Secondhand Lions Page #5

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What are you doing here?

You got something

to say to me?

Spit it out.

What happened to her,

Uncle Hub?

What happened

to Jasmine?

I have to know.

I have to.

She died.

Died in childbirth.

Her and the baby.

What did you do?

Went back to the only life

I knew... back to the Legion.

For the next 40 years, there was

always one more war to fight.

Then I got old

and came here.

Here I am.

Here I am.

You cold, son?

You'd better...

here.

You'd better...

you'd better go inside.

Good boy, thank you.

Good boy.

Those stories about Africa...

about you...

they're true,

aren't they?

- Doesn't matter.

- It does too.

Around my mom all I hear is lies.

I don't know what to believe in.

If you want to believe in something,

then believe in it.

Just because something isn't true,

no reason you can't believe in it.

All right.

There's a long speech

I give to young men.

Sounds like you need

to hear a piece of it.

Just a piece.

Sometimes the things

that may or may not be true

are the things that a man needs

to believe in the most.

That people are

basically good;

That honor...

courage and virtue

mean everything;

That power and money,

money and power mean nothing;

That good always triumphs

over evil;

And I want you

to remember this, that love...

true love never dies.

You remember that, boy.

You remember that.

Doesn't matter if it's

true or not. You see,

a man should believe

in those things, because...

those are the things

worth believing in.

Got that?

That was a good speech.

Think so? Thanks.

Yeah...

When are you gonna give me

the rest of the speech?

When you're almost a man.

- You promise?

- Wait one minute here. Wait...

I can't be a good man until you give me

the rest of the speech, right?

You need to stick around until I'm

old enough to hear the whole thing.

- I see what you're trying to pull.

- You have to stick around

- until I'm old enough...

- I'll write it down.

No! I want you

to give me the speech!

You won't be

living here then.

You're my uncle. I need you to stick

around and be my uncle.

What about Uncle Garth?

He needs you.

W-what about the dogs

and the pig,

and the lion?

We all need you. I need you.

- No, you're just being silly.

- No, it's true!

- You're being silly.

- It's true!

I know you miss Jasmine

an awful, awful lot.

But if you go,

we'll miss you

just as much.

It's true.

All right, damn it,

you win.

I'll stick around

and be your damn uncle.

Don't expect me

to be happy about it.

All right? Deal?

Oh-hh!

Ohh, ohh.

You're a good boy.

You're a good boy.

You're a good boy.

Walter, Walter!

Get ready. Walter!

This money

look stolen to you?

Try to help you

I can't do it

all by myself...

Try to help you

I can't do it

all by myself.

Oh, honey,

you're so funny.

No!

- Whoop!

- Oh!

Shh, quiet!

- Mom!

- Hi, honey.

Walter, Walter,

this is Stan.

I've heard a lot

about you, Walter.

Your uncles

still sleeping?

Best not

wake 'em up.

Shh, come on.

Wanna go sit down?

You got so big.

So Stan here

is a detective.

A real private eye

just like in the movies.

- Wow, really?

- Sure, sure.

You wanna see my badge?

Stan works in Las Vegas.

How about that?

- What about court reporting school?

- Oh, I had to quit.

Stan wants me to stay home

and be a wife and mother.

Won't that be wonderful?

I bet you found out where

your uncles hid all that money, huh?

Why do you want to know?

Walt, your uncles

match the description

of two bank robbers

from the '20s and '30s.

- No, you're wrong.

- When Mae told me about them,

I got copies of the reports

and showed them to her.

It's them, honey.

They used shotguns.

They wore disguises.

They stole all that money.

And they shot people...

innocent people.

No, not them.

It can't be.

Stan knows what he's

talking about, honey.

What about Jasmine?

She and Uncle Hub

were in love. They...

- I have her picture.

- Honey, wasn't Jasmine

the woman who was driving

the getaway car?

- Oh, right.

- Oh, Jasmine...

she was wounded.

And they just

drove off...

and left her for dead.

I know this hurts, son.

But they're criminals,

and they lied to you.

My poor baby!

Oh, in the arms

of vicious criminals.

We came just as soon

as we found out.

We've come

to take you away.

Now, I want you to tell Stan

where the money is,

then we'll

go pack your things, okay?

Why do you need to know

where the money is?

Look at me, son.

Because it doesn't

belong to them.

It's stolen.

Why, it's probably hidden

right outside here somewhere, right?

Close by?

I'll tell you what, why don't we

take a little walk, huh?

Show us around the place.

What do you say?

Let's go.

Well, Walt, your mother

and I found a nice house.

Don't have enough money

for the down payment though.

We could always turn your uncles in

for the reward money,

but they'd go to jail.

Since all that money's

stolen, honey,

we got a right to it

just as much as they do.

We'll have a nice family

and nobody gets hurt.

Isn't it wonderful, Walter?

It's what we always wanted.

So where is it?

They're old, they're gonna

die soon anyway.

You want Uncle Sam to end up

with all that dough?

Just tell us.

Hub and Garth didn't rob any banks.

They were in Africa.

Africa!

Oh, Walter, be serious.

Really! They were shanghaied

into the Foreign Legion,

and had adventures for 40 years.

They couldn't have robbed any banks!

Come on, pal.

You don't believe all that, do you?

- Sure, I do!

- You?! Mr. Doubting Thomas?

Here Stan's got actual evidence

and you believe that Africa crap?!

Yes. Yes, I do.

Mae, you should go wait

on the porch.

We're gonna have a little chat,

man to man.

Why don't we talk in the barn?

What do you say?

Come on!

Getting warmer? Huh?

No, let go!

Let's you and me

get something straight.

We can be friends

or we can be enemies.

I've had a run

of crummy luck lately.

I know some bad people who want

to cause a lot of trouble for me.

I need that money

and I know it's close.

I'll be damned if some snot-nosed kid

is gonna stand in my way.

So what's

it gonna be, pal?

Friends or enemies?

Defend yourself.

Huh?

Where is it?!

Where's the money?

Where is it?

Where is it?

Where is it?

Tell me where it is!

Tell me where it is!

Where is it?!

I heard some noise.

Oh God!

Jasmine?

Oh my goodness!

Oh my goodness! Stan!

It's dead.

Oh my God, he's dead!

Stan's dead!

No, he'll live.

I'm talking about the lion.

Oh!

We have to get him to the hospital.

Mae, get your car.

- I can't, I can't!

- Mae, your car!

- Get it, get it!

- Okay, okay.

- Let's get this lion off him.

- Okay.

This man's

gonna need some stitches.

A lotta damn stitches.

What happened to her?

It looks like her heart gave out

in all the excitement.

- Yeah.

- She was plenty old, you know?

Look...

I think she's smiling.

Yeah.

I guess she died happy.

She died with her boots on,

that's the main thing.

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