Angels in Stardust Page #3

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Hey, what is that

supposed to mean?

We don't do nothing.

You speak for yourself.

Maybe I should cast my bread

on the water more.

All things considered,

I think your dough

could use some rising.

Suppose anybody'll

think I'm pretty?

Oh, yeah.

Yes, honey, they will.

More than that,

you're smart and talented.

Makes you a triple threat.

There's more to the world than

Tardust and birthing babies.

What's a pollywog like

you know about the world?

I watch movies and read.

My teacher tells us stuff.

Uh-huh.

Did you hear

what Mrs. Bowes said

about that woman scientist?

What, about being

born as poor as us?

No, Gomer.

Dying radioactive.

How messed up is that?

I do not want to be a scientist.

I want to be like

Agatha Christie,

a great writer.

Heh.

How are you ever

gonna be a writer?

Poor kid from the sticks.

Mrs. Bowes says Agatha didn't

have a father, just like me.

Except her pa died.

Yours just up and ran away,

loser in chief.

Loretta says men

want one thing and women got it.

I don't know as men are that predictable.

Some of us are quite

complex and sensitive.

I know somebody like that.

I know you do.

Not you.

Ah, that pretty boy at school

you're always gawking at.

He is not a pretty boy.

Well, hell, he better be.

That's a lot of hanging

around and waiting for ugly.

I do not gawk at him.

You stare at him like

a hound dog after a hambone.

That's gawking.

Well...

he's very affecting.

Hey, I saw you

fighting with those

boys at school.

What was that all about?

I stepped on their

dumb old baseball

cards by accident.

Where'd you learn those

nasty words you called him?

I've been around.

Well, stop it.

You're using 'em wrong, anyway.

And pay attention to

where you're going.

Gosh.

I pay attention plenty.

Only to that darn

Indian, Tenkill.

Do not.

Do so.

I don't like it.

I don't trust him.

Hey, Pleasant,

I ever told you about

the native fire legend?

Uh-uh.

Well...

well, in the beginning

of time...

this world was cold.

It was very cold.

But the thunders,

see, they brought lightning.

Poom!

Crack!

And struck a hollow tree afire

on a distant island.

And, see, a raven,

a screech owl,

they flew out there

to try to get that fire.

And, Raven used to be white,

tried to pick that fire up,

and he burned hisself,

and that's why he's black now.

Oh.

Yeah, and Screech Owl,

he rubbed his eyes

so hard from all that smoke,

that now that's why owls

got the big old eyes.

Hoo!

Hoo!

Hoo!

Anyway, they couldn't find

a way to pick up that fire.

So finally a water spider...

she came crawling

across that water.

She spun a tutsi bowl

on her back.

A what bowl?

Tutsi bowl.

Mean like a Tootsie Roll?

No, it's just a bowl.

It's not important.

Can I finish my story?

I just don't get

the Tootsie Roll part.

Forget that.

This is a plain old bowl, okay?

Okay.

All right.

So that water spider,

she... she put that ember

in her tut...

in a bowl and brought it

back across the water

to all the other creatures,

and forever after,

that's how the world had fire.

Do Indians believe that?

Eh, not so much anymore,

but that's

a pretty good story, eh?

It's okay.

Not as good as those

Saturday-morning cartoons,

I suppose?

Not the "X-Men."

Shoot.

You didn't tell your mother about

him hanging around Tenkill?

Nah, 'course not.

She'd be pissed.

That a mighty queer family.

Mother's hot for cowboys,

and brother's

chasing after an Injun.

Well, Mom thinks he's slow.

Doesn't seem like she'd

know too much about that.

No...

but schoolwise, he's rickety.

Pleasant's teacher and I

feel that he needs

tutoring, Mrs. Russell,

in a special education school.

That's for retards, ain't it?

Challenged is the term.

I think that it would be

better for his self-esteem

if he were with children

who didn't outperform him.

You think it'll be better

for Pleasant's self-esteem

to be situated

with a bunch of morons?

I think that's not the best way

of looking at it, Mrs. Russell.

Well, you look at it any way you want to,

okay?

I'm gonna need to think on it.

Um, but you won't be kicking my boy out,

will you?

No. No,

of course not.

Okay. Thank you.

Come on.

...part with the

father rescuing...

There you are.

Hi, Ma.

Hello, Mrs. Russell.

Hello. Ready?

I was hoping

I could talk with you.

Oh? You're not

gonna tell me

my girl's an idiot, are you?

Oh, my gosh, no.

Why would I say that?

She's quite talented.

Really?

Yes. Vallie is

a very good writer.

In fact, she wrote a story

I'd like to enter

in a national contest.

What's that gonna cost?

Well, um,

I'm sure the school can pay any fees.

Okay, then.

Uh, you should really think

about sending Vallie

to the Latin School

in Oklahoma City.

Latin? What good's

that gonna do her?

That's just the name

of the school, Mrs. Russell.

Miss.

Oh, I'm sorry. I...

No, it's okay.

It's a common mistake.

Well, thank you,

Ms. Bowes.

Mrs.

Good for you.

Night.

Come on, Pleasant.

Let's go, bud.

Thank you.

Bye.

Appreciate it.

Hey, Ma...

Mm-hmm.

What do you think about me

getting into that Latin School?

Oh, Vallie, how are we

ever going to afford that?

And to what purpose, hon?

Do you think you're gonna

be President or something?

She thinks I could be a writer.

Oh, hon...

Yeah?

You gotta be sensitive to the

limitations of your birth.

Your best bet is to do

like Elaine Howser did

or my pitiful mama

for that matter,

found a nice man,

take her away from

a hardscrabble life.

Ain't seen hide nor hair

of her since I was 10.

Don't that make you mad?

Mad? No.

Who could blame her?

Daddy worked us like dogs,

worse than dogs.

Evening, ladies.

God damn it, you got

some airs about you

for trailer trash, chickpea.

I hate him, Ma.

Some b*tches.

Being neighborly is all.

All right! Bikes!

Why do you always get

the good stuff?

I'm a wish-book beast.

Yeah.

I take that one and that one,

ooh, and that one.

You'd be

a three-bike boy.

Yeah.

Your turn.

All right.

Come on. Be good.

What...

Lawn furniture?

We don't have a lawn.

Yeah, exactly.

Wait a minute.

What's that?

It's a Black & Decker

bug zapper.

Cool. I'll trade you

one of my bikes for it.

Okay.

But I want the Razor.

Okay.

Tenkill says

Thunderbird makes thunder

to protect us

from witches at night.

Hey, that's heathen stuff.

Vallie.

Pleasant, you're

supposed to be asleep.

I can't.

Can you give me

something to dream on?

Yeah.

Ready?

Yeah.

Imagine you're

in a ferocious battle.

Your men are pinned down

on Slaughterhouse Hill.

Only one person has

the speed and daring

to make it up the hill

and save 'em...

Sergeant Russell,

fighting man of fury!

This one's cool.

Can you take it from here?

Yeah.

Night, Vallie.

Night, Pleasant.

We got some cool stuff

for Mom's Birthday, Val.

Yeah, we sure did.

What are we looking at?

...really perform.

I just...

I can't even tell you how

much that meant to me. Just...

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