Clash by Night Page #3

Honolulu's out there.

Honolulu.

Far away.

I'd like to go down on deck.

Earl invited us out Sunday,

to the Pavilion.

Would you like to go?

We've been going out a lot, Jerry.

I know, Mae. I've been taking up

a lot of your time.

My time is not so precious.

How is your father?

I wish he'd quit drinking.

I guess it must be terrible

to get old and lonely.

Yes.

I suppose that's what everyone's afraid of,

getting old and lonely.

I suppose.

It's funny, though, how they

used to fight, him and my mother.

Then when she died,

he just sat and cried.

- He's a stubborn old man.

- Are you stubborn?

Me? No, I ain't much of anything.

You shouldn't run yourself

down like that, Jerry.

I'm not running myself down.

It's just that...

...well, I wish I was a little like Earl.

Did you ever hear Earl imitate Chinese?

All I can imitate's a duck.

Oh, Jerry, leave the imitations to Earl.

He's just kind of an imitation himself.

I'm real glad

you came back home, Mae.

Why?

I like you, you know that.

You don't know anything about me.

What kind of an animal am I?

Do I have fangs, do I purr?

What jungle am I from?

- You don't know a thing about me.

- That ain't important.

People have funny things

swimming around inside of them.

Don't you ever wonder what they are?

Well, maybe. Once in a while.

I don't like to think about

things like that.

Look at me, Jerry.

Are you in love with me?

I guess so.

I guess I am.

I wouldn't make a good wife for you.

That ain't true.

You'd make a wonderful wife.

Don't be so sure. I'm one of those women

who are never satisfied.

But it would be nice,

married to someone like you.

I'd be safe, wouldn't I?

A place to rest.

And that would be nice.

- A place to rest.

- Mae, I...

Your arm up to here in a hot fire.

- It wouldn't work.

- It ain't true.

Find yourself someone who likes

pushing a baby carriage and shopping...

...and changing the curtains

on the window.

I'd be bad for you.

Believe me, somehow I'd hurt you.

- I don't care.

- Oh, care, care.

Don't be so eager to make a mistake.

Don't you see what I mean?

I'm tired. I'd be tempted to marry someone

like you, but it would be all wrong.

No, it wouldn't. Mae, listen...

...I ain't smart, I ain't rich...

...but I'd do anything for you.

The blizzards and the floods.

Would you?

No.

I'm crazy to even think such a thing.

It's wrong.

Good night, Jerry.

I got water in my ear.

I got water in my ear.

I'll shake it out.

You're hurting me.

Joe, let go.

Come on, I'll race you back.

The water was cold, but it was fun.

I didn't know Jerry could dance.

You call that dancing?

Waiter.

Waiter!

Excuse me while I shake

this dump upside down.

- Where's he get all that energy?

- I don't like him.

He's kind of exciting and attractive.

- Who's attractive? Who's exciting?

- Earl.

- Who?

- Joe, you're strangling me.

- Who's attractive? Who's exciting?

- You.

That's better.

Here you are, son,

because you're a good boy.

Thanks, mister.

Who drinks beside me?

It's too early in the day.

That's where you're wrong.

Never too early.

Joe, will you get my sweater?

Yeah.

The fruit in the fruit tree.

What?

When it's ripe, it's juicy.

Don't it bother you,

working at a cannery?

What should I work at?

What does the bee do in the clover?

He's busy making honey.

Mae's some dancer.

Me, I'm a hippo on two feet.

Yeah, my two feet.

- The sardine fleet's back.

- I feel like a walk.

Come on, Joe.

The little bee is making honey.

Earl, show Mae

your Chinese imitation.

You kill me.

Well, well, there's

my own nephew, I said...

...sitting with his friends.

I must step up and say hello.

Hello, Uncle Vince. This is Mae Doyle,

Earl Pfeiffer. This is my Uncle Vince.

Always glad to meet

my nephew's friends.

Have a beer,

if you got nothing else to do.

Nothing to do? I beg your pardon.

I've got so much to do...

...I don't know where to start,

as a matter...

But I can stand a beer

on an afternoon like this.

Miss Doyle, may I have this dance?

- Go on, Mae, enjoy yourself.

- All right.

- Maybe I won't bring her back, Jerry.

- You will.

Keep that periscope up, uncle.

Think he's funny? He ain't funny.

- The old gent's here.

- What? Papa?

- Tucked in the bar.

- In the bar?

- Can I ask you a foolish question?

- You'll get a foolish answer.

You've got Jerry spinning.

I can see it a mile off.

Can you?

Jerry's the salt of the earth,

but he's not the right seasoning for you.

What kind of seasoning do I need?

You're like me.

A dash of Tabasco

or the meat tastes flat.

- Can't see you doing it.

- Doing what?

Hanging out the family wash.

What did you do back East?

- Existed.

- Okay...

...I'm offside.

I'll ask you one more foolish question.

Where did you get

those blue, blue eyes?

From my mother.

- And the perfume?

- From a bottle.

Remind me to refill that bottle.

For another nickel, we can have a rumba.

No, thanks. Save your money.

Hard times are coming.

I wonder where Jerry went.

The sun is going down.

Waiter, how about something potent,

like a couple shots of bourbon.

Okay, mister.

You know, they used to call me

the kingfish of Buckman County.

I had zip, class, pep, a future.

- But that was far away and long ago.

- Why talk like that? You're still young.

No, I'm just a barge

floating down the river.

Who cares where I go or what I do?

Is your wife back?

- Why bring up an unpleasant subject?

- Just curious.

She's in Pittsburgh on tour.

Were you ever in Pittsburgh?

- No.

- Well, she's in Pittsburgh.

Make me slightly super-happy

if she stayed in Pittsburgh.

- I thought I told you four.

- You said a couple.

- Well, how much is a couple?

- To me, three.

Drowning my sorrow.

Do you drink?

- Where did you learn that?

- In Pittsburgh.

I want to look at the ocean.

What are you thinking about?

That music.

I used to sell sheet music in a dime store,

and they played that.

Papa's here.

He don't wanna go home.

Some fella at the bar's

loading him up with booze.

When he falls, we'll pick him up. Relax.

I don't want no whiskey.

- You drinking, Mae?

- What if I am?

- Well, all I...

- If I wanna drink whiskey, I'll drink it.

That'll teach you, Jeremiah.

Never ask a lady personal questions.

Shut up.

He drives me cuckoo sometimes.

What does he think I am, Red Riding Hood?

Get mad, get hot.

It's good for what ails you.

Aren't there any more comfortable men?

Now they're all little and nervous like

sparrows or big and worried like sick bears.

Men.

Women.

If I ever loved a man again,

I'd bear anything.

He could have my teeth for watch fobs.

That's the liquor talking.

Two tiny slugs.

Who was he?

Santa Claus.

- Does Jerry know?

- I'm not married to Jerry.

He was a politician I knew.

He died.

I felt as if my own life had stopped.

I didn't think I'd ever feel anything again.

Where could I go?

Home.

But you forget.

You even begin to hope again.

One thing I know, he was a man

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