Benji Page #2

---

A little bit.

Anyway, here you go.

What is going on with you guys?

Nothing.

Nothing.

I feel like you're hiding

something from me.

Okay. Mom, let's just calm down

and eat our food.

Okay, I...

I know that things have been hard,

and you guys wake up in the morning

and I'm already at work,

and you've been on your own a lot lately.

But I just want you to know

that you can talk to me, you know?

Really, I'm right here.

We do talk to you, Mom.

Don't worry.

We love you, Mom, to the moon and back.

To the moon and back.

This is the Aitken Basin,

formed 4.5 billion years ago,

which in dog years is a lot.

My dad showed it to me

on an electron telescope

at the planetarium he ran.

Wanna know something more interesting?

This is my favorite ballerina book.

Isn't she pretty?

Hey, stop chewing on that.

And this is the Nutcracker.

It's about an evil rat king.

Die, Rat King, die.

Shh.

Mom will hear you.

Hey, what if we named him Michael Jordan?

That's the dumbest name

for a dog I've ever heard.

Okay. What about Copernicus?

What is going on in your mind? No.

This is my favorite, Sleeping Beauty.

There's a lot of kissing.

Look,

Benjamin Franklin had a dog.

He thought they were more reliable

than people.

That's not very interesting.

Yeah, but what about Benjamin,

as his name?

Mmm... What about Benji?

He does look kind of like a Benji.

He's old and new at the same time.

Yeah.

Good boy. Good boy.

Dad would let us keep Benji.

Carter...

I don't wanna say goodbye to Benji.

I don't like goodbye.

Promise me we won't have to.

Hey, I promise you, Fritter.

I love you, guys.

I love you too, Frankie.

And now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray the Lord for this dog to keep.

And that I will do incredible

at my recital.

And that my spelling teacher will quit

her job forever and never come back.

And that Mommy

will not have to worry so much.

And that I'll never have to eat

any more mushrooms as long as I live.

Amen.

Good night, Benji.

I don't know what to do, you know?

They're getting so big,

and they're so smart,

and they catch on to things and...

And I'm trying

to keep everything together.

It's like I'm nothing but a nag.

All of a sudden, I'm so serious.

Every day I feel like I'm messing them up

and letting them down.

I don't know how to be

in three places at once.

So, feel free to give me some advice

or one of your lame science jokes, or...

a carton of ice cream and bingeing...

'cause I could really use it.

Just a quick kiss

before I go to work.

Good morning, Mom.

What is that?

A stuffed animal.

An animatronic one.

Okay. All right.

I'm on to you two.

This is why you guys

were being weird last night.

He's cute. Mom, look at him.

You know what?

I expected Carter to lie to me

because he's almost a teenager, but you?

Mom, we're not lying.

We just didn't tell you yet.

Where did he come from?

Uh, he kind of found me.

On the street, we saved him.

On the street?

No. Okay.

All right, I got it.

You're cute, but you are a dog

and you poop everywhere,

and you mess everything up,

you chew on things,

you keep us up at night.

He loves you, Mommy.

No. Okay? I can barely keep

the three of us afloat.

It's not happening.

Mom, you don't have to worry.

We'll take care of him.

I don't have the money or the time.

It's not happening.

I'm taking him to a shelter.

They murderkill dogs there.

You can't take him there.

No, they don't.

Are you kidding me?

A shelter?

They won't even give him three days.

I won't let them hurt him.

Yeah, you will. You don't care.

He's a good boy,

and you won't even give him a chance.

Carter, no, okay?

I'm sorry... I don't...

I can't take care

of one more thing right now.

He's not a thing. He's Benji.

You named him?

I'm so sorry that you can't handle

one more thing right now,

but what about us?

We take care of each other,

so I'm pretty sure

that we can handle a dog.

Maybe he'll make things

fun around here for once.

Oh, I forgot. That's not allowed, either.

Carter, no... That's not fair.

Just leave us alone.

I don't even like that stupid dog.

Carter...

Mom won't let you stay.

You'll wind up in a pound.

Just go.

Go, please.

I love you, Benji.

"If your heart believes in dreamin'"

"There's no other place I know"

"Well, life here rolls on by

Without a care for tomorrow"

"Yeah, that was the life for me

That was the life for me"

"How long must I travel

On this journey?"

"Guess I'll count a million stars

Along the way"

"And every time I start to worry"

"Oh"

"Something whispers in my ear"

"Says the words I long to hear"

"Almost home"

"I'm almost home"

"Might be lost and afraid"

"But I'm just a dream away"

"I'm almost home"

"Just one more mile

And I'll be home free"

"Just one more day

Is all my heart needs"

"I'm gonna get there"

"Yeah, I'm gonna get there someday"

"Feel so cold and alone

But I'm..."

"I'm almost home"

"Ooh"

Did you not eat lunch again?

I ate lunch.

I don't.

Then how come we're going to Sam's?

To get my money back.

If you get our money back,

how do we get Dad's watch back?

Mom doesn't care.

She wouldn't let us keep Benji.

Why should I care

about getting her the watch back?

Because we're a family.

Whatever.

You're just scared

of somebody else buying it.

I'm not scared. I'm realistic, Frankie.

I told you she wouldn't let us keep him.

You're not real or listic or whatever.

You're just chicken.

You give up at everything

when not very good things happen.

Mr. King, we need to talk.

Hold up.

Hey, you kids, I sold the watch.

You two go on back home now.

Sold the watch.

You sold the watch? That's not right.

Y'all go on now. Go home.

I'm gonna call the police

and tell them you are a lying liar.

You can't sell the watch.

Now, I remember being a kid.

I used to tell my brother there

I was gonna beat him with a baseball bat,

but I didn't really mean it.

When you say

you're gonna go get the police,

that's just you being a kid, right?

Yeah, just talking.

Good, but just in case,

y'all are gonna stick around for a while.

Man, you don't need

to handle kids like that.

Shh.

Let go.

You don't have to do that.

Leave 'em alone!

Open the safe. Fill the bag. Do it.

Not until you let them kids go.

Mr. Pawn Man,

put yourself in the shoes of two fellas

who would come in here wearing

these ridiculous masks.

Do I look like I'm playing?

Open the safe! Hurry up.

Y'all calm down.

Open up the safe, now!

Don't hurt them kids.

Do it, before I hop that counter

and slap the taste out your mouth.

Come on, hurry up!

Speed it up. Come on!

Comin'.

You got what you came for. Now go on.

Tie him up. Let's go.

Move. Come on, back door.

Man, wait.

Tie him up.

Move! The backdoor. Go. Get out.

Sit down. Sit down. Sit down.

Let us go.

Y'all gonna sit here,

stay quiet for ten minutes,

and then forget any of this ever happened.

If you don't, me and my brother will pay

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes