Born Wild Page #4

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Love to you all. [ Whispering ] Johnny."

What happened between you two?

It doesn't matter now.

[ Sniffles ] What's done is done.

It's complicated.

Don't y'all think I kinda deserve to know?

Before you were born,

- when your mom and I were kids...

- Please.

You'd think enough scabs have

been torn open for one day.

Tell me, C.J.

- Your mom and I...

- C.J.

- We were...

- That is enough, damn it. That is enough.

- Now, I want you out of...

- He's only trying to explain.

Please, leave.

Just go.

Okay.

- Mom...

- [ Door Closes ]

Hey, C.J.! C.J., wait up.

Hey, listen. She didn't mean

what she said back there.

Okay, she's just upset, is all.

She's got a right to be.

I'm not a good man, Brody.

I don't believe that, C.J.

And I know Johnny didn't.

Well, hey, where you goin'?

Same place I've always gone.

Nowhere.

What the hell just

happened back there, Mom?

I mean, what is it with you two?

It's been, what, 20 years

since you seen each other?

- Why'd you treat him like that?

- 'Cause...

Because why, Mom?

Did he hurt you, do something wrong, what?

Mom?

Because... he's your father.

[ Sniffles ]

[ Crying ]

- You know, Dad told me to ask you two why you broke up.

- Oh...

It was the least of the reasons why.

Well, does he know?

- Who?

- C.J., Mom. Does he know?

- I don't know. What does it matter?

- Hell, yes, it matters.

- It matters to me.

- No... No, he doesn't know.

All right?

God, Mom, you know? I love you.

But damn you and your pride.

- [ Footsteps Receding ]

- [ Door Opens ]

Mom.

I'm, uh, here today to...

tell you how sorry I am.

I'm more than the love I wasted...

and the hurt I caused.

I just pray you forgive me.

Maybe look down on me, let

me know you're still with me.

You're gone.

[ Crying ] And Johnny's gone.

And I'm pretty much lost.

I love you.

Ray Jennings?

Who's askin'?

Hello, C.J.

How you been doin'?

Why don't we go and skip

the pleasantries, huh?

Fair enough.

- Well, you want a soda pop or somethin'?

- No.

Well, you're here.

- What now?

- That's a good question for you, isn't it?

Yes, it is.

- This was a bad idea.

- I know what you're feeling.

Regret. I've lived with that for 40 years.

Back then, I'd have got on

that chopper, cranked it up...

and driven as far as I

could go away from here.

It's a lot easier to run

away from the problem...

than it is to face it head on

and take a chance on gettin' hurt.

But at the end of the day,

all you're left with is...

emptiness.

And that goddamn regret.

You know, uh,

Mom used to tell me stories about you.

What a good man you were.

How you loved us.

How you were off fightin' the war,

defendin' this country.

And then one day,

you were home.

And I finally had my dad with me.

I still got that one picture...

Mama took of us,

when we went to see Grandpa.

I remember.

And then one day,

you were gone again, and Mom

made all kinds of excuses for ya.

Until there weren't any excuses left.

For a lot of years,

I blamed all my problems on the war...

why I left you and your mom...

[ Chuckles ] basically everything.

I found my comfort in

the bottom of a bottle.

Truth of the matter was,

I was a goddamn coward.

Afraid of failin' as

a husband and a father.

If I could go back...

and give myself one piece of advice,

it'd be this:

You don't have to be a great

man and a good provider...

to be a good father, husband.

You just have to be there.

[ Motor Stops ]

Hey, Brody.

We need to talk.

[ Sniffling ]

[ Door Opens ]

[ Sniffling Continues ]

[ Crying ]

I went by your place.

Who gave you the key to get in?

[ Sighs ]

Our son.

Ah, I suppose you had to find out somehow.

Why didn't you tell me? My

God, maybe I would have just...

Do what? What, stayed? No.

I told myself a long time ago that if

you stayed, it would be because of me,

and not for the right reasons.

It's just a choice I made

a long time ago, so...

You're right.

You didn't owe me anything back then.

I'm the one that walked away from you.

But you've gotta believe

me... I've changed.

And I want to be a part of your life.

We're not kids anymore, C.J.

We can't just... go back.

I know that.

[ Sniffling ] I'm sorry.

Listen.

Listen to me. Johnny

asked me to look after you.

- Oh. C.J.

- And that's what I'm gonna do.

It's not because I have to.

It's because I want to.

So, if that just means being friends,

so be it.

Either way,

I'm stayin'.

[ Crying ]

[ Crying Continues ]

Well, that about does it.

Hey, you don't gotta do this tonight.

No.

Johnny would have wanted it this way.

[ Door Opens ]

I guess so.

[ Footsteps ]

Come here.

Well, I guess the word's out about Johnny.

'Cause that whole

parkin' lot is fillin' up.

[ Band:
Country ]

[ Man ] You've been a phone call away

For too long

And you have failed to admit

You were wrong

And though it's not been forever

Wanna dance?

Um... [ Chuckles ] Sure.

[ Chuckles ]

We haven't been properly introduced.

- I'm Tanya Price.

- C.J. Jennings.

Hmm.

It's, uh... It's nice that you're here,

given what's happened and all.

Yeah, I guess.

[ Laughs ] I haven't met many

guys like you around here.

What's that, drifters?

[ Laughing ] I guess.

And though it's not been forever

Since you've gone

You've been a phone call away

For too long

- Good night, Ricki.

- Good night.

Hey.

Never did get that dance with you.

No, you didn't.

Phoenix.

[ Guitar:
Ballad ]

I, uh, been doin' a lot

of thinkin' about us.

Oh, really?

Yeah.

- It's good to be home.

- Yeah.

So you think you got me figured out

Before I crossed the room, you knew

that you were gonna shoot me down

Yeah, I'm rough around the edges

Hmm, with a touch of attitude

But for you

I can be smooth

Oh, oh

[ Motor Stops ]

[ Hinges Creaking ]

[ Exhales ]

Bring back memories?

Yeah.

I wish he was still with us.

[ Sighs ]

How'd you find me?

I stopped by the motel.

They told me you checked out.

I figured you were one of two places.

Either gone... or here.

- So now what?

- I, uh...

I pick up the pieces.

I was hoping you'd say that.

[ Whistles ]

I'll vacuum if you scrub the toilets.

- [ Chuckles ]

- [ Ricki Laughing ]

- Deal?

- Come on.

Y'all are somethin' else.

- Uh, I guess so. It's a deal.

- Should be fun.

[ Man ] I love the smell

of fresh-fallin' rain

And the sight of a clear

mountain range in the spring

And the joy that it brings

[ No Audible Dialogue ]

I love the waves

break on the sand

And the way that you

make me feel like a man

[ No Audible Dialogue ]

Just holdin' your hand

And all those things

will never mend

And broken dreams

I left back when

I was too young to know

That rings are just things

- That stand for so much more

- [ No Audible Dialogue ]

Than what two people

say on that day

When life and

love are joined

And represent a

constant state of heart

That time alone

can't part

Brody.

Key to the house.

You're welcome anytime, all right?

Make yourself at home.

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