Len and Company Page #6

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'cause that would

have been f***ing awkward.

[soft rock music playing

on radio]

II:

[knocking at door]

- Hey, Zoe?

[knocking at door]

[door creaks open]

Sh*t, no.

Zoe.

Zoe, come on.

Dad!

Zoe.

- Mm.

- What did you take?

Zoe.

Dad!

Dad!

- What?

I'm in-

- It's Zo-

Dad, come here.

- All right.

- Zoe.

Dad, I just found her like this.

- Get out of the way.

- All right.

' Zoe?

Zoe?

- Mm.

- Zoe?

Right, call an ambulance.

Come on, baby.

Come on, baby.

- [groans]

- Right, come on.

Come on, baby.

All right.

Don't go to sleep.

Don't go to sleep on me now.

Come on.

- I feel sick.

- Stay awake.

[dramatic music]

[groaning]

- Stay with me.

- [groans]

- Stay awake.

Stay awake.

Stay awake.

Come on, love.

Come on. Come on.

Don't go to sleep.

Don't go to sleep.

- [speaking indistinctly]

- That's it.

- [crying]

- Stay awake, Zoe.

- [speaking indistinctly]

II:

- Stay awake.

That's it.

Good girl.

Good girl.

- [vomiting]

- That's it.

[ambulance siren wailing]

Go on, get it out, come on.

Come on.

Stay awake.

Stay awake.

That's it.

Look at me, girl.

Zoe, Zoe, Zoe!

[exclaims]

Stay with me, Zoe!

Stay with me.

Good girl, good girl.

Good girl.

That's it.

I know, I know.

I know, baby.

I know.

[ambulance siren wailing]

II:

[birds chirping]

[animals chattering]

- Those are my sunglasses.

- Hi, Bella.

- I tried calling you back,

but there was no answer

on your phone or Max's.

- Strange.

I can't say I'm sorry

you came all this way.

- How's she doing?

- She's okay.

Her version of okay.

- And Max?

- Yeah, no, he's fine.

He's at the hospital

with her now.

. Okay"

What the hell

is going on up here?

- Tell me about it.

First of all, he shows up

with his puppy-dog eyes

and his bag,

and then the f***ing

glitter monster

rolls into town,

digging her claws into my back.

- The "he" in your story,

that's Max?

Your son?

- I came up here

to be alone, Bella,

you know?

I need to know what

I'm doing with me life.

I can't have them here.

- You're joking, right?

- I miss you, Bella.

- Oh, f*** off.

- How's Russell?

- He's great.

- Spineless troll.

- I'll send him your love.

So that's it?

You're being inconvenienced?

That's what that

dire message was all about?

Not enough time to think about

yourself as you'd like?

- What's more important

in life than two people

who were meant to be together?

- Max.

[soft music]

- I hear he quit school.

- Yeah, he wanted to tell you.

I tried to convince him

to at least finish out the year,

but he was adamant.

He sounded like you, actually.

- Doubt it.

- Why?

- Dropping out of university

and living off your parents

so you can finger-paint

with your trust fund mates

wasn't exactly my circumstance.

- Oh, barf.

- It's true.

- What did you think of it,

by the way?

- Think of what?

- His demo.

- I haven't listened to it.

- Why not?

- I don't know.

I just haven't.

- Why haven't you

listened to it?

- I'm taking time out, Bella.

- From what? From being

a decent human being?

- What if it's bad'?

- Then it's bad.

- I don't want to be

the one to tell him that.

- Well, then don't.

Make something up.

That's what you do.

- It's-it's different.

It's hipster music.

- [scoffs]

- I f***ing hate hipster music.

- Who gives a rat's ass

what you hate?

Are you kidding me?

You haven't listened to it?

- No.

- Oh, you are crazy.

Do you know that?

I can't believe we're even

having this conversation.

How do you do that?

How do you just tune out

everything else around you?

- I miss you, Bella.

- Yeah, I heard you

the first time.

- Leave the troll.

Let's get a place in Norway,

you know?

Live off the land,

like the old West with fjords.

II:

I just don't know

what to do, Bella.

[door slides open]

- Hey, Mom.

- Hi.

- Hey.

- How's the patient?

- She's all right, yeah.

- Okay.

- She's just-she'll be

released this afternoon.

- Mm.

- Yeah, it's just...

Can you believe someone at-

someone at the hospital

called TMZ or something?

- TMZ.

Jesus Christ.

- It's a big part

of your demographic.

- Yeah.

Hey, do you want

to get some lunch?

- Sure, what about-

do you think that diner's

still open on Franklin?

- No, yeah.

It's exactly the same, yeah.

- Should we invite your father?

- Don't know.

You decide.

- It's up to you.

- Nah, you pick.

- Well, we just had a walk,

so I'm good.

- All right.

- Yeah, l-l've got to see

to that raccoon anyway.

- So am I riding with you?

- No, I have to take my car,

pick up Zoe after.

. Okay"

- Right, okay.

Well, I'll-l'll see you both

later, then, yes, right?

- Well, I got to

get back to the city.

. Okay"

- Yeah, and I think

I'm gonna go home after too.

- Right.

- Yeah.

- Yeah, l-l've got

to sort that raccoon out

or, you know...

- Yeah.

- Thanks for the walk.

Okay.

What are you gonna get?

- I don't know.

- Let me guess.

You're gonna get a Cobb salad.

- [laughing]

- With some blue cheese.

[machine beeping]

[somber acoustic guitar music]

II:

- What are you doing?

- I'm cleaning the pool.

- What happened

to all the vegetation?

- Vegetation?

- What's that?

- Chemicals.

- You-you've killed it?

- You mean the algae?

- Yes.

Everything.

Whatever was making it natural.

The dead leaves, the...

dead mosquitoes.

All of it.

Jesus Christ, William,

I didn't ask you to do this.

- I was just

taking the initiative.

- Well, it's a terrible idea.

rm sorry-

I mean, I could put some of this

back in if you want.

- No, look-look-

look, why don't you just

go home for the day?

. Okay"

You know,

I could do some research

and find out how

to make it green again.

- No, it's all right.

It's fine, okay?

Just...

Maybe you should take

a break from all this.

You know, not come round

as often.

Find some friends

your own age.

Better off.

[sighs]

Oh, f***.

[spoon clinking in cup]

[instrumental music]

II:

[cage rattles]

II:

[rain falling]

II:

- Start it up.

[engine grinding]

[engine revving]

- Yeah.

Thank you.

[engine rumbling]

II:

[doorbell rings]

II:

- Hi, can I help you?

- Hello.

Yeah, I'm looking

for William.

Am I at the wrong place?

- No, this is the right place.

You are, um...

- Len, Len Black.

I'm a mate of William's.

- Ah, the Len Black, yes.

I'm August.

I'm William's dad.

- Oh, right.

- Yeah.

He's not here right now,

but, um, you know what,

he's due back any minute.

Would you like to

come in and wait?

- Um...

Yeah, yeah, why not?

Thanks.

- There we go.

- Thank you.

. Okay"

Cheers.

- Cheers, cheers.

[clears throat]

What sort of painting?

- Oil, mostly.

You wouldn't

recognize these from anywhere...

unless you were in my garage.

[chuckles]

- 3O years ago,

I might have been.

That's nice.

- Oh, thanks.

I just enjoy

the process, really.

And I've kept my day job,

as the saying goes.

I'm a teacher.

- A teacher?

- Lucky for William,

I teach in Sullivan County.

I did sub at his school once.

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