The Glass Castle Page #8

why you followed us here.

We wanted to be a family again.

We were never a family, Mom.

We were a nightmare.

Your mom and I did everything

we could for you, okay?

We looked after you,

and it was a happy family!

Bullshit! We did it!

We took care of each other

because you were too drunk to!

It was your job to protect

us, and you didn't even try!

That ain't true, okay?

It is true.

You got some kind of weird

revisionist history goin' on.

You were a happy kid! Stop it, Dad.

Stop talking.

And they were happy kids!

And we looked after you!

Stop talking! Talking

is not trying!

You talked my whole

goddamn life!

(VOICE BREAKS) And

I believed you.

Don't!

REX:
Hey, don't do this.

I don't want you in my life.

Jeannette, you do not mean that.

I don't want you

to call or write

or show up out of the blue.

I don't want another one

of your bullshit stories.

I don't wanna see you anymore.

(INDISTINCT WHISPERING)

(SIGHS)

(SOBBING)

JEANNETTE:
(SOFTLY) I gotta go.

See you soon, little sister.

(SNIFFLES)

I think I figured

out how to deal

with the lack of sunlight

on the hillside.

We just need to install

specially-curved mirrors

to all the solar cells.

See, what I was thinkin' was

you don't have to go right away.

You could just... Dad...

You could finish school here

and get a job at the

Welch Daily News,

and I would help you

write those articles.

I am going.

Remember how we used to do that?

You remember that?

You are never going to

build the Glass Castle.

Oh, I am. You're not.

I am. I got it right here.

And even if you do,

it doesn't matter.

I'm gettin' on the

first bus outta here.

Well...

If the bus breaks

down, I'm gonna walk.

I am gonna finish this thing...

I will hitchhike

if I have to, Dad.

I can guaran-goddamn-tee it.

Build it if you want, but

don't build it for me.

Hey, hey, hey! Jeannette...

Mountain Goat! (DOOR SHUTS)

Okay, so I'm gonna pick

you up after work,

and we'll head straight to

the restaurant from there.

Where?

We have dinner with Mr.

Lehocky and his wife.

Jeannette, remember I

told you about this?

Furniture designer?

This guy's got more money than

he knows what to do with.

He made the chair that

you're sitting in.

Right, the furniture designer.

I got it.

Jeannette, please?

This is a very big

account, okay?

This'll be huge for us.

I said I got it. (PHONE RINGING)

Okay. Can you get that?

I gotta go.

Mmm-hmm.

(ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS)

ROSE MARY:
Jeannette,

it's me, sweetie.

It's been too long.

You can't ignore

us forever, honey.

I just really need to talk to

you about somethin'. Okay?

Have you been to the Picasso

retrospective at MOMA yet?

Mom...

Don't waste your time.

He really didn't do

anything worthwhile

after his Rose period.

All that cubist stuff

is so gimmicky.

Mom, I have to go back to work.

Why are you here?

(SIGHS)

I need to sit down.

You know how I am with

sentimental

situations like this.

It's just... I don't

know what to do.

What's goin' on?

Your dad's sick. And

he's not gettin' better.

He stopped talkin' last week.

Well, what does that mean?

He was rantin' about

that night at David's,

all that stuff you said

about his drinkin'

and how talking isn't trying,

and whatever else you said.

Then he asked me if I

think he talks too much,

and I said, "Yeah,"

'cause he does.

And then he just stopped.

Hasn't said a word since.

Won't get out of bed.

Barely eats.

The silence is awful.

He's dying, Jeannette.

You have a right to be angry.

You think I don't know that?

Of course you do.

Look, I don't wanna tell

you what to do ever,

but I know you love

him, and I just think

you'll regret it if you don't

come home and say goodbye.

Mom, I said goodbye

a long time ago.

Jeannette...

(FOOTSTEPS RECEDING)

The doctor told him a month

if he stops drinking,

which he won't, so who knows?

What exactly is it?

Pretty much everything

you can get

from four packs of cigarettes

and two quarts of booze

every day for 50 years.

He doesn't look good.

You have to go see him.

No, I don't.

You're right. You don't.

But you kind of do.

He's done a lotta shitty things,

but he's had his moments.

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

(SNIFFLING)

REX:
Man in the hall!

Does anybody know where

Jeannette's room is?

Oh, thank you kindly, ma'am.

(REX HOWLS)

What are you

snot-slingin' about?

What are you doing here?

I thought I'd finally

come check out

this high-fallutin'

college o' yours.

I gotta say, for the tuition

I expected a bit more.

Your mom says that

you're jumpin' ship.

What happened to all

your fancy scholarships?

It isn't enough.

And they don't cut breaks

for poor little country

girls with big dreams?

You can't say I didn't warn ya.

Did you come all the

way here from Welch

just to rub it in my face?

You were right. Okay?

I never should've come here.

Now I'm droppin' out.

The hell you are!

That's $950.

And, uh,

that there is genuine 100% mink.

Should be able to pawn

that for at least $50.

Where did you get all this?

New York City is full

of poker players

who wouldn't know their

ass from their elbows,

and your mom said I finally

had a good reason to gamble.

You did this for me?

Since when is it

wrong for a father

to take care of his little girl?

So it turns out Mrs. Lehocky

is actually a fan of yours.

She reads your

column every week.

Rich, white and old is

our target audience.

(LAUGHS)

I heard your mom's

message on the machine.

Something goin' on?

It's just Mom bein' Mom.

You know, whatever they

want, please don't give in.

You've been so much

better without them.

Have I?

MRS. LEHOCKY:
We've been

a team for so long,

it's hard to tell who

does what anymore.

But Ollie's always been

a master craftsman.

And I'm more of a visual person.

Vi's the real artist

of the operation.

I just make sure they don't

fall apart when you sit down.

(LAUGHS)

But when we were your age,

we didn't think any of

this was going to happen.

We'd have been

fine making chairs

out of a tiny garage for

the rest of our lives.

Just do what makes you happy.

You may make some money

at it, you might not.

Don't matter either way if

you're doin' what you love.

MRS. LEHOCKY:
And what

about you, Jeannette?

Is this what you've

always wanted to do?

Uh... No, actually.

I was once a political

science major.

I was very eager to write

stories that actually matter.

MRS. LEHOCKY:
Your

stories matter to me.

Thank you.

I don't know, it's just...

This is not where I thought

that I was gonna end up.

Well, maybe you're

not at the end yet.

Jeannette's dad is developing

a technology to burn

low-grade bituminous

coal more efficiently.

Well, isn't that nice.

Where is your dad now?

Uh...

(EXHALES)

I'm sorry. Would you

excuse me for a second?

(SIGHS)

REX:
There. How's that feel?

(SOFTLY) It's so ugly, Daddy.

I look like the demon.

Hey, there's nothin' ugly

about you, you hear me?

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