Cimarron Page #11

build one than to send them all to college.

Well, anyhow, I hired Mr. Krubechoff here

to put me up some kind of a statue...

...something that'll stand

for the Oklahoma pioneer.

- That's wonderful.

- We got to talking.

We all decided, the whole committee...

...that nobody stood

for the spirit of the pioneer like you did.

So that's how come we wanted

Mr. Krubechoff to talk to you and all...

...and we thought

maybe you'd pose and everything for him.

- Am I right, Sol?

- Yeah, yeah, yes, you know.

Something nice, like you and the little boy

in a covered wagon.

Something nice, very simple.

But you're out of your minds.

I haven't decided yet

what should be the best to represent...

Whatever it is, the spirit...

...but I would appreciate,

maybe you'd talk to me.

Talk.

I'm afraid they have given you

the wrong idea.

I was just sitting here thinking,

as a matter of fact, you know...

...nothing really has turned out

the way I thought it would.

My son and... Look at this.

That's my son.

My son, he had to run away to get married,

to do what he wanted to do.

They won't live

in the same state with me.

He won't even write me a letter

once in a while.

And my husband. This is my husband.

He had to run away too.

I haven't heard from him

in about 10 years.

- The newspaper, nothing, noth?...

- The news...

What's the newspaper? The newspaper.

Oh, my dear.

I've made it bigger, louder, more profitable.

Yes, I have made it more profitable.

But it hasn't got the spirit it had

when my husband was here.

But, Sabra, please,

I mean, this whole thing...

And that's what you want to symbolize,

the spirit of the pioneer, with me?

Oh, Tom.

This is very sweet of you, Tom.

What Sabra means is...

I think he knows what I mean.

Don't you?

- Let's all go and have a cup of coffee.

- I have no time.

- I'm sorry, I have to...

- Have you got the editorial?

No, I haven't got the editorial, but...

I'm trying to squeeze out

something at least.

- Please forgive me...

- Look, this will take five minutes.

The newspaper will not run away.

- You will have a cup of coffee.

- That's enough.

You might as well go ahead.

- They've waited this long.

- What's happening?

- Coffee will make us all think.

- Off you go.

- You are out of your mind, all of you.

- Come on.

What's come over you?

You know what I ought to run tomorrow,

in place of the editorial?

I was just thinking about it before.

We just go down for a cup of coffee.

One little woman told me once...

You remember her, Sol, Jessie?

Her name was Mrs. Pegler

and she told me...

It was on the day when her husband

got killed in the land rush.

"It's not worth it," she told me.

"I'm a woman," she said.

"Where are my children?

I'm a woman," she said.

"Where is my man?"

"It's not worth it," she said.

And I'm beginning to think

that she was...

Oh...

Oh, you.

And you.

Cim.

Congratulations, Mother.

Oh, Ruby, darling.

- Congratulations.

- Thank you.

Oh, my boy.

I'm afraid two of your honored guests

are just a little sleepy.

- You brought the children too?

- Yes.

- Where are they?

- Over there.

Come with me. Come on.

Oh, Arita.

Oh, Arita.

Well...

Hello.

Hello.

- Hello.

- Mother.

Oh, do you remember

when I told you to stick with it?

Do you remember that day

when I told you?

Oh, she wanted to give up, and I told her,

"You stick with it, little lady. "

- And she stuck.

- Oh, you.

And she's made something.

- You said...

- No, no.

Speech. Speech.

- Speech.

- Speech.

- Speech.

- Oh, Tom, you make a speech.

- You are a much better speaker than I am.

- Speech, speech.

Speech.

Well, I feel...

I'm afraid

I feel like a fraud standing here.

If it hadn't been for so many people

like Mrs. Pegler...

...there wouldn't have been

an Oklahoma Wigwam at all.

And Jessie, who got us started.

And Sol, who kept us going...

...through all the mean and ugly years,

both spiritually and financially.

Oh, yes.

And, uh, most of all... You were

looking for the spirit of the pioneer.

Well, his spirit is here tonight.

God only knows where his ornery self is.

And you all know who I mean.

It's easy enough to drudge along

and cling on to something...

...what somebody else has created.

And that's all I've done.

Just to survive.

But the leaders, the true pioneers...

...they are rare and hard to come by.

Sometimes even harder to understand.

And almost never appreciated

until it's too late.

But such a man was my husband.

No, I don't mean "was," I mean "is. "

Because every time

I hear a sudden noise...

...or see an unexpected shadow,

I hold my breath...

...waiting for my Yancey

to burst in on me and pick me up...

...and pick up the conversation

exactly where he left it 10 years ago.

Well, I hope he still can pick me up,

the weight I've put on.

Oh, my God.

My darling Sabra.

I can just hear you now,

accusing me of chasing excitement again...

...but I feel sure America is bound

to get into this thing, sooner or later...

...and I had to get into it as soon as I could,

and don't ask me why.

I guess somebody's got to.

For 11 years,

I've been trying to write this letter to you.

And when I think of all the things you've

given me and how little I've given you...

...how does a man say

to a woman he loves:

"I apologize for loving you"?

We've just gotta be patient

with each other, that's all.

Yes.

I just love you so much.

- What if he's a girl baby?

- A girl?

Yancey would send her right back.

Oh, I'll bet he would.

He's part of the history, a man like that.

We'll be proud of him.

Round and around

and around and around.

Listen, I need you

far more than you need me.

You helped me. You helped me.

Yancey.

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