CrissCross Page #3

Oh, sweetheart.

When school ended

for summer...

Buggs and me

cooled out at the beach.

Mostly it was great

just doing things together.

And after a year

in the same class...

as Smethurst the worst...

what we needed to do

was air out our heads.

The day before

the countdown...

Buggs said

we should try something...

to help the astronauts

have a safe mission.

We decided

everything would be OK.

We closed our eyes and pictured

a perfect flight...

from blastoff to splashdown.

The scariest part for me...

was thinking about

being stuck on the moon.

Buggs said he'd miss his dad

more than anyone.

I said Rebel.

But I really meant my mom.

Who put a shark in the tank

in the first place?

Louis. He's eating all

of Emmett's favorite fish.

So, what do we do

if we catch him?

Put him back in the ocean.

Hey, you guys.

You're going to miss it.

Hey, I think

"Dark Shadows" is on now.

Get away from there, Louis.

Louis.

T-minus 15 seconds.

Guidance is internal.

twelve, eleven, ten, nine...

ignition sequence start.

six, five, four...

three, two, one...

zero.

- All right!

- Oh, God!

Liftoff. We have a liftoff,

32 minutes past the hour.

Yeah!

Boy, it looks good, Wally.

- Yeah!

- All right!

All right!

Roger.

You're loud and clear, Houston.

Houston, thrust is go.

All engines are looking good.

Grab the bow line!

Hey, Snyder!

What?

Gimme some fish!

He's drunk.

Always.

You gonna deliver these,

or are you gonna screw around?

You know how my brother hates

when you're late, now.

Snyder's a drunk,

and Jetty's paying him.

You're gross!

Echo!

Echo!

Rebel!

There's some tarpon up here.

It's big!

Yeah. Eight-foot.

200 pounds.

Drop it, Rebel!

- This one's had it.

- Wait, look!

It looks like someone

stitched it up. That's weird.

Watch all the guts come out.

Oh, my God. Turn around!

What? What is it?

Let's get out of here.

Come on, get out!

Let's go!

Termina told me what

was in the fish is cocaine...

the drug

people snort up their noses...

like they were pigs...

and that turned them

into sex maniacs.

She said Jetty and Snyder

were just using me...

so they could make money...

and I could

only get into trouble.

It really bummed me out

that Jetty had lied to me.

When Termina asked me...

what I was planning to do

with the cocaine...

I said, "Throw it away."

"And the night before that,

I dreamt I was a wigwam."

I heard this joke, Louis.

It's funny!

I'm not laughing yet.

How come you know

every joke in the world?

'Cause you told me every joke.

I did not!

Did I tell you that joke?

Because he dreams about teepees.

I want to give you some change.

Don't sweat the small stuff,

little guy.

Rebel ate one of the fish.

Doc says,

"Relax. You're too tense."

What did you say?

What did you say?

Rebel ate one of the fish.

"Relax. You're 2 tents."

It is funny! Think about it.

Hey, Louis!

Louis, will you stow it?

Tell Tracy it's set-up time.

What do you mean?

What do you mean,

what does she mean?

Get up there,

and you tell your mother...

to get her buns down here.

It's dinnertime.

- You got me?

- OK! Yeah!

God!

Mom.

You gotta wake up.

You need to go set up.

You feeling OK?

Yeah.

Must've had a bad dream,

honey. That's all.

Would you give me

my cigarettes?

You shouldn't smoke.

Oh, hush.

Mom, we need to talk.

Mom?

All right. Go on.

I'm going to splash

some water on my face.

Give me a towel, honey.

You do look serious.

I saved all my money.

You can have it.

Chris, put that money

in your account...

and quit worrying about me.

If I make as much money as you,

will you quit your job?

Don't you think

I'm awfully young to retire?

I know what you do.

You know what I do?

I know you take your clothes off

in front of other guys.

How'd you find out?

What difference does it make?

Honey...

I was planning on

telling you.

I just didn't know

how to do it.

'Cause you know

it's not right.

I know it's not right.

I wish there was

another way, Chris.

I just can't find any.

Look harder.

God damn it, Chris...

sometimes there's things

you just don't understand.

I understand.

Now, turn around here.

Look at me for a minute.

I'm making five times

the amount of money...

I would doing that

than anything else.

And I'm not equipped

to do anything else!

Now, I'm all you've got!

And I'm looking out

for your future, Chris.

Who cares about the future?

I care about now!

You think I like

taking my clothes off...

in front of all those people?

It makes me sick to my stomach.

Then stop!

Honey...

sometimes in life

you gotta do things...

that aren't so good

to get what is good.

It's gonna be all right,

sweetie.

I love you more than anything.

I guess it was like Mom said.

Sometimes you had to do

something that wasn't so good...

to get what is good.

I knew in my head what I was

planning wasn't exactly good...

but I figured

if Dad wasn't coming home...

and wasn't gonna help...

it was up to me

to save my mom.

Hell of a time to deliver the

bad news headlines, isn't it?

Ladybug.

Ladybug, ladybug,

fly away home.

Emmett?

How come Mom dances

without any clothes on?

People are very tough

to figure, Chris.

Especially mothers.

Will her dancing

get her into trouble?

Hey.

She puts her goddamn arms

around you, don't she?

So? She puts her arms

around a lot of people.

Listen, Chris,

you're gonna be all right.

When you get older,

you're gonna find someone...

they're gonna put

their arms around you.

As long as you got someone

to put their arms around you...

you're gonna be OK.

How come

you don't got somebody?

Aren't you lonely?

Yeah, sure.

The only thing worse...

than being lonely

with yourself...

is being lonely

with someone.

Do people use this stuff...

because it helps them

become sex maniacs?

Where the hell

did you get that?

Rebel brought it home

in his mouth.

Nasty stuff, Chris.

It's cocaine.

People get addicted to that.

Dump it right now.

- Is it expensive?

- Dump it, Chris!

Crap sells for ninety a gram.

You got about ten grams there.

- Ninety cents?

- Bucks!

Jesus, my mind's jumping.

Go on, go deliver

your newspapers.

Morning.

Morning.

How you doing?

Enjoying my day off.

Soap...

Better separate that stuff.

It's gonna get wrecked.

It's already wrecked.

I thought you left.

I did.

Came back.

Where'd you go?

Fishing.

Did you have any luck?

Not yet.

I was beginning to think

you were turned off...

by my work at the bar.

Everybody's got a job to do.

What's your job?

I'm unemployed.

No, I just finished

a job up north.

I'm a sports writer.

I'm writing a novel.

I'm on page three.

I used to read at night.

Now I just pass out.

Thank God for sleep, you know?

See ya.

Hey, what are you doing later?

A bunch of us are

going down to the beach...

and dance and watch

the moon landing.

Have fun.

Hey.

Save me a dance.

There you go.

To tranquility on the moon...

and right here on Earth.

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