Don't Come Knocking Page #4

AMBER:
He's lying.

Who are you then?

Who the f*** are you?

I'm your father!

Well, sh*t-howdy,

I didn't know you

had no daddy.

EARL:
Shut up, will you.

AMBER:
You got a father.

Out of the blue:

Kablammo!

Your daddy's a narc, Earlie.

HOWARD:

What in the world

did you expect?

What?

I wanna go to bed now.

I know, baby. Come on.

What are you doing?

Who are you?

Can I talk to you

for a second?

What for?

Who the hell are you?

I need to talk to you.

What about?

It's just something.

AMBER:

What's going on, Earlie?

Look, I got somebody

up here now.

It doesn't matter.

What is it? Can't you just

tell me from down there?

It's about your father.

AMBER:

What is wrong with you?

You allowed to sit down

with customers?

Yeah, sure.

Kind of...

running the place now, huh?

Yeah.

Yep, I stepped up

in the world.

So, what are you

doing back here in Butte,

Howard?

What's going on

with you?

Well...

I don't know,

I just kind of came

to the end of something,

I guess.

Of what?

Just a whole...

string of little disasters,

little train wrecks.

Was I one of them?

You? No.

No, it was--

It was after that.

After I left.

Everything just kind

of went downhill.

Wow. That was

a long time ago.

Yeah.

Wasn't it?

Yeah. Yeah, it sure was.

Did you...?

Did you talk

to Earl last night?

Ear

Oh, that's his name

Yeah. Yeah.

I don't get it, Howard.

I mean, what did you

come back up here for?

You knew all about him,

about Earl. You knew

I had your kid.

No, I didn't-- I mean,

I just found out.

I just now...

Well...

my mother did tell me.

Yeah, I figured that.

That's the kind of thing

a mother would find hard

to keep from her son.

So isn't that why you

came up here, to meet him?

I mean, isn't that

the only reason?

Yeah. Yeah,

of course it is.

I just didn't know

it was gonna be so...

"So" what?

Hard.

Looking in his face,

his eyes.

I don't know.

What?

I didn't know I was gonna

recognize him like that.

Like what?

Seeing myself in him.

And...

And he was seeing

me the same way too.

I could tell.

And what way was that?

I don't know.

Just scared, I guess.

Just plain scared.

Hmm.

I don't know, baby.

Why can't we just be

how we used to be, Earl?

Why is that?

Why is that, Earlie?

You remember how

we used to be, how come

we can't be like that?

You remember, baby.

Well, you just don't even

want a woman, do you?

That's it, isn't it?

You don't even

want a woman.

Why don't you

want a woman, Earl?

Why is that?

I mean, what is

up with that?

Baby.

Is it just because you're

so messed up in your mind,

you're just so f***ed up,

that you don't even know

how lucky you might be

to have a woman like me?

Hello?

Hello?

[T-BONE BURNETT'S "I WISH

YOU COULD HAVE SEEN HER

DANCE" PLAYING ON RADIO]

I need to talk to you.

Huh? Oh.

Okay.

Now.

It's important, Mom.

All right.

Where?

Well, let's go out back.

MAN:

There you go.

Read them and weep.

What's going on?

What?

This guy,

this man who came

to the bar last night.

What about him?

You know him?

Yes, I know him.

Yeah.

He says he's my father.

Did he tell you that?

That's what he told me, yeah.

Yeah.

Is he?

Is he my father, this--

This guy?

Yes, he is.

He is?

Yes.

Are you sure?

I'm sure.

Well, who the f*** is he?

Why'd he come back here?

Why did come back here?

I told you.

You watch your language.

No, you told me nothing.

You told me jack sh*t.

What did you tell me?

When did you tell me?

I told you a long time ago.

You told me nothing.

You just told me...

there was some

actor, something,

you never said that--

There was.

What?

An actor.

Him

Yes.

I don't believe this.

I don't f***ing believe this.

You know, I tried

to tell you, but...

Why'd he come

back here, Mom?

What?

Why'd he come back here?

I don't know.

I don't know.

Didn't you talk to him?

Yes.

Maybe-- Maybe

he wanted to see you.

What's his name?

Howard.

Howard?

What a dumb f***ing

name that is.

Howard Spence.

Sounds like a dentist.

Well...

that's his name.

And he's an actor?

Yes.

Movie actor.

That's where you met him,

when he did

that movie up here?

And you just...?

Just f***ed him?

He doesn't look anything

like me, does he?

Mom?

Huh?

No, honey.

Not at all.

I liked it better when

I never knew who he was.

I liked it a whole lot better.

Thanks, Mom.

Thanks a lot.

Well, well, well.

[T-BONE BURNETT'S

"THE POWER OF LOVE"

PLAYING ON RADIO]

You still winning, champ?

MAN:

I'm putting these guys

in the poorhouse.

[T-BONE BURNETT'S

"THE POWER OF LOVE"

CONTINUES PLAYING]

Get the f*** out.

When you calm your

ass down, you call me.

It's open.

You can go ahead

and make the bed.

I won't get in your way.

Oh,

you're not the maid, are you?

Sorry.

Weren't you over at the M & M?

Yeah.

You're staring at me.

What's the story?

You're an actor, right?

Look, this is a private room,

here, okay?

Would you just

get out of here?

I don't care if

you are or not.

I'm not a fan

or anything.

I don't have fans anymore,

honey. I'm all washed-up.

Seen better days,

you understand?

Now, look, would you

please just go away?

What are you doing

here, anyway?

What is that

you're holding?

That's my mother.

Look, I am not in the mood

for wackos right now.

You used to

know her, I think.

Will you please leave,

or do you want me

to throw you out?

I'll leave.

What are you doing?

What is that?

Bye.

What the f*** are

you doing here?

I was wondering if maybe

we could talk or something.

Talk?

Yeah.

Talk? What do you

want to talk about?

The weather, maybe?

Watch it, buddy.

What do you want?

What are you doing here?

What do you want from me?

I just...

You crazy?

wanted to see you, that's all.

See me?

Yeah.

Well, here I am.

This is me. You're seeing me

right now. Recognize anything?

My mother told me about you.

Your mother.

Yeah.

You got a mother?

HOWARD:

You sh*t.

EARL:

What'd she say

about me, huh?

What'd she say about me?

Not much.

You out of your f***ing mind

or something?

I mean, I thought I was

f***ed up. Your mother?

You're a full-grown man.

Yeah.

But I still got a mother.

Well, that's--

That's a miracle.

Yeah.

Who is your mother, anyway?

She's--

Never mind who she is.

She's supposed to be

my grandmother, I suppose?

Yeah, I guess she is.

You know,

I don't care who she is.

I don't care who you are.

This is so f***ed up.

F***ing a**hole.

I just thought maybe--

What?

You just thought what?

You just

thought you'd casually

drive back into town here?

Back to

the scene of the crime,

Just kind of

introduce yourself?

Thought maybe we'd slap

each other on the back?

Go have a couple

shots of tequila?

Crack a few jokes

about the old

lady or something

stupid like that?

Is that it, huh?

Is that what you thought?

Yeah.

You're not my father.

You never have

been my father and

you never will be.

You got that?

Go f*** yourself, man.

You're pathetic.

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