August: Osage County Page #2

could I trouble you

for another beer?

Goddamn it.

She's not a waitress.

I'll get it.

Hell, I know that.

Then get your own beer.

I don't believe you,

watching a ball game,

drinking beers.

Do you have any sense

of what's going on around you?

Am I supposed to sit here

like a statue?

I mean, you're drinking whiskey.

I'm having a cocktail.

You're drinking

straight whiskey.

Just... have a little class.

I'm gonna grab a smoke.

- You've encouraged that.

- I haven't encouraged anything.

You admire her

for getting hooked at 14.

Makes her seem even more mature.

Goddamn, it's hot.

Suppose your mom's turned on

the air conditioner?

You kidding?

Remember the parakeets?

The parakeets?

I didn't tell you

about the parakeets.

She got a parakeet for some insane

reason and the little f***er

croaked after two days, so she went

to the pet store and raised hell,

and they gave her another one,

and that one died after a day.

So then she went back, and they gave her

a third parakeet. That one died in two.

So the chick from the pet store comes

out here to see just what in the hell

this serial parakeet killer

is doing to bump off these birds.

- And?

- The heat.

It was too hot.

- They were dying from the heat.

- Jesus.

These are tropical birds, all right?

I mean, they live

in the f***ing tropics.

Mom?

It's Barbara, it's Barbara.

Barbara?

Oh, my gosh!

You, come give me some sugar.

- Hey, Mattie Fae.

- Oh, Bill!

Look how skinny you are.

Mattie Fae.

Ah, will you look at this one?

You come here and give

your Aunt Mattie Fae some sugar.

- Charlie.

- Hello, Bill.

Man, you have dropped

some weight, haven't you?

- Look at you. You're so big.

- Hello, sweetheart.

Look at your b*obs.

Last time I saw you,

you looked like a little boy.

- Barbara? Barbara?

- Hey, Mom, I'm here.

- Oh, Barb!

- It's OK.

- Barb, Barb, Barb.

- It's OK, Mom.

- Oh, Barb.

- I'm here.

Saturday morning,

the Indian girl made us

biscuits and gravy.

We ate some.

He walked out the door,

this door right here.

That was it.

He just left?

Uh-huh.

I went to bed Saturday night.

Got up Sunday morning.

Still no Beverly.

I didn't think anything of it.

Thought he'd gone out on a bender.

Why would he do that

when he can drink at home?

Unless you were riding his ass.

I've never said a word to him

about his drinking.

I didn't, I never

got on him about it.

So, Sunday, still no sign of him.

That's when I got all worked up

about that safety deposit box

because we kept an awful

lot of cash in that box

and some expensive jewelry,

and I had a diamond ring

in that box

appraised over $7,000.

Wait, wait, wait,

I missed something.

Why do you care about

a safety deposit box?

Your father and I had an arrangement

that if something were

to happen to one of us,

the other one would go empty that box.

Are you sure there wasn't some

incident that triggered his leaving?

- Some event?

- Like a fight?

- Yeah.

- No, no.

I mean, we fought enough,

you know, but no.

Maybe he needed

some time away from you.

Oh, that's nice of you to say.

Hey, it's no crime. Marriage is hard.

Under the best of circumstances.

So, nothing?

No, "see you later, I'm taking a walk"?

Mm-mm.

Good old unfathomable Dad.

Mm-hmm.

Oh, that man.

Oh. What I first fell in love

with was his mystery.

I thought it was sexy as hell.

Yeah. You knew he was the

smartest one in the room,

knew if he'd just say something,

whoa, it'd knock you out.

But no, he'd just...

...stand there,

a little smile on his face,

not say a word.

Oh...

Sexy.

You can't remember anything unusual?

He hired this woman.

He didn't ask me.

He hired this woman

to come live in our house

- a few days before he left.

- You don't want her here?

Well, I have an Indian in my house.

You have a problem with Indians, Violet?

I don't know what to say an Indian.

They're called Native Americans, Mom.

Who makes that decision?

It's what they like to be called.

They aren't any more native than me.

- In fact, they are.

- What's wrong with Indian?

Why can't you just call people

what they want to be called?

Let's just call the

dinosaurs Native Americans

while we're at it.

She may be an Indian, but she makes the

best goddamn apple pie I ever ate.

He hired a cook.

It makes no sense. We don't eat.

Now you get biscuits and gravy.

That's kind of nice, huh?

Yeah, that is nice.

Nice for you now,

but soon you'll be gone,

never to return.

- When was the last time you were here?

- Don't start.

- All right...

- I don't care about you two,

but I would like to see

my granddaughter

- every now and again.

- Well, you are seeing her now.

And your father,

you broke his heart when you moved away.

That is wildly unfair.

Am I gonna have

to separate you two?

You were Beverly's favorite.

Don't pretend you don't know that.

I'd prefer to think that my parents

- loved their children equally.

- Oh?

Well, I'm sure

you'd prefer to think

that Sant-y Claus brought you presents

at Christmas, too.

If you'd had more

than one child, you'd know.

A parent always has favorites.

Mattie Fae was my mother's favorite.

Big deal, I got used to it.

You were your daddy's favorite.

Broke his heart.

What was I supposed to do?

Huh?

Colorado gave Bill twice

what he was making at TU.

- Why are we even getting into this?

- You think Daddy

wouldn't have jumped

at an opportunity like that?

Oh, you're wrong there.

You never would've gotten

Beverly Weston out of Oklahoma.

He gave me his blessing.

Well, that's what he told you, yeah.

And now you're gonna

tell me the true story,

some terrible sh*t

he said behind my back?

Everybody's on edge.

- Beverly didn't say...

- Vi, come on.

...terrible things behind your back.

He just told me he's disappointed in you

'cause you settled.

He thought you had talent as a writer.

Daddy never said anything

like that to you.

What a load of absolute horseshit.

Horseshit? Horseshit?

Oh, horseshit.

Let's all say "horseshit."

Say "horseshit," Bill.

Horseshit.

Are you high?

- Excuse me?

- Are you taking something?

- A muscle relaxer.

- You listen to me.

I will not go through this

with you again.

I don't know what

you're talking about.

These f***ing pills,

calls at 3:
00 a.m.

- about people in your backyard...

- Stop yelling at me.

All the rest of it.

This isn't...

It isn't the same thing.

I didn't have a reason then.

So it's OK to get hooked now

because you've got a reason?

I'm not hooked on anything.

I don't want to know

if you are or not.

I'm just saying, I'm not

gonna go through it again.

I'm not.

I'm in pain!

Because of your mouth.

Yes!

Because my mouth burns.

I have got cancer in my mouth.

And it burns. Look. Look!

And it burns like a...

...like a bullshit.

And now Beverly's disappeared,

and you're yelling at me.

I'm not...

...yelling.

You know, you couldn't come

home when I got cancer.

But Beverly disappeared...

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes