My Blueberry Nights Page #4

The bus just dropped me off here

Where'd you come from?

New York

You came all the way here

from New York on a bus?

Sounds awful

Actually, I was on quite a few of them

You must love buses

I wanna get a car but

it's not easy saving money

How much you got?

About twenty-one, twenty-two hundred

Hey Beth

I've got a proposition for you

What kind of proposition?

See, I need a stake

There's a man I could call in Vegas

but I don't want to do that

I'm gonna win that game

I'm a stronger player than any of them

If you give me a chance

I'm gonna clean their clocks.

How much do you need?

Well your twenty two hundred

would get me back in

And then, once I cash out

you'll get your money back plus a third

of my winnings

But what if you lose?

If I lose, you get my car

It's a brand new Jag

This way

whatever happens

you've got your ass covered

from here to Houston

You got to give me a minute here

It's been a long night

I got an empty stomach. Just give me a minute

You take your time

I wouldn't want you choking on your food

Sh*t it's cold!

I know

I'll do it

Oh my, look who's back

I thought you'd be halfway to Vegas

in that fancy ass Jag of yours

I figure why not let you pay for my gas

Gotta raise again

Five hundred

Oh one of these days

one of us is going to have

something when you raise!

Listen, why don't you just wink at me

when that happens

so I know, alright?

Raise

I'm all in

You want to give me a count on that?

Fifteen... Fifteen thirty-five

Too rich for me

I don't know what's worse

That cute smile or that ugly shirt

I'll give you some action

Hey

Hey, what happened?

The car's yours

You've got to give me a ride though

So where we going?

Vegas

She said she knew some people

in Vegas who could stake her

get her started again

But she didn't seem

to be in a hurry to get there

Hey Leslie, are you asleep?

No

I keep playing old poker hands in my head

You?

Same

Except for the poker

What are you replaying?

Just some stuff that happened back

in New York

Hey, the man you told me about in Vegas

that could give you the money

Yeah?

Is he a boyfriend?

No

I haven't had very much luck with boyfriends

I've had a few but

none that I could ever ask for anything,

let alone money

Now you want to know who the man in Vegas is

but you're too polite to ask

No

It's not important

He's my father

Taught me how to play poker

He had me figuring odds around the same time

other kids were learning how to count

He used to tell people

that I thought the number that came after ten

was Jack

So I can ask him for money or anything, but

I won't

Trust everyone but always cut the cards

Best thing my father ever taught me

You know what that means?

It means never trust anybody

If you're so good at reading people

Then why did I lose?

Yeah

Because you can't always win

You can beat players but you can't beat luck

Sometimes your rhythm's off

you read the person right

but still do the wrong thing

Because you trust them?

Because you can't even trust yourself

Sh*t

Nobody I want to hear from

Nobody?

Nobody!

How did you get this number?

You know this is the third time this month

I've have change it?

Just leave me the hell alone! Stop calling!

Dammit!

Beth, answer it for me

What do you want me to say?

Tell them its the wrong number

and not to call again

Okay

Hello?

Sorry, you have-

From where?

Okay

Okay... you sure?

Okay, thank you... bye

It was someone from a hospital in Vegas

They said your dad's there

And they said he's dying

Son of a b*tch

That man... always dying

It's a trick, okay?

He's pulled this on me before

Says he has to see me, he's dying

And then

you know how many times I've fallen for that?

But it was someone from the hospital

that called it wasn't him

So what Beth?

You think he couldn't pay someone

to make the phone call for him?

I swear, is there anyone you don't trust?

Well he must really want to see you

to make up a story like that

Geez, you are just dying to ask me something

What?

I didn't say anything

You didn't have to. I can read you

I can even guess what you wanna ask

You wanna ask

''What if he is dying? ''

''What if the message is legit? ''

Well what if he is?

The thing is Beth

I don't care

He lives, he dies

whatever

I don't f***ing care

You're lying

I'm not going in there

What?

I can't. What- what if I go in there

and he's just sitting up in his room

with his dead beat friends playing gin rummy

or, I dunno, detoxing, getting a mole removed

You know it's more serious than that

No, I don't know that and neither do you

Listen, you do me a favor.

You go in there for me

Me?

Why me?

Because you are safe.

There's no way he can hurt you

Go, c'mon

Fine

I am sorry

You know we tried to phone a couple days

but couldn't seem to reach you

He was-

You should've come earlier

He put you up to this!?

How much he pay you huh!?

Jesus

You're so good at reading people?

Can't you see it in my face!?

Leslie, he's gone!

You're lying

Beth

I can't give you the car

Why?

Because the car

the car belonged to my father

Look, he won big one day in a Hold'em game

at the Riviera, and

went out and bought the next day

It was his pride and joy

Til one day I stole his keys,

and an hour later I stole his car

I don't know why I did it

Maybe I just

wanted to see what he would do, you know?

Was he gonna report it?

Get his daughter arrested?

He did something better than that

He waited until he found out where I wound up

One morning

a FedEx guy comes with an envelope for me

Inside the envelope's the title

and registration of the car

Son of a b*tch signed it over to me

So

I'm gonna drive this car until it falls apart

At least until I do

So what am I supposed to?

Well, Beth

I told you I lost everything back at Harlan's,

didn't I?

Yeah

Well, that's not exactly how it went down

See, I beat that game on its ass, Beth

I knocked them off their feet

The cards turned just like I knew they would

I read the other players just right

I walked away with all their money

So you lied to me

Maybe I didn't want to share

Maybe I just wanted to see how trusting

and gullible you were

Maybe I just wanted company. You know?

It's a long ride, Beth

I didn't want to go alone

Can't do it.

Thirty-five hundred's the best I can give ya

Three thousand. That's my top

Can't. Gotta have thirty-five hundred. Sorry

Thirty-two hundred. Take it or leave it

You know what?

I'm sure we can find a better deal

someplace else. Let's go

I don't think you will, ladies.

Suit yourselves

Thank you!

Don't look back

Beth, where are you going?

I want that car

Beth not at that price!

We can get it for three grand by the time

we get to my car

I don't think he's gonna come down

And I think that's the car I want

Have you learned nothing

from your time with me?

You have to stop taking people at their word!

Maybe you should start

You're hopeless

You're hopeless too

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