Stanley & Iris (1990) Movie Script
Good night, Iris.
Have a good weekend.
Hey, stop him! He's got my purse!
Wait a minute!
Give me my purse, God damn it!
Give me my purse, you little bastard!
Oh, God!
Ow! Ow!
Hey!
You OK?
Lady! Lady!
Lady, hold it, I'm trying to help you.
Where'd he go?
- Go after him!
- He's in the next state by now.
He's got my pay cheque,
my whole week's pay cheque.
- Are you OK?
- My keys were in there,
my wallet, my credit cards,
my rosary, my kids' pictures.
That little bastard.
Wrong, lady, that was a big bastard.
You were mad to run after him.
Let him have the purse, give it to him.
Give it to him? I'd like to give him
a knee where he lives.
He could have been high. You're lucky.
I don't feel lucky, mister.
- It's only money.
- It's my money.
When it's yours, you can be a philosopher.
Thank you.
You OK?
- Are you all right?
- It's OK.
I see you at work.
You work in the bakery?
I'm in the canteen.
Behind the mashed potatoes.
Nobody ever looks at the cook.
Well, um...
Thanks.
You were really nice
to stick your neck out back there.
You could have gotten hurt.
I didn't.
It's lucky you were on the bus.
I don't usually take the bus
but they stole my bike.
Thanks.
Um... would you take some money
and, I don't know, have a beer on me?
Lady, I don't want your money.
Anyway, you don't have any.
Yes, I do.
I keep a five-dollar bill in my shoe. Here.
- Keep it for the next time.
- There's not gonna be a next time.
I believe you.
- I'm Stanley Cox.
- Iris King.
- Stay out of harm's way, Mrs King.
- I'll try, Mr Cox.
- Good. Good night.
- Good night.
- What did the doctor say?
- They're doing a scrape.
- When?
- Couple of weeks.
- You going to have to stay over?
- Nope.
- In and out.
- What's the matter?
I'm not going to discuss
my plumbing with everyone.
There must have been 500 guys
at the employment office today.
Saw everybody I know.
One guy brought a broom and swept,
just for something to do.
- Can you believe that?
- Bet it wasn't you.
- Did they have anything?
- An opening for a hairdresser.
I didn't do much better.
I can't run a computer or give a pedicure,
and that's all there was,
so we can't pay you anything this week.
I didn't ask.
No, but you're making us count
every roll of toilet paper,
making us use the soap
down to the last sliver.
I wouldn't be here if I didn't have to be.
I'd be in my own house,
with my own Drexel furniture
and air conditioning.
We're in the same lifeboat, Sharon.
Don't rock it.
Where did you get the money for beer?
I'm asking you! Where did you get
the money for beer?
You stole my money!
All right, I've been holding out on you.
I've been saving to get my teeth fixed.
I'm not getting my face lifted
to go to Hollywood.
And he stole it!
You had my pay cheque when I had one.
I needed a drink.
You took the money for my teeth,
you bastard!
I'm not a piece of garbage. I'm a man.
You bastard! You bastard!
You...
Out. Out, kids. Walk around the block.
Well, this is a first for this house.
How long will we have to stay out here?
I don't know. Till they cool off, I guess.
I cleaned up the kitchen.
I cleaned up my sister.
You should have called the cops on me.
I couldn't have made your bail.
We fight a hell of a lot, Sharon and me.
We started at City Hall and never quit.
Why'd you marry her?
She was cute.
None of us stay cute.
You and George had a hell of a marriage.
He wasn't even a good-Iooking guy.
Yes, he was.
- He didn't make a big living.
- He made enough.
But the guy was dying.
You slept on the floor by his bed.
You washed him, cleaned up his mess,
you held him up on the toilet.
Maybe I married the wrong sister.
Go to bed, Joe.
I bought a bunch of condoms yesterday.
From now on,
nobody is getting in without one.
Well, you got rush-hour traffic.
I've got nobody to give one to.
I can fix you up with somebody.
But he's a little older.
- How old?
- He fought in Worid War 2.
That's too old.
Give me Korea, give me Vietnam.
How about the National Guard?
I just want to get pregnant and get out.
You'll be back. It takes two incomes.
Where's your husband, Bertha?
Doing time, just like me.
- Are they ready?
- Uh...
Yeah.
I stretched them as far as they'd go.
Try them on.
- They're still too tight.
- Cheap shoes.
Actually, maybe they are a little better.
- Oh, hi.
- Hello.
Goodness.
- Hello.
- Hi.
- Brown brogues.
- Got a ticket?
You didn't give me a ticket.
No. We don't take shoes
without giving tickets.
- You didn't give me one.
- Everybody gets a ticket.
- I didn't.
- You lost it.
- No, I didn't get a ticket.
- Everybody gets a ticket.
I didn't get a ticket.
You said it cost two dollars.
Here's the two dollars.
Everybody gets a ticket.
Mister, I'm gonna describe
the shoes to you, OK?
They're brown brogues.
They're right behind you.
Well, if you don't got a ticket,
you gotta sign for them.
Just give me the shoes.
- Put your name down.
- Just give me the shoes.
- Write your name down.
- Just hand them to me.
Put your signature down...
That guy's crazy.
He wanted his shoes, and he paid for 'em.
Hey! We've been waiting 15 minutes!
- Do you believe that?
- Might as well walk.
You can't even get a bus!
- What kind of service is that?
- I've been on my feet all day.
- Bus out again?
- Yeah. Third time this week.
Want a ride home?
Well... guess it beats waiting around
for another 30 minutes. OK.
Have fun.
Honey, you got room for one more?
I see you got your bike back.
I had to buy another one, second-hand.
You don't drive a car?
I like a bike better. Cleaner, cheaper.
I'd take a new Chevy
if I could make the payments.
This town's getting too big.
I'd like to move to the country,
away from people.
Get some Rhode Island Reds,
some cows for milk,
maybe put a hex sign up on my barn.
- How about some barbed wire?
- No, a mean dog would do.
Have you always been a cook?
I'm a good cook. I like to cook.
Sorry, but the food in the canteen is lousy.
The boss is cheap. He won't buy
good stuff. You gotta buy good stuff.
With me, it's got to come out
of a box or can, whatever's fast.
That's my house.
Hi, Stanley! Hi!
- And that's my father.
- You still live at home?
I wasn't born till he was 50.
He likes to have me around.
Does he get along with your wife?
I don't have one.
You live with your father, you do your own
cooking and you're not married. Is that it?
That's about as much as I'll talk about.
All right.
What do you do with yourself
after work?
I go to the movies.
Alone?
I take a bag of popcorn.
You don't mix much, do you?
No.
You got something that's catching?
I think I'm about out of small talk.
I didn't stick my thumb out, Mr Cox,
you offered me a ride.
Right here.
- Thanks for the lift.
- Yes, ma'am.
A guy broke into that house
and bashed an old lady over the head.
It wasn't you, was it?
Not me. I don't even kill mosquitoes.
I'm home.
Chicken and peas and potatoes, please.
- Thanks.
- I'll have the same.
Chicken,
peas...
and potatoes.
Chicken.
And peas.
- Peas.
- Peas?
Bobby, you want to check the fruit?
I'm on top of it!
Uh, that shirt's gonna run.
You ought to separate
the whites from the colour.
I wash everything together.
Including my socks.
One load is four quarters.
You put in a pretty long day.
I don't mind.
Gets me out of the house.
Just sit here and watch the wash
go round and round.
Read my magazine.
There's a Chinese take-out next door.
Can I buy you an egg roll?
You sure can.
How long since he passed away?
- My husband?
- Mm.
Forever.
Eight months.
How are you getting along?
It's a heavy load.
Sometimes my knees bend.
Did he leave insurance?
- They cancelled.
- So money's tight?
I'm not gonna take any vacations
in Bermuda this year.
If I'm lucky, I'll get a day in Boston.
I'd love to go to Boston for a day,
stay in a hotel and have room service.
Where they charge you 2.50 for a coffee
and bring it to you in a silver pot
and put a chocolate
on your pillow and turn your bed down.
I went to the Grand Canyon once.
I walked all the way down to the bottom.
Stayed there six days and six nights.
Slept in a bedroll.
Didn't see anybody.
Didn't say anything to anybody.
The best time I ever had.
Six days?
Oh, God, it would drive me crazy.
You don't have to fight for anything
or explain anything
or dodge anything.
You just feed the deer
and watch the sun go down.
You see, I like bright lights
and a lot of people.
I see you're feeling good today.
You wear that pink sweater
when you feel good.
When you feel bad, you wear the grey one.
- I only have two sweaters.
- Am I right or wrong?
- You're watching me.
- You stand out.
Let's take a look at these fortune cookies.
"Make new friends and trust them."
Did you write this?
Seems like pretty good advice.
What did you get?
Here.
- Open it.
- No point in opening mine.
I'm not lucky.
Oh.
I better go pick up my wash.
OK.
We need a refill on shrink wrap!
You were 15 minutes in the toilet.
You get a five-minute break.
- I had cramps.
- Have them in five minutes.
And you, get your hair up inside your net.
Fuck this factory, and fuck him.
Oh! Looks like we got ourselves
a new flavour.
God, the smell of cookies
is giving me a headache.
We need a longer break.
- You got a Tylenol?
- No.
Yeah, look under the counter,
right in front of you.
Got a bunch of stuff in there.
That's Rolaids.
That's Sine-Aid.
Never mind.
Cox, somebody's ass
is going in the meat grinder.
Don't say you're gonna call your union,
because I'll call the cops.
$2,000 worth of purchase orders
never got here.
You think I'm upstairs chewing cigars?
I got a bookkeeper.
Maybe she's got bad breath
but she's got good eyes.
What happened to my mayonnaise?
My 150 pounds of coffee? My tuna fish?
Come on, who's getting fat off of me?
It isn't Stanley Cox.
Who are you? What do you know?
You know something I don't?
He can't read and he can't write,
so it isn't him.
Do you mind if I sit down?
I don't feel much like company.
- I gave you away, didn't I?
- Yes, ma'am, you did.
You were headed for trouble.
Lady, I'm always in trouble.
- It's nothing to be ashamed of.
- Is that right?
You don't rob banks.
I can't open an account in one.
What do you do with your money?
Keep it under my mattress
like a skid-row bum.
I never thought what it would be like.
In the city, you can't read street signs.
You're lost. You grab people.
You stop 'em.
You ask three, four people,
"Which way? Where do I go?
How do I get there?"
You can't take a bus.
You can't read where it's going.
You can't drive a car
because you can't get a licence.
You ask yourself,
have I got a name if I can't write it?
Am I a human being if I can't read it?
Why don't you do something about it?
Cox, could you shut off the water?
I want to talk to you for a minute.
I got some bad news for you.
This is your last day.
Could you pick up your pay cheque?
- You had some complaints?
- No.
As a matter of fact, you make a good stew.
So what's the beef?
Listen, you can't read.
You could pick up the wrong box.
Try to pick up a box of salt
and get roach powder.
You're dangerous.
I could have a lot of sick people here.
I could have a lot of lawsuits here.
You're a good man, you show up on time,
but everybody sues nowadays.
Swab the toilets. The seats too,
and the base. Sometimes they miss.
Any writing on the walls - off.
There's more telephone numbers in there
than the city directory.
You sure you want this job?
- Yeah.
- OK.
Apple pickers.
You, you, you, and you.
That's all. Let's go, let's go.
You're not currently employed, then?
No.
You don't have a place of residence
any more?
I'm living in a garage.
We can't have your father there, can we?
OK, just a few questions.
- Can he manage the toilet?
- Yes.
- Is he taking any medication?
- No.
That's remarkable for a man his age.
Any problem with his memory?
He's clean... He's...
...he's smart, and he's broke.
There'll be four in his room.
We'll try to get him a window bed.
Dinner's at five.
He can have a snack if he wants.
And we do have a television room.
I'll be all right here.
Good. Good.
Let me see the view.
That's nice.
Hah!
Look, they have a birdbath out there.
Oh, yeah, that's...
If I get a good job,
you'll be out the next day.
Looks like a good bed.
I don't want you laying around.
Stay up, go for a walk,
find somebody to play cards with.
I'll find somebody.
If you need a blanket, tell them, OK?
I'm not afraid to open my mouth.
If you don't like the food,
I'll bring something.
- All right.
- A deli sandwich, some fruit.
All right.
- And I'll come every Sunday.
- I'll be glad to see you.
Well...
Yeah.
You've been a good father, Pop. I'm sorry.
Don't kill me off. I'm still a good father.
You never laid a hand on me.
I'm going to now.
Hey-ey-ey!
The doctor says you're pregnant.
- Well, are you?
- If he says so, I guess I am.
- This is news to you?
- How could I know?
I'm always missing.
You had to let me show up
and get slapped in the face with it?
- Who is it?
- I'm not telling.
You always treat me like a little kid.
"Do this. Do that."
I'm not a little kid any more.
- This is all to get at me?
- Maybe.
You're five months pregnant
because I made you get in by ten?
- Maybe.
- Who is it?
I'll see you in hell first.
- What are you doing?
- She's my mother.
You two want to settle this at home?
How is she?
I don't know. We're not talking.
You're responsible for a baby.
You know that.
You got to plan for it, want it,
take care of it,
feed it, raise it,
get it through diaper rash and measles.
It's not just a jolt of semen.
It's a human being.
It needs clothes, it needs shots,
it needs to go to school.
I'll tell you something else... Look at me.
I'm not gonna look after it.
I've got to work and take care of my family.
- You gotta take care of yours.
- I'll manage.
You'll manage? You're still sleeping
with your teddy bear.
I'll stay with a friend if you don't want me.
A girl's best friend is her mama.
That's what it says on the greeting cards.
Thanks.
- Sweet, isn't it?
- Good.
Mr Cox, I'm sorry.
We tried to call you a number of times.
We sent a telegram.
He went peacefully in the night.
The truth is,
when they come into a place like this,
they tend to go downhill pretty fast.
Well... you'll want these.
There are a few things
for the death certificate.
Leonides Cox. It's Leonides?
That's an unusual name.
How do you spell it?
Mr Cox.
I don't know.
- Oh, God.
- Mrs King!
Hello. Haven't seen you around.
- I'm working in the car wash.
- How is it?
It's just work. Can I ask you something?
- Sure. Go ahead.
- You don't have an umbrella.
- No, I'm OK. What is it?
- Uh...
- I've been thinking...
- Yeah?
And, uh...
Do you have any spare time?
Not much, but what's on your mind?
I thought maybe...
I'll talk to you some other time.
- You've come out in the rain...
- Let it go.
OK. I have to because I'll miss my bus.
What is it?
Come on, what is it?
I wanted to ask you if...
if you could do something.
I shouldn't have started this.
I'll be around.
Wait!
Teach me to read.
What does that say?
Man builds no structure
which outlives a book.
I'm making too late a start.
You're making a start, Mr Cox.
Excuse me. Do you have...
It's a questionnaire.
It's supposed to break the ice between us,
help us to get to know each other.
Let's get it over with.
Student name?
Stanley Everett Cox.
- Everett?
- My grandmother's brother.
"Interviewed by." That's me, Iris King.
OK, number one.
"Name something you enjoy doing."
- What are they getting at?
- They want to find out about you.
I don't see the point.
They want to know what you like to do -
hunting, fishing, stuff like that.
This is not going in an FBI file.
Uh...
I make contraptions. I invent them.
Why do you enjoy doing that?
I'm good at it.
Did you ever go to school?
50 schools.
One for every state of the Union.
"Where were you born?"
Hillside, New Jersey.
"Name three things
you wish you could read."
I don't know.
I wouldn't know what to pick. Um...
I suppose a daily newspaper.
Uh...
I'd like to read a baseball scoreboard.
I like the game.
"Name something
you wish you could write."
That's easy. A big cheque.
"Finish this sentence. I hope that..."
I hope I don't make
a damn fool of myself.
"Finish this question. I wonder if..."
I wonder if I'm smart enough.
"Finish this sentence. I'm good at..."
I'm good at getting the right teacher.
It's a Seiko. Thanks, Mom.
That's for making your bed
and graduating grammar school
and putting the toilet seat down
for us ladies.
Mine's next.
OK.
Most of the time, that is.
You look just like your old man.
You walk like him. You act like him.
He's a hard act to follow, Richard.
You're gonna do him proud.
Honey.
I've got to quit this.
Listen, go ahead, have a good cry.
Why do they call it a good cry?
All it does is make you look like hell.
And what's missing is still missing.
Listen. You've got your kids.
You've got your family.
I've got a lot of days and nights
ahead of me.
You like to garden. You like to cook.
I like to make love is what I like.
Three times a week like clockwork.
Sunday morning with the door locked,
sent the kids to McDonald's,
ate lunch in bed afterwards,
whatever was in the refrigerator,
pot roast, potato salad.
Listen, maybe you'll meet somebody else.
I don't want to meet anybody else.
I want my old man back.
In his baggy pants, looking at me
over the top of his bifocals.
- You can't hold on forever.
- Why not?
Because I want you to be happy again.
You know something?
I'm sorry sometimes
that I stole your necklace.
You are?
I haven't thought about that in 22 years...
but I'll never forgive you.
Good evening, Mrs King.
Um...
Um...
- I'm a little drunk.
- No kidding. Come on in.
- There's something in the way.
- Just your feet.
Upsy-daisy, Mr Cox.
I needed a little courage tonight.
Think you can make it to the bathroom?
- Where is it?
- One flight up.
I'd appreciate it
if you wouldn't throw up on my carpet.
I may be drunk, Mrs King,
but, uh, I'm housebroken.
OK.
It's right up there.
How do you feel now?
Foolish.
You're getting my floor all wet.
I'll mop it up.
I'm going to go down
and make a lot of coffee.
Well, sit down.
You want a cookie? I made 'em myself.
No, thanks.
Why don't we just wade in?
No.
I want to know how this happened to you.
Did you drop out of school?
Were you smoking dope?
Where was your family?
Where were your teachers?
Oh...
My father was a tableware salesman.
Silver plate stuff, not real sterling.
He took me all over the country.
Lived in motels,
went to a different school every month.
Most of the time I didn't even know
what state of the Union I was in.
I'd stay up late
looking at old westerns with John Wayne
or playing two-handed poker
with my father...
or listening to people fighting
in the next room.
In the morning I'd eat a cold doughnut,
sit in the last row of the classroom,
and just sleep.
Somebody would say, "Hey, you."
I'd open up an eye, and they'd say,
"Where's the mouth of the Mississippi?"
And I'd scratch my head,
and they'd say, "Next!"
And I'd go back to sleep.
And when I woke up,
I'd be in a different school.
That's how it went. Just all went by me.
I've been... a big dummy ever since.
This is a bird
with a long tail and a round body.
- Say "bird".
- Bird.
This looks like a bird
with a long tail and a round body.
Say "bird".
Bird.
This is the word "bird".
Read "bird".
Bird.
Bird starts with the sound "buh".
Say "buh."
- Buh.
- Again.
- Buh.
- Again.
- Again.
- Buh.
Yeah. I know what you mean.
And this letter?
Fuh.
This letter.
Guh.
- OK...
- Don't make it too tough on me.
What's this word?
- Hand.
- What's this word?
Hand.
This sentence tells what the girl has
in her hand. Read it.
"The girl has a...
"fish in her hand."
Good.
It's not exactly a cliffhanger.
Excuse me.
Hello?
Phil.
Kelly, get off the line. It's for me.
Fine, and yourself?
Good.
Nothing much. I'm just slogging along.
Nobody's been seeing much of me, Phil.
I don't think I'm ready to go dancing, Phil.
OK.
Thanks for calling.
What's this word?
How long since you been out with a man?
Last time was to take one to the hospital.
- What's this word?
- Bird.
This is a yellow birch.
Latin name, Betula lutea.
Its leaves taste like mint.
Taste it.
Mm.
This is a basswood.
Latin name, Tilia cordata.
It's a nice shade tree.
What do you think? Do you want it?
This is a Norway maple.
Latin name, Acer platanoides.
Turns red in the fall. Very, very pretty.
Red?
You know, the red leaves in the fall.
Very, very pretty.
How did you find out about all that?
I asked.
I took the leaves to a Japanese nursery,
said I liked trees.
They said, "We like trees too."
So we sat on a manure sack
and talked about it for a couple of hours.
This is a red oak.
Latin name, Quercus rubra.
- It'll outlive us both.
- That one?
- How old do you think it is?
- I'd say it's about...
300 years old.
Let's go sit down over here.
I lost my dad too, not too long ago.
My dad was sick for a long time.
The thing of it is, see, I...
I had to put him in a home.
I couldn't read, so I couldn't hold down
a job. I couldn't take care of him.
If I'd been able to read,
he might still be alive.
I'm afraid of the dark.
My dad let me leave the light on all night.
My dad was the light.
We have to leave it on
about another 15 minutes.
I don't know what I'm doing this for.
So you'll look pretty.
Nothing in a bottle's gonna do that.
You're not so bad-Iooking
if you'd use a little more eye make-up.
This is as far as I go.
I wish this baby was born already.
- It will be.
- I don't want it.
I didn't want you either.
You were an accident.
Your daddy and me were cleaning the car,
the old blue Pontiac.
And he squirted me,
and I took my shirt off, and...
we got playful.
We didn't even make it up the stairs.
When they brought you in to me,
I almost said, "Take it away. It's not mine."
That's how I felt about you.
You'd nuzzle me, and I'd stare at you.
How was I gonna take care of you?
I didn't feel anything for you.
Then one day
I was changing your diapers,
and I found blood on the cloth,
and I knew in my heart
that you had a terrible disease,
that I was being punished.
I showed the nurse, and she said,
"It's nothing.
"It's just your hormones
getting across to her."
I said, "It's nothing to worry about?"
And she said, "No, it's nothing."
And I held you in my arms,
and at that very minute,
you belonged to me. My daughter.
Am I your daughter?
Yes.
"Don says..."
Dan.
Dan.
"Dan says, 'Thank you for the..."'
- Dish.
- Dish.
Go on.
- Ed.
- "Ed...
"Ed says, 'Thank you for the..."'
Fffffff...
Fish. Fish. Put it together.
"Ed says, 'Thank you for the fish."'
Go on.
Ffffffff...
- "Fred..."
- Fran.
"Fran says, 'Thank you for the eeee..."'
- You didn't do your homework, did you?
- No.
- I watched the welterweight fights.
- Terrific.
Either you're serious or you're not.
- I'm a fight fan.
- You're gonna have one with me
because I don't like to waste my time.
I'll just come back when you cool off.
It may be a while. I'm in a bad mood.
Maybe you ate something
that didn't agree with you.
My whole life doesn't agree with me.
I'm gaining weight. I yell at my kids.
I need a sex life.
I've wanted to go to bed with you
since I first saw you.
A - I don't know why.
- And B - forget it.
- Take a wild guess.
You don't?
- No.
- It's gonna happen.
Listen, you, I don't just
hop in bed with strangers.
I ask a lot of questions.
I do a lot of talking.
I gotta know about a guy.
Ask.
- You might not be healthy.
- I'll get a blood test.
I'd want one. Excuse me.
You're tough.
Well, this has not been a perfect day.
I got a back-tax bill.
I ran into a girl I went to high school with.
She said she wouldn't have recognised me.
That was food for thought.
Also my feet hurt.
Sit down. I'll iron.
- You'll iron.
- I do it all the time. Sit down.
Sit down.
"Fran says, 'Thank you for the...
"'egg!"' God damn it. Egg.
Right.
Don't scorch the shirts.
Coming right up.
Guh.
G. Girl.
OK, down.
All the way down below the guideline.
Up, and...
around and then down. That's right.
That's right. Don't ever
pick your pencil up when you're doing Ps.
- Down. Up.
- No, I forgot...
Yeah. Keep your pencil on the paper.
Up and around.
OK. You're here at Ash and Tyler.
Meet me at Washington and Post Road.
Give me 15 minutes.
Find me.
- Can you tell me how to get to, er...?
- Where do you want to go?
Forget it. Thanks, anyway.
- Where's Washington and Post?
- You're not even close.
- You've got to go down to Morrison.
- Yeah.
- Then left to Grand.
- Uh-huh.
Then right to Comstock.
Are there any tall buildings or bridges,
churches, anything?
You'll see the street signs.
All right. Thanks.
Where the hell have you been?
I said 15 minutes.
I thought you'd been hit by a car.
Are you listening to me?
I haven't seen you.
No.
- Am I gonna see you?
- No.
Can I come in?
- You're a hard man to find.
- I moved.
I've only got one seat.
So I see.
- No dishes in the sink.
- I eat mostly take-out.
- Where are you working now?
- Same place.
Maybe it was... it was me.
You know, maybe I blew it.
They've got a programme
at the high school.
Maybe you could try that.
It came too hard. I'm not a kid any more.
- So that's it?
- That's it.
God, I hate to bomb out.
It took two years to toilet-train Richard
but he finally went to the bathroom.
That's not my problem.
What is this?
It's what I do from midnight till four
in the morning, sometimes till five or six.
What does it do?
Cools cakes fast.
Does a good job.
Stanley.
- You should show this to somebody.
- I have.
Some guys
from the tool and die plant came.
They offered me a job.
How can you make something like this
when you can't read?
When you put a man in jail
or you put him in solitary,
sometimes he'll draw pictures
on the wall with a spoon,
sometimes he'll train cockroaches.
This is what I made in my prison.
You sure kept it quiet.
Hmm.
Everybody here just gets up
and goes to work and eats and sleeps
and gets up the next day
and just works and eats and sleeps.
I'd like to see somebody go past that.
- Hello, Richard.
- Mr Cox.
- Is your mother home?
- She's in the kitchen.
- What have you been up to?
- Oh, reading.
- What are you reading?
- Comics.
Who are you talking to?
It's me.
Come on out in the kitchen.
It's still your seat.
Your hair looks different.
Yeah.
I liked it better the other way.
It's too late now.
You been keeping up?
Trying to.
- You had your dinner?
- I ate.
- You want to get at it?
- That's what I'm here for.
Let's see. We can review.
- Those are new.
- You begin to admit you need things.
Page 13.
- "This is..."
- "A river."
- "This is..."
- "A...
"snake".
Mm-hm. This is...
"A...
- "tent."
- Good. This is...
"A...
"woman."
What are you doing here?
I thought I'd sit with you,
if you want me to.
I was feeling pretty much
on my own tonight.
- How's she doing?
- It's going to be any minute.
She almost had it on the way here.
How do you feel about
being a grandmother?
Calm.
You don't look like a grandmother.
That's why I'm calm.
It was nice of you to come.
Not much of a favour.
- You know what I think?
- What?
I think you and me
are getting to be friends.
We are.
- Do you want me to call her Iris?
- No!
I never liked my name.
- How about your middle name?
- Estelle?
Oh, God, that's worse.
I want it to be one or the other.
She's gonna hate it.
Well...
Well, good evening. Hello!
Iris?
Go wash your hands. I cooked.
White or dark?
I'll have a leg and a piece of white.
- White or dark?
- Either.
- White or dark?
- Um, leg.
There you go. Take that.
Hi.
This is good.
No, it's not a capital L.
Remember, a lower-case L
is straight down to the bottom guideline,
and not that cross line.
OK. Next letter.
Uh...
- D.
- Mm-hm.
Circle around at the mid-guideline
to the bottom guideline,
and straight up...
and down.
That's OK.
It's looking better.
That's right.
And R.
That jacket.
- Something wrong with it?
- It's coming out at the elbows.
- It's old.
- It's too old.
- Come upstairs.
- What's upstairs?
I don't know what I'm keeping these for.
They're just gonna get moths.
Try this on.
Come on.
That's pretty good.
Iris, I'm glad to have the clothes
but there's a different man in them.
Not so very.
Are we going to walk around each other?
Is that what we're gonna do, Iris?
Is that what two grown-up people do?
It's what one nervous woman does.
I'll tell you what. I'm gonna spend
some time and money on you
and see if we can't put a match to this fire.
Don't go crazy. You're not a rich man.
I feel like one.
Look like one.
Isn't that...?
I don't like this.
I quit school. I couldn't stand it.
Don't you know this line
doesn't go anywhere?
Three people in bed
are one too many for me.
Mom!
Mom!
- What's the matter?
- There's a man outside
walking back and forth
looking at our house.
He's been there for 20 minutes.
Hey! What are you doing out there?
Oh, God.
You scared us to death.
What are you doing out here?
I'm thinking.
Can you think inside?
Can you come in and have a cup of coffee?
Can you come out of the cold?
Come on.
Would you please come inside?
Have a cup of coffee.
It's OK, kids.
- Hello, Richard.
- Hello, Mr Cox.
Kelly. How's the baby?
I'd like a little privacy around here.
Take Estelle upstairs.
Homework.
Oh, my God.
- How have you been?
- How have you been?
- I've had colitis.
- Hm.
- You OK now?
- Yeah. I'm better.
You shouldn't drink coffee.
- I do, anyway.
- It'll come back.
It has.
- You're smart but you're not sensible.
- God knows that's true.
No. You're not sensible,
or I'd have heard from you.
I want to tell you something.
Go ahead.
I haven't been to the cemetery
in three weeks. I'm not going any more.
Why does it have to be all or nothing?
Just don't bury yourself there.
Burn your grey sweater.
- It cost $30.
- I'll buy you five more.
All different colours, like a rainbow.
Red. I like red.
Red, blue, green, pink...
- Stop.
- No, I don't wanna stop.
I wanna go on.
I carried quarters around in my pocket
in case I got up the nerve
to call you at work.
You didn't use them.
No. I wrote you a letter too.
It's been sitting around
for about three weeks.
It's got gravy on it.
It's got ketchup on it,
it's got baby bananas on it.
Here.
"Dear Stanley.
"Give... me... a se... cond chance.
"I've got a whole lot saved up.
"You won't be... sorry.
"Let's try again.
"Iris."
"And the lead... lead...
"lead storage battery
"is the chief unit of
an automobile ignition... system.
"It consists of two or more cells
"connected... connected to each other
"in a hard r... rubber case."
Yeah!
"A strawberry bed
should have a large amount
- "of fertil... fertiliser..."
- Quiet.
"And organic matters such as peat,
"leaf mould, compost,
or rooted... rotted manure."
I think you've got it, Stanley.
"And though spirit...
"And the spirit of God
"hovered over the face of the waters,
"and God said let there be light,
- "and there was light!"
- Amen.
Shh!
What's the matter with you?
This is a library.
I know it's a library, lady.
It's my library.
You can't afford this hotel.
On this occasion, I can.
- Is that everything, sir?
- That's fine.
Thank you.
- How much was that?
- Too much. I'm feeling generous.
You like this room?
This room is where I'm gonna die.
Wanna try room service?
- Yes. What can we have?
- Anything you want.
Coffee and two chocolate clairs.
Coffee, two chocolate clairs.
We've even got a scale in there.
I'm not getting on it.
Oh, no. It's got a hole in it.
- Wouldn't you know?
- I brought old pyjamas too.
Maybe I won't wear it.
Maybe I won't wear mine, either.
You know, I've never had an affair before.
I was married when I was young,
I was pregnant when I was young.
I expected to always have
the same man in my life.
Let me tell you about us.
I need a working woman. That's you.
You need a broad shoulder. That's me.
I like you, Iris,
just about as much as I love you,
and you know what?
We're gonna do just fine together.
And a man could drown in your blue eyes.
You're all set.
- Are they gonna feed you a meal?
- I forgot to ask.
I listened to the weather report.
It's foggy in Detroit.
They wouldn't fly if it wasn't safe.
American Airlines flight 601,
nonstop to Detroit,
now boarding through gate two.
That's your flight.
We have a few minutes.
- They're giving me an office.
- Better start wearing neckties.
- They're getting me a patent.
- Get a lawyer.
- I can read the fine print.
- Get a lawyer, anyway.
Oh, Lord, Stanley.
Have you gone and gotten handsome?
Nah, same old road map.
What am I gonna do in that empty bed?
I'm gonna have to put my feet on the cat
to stay warm.
I'm gonna have to hug a pillow.
I might come back rich.
How would you like that?
I'd like to tear your ticket up.
I wish there was
a seven-point earthquake right now.
I'll be back, Iris.
Maybe you will, maybe you won't.
American Airlines announces
the final boarding call
for flight 601,
nonstop service to
Detroit Metropolitan Airport,
now boarding through gate two.
Buckle your seat belt up
as soon as you sit down.
Keep it buckled up the whole time.
It's safer that way.
I'll call you.
No, Stanley. Write to me.
I'll write to you.
Dear Iris.
Well, I'm settled in.
I've got an office about as big as a closet.
It's next to the men's room
but my name's on the door.
Small letters but it's there.
I like my boss.
He wears cowboy boots
and calls me by my first name.
He didn't graduate high school,
so we've got a lot in common.
There are pretty women here
but I don't see them for dirt.
I think about the one who sleeps
with her arms above her head
and has a little mole never mind where.
Now, I want to say something to you,
and I want to say it right and spell it right.
Thank you.
Not just from my heart,
but from my head,
where ideas and dreams come from.
I'm very grateful to you, Iris,
and that will be
till the last day of my life.
So don't catch cold.
Lock your doors at night.
Don't slip in the bathtub.
I love you. Stanley.
Iris.
Stanley.
- What are you doing here?
- I came to see you.
- Did you get fired?
- No, I got a raise. Climb in.
Um... I'm really glad to see you.
I'm happy to see you.
- Is this your car?
- After 24 payments, it will be.
Did you get the letters?
15 letters.
And a Christmas card, a get-well card,
a joyous Easter, and two Valentines.
That's about right.
Iris, I...
just got me a comprehensive health plan
and three different credit cards.
I got my eye on a house in Detroit.
It's old. It needs paint.
It's got about six bedrooms.
It's got only one bathroom.
- You listening?
- To every word.
I'd like you and the kids to live there.
Stanley, are you proposing to me?
I suppose I am.
You know what you're taking on?
There were seven visits
to the doctor last year, five to the dentist,
and winter coats,
summer coats, tennis shoes.
We're a noisy family, Stanley.
We've got a lot of arguments,
baby crying, a lot of TV.
You sure you wanna take this on?
I'm here.
Oh!
Oh!
Come here.
- Is there a school?
- Two blocks away.
Only one bathroom for five people?
You think we could knock down a wall?
Iris, anything is possible.
Have a good weekend.
Hey, stop him! He's got my purse!
Wait a minute!
Give me my purse, God damn it!
Give me my purse, you little bastard!
Oh, God!
Ow! Ow!
Hey!
You OK?
Lady! Lady!
Lady, hold it, I'm trying to help you.
Where'd he go?
- Go after him!
- He's in the next state by now.
He's got my pay cheque,
my whole week's pay cheque.
- Are you OK?
- My keys were in there,
my wallet, my credit cards,
my rosary, my kids' pictures.
That little bastard.
Wrong, lady, that was a big bastard.
You were mad to run after him.
Let him have the purse, give it to him.
Give it to him? I'd like to give him
a knee where he lives.
He could have been high. You're lucky.
I don't feel lucky, mister.
- It's only money.
- It's my money.
When it's yours, you can be a philosopher.
Thank you.
You OK?
- Are you all right?
- It's OK.
I see you at work.
You work in the bakery?
I'm in the canteen.
Behind the mashed potatoes.
Nobody ever looks at the cook.
Well, um...
Thanks.
You were really nice
to stick your neck out back there.
You could have gotten hurt.
I didn't.
It's lucky you were on the bus.
I don't usually take the bus
but they stole my bike.
Thanks.
Um... would you take some money
and, I don't know, have a beer on me?
Lady, I don't want your money.
Anyway, you don't have any.
Yes, I do.
I keep a five-dollar bill in my shoe. Here.
- Keep it for the next time.
- There's not gonna be a next time.
I believe you.
- I'm Stanley Cox.
- Iris King.
- Stay out of harm's way, Mrs King.
- I'll try, Mr Cox.
- Good. Good night.
- Good night.
- What did the doctor say?
- They're doing a scrape.
- When?
- Couple of weeks.
- You going to have to stay over?
- Nope.
- In and out.
- What's the matter?
I'm not going to discuss
my plumbing with everyone.
There must have been 500 guys
at the employment office today.
Saw everybody I know.
One guy brought a broom and swept,
just for something to do.
- Can you believe that?
- Bet it wasn't you.
- Did they have anything?
- An opening for a hairdresser.
I didn't do much better.
I can't run a computer or give a pedicure,
and that's all there was,
so we can't pay you anything this week.
I didn't ask.
No, but you're making us count
every roll of toilet paper,
making us use the soap
down to the last sliver.
I wouldn't be here if I didn't have to be.
I'd be in my own house,
with my own Drexel furniture
and air conditioning.
We're in the same lifeboat, Sharon.
Don't rock it.
Where did you get the money for beer?
I'm asking you! Where did you get
the money for beer?
You stole my money!
All right, I've been holding out on you.
I've been saving to get my teeth fixed.
I'm not getting my face lifted
to go to Hollywood.
And he stole it!
You had my pay cheque when I had one.
I needed a drink.
You took the money for my teeth,
you bastard!
I'm not a piece of garbage. I'm a man.
You bastard! You bastard!
You...
Out. Out, kids. Walk around the block.
Well, this is a first for this house.
How long will we have to stay out here?
I don't know. Till they cool off, I guess.
I cleaned up the kitchen.
I cleaned up my sister.
You should have called the cops on me.
I couldn't have made your bail.
We fight a hell of a lot, Sharon and me.
We started at City Hall and never quit.
Why'd you marry her?
She was cute.
None of us stay cute.
You and George had a hell of a marriage.
He wasn't even a good-Iooking guy.
Yes, he was.
- He didn't make a big living.
- He made enough.
But the guy was dying.
You slept on the floor by his bed.
You washed him, cleaned up his mess,
you held him up on the toilet.
Maybe I married the wrong sister.
Go to bed, Joe.
I bought a bunch of condoms yesterday.
From now on,
nobody is getting in without one.
Well, you got rush-hour traffic.
I've got nobody to give one to.
I can fix you up with somebody.
But he's a little older.
- How old?
- He fought in Worid War 2.
That's too old.
Give me Korea, give me Vietnam.
How about the National Guard?
I just want to get pregnant and get out.
You'll be back. It takes two incomes.
Where's your husband, Bertha?
Doing time, just like me.
- Are they ready?
- Uh...
Yeah.
I stretched them as far as they'd go.
Try them on.
- They're still too tight.
- Cheap shoes.
Actually, maybe they are a little better.
- Oh, hi.
- Hello.
Goodness.
- Hello.
- Hi.
- Brown brogues.
- Got a ticket?
You didn't give me a ticket.
No. We don't take shoes
without giving tickets.
- You didn't give me one.
- Everybody gets a ticket.
- I didn't.
- You lost it.
- No, I didn't get a ticket.
- Everybody gets a ticket.
I didn't get a ticket.
You said it cost two dollars.
Here's the two dollars.
Everybody gets a ticket.
Mister, I'm gonna describe
the shoes to you, OK?
They're brown brogues.
They're right behind you.
Well, if you don't got a ticket,
you gotta sign for them.
Just give me the shoes.
- Put your name down.
- Just give me the shoes.
- Write your name down.
- Just hand them to me.
Put your signature down...
That guy's crazy.
He wanted his shoes, and he paid for 'em.
Hey! We've been waiting 15 minutes!
- Do you believe that?
- Might as well walk.
You can't even get a bus!
- What kind of service is that?
- I've been on my feet all day.
- Bus out again?
- Yeah. Third time this week.
Want a ride home?
Well... guess it beats waiting around
for another 30 minutes. OK.
Have fun.
Honey, you got room for one more?
I see you got your bike back.
I had to buy another one, second-hand.
You don't drive a car?
I like a bike better. Cleaner, cheaper.
I'd take a new Chevy
if I could make the payments.
This town's getting too big.
I'd like to move to the country,
away from people.
Get some Rhode Island Reds,
some cows for milk,
maybe put a hex sign up on my barn.
- How about some barbed wire?
- No, a mean dog would do.
Have you always been a cook?
I'm a good cook. I like to cook.
Sorry, but the food in the canteen is lousy.
The boss is cheap. He won't buy
good stuff. You gotta buy good stuff.
With me, it's got to come out
of a box or can, whatever's fast.
That's my house.
Hi, Stanley! Hi!
- And that's my father.
- You still live at home?
I wasn't born till he was 50.
He likes to have me around.
Does he get along with your wife?
I don't have one.
You live with your father, you do your own
cooking and you're not married. Is that it?
That's about as much as I'll talk about.
All right.
What do you do with yourself
after work?
I go to the movies.
Alone?
I take a bag of popcorn.
You don't mix much, do you?
No.
You got something that's catching?
I think I'm about out of small talk.
I didn't stick my thumb out, Mr Cox,
you offered me a ride.
Right here.
- Thanks for the lift.
- Yes, ma'am.
A guy broke into that house
and bashed an old lady over the head.
It wasn't you, was it?
Not me. I don't even kill mosquitoes.
I'm home.
Chicken and peas and potatoes, please.
- Thanks.
- I'll have the same.
Chicken,
peas...
and potatoes.
Chicken.
And peas.
- Peas.
- Peas?
Bobby, you want to check the fruit?
I'm on top of it!
Uh, that shirt's gonna run.
You ought to separate
the whites from the colour.
I wash everything together.
Including my socks.
One load is four quarters.
You put in a pretty long day.
I don't mind.
Gets me out of the house.
Just sit here and watch the wash
go round and round.
Read my magazine.
There's a Chinese take-out next door.
Can I buy you an egg roll?
You sure can.
How long since he passed away?
- My husband?
- Mm.
Forever.
Eight months.
How are you getting along?
It's a heavy load.
Sometimes my knees bend.
Did he leave insurance?
- They cancelled.
- So money's tight?
I'm not gonna take any vacations
in Bermuda this year.
If I'm lucky, I'll get a day in Boston.
I'd love to go to Boston for a day,
stay in a hotel and have room service.
Where they charge you 2.50 for a coffee
and bring it to you in a silver pot
and put a chocolate
on your pillow and turn your bed down.
I went to the Grand Canyon once.
I walked all the way down to the bottom.
Stayed there six days and six nights.
Slept in a bedroll.
Didn't see anybody.
Didn't say anything to anybody.
The best time I ever had.
Six days?
Oh, God, it would drive me crazy.
You don't have to fight for anything
or explain anything
or dodge anything.
You just feed the deer
and watch the sun go down.
You see, I like bright lights
and a lot of people.
I see you're feeling good today.
You wear that pink sweater
when you feel good.
When you feel bad, you wear the grey one.
- I only have two sweaters.
- Am I right or wrong?
- You're watching me.
- You stand out.
Let's take a look at these fortune cookies.
"Make new friends and trust them."
Did you write this?
Seems like pretty good advice.
What did you get?
Here.
- Open it.
- No point in opening mine.
I'm not lucky.
Oh.
I better go pick up my wash.
OK.
We need a refill on shrink wrap!
You were 15 minutes in the toilet.
You get a five-minute break.
- I had cramps.
- Have them in five minutes.
And you, get your hair up inside your net.
Fuck this factory, and fuck him.
Oh! Looks like we got ourselves
a new flavour.
God, the smell of cookies
is giving me a headache.
We need a longer break.
- You got a Tylenol?
- No.
Yeah, look under the counter,
right in front of you.
Got a bunch of stuff in there.
That's Rolaids.
That's Sine-Aid.
Never mind.
Cox, somebody's ass
is going in the meat grinder.
Don't say you're gonna call your union,
because I'll call the cops.
$2,000 worth of purchase orders
never got here.
You think I'm upstairs chewing cigars?
I got a bookkeeper.
Maybe she's got bad breath
but she's got good eyes.
What happened to my mayonnaise?
My 150 pounds of coffee? My tuna fish?
Come on, who's getting fat off of me?
It isn't Stanley Cox.
Who are you? What do you know?
You know something I don't?
He can't read and he can't write,
so it isn't him.
Do you mind if I sit down?
I don't feel much like company.
- I gave you away, didn't I?
- Yes, ma'am, you did.
You were headed for trouble.
Lady, I'm always in trouble.
- It's nothing to be ashamed of.
- Is that right?
You don't rob banks.
I can't open an account in one.
What do you do with your money?
Keep it under my mattress
like a skid-row bum.
I never thought what it would be like.
In the city, you can't read street signs.
You're lost. You grab people.
You stop 'em.
You ask three, four people,
"Which way? Where do I go?
How do I get there?"
You can't take a bus.
You can't read where it's going.
You can't drive a car
because you can't get a licence.
You ask yourself,
have I got a name if I can't write it?
Am I a human being if I can't read it?
Why don't you do something about it?
Cox, could you shut off the water?
I want to talk to you for a minute.
I got some bad news for you.
This is your last day.
Could you pick up your pay cheque?
- You had some complaints?
- No.
As a matter of fact, you make a good stew.
So what's the beef?
Listen, you can't read.
You could pick up the wrong box.
Try to pick up a box of salt
and get roach powder.
You're dangerous.
I could have a lot of sick people here.
I could have a lot of lawsuits here.
You're a good man, you show up on time,
but everybody sues nowadays.
Swab the toilets. The seats too,
and the base. Sometimes they miss.
Any writing on the walls - off.
There's more telephone numbers in there
than the city directory.
You sure you want this job?
- Yeah.
- OK.
Apple pickers.
You, you, you, and you.
That's all. Let's go, let's go.
You're not currently employed, then?
No.
You don't have a place of residence
any more?
I'm living in a garage.
We can't have your father there, can we?
OK, just a few questions.
- Can he manage the toilet?
- Yes.
- Is he taking any medication?
- No.
That's remarkable for a man his age.
Any problem with his memory?
He's clean... He's...
...he's smart, and he's broke.
There'll be four in his room.
We'll try to get him a window bed.
Dinner's at five.
He can have a snack if he wants.
And we do have a television room.
I'll be all right here.
Good. Good.
Let me see the view.
That's nice.
Hah!
Look, they have a birdbath out there.
Oh, yeah, that's...
If I get a good job,
you'll be out the next day.
Looks like a good bed.
I don't want you laying around.
Stay up, go for a walk,
find somebody to play cards with.
I'll find somebody.
If you need a blanket, tell them, OK?
I'm not afraid to open my mouth.
If you don't like the food,
I'll bring something.
- All right.
- A deli sandwich, some fruit.
All right.
- And I'll come every Sunday.
- I'll be glad to see you.
Well...
Yeah.
You've been a good father, Pop. I'm sorry.
Don't kill me off. I'm still a good father.
You never laid a hand on me.
I'm going to now.
Hey-ey-ey!
The doctor says you're pregnant.
- Well, are you?
- If he says so, I guess I am.
- This is news to you?
- How could I know?
I'm always missing.
You had to let me show up
and get slapped in the face with it?
- Who is it?
- I'm not telling.
You always treat me like a little kid.
"Do this. Do that."
I'm not a little kid any more.
- This is all to get at me?
- Maybe.
You're five months pregnant
because I made you get in by ten?
- Maybe.
- Who is it?
I'll see you in hell first.
- What are you doing?
- She's my mother.
You two want to settle this at home?
How is she?
I don't know. We're not talking.
You're responsible for a baby.
You know that.
You got to plan for it, want it,
take care of it,
feed it, raise it,
get it through diaper rash and measles.
It's not just a jolt of semen.
It's a human being.
It needs clothes, it needs shots,
it needs to go to school.
I'll tell you something else... Look at me.
I'm not gonna look after it.
I've got to work and take care of my family.
- You gotta take care of yours.
- I'll manage.
You'll manage? You're still sleeping
with your teddy bear.
I'll stay with a friend if you don't want me.
A girl's best friend is her mama.
That's what it says on the greeting cards.
Thanks.
- Sweet, isn't it?
- Good.
Mr Cox, I'm sorry.
We tried to call you a number of times.
We sent a telegram.
He went peacefully in the night.
The truth is,
when they come into a place like this,
they tend to go downhill pretty fast.
Well... you'll want these.
There are a few things
for the death certificate.
Leonides Cox. It's Leonides?
That's an unusual name.
How do you spell it?
Mr Cox.
I don't know.
- Oh, God.
- Mrs King!
Hello. Haven't seen you around.
- I'm working in the car wash.
- How is it?
It's just work. Can I ask you something?
- Sure. Go ahead.
- You don't have an umbrella.
- No, I'm OK. What is it?
- Uh...
- I've been thinking...
- Yeah?
And, uh...
Do you have any spare time?
Not much, but what's on your mind?
I thought maybe...
I'll talk to you some other time.
- You've come out in the rain...
- Let it go.
OK. I have to because I'll miss my bus.
What is it?
Come on, what is it?
I wanted to ask you if...
if you could do something.
I shouldn't have started this.
I'll be around.
Wait!
Teach me to read.
What does that say?
Man builds no structure
which outlives a book.
I'm making too late a start.
You're making a start, Mr Cox.
Excuse me. Do you have...
It's a questionnaire.
It's supposed to break the ice between us,
help us to get to know each other.
Let's get it over with.
Student name?
Stanley Everett Cox.
- Everett?
- My grandmother's brother.
"Interviewed by." That's me, Iris King.
OK, number one.
"Name something you enjoy doing."
- What are they getting at?
- They want to find out about you.
I don't see the point.
They want to know what you like to do -
hunting, fishing, stuff like that.
This is not going in an FBI file.
Uh...
I make contraptions. I invent them.
Why do you enjoy doing that?
I'm good at it.
Did you ever go to school?
50 schools.
One for every state of the Union.
"Where were you born?"
Hillside, New Jersey.
"Name three things
you wish you could read."
I don't know.
I wouldn't know what to pick. Um...
I suppose a daily newspaper.
Uh...
I'd like to read a baseball scoreboard.
I like the game.
"Name something
you wish you could write."
That's easy. A big cheque.
"Finish this sentence. I hope that..."
I hope I don't make
a damn fool of myself.
"Finish this question. I wonder if..."
I wonder if I'm smart enough.
"Finish this sentence. I'm good at..."
I'm good at getting the right teacher.
It's a Seiko. Thanks, Mom.
That's for making your bed
and graduating grammar school
and putting the toilet seat down
for us ladies.
Mine's next.
OK.
Most of the time, that is.
You look just like your old man.
You walk like him. You act like him.
He's a hard act to follow, Richard.
You're gonna do him proud.
Honey.
I've got to quit this.
Listen, go ahead, have a good cry.
Why do they call it a good cry?
All it does is make you look like hell.
And what's missing is still missing.
Listen. You've got your kids.
You've got your family.
I've got a lot of days and nights
ahead of me.
You like to garden. You like to cook.
I like to make love is what I like.
Three times a week like clockwork.
Sunday morning with the door locked,
sent the kids to McDonald's,
ate lunch in bed afterwards,
whatever was in the refrigerator,
pot roast, potato salad.
Listen, maybe you'll meet somebody else.
I don't want to meet anybody else.
I want my old man back.
In his baggy pants, looking at me
over the top of his bifocals.
- You can't hold on forever.
- Why not?
Because I want you to be happy again.
You know something?
I'm sorry sometimes
that I stole your necklace.
You are?
I haven't thought about that in 22 years...
but I'll never forgive you.
Good evening, Mrs King.
Um...
Um...
- I'm a little drunk.
- No kidding. Come on in.
- There's something in the way.
- Just your feet.
Upsy-daisy, Mr Cox.
I needed a little courage tonight.
Think you can make it to the bathroom?
- Where is it?
- One flight up.
I'd appreciate it
if you wouldn't throw up on my carpet.
I may be drunk, Mrs King,
but, uh, I'm housebroken.
OK.
It's right up there.
How do you feel now?
Foolish.
You're getting my floor all wet.
I'll mop it up.
I'm going to go down
and make a lot of coffee.
Well, sit down.
You want a cookie? I made 'em myself.
No, thanks.
Why don't we just wade in?
No.
I want to know how this happened to you.
Did you drop out of school?
Were you smoking dope?
Where was your family?
Where were your teachers?
Oh...
My father was a tableware salesman.
Silver plate stuff, not real sterling.
He took me all over the country.
Lived in motels,
went to a different school every month.
Most of the time I didn't even know
what state of the Union I was in.
I'd stay up late
looking at old westerns with John Wayne
or playing two-handed poker
with my father...
or listening to people fighting
in the next room.
In the morning I'd eat a cold doughnut,
sit in the last row of the classroom,
and just sleep.
Somebody would say, "Hey, you."
I'd open up an eye, and they'd say,
"Where's the mouth of the Mississippi?"
And I'd scratch my head,
and they'd say, "Next!"
And I'd go back to sleep.
And when I woke up,
I'd be in a different school.
That's how it went. Just all went by me.
I've been... a big dummy ever since.
This is a bird
with a long tail and a round body.
- Say "bird".
- Bird.
This looks like a bird
with a long tail and a round body.
Say "bird".
Bird.
This is the word "bird".
Read "bird".
Bird.
Bird starts with the sound "buh".
Say "buh."
- Buh.
- Again.
- Buh.
- Again.
- Again.
- Buh.
Yeah. I know what you mean.
And this letter?
Fuh.
This letter.
Guh.
- OK...
- Don't make it too tough on me.
What's this word?
- Hand.
- What's this word?
Hand.
This sentence tells what the girl has
in her hand. Read it.
"The girl has a...
"fish in her hand."
Good.
It's not exactly a cliffhanger.
Excuse me.
Hello?
Phil.
Kelly, get off the line. It's for me.
Fine, and yourself?
Good.
Nothing much. I'm just slogging along.
Nobody's been seeing much of me, Phil.
I don't think I'm ready to go dancing, Phil.
OK.
Thanks for calling.
What's this word?
How long since you been out with a man?
Last time was to take one to the hospital.
- What's this word?
- Bird.
This is a yellow birch.
Latin name, Betula lutea.
Its leaves taste like mint.
Taste it.
Mm.
This is a basswood.
Latin name, Tilia cordata.
It's a nice shade tree.
What do you think? Do you want it?
This is a Norway maple.
Latin name, Acer platanoides.
Turns red in the fall. Very, very pretty.
Red?
You know, the red leaves in the fall.
Very, very pretty.
How did you find out about all that?
I asked.
I took the leaves to a Japanese nursery,
said I liked trees.
They said, "We like trees too."
So we sat on a manure sack
and talked about it for a couple of hours.
This is a red oak.
Latin name, Quercus rubra.
- It'll outlive us both.
- That one?
- How old do you think it is?
- I'd say it's about...
300 years old.
Let's go sit down over here.
I lost my dad too, not too long ago.
My dad was sick for a long time.
The thing of it is, see, I...
I had to put him in a home.
I couldn't read, so I couldn't hold down
a job. I couldn't take care of him.
If I'd been able to read,
he might still be alive.
I'm afraid of the dark.
My dad let me leave the light on all night.
My dad was the light.
We have to leave it on
about another 15 minutes.
I don't know what I'm doing this for.
So you'll look pretty.
Nothing in a bottle's gonna do that.
You're not so bad-Iooking
if you'd use a little more eye make-up.
This is as far as I go.
I wish this baby was born already.
- It will be.
- I don't want it.
I didn't want you either.
You were an accident.
Your daddy and me were cleaning the car,
the old blue Pontiac.
And he squirted me,
and I took my shirt off, and...
we got playful.
We didn't even make it up the stairs.
When they brought you in to me,
I almost said, "Take it away. It's not mine."
That's how I felt about you.
You'd nuzzle me, and I'd stare at you.
How was I gonna take care of you?
I didn't feel anything for you.
Then one day
I was changing your diapers,
and I found blood on the cloth,
and I knew in my heart
that you had a terrible disease,
that I was being punished.
I showed the nurse, and she said,
"It's nothing.
"It's just your hormones
getting across to her."
I said, "It's nothing to worry about?"
And she said, "No, it's nothing."
And I held you in my arms,
and at that very minute,
you belonged to me. My daughter.
Am I your daughter?
Yes.
"Don says..."
Dan.
Dan.
"Dan says, 'Thank you for the..."'
- Dish.
- Dish.
Go on.
- Ed.
- "Ed...
"Ed says, 'Thank you for the..."'
Fffffff...
Fish. Fish. Put it together.
"Ed says, 'Thank you for the fish."'
Go on.
Ffffffff...
- "Fred..."
- Fran.
"Fran says, 'Thank you for the eeee..."'
- You didn't do your homework, did you?
- No.
- I watched the welterweight fights.
- Terrific.
Either you're serious or you're not.
- I'm a fight fan.
- You're gonna have one with me
because I don't like to waste my time.
I'll just come back when you cool off.
It may be a while. I'm in a bad mood.
Maybe you ate something
that didn't agree with you.
My whole life doesn't agree with me.
I'm gaining weight. I yell at my kids.
I need a sex life.
I've wanted to go to bed with you
since I first saw you.
A - I don't know why.
- And B - forget it.
- Take a wild guess.
You don't?
- No.
- It's gonna happen.
Listen, you, I don't just
hop in bed with strangers.
I ask a lot of questions.
I do a lot of talking.
I gotta know about a guy.
Ask.
- You might not be healthy.
- I'll get a blood test.
I'd want one. Excuse me.
You're tough.
Well, this has not been a perfect day.
I got a back-tax bill.
I ran into a girl I went to high school with.
She said she wouldn't have recognised me.
That was food for thought.
Also my feet hurt.
Sit down. I'll iron.
- You'll iron.
- I do it all the time. Sit down.
Sit down.
"Fran says, 'Thank you for the...
"'egg!"' God damn it. Egg.
Right.
Don't scorch the shirts.
Coming right up.
Guh.
G. Girl.
OK, down.
All the way down below the guideline.
Up, and...
around and then down. That's right.
That's right. Don't ever
pick your pencil up when you're doing Ps.
- Down. Up.
- No, I forgot...
Yeah. Keep your pencil on the paper.
Up and around.
OK. You're here at Ash and Tyler.
Meet me at Washington and Post Road.
Give me 15 minutes.
Find me.
- Can you tell me how to get to, er...?
- Where do you want to go?
Forget it. Thanks, anyway.
- Where's Washington and Post?
- You're not even close.
- You've got to go down to Morrison.
- Yeah.
- Then left to Grand.
- Uh-huh.
Then right to Comstock.
Are there any tall buildings or bridges,
churches, anything?
You'll see the street signs.
All right. Thanks.
Where the hell have you been?
I said 15 minutes.
I thought you'd been hit by a car.
Are you listening to me?
I haven't seen you.
No.
- Am I gonna see you?
- No.
Can I come in?
- You're a hard man to find.
- I moved.
I've only got one seat.
So I see.
- No dishes in the sink.
- I eat mostly take-out.
- Where are you working now?
- Same place.
Maybe it was... it was me.
You know, maybe I blew it.
They've got a programme
at the high school.
Maybe you could try that.
It came too hard. I'm not a kid any more.
- So that's it?
- That's it.
God, I hate to bomb out.
It took two years to toilet-train Richard
but he finally went to the bathroom.
That's not my problem.
What is this?
It's what I do from midnight till four
in the morning, sometimes till five or six.
What does it do?
Cools cakes fast.
Does a good job.
Stanley.
- You should show this to somebody.
- I have.
Some guys
from the tool and die plant came.
They offered me a job.
How can you make something like this
when you can't read?
When you put a man in jail
or you put him in solitary,
sometimes he'll draw pictures
on the wall with a spoon,
sometimes he'll train cockroaches.
This is what I made in my prison.
You sure kept it quiet.
Hmm.
Everybody here just gets up
and goes to work and eats and sleeps
and gets up the next day
and just works and eats and sleeps.
I'd like to see somebody go past that.
- Hello, Richard.
- Mr Cox.
- Is your mother home?
- She's in the kitchen.
- What have you been up to?
- Oh, reading.
- What are you reading?
- Comics.
Who are you talking to?
It's me.
Come on out in the kitchen.
It's still your seat.
Your hair looks different.
Yeah.
I liked it better the other way.
It's too late now.
You been keeping up?
Trying to.
- You had your dinner?
- I ate.
- You want to get at it?
- That's what I'm here for.
Let's see. We can review.
- Those are new.
- You begin to admit you need things.
Page 13.
- "This is..."
- "A river."
- "This is..."
- "A...
"snake".
Mm-hm. This is...
"A...
- "tent."
- Good. This is...
"A...
"woman."
What are you doing here?
I thought I'd sit with you,
if you want me to.
I was feeling pretty much
on my own tonight.
- How's she doing?
- It's going to be any minute.
She almost had it on the way here.
How do you feel about
being a grandmother?
Calm.
You don't look like a grandmother.
That's why I'm calm.
It was nice of you to come.
Not much of a favour.
- You know what I think?
- What?
I think you and me
are getting to be friends.
We are.
- Do you want me to call her Iris?
- No!
I never liked my name.
- How about your middle name?
- Estelle?
Oh, God, that's worse.
I want it to be one or the other.
She's gonna hate it.
Well...
Well, good evening. Hello!
Iris?
Go wash your hands. I cooked.
White or dark?
I'll have a leg and a piece of white.
- White or dark?
- Either.
- White or dark?
- Um, leg.
There you go. Take that.
Hi.
This is good.
No, it's not a capital L.
Remember, a lower-case L
is straight down to the bottom guideline,
and not that cross line.
OK. Next letter.
Uh...
- D.
- Mm-hm.
Circle around at the mid-guideline
to the bottom guideline,
and straight up...
and down.
That's OK.
It's looking better.
That's right.
And R.
That jacket.
- Something wrong with it?
- It's coming out at the elbows.
- It's old.
- It's too old.
- Come upstairs.
- What's upstairs?
I don't know what I'm keeping these for.
They're just gonna get moths.
Try this on.
Come on.
That's pretty good.
Iris, I'm glad to have the clothes
but there's a different man in them.
Not so very.
Are we going to walk around each other?
Is that what we're gonna do, Iris?
Is that what two grown-up people do?
It's what one nervous woman does.
I'll tell you what. I'm gonna spend
some time and money on you
and see if we can't put a match to this fire.
Don't go crazy. You're not a rich man.
I feel like one.
Look like one.
Isn't that...?
I don't like this.
I quit school. I couldn't stand it.
Don't you know this line
doesn't go anywhere?
Three people in bed
are one too many for me.
Mom!
Mom!
- What's the matter?
- There's a man outside
walking back and forth
looking at our house.
He's been there for 20 minutes.
Hey! What are you doing out there?
Oh, God.
You scared us to death.
What are you doing out here?
I'm thinking.
Can you think inside?
Can you come in and have a cup of coffee?
Can you come out of the cold?
Come on.
Would you please come inside?
Have a cup of coffee.
It's OK, kids.
- Hello, Richard.
- Hello, Mr Cox.
Kelly. How's the baby?
I'd like a little privacy around here.
Take Estelle upstairs.
Homework.
Oh, my God.
- How have you been?
- How have you been?
- I've had colitis.
- Hm.
- You OK now?
- Yeah. I'm better.
You shouldn't drink coffee.
- I do, anyway.
- It'll come back.
It has.
- You're smart but you're not sensible.
- God knows that's true.
No. You're not sensible,
or I'd have heard from you.
I want to tell you something.
Go ahead.
I haven't been to the cemetery
in three weeks. I'm not going any more.
Why does it have to be all or nothing?
Just don't bury yourself there.
Burn your grey sweater.
- It cost $30.
- I'll buy you five more.
All different colours, like a rainbow.
Red. I like red.
Red, blue, green, pink...
- Stop.
- No, I don't wanna stop.
I wanna go on.
I carried quarters around in my pocket
in case I got up the nerve
to call you at work.
You didn't use them.
No. I wrote you a letter too.
It's been sitting around
for about three weeks.
It's got gravy on it.
It's got ketchup on it,
it's got baby bananas on it.
Here.
"Dear Stanley.
"Give... me... a se... cond chance.
"I've got a whole lot saved up.
"You won't be... sorry.
"Let's try again.
"Iris."
"And the lead... lead...
"lead storage battery
"is the chief unit of
an automobile ignition... system.
"It consists of two or more cells
"connected... connected to each other
"in a hard r... rubber case."
Yeah!
"A strawberry bed
should have a large amount
- "of fertil... fertiliser..."
- Quiet.
"And organic matters such as peat,
"leaf mould, compost,
or rooted... rotted manure."
I think you've got it, Stanley.
"And though spirit...
"And the spirit of God
"hovered over the face of the waters,
"and God said let there be light,
- "and there was light!"
- Amen.
Shh!
What's the matter with you?
This is a library.
I know it's a library, lady.
It's my library.
You can't afford this hotel.
On this occasion, I can.
- Is that everything, sir?
- That's fine.
Thank you.
- How much was that?
- Too much. I'm feeling generous.
You like this room?
This room is where I'm gonna die.
Wanna try room service?
- Yes. What can we have?
- Anything you want.
Coffee and two chocolate clairs.
Coffee, two chocolate clairs.
We've even got a scale in there.
I'm not getting on it.
Oh, no. It's got a hole in it.
- Wouldn't you know?
- I brought old pyjamas too.
Maybe I won't wear it.
Maybe I won't wear mine, either.
You know, I've never had an affair before.
I was married when I was young,
I was pregnant when I was young.
I expected to always have
the same man in my life.
Let me tell you about us.
I need a working woman. That's you.
You need a broad shoulder. That's me.
I like you, Iris,
just about as much as I love you,
and you know what?
We're gonna do just fine together.
And a man could drown in your blue eyes.
You're all set.
- Are they gonna feed you a meal?
- I forgot to ask.
I listened to the weather report.
It's foggy in Detroit.
They wouldn't fly if it wasn't safe.
American Airlines flight 601,
nonstop to Detroit,
now boarding through gate two.
That's your flight.
We have a few minutes.
- They're giving me an office.
- Better start wearing neckties.
- They're getting me a patent.
- Get a lawyer.
- I can read the fine print.
- Get a lawyer, anyway.
Oh, Lord, Stanley.
Have you gone and gotten handsome?
Nah, same old road map.
What am I gonna do in that empty bed?
I'm gonna have to put my feet on the cat
to stay warm.
I'm gonna have to hug a pillow.
I might come back rich.
How would you like that?
I'd like to tear your ticket up.
I wish there was
a seven-point earthquake right now.
I'll be back, Iris.
Maybe you will, maybe you won't.
American Airlines announces
the final boarding call
for flight 601,
nonstop service to
Detroit Metropolitan Airport,
now boarding through gate two.
Buckle your seat belt up
as soon as you sit down.
Keep it buckled up the whole time.
It's safer that way.
I'll call you.
No, Stanley. Write to me.
I'll write to you.
Dear Iris.
Well, I'm settled in.
I've got an office about as big as a closet.
It's next to the men's room
but my name's on the door.
Small letters but it's there.
I like my boss.
He wears cowboy boots
and calls me by my first name.
He didn't graduate high school,
so we've got a lot in common.
There are pretty women here
but I don't see them for dirt.
I think about the one who sleeps
with her arms above her head
and has a little mole never mind where.
Now, I want to say something to you,
and I want to say it right and spell it right.
Thank you.
Not just from my heart,
but from my head,
where ideas and dreams come from.
I'm very grateful to you, Iris,
and that will be
till the last day of my life.
So don't catch cold.
Lock your doors at night.
Don't slip in the bathtub.
I love you. Stanley.
Iris.
Stanley.
- What are you doing here?
- I came to see you.
- Did you get fired?
- No, I got a raise. Climb in.
Um... I'm really glad to see you.
I'm happy to see you.
- Is this your car?
- After 24 payments, it will be.
Did you get the letters?
15 letters.
And a Christmas card, a get-well card,
a joyous Easter, and two Valentines.
That's about right.
Iris, I...
just got me a comprehensive health plan
and three different credit cards.
I got my eye on a house in Detroit.
It's old. It needs paint.
It's got about six bedrooms.
It's got only one bathroom.
- You listening?
- To every word.
I'd like you and the kids to live there.
Stanley, are you proposing to me?
I suppose I am.
You know what you're taking on?
There were seven visits
to the doctor last year, five to the dentist,
and winter coats,
summer coats, tennis shoes.
We're a noisy family, Stanley.
We've got a lot of arguments,
baby crying, a lot of TV.
You sure you wanna take this on?
I'm here.
Oh!
Oh!
Come here.
- Is there a school?
- Two blocks away.
Only one bathroom for five people?
You think we could knock down a wall?
Iris, anything is possible.