Cape Fear Page #6

No, I'm Danielle Bowden.

Danielle. Oh, we spoke last night.

Yeah.

Oh, I'm sorry. How rude.

It's okay.

"I think we're alone now"

Okay.

Thanks. Here.

I'm going to give this to you.

Little trick I learned. Take it.

You know when we spoke

on the phone last night?

You really made sense to me.

I thought a lot.

Those are human truths.

That's what it's all about.

And that's what we deal with here.

See the book you have, Thomas Wolfe?

It's all about self-discovery,

the inner voyage.

I like the end...

...where Eugene's journey was really...

...mystical, you know?

It was almost like a pilgrimage.

Almost like a cop-out, if you ask me.

Though those were the facts of Wolfe's life.

The novel is what you would call

a roman clef.

You know what that is?

Sure.

Well, nonetheless, you can't escape

your demons just by leaving home.

Although writers do find new freedom

when they relocate abroad.

Take Henry Miller.

Have you read his trilogy?

Plexus, Nexus and Sexus?

- You haven't read that?

- No.

You're missing something.

You know what?

I did read Tropic of Cancer.

Just parts of it, though...

...because I had to sneak it off

my parents' shelf, you know?

His descriptions are pretty vivid,

I would say.

In one of the novels, I don't recall which...

...he describes an erection

as a piece of lead with wings on it.

- I didn't read that part.

- Of course not. You're not allowed.

Your parents don't want you

to achieve adulthood.

They know the pitfalls of adulthood,

all that freedom.

They know it only too well.

Temptation to stray,

deflecting their guilt and anger onto you...

...for a crime that's not even a crime,

for smoking grass.

Wait a second.

Where are you from?

Where am I from?

- Yeah.

- Where do you think I'm from?

I don't know, but-

If I told you, you going to get mad at me?

I'm from the black forest.

That's funny.

You're not the Drama teacher, are you?

Maybe I'm the big bad wolf.

So you're that guy that's been

hanging around the house?

You're the one that killed my mom's dog?

- Your mom's dog was killed?

- Yeah.

I didn't even know anything about that.

That's a shame.

That's a damn shame.

Yes, it was.

What kind of dog was it?

I don't know. He was just...

He was fluffy, and...

Fluffy?

So you didn't do that?

Of course I didn't do that.

- Okay.

- I wouldn't do that.

So why... What are you doing here, then?

Well, I came to meet you,

to be honest with you.

- Why? I mean-

- Because...

...I wanted to meet you,

see what you're like.

I see you're a nice person. That's all.

- You're not going to hurt me, are you?

- I'm not going to hurt you at all.

There's no hurting here, Danielle.

Between us there's no anger, nothing.

Just a search for truth.

Did you judge me, get angry at me

when you caught me smoking the grass?

No.

But your parents judged you.

Got plenty angry at you, didn't they?

Yeah.

They punished you for their sins.

What did they do?

My dad...

They just yelled a whole lot and...

...my mom cried...

...and my dad said

I couldn't drive the Cherokee.

I'd say they punished you

for their sins, and you resent that...

...and you should resent it.

But Professor do-right has

a little advice for you.

You shouldn't damn them.

Don't judge them.

Just forgive them,

for they know not what they do.

Why do you hate my father?

I don't hate him at all.

Oh, no. I pray for him.

I'm here to help him.

We all make mistakes, Danielle.

You and I have. At least we try to admit it.

Don't we?

Yeah.

But your daddy, he don't.

Every man carries a circle of hell

around his head like a halo.

Your daddy, too. Every man...

...has to go through hell

to reach his paradise.

You know what paradise is?

- No.

- Salvation.

'Cause your daddy's not happy.

Your mommy's not happy.

And you know what? You're not happy.

- Are you?

- No, I'm not.

You thought about me last night,

didn't you?

Yes, I did.

I know.

You know, I think

I might have found a companion...

...for that long walk to the light.

Do you mind if I put my arm around you?

It's okay.

No, I don't mind.

Okay.

Kersek, where the hell have you been?

He came at my daughter at school.

You asked me to watch him nights.

I'm watching nights. What happened?

My wife, Leigh, found some marijuana

in one of Dani's schoolbooks.

We don't know if Cady

gave it to her or what happened.

She's scared and she won't talk aboutit.

But this has gone far enough.

It's got to stop!

- You phone the cops?

- No, I didn't phone the cops.

What did you call them?

"Slow, skeptical pathetic, even. "

No, Leigh, that's all right.

Just hold on a minute.

Kersek...

...I want to hire those three guys,

you remember, the hospital job.

Consider it done, the sooner the better.

Three men are going to cost you a grand.

It's not chicken feed

but you don't go with less than three.

It's better to overdo it.

You'll have the money in the morning.

We'll be on for tomorrow night.

And Sam...

...you'll feel good about this.

All right.

Do you notice these young people?

They don't look very happy.

They're committed to their professions

and ambitions but not to each other.

Cady, shut up and listen.

If you don't leave...

...my family alone

and you don't get out of here...

...you're going to be hurting

like you never dreamed.

- Could you repeat that?

- I said...

...if you don't get out of here...

...you're going to be hurting

like you never dreamed.

- A threat?

- Yeah.

You bet your ass that's a threat.

I have thought of relocating...

...where I'd be more appreciated,

California, perhaps.

...I could teach earthquake preparedness.

But then it hits me,

I love New Essex, Counselor.

I mean, where else could I just

casually confer with an old colleague?

We're not colleagues.

Do you understand that?

- You think you're better than me.

- No, I don't.

That's not the goddamned point.

Good. If you're not better than me

then I can have what you have.

- What do I have?

- A wife, a daughter.

I'm going to teach you

the meaning of commitment.

Fourteen years ago, I was forced to make

a commitment to an eight-by-nine cell...

...and now you're going to be forced

to make a commitment.

You could say I'm here to save you.

Fine.

Check out the Bible, Counselor...

...the book between Esther and Psalms.

You all right?

- Is everything all right?

- Yeah.

This isn't going to work, you know.

- What isn't going to work?

- Locking us in, hiding us from the world.

Oh, don't be so dramatic, Dani.

- Making me stay out of school.

- You're going back to school tomorrow.

And put some clothes on.

You're not a kid anymore.

Why am I going back to school tomorrow?

What are you going to do?

That's none of your concern, Dani.

Dad...

...he didn't force himself on me, you know.

I know you'd like to think that he did.

But I think he was...

I think he was just trying

to make a connection with me.

- You know?

- Now, Dani...

...I want you to listen to me.

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