Clash by Night Page #6

But ask him what?

Now, that's a good one.

I go to Papa and say, "What about it, Papa?"

Then Papa says, "What about what?"

And then I say, "What about anything?"

Uncle Vince, you're crazy.

You got no cause to laugh on me.

Well, sometimes you don't make sense.

When your drunken father sobers up,

ask him about your wife...

...and Mr. Pfeiffer.

Uncle Vince, you're a big boob.

You saying there's some funny

things going on between them?

Ain't you ashamed,

bringing up a thing like that?

Mae never liked you,

and she's right not to...

...and I'm sick and tired

of listening. Use your brains.

- I was just trying...

- Don't bring up stuff like that.

I don't like to hit no one.

I get all sick inside

if I have to hit anybody.

- Yeah, but, Jerry, I was only...

- Uncle Vince, go away, please.

Please go away.

Ask him, you bully. Ask your own father.

See if you sleep tonight.

Get out of here!

Darn old goat.

Papa, stop, will you?

Papa, please stop.

Papa, why were you fighting?

- What did you say to Uncle Vince?

- Vince.

Yes. What did you tell him, Papa?

Papa, what did you say to Uncle Vince?

Papa. Tell me, why were you fighting?

Papa, talk to me.

What did you say to Uncle Vince?

All right, Papa.

This looks like you, Jeremiah.

We won it.

Stop clowning.

I was gonna sleep, but it's too hot.

You didn't miss a thing.

What's that I smell? Is that perfume?

Millions of Flowers.

That's my perfume.

I was looking for some socks

for the morning.

I seen the bottle.

I didn't know what it was.

- Did Gloria wake up?

- No.

- Did you give her the bottle?

- Yes.

- She take it all?

- Yes.

What else did you find in that drawer?

In the drawer? Nothing.

I see you opened this too.

Why not? It's my wife's.

- Only you're acting so peculiar.

- Where'd you get them?

- Where do you get things? You buy them.

- What is it?

They must've cost

20 bucks apiece. That's silk.

You never could tell the difference

between silk and rayon.

Hiding them in the bottom of a drawer.

- Now, Jeremiah.

- Don't call me Jeremiah.

- Look like silk to me.

- Lf they are?

- Where'd you get them?

- Man in the moon, he dropped them for me.

What's so funny, Earl?

It's funny to you I'm supposed

to look like a teddy bear?

Maybe you think

I bought them nightgowns.

How'd you know they were nightgowns?

Well, you said nightgowns.

No. I didn't.

Silks, rayons, I figured

you meant nightgowns.

And that perfume. What about that?

You think I'm blind, I don't see anything.

- Well, I see everything.

- Ease it off, Jerry. You'll blow a valve.

Don't talk to me like that.

All right, nightgowns and a bottle

of fancy water. What's all the uproar?

Sure, I bought them for Mae. A gift.

You wanna twist my head off

just because I bought Mae a little gift?

- Lf it's a gift, why'd she hide them?

- Hide them?

You found them, didn't you?

Easy, she just put them away.

Stop it, I'm sick of lying.

Tell him the truth.

- Mae.

- "Mae, Mae, Mae."

"Wash my face, Mae."

"Comb my hair, Mae."

"Be my cook, nurse,

accountant, bottle washer."

I didn't go to the amusement park.

I was with Earl all afternoon.

- Jerry.

- Get out.

I could hurt you real bad

if I put my hands on you.

Why, Mae?

Tell me why. I love you,

the ground you walk on.

I tried, Jerry.

God forgive me, I tried.

Was I a bad husband? Did I say,

Mae, don't do this, don't do that?

- No.

- Did I go out and gamble? Did I get drunk?

- Did I eat, and you went hungry?

- No.

Well, why, Mae? My head's busting.

What don't I understand?

I've got nothing to blame you for.

It's me, me, something in me.

A year.

Was a year that long?

You say to yourself, wait, be patient,

things will change, you'll feel different.

No good. Nothing changes.

The days go by. Down to the grocery store,

back to the house.

Hang out the wash,

take the dishes out of the closet.

Go to bed, wake up. Wait, wait.

Shut your mouth, close your eyes.

This is the man you married.

This is the life you've made.

Expect nothing, hope for nothing.

And every day a little older,

a little duller, a little stupider.

Love? It's superstition. Hope? Forget it.

Forget how to laugh, forget how to cry.

Tell yourself that's how everybody else

lives, why should you be any different?

Without love, there's...

There's nothing.

And tears. What good are tears?

And I said come visit us.

I asked you here. I...

- You...!

- Jerry.

What are you, animals?

In a zoo, they keep them in a cage.

They keep them apart, they keep them

from hurting people, they...

Animals.

Animals.

Animals.

What are we gonna do, Mae?

We're getting nowhere fast.

I won't leave until I hear from Jerry.

You expect me to throw him

away like a stone?

- Yes.

- How hard-boiled we are.

There isn't any other way.

- Listen to me.

- Listen to me.

Don't make me sorry for him.

If I'm sorry for him,

I can't be sorry for us...

...and we'll both be sorry

love was ever invented.

He didn't come back last night.

Regrets?

For us?

No.

This is my last shot at happiness.

And mine.

And the baby?

Take Gloria with you.

It's his child too.

All right, leave her there. Can you?

What would Jerry do with a kid?

He can't take care of himself.

Oh, Earl, we're taking

everything away from him.

Show me another way to do it.

- I can't.

- Love him or love me.

You can't save us both.

Somebody's throat has to be cut.

If you can do it, cut mine. Leave me.

Call it quits, here and now.

That and I...

You want to hide? Sneak away?

Leave messages with bellboys?

Baby, we have to.

Love is rotten when it happens

like this, the hard way.

But if we want each other,

this is the fire we walk through.

Because this is forever, Mae.

Forever?

Or until he sticks a knife in me

or you walk out.

How could I walk out?

Then do the next thing,

get away from here.

If you have a dream, live it.

If you have a hope, chase it.

Not until I hear from Jerry.

That's the least I can do.

You win.

Where did you get those blue, blue eyes?

- Mae.

- Jerry.

I wanna talk to you.

Come here, please.

You look exhausted.

Sit down...

...please.

What I want to say is...

There's the past.

There's the past and the future.

The past don't interest me if we could

have a future. You see what I mean?

We could forget about the past.

A child don't grow up right

without a family, ain't that so?

- Yeah.

- You see what I mean, Mae?

Gloria deserves

a happy childhood, don't she?

- Yes, she does.

- Well, Mae, you won't be sorry.

Believe me, I'll bury the past.

Jerry, don't go on talking like that.

It won't help.

Why won't it help?

I know how you feel, Jerry.

Everybody is lonely, lost.

Don't think I'm heartless.

I'd give an arm to take back the grief

I've caused you. But I can't help you now.

I'm leaving tomorrow.

With him?

Yes.

You love him?

I have to get dressed.

Mae.

Yes, Jerry.

I was thinking I might sell the boat.

She's a pretty good boat.

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