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- I give you soul.

I give you wisdom and light

and music and some laughter!

By the way,

I am the world's greatest horseplayer.

Horseshit!

No, horseplayer!

I understood too well that great

lovers were always men of leisure.

I f***ed better as a bum

than as a puncher of time clocks.

- I've always wanted to go there.

- It's quite nice, actually.

I tried to make a woman out of you,

but you're nothing but a whore!

If anybody here doesn't like

what I just did, then say something!

Sit down, Chinaski.

You knew we were going to let you go.

- Bosses are never hard to fathom.

- You've been slacking for over a month.

- I've been busting my ass!

- No you haven't!

I've given you my time.

For pitiful $6 an hour.

Remember, you begged for this job.

I give you my time, so you can live

in your big house. I've been the loser.

- You understand?

- All right, Chinaski. Just go.

Listen, Mantz. I don't want any trouble

about my unemployment payments.

You guys are always trying to cheat

the working man out of his rights.

You'll get your unemployment.

Now get the hell out of here!

I didn't see Manny again, and I missed

the trips to the track with him.

But I had my winnings

and the bookie money.

I just sat around and Jan liked that.

After two weeks

I was on unemployment.

We relaxed and f***ed

and toured the bars.

Every week I'd go down,

stand in line and get my check.

Hank?

I love you.

Here's a ten-dollar try

on the four with one and two.

The racetrack crowd

is the world brought down to size.

Life grinding against

death and losing.

Nobody wins finally,

we're only seeking a reprieve.

A moment out of the glare.

- Sir, you're in our seats.

- There are no reserved seats here.

I know. But it's a common courtesy.

Some people get her early.

Poor people, like you and me,

who can't afford reserved seats.

They lay down newspapers

to indicate that these seats are saved.

If the poor aren't decent with one

another nobody else is going to be.

I am not poor.

If you can't be a gentleman,

at least don't be a hog.

Jan, sit down.

I'll stand.

Come on four.

Let's get a drink.

That man in our seats, he's got nerve.

- I don't like the guy.

- He sure got your goat.

He was just a little guy.

If he'd been big

you wouldn't have done anything either.

What do you do for a living?

Real estate.

I make 500000 a year.

Then why don't you

get yourself a reserved seat?

That's my prerogative.

You know, you have

the nicest blue eyes.

You got a cigarette?

- Pardon me, but you are in my seat.

- And what are you going to do about it?

Pardon me.

Come on, baby.

How do you feel?

I feel bad.

I want to be alone.

You don't have enough love.

It's warped you.

People don't need love. They need

success of some form or another.

It can be love

but it doesn't have to be.

The Bible says:
'Love thy neighbor.'

That could also mean:

Leave him alone.

One half is yours.

- It's another woman, isn't it?

- No.

- You don't love me anymore.

- Stop that sh*t, would you?

You're tired of f***ing me.

Hank, stay with me.

Here, take it.

You'll manage.

Hank...

Even at my lowest times I can feel

the words bubbling inside of me.

I had to get them down -

- or be overcome

by something worse than death.

Words, not as precious things

but as necessary things.

Yet, when I begin to doubt

my ability to work the word -

- I simply read another writer and

I know I have nothing to worry about.

My contest is only with myself,

to do it right.

With power and force.

And delight and gamble.

I'll have a scotch, please.

Bartender, I'll have another one.

And get the little lady

whatever she's having.

That drink was my last. I'm broke.

Are you serious?

- Do you have a place to stay?

- No.

And you haven't got any money,

or anything to drink?

No.

Two Evan Williams, a six-pack of beer,

two packs of cigarettes, -

- some chips,

some mixed nuts, some alka-seltzer, -

- and a good cigar.

- Cash or credit card?

- Charge it to Pierre.

I'll have to phone.

- Where are we going?

- My place.

- It's okay.

- Thank you.

- Do you like this kind of music?

- Yes.

Swell.

What?

You think your great.

No.

Yes. I can tell by the way you act.

I like you tough.

I liked you right away.

Hike up your skirt.

- You like legs?

- Yes.

You're not some maniac? There's

a guy who's been picking up girls.

Cuts crossword puzzles

into their bodies with a pen knife.

I write, but I'm not him.

Then there are guys who f*** you

and chop you into little pieces.

They find your ass in a drainpipe.

And your tit in a trash can downtown.

I stopped doing that, years ago.

Stay back from the door.

He's got a camera.

Let him just see me. When

the buzzer sounds you follow me in.

- Sweetie, so good to see you!

- Pierre, hi!

How are you?

- Who's that guy?

- I want you to meet a friend of mine.

Pierre, this is Henry Chinaski.

- Good to know you, Pierre.

- Come on in.

Thank you. You're so good, Pierre.

Hi girls.

This is Henry Chinaski.

Henry, this is Grace and Jerry.

Help yourself.

- So, what do you do?

- He's a writer.

I need somebody to do a libretto

for an opera I wrote.

It's called

The Emperor of San Francisco.

Did you know there was one who claimed

he was the Emperor of San Francisco?

- No, I didn't.

- It's a real story.

You look like you've been around.

You look like you've got class.

Would you like to hear

some music from my opera?

Yes, I'd like that very much,

if it's OK with you?

Great.

He's a tight son of a b*tch.

He likes to take care of the girls in

the bars who have no place to sleep.

All he gives them is food and a bed.

Never any money.

And they only have drinks

when he's drinking.

Jerry got to him one night, though.

He was horny.

He was chasing her around the table.

She said 'no'.

'Not unless you give me

a thousand bucks a month for life! '

He signed a piece of paper.

That he has to pay her $1000 a month.

Even after he dies

his family will have to pay her.

Jerry is his main girl, though.

What about you?

Not for a long time.

I like you.

You do?

Watch tomorrow. If he comes out

with that sailor's cap on, -

- that means that

we're going out on his yacht.

Doctors made him get a yacht.

Is it a long one?

Sure.

We're going out on the yacht.

- We're going back.

- What for?

Grace is having one of those moments.

She's just staring at the water.

I'm afraid she'll jump off the boat.

She can't swim.

- Just give her 50 bucks!

- No. We're going back.

This happens every time we go out.

Grace goes into one of her moods

and stands there staring at the ocean.

She's never going to jump overboard.

She hates water!

Laura and I split up

and I never saw any of them again.

- Hey, mom.

- Is that you?

Yeah.

I just need a place to sleep

for a couple of days.

Your bedroom is always waiting.

Your father is home.

Thanks, mom.

Hey, dad.

Thanks.

You got a job?

No.

Any man who wants work can find work.

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