My Son John Page #2

fellas smarter than I am,

uncover a lot of things

that are new,

and different,

and progress making.

But more and more,

some of us are beginning

to realize

that someone put them there

for us to discover.

Someone put them there.

Yes, I know, father.

Uh, somebody hides things

around for us to find,

kind of like an old-fashioned

egg hunt, huh?

To discover something is great,

but the wonder of creation...

you know, doc, I follow you.

I see what you mean.

Columbus discovered America,

but he didn't put it here.

Of course, Columbus

is a great hero to us,

but I'll bet you

that the Indians

weren't impressed with him.

Well, how could they be?

'Cause they were here

before he was.

Did you ever think about that?

No, father, no, but I will.

Well, I'll see you all

in the bomb shelter.

So long.

So long, doc.

I'm all ready, Dan.

Uh-huh, well,

you better be.

Been having a little trouble

with your father lately.

You oughta hear him yak

when I'm late.

Is that so, mother?

Here's your hat, father.

Still active, father?

Well, you're darn right we are.

I haven't missed a meeting,

have I, mother?

No, he hasn't, John.

Our attendance

has doubled recently

and we're alert.

We have to be.

We've been holding some

special meetings, son,

and every now and then

we send out for...

more beer?

No, John.

We send out for a speaker,

someone whom we feel knows

more than we do

about what goes on

in the world today.

We ask a lot of questions and...

and we're getting awful smart

awful quick.

Were you gonna say

something, mother?

Oh, I was going to say

that if your father's

singing at eleven, we...

father's singing?

Will we be able to get a seat?

There might be a line.

Wait a minute for father o'dowd.

Oh, good morning.

Good morning, good morning.

Good morning.

Pardon me,

Mrs. o'cahy.

Hello, John.

Father.

It's good to see you.

I've been following your career.

You've come a long way

since you left Saint Joseph's.

Oh, thank you, father.

Good work, John, good work.

And speaking of good work,

your mother

and her ladies sodality

have been more

than generous to me.

Only last week, they gave me

a brand new stove.

You should have seen

the old one.

We had to pay the junk man

to throw it in the ravine.

Your mother and the sodality,

they're always doing things

like that for me.

That's a nice life

you have, father.

What's that, John?

We take care of you

in this world

and you promise

to take care of us

in the next, huh?

Washington hasn't changed

his sense of humor,

has it, father?

What do you hear

from the other boys?

Well, nothing as yet.

Why don't you, um,

pull the car around in front?

Sure, all right.

We enjoyed your sermon

very much, father.

Didn't we, John?

Oh, yes, father, we did.

How you... how you took

a little story

about the mustard seed

and developed it

for 20 minutes.

It was wonderful.

Should we go, mother?

Goodbye, father.

Nice to see you.

Going to be able to spend

much time with us, dear?

Oh, I intend to, mother.

Would you mind stopping,

letting me off

at teachers college, father?

I won't be long, mother.

I've been expecting that.

Can't wait to see old, uh,

Professor, uh, toosis, can ya?

Can't even remember his name.

I just want to pay my respects

and get his advice

on a talk I'm giving

to the graduating class

at my old Alma mater.

Why, John, what an honor.

Could we be there?

We'd be so proud, wouldn't we?

Mmhmm.

Well, it's an awfully

long trip, mother,

and time is so short.

I'll send you the speech

and you and father can read it.

That'll be nice.

Uh, take a left

at the next corner, father.

Do you know that you can

fly 500 Miles in 2 hours?

We could fly and hear John.

How 'bout surprising him, Dan?

Fly?

You and I?

Everybody flies nowadays.

We oughta keep up

with the times.

Dr. carver said

I should be nice to you,

didn't he?

Mmhmm.

Wouldn't cost too much,

would it?

Oh, I should say not.

I hear some irishman advertising

on the radio every day.

You can fly any place

in the United States

diddle-diddle-Dee-

diddly-diddly-doo

and travel by air

is much cheaper, too

phone wasuch

too-ra-loo-ra-loo

I'll do it for you.

But he didn't invite us.

We're lowbrow.

He'll probably invite

his highbrow Professor.

But he can have his

highbrow professors,

'cause if he prefers the...

what's the matter with ya?

I might ask you the same thing.

You hit me.

What's the matter,

your breaks bad?

I just had 'em fixed.

You stopped.

I didn't stop,

I just slowed down.

I had to see

what street this was.

Well, you must be

a stranger around here.

Yeah, yeah...

I don't care where you're from,

they don't drive like that.

Well, we don't have to get

in a big hassle about it.

You just bent my Fender

a little bit there.

Well, here's my driver's license

right there and

here's my insurance card.

We don't need

to go into all that.

Oh, yes, we do.

You drive like an idiot.

Well, I guess she's right.

That's my little wife.

How do you do?

Well, uh, no hard feelings.

No hard feelings.

We'll just forget

all about it, huh?

Mother, you shouldn't

have waited up!

Wanted to.

But I asked dad specifically

to tell you to...

he waited up, too.

Oh.

Well, it's kind of

like old times.

Waiting up for me

to come home, isn't it?

I had a little work

to do anyway.

Now, come on in.

Come on in, son.

There's your...

your old chair.

Sit down, sit down.

Take the load off your feet.

Yes.

Remember how you used to sit

there reading all night long

and I'd come down in the morning

and find you sound asleep.

We still have some

of your old books.

Oh, mother, I'm terribly

sorry about dinner,

but when the Professor

and I get together, you know,

I haven't seen him in a year.

You haven't seen us either.

He means that

we've just been dying

to talk to you, too.

Why don't you talk

to your father

for a little while?

I have some...

I'll be back in a minute.

Oh, you're wonderful, mother.

Too bad that, uh,

you weren't here last Sunday

to see Ben and Chuck off.

Those two are a riot.

Yes, mother wrote me

all about it, father.

Oh, she did, huh?

Well, did she tell you

about Chuck?

Mmhmm.

Eight pages, both sides.

What's the matter with you, son?

I mean, you seem nervous

about something.

Is something bothering ya?

Feel fine.

Maybe a little tired.

Well, why don't you

go on up to bed now

and go to sleep?

We can talk anytime.

Let's talk.

I'm looking forward

to talking to you, father.

Talk, talk.

You know me, John.

All I know is what

I read in the papers.

In the local papers, huh?

Well, our local paper's

not so bad.

Our editor pulls off

many a witticism.

I'm sure, father.

You just thought of one?

Yeah.

Yes, he had a...

he had a good one

in there yesterday

about a thief who breaks in

to a communist propaganda

office and he steals the...

he steals the results

of next year's election.

You know, every day he puts

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