The Best and the Brightest

(LIGHTNING STRIKING)

(TIGER GROWLING)

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

(WIND HOWLING)

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

ANNOUNCER ON RADIO: Tropical

storm warnings are now in effect

for all of

the Gulf Coast.

We're looking at a strong Category

3, so board up those windows

and get ready

for a wild ride.

Folks, there are emergency

shelters being set up in King County

and Scarborough County.

(SWITCHING CHANNEL)

(ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)

(OPENING CAR DOOR)

(VEHICLE APPROACHING)

Howie!

Johnny Gavineau.

You got the permit?

Yes, I do.

(CLANKING)

This is against

my better judgment.

(SIGHS)

Okay. Let's get to it.

JOHNNY:
Yeah, I gotta

get back to the coast.

(CLEARING THROAT)

There's a hurricane coming.

(CLEARING THROAT)

I got property there. I gotta

get the place battened down.

(GROWLING)

Never touch the cage.

Was he trained?

Trained how? Jump

through a hoop on fire?

He can do that?

No.

Well, does he just sit

there and look pretty?

I thought he

was a circus cat.

Circus don't want him.

(TIGER ROARS)

Look, I'm starting

a safari ranch.

This is my

main attraction.

I need, you know,

a scary animal.

Scary?

Yeah. That's what

the tourists pay to see.

I don't think this

cat's scary enough.

I'm not paying top dollar for an

animal that doesn't scare anyone

and doesn't know

any tricks.

Now, maybe if

I'm paying less,

say, $5,000 less...

Mr. Gavineau, the only

reason we are talking

is because last month this

cat attacked a circus horse

while 300 of

your tourists

ran screaming

for their lives.

Chased her down,

did he?

Went 16 feet over a cage.

Passed 11 other horses

just to get to this one.

Silver Dollar

was her name.

He broke her spine

so that she couldn't move,

and then

he ate her alive.

You ever heard a horse

scream, Mr. Gavineau?

You want to know why

he went after that one?

Because

she was the pretty one.

And you're right,

Mr. Gavineau.

This cat,

he's not scary.

He's evil.

(BANGS CAGE)

(LAUGHING NERVOUSLY)

This is a waste of time

and my gas money.

I'll take it!

Plus your expenses.

Cat hasn't eaten

in two weeks.

That's how you show him

who's boss.

And when you move him, you

roll the cage with this.

(TRUCK DOOR OPENS)

Safari park, huh?

Well, good luck

with that.

(TRUCK DOOR CLOSES)

(TRUCK STARTING)

Good luck with that.

Man makes his own luck!

Isn't that right,

Lucifer?

(TIGER GROWLS)

Tom, you there?

(FEEDBACK ON WALKIE-TALKIE)

Tom.

Tom, come on.

Remember? I told you they

have fish here. You love fish.

They have all... Come look

at this. Come look at this.

See, look. Come here.

They have yellow fish.

Blue fish, purple fish.

I think they even

have clown fish.

Tom, come on. You're

gonna be happy here.

Mom would have loved

this place. Okay?

It took me

a long time to find it.

I know you understand.

This is your home now. You

cannot come to college with me.

Hey.

Please do not

screw this up.

(DOCTOR CLEARING THROAT)

DOCTOR:
So, you've been

living with your stepfather,

but you've

taken care of Tom

since your mother

passed away.

And after college,

will you once again

be taking on Tom's care?

Yes.

No red.

That depends on,

of course,

what's best for Tom

at that point.

I have custodianship, so I

will be checking in on him.

Sorry,

he does not like red.

Well, then let's

get things settled.

Tom, would you like to

say goodbye to your sister?

So, I'm gonna take off.

I'll see you in a couple

of weeks, all right?

(YELLING) No! No touch!

No! No, no!

No!

I'm so sorry.

(CONTINUES YELLING)

I've got...

I got his stuff out.

He likes this...

He likes this

God's eye and...

When he's walking,

he might need it.

(SOFTLY) Tom,

I want you to be calm.

(STOPS YELLING)

Good.

Can you sit down for me?

Can you do that for me?

Can you sit down,

please?

Good.

Thank you.

You know,

who Tom is now

is pretty much who Tom

is always going to be.

People can sacrifice

their entire lives

taking care of

an autistic child.

Don't feel guilty

if you can't.

(DOOR OPENS)

(WHISPERING)

(DOOR OPENS)

There seems

to be a problem.

Your check is being denied

due to insufficient funds?

No, that's... That's

not right. That little...

(DIALING)

Do you have

another resource?

No.

What about

your stepfather?

No. There's money in there.

ON PHONE:

This is Mr. Fenton.

Hi, Mr. Fenton,

this is Kelly Taylor.

Hi, Kelly.

How are you?

Could you check the balance

of my account for me?

Your stepfather withdrew all

the money from that account.

It's closed.

When?

Yesterday.

So...

He said he was

changing your house

into some sort

of safari ranch?

I hope that's

not a surprise.

Yeah, I don't...

I don't really care about the

animal thing. That money was for Tom.

Kelly, sounds like you should

take this up with Johnny.

Thank you.

MAN 1:
Wait a minute,

wait a minute.

MAN 2:
Okay!

Let's go! Unhitch it!

(BANGING ON CAGE)

(MEN CHATTERING)

Hey,.hombres,

I understand that

the power of hurricanes

has almost doubled

in the past 30 years.

Now, whether that has

to do with global warming

doesn't much

matter to me,

but what does matter is getting

this place battened down. Now.

(TIGER GROWLING)

(MAN 1 BECKONING TIGER)

(TIGER CONTINUES GROWLING)

(MAN 2 SPEAKING SPANISH)

(HISSING)

Hey!

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

(MAN 2 SCREAMING)

Sh*t!

(MEN YELLING IN SPANISH)

Get me a rag!

Here, here, here. Sh*t!

I want you to keep

pressure on it, okay?

Like this.

Now, listen to me.

I want you to go to the

clinic down the road.

Okay. All right?

They'll take care of you.

They will not

deport you.

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

Now go.

And fast! He's gonna

lose that finger!

God damn it! I just said

unhitch me. We're staying here.

(BANGING ON CAGE)

(TIGER GROWLING)

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

JOHNNY:
Get this place

boarded up!

(MAN SHOUTING INSTRUCTIONS

IN SPANISH)

(SCREWDRIVER WHIRRING)

Johnny!

Where are you?

What is this?

Johnny?

Where did the freezer

come from, huh?

(TIGER GROWLING)

(BANGING ON CAGE)

Hey!

What the hell are you doing?

That's a carnivore in there.

(MIMICKING TIGER)

You understand?

Now, go back in the

house where it's safe.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

Out here, not safe.

In the house, safe.

Now, go on. Run.

Hey! Where's my money?

What money?

My bank account.

You closed it.

Wait a second.

That's not your money.

Of course it is.

I went to the bank, I asked if

there were any other accounts,

they said just one,

co-signed by your mother,

so I took it out...

So, you stole it.

You doing drugs?

What?

Because drugs will damage

both the hippocampus

and the amygdala

portions of the brain.

That's where we

process memory.

Your memory's

a little foggy here.

I have to remind you that

your mom didn't leave a will.

She did.

Hey.

She wanted me to take care

of Tom. That's what she said.

Written on

a Post-it note.

Wasn't a Post-it note.

She wrote her wishes

for the future of you and

your brother on a note.

Nobody's happy your mom

swallowed a bottle of pills.

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