Stanley & Iris Page #3

I've got to work and take care of my family.

- You gotta take care of yours.

- I'll manage.

You'll manage? You're still sleeping

with your teddy bear.

I'll stay with a friend if you don't want me.

A girl's best friend is her mama.

That's what it says on the greeting cards.

Thanks.

- Sweet, isn't it?

- Good.

Mr Cox, I'm sorry.

We tried to call you a number of times.

We sent a telegram.

He went peacefully in the night.

The truth is,

when they come into a place like this,

they tend to go downhill pretty fast.

Well... you'll want these.

There are a few things

for the death certificate.

Leonides Cox. It's Leonides?

That's an unusual name.

How do you spell it?

Mr Cox.

I don't know.

- Oh, God.

- Mrs King!

Hello. Haven't seen you around.

- I'm working in the car wash.

- How is it?

It's just work. Can I ask you something?

- Sure. Go ahead.

- You don't have an umbrella.

- No, I'm OK. What is it?

- Uh...

- I've been thinking...

- Yeah?

And, uh...

Do you have any spare time?

Not much, but what's on your mind?

I thought maybe...

I'll talk to you some other time.

- You've come out in the rain...

- Let it go.

OK. I have to because I'll miss my bus.

What is it?

Come on, what is it?

I wanted to ask you if...

if you could do something.

I shouldn't have started this.

I'll be around.

Wait!

Teach me to read.

What does that say?

Man builds no structure

which outlives a book.

I'm making too late a start.

You're making a start, Mr Cox.

Excuse me. Do you have...

It's a questionnaire.

It's supposed to break the ice between us,

help us to get to know each other.

Let's get it over with.

Student name?

Stanley Everett Cox.

- Everett?

- My grandmother's brother.

"Interviewed by." That's me, Iris King.

OK, number one.

"Name something you enjoy doing."

- What are they getting at?

- They want to find out about you.

I don't see the point.

They want to know what you like to do -

hunting, fishing, stuff like that.

This is not going in an FBI file.

Uh...

I make contraptions. I invent them.

Why do you enjoy doing that?

I'm good at it.

Did you ever go to school?

50 schools.

One for every state of the Union.

"Where were you born?"

Hillside, New Jersey.

"Name three things

you wish you could read."

I don't know.

I wouldn't know what to pick. Um...

I suppose a daily newspaper.

Uh...

I'd like to read a baseball scoreboard.

I like the game.

"Name something

you wish you could write."

That's easy. A big cheque.

"Finish this sentence. I hope that..."

I hope I don't make

a damn fool of myself.

"Finish this question. I wonder if..."

I wonder if I'm smart enough.

"Finish this sentence. I'm good at..."

I'm good at getting the right teacher.

It's a Seiko. Thanks, Mom.

That's for making your bed

and graduating grammar school

and putting the toilet seat down

for us ladies.

Mine's next.

OK.

Most of the time, that is.

You look just like your old man.

You walk like him. You act like him.

He's a hard act to follow, Richard.

You're gonna do him proud.

Honey.

I've got to quit this.

Listen, go ahead, have a good cry.

Why do they call it a good cry?

All it does is make you look like hell.

And what's missing is still missing.

Listen. You've got your kids.

You've got your family.

I've got a lot of days and nights

ahead of me.

You like to garden. You like to cook.

I like to make love is what I like.

Three times a week like clockwork.

Sunday morning with the door locked,

sent the kids to McDonald's,

ate lunch in bed afterwards,

whatever was in the refrigerator,

pot roast, potato salad.

Listen, maybe you'll meet somebody else.

I don't want to meet anybody else.

I want my old man back.

In his baggy pants, looking at me

over the top of his bifocals.

- You can't hold on forever.

- Why not?

Because I want you to be happy again.

You know something?

I'm sorry sometimes

that I stole your necklace.

You are?

I haven't thought about that in 22 years...

but I'll never forgive you.

Good evening, Mrs King.

Um...

Um...

- I'm a little drunk.

- No kidding. Come on in.

- There's something in the way.

- Just your feet.

Upsy-daisy, Mr Cox.

I needed a little courage tonight.

Think you can make it to the bathroom?

- Where is it?

- One flight up.

I'd appreciate it

if you wouldn't throw up on my carpet.

I may be drunk, Mrs King,

but, uh, I'm housebroken.

OK.

It's right up there.

How do you feel now?

Foolish.

You're getting my floor all wet.

I'll mop it up.

I'm going to go down

and make a lot of coffee.

Well, sit down.

You want a cookie? I made 'em myself.

No, thanks.

Why don't we just wade in?

No.

I want to know how this happened to you.

Did you drop out of school?

Were you smoking dope?

Where was your family?

Where were your teachers?

Oh...

My father was a tableware salesman.

Silver plate stuff, not real sterling.

He took me all over the country.

Lived in motels,

went to a different school every month.

Most of the time I didn't even know

what state of the Union I was in.

I'd stay up late

looking at old westerns with John Wayne

or playing two-handed poker

with my father...

or listening to people fighting

in the next room.

In the morning I'd eat a cold doughnut,

sit in the last row of the classroom,

and just sleep.

Somebody would say, "Hey, you."

I'd open up an eye, and they'd say,

"Where's the mouth of the Mississippi?"

And I'd scratch my head,

and they'd say, "Next!"

And I'd go back to sleep.

And when I woke up,

I'd be in a different school.

That's how it went. Just all went by me.

I've been... a big dummy ever since.

This is a bird

with a long tail and a round body.

- Say "bird".

- Bird.

This looks like a bird

with a long tail and a round body.

Say "bird".

Bird.

This is the word "bird".

Read "bird".

Bird.

Bird starts with the sound "buh".

Say "buh."

- Buh.

- Again.

- Buh.

- Again.

- Again.

- Buh.

Yeah. I know what you mean.

And this letter?

Fuh.

This letter.

Guh.

- OK...

- Don't make it too tough on me.

What's this word?

- Hand.

- What's this word?

Hand.

This sentence tells what the girl has

in her hand. Read it.

"The girl has a...

"fish in her hand."

Good.

It's not exactly a cliffhanger.

Excuse me.

Hello?

Phil.

Kelly, get off the line. It's for me.

Fine, and yourself?

Good.

Nothing much. I'm just slogging along.

Nobody's been seeing much of me, Phil.

I don't think I'm ready to go dancing, Phil.

OK.

Thanks for calling.

What's this word?

How long since you been out with a man?

Last time was to take one to the hospital.

- What's this word?

- Bird.

This is a yellow birch.

Latin name, Betula lutea.

Its leaves taste like mint.

Taste it.

Mm.

This is a basswood.

Latin name, Tilia cordata.

It's a nice shade tree.

What do you think? Do you want it?

This is a Norway maple.

Latin name, Acer platanoides.

Turns red in the fall. Very, very pretty.

Red?

You know, the red leaves in the fall.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes