I Never Sang for My Father Page #3

I met some very interesting people.

You know, I met this man came

from Waterbury, Connecticut.

He used to know Helen Moffett.

I've told you about Helen

Moffett, haven't I?

When I was a kid,

when the clouds hung low and dark for me,

my grandfather used to take me

out there sometimes on Sundays.

A city slum kid in

that beautiful country.

And Helen and I... Never

amounted to much.

We'd go to church, and

then we'd take a walk.

Sit in a hammock or under an apple tree.

I think she liked that.

But I didn't have any money, so I

didn't get out there very often.

Her mother never liked me.

"That young man will end up

the same way his father did."

And that scared her off.

This man from Florida,

I have his name here.

He said that Helen had never married.

That she'd been in love as a kid

and had never married.

You know, I would like

to make a suggestion.

What's that, Dad?

If we move right along,

we might just be able to

make Rotary for dinner.

I've been away for about three months.

They don't like that too much.

If you're absent too often,

they drop you, or fine you.

What about it?

Well, I... I thought we'd just

grab a bite here at the hospital.

I had lunch at the coffee shop

downstairs and it's terrible.

We'll just say hello to the

fellas and come right back.

Your mother's sleeping now.

She... She'd want us to go.

Sure, Dad.

I don't know what I'd do

without you, old man.

You've been here before,

haven't you, Gene?

Yes.

Hello, Tom.

Hello, Sam.

Good to see you back.

Did you have a good trip?

Fine. Except for those

damned winds down there.

Excuse my French, Sam.

You know my son, Gene.

The Reverend Pell.

Yes, of course. Hello, Gene. Hello.

Gene was a Marine. You were

a Marine, weren't you, Sam?

No, Navy.

Well, the same thing.

Don't say that to a Marine.

Gene saw the flag go up at Iwo.

Dad, let's order a drink, shall we?

Sam, I've been wanting to talk to you.

This isn't the appropriate time,

but some bozo has been crowding

into our pew at church.

I don't want to seem unreasonable,

but there's a whole church

for him to sit in.

Well, we'll see what we can do, Tom.

Martini, George.

Six to one.

Dubonnet, Gene?

Martini.

I hope you don't drink too many

of those, Tom. Six to one!

My grandmother used to give me

every morning before I went to school,

when I was knee-high

to a grasshopper,

a jigger of gin with

a piece of garlic in it.

That was to keep away colds.

I wonder what the teachers thought.

I must have stunk to high heaven.

Look, Tom, I don't want you to

think I'm running away on you,

but I was on my way

to the little boys' room,

I'll catch up with you at dinner.

Well, go ahead. We don't

want an accident.

You've got a great dad there, Gene.

Thank you.

Dr. Peggy Thayer, please.

If she wants to know who's calling,

it's Gene Garrison from New York.

Hello, Peggy.

How are you?

Yeah. I'm sorry

I didn't call earlier.

I'm okay.

Listen...

You know, I picked up my mom and dad

at the plane and took them home.

Well...

Yesterday, my mother...

My mother had a heart attack

and I went up there last night and...

No, I'm in the city now.

The hospital just called.

My mother died a few minutes ago.

I'm sorry, Gene. There was

nothing that could be done.

She's been living on borrowed

time for quite a while.

Your father's all right.

You know, Gene, he's been

prepared for this for years.

It may in many ways be a relief.

He's taken wonderful care of her.

I know I'm touching

on a very difficult matter,

but, as an old friend,

he shouldn't be living

in that house alone.

Do I have to look at all these?

It's the only way, Tom.

The best way is to let you just

wander around and look at them.

The prices are all marked

inside the caskets.

$900?

For the casket?

Well, that includes everything, Tom.

All our services and one

car for the mourners.

Other cars are extra.

We'll have your car,

we don't need any other.

If anybody else wants to come,

let them use their own cars.

Dear, Gene...

$2,000!

What are these made of?

They vary, Tom.

Steel, bronze, wood.

What accounts for

that variation in price?

Material, workmanship, the finish inside.

You see, this is all silk.

I suppose the metal ones

stand up the best.

Of course, the casket does not go

directly into the ground, Tom.

We first sink a concrete outer vault.

That prevents seepage, et cetera.

That's included in the price?

Yes.

I suppose the metal ones are

all welded at the seams.

Yes.

Our plot up there is on a slope.

I suppose that's not so good.

I never thought of that when I bought it.

I don't think it makes

much difference, Tom.

For a child?

Yes.

My mother would have fit into that.

She was just a little bit of a thing.

She died when I was 10.

I don't remember much about the

funeral, except for my father.

He'd run out on us, but he

came back when she died.

And I wouldn't let him

come to the cemetery.

Well, that's water over the dam.

But this made me think of her.

What do you think of this, Gene?

I like the color of the silk.

Did you say this was

silk or satin, Marvin?

Silk.

I don't think it makes any difference, Dad.

Whatever you say.

I mean, they all go

into that concrete thing.

This one's 800. I don't

see the difference.

I don't like the metal,

the wood seems warmer.

Don't you agree, Gene?

Yes, I do.

Is there a tax?

That includes the tax, Tom.

All right. Let's settle on

this and get out of here.

Fine. I'd estimate that Mrs.

Garrison should be...

That is if, people want to come

and pay their respects

about noon tomorrow.

That's fine. Thank you.

Would you like to see where Mrs.

Garrison will be resting?

That won't be necessary.

Will your sister be coming on?

Yes, this afternoon.

Shall we go, Dad?

She was just a little bit of a thing.

Hi, honey.

Hi.

I'm so glad you're here.

You didn't have to

meet me in all this rain.

I wanted to get out of the house quickly.

I can imagine.

How is he?

He's fine.

God, how fine he is.

What do you mean?

No change.

No change that I can see.

Reverend Pell came over this

afternoon, he told him his life story.

How much money he made in

1929, et cetera, et cetera.

God.

Damn it. You know,

our mother just died

and I wanted to talk about her.

But she was never mentioned.

Except as my inspiration, which is like

his cue to start the story of his life.

I'm sorry you've had to

take it all alone.

It's just that I get so fed up

with people coming up to me

and saying, "Your dad

is a remarkable man."

Nobody ever talks about Mother.

Christ, you'd think he died.

I just want to say to them,

"Look, you don't know my father."

"You just know the man

in the newspapers."

The night he banished

my sister for marrying a Jew,

that didn't get in the papers.

What a night that was.

Mother running out

of the room and sobbing.

You shouting at him and storming out.

The two of us sitting

there, father and son.

Eating in silence.

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