Fools Page #5

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- Mmm, look at that.

- Mmm.

- Dad, you wanna say grace?

- God, we thank you for

the blessing of this food,

and this family.

Couldn't bring my

Lorna back to me,

but you brung Susie back

and it's like Lorna's

here in spirit.

- Amen.

- And lord, thank you so

much for this nice young man.

Maybe he'll make an honest

woman of my little girl one day.

- Dad!

- I'm just saying, you're

a good guy, welcome.

- Thanks.

- Now, son, the way

I carve these things,

what I like to do is

start with the leg.

- Ooh, look how juicy.

- These two have such

a nice aura about them.

- Don't they?

You could stay here, Jason

could help you get a job.

- Maybe some sort

of a starter job.

- He can't just leave

his practice behind,

he's got patients.

- You're a doctor?

- He's a therapist.

- I'm an occupational therapist.

I help people in the

place they occupy.

- Well, there's plenty

of crazy people here.

- Yeah, I dunno, maybe I could.

- What about all your patients?

- We don't wanna

lose our Susie again.

- Seems like we're

always losing our Susie.

Remember that time in the field?

- Oh god, mom almost

had a nervous breakdown.

She was sick.

- Dad, tell the story.

- It was back when I was

still driving the truck

before the sciatica

made me useless.

I was coming through

Iowa, and on the Cb

Susie's mother told me that

Susie's lost in the corn.

Yeah.

Never so scared in my

life, I put the pedal down

on the floor, and grinding

the hell out of the gears.

I got here in two hours.

Pulled up right on my lawn.

I was hugging her crying mother.

I didn't notice how

high the corn was,

if we went in there,

we'd never even be able

to find each other.

A couple of moments

later, like a vision,

she was walking

out of the cornrows

in her little summer dress.

Even then she looked

just like her mother.

- It must tear

you up with guilt.

- Well, we found her.

All's well that ends well.

- No I mean, the mother, Lorna.

- Guilty about what?

- After she, after

you, well, I mean,

it wasn't on purpose, it

was an accident, sort of.

- What was an accident.

- When he killed her.

- Susan?

- He's right, we all know.

- Dad, don't say that.

- Come on, kids.

- What did you tell him?

- I couldn't give

her what she needed.

- Dad, don't say that.

- I didn't love her hard enough.

- Dad, it was the cancer.

- Dad, please don't

get sad again.

Mom's here with us tonight,

you said so yourself.

- Cancer?

- What did she tell you?

- You told me he killed her.

- I know it, he's right.

- Dad, you did not kill mom.

- Did you say that?

- Of course not.

- Why would you

say such a thing?

- It's not true.

- I'm sorry, I, I

must have misheard.

- Jeez, dad.

- No no no no please,

it's okay, it's okay.

- I came here to rescue

you from a psychotic man

who you ran away from, but

it was just another story.

- What do you care, you

don't know these people.

- I feel humiliated.

They hate me.

- You lied to me too.

- When I was in third

grade, I was convinced

my math teacher Mr.

Barney was my dad.

He had a little limp, so

I started limping too.

When I was in fourth

grade, I was sure

is was my gym teacher, so I

lost the limp for a strut.

I remember believing

it was the mailman.

Local beat cops, guys at

stores, any grown up man

I met more than once.

Then one day, my mom was

working some late shift

on a third job, and I was

going through her closet,

I found the book, the photo

slipped out, and I just...

I get it, it was just

easier, but I believed it.

It's stupid, I see that.

- It's even worse,

you lied to yourself.

- At least I have a reason.

- I had a reason.

- A reason for calling

your own father a murderer?

- You said it yourself.

You only followed me

because you believed me.

- So I came.

Why am I here?

- You shouldn't be.

- Is somebody gonna

apologize to dad?

- You didn't do

anything, you know that.

- Hey, I just wanna say,

I think I got confused.

I have a lot of patients.

Sometimes I get stories

mixed up in my head.

I realize now that

something one of

my patients said, not Susan.

- You ruined dinner.

- Hey, he comes in peace.

- Look, it's not a family meal

unless there's a dust up or two.

It's not a big deal.

Don't worry about it.

- There you go.

Daddy, will you

play guitar for us?

- Okay.

- Jeez, then I'll build a fire.

- You can sing.

- It's her voice, I swear.

- It's like she's back.

- She's the prettiest

of all of 'em.

She looks so much like

her mom I could cry.

I'm not ready to lose her again.

I'm not ready to let you

take her away from me.

Don't take her away.

- It's morning, it's morning!

- Tara, cut that out.

Sorry about that.

- Making breakfast?

- No one else will make it.

- What's in your hair?

- Why are you still here?

- Your father, last night,

he was in the hallway, he...

- Look at you.

Dad, look.

- Where did you get this?

- I kept it in my drawer.

You don't like it?

- What is it?

- It was mom's.

Doesn't she look beautiful?

- I need some coffee.

- So how did you two meet?

- We were at a baseball game...

- we were on the train.

- Well, which is it?

- Her hand brushed mine.

When I felt that touch,

that was all I needed.

I followed her home, I

would have followed her

to the gates of hell.

- Aw, that's sweet.

- Bit creepy.

- I just thought of something.

Do you remember, we took a

road trip, it was my idea.

It was an unusually warm April.

I said I can get us a car.

Let's go to the dells,

let's go camping.

You said it might

rain, but I insisted.

Do you remember?

- The forecasts,

they all said rain.

- I was stubborn, I

get a tent of storage,

I borrow a car for work.

- You threw out the cigarette

lighter so I wouldn't smoke.

- I'm not gonna

think about that now,

I hate myself for that.

I had to control everything.

- You wanted me to be the best.

- We sit in that tent

for three straight days,

it never stopped raining, we

never stopped playing cards.

- Gin rummy and I

beat you every hand.

- God, I got so angry.

- You like to win.

- I wanna go back.

I wanna put you in the car.

I wanna save you from

the mud, and the wet.

I wanna roll up the tent.

- Leave the tent,

it's all muddy.

- Stop at a diner on the 94,

get some hot split pea soup.

- I hate split pea soup.

- You like split pea soup.

- No I don't.

- I wanna make you warm.

I wanna take you home.

- Please.

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