Swimming with Sharks Page #8

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Hank...

What happened to that delivery?

Uh-huh.

Uh-huh.

Ooh.

Stop it, Hank.

That's not what I asked for.

Mm-hmm.

Look, I don't care

if God himself

came down and destroyed

the messenger van.

What I care about is detail.

as 8:
00.

Hank, shut up,

listen, and learn.

When I ask for something

to be delivered at 8:00,

I expect it at 8:00.

I want it at 8:
00,

not 8:
30.

So the next time I ask

for something

to be delivered at 8:00,

get it there.

Good morning.

What's going on?

There was just a little

mix-up in the mail room.

Cyrus' birthday gift

is on its way.

The phone is ringing.

Buddy Ackerman's office.

Yes, Julie,

he's right here.

Hold on one moment,

please.

Cyrus.

Uh, uh, uh, uh.

Cyrus.

Hey.

?? Happy birthday to... ??

What, are you kidding?

How could I forget?

The project?

Looks great.

How great?

Like a hundred million

bucks great.

How's that sound?

Yeah? Ha ha.

Really.

Well, tell me about it.

Buddy Ackerman's office.

No, Foster.

He's out with Cyrus.

Well, you asked for it,

you got it.

I'll have him call you

right back, Foster.

As soon as he's off. Bye.

Aw, that's great.

Me? Oh, are you kidding?

I got no time.

I'm too busy workin' for you.

Yeah, well, ok.

All right.

Well, anything you say.

I'll take care of it.

Uh, foster--

The notes? Yeah, you'll

get them by 6:
00 tonight.

Guy's working on 'em

right now.

Guy? Oh, he is

fan-f***in'-tastic.

He's the best.

He's the best I've ever had.

I'm gonna have to start

lookin' after my back.

He's comin' up.

He's the one to watch. Yeah.

The one movin' up.

Uh-huh.

Ok. Yeah. Bye-bye.

You see?

I'm lookin' out for you.

Listen to me, nobody else,

because I have your

best interests at heart.

Do I look that... stupid?

Do I look that dumb?

Un-un-unbelievable!

Did you really think that

you could pull that on me?

Hey, I told Cyrus

about you!

Bullshit!

I never lied about that.

That's bullshit. I told him.

He knows who you are.

You lied!

You lied to me!

I told you what

you wanted to hear.

I told you what

you needed to hear.

Bullshit.

You were getting

complacent, ungrateful,

complete and total

job burnout,

and don't think

I didn't notice.

You just didn't

give a sh*t anymore,

draggin' your feet everywhere,

telling everybody

you were doing my job,

that you were

running the show,

that without you,

I was nothing.

Yeah.

People tell me things.

So don't come preaching to me

about your ideas

of what's fair.

You're no martyr here.

You're no hero.

You're just

a f***in' hypocrite.

You're just like any

other punk kid out there

lookin' for a way in,

any way in,

and you need me!

Does that give you the right

to belittle people?

To abuse people?

What gives you the right

to treat people like--

Because I earned it!

What, you think someone

just handed me this job?

I've handled the phones,

I've juggled the bimbos,

I've--I've put up

with the tyrants,

the yellers, the screamers.

I've done more than

you can even imagine

in that small mind of yours.

I paid my dues.

I didn't spend one year--

And I spent 10!

Damn it, it's my turn

to be selfish!

It's my turn.

See, that's the trouble

with your f***ing MTV

microwave-dinner generation.

You all want it now.

You think you deserve it

just because you want it?

It doesn't work like that.

You have to earn it.

You have to take it.

You have to make it yours.

But first, Guy,

you need to decide

what it is

you really want.

I want you...

to stop calling me

in the middle of the night.

I want you to stop sending me

to the f***ing office

for your goddamned

phone numbers,

for your f***ing sunglasses!

I want my life back!

What life?

What life?

I gave you life.

Before me,

you were nothing.

Before me,

you were an ink spot,

and now you're playing

in the majors.

I made you.

You will always be Guy

from Buddy Ackerman's office.

You want to go back to your

shitty little existence,

go ahead. Leave.

There's the door.

No one's stopping you.

You could have left any day,

but you stayed.

So let's forget the dudley

damn do-right crap,

because out here,

it's kill your parents,

f*** your friends,

and have a nice day!

And that makes it all right?

That's a load of sh*t.

I don't make the rules.

I play by them.

What, your job

is unfair to you?

Grow up. Way it goes.

People use you?

Life's unfair?

Grow up. Way it goes.

Your girlfriend

doesn't love you?

Tough sh*t. Way it goes.

Your wife gets raped and shot,

and they leave their

unfinished beers...

their...

their stinking longnecks...

just lying there

on the gr...

so be it.

Way it goes.

So, now you want to tell me

what you really want?

What this is really

all about...

What happened to you

this evening?

Hello?

Hi, Dawn.

It's, uh, Buddy. Hi.

I'm lookin' for Guy.

Have you seen him?

No. I haven't seen him

in a while, actually.

Aw, that's too bad.

Um, listen.

You want to come on over

and discuss the project?

You're not really

looking for Guy, are you?

Oops. You caught me.

So, what do you say?

I'd say I'm really busy. Sorry.

You forgetting what I taught you?

Never apologize.

It's a sign of weakness.

Never forgot it.

You know, I can

remember the days

when you would have

scurried over here

like an eager beaver.

Yeah, well, those days

are long gone.

That's why your career has

been on hold the past year.

Remember, you got to give

action to get action.

Never forgot that.

I gotta go, Buddy.

It's Guy, isn't it?

What's wrong? Can't see the boss

'cause you're

screwing the assistant?

Yeah, that's it.

That's it exactly.

Fine. He's no longer the assistant.

Excuse me?

You heard me.

He's history. He's gone.

There. Any problems

in coming over now?

I am warning you.

You leave Guy out of this.

He is not the problem, Buddy.

Well, maybe he is,

and maybe he isn't,

but there's really only

one way to find out--

F***.

F***in' men.

F***in' crazy.

What?!

Dawn? It's Guy.

Oh, h--hey.

Can I come over? I--

I think we need to talk.

Um...

Um, look, n-not--

not tonight, ok?

I--I've got, uh...

a lot of scripts to read

and stuff, so, uh...

Can we do this tomorrow?

Oh. uh...

Tomorrow.

Y-yeah. Ok.

Talk to me.

What is it?

Oh, nothing. I--I...

I just-- I...I wanted

to tell you something,

but I guess it can

wait till tomorrow.

Ok. Call--call me

in the morning, ok?

I will.

Dawn...

What?

I'm really...

I'm really sorry.

Ok.

I love you.

I love you.

No, wait a minute.

R-reconsider what, Buddy?

Uh...what are you gonna do?

You gonna fire me?

I have another call.

Hello? Hello?

It's still me. Listen.

We couldn't return

A lot of calls today

because you've been away.

Now, what do you mean,

"reconsider--"

Hold on! F***ing phones.

Call waiting.

Call conferencing.

Gotta be a rocket scientist

to make this thing work.

Hello? Hello?

Buddy.

Well, hi.

Dawn. You win.

Really?

Midnight, right?

Yeah. Just like old times.

Yeah, not even close.

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