Broken Horses Page #4

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I'll cut a new sign tomorrow.

Yeah.

The thing is

I kind of...

I kind of don't know

how to spell your name.

It's a hard name to spell, Buddy.

Most people can't.

Let me write it down for you.

Yeah, I really like you, Vee.

You know what? You should be the first.

The first?

Yeah, the first to ride Jakey's horse.

I would love to, Buddy.

Do you think I could

talk to your brother for a second?

Yeah, sure.

Why don't you show her inside?

Show her your room.

All right. Let's...

You know, you must be really hungry.

I'll make you baked trout.

I'll make Mama's recipe.

Thank you.

Now, tell me.

What's the problem, Jacob?

My love, look at me.

Whatever it is,

it can't be worse than my imagination.

I'm thinking of 10,000

terrible things right now,

so, just tell me.

I want you to leave.

I just want you to leave.

I'm going nowhere.

So, just tell me everything.

I...

Yeah, baby?

I killed a man.

Now, let me tell you a story about Vee.

I really like Vee.

I liked her the very second

she spelled her name for me.

And when she and my brother Jakey

leave the church as a married couple,

I'll go bananas.

Bananas.

And that's all I have to say.

Hey, dinner's ready!

I'm not gonna go without Buddy.

He won't leave.

I'll talk to Buddy.

It'll all work out, I promise.

There is always another way.

Don't take long!

No! Gotta get it in the glass!

Here, gimme your glass.

Gimme your glass.

I'll do you first. Good.

Tell me when.

That's it? Okay. All right. Now you.

- No, no, you go.

- No, no, come on, come on.

Remember Mama's china?

All this, it's so special.

Yeah. Yeah.

Here, gimme that.

Buddy, are you coming to our wedding?

Yeah, of course.

I got a speech almost done.

It's five minutes, 47 seconds.

I spoke from the heart.

Here.

We've decided to get married in Verona.

My hometown in Italy.

It's quite far. Will you still come?

Yeah, of course. Sure, Vee.

Some trout, my love?

Yeah, yeah, please.

Jakey.

But it will be our secret.

We just go, get married,

and it will be a big surprise

for our friends.

Yeah. Yeah, they will be very surprised.

But no telling anyone.

Absolutely anyone, okay?

Okay. Yeah, cross my heart.

Okay. I cross my heart.

Try it.

Verona. So, when do we go?

We were thinking we'd go tonight.

Mama's recipe is delicious.

Yeah?

Well, I can't go tonight.

I can't leave Julius now.

I got a job to do.

Yeah.

Garza.

You know that.

What's a job for, Buddy?

What?

It's for the family.

Hand me your wallet.

Just give it to me.

Remember this?

Jakey's share.

From your first job.

He kept it?

Yeah, Dubby.

I'm sorry, "Dubby"?

That's what you wrote.

See?

Yeah.

'B's and 'D's, they used to confuse me.

I know. I mix them up all the time.

Yeah?

You kept it?

All these years?

Yeah, Buds.

Yeah?

Why? Why? It's just six bucks.

It means more to him

than anything in the world.

Because when you got your first paycheck,

you thought of your little brother.

Your brother needs you

to be his best man.

You think this dummy will marry me

without your wedding speech?

Hey, Vee.

Are...

Are there any movie theaters in Verona?

- Yes, Buddy.

- Yeah?

Seven.

Seven? That's a lot.

Well, I need to go get my tuxedo.

I can't leave without my tux. Okay?

All right, you guys eat. Okay?

Just save that for me. I'll be right back.

All right?

I'll be right back!

I hear we're going to war.

Is Franco calling you from hell?

Franco wasn't my man.

Well, then, who?

What will the answer get me?

My word, no war. Just tell me who it is.

He's the man who killed Eric.

No, that was your man.

McBradden told me that.

My man, from your side of the fence.

Just tell me the f***in' name!

I am sorry, Mr. Hench.

I gave him my word.

I promised the young reporter

I would not utter his name.

The f***ing vegetarian!

Carry me over the threshold.

Good boy.

Where's college boy at?

Why, it's a secret, Julius.

It's a surprise.

Well, I got a secret for you, too, Bud.

You see, Garza didn't kill Eric.

But I know who did.

Open that up.

Who is it, Julius?

Tell me.

I'll put a bullet in his head.

I'll kill him.

And then I'll wake him up.

And I'll kill him again.

Jacob wasn't playing

checkers with you that night.

Was he, Bud?

No.

No.

No, hey. Hey, hey.

It wasn't Jake's fault. He...

Poor Jake, he got sick. You know?

Hey, hey. Light me a cigar.

Light me one of those up, son.

Your first horse.

Remember?

We went to Marsha's ranch.

What color was that foal you picked?

It was white.

Right.

For Jake.

Jake never came. Never.

While you waited,

what did we do with that young stallion?

We broke him.

Yes, we broke him.

Sit down!

We got him a saddle.

A gorgeous one, tanned leather.

- Red. Remember that?

- Yeah.

Then what happened to that horse?

A fox bit him.

He got rabies.

That's right, he started kicking and biting,

and that broken horse went crazy.

He could've killed us, son.

What did Pop tell you to do?

That we had to put him to sleep.

And who had to do it?

Me.

Because I loved him the most.

Anyone else, it would've been

too goddamn painful for that horse.

He didn't see that gun in your hand,

your finger on that trigger.

All he saw was your eyes,

your caring, loving eyes,

putting him to sleep.

The last thing that horse felt, Bud.

Your love.

'Cause the horse wasn't bad.

He was just sick.

Yes.

That's what happened with Jake.

The city bit him like a fox. He went mad,

he went insane. He killed Eric.

He made a deal with Garza to kill me.

Hey, hey, hey.

Hey, no, it ain't his fault.

You see, he got sick.

He just got sick, is all.

You've got to put him to sleep.

At his ranch.

You can visit him there every day.

He will never leave you again.

Never.

This is your final test.

You pass this test,

you will have earned it.

Let's see it.

Look at you.

My son.

Come here.

William Heckum.

The brave son of a proud father

who will put Jake to sleep,

'cause he loves him the most.

You understand, son?

Yeah.

I understand.

Pop said, "Jakey,

"you came into this world after Buddy.

"But he doesn't understand what he's doing,

so you gotta be the big brother."

The next day,

Jakey let me win at checkers

and never beat me again.

And once, you know, when kids at school

called me a slowpoke behind my back,

Jakey got into a fight with them.

He got beat up pretty bad.

But when Mama asked him who done it,

Jakey wouldn't tell.

Pop said, "You know, Jakey's right

to keep it a secret.

"If Buddy found out,

he'd put those boys in the hospital.

"Buddy'd go nuts if anybody hurt Jakey."

And then he told Mama,

"My heart's at peace today.

"'Cause I know when you

and I are no longer on this Earth,

"our boys are gonna

look after each other."

Buds?

Don't splash. Okay? Don't splash.

Aren't you coming, Buds?

Yeah, I'm coming.

I gotta talk to Julius first.

I'm not gonna go without you.

You gotta go, Jakey.

You gotta take care of Vee.

I'm coming, I promise.

I'll be there at your wedding.

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