Desperate Page #5

- Let's see if this explains what to do.

- I'll tell you.

Hands on the wheel and step on the

gas. Please hurry to a hospital.

Okay, buddy.

- Nurse, how's my wife?

- Fine, just fine.

- Please tell her I love her and not be afraid.

- I'll tell her.

Thanks.

First time?

- Yeah.

- My name is Frank. Bill Frank.

Easy to remember.

[CHUCKLES]

what's yours?

Everybody thinks of automobile

insurance after the collision...

...and everybody thinks about

life insurance when it's too late.

Nobody knows what's gonna happen to them.

You walk down an empty street,

look both ways at every corner.

Nothing in sight. And just

like that... no insurance.

That's a tragedy.

But let me tell you about

our monthly payment plan.

You pay $9 the first of every month...

...and your wife and child collect $5000...

...the minute the old ticker stops.

Mr. Stevens.

How's my wife?

Almost as beautiful as

your new baby daughter.

- Daughter?

- Six pounds and 8 ounces.

- You can see her in about five minutes.

- Thanks.

Congratulations, father.

Now, how about that insurance?

- Haven't got time. Not now.

- I know.

You think it'll take time for the

medical examination. You're wrong.

My brother-in-law's a doctor

here. He'll take care...

Hey, wait a minute.

If I pass the medical examination

and if anything happens to me...

...my wife will collect $5000 cash?

- Absolutely.

All you have to do is

sign on the dotted line.

You know, in my 31 years

of selling insurance...

...I never saw a better risk than you.

I hope you're right.

ANNE:
Now, see here, young lady,

you've gotta drink your milk.

That is, if you wanna go to

California with your daddy and me.

Oh, now.

we're going to have our own gas station.

Steve Randall's Gas Station.

Oh, you like that, huh? well, so do I.

Come on.

There she is, Manny, it's all yours.

Okay, Steve. Night shift starting tomorrow.

All right with me. I can

sure use that extra dough.

- Nothing wrong with that.

- So long.

So long.

[GUNSHOTS]

ANNE:
Is that you, Steve?

Oh, hello, darling.

- You look awfully pretty.

- Thank you.

I was expecting the gas collector.

I was talking to Mr. Briggs,

the real estate agent...

...and he said that a gas station

in California is a good buy.

Do you know that the baby

and I were talking about it?

- She likes the idea too.

- No kidding.

Mr. Briggs says it's a perfect location

besides having living quarters in the back...

...and that's very important to us.

Oh, Steve. Steve, that's wonderful.

Just think, in another week we'll

have enough money for the deposit...

...and then you can send

it right on to the owner.

well, I don't know, honey. Mr. Briggs said

there's a hundred people after the place.

Being right there is better

than sending the money.

I don't think we should

wait. we might lose it.

Now, don't worry about it.

There'll always be another.

well, I'm not taking any chances.

You're leaving today.

Today?

I have your bus tickets and I

drew the money out of the bank.

- But, Steve...

- There's no "buts" about it.

There's a bus leaving at 8:00. You're on it.

- Steve, I...

- Look, honey...

...tomorrow I start on the night

shift. You won't be seeing much of me.

Yes, but darling, I thought we

were going to go away together.

I know, but look, I want you to

go out and get the deal settled...

...and fix the place up.

I'll stay here and get a few

more pay envelopes in my pocket...

...and then I'll join you, huh?

well, I...

There's nothing I can say, Steve.

There's nothing I want you to say.

Honey, this is the chance

we've been waiting for.

Yeah.

Bus leaving for Cedar City, Las Vegas...

...Barstow and Los Angeles.

You be a good girl and

don't talk to any strangers.

I'll give you one month.

Four pay envelopes.

Oh, Steve, we couldn't stand

it much more than a month.

we love you so much.

FERRARI:
Very tender.

Very touching.

Nice kid you got, Steve.

They'll like it in California.

Hello, Mr. Ferrari.

Your old friends, Radak and

Reynolds, gave us quite a chase.

But we know they're in town and I want them.

- what about me?

- No. we don't want you anymore, Steve.

No?

we almost caught Walt a couple

of months back, but he got away.

we nabbed Joe Daly...

...and a miserable little hoodlum named

Shorty Abbott who got himself shot.

He told us all about you before he died.

Oh, so now you know I'm innocent.

That's right, Steve. The DA

cleared you on all counts.

why don't you leave me alone?

Maybe it's all this running around

in the cold and everything...

...that's got me kind of soft

in the head, but I like you.

- You like me so much, leave me alone.

- wait a minute.

will Radak and Reynolds leave you alone?

I've got to be around. wherever

you go, they go after you.

Listen, Ferrari...

...you saw me put my

wife and kid on that bus.

For the first time they're safe

and I don't have to run anymore.

All right, you wanna see Walt

and Reynolds locked up? So do I.

They're no longer interested in my

wife, they're too late to help Al.

- They wanna get even with me.

- They're going to kill you.

Sure. They took a shot at me today.

- So I got a right to carry a gun, haven't I?

- That's right, Steve.

Your life's in danger.

Go to the police station

and get yourself a permit.

Thanks.

I'll see you around.

[PUNCH LANDS]

Walt:
Put him in that chair.

Looks like he was loaded for bear.

I've waited six months for this.

Walt:
Hello, Steve.

Should've known better than

to try to get away from us.

I wasn't trying to get away,

Walt. I was looking for you.

You got something to tell me?

Yeah.

Yeah, I got something to tell you.

You're too late. You're too late

because they're gonna burn Al tonight...

...and because my wife and kid are

some place you can't touch them.

All you've got's me.

Right now, you're all I want.

[CLOCK TICKING]

In 15 minutes, they're

gonna throw the switch on Al.

And you're going with him.

Both of you at the same time.

It's not very much to do for my

own brother, but it's something.

It's all I can do now, I guess.

Guess Al's already had his last dinner.

You might as well have yours too.

Get the meal ready.

Nothing here but milk and

bread and some tired meat.

Make some sandwiches.

I'm sorry I can't give you

a choice of food, Steve...

...but it won't make much difference.

You're not gonna live long enough

to get any nourishment out of it.

You only get a good meal

when the state pays for it.

Isn't that right, Steve?

Oh, you ought to eat some of it, Steve.

It's your last meal.

I want you to have the same

privileges they're giving Al.

[ANGRILY] Go on, eat it.

I'm not hungry.

Have a smoke?

REYNOLDS:
Don't bother reaching.

Oh, the clock's fast.

wouldn't wanna cheat you out of two minutes.

Al goes at 12.

Not a minute before.

I want you to get all Al's gonna get.

That your kid?

I missed you at the hospital, Steve.

I never did know. Is it a boy or a girl?

- Girl.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes