The Trip to Bountiful Page #3

along with me.

Who are you

writing to?

Oh.

[ Chuckles ]

I just thought I'd drop a line

to Callie Davis,

let her know

I'm still alive.

Why'd you decide to do that

all of a sudden?

No reason.

I... The notion

just struck me.

All right.

But just in case you're trying

to put something over me

with that pension check,

I told Mr. Reynolds

at the grocery store

never to cash anything

for you.

[ Indistinct conversation ]

Woman:

Morning, Mrs. Watts!

Oh.

How you doing?

Just fine.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

There you are.

You change buses at Harrison.

Yes, sir.

[ Chuckles ]

I'm sorry.

Excuse me.

Man:
Lady?

Lady,

it's your turn.

Yes, sir.

Uh, excuse me.

I'd like a ticket

to bountiful, please.

Where?

Bountiful.

What's it near?

It's between Harrison

and cotton.

Just a minute.

Man:
Dallas now boarding

on gate four.

Lady, I can sell you a ticket

to Harrison or to cotton,

but there's no bountiful.

Oh,

yes, there is.

It's between Harrison

and cotton.

I'm sorry, lady.

You say there is,

but the book says there isn't,

and the book don't lie.

But I was born

in bountiful.

Make up your mind, lady.

Cotton or Harrison.

There are

other people waiting.

Let me see.

How much is a ticket

to Harrison?

$3.50.

And cotton?

$4.20.

$4.20. Oh, yes.

I'll take the one

to Harrison, please.

All right.

It'll be $3.50, please.

Yes, sir.

Uh, can you cash

a pension check?

See, I decided to come

at the last minute

and didn't have time

to go to the grocery store.

I'm sorry, lady.

I can't cash any checks.

It's perfectly good.

It's a government check.

I'm sorry. It's against

the rules to cash checks.

Oh.

I didn't know that.

I understand

the rules are rules.

How much was that,

again?

$3.50.

Oh, yes.

I think

I have it all here

in nickles, dimes,

and quarters, yeah.

One, two, three, four.

That's one.

One, two,

three, four.

That's two.

One, two,

three, four.

That's three.

And 50 cents?

There.

I think

that's $3.50.

Thank you.

I'm sorry to have taken up

so much of your time.

Dallas now boarding

on gate four.

Man:

Here, lady.

Don't forget your ticket.

Oh.

Oh, my heavens,

yes.

I'd forget my head

if it wasn't on my neck.

[ Chuckles ]

Angleton now boarding

on gate three.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

Angleton now boarding

on gate three.

Excuse me.

Would you watch this suitcase?

I'll be right back.

Yes, ma'am.

[ Sighs ] All right.

Kind of warm, isn't it,

when you're rushing about?

Yes, ma'am.

I had to get myself ready

in the biggest kind of hurry.

Trying to get

to a town

that nobody around here

seems to have heard of.

What town is that?

Bountiful.

Oh.

Did you ever hear

of it?

No.

You see?

Nobody has.

[ Chuckles ]

Not much of a town now,

I guess.

I haven't seen it myself

in 20 years.

It used to be quite prosperous,

you know?

All they have left now

is a post office,

a filling station,

and general store.

At least that's all they had

when I left.

Do your people

live there?

No.

All my people is dead except

my son and his wife, jessie mae,

and they stay right here

in the city.

I'm hurrying to see bountiful

before I die.

I had a sinking spell

this morning.

I had to climb up on the bed

and rest.

It was my heart.

But do you have a bad heart?

Well, it's not

what you call a good one.

My doctor says it would last

as long as I need it

if I could just

cut out worrying.

But... Seems I can't

do that lately.

Excuse me.

Would you keep your eye

on this suitcase again for me?

Yes, ma'am.

Ooh!

Say a prayer for me,

honey.

And good luck

to you.

Good luck to you.

Ludie, she always tries

to go by train.

But no, we wait in the railroad

station for five minutes.

'Cause she's not there right

then, you drag me over here.

Jessie mae,

you want to sit down?

Yes, I do.

You want to continue

to look around, go right ahead.

Now boarding for new Orleans

on gate nine.

[ Indistinct announcement

on p. A. ]

New Orleans on gate nine.

San Antonio now boarding

on gate seven.

Columbus, San Antonio

now boarding on gate seven.

I hope

you're lucky enough

not to have to fool

with any in-laws.

I got a mother-in-law

who's about to drive me crazy.

She's always trying to run off

to this place called bountiful.

[ Groans ]

She is so stubborn,

I could ring her neck.

Thank you.

Her son spoils her.

That's the whole trouble.

She's just

rotten spoiled.

People ask me

why I don't have children.

Why, I say, 'cause I got ludie

and mother Watts.

That's all the children

I need.

What'd you bring me?

[ Groans ]

I seen this one.

You seen mama?

Jessie mae:
No, you goose.

Think I'd be sitting here

so calm if I had?

I think we should turn this

whole thing over to the police.

That will scare her

once and for all.

I'm not gonna call

any police.

Oh, you're not?

No.

No!

Well,

I don't care what you do.

It's your mother.

Harrison, don tarle,

Victoria on gate three.

Would you like this?

I don't read them,

and my wife has seen it.

Thank you.

Excuse me,

miss?

Oh, miss.

Yes?

Found this handkerchief there

that belongs to,

I think, my mother.

She has

a heart condition.

Do you remember

having seen her?

Well, I...

she'd be on her way

to a town called bountiful.

Yes,

I did see her.

She was here talking to me, and

then she left all of a sudden.

Thank you so much.

Ludie.

Jessie mae, I was right.

She was here.

That lady there says so.

Well,

we're not gonna wait.

The police and I

talked it over.

You did not

really call them.

Yes, I did.

And they said

we should just go home

and pay her no mind

at all.

Ludie, I wish you would think

of me for a change.

I am not

spending the rest of my life

running after your mother.

All right, jessie mae.

Victoria now boarding

on gate three.

Come on. Let's go.

Come on!

If mama ain't home in an hour,

I'm going after her.

[ Sighs ]

Honestly.

This is your last call

for Victoria,

now boarding at gate three.

Sugarland, Harrison,

don tarle, Victoria,

now leaving from gate three.

Mrs. Watts:
Wait! Wait!

Please!

Thank you.

[ Breathing heavily ]

Thank you.

Isn't it

a small world?

I didn't know

we'd be on the same bus.

Where you off to,

honey?

Harrison.

Harrison?

Yes,

I change buses there.

Well,

so do I go there.

Isn't that nice?

[ Chuckles ]

Thank you.

The bus is nice to ride,

isn't it?

Yes, it is.

Excuse me

for getting personal,

but what's a pretty girl like

you doing traveling all alone?

My husband

was just sent overseas.

Oh. I'm sorry

to hear that.

I'm going to stay

with my family.

Say the 91st psalm

over and over to yourself.

It'll be a bower of strength

and protection for you.

"He that dwelleth in the

secret place of the most high

"shall abide under the shadow

of the almighty.

I'll say of the lord,

he is my refuge. "

[ Crying ]

Oh, I'm sorry.

It's all right.

I'm just lonesome

for him.

Keep him under the lord's wing

and he'll be safe.

Rate this script:2.0 / 1 vote