Just Add Water Page #3

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My name's Merl Stryker.

Ray Tuckby.

It's a pleasure, Merl.

Welcome to Trona.

Thank you.

Yes, it's quite a place here.

I've never seen anything quite like it.

It's just... pretty sorry-ass.

I hope you don't mind, I mean...

nothing grows here.

Well, soil's too poisoned.

Plus, it hasn't rained here

in about forever.

Used to be beautiful,

though, as I remember.

Mid-'80s, state diverted our water

from Owens River to L.A.

The lake dried up,

the chemical companies moved in,

place went to hell.

That's a sad story.

Who's that little f***er

that charges me to get into town?

That'd be Dirk

or one of his boys.

They sort of run things around here.

Kids?

They're responsible

for most of the revenue.

He got his own meth lab.

What about the cops?

Ain't none here.

When the state declared this area

a toxic waste site a few years back,

anybody respectable cleared out.

Then they offered

these places at a cut rate.

Dirk near bought up the town.

Story's gettin'

sadder and sadder.

Hey, Ray, is there a place

around here to get a cup of joe?

I'm hittin' my morning crash.

Market in town has a coffee pot,

one of them bottomless jobs,

and 'bout the prettiest gal

you'll ever set eyes on.

Oh, yeah? I think that's

where we should go.

- Mornin', Ray.

- Hey, Nora.

This here's Merl Stryker,

owner of that Chevron station.

- Nora McCalley.

- Well, it is an honor, Mr. Stryker.

How do you do, ma'am.

That's quite a place

you're building out there.

Ray was not telling a lie

when he said you are a fox.

Well, maybe in contrast

to the surroundings.

What can I get for you two?

Couple cups of coffee if it's fresh.

Just made a batch.

This place looks

like a cyclone hit it.

There's not much

in the way of supplies.

We get by basically.

Here you go.

The Cremora's just behind you

on the counter, sir.

Thank you, honeybunch.

Do something with your hair?

Me?

Got any dreams, Ray?

Dreams?

Yeah.

Dreams. A man's got to strive

for something big in life.

Otherwise, he doesn't mean

a rat's ass to himself or society.

To be honest, I basically just

go from one day to the next

trying to feel good about myself.

I'm 58 years old.

I still got big dreams.

Mean to tell me you didn't have

big ones even when you were a kid?

Some.

What about what you

were telling me about before,

how you thought it'd be great

if this area all came back.

That's a big dream of sorts, isn't it?

I guess.

Maybe have that lake

full of trout and bass...

nice outdoor eatery

on that pier down yonder...

a place where people

could get a cold drink,

admire the beauty again.

Now you're talking.

It sounds pretty good to me.

Well, Merl, I gotta get on to work.

Nice to make your acquaintance.

Pleasure was mine.

Thank you for the coffee.

Keep the wheels turning.

There you go.

If you eat a little more food,

you can be sleeping in your own bed.

Won't that be nice?

Yeah, that's it.

It's good, huh?

Vanilla custard, yes indeed.

Yes, that's my good girl.

I want you out of my house.

What, Ma?

Get that crap away from me,

you kiss-ass.

All you want is that meringue recipe,

and it'll never happen.

You couldn't cook

your way out of a Ziploc.

No wonder you could

never hold on to a man.

You're going to end up a lesbian

if you're not one already.

Evening, miss.

Hello.

I hate your guts.

I don't care.

I have never asked you

for one thing, God damn...

Then don't.

You are gonna cough up

that f***ing recipe.

Dream on, you old maid.

Don't push me.

Don't push me.

Ma, I brought your favorite.

Ma?

Penny?

For today we are mourning the loss

of two remarkable individuals...

Penny Varrow,

a willful woman of character

who led an independent life,

most recently running a crisis center

for abandoned spouses...

and Ruth Tuckby,

devoted mother, wife,

and local knitting legend,

who strove to make

the lives of those around her richer.

They were both good women

who celebrated their differences

throughout a rocky relationship.

Well, ultimately celebrated them

a little too much, I reckon.

Mark. Mark!

Mark!

Shut up.

- Mark.

- Ray.

Hey, Clem.

I'm... I'm sorry for your loss.

I know this is not the best time

to talk business, but...

That's okay.

The bulk of the estate goes

to you and your brother.

The house, as you may know,

was pretty heavily leveraged

awhile back,

plus she didn't have much

in the way of medical coverage.

Right.

Son, this here's your share.

Thanks for all your help, Clem.

Sorry.

Oh, I forgot to give you this.

Your mama wanted you to have it.

Well, if there's

anything else you need,

I'll be in Ridgecrest,

bored to tears.

Eddie? You got a minute?

Not today, Ray.

I'm busy.

I need to speak to you, son.

R'ch'lle, excuse us.

Here you go.

What is it?

I got something for you.

Like what?

You should have this.

Your grandma

would've wanted it that way.

Go on, take it.

Eleven hundred bucks?

For college.

College?

What the hell's

the matter with you, Ray?

I got better things to do

with this money and my time

than get some stupid education.

Me and R'ch'lle

is moving in together.

I just wanted to say that...

even though we both know

you're not my own flesh and blood...

I still love you, son.

Hey, let's get a move on.

I'm gonna be late for work.

Dirk offered me a gig.

I'm finally gonna make

some real coin.

That's a dead end, Ed.

Not to me, it ain't.

Ed, this train is leaving the station.

Ed...

I'll see you around.

If you need anything, son,

you let me know.

Yeah. All right.

Dirk's boys held up

the delivery truck again.

All we got left

is Shake 'n Bake, aisle five.

But... we're out of chicken.

These'll do me.

I was going to eat light

tonight anyhow.

Pork rinds and a large bag

of ranch-flavored sunflower seeds.

Anything to drink with that?

Nah. Plenty of water in the tap,

I always say.

I bet you could use

a home-cooked meal one of these days.

Yeah, well...

Sorry about you and Charlene...

and your mom...

and Penny.

Trying to look at it

as a new beginning.

May take me awhile to get there.

Anyway, thanks

for coming to the funeral.

Saw you sitting in back.

Oh, my pleasure, Ray.

So, what are you doing later?

Later, like... tonight later?

Yeah, for a start.

Well, I'll probably just go home

and sort through all

the death papers and stuff, I guess.

You?

I'd really like to go

into Ridgecrest and see a movie.

- It's been awhile.

- Yeah?

Maybe get a bite after at that

new Arby's folks are talking about?

Oh, yeah. I drove by it

a couple times.

Might be worth checking out.

Well... see you soon, Nora.

Hope so, Ray.

Nora.

You wanna go on a date...

with me?

Been waiting 18 years

for you to ask.

Where'd you get

all this fresh food?

Got up bright and early this morning,

drove special out to Ridgecrest.

Cook it yourself?

That's about the sweetest thing

anyone's ever done for me.

I mean, that is,

if you did do it for me.

I did.

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