Wildflower Page #7

I WRITE IT.

OKAY. L-O...

V... E.

LOVE.

GOT A LETTER:

FROM KINDERGARTEN, SAMMY?

[ Sighs ]

[ Kids ]

TRICK OR TREAT!

BOO! BOO! OOH, BOO!

WITCHES. LITTLE WITCHES.

I GOT SOMETHIN' FOR YOU.

THERE'S ONE FOR YOU. YES.

IT'S CALLED MISTLETOE. IT'S A LITTLE GREEN

PLANT, SEE YOU LATER. MERRY CHRISTMAS.

AND PEOPLE HANG IT ABOVE THE

DOOR SO WHEN BOYS WALK THROUGH...

AND GIRLS ARE THERE AT THE SAME TIME, THEY KISS

- ELLIE! ELLIE!

LISA MAE'S BEEN DYIN' TO MEET YOU.

LISA MAE, THIS IS ALICE GUTHRIE.

ALICE,

THIS IS LISA MAE McCLUNG.

LISA! LISA, LISA,

LISA, LISA! [ Laughing ]

WHOO! ELLIE!

SAMMY? YOU'RE HOME!

HEY!

HOW ARE YOU? OH, YEAH!

[ Laughs ]

HOW ARE YOU?

HI, SAMMY.

HEY, ALICE. MERRY

CHRISTMAS. YOU GET MY LETTER?

UH, YEAH, MM-HMM.

COME ON IN!

CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES OVER. YOU'RE

LATE FOR CHURCH. ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT.

[ Indistinct Chatter ]

SAMMY! ELLIE!

[ Church Organ ]

MERRY CHRISTMAS. MERRY

CHRISTMAS TO YOU TOO, PREACHER.

YOU BETCHA.

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

POWERFUL GOOD TO SEE YOU, JACK.

SEEMS LIKE THE ONLY TIME WE GET TO

SEE YOU IS AT CHRISTMASTIME AND EASTER.

YEAH, DON'T IT, THOUGH. GOTTA

START PRAYIN' MORE OFTEN, MAN.

YEAH.

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

SAMMY? EXCUSE ME.

SAMMY. HEY!

HI, BERTHA.

HOW ARE YOU?

HEY, ALICE,

YOU GONNA COME TO OUR SCHOOL?

SURE, JUST AS SOON AS MY GRANNY'S

DONE TUTORIN' HER SPECIAL.

OH, I THINK THAT'S REAL NICE. WHA SUBJECTS ARE YOU STUDYIN', ALICE?

I LEARN... WRITE WORDS.

I WRITE LETTER TO SAMMY.

AND I LEARN... "TWESTION" MARKS

AND "COMMIES" TOO.

WELL, DOES THAT LETTER HAVE ANY

"TWESTION" MARKS OR "COMMIES" IN IT, SAMMY?

[ Laughter ] [ Boy ]

"TWESTION" MARKS? "COMMIES"?

[ Clears Throat ]

[ Giggling ]

THAT'S REAL FUNNY, HUH.

SOME OF Y'ALL GOT THE BRAINS OF A SPARROW.

ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? SEE WHAT YOU DID?

[ Bertha Laughing ]

YOU WAS ASHAMED OF HER, WEREN' YOU? YOU WERE EMBARRASSED TOO.

I WAS EMBARRASSED FOR HER, BUT I

WASN'T ASHAMED OF NO ONE BUT YOU.

AND WHAT DID I DO THAT WAS SO WRONG?

ALICE AIN'T LIKE THE REST OF US.

YOU WANT ME TO PRETEND SHE IS? YOU WAN ME TO CLOSE MY EYES AND MAKE LIKE...

SHE SAYS ALL THE RIGHT WORDS

AND DOES ALL THE RIGHT THINGS?

WHEN WE STARTED TO TEACH ALICE, WE

THOUGHT WE COULD UNDO ALL THEM YEARS...

THAT CRAZY MAN MASHED HER MIND AND BEAT HER

TILL SHE WAS NUMB AND AFRAID TO PAY ATTENTION.

NOW I THINK:

YOU'RE NEAR AS BAD AS HIM.

YOU HURT HER, SAMMY.

YOU HURT HER REAL BAD.

WELL...

I DIDN'T MEAN

TO HURT HER.

ALICE, I-I'M SORRY.

YOU WANT ME LEARNIN'.

GRANNY BESSIE, SHE DOIN' IT.

SHE SAY I DOIN' GOOD,

BUT BOYS AND GIRLS

STILL LAUGHIN'!

ALICE, THEY'RE JUST STUPID.

YOU'RE DOIN' FINE.

THAT'S THE TRUTH.

NO! IT'S NOT TRUE!

YES, ALICE, THAT'S THE TRUTH.

NO, IT'S NO THE TRUTH, SAMMY!

I LEARNIN' READIN' AND WRITIN'.

I LEARNIN' COOKIN' AND WASHIN'.

I DOIN' IT ALL FOR YOU!

I DOIN' IT ALL

TO BE REAL GIRL,

BUT THEY STILL LAUGH

AND YOU STILL LAUGH!

YOU DON'T WRITE ME BACK!

[ Crying ]

ALICE, I- ALICE,

I'M REAL SORRY ABOUT THAT.

PLEASE LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I

- PLEASE, ALICE, LET ME EXPLAIN.

NO! I NOT LISTEN NO MORE!

I NOT WANT THIS.

[ Clears Throat ]

WE HAVE TO GO TO THIS PARTY?

I'M NOT MUCH UP FOR A PARTY.

DON'T YOU WANNA SEE ALL OUR FRIENDS?

YOU CAN SHOW OFF THE NEW SHIRT I MADE YA.

YEAH.

I THINK IT'S REAL SWEET WHA Y'ALL DOIN' FOR THAT POOR ALICE.

SHE'S SO PATHETIC-

CAN'T DO NOTHIN'.

CAN'T READ OR THINK

OR NOTHIN',

BUT Y'ALL BEIN' REAL SWEE TO HER.

NOT EVERYBODY'D DO THAT.

I KNOW I COULDN'T.

NOW I KNOW:

WHAT THIS GIFT IS.

IT AIN'T NO OTHER PAIR

OF SOCKS. YOU THINK IT IS?

NO, SIR.

PUT THAT DOWN.

[ Bessie ] WHY IS IT YOU HAVE TO

GO BACK TO COLLEGE RIGHT NOW, SAMMY?

[ Sammy ] 'CAUSE THE JOB

THEY GAVE ME IN THE LIBRARY.

IF I WORK THERE FULL-TIME

TILL CLASSES START,

I CAN AFFORD TO BUY MY BOOKS

AND KEEP 'EM TOO.

[ Ellie ] I WISH I COULD

GO BACK WITH YOU AND DADDY.

I GO SEE MAMA NOW.

I NO CARE IF EVERYBODY

IN THE WHOLE WORLD LAUGH...

AT MY "TWESTION" MARKS

AND MY "COMMIES."

[ Door Opens, Closes ]

WELL, I THINK I'LL TAKE ONE LAS WALK BEFORE THE DRIVE BACK, DADDY.

I READ IT FOR YOU.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS, MAMA.

"I LOVE YOU.

I MISS YOU. ALICE."

BEEN SO LONG:

SINCE WE HAD CHRISTMAS.

I GOT NOTHIN' FOR YOU.

OH, IT OKAY.

I BETTER GET BACK BEFORE YOUR

DADDY FINDS OUT YOU'RE HERE.

HE BEEN MOVIN' AROUND

TOO MUCH OF LATE.

ALICE, YOU HERE?

GOOD-BYE, SAMMY.

[ Sammy's Voice ] DEAR ELLIE,

COLLEGE EXAMS ARE A LOT HARDER...

THAN I EVER IMAGINED.

I STUDY AND WORK

AND WORK AND STUDY.

SEEMS LIKE I DON'T HAVE TIME

FOR ANYTHING ELSE.

I THINK ABOUT YOU AND DADDY

ALL THE TIME.

I MISS YOUR PLUM PUDDIN'.

LOVE, SAMMY.

P.S. SAY HEY TO ALICE.

HEY, ALICE.

[ Ellie's Voice ] DEAR SAMMY, WE'RE ALL

GETTIN' READY FOR THE FOUNDER'S DAY DANCE.

DADDY'S TEACHIN' ALICE TO DANCE.

UGH.

GRANNY'S MAKIN' ME GO.

UGH. UGH.

AND SHE'S MAKIN' US BOTH SEW

THESE FANCY DRESSES.

UGH, UGH, UGH.

ALICE'S DRESS IS CUT REAL LOW IN

THE FRONT AND SO HER BOSOMS SHOW.

LOVE, ELLIE.

[ Sammy's Voice ] DEAR ELLIE,

IT'S STILL EVERYTHING I CAN DO...

TO KEEP UP:

WITH THE STUDYING HERE.

IT AMAZES ME HOW SIMPLE

THINGS ARE BACK IN DILMONT.

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THIS IS THE

FIRST SPRING DANCE I WON'T BE HOME FOR.

IS GRANNY STILL TRYIN'

TO THROW A DRESS ON YOU?

MAYBE IF SHE DID, YOU'D GE A KISS OUT OF CLETUS. HA, HA.

LOVE, SAMMY. P.S. WHY IS

ALICE'S DRESS CUT SO LOW?

[ Ellie's Voice ] DEAR SAMMY, LISA

MAE IS MADDER THAN A WET HEN...

EVER SINCE DAVID BUTLER'S BEEN TELLIN'

EVERYONE HE'S SO HOOKED ON ALICE.

HE WALKED HER ALL THE WAY HOME YESTERDAY

AND ALICE WAS JUST LAUGHIN' THE WHOLE TIME.

I WONDER WHAT'LL HAPPEN

AT THE FOUNDER'S DAY DANCE.

LOVE, ELLIE. P.S. IT SURE

IS A SHAME YOU CAN'T MAKE IT.

[ Sammy ]

DAVID BUTLER. DAVID BUTLER.

SHOOT!

DAVID BUTLER.

WHAT THE HELL THEY DOIN'

IN THERE?

WELL, THEY'RE FUSSIN'.

GIRLS FUSS, YOU KNOW?

WE'RE ALREADY LATE,

GIRLS! [ Horn Honking ]

COME ON, ELLIE. YOUR DADDY'S GETTIN'

IMPATIENT. COME ON! QUIT FUSSIN'!

[ Jack ] ELLIE, TIME'S

A- WASTIN'! COME ON, NOW!

OH, MY GOODNESS!

ALICE, YOU LOOK LOVELY.

JUST LOVELY. [ Hooting ]

LOOK AT YOU. MY, GOODNESS.

SUCH PRETTY FLOWERS.

THANK YOU.

[ Laughs ]

OH.

EL,

YOU ARE THE PICTURE

OF YOUR MAMA.

I AM?

AIN'T SHE, HUH?

OH, YOU ARE.

AM I REALLY, GRANNY?

YEAH, YOU ARE. JUST THANK YOUR LUCKY

STARS YOU DIDN'T TAKE AFTER YOUR DADDY.

LET'S MOVE, GIRLS, BEFORE BESSIE SAYS

SOMETHING ELSE SHE'LL REGRET. COME ON NOW!

ADA, COME HERE!

ADA!

ADA, GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW,

YOU HEAR?

NOW!

[ Grunting ]

HOWDY. YOU GOIN' ANYWHERE

NEAR DILMONT?

WELL, NOT TOO CLOSE.

I CAN TAKE YA, THOUGH.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.

ADA!

ALICE, YOU GET OUT HERE

RIGHT NOW!

YOU BRING THAT GIRL OUT HERE!

[ Laughter, Clapping ]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION NOW?

AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE GATHERED

HERE TONIGHT FOR OUR ANNUAL...

FOUNDER'S DAY PICNIC.

YOU GONNA DANCE, ELLIE?

NOT ON YOUR LIFE.

I'M NOT INTERESTED, FOR YOUR

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