The Encounter: Paradise Lost Page #3

When Bruno wasn't around,

then they talk about my accent,

the way I dress,

the way I walk, everything.

You thought you'd be happy

if you were as sophisticated

and worldly as they were.

So when your friend Louise

invited you to do heroin

with her,

you couldn't say no.

You told yourself you couldn't

get hooked the first time,

especially if you

snorted it.

Louise was so smart

and so happy,

maybe you'd be too.

But it didn't last.

That hole in your heart,

it remains.

Stop romanticizing it.

You think that helps?

She's not an addict

because of some deep

phycological

or spiritual need.

She's an addict

because she used heroin.

It's that simple.

It's an addictive drug,

and once you start using it,

you can't stop.

That's why it's a

multibillion-dollar business.

Why did she take

it in the rst place?

Did you ever ask her?

Are you blaming me?

Do you blame yourself?

No.

That's good.

Because even if Mimi

had never met you,

despair would have eventually

driven her to drugs.

Her environment

was so corrupt.

Did you know

Ric was a twin?

You mean

there's two of them?

Was.

She died when

they were just 18.

She?

He's got a chick twin?

I guess his parents forgot

which one to put the dress on.

And Bruno, if he has his way,

he's going to kill you.

Is that true, Ricky boy?

Are you gonna kill me?

If there's any justice.

Fortunately, Ric and I

define justice differently.

It's not my will that

any of you die today.

I came to give you life,

life more abundantly.

Tell that to my son.

Chris, does your

son still exist?

Helen, does he?

That pan of you that hears

my voice knows deep inside

that Timothy is in a much

better and more glorious place,

and one day you'll be

reunited with him.

That's why Chris

despises you.

Your small

but lingering hope

that one day you'll

see Timothy again.

It's an affront to him.

He resents you for it.

In his eyes you traded

true pain and mourning

for some self-comforting

religious fantasy.

In his eyes Timothy

just blinked away,

never to be again, no heaven,

no hell, no nothing.

But Chris, that's not a very

emotionally satisfying

kind of atheism, is it?

You can't rage against a void

because a void can't hear you.

A void can't be hurt

or punished.

You needed someone.

You needed something to

direct all that anger at.

You needed God.

I'll direct it against you

if you don't shut up!

Chris, I wish

that you believed

half of what you once

said you believed.

Chris once was very publicly

proud of being a man of faith.

He could name it and claim it

with the best of them,

so revered as one of the

company's moral compasses.

One that-

Oh, Chris had no problem

marketing sub-prime

mortgage packages.

You knew they were bad

from the beginning.

That's nonsense!

Nonsense!

I had plenty of them in

my own personal portfolio.

You sold them all

for a substantial prot

before they collapsed.

You used the prot to

help buy this hotel.

I thought! was a crook.

It is easier for a camel to

pass through the eye of a needle

than for a rich man to enter

the kingdom of God.

Why don't you just

leave the guy alone?

Why don't you leave

Bruno alone?

Yeah!

Why are you treating me

like the bad guy?

You know how many people

his heroin kills every year?

Yes, and I know

every one of their names.

So you should hate him

as much as I do.

Burl don't.

Sadly, if he doesn't repent,

I will be forced

by that decision of his

to judge him.

But don't think that I take

pleasure in that, I don't.

So what are you saying?

He can go to heaven?

Yes, if he repents.

I'd be thrilled.

Well, count me out then

because I ain't going anywhere

where he's going except maybe

to prison to visit him.

Ric, can I

ask you a question?

Can I stop you?

Is all this anger

and hatred,

is it going to bring

your sister Michelle back?

What happened to her?

Overdose.

Heroin.

I'm sorry.

That's rich

coming from you.

People like you

killed her.

So now you're

going to kill him?

If that's what it takes.

- To do what?

- To bring him to justice!

Ric, you love

that word justice.

You don't know

what it means.

Justice has no place

for illegal wire-taps,

planted evidence,

perjured testimony.

Hey! I'm just trying to

level the playing field here.

Guys like Bruno have

all the money they need

to hire the best lawyers,

buy half the judges and juries.

If we didn't cut some corners,

we wouldn't make case one.

The ends don't

justify the means.

Says who?!

You?

Your way doesn't work.

The meek didn't

inherit the earth.

They got chewed up

and spit out.

Is your way working, Ric?

Has all your anger

gotten you any peace?

You haven't had one moment

of peace since the day

you walked in the door and found

your sister Michelle like that.

But it's not

too late, Ric.

Behold me.

I stand at the door of

your heart, and I knock.

It's your supplier, again.

This is him.

Hello?

Will you still

be here today?

But you still will be

here today, right?

Late r?

All right.

Not til later.

I don't like this,

Bruno.

This whole thing's

going south fast.

I mean, the storm.

Come on.

Who is this guy?

He knows too much.

He's dangerous.

I know.

I know.

He's the guy with the beard

I saw outside of Deville's.

He's not Jesus Christ.

If you know what's good

for you, you'll go over there

and put a bullet in his head

right now, right now.

You Okay?

Mimi?

Mimi?

I'm dying, Bruno.

Got to help me.

No, trust me.

She can go into

cardiac arrest.

Trust me.

Mimi, I know

what you really want.

This can maybe heal you

for a couple of hours,

but I can heal you

for eternity.

Which will it be?

Eternity.

How do you feel?

Healed.

Am I healed forever?

Your body is healed,

but not your soul.

Can you heal that too?

Yeah.

And unlike what you learned

at that monastery,

I won't force you to suffer

through a thousand lifetimes

of war and sorrow

and death.

The work has already

been done.

Do you know howl died,

Mimi, on the cross?

Have you ever

heard of that?

Do you know what

I did there?

I sacrificed myself

for your sins,

for the sins

of the world.

I took it all

upon myself.

I paid the penalty so

that you don't have to.

Mimi, today, if you

desire, you are free.

What do I have to do?

Believe in me.

Trust me.

I do.

I know you do.

I can see inside

your heart.

Mimi...

Today you are my precious,

precious daughter.

You see,

never give up hope.

Bruno, I've been healed.

I feel it.

Oh, that's terrific.

I know it's true.

Oh, that's great,

baby.

That's great.

Bruno.

Listen-

would you get me

some coffee?

- Sure.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

You got a kitchen

here, right?

Yeah.

Would you

mind just, you know

getting some coffee,

some sandwiches?

You know, we're gonna be

here a couple hours more.

Don't worry.

I'll pay you.

You know just treat us

like any other guests

who held you hostage.

We need to talk.

Yeah, everything's

under control.

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