The Dilemma Page #10

I should have done this a long time ago.

I think you need to take a look at this.

(CAMERA BUTTON CLICKS)

What is... You got to look, there's more pictures.

You got to flip through that one,

get to the other pictures.

I did. I'm flipping right now.

I keep flipping, and it keeps going back to the same pic

because there's only one picture in the catalogue.

You can't take a picture of something

that didn't happen, Ronald.

Son of a b*tch. DIANE: (GASPS) Ronny!

Not again.

SAUL:
Ronny, calm down!

NICK:
Stop it! You're going to kill him!

You're going to kill your bookie!

He's not my damn bookie!

There's something wrong with you!

You son of a b*tch!

What is wrong with you?

You're completely out of control!

You're crazy!

You're completely out of your mind!

Don't get me wrong, I'd like to party

with you and get high with you,

but you're insane!

I think we're missing the point of this gathering.

It's about talking and sharing our concerns.

This is ridiculous.

Then let me go, okay? Because

I have something to say.

Take a seat. Please, everybody, sit.

Beth, please. Just sit down.

Look, here's the thing...

Please, just let me... Please, okay?

All right.

Ah, man, that was...

All right, I got something to say.

This is important to me, so... (CLEARS THROAT)

Okay, Nick...

All right, please. Please?

I didn't have many friends when I got to Ball State.

I was shy and...

You already know this.

But, Ronny, what you don't know is

when you moved in across the

hall, in second semester,

I made it a goal of mine

to become friends with you.

I mean, you were funny and charming,

and everybody liked him, everybody.

Okay, Nick, enough.

You got to let me talk here for a second.

I want you to listen to me.

Nick, you're my best friend.

You always make me do better.

You always make sure I don't screw up.

And you make it that I never forget

what really matters in life.

When I had my relapse two years ago,

it wasn't all the money and stuff that

I lost that made me feel bad.

It was the fact that I let you down.

ROSENSTONE:
This is good.

This is catharsis.

I know.

You know I never had a brother growing up, right?

And my dad wasn't around very much.

And all my friends growing up were, really, criminals.

So when I met you in school, I was...

Let's just say that I looked up

to you as well, in college.

And I really have looked up to you ever since.

So, there's something that you should know.

There's something that I already

should have told you, Nick.

What is it?

Geneva's been running on you

with the guy that you thought was my bookie.

Jesus Christ, Ronny!

You thought that you saw an exchange, right?

That it was a gambling exchange,

but it wasn't a gambling exchange.

Really, I was just going to get my camera,

because there were pictures and stuff on it.

The truth is, I'm not gambling.

I haven't been doing any gambling at all.

What's been going on with me is

I've really been trying to figure out

what's the best way to tell you

and how to handle this thing.

Is this true?

No! It's not true.

He's lying!

He's compulsive, he's a gambler.

He'll say anything, he's desperate!

Go ahead, Geneva, tell him the truth.

Everyone is sitting here, listening.

Okay, fine, fine!

Uh...

The thing is, that...

(GENEVA SIGHS)

Okay, fine.

(GENEVA STAMMERS)

What did you expect?

You were getting happy endings in Pilsen.

Jeez!

(GASPS)

No! No, Nick, listen.

You left me alone. I wanted to be with you, but...

Can we not get into this right now?

No, but that's the problem!

You never want to talk about anything, ever!

I know that it's been tough with us for a while now,

and I take my part in that.

But isn't there something about us you still believe in?

(SIGHS)

How long did you know?

I've known for a few days, a week. For way too long.

I don't know what to say. I don't even

know what I'm feeling right now.

Honestly, I don't know!

I do know this, you should have

told me sooner, Ronny.

Before right now.

Before standing here in front of your friends

and your family, and Doctor...

(PANTING) Rose... I know it starts

with "Rose." Rosenstone.

...stone. Buddy, I know.

I'm really sorry. I tried to tell you in the office.

What do you mean trying? Trying is not telling, Ronny!

Come on. Look, I can appreciate

how hard this must have been on you, I know.

I'm just really glad that you say that

you can appreciate how hard it was

because you don't even know.

I've been fighting with these people,

trying to keep everything straight in my head.

NICK:
I get it.

RONNY:
But in the nature of what's going on here,

there's one more small thing that I

just want to bring closure to now

in the circle of gentleness.

Ronny, you don't have to.

Yes, I do, Geneva.

Because Nick is my best friend.

And this is what best friends do.

They tell the truth to each other.

Okay. When we were in college,

and this is way before you guys ever met,

there was a night that didn't mean anything.

It was a meaningless night.

It was a booze night.

It was big, big bar night.

Ronny, get to the point.

The point is, way before you guys ever met,

before you ever even knew each other,

I kind of slept with Geneva.

You what?

This is what friends do, they tell the truth.

I'm a friend and I'm telling the

truth, buddy. Here I am.

GENEVA:
He wanted to tell you, Nick.

But I was falling in love with you.

We didn't want to hurt you.

You a**hole! Hold on, hold on.

I'm telling the truth, I'm in a circle.

No, you know what? You're the worst.

Buddy, I'm sorry, okay? Listen...

Get your hands off me. Don't touch me!

Let me tell you something.

That's probably the most honest

thing you've ever said to me.

Nick... You're sorry.

You're so sorry.

Nick.

(DOOR SLAMS)

I'm sorry, Ronny.

I'm sorry.

I should never have put you in that position.

Beth, I am so sorry that I caused

tension between you two.

I'm sorry.

(DOOR CLOSING)

This has been a marvelous first step.

I'm sorry?

This has been a revelation for you, I can tell.

I'm okay, buddy. Thank you.

You've done a lot here today.

(DOOR OPENING)

I didn't gamble.

I walked by the casino once or

twice, but I didn't gamble.

Are you okay?

It's been a long day.

I didn't know if you had eaten or not, so,

if you're hungry...

(EXHALES)

I don't know how to start this.

I got scared.

And I'm sorry,

because I didn't feel safe.

So then, I didn't tell you about Las

Vegas and the Kearny Group.

And then, here I am, being someone

that I don't want to be.

I mean, I staged this whole

ridiculous intervention thing

(CRYING) and you weren't even gambling!

And that's great, by the way.

I'm so happy that you weren't gambling.

But this is no good.

It's not healthy.

The problem is, if you don't share stuff with me,

like the fact that you were with Geneva,

it keeps me in the dark.

And that belittles us.

I want us to be more than that.

I understand.

I just didn't feel right in saying something to you

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