King Of California

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[Foot steps running]

[Girl narrating]

Technically, what happened wasn't my fault.

I'm a minor.

I'm not responsible

for my actions... technically.

[Alarm sounding]

- Where are you going?

- Running away. What does it look like?

- We gotta stick with the plan.

- No!

But these things should be taken

on a case-by-case basis.

In our case, I've always

been the responsible party.

- We gotta get out of here.

- Stick with the plan.

Oh, God.

[Girl narrating]

Someone had to look out for him.

[Girl]

Welcome to McDonald's.

Can I have a Number 1?

[Punching button]

Actually, can I have

a five-piece chicken?

Um, but instead of the Coke

I want a McFlurry

with extra Oreos,

and make sure

they stir it in.

And then a Number 1 with mustard, ketchup...

[punching buttons]

Pickles and lettuce only.

[Girl narrating]

When my father went away,

I lived alone in our house.

Which was not exactly normal,

but at least I had a routine.

Before, when he was home,

I could never exactly get comfortable

because it always felt like

something was about to happen.

- [Chuckling]

- What?

Oh, yeah,

it was so weird,

I don't know whether

I dreamt it, you know,

or heard it on the news.

Naked Chinese men

washing ashore by the dozens

up and down

Southern California beaches

at sunrise.

Boat people, you know?

The boat stops outside

the maritime limit,

they put their clothes

in plastic bags,

and they swim ashore.

Naked Chinese guys.

F***in' amazing.

[Girl narrating]

Naked Chinese guys?

Jesus Christ.

Don't people go to hospitals

to get better?

[Men chattering]

[Jack hammer rattling]

It would've been easier

if we'd just sold the house,

because the way

the market was,

we would've cleaned up.

But Charlie grew up

in our house;

he refused to leave.

Even though we were

barely getting by.

Before I was born, he had

already lived several lives

and managed to avoid

fatherhood for a lot of years.

I'm pretty sure my arrival

took him by surprise.

Once, when things went south

for Charlie in Saint Louis,

he had to pawn that bass.

He said that everything

really started to go wrong after that.

And they didn't start going right again

until he found it two years later

in a pawn shop in Atlanta.

He said things were

all right after that,

all evidence to the contrary.

[Charlie speaking

foreign language]

[Recorded female voice

speaking foreign language]

[Charlie repeating phrase]

Oh, sh*t!

[Speaking foreign language]

What's going on?

Great things.

[Girl narrating]

So, it was time to get back

on that ol' bipolar

pony and ride.

Naked Chinese guys.

Hee hee hee!

[Record static]

## [Jazz]

[Girl narrating]

Pepper and Charlie spent

years together on the road

with a five-piece jazz combo.

Once, after a club date

on the Kentucky side of Cincinnati,

Pepper ate so many pancakes

at a Denny's that the busboys

had to unbolt the table

to get him out of the booth.

Hey-hey,

lookin' good, man.

Lost some weight.

It's the chemo.

Oh.

Hey, might as well

put that away.

I'm not playing anymore.

Some other time.

I'm not doing that,

either.

Oh, it's a whole new

Charlie.

- Hello, Miranda.

- Hey, Pepper.

How are you, sweetie?

What the hell is that?

[Snickers]

It's my uniform.

You got a job?

Aren't you supposed

to be in school?

No, wait. Wait a minute.

Wait a minute.

Is this Christmastime?

It's March.

Oh.

Well, then, why aren't

you in school?

I had to give

school up, Charlie.

I had to make money,

you know,

while you were gone

for two years.

Huh.

I'll be back around 10.

You working at night?

Yeah.

I gotta go.

Wait, wait,

you working at night?

I mean, that's not good.

It's not a safe place. I don't like that.

It's not the old McDonald's

on Alameda.

It's a new one

on Crest Parkway.

Crest Parkway.

Some new neighborhood,

Tierra Buena Estates.

I don't know.

Where the f*** is that?

Hey, can I get a ride

from you tomorrow?

I gotta see a man about a job.

No way.

I got an interview.

Yeah, sure,

I'll give you a ride.

You make me laugh.

[Chuckling]

[Miranda narrating]

When Charlie was in the mental hospital,

Social Services thought

I was with my mother.

And Child Welfare thought

I was with my father.

My father thought

I was with my mother.

My mother thought

I was with a foster family.

Somewhere, some foster family

thought I was with my father, and so on.

Welcome to McDonald's.

By working double shifts

and keeping expenses low,

I was able to buy

a car on Ebay.

They didn't know

who they were selling it to.

An unlicensed 15-year-old

looks the same

as everyone else on Ebay.

It's like the Social Services thing,

nobody sees anybody.

[Engine ignition falters]

I admit, it's a beater...

[engine sputters to life]

...but a safe beater.

[Tires screeching]

Things were a lot different

when Charlie was gone.

Easier.

In some ways,

things were wonderful.

[Bass string snaps]

[Charlie]

You always get home so late?

It's none of your

business, Charlie.

Why don't you try

calling me "Dad"?

[Low growling]

[Window creaking]

[Miranda]

Animals were popping up

in the most unlikely places.

Someone from work

said she saw a deer

in the cosmetics aisle at Target.

You have an interview here?

I'm having a hard time

picturing you working here.

I thought you said

the interview was at 3.

[Train whistle blaring]

[Miranda]

Good luck!

After Mom left,

Charlie helped me

with my class projects.

He did his best, but things

changed for me at school.

He had his own ideas

about science and history.

When the teachers

disagreed with those ideas,

he always told them

they could look it up.

You think they're

going to like it?

They're going to love it.

- Think so?

- I know so.

You have a good day,

sweetie.

- Okay.

- Okay.

Good, very nice, Ron.

That's fine.

Who are the little people, Miranda?

Those are the bodies

of the Chumash Indians

who died of syphilis

and influenza,

infected by the missionaries.

Uh, Miranda,

go out in the hallway

and wait for me

out there.

Go on.

[Woman]

I don't understand.

We're not having

any interviews.

We're not hiring now.

Okay, sorry.

Thanks.

[Automated female voice]

Proceed to route.

- Left turn in two miles.

- Charlie!

- Goodbye.

- Sh*t, Charlie...

Hey, Miranda. Hi.

Where did you go?

Just, you know,

walking around,

checking

the neighborhood out.

What about the job?

You know why people

like to eat in this place?

Fear of the unknown.

Nothing in there

surprises them.

Why do you feel like

you have to make stuff up?

I mean, so you're not

looking for a job.

You just want to go,

I don't know,

explore or something.

That's fine, whatever.

I mean, it would be great

if you got a job.

I was barely scraping by

when it was just me...

Pull over there.

[Automated female voice]

You have arrived.

You know what, no.

I just wasted half my afternoon.

Please, just pull in right over there.

No, I'm not letting you

out of this car.

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