Little Children Page #4

Do you need me

for anything else?

Uh, no no, you

can head home.

I'm just gonna catch up

on some e-mail.

Well, don't stay too late.

Your dinner will get cold.

Lately Slutty Kay

had become a problem.

He thought about her

far too often,

and spent hours studying

the thousands of photographs

available to him.

Some of Kay's practices

struck him as bizarre,

even off-putting.

She had a thing

about kitchen utensils,

spatulas, and dressing up

like a little girl

and playing with balloons.

But who was

Richard to judge?

Oh, that's it.

Though as close as Richard

sometimes felt to Slutty Kay,

as much as he believed

that he knew her,

he could never get past

the uncomfortable fact

that she existed for him

solely as a digital image.

The panties were an attempt

to solve this problem.

Maybe a sniff or two

would hurry things along,

so he could get back

downstairs to his real life,

where his wife

was waiting for him

her impatience increasing

by the minute.

What are you doing?

Are you almost finished there? 'Cause

I'd really like to go for my walk?

- You could have knocked.

- I did!

We need to talk.

You're awfully quiet

this evening.

- Everything okay?

- What?

Yeah.

You'll have to walk

without me tomorrow night.

I've got a book

group meeting.

Okay.

You're sure everything's

all right?

Yeah, sorry.

I guess I'm just

a little tired.

So what are

you reading?

"Crime and

Punishment."

Wow. That's pretty

highbrow for a book group.

Well, we have some

very stimulating discussions.

You should come next month.

We're doing "Madame Bovary."

You could be

my little sister.

Little sister?

We're trying to get younger

women involved.

We call them

our little sisters.

I don't know, Jean.

I read "Madame Bovary"

in grad school.

It's a pretty

misogynist text.

Well, that's an

interesting perspective.

- You should come.

- Let me think about it.

Oh, would you

excuse me, Jean?

Someone's at my door.

I'll call you, okay?

Hi!

Hi!

Wow, God,

this is a surprise.

I haven't seen

you since--

I-- I hope you don't mind. Your husband

said you'd be back any minute.

Oh, no,

not at all.

It's good

to see you.

God, um, can I get you

some tea or something?

I can only stay a minute.

I just came to warn you.

- You know that guy, the pervert?

- Uh-huh.

He's been riding his

bike near the playground

- checking out the kids.

- Oh, God.

Oh, God,

do the police know?

Nothing they can do.

He's not breaking any laws.

I guess they're just waiting

for him to kill someone.

I just thought

you should know.

Thanks, that's

nice of you.

Let me get

you some tea.

I'm sorry.

I-- I don't think it's a good idea.

I didn't mean

to kiss him.

I don't even know

how it happened.

I'd better go.

Mike's gonna worry.

You wanna talk?

I'm tired.

Hello.

Hey.

No, he's still

sleeping.

Yeah, I'm, uh, I'm going

through it right now.

No, I guess I

don't need them.

Okay.

All right, bye.

H-hi.

H-hello?

Yes, I'd like

to place an order.

Pierce, Sarah,

Mrs.

Um...

it's the red bathing suit

on page 29.

The hide-your-tummy

halter neck.

Uh, I'm size...

I mean, I think.

E-eight.

You want to go

in the pool?

You do?

One, two.

Daddy, can I go

in the pool now?

In a minute, okay?

Okay.

There you go.

Mommy, I have

to go pee-pee.

Just go in the pool.

Huh-uh, I want

to go to the bathroom.

Really?

Okay, come on.

Okay, ready?

There.

Swing down.

Hey, I'm drumming it.

Oh.

Wow.

- It's you.

- Yeah, hey.

- Hi!

- Okay.

I hope you don't mind.

Lucy has sensitive skin.

She's better off

in the shade.

Oh no,

not at all.

It's nice

to see you again.

Yeah, you too.

I'm sorry,

would you get my back?

Um...

okay, sure.

Thanks.

Right.

# Who is knocking

on the door? #

- Thanks a lot.

- # Knocking on the door #

# Knocking on the door #

- # Who is knocking on the door? #

- It's okay, just...

# A way, hey hey. #

Lucy, say hi to the little boy

from the playground.

Hi.

You remember him?

The pool became a ritual.

I was trying to think.

I just didn't know the way.

- Oh oh, okay.

- I'm here, I'm here.

We have the creature

and we have flower.

Right.

Day after day they sat

together in the shade

getting to know

each other.

This needs mustard.

- Mustard?

- Yeah.

Having little choice

in the matter,

Aaron and Lucy formed

a fragile friendship.

Aw, that's perfect.

Sometimes Brad and Sarah

traded offspring.

Mama said, "What Papa

told you was right.

It's not a good idea

to talk to strangers."

It was the most fun

Sarah had had in years.

But there was always

that longing to touch,

to be touched by Brad.

And, as badly as

she wanted this,

she wanted just as badly

to hold on to the innocent public life

they'd made for themselves

out in the open.

So she accepted

the trade--

the melancholy

handshake at 4:
00

in exchange for this

little patch of grass,

some sunscreen

and companionship.

One more happy day

at the pool.

Okay, no pasta

for dinner, okay?

We eat way too much

pasta around here.

I thought you

liked my pasta.

No, I do.

That's the problem.

Pretty soon I can sell advertising

space on my ass.

No, that's okay.

I've got to go.

I've got

a 9:
00 at Taps.

I thought you were

already editing.

Yeah, so did I.

It was just--

there's something in this

family's story that really got to me.

The father was...

K-I-L-L-E-D

in a, um,

mortar attack,

and, um, left behind

a little boy.

I was talking to the mother the other

day on the phone,

and she was saying she didn't know what

she was going to do next Christmas.

Jeez, I bet.

No, it wasn't like that.

It was more...

she was wondering, should she keep

this tradition with her son

that began with

the boy's father.

And she was saying

he had this knack

for requesting

odd Christmas gifts--

scuba gear one year

and rappelling gear

the next.

She said he wasn't

afraid to try anything.

Trying new things

made him feel...

more alive.

I've got to go.

See you later.

Patch one of your best

and then we'll patch both of them.

Okay?

Hey, I got something.

Hot enough for you?

Yeah.

Yeah, it's so humid.

I've got football

practice tonight.

Be like playing

in a sauna.

Watch out for

that Italian guy.

What's his name?

Corrente?

Yeah.

Remember what

happened to your knee last week?

You should be

careful, Brad.

I'll be careful.

Promise?

Yeah.

Yeah, I promise.

Weatherman said

scattered showers.

I don't see

scattered showers.

Mom, could I please

have some money for a snack?

No, sweetheart.

You guys just had a snack. No.

Oh, okay.

All they want is sugar.

Constantly.

Oh, no.

It's him.

Oh, Jesus.

Oh my God,

it's him.

He's in the pool.

Oh my God!

Jacob, get out

of the pool now!

Oh my God.

That's him.

- Get away from that man.

- Why is everybody running to the pool?

Brooke?

Jake?

Dale, you'd better

get over here.

Get out of the pool!

Where's your sister?

Why'd we have to get out, Mom?

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