A Home of Our Own Page #2

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Hurry up, Murray.

(children playing)

- I can patch your radiator here,

but your water pump's gone, it's shut.

These belts look like they're

about ready to give way.

There's maybe one tire in the whole bunch

that'll see you more than

100 yards down the road.

- Will this cover it?

- Oh, ma'am, your wedding ring?

I don't want to take your wedding ring.

- Don't worry about it.

Goddamn vagabond, Irish

Catholic son of a b*tch.

Never gave me anything but grief and kids.

I'm not sentimental about it.

So is it worth enough

to keep my car going?

- Lady, this car's worth

more dead than alive.

But I'll do the best I can.

- [Shayne] Everyday, for

breakfast, lunch, and dinner,

we ate egg salad sandwiches.

I haven't eaten one since, ever.

(soft, brooding piano music)

We drove through three

states, one after another.

By the time we reached Idaho,

we'd reached our limits,

physically, mentally, and mechanically.

(kids arguing)

(tires screech)

(Annie and Craig arguing)

- [Murray] Shut up!

- [Shayne] Shut up!

- [Faye] There, I broke one of--

- Can it?

- What is it?

At first, I thought we

were out of gas again.

But there it was.

I'm not sure what it was,

but mama had that look in her eye.

Wherever we were going, we'd just arrived.

(soft piano music)

(kids clamoring)

(tapping)

(wood creaking)

(thud, fowl quacking)

- Mama, you scared me.

- [Murray] Hey, ma, come up there.

You could see everything.

- Hey, mama.

- Hey, mama.

(giggling)

(fowl quacking)

- [Murray] Mom, come up here.

- [Shayne] Lynn, no, no, no, no, wait.

- Lacey tribe.

Come on.

(scraping)

(knocking)

- Hello?

Hello?

- The berries are all done.

No more till next year.

All done.

All done.

- We don't want any berries.

- I want some berries.

- Do you know who owns

that piece of property

across the road from you,

the one with the tumble-down house on it?

- Well, I'm the owner.

- I wanna buy it.

My name's Frances Lacey.

That's my tribe.

I'd introduce you to them one at a time,

but life is short and time is precious.

- I don't know if it's for sale.

- I wanna buy it.

I want it so bad that I'm

in no position to negotiate.

You can take full advantage,

I mean, name your price.

- You're rich?

- Mister, I don't have a pot to piss in

nor a window to throw it out of.

(metal clanks)

- [Annie] We have to pee-pee.

- If that's the case,

how do you expect to pay for the land?

- Well, Mr. Moon, I've learned

that the greenback dollar

isn't the only way to get things

done in this great country.

Let's talk.

You live alone, Mr. Moon?

- Yes, if it's any of your business.

- Well, here's what we'll do.

We'll wash your dishes,

do your laundry.

Dishes daily, laundry once a week.

Clean your house once a week.

My oldest son will give you

eight hours of chores each week,

plus any other work you may need, on call,

at minimum wage plus 10%.

- You pay me interest?

- Mr. Moon, this is slave labor.

Take advantage of it.

- You know something?

I'm not so sure if I want

a smart lady like you

with a bunch of kids for my neighbor.

- Yeah, but...

Look at this place.

It takes a lot of work.

- How do I know you won't just

up and run off someday?

- Well, if I did that, then

you'd have all that free labor

plus your land back.

But I'm telling you some, Mr. Moon,

if you sell me that land,

I'm building me and my kids a

house we ain't ever leaving,

at least not while I'm still breathing.

- [Shayne] So mama talked

herself into three acres of land

with a half-finished shack on it,

and we kind of took over Mr. Moon's life.

Mama negotiated two days of free repairs

that ended up lasting two weeks.

He never knew what hit him.

We had a lot of work to do.

It was already getting cold and

we had to get a roof on and walls up,

if you can call canvas tarps

a roof and old boards walls.

- [Annie] Bye, bye tumbleweed.

(sawing)

(hammering)

- Turn which way?

- [Kids] This way.

- Okay.

Okay.

- Here it comes.

(squeals, yelping)

- Yay! ! (clapping)

- [Shayne] Mama traded our

tires for some furniture.

Mr. Moon wanted the name

of the guy who bought them.

He said he wanted proof

that he wasn't the only fool in town.

(thud, clattering)

- So what do you know how to do?

- I work.

I've done it all my life.

I work.

I learn fast and I do my share and more.

- Yeah, well, I do need another waitress.

- Then you got one.

- Minimum wage.

Tips are your own and they

ain't much in a town like this.

- I'll manage. I always do.

- I bet you do.

- This here's Norman, my manager.

- You'll be working under me.

- I'll be working for you.

Frances.

- Frances.

- [Shayne] I tried to get any job I could.

I wasn't particular, as

long as I could make money.

I finally got work at a dairy.

I don't know who hated it more,

me or the cows.

(hammering)

(sawing)

- [Mr. Moon] Give me a hand, Lynn.

- [Annie] Hey, hey, Mr. Moon's here.

- [Mr. Moon] Thanks.

- What are you up to, Mr. Moon?

- You see...

I had all these spare window glass.

A man with a greenhouse

keeps plenty on hand.

I used some of your wood.

Glazed windows.

And now I'm ready to put them in.

- I don't have the money to

pay you for this, Mr. Moon.

- Well...

I'm not doing this for

the money, Mrs. Lacey.

I do well enough

with the nursery.

- Well, I want an accounting of your time

and the cost of your materials

so I can give you an I.O.U.

I don't like owing anybody,

but you backed me into a corner.

And I'd appreciate it

a whole hell of a lot

if you let me know next

time you decide to help out.

(fowl clucking)

(fowl clucking)

- [Shayne] Mama had promised

I'd do all Mr. Moon's chores,

so I didn't have much choice.

But running his tractor was fun,

and that's how I learned to drive.

- Hi.

Hello.

- How does that look, Craig?

- Pretty good.

- [Shayne] You want to sleep on the roof?

- [Murray] I want that room.

Mom, can I have my own bathroom?

- [Faye] Can I have a pink princess phone?

- [Murray] Mom, can I

have my own bathroom?

- [Frances] Yes.

- [Shayne] School was coming up

so when the hand-me-downs were out,

the church basement was

our department store.

This wasn't so bad.

It was all we knew.

- Lynn, what do you think?

- It's beautiful.

You should get it.

- [Annie] Mama.

- Oh, no, honey.

- [Lynn] Annie.

- Lacey tribe.

We need galoshes for winter.

You've never seen winter, have you, Annie?

- Nope.

- Help her pick out a pair, Lynn.

Craig.

Here, try this on.

- Good day, ma'am.

I'm Father Tomlin.

I think you may be new to our little town.

- Mom, look what I found.

- Hope that we'll see you at

Sunday mass real soon. Unless--

- Try again, Liberace.

- Unless, of course, your convictions

take you to another church.

- Actually, we Laceys

are non-denominational.

- Well, that's neither here

nor there at the moment,

but perhaps I could tell

you about our program

to help the needy.

We can provide without charge

an allotment of clothing for

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