Simon Birch Page #4

Simon, it's me.

I thought you were...

someone else.

I'm sorry.

I know.

Come on. Let's go home.

Timber-r-r!

One year good luck.

One year good luck.

Oh! Oh, man, that's cold!

- It's freezing!

- My balls just turned into prunes.

My balls just turned

into raisins.

Look!

Come on.

I'll race you to the dock.

Nah, I don't think...

Ready, set, go.

Hey, cheater!

When someone you love dies,

you don't lose them

all at once.

You lose them in pieces,

over time.

Like how the mail

stops coming.

What I remember most to this day

was my mother's scent.

And how I hated it

when it began to disappear.

First from her closets

and drawers,

then from her dresses

she had sewed herself,

and finally, from her bed sheets

and pillowcases.

Simon and I never talked much

about that day on the baseball field.

It was too painful

for both of us.

For as much as I loved

my mother,

I knew that Simon loved her

just as much.

She was the only real mother

he ever had.

Hi, Grandmother.

Grandmother?

Joe.

Come here.

Sit down.

Your mother was very proud of you.

Do you know that?

She didn't want

any other children.

Just you.

I'm old, Joe.

I won't be around forever.

- Grandmother, don't say that.

- Shh.

And when I die,

there will be no one left

to look after you.

So, we have to decide

what's to become of you.

What about my father?

Only your mother knew

who that was.

She never even told me.

Well, what if

I could find him?

I mean, if he could just meet me.

If he knew what I was like.

You can't think that way.

You have only yourself

to depend on now.

Understand?

You go wash up.

I knew then

that playing the guessing game...

with Simon wasn't going

to be enough anymore.

I no longer just wanted to know

just who my father was,

I had to know,

and I was running out of time.

Suspect at 2:
00.

- Mr. Van Gundy?

- He taught your mother piano, right?

That was five years ago, Simon.

I'm 12, remember?

Oh, yeah. You're kind of small

for your age, aren't you?

Suspect sweeping.

- Mr. Prescott?

- He always saved the best cuts

of meat for my mom.

I don't see how pork chops

could lead to intercourse,

no matter how good they are.

- Hi, Ben.

- Hey.

- What are you guys doing?

- We were just...

- It's personal.

- Hey, Ben.

- Hey, Bob. How are you?

Hi, Mr. Baker.

Hey, guys. Hi, Joe.

You know, I didn't get a chance

to talk to you after the funeral.

There were a lot of people.

That's because your mother

was a very special person.

You need anything,

just call, okay?

- Okay.

- Okay.

Well, good luck

on your first day of school, guys.

Just give me a holler

if you need anything, Ben.

The office isn't usually

much help.

Okay, thanks.

I might try out for the swim team

this year, Mr. Baker.

That's great, Joe.

I'm a swimmer just like you.

I'm just like you.

Hey, either you guys

taking any drama courses this fall?

So, you know what I'm gonna do?

I'm gonna finish off my errands,

and, uh, if you guys feel like it,

uh, come say "hi" tomorrow.

Okay? All right.

Bye, Ben.

- He called my mom a special person.

- A "very" special person.

They did spend the night talking

at the parent-teacher conference.

Why didn't

you mention this before?

It's a parent-teacher conference,

they're supposed to talk.

Not all night.

Especially with a gym teacher.

What did you think

they were doing?

Discussing your future

in dodgeball?

Mr. Baker.

Yeah.

Let's go! Let's go!

Keep your legs kicking!

Keep your legs kicking

right to the end!

- Hey, that's great.

That's great. Good work.

Good work, you guys. That's pretty good

for a first day of practice.

Sean, good work.

Grab a towel.

Terrific!

We'll see you guys tomorrow.

- Fifty-four Mississippi.

- Shh. God, Simon.

- It's a new record.

- News flash. Nobody cares.

I care.

Did you hear that?

- What is it?

- Aah! It's a horse.

Nice dog.

Brutus! Brutus, where are you?

Come on.

It's locked.

- Well, I guess that's that.

Come on. Let's go.

- Wait!

Do you think if I gave you

a boost, you might be able...

to reach the mail slot

and unlock the door?

- No.

- Oh, come on!

You're always saying that God

has a special plan for you, right?

- That he made you

this size for a reason.

- I don't think God's plan...

includes breaking and entering.

We're not breaking anything!

Come on, please?

- Ow, ow, ow.

- Did you get it?

Ow! Got it! Oh!

It's locked!

Now, let's go!

- Are you crazy?

- I've got to know.

Well, go on.

Well, is it our ball?

Does it say "Tigers"?

Come on, Joe.

What's it say?

- It's-lt's not fair.

- Joe?

- Joe!

- It's not fair!

It's not fair.

What the hell's

the matter with you boys?

Baker fail you

in phys ed or something?

- Simon didn't do anything.

This is all my fault.

- I helped you break in.

- No, he didn't.

- You couldn't have done it without me.

- Shut up, will ya?

- Nice try, Joe.

Now, the way that

I figure this,

you can either do hard time

right here in prison,

or you can do

community service.

Community service.

That's what I thought.

And I've already

called the reverend,

and he'd be just delighted...

to have the two of you help him

with his Junior Lamb's Winter Retreat.

But that's over

Christmas break.

Yeah, we don't want to babysit the

stupid third graders at some dumb camp.

Fine! I'll just go out there in the

back room and get your prison uniforms.

- Okay, okay! We'll do it.

- Good.

Now, Joe. I'm gonna call your

grandmother to come and pick you up.

- Oh, she doesn't drive.

- Well, I've got to have

somebody pick you two up.

I've only got two men on tonight

and they're both out in the field.

- What about my parents?

- Joe, do you have any other relatives?

- No, sir.

- Did you call my parents?

Yes, I did.

What did they say?

They said that...

maybe that we should leave you

here for the night.

I guess they thought

it might teach you a lesson.

Anyhow, I gotta get

you guys outta here.

Do you know anybody that might come

down here at this hour of the night?

- Yeah.

- Who?

Yeah, who?

- Ben?

- Yeah?

- Are you mad?

- No.

Well, baffled,

but not mad.

I assume you had a good reason

for doing what you did.

- The reason is that Joe went psycho.

- Shut up, Simon.

That's a good reason as any.

- It is?

- Sure.

Everyone's got to reserve

the right to go a little nuts

every now and then.

- Life isn't always so easy.

- Or fair.

Oh, it's certainly not fair.

Hey, you guys want to go get,

uh, some pizza

or a hot dog or somethin'?

- You want to take us for pizza?

- Yeah, it's 9:
00. Aren't you hungry?

It's not that.

It would be like...

rewarding us

for bad behavior.

- But if you really want to.

- No, Joe.

It wouldn't be right

to take advantage of Ben like that.

No pizza for us.

Okay.

Ice cream?

So, now I don't know

if I'll ever find out who my father is.

Maybe she figured

you weren't ready for the truth.

Ben?

Do you know the truth?

No. I guess your mom was just

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