West of Her

1

[CELL PHONE VIBRATING]

[HEAVY BREATHING]

- HELLO?

-[MAN] MR. LINCOLN?

- YEAH. -[MAN] ARE

You STILL SINGLE?

- YES. -[MAN] STILL NO IMMEDIATE

TIES VVITH FAMILY CF ANY KIND?

I'M STILL AN ORPHAN, YEAH.

[MAN] NO RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS

OR ADVANCEMENTS,

CAREER OR OTHERWISE?

YEAH, NOBODY KNOWS

I'M ALIVE.

[MAN] ALL RIGHT. VVE'VE

MATCHED YOU VVITH A PARTNER.

SHE CAN MEET YOU AT A BUS

STATION, AN HOUR WEST OF CHICAGO

AT 1:
00 P.M., A WEEK FROM

TOMORROW. IS THIS ACCEPTABLE?

- SURE. -[MAN] DETAILS

ARE BEING FORVVARDED

ALONG WITH INSTRUCTIONS.

- OKAY.

-[MAN] DANIEL?

YOU KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE

TO DISCONNECT THIS NUMBER.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[DAN] ALL RIGHT, VVHERE

ARE VVE GOING AGAIN?

MITCHELL, SOUTH DAKOTA.

NO, THE PLACE.

OH...

IT'S A SECRET.

I'LL TELL YOU WHEN WE GET THERE.

- TELL ME VVHEN VVE GET THERE?

- YEAH.

[DAN]

I DON'T REALLY LIKE SURPRISES.

[WOMAN]

TOO BAD.

THE CORN PALACE.

I WAS SAVING I FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION.

YOUR FIRST NIGHT SEEMS

APPROPRIATE ENOUGH.

OKAY, LET'S GO.

WAIT A SECOND.

[WOMAN]

SH*T.

PUT THIS ON.

ALL RIGHT,

LET'S NOT DO THIS.

-[AIR HISSING]

- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

[GRUNT]

IT'S A CONTINGENCY PLAN.

NOVV YOU GO TELL THE GUYS ON THE BENCH

YOU NEED HELP CHANGING THE TIRE.

YOU CAN'T DO IT BECAUSE

OF YOUR WRIST, RIGHT?

THEN YOU BRING THEM BACK HERE

AND I'LL RUN OUT AND DO IT.

I DON'T WANNA DO THAT.

FINE, THEN YOU'LL

HAVE TO DO IT... BY YOURSELF.

AND YOU REALLY VVANT TVVO DRUNK GUYS

GOING DOVVN SQME STREET VVITH ME?

- I THINK YOU'LL BE FINE.

- I WASN'T WORRIED ABOUT ME.

WHY DON'T WE JUST DO IT HERE?

NOBODY'S GONNA SEE US HERE.

COME ON,

IT'S THE CORN PALACE.

[HEAVY BREATHING]

[CHIT CHAT]

WELL, LOOK AT THIS...

YOU IN TROUBLE, FRIEND?

I REALLY, REALLY HOPE NOT.

[MAN]

COME ON, DAMN IT.

[MAN #2] YOU'RE DOING

THIS THE WRONG WAY, MAN.

[GRUNTING]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

- ALL RIGHT.

- THANK YOU, GUYS.

- NO PROBLEM, MAN. ALL RIGHT.

- THANK YOU.

- DID YOU DO IT?

- YEAH.

YOU ALL RIGHT?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

-[CROWD MURMURING]

-[DAN] [HEAVY BREATHING]

[FIDDLE MUSIC PLAYING]

-[RADIO VOLUME DECREASES]

- HEY, YOU.

THE COLONIAL PINE HILLS

WELCOME YOU.

OR AT LEAST, I THINK THEY DO,

THEY DIDN'T SAY.

WE NEED TO SLEEP.

- IT'S MORNING?

- YEAH.

[YAWNING] I DEFINITELY

NEED TO SLEEP.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

YOU CAN TAKE THE TENT ON ACCOUN OF IT'S YOUR FIRST NIGHT AND ALL.

IT'S EASY TO SET UP.

THANKS.

WHERE ARE YOU GONNA SLEEP?

IN THE BACKSEAT.

IT'S A GOOD THING ABOU WORKING SO LATE.

YOU CAN SLEEP:

JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE.

BUT SLEEP, OKAY?

WE HAVEN'T EVEN GONE

OVER THE BASICS. THE WHOLE:

DON'T GET THERE

BEFORE MIDNIGHT,

NEVER PARK WHILE

YOU'RE LAYING THE TILE,

IDEALLY NO ONE SHOULD EVER

SEE US... AT ALL... EVER.

THINK ABOUT WHERE

YOU WANNA GO TOMORROW.

I DON'T KNOW IF THEY TOLD YOU

THIS, BUT I REALLY--

I DON'T LIKE SLEEPING.

WE REALLY DON'T HAVE

A ROUTE OR ANYTHING?

WE JUST HAVE TO:

CALL EVERY FEW DAYS

TO GET BUDGET APPROVAL,

TELL THEM WHERE WE'VE BEEN

SO WE DON'T CROSS PATHS

WITH ANYBODY.

I CHOSE THE CORN PALACE.

SO, TAG, YOU'RE IT.

THINK ABOUT IT.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

[LABORED BREATHING]

BAD DREAMS?

I DON'T KNOW.

I JUST HAVE A...

IT'S, LIKE, A HEART THING.

- BROKEN?

- UH...

A LITTLE FAULTY.

ANYWAY, IT JUST GOES, LIKE,

CRAZY WITHOUT WARNING SOMETIMES

AND IT DOESN'T REALLY

RESPOND TOO GOOD TO STRESS.

NOT SUPPOSED TO:

OVER-EXERT MYSELF.

YOU SHOULD TRY:

TO EXERT YOURSELF.

I MIGHT DIE.

YOU'LL DIE IF YOU DON'T,

I'LL TELL YOU THAT.

ALL RIGHT. EAT.

I'LL BREAK DOWN THE TENT.

HAVE YOU EVER:

SEEN IT BEFORE?

NOT THIS YEAR.

DID I SEE I THIS YEAR OR...?

AH, NOT THIS YEAR.

YOU KNOW I'VE NEVER EVEN

BEEN OUTSIDE OF ILLINOIS?

SO WHERE ARE WE:

GOING TODAY?

I... DON'T KNOW.

WHY DON'T YOU DECIDE?

YOU HAVE TO VVANNA DO THIS, OTHERVVISE

I MIGHT AS VVELL TAKE YOU HOME.

ARE THE ROCKIES NEARBY?

I'VE ALWAYS WANTED

TO SEE THEM.

SOMEONE ALREADY GOT ASPEN.

HOW'S ESTES PARK?

GATEWAY TO THE ROCKIES.

YEAH, THAT SOUNDS GOOD.

- YEAH?

- YEAH.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

- OKAY, LET'S PUT IT HERE.

- HERE?

- HOVV DO YOU FEEL?

- I FEEL GOOD, I FEEL REALLY, REALLY GOOD.

BOTH:

[LAUGHING]

ALL RIGHT, GOOD? WANNA TAKE IT?

OR YOU'RE GOOD?

YEAH.

ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO.

LET'S GO.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I GUESS ALL RIGHT,

I'VE BEEN LIVING IN ILLINOIS

FOR AS LONG AS:

I CAN REMEMBER.

I WORKED FOR DIFFEREN NON-PROFITS,

LIKE, SOUP KITCHENS,

LITERACY CENTERS,

SO I GUESS I'M LIKE A PROFESSIONAL,

YOU KNOVV, VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR.

THAT SOUNDS REWARDING...

WHY DID YOU STOP?

UH, I DON'T KNOW, I MEAN, THINGS

SORTA FELL APART A WHILE BACK

AND I REALIZE I DIDN'T HAVE

ANYBODY IN MY LIFE.

OKAY, LET'S DO THIS.

BUT, UH...

BACK IT UP, THOUGH, LET'S...

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PARENTS.

- NEVER KNEW 'EM.

-ol- | ... UM--

IT'S NOT LIKE THAT, I JUST--

I WAS IN FOSTER CARE FOR

AS FAR BACK AS I CAN REMEMBER

SO I NEVER KNEW 'EM

AND I DON'T NEED TO.

BUT DID YOU HAVE A FAMILY,

LIKE, LONG-TERM CARE?

WELL, FIRST I WAS UH...

HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THIS--?

A NOVELTY BABY.

YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS?

IT'S LIKE A NEW HOME

FOR EVERY BIRTHDAY.

YOU SEE, BECAUSE,

LIKE SOME COUPLES,

THEY ONLY SEEM TO WAN A BABY OF A CERTAIN AGE.

AND THEN WHEN THE KID

GROWS OUT OF THAT AGE,

THEY REALIZE THAT THEY'RE

STARING DOVVN THE BARREL OF,

YOU KNOW,

THE REST OF A LIFE.

WELL, TWO LIVES.

YOU KNOW, THEIRS AND HIS,

WHICH I GUESS CAN BE,

YOU KNOW, ONE THING IN THEORY

BUT IT'S ANOTHER THING WHEN

THAT REALITY REALLY LIKES...

YOU KNOW, CLOTHES AND FOOD

AND ALWAYS WILL.

BUT, I MEAN, I SPENT TIME

IN EVERY CLICHE IMAGINABLE.

ARE YOU AN OPTIMIST, DAN?

AN OPTIMIST...

CAN YOU BE:

A CAUTIOUS OPTIMIST?

HOW ABOUT A HOPEFUL OPTIMIST?

- OKAY.

- GOOD.

I WOULDN'T WANT TO DRIVE

TO COLORADO WITH ANYONE

WHO WASN'T A HOPEFUL OPTIMIST.

ESPECIALLY IN THE CASE

OF A DICKENSIAN CHILDHOOD.

YOU KNOW,

WHEN I WAS, UH...

YOU KNOW, 13 I MOVED

IN WITH THIS COUPLE,

WITH A GIRL WHO WAS ABOUT,

YOU KNOW, A YEAR OLDER THAN ME.

SO IT TURNS OU THAT THIS COUPLE,

THEY HAD TWO KIDS WHO DIED,

YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG.

SO, SOMEHOW, THIS COUPLE,

RIGHT, THESE PARENTS,

THEY FOUND A WAY TO GET TWO KIDS

THAT WERE THE SAME AGE

AS THEIR KIDS WERE

WHEN THEY DIED.

BUT THEY ALSO FOUND A WAY--

AND DON'T ASK ME HOW--

TO ENSURE THAT THEY GOT KIDS

WITH SPECIFIC BIRTHDAYS.

THE SAME EXACT BIRTHDAYS

THAT THEIR KIDS HAD BUT,

YOU KNOVV, A YEAR LATER TO ACCOUN FOR THE TIME IT TOOK TO FIND US.

- THIS IS BULLSHIT, RIGHT?

- IT'S NOT BULLSHIT AT ALL.

NOVV, THE BIRTHDAYS THING, IT'S IMPORTAN BECAUSE IT MEANT THAT ME AND THIS GIRL

REALLY FELT THIS STRANGE,

SORT OF CONNECTION.

DOES THIS STORY END WITH YOU

KISSING YOUR SISTER?

SHE WASN'T REALLY MY SISTER.

IT WAS LIKE, OKAY--

PICTURE IT THIS WAY...

RIGHT, WE WERE STUDENTS.

OKAY, ROOMMATES, AT SOME REALLY

INAPPROPRIATE BOARDING SCHOOL.

NOVV, THIS COUPLE, THEY VVERE VVELL-OFF

SO VVE COULD AFFORD SEPARATE BATHROOMS...

OH, AND THAT MAKES IT OKAY.

YOU ASKED ME,

I'M TELLING YOU.

I'M SORRY, GO ON. YOU HAVE THE

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