Between Us Page #9

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in the morning...

and forget

all about it.

Good night.

I'm gonna go to bed.

Um...

thank you, guys,

for staying.

Uh, linens are in

the hallway closet.

The fridge is yours. The

bed, as you know, pulls out.

Good night.

[SIREN WAILING, FAINT]

[STREET NOISE]

First you ask me

for money.

- And then you insult me.

- You loved that he asked you for money.

No, I didn't.

I actually wanted to help.

- We don't need your help. We can handle

this on our own. - Can we?

This is between you

and me, no one else.

- How much did he ask for?

- That's none of your business!

Well, I think it is, 'cause your

husband asked us for it. How much?

- Well, my husband is rescinding his request.

- We need $55,000.

Believe me, your husband doesn't need to rescind

anything, because there's no way in hell...

Okay.

Excuse me? I'll

give you the money.

You thought of me as

talentless all this time?

Tell him the truth,

Carlo.

Uh, well...

Tell him the truth!

Let me speak!

I thought of you

as an underachiever.

Wasted talent.

You let me down.

- I let you down?

- Yeah. You had so much potential.

Oh, please!

You said "talentless"

over and over again to me.

Have a spine.

If we were being honest like you're

being, we wouldn't have any friends.

What's a marriage without the

gossip you share with your spouse?

You should respect

that gossip.

I'm not talking about money. You're not getting

any money, no matter what my husband says.

- I'm giving them money.

- I'm talking about manners.

It's not like

we don't talk about you.

When we visited New York after Lucien was

born, we laughed at your expense for a week.

Do you remember how you fed him? Right

to his mouth with your unwashed fingers?

God, I remember so clearly.

You took your dirty,

stinky fingers,

and you scooped up

some food,

and you laid it

to my baby Lucien's lips.

So natural. Oh!

So endearing. So earthy.

So disgusting!

Okay, that's enough.

No, please let me finish.

The next morning, over coffee,

my husband and I laughed at you.

What a load of crap,

we thought.

It's bad enough she has

such slutty taste in clothes.

I mean, what? Ripped

stockings, short skirt.

Hooker boots?

Come on.

But that she takes her hands,

her unwash hands,

and lays them to my baby's

lips and feeds him,

like it's natural to her.

[GASPS]

You're a fake.

You're a phony.

You were terrified.

Hey, hey, Sharyl... Okay, that's enough.

Just stop it.

Stop now, Sharyl. Stop, Sharyl.

Please stop now.

Grace is pregnant again.

[GASPS]

[SIGHS]

You told her?

So don't attack us, Grace, because

my husband can support a family.

It's not our fault

you're embarrassed for Carlo.

And let me tell you the truth.

He's no Ansel f***ing Adams.

[LAUGHING] He's a snob.

Yeah, you are.

Always telling Joel about this photographer

that's coming through New York...

and this painter that's

coming through New York,

as if my husband

doesn't read the trades,

as if he isn't wishing he was here

doing those exact same things.

I don't tell you those things to look

down on you, Joel. Yeah, you do.

- Do you really think that?

- Come on. Come on. You do.

I...

What are you doing? I'm

writing them a check.

[GRACE] We're not taking that check.

Why not?

Because... you made

a commitment to us.

This is between

you and me.

Who else is gonna get you out of debt, Grace?

[GRACE] Not you.

Oh, really? What are you gonna do?

Call a bank? Ask for a loan?

With what equity? Huh?

Your restaurant job?

His photos?

He's got an exhibit next

month in New Mexico.

It's just a matter of time.

I believe in him.

Well, it takes more than

belief to sell photos.

We're gonna pay him back, Grace,

as soon as I sell something.

Why would you take that money?

Because I deserve that money.

You deserve it?

I deserve it.

Jesus Christ.

Okay.

[EXHALING SLOWLY]

Don't cash this right away.

I have to call the bank.

Joel... Joel.

What, Sharyl?

Oh, please let me do this.

Please. Why?

- I'm paying you back that money.

- No. It's a gift. It's a gift.

No.

Absolutely not.

[JOEL] Please let me do this.

Why?

Because I need to.

[CARLO] We're gonna pay you back.

No, you won't. It is a

gift, or you don't get it.

We're not taking that money.

Yeah, we are.

Why not, Grace? Am I a mobster?

Is the money dirty?

No. It's just

not ours to take.

Okay, when I asked Carlo... I said to him, I

could get you an interview at my agency.

Do you know what he said? He said "I

told myself I would never do that."

"I told myself

I would never do that."

Why would he say that?

Why would he say that to me?

I mean, why not say, it's not

for me, I'm not interested,

I want to keep doing exhibits,

I want to keep selling art?

Instead, he said, "I told

myself I would never do that."

There's this line

that Carlo will never cross.

There's something

he will never sink down to.

- Joel, you know that's not what I meant.

- That's exactly what you meant!

- I meant I have different plans. -You

have the same plans that I once had.

But you changed your plans.

Maybe you should too.

- No. Why?

- Because they're not working.

Don't resent me for that.

Grow up.

Your dreams, your plans, they

beat you down, they destroy you.

Ask anybody who makes a living and they

will tell you exactly the same thing.

Let me fill you in

on something.

We're not special.

We're not brilliant.

We never were.

Any artist out there that doesn't think

that they're special, they're lying.

Okay, then I guess I was

never a serious artist.

I guess not, Joel.

You think I don't look in the mirror

and want to scream sometimes?

But I have a family

and a place to live,

and people around me

that I love, and... a yard.

Yeah, a yard...

where my little boy...

where my one little boy

can play.

Now, at the end of the day,

what more can I ask for?

Tell me.

What more can I ask for?

It's not about

wanting more, Joel.

I just want

something different.

Well, then,

you pay a price.

[DOOR BUZZER BUZZES]

[INTERCOM BUZZES]

[KNOCKING]

Thank you.

Here. Keep it.

Thank you.

[RHYTHMIC GRUNTING]

How old was he?

Mmm.

Sixties.

Was he happy?

Happy?

That you gave him

that tip?

He smiled.

I think he even bowed.

[CHUCKLES]

- [CARLO] He didn't.

- I think he did.

Oh.

That's embarrassing.

[JOEL]

Yeah.

Are you glad you gave it?

The tip?

Come on, man.

I don't know.

[CHUCKLES]

I don't know.

Do you enjoy

having money?

[SLURPS]

Yeah.

Yeah, I do.

When you have it,

what do you worry about?

Keeping it.

[SIGHS]

Take me home, Joel.

Mmm.

Yeah, let's go.

Good night.

Good night.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

[CHATTERING CONTINUES,

LOUDER]

[JOEL] Come on. There's a

lot of power in those words.

I want you to say it with me.

[CARLO] All right.

For richer, for poorer.

For richer or for poorer.

In sickness and in health.

In sickness and in health.

Till death

do us part.

[CARLO]

Ugh.

I'm gonna write my own.

Oh, man!

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