Ray Meets Helen Page #3

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Much.

Since Ginger split.

Couple years.

Never marry someone you

meet in Atlantic City.

- New Jersey?

- I watch her, sometimes.

To connect.

Believing's what hurt.

It wasn't love.

Better not be.

Now because I do a

job nobody wants,

like this one, only

worse, and I deliver.

Now I might die from it?

No way.

Not me, not now.

Down, maybe, but.

What's this?

- Open it.

- Whoa.

Okay.

Your parents,

where are they now?

You tell 'em about this?

Anybody?

Friend?

You told nobody?

Sit down.

Let's count it.

I'm the insurance guy here.

Okay, one.

Two, three, four--

- Four stacks of

100, four stacks of 50s,

and two stacks of 20s.

- Plus these in my

hand is how much?

- 74,000.

- 74,000.

74,000, 74,000.

Gotta think this

through, do something.

Something right.

- From yesterday.

All one-hundreds.

- How many?

- 16.

- 16 hundreds?

Where you keeping this?

That box fits under the chair.

- Yep.

- Great spot.

- Has a lock on it, too,

so no one can get to it.

- Yeah.

And nobody else knows?

Just you and me.

Twist of fate, miracles.

Butcher knife.

Ready to jump.

So close.

But I knew!

I knew!

A gift!

A true gift!

Dicey, though, dicey.

Can't blow it, can't.

Can't.

Parents gonna be back when?

This is nuts.

I gotta take it with me.

- I wanna take a nap.

- All right, fine,

but I better stay,

your parents and

me, we have to...

No?

Tomorrow, maybe, huh?

Yeah, a little distance,

yeah, that's better, yeah.

Yeah, okay.

Yeah, yeah, cover

it up, you know.

Maybe we should

leave, leave that,

'cause I don't think

it'll fit with,

yeah, okay.

There we go, that should be

safe if you don't say anything.

Okay.

I'll just.

You sleep, I'll lock up.

Hey.

Don't tell your

folks, let me explain.

Promise me.

- Promise.

- Yeah, good man.

- Side by side, inside and out.

- Does it ever rain here?

Once a big storm made a

hole over the back room.

I was gonna go back the next

morning to where you were

and, I don't know,

call the sheriff.

Family history's in there so

I had to patch it right away.

But your letter

said to do nothing.

You're a part of that room now.

That fella who called you.

He wasn't very nice.

What it must have felt

like, who could ever say.

- You imagine yourself

sailing into the sky,

part of a traveling caravan,

hopeful not to be

traveling alone.

- Push the damn veal.

- You got it, boss.

- Bienvenue, monsieur.

Reservation?

- By the window.

- Watch your step.

Is it your first time with us?

- Hey.

She almost done?

- I don't think so.

This way.

Would monsieur like a

drink before dinner?

- What's expensive?

- Well, champagne.

- Whole bottle.

- Oui, monsieur.

- Good one.

- Oui.

- And some of that onion

dip you got at 20 bucks.

- Ah,.

Oui, monsieur.

- Only live once.

That outfit.

Hairstyle.

Skin.

Look at that skin.

Gorgeous.

Classier than any dame

I've ever seen, by far.

What were you thinking?

This dress, hairdo, everything.

Certainly don't want to

talk with some sharp man

trying to pick you up.

When's the last

time that happened?

Ever?

- Play something romantic.

- Oui, monsieur.

- Hey, hey, hey.

- Monsieur?

- Something the ladies like.

- Ooh, la la!

- I'm celebrating.

What are you up to?

- Who?

- You.

How's the soup?

- Could use a kick.

- With anybody?

- Who?

- Are you alone?

- Alone?

- Want to ask if

I'm with anybody?

- No.

- Looks like I ordered right.

Want some?

- No.

- Bring her a glass.

Puts beer to shame.

- Madame.

- Go ahead.

Must have something

to celebrate.

- Me?

No.

Well, birthday.

- Happy birthday.

- Thank you.

- Whoa, whoa.

Whoa.

- Pretty good punch.

- Pretty good punch.

- Place like this, they

never serve anything crummy.

No way the onion dip

comes out of a box.

- You gotta fool with 'em some.

- You sound like a good cook.

- I can cook.

- Married?

Boyfriend?

- Who?

- Are you married?

- What kind of a

question is that?

- I was.

I wanted kids.

- I thought I was happy.

I don't know what happened.

- I like the view

from your table.

- There was a fella here last

night with a pair of binocs.

Whoa!

What are you doing?

- Could never finish it myself.

Lot of bubbles, huh?

- Yeah.

- Excuse me, excuse me.

Somebody's sitting there.

- Yeah, me.

- Armond?

- Oui, monsieur?

- This gentleman

took my chair.

- Here, relax.

- They're

late, no problem.

- You around the bend, mister?

- First drink today.

Ray O'Callahan.

- It hits the spot.

It tickles my throat.

- It means it's working.

- Voila.

Madame, monsieur, bon appetit.

- Help yourself.

- Sorry sight for sure.

- What?

- That fella last night.

- Oh.

Well.

Might have been told bad news.

Knew you were watching,

probably say forget it.

Please.

- Yeah, his business for sure.

- There you go.

Yeah, being ready.

That's the trick.

- Ready for what?

- For when you do

what you have to do.

- Well, what you have to do,

what if it's not right?

- What's not right?

- The thing you have to do.

- Why wouldn't it be?

- Well, plenty isn't.

I mean, how do you know?

Somebody knows something.

But you don't know.

- That's what I'm saying.

- Didn't sound like that.

- What's right for you?

- But, but what if your

heart feels it's right,

but it's wrong by the law?

- Law?

Where'd that come from?

- Then what would you

be getting ready for?

Jail?

- Jail?

Cops, crooks, companies.

All out to get you.

Trust me.

Wicked world.

- Why?

- Why what?

- Why should I trust you?

- On a lucky streak.

You'll see.

Ever been to Japan?

- Japan?

- I was.

In the Navy.

How about Paris?

- Paris, France?

- Yeah.

Me neither.

Bahamas?

- Bahamas.

That fella last night, he

might have been snooping,

that window?

He could have been peeping.

- Listen.

I'm gonna promise

something, right now.

Before I'm done, I'm

getting to the sweet spot.

That's what I want to say.

Now you tell me

something about yourself.

- There is something else.

Something I saw.

It already happened, but

to somebody who had

plenty to live for.

Somebody I might

have made a friend.

I just wish there was

something I could have done.

She had to feel terrible

to do something so awful.

- Drop it.

Nothing terrible

allowed tonight.

That we're talking about anyway.

- Why do you keep

staring like that?

- Some people are gonna

meet against long odds,

no matter what.

- Which people?

- People.

Two people.

Like it was fixed beforehand.

- What's fixed?

- Would monsieur like a menu?

- Too noisy here.

Bring the check, hers

too, I'm paying both.

- You're paying for

my dinner, mister?

- Ray.

My pleasure.

We can go some place

a little quieter.

Okay?

Primadonna, probably

not even French.

- Not French?

Why would he pretend

to be something?

I never got my steak.

- You want to stay then?

- No.

I don't know.

- Got something

for your birthday.

Was picturing it

around your neck.

- You're giving this to me?

- If you tell me your name.

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