The Longest Ride Page #3

It's elegant.

It is also July in North Carolina.

Let me show you something.

I have to show you something!

What?

Ruth, we're going to be late.

It's by an artist in Black Mountain.

- What's Black Mountain?

- It's an arts college.

A whole movement,

right here in North Carolina.

And isn't it wonderful?

Such a personal landscape.

It's so direct and frank.

Simplified and distorted.

All at the same time.

Don't you love it?

I love how much you love it.

Come on.

What? No, no, no.

Excuse me.

All right. You want to dance?

Let's dance.

That kiss, our first kiss...

it was a promise of everything to come.

The days became months.

We ventured on weekends to new places.

Never once had I been on vacation.

Had I, though...

it could never have been

as memorable as these.

What?

It's the first time North Carolina

has felt like home.

But yet,

with my most important student...

I am a total failure.

Ruth has fallen in love

with contemporary art.

Father thinks that art stopped

with Matisse and Picasso.

I don't think it stopped.

But it's taken a long nap.

You try and raise

your children right, Ira...

and they grow up

and think for themselves.

- Very good. Very good.

- It's tragedy!

It was nice seeing you talk like that.

Nothing would make me happier

than a lifetime of days like this.

Hey, Ruth. I need to ask you something.

Wait.

I want a big family.

A really big family.

I've always wanted one

since I was a little girl.

With everything that's going on now...

I feel this need, this responsibility,

to bring life back into the world.

Sounds perfect.

You can ask me now.

Ruth...

I know I'm not a rich man.

Don't know the last thing about art.

All I can do

is promise to love you...

every second of every day

for the rest of my life.

Really?

Will you marry me?

Yes!

Yes, yes, yes!

What took you so long?

Welcome to the family.

- Thank you.

- So good to have you.

"With love, Ira."

I'll come back tomorrow.

- Mr. Levinson?

- Do I know you?

Luke Collins.

Remember, off 119...

when you decided to

bust open that guard rail?

You saved my life.

Thank you.

Hi.

Hi.

Is this your Luke?

This is my friend Luke.

Yes.

Your friend.

What are you doing here?

I found this on the floor of my truck.

Figured you might wanna

hang on to that one.

December 7th, 1941.

Nothing made me happier than knowing

we were going to be married.

But the world you and your family

had fled...

finally caught up to us.

The United States of America...

was suddenly

and deliberately attacked...

by Na val and Air Forces...

of the Empire of Japan.

- Promise me you'll come back.

- I will.

Promise me, Ira!

I promise.

Look at me. I promise.

Come back to me!

Help!

We can't just leave him out there.

Help! Help me!

Somebody help me!

I gotta save him.

Are you crazy?

Those Panzers are 200 yards away.

You'll never make it back.

I'll make it back.

I made a promise I have to keep.

You getting killed

ain't gonna help anyone but the Germans.

Help me! Please!

Oh, my God!

Can somebody help me?

Oh, sh*t.

Put your arms around my neck.

I gotta get back.

I gotta get back to Ruth.

That was goddamn crazy, Levinson.

Do you know that?

Sh*t!

I'm very sorry.

When I came back from the war,

I wasn't the same.

I was fighting a bigger battle now.

And I couldn't honor the promise

I had made to you.

Your mother says you've been home

since Monday.

I can't pretend to know

what you've been through...

but I want to help.

Don't you think

I deserve an explanation?

Well...

I do.

You don't understand.

It wasn't the injury itself.

The wound got infected.

I ran a high fever for almost two weeks.

You need to see more doctors.

Get a second opinion.

Don't you think I've already done that?

There's nothing they can do.

This is my life, I have to accept it.

But I don't want it to be yours.

But there is still a chance.

I want to marry you.

If you marry me,

you may never have a family.

Are you honestly willing

to give that up?

The war was over...

and as far as I was concerned...

so was my life.

We're closed!

I know what you're doing!

You cannot tell me

what I'm willing to give up!

When you went to war...

I was here, clinging to the hope...

that you would come home

and we would get married.

Yes, and have kids.

But that's a dream, Ira.

You're real.

I don't know what the future holds...

but I know there's no future without you.

Unless you don't love me anymore.

And in that moment...

we both knew...

a chance at life together

was greater than the risk of being apart.

It was really nice of you

to bring that photo.

He sure has been through a lot.

Yeah.

Well, you take it easy.

Luke.

It was really good to see you.

What are you doing right now?

That looks good.

Yeah.

- I'm ready.

- All right.

I'm so ready.

I'll give you the little stick.

- Thank you.

- Yeah.

Ladies first.

I'm still getting used to

your Southern gentlemanly ways.

I'm still trying to impress you.

It's kind of working.

A little.

Just don't let me win.

I enjoy good, healthy competition.

Noted.

What are you doing?

You told me not to let you win.

So I'm going with plan B.

Distraction.

Yes!

Yes! Sorry!

- Thank you.

- Thank you very much.

I love mac and cheese.

Comfort food?

Yeah.

What's your comfort food?

Kolduny.

- Kol-what?

- Kolduny.

They're these super, super delicious...

Polish meat dumplings that my mom makes.

We serve them at the diner...

and I promise you,

with one bite of those...

it would put your mac and cheese to shame.

Is that an invitation?

Maybe.

No, no. Help yourself.

- No!

- Yeah.

Just a bite.

When did your parents come to the States?

Before I was born.

That's crazy. I couldn't have done that.

- Really?

- No.

You ride bulls for a living.

You could do anything.

Riding bulls has got nothing on

moving clear across the world.

- What?

- Yeah.

Your parents had to

adjust their whole life.

No, they didn't adjust anything.

Growing up with immigrant parents,

my life was always really different.

Everyone was always screaming

in weird languages...

I brought smelly, strange snacks to school.

My pants were too short always.

Pants still are too short.

Growing up on a cattle ranch,

everybody I knew was the same.

Everybody you know is

fourth generation cattle ranchers.

- I'm jealous.

- Why?

I wanted to be like everyone else

when I was little.

The reason I like you is because

you're nothing like everyone else.

You're not so bad yourself.

I think before I met you,

the closest thing I came to cattle was...

steak.

Steak? Time to get you on a bull, then.

- A bull?

- Yeah.

No way!

One bull, one time.

No! How about one horse, one time?

We could do that.

- Next week.

- Okay.

- I've got an idea.

- Uh-oh.

- It's so good.

- What?

So good! Come on!

What? Where am I going?

- Where are we going?

- You'll see.

- After you.

- Wow. Thank you.

Ready?

- Crazy face.

- Yeah.

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