The Ultimate Life Page #4

- I convinced them I was 17.

- This is crazy. You're too young.

I don't care about that, OK?

It's not fair, all those other

guys getting to go off and fight

while I'm stuck in this lousy

little town listening to lectures

about Emily

who-the-heck-cares Dickinson!

I'm not gonna let you do

this. I'm gonna go down there

- and I'm gonna tell them you're 15.

- You will not!

How can I become my

own man if I don't go?

How can I ever be worthy

of getting my share

if I'm not willing to go fight for it?

This is so selfish!

Selfish?

Look, you can say whatever you want,

but I am going, and I leave tomorrow.

Well, I won't wait for you, you hear me?

Fine by me.

There's a hundred other boys

out there who'll want me,

- and I could have any one I want!

- Good!

- They can have you, for all I care.

- I don't want your promise ring anyway!

Hey, good for you! You hear me?

Get married!

I don't need a girl anyway.

Oh, Red.

Oh, Red.

Hanna! Hanna!

Hanna!

I'm sorry!

I love you, Hanna.

I'll wait for you. I'll wait for you.

- Lieutenant!

- Yes, sir.

I need a runner.

You!

Run this message over to

Lt. Harris, First Platoon.

Five hundred yards up

over that tree line.

Private, did you hear me?

I got it, sir.

Get down!

- Watch it, you idiot!

- I was just trying to take cover!

You gotta be kidding me! Toe-fungus?!

Of all the stinking foxholes

I could have taken cover in!

- Well, get the heck out of mine!

- Be glad to.

I'm looking for Lieutenant

Harris, First Platoon.

Nah. Wrong hole. This is Second

Platoon. First is 200 yards that way.

Wish I could say, "Nice to see you. "

No, don't spoil the joy I'll

feel as I watch you leave.

Ahh!

Cover me!

Sarge, where's the medic?

Hey, Slick. Stay with me.

I'm not carrying your sorry

self just so you end up dead.

I can't believe I'm

saying this, but thank you.

Don't thank me yet.

Still, seems like we

might as well be friends.

Might as well. We always seem

to end up in the same place.

And when the war is over,

and this is all done...

...you still thinking about that ranch?

Oh, yeah, sure. You

still thinking about oil?

Just about all I think about.

Red, we've gone down

another 35 feet today.

Sucker rod's completely dry.

- Could be another duster, Red.

- I don't wanna hear that.

You keep that thought muzzled.

I spent the last dozen years

learning how to find other men oil,

and it's my turn now.

My gut says it's here.

I hope you boys weren't

planning on an early supper,

because we're going down another 35.

And we're gonna go down another 35

if we have to!

Oh, that's it! Enough! I quit!

I don't hire a man back

when he quits on me.

- We're running out of good men, Red.

- We'll find more good men.

Come on! We're going another 35.

Get those rods down.

You wanna have a catch, Dad?

Sorry, Billy-boy, I can't today.

It's OK, I'm making your milk

right now. It's all right.

Hey, Jackie. Jackie, look

what the cat dragged in.

It's your daddy.

Hey, Red, why don't you get washed

up. It's almost dinner time, OK?

Yeah, I know. Let me just

sit here for a minute.

You kids quit running in the house!

Sh, sh, sh, sh!

All right, all right.

Let's go on, then. Let's

go on, my very good boy.

Did you wanna help momma?

What's wrong?

- Oh, good, good boy.

- What's wrong?

Is the hole still dry?

If we don't hit it soon,

I ain't gonna make payroll,

let alone be able to

afford to feed you guys.

All I keep hearing is my old

man in the back of my head

talking about

"once-poor-always-poor" crap.

You gotta let that go.

I don't get it.

I mean, I don't. All the

geology reports look right

and we hit the salt formations in

the right depth. I just don't...

Maybe Gus could help.

He's already hit a few.

No, I'm not gonna ask Gus for advice.

Well, since there's nothing

you can do about it right now,

how about investing in us?

What are you talking about?

I know you think it's all about

bank accounts and oil wells.

But it's not.

It's right out there.

It's OK. It's all right.

It's OK, baby.

- Come on, son. Toss it in here.

- Are you serious, Dad?

Come on, kid. Fire it in.

- Keep your eye on it.

- Can you teach me how to throw a curve?

I don't know how to throw a curve.

Well, someone's gotta

know. What you call 'em?

- An expert.

- Yeah.

Can you find me one?

Yeah, we can find you one of them.

RED.' March 4th, 1955.

Out of the mouth of babes,

I went and found an expert.

From the looks of him,

he couldn't throw a curve

ball to save his life.

- Are you sure that we're...?

- Sh...

Whoo!

Come on!

All right, bring it down...

All right, take some.

Hold it.

You, take that... Stick it in quickly.

So, what are you listening to?

Does "shhh" not mean the same in

Texas as it does in California?

Sorry.

We agreed on three percent, right?

Yeah. Three percent.

- Here.

- Here what?

Drill here.

Good job! Can you think of

something else that adds up to ten?

- Good. You did it! Three plus seven.

Oh, Red!

Red! Red!

- We did it! We did it!

- Boys, come here!

- Come here!

- Oh, my goodness!

- Look at you!

- Can you believe it?!

Ruth! Ruth! Ruth!

- Come down here and look at your daddy!

- Ruth!

- Oh, my God.

- Are we gonna be rich now, Dad?

Oh, Billy-boy, are we gonna be rich?

We're gonna be stinking

rich! Stinking rich!

You won't have to worry about

anything, son, anything at all.

And you. Oh, baby.

I'm going to buy you the

biggest ring in Texas.

- Yeah, are you?

- Oh, yeah.

No more promise ring for Mrs.

Stevens. No, ma'am. No, ma'am.

You can have anything you

want. Anything you want.

OK, wait. Hold that thought. Hold that

thought. I got one more person to tell.

- No! Red! Red!

- I gotta go tell Gus!

Ha! Whoo-hoo! Ah!

I hit it! I hit it! I hit it!

Whoo!

- Took you long enough, kid.

- Oh, I hit it! I hit it big, baby!

Well... Yeah, you just remember,

you're still one to my three.

Oh, don't worry about that, Gus.

Don't worry, I'm going way past three.

Pretty soon you're gonna be

dust in my rearview mirror.

We'll see about that.

We're up to 500 barrels a day, boss.

506 yesterday.

At two bucks a barrel, that's a

thousand a day on that well alone.

According to college boy, the

reserve underneath this land

is at least 50 million barrels.

How fast can we drill and

set up another derrick?

About two weeks.

Make it one, and it'll be a bonus.

I want big, beautiful, grasshoppers

bobbing up and down

as far the eye can see.

You got it, boss.

What's this?

That's him. That's him right there.

That there's a delivered

subpoena, Red Stevens.

I got proof you been cheating me out

of my mineral rights on this land.

I got a lawyer, so you better start

to figure out my cut of this operation.

Well, I hope you got a good

lawyer, 'cause I got a better one,

and he's gonna take you to school.

- I'll see you in court!

- Oh, I'll see you in court!

Yeah, I'll be there, Red!

Oh, I'll be there! I'll see ya!

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