Boyhood Page #11

DAD:

Hey, look. I'm a patriot, alright?

Sometimes in this life, you gotta

fight.

INT. BOWLING ALLEY CAFE - EVENING

They sit around a table talking.

DAD (O.S.)

And what is it that you do at these

parties?

SAMANTHA:

I don't know... talk, dance, listen

to music.

DAD:

Uh-huh. And that's more fun to you

than going camping with your brother

and your father who love you?

SAMANTHA:

Yes. Sorry.

DAD:

Wow. Is there gonna be alcohol there?

SAMANTHA:

Probably not. Maybe some of the

seniors.

75.

DAD:

Mm-hmm. I know what this party is.

The parents are out of town, right?

Somebody's uh, scored a keg, right...

You guys are gonna have a good time,

trash the whole house... Right? Am

I right?

SAMANTHA:

No.

DAD (O.S.)

No? No?

SAMANTHA:

No, Dad. Amy's really responsible.

DAD:

Mm-hmm. Who's gonna be there?

SAMANTHA:

Marie, Christine, Amy... Everyone.

DAD:

Is uh, is that guy on your Facebook

page, is he gonna be there? Hm?

SAMANTHA:

Who?

DAD:

Come on, the guy that has got his

arm wrapped around you with his hair

over his eyes and -

SAMANTHA:

Garrett?

DAD:

Garrett, is that his name? Alright,

is Garrett gonna be there?

SAMANTHA:

Probably?

DAD:

Probably.

(to Mason)

Uh-huh, you see? I learn more about

her from her Facebook page than I do

from our scintillating conversation.

(to Samantha)

Is he your boyfriend?

76.

SAMANTHA:

Kind of.

Dad turns to Mason for further information.

DAD:

Have you met him? Has he been around

the house?

MASON:

Sometimes.

DAD:

Sometime-zz? Zzz?

Dad turns his attention back to Samantha.

DAD (CONT'D)

You have a boyfriend... Wow. Have

you heard of Sarah Palin?

SAMANTHA:

Yes.

DAD:

What's the one thing that you know

about Sarah Palin's seventeen year

old daughter?

SAMANTHA:

She's pregnant?

DAD:

That's right. And what is the one

thing that you are not going to be

in a couple of years when you turn

seventeen?

SAMANTHA:

Pregnant?

DAD:

That's right! Alright, now what are

the, the two ways that you can achieve

that goal? The first is... not have

any sex. Okay? That's the first

way. Okay? Just not engage in that.

That did not work out very well for

your mother and me. And what's the

second way?

Mason stands to leave the table.

DAD (CONT'D)

Where are you going?

77.

MASON:

Bathroom.

DAD:

You don't have to go to the bathroom.

Sit down, Mason. Just... Just sit

down. What's the second way?

Alright? Has your mother talked to

you guys about this stuff?

SAMANTHA:

Oh, Dad. Dad.

DAD:

No, come on. Has she talked to you

about... contraception?

The kids are visibly uncomfortable with the conversation.

DAD (CONT'D)

Huh? What has she -- condoms? Has

she talked about that?

SAMANTHA (O.S.)

Oh, Dad. Please!

DAD:

What? What?

SAMANTHA:

That's enough.

DAD:

Well. Does Garret have a condom?

SAMANTHA:

Ohh! God! Dad!

DAD:

What? What, come on Sam. We have

to be able to talk about this.

Alright? Come on, we do. We can do

it. We can do it. Just stay with

me here. Alright? It's as hard for

me as it is for you. But, seriously

though, alright, I read an article

in the paper the other day... that

said that although U.S. teenagers

are not the most sexually active, we

have the highest rate of teenage

pregnancy. Okay?

A woman, TAMMY, walks up to the table, interrupting their

conversation.

78.

TAMMY:

Hey. What's goin' on?

DAD:

Oh, hey. Hey, Tammy. How you doin'?

Dad stands to greet Tammy.

TAMMY:

Nice to see you.

DAD:

Wow, yeah, good to see you. Um,

Tammy, this is my daughter Samantha.

TAMMY:

Hey.

DAD:

And this is Mason Junior right here.

Tammy.

TAMMY (O.S.)

Mason Junior.

DAD (O.S.)

Say hi.

MASON:

Hi.

TAMMY:

Hi, Mason. Nice to meet you. Heard

a lot about you guys.

DAD:

Yeah, yeah. What're you doin' here?

You uh...

TAMMY:

Oh, I'm just here with some friends.

DAD:

Oh, well, uh....

TAMMY:

Yeah. What are you guys up to?

Dad sits back down at the table.

DAD:

Um, we're going camping. Well no,

this one is not going camping. This

one is going to a party.

79.

TAMMY:

(to Samantha)

Ohh... Fun.

DAD:

We, the men, are going camping.

TAMMY:

Boys are going camping. Alright,

very nice. Well uh, we still on for

tomorrow or...?

DAD (O.S.)

Yeah -

TAMMY:

Yeah?

DAD:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I'll drop him

off at seven and then I'll just call

you, alright?

TAMMY:

Okay. Great. It was really nice

meeting you both. Take care.

DAD:

I'll see you.

TAMMY:

Talk to you soon. Bye.

Tammy walks away. Mason smirks at his dad.

DAD:

Don't -- don't, don't look at me

like that, alright? I just -- look,

just to finish the point -- okay? I

was twenty-three when your mom had

you, alright? So was she, alright?

And we didn't put ourselves in the

best position to be great parents,

and I wish that -- I wish I were a

better parent to you guys. Alright?

And I, I hope that you can learn

from my mistakes. Okay? So, wear a

condom. Or get Garrett to -- I don't

know. Whatever.

Samantha cringes, as Dad laughs. Mason can't help but smile.

80.

INT. MOVING CAR - DAY

Dad and Mason are driving along the open road, listening to

a song by Wilco.

DAD:

Now... listen to this song, alright?

Sings along:

DAD (CONT'D)

"I try to stay busy" It's just

straight up, the lyrics... it's a

straight up old school country song.

SONG:

"I do the dishes, I mow the lawn..."

DAD:

Listen to the production of this.

Production's like uh, like "Abbey

Road" or something.

SONG:

"I try to keep myself occupied"

Dad sings along.

DAD:

"Even though I know you're not comin'

home." You know, his old woman's

gone... straight up. Nothin' fancy.

DAD AND SONG:

"I try to keep the house nice and

neat. Make my bed. I change the

sheets."

EXT. RIVERBED - DAY

Mason and Dad walk along the rocks, mid-conversation. They

sit down near the water and begin taking off socks and shoes.

MASON:

Yeah, I think she's about to get her

master's degree.

DAD:

Well, then she's gonna start applying

for teaching jobs?

MASON:

I think she already has.

81.

DAD:

Really? Where?

MASON:

(shrugs)

All over.

DAD:

All over Texas?

MASON:

Yeah.

DAD:

Well, if you gotta move, you gotta

move, you know? It's no big deal.

We can handle that. I'll still come

get you every other weekend. I mean,

unless she moves 500 miles away or

something, it'll just be a little

more car time. No big deal.

MASON:

I'm just kinda sick of moving.

DAD:

Well, I bet you are. But you know,

you never know. I mean, I might

have to move, right? I'm working

for this insurance company now.

These places get bought and sold all

the time. You know? We'll just

roll with it.

They take off pants, walk up to the water in boxer shorts.

MASON:

I thought you were a musician?

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