A Thousand Acres Page #4

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that I'm still trying to myself.

It's kind of like a last chance. What?

Didn't your doctor tell you not

to drink the well water?

What?

There's been stuff written

about this for years.

Ginny, the fertiliser runoff drains

into the aquifer, and you drink it.

- Rose drinks it.

- It doesn't affect everyone the same.

Daddy, don't hang up.

I'm worried about you.

Why aren't you out working with Ty?

Look, I'm coming there to talk

to you about the farm.

I'm listening.

We're breaking into our regularly

scheduled programming to bring you...

this continuing weather update.

A severe thunderstorm warning has

just been issued for Zebulon County.

He wrecks my truck, I'll kill him.

As we speak the latest look at

Doppler radar does show that-

Daddy took Pete's truck.

He did what?

He's probably been drinking.

I can't believe this.

- Did Grandpa steal Daddy's truck?

- Not exactly, honey.

He shouldn't be out in this weather.

I'm going to Pike, see if I can find him

before this storm hits. You coming?

One of these times he's going to kill

himself or, God forbid, somebody else.

Nothing could kill him.

Ginny, come out here, please.

- Larry has some things to say.

- Damned right, I have.

Daddy, it's going to storm.

Why don't I take you home,

and we can talk in the morning?

I don't want to go home.

You girls stick me there.

We don't stick you there.

It's the nicest house.

- Daddy, you've lived there your whole life.

- Let me take you home.

- Go with Rose now and then tomorrow-

- Let Larry have his say.

I'd rather stay out in the storm

than be stuck back there.

Fine. Do what you want, you will anyway.

- Spoken like the b*tch you are.

- Daddy.

You don't have to drive

me around anymore...

or cook the goddamn breakfast,

or clean the goddamn house...

or tell me what I can

do, and what I can't do.

Just a b*tch is all. A

dried-up whore. B*tch.

- Larry.

- Get off me.

Come on. Pete and I will take you home...

and you can apologise

to Ginny in the morning.

Now don't you make me out to be crazy.

I know your game.

It's you girls driving me crazy.

I give you everything I got.

And what do I get in return?

Just some orders!

About doing this, doing that.

We didn't ask for what you gave us.

Maybe it's high time we got

some reward for what we gave you.

You say you know all about Ginny.

Daddy, I know all about you...

and you know I know.

This is what we've got to offer, this

same life. Nothing more, nothing less.

If you don't want it, go elsewhere.

Get somebody else to take you in,

because I, for one, have had it.

Do you hear her? She talks to me

almost worse than you do.

If you think this is bad, Daddy...

you'd be amazed at what you really deserve.

As far as I'm concerned,

you're on your own now.

Your house is down the road.

You can get there. I'm going inside.

Don't think you can treat me like this!

I'll throw you whores off the place!

I'll stop the building.

I'll get my land back. You'll never

have children, you haven't a hope.

And your children are going to

laugh when you die.

Okay, that's it. All right, Larry

let's go home now. Come on.

Come on, get off of me, for Christ's sake.

Come on, get into the truck.

It's starting to rain.

Larry, just get into the truck.

I don't want to fight you now. Come on.

You going to help me or what?

Larry, come on back now.

Where are you going? Come on.

What an a**hole. This

is it. This is really it.

- You got a coat or something?

- Will you take one to Ty?

- Oh, sh*t.

- I hope he dies in it.

Mummy.

I'm coming.

Hold on, I'll be right there.

What happened to the light?

I used to fantasise

that Mummy had escaped...

and taken an assumed name.

And someday she would be back for us.

You want to hear the life

that I had picked for us?

Sure.

She was a waitress

at the restaurant of a nice hotel.

And we lived with her

in a Hollywood-style apartment...

with nice shag carpeting, white walls...

little sounds from the neighbours

on either side.

I guess I never thought of living

anywhere but the farm. Isn't that funny?

I wanted it to be different, though.

Ginny, you sound so...

mild. Aren't you furious?

What good is that?

Daddy's always had rages.

You don't remember how he used to

come after us, do you?

Of course I remember.

I was remembering tonight,

while he was yelling at me...

about that time that I lost my shoe...

and I tried to hide behind the stove,

but Mummy made me come out.

And then Daddy beat me till I fell down.

I don't mean

when we got strapped or whipped.

I mean when he went

into your room at night.

- I don't remember that.

- You were 15. You must remember.

Grandpa Cook...

used to prowl around the house at night,

looking at everybody.

It was kind of like checking

the hogs or something.

It wasn't like checking the hogs with Daddy.

What are you saying?

- You know.

- What?

He was having sex with you.

Oh, Jesus, Rose.

- He was not.

- I saw him go in.

He stayed for a long time.

He was probably closing

the windows or something.

- I checked my clock.

- Rose.

How can I believe

that you woke up all those years ago...

and saw Daddy come into my room

and checked your clock...

then saw him come back out

and checked your clock again?

And that's evidence, that he was in there...

Daddy...

he might be a drinker and a rager...

- but he goes to church.

- It's true.

- Well, it didn't happen.

- But it did.

What?

Because when he stopped going in to you,

he started coming in to me.

And that's what he did.

We had sex in my bed.

What, when you were 13?

And 14, and 15, and 16.

- I don't believe it.

- I thought it was okay.

It must've been okay because

he said it was, and he was the rule maker.

I just can't listen to this.

He didn't rape me, Ginny.

He seduced me.

He said it was okay,

and that it was good to please him.

That I was special.

And he loved me.

- What about Caroline?

- I'm not sure.

He said that if I went along with him,

he wouldn't get interested in her.

Is that why you send the girls away

to boarding school?

I keep my eyes peeled.

- So does Pete.

- Pete knows?

You know they're getting

to be the age we were.

Not we, you! It didn't happen to me!

I don't know what to say.

This is so ridiculous.

I feel so idiotic...

so naive, foolish.

Rose...

I'm so sorry...

that he did that to you.

Don't make me feel sorry for myself.

The more pissed off I am, the better I feel.

They threw me out.

Ginny?

- You got a problem, girlie.

- You think so, Harold?

I know so. I'll take some of that.

Here, I'll make fresh.

Your dad don't want to come home here.

He don't want to lay eyes

on any of the whole lot of you.

How long are you going to keep him there?

He's got a right to stay.

We've been friends for 60 years or more.

- Fine.

- That's a woman's word, that "fine. "

Harold, what would you like me to say?

I want you to say he's your dad.

And even though he's a pain in the butt,

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