Short Cuts Page #16

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I mean, some of the stories

are really fantastic.

Betty.

[Water Running]

[TV:
Man Speaking, Indistinct]

[Motor Starts]

How's the sex?

Well, he's real quick.

He's too quick for me.

Plus, he won't do oral.

- Do you?

- I used to, before we got married.

I would if he would stop

fooling around. I kind of like it.

What about you?

- Ralph's pretty conservative.

- Yeah?

[Boy]

No.!

- How about other than Ralph?

- [Children Chattering]

Oh, we've been married

a long time, Sherri.

There's never been anybody else

since you've been married?

No.

Yeah. Me neither.

Not since the kids.

This atmosphere sure brings it

back to me, son, I'll tell ya.

How many years has it been?

Say, what? Maybe years?

- What?

- Your accident.

Oh, it's about, uh, .

I don't know where

all that time went.

Oh.

[Chuckles]

Howard. Uh-oh.

[Chuckles]

You remember?

I brought it along to show, uh -

- Casey.

- C-C-Casey. Yeah.

Casey.

Speaking of that,

you know the creek?

You can't cross it anymore now.

They put a gate up about year-

- Yeah, years ago. Just before I left.

- Yeah? That's good.

Of course, if they'd had a gate,

that would have...

changed things, wouldn't it?

I mean, you wouldn't have been

in the hospital that day.

And I - Hell, you probably

wouldn't be out here.

You might not have even had Casey,

let alone him being in the hospital.

We could still be back

in Minnesota with me, and married -

Pop, stop it.

[Rings]

[Rings]

[Rings]

[Rings]

[Casey's Voice]

Hi. This is the Finnigan home.

We can't get to the phone right now,

so leave a message after the beep.

[Beeps]

[Bitkower]

"Oh, somewhere in this favored land...

"the sun is shining bright...

"the band is playing somewhere...

"and somewhere hearts are light.

"And somewhere men are laughing...

"and somewhere children shout...

"but there is nojoy in Mudville-

mighty Casey has struck out. "

[Phone Line Clicks]

You still resent my not being

in the hospital with you, don't ya?

No, I don't.

I don't even remember.

Yeah, you do.

You know it, uh -

it wasn't my decision.

Things had gotten so out of hand

between your mother and me by then that I -

Hell, I didn't want to be in your room

and make it worse.

I don't even remember the hospital.

I remember, uh,

the car flippin' over...

and gettin' washed away.

[Chuckles]

That's about it.

I did something that day

that I'd never done in my life.

I didn't tell your mother the truth.

Called in sick, and then I left

like I was going to work.

And I didn't tell your mother

I was going over to Olla's house...

to hook up a new fridge

and an ice maker.

- She'd have had a fit!

- [Sighs]

I mean, even if she knew

that I was getting paid for my time...

she would have had a fit.

It was okay for her to help Olla.

Oh, not for me.

See? She was very possessive that way.

Well, sisters are funny, you know.

Hell, in this case, I was happy to oblige.

I needed the extra money.

And it was Olla's idea

not to involve your mother.

It was Olla's idea for me to lie.

I figured it would take a couple hours.

Then I'll go to work, tell 'em I'm feeling better.

Anyway, I - I told Olla

I'd be over early, and I was.

But there was no answer.

So, uh, the - the door was open.

I go in. I hear that she's up in the shower.

So, I holler out...

you know, so that she won't get scared

when she comes out of the shower...

and hears me working

down in the basement, and so forth.

Anyway, I go down.

After a while, Olla...

comes down to the basement...

[Scoffs]

In a robe.

Huh?

And she says that

she got cleaned up... for me.

And I think that's very odd to say

under the circumstances.

But you know Olla.

Anyhow, she says, "How's it going?"

I said, "Fine."

And, uh, after a while she -

Yeah, she asked me if I wanted a beer.

She says, "You want a beer?"

I said, "Geez, it's a little early in the morning

for that sort of thing, isn't it?"

She says, "Well, I'm not your employer, am I?

Do you want one or not?"

I said, "Oh, well, what the hell. Why not?"

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

She comes back with two beers.

I tell ya, every time I finish a beer- foom.!

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