The Subject Was Roses Page #8

What difference does it make?

Keep out of this!

How?

What are you going to tell your mother?

Nothing.

The poor woman is almost out of her mind.

There's a joke there someplace.

The least you can do is call her

and tell her you're home.

She'll want an explanation.

When I tell her,

she won't believe me

any more than you did.

I'll believe you when you tell the truth.

What is truth?

Sorry.

I'll tell you this.

In all my life,

the past 12 hours

are the only real freedom

I've ever known.

Did you enjoy it?

Every moment.

Why did you come back?

I'm a coward.

Will somebody tell me what's going on?

You heard the question.

The gentleman in the balcony...

the bearded...

I'm sorry, folks.

I'm about to be ill.

He wouldn't let me hold his head.

What happened to your coins?

I spent them.

How?

I took a bus downtown, walked around,

visited a museum...

if it wasn't for his drinking,

none of this would have happened.

Why do you say that?

If he didn't drink,

you and he wouldn't have argued.

Well, isn't that why you left...

you had an argument about his drinking?

We had an argument,

but it wasn't about drinking.

What was it about?

You, mostly.

Go on.

He thinks I don't give you enough credit.

Feels you're quite a guy.

Said we have to stop ganging up on you.

I couldn't sleep.

Neither could I.

I think you've decided to leave us.

Yes.

When?

It's not a sudden decision.

When are you leaving?

In the morning.

This fellow I went to high school with

has a flat on 22nd street.

His roommate just got married,

so he's looking for a replacement.

I figured...

Hey!

Hey!

I'll give you a penny for them.

An apple core.

What?

An apple core.

I was due to start

working for a law firm...

passed all the interviews

and had been notified

to report for work the following Monday.

On Sunday, my sister and

I were walking in the park

when a blond boy...

Who had a crush on me but

was too bashful to speak,

demonstrated his affection

by throwing an apple core.

Struck me here.

When I woke up Monday morning,

I had the most beautiful

black eye you ever saw.

Too embarrassed to start a new job

looking like that.

I called in sick.

They called back to say the

position had been filled

by someone else.

The next job I found

was the one that brought

your father and I together.

But you had others to choose from.

Yes.

All gentle, considerate men.

All very much like my father.

One of them was a baker

from Paterson, New Jersey,

that we always joke about.

The fellow who brought

a hatbox full of pastries

whenever he called on you?

Yes.

What a sweet man.

How he begged me to marry.

What was it that drew you to pop?

I think it was his energy...

a certain wildness.

He was not like my father at all.

I was attracted, and I was afraid.

I've always been a little afraid of him.

And then he was clearly a

young man who was going places.

24 when I met him,

and making well over 100 a week...

great money in those days...

and his prospects were unlimited.

Money was never plentiful in our house.

We weren't poor like his people,

you understand.

Never without rent or food or...

Tickets to the opera

or nice clothes...

But still, we weren't well-to-do.

Yes...

I like good things...

things that the baker from paterson

could never give me,

but your father surely would.

The way he was going,

he would be a millionaire

by the time he was 40.

That was his dream.

1929 took care of that.

He was never quite the same afterwards.

But when I met him,

he was cock of the walk.

Good-looking...

Witty young irishman.

Everyone liked him.

He was immediately at home on a ship,

a... a train,

in any bar.

Strangers thought he was magnificent.

And he was,

as long as the situation was impersonal.

At his best in an impersonal situation.

But that doesn't include the family,

the home.

The baker from Paterson was

all tongue-tied outside...

But in the home...

He would have been beautiful.

Go to bed.

I'll be down in a little while.

When I left this house three years ago,

I blamed him for everything

that was wrong here.

When I came back, I blamed you.

Now I suspect no one's to blame...

not even me.

Good night.

Good night.

You won't speak to him.

I can't.

You're the one who'll miss him most.

With me it's different.

I've got my business.

I envy you.

Just ask him to wait a couple of days.

He has to leave sometime.

But not now... not like this.

22nd street isn't the end of the world.

If he leaves this house today,

I don't want to see him ever again.

If you say that to him,

make it clear you're

speaking for yourself.

Home two days and gone again.

The neighbors will have a field day.

I'm going in to call him now.

I want to see him alone.

If you're wise, you won't start a row.

I want to see him alone.

Your mother tells me you're moving out.

I'd like to know why.

I demand to know why.

Would you be so good as to tell me why?

Why, damn it?

Good morning.

Good morning.

Mother said you wanted to see me.

Did you sleep well?

Yes.

Good.

You wanted to see me?

Mother says you're leaving.

Yes.

That's rather sudden, isn't it?

No, not really.

Do you mind telling me why?

I just think it's best.

For who?

Everyone.

Crap!

No, wait a minute.

I didn't mean that.

The fact is, I don't blame

you for wanting to leave.

I had no business hitting you.

That's not why I'm going.

Any way I can undo last night, I would.

It's not a question of last night.

If I had it to do over again,

I'd cut my arm off.

Pop, listen...

I don't know what gets into me sometimes.

Pop, I'm not leaving because

of what happened last night.

I've always intended to leave.

You never mentioned it.

I planned to stay a couple of weeks,

then go.

Why two days instead of two weeks?

I know now if I stay two weeks,

I'll never leave.

What I said yesterday

about me being the boss in the house,

I was just letting off steam.

It's not that.

As far as I'm concerned, you're a man.

You can come and go as you please,

do as you please,

and that goes for religion,

drinking... anything.

How can I make you understand?

Even girls.

Sure, I know how it is to be your age.

Just give me a little advance notice,

I'll see to it you have

the house to yourself

anytime you want.

For Christ's sake!

What kind of language is that?

I'm sorry.

I didn't mean it.

Talk any way you want.

I don't know what to say to you.

What I said about the Jews,

I was just trying to

get a rise out of you.

I know.

The time those bums

from St. Edward's

jumped the "I cash clothesman,"

I was the one who saved him.

Whole crowd of people standing around,

I was the only one who did anything.

Do you think I could forget that?

Stay another week?

Just a week?

I can't.

You any idea of how your

mother looked forward

to your coming home?

Yes.

How can you do it?

We're going around in circles.

What about the lake house?

What do you mean?

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