Words and Pictures Page #7

Excuse me.

I've studied its

dimensions for months.

Delsanto, I am going

to walk over there

where the light is falling on you,

and I am going to kiss you,

unless you speak a

loud, resounding no.

There haven't been any men

in my life for years...

by choice.

Theirs?

Mm, this is ridiculous.

No, this is great.

The tape on your

hand is ridiculous.

Well, take it off then gently.

Listen to me.

You're covering my ears.

Listen.

We can decide right now to

take this afternoon to bed,

no discussion, no debate,

no words, no pictures,

no angst, no past, no guilt...

Will you shut up.

Hmm?

You'd have to be careful.

I've had a vasectomy,

and I'm very clean.

With me, you idiot.

With my body.

You just have to

tell me what hurts,

where, and how much.

This is a terrible idea.

No, people do this all the time.

They just have a couple

of dinners first.

Were you ever married?

No, why?

Long relationships?

Uh, I lived with a man in

Barbados for six years.

I was married to a pediatrician.

It ended badly.

I got a son in college.

I got a great aunt who's 107.

That could have taken us, you

know, two dinners and a movie

before we got to

your Barbadosian...

and my Aunt Nell,

and yet here we are, ready, now.

I'm feeling better.

The meds seem to be...

But how can I trust it?

Not yet.

So I want you to know

that if I say yes,

it's partly because, uh...

life keeps taking

things away from me,

and I'm never sure when

it's the last chance

I have to do something,

and to do it fully,

and if it is, I don't

want to miss it.

Can we do that again?

Wait, for God's sake.

It's been...

nine minutes.

I'm not ready.

Will you give me an ETA then?

You know, an experience like

that should be savored.

I'll just read until

you've recovered.

Give me my book.

Yeah, get a big, thick book.

I'm going to have to fill my

dance card with other suitors.

Give me my book.

You Jezebel.

You Rip Van Winkle.

You know, I think the

norm's like, uh,

20 minutes.

Mmm. Then I'll call Norm.

Norm, come here.

Norm, can you hear me?

Norm, I'm dying.

Please, Norm.

You bring the sun out

To warm my life up

To make my love grow every day

What?

For a man who saved his

job today and got laid,

you're looking a little bit lost

and forlorn.

- Really?

- Mm-hmm.

Why is that?

Is it this?

- Us?

- No, no, no, no.

Isn't that a beautiful

word, forlorn?

You know, it comes from the

Old English forleosan...

Don't change the subject.

Delsanto, I don't want to go home.

Can I stay?

Sleeping together,

that's a major step.

- Is it?

- Mm.

I think you have to start

by calling me Dina.

Who's Dina?

- Dina.

- Dina.

No, that's weird.

Dina.

Dina.

I'll always know you're near

To bring the sun out

To warm my life up

To make my love grow

Every day

Dina.

Mmm?

Dina.

You have to look, Dina, please.

Can you talk? Can you look?

I'm not feeling well.

The medication.

Can you see this?

Are you drunk?

Look at this picture, it's perfect.

You, uh...

You remember this? You...

You remember the poem?

- Yes, I remember it.

- Yeah, well, listen.

Listen.

I never wrote it.

I stole it.

From my son.

I did.

I never wrote a poem that good.

Never.

I...

I stole it. I said it was mine.

I saved my ass.

I saved my job.

How could you do that?

What if the fire just goes out?

Whoa!

I need a camera.

I just want to capture this look of

disappointment and revulsion.

You're using the wrong words.

No, words are my

business, Delsanto.

Pity is the one you're looking for.

Yeah, I don't want that.

You can't choose what I feel.

You want me to go?

You can't. You're too drunk.

I want you to stop drinking.

Go lie on the couch and pass out.

Go away.

Oh, sh*t.

I want you to walk out of my door.

I want you to exit my life.

I am so sorry, I...

I want you to go now

without one... more... word.

Ah! Ah!

Are you saving these

for your vodka museum?

Christ, Jack.

I see your culinary

skills haven't improved.

You're still eating

beer-battered chicken?

I'm Jack. Uh, I'm an

English teacher at, uh...

I'm an alcoholic.

I've been sober for six days.

Just give it to Jesus, man.

Jesus, there's a good teacher.

You know, Gandhi,

Martin Luther King,

Mrs. Betty Hilliard, fifth grade,

my own personal angel

and role model,

but, uh, I'm not aiming that high.

I just want to quit drinking.

Forever.

Please get to the point,

and if this is Jack

Marcus, good-bye.

The point, Delsanto, is contrition.

I'm not asking for forgiveness.

I'm just hoping you're all right.

Are you in any way the

least bit all right?

You know, good-bye is

actually a shortened version

of God be with you.

Anyway, thanks for the thought.

I'll keep trying.

For now, so long.

That, by the way,

comes from salaam,

which means peace be with you.

Which is all I'm

really trying to say.

You didn't write the poem?

It's not yours?

I can't believe I'm hearing this.

Makes me sick.

This is my resignation.

I wrote it myself.

If it's possible, I would

like to finish out the year.

Finish out the year then.

- Thank you.

- No, it's not for you.

It's so no one asks

why, so no one knows.

You can give us that.

What will you do?

I'll try to find a school that

will take a chance on me.

- I wish you well.

- Oh, God.

Oh, my God.

What about the assembly,

Words Versus Pictures?

It's still on the schedule,

but I don't think you

will have Miss Delsanto.

She has asked for medical leave.

Delsanto!

Medical leave?

What are you doing, you hiding?

Come on!

You're needed at the school.

You know, don't let me

take that away from you.

You know, I'm not worth that.

Delsanto!

- Shut up!

- Just come outside. Take...

Take a swing at me.

You know, kick me in the balls.

Thank you. I might.

Her sister, Sabine.

- Jack Marcus.

- No kidding.

Why are you speaking to that sh*t?

No!

Look, tell her...

Don't say anything stupid, okay?

Tell her I want to

buy that painting.

Whatever her price would

have been, I want to buy it.

The painting is not for sale.

And she said to tell that

arrogant, self-absorbed a**hole

that my medical leave has

nothing to do with him.

She had a knee operation.

- Tell her...

- Oh, make this good.

She's shutting down, and

it scares me, so step up.

Tell her I want to

tear out my heart,

I want to hand it to her,

and I want to watch her eat it.

When?!

This is my Dad. Catherine.

It's nice to finally meet you.

Oh, it's a pleasure, really.

- And Hank.

- Hank.

Nice to meet you.

Maybe I'll let you two talk.

See you in a minute.

Yeah.

This is a surprise.

She's pretty.

Nice smile, good energy.

What's on your mind?

You remember that,

uh, poem you wrote?

Yeah.

You know, the one I...

the one I put on my board?

Mm-hmm.

I actually told some

people that I wrote it.

Kind of put my name

on it for a while.

So now I'm telling

people the truth.

I'm resigning from the school,

and I quit drinking.

Now, I know you've

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