Gerald's Game Page #4

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a silly idea from your silly old man.

I was just...

thinking about how happy

those times were, that's all.

Hell, I know you're a grown woman now.

You're too big to sit

on your daddy's lap anymore.

I just miss my little girl sometimes.

I'm not too big.

You sure?

Yeppers.

Mouse...

- I love you.

- I love you too, Daddy.

["Bring It On Home To Me" playing]

- Awesome. It's just amazing.

- If you ever change your mind...

Daddy, you're missing it.

Just... you keep watching.

Baby, bring it to me

Bring your sweet loving

- Bring it on home to me

- Daddy?

Just keep watching.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah

- Yeah, yeah...

- Daddy...

- Just keep... watching.

[gasps]

[gasping and groaning]

[flies buzzing]

Oh, Jesus. Jesus! [winces]

You've been hanging on them all night.

They need circulation.

[gasps, wincing]

It burns!

Cramps. They'll...

[yells]

...pass.

The cramps will pass.

Keep pedaling. Get the blood flowing.

Oh, God...

Oh, God, that hurts.

[gulps, coughing]

[grunts with relief]

[Gerald] Bad dreams.

You never told me...

about the eclipse.

I never told anyone.

That's a marriage, isn't it?

- Telling each other the difficult things?

- Not that one, no.

No wonder it didn't work.

It wasn't relevant to us.

[Jessie 2] Really?

You married an older man.

Your father was a lawyer.

Gerald was a lawyer.

Your father minimized you,

objectified you.

Let's not forget

my burgeoning drinking problem.

Babe, if you had a drinking problem,

that's certainly cured now.

The point is, Jessie...

you married into the only dynamic

you've ever known.

You were a girl, he was a man, and...

you never walked away from that.

That afternoon never ended.

It's not enough... that I'm here.

I also have to be there? Again?

You tell me.

You'd gotten your period

for the first time a month before, right?

Maybe that's what got him going.

He smelled the blood and did what dogs do.

Our friend in the hall

is every man you've ever known.

He had Kobe rib eye...

- It's actually from Kobe.

- ...till he smelled Gerald.

Your father had your mother

till you were nice and ripe.

- It wasn't like that.

- And Gerald...

The late hours, the mystery callers...

The weekend trips...

What was he really doing?

You ignored it, but...

you knew his hunger for you had faded,

and a dog's gotta eat.

I handled it.

Sure.

Just like you handled

those last few minutes on Daddy's lap.

He didn't rape me.

He didn't even touch me.

He only touched himself. [sobs]

And if you wanna blame someone...

I might as well blame...

my mother or the boat.

The sundress that was too short.

What he did to me on that swing...

wasn't the worst thing anyone's ever done.

No, that would be what he did

to you after, in the bedroom.

What did he do?

Nothing.

He just talked to me.

Nothing?

Nothing on the swing.

And nothing in the room.

It might as well have been a bad dream.

I had a dream...

that night at the lake house.

There was a woman...

standing over a deep well,

looking down into the blackness.

And I'm in the well, looking up at her.

The sky was so dark behind her...

the eclipse burning overhead.

The smell... The smell in that well...

It was like pennies, and then oysters.

She was standing there in her red dress...

looking right at me.

What was in the well?

Secrets.

So many secrets.

You thought yours

could go down there, too.

Just... throw 'em in the well,

down in the dark.

Who was the woman?

I remember thinking

maybe she was supposed to be me.

Because she would never tell.

I knew that, looking at her.

She'd die before she told.

"I could do that," I figured.

I don't know why I thought of that.

It was just a dream.

Like the man in the corner.

He was definitely... a bad dream.

[laughs]

I don't know, princess.

You can tell yourself that

if you need to.

He was a trick of the mind.

Just like you, Gerald.

Just like both of you.

Then why won't you look over there

for more than a second?

What are you afraid you're gonna see?

- Why are you still listening to him?

- Shh!

- It's probably from the dog.

- It's bigger than that.

Look at it again.

[Gerald] I think it's a footprint.

- And if it is...

- Shut up!

...it was Death you saw.

He'll be back tonight, Jessie.

And when you're dead, he'll have

your wedding ring in his case...

with the rest of his pretty things.

His souvenirs.

- I am gonna close my eyes.

- No.

- And count to ten.

- Stay awake.

And when I open them...

you will both be gone.

- Ten, nine, eight...

- [Jessie 2] Do you hear me?

- Stay awake.

- I'm awake.

Seven, six, five...

four, three...

two...

one.

[father] You all right, Mouse?

I'm so sorry.

I'm sorry you were there when I...

It's not like I touched you, Jessie.

But still...

Maybe we should tell Mom.

I think we have to, don't you?

I hate to...

just because things have been pretty

tense between the two of you lately.

Hell, they've been tense

between us, too...

with the baby and all.

But this...

well, this could make things a lot worse.

She won't think it's your fault.

I'm sure.

Fairly sure. I mean, she might.

We all know... it wasn't your fault.

Maybe we shouldn't tell her.

I have to.

We have to.

Why?

Because...

- Because you can't keep it a secret.

- Because you can't keep it a secret.

I mean, if it's ever going to come out,

then it's better for both of us

that it happen now.

Not in a week or a year or...

even ten years from now.

Please...

I won't tell.

I mean...

if we don't tell your mom today...

then we could never tell anyone.

I wouldn't. Never.

Not ever.

- Ever.

- And not just your mother.

Not anyone.

That's a big responsibility

for a little girl.

I'm sorry.

A young woman.

But you might be tempted.

With friends...

One of them tells you a secret,

maybe you might wanna tell them.

- Never.

- Or your brother.

Or your sister.

There might come a time

when you wanna tell...

No.

No. I promise. I swear.

I don't know, Jess.

I think it might be better for both of us

if this were all out in the open now.

Take our medicine.

I mean, she can't kill us.

Please...

Please, please, please.

Please just don't tell her.

I won't tell anybody... ever.

Ever. Please.

I've never been able to refuse you

anything that you really wanted, have I?

Okay, Jess.

We'll try things your way.

Thank you, Daddy.

So I guess we have a deal.

I say nothing.

You say nothing, not to anyone else,

not even to each other.

We walk out of this room...

and it never happened.

Okay.

I did a shameful thing.

You looked away... when you said that.

You were able to face me with the lies.

But it was the truth

that finally made you turn away.

[father] I don't know what came over me.

Maybe it was the eclipse.

Well, thank God

we'll never see another one.

Nothing happened.

Nothing ever happened.

Come on, let's get grilling.

They should be back in a bit.

[licking sounds]

[yells and gasps]

- [growls]

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