The Paperboy Page #2

Watch your head.

Watch your head.

Don't touch my head. (Ward) Tell

him where you're from, Yardley.

[sigh]

London.

Ah!

When I came here...

from New York,

I was interviewing

for the job...

and I was in advertising in New York

and I mentioned that it was

simply different in New York.

So how'd you get

from New York City

to the metropolis

of Lately, Florida?

[phone ringing]

Jansen residence.

So I came down South and

I interviewed at the paper.

(Anita) W.W., Miss

Roberta's on the phone.

No, no, no.

We don't take phone

calls. (W. W.) Anita...

Who's Miss Roberta?

No calls, Anita.

(W. W.) What part of

London you from, Yardley?

Um, all over London.

Is there a good dry

cleaning here? Excuse me?

[clears throat]

Dry cleaning.

Dry cleaning?

Yes.

You ain't gonna eat that,

are you? (Jack) uh-uh.

How you gonna win those

swimming meets if you don't eat?

I'm retired.

Retired. Jack, you ain't even

tired enough to be retired.

(W. W.) How is it exactly you guys work?

I mean, like that boy

drowned at his initiation?

Well, Yardley's the writer...

And I'd guess you'd say

Ward is the nuts and bolts.

Yeah. When I was

a reporter,

we had rewrite men who took

the stories over the phone.

(Yardley) No, no, no.

I'm not a rewrite man.

I'm the writer.

I'm the one who puts

the facts into perspective.

Oh!

Yes. It's a different

world now, Mr. Jansen.

Clearly.

(Ward) Times have changed a bit, sir.

(W. W.) What interest

does "The Miami Times "

have in Hillary

V an Wetter?

He murdered

somebody in jail?

Even if he was guilty...

I t was a lynching, pure and

simple... he had certain rights.

And even

if he was guilty...

Hillary has rights that the

process completely disregarded.

(Ward) And that's why we 're here.

I'm very sorry, everybody,

but I'm going to have to leave.

I'm sorry, sweetheart.

I have early evaluations

first thing in the morning.

Come here, sugar.

I apologize.

[indistinct]

(Ward)

All right, buddy.

(Anita, distant)

Ward?

(Ellen)

Good night, boys.

Ward?

(W. W.) Seems mighty sure

of himself for a colored.

Ward said

they need a driver.

A driver?

(Anita)

What you do out there?

So you meet anybody new

out there in Miami?

I met a few.

Oh, yeah. All types

down there, you know?

You stay away

from those rough ones.

Remember what happened

the last time.

[sounds of washing dishes]

How your kids?

You look beautiful, babe.

They're doing good.

They're doing really good.

As soon as I get

out of here,

I'll go see them and make

dinner all over again.

[chuckle]

You should come

to that dinner, too.

[laughing]

I'll come

to that dinner.

I think Ellen is

maybe number four...

since you left.

Yeah.

That's why I don't take

them b*tches too seriously.

They come and they go

and they come and they go.

You know

what I mean?

[Martha Reeves and the Vandellas

sing Third Finger, Left Hand]

??? A t last

My dreams come true???

??? Today he said "I do "???

??? Friends said

It couldn't be done???

??? But all his love

I know I've won???

How you doing there, Yard?

Oh, jeez.

??? That's where he placed

The wedding band???

(Anita) Hey, close that door, boy.

I don't want your daddy

screaming about all the flies

getting in the house.

Hmm.

Who is that, Jack?

Uh...

I'm looking for the

office of Mr. Jansen.

Ward Jansen

of "The Miami Times. "

(Anita) I said who is

it? I work for the Times.

You do?

Yeah.

[thud]

Huh.

Well, I'm Charlotte

Bless. I'm Jack Jansen.

Here, let me get that.

Oh.

[groan] Hey. All my files.

The office

is in the garage.

You look a little young

to be a journalist.

I'm really just the driver. Oh.

But I do write.

So do I. I write

letters. I'm pretty good.

??????

Hey, guys!

This here is

Miss Charlotte Bless.

Oh, not for long.

Hillary and I are engaged to be married.

Hello, Miss Bless.

I'm Ward.

Oh, Mr. Ward, good to finally meet you.

You didn't mention the engagement in

your letters. Go clean yourself up.

Well, it only just

happened. He just proposed.

Oh, that looks nasty.

Well, how did I do that?

(Ward)

Excuse me a second.

Get Miss Bless something to

drink. I'm Yardley Acheman.

We thought you

and Hillary hadn't met.

Well, only in pictures,

but we been writing

each other for months

and we understand

ourselves just perfect.

(Yardley) Ward, where

should I put her files?

Everything you need to know

about Van Wetter

that's been in the papers,

is here in these boxes.

Our exciting correspondence

is in that box.

In case

you're interested.

[laughs]

My desk, Jackie boy.

Mr. Jansen, I really

just wanted to thank you.

I wanted to thank you

for returning my letters.

And for helping me get

Hillary out of that hellhole.

Well, I wouldn't go booking

the honeymoon just yet.

But we are going

to fight his sentence

and the way

it came about.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Nobody deserves the

death penalty, Miss Bless.

Not even

Hillary Van Wetter.

um, excuse me. So, everything

is ordered alphabetically.

I was telling, um...

what's your name?

Yardley.

Yardley.

U m, that all

of the files,

U m, everything that's

been in the papers,

is in the top box. This

is gonna be a great help.

He's an innocent man.

You're gonna find that out.

Wrongly convicted.

This is gonna get us

off to a great start.

I've done a lot of research. I see that.

In the meantime, you need

to freshen up or anything?

Jack, show Miss Bless to the

washroom. I think I'll just stay here.

You might have some questions

that you need answered.

I can freshen

up just here.

Cold beer for me, Jack.

You're adorable, Jack.

I will take an iced tea if you have it.

You want anything,

Ward? (Ward) I'm good.

You'll see, uh...

[indistinct]

it's an enormous amount of

work... What's with the boxes?

(Ward) I don't know what to

do here. What's with the boxes?

Well, we 're

gonna start on it.

(Anita, off) My Jack was in

love with Charlotte Bless.

I could tell

that horny little boy

wanted to jump her

on first sight.

Everybody was confused why she

was engaged to Hillary Van Wetter.

Nasty, white trash swamp.

(Yardley, reading) "All the

killers who have written me

want to press their

mouths into my vagina

and some, even the crack of my behind,

except Hillary Van Wetter.

He has no such desire.

He wants to be

sucked off himself.

I consider this psychological

proof of his innocence. "

[groan]

She is one nasty

little nut job.

Think we've been taking

her a little too seriously.

You sure get

bored quick.

No. Can tell I'm not going

to get laid anytime soon

in this Floridian

sh*t pit, so...

Listen...

Hey, Kathy, it's me.

Hillary tells her

that the knife

Yardley.

and the bloodied shirt

that the deputies claim

to have found in his house

somehow got lost

before the trial.

Yeah, I miss you, too.

What?

Hello, Kathy.

(Anita) Miss Bless wanted

to look at the prison.

Jack's first assignment

was to take her there.

I bet he knows

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