Ithaca Page #2

who will now be called upon

to go into action.

You have friends and families

in what has suddenly become

a danger zone.

- Everything's alright, ma.

I don't want you to sit up

this way. Everything's alright.

I had to deliver a telegram...

To a lady over on G street.

It said her son's dead.

She wouldn't believe it.

And when I got back

to the office,

the old telegraph

operator was drunk.

He has to do his work,

or they'll put him on a pension.

- Everything's alright, homer.

It's only that you are becoming

aware

of a world

in which you've been a child.

- I don't know what's happening.

Or why.

But no matter what...

I won't let anything hurt you

that way.

- Dear homer, you are now

the man of the Macauley family.

So everything I have at home

is yours.

My books, my phonograph,

my microscope.

I miss you, of course,

and I think about you

all the time.

I think about our father,

who died so recently

and yet so long ago.

His goodness... somehow...

Still with us.

- Ah, knock it off.

- His death is not an easy

thing to understand.

I guess it just takes time.

Time to let it go.

And when the pain leaves...

I hope the rest will be lighter

and better than ever.

We leave for action soon.

No one knows where that may be.

I'm happy.

And even though

I wish there were no war...

I'm happy

to be serving my country,

which, to me, is Ithaca.

- Marcus.

So what are... so what

are mornings like back home?

- Mornings?

- What's that?

- Exercises.

- What for?

- Muscle.

- Gonna be the strongest man

in the world.

- No.

- What are you gonna be, then?

- Go back to sleep.

- Gonna go to school?

- Yep.

- Gonna learn something?

- I'm gonna run the

220 low hurdles someday.

- Why?

- Because everybody born in this

town wins the 220 low hurdles.

Marcus did,

the manager

of the telegraph office did

when he went to Ithaca high.

He was valley champion.

- What's valley champion?

- That's the best.

- Gonna be the best?

- I'm gonna try.

Tomorrow... no, yesterday

I saw the train.

How'd it go?

- The Bachmann waved.

- Did you wave back?

- He said, "going home."

Where's he going?

- I don't know. Everybody's got

a different home.

- Are you going?

- Someday.

- Gonna come back?

- Sure.

- Gonna be glad?

- Sure. Gonna be glad to see ma,

Marcus and Bess,

glad to see you.

- Don't go, homer, don't go.

- I'm not going now.

I'm just going to school.

- Papa went and he won't come

back, not like he used to.

Marcus went...

Don't you go too, homer.

- It's gonna be a long time

before I go.

But, for now,

it's time for you to go.

- Where?

- Back to sleep.

Ah!!

I have no idea what's ahead.

But whatever it is,

I am humbly ready for it.

- Marcus.

Marcus.

Marcus. Marcus!

My friend here is an orphan.

His name is Toby George.

I've told him

all about our family

and someday I'll bring him home.

I would rather

I wasn't in the army

and there was no war.

I don't hate anyone.

But I've long since made up

my mind

to be the best soldier I can be.

More than anything else in

the world, I wanna come home.

And spend many long years with

you, ma and Bess and Ulysses.

I wanna come back for a home

and a family of my own.

You are now on your way,

in a world chockfull of things

that...

Aren't easy to understand.

So, of course,

all the mistakes are ahead.

All the wonderful mistakes

that you must,

and will make.

Trust your heart,

which is a good one,

to be right, and go ahead.

- Set!

No! Get off the field!

- Ugh!

- And if you fall, tricked

or tripped by others,

or yourself even...

Get up.

- Dinner with... well...

No, now wait a minute.

I promised?

When did I promise to have

dinner with your parents?

- Come on, you remember.

- Uh-huh.

- We talked about it

at breakfast.

You remember, right, darling?

- Okay, take it easy. Every...

Every time you call me darling,

it make me wanna...

- what are you afraid of?

- Yeah, no...

- dinner is at 7:00 sharp.

- 7:
00 sharp.

- You know how...

- what do you mean

by sharp exactly?

- You're a diamond!

Wear something right.

- Mm-hmm.

- You know, evening clothes.

- What do you mean,

evening clothes?

I wear the same clothes

morning and evening Bo...

- the clothes I got you.

- No, no, alright.

- I love you.

And I know you love me, too.

- Yes, I do.

Okay. No. Goodbye.

I have been out to dinner

two times in my life and...

I was scared to death

both times.

I had no fun at all.

- Mr. Spangler,

I'm sorry I'm running late.

- Hi, homer.

- Hey, homer.

- Ulysses,

what are you doing here?

- Oh... Ulysses, huh?

That makes sense.

This little fella, he just

walks in right off the street,

plops himself down,

listens to my phone calls.

Fearless, that's what you are.

You are a fearless young man

and you're an excellent

listener, too.

What is happening?

Are you limping over there?

Are you okay?

- Yes, sir.

- Okay, then. A few telegrams

have piled up and a few pickups.

You do the pickups first,

then deliver the telegrams

afterwards.

- Yes, sir, right away.

I'm awfully sorry I'm late.

- Ah, that's alright.

Don't worry, we'll keep

an eye on your brother for you.

You just... you go ahead.

- Yeah, you go ahead, homer.

- Willie, I'm going over

to Corbett's for a drink.

I am having dinner tonight

with Diana and her parents,

and I feel the need

for a little... fortification.

- Well, Ulysses and me can hold

down the fort while you're gone.

Can we? You think? Yep.

Get the good wine

ready for pickup.

- Oh, when homer comes back,

you two keep him here

until sunripe growers calls

for their pickup.

Listen, your brother has beaten

western union to sunripe growers

twice in the last two days.

How many'd he get yesterday?

- Uh... 67.

- Sixty-seven.

He beats them again, we might

have a good month after all.

I'll be back. One drink.

- Oh, that's sunripe now,

ready for pickup.

- I'll do the pickup, Willie.

How do you like that?

- You?

- Yes, me. If homer can beat

western union, so can I.

And I'm gonna do it on foot!

- Hmm.

- Sam. Hannah.

Hi, boys!

You! Are the loveliest woman

in the world.

Heya, Harry.

Postal telegraph! Stan.

- What on earth?

- Once a messenger, always

a messenger, Mrs. Brockington.

- I declare, you're never gonna

grow up, tom Spangler.

- Hope not.

- Beaten again, Harry.

- Ah, poor Harry.

- Here it is, 129 night letters,

all paid.

- Oh! Thank you.

Here you go, Harry. Hate for you

to go back to western union

with nothing to send.

How is it, Ralph?

- Oh, not bad, not good.

- Not bad, not good.

I buy them three to their one.

When they're broke

and ready to go,

I'll give them their money back.

- You afford that?

- No.

- Ah, something eatin' you,

Ralph?

- Maybe.

You know old Dutch here...

Would've been 45 years old

today.

Can you imagine that?

- Is that so?

- Hey. Hey, screwball, give us

another couple of drinks.

- We're just catching up.

He'll be right with you, friend.

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