The Whole Wide World Page #5

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V-I-N-S-O-N.

Oh, yeah.

Here it is.

Thank you, sir.

Excuse me. Hi.

Did you say your

name was Truett Vinson?

Yes, ma'am.

Well, hi.

I'm Novalyne Price.

I believe we

have a mutual friend.

Who's that?

Bob Howard.

Bob. Really?

How do you know Bob?

Well, I teach

in Cross Plains.

We're friends.

So do you see

a lot of Bob

up there in Cross Plains?

Off and on.

Whenever he has time.

But you two weren't

serious or anything?

Oh, no, no.

He's made it very clear

to me many times

that he is not

the marrying kind.

He has to be free.

The road he walks...

He walks alone.

Yes.

That's what he says,

all right, isn't it?

How often did you

go to the movies?

Every now and then.

Bob ever

go by himself?

Only if the picture was

some wild action movie

with lots of

sword-fighting

and stuff like that,

you know?

[SWORDS CLASHING, SCREAMING]

[KNOCKING]

Who is it?

It ain't no tramp.

Hey.

What are you

doing here?

I thought you might like

to take a ride.

It's 5:
30

in the morning.

I know. Come on, get dressed.

I got something special

to show you...

something you might appreciate.

Come on.

Hold on.

So, how's your summer

been going?

Okay. We had some rain

about a week ago.

Yeah. Farmers

sure needed it.

I met Truett Vinson

this weekend.

Oh yeah?

How's he getting along?

Good.

You know, he and Clyde work

for the same company.

Poor fool's a bookkeeper.

Pushing papers

all day long...

It's a job you'd never

catch me doing.

When's the last time

the three of you

were together?

Long time. Too long.

I ought to give them

iron heads a call,

see if they don't want

to go out on the prowl.

What exactly do you do

out on a prowl?

Drink beer

and talk about girls.

Lie about them

is more like it.

Don't you talk about

any serious subjects?

That is serious.

Sure we do.

We argue plenty.

I want to wring Clyde's

neck sometimes,

he makes me so mad.

What do you argue about?

You ever read

The Vicar Wakefield?

Did you like it?

Yes, I did.

Well,

that's too damn bad.

I thought it was the

sorriest book I ever read.

I wonder what you'd do if

a student told you that.

If he told me I didn't know

what I was talking about?

Right.

Well, it depends

on his attitude.

The vicar was

a lousy old bastard.

The villain seduced

and raped his daughters,

and the old fool

took it piously.

No, he had a sweet

and generous nature.

He forgave,

and then he repented

his mistakes.

You know, I thought

you'd say that.

They offer you

a spoonful of manure,

and you gulp it

on down.

What?

I know exactly

what you would do

if a kid disagreed.

You'd bawl him out.

If he was being rude, I would,

but if we were just

talking about something--

Sure you would!

It's thanks to teachers like you

that there's no room

for individual thought

in schools today.

Oh, really?

Yeah!

Oh, really?

Well, yeah, that's right.

Thanks indeed. Thank God.

If it wasn't for teachers

like me,

there would be

more individuals like you...

socially inept,

hating the world,

prattling off pompous ideas

that nobody wants to hear

in the first place.

Bob Howard, if you do not take

some initiative,

you are going to end up

a miserable old man

sitting at home with

no friends and no life.

And another thing.

Don't you ever, ever imply

that I do not know how to teach,

because then you really

are talking about something

that you know nothing about.

Now, why don't you

run on home?

Your mama's

waiting for you.

[RADIO BLARING]

Novalyne.

Novalyne, get in the car.

No!

Get in the goddamn car!

No!

Hell. Come on,

girl, get in here.

Go away!

I'll keep chasing you

all day long.

Now, get in the damn...

get in the goddamn car.

Ugh!

Men!

All men can go to hell!

We are.

Every damn one

of us.

[LAUGHING]

Guess who came by my house

this morning?

I don't know. Who?

Bob.

He wants me to go down

to New Mexico with him.

Do you think Bob knows

we're dating?

Mm. Yeah. He does know.

Really?

Yeah.

I mentioned to him

that we met

at the post office,

and we'd been to the

movies a couple times.

What happened? Was he mad?

No. I don't think so.

Well, Truett, either he was

or he wasn't.

Well, he kind of ignored me.

He didn't say a word.

He didn't seem mad.

He asked me if I'd read

The Vicar of Wakefield.

BOB:
Dear Novalyne,

the weather is good.

The beer's lousy.

Hoping you are the same. Bob.

NOVALYNE:
Dear Bob,

summer's flying by

as it always seems to do.

Where have you been?

I hope you're not

still mad at me.

If so, I apologize.

Let me know the next time

you'll be coming down,

hopefully at a reasonable hour.

Love, Novalyne.

BOB:
Dear Novalyne, thank you

for your invitation to call,

but you honestly

can't expect me

to enjoy ridicule and contempt

so much

that I'd come back

for another dose.

You understand me, I think,

but I'll make myself clear.

You and Truett

haven't played fair with me,

concealing the fact

that you were going together.

Both of you had plenty

of opportunities to tell me,

but instead

you made a secret of it,

and no doubt laughed at me

because of it.

Taking advantage

of a friend's trust

to try and make a fool of him

seems a poor triumph.

Robert E. Howard.

"Robert E. Howard."

NOVALYNE:
"Obviously, I made

a grave error

"in befriending a pathetic man

like yourself,

"and I now consider

my association with you

"over and finalized.

"My only regret

is the time wasted

"spent in your company.

Sincerely, Novalyne Price."

Well, say something.

Seemed like

such a nice man.

It's a shame he won't be

coming over any more.

Mama, what do you think?

You said it. Now tear it up.

Why?

After that hateful letter,

I should tell him to go to hell.

Don't end the friendship,

Novalyne.

He's been a good friend.

Why don't you write

another letter?

Say what you really

want to say.

NOVALYNE:
Dear Bob,

although you leave

nothing for me to say,

being a woman,

I'll say something anyway.

During the time

I went with you,

I realized perfectly

how you felt about women.

Freedom was the first law

you recognized.

Strange as it may seem,

I too demand my freedom.

I didn't think you'd resort

to middle-class melodrama,

and I can't believe

that you really in your heart

feel that we've betrayed you.

In my last letter,

I was of the opinion

that we were still friends,

and invited you to call,

assuming that our friendship

would continue

as it had in the past.

I apologize

for having made that mistake.

Please note that you will

always have my sincere wishes

for your continued success

and happiness.

Sincerely, Novalyne Price.

Mr. Howard called.

Dr. Howard?

No. Robert Howard.

What did he say?

He said

he'd be over tonight.

Hm.

Did he want me to call

him back and confirm?

No, ma'am.

Well, I am going

to call Mr. Howard

and tell him where he

can really go tonight.

Mm-hmm.

I am. Believe me.

Straight to hell.

[CAR APPROACHING]

Howdy.

Hi, Bob.

How you doing?

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