell me our three organizational strategies?" "Ritual." "Pattern." "And... repetition." " Shit." " Very good." "Hey." "If you ever wanna stay late, we could practice counting or..." "Technically, I don't know that I'm pussy-whipped per se, but she's got me on a goddamned pager." "In case she breaks water or whatever while I'm on my shift." "I don't know." "Oh!" "Hey, missed a spot." "Right there." "See?" " Hello." " Dad?" " Chris?" "What time is it?" " I don't know." " Is he all right?" " Tell her I'm all right." " He's fine." "You all right?" "You sure?" " Yeah, Dad, I'm fine." "Ljust wanted to know if I could borrow $10,000." " What?" " I need to borrow $10,000." " What for?" " Ljust need it." " It's three o'clock in the morning..." " OK, then, $1,000." " Could I borrow $1,000?" " Is this for that stupid restaurant?" " No." " Are you in some kind of trouble?" "No, Dad, I'm not in trouble." "Ljust wanted to call you..." "Because ifyou are, I wanna help out in any way I can." "Ljust think you should come over and we should talk about it face to face." "I have an idea." "I wanted to start a business." "With $1,000?" "Exactly what sort of business could you start with $1,000?" "Well, I was thinking I could start a skate-sharpening business." "You know, over at the..." "over at the rink by the library." "And then later I could even sell hockey equipment." " Look, Chris..." " You're saying no." " Yes." " Did you say yes?" " No, you can't have the goddamn money." " Robert." " Look, Chris..." " Dad, that's fine." "I understand." " Hey, buddy, can I ask you a question?" " Go ahead." " Do you wanna come home?" " What?" "You don't have to be afraid to ask." "The door is always open for you here." "I gotta go, Dad." "Pnce upon a time, I woke up." "I took a showerwith soap." "I skipped breakfast so that I could follow an armored car." "I cased the Noel Town bank." "I rented an acetylene tank for the cutting torch." "Cork and I went car shopping." "And then I took pictures ofthe vault." " Ted." " Freezing out there." " What are you taking pictures of?" " Nothing." "Ljust, uh..." "Ijust wanted to show my parents where I work, that's all." "Give me the camera, Chris." "Go stand over there." "I'm sure your parents would like to see you in the picture." "I know mine would." "My dad one time took a video of me giving this guy a speeding ticket." "That's my dad." "Why don't you put your hand on the handle there?" "Yeah." "Yeah, that's great, that's great." "Say "Go Mustangs!"" "Vault looks like an antique Hogue and Langehammer." "The lock's a 1922 Moss Hamilton." "Dual custody with a three-movement SG time lock, another SG mounted vertically down, whatever that means." "I say wejust cut through the side." "Vault's so old, it's not gonna be wired, probably got blind spots." "Jackhammer the cement, torch the skin." "Town's so dead no one's gonna hear anything." " Cameras?" " I'm working on that." "Chris, my number's in there." "Call the minute the money comes." " We go in there Friday." " That's my job?" "Just to call you?" "No." "On the night, your job will be to watch out for Deputy Doughnut." "He drives by, never at the same time, so there's no way to plan for him." " That's it?" " That's it?" "Dude, that's a lot." "That's the most important job of all." "You're the lookout." "Hi." "I'd like to exchange this, please." " Yeah, this is good." " Excellent choice, sir." "You're gonna wake up Lewis." "I've never seen a blind person up close before." " What...?" " Oh, that." "They did that so I could breathe." "I was in a coma for ten days." "Ouch." "Do you remember?" "Ljust remember I opened my eyes," "I saw my dad sitting there, and I go, "I love you, Boomer. "" "And then he starts crying." " You call your dad Boomer?" " No, that's the name of my first dog." "Yeah." "He was a hunting dog." "He was a Chesapeake Bay retriever." "The only one in the world that couldn't swim." " You used to shoot birds?" " Ducks, geese, and deer." "With my dad and my idiot brother." " And you liked doing that?" " No." "But I was good at it." "What a surprise." "I'm gonna kiss it better." "Luvlee, I presume." "I recognize the perfume." "Can I offer you some pie?" "It's not homemade, but it's decent." "No, thank you." "Probably gotta watch your figure, your line of work." "Nice name, by the way." "Luvlee Lemons." "I don't dance anymore." "I was neververy good at it." "Please tell me you're not waving your hand in front of my face." "Sorry." "Have you been blind your whole life?" " Most of it, yeah." " How'd it happen?" " I looked at the sun too long." " Wow." "You hear about that..." "Let me ask you a question." "What's your real name?" " Why?" "Are you gonna Google me?" " I did, what would I find?" " Probably nothing." " And what happens if I Google Gary?" "How'd you meet Chris?" "Center put us together a few years ago." " Now he's your best friend?" " He's a good friend." "Maybe your only friend, huh?" "That thing I said about the sun?" "That's a lie." "Total bullshit." "I was about your age." "Some buddies and me wanted to make money, so we started a meth lab." " You blew yourself up?" " Do I look like I blew myself up?" "No, I didn't blow myself up." "This was a while back, before meth was fashionable, so unfortunately it wasn't yet known that if you work in an unventilated room, the fumes can and, in fact, do blind you." "It probably could have been avoided if I hadjust stopped and bothered to ask a simple question:" "What am I doing here?" "That is a sad story." "I'm sorry... if it's true." "Tell me, what are you all cooking, sweetheart?" "Why are you here?" "The same reason you are." "Chris Pratt." "Sweet." "Of course, not as sweet as meeting in a bar." " Or giving somebody a cell phone." " Gary wants to help Chris." " I'll bet he does." " Do you know Gary?" "I've known lots of Garys." " Afew Luvlees, too." " Meaning?" "Meaning something tells me that you really don't believe you're going to be invited to the next Pratt Thanksgiving." "I could be." "Sometimes I wake up and think I can see until I walk into a door." "The Luvlee Lemons of this world do not end up with Chris Pratt." "Thank you." " Asshole." " Sad but true." "But that brings me back to that original question, Luvlee." "So tonight, in the dark, I'm gonna help you out and ask it again." "What are you doing here?" " Yeah." " The money's here." "That's good news." "We go tomorrow." "Sorry I'm late." "I had to run down to the hospital." "Sherry thought she was going into labor." "It was these weird fake contractions." "I don't really understand." "Anyway, I wanted to stop by on our way home." " Oh, I'm fine, thanks." " Cool." "See you tomorrow night." "Hey, Ted." "You don't always have to come by and check up on the bank." "You think I come by here to check up on the bank?" "I come by here to check up on you, make sure you're OK." "Yeah, well... if I need a doughnut, I can get my own." "I sure as shit don't need you feeling sorry for me." " You know." " I know." "This whole Earl of Sandwich thing is revisionist bullshit." "Nobody invented the sandwich any more than mashed potatoes." " Want me to read you the menu?" " Why?" "I order the same damn thing." " So you know what you want?" " What I always have." "Teriyaki burger." "I'll tell you what, Chris, we have our place, no menus." "Server comes up to the table, brings ice water, tells you what's cooking that day." "That'll be great." "Especially for our blind customers." " I'm sorry, sightless." " OK, what can I get you guys?" "For starters, I'll take the name of your perfume." " It's Obsession." " Consider me obsessed." " The teriyaki burger." " Medium well, extra teri on the side." "And two Cokes." "Tell me, gorgeous, is it hot in here or is it just you?" " You two are trouble, I can tell." " Who, us?" "No." " We'rejust having a gimps' night out." " I'll get your drinks." " She sounds cute." " Why'd you say that?" " Because she sounds cute." " Gimps' night out?" " What, you don't think she noticed?" " I can do any fucking thing I want to." "And it's not even night out either, stupid." "I'm sorry." "Did I embarrass you?" "The way you talk to people sometimes, it's obnoxious." " How do I talk to people?" " That waitress, the way you hit on her." "Come on." "I've been turned down more times than the beds at the Holiday Inn." " That doesn't keep me from trying." " Has it ever worked?" "Think that waitress is thinking," ""I wanna bone that blind guy, looks like Larry Flynt. "" " Larry Flynt?" "Oh, Jesus." " I'm moving out." "Do you wanna know when?" "Sure." " When?" " I don't know." "But soon." "Here we are, gentlemen." "And enjoy." "Just bring the check." " You're kidding, right?" " Just bring the check." "Wait." "Go ahead." " Good night." " Good night." "Don't think I haven't noticed." "I've been watching you." "The new clothes, the way you've been acting." "I'm not a fool, Chris." "I found this in my drawer." "And I realized you've come a long way since then and that perhaps I've been a little unfair." "After the holidays we'll get you some regular time behind the window." "After all, Mrs. Lange isn't gonna be around forever." "Good night, Chris." "Oh, and don't forget to lock the door." " Hello." " Lewis, it's me." "I really messed up." "I don't know why, but I said I would do it." "They're gonna be here soon, and I don't wanna do it anymore." " What?" " I really wanted to tell you before." "Look, I'll be home in an hour." "Whatever mess you made, I'll clean it up." "I'm not at home, I'm at the bank..." "Hey." "Gary." "I can't do this." "You guys do whatever you want, I won't say anything, but I'mjust not gonna do it." "I understand." "Tell you what, why don't you go home, relax, and we'll just send you a check." "Now go in there, get your mop, do your job and shut your fucking mouth." "Deputy Doughnut." "That's a gun." "Just know it's there." "But talk to him like normal." "Go." " Hey, Ted." " Hey." " Cold out, huh?" " Yeah, I guess." "Starting tomorrow, Phillip Costello's gonna be taking over my shift." " How come?" " You forget?" "Baby?" "Yeah." "Anyway, Ijust wanted you to know." "Hey, Ted." "I'm sorry about the other night, what I said." "Forget it." "I know you can't help it." "I'll see you later." "Very nice." "Oh, man." "Put your fucking gloves back on." "Chris." "OK." "OK." "Go and get it." " That's all of it." " You can bring the car around back." "Go." "Car." "Don't move." "Shit." "Cop." " Jesus!" "It's Deputy Doughnut." " Shut the fuck up." "Chris?" "Chris!" "You in there?" "Chris!" "Oh, God." "Oh, fuck." "Move away from the wall!" "Put your hands on your head!" "Don't think!" "Just do it!" "Who's the shotgun?" "Who's the shotgun?" " Ted?" " Don't you fucking move!" " It's me." " Shut up!" "Put your hands on your..." "Ted, there's another one!" "There's another..." "Help me." "Help him, Bone." "Chris!" "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" "No." "License and registration, please." " You were driving with your lights off." " Just because of the fucking fireflies." " Excuse me?" " Ljust wanted to show her..." "I wanted to see her face..." "I'm in so much trouble." "They all died, and it's my fault." " Take it easy." " They're gonna kill me." " Chris Pratt." " Yes, sir." "Go on home." "Whatever it is you think they're mad at, probably isn't as bad as you think it is." " You want me to follow you?" " No." "Good night, then." " Hello." " Are you OK?" " I'm fine." "Why wouldn't I be?" " Because the lights are on." " They're up there, aren't they?" " Just get out ofhere." "Come on up here, and we can figure this out." " You're gonna shoot me." " I justwanna talk to you." "There's a camera in the vault." "There's a shovel and some bags in this car." "You're gonna kill me and bury me somewhere." "You're gonna blame the whole thing..." "Agood teller is primarily a good counter." "My friend would like to buy you a drink." "I'll say it again." "Maybe you'll write it down this time." "Whoever has the money has the power." "Start at the end." "Can't tell a story if you don't know where it's going." "Fucker shot me through and through." "Where you been, Christopher?" " Hiding the money." " What?" "I'll meet you at six o'clock at the mayor's Christmas tree." "That's over an hour away." "Where the fuck are you and the money?" "I'm gonna pick up Lewis." "Once we're safe, I'll tell you where the money is." "No, no." "Now, listen to me." "The bank is a mess." "We all gotta get out of here, that includes you." "I can help you with that." "I get caught, I'll take my chances." "They might not even believe me." "It's not your life that you're taking a chance with." "Now, Bone will cut this blind piece of shit right up the middle." " No, he won't." " Yes, he will." " I have the power." " What?" "I have the money, which means I have the power, right?" "I have the power." " Just listen." " No, you listen to me." "Six o'clock." "The mayor's Christmas tree." "I have the money." "I have the power." "I have the power." "Six o'clock." "And Lewis better not have a mark on him." " Kelly?" " It's about time." "I wondered when you were gonna get up your nerve to say hello." " I wanted to." "I've been wanting to." " I miss you." "I miss talking to you." "You're not mad at me anymore?" "You've never seen it, you know." "You wanna see it?" "See what?" "It's a part of me now." "Sit down." " Where is it?" " He says he doesn't remember." " Lewis, are you OK?" " I'm terrific." "Don't do this, Chris." "Just tell me where it is." " I don't know where it is." " Bullshit." "Hey!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "Jesus Christ." "Get up." "What?" "Huh?" "I know." "You wanna kill me." "I've gotta kill Bone first." "I'm standing here asking myself, you know," ""Is he really that dumb?"" "Fuck you!" "Or, you know, "Is he really that smart?"" "He don't remember." "He doesn't remember." "Where's your notebook, huh?" "Where's your little notebook?" "Where is it?" "Is it in here?" "Here it is." "What's this?" "You know, all those shitty-ass farm roads, you know, they all look alike." "There's only one that you'll remember, right?" "Bone, he buried it." "He's buried it." "Well, you know, let's go and dig it up." "Come on." "Come on." "You know, there was a three- or four-day period in this whole thing," "Ijust thought we could, you know, leave you behind." "I thought if it all went well, you could go back to your life." "Such as it was." "Throw it up." "Now." "Bring up the other one." "It's getting warmer, huh?" "You have to come over here now." "Come on." "Am I dead?" "I must be." "No one's talking to me." " You're not dead." " Oh!" "Praise Jesus." "Stay put." "Did you really forget?" "Pnce upon a time, I woke up and I robbed the Noel Town Bank." "I returned the money and confessed my part, but in the end the FBI decided that someone like me could never pull off something like that." "Marty cut the phone line instead ofthe video feed, so the whole thing was caught on the bank cameras." "I still go to class, and they tell me my sequencing is getting better, and I..." "Oh, wait." "The restaurant." "Mr. Tuttle gave us the loan." "You gave me a dollar too much." "He comes in once in a while for lunch." "I started skating again." "I'm not as good as I used to be, but I'm OK." "What happened that night on old Route 24 is a part of me now." "I just hope that one day Kelly will be ready to see me again and I can finally tell herwhat I've only been able to say in my dreams." "Until then all I can do is wake up, take a showerwith soap, and try to forgive myself." "And ifl can do that, then maybe others will forgive me, too." "I don't know ifthatwill happen." "I guess I'll just have to work backwards from there."