Manglehorn Page #7

---

It turned you into a shark. And a liar.

That's what it did for you.

I'm just telling you like it is.

You know, I'm no saint, believe me.

I'm just being honest with my son.

- I'm asking for help, Dad.

- Help? What kind of help?

I got a... I got a pull-out sofa

in the house. You want that?

- You want to stay here?

- I don't want your sofa.

You know what I want? It would be great

if you could... could be a father.

- What is that?

- How about that?

It could be "Okay, Jacob." It could be

"Good, Jacob. It's gonna be okay."

- "You're gonna be okay."

- Okay. Is that what being a dad is?

- Yeah. Yeah.

- It's okay? Okay. It's okay.

It's okay.

You know, I don't know you.

You pop in, you pop out.

I mean, every time when I see you

it's like... it's like...

it's like changing channels.

Most of the time it's... it's static.

Everything is off!

Like a horse opera or something.

I don't even know what you're saying.

You talk in a language I don't know.

My assets are frozen.

They... need... need some money.

I don't have money. Come on!

Money? Why don't you... why don't you

sell that time machine you got out there?

- Come on, Dad. I'm not asking for much.

- I don't have money.

Fannie's in the hospital.

- Who the hell is Fannie?

- Fannie's my kitty cat.

She swallowed a key,

she's getting operated on.

- Are you kidding me?

- No, I'm not. Why would I kid you?

I'm standing here and I'm telling you

I need help and you're talking about a cat?

- A cat?

- That's right. Operation cost a lot.

- God, I don't...

- So I don't have anything.

You know what?

Kylie's mom's not talking to me.

I don't have anyone to go to,

so I go to you. I go to my dad.

- I'm here. I don't wanna be here.

- I don't have anyone either.

Who do I have? When you choose

this life, there is no one.

It's only you.

Every man for himself.

And let me tell you something.

When you're sitting there

wherever you are in a dark room

suffering with the pain, guess what?

There's still no one.

No one answerin' the phone.

No one respondin'

to the letters you send.

You are invisible.

We're invisible.

Did I ever tell you this story about me

and my father we had that fight...

before school?

It's stupid. I came downstairs and...

he's sitting there in the dark

and he's tinkering with this metal box.

There's no coffee made.

So I make a comment and he...

and he flips out.

And he starts screaming at me,

screaming his head off

and threw a chair through the window.

He broke the television.

I mean, he's swinging

at everything. He didn't...

He didn't swing at me and...

Anyway, I leave for school.

He doesn't say goodbye. He doesn't say

goodbye even when he's not angry.

But I'm walking down the street,

and I hear him in the house.

He's screaming, "Hello."

He's screaming at the top

of his lungs, "Hello."

"Hello." I hear it all the way

down the block. "Hello."

Anyway I go to school,

I do my day, I get out of school.

It's like a 180 degrees that day.

I get home and Mom's there. She's happy.

I'm thinking did she see the kitchen?

How could she be happy?

I left and it was a mess.

And...

I walk into the kitchen

and there is no trace, man.

There is no trace of his rage anywhere.

Everything's fixed.

The window is not broken,

the cabinets are fine.

He put his hand through the TV, the TV's

working. It's like it never happened.

He gets home, we're all sitting

around the dinner table in the kitchen

and he doesn't say anything to me.

All he says is, "Rough morning."

That's all he says, "Rough morning."

I don't know. I mean...

it's some kind of magic.

Some kind of magic.

I'm going to faint.

Fannie, what are you doing?

You are eatin'. I can't believe it.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

Oh, that's good.

Thank God.

Oh, thank God.

Thank God.

Thank God.

"Angelo.

"I'm sorry.

"You've kept me at arms length

for so long...

"with your distance...

"circumstances and riddles

left me confused and unsure."

Hi.

I... missed all the donuts.

Running late? How you doing?

Yeah.

Fannie's doin' really good.

She's eatin' and everything

and recovering so nicely.

I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.

I'm a tough man to be around.

I'm a...

angry man. I'm very angry.

A toaster burns my toast.

The toaster's gone.

I'll throw it out.

I'll kill the table too.

Yeah, but I'm not quite

so angry around you,

you know.

I'd like to try things again.

I enjoy your company.

I do.

I didn't mean to be rude.

It's that easy?

I don't know, yeah... what you mean?

I'm sorry, but it isn't easy, no.

So you know you're a son of a b*tch.

Yes.

Yes, you do.

Yeah. I'm aware of it.

I'm a son of a b*tch. Kinda.

Who isn't?

I like your smile, Dawn.

I think... you are a beautiful lady.

And I want you to know...

that I think that.

So what do you say?

God, you are gonna have to work.

Okay.

- I mean charm level at 10.

- I know. I'll go 12.

- 12.

- Level 12 with the charm.

It's gonna take a while.

I've got nowhere to go.

I'm gonna clean the house.

That's for sure.

Alright. Get out of here.

- So next Friday.

- See you next Friday.

Maybe I'll just come by,

you know, tomorrow.

Have a donut and some coffee, you know.

Say hello.

Okay, Carl, the world is yours.

- Alright, see you next week.

- Oh, you bet.

Leave a message.

Jacob, it's me.

And I'm just calling to say...

just leave a message on your telephone.

I went to church. I tried to pray.

And I went to work and I...

I tried to become an artist.

I think I'm gonna buy paints

and I'm gonna try.

I'm gonna paint on a big canvas.

I'm gonna clean out my garden.

I'm gonna dig up the roots.

I'm gonna start somethin' fresh.

And try nice foods for a change.

Oh, you piss me off, Jacob,

but I love you.

And I need to say that to you now.

I need to make sure that you know it.

On the day you were born, I fainted.

I just fainted.

Who knows. Something overtook me.

And I fell on the hospital floor

and I laid there like a...

like a rag doll.

Your mother was sick, I remember that

so I had to take you home.

She couldn't leave the hospital,

so I had to do it.

And there I was on the bus.

Just you and me...

rolling along and listening to the sounds

of the people around us.

And the drone of the motor from that bus

and the joy in my arm.

You and I, we got off the bus

we met my old friend for coffee.

She looked at me

when she saw you and she said...

"Pal, you know what love is."

You don't realize that everyone is jealous

of how good you got it now.

By that I mean how much love

you have inside you.

Some day you'll know

just how good that is.

I'm locked out.

You missed.

I don't speak mime.

Oh, yeah, that's clever.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes