Places in the Heart Page #4

Pa would be mad

over something like this.

I reckon he'd give me 10 good licks.

I'm ready.

Ma? I'm ready.

- What's wrong?

- Frank's getting a licking.

Did it hurt?

Come on.

Let's let old Frank

be by himself for a bit.

Tell you what, why don't you help me

with my chores?

Mrs. Spalding?

I won't do that again. Ever.

Are you all right?

God, I miss my husband.

Lord, I can't hardly see

my hand in front of my face.

Feels like rain.

- Must be coming up a real storm.

- Sure is.

Help me wash dishes.

Now don't be mad, baby.

You're a good baby.

I made each of you

some cookies too.

Come on, boy. Let's get.

Come on, get! Get!

Get on, get on! Come on! Come on!

We got to get inside, ma'am.

Storm's coming from over there!

Get on! Get on, boy!

Come on! Let him be!

Come on, boy!

Come on, won't you?

Let him go! Come on! Run!

Girls, get in the schoolroom.

Boys! Robert, let's go!

Come on! Come on! No dawdling!

Sally!

Come on! Come along!

Be careful getting up these stairs.

Everybody get inside!

- Where's Frank?

- I don't know.

Let's go!

Toby!

All right.

Get the windows open

before the house blows!

You get the dining room,

then get on the floor!

I'll get these in here! Hurry up!

You're a little baby.

Possum!

Here! Give me him!

Possum!

- Possum, it's okay.

- Mr. Will! Mr. Will!

It's okay.

Step down! Step down!

Step down! Step down! Step down!

Frank Spalding!

There's a tornado coming!

Get on in here!

You'll get yourself killed.

I can't! I gotta get home!

Here!

I got him, ma'am!

Come on, Mr. Will.

It's all right. It's all right.

Get in now.

Mr. Will! Step down! Step down!

Watch your head!

Ma!

- Ma!

- Oh, my God, it's Frank!

Frank, stay there!

Frank, come on!

Now, come on, we got to get inside.

Come on, hurry up!

Get him in! Get him in!

Okay! Come on! Get in there!

Hurry up! Get inside!

Get off!

It's okay now.

It's all over now. Come on out.

It's all right. It's all...

Vi?

Hey, baby, it's okay.

It's okay now.

Everything's gonna be all right.

Oh, darling, I was so scared.

I was so scared something would...

I don't know what I'd do

if anything happened to you.

Come on, ma'am.

Here, give me your hand, Mr. Will.

How bad is it?

Everything's a little bent,

but it's still here.

Come on.

- Come on, Vi.

- Oh, Bud, let's leave this town.

There'll always be tornadoes.

Everybody'll always be poor.

Nothing can work out here.

I want to move, Buddy. Please.

I want...

Sure.

Hold me.

- Good morning, Mr. Will.

- Morning.

- Morning, Mr. Will.

- Good morning.

- Good morning, Mr. Will.

- Morning.

- In Chicago yesterday.

Cotton held steady after dropping

to a record low...

...of 3. 5 cents a pound

over the last four days.

Poultry and eggs were down

to a seasonal low.

Corn remains unchanged.

Soybeans gained...

So let me see.

At 3.5 cents a pound...

...30 acres, that would be...

That comes to $175.

Think there's any chance

cotton prices'll go back up?

How much money you got

left in your account?

Twenty-four dollars. That's all.

- It's not enough for your payment.

- I know.

I was wondering...

What I made from my cotton

would cover most of the payment.

Could you all...

...maybe, wait for the rest?

That's something only the

president of the bank can decide.

- You shouldn't get your hopes up.

- Could you ask?

There ain't no chance

you'll ever get that prize money.

- It won't work.

- It's a hundred dollars.

That plus a crop

is enough to make the payment.

You cannot begin to get that cotton

picked on time.

Why? Moses has said that it's ready.

Moses always says things.

- It's not always true.

- I said cotton comes in early here.

But in a couple days, the pickers

will get up to this county.

They pick it fast

as you can say Jack Robinson!

- Then we'll start right now!

- You got 30 acres to pick.

- The kids can help.

- That won't be nearly enough.

- I'll pick 24 hours a day.

- Did you ever pick cotton?

After an hour, the hulls

start cutting your fingers.

By noon your hands is bleeding.

Later your fingers start to swell.

Later there ain't no feeling

in your hands.

I ain't even speaking about what

it does to your knees and your back.

Get that through your head.

Once and for all, we can't do it.

Stop thinking about it

before you kill yourself!

Now you listen to me.

If we lose this place, you're going

back to begging for meals.

They'll put you in a state home.

I'll lose what's left of my family.

I won't let that happen.

I don't care what it takes.

I don't care if it kills me.

I don't care if it kills you.

I won't give up.

And if the two of you do,

you can go straight to hell!

Careful with that now, hon.

I bet she isn't ready.

All the time we been coming here,

she's never been ready.

I'm here. I'm coming.

I start out an hour early,

I always end up a half-hour late.

Okay, what can I do to help?

Get the cards

on top of the chest of drawers.

- That looks good.

- Want me to do something?

Set up the table, would you, Buddy?

Let me help you with that, Margaret.

Can you find them?

Here, let me get the light.

Right here.

Come on.

You want my peanuts, honey?

I'll take your six, honey.

Discard and rummy.

I don't believe you.

Thirty-two here.

Thirty-two.

What's the damage, Margaret?

- Seventy-three.

- Seventy-three?

Listen, you two. Vi and me

got a little announcement.

Next time you want to play cards

with us, you'll have to go to Houston.

I got an offer from an oil company

down there...

...too good to pass up.

You've lived here all your lives.

Well, don't look at me.

It was Vi's idea.

You know how hard it is to change

her mind once she gets it set.

We'll miss you, Margaret.

It's just such a wonderful

opportunity for Bud.

We just can't pass it up.

We'll miss you a lot more

than you'll miss us.

Congratulations.

Congratulations, Buddy.

We're real happy for you.

Thanks. I'll get another drink.

You want one?

It's my deal.

Whatever happened between you

and Vi, I don't want to know about it.

I don't ever want to hear about it.

Am I right?

Am I right?

Yes.

I'm not the same dumb beauty operator

you married eight years ago.

What are you gonna do?

I don't know.

I got the shop.

Rosalie and me can get along

without you.

I'm never going to see Viola again.

- It's over between us.

- It's too late for that.

I don't think I can

live with you anymore.

I don't think I love you anymore.

Please don't say that.

Lord, this ain't gonna work.

Ain't no way we gonna get

all this cotton picked...

...and yet you sent us

out here anyway.

I swear, sometimes I don't know

what's gotten into you.

Mr. Will, you gotta talk

to that woman.

She won't pay me no mind,

but she listens to you.

It won't do any good.

We only picked two acres today.

Should've done at least four.

And that's when we're fresh.

What's it gonna be in a week?

How many pickers would it take

to get the cotton in on time?

Nine or 10, at least.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote