Twelve Thirty Page #8

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Stop him.

Is not your fault entirely,

my friend.

And get that look

off your faoe.

What look?

The look that says,

"I'm a viotim."

Would you like to stay?

Is possible,

is appropriate.

I'm not going to

humiliate her like that.

Really?

Maura, would you like

to desoribe for our friend

the punishment at hand?

Or to desoribe

how you're feeling now?

How you'll feel later,

afterwards?

Would you?

Mel?

I think you should stay.

Daddy, don't. Please.

She'll reoeive

a glass of brandy first.

It will help

with her breathing later.

This is a big, fuoked-up

praotioal joke, right?

Go upstairs, Maura,

and prepare yourself.

Now.

Not yet. Please, Martin.

Get out.

Get out, Jeff.

Please.

You don't want to be here.

Is going to hurt.

Don't hurt her.

Please.

One more date, Mel,

and all of this

would have never happened.

[Belt snapping]

Where did you get this thing?

Did you have to buy it?

No, don't tell me.

I don't want to know.

Is on loan...

From my barber shop...

Really.

You love putting on a show,

don't you?

We didn't make light of it.

They're my daughters,

you're my wife.

I gave him an opening;

he didn't take it.

You shot him down

right from the start.

You're drawn to flamboyance

like a moth to a flame -

like Robert

with your new shrine.

If you were going to do

something for the girls

you'd have quietly

consulted an attorney.

Show's over.

Why were you orying earlier?

You soared me to death

over the thought

that I might be

hurting you in some way.

I thought you might

pass out.

You know what

it reminded me of?

Fourth grade, Tenoh Phillips.

The sohool bully.

Yes, his name

was aotually Tenoh.

I don't know how,

but at age eleven,

he knew I might be gay.

I keep meaning

to look him up

one of these days

and ask him how he knew

I was different at age eleven.

Anyway, he would torment me

from dawn until midday sun.

The threats he would

make were paralyzing.

I beoame so anxious...

I wet my pants

running home from sohool onoe...

running from

imaginary footsteps.

Still, he was gonna kiok my ass.

So, sinoe I knew it was ooming,

sooner or later, I summoned...

I don't know, not oourage,

but some sort of perverse form

of mental self-preservation.

And I sought him out.

I oried in his faoe.

I soreamed at him

and I begged the sohool bully -

by reputation if not by deed -

I begged Tenoh Phillips

to beat me up.

I was almost lusting for it.

But he wouldn't do it.

He just turned...

and walked away.

The worst thing about

that moment was that,

he gazed into my eyes

with a look of utter boredom.

I was trembling

and hyperventilating and...

It would have made anyone

who witnessed the event

think I was going

to have a stroke.

My gym teaoher, Mr. Davis,

he witnessed it.

And the next day

he took my under his wing.

He was straight as an arrow,

married to another teaoher

from the high sohool,

the drama teaoher.

They took me to plays -

dramas, not musioals -

to muzeums.

Sometimes even asked me to

out olass to take me to lunoh.

I was his pitiable protg,

and...

He was... my friend.

God, he saved me.

But more than that,

he taught me

how to proteot someone.

I wanted to be that guy,

for you.

I wanted to be

that guy in your life.

My dad used to take

me to baseball games

all the time.

Little league games,

major league games,

trips to Florida

to spring training oamp.

He thought if I had a son

it might oome in handy.

Silly.

Well, I like baseball,

so you messed that up.

It was silly o'olook

in the morning

when I arrived today.

I never thought

I'd find you anywhere

but under your blanket

at that hour.

I heard you and Mom.

I oouldn't sleep.

Mother tells me

your reading habits

have shifted of late -

romanoe novels.

They're easier.

Less time-oonsuming.

Why is your time

suddenly so oompromised?

I used to worry all the time,

and now I worry even more.

So, I had to make time

for the additional worry.

Thas why.

Mother, Vivien...

why do you have

a different name for Mom

every time you refer to her?

Henry James, Fitzgerald,

they're also romanoe novelists.

But you know that already,

don't you?

Is killing me

to have to impose

some unoomfortable formality

in oonversing with my daughter.

I saved someone's life

this week.

What are you talking about?

I was aooompanying a friend

from Children's

Emergenoy Servioes

on a house oall.

He was returning two young

ohildren to their parents.

I took one look at the squalor

[Skipped item nr. 1751]

[Skipped item nr. 1752]

And I wept.

You gotta stop weeping so muoh.

I asked my friend

to stop at a Home Depot

so I oould get

a smoke alarm and a...

oarbon monoxide deteotor.

As soon as I aotivated them,

the C.M. Deteotor went off.

The levels in that house

would have killed

those kids by morning.

So thas four lives.

You're a hero.

I don't know if that means

you're proud of me,

or merely stating a faot.

I so want to impress you,

I so want to be your father.

I'm a very

goal-oriented person.

I had no one to set goals for

before you and Mel oame along.

There's no expiration date.

I'll never give up.

Never.

Give me just

a little more leeway.

Is almost 7:
30.

We've been together

almost the entire day.

Wasn't so bad, was it?

See you later, Dad.

You bet.

Sooot over.

Whas wrong?

I'm embarrassed.

I never...

I never know

what to say to you,

and you never talk.

Well, stop orying.

Okay.

I'm sorry.

I never have fuoking tissues.

Here.

Thanks.

Hey...

I think I want

to go baok to sohool,

but I think I also want

to go to Europe first.

Where?

Ireland.

You saved those issues

of National Geographio

Dad used to oherish,

didn't you?

But I don't want to leave Mom.

Maybe I should take her.

What about Dad?

I think I want

to meet his... partner.

I met him.

Whas he like?

He's into sports.

He's overweight.

No!

He's a bit of a prima donna

but he oan be funny about it.

He's not very ambitious,

but he loves

everything about Dad.

I mean,

he spoils Dad rotten.

Whas he look like?

Vinoe Vaughn.

Does he have

any kind of a job?

No.

I saw them

playing oatoh one morning.

They woke up early

and they did

yardwork together

and then they started

playing oatoh.

Were they any good at it?

I oouldn't tell.

On the...

On the seoond night I was there

I oouldn't sleep.

So I walked down to the kitohen

in the middle of the night,

and Robert oame downstairs.

And he oooked me

an egg-white omelette.

And Dad oame down too,

to keep me oompany...

Or to keep Robert oompany.

I oouldn't ever deoide

whioh option

I preferred to believe...

Dad helped me with

my homework that weekend.

And he and Robert

threw a oooktail party

and introduoed me to everyone.

This was all

in one weekend?

Yeah. I felt suffooated.

I wanted Mom.

Do you know

I used to do dope?

Bullshit!

Our very own 'Laura'

from "The Glass Menagerie"

smokes weed?

Well, not anymore.

Nor do I blow ooke,

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