"In the beginning, the Knox river in Maine belonged to God... who leased it cheap to the Algonquians... who took their stewardship of the land seriously... until they were wiped out by rum... and war and the clap... and Christianity, and other European diseases." "The new proprietors were white men... who first used the river for logging." "Timber!" "Then for power, to manufacture textiles." "And, finally, as a toilet... to flush their dyes and chemical wastes into the Atlantic." "The story was much the same on every river in New England... where tanneries and textile mills... sprang from the unoffending soil like noxious weeds." "The town that shot up along the banks of the Knox... midway between Canada and the Atlantic Ocean... was no better and no worse than the rest." "Like the other mill towns along the Knox..." "Empire Falls was built and populated by European immigrants... with names like Robideaux and Minty and Daws... and Comeau and Callahan... and Roby." "Insomniacs of the world unite." " Morning, Horace." " Morning." "I guess I'm gonna have to start locking my car, aren't I?" "Hiya!" "How come you're hot-wiring my car, old man?" "A fella down in the Keys taught me." "I didn't ask how, Dad, I asked why." "I thought you was on vacation." "If I'd known you was back, I would have asked." "Where's your car?" "Went down to Callahans one night last week... when I come out, it was gone." " Somebody stole that old beater?" " Not exactly." "I must have forgot to set the emergency brake." "Made it all the way to the river." "Get out of there." "Come on." "How am I supposed to get around with no wheels?" "Here, take the bus." "Dick." "Maybe the Robys and the Mintys and the Daws... and the Rodrigues built Empire Falls... but they didn't own it." "No." "The family that had ruled the town for more than a century... was named Whiting." "The Whitings didn't own the whole town... just the parts worth owning." "The textile mill, the shirt factory... and the paper mill upstream." "When these enterprises ceased to be profitable... they were sold to greedy multinational corporations... that looted their machinery... converted their remaining assets to cash... leaving behind nothing but decaying, hollow shells... inhabited by ghosts." " Bill!" "Hi." " Miles Roby." "Did you hear?" "C.B.'s folly struck again while you were gone." "Everybody down by the river has got a full basement, I hear." "And this isn't even flood season." "Some spring after a bad winter, this whole town is gonna be swept away." " It'd be a mercy, if you think about it." " I don't know about that." "C.B. 's folly... that'd be Charles Beaumont Whiting... who took it personally that every time it rained... the Knox River deposited garbage... great mountains of it, right on C.B. 's doorstep." "Was God laughing at him?" "If so, the Knox, and maybe God for that matter... needed a good straightening out." "More about that later." " Miles, how was your vacation?" " Over too soon." "So did you hear that someone might be buying the mill?" "My restaurant is where all those rumors start, Lesley." " That will be $63, please." " All right." "Miles, you've been summoned." "I was afraid of that." " Hello, Susan." " Hello, Miles." "She'll be with you in a minute." "Why are we having this conversation, Mr. Sampson?" "We both know this proposal is a non-starter." "How about this?" "You..." "Ah, the storied Whiting males." "Tragic figures, some would say." "Though shrewd in business... every last one of them possessed an unerring knack... for marrying the one woman in the world... who would regard making them utterly miserable... as her life's noble endeavor." "Charles Beaumont, the last of the Whiting males... imagined he could cheat destiny by avoiding the altar." "To this end, he decided to build himself a grand new house... and live in it as a bachelor." "The perfect spot was called Robideaux's Neck... which was owned, not coincidently, by some people named Robideaux... who regarded it as worthless, unless you collected river trash." "Stunned to learn that C.B. Whiting wanted to purchase Robideaux's Neck... they quickly sold it to him at a fraction of the price... he had been prepared to offer." "At the closing, C.B. Couldn't help noticing young Francine Robideaux... who, unlike the rest of her clan, had been to college... where she'd learned, among other useful things... the subtle art of flirtation." "Only after they were wed, did it occur to C.B. Whiting... that he had forgotten his resolution to remain a bachelor." "He looked his new bride over carefully and tried to imagine the day... when, like his father, grandfather and great-grandfather before him... he would want to bludgeon her with a shovel." "Being young, his imagination failed him." " Hello, dear boy." " Hello, Mrs. Whiting." " It's a rogues' gallery, is it not?" " Yep." "They were all mad as hatters." "That one, old Elijah... once chased his wife around this very room with an axe." "Nice town." "Where is it?" "Seeing you standing there gives me a good idea." "You should be the mayor." " Of the model?" " No, of the town." "Are you offering me the job?" " No, you overestimate my influence." " Do I?" "People are always confusing will with power." "Your mother was like that." " You wanted to see me." " I have a surprise for you, dear boy." "Come to the house on Tuesday and I'll show you." "It's time we had our "State of the Grill" meeting, anyway." " Say 2:00?" " Okay." "Incidentally, your father phoned me three times while you were away." " Asking for money, naturally." " I'll speak to him." " Please do." "He's a pain in the ass." " You're telling me." "Miles." " I didn't ask you." "How was your vacation?" " Short." "Wonderful, actually." "You return to Martha's Vineyard every summer, don't you?" "Has it ever occurred to you to wonder why?" "I've got some college friends who have a house there." "It's the only vacation I can afford." "Didn't your mother tell me that she took you there once?" "When I was 10, yeah." ""And so we beat on..." ""boats against the current..." " "borne back ceaselessly"..." " "...into the past."" " Yes." " F. Scott Fitzgerald." "I went to college, Mrs. Whiting." "So you did." "You return to Martha's Vineyard every summer, don't you?" "Okay, this is an adventure, Miles." "Let's try to have fun, okay?" "It's important to Mommy." "When's Dad coming?" "You'll have to wait till he's out of jail." "You didn't know that, did you?" " That he's in jail?" " That's a lie." "When I was a boy..." "I thought God actually lived in the steeple." "Imagine God so close, just a couple of stories up." "Talk me down, okay?" "Okay, Miles, you're gonna be fine, just with your right foot." "Bring it down nice and easy, you've got about 12 inches." "Now you've got three, two." "Yeah, you feel it?" "There you go." "Now the next." "Bring your foot back in." " There you are." "All right, same thing." " Okay." "I thought we'd agreed you weren't gonna try to paint any higher." "Yeah, we did, I guess, but every time I look up there, it's an accusation." "Then don't look up." "That's fine advice for a man of the spirit to give." "I think Father Tom is making off with the cashbox again." "Yeah, I know." "Don't worry, Miss Koss will fetch him." "Come back here, you old fart!" "Father Tom!" "Bring that back." "Who says God has no sense of humor?" "Tick Roby." "Just make way for Tick Roby, make way here." "Just keep walking." "She's got a horny new friend." "Oh my God, Zack Minty is so hot." "I can't believe you broke up with him." "Loser." "Yo, it's Mr. Mayer." "We're busted." "Let's go." "We're out of here." "You okay, John?" "Christina!" " Mister..." " Bye." "I looked at your schedule and the only way that you can take art... is to have lunch during sixth period." "You'd be the only one in the cafeteria." "That's okay." "Actually, I prefer to eat alone." "Good." "On him." "You've got stuff in your beard, Dad, you know that?" "So what?" "You look like the village idiot." "Mrs. Whiting says you've been calling her again." "Why shouldn't I?" "We're related, her and me." "The Robys and the Robideaux are the same family..." " if you go back far enough." " You wish." "You should let me help you paint that church." "I was a housepainter for 40 years, you know." "You keep forgetting, Dad, I'm painting the church for free." "That don't mean you can't pay me." "Yeah, it does, Dad." "That's precisely what it means." "How am I supposed to get down to the Keys with no money?" "You always managed when I was a kid." "You disappeared every winter." " That's where the money was." " How come we never saw any of it?" "If you paid me to paint that church, I wouldn't have to feel worthless." "Ain't no law that says old people got to feel worthless." "If you paid me, I might have some dignity." "The dignity ship sailed years ago, Dad." "Decades." "Trying to hurt my feelings, but you can't." "Besides, any time you feel like an infusion of dignity... come on down to the restaurant and wash dishes for a while." "Is that your idea of dignity?" "Cooped up in a back room, no windows, minimum wage... half of it goes to the government." "Now, I would let you hire me... if you let me work the grill." "Ain't nothing to flipping burgers and I like to talk to people." "I'd have to run you through the Hobart first... wash some of that stuff out of your beard." "I may be 70, but I can still climb like a monkey." "I don't get scared up on a ladder like a little girl." "It works both way, Dad, you can't hurt my feelings either." "I gotta pee." "Hey, old buddy." " Hey, Jimmy." " Long time no see." " Is that your dad you're with?" " Yeah, you want a cup of coffee?" "No, no time." "I'm glad I ran into you, though." " I thought about you the other day." " How's that?" "I was in the old neighborhood, Spring Street." " You ever get over there?" " Not really." "Just as well." "Break your heart." "Drug neighborhood now." "Every other house falling down." "I go to visit there every now and then." "Just sit there, across the street from my old man's place." "Yours next door." "Half-expect to see your ma come out on her porch." "She and my dad never got along too good, but I always liked her." "Awful way to go like she did." "Let's change the subject, okay?" "Sure." "Anyway, I was saying sometimes I'll drive over there... just stop by the curb and try to figure it all out." "All what out?" "Life, I guess." "You know, the way things turn out." "I guess some folks would think it's pretty weird..." " me ending up a cop." " Not me, Jimmy." "My old man is what I meant, I guess." "He had his run-ins with the law, over the years." "It's probably why your ma had it in for him, huh?" "Yeah, sure." "I saw him beat one of them union organizers half to death... right outside the old shirt factory." "Of course, old man Whiting put him up to it, so..." "You know, gave him the nod." "And now here we are, 30 years later... both working for old Francine." "As a policeman, I thought you worked for the city." "Yeah?" "You tell me that woman and Empire Falls ain't the same thing." "Okay:" "They're not the same thing." "Maybe." "Maybe not." "How is that cute little girl of yours?" "Good, good." "Happier than she's been in some time." "Wanna know a secret?" "I think my Zack's still sweet on her." "I told him at the time, he should've let her down gentler." "Jimmy Minty!" "My God!" "What a stupid kid you were growing up." " How the hell are you, Jimmy?" " Just fine." "How're you doing, Mr. Roby?" "I don't think I can remember anybody as untalented as Jimmy here." "My God, it was pitiful." "But, I guess that is a lesson to us all." "You know, never give up on a child." "Now." "Miles here is just the opposite." "Straight A's all the way through school." "I would have sworn he would have grown up having a good heart... and when his own father needed a helping hand... he'd be right there." "But apparently not." "Why don't you go get in the car, Dad?" "'Cause I'm having a conversation with Jimmy Minty here." "He may not be gifted like you... but I'll bet he can follow what I'm saying." "To tell you the truth..." "I would rather have a complete idiot for a child... than an ingrate." "I gotta go, Mr. Roby." " Miles?" " Yeah?" " Take a little walk with me?" " Yeah, sure." " Thanks, Mr. Roby." " Thank you, Ryan." "Dick!" "I didn't want to bring this up around your dad... but there's a lot of dope around town right now... so tell your brother to be careful, okay?" "Why should David be careful?" "He's your brother." "I'm just saying, is all." "A word to the wise, right?" "Look, you don't know a damn thing about my brother." "Everybody knows he's growing dope out there." "I don't." "I can't help thinking how bad your ma would feel." " You know even less about my mother." " I didn't mean..." "So don't bring her up in any more conversations, okay?" " Miles..." " No, just shut up and listen." "You didn't know her." "Say that, so I know you understand." "You shouldn't tell me to shut up in public." "This badge entitles me to respect." "You're right." "It's just that my family is off-limits." "Okay?" "Sure." "So did you find what you were looking for?" "All $10." "I was gonna tell you, you never give me a chance." "Will you stop picking at that?" "It's holding the seat together." "What are you doing with a Martha's Vineyard real estate guide?" "Boy, that would be just like you." "Move to an island, leave me here." "Every time I want to visit my granddaughter, I gotta swim." "Yeah, well, it would do you good." "Wash some of those crumbs out of your beard." "Mrs. Rodrigue catches you with that, it's big trouble." "She won't come over here." "She hates the blue table." "God, Oh, my God, you're almost done." "I haven't even started." "Help me, okay?" "What's my most vivid dream?" "I don't know any of your dreams." "I think you should get back together with Zack Minty." " Yeah." " He so does not like his new girlfriend." "You should see how he treats her." "I know how he treats her." "That's how he used to treat me." "What?" "Candace..." "John says he wants to meet you in the parking lot after school." "He says he's got something to show you." "Shut up, you asshole." "I'll tolerate no more disturbances from the blue table." "My God." " What have you done?" " Oh my God!" "Tell me what you've done." "My heavens." "Go see the nurse, child." "Christina, you're not going to puke, are you?" " No." " All right." "Damn it, Miles, you scared me." "I just wanted to say hi, is all." "Welcome back." " Thanks." " Now go away and let me finish my joint." "You know I'm not comfortable smoking dope around you." "Why?" "Because you can never quite manage to conceal your disapproval." "Actually, I was..." "What do you think?" "I don't eat onions, Miles." "I know you've been away, but I haven't changed." "I read "The Globe," I write for "The Sentinel..."" "I never send Christmas cards and I don't eat onions." "Thank you." "Your favorite customer." "Don't let the stars get in your eyes" "Don't let the moon break your heart" "Pa-pa-papaya" "Good afternoon, ladies, good afternoon!" "Perry Como, right on time." "Hey, big boy." "Take a look at me." "I'm 50." "50 years old, I got the body of a 40-year-old." "Come on, come on, let me see what you got." "If you pin me..." "I'll give you one free month membership at my health club." "Which, by the way, you can use." "And excuse me, Mr. Reporter Man, but do you have any idea at all... about how many pounds of undigested animal fat... most people have in their bodies when they die?" "Hey, bro." " Delicious." " Very funny." "Did you hear about the mill?" " Here we go again." " What?" "Let him tell it, and then it'll be over." " Go ahead, white limo." " That's right..." "A white limo with Massachusetts plates." "Wait a minute, are you gonna tell it, big boy?" "Are you?" "Because you weren't even here, okay?" "Go ahead, tell it." "Drove right down Empire Avenue." "A white limousine with Massachusetts plates... drove right down Empire Avenue... pulled into the old textile mill... and who do you think gets out?" "A bunch of guys in $600 suits with shiny shoes... who're gonna buy the mill and give everybody their old jobs back." "At $20 an hour." "Well, then, why don't you explain it?" " You saw it, this limo?" " Everybody saw it." "No, that's not what I asked." "Did you see it?" "You know what?" "The hell with you guys." "Same rumor circulates this time every year, Walt." "Look, all I'm saying is that we could get lucky." "I mean, something good could happen here someday." "This used to be a prosperous town, right?" "All right, let's get started here." " No." " I have no time to toy with you today." "Not today." "Today I kick your ass." "Anything is possible." "But see, that's what I'm saying." "I've been saying that." "I've been saying that somebody could buy the mill." " The whole town could go back to work." " Somebody shoot him." "Tell me something, bro." "Why do you allow him in here?" "I think he just comes in here to make sure I know there're no hard feelings." "He steals your wife and there're no hard feelings?" "Some sins trail their own penance." "Anyway, you know, it's against the law to refuse service." "Yeah, so is murder." "It'd be an elegant solution just the same." "Gin!" " You just dealt." " Nevertheless." "You've got to be kidding me." "He's kidding." "Girls, he's kidding." "So how was the Vineyard?" "Tick met a boy." "Donny." "But don't tease her about it, though." " You should have fought Janine for custody." " No." "Once they're married... what's to stop them from moving away and taking her with them?" "Tick is the one thing she can't have." "Anyway, Walt likes it here... and who would Janine blame for things if I'm not handy?" " Hiya, sweetie pie." " Hi, Uncle David." "Hello, beautiful." " How are you?" " Good." " Hi, baby." " Hi." "So, I hear you had a nice time on the Vineyard." "Yeah." "There is a bookstore for sale on the beach road." "If Daddy bought it, we could live there." "Hey, Tick." "Hey, big boy." "You got a fitness club on that island?" "'Cause I've been thinking of expanding." "Yeah, there's a lot of them, Walt." "Did David tell you how business is picking up?" "You should have seen her last week." "She was like her old self, before all that shit started raining down." "She had a smile on her face all week." "You should think about that bookstore." "There's no way." "I mean, not until I can sell this place... and I can't do that, you know, until it's mine to sell." "What makes you think that Whiting woman is ever gonna give you this restaurant?" "That was our deal." "I run the place till she dies, then it's mine." " I saw the will, David." " You saw a will you mean. 20 years ago." "How many times it's been amended since is what you don't know." "Also, you know how old her mother lived to be?" "No." "That's because she's still alive... out in a nursing home in Fairhaven." "In her mid-90s." "Gin!" "Anything is possible, huh?" " How was school?" " Crappy." "Now that I'm not with Zack Minty and his friends anymore, I don't have any friends." "What about, you know, what's-her-name?" "Your new friend?" " Candace?" " Yeah." "Oh my God, I forgot Candace!" " Yeah, and you forgot me." " I know." "Yeah, and you forgot your Uncle David." "And your mom." "And Donny, you forgot Donny." "I'm never gonna hear from him again." "The Silver Fox says e-mail costs too much." "How come?" "Why?" "Why is it that you always have my gin card?" "Why?" "If I told you that, you'd be even angrier than you are now." "I can't believe you're just gonna let Mom marry him." "I mean, think about me." "I mean, think about me." "He's trying." "He just hasn't figured out how to be around you yet." "Yeah?" "He could try being dead." " Tick." " I know, sorry." "Hey, dickhead." "What are you doing?" "You shopping?" "Let me see that." "You know what?" "I think this is your size." "You know what?" "I think there's only one real way of being sure." "You gotta try it on." "No!" "Nice tan." "Man, it's too bad looks can't kill, huh, dickhead?" "Yeah." " Shit." " Let's get out of here." " It's Chief Daws." " Let's go." "Calm down." " Hurry up." " Shotgun!" "Zack Minty, huh?" " You okay?" "You're the Voss boy, right?" " Yeah." "You want to come down the station, file a report?" "No." "No." "Okay then." "Here." "You need this?" "Go on, take it." "You know where we are." "Chief Daws." "I don't think Mrs. Rodrigue likes my snake." " What doesn't she like about it?" " You see, that's the thing." "I think it reminds her of real snakes." "If true... that means the better I draw the snake... the more it'll remind her of what she hates... and the worse grade I'll get." "Hence, I want a good grade..." " I should draw the snake badly." " Or not draw a snake." "No, but the assignment was to draw our most vivid dream." "That's mine." "You mistrust your teacher's judgment of the merits of your drawing, correct?" " Correct." " Hence, you might as well mistrust... your teacher's judgment of the merits of the assignment." " Right." " Draw her an angel." "But I'm dreaming of snakes." "It's none of her business what you're dreaming." " Eat!" " I am." " You am?" " She's done pretty well." " No, Miles, you've done pretty well." " What..." "And don't be telling me you haven't, either, because I've been watching." "It's not nice to tell a person's secrets, Charlene." "I don't go around telling your secrets." "That's where you're smart." "Charlene has secrets?" "Well... see, Mom bet Walt that when the divorce is final... you'll ask Charlene to marry you." " Really?" " Uh-huh." "She says you've been in love with her since high school." "Yeah?" "That you even took a job here after school, just so you could be near her." "Yeah, well, your mother says a lot of things." "Thirteen up!" "Here she is." " Hello, gorgeous." " Hi." "You look beautiful." " 120?" " 125." "Impossible." "I'm gonna have that scale checked." " You're 120, tops." " All right." " Hello, you two." " Hi." "You're early." "Also hot and sweaty." "Don't be staring at my boobs, Miles." "We were married 20 years, they never interested you the whole time." " You ready to go?" " I guess." "You guess." "And who would know for sure?" "Is there somebody who could give us a definitive answer?" "I have to get my backpack." "Do you always have to be such a bitch?" "Yes, I do, little girl." "You'll understand when you're 40." " You're 41." " God damn, that's good." "You could order some, Janine." "It wouldn't kill you to eat." "Yeah." "You'd like it if I got fat again, wouldn't you?" "There's a word for people like you:" "Enabler." " David." " I really hate it when you do that." " What?" " When you don't say what you're thinking." "You thought, "Yeah, there's a word for people like you, too."" "I could see that thought scroll right across your forehead, but you wouldn't say it." " Dear God." " You guys fighting?" "Yes, we're fighting." "You can wait in the car if you're squeamish." " Love to." "Bye." " Bye, baby." " I saw a great one today, Daddy." " Yeah?" "You know that old gay bar, the one on Fairhaven Road?" "Their sign says, "enter in rear."" "That's a good one. 10-pointer." "You're back in the lead." " Good night." " Good night, baby." "Sweet dreams." "And you don't have to be so tough on her." " Somebody has to be." " She's just a kid." "Miles, you're wrong." "If you don't believe me, just look at her." "And try using the same eyes you look at other people with." "I'm not gonna argue with you." "That's what the last 20 years have been about, us not arguing." " I feel like arguing." " 120, tops." " I love you." " I love you more." "We did really well last week." "If you'd let me have custody..." "And she'd sleep where?" "Upstairs?" "You're gonna move those pallets of Frialator grease... down into the cellar to make room for her?" "I'm the one who ended up without a house, aren't I?" " Speaking of which..." " Don't." "Don't go there." " What?" " I did speak to him about buying you out." "Inasmuch as he's renting out his own house and he's living in mine..." "He's sifting through some investment opportunities right now, okay?" " Come on!" " You should be happy." "A month from now I'll be Mrs. Walt Comeau... and all you'll owe is child support." "If you hadn't dragged your feet, it would've been done months ago." "The courthouse burned down, Janine." "Please, you stalled and stalled, Miles, and we both know it." "It wouldn't surprise me to find out you torched the damn courthouse... just to keep me from being happy and having a life." "Do you know what I still don't understand?" "Us." "I mean, I told you every single thing you did that pissed me off..." " during the whole 20 years, right?" " That's true, you did." "Here I am, getting ready to marry somebody else... and you still haven't told me why you didn't love me." " I mean, is that fair?" " You took up with Walt, Janine." " Sure, throw that in my face." " What..." "No, it's not fair and you know it." "I took up with Walt because he loved me and you didn't." "Now, I know what I did hurt your feelings... but you shouldn't pretend you were in love with me, because you weren't." "What is my part in this conversation?" "I mean, if you're gonna speak for both of us..." "Are you trying to tell me you love me?" "'Cause if that's what you want to say, I'll shut up so you can." "That's what I thought." "Why are you tormenting yourself, Janine?" "I mean, being with Walt makes you happy, what else matters?" "Beats the shit out of me." "I guess just once I'd like to hear you say I'm not a horrible person." "Janine, I never said you..." "That's what I'm trying to tell you, Miles, you never said anything." "Tab's full, old man." "God, you smell." "When's the last time you had a bath?" " Hello, Bea." " Hi." "You're working late?" "Yes, covering the school board meeting." " You want one, Max?" " Sure." " How'd that go?" " The usual." "And draw one of those for my friend, here." "Yes, they were civil for about two minutes." "And after that uncivil for a while, then rude... then insulting." "It stopped just short of fisticuffs." "I don't know if I've told you, Bea, but... in my experience... most human beings are selfish, greedy, venal, unprincipled... utterly irredeemable shit-eaters!" "So I have mentioned it, huh?" " You should have that thing removed." " Max." "What thing?" "I'm always afraid that it's going to explode when I'm talking to you." " What would it cost you to have it cut off?" " Don't know, never looked into it." "Boy, I would've." "If I had that thing growing out of my forehead..." "I'd have had it looked into, pronto." "I don't know, Max..." "I think it might be the source of my intelligence." "What if I had it cut off and then found... that it was responsible for all my best ideas?" " You ever been to Florida?" " No." "You would like Key West." " Hemingway lived there." " Hemingway?" "Yeah, hell of a fellow." "You met Ernest Hemingway?" "Papa." "His friends called him Papa." "No, what I asked was, "Did you meet him?"" "I drank an awful lot of beer down there over the years." "He could've been sitting in the next barstool." "I bet there was at least one stool between you." "What was the first year that you went down there?" "Winter, '69." "Then you never sat next to Hemingway." "He shot himself in the head in '61." "You and I should go down there sometime." "The women walk around there half-naked." "There's a bar down there, the girls just take their bras off." "They nail them to the ceiling." " I'm free anytime you want to go." " No, I don't think so, Max." "All those naked girls." "I might get depressed." "End up shooting myself." "That's it." "Yeah?" "Try to miss that thing on your forehead." "My God, what a mess that would make." " Pretty good night." " Yeah." "Wait till the weekend after all the college kids get back." "I'm not 100% sure we got our costs in line on the new menu... but it's gotta be pretty close." "Which is why I keep telling you... now is the time to make our move." "If we went partners with your mother-in-law over at Callahans... she'd do the liquor, we'd provide the food... better for both of us." "Why let Francine Whiting keep pulling all the strings?" " 'Cause I owe her, David." " You owe her?" "You owe her nothing." "She could've gotten rid of this place years ago." "Where would that have left me?" " Free?" " And Janine and Tick." "When Mom was sick, who do you think paid her medical bills?" "When I was away at college, I had to come up with $500... every semester for books and fees." "Where do you think that came from?" "Mom sure as hell didn't get it from Dad." "At least we're finally talking about the right person." "Mom." "You don't have to tell me how much I owe her." "How much was it, the bookstore?" "More like a book barn, actually." "New books, a little cafe downstairs... used books upstairs, a nice little cottage out back." " And?" " What?" "How much was it?" "Look, I can't make snap decisions like you do." "Okay?" "I've got Tick to think about." "You know, I must have been doing 100... when I plowed through that guardrail down into that ravine." "I'd still be hanging up in a pine tree by my hunting vest... if I hadn't peed on that deer hunter the next morning." "I'm really glad you're not drinking anymore, David, but what's your point?" "Playing things safe can be just as dangerous." "If you aren't careful, Tick's gonna be the next manager of the Empire Grill." "Another generation under that woman's thumb." " Over my dead body." " Now we've come full circle." "That's what Mom always used to say about you." "And yet here you are... stuck running this place nearly 25 years." "And Mom, what did she do?" "Ten years in the Whiting household looking after young Cindy?" "Which reminds me." "This was in the newspaper when you were gone." "Tell me something." "Are you growing dope?" "'Cause Jimmy Minty seems to think you are." "Jimmy Minty actually thinks?" "That's mom in the top right corner." "What a comedown, huh?" "Office manager to chief maid." "She'd been turning over in her grave if she knew you were still here." "Why'd they fire you?" "They fired a lot of people, not just me." "But why'd they fire you?" "I wasn't the only one, you know." "Mom had plans for you too." "Yeah, I know, she told me exactly what she wanted me to do before she died." "Yeah, what was that?" "She said, "David, look after your brother."" " She didn't say that." " She did say that." "Why don't you take the wheel, Miles?" "Get out of here, Max." "Go on, go on." "Go!" "Good night, old man." "Who, after all, arrives at his heart's home... at the end of the day?" "Given this day, who can say that the next will bring joy?" "Good boy." "Yes!" "Yes!" "Or comfort?" "Your tea is ready..." "You old goat, you're disgusting." "You forgot your pants again." "Honestly, Father Tom!" "Or justice?" "Or release?" "Or an end to care?" "Lives are like rivers... eventually they go where they must... not where we want them to." " Miles!" " Cindy, I had no idea you were home." "I so wanted to surprise you and I have, haven't I?" "Let me have a look at you." "You look great." " You okay?" " Yeah." "Take it easy." "So how are you?" "Miles, I'm so, so well." "The doctors are amazed." "I haven't had any setbacks in... so long." "It seems I'm to begin life again as a normal person." " You can congratulate me." " That's wonderful, Cindy." "Cindy Whiting." "She'd been only three when she was run over outside their home." "The driver never apprehended." "One desperate heartbreaking operation after another... had left her as crippled of mind and spirit... as she was of limb." "I'm staying here at present." "Just until I find a place of my own." "A grown woman needs a place to come and go as she pleases... and entertain whom she pleases." "Timmy." "It's only Miles." " You don't want to hurt him." " Like hell she doesn't." "It's mother." "She must have heard you drive up." "She's waiting for you in the gazebo." " You go along, I'm slow." " That's okay, let her wait." "She loves the sound of mother's bell, for some reason." " Cindy, I wanted to tell you..." " No, Miles." "I heard about you and Janine." "I'm so sorry." "You never loved her, Miles." "You know you didn't." "That's what she says, oddly enough." "I lied, Miles." "I'm not sorry." "Your divorce gives me a slender thread of hope." "I still love you, Miles." "I know you wish I didn't... but I can't help it." "It's the one thing the lithium can't touch." "It washes into your brain and it makes things easier, but... it can't erase what's here." "It can't change what's here." "What's in a woman's heart." "Cindy." "Cindy." "Please." " Careful, now." " Yeah, you go." " You're okay?" " Yeah." "You're sure, now?" "Damn." "Timmy, you're such a little pill." "Sorry, Miles." "His little girl's accident changed everything for C.B. Whiting." "In a heartbeat, he went from thinking of himself as someone special... to someone especially damned." "Was it seeing Cindy's limbs become more twisted with each passing year... that caused his 10-year-Iong meander in Mexico?" "Was it her continued suffering that finally... lured him back, too late, to his own headwaters?" "Or was it some darker, selfish impulse?" "But that's in a later chapter." "Hello, dear boy." "Did you like my surprise?" "Would you like some iced tea?" "Thank you." "I see you've had another encounter with Timmy." "It's odd how she hates you so much." "Of course that little beast detests everyone... but you she seems to hold in particular contempt." "You should hold a raffle. $10.00 a chance... the winner gets to beat her to death with a baseball bat." "You could fund a new wing of the hospital." "Why is it I always forget you have a sense of humor?" " Did I say something funny?" " But you didn't get it from your mother." "She was a sweet woman... but she was not blessed with a sense of life's grand folly." "Actually, you know, my mother loved to laugh." "It's just harder when you're always the butt of the joke." "Yes, well." "She did have a hard life." "However, I have always felt that people make their own luck." "You needn't smile that smile, Miles Roby..." "I know you think I married my luck." "But that opinion is unkind." "And it does you no credit." "There is a world of skill in marrying the right person." "And most people make a complete hash of it." "I wager you have no idea any longer of why you married." "You mean you would wager if you could find somebody to wager with." "You married Janine in order to escape an even worse fate." "Could we discuss the restaurant?" "Yes, we can discuss whatever you like... or not discuss whatever you like." "It's a lovely afternoon." "Mrs. Whiting, if I am to continue running the Empire..." ""Continue?"" "Of course, you're going to continue, that was our agreement." "I've been running it faithfully for over 25 years, Mrs. Whiting." "And I may be a slow learner... but I have learned this much." "There's no money in food." "You know what's troubling you, dear boy?" "It's not the restaurant." "Here you are, about to be a bachelor again... and my daughter has returned to Empire Falls." "My brother's weekend menus are a hit." "Friday, Mexican." "Saturday, Thai." "If we could sell beer and wine..." "If your mother had had her way... you might have found yourself at the altar with my daughter... if you hadn't married when you did." "I thought we were discussing the state of the Grill." "Frankly, I'm curious to see how you manage things... the second time around." " Curious?" " Oh, please." "Spare me that tone of moral superiority." "That you do get from your mother." "It was her one tiresome trait." "And what you really hate is the fact that I know you better than you know yourself." "Maybe I'll surprise you someday." "Well, possibly." "But you haven't yet." "Incidentally... did my daughter let on to you... that her doctors now believe that she's well?" "Yeah." "Miles!" "Before, when I was trying to answer the door... and you saw it was me... for a moment, it looked like you wanted to run away." "No." "It was a surprise, that's all." "A wonderful surprise." "I can bear that you don't love me, Miles." "I've borne it all my life." "But if I thought I made you want to run away..." "Hey." "Hey!" "Have you got plans for Homecoming?" "Empire Falls and Fairhaven, weekend after next?" "You're inviting me to Homecoming?" "Yeah, why not?" "Oh, Miles!" "Dear, dear Miles." "Okay?" " I'll call you." " Okay." "Hey!" "Come Here!" "You gotta be kidding me." "Your mother, she was a sweet woman... but she was not blessed with a sense of life's grand folly." "Miles, look, we're coming up on the island." "Isn't it exciting?" "You know, there'll be lots more Little League games when you get back." "And maybe we'll meet somebody nice." " When's Dad coming?" " Maybe later in the week." "Let's try to have fun, okay?" "Can we go to the beach?" "How about first thing?" "Yeah?" "Mom, your lobster." " Look at my steamers." " That looks nice." "Pretty good." " Who's that?" " Who's who?" "I thought you said the dining room was too expensive." "Well, I think we can afford to splurge one night." "Will they have steamers?" "How do I look?" "Wow!" "What?" "I don't see them." "I know, there's no steamers." "You have to order something else." "Clams Casino." "Yeah, Clams Casino." "May I take your order?" "Clams Casino." "Don't worry, if he doesn't like them, I do." "I'll have the lobster." "Thanks." " Pardon me, but are you eating alone?" " Alas!" "Would you like to join us?" "I seem to have the larger table." "Okay." "Come on." "But I haven't introduced myself, Charlie Mayne." " We're from Maine." " Really?" "Well, now, that's interesting." "M-a-y-n-e is how I spell my name." "How do you spell your state?" "The real way." " And I'm Grace." " Yes." "Yes, you are." "I think somebody needs to thank Charlie, for a wonderful and very expensive dinner." "Five orders of Clams Casino, I bet that's a record." "You know what?" "If we hurry, I think there's just time." "Charlie, slow down." "Faster!" " Charlie, look!" " What?" "Where?" " Can I go walk on the beach?" " Sure." "Take off your shoes, okay?" "And don't get your pants wet." "Okay." "Thank you." "What are you trying to catch?" " Fish." " Fish." "Big one." " Something wrong?" " No." "Except, how come every time I look up these days, I see you?" " Small town, Miles." " It's not that small." "Maybe." "Maybe not." " Those napkins cost money, you know." " I'll pay you for them." "I want my new name to be second nature." "Goodbye, Janine Roby." "Hello, Janine Comeau." "Did it ever occur to you... that I could use a hand with these boxes?" "After all these years, you finally decided you don't like mule work?" "Give it up, Beatrice." "I'm not coming back to work for you." "I've got a job at one of the few successful businesses... in this whole sorry town." "I lost 50 pounds." "I feel good about myself for the first time in my whole damn life... and you're not gonna bring me down, either, so don't even try." "Delicious." "Good." "And I am not trying to bring you down, little girl." "It's a mother's duty to point out when her child's acting dumber than usual." "I mean, trading in a perfectly good man like Miles... for a strutting rooster like Walt Comeau... simply defies imagination." "Maybe one day I'll pack it all in like you, but not today." "People can change and I'm changing." "You're not changing, Janine, you're just losing weight." "There's a difference." "If you thought for two seconds... about the effect of all your foolishness on your daughter... that'd be a change." "Okay, John." "Grab a seat." "Christina, could I speak with you a minute?" "Christina, I need to ask you a favor." "Recently there have been some lunchroom incidents involving..." "Maybe if he could join you here in six, since you take art together." "There's a certain element in our school that enjoys tormenting that... unhappy boy." "His parents abandoned him on his grandmother." "He's missed an awful lot of school." "What he needs is a friend." "I don't mean a girlfriend or anything." "It would just be nice for him to know that not everybody..." "Right." "It's about time." "Come on up." " That hasn't been scraped yet." " So what?" "What are you doing here, Dad?" "I'm painting!" "You owe me for two hours." " I don't owe you anything." " What happened to your car seat?" " None of your business." " Hey!" "Don't get mad at me, I didn't do it." "I'm just an old man." " You have crumbs in your beard." " Yeah, so what?" "Peckerhead!" " Tom?" " Where did this evil bastard come from?" "This is no evil bastard, Tom, this is Miles Roby." "You baptized him." " You married his parents..." " I know who it is!" "Look at him, he's a filthy degenerate." "Well, if he's filthy, Tom... it's from painting our church for free, remember?" "He's a peckerhead, and his mother was a whore!" "And don't think I didn't tell her, either." "Tom!" "Look at me." "Now remember what we talked about?" "I'm sorry you're not feeling well today, but this behavior is intolerable." "You owe Miles an apology." "Forgive me." "Mom, are you all right?" " Should I get Father Tom?" " No." " I'm sorry, Miles." " I doubt he even remembers my mother." "It's ironic that Tom's condition may be the only thing... keeping us open for business." "Look at my father." " So how come you're dreaming of eggs?" " I'm not dreaming of eggs." "But the assignment was to draw our most vivid dream." "So, how come you're thinking of eggs?" "It's something my mother once said to me, a long time ago." "She said, "if chickens knew what they were in for..." ""they'd stay in their eggs."" "She was frying eggs at the time." "Is your mom dead?" "It's a possibility." "Do we even want to know what those two could possibly find to talk about?" "It's hard to imagine, all right." "A word to the wise:" "Don't let Max in here... unless you want to find your valuables for sale at Empire Music and Pawn." "He'd steal from God?" "Yeah, he's pretty fearless, as far as God's concerned." "I don't know whether he's an atheist... or he just thinks he'll be able to bullshit God, like he does everybody else." "Well, you give him this anyway." "Don't worry, it's not too much." "Well, he'll be grateful." "And it is too much." "You know, actually, Father, he won't be grateful." "But he'll be glad to have it." "Do you want my other half a sandwich?" "Because I am full... and I won't eat it." "So this is your new boyfriend?" " You're not supposed to be in here." " I have a hall pass." "Dickhead, get lost." "My old girlfriend is gonna tell me why she doesn't like me anymore." "Billy Wolf sprained his ankle at practice." "I'm gonna be starting against Fairhaven." " Congratulations." " The coach was gonna start me anyway." "Thank you, though." "You gonna come to the game?" "Come on, everyone's going." "They're gonna go hang out afterwards." "Candace is coming." "You should come." " Maybe." " "Maybe?"" " Yeah." " "Maybe?"" "I've changed a lot since last spring." "It just makes me really angry when you..." "You won't even give me a second chance." "I got an idea." "Why don't we bring your new boyfriend along with us?" " No, leave him alone." " Dickhead!" " Don't!" " Dickhead!" "You!" "Turn around, look at me!" "Yeah, I'm talking to you." " What's your name?" " His name is John." "John Voss." "John Voss." "Hey, no hard feelings there, John Voss." "You want to hang with us after the game?" "Okay." "Did you hear that?" "It's okay with John Voss." "Look, if you leave him alone, I'll go to the game, okay?" "Hey, dickhead." "I mean, John Voss, Tick's gonna come too, all right?" "Cheap bastard!" "He's a sissy, you know, that young one." "What?" "You're just mad 'cause I got paid, you didn't." "Actually, Dad, I'm thrilled that you got paid." "Maybe you can make it to the end of the week without hitting me up for a loan." " What are you doing?" " Glove box won't open." "Well, that's because it's locked." "People keep taking money out of it." "That little lock wouldn't stop anybody." "You're not gonna get this $20 bill." "Boy, if I was you, I'd start courting that cripple, Cindy Whiting." "And you wonder why I don't come to you for advice." "If all I had to do to get my hands on $10 million was to marry a cripple..." "Would I ever!" "Yeah, I know you would, then you'd leave her." "God." "Give me a screwdriver, I could fix that for you." "You know, if you'd marry that cripple, you'd own the whole town." "Tick could go to a good college and there might just be enough left over... so that I could spend the winter in the Keys." "Could you not refer to her that way?" " What way?" " As a cripple, could you not do that?" "What way should I call her?" "Don't call her anything, don't refer to her at all." "How'd that be?" "There was a fellow down in the Keys, he called himself a cripple all the time." " He said, "Max, don't ever be a cripple."" " Good god!" " Well, don't get mad at me, is all I'm saying." " God!" "Give me a..." "It wasn't me that run over her." "If your mother was here, and she told you to marry her, you'd marry her." " Then we'd have $10 million to split." " That's what you think." "If mom was still alive, she and I would have $10 million." "You would be shit out of luck, partner." "Get along home little Cindy" "Get along home little Cindy" "Get along home little Cindy" "All right, all right, all right!" "I'll marry you one day" "Good lord!" "That's quite a crowd." "It looks like you could use some help." "I'm available if the money is right." " The cavalry has arrived!" " How you doing?" "Not bad for a one-armed man." "Charlene needs help though." "Here, Dad, put this on before you go out front." "And Dad, wash your hands." " Wash my hands, so I can bus dirty dishes?" " Just wash them." "Hi." "Hey, who's this?" "Who are you?" "This is John from my art class." "Uncle David said we needed a new busboy and I already showed him how." "Take a look at Brian." "He's a walking appetite suppressant." " Brian." " Hey, Miles." " Come here for a minute." " What?" "You gotta go home." "What do you mean?" "I can't help it, something bit me." " I can still work." " Yeah, but people eat here, Brian." "Go home." "Hello, John." "Miles." "Two orders up of chicken." " Hi, Grandpa!" " Tickeroo!" "Hi." "Your beard is scratchy, Grandpa." " And you smell." " Well, so do you." "The difference is you're young, so you smell good." "Here, just bus the dishes, Dad." "If you take any of Charlene's tips, she'll gut you like a carp." "Down in the Keys, the waitresses split their tips with the busboys." "Why don't you give that a try and let me know how it turns out?" "Old man, you so much as steal one dime of mine, I will castrate you." " I've already warned him." " Castrate you." " Hey, Walt." " Hey, big boy..." " business is really picking up, huh?" " It's great." " This upscale idea of yours is really good." " Yeah, it is." "So, I'm in the john and I'm thinking:" ""How can he put even more and more money into the box?" You know?" " Yeah." " Add even more class." " What did you come up with?" " You add an "e" on the end of "Grill."" "G-r-i-l-l-e." " Now, that is a great idea, Walt." " Thanks." "Why don't you just clean those two tables?" "Then you can go join your friends." " Is that Candace out there?" " Yeah." "I thought you gave Zack Minty his walking papers last spring." "What's that mean?" " I just know how much you hate him." " I don't hate him." "He's just a boy." "What I do hate is you being afraid to tell me things." "That's 'cause there's nothing to tell, okay?" "We're going out as a group." "It's not just me and Zack." "Hey, John, can you give us a minute, please?" "Thanks." "What about Donny?" "The boy from the Vineyard?" " I thought you two..." " I haven't even gotten a letter." "Hey, it hasn't been that long, and let's be fair..." " you haven't written him, either." " Well, we still don't have e-mail." " Hey, do you want me to let John off, too?" " No." "Okay." "Hey, where have you been?" "I was talking to Audrey, the manager over at The Lamplighter." "She said they were slow all evening, so was The Eating House out on 92." "In fact, the only restaurant in Dexter County that did any volume tonight was us." "I made great tips, too." "Selling fajitas to Mainers." "Who'd thought you could make a living doing that?" " Yeah, well, The Lamplighter..." " You did!" "...may have done shit, but they still outgrossed us, Miles." " Because they sell booze." " They sell booze." "Yeah." "Sure, we did good tonight." "We'll never ever do any better." "We can't put any more tables in." "We can't put any more people at the tables we already got." "We killed ourselves tonight." "For what?" " I know, I know." " Don't just say, "I know, I know," Miles." "What do you what from me, David?" "I talked to Mrs. Whiting..." " I sat down, I showed her the books." " No, I don't want to hear about Mrs. Whiting." "Jesus Christ!" "What a good Catholic boy you are, Miles." "Somebody tells you you can't have something, you just genuflect and accept it." "Look at yourself, look!" "Have you seen this?" "Has it ever occurred to you every time you come back from that woman's house... you've got scratch marks on you?" " Have you thought about what that means?" " That she's got a psychotic cat." "No, it means she's toying with you, Miles." "She owns the whole town, yeah." "But she only owns you because you let her." " $500,000." " What?" "That's what the bookstore on the Vineyard costs." "The one you want me to skip town and buy." "You tell me, where am I gonna come up with $500,000?" " Screw the bookstore, I'm talking about you." " No, not "screw the bookstore."" "Every time that you want something, really want it... you shove it away in some dark corner, so you don't have to think about it." "As if you're gonna be punished for wanting it!" "Jesus, it breaks my heart!" "And we both know where you got that from." " David!" " And it's not Dad, no." "You know what, Charlene?" "This needs to be said." "Tell that woman to get us a liquor license or go fuck herself!" "David!" "If you don't wanna do it for yourself, do it for Tick... because she's soaking up more of your defeatism and passivity every day." "David!" "Look at your brother." "Just be quiet for a minute and look at him." "Oh, shit." "Okay, I'm going home." "Sorry." "I spoiled the party." " David, you don't have to go." " No, I do." "It's time I got home and tended to my pot empire." "That was a joke, Miles." "I've got one plant in the basement, Miles, under a heat lamp." " Whatever." " Whatever's right." "I'd better go." "I'll be right back." " Miles." " Hey, Bill." "Hey, he does care about you, you know." "He just thinks you eat too much shit." "I take it you agree." "I don't know, Miles." "You've got to be the most cautious man I've ever run across." "Yeah." "You know how when Max wants something... how he's always got a plan?" "No matter how hard you try, you can't distract him?" "David thinks you get distracted by other people." "Yeah, well, he doesn't even know the worst of it." "I invited Cindy Whiting to Homecoming tomorrow." "That's really sweet, Miles." "God knows that woman could use a little joy in her life." "That is a really nice thing that you've done." "It was Cindy who nursed my mother through the cancer, right to the end." "You know, Mrs. Whiting took her in, but it was Cindy who took care of her." "I left school to be close by, but the truth is I never got out there much." "My mother was furious with me for quitting." "I didn't know that." "Why do you think I crossed that river every day for the last ten years?" "So you could end up working at the Empire Grill?" "Don't do this, Miles." "You go back to school, you graduate." "I'm going to graduate, Mom." "Just not this semester." " For now, this is where I belong." " No." "As soon as you are better, I'm gonna go back." "I'm not going to get better, Miles." "Don't pretend." " Mom." " No." " Look." " Miles." "Mom, Mrs. Whiting is making me a manager." " Later..." " But you'll end up trapped here." "Can't you see, Miles?" "She knows how much you love me." "Don't be kept from your life." "Don't, for me." " Not for me." " Mom." "I guess you heard most of that." "Miles!" "It's not your fault." "Thank you for taking care of her." " You have been so..." " Don't be silly, Miles." "She's been a mother to me." "All those years she cared for me." "My only mother, really." "I'll go in." "I can usually calm her down." "I went over there, one night, near the end." "Cindy was coming out of my mother's room." "I don't know how we got started... but at first, it was just her kissing me." "And then I was kissing her, too." "And then we were, you know, grappling, groping." "We were half-undressed and then my mother cried out." "And Cindy put herself together and went back in." "I was supposed to stay there and wait for her." "But by the time she got my mother settled again..." "I realized what I was doing... and I just got out of there." "I bolted." "For the longest time, I've imagined... what her face must have looked like when she discovered I was gone." "There's no need to repeat that story." "Get rid of a hangover, that's pretty good." "David's right about one thing." "I don't really go after what I want, do I?" "Miles." "It's not like I don't know you've had this crush on me, like, forever." "You know how fond I am of you." "You're about the sweetest man I know." " Do you wanna know what?" " What?" "I'd like to take you home and make love with you." "Except..." "I couldn't stand how disappointed you'd be." "And you wouldn't be able to conceal it either." "Not with that face of yours." "Well, the next time you feel the impulse, let me know." "I just might want to risk it." "Hey, listen." "You did a good deed, hiring that Voss boy." "You know what they say:" " "No good deed goes unpunished."" " Unpunished." "He's had it pretty rough." "His parents were low-rent drug dealers down in Portland." "When he was little, they used to stuff him in a laundry bag... and hang him on the inside of a closet door, while they conducted business." "They didn't always come back for him right away." " Good night, Bea." " So long." "It's awful." "Did you hear that?" "So, my dear brother has this notion that you and I should go into business." "Well, I've heard dumber ideas." "It'd have to be your call, Miles." "I'm not quite sure I see how to make it work." "Let me know if you change your mind." "You married my daughter, so I owe you one." "I'm gonna hit the shower." "Yeah?" "I have a better idea." "Oh, God!" "Oh, God." "Oh, God!" "Oh, God." "Oh, God!" "Miles never would have found that spot." "Oh, God!" " Have a good day, now." " Thanks, you too." "Empire Grill." "Father Mark, hi." "Right now?" "I'm running late, actually." "I can't figure out how he got it open." "He was always asking me for the combination... and then he'd get mad at me when I wouldn't give it to him." " How much was in there?" " Just a few hundred bucks, is all." " And they took the parish station wagon." " "They?"" "I found this on his bedside table." "Sunny Florida." "I don't believe it." " I forgot my purse." "Be right back." " I'll miss you." "1943?" " Couldn't find seats further up?" " Hello, Janine." " Put that on before you catch cold." " I'm plenty warm, Beatrice." "Yeah, well, your nipples tell a different story." "Where's the Silver Fox?" "You know Walt." "Someplace he's not supposed to be..." " that's where you'll find him." " Right, like your bedroom." "What in the world are you sitting on?" "My hemorrhoid cushion." "Why?" "Does it embarrass you?" "No, it doesn't embarrass me." "I don't care if you show people your actual hemorrhoids." "What are you in such a foul mood about?" "I haven't decided whether to tell you yet or not." "Who is that woman with Miles?" "Looks like the Whiting girl." " What are they doing on the Fairhaven side?" " Well, there's no room here." "It serves you right." "You divorce that good man, and he turns around and marries millions... and you end up with Walt." " Beatrice, screw you." " Stop it." "Hey there, Miss Whiting?" "Hey, why don't you sit down right here?" "Yeah, these folks won't mind shoving down." "Come on." " Watch the reverse!" " Turn around!" "I saw that cute little girl of yours across the way." "Her and my Zack might be getting back together is what I'm hearing." "Which one is Zack?" "Right there, number 56." "He plays linebacker." "He's only a sophomore, but if he keeps on like he's going... the colleges will be interested." "Scholarships and such." "I warned him, though, I catch him eating steroids..." "I'll bust him as quick as I would a kid with a kilo of crack." "Is crack sold by the kilo?" "However it's sold, zero tolerance is what I'm saying." "Come on!" "Get him." "Look, they're behind." " I'll get it." " Thanks." "Excuse me." "Come on, defense." "They're only down by two touchdowns." "It's still the first quarter, Miss Whiting." "I'll go in." "I can usually calm her down." "Miles?" "Mrs. Whiting, her thoughts are just so..." "It's the morphine talking, dear boy." "She's not thinking clearly." "She can't admit how much she needs you here." "How much of a comfort you are to her." "I don't think I am, actually." "Could you do that?" "Could you let her die knowing you just walked away?" "You see?" "This is why I never tell you anything, Beatrice." "I'm sorry, sweetie, I am, but there is a kind of justice in this." "Really?" "Maybe you'd like to explain how me getting fucked all over again is justice." " How old did you think he was?" " Fifty, is what he tells everybody." ""Look at me, big boy." "I'm 50, I've got the body of a 40-year-old."" "I said from the beginning you were trading down." ""I said from the beginning, I said from the beginning."" "All right, then make the best of it." "You're always going on about how great the sex is." "So what if he's 60?" "Because, in ten years, by the time I'm as old as he's pretending to be..." "I'm gonna be humping an old man, Beatrice." "He needs help already." "He takes pills from this little container with no label." "I think it's Viagra." "Go ahead." "Come on, stop them." "Our defense is gonna be plumb tuckered out by halftime!" "Hut, hut." "Hike!" "Yeah!" "Did you see that hit?" "Relax!" "Give him some air." " Is he hurt?" " No, he just had his bell rung is all." "Actually, I think he is hurt." "And the hit was late." "Well, Miles, I know you went to college and all... but football is one thing I know a little more about than you." "Why don't you go set with the other experts?" "Or you're too "plumb tuckered out" to move?" "That boy is a class act, Miss Whiting." "Miles here don't agree, but..." "You know, for some reason, it embarrasses him that we used to be friends... which is okay, I guess." "Except he seems to think his kid is too good for mine... and that I do mind." "That I do mind." "That's what I'm talking about!" "Who's the man?" "Yeah!" " Hi, Grandma." " Hi there, Tickeroo." " Where have you been hiding?" " With my friends." "My snake drawing got picked for the art show." " I thought your teacher didn't like it." " You drew a snake?" "They brought in a judge from the college... and he and Mrs. Rodrigue got into an argument out in the hall." "You caused all that ruckus by drawing a snake?" "My friend John, his got chosen, too." " That made her even madder." " Excuse me, don't I rate a "hello"?" "Tell your mother to put her sweatshirt on." "Tell her she looks cold." " You do look cold, Mom." " I'm not cold." " The way that we cheered..." " All right." "...whenever our team was scoring a touchdown." "Magic moments" " filled with love" " Okay." " Look how terrific you look." " Thank you." "But you know what, sweetheart?" "You should put your sweatshirt on." "You look cold." "Sweetie?" "The prettiest place in Empire Falls, don't you think?" "Yeah, sad but true." "Someone put flowers on Mother's grave." "I always leave flowers." "A bunch on Daddy's, another on Grace's." "To me she was like..." "I didn't think I could bear it when she died." " You never noticed before?" " I don't come here." "I should, but..." "Tell me that wasn't Timmy?" "Miles." "Mother won't visit Daddy's grave either." "I usually have to come alone." "Look!" "I don't understand this." "I can't believe this." "It always happens." "I put these here the same day I did your mother's... and they're dead." "It's as if his grave is cursed." "No, I think a dog lifted its leg on them." "It was your mother who told me it was okay to love him if I wanted to." "That what a woman feels deep in her heart is her own business." " Night-night, sweetie." " Aren't you going to sleep?" "I'm gonna read a little first, okay?" "Mom?" "Do you like Charlie?" "I guess." "Do you?" "Do you like him better than Dad?" "Because I like Dad better." "You know who I like most?" " Who?" " You." "I'm sorry I got my pants all wet." "I know, sweetie." "Sometimes things just happen, whether you mean them to or not, you know?" "Night-night." "I'll be glad when this goes away." "What?" "Today, at the beach, I want it to be just us." "That's too bad, honey, cause I already invited Charlie to join us." "I'll tell Dad." "You'll have to wait till he's out of jail." "He was arrested last week for being a public nuisance, Miles... and not for the first time." "He becomes a public nuisance when he tires of being a private one." "That's a lie." "No, it's the truth, and you are old enough to know it." "And I'll tell you something else... when we get home there are gonna be some changes." "So be prepared." "I checked with the restaurant this morning." "That five orders of Clams Casino is a record." "You mad at me?" "You're mad at your mom?" " She's an awfully nice person, you know." " I know." "Everybody deserves a chance to be happy, don't you think?" "She is happy." "And there comes a time in your life when you realize... that if don't take the opportunity, you won't ever get another." "She is happy." "I guess I was talking about me." " Thank you." " You're welcome." "Tell me this isn't a dream." "Tell me I never have to wake up." " You live here, dude?" " Leave him alone, Zack." "Well, where's your car?" " Yeah, where is your car?" " We don't have one." " My grandma didn't..." " Do you have indoor plumbing... or do you and your grandma shit in the woods?" "You losing it, huh?" "You losing it?" "Stop it!" "Both of you, stop it!" "No, I just had to get out." " That's better." " Sorry." "Night, dickhead." "Here, boy." "Hey, buddy." " Thanks." " You're welcome." " Thanks for everything." " Okay." " I'll see you later." " Yeah, have a nice evening." "Okay." "You will tell me, won't you, dear boy?" "Tell you what, Mrs. Whiting?" "When you get to the part where you surprise me." "How easy it is to get stalled in the shallows." "Life's tiny eddies swirling all around... close to the shelter and safety of the shore." "And how hard to strike out for the middle of the stream... where the stronger currents of destiny await." "And where..." "Who knows?" "You might just surprise yourself." "Sometimes all it takes is being pushed just a little too far."