Winter Passing Page #3

Please, can I have the keys?

Please, Shelly? Thank you. Yes?

- They're in the ignition.

- Thank you!

What are you having?

Jameson's on the rocks!

That'll be three bucks.

Thanks!

Where are you from?

Well, uh, here originally!

- Born and bred?

- Born and bred!

- Where do you live now?

- New York City.

Where a pint of domestic beer

costs five bucks!

And you get tipped at least a dollar!

Unless they're European,

in which case, they don't tip at all!

- Ouch!

- Yeah!

And they wear such nice clothes!

- You're obviously a bartender too!

- Mm-hmm! I am!

Well, this is the place to come

if you want some cheap whiskey...

or if you're looking for

a decent open mike!

Wednesday nights, 9:00!

- What's your name?

- Reese!

- Nice to meet you, Reese! I'm Brian!

- Nice to meet you!

- So, uh, Brian!

- Yes, ma'am!

Do you, um!

Know where I could score

something around here?

I assume you're not talking

about Packers' tickets!

- Not even remotely!

- I'm sorry.

I can't help you out there, Reese!

Crack cocaine, huh?

I've seen that stuff on Cops.

Crack cocaine will fry your brain!

Now, there's a rhyme!

You should get in the habit of knocking!

I'm sorry!

You want to listen to some music?

Got a pretty sweet sound system

set up in the basement!

I don't think I can right now!

I'm pretty tired, Corbit!

- Okay!

- Maybe some other time!

No, that's cool! You don't have to!

You probably got more important things to do!

No, I'd really like to hear your stuff!

Just not-You know, not right now!

Hey.

Are you wearing eyeliner?

What?

Right on!

Um, so I'll catch you later?

Yeah, okay! Good night, Corbit!

Good night, Reese!

Hi!

I put some fresh linens on your bed!

And there's a wool blanket

at the bottom of that trunk!

It gets fairly cold at night!

And Don's not a big fan

of turning the heat up!

Yes, thank you! I know!

I lived here for 18 years!

- By the way, what happened to my comforter?

- I'm washing it!

You're quite the reader.

Yeah, well, when you grow up in a house full

of neo-Marxist, anti-TV, ex-hippie workaholics...

Nancy Drew can become your best friend

pretty f***ing quickly!

- Can I ask a question?

- Ask away!

Were they competitive?

Not really.

Their work was so different.

You think so?

He writes literary nightmares

about Berkeley undergrads!

Pulling out Uzis at People's Park!

She wrote about upper-middle-class

American executive types...

stranded in post-I!B!M! Poughkeepsie!

I would say your mum wrote

her fair share of literary nightmares!

I actually think she wrote pseudo-literary

love stories disguised as social satire.

Well, obviously you would know

better than I do!

I mean, I've read everything

by both of them, but!

I wasn't around

when it was happening!

But you are now!

I am!

And I've never seen someone

agonize over each sentence!

The way he does!

And it's funny.

As a teacher, he was always preaching

compositional velocity!

And boring your fingers into the keyboard

as though fiction is some kind of sport!

And now,

getting a paragraph out ofhim...

is like pulling a piano out of a pond!

Would he ever show you his stuff?

I've had to buy every book he's written!

Must have been an interesting childhood!

Yeah!

Competing for attention with

twin No! 3 Underwood typewriters!

Won't do much for your self-esteem!

And now you're an actress!

- What's that supposed to mean?

- Nothing.

It's just interesting!

The attention thing!

- Shelly!

- Yeah?

- How old are you anyway?

- Twenty-three! Why?

Just wanted to do the math

in case you're f***ing my father!

- Can I help you?

- Um, yeah, I hope so!

My name is Dean Gerald!

I've been camping

over near Whitefish Point!

I was told this is where

the novelist Don Holden lives!

Are you, like, one of

his former students or something?

I am currently in the M!F!A!

Writing program at Iowa!

Mr! Holden was a visiting lecturer there

a few years ago!

I wasn't there yet,

but! I, like, heard about it!

So you've never actually met him?

- I'm basically just a fan!

- Excuse me, Reese!

What the f***, dude?

Get off!

That's a $500 camera, man!

No cameras on the premises, mister!

Photographs are not allowed!

- Okay!

- Mr! Holden has- has recently expired!

- Expired?

- That's right- expired!

- He died?

- He's officially concluded all of his earthly business!

And he's no longer around

to talk about it!

So please remove yourself from the premises

or I'll be forced to seize your person!

- Is that understood?

- Totally understood!

And I know karate.

I've amassed several belts.

Okay, I'm removing myself.

But, hey, if, um, Mr! Holden!

Ever decides to revive himself...

and officially resumes

his earthly business...

Would you give this to him?

It's! a harmless fan letter!

Well, if there is ever

an official revival!

I'll make sure Mr! Holden

gets this letter!

Looking for something in particular?

Jesus, Shelly!

You scared the sh*t out of me!

That box is full of Don's

old interview transcripts!

Could you please stop

calling him "Don"in front of me?

It makes me imagine him at some weird

swingers' beach wearing a Speedo!

Don insists that his students

call him by his first name!

How egalitarian!

All you're gonna find in that one

are royalty statements and tax documents.

Why does the idea of you being

his little attach make my skin crawl?

I'm not the one lurking around!

I'm not lurking, Shelly!

This is my house!

I know, Reese.

You grew up here!

You suffered all the calamities

of being a daughter!

Of two self-indulgent,

brilliant artists!

And then you ran away

and never looked back!

Oh, is that what he told you?

That I ran away and I never looked back?

- He didn't tell me anything!

- Don't you have your own family to psychoanalyze?

For some reason

I imagine you as an only child!

Growing up in some vast,

impenetrable mansion with turrets!

Daddy modeling perpetual tennis wear,

Mum playing badminton!

And having biscuits and tea

on the front lawn!

Why don't you go back to Narnia or wherever

the f*** you're from and leave my dad alone?

As it turns out, Reese...

I am an only child!

And my Daddy did play a bit of tennis!

And me mum rather fancied

her biscuits and tea at 4:00 p!m!

Every day after a rather bracing

game of croquet!

But, if you must know...

I grew up in a two-bedroom council flat

in Shepherd's Bush!

And, although it's really none of your

f***ing business, my parents are dead!

When you work out what it is

you're looking for, let me know.

I might be able to help you!

- What you doing?

- Workin'!

- What you doing?

- Workin'!

What's this thing for anyway?

So Mr! Holden can get in the house

without having to walk outside!

Did something happen, Corbit?

- What do you mean?

- I mean, this whole hiding-in-the-garage thing!

- Did one of his stalkers freak him out or something?

- Not that I know of!

He just likes it better inside!

Hey! Do you know anything about these?

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