Listen to Me Page #3

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and I worked out with

a therapist in a hot pool

80 hours a week,

for seven years,

and the feeling came back,

all of it.

(CANE CLATTERS)

Be careful...

No, you be careful. I'm fine.

I'll walk again,

normally, someday,

and I'll ride a horse again,

and maybe I'll even

dance again someday.

So, don't you

or any of the rest of you here

feel sorry for me,

because I won't

f***ing stand for it.

(STUDENTS CHEERING)

What this little

piece of paper says

is character is destiny.

Now what that means

to this chicken farmer's son

from Watonga, Oklahoma,

is this.

There comes a moment

in everybody's life

when they choose

their character.

You never know when

that moment's gonna come.

It could be when you're 15

or when you're 50.

Let's just say somebody drops

a $10 bill right in your path,

and there's nobody there

to hold you accountable

but you and your maker.

What do you do?

You pocket it, or do you chase

after the guy who dropped it?

Whatever you decide to do

in that moment,

you may well have chosen

your character for life,

and thus, your destiny.

There was this kid from

my school who was so poor

that he had to make his shoes

out of old tires.

And his clothes were by

that famous designer

Goodwill.

His diet was so deficient,

that he developed rickets

his freshman year

of high school.

He took to stealing money

out of payphones

and parking meters.

But he got caught one day,

and spent most

of his sophomore year

in the juvenile

detention facility.

The shrink said

he was incorrigible,

but he came back to school

his junior year

and pulled the highest marks

in his class.

When he graduated,

he was snapped up

by one of the best colleges

in the country.

Full-boat scholarship,

all the trimmings.

Tell me, country boy,

how'd he make this big change?

One dark night,

in a smelly cage

full of animals,

he decided to stop listening

to all the negative voices

and all the negative people,

and started believing that his

own potential was infinite.

-(MUSIC PLAYING)

-(CROWD CHATTERING)

-BRUCE:
Hey, guys.

-Hey.

-Hi.

-You were great.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Can I buy you

a burger or something?

-Sure, absolutely.

-Great.

MAN:
All right, everybody,

place your bets.

Turtle race is about to start.

Come on, let's go.

MAN:
Come on, everybody,

place your bets.

Everybody's a winner.

Good shot.

-GARSON:
Hey,

you guys thirsty?

-Yeah.

Mia, Tasha,

what is that back there?

Hey, Gar, come back here.

Hey, you want some

of this action?

Uh, yeah!

MAN:
Midnite Blues, 5 to 1.

Yeah, all right.

Put it all on number two.

I'll be at Garson's table.

MAN:
Come on, don't be

afraid to place your bets.

(YELLING) Go, baby, go!

Atta-turtle, atta-turtle.

There is no commode.

Hey, Charlie was right.

You guys are terrific.

I mean, you've got something

this place really needs.

Yeah, strong backs.

No, I was going to say heart.

Maybe what you think is heart

is just working-class hunger.

Yeah, that's part of it.

(CHUCKLING)

You guys are both hungry.

-One question, roomie.

-Hmm?

How do you make

shoes out of old tires?

It was you, wasn't it?

Come on, did you

go to reform school?

Yeah, I did some time.

So what?

What was it like?

Look, I really don't want

to talk about it, all right?

Okay, I'm sorry,

I was just curious.

So, um...

What kind of sports

do you like?

Well, actually, my favorite is

killing spiders

with the tip of my cane.

-That's a joke, right?

-Yeah, that's a joke.

(CHUCKLES) Hey,

come on, let's dance.

No, Bruce, you're

not paying attention.

I know I came across really

ballsy today at tryouts,

but if you're looking

for a dancing partner...

No, come on. You said you

want to dance again someday...

Yeah, right, someday. Not now.

Whoa. Why are you

being so defensive?

I'm sorry.

It's just this whole scene,

all these people,

I'm not used to it.

I'm sorry, um, I should've

been more sensitive.

-I'm just not used

to being around a...

-Yeah, right.

I mean, um...

Hey, listen, I don't think

this is gonna work out.

Okay? It's cool.

-Donna, I'm sorry, I...

-Excuse me.

(SHRIEKING) Ouch!

-(STRUMMING GUITAR)

-Yeah, right.

MONICA:
I gotta get to

the library before it closes.

I've been here only a week,

and I feel like I'm already

a month behind.

Oh, talk to me. I've got

an English lit paper

due in the morning,

and I haven't even

started it yet.

Come on, a couple of

smart cookies like you two,

should be able to phone it in

a pool of "B"s in this place.

No, we both have to pull

straight "A"s.

"B"s won't get us

a scholarship into law school.

I've got news for both of you.

You start winning the debate,

and I can get you names

of 100 firms who'd gladly pay

your way through law school.

And they'll make sure

you get accepted, too,

regardless of your GPA.

Who are these people?

Political interest groups

who are looking for

a future legal partner,

a lobbyist for the

National Rifle Association,

maybe even a future JFK.

So, when you're ready to sell

your soul to the devil,

you just let me know.

(SNIGGERS)

(CHUCKLES)

(ENGINE RUMBLING)

Where the hell have you been?

I have been creating

the new Garson McKellar.

I spent the whole summer

at the typewriter.

(GRUNTS)

Read 'em when you can,

you know?

-No rush or anything.

-Ah.

I got news for you, Gar.

This is gonna be

the big year for us.

Charlie, uh... (CLEARS THROAT)

I'm not too sure

if I should debate anymore.

Oh, God. (SIGHS)

Do I have to put up with

this sh*t every September?

But just listen.

If I really wanna be a writer,

if I really wanna tell

my old man to shove it,

I gotta stand up to him

right now, right?

Look, your old man

is one thing,

debate is something else.

Is it?

Debate is a road straight

into law school and politics.

Better I do,

the less chance I have

of convincing him

I'm serious about my writing.

How do you just

walk away from debate?

Because I don't love it

like you, Charlie.

What would you say

if I told you

that you could be debating

in front of the Supreme Court

this spring

on network television,

to decide the first true

national championship

in 15 years?

That wouldn't excite you

just a little bit?

Just a little bit?

No, not really.

What's the issue?

Abortion.

The enemy team's

debating abortion, too?

I thought

you weren't interested.

I wouldn't mind a shot

at Lloynd and Shields.

I'd love to knock those

egotistical bastards

off their

holy little mountain.

Now you're talking. (LAUGHS)

(STUDENTS CHATTERING)

You guys wanna know the

resolution you'll be debating

over the next three months?

ALL:
Yeah!

I thought you might.

Be it resolved,

that abortion is immoral.

Hey, that's great.

It's about time.

Well, this is the year for it.

That's all they're talking

about back in Washington.

The Supreme Court is split

right down the middle.

-Coach, I'm kinda confused...

-Now, there's a surprise.

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