Wish You Well Page #4

---

And over there,

that's the stone chimney.

You sure do know a lot

about stars, Diamond.

Well, when you're up here

in the mountains, you're closer to 'em.

You get to see 'em better

than other folks.

There's coal in that there rock.

Pickaxe can't do job.

You gotta use dynamite.

- Is it dangerous?

- No. Done it myself.

But if you ain't careful,

you can blow yourself up good.

You know, after it blows, maybe I could

take you in, show you around.

You should think about coming

to live with us.

You could be my big brother.

Maybe I will.

Jeb! Jeb, stop! Come back here!

- Jeb! Diamond!

- Jeb, come here!

- Come back here, Jeb!

- Diamond, wait now. Stop!

- No! Lou, no!

- Hey. Wait here, Ms. Lou.

- Come here, boy!

- I'll get him.

Jeb, come back!

- Come out of there!

- Come on now! Come on!

Diamond!

Eugene!

Eugene, where is he? Where is he?

Where's Diamond? Eugene, where is he?

Sorry, Ms. Lou.

Diamond!

Diamond!

Ms. Lou.

Okay.

It's okay.

People pass and it's natural,

the old making way for the new,

but when a child dies,

it just turns everything upside down.

I don't know much,

but I do know that...

Diamond's up there

right now, telling God a story.

And God is laughing.

And that's all any of us

need to carry in our hearts

about this young man.

I can close my eyes and wish...

and wish,

but you are never coming back.

- Where you going?

- Going to send a letter.

In your nightgown?

A lot to take to market.

What do you want?

Hey, Billy.

Hey, you know you're just in time.

I was just saying what are we

gonna do with all this food?

Come on over here and take this home.

Lou, put this one on Billy's cart.

And if your daddy say anything about this

you tell him to come talk to me.

Before long, Ms. Louisa,

I won't care what my pa says.

It's not fair. George Davis sells

his crops and we feed his family?

I'll tell you what's fair,

a momma and her babies having

food to eat. That's what's fair.

You remember that.

What are those?

Just some old letters from Mom.

Would you read them to me?

All right. Just one.

"Dear Louisa, I hope you are doing well.

"Oz is over the whooping cough

and is finally sleeping through the night."

Me! She wrote about me!

"Your great granddaughter is amazing."

Your great granddaughter

is amazing, Louisa.

Her mind is so quick.

I'm afraid she finds me a little boring.

I know she wants more than anything

to be a writer like her father,

but she needs to understand that

every writer has to find their own voice.

But when Lou opens up her heart

and lets the words pour from her

I know the world will have another

mighty fine writer... named Cardinal.

That was a good letter.

Good night, Oz.

Night, Lou.

I guarantee you it's going to be

a Jim dandy of a Christmas now,

I'm telling you.

With the gas we're gonna get out of this,

this hole in the ground here...

Hey!

- Let me go! Please! Please!

- George!

What is going on up there?

What... What is going on here?

Louisa's kin.

Think she heard?

Don't know.

Ms. Cardinal. I'm Judd Wheeler,

President of Southern Valley.

He pays you to steal

other people's land.

You're a little bit

of a problem now, aren't you?

- If you were my daughter...

- She's not!

Now let's calm damn, folks.

It's just business.

Well, then it's good I've got

my lawyer here, isn't it?

Ms. Cardinal, I'm happy to offer you

fifty thousand dollars for your property.

Well, that offer is for the underlying

mineral rights only, of course.

No. I've got bigger plans

for her property.

It's the perfect location.

I don't see one negative.

Well, except I ain't sellin' it to you.

My company is looking to make

a substantial investment here.

Now how can you stand

in the way of that?

On my own two feet.

Louisa, you'd be rich.

No, I wouldn't. I'd just have

a whole bunch of money I don't need.

- Louisa, you's crazy.

- Well, then you sell him your land.

They can't get to my land

without crossing your property!

Well, that's not my problem, is it?

- Fool woman!

- You get goin' now.

That was a lot of money.

Well,

one thing you got to remember

about these coal people,

and I told this to your daddy, too,

they got one job on this earth

and that's stealing the sun.

Because once they get through

destroying our land,

there gonna be no need for no more sun.

Well, thank you, Myrtle.

Land doesn't look nearly

as free on paper, does it?

No, Ms. Louisa, it don't.

But George Davis was right,

he's land locked.

They gotta cross your land

or he ain't gonna get nothin'.

That damn coal company

is not gonna get my farm

and destroy the mountain

and ruin the land.

Not while I'm...

You all right?

Is there a chair?

- There you go.

- Thank you.

Those children are gonna need you.

I ain't know how to take care

of Lou and Oz.

Sure you do. You've been

taking care of me for years.

They need their momma.

No, no, no, they just need someone

to love 'em and take care of 'em.

Even if I could take care of 'em,

ain't nobody gonna let me do it.

Eugene, when I took you in,

you were just a little boy.

Scared of his own shadow.

Look at you now.

What a fine human being you are.

You're gonna show 'em the way.

What are you doing here?

You tell that old woman...

she better sell this place.

Get off our land! Now!

You leave my sister alone!

You damn bastard. Come here!

Come here, you little bastards!

Hell No. You touch a white man, boy?

You know that ain't never been my name.

It be Eugene Randall.

Don't you never call me nothin' else.

Thank you, Eugene.

Go on now.

I want to read you one of my stories.

"It was a pretty fall day

"and the leaves were yellow and red.

"A little girl was running.

"At last, she could see

the big house on the hill.

She didn't live there,

but she always wanted to."

Lou! This came for you

from the magazine!

Okay, Oz.

Louisa!

Louisa!

Louisa, look!

A hundred dollars?

I am so proud of you.

Congratulations, honey.

Thank you.

- A hundred dollars is a lot of money.

- It sure is.

Here you go.

That is a mighty fine story, Lou.

Diamond would have been real proud.

Plus, you get to pay a few bills?

So how does it feel

to sell your first story?

I was wondering how my dad felt.

Well, I'm sure he felt

exactly like you feel right now.

How about I treat you to lunch?

I'd be honored.

You finish your homework?

Yeah.

What?

I need to know why my dad

never came back here.

This is your daddy's father and mother,

my son, Jacob,

and his wife, Susan.

Susan run off and left Jacob.

And when your daddy was just a...

a young'un.

I guess the mountain

didn't agree with her.

I can still hear your daddy's voice

calling her... over and over.

"I want my mother!"

And Jacob,

he just never got over her leaving.

Your daddy and I watched

a man we both love

die... a little bit every day

until there was just...

nothing left of him.

It was hard...

watching my...

my son die.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes