The Best Years of Our Lives Page #2

- Best joint in town.

- Let's get together there sometime.

This is my street.

- (driver) 1517?

- It's the fourth house from here.

I wonder if Wilma's home.

How about us

going back to Butch's Place?

We'll have a couple of drinks

and then we can go home.

You're home now, kid.

Well, so long.

- Bye.

- So long, Homer.

- Where next?

- Just a minute, bud.

It's Homer!

Momma! Daddy! Homer's here!

Wilma! Wilma!

Wilma, come on over!

- My boy.

- Oh, darling!

It's good to see you.

- Isn't this wonderful?

- There's Wilma!

OK, let's go.

- Well...

- Don't. I'll carry it.

- (sobs)

- What's the matter, Ma?

It's... it's nothing.

It's just that your ma's

so glad to see you home.

Yeah, I know.

You gotta hand it to the navy. They sure

trained that kid how to use those hooks.

They couldn't train him to put his arms

around his girl, to stroke her hair.

- (driver) Is it the next turn up here?

- Yeah, the next turn on the left.

Hey, Fred, why don't we drop you first?

No, you're next.

And we're not going back

to Butch's for a drink either.

Feel as if I were going in to hit a beach.

Some barracks you got here.

What are you, a retired bootlegger?

Nothing as dignified as that.

I'm a banker.

- How much?

- Take your hand out of your pocket.

- You're outranked.

- Yes, sir, Captain, sir.

- Good luck, chum.

- Thanks.

Yes, I will.

Yes, sir.

One moment, please.

One moment, please!

- Who do you wish to see?

- Mrs Stephenson.

Just a minute.

I'll have to announce you first.

Put that phone down.

I'm her husband.

- You're Mr Stephenson?

- Sergeant Stephenson.

What did you expect?

A four-star general?

I'm sorry to have kept you waiting.

- Fourth floor.

- Yes, sir.

(male voice) I'll get it, Peg.

Where's Mom?

- Da...

- Sh.

(woman) Who's that at the door, Peggy?

Peggy!

Rob, who was...?

- I look terrible.

- Who says so?

- It isn't fair of you to bust in on us.

- I phoned you from Portland.

- You said you wouldn't be home for...

- We were lucky.

We got a plane to Welburn. I thought

we were gonna get stuck there,

but we came right through.

- Al, are you all right?

- Sure.

- Are you all right?

- Course I am.

- Let me look at you.

- Don't look now, I need a shave.

If you don't mind, Mom...

Dad... darling.

I'll call the Kenworthys

and tell them we won't be over.

- The Kenworthys?

- Yes.

My son.

And my daughter.

I don't recognise you.

What's happened?

Just a few years of normal growth.

Don't you approve?

I don't know yet. I've got to have

more time to get to know you.

(Mom) Hello?

Alice, this is Milly.

I'm terribly sorry, but we can't be over.

I mean, I'm terribly happy.

You see, Al...

My husband!

Yes. He's home.

Yes.

Yes.

- Freddy!

- Hortense.

Well, say!

Pat!

Pat, it's Freddy.

He's home again!

- Hello, Pop.

- I wish we'd known you were coming.

We'd have had the place

kinda cleaned up.

Well? Haven't you got anything

to say to your own son?

- Glad to see you, my boy.

- Look at him, Pat.

Look at your hero son. And look at

all those beautiful ribbons on his chest.

Go on, Freddy, tell your father how you

got those ribbons and what they mean.

- Where's Marie?

- Marie?

- Yeah. Is she out?

- Marie isn't here, Freddy.

- Will she be back soon?

- She's not living with us.

- She took an apartment downtown.

- Why didn't anybody write me about it?

We were afraid it might worry you,

you being so far away.

It was inconvenient for Marie,

living here, after she took that job.

But we forwarded all your letters

and the allotment cheques.

She took a job? Where?

Uh... some nightclub.

I don't know just which one.

The poor girl works till all hours.

- Where does she live?

- Uh... Grandview Arms on Pine Street.

But there's nothing to worry about.

Marie's fine.

We saw her last Christmas.

She brought us some beautiful presents.

- Marie's a good-hearted girl.

- You know what time she goes to work?

Uh... well, about supper time, I imagine.

Do you mind if I leave my stuff here?

I'll pick it up later.

Sure, but aren't you gonna stay

and have a bite to eat?

No, thank you, Hortense.

Well, uh... so long, Pop.

I'll be back.

Well, it's... I'm glad

to have you home, my boy.

It's good to be home, Pop. Bye.

Here, a cap.

Here's a samurai sword, Rob.

Thanks very much, Dad.

And here's a flag I found

on a dead Jap soldier.

All that writing is good-luck messages

from his relatives.

Yes, I know. The Japanese attach a lot of

importance to their family relationship.

Yeah. Yeah, entirely different from us.

- You were at Hiroshima, weren't you?

- Mm-hm.

Did you notice any of the effects of

radioactivity on the people who survived?

No, I didn't. Should I have?

We've been having lectures

in atomic energy at school.

Mr McLaglen, our physics teacher,

he says that we've reached the point

where the whole human race has either

got to find a way to live together, or else...

- Or else.

- That's right. Or else.

When you combine atomic energy with jet

propulsion and radar and guided missiles,

just think of the...

Oh, you're just kidding me, Dad.

You've been to all these places

and you've seen everything.

I've seen nothing.

I should have stayed home

and found out what was really going on.

I finished the dishes.

Why do you have to do that?

Is this the maid's night out?

Our maid took a night out three years ago

and we haven't seen her since.

But everything's all right because

I took a course in Domestic Science.

What's happened to this family? All this

atomic energy and scientific efficiency...

- It was the war! You heard about that.

- Yeah.

All those problems on the home front.

We used to read about 'em

in Stars and Stripes.

We felt awfully sorry for the civilians.

You don't have to worry about us, though.

We can handle the problems. We're tough.

Rob, haven't you any homework?

Oh, sure.

- Night, Dad.

- I don't see why you have to go now.

Rob, aren't you going to take

the souvenirs Father brought you?

Oh, yes.

Thanks an awful lot, Dad,

for these... things.

- Good night. See you in the morning.

- Night.

- Night, Mom.

- Good night, darling.

Nice to have you around, Dad.

You'll get us back to normal.

Or maybe go nuts myself.

What do you think of the children?

The children?

I don't recognise them.

They've grown so old.

I tried to stop them, to keep them

just as they were when you left,

but they got away from me.

I guess Peggy has a lot of boyfriends.

She's very popular.

- Is she concentrating on anyone?

- She hasn't told me of anyone.

But you've, uh... told her

all the things she ought to know?

What, for instance?

Well, have you?

She's worked two years in a hospital.

She knows more than you or I ever will.

- Want a cigarette?

- Have you forgotten? I don't smoke.

- Sorry.

- It's all right, darling.

Yeah, it's frightening.

What is?

Youth.

Didn't you meet young people

in the army?

No, they were all old men, like me.

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