The Open Road Page #6

That's why I came on this trip

and canceled a week of classes

and alienated my fianc.

Oh, so now he's your fianc.

Well, I didn't know

you had accepted.

I'm gonna go try to

find him, okay?

If I'm not back in 10 minutes,

will you... meet me out front.

This is the final boarding call

for flight 580 to Houston.

Ladies and gentlemen,

the cabin doors are now closed.

The captain has turned on

the Fasten Seat Belt sign.

Please make sure

your seat backs and tray tables

are in their upright

and locked position.

- Where are you now?

- Memphis.

I'm afraid I got some bad news.

Did I ever tell you what I did

for the first 18 years of your life?

- Mom, come on.

- Sleep deprivation for five years.

Uh, PTA meetings.

I fit in real well there.

- Mom.

- Ju-juice-jit...

- Jujitsu.

- Jujitsu.

Um, every time you would

leave the house,

I prayed to Jesus, Buddha,

whoever would listen,

that you would come back

in one piece.

I don't regret it. I'm not saying

I regret a second of it, Carlton,

but if you're gonna tell me

it was all for nothing,

and now when I need you the most

you're not there,

then who do I have?

- Who do I have, Carlton?

- Mom!

If I don't have you,

who do I have?

Would you stop

this stuff, please?

Look, I love you. I love you

and I'd do anything for you,

but... but he's gone.

He left me here at the airport.

Okay, I'm gonna tell you

something real important.

Sometimes in our life,

some of us anyway,

we really only get

one person.

No matter how much we try,

no matter who else we meet,

we're not ever gonna love

anybody else

as much as we love them.

What do you want me to do?

Um...

well, there's

an old hotel downtown...

I guess it's still there...

called The Peabody.

If your dad's still in Memphis,

I bet that's where he'll be.

Actually, if you just want

to keep the same car,

it'll be cheaper that way.

Good evening.

How may I help you?

I'm trying to find someone.

Last name?

Garrett.

No. No one by that name

has checked in yet.

No reservation.

Nothing.

- Afraid not.

- All right. I'll take a room if you have one.

- Just for the one night?

- Just for the one night.

Hi, this is Lucy.

Leave a message and I'll get back to you.

- You doing all right?

- Oh yeah.

What brings you to

this neck of the woods?

You here on business?

Uh, sort of.

What do you do,

if you don't mind my asking?

Well, uh...

I'm... I'm a writer.

A writer. No kidding.

What kind of stuff you write?

Short stories and stuff like that,

but I think that I've come up

with an idea for a book.

Well, that sounds good.

So you know what

it's gonna be about?

Actually, I don't know how

it all ends yet,

but I guess you could say

it's mainly about,

uh, an idiot.

- An idiot?

- Yeah.

- You got a title picked out?

- No.

I guess I should work on that.

I'm gonna probably

set it on the road.

An idiot on the road.

Yeah.

- Exactly.

- I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Great. Well, I should

probably call it a night.

Sure thing.

I can put that on your room if you like.

Oh, okay.

Last name's Garrett.

Oh, so you're here with Kyle.

What?

Are you Kyle's son?

- Yeah.

- That's funny.

He was just in here earlier.

And he was actually talking about you.

But I thought he said

you were a ballplayer.

Did he sign for his drinks,

- put 'em under a room?

- Yeah.

Yeah, it's under

another name though.

You want me

to put it on that one?

Hey, Dad.

Hey!

- Hey.

- Move your foot.

- No.

- Move your foot!

I can't!

You've got it pinned.

Hey.

Get out!

Get the f...

Get off! Get off of me!

Get off of me!

Why didn't you love us?

I did.

I just loved myself more.

We're leaving

first thing in the morning.

All right.

Ladies and gentlemen,

please give a warm welcome

to the Peabody ducks.

The march of the Peabody ducks

is a time-honored tradition

dating back to 1933.

General manager Frank Schutt

and his friend

returned from

a weekend hunting trip,

decided to slip

their live duck decoys

into the hotel's lobby fountain

as a practical joke.

Hey.

Hi there.

You all right, Mr. Garrett?

Oh, this.

My son bashed my head

into a towel rack, but I'm fine.

- Thanks for asking, though.

- My pleasure.

I've always been a huge fan, sir.

Ah. #11 in the program;

#1 in your heart.

Have a good day.

You too.

What's the deal with the ducks?

I don't know.

Some kind of custom they have here.

I guess they live

up on the roof.

Huh.

Reminds me of something.

Yeah, well,

you've seen 'em before.

Your mother and I,

we used to bring you here

back... back when

we was a family.

Here you go, babe.

back up in Memphis

and he's rented the exact same Hummer.

Say, uh, is he some kind of

a big deal or something?

Baseball player.

Oh, baseball.

Now there's an exciting sport.

I think I'd rather watch

the grass grow.

Thanks.

Hey.

All right, there you boys go.

Hey. She got an infection.

They had to take her in.

- What?

- They took Katherine into surgery.

- They're right over there, sir.

- Oh.

- Thank you.

- Sure.

- Hey there, Amon.

- Hey.

- Kyle, how you doing, buddy?

- All right.

- How you doing? Virg'

- Kyle.

Uh, I just got through talking

to the chief of staff.

He was telling me

that this surgeon that they got for her

is one of the top in the country.

They say he's highly regarded.

Yeah.

So, uh...

she's gonna be fine.

Hey, how is she?

She's, uh, still

in the operating room.

Doctors won't

tell us anything.

But I think it's taking longer

than we expected.

So...

- Hey, look...

- I'm not... I'm not mad at you.

I understand.

Well, we're still waiting, so...

Hey there, folks.

Okay, well, we're gonna

keep her here for about 10 days,

watch her progress,

but I think she's gonna be all right.

Oh.

But the truth is

it's never gonna be the same.

I will say if she takes

care of herself,

if the patch

doesn't break down,

then I think she

has a real good chance.

Well, thank you, Doctor.

Thanks for saving my girl.

Yes, sir.

They'll move her into recovery

and then I'll have the nurse

show you where she is

- so y'all can get her settled.

- Sure appreciate it, Doc.

- Have we met before?

- No,

but I sure am glad

to know you now.

All right.

Here you go.

- Thank you.

- Mm-hmm.

I was having this dream.

Yeah?

What was it about?

I don't know.

We were both in it.

I remember that.

And that was nice.

Well, you know how that goes.

You're gonna get up,

you're gonna have your coffee

and then as the day goes on

you're gonna start

to see little clues.

Yeah.

I love how that happens.

Little clues.

Life was so new

and exciting.

Yeah, it was.

I talked to the doctors.

They said you're gonna be fine.

How's our son?

Our son was raised

by an amazing woman.

I think he's

gonna be fine too.

After 82 years of hanging around,

there's one thing

I've figured out,

one thing I know for sure.

Yeah? What's that?

I can't tell you.

What?

I want to, I really do,

but I can't put it

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