Notes from the Heart Healer Page #6

---

What do you say?

It might give you a chance

to get to know the girl a little bit more,

see what she's about.

Okay. If the judge is willing, so am I.

Okay.

- Thanks.

- You're welcome. Bye.

What were you thinking?

If you didn't tell anyone where the girl

was, that we could just hang on to Charlie?

- I mean, criminy, Peyton.

- You're right.

I do want another child.

And the fact that you're not interested

is something that,

someday, we're gonna have to deal with,

but no matter what, I'm not gonna

just give the baby back to her

until I know everything there is to know

about Violet Johnson.

I care about that little boy,

more than I ever thought was possible,

and nothing is gonna stop me

from keeping him safe!

I want to thank you, for, you know,

making this happen.

Thank Dot, not me.

Well, she told me

that you had to agree to the visits,

and, you know,

I appreciate that you were willing.

I nearly forgot.

Hey, come here, baby.

Thought you might need these.

Where did you...

Your truck is parked

behind the auto parts store,

and the Sheriff said it would be okay

if I picked up your stuff.

Appreciate that.

I couldn't help but notice...

Your husband?

We never got married.

We were engaged.

Had a date set and all, even rented a hall.

You know, I was married,

before King, I mean,

when I wasn't that much older than you.

He died in a car accident.

Sorry.

And I was pregnant at the time.

Really?

And then, after the baby was born,

I was too messed up to care for her,

for a lot of reasons.

I gave her away.

You know, I didn't want to keep Charlie

the night that you left him with us,

because I was afraid of what,

in fact, happened.

I fell in love with him.

Would I take Charlie?

Gladly.

But would I take him away from you? Never.

As long as you can convince me

that you can give him

the care that he deserves.

How can I do that?

After everything that's happened?

You can start by telling me about...

Zach. Zach Weston.

How'd you meet?

High school.

He was like this big, funny, brainiac jock

that everybody liked,

and I was this bed-head hair,

dyed black to match my fingernails,

outsider geek that nobody

paid attention to.

Except, apparently, Zach.

Go to college, get jobs, get married,

that was the plan.

Till I got pregnant,

and everything turned upside down.

How old were you?

Seventeen. Zach had just turned 18.

Old enough to know better.

How did your family react?

There's no dad in my family album.

My mom called me a...

Let's just say she wasn't supportive

and leave it at that.

And what about Zach's family?

Zach's mother's dead, and his father...

Zach joined the service

so we'd have insurance for the baby.

Everything would've been fine

except he got killed.

"A training accident, " they said.

After that,

I thought I could make it on my own.

And I did, until I got sick.

Anyway, I'm better now,

and I can take care of my baby just fine,

and I'll find work somehow.

We'll be fine.

And I'm begging you, Ms. MacGruder, please,

please, don't stand in the way

of that happening.

Hi.

Hi.

How are you guys doing?

Fine, especially Charlie.

Yeah, he seems to have

liked his lunch so much

that he's decided to wear it.

I'll go get a wash rag.

Here. Hey.

- How much of that did you hear?

- Most of it.

Do you think her story's for real?

That's what I intend to find out.

Why don't you pull up a chair

and tell me more

about the trouble Violet's

got herself into.

I'm afraid your daughter's

been arrested for child abandonment.

You mean she just left him?

Like in a grocery store or something?

'Cause that doesn't make any sense.

I mean, Violet loves that baby.

When was the last time you talked to her?

Not long ago.

Came by here looking for a handout,

like usual.

Said she'd gotten fired again.

I told her that if she

couldn't care for the kid,

she ought to give him

to somebody who could,

but I didn't mean that she should,

you know, dump him or anything.

Did you know the child's father?

Never brought him around.

Got himself killed, apparently,

serving in the military.

They was never actually married,

so she don't get no benefits.

At least that's what the boy's father said

when I asked.

The boy's father?

That's who the man said he was, anyway.

Called here twice looking for Violet.

I wouldn't have told him where she was

even if I'd known,

rude as he was.

Rockland?

About an hour's drive from here,

on the coast.

Said he builds boats.

So tell me again what you've got to do

with all this?

I am the person

with whom Violet left her baby.

No kidding?

And what, now you don't want him no more?

Thank you, Mrs. Johnson.

You've been really informative.

Wow. What do you think?

Should we buy her?

Sail the world, you and me and Peyton?

What do you think? Should we do that?

Should we buy this baby?

Hey, King!

- Hey!

- How are you?

Hey.

- How you doing?

- Good.

I see you brought a shipmate

with you this time.

Yeah, Harry, this is Charlie.

Charlie, this is Harry.

- Hey, Charlie.

- How you doing?

You guys want something to drink?

Well, Charlie here just polished

off a bottle, but I wouldn't mind.

- Come on board.

- Great.

What do you say, bud? Come on.

That your little guy?

Thanks. No, just watching

him for a couple days, is all.

You have kids?

One of my many regrets, no, I do not.

If you could, at this stage of the game,

would you?

You mean, assuming my wife

wasn't kicking me out on my heister?

Yeah, in a nanosecond.

Really?

You wouldn't mind being the oldest dad

on the playground?

The only person I compete with is myself.

Besides, my timing's my timing, right?

It's not anybody else's business.

Who wouldn't want to spend

the second half of their life

teaching a young sailor like Charlie here

how to navigate the world

better than you ever did?

Right, Charlie? There he is.

Mr. Weston?

Mr. Weston?

Mr. Weston!

Hi.

I'm Peyton MacGruder.

I'm sorry, I tried to call, but...

Yeah, I got your message.

Can we talk for a few minutes?

I'm kind of in the middle of something.

I'll be quick.

I'm here about Violet Johnson.

Why you and not her?

She...

She what?

She doesn't know that I'm here.

Look, I don't know what you're playing at,

but I don't want any part of it.

I don't eat. I don't sleep.

All I do is work

and think about what might have been.

You talk to Violet,

tell her to find the spine

to come see me herself.

Hey.

Hey. What'd you learn?

Violet's having a pretty rough go of it.

You know, I always dreamt of finding

the kind of innocent love that would be,

I don't know, kind of

like a riot in my heart.

I never thought I would feel

that kind of love again.

And then Charlie came into our lives.

And opened up my heart to

so many possibilities.

I love you, you know?

Thank God for that.

Otherwise, why would you put up with me?

There's an ordinance against doing

that sort of thing on public property.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes