A Thousand Acres Page #2

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clean all by himself, no trouble.

How are we going to pay for it?

The bank will roll out the carpet for us.

- You mean borrow?

- Sure.

We get a good breeding line

of our own going...

we can put those babies up for adoption.

Everybody wants one.

I'll say, "Yeah, Jake, but you got

to feed them with your own spoon...

"and let them sleep

on your side of the bed. "

He'll say, "Sure, Ty, anything.

I've already started his college fund. "

This is where we stop working for your

dad, Ginny, and start working for ourselves.

It'll be our place, our way of doing things.

You know, sleeping here

is only going to make Daddy madder.

Daddy changes his whole life overnight.

Take it while it's on offer.

He's a farmer, Rose.

He doesn't know how to be anything else.

Do you remember...

I was just remembering it.

Before Mummy died,

guess you were about five...

and you said, "When I grow up...

"I'm not going to be a farm wife. "

And she laughed, and she asked you

what you were going to be.

And you said, "A farmer. "

I don't remember Mummy, you know that.

Anyway, I was five.

- Sweet dreams.

- You, too.

I know it,

and he knows I know it.

- And that's why he's so pissed off at me.

- What should I give him, a pie or a cake?

- Hi, Sadie.

- Hi, Ginny.

Give me one of those apple cakes.

I'm going to get this, okay?

Just come along, come up...

give him a hug and a kiss and say,

"I'm sorry, Daddy. "

It's too late. I spent the night at Rose's.

- Just ignore that part.

- Well, he won't.

If he mentions it, just say,

"I was afraid you were mad at me, Daddy. "

- I hate that little-girl stuff.

- I know.

Caroline, this is important.

He's handing over his whole life.

Can't you understand that?

We have to receive it in the right spirit.

Please, just do it this once.

It's the last time, I promise.

I don't know, Ginny.

I will try, okay? Now, don't be mad at me.

- Now, why can't you say that to Daddy?

- Here you go, Ginny.

Thanks.

It's 10 acres of gladiolas,

80,000 bulbs an acre.

- Thanks.

- I'll pass.

Well, 1,000 hogs farrowed

are conditioned to eat.

800,000 gladiolas? Oh, Pete.

You should hear yourself sometime.

- Ginny. How's it going out there?

- Where did you spring from?

I just thought you might want some help.

I was making coffee.

Here, Jess, let me do that.

Things are moving pretty fast.

Never thought of Daddy as being

a creature of impulse before, but...

I don't think things

will change much, really.

It's going to be fine.

Change is good.

Yeah, I'll be sitting here watching other

people work while you're out there...

working your tractor, trying to pay it off.

All right, Kenny, let's go to it.

Now is the time.

Just a moment, Larry.

Okay, Ken, let's get on with it.

I couldn't believe that Daddy was

actually dividing the farm in half...

and signing it over to Rose and me...

leaving Caroline out completely.

My first impulse was to call her,

but they had fought before...

not spoken for days, and then come back

together as if nothing had happened.

The pectorals, that's right.

Now, push against my hands.

There you go.

All right now, the other way.

Push against my hands.

- There, you feel that?

- Yeah.

That's good. All right.

I still feel lopsided.

You will for a while, Rose.

It's par for the course.

Maybe I should have

the other one off for symmetry.

I want to buy something pretty.

I want to do stuff

I've stopped myself doing. You know?

Mummy dying of exactly the same thing,

I didn't think I had a chance.

Rose.

No, I thought it'd get me for sure.

I know it's only the three-month check...

and there's the six-month, and the

one-year. But I believe him, Ginny.

I'm going to be okay.

What are you doing? Get the ball!

- Come on, Pete!

- Hit it.

Come on, Scotty!

Pete, throw it. Throw it, Ginny.

You are pitiful.

So, then they hold me down, they shave

off my beard and all my hair.

I never figured out why they

didn't turn on the lights.

The next day, I hitched a lift

into Spokane, and when I get out...

the guy leans across to me and whispers,

"I hope the chemotherapy's a success. "

- Rose, I'm sorry, I forgot.

- Don't be.

I didn't have chemo. I had it lopped off.

- He doesn't want to know, Rose.

- No, that's okay.

I got to keep the other one.

All I have to do is wink when I look in

the mirror, and forget it ever happened.

Waterworks.

I used to hitch between

Muscatine and Davenport...

- with this band I played with.

- You had a band? What'd you play?

Guitar, acoustic.

- He was good.

- Thank you.

Anyway, I got a lift this one night with

this guy and his wife. They were hippies.

- Don't tell this story.

- They were driving this VW van...

with these two Afghans

and a cat in the back.

So, they pull over to the side

of the road, and we smoke a joint.

- And the wife, Lucinda-

- Pete.

- She takes me in the back-

- With the Afghans?

Ties me to this spare tire,

mounts the dogs on the back seat...

- so they got a good view.

- It gets worse every time he tells it.

She fucks my brains out.

That woman could suck a golf ball

through a garden hose.

Pete, take your turn.

So, are you sticking around here or what?

- Harold and organic farming?

- Organic farming?

You heard from Caroline?

- I've got to call her-

- Dad's coming around.

I could maybe start with an acre or two.

What are you going to plant? Wheat grass?

Oh, man.

- What's the matter?

- Nothing.

You drove by and then you drove back.

I just came back to see

what you were doing.

I was reading a magazine.

Why is Ty cultivating that field?

- They done planting the beans?

- Almost, I think.

Daddy, why don't you come

to the house for supper tonight...

and then you can ask Ty yourself?

Do you want anything before I leave?

Well then, I'm going now.

Okay?

He was there when I went to Pike

for bread, and there when I got back.

Perfecting that death's head stare...

will be his lifework from now on,

so we better get used to it.

I'm sorry.

Why is this kitchen so crowded

all of a sudden?

If you're not cooking,

why don't you go outside?

- Where's Pammy?

- Outside.

Come on, guys, I'll show you

what I'm building.

Rose, isn't it your turn

to have Daddy for dinner?

No, I fed him earlier.

Pammy, honey,

why don't you come on in the house?

Hello?

- Is Daddy okay?

- Caroline, are you in Des Moines?

No, I'm in Pike.

Are you okay?

You never called me, Ginny.

Why didn't you call?

Well, you didn't think

I was mad at you, did you?

What was I supposed to think?

That you just forgot about me?

It's a madhouse here,

I can hardly hear you.

I need to talk to you, Ginny.

Honey, we've just started supper.

Why don't you come out here?

No, I'm not going to the house.

- Come on, sweetie.

- What about the river?

Ginny, I need 15 minutes of your time.

All right, okay.

All right, I'll be right there.

- You know where Daddy was yesterday?

- No, why?

He was in Des Moines.

Daddy never goes to Des Moines.

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