The Postman Always Rings Twice Page #2

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Climb right in. It's okay.

Nick said it was all right with him

if it's all right with you.

Let's not stay too long,

I'd like to do this again.

Don't worry, you'll find this night air can

get awfully cold in a very few minutes.

Hey!

Oh, do you like lemon meringue pie?

- I don't know. I--

- I'll make you some tomorrow.

It's you, Cora.

I thought it was a customer wanting gas.

- Were you worried?

- No.

Only I didn't expect you back so soon.

Good night, Frank.

Please don't.

Cora?

Cora.

The next day we were so busy

I hardly had a chance to look at her.

Not until the middle of the morning.

There was a lull about that time...

...and Nick had just left for L.A.

Nick had another brainstorm

and drove into town.

This time it's the laundry service

that's cheating him.

- Frank, about that question.

- What question?

Why I married Nick.

My answer is that Nick came along

at the right time and with a wedding ring.

The ring was the first thing

he mentioned.

And you liked it

for certain reasons.

You don't know the half of it.

Frank, I hate to say this...

...but I wasn't ever homely, so--

You must have had

to fight off a lot of guys.

A lot of guys?

All the guys.

I don't especially like

the way I look sometimes...

...but I never met a man since I was 14

that didn't want to argue about it.

Sure. By the time Nick came along...

...you were ready to marry

anybody that owned a gold watch.

Seemed the best thing to do

from my angle.

And as for him, I told him...

- I told him I didn't love him.

- He said that would come in time.

Yeah.

- But it didn't.

- But I meant to stick by him.

- And that's why--

- That's why you married him and retired.

The undefeated champ.

Not 100 percent undefeated.

Not now.

What's that?

Somebody trying to come in.

Is the door locked?

I must have locked it.

Whoever it was, they...

They went away.

- Too bad Nick took the car.

- Even if it were here...

...we couldn't take it. Not unless

we want to spend the night in jail.

Stealing a man's wife, that's nothing,

but stealing his car, that's larceny.

Get over!

- Say, you're not tired already, are you?

- A little.

Come on, let's sit down for a minute.

Here.

Don't worry, we'll get a lift

in a minute.

Frank, look, if I divorce Nick,

he'll never give me a nickel.

- He'll keep the Twin Oaks and everything.

- What do we care?

- But where are we headed?

- What's the difference? Anywhere.

- Anywhere. Do you know where that is?

- Anywhere we choose.

No, it isn't. It's back to

the hash house for me.

For you, some parking lot where you

wear a smock with "super service" on it.

- I would die if I saw you in a smock.

- I wore one at the Twin Oaks.

But that was mine.

Oh, don't you see? You're smart.

Others could be wearing the smocks...

...and you could be manager.

- Yeah, I can hardly wait.

- Oh, stop acting.

You're ashamed of being smart.

I'm ashamed of begging for a ride...

- ...that'll take me back where I started.

- Want to go back?

I want to be somebody.

And if I walk out...

... I'll lose everything,

and I'll never be anybody.

Oh, I love you, Frank,

and I want you, but not this way.

Not starting out like a couple of tramps.

I'm going back.

- Frank!

- What's the matter now?

The note I wrote for Nick.

If he gets home...

- Where'd you leave it?

- The cash register.

Great. That's the first place he'll look too.

Look, here comes a bus. Stop it.

All right.

Frank.

Frank, look, it's Nick.

Look out!

That was close.

I'd like to see him get plastered like that

some night and drive off a cliff.

You didn't mean that.

You were joking.

Sure.

Sure, I... I was joking.

Of course you were.

Of course.

Well, I better change quick.

Why should I leave her?

Why should I go?

Don't look now,

but I'm a little high.

And did I fix those laundry people

and make them like it.

Frank, I even made them

pay for the beer.

- Why don't you jump in a cold shower?

- Yeah, yeah. I'm going to.

Because I'm not only a little high,

I'm higher than a kite.

What's the idea...

...of your good clothes?

You're not going to quit

on me, are you?

What's the matter, Frank?

Don't you like the food?

Maybe you and I

can get together on a...

What's the big idea of the suitcases?

Now, take it easy, Nick.

What were you stealing

in those suitcases?

- Wait a minute!

- I might have known.

I take in a hobo

off the road, hungry.

The moment I've got

my back turned, he tries to rob me.

- I'm not a thief.

- Prove that by opening up those suitcases.

Come on, open up those suitcases.

Well, what's all the argument about?

He's a thief, Cora.

Look at those suitcases.

I just got back in time.

Oh, you're crazy, Nick.

Why, Frank's not a thief.

This afternoon he got

an attack of road fever.

He said his feet were itching

for a new place.

So he came in to say goodbye

with a suitcase.

With two suitcases, you mean.

One of them full of our stuff.

You've had too much beer, Nick.

The other one was our suitcase...

...but Frank's bought a lot of things

since he's been here...

...and I told him he could have it

in exchange for the pay he had coming.

That's a pretty good bargain, Cora.

I'm sorry, Frank.

My boy, that road fever

is never going to get you anywhere.

But that's all settled, darling.

Frank's road fever wasn't very serious.

He forgot about it as soon as I promised

you'd pay him $3 more a week.

Good girl.

Now if I'm really smart,

I'll keep my big mouth shut...

...and go and take that shower.

- That's all right, Nick, I'll pick them up.

- Oh.

What's the difference if they do get dirty?

I got them washed for free.

Right then, I should have

walked out of that place...

...but I couldn't make myself do it.

She had me licked, and she knew it.

For a week she treated me as if I was

only somebody working around the place.

I nearly went out of my mind.

I couldn't go, and I couldn't stay

the way things were.

Then one night, I decided

I had to have a talk with her...

...to see if there wasn't some future,

some way for the two of us.

No.

What are we going to do?

That's great, coming from you.

After you've been high-hatting me

the way you have.

What else could I do?

Oh, Frank.

Frank, if I'd only met you first.

Well?

Frank, do you love me?

Yes.

Do you love me so much

that nothing else matters?

Yes.

There's...

There's one thing we could do

that would...

...fix everything for us.

What? Pray for something

to happen to Nick?

Something like that.

- Cora!

- Well, you suggested it yourself once.

- Didn't you?

- I was only joking.

- Were you?

- Yes, I was.

- Or had you started to think about it?

- I didn't really mean it.

- Well, I say it again now, and I do mean it!

- Cora!

Listen, Frank,

I'm not what you think I am.

I wanna keep this place and work hard

and be something. That's all.

But you can't do it without love.

At least a woman can't.

I've made a big mistake in my life.

And I've got to be this way

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