A Country Called Home Page #3

Glen, get in there and stop that woman from hurting herself.

GLEN:
I'm sorry, miss.

What are you sorry about?

She's looking for the funeral parlor.

-Maybe somebody she knows has died. -Hmm.

You ought to show a little more respect.

Somebody die on you, honey?

-Yeah, my father. -BOTH: Oh.

Mark Edwards.

(GLEN EXHALES DEEPLY)

-(DOOR BELL JINGLES) -What's his problem?

Um, I guess not everyone around here liked your daddy so much.

Thanks.

RENO:
Hey!

-Hi! -Hi.

-My number-one fan. -(BOTH CHUCKLE)

-You get home okay last night? -Yeah, yeah, I did.

-How's your mom? -Uh, she is, I guess, the same,

or someone would have called me. Yeah.

Hey, do you know where the funeral home is?

I think I'm lost.

Oh, you've come to the right person, honey.

I was lost for years. Come on.

I mean, I like how thin I look in black,

-but I don't really think that's a concern here. -Mmm-hmm.

ELLIE:
Do you have it in a different color?

Hmm, no, ma'am, it just comes in black.

Okay, well... (CLICKS TONGUE)

Let's just go with the black.

(CLAPS) Well, I like the black. Makes me think of Johnny Cash.

You know, we can do a nice inscription on the urn.

Perhaps, your father's name?

What would she need the name for?

You think she has like 20 different urns around the house...

-(CHUCKLES) -...she might get all mixed up?

Or perhaps, his favorite poem?

I don't think he had one.

Well, it would look real nice with a Texas flag,

-or, maybe, a fishing theme? -(CHUCKLES) What?

Or golf?

Just a simple urn, Mr. Harris.

MR. HARRIS:
(CLICKS TONGUE) As you wish.

Now, normally, the casket is displayed at the front of the chapel.

But for a cremation, what we do

is place a nice framed photo of your father on the table,

or you can use several photos.

Now, we've recently redone the sound system there,

we have a real good selection

of soothing tape music that you can choose from...

You okay?

I think so.

What next?

I need boxes.

You're not planning on taking all those boxes?

I was gonna pay for 'em.

Those are all my big boxes, though.

Well, are these boxes for sale or not?

-Yeah, but... -Well, there's no "Yeah, but..."

They're either for sale, or they're not.

(WHISPERS) Look, I don't want this kind of person in my store.

His name is Reno, he can be here if he wants.

Ellie, let's just go.

Oh, God. See, what is that?

ELLIE:
What? What are you talking about?

MAN:
She's tracking mud all inside the store.

What are you talking about? I can't see anything.

MAN:
Yeah, there's filth, and dirt, and...

-Okay, crazy. -Can't we just go?

No, my father is dead, I gotta pack up his sh*t.

MAN:
Yeah, we all know who your father was, don't we?

Always scheming to get money out of people.

No wonder he couldn't stand up straight.

He's lucky he didn't run over any innocent kids driving drunk like he did.

You know what?

I don't want any of your...

-F***ing boxes! -Okay. Ellie, let's just go.

-You guys need to get out of here. -ELLIE: Fine by us.

You can stay here. You can be King of the Box World.

And you can stay here until the day that you die.

-And, oh, sh*t! Look... -(DOOR BELL JINGLES)

My shoes are f***ing dirty too!

Idiot! I wanna burn his store down.

RENO:
That seems a little extreme.

Well, he's just a jerk. He doesn't like you, he doesn't like my father.

RENO:
Yeah, well, he probably doesn't like you too much right now, either.

Come on, I know where we can get some, uh, used boxes.

(TOMMY GIGGLING)

(SIGHS)

Tommy, stop that jumping.

-(GIGGLES) -(SIGHS)

What are we gonna do with all this stuff?

Well, whatever Reno doesn't want

I'm gonna take along to Goodwill.

-Where is your friend? -Trying something on.

Oh. I just don't think I could wear a dead man's clothes.

Why not?

Well, they're dead.

-Doesn't seem right. -(CLOSET DOOR OPENS)

-Check it out! -(BOTH CHUCKLE)

These are some fly threads, man.

-Are you sure I can keep these? -Yeah.

Don't really seem to fit you too good.

Oh, I can take care of that.

Well.

RENO:
And then, you can clamp it down

and it makes different sounds on the strings.

Are you going to play?

(CHUCKLES)

Hey, you ever play an instrument?

No. Not really.

But when I was eight,

my dad made me a violin.

And...

I mean, I was too young to actually play it, but I loved it.

I carried it with me everywhere.

Uh...

He sold it when we were broke.

I can't believe that he kept all this.

Like, all of our report cards, and...

RENO:
And, what?

These letters I wrote him when I left.

I was so harsh.

(DOOR OPENS)

Tommy, go on in, get ready for soccer.

Your daddy can't get out of work in time,

so I'm gonna have to run you over there.

Come on, git! Let's go.

ELLIE:
Amanda.

What is it, hon?

Why don't I take Tommy to soccer?

You'd wanna do that?

Yeah, yeah, I, I think it'll be fun.

Great. Yeah, give me a chance to make some calls.

I think we're gonna have a full house at this memorial.

-MAN:
Run, run. -(ALL CLAPPING)

(KIDS SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)

-MAN:
Other way, other way. -(ALL CLAPPING)

(KIDS TALKING INDISTINCTLY)

Let's go, Tommy!

-(KIDS TALKING INDISTINCTLY) -(PEOPLE CHEERING)

Hey, how's it going out there?

He's doing great, you know, he's kicking that ball.

Has anybody scored yet?

Hard to say.

KID 1:
You touched it.

-(CHUCKLES) You don't know anything about soccer, do you? -Nope.

KID 2:
Out of the game!

Where's my mom?

Oh, she'd had a few too many drinks.

You brought him?

Yeah.

Thanks. I really appreciate it.

She's a handful. She's always just relying on other people.

(KIDS CHATTERING)

-JACK:
Some tea? -Yeah, thanks.

Are you gonna come to the memorial?

Tommy wants to go.

You didn't like my father much, did you?

Well, he kept my mom busy. That was something.

That's funny, I don't...

You say that he kept her busy, rather than...

"He made her happy."

Look, it's tough living with drunks.

I put up with her 'cause she's my mom, but...

You know, your dad... (SCOFFS)

He's happy one day, and mean as hell the next.

He'd throw me some money if he sold one of those guitars, but...

It was just hard to get him to focus long enough to finish anything.

Yeah. I mean, I know that he was tough to live with.

I grew up with him.

Yeah.

But you ain't really been around much lately.

Hmm, I thought...

I don't know what I thought.

I never thought he'd die.

Just thought we'd have some more time.

Was he that bad when you were younger?

(CHUCKLES)

When I was 11,

my parents took us to this party.

It was, like, a barbecue

at a friend's place outside of town.

And, um,

he got really...

You know, drunk, and...

When it was time to leave, he wouldn't give my mom the car keys.

He drove, and, uh...

You know, we were swerving

and he went to

change the music on the stereo and we wrecked.

And it seemed like...

...forever till the ambulance got there.

He was friends with the sheriff 'cause...

...he walked.

And we were all fine except for my mom.

She died the next day.

So...

Yeah.

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