The New Daughter Page #2

Anything else for you?

No, this is it.

And most of the ants inside these farms

are harvest ants,

but they have a nickname.

Does anyone know what that is?

- Yes.

- Beard ants.

Bearded ants. That's right.

And why is that?

Because they have tiny beards.

That's right.

They have tiny little beards.

They're kind of hard to see, though.

Now, there is, also, inside here

a queen ant.

A queen ant spends a lot of time

building all these tunnels,

and she finds a nice soft spot

where she can lay her eggs.

And after she does,

she pretty much stays there.

Marmalade!

Kitty!

Oh, God.

Uh...

[Sam] I've been learning about

all different kinds of ants.

- Yeah?

- Uh-huh.

There's the army ants that never

stay in one place for too long.

- Yeah?

- And then there's these kinds of ants

that stay in their colony forever,

only to send out a scout

to look for food and stuff.

- Mm-hmm.

- There's only one girl ant

in the whole family. She's the queen ant.

- The grownup.

- And she's in charge.

What else did you do?

Well, after we all got ant farms,

me, Steven, and George played ping pong

during lunch for, like, hours.

- Miss Parker's really nice.

- [John chuckles]

What about you? What did you...

What did you do?

[Sam]

What's wrong with her?

I don't know.

Is little baby going to cry?

Mm!

[snap]

[creaking]

[bird caws]

[noises]

Aah! God.

Mm.

Son of a b*tch.

Louisa?

Sam?

Daddy?

Have you, uh,

have you seen Louisa?

Did you find Marmalade yet?

No, I haven't.

I haven't found Marmalade yet, honey.

Were you playing outside?

Mm-mm.

Uh, bedtime soon, okay?

Okay.

Louisa?

[doorknob rattles]

Louisa, is everything all right?

[water running]

Louisa!

Yeah?

Were you just, uh...

Were you just outside?

I'm in the bathtub.

Are you all right?

Yes.

Okay.

Okay, but just... next time,

just be back home before it gets dark.

[thunder]

[thump]

[thump]

[thump]

[thump]

[thump]

[thunder]

Louisa, you, uh...

I'm coming.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

Come here, baby.

[Sam]

Daddy?

We have to go to school.

Oh. Okay.

Louisa.

God damn it.

What happened?

I'm sorry.

Honey, we're going to be late.

I'm ready.

Sam, where's your backpack?

My room.

Go get it.

Uh, when...

when did you, um...

Are you hungry?

No.

How did you, uh, sleep last night?

Fine.

You don't remember sleepwalking?

I had to put you back in your bed.

Well, did you take Molly?

What?

My doll. Molly.

I woke up this morning,

and I couldn't find her.

No, I... I didn't take Molly, but I did...

I did find this.

- What's that?

- I don't know. You tell me.

Did you, uh... Did you make this?

I don't know what that is.

You were holding it last night.

I'm ready.

Let's go, Sam.

Come on, Dad.

And his grades are much better this year.

I can really tell that he's

been picking up a lot.

I can see all the work that you've

been doing on his reading and...

Good morning.

[horn honks, brakes screech]

Louisa!

Hey, you.

Are you hiding from me?

[rustling, grunting]

You're scared, aren't you?

What is wrong with you?

Are you deaf?

Say something.

[flies buzzing]

[loud thunderclap]

[phone rings]

- Hi.

- Hi.

Where's Louisa?

She's resting in the nurse's office.

We had another girl slip and fall.

Broke an arm.

- Hey.

- Hey.

How are you feeling?

- I don't feel good.

- Yeah?

After I called you,

she threw up a few more times.

My stomach hurts.

All right, let's go home.

Can you walk,

or do you want me to carry you?

- Carry me.

- Okay.

- Oh.

- I'm sorry, Daddy.

It's okay, honey.

You're going to feel better soon.

It's a tough age for girls.

Hormones, puberty... boys.

- It can be tough on fathers, too.

- Yes, it can.

She's, uh...

They both had it rough for a while.

My... My wife and I just got divorced,

so now with this move, it's just...

it's a lot for them to take in.

They might surprise you, though.

Kids have a way of coping with change,

sometimes better than adults.

Yeah.

And I've had experience

with adopted children,

- and they in no way...

- What?

Adopted?

Louisa's told me that she...

Oh.

Louisa said that she was...

- Yeah.

...adopted?

Yeah. And with her dark hair,

as opposed to yours and Sam's...

- She... She takes after her mom.

- Right.

Sorry. [chuckling]

Here.

My home phone number,

in case you ever need someone to talk to.

Thanks. I, uh, I better get going.

- Bye.

- Bye.

[cartoon sounds on TV]

[grunting]

Aahl

Aah!

I told you I want you home

before it gets dark, honey.

Louisa.

We need to talk.

It's okay. I get it, all right? I get it.

You're not a child anymore.

You're changing.

And I know, all right?

I know I got a lot to learn

about being a parent,

but I promise...

I promise you I'm doing the best I can.

If this move doesn't work for you

and you hate it...

I don't hate it, Dad.

No?

No.

Honey, what's this?

Where did you get these?

Don't touch me.

Hey, I was just...

Why do you always have to ruin everything?

- Honey, I was just...

- Just leave me alone.

I just want to see if you're all right.

[no audible dialogue]

Uhh!

I went to San Francisco on a signing tour,

and a week later, when I got back

to, uh, Charleston,

she'd already hired a divorce attorney

and... [chuckles]... filed papers.

- Wow.

- Yeah.

So sudden doesn't really cover it.

No.

So...

how did you end up with the kids?

That's the part

that I still don't understand yet.

I mean, my wife, uh...

my... my ex-wife Isabel,

she wanted to start a family.

She wanted us to move to Charleston

so we could be next to her parents,

and then, all of a sudden, she, uh...

she didn't want anything to do with us.

And now I'm, uh, I'm here,

and I know this is the most important

thing that I've ever done.

I know that, and it...

and it scares me...

more than anything.

John, you're not going to fail them.

You're doing a great job.

Oh, yeah. I'm doing great, you know.

I'm doing really great.

I don't even know who Louisa...

I don't even know who Louisa is anymore.

One minute she's my, uh, my little girl,

and then the next minute

she's telling me to go, you know,

[whispering]

screw myself.

You want to know what I think?

I do.

I think you're probably a lot stronger

than you give yourself credit for.

Thank you.

[howling in distance]

[Woman whispering]

Louisa?

[Woman shouting]

[whispering]

Louisa, is that you?

Honey?

[Woman whispering]

[crackle]

[voices whispering]

Louisa.

[rifle c*cks]

[creature snarls]

[creature roaring]

Uhh!

[motor starts]

- [Louisa] Dad.

- Go inside.

What happened? Dad?

Is everything okay?

- Just go inside.

- Daddy.

Were you just outside?

No.

I don't want you playing

out in the fields anymore, honey.

I don't want you

playing out on the mound.

So you take me away

from all of my friends,

- and now I can't even go outside?

- Louisa...

Look, I don't care.

What's wrong?

All my ants are dying.

I think it got too hot.

Or maybe it got too cold.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes