They Drive by Night Page #2

That's all I ask of you.

You know what happened?

The guy had an iron...

- What are you doing here?

- I got blisters waiting...

...so I hitched to Lansdale

and got a secondhand wheel.

Told the guy I'd get the dough.

- What about the load?

- Got a kid watching it.

- How'd you make out with Williams?

- I'm still waiting for the dough.

Why do we stay in this racket?

We aren't gonna make enough

to buy ourselves decent coffins.

Stop crabbing. I got enough worries.

Get that into you.

We gotta start rolling.

All right, that's enough

of the x-ray treatment.

Don't get me wrong, sister.

All you make me think about is how

much I'd like to be with my wife.

First time I've ever heard that one.

- I ain't got a wife.

- That's not hard to understand.

If any of you guys owe on your trucks,

you better fade.

Farnsworth's coming.

- Where's Fabrini?

- With Byrd, at the South Pole.

Fishing with the president.

I heard he was playing left end

for Notre Dame.

It ain't nothing personal.

He bought a truck and he's gotta pay.

Why?

Everything on that pile

makes noise except the horn.

I'm standing on my legal rights!

I gotta make a living too.

- Why?

- Because it says in the law...

I ain't gonna argue with you fellas.

Miss, did you see Joe Fabrini around?

I know he's been here.

- He pulled out more than an hour ago.

- Yeah? Whose wheel is that outside?

It's mine.

- Wanna make anything out of it?

- Now, no offense.

Listen, runt, we don't

like you around here.

- Throw him out, boy!

- I'm warning you!

There he goes!

Yeah! He's over for a touchdown!

Thanks, honey.

I'll do you a favor sometime.

That's all right, I don't like them either.

They got a coat of mine once.

- How much do we owe for the chow?

- Thirty-six.

- Here you are. Keep the change.

- Thanks.

It's all right. He's on his way.

- Thanks, fellas. I'll be seeing you.

- So long, Joe.

- Take it easy, Joe.

- Come on, kid.

- Where's the wheel?

- Right over there.

If we're lucky, maybe we can get a ride.

Who's this?

Hi, Dawson.

- Hello. How are you, Joe?

- Hello. Will you give us a lift?

- We had some trouble.

- Williams told me.

- Williams?

- Yeah.

He sent me here to

pick up your load.

That dirty muzzler.

We carry the load all this way

and we don't get a dime.

- Suppose we don't give it to you.

- You can suit yourself...

...but if you miss market, you'll take

a rap for the whole load.

- Yeah, just let him try to collect.

- Shut up.

Of course he'll collect,

out of the dough he owes us.

You're a nice guy, Dawson.

- Why do you pull stuff like this?

- It ain't my fault, Joe.

I got a wife and a kid

and another one on the way.

I gotta do what Williams says,

or I don't get no hauls.

- Don't get sore at me.

- I'd like to kick that chiseler's teeth out.

That ain't gonna get you nothing,

and besides, Hank ain't interested.

Come on. Let's hop in.

- Give us a hand, will you?

- Yeah, sure.

- Ready?

- Yeah.

That's it.

Our rig's about two miles

down the road.

And where do we go from there?

We better go back to Frisco

and see Williams.

By the time I get home to my wife

I'll be too tired to turn out the light.

Come on, Williams ought to be

in his office by now.

What if he don't see it?

What do you think?

Hello, Joe.

How they rolling?

How's that broken-down tub of yours?

No loads yet. Hang around.

What do you think

we been doing?

Tell Williams we want to see him.

You guys again?

You heard me say there ain't any loads.

Who said we wanted any?

We don't get paid for them anyway.

Oh, hello, boys.

How'd you get back?

What's the difference?

We should wrap a crank around you.

We got a hunch it was you

put Farnsworth on our tail.

What did I want to see you boys

lose your truck for?

I got some beer hauls in mind for you,

something coming up soon.

Beer's out, you bring back the empties.

Three hauls a week, how'd you like that?

- We'd like it fine if we got paid.

- You been horsing around enough.

We ought to break your neck

for leaving us stuck...

...then lifting our load.

What, you want me to dig

into my pocket...

...every time you fold a wheel

or blow a tire?

- I'm just as broke as you are.

- What is this, tin?

Here, here, here.

Where's your manners, anyhow?

Going into a man's papers.

You owe us 300 bucks

and you're gonna pay us now!

- If you don't...!

- All right! Don't get hot.

- I'll give you a check.

- What'll we do, use it for a tire patch?

We'll take it out of here. Cash.

Let go of him, Paul,

and write out a receipt.

You know, there's a law

against taking people's money.

That was so, you'd have been

in the clink years ago.

I knew you'd see it our way.

You mark my words,

you guys are gonna regret this.

We're tired of taking chances

and leaving you the dough.

That's the worst of you road slobs!

Always getting too big for your britches!

But I don't mind telling you one thing:

This is the last load you'll ever get here.

In that case, we haven't got

anything to lose, have we?

There's your receipt.

There's a bad curve

sitting out front.

It's got mud on it. Be careful.

Go to sleep, will you?

I'm driving now.

I was just reminding you.

If we go over a cliff, wake me up.

Pour on the brakes.

If we stop and pick up everybody

we see on the road...

...we ain't gonna get in till next week.

It's a dame. It won't hurt to

get her out of the rain.

It's too bad one of them hotshot

passenger cars couldn't give her a lift.

Come on, hop in.

Thanks. I was beginning to

wonder if I'd ever get a ride.

Well, you got one now, so relax.

You're the dame that was

slinging hash at Barney's.

- That's me.

- Well, what happened?

Barney had about 12 hands,

and I didn't like any of them.

Barney's all right.

You didn't have to pass him

100 times a day.

- It was like tangling with an octopus.

- How far you going?

- How far are you going?

- We're going to L.A.

That's okay by me.

I'd just as soon be out of a job

one place as another.

Wait a minute. I better...

...wrap you up.

- What's your name, Red?

- Cassie Hartley.

You know anyone in L.A?

- Well, what are you gonna do?

- Get a room, look for work.

Jobs ain't growing

on bushes these days.

- How much dough you got?

- Enough to get by.

You're gonna lose your teeth chattering

if we don't get something hot into you.

Pull into Mandel's, Paul.

We've been rolling pretty good.

Pearl's waiting up for me.

I was going to spend

an hour with her.

So you'll spend a half-hour

with her. Oh, look.

It's clearing up. We'll be all right.

Don't stop on my account.

We gotta stop,

it might as well be Mandel's.

That ain't home.

Pearl can't cook a steak

like Billy Mandel.

I ain't interested in steaks.

How come you're here?

Ain't you behind schedule?

I've been having tough luck.

I won 48 free games.

I tried to shoot them, but I kept winning.

Only three games and then I roll.

And I'll have to push my foot through

the floorboard to make up my schedule.

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