The Hanging Garden Page #4

has Iris ever not been home

when you woke up in the morning?

No.

- You didn't think to call the police?

- It ain't a crime.

She could be dead.

My head hurts.

You stink like a distillery, too.

Who saw her last?

Did she take care of Mom?

What are you so concerned about?

Why not? How long can you just sit there?

Will you stop it? My head is pounding.

I'm sorry.

I'll just creep upstairs...

and change our mother's underwear

and sheets...

since the man of the house

can't wrap his little mind around the task.

Quiet!

I haven't lifted a goddamn finger in 10 years.

Did you hit her?

You get out of my house.

You did.

You stupid son of a b*tch.

I didn't hit anybody, you goddamn cow.

Who's going to take care of Mom?

- I'm going to do it.

- I'll do it.

Fine, idiot. You useless thing.

When will you learn

to mind your own goddamn business?

Sh*t. I should have shut the f***ing door.

Pete...

I'm sorry.

Get your hands...

I got to take them down.

Don't start with me. Stop fighting.

Will you stay in one goddamn place,

for Christ's sake?

I'm going to roll you over.

When I say "roll over," you roll over.

Come on...

- you roll over.

- Here, I'll help you.

I can do it.

I came to help you.

You're okay. It's okay.

Relax. That's right.

Where could she be?

You're okay.

I'm beginning to remember

why you're so f***ed up.

Ten years from now,

you'll have all but forgotten this.

I'm going to get you, Willy.

I catch you, you're dead.

What can I do for you?

You could start

by covering up those chicken legs.

That ain't my leg.

Rosie.

I'm right here.

She tell you she was going anywhere?

No, but I don't think she's coming back.

- She said she was glad you were coming.

- You're leaving?

No. I'll sit in this hotel room

and give you blowj*bs...

while my mother goes missing,

for Christ's sake.

Mac, you ignorant thing.

I didn't see her after the wedding

because I went straight to bed.

- What time...

- He saw her last.

- You are?

- William.

- Where?

- Heading toward the rocks.

For God's sake,

she could have been swept away.

- What time?

- We talked all night.

- You live here?

- No.

- Where do you live?

- He hasn't seen them for 10 years.

You haven't seen her for 10 years

until last night, and she disappears?

- That's right.

- Right.

Would you let him answer for himself?

- I'm just saying...

- Just let him answer.

- You are?

- Rosemary. Don't you even start with me.

- And you?

- He's nothing. He's my husband.

Mom's fine, Poppy.

- His head is sore.

- What happened to your head?

- I got a lump.

- Were you in a fight recently?

- God, I knew it.

- I didn't hit her.

Did she hit you?

- I don't remember.

- Of course not.

- Will you shut up?

- I did it.

- I hit his head on the bed.

- When?

You come home after 10 years,

hit your father on the head...

and your mother's missing?

You better run, you little squirt.

- Quiet.

- All right, people, settle down.

- Who's this?

- Youngest daughter.

- Don't you "huh."

- What are we gonna do?

Lie to the police now, too?

- Let's get out of here.

- I didn't do anything.

Come on. Willy, come here.

You deal with it. Have a drink on me...

- It's all right, Violet. We're going to find her.

- F*** you.

F*** you all!

Cheers.

If she's not Mom's daughter, who is she?

She's Mom's granddaughter.

But she doesn't know that.

Why didn't you just tell me?

Because you disappeared for 10 years

without a phone call.

It's not the sort of thing

you put on a post card.

It doesn't make any difference to me.

- It doesn't?

- Of course not.

Who's the father?

A guy I loved very much.

- Does he know?

- Apparently not.

- Do I know him?

- Yeah.

What's his name?

You.

You and Dusty Miller.

How could she do this?

We'd have told you

if we could've reached you.

After a few years, you just start believing it.

Did you take your pill last night?

- Where's her pills?

- Kitchen.

- How does she take them if she's locked in?

- You got to give them to her.

Then why do you ask if she took them?

If she answers you,

she's having a good day.

If she doesn't answer you,

she went out into space last night.

You don't know what Mom did

to keep that child from being aborted.

She harassed that woman,

gave her money, and threatened her.

I used to let men f*** me for money.

- She can understand, sometimes.

- Maybe she'd be interested to know.

Nana, I used to let men f*** me for money.

- Cut it out. Nobody ever wanted that.

- What happened to Dusty Miller?

I don't know.

She didn't hang around long after.

- After what?

- After Violet was born.

Mom wants me to take Violet.

That's why she left.

No sh*t, genius.

Don't you look at me.

You f*** off!

My God! I'm sorry.

So are you going to take her?

Like I don't have enough problems?

I can't just show up with some kid.

- Sweetie, that's really too bad.

- You knew.

I didn't think she'd flee the scene.

I thought she would've just told you.

Come on to the washroom, now. This way.

Come on, you're bleeding. You cut yourself.

- Not for nothing.

- Hush up, Nana, that don't hurt.

- Why didn't she just do it herself?

- F*** off. It wasn't like that.

- How do you force your own...

- Force you how?

I was 15 years old.

- She thought she was helping you.

- She was wrong.

- She knows.

- But now she's gonna make me take Violet.

Funny, I don't even see her...

I don't see anybody

making you do anything.

There we go. You stay here.

You, come on with me.

Come here with me.

You seeing this?

God, goddamn it!

- You see it, too?

- I see it every f***ing day.

It's maddening.

That's why I had my wedding here.

So I could remember when you came back.

- Not when you left.

- I had to get out.

You got out, all right.

Sorry you're not able to just forget about it.

Neither can we.

She ain't coming back.

You don't know that.

The cop asked me if I could think

of any reason why she would've left.

I could think of a hundred.

But hell, I got nothing to do.

I'll just cook for Poppy...

wipe Nana's butt, water his f***ing garden.

You ain't giving up your life

for these people.

You got to have a life to give it up, Fletcher.

I'm going to bed.

Come on, Violet.

- I don't want to go to bed.

- It's the middle of the night. Come on.

Got to see Willy off tomorrow.

Good night.

You jealous? Don't worry.

- You'll get to kiss him, too.

- What?

You've been dying to kiss him.

You have, too,

you've been dying to kiss him. Go ahead.

- Go to bed.

- Go ahead, kiss him.

- F*** you both.

- That'd be incest.

We draw the line with incest. It's a sin.

We don't sin in this house.

- No incest.

- Mom would die.

If she ain't dead already.

Sorry.

You ain't fooling anybody, you know.

You ever wonder what it'd be like

if you stayed?

- What, now?

- No, then.

You and I'd be married.

We'd have a nice little bungalow

by the ocean, with our daughter.

And we'd be so in love.

But I guess we never really

were in love, after all...

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