"Stop!" "Stop!" "You murderer!" "Socrates Fortlow." "His mother named him Socrates because it was a wise man's name." "She couldn't learn him how to write, but his name was from someone smart." "He was a violent man." "He would come up hard." "The rage he carried brought him to prison." "But the correctional authority was not able to stem his anger." "Socrates was a solitary man." "He kept his own company with nothing but hurt in his pockets... and half forgotten memories for family and friends." "Bottles and cans." "Bottles and cans, and back alleys and gutters." "Dumpsters and front yards." "It's all we have left to make a living." "To have a little dignity in our lives." "Socrates roamed the streets... because at least he could say he was his own man." "When he left prison, he ran as though he had escaped." "They paid him 733 dollars for 18 years hard labour." "He put the money in his pocket and took the bus to Los Angeles." "That was ten months ago." "He had heard LA was a big rambling bunch of towns... where everybody is in too much of a hurry to remember your face." "An ex-con would need that kind of anonymity." "I first met Socrates when I was walking past a construction site." "He was looking for work, but the foreman said that he was too old." "Working construction was a young man's game." "It took three men to throw Socrates out of there." "He had lived so close to the edge for so long that he was bound to get cut." "Good morning, Socco." " Yeah, if it doesn't rain." "How are you doing?" "Just that flu I had last month got me some aching." "You want to play some dominoes?" " No man, I got to get to West LA." "What are you doing way over there?" " I'm looking for a job." "Where?" " Bounty Supermarket." "Do you think they're going to hire you?" " They must, man." "I can't... scoop up garbage for the rest of my life." "Hey man, I know karate!" "What is going on?" "Leave the man alone." " Step the fuck back." "Unless you want some of this?" "I didn't do shit, man." " See what you did to my hand, boy?" "What's going on?" " Nothing, man." "There is no problem going on here." "Socco, you need anything, man?" "We don't do business with troublemakers." "Come on now, Mr Keene." "We haven't got time... 33, 34, 35, 36 36.75." "All right, Socco." " Why are you paying me in change?" "We got too much change from the crushing machines." "If you don't want the money, why don't you just give it back." "And drag your cans back out in the street." "Why are you mad?" " Marlon made me mad." "Markham pisses me off." "He will not even take up for himself." "Not everybody is that brave." "I don't mind if a man is scared." "They are just plain stupid." "Neither of them heard a word I said." "Heard you say what?" " What I said to the white man." "What did you say?" " Come on, quit it!" "What's the matter, Socco?" "He had applied for work at almost every supermarket in South Central." "He went farther away... so they couldn't recognize him as a bottles and cans man." "If you were finding and totting cans... they looked at you like you were a bum." "Can I help you?" "I came for an application." " For what?" "For a job." "How old are you, sir?" " That's against the law." "You cannot discriminate against colour, sex, religion... infirmity or age." "That's the law." "I know that." "There is just no job." "Why don't you come back in the fall?" "Hey, hold on." "I came for an application." "You must give me an application." "That's the law, too." "Wait here." "Here." "I need a pencil." " Just send it in." "I didn't come here for a piece of paper." "I came here to apply for a job." "Thank you." "I am Miss Grimes." "Can I help you?" "I have some questions." " What is it you don't understand?" "Why do you want to know whether I have a car?" "Where is this address?" " In Watts." "That's just too far to go by bus." " Look, I can get here." "I'll send this to the main office." "If it clears, we'll give you a call." "That's a problem." "I don't have a phone." "We need a phone number, that's how we check your residence." "You can send it to me." "Send it in for me anyway." "I'll come down myself to find out what they said." "You don't understand..." " Send it in for me." "It's not going to make any difference." "Shut the door, Mr Fortlow." "There are too many flies." "How is it going, lula?" " All right." "Have you been collecting cans?" "I've got my routes down." "I have 17 regular customers." "I almost made 37 dollars today." " In change?" "The clerks in that redemption centre want to treat a man like a dog." "That's why I want a real job." "So, I don't need to hurt one of those fools." "That's the way white folks treat you." " It's not always the white folks..." "Today I tried to show a black man how he has to respect another." "Did you have this checked?" "Well, you should." "This could get infected." " I have had plenty shots in my days." "I might get a broken jaw, but definitely no lockjaw." "Where did you look for work?" " In a supermarket." "I am capable of putting groceries in a bag." "A box boy?" "Mr Fortlow, you are way too good for that." "But I can pay the rent." "You could work for me." "You could work here for me." "You motherfucker, you killed him." "No, I couldn't work in such a small space." "I would go crazy like that." "What do you want to eat?" " That big meat loaf plate." "I could use it." "I walked a lot today." "What's that?" " The meat loaf plate." "That is half of what you normally serve." " That's exactly what I serve my clients." "The big plate is for a special person." "Every night Socrates gave himself a grade." "He once made a promise." "A dark oath." "He swore he would never hurt another person except to do good." "He wrote down his failures, when no good had been accomplished." "Teresa was the woman who loved him before he went bad." "But even a long-suffering woman will let you go... after murder and rape." "She never wrote him in prison." "But he kept her picture... and told her good night before he went to bed." "What are you doing there, boy?" "I asked you a question." "Where do you think you are going?" "What's in the box?" "What is in it?" "Put it down." "Come here." "Let me go, man." "Let me go!" "Pick it up." "Hurry up." "Pick it up, you heard what I said." "Come on, pick it up." "Let's go." "Sit down." "Why did you kill Dexter, asshole?" "You heard me." " I have never killed somebody, mister." "Sit your little narrow ass down." "This is my friend, Dexter." "You are crazy, that's a chicken, man." "A bird cannot be a friend." "You have to pluck it." "Because you killed it." "I am not playing with you, boy." "What is this?" " I plucked it." "If you don't know how to pluck a chicken, then why did you kill it?" "I don't know." "Maybe there is some old lady who wants to buy it." "Why did you kill this chicken?" "Because I hated it." "It was always crowing like a sick old man." "Do you live around here?" " I live over on Hooper." "You can't hear a rooster from over there." "Get back over there and pluck all the feathers out." "And when you are finished, cut him open with that knife over there." "And make sure you rinse out all the blood." "All of it." "What's your name?" " Darryl." "Are you going to do something with that knife?" "We are going to make a dish with green beans, rice and stewed chicken." "It's going to take a while, but it will be good." "Clean up those feathers." "Are you hungry?" " Hell, yeah." "That's real good." "A boy should be hungry." "What is that supposed to mean?" " Hunger tells you what you are missing." "Is that some friend to you?" "Is hunger your friend, too?" "'Hungry, Horny, How come', they all are my friends." "My best friends." "A man must have good friends to make it through penitentiary." "My daddy is up in the city jail." "At least he was." "Died, though." "Can I go now?" "You cannot go until you tell." " What do I tell you?" "I am not afraid of you." " Yes, you are." "You are no fool." "Now, come on, Darryl." "Tell it and you can go." " What do I tell you?" "You killed somebody." "I'm not going to turn you in." "You did not know that Dexter was a chicken." "You thought that I knew something about you." "I am not a judge." "But you will have to talk to me." "Nobody is coming to save you." "It was not my fault." "We were looking at two people with Phillip in the Baldwin Hills." "Incredible." " Shut up." "Darryl, grab his pants." "Go." "How are you doing?" "Shit." " Kids, come here." "I'm going to kick your butt." "Hey, come back." "My cousins left me." "Can I go with you?" "Go on, man, get away." " You'd better get out of here, fool." "Go on." "Get away." "Please." " Come on, punk." "I've had it with you, piece of shit." " Come on, man, don't." "Leave that fat ass little nigger alone." "No, man, leave him alone." "Is he dead?" "Anybody found him yet?" "Phillip said he will kill anybody who talks about it." "I have to go to the bathroom." "Socrates believed every man had his own load to shoulder." "He never cared about another killer... but when he thought about that skinny boy, he realized he had been wrong." "You and your friends did wrong, Darryl." "I am just talking to you as one black man to another." "If you don't know when you have done wrong, life is not worth a damn." "Can I go now?" "Do you live with your mother?" " No, with foster parents." "I don't want to go to jail." " You are right." "That will not solve it." "It's better to shoot yourself than to go to jail." "Does your foster mom cook for you?" "Most of the time she doesn't even know where I am." "You can always come back here and we'll cook together." "Why did they put you in jail?" "I killed a man and a woman." " A white man?" "Bye." "So long, little brother." "I'm sorry about your chicken." "He wasn't mine." "He belongs to Miss Walker." "He wondered about the boy and the rooster that always awoke him." "The rooster was hoarse in his old age." "Sometimes his crow was a whisper." "But at least that motherfucker tried." "Corina?" "What are you doing here?" "I mean, how is it?" "Have you seen Howard?" " Is he missing?" "We had a fight." " And he walked out?" "He is a damn fool." " He was just very mad." "Do you know where he is?" " Come on in and drink a coffee." "No." "I just need to know if you've seen him." "No, honey, I haven't seen him." "But I will look for him, if you want me to." "Are you sure you don't want to come inside?" "I have to get back home to my children." "If you see him, don't tell him I came over here, okay?" "Just call me if you find out where he is." "Ted is sick." "He can't make it today." "Can you come back tomorrow?" "Man, what are we supposed to do with these cans until tomorrow?" "We need our money now." "Okay, but you must wait outside until Mr Jonah comes in." "When is that?" " Maybe later." "When is later?" "Two, four, six hours from now?" "I'm sorry, but I can't help it." "You are supposed to take these cans." " Yes, from our customers." "But you people, you are not our customers." "So you are trying to tell me that we don't eat food from this store?" "They got us out here waiting like dogs tied to a pole." "That man must have seen me fifty times, but he doesn't know my name." "Did you tell him your name?" " I said it right to his face." "I should have broken his goddamn neck." "Are they going to hire you at Bounty?" " I'm going to break his neck." "Let's see what that motherfucker says when I break his goddamned bones." "Socco, come on, man, let's go." "Let's find somebody who wants to do business." "Do you want to leave?" " Yeah." "This isn't worth it." "Punk ass motherfucker." "Socco, you're leaving your cart." " I don't need that shit any more." "It isn't just Bounty and Pickford." "It's the whole damn city." "If they see you pushing a cart, they want to treat you like trash." "I'm too old to be scooping up garbage for the rest of my life." "Don't come crying to me about this mess." "You wouldn't have to go out there if you would work here with me." "I am hungry like a motherfucker." "How many pies do you have today?" "Cherry pie, apple pie and coconut cream." "I'll take them all three." "You want three slices of pie?" " No, baby, three whole pies." "I have to charge you by the slice." "So it's going to cost you $ 12 each." "And bring me a whole pot of coffee too, please." "How are you living, brother?" " Depends on what comes next." "So you live minute to minute." "I used to be like that." "What's your name?" "Socrates." "That's somebody famous, right?" "Yes." "A long time ago." " I'm not a fool." "I know some shit." "My name is Wilfred, Willie to my friends." "So, what are you eating, Soh-crates?" "No, I just fuck with you." "Bring Socrates here some more of this chicken and shit, put it on my bill." "Man, that's nice." "I bet she would like to give you some of that for free." "Nothing in this life is free." "What work do you do, brother?" " I'm looking for work." "So what do you think I do?" "Let's see... you have scars on your hands from fighting." "You were hit by a bullet." "If you don't deal drugs, you use them." "You have got a fast eye." "And a quick tongue." "I would say that would make you a thief." "I don't like thieves that much." "I am trying to find a job, but people think I'm crazy." "Because of you, children think work is for fools." "That is damn good, Socrates." "I see, that you know your shit." "But you cannot see me." "You cannot see me." "I put on a running suit like this here." "I jump on the goddamn bus." "I run my ass to the Beverly Center Mall... and steal a car." "I put a hat or bandanna on my head, then they cannot recognize a nigger." "I learnt that in jail." "Then I grab some old rich white bitch or some old Chinese girl." "I hold her by the thumb, just to cut her a little bit." "So she is too worried about bleeding before she calls the cop." "I saw a whore piss in her panties, man." "I jumped out of my running suit and drove the fuck out of that parking lot." "Now, the cops are looking for some old hood nigger." "But me..." "I am dressed like a business man." "What's so goddamned funny?" "I don't steal from the blacks." "I am not stealing from stores down here." "Motherfucker." "You sit there and judge me with your stomach full of food I just paid for." "And with my funky-assed clothes and my nigger appetite, too." "My clothes are second hand." "But all the holes in my clothes are darned." "I haven't got twenty dollar bills in my hand... but I haven't got woman's blood on my hands either." "You are way too deep for me, brother." "Way too deep." "Fuck you." "Fuck me?" "Hey man, you don't even have to like me." "Why don't you try to pay for your food with these pennies in your pocket." "I'm going to do you one better than that, boy." "I'm going to pay for your food." "I am no fool either, Willie." "Everybody has got to pay." "Nothing in this life is free." "It's now my turn to pay." "Crazy nigger." "Your turn is waiting on you out there somewhere." "Wilfred, get out of here." " Do you think you can make me?" "Go on, leap frog... go on." "Go for the knife." "Get out of here, Wilfred." "Come on, leap." "You are both crazy." " Get out of here, boy." "All right, player... all right." "Punk ass motherfucker." "Why do you pay for him?" " Because a man pays his own way." "He was going to pay for you." " No, it's the other way around." "I have been paying for men like him all my life." "And his daddy paid for me." "I don't understand this." "If you are so upstanding and so moral and so honest... why don't you just work for me?" "Is it because I am a woman?" " Yes, you are certainly a woman." "You were ready to pour hot grease on Willie if he would mess with me." "What are you doing out here in the storm, boy?" "Come inside before you get sick." "Ground sassafras." "Thyme leaves." "That's what makes your gumbo." "Do you ever dream?" "Yes, sometimes." "What do you dream about?" "About whatever it is that I want and don't have." "Do you ever dream about something that you do not want?" "Things that you really hate." "So, you wake up scared?" "Do you dream about that, boy?" "I was in a dark room." "Black everywhere." "But I could still see him." "He was cut in the stomach and naked and he came after me." "And then I ran." " Did he catch you?" "I always wake up before he could catch me, but if he did, I would die." "Because I did nothing to help him." "Your dream is telling you that you have to make it right." "Then maybe I could sleep again?" " Yes, I bet you could." "Finish your food and then try to get some sleep in my bed." "I'll make sure nobody will get you." "Darryl respected Socrates and he wanted to know what he thought." "But the idea that Darryl wanted to hear what he had to say, scared him." "Socrates wanted to tell the child that everything was going to be all right." "But it was not all right and it might never become all right." "Because trouble would crawl up into your mind and come inside with you." "He does not have time?" "Two children have already died there." "It is a dangerous intersection." "We need a stop sign there." "Is that you, Miss Warren?" " Yes." "Who is this?" "Is your husband there, madam?" " I don't have a husband." "Who is this?" "I don't know how to say this, madam." "Is it about Felix?" "Are you calling about my son?" "Up at Oil Derrick 22, in the Baldwin Hills, there are some bushes." "He's up there in the bushes." "I called you because I knew that it would settle your mind." "I would have called the police, but they might not get around to look." "Are you all right?" "I hit you because I just got mad when I heard that lady screaming." "You and your friends have broken her heart." "I'm sorry." "I know you are sorry." "I know you get nightmares." "And you are going to get them for a long time, little brother." "Can I stay here tonight?" "It's him again." "Can I help you?" " Did your head office call back yet?" "Sir, I have to ask you to leave." " Let me talk to your boss." "I said..." " Don't make me mad, boy." "You can't work here, unless you have a phone." "You will call your head office and get an official word on me... or I'll be back here every day until I know why I cannot have a job." "I am calling the police." "I'll be back for my answer in a few days." "Hey girl, how are you doing?" "Have you seen him?" " Come on in the house." "Sit down." "I do not have time to waste here, Socrates Fortlow." "You called and said you heard something." "What is it?" "Okay." "But just for a minute." "Do you want coffee?" "Your husband shouldn't let a beautiful woman like you alone." "Where is he?" "I don't know exactly... but I think I know where I might be able to find him." "What's wrong?" "I am scared." "So if you really could help me, I wish you would." "He didn't call you?" "I want him to get a job at McDonald's while he waits on that computer job." "He didn't have a job for nine months." "And they cut my hours back at Penney's." "Why won't he get a job?" " He is just too proud." "That's all." "But he is not too proud to let his wife go out and work." "Winnie and little Howard will not stop growing... until he finds a job he's not ashamed of." "The man is a fool." "If you were mine, I would work at McDonald's and Burger King." "You two have children." "Howard is liable to find another man in his bed." "No, that is not going on." " I know that." "All I am trying to say is that he has got a treasure in you." "He must look after it." "Did you lose somebody?" "Is that why you sound so upset about me and Howard?" "Do you take milk and sugar?" " Just sugar." "Did you?" "Do you want me to find Howard?" "Because I will." "But first, I need to say something to you." "I will go and find Howard." "I will tell him that he is a fool and that he must go home tonight." "Because in a day or two I will be at his front door." "And if he is not at home, I will take you and the kids to a show." "You had better go home now, Corina." "Come on, go on." "If you go home, then I'll go and find Howard." "I'll find him, don't worry." "If he's not coming home, Then you will see me tomorrow." "You can come out now, Howard." "Why do you talk like that to Corina?" "It's like you want something." "Do you want to come on to my wife?" " She is not your wife." "I got a bottle of whiskey under the sink." "Get it, before you get yourself hurt." "Why are you telling Corina all that shit?" "She is my wife." "As long as you are not home, she is not yours." "I thought you were my friend." "Not when it comes to a woman like that." "That is what I was trying to explain." "She is a woman, not a dog." "You cannot just leave her somewhere like you leave a car." "If you don't go home, I will be there." "Me or somebody else." "You talk about my problems and then you go after my wife." "You said you don't want her any more." " She is always dogging me like that." "I wouldn't mind that." "A woman that kicks my ass when I fuck up... and kiss my head when I do right." "I would be the first in line." "Did you get that job?" " Not yet." "Don't worry about her, man." "When Luvia gets a hard thought in her head, she will not give it up." "I don't blame her." "She can smell the bad on me." "Come on, man, let's get a couple of beers." "You wanted to talk to me?" "About a dope fiend that lives near Howard." "Who?" " Petis Mulgrew." "Petis is always stealing and fighting." "And now he has discovered crack." "He robbed two old ladies and said if they told it, he would kill them." "Did he hurt them?" " No, but we have to do something." "The police might get him." "But then again, they might not." "What are you trying to say?" " We have to stop him." "This dope fiend either stops himself, goes to jail or he dies." "I could kill him." "I believe you could, Mr Burke." "But sometimes it isn't for you to decide." "How are you doing, Winnie?" " Mom, the door." "Howard, Socrates is here." "Come on in, Mr Fortlow." "Corina, take the children in the other room, please." "Go on." "Sit down." " What is it, Howard?" "Last night, at 6:00, Winnie took it in her head to go out looking for me." "I was at Stony's place, while my little girl was looking for me in some alley." "What happened?" "She saw Petis Mulgrew kill Leroy Wade." "There it is." "Kill him..." "That's what we ought to do." "That's what you said too, Socrates?" "Isn't that right?" "Let's go and shoot him in his head." " We can't do that, man." "We are not sure whether he did it." "It is just hearsay." "My baby girl is not lying." "She saw Petis jump on Leroy with that knife." "She told that to Corina before they even found him." "She saw Leroy get it and she saw who did it." "She could be wrong." "What is wrong with you?" " Nothing, that flu will not go away." "Even if she did see it, we should still go to the cops." "Will Corina let me talk to Winnie?" " No, she doesn't want to scare her." "Tell me what else did Winnie see?" "That crazy fool lives a block away from my house." "Corina is scared to death." "It sounds like a war zone out there." "Listen to that." "Running them down like slaves." "They have got dogs, too." "What do you want us to do, Howard?" " I have to leave soon." "The last two weeks five people have been mugged here." "Petis did it." "Now they are killing people." " Tell the police." "Dope fiends don't stop until they are dead." "We have to kill them." "We cannot kill him." " Why not?" "Burke, you cannot wash murder off your hands, you have to live with that." "You should never turn a black man over to the police, you'd better kill him." "So we cannot do anything." "Will you help us, Socco?" "I'll do what I can, but you have to go to a doctor about that gut." "Remember, let me do the talking." "Who is it?" " Petis, it's me..." "Socco." "What do you want?" " We can both earn some money." "We would talk to him." " That's what I am doing." "This is the only way to get his attention." "Let me go." " Girl, put some clothes on." "Are you a friend of my daddy?" "Yes." "Get your clothes and get out of here." "What are you going to do with Petis?" " Go on, get out of here." "Look, all right." "She is gone, isn't she?" "We know what you did, Petis." " I didn't do a damn thing." "Get him back on the chair." "Look, let me tell you something..." " Don't talk!" "Shut up." "No!" "Don't talk." " Get the fuck out of my house." "Shut up!" "Nobody wants to hear what you have to say." "You have to listen." "We have held a trial." "One man wants to kill you." "Somebody else wants to turn you over to the police." "We have talked about it and we have come to a decision." "You have to leave, boy." " But I haven't done anything." "You have to leave this neighbourhood." "And if you don't go, then you will die." "I don't know what the hell you are talking about." "You are out of here at six o'clock." " Already at six?" "Can you repeat that?" "I have to say goodbye to my mother." "If you are not gone by six o'clock, your mama can say goodbye to you." "Come on." "Let's go." "What shall we do?" "It's time for you all to go home." "I thought we were in it together." " Yes." "But it's time for you all to go." "What are you going to do, Socco?" " I will hang around here until about six." "We shall go to the clinic after this, right?" "Sure, Socrates heard the boy gasping and snorting in that dumpster." "But it wasn't worth the mark against his soul to see that crack head bleed." "Good morning, Mr Fortlow." "I thought you might get hungry." "How is Winnie?" " She is real good." "I wanted to thank you for helping." "I wanted to thank you again." "Is Howard still home?" "He's in the house." "He still hasn't got a job, and he is mad, too." "He told me not to come over here." "But I told him I owed you at least a breakfast, and a thank you." "Howard is just ashamed." "He thinks he is no man any more." "But he will come around it though." "Besides, he knows... that there are men enough that will carry your load, woman." "Whole lot of men." "That touch meant a lot to him." "She knew things he would never know." "When she woke up, she thought about a better life." "And maybe with that touch, could Socrates see something better, too." "Hey, you." "I want you." "Get him." "Did you turn on me, nigger?" " No." "Yes, you did." "You told the police where to find the body." "You told the police." " No, I didn't." "I do not hope to see your sorry ass any more, sissy." "That's okay." "Let him run." "I know where the motherfucker lives." "Socrates had some hard fights in his life." "But the hardest was when he couldn't do anything." "He never liked talking to doctors... because he said they never answered a question except to tell him lies." "He wondered what lies they were going to tell him now." "Did you ever fix any furniture before?" "I could get some glue down in here... brace it, and hold it together with a belt... then these legs are stronger than they were before." "Some of the things they teach you in prison are useful." "But it's only useful if they don't cut you down in the streets first." "Socrates saw that Darryl was scared." "Scared what he had to do to be a man." "Are your foster parents not mad at you, for not coming home?" "Once I was gone for four days." "They never knew." "Help me turn over the table." "Ready." "Easy." "Man, there is no easy thing in South Central." "Down here you don't have to join the army to go to war." "Do you remember our discussion?" " About Phillip and them?" "Put that down easy, Darryl." "All right." "Today is the day." "Are you scared?" "Are they the ones?" "Don't you move, man." "I would better look out for your friend there, Socrates." "I told you to keep your ugly face away." " You don't scare me." "You'd better go and help him." "Don't talk to me, you little fuck." "Come on, show me what you've got." "I will kick your ass." "Your boy is in big trouble over there, Mr Fortlow." "Come on, you little punk." "Turn over." "I'm going to kick your ass, you piece of shit." "Do you hear me?" "Do you see me?" " Who are you?" "Watch out, Socco." "Don't look at me." "Hit the deck." "I was scared." "You gave him a good punch, boy." "It landed right on his chin." "Come on, Darryl." "You stood up for yourself, that's all you can do." "You are always outnumbered." "They will still come after me." " Yes, but you stood up." "Now, there's nothing to be ashamed for the rest of your life." "How is that going to help me?" "You have done your job." "Now it's up to me, to find myself a job." "Maybe I can help you." "I'm afraid it's bad news." "I got a fax saying that they cannot hire you... because you do not have a phone and you live too far away from the store." "Can I see it?" " I threw it away." "Please leave, or I will go to the police, if you don't stop harassing us." "I'm only asking for a job." "The police will arrest you if you come here again." "What do you want?" "You have no business here, Socrates Fortlow." "We just come here for a visit." "You trick yourself into my house with a boy." "You are not welcome here." "I am his best friend, Luvia." "You cannot deny him that." "Not now." "Do you have a gun on you?" "I don't want weapons in my house." "I am unarmed, officer." "I don't want any foolishness in there." "I'll be back in twenty minutes." "Mr Burke needs his sleep." "Take it easy." "How do you feel?" "It's like when they told me it might be cancer." "I had trouble standing up." "And then after a week of tests... shit." "Are you in pain?" "Can I borrow your gun, Socco?" "For what?" "You know." "The doctors say, I might have got three, six months." "They said that they cannot give me a good pain killer... until they have tried chemo or radiation." "And now they are telling me... that they cannot treat me right, because I am not insured properly." "Do you want to shoot yourself?" "I cannot do that." " I can pay you for it." "I have put away part of my social security since I live here." "Luvia will call the cops as soon as I bring a gun." "Let us meet on the street." " How will you do that?" "You are ill." "Luvia says that you do not eat." " That is because of the pain." "I cannot walk or eat because it hurts so much." "Go downstairs and wait for me." "Your twenty minutes are up." "We need to talk for a few more minutes." "I'll be right down." "I need to speak with him for a few more minutes." "Excuse us." "How much money do you have?" " Over seventeen hundred dollars." "I saved it over the last five years." "It's in the bottom of the bottom drawer of the bureau." "I was saving it for Luvia." "But I want you to take it and get me a piece." "After I am gone, you can give the rest to her." "I will take two hundred dollars." "If I have to, I will get you a gun." "But I am going to try and help you first." "Don't give up because you cannot pay the doctors." "Doctors are not everything." "I heard that I had to talk to you." " Who told you that?" "Reba?" "Did the woman behind the bar tell you to come up here?" "Because if she did, you had better take your ass and get out of here." "I will leave." "When I get what I came for." "Are you trying to fuck with me?" "You will feel it when I fuck with you, brother." "I burst you open like a goddamned watermelon." "What do you want then?" "Have you heard from the hospital?" "They said it is definitely cancer." "You are not calling long distance here." " I got the local number right here." "Valley Enterprises." "Can I help you?" "It is about my application for a job at your store on Beverly Glen." "How do you spell the last name?" " F-o-r-t-l-o-w, Fortlow." "There is no record of your application." "But Miss Grimes said that you faxed that you couldn't hire me... because I have no phone and I live too far from there." "Those are not our requirements." "And there is no record of your application." "Maybe you threw it away when you rejected it?" "Every application is put on the computer, so it must be here." "Thank you very much, madam." "My name is Parker and this is Mr Weems." "We work for Kingman Security Services." "Would you like to come upstairs?" "No." " Just to talk." "Have a seat, Mr Fortlow." "Coffee?" "What is it?" "What do you have against Miss Grimes?" "I need a job." " She said you are harassing her." "You need a phone number for a job." " That's bullshit." "Do I have to starve because I cannot afford a phone?" "I need a job." " But you intimidate people." "What am I supposed to do?" " You cannot work here." "They are scared that you would come in here with your gun blazing." "What kind of game are you playing?" " What do you mean?" "Do you really want a job?" " Yes, that's why I am here." "I cannot sit on my ass because somebody does not like my skin." "You can work for a market about five blocks away." "The manager is Gonzalez." "You will not scare Bobby Gonzalez." "Maybe we can talk to him about you." "But I have just one more question." "I got the job." "At the supermarket?" "What did you say?" "About what?" " On your application." "When they asked about your prison record." "There were two security guards, Parker and Weems." "Ex-LAPD." "They knew that I was an ex-con right off the bat." "So what did you say?" "I told them that they didn't have to look into that." "And when they check it later?" "I will work until they fire me and then I will get another job." "Or not." "What do you want to eat?" " I was about to ask you." "What then?" "Do you want to have dinner with me?" "I don't believe it." "All this time you have never asked me out to dinner." "I never had a job before." "I had nothing to offer." "A man cannot be with a woman if he cannot pay the bills." "Do you want to go or not?" "Put those in the box." "Mom, the door." "This is my friend, Darryl." "Darryl, this is Corina." "We brought you something." "Mr Fortlow has got something for us." "I didn't know that you are moving." "Howard got a nighttime computer operator's job in Venice." "We got a place over there." " That's good, Howard." "That's real good, Howard." "I guess, that will make this your going away present." "I don't get it." "What is this for?" "I found this table, Howard." "It was all broken down and scarred up." "I put it back together." "I glued, sanded and sealed it." "And now I give it to you." "Because every time you sit down to eat at it..." "I want you to say thank you for everything." "I don't know what to say." "I just wish there was something we could do for you." "There is something that you could do for me." "Come on, Darryl." " Give us a minute, Howard." "Hurry up." "Do you have everything?" "Why do I have to go with them?" "It isn't safe around here with Phillip and the others." "In Venice you get a chance for a new start at a new school." "I like being here." "I cannot get custody of you, Darryl." "Howard and Corina already got a family." "Social Services will pay them money for you to stay with them." "Are you scared of going to a new place?" " A little." "That's good." "They have gangs in Venice." "So you have to watch out." "Don't get in with any gangs." " I don't want that, no way." "Are you ready?" "Are you going to see Mr Burke?" " Yes, right after this." "Tell him I hope he is feeling better." "You have to sit in the back there, Darryl." "I got a space for you." "I'll see you on Saturday." "Then I will teach Howard to barbecue." " In your dreams." "Thanks for looking after Darryl." " We already got him a school." "I will send you 100 dollars each month." "He doesn't eat that much." "Don't worry, Socco, we will take real good care of him." "I am still a little woozy." "A little bit." "That is because of those drugs." "That's powerful shit." "How many are you taking?" " Until the pain stops." "Three, four, every four hours." "Are you drinking?" " Just a drop of wine or two." "And a shot of Scotch before I go to sleep." "Don't drink too much." "Alcohol and morphine do not mix." "Do you want to go out tonight?" " Where?" "Dilly's Bar." " A sick man has no business there." "I want to drink in a bar." "I want to look at some long legs on a woman." "This whiskey makes me see double, Socco." "And one of you is plenty ugly as it is." "Do you know why I like you, Socco?" "Because you do not know any better." "That's why." "Ouvrez la porte." " What do you say?" "Ouvrez la porte." "That's what we used to say in Paris." "Open up..." "because Uncle Sam is here." "Those were the days, man." "A gun in my hand, a sweet girl on my left." "I could have died then." "I should have died." "No man, then we would have missed you." "I would have missed you." "All through the war, I never met one like you." "What is exactly 'one like me'?" "A hero." "You are the closest thing to a hero I have ever met." "You must be drunk." "Sweet Charla." "Here it is." "Fifty dollars for all the Scotch you bring." "Thanks." "Is it your birthday?" "No, Charla." "I'm going back to my family." "Where is home?" " Down south." "When are you leaving?" " Later tonight." "What are you talking about?" "You are a real hero." "Not many left like you." "Not many so stupid as me." "You are no fool, Socrates Fortlow." "I never said anything that you didn't already knew." "Because you are a thinking man." "I never had any knowledge that you didn't knew." "At least, up to now." "What do you know now?" "About death." "I can tell you all about death." "Cold and clear." "Are you scared, Burke?" " I am scared of the pain." "But I am not scared of death." "Not now." "Is it the dope?" " No." "Even before you got me my drug, I could feel it." "I laid in my room late at night with an ice pack on my belly." "If I laid still enough, I could feel it." "Like icy silver snakes were moving up and down my body." "Sliding and singing." "If I was real quiet... that feeling would take over and I would be on the other side." "While I am dying, something else is coming to life." "I was scared to die." "Now I am ready to let go." "I had a couple of things that I needed to do first." "What do you want?" " I wanted to have a drink... a flirt with a pretty girl and a talk with my best friend." "There you go." "Do you want to go home?" " That's what I told Charla." "What do you think about me, Socrates?" " You mean?" "I want to know what you see when you look at me." "I always wanted to know... but that's not a question one man should ask another." "What are you saying now?" "Tell me what you see when you look at me." "I don't know." "I don't know." "What do you want me to say?" "You are my friend." "A real friend." "I will get a taxi." "You wait right here." "No, let's wait for a bus." "I like to watch the lights." "I know what you see." "I know what you see." "I know you love me, man." "I love you, too." "Help me to get my pills out of my pocket, will you?" "Pour me out ten." "No, twelve and then take it away." "You don't need to take any more of these now." "You need to wait until the morning." "The bus is coming." "Leave me here, man." "Get on the bus and go home." "I am not leaving you out here." " You cannot save me." "Not this time." " You are my friend." "The doctor said I'm dead, man." "Dead." "Tonight is the best night that I will never have again." "And you did that for me." "Your job is done, Socrates." "Now it is time to die." "Hey, it's all right." "Go on, now." "Come on." "What's wrong with you?" "Get on or get off." "I couldn't see him, but I knew that he was there." "He was looking after me, even in death." "That bus was carrying him to places most men couldn't even imagine." "And Socrates had been as low as a man could go." "But he came back loving hard and deep and strong." "A rich man would never have that kind of power." "And precious few lovers could ever be that satisfied." "Turkish"