Missing in America Page #2

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me first.

Ask you?

What?

You mean have a real

honest-to-God conversation?

Ask you, my ass.

No, not enough.

It's been getting tougher

to fill your order

for 20 bucks a box.

$25?

Done.

Next time.

Is there change

for a phone call?

This good?

Sure.

Here, here.

There you go.

Thanks.

So Lenny,

where are your parents?

My mom's in heaven,

my dad...

left.

Oh.

You know people

in heaven too, don't you?

Yes, I do.

They love you even more

when they get to heaven,

you know.

No matter what.

Come on, let's go.

That was nice.

If you say so.

You better put on

your rain gear.

What?

Your coat,

put it on.

I don't have one.

What?

What have you got

in that damn bag?

Crayons,

a coloring book,

and a doll.

Damn it!

You should have brought

some rain gear!

You're yelling at me.

You're damn right I am!

You're gonna catch

a death of a cold out here!

Sorry.

Never go into these woods

without at least

taking a jacket!

Okay.

Maybe next time

you'll tell me

where we're going.

What's that for?

I'm helping some friends.

What's their names?

Don't know.

You don't know

your friends' names?

No.

Well, then how do you know

they're your friends?

Some things

you just know.

Come on.

Help me load this wood.

Well, where do they live?

Out here,

in the woods.

How'd you meet 'em?

Never met 'em.

Just heard they were

living out here,

so one day,

I decided to leave them

a surprise.

How come?

I just thought maybe

it'd be good

that they know

somebody cared about 'em,

and was thinking

about em.

Next thing I knew,

they were leaving

wood in return.

Well, how come

they live in the woods?

Some people just like

living by themselves.

Why?

Because they just do!

You stay in the truck

and stop talkin',

you're wearing

my ears out.

Can I get out here?

I suppose.

Cool, a cave!

Hey, not exactly.

Old mining tunnel.

Come on, we'll take

some of this wood

back to the truck.

Can I go inside it?

No!

Watch out.

Come on,

I'm freezing.

What's wrong, Jake?

Nothing.

Shoo, shoo!

Here, git! Git!

If you're not eating,

I'm not eating.

Does...

blue go with orange?

I'm not so good

with colors.

Sorry for yelling.

Okay.

Sorry for... for throwing things

at you.

And for going

through your stuff.

And for not having

any rain gear.

And for making

a mess of...

Stop.

Stop while you're ahead.

Okay.

What's the cat's name?

Cat.

Cat.

Just Cat?

Yup.

What's the dog's name?

Dog.

Oh.

What do you call

the chickens?

Chickens?

No.

Ladies.

Most of the time, anyway.

My daddy

gave me a doll.

Her name is Annie,

but I'm gonna call her Doll.

Sorry.

No, no, no,

you're doing good,

it's the eggshell,

you're doing good.

Maybe we should put

this in for a little longer,

let it cook

on the other side

a little bit.

Lay it down gentle like,

a dog will sometimes

turn on you and bite

when it's his chow.

Most dogs anyway.

Let's go, ladies.

Hey, this is how

you do it.

Will they bite too?

No,

but they won't eat

out of your hand.

They don't trust you.

They tickle.

Let's go,

we gotta feed the birds.

Ooh, what a big black bird.

It's a raven.

"Follow a raven

into the shadow,

and you will

find the light."

That's from an old Indian

medicine man.

What does it mean?

They say the raven

brings people courage.

He's a symbol of healing.

Do you believe that?

There's not much

I believe in anymore, Lenny.

Do you feed it too?

Oh, be damned

if I know.

I guess so,

but I've never seen it eat.

It just sits there

in that tree.

It's pretty.

That it is.

You got running away

out of your system?

Jake, look!

It's a beach!

That's where we headed.

Yes!

It's the best crab

I've ever had.

I can't even believe

we caught all this ourselves.

M m-mm-mm.

Is this

what your friends eat?

I n the woods?

I'm not so sure

what they eat,

but I bet

it ain't this fancy.

Hey!

We should invite them

to go to the beach with us!

Then take them back here

and cook them dinner.

What?

Why would we do that?

'Cause that's what friends do.

Is that right?

M m-hmm.

They wouldn't come.

Then we should go

to them.

Let's have a picnic!

I'm not so sure

that's a good idea.

Wipe your mouth.

Why not?

Well, first of all,

they might not want

to have anything to do

with us.

And plus, maybe I don't want

anything to do with them.

Maybe I'm happy

the way things are.

You don't seem

very happy to me.

Everybody's happy

at a picnic!

I'll do all the work,

I promise.

I n this dirty old part

of the city

Where the sun

refuses to shine

People tell me

there ain't no use in trying

My little girl,

you're so young and pretty

And one thing

I know is true

It looks good enough

to eat.

I'm having fun.

You having fun, Jake?

H mm.

You think they know

we're here?

Nothing happens

in these woods

they don't know about.

Besides, there ain't

a living thing

in this valley

that can't smell

this food cooking.

Do you hear

what I'm hearing?

Sounds like somebody's

having a party.

Nobody came.

I didn't really

expect them.

Hey.

Hey.

Hey!

Uh, Neeley.

Oh yeah, I'd recognize

that truck anywhere.

Thank you, bro.

Welcome home.

You too, my man,

you too.

Mitchell.

Chopper, '68.

Army, '67.

This here's Lenny.

Lenny!

It is indeed

my pleasure, ma'am.

Can I interest you

in a beer?

Oh yes sir, you can,

you most certainly can.

We got some dead cow,

a chicken or two.

Yeah, my wife said

she smelled yard bird

on the grill.

Ohhhh.

Goddamn it,

look at all this food.

It never crossed my mind

you'd have a woman.

She's welcome too.

Oh, well, uh...

Cyd, she don't like

to leave the house much.

Mind if I bring

one of these

back to her?

Help yourself.

Hey, Dinky,

get your arse out here!

Chickenshit!

Probably slobbering

all over himself

from the smell,

but he hasn't got the guts

to come out on his own.

How many more of you

are out here?

Around here?

Well, there's, uh, Dinky

and Red, oh and there's

some other vets

out in the deep woods,

we trade with them

every once in a while.

Dinky!

Come and get

a brewsky!

Oh, there he is.

Booby trap?

Oh, no,

he was running down an elk

fell and busted his leg,

he set it himself but, uh,

it never did mend right,

did it, Dink?

No, damn thing.

Hey.

Hey.

Marines, '70.

'67, Army.

Go on and get yourself

some grub, Dinky.

Who's the little kid?

Lenny.

Kid of a buddy

of mine.

Looks like a gook.

Yeah.

Her real name

is Lee.

She was born...

her momma was a gook.

She was Vietnamese.

Uh, yes, you're right,

she was Vietnamese.

I'll be damned.

Lenny, these guys

were in Vietnam too.

Hi, girl.

How you doing?

You remember the word

for crazy?

You got it!

Hell, honey,

that's his name too!

Dinky-dod.

He's as crazy

as they come!

Don't shake

her arm off, Dink.

She could be

Sure is a pretty

little thing, ain't she?

Less talk

and I've got to get me

a beer.

You know,

you and Lenny

should come

and meet my wife.

She was a nursing nun,

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