The Messenger Page #2

Is she in?

Is Leroy in trouble again?

I'm his girlfriend.

We need to speak with Mrs. Burrell.

Okay, Come in. Come in.

Please, sit down.

I just made some tea.

Do you want some?

Ma'am, could you please get Mrs. Burrell?

Yeah, she's down the block. She just called.

She'll be back in a minute.

I thought you said we don't wait.

If she's not here in 30 seconds,

we're gone.

Sit.

I'm Monica. I'm Leroy's girlfriend.

And this is his baby. He's a boy.

But he don't know that yet, so don't tell

him because I ain't calling him Junior.

Two cell phones.

One was $209.75, and the other...

What did he do?

I'm sorry, ma'am. Our orders

are to speak with Mrs. Burrell.

Well, I am too. I mean, I was gonna be.

We were supposed to get married, but then

my father got laid off and...

Look, I know Leroy's always saying

the wrong thing, but he's a good man.

Please, just tell me.

I got an envelope

with these sheets of paper.

Could I see those papers, please?

We'll be back.

You sent her the money and this envelope

came with these two pictures...

Sir, tell me.

Oh, why? Oh, no,

please, God, no! My, God, why?

- What's going...

- I have bad news, Mrs. Burrell.

The Secretary of the Army has asked me to

express his deepest regret...

...that your son,

Private First Class Leroy Burrell...

No, no, no!

You got to go! You got to go!

- I'm very sorry, Mrs. Burrell.

- No. Listen. No!

That's my baby. That's my baby.

We can't do this right...

- Your son was killed yesterday...

- Monica... Oh, my God! My house is a mess.

- A Casualty Assistance...

- No! Don't you say that about my baby!

Don't you say that about my baby!

- I'm very sorry for your loss, ma'am.

- No! Make him go!

A Casualty Assistance Officer

will contact you shortly...

- To help you arrange for the funeral.

- Tell him to stop saying that!

We left them with the next-door neighbor.

- How'd she take it?

- Hard. Very hard.

- Okay.

- Yep.

We'll be there by 1000 hours.

All right, thanks. Good luck.

CAO is on the way.

No such thing as a satisfied customer.

Ice cream! Ice cream!

Ice cream! Ice cream!

Double whiskey, please.

- Hot water and lemon?

- And a glass of ice.

I'm in AA, if you're asking.

Been sober three years. Mind you, I never

drank anything stronger than pop.

Of course, my pop would drink

just about anything.

Oh, they tell them to get ready

when their kids deploy...

...but they never really listen, do they?

Soldiers go to war

and everyone waves flags and applauds...

...look at charts, study strategies,

have "informed opinions. "

And then bullets fly and soldiers die

and it's such a shock.

F*** that! What did they think

it was gonna be like, Fear Factor?

- Where'd you see action?

- Desert Storm/Desert Shield.

Never got a crack at Enduring Freedom

or Iraqi Freedom, much to my chagrin.

Wasn't much of a war, but...

I got my baptism too.

You weren't the only one getting shot at.

So they say you saved your buddies.

You want to know what I think?

I think they ought to show

every goddamn funeral on TV, live.

Have the president come

around from time to time and eulogize...

...the vice president, get people used to it.

I mean, are we at war or not?

- Thank you.

- Sure thing.

- Let me know if you guys need anything else.

- Oh, you know it already, Emily.

I'd like to strap her on and wear her like

a government-issue gas mask.

- I got my sights on her, so don't even go there.

- Roger that.

Lfigure I could play

the sensitivity card.

Tell her what my day was like

down in death valley.

Then again, sympathy backfires...

...she'll never leave.

Trust me, I've been married three times.

Twice to the same woman.

So now you know what the mission is.

Yeah.

Hey, if you're not cut out for it...

...you're not cut out for it.

So you have a girl?

You got to think about it?

Kelly.

We were together

since we were little kids.

Then when I was deployed, everything...

She wanted you to commit, you balked...

...and the minute you were gone,

Jody plunked his ass down in the La-Z-Boy.

You probably dodged a bullet.

The only reason to get married like that

is the extra pay.

Cut them in, then cut them loose.

Of course, they can always get pregnant

and bleed you dry.

It's too easy.

I just told her she was free.

I didn't want you knocking on her door.

Yeah, well.

Anyway, lot of Shellys out there.

Kelly.

You know, up to Vietnam,

they used send a telegram.

If it was your wife, what would she want?

Why don't you just kill me,

you son of a bitchl

Yeah! Come on! Come on!

Hey, that was quick.

Are you awake?

Just making sure you're on your toes.

- Is this a joke, sir?

- No, no. I just...

You know, since I stopped drinking,

I stay up nights...

...especially after notifying someone.

So you think you might stay on

after your enlistment's up?

I mean...

...hell, you...

What's your e-mail anyway? Do you I M?

I don't have a computer.

Really? How does that work?

Hey, you're funny.

- What?

- You calling my beeper.

- No, I'm not.

- Oh, sh*t.

Get ready. I'll meet you on post.

What's going on?

You gotta get out of here.

Don't look at me like that. I gotta go,

so you gotta go. Come on, let's go.

I don't get it. You married or something?

No, no. I just got... work.

Work? In the middle of the night

all of a sudden?

What the do you do? Deliver babies?

Dale Martin. Dale Martin. Dale. Dale.

Specialist Eric Martin, killed in action...

- I got it covered.

- I'm doing this one.

...in southern Iraq...

- It's okay. I'll do it.

I'm assigned to do something,

I'm going to do it, sir.

Specialist Eric Martin, southern Iraq.

Well, okay. It's a man this time.

So?

Men try harder to keep it together.

They're also the ones that can hurt you.

You cannot be a burden to taxpayersl

- You're not entitled to welfare...

- I'm doing this.

... Assistance that comes

in any way out of my pocket.

Well, then, reach down in your pants...

...grab a double handful of balls

and do it right.

Freeloader, got itl You can come here

if you can invest here...

around, let's say, 50 times

the current minimum wage.

If you can do that, ha, comel

Let's go.

Let's go.

Excuse me?

Mr. Martin?

Oh, sh*t!

Dale Martin?

The Secretary of the Army

has asked me to express his deep regret...

...that your son, Specialist Eric Martin,

was killed in action yesterday...

...in southern Iraq by sniper fire.

You will receive a more complete report

as soon as possible, sir.

What we can tell you right now is that his

platoon came under sniper fire...

...and it was an instant death.

I'm so sorry.

Look at that tree.

I said look at that f***ing tree.

It's the same age as my son.

"If I don't go,

who's gonna go in place of me?"

That's what he said.

A Casualty Assistance Officer

will contact you in four hours...

- F***ing bastards!

- Will notify you in...

Will notify you in four hours.

Is there a neighbor

or a friend or a family member...

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