Nine Lives Page #2

---

No?

If I say his name out loud to you right now,

I won't know if I'm coming or going.

And that's a great feeling when you're 21,

but right now...

Let's not f*** around with all this, okay?

Okay.

Okay.

What are you doing for work?

I'm a producer on public radio.

- Yeah?

- Yeah. City affairs show. You know it?

It's a zoo over there,

but the show's pretty good, I think.

What kind of programming?

Everything. Little bit of...

A lot of social stuff, a little bit of education,

economic policy, portraits...

not famous people, regular people...

and humor.

We did a piece last night

on a child's concept of time.

It's interesting stuff, you know. It's...

You never really opened up to me,

you know.

That's not true.

- It's not.

- It is true.

You made me sad for a long time, Damian.

Anything else?

I'm not hurt and I'm not angry.

It's how I remember it.

But none of it matters anymore, anyway.

Right?

- I'm sorry.

- No.

- Sh*t.

- Forget it.

No. I'm sorry.

I run into you and I make you feel like sh*t...

for l-don't-know-what

that happened 10 years ago, so...

- Nothing's anyone's fault.

...please forgive me. Please.

- It's not?

- No.

- All right, I'll play along with that.

- Thank you.

Anyway, I have to keep going here.

Can I walk you? I'm all done.

What about your stuff?

What, are they gonna steal it?

I'll come back for it.

- Not the cheapest place.

- No.

- Only place open late.

- I know.

- They don't give us a choice.

- No.

And these little neighborhood places,

they're doomed to disappear...

- don't you think?

- Yes.

With all the big chains taking over, and...

One of the great tragedies

of the modern world.

Are you gonna have kids?

No.

Why?

I can't. I'm sterile.

Sorry.

- Thanks for laughing.

- No, I'm sorry.

- No, no. It's very funny, I...

- No.

- It's not funny.

- I laugh all the time at it.

I have to get wine. Sorry. Just...

I hear there's new evidence

that alcohol is great for the baby.

You still smoke?

'Cause you should.

Maybe double your intake.

- No.

- What do you need, red or white?

- I need both.

- Okay.

It's pretty good.

Here. This is pretty nice.

- I've read about this.

- Yeah.

You want white as well?

I don't think the white's as good...

as the selection of reds.

It's, like, there's nobody working here.

- Look at us, Damian.

- What?

We're f***ing walking and talking

like lovebirds. F***.

Yeah.

Five minutes with you, and I just feel

like my life is a figment of my imagination.

I know.

No, you don't know. No, you don't know.

You've just always been this f***ing thing

that swallows me.

I gotta go.

You can't just come up to me...

after 100 years, married...

and tell me that you think about me.

You can't do that.

Why not?

- You love your wife?

- Yeah. Of course I do.

You love your husband. This is different.

- How?

- 'Cause it's us.

We're Damian and Diana. We always will be.

Nothing's gonna change it.

Might as well accept.

You know it's true.

Damian.

Coming.

Who is it?

Who is it?

- Is Dad home?

- No.

- You scared me.

- Why?

I don't know.

If he's not home,

there's no reason to be scared, right?

- Don't start.

- What am I starting?

- Leave it open.

- Why?

Just leave it open, please.

Leave the goddamn thing open!

Is that so much to ask? I mean, just...

Look at this place.

The land that time forgot.

What's going on?

Call him.

Tell him I'm here,

and I want to work things out.

He's on his way to work.

Just call him.

Why don't you call him?

It's too late for the phone.

Too many misunderstandings.

Whoever invented the telephone

never had a conversation.

Well, he's wanted to talk to you

in person forever.

You're the one who doesn't want it.

Are you taking sides?

No.

So what happened? What changed?

I'm tired.

I want to put an end to it.

Do you want to call him or not?

Dad says he can be here in an hour.

- Sh*t.

- Hold on.

Wait. Holly, wait! She's leaving.

I can't stop her. I can't.

You know what she's...

Okay, wait. Holly, he's on his way.

He'll be here in 10 minutes.

He'll be here in 10.

She's coming back.

Okay.

Now, see, it's funny how that works.

You know, he couldn't be here right away,

then all of a sudden he could.

He is who he is, you know? Leave it open.

Holly.

I don't want to take sides, okay?

I'm not taking sides. But...

you show up,

and you expect him to leave work...

and be here right away,

and an hour's not fast enough for you.

Okay, don't talk about things

you don't know about.

My mouth is dry.

- You want water or coffee?

- Yeah, water. That's good.

Okay.

So you have to leave

when he gets here, okay?

Why?

I want you to.

You're unbelievable.

I'm not asking it lightly. I need it.

- Where do you want me to go?

- Around the block. I don't care.

Just promise.

Okay.

One morning, I was sitting there...

it wasn't that table, it was another,

but it was right there...

crying over my breakfast while Mom

and Dad screamed at each other...

and you were crying your lungs out

in the bathroom, and...

She didn't change your diaper

for a week once.

A week?

A week.

It's a good thing you can't remember.

He f***ed a woman in this house

while we were all sleeping.

Did you know that?

How did you know that?

He told me.

He's courted you

and courted you and courted you and just...

How's Joseph?

- He's gone.

- Gone where?

He left. Been awhile.

Well, what happened?

I drove him away, you know?

Hard to believe, isn't it?

- Holly, why didn't you...

- Stop asking me sh*t, okay?

You know what?

"Why?" Always "why?"

I can't believe you still live here.

This place is a f***ing graveyard.

Hey, pudding.

You're still here.

Okay.

Push me, Daddy. Push.

Spin.

Sh*t.

You know, he once, when...

He once...

This is before you were born.

He bought me a spy kit for my birthday...

and it had a pair of glasses with a mirror.

You know, like, right here,

so you could see behind you.

Daddy said it was like having eyes

in the back of your head.

And he wrapped it himself.

And his look.

You know, he was watching me unwrap it.

And I do, I remember that look.

And it was a good look.

So not every memory is a bad one?

If every memory were a bad one,

how great that would be.

All kinds of looks.

He wants to talk.

Holly, he talks about you all the time.

Does he talk about that weekend

in Palm Springs?

- What weekend?

- Ask him.

- Holly, all he wants to do is...

- No. Don't you patronize me.

I taught you how to read and write.

You know better.

I used to pretend that you were my baby...

and that we were gonna run off

and live somewhere else.

I mean, isn't that amazing?

The mind of a child.

How are you?

I'm good.

How's school?

I made Phi Beta Kappa.

Nerd.

Any boyfriends?

Girlfriends?

- No.

- I thought, you know... I...

Hey, you never know

where love is gonna show its ugly face.

What bedroom are you sleeping in

these days?

The one in the front.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes