The Lookout Page #4

Let me just clean up some of this mess.

What's this?

This? This is a project I've been

working on for very many months.

Probably not ready

for anyone to see yet, but such is life.

- These all banks?

- Mm-hmm. That's right, Chris.

They're all banks.

Why are you taking pictures of banks?

Because I'm gonna rob one of them.

Well, we're gonna rob one of them.

Some nice little farm bank

in the ass-end of nowhere

where they get

all that winter harvest cash.

You know what I'm talking about?

- You wanna steal from farmers?

- No, Chris.

I'm gonna steal from the corporate

f***ers who rape the farmers.

Agribusiness fat cats

who give the American farmer

enough to grow his crop

but not enough to live.

- F***ing tragedy is what it is.

- Totally tragic.

So we gotta find a bank

in the middle of a lot of big farms

where one time a year,

i.e., right now,

they're gonna fill that vault with cash

so that Farmer John can pay

Juan or Ramon to pick his crops.

There's this quiet, empty place

with no security to speak of,

and this quiet, empty place

no one really knows exists.

I mean, isn't that why you drive an hour

and a half each way to work there?

What is this?

Chris, I will totally understand if

you feel betrayed, but I need your help.

You want me to rob the bank.

- I can't do that.

- Why not, huh? Because it's wrong?

I don't know, but if I had... If I had

my life ripped out from underneath me

the way you had your life

ripped out from underneath you,

I don't think I'd give even half a rat's

ass about what was right or wrong.

I'd just f***ing want

my old life back, you know?

Look at this sh*t.

Mopping floors, man.

Don't you want your old life back?

- You can't give that to me.

- No, I can't.

But I can give you something

maybe even better.

I can give you the power.

- Power?

- Mm-hmm.

Power.

Why don't you sit down?

I'll tell you about it.

Please?

My old man used to say to me, probably

the only thing we ever really agreed on,

whoever has the money has the power.

You might wanna jot that down

in your book.

It's something

you're gonna need to remember.

Do you have the power right now

in your life, Chris? Huh?

- Do you?

- I don't know.

How many janitors you know

have any kind of power to speak of?

Here's a question.

Who pays for your life?

You go to the ATM,

what, two, three times a week?

- Three.

- Three times. Wow.

Where does that money come from?

You drive a car.

Who pays for that?

Who pays for the insurance?

Given your track history,

it must be more than the rent,

which gets paid on the first

of every month by who?

- Daddy.

- Bingo.

Your old man,

he'll pay money to take care of you,

but he won't give you enough money

to take care of yourself. Why not?

He doesn't think that you can,

so he just doles out enough money

so that you have to depend on him.

You're as stuck as the farmers, Chris.

You star in your own tragedy.

My father would give me money

if I asked.

Hey, hey, hey.

That's... That's bullshit.

I'm sorry. Let's call him up.

Call him up, ask him.

Ask him for ten grand

and see what he says.

Hell, ask him for one grand

and see what he says.

Tell him you wanna start a business.

You can't.

I know. I mean, you know,

I went to prison for my sins, Chris,

so I don't have to carry them

around with me.

But you, your old man picked up the tab,

so now you drive out

Old Farm Road 24 once a week

to the spot just to remind yourself,

keep it fresh in your head,

just what a piece of sh*t

you think you are.

- I thought we were friends.

- We are friends.

Outside of some old blind guy

dressed like Larry Flynt,

I'm the best friend you got right now,

and I mean that.

You were Chris Pratt. I was three years

ahead of you and I looked up to you.

You were f***ing beautiful.

But then...

Well, now... I'm gonna help you.

- How?

- I'll say it again.

Maybe you'll write it down this time.

Whoever has the money has the power.

Chris? Where are you going?

Are you leaving?

Come on, sweetie.

We figure it's 30,000

to convert to a restaurant,

another ten or so to get us up on

our feet, plus or minus a few thousand.

Show him the menu, kid.

Is there a separate dinner menu?

We're just gonna be open

for breakfast and lunch.

- That way we have our nights free.

- I see.

OK, we have the Abbie, the Huey.

- Who are these sandwiches named after?

- People I've admired.

- We could name one after you.

- I don't think that's necessary.

- Sure, sure. Why not?

- Well, that's very kind, but...

What's your first name?

- Reuben.

- What's your middle name?

- Lewis...

- 30,000 seems a little low, boys.

- This place is a gas station now?

- Yeah, but you make that work for you.

Keep the gas station theme, maybe

you park a VW bus at one of the pumps,

paint the name of the place on the side.

Yeah, the name of the place.

Uh... Yes. Lew's...

Lew's Your Lunch.

See, I'm Lewis, Lew.

The place is just gonna be open

for breakfast and...

It's very clever.

- But we don't have to call it that.

- Yeah, I got lots of ideas.

Aside from that Reuben hiccup,

I think it went pretty well.

I've got a good feeling about it.

Our man Hearn was jazzed.

I don't know if you noticed. I think

he was pretty excited, don't you think?

Chris?

- Chris?

- I'm right here, Lewis.

- I thought you left me.

- I didn't leave you.

Come on. I'll drive you back to work.

Who can tell me

our three organizational strategies?

Ritual.

Pattern.

And... repetition.

- Sh*t.

- Very good.

Hey.

If you ever wanna stay late,

we could practice counting or...

Technically, I don't know

that I'm p*ssy-whipped per se,

but she's got me on a goddamned pager.

In case she breaks water or whatever

while I'm on my shift.

I don't know. Oh!

Hey, missed a spot.

Right there.

See?

- Hello.

- Dad?

- Chris? What time is it?

- I don't know.

- Is he all right?

- Tell her I'm all right.

- He's fine. You all right? You sure?

- Yeah, Dad, I'm fine.

I just wanted to know

if I could borrow $10,000.

- What?

- I need to borrow $10,000.

- What for?

- I just need it.

- It's three o'clock in the morning...

- OK, then, $ 1,000.

- Could I borrow $1,000?

- Is this for that stupid restaurant?

- No.

- Are you in some kind of trouble?

No, Dad, I'm not in trouble.

I just wanted to call you...

Because if you are,

I wanna help out in any way I can.

I just think you should come over and

we should talk about it face to face.

I have an idea.

I wanted to start a business.

With $1,000? Exactly what sort of

business could you start with $1,000?

Well, I was thinking I could start

a skate-sharpening business.

You know, over at the...

over at the rink by the library.

And then later

I could even sell hockey equipment.

- Look, Chris...

- You're saying no.

- Yes.

- Did you say yes?

- No, you can't have the goddamn money.

- Robert.

- Look, Chris...

- Dad, that's fine. I understand.

- Hey, buddy, can I ask you a question?

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