Fool for Love (1985) - full transcript

(harmonica)

(plays harmonica)

(man) # Listen to me, woman

# Listen to me

# I want you to understand

(singing continues)

(harmonica)

(DJ)... country KAFH...

# Come on, baby, let's ride

# I can hear the sound
of your headlights on the ground

# Looking for me



(harmonica)

- (DJ) It's 70 degrees...
- # Make new plans for the kitchen too...

# Make me smell the sweat

# On the red leather seat...

# Come on, baby, let's ride

# Come on, baby, let's ride

# Slide on into your four-wheel drive

# Let's ride

# Let me feel you moving with the moon

# Like the storming desert rain

# Come on, baby, let's ride

# Let me see the eyes that you hide

# Under your hair

# Come on, baby, let's ride



# Come on, baby, let's ride

# Slide on into your four-wheel drive

# Let's ride

# Let's ride

# Let's ride

# Let's ride

# Listen to me, woman

# Listen to me

# I want you to understand

Mr Valdes? I'm locking up.

I'll put the laundry in your car.

(man continues singing)

(harmonica)

# Come on, baby, let's ride

# Come on, baby, let's ride

# Slide on into your four-wheel drive

# Let's ride

# Let's ride

# Let's ride

# Let's ride

Hey! Anybody?

(knocking)

(banging)

(door creaks)

Move.

Move!

You gonna do the laundry now?

- You don't have to do the laundry for me.
- How'd you find me?

I saw the old Chevy layin' tits-up out there.

I figured you died in a car crash
or you settled in for a while.

- Wouldn't make much difference to you.
- What's that?

If I died in some car crash.

I knew I shoulda had 'em burn
that damn thing. Or bury it.

You'd have gone right past
if it hadn't been for that car, right?

I'd have found you one way or the other.

Eddie.

You want me
to take those sheets for you?

I've been doin' my own laundry
for months now.

I'm real good at it.

You just plunk the old quarters in
and let it rip.

Come on, honey, let me do your laundry.

- You wanna do my laundry?
- Hey! Whoa, whoa!

- Son of a bitch!
- Hey! Whoa!

Do you do her laundry?

(Eddie grunts)

(sighs)

(sighs)

You want an aspirin or somethin', huh?

You got a headache?

You want some water?

May.

May, come on.

Honey?

You want me to make you
some hot tea or somethin'?

You want some tea?
I'll make you some tea like I used to, OK?

With lemon?

You want some Ovaltine? May...

May, you gotta let go of me now, OK?
Honey.

You want me to go, huh?

- What do you want, then?
- You smell.

Your fingers smell.

- Horses.
- Pussy.

- Oh, come on, May!
- They do. They smell like metal.

I am not gonna start this shit.

Rich pussy.

- Very clean pussy.
- I came to see if you were all right.

- I don't need you.
- Oh? OK. Good. Great.

What the hell are you doing in that truck?

- Eddie, don't go!
- Get outta here!

God damn... What kinda dump is this?

You live here?

(sighs)

(horse neighs)

What am I gonna do?
What am I supposed to do now?

What?

Oh, shit.

You're gonna erase me.

What are you talkin' about?

You're gonna erase me. You're
gonna erase me or have me erased.

Why would I want... Are you crazy?

- Cos I'm in the way.
- Whoa, May.

- Don't talk like that.
- I am.

May, I am tryin' to take care of you,
all right?

Sure you are(!)

Get back. Come on, back.

You're just guilty.

- You're gutless and you're guilty.
- That's real cute. Great. Gutless.

- What are you doing with these horses?
- I'm unloading them.

Haven't been out of this rig in 200 miles.

Even my horses
have to suffer because of you.

- I'm gonna kill her.
- Who?

- Who?
- Don't talk like that, will ya?

I am. I'm gonna kill her
and then I'm gonna kill you.

You're scaring me to death.

- Back up. Get back.
- Two very sharp knives.

Two separate knives.
One for you and one for her.

So the blood don't mix.

Do you know what I'm gonna do
to her first? I'm gonna torture her.

- Do you hear me?
- Uh-huh.

- I'm gonna torture her first.
- Oh, great.

- Not you. I'm gonna let you have it.
- Thanks.

That's right.

Probably in the midst of a kiss, after
you think everything's been healed up.

Right when you think
you've buffaloed me again.

That's right when you die.

You know how many miles I went
out of my way to come and see you?

- Nobody asked you to come here!
- 2,482.

- Where you been, Katmandu?
- 2,482 miles!

So what?

(horse neighs)

(sighs)

I missed you, you know.

I did.

More than anything
I ever missed in my whole life.

Kept thinkin' about you
the whole time I was driving.

I kept seeing you.

Sometimes just a part of you.

Yeah? Like which part?

- Your neck.
- My neck?

- Yeah.
- You missed my neck?

Yeah. Well, I missed all of you, but... your
neck kept comin' up for some reason.

- I kept cryin' about your neck.
- You were cryin'?

- Yeah.
- Crying?

Yeah.

Was this before or after
your fling with the countess?

There wasn't any fling with any countess.

- You're a liar.
- I took her to dinner once.

- You're a liar.
- OK, twice.

You were bumpin' on a regular basis.
Don't stand there and give me this shit.

- I'm takin' you back, May.
- Back to that idiot trailer? Oh, no.

No, I'm movin'. I got a piece of ground
up in Wyoming now.

- Wyoming?
- Yeah.

I'm not goin' to Wyoming.

What's up there?
Marlboro Man or somethin'?

- Well, you can't stay here.
- Why not?

Why not? I'm a regular citizen now.

And I got me a job.

You got a job?

That's right.
You think I'm helpless or somethin'?

That's what you think, right?

- Yeah, it is.
- No, I just...

Been a long time since you had a job.

Well, I'm a cook.

A cook?
You can't even flip an egg, can you?

- I'm not talkin' to you any more.
- May!

May! Goddammit!
Quit doin' this, will ya?

I got it all worked out now.
I been thinkin' about this for weeks.

I'll build a corral for the horses. We can
have a vegetable garden and chickens.

I hate chickens.

I hate horses
and I hate all that other shit too.

You have me confused
with somebody else, don't ya?

Unbelievable!

I'm not lettin' go of you this time, May.

You never had me to begin with, Eddie.

You keep comin' up with
this lame country dream,

life in the country,
vegetables and chickens and stuff.

I hate all that stuff.
It makes me puke to even think about it.

What do you think it's like sitting in a tin
trailer waiting for the butane to arrive?

Then hiking down the Laundromat.
You think that's thrilling?

What?

(rattling)

- (chuckles)
- Get outta here, Eddie.

Turn off this goddamn thing.

Don't touch me.
Now get outta here. Dammit.

Couldn't you just stay put?
I told you I was comin' back to get you.

I bought you all them magazines.
I thought you liked that.

- Those French kinds.
- Oh, God.

Yeah. I did. You're right.

I especially liked the one
with the countess on the cover.

That was real cute.

I liked that one a lot.

All right.

All right what?

- Where are you goin'?
- I'm gonna sleep in the truck.

- You're gonna spend the night?
- I'll be gone in the morning.

# He was branded by the Wyoming wind

# He belongs to her until he dies

No. Wait.

#... from the Laramie river

# And his heartbeat's Cheyenne

# Why, oh, Wyoming

# You make me wonder why

# Why, oh, Wyoming

# Why?

# She liked the crowds

# He looked up in the clouds

# So they never saw eye to eye

# She had her magazine dreams

# Of faraway scenes

# And he had the Wyoming sky

# Why, oh, Wyoming

# You make me wonder why

# Why, oh, Wyoming

# Why?

# Why, oh, Wyoming

# You make me wonder why

# Why, oh, Wyoming

# Why?

# Why, oh, Wyoming

# You make me wonder why

# Why, oh, Wyoming

# Why?

You can take it.
You're a stunt man. Right?

- You got any tequila?
- You already drank my tequila!

- Come on, I wanna show you somethin'.
- I'm in the middle of somethin' here.

- I'm tryin' to talk to somebody.
- Show you something.

Look at that.

Remember that?

- Where'd you get this?
- (laughs)

Take a look at that picture over there.

- You know who that is?
- I'm not sure.

It's Barbara Mandrell.

That's who that is. Barbara Mandrell.

You heard of her?

Yeah, sure.

Would you believe me
if I told you I was married to her?

- No.
- Uh-huh.

You see, that's the difference right there.

I'm actually married to Barbara Mandrell
in my mind.

Can you understand that?

- Yeah, sure.
- Oh, good.

I'm glad we have an understanding.

(laughs)

(May talking to herself)

I swear to God
I didn't hate you even more.

It just grows. Just grows and grows.

But I mean to see you no more.
See you no more.

Just to see a picture of you.
No, not just you.

I've seen a picture of you and her,
that bitch.

I don't understand how I could hate you
so much after so much time.

I don't remember
how much I'd like to hate you.

I hate you even more. That's right.

I hate you even more
and all it does is just grow.

If I see you in the morning...

See a picture of you...

Of you and that bitch.

I don't care.

It just invades my head.

It invades my head all the time.

Bet you love that, don't you?

This picture stings me more
than seeing you with her.

It stings me more.

And it cuts me. Always cuts me.

Cuts me up.

Cuts me...

And he kinda just comes...

Uninvited, like.

Right when I don't expect it.
Like a little torture.

Like a little torture.

I blame you more. I do.

I blame you more for this torture
than I actually do for what you did.

If you love her, I could kill you.

If I really wanted to, I could.

I don't care
that much about you to kill you.

You forgot your sweater.

You better go.
It's better that you go right now.

- I wish you'd make up your mind...
- I got somebody comin' here to get me.

Here?

Yeah, here.
Where you think they're gonna go?

- Who you been seein'?
- Don't you come near me!

Don't you even think about it.

This time... Makes me so sick...

(country music on radio)

# Low down leaving sun, I've done

# Did everything that needs done

# But woe is me

# Why can't I see?

# I'd best be leaving well enough alone

# Them neon light nights

# Couldn't stay out of fights

# Keep a-haunting me in memories

# Well, there's one in every crowd

# For crying out loud

# Why was it always turning out to be me?

# Where does it go?

# The good Lord only knows

# Seems like it was just the other day

# I was down at Green Gables

# A-hawking them tables

# And generally blowing
all my hard-earned pay

# Piano rolled blues

# Danced holes in my shoes

# There weren't another other way to be

# For lovable losers, no-account boozers

# And honky tonk heroes like me

Hey, hey.

# Where does it go?

# The good Lord only knows

# Seems like it was just the other day

You got any glasses?

They're in the bathroom.

- What they doing in the bathroom?
- I keep everything there.

- It's safer.
- Where are the damn glasses?

- In the medicine cabinet.
- What are they doing there?

There are no germs
in the medicine cabinet.

Oh, germs. Germs.

Germs.

- Germs.
- That's right.

Do you want some of this?

No. I'm on the wagon.

- Good. It's about time.
- (screams)

- (woman giggles)
- (man) I have returned.

- Wait a minute. I'm not that kind of a guy.
- Oh, you know you are.

(horse neighs)

(woman giggles)

(man) Not on the first date.

# With a trembling hand and a bottle of gin

# And a rose of a different name

# The devil made me do it the first time

# The second time I done it on my own

# Lord, put a handle
on a simple-handed man

# And help him leave that black rose alone

(woman laughs)

# When the devil made that woman

# Lord, he threw the pattern away

# She was built for speed
with the tools you need

# To make a new fool every day

# Way down deep and dirty

# On the darker side of shame

# I caught a cane-cutting man
and a bottle of gin

# With a rose of a different name

# The devil made me do it the first time

# The second time I done it on my own

# Lord, put a handle
on a simple-handed man

# And help him leave that black rose alone

# The devil made me do it the first time

# The second time I done it on my own

# Lord, put a handle
on a simple-handed man

# And help him leave that black rose alone

(laughs)

- What are you gonna do with that?
- Clean it.

Eddie, this is a very friendly person
comin' here.

He's not malicious in any way.

- Did you hear what I said?
- About what?

- About the man who's comin' here.
- What man?

(sighs)

First off, it can't be very serious.

- Oh, really? And why is that?
- Cos you call him a man.

- What am I supposed to call him?
- A guy.

If you called him a guy, I'd be worried.

Since you call him a man,
you give yourself away.

You're in a dumb situation with this guy
by callin' him a man.

- You put yourself below him.
- What the hell do you know about it?

Anybody who don't kill himself
by fallin' off horses and ridin' steers

- is a twerp in your book, isn't that right?
- Yeah, that is right.

What are you supposed to call yourself?

You supposed to call yourself a guy
or call yourself a man?

If you ain't a cowboy, you ain't shit.

- (Eddie laughs)
- Why's everything a contest with you?

He's not competing with you.
He doesn't know you exist.

- You can introduce me.
- You can't keep messing me around.

You have no right to be jealous of me.
Not after all the bullshit I've been through.

- We got a pact. Remember that?
- We haven't got anything any more.

Is that right?
How come you're so excited?

- I'm not excited!
- Yeah, you are. You're beside yourself.

You're drivin' me crazy, that's why.

You know we're connected, May.

We'll always be connected.
That was decided a long time ago.

Nothing was decided, Eddie.
You screwed up.

- You know what happened.
- You promised me that.

You promised
you'd never bring that up again.

A promise can't stop that. It happened.

- Nothing happened, Eddie!
- Innocent to the last drop.

Nothing happened!

- You're a traitor.
- Eddie, nothing ever happened!

Eddie!

Eddie!

(woman) Baby?

You know something, honey?

There is one thing I'll never forget.

I'll never forget this as long as I live.

(child crying)

I don't even know
why I remember it exactly.

But you and me and your mother

were drivin' through southern Utah once,
I think it was,

in that old Plymouth we had.

You remember that Plym?
It had a white plastic hood.

A replica of the Mayflower, I think it was.

Well, it was some kind of ship.

Anyway, we'd been drivin' all night

and you were sound asleep
in the back seat

and your momma was sound asleep
in the front.

# You lied your way right into my heart

# Said all those things
I thought I'd never hear

# You held my hand
when we went out walking

Then all of a sudden you woke up crying.

Just busting a gut over something.
I don't know what it was.

A nightmare or something.

Woke your momma right up.

She climbed over the seat
there in the back with you

to try to get you settled down.

But you just kept wailing.
Wouldn't shut up for hell nor high water.

So I stopped the Plymouth
by the side of the road,

middle of nowhere.

Can't even remember
where it was exactly.

Pitch-black.

And I picked you up out of the back seat
there and carried you out into this field.

Thought the cold air
might quiet you down.

But you just kept howling.

And all of a sudden
I saw something move out there.

Something bigger
than both of us put together.

And it started to move toward us,
kinda slow.

And then it started to get joined up
by some other things just like it.

Same shape and everything.

But these things started
to kind of move in on us.

I looked back at the car
to see if your mother was all right

and just then these things started to moo.

(moos)

They all started mooing away.

- (moos)
- The cows?

(both laugh)

(moos)

Sure enough, there we were standing
in the middle of a goddamn herd of cattle.

You never heard a baby
pipe down so fast.

(May laughing)

You just never made a peep after that
the whole rest of the trip.

You got any gin in there?

(wind howls)

# Rosa

# He told me about you

# He said that you danced like the wind

# Go, Rosa, go

# Rosa

# I came here to warn you

# That hombre belongs to me

# Go, Rosa, go

# Rosa

# Stop looking that way at him

# My patience is wearing thin

# Now you better go

# Go, Rosa, go

# Go back to Mexico

# You and I, we are strangers

# But your life is in danger

# Rosa

# Your eyes are as black as sin

# They're casting a spell on him

# No, Rosa, no

# Rosa

# Here north of the border

# When you take a man like that

# There's no law and order

# Rosa

# Stop looking that way at him

# My patience is wearing thin

# Now you better go

# Go, Rosa, go

# Go back to Mexico

# You and I, we are strangers

# But your life is in danger

- (horse neighs)
- Asshole.

Oh, that cow got away?
Come on, boy.

Decided to jump off the wagon, huh?

Hm. Mm.

(music plays)

- What are you doing?
- Just a little practice.

Gotta stay in practice these days.

There's kids out there
ropin' cattle in six seconds dead.

They got it down to a science.

- I thought you were leaving.
- Yeah, I was gonna.

But then I got
about ten miles down the road there

and it suddenly occurred to me there
probably isn't any man comin' here at all.

Probably isn't any guy
or any man or anybody.

You just made all that up.

- Why would I do that?
- Just to get even.

(laughs)

So that's how it is.

Gonna get real mean and sloppy,
just like old times.

- Well...
- Like old times.

I haven't drunk in quite a while, honey.
I've been real good.

I figure I owe it to myself for once.

Have you balled him yet?

Hm?

I'm just curious.

You don't have to tell me.
I already know it.

I hope this man comes over here.

I really hope he does.

I wanna see him walk through that door.

- What are you gonna do?
- I'm gonna nail his ass to the floor.

Directly.

(screams)

I'm not stickin' around for this.

- (screams)
- Wait. Come on, take it easy.

Honey! I'll back off, OK? I'll be real nice.

I'll be just like a little old pussycat, OK?

You can introduce me to him
as your brother, OK?

- OK? Maybe not your brother.
- Maybe not.

Your cousin, OK?
I just wanna meet him.

- No! Why do you wanna meet him?
- You don't understand these things.

You can tell a lot about a person
by the company they keep.

- No. I'm just gonna go in the office.
- Come on.

- We'll try and forget the whole thing.
- Good. OK.

Great.

Uh-oh.

Great.

Why don't you run out there and throw
yourself into his arms or something?

- What are you gonna do?
- Put my hooks on.

I wanna look good,
give him the right impression.

- I'm your cousin, after all.
- I swear to God, if you hurt him...

- I'm not gonna hurt him.
- He's just an ordinary date.

- I'm gonna turn him into a fig.
- Just this once, Eddie, do me a favour.

Just one time.
Just this once, Eddie.

Anything you want, honey.
Anything you want.

(laughs and makes car noise)

What are you doing? May?

May, what are you doing? May?

- May?
- It's not him.

- It's not, uh?
- No, it's not.

Oh, too bad. Who is it, then?

Somebody else.

It's a big, huge, extra-Iong
black Mercedes Benz.

This is a motel, isn't it?

Rich people have to sleep too.

This ain't a black Mercedes Benz
type of motel, Eddie.

Somebody's just standin' out there
in front of that car.

Just standin' there lookin' at me.

What are they doin'?

I don't think it's a they, Eddie.
I think it's a she.

May, get away from the door.

Not that you know anybody
with a black Mercedes Benz...

(screams)

Stay down.

- Who the hell is that?
- How should I know? Stay there.

It's OK.

(screams)

(music plays)

I don't know who she is.
Just stay there.

That is the kind of car a countess drives.

You don't know her?
That's the kind of car a countess drives.

- Stay down!
- (May shouts)

- You OK? Stay down.
- I'm down!

- How crazy is she?
- Pretty crazy.

- Just stay down.
- Have you balled her yet?

(screams)

She's blown the goddamn windshield
out of my truck!

- She what?
- She's blown the windshield out.

- You should have thought of this!
- Where are you going? Wait a second.

- Keep those lights off.
- Don't you tell me what to do!

She's gonna come back.
We gotta get outta here.

- We gotta get your stuff...
- Stop it! Don't you dare pick me up!

(May shouts)

- Put me down!
- I came here to get you.

I came all this way to get you. Do you
think I'd do that for anybody else?

- Put me down!
- Listen to me!

The amazing thing is, neither one of you
look a bit familiar to me.

Can't figure that one out.

I don't recognise myself
in either one of you. Never have.

(shouting)

Now get your stuff.
We're gettin' outta here.

No, I'm not leavin',
but you're leavin' for sure!

- You broke my bed.
- I am not leavin' without you, May.

If you're stayin' here, I'm stayin' here.

You'll never get rid of me. I'll track you
down, no matter where you go.

I know exactly how your mind works.

I've been right every time.

- Every single time.
- You gotta give this up, Eddie.

I don't know what's in your head
any more, I really don't.

Now you desperately need me?

Now you can't live without me?

Why should I believe you now?

Cos it's true? Cos it was
supposed to be true every other time.

Every other time before this,
and it's true again.

You've been jerkin' me off for 15 years.

For 15 years I've been a yo-yo to you.

You know what?
I never been split either.

I never thought one way or another about
it. I either loved you or I didn't love you.

You know what, Eddie?

Now I just plain don't love you.

You understand?

You hear me, Eddie?
You understand?

I don't love you, I don't need you
and I don't want you.

- You get it?
- Get in the bathroom.

I'm not gettin' in the bathroom!

I'm not gonna hide in my own house!

I'm gonna go out
and I'm gonna tear her damn hair off!

- May...
- I'm gonna whack her ass. That's right.

Come on in here with your damn gun.
Bring all your weapons.

(May shouts)

(screams)

Stop!

No!

Oh, no. It's all right. It's all right.

It's all right. We were just
havin' an argument. It's OK.

It's OK. It's just a little argument, that's all.

Oh, God.

I heard you screamin' when I drove up
and then all the lights went out.

- I thought someone was tryin' to...
- Oh.

No, they weren't.

I better turn my truck lights off.
The battery will run down.

Yeah, you better.

It sure looked like you was gettin'...
you know...

No, I wasn't.

- (Eddie) That's him?
- I'm gonna kill you.

(laughs and groans)

Oh, Martin, this is... this is my cousin.

Ed... die.

- I'm sorry.
- She's lyin'.

- Oh?
- Oh, no. You wanna come on in?

- Have a drink. I bet you need one.
- Yeah.

I'm gonna have to get you a...
wash you a glass, OK?

- Yeah.
- OK?

OK.

She keeps the glasses in the bathroom.
Isn't that weird?

I was startin' to think
you weren't gonna come.

I'm sorry. I had to water the football field
down at the high school.

- Forgot all about it.
- You did?

- Forgot all about what?
- I forgot about the waterin'.

I was halfway here when I remembered.

- There you go.
- I thought you forgot about her.

Oh, no.

How far was halfway?

Excuse me?

How far was it
when you were halfway here?

I don't know.
I guess a couple of miles or so.

A couple of miles?
A couple of lousy, stinkin' miles?

You wanna know how many miles
I came? You wanna know?

- Huh?
- Agh! I'm so sorry.

It's OK. We've been drinkin' a little bit.

She's in deep shit.

(whispers) I'm gonna kill you.

What's the matter, May?

What? Nothin'.

How come you had all the lights off?

Oh... Yeah, we were gonna go out.

- But you...
- And we were gonna come back.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no!

That's not what we were gonna do.

That's not
what we were gonna do, Marty. No.

We were actually
havin' a big argument about you.

- About me?
- Uh-huh.

We were in the middle
of a big argument about you.

It got so heated up,
we had to turn the lights off.

- He's just joking.
- What was it about?

It was about whether or not
you're actually a man or not.

Whether you're a man... or just a guy.

(mouths)

See, she says that you're a man.
Did you know that?

Did you know that's what she calls you?
A man.

- I didn't know that.
- I didn't. Don't worry about it.

It's OK. I don't mind it.

Didn't we say
we were goin' to the movies?

Yeah. That's what I thought.

- We drink on up and we go, OK?
- (Eddie grunts)

I'll be back.

She's not mad or anything, is she?

I didn't mean to make her mad.

(Eddie) Huh.

What are you gonna go see, Marty?

I can't decide.

What do you mean? Supposed to have
all that worked out, aren't you?

Yeah, but I'm not sure what she likes.

What difference does that make?
You're takin' her out, right?

Yeah.

You pick the movie.
The guy is supposed to pick the movie.

The guy always picks the movie.

Yeah, but I don't wanna take her
to somethin' she doesn't wanna see.

How do you know
what she wants to see?

- I don't. That's the reason I can't decide.
- Uh-huh.

What if I take her
to somethin' she's seen before?

No, you missed the whole point, Marty.

The reason
you're takin' her out to the movies

isn't to see somethin'
that she hasn't seen before.

- No?
- No.

The reason
you're takin' her out to the movies

is you just wanna be with her, right?

You just wanna... be close to her, right?

- Yeah, I guess.
- Yeah.

You could take her just about anywhere.

After a while you probably won't
even have to take her out at all.

You can hang around here,
save yourself a lot of money.

Yeah.

- Oops.
- What'll we do here?

Well, you could...
You could uh... tell each other stories.

- Stories?
- Yeah.

- I don't know any stories.
- Well, make 'em up.

- That'd be lyin', wouldn't it?
- No. Only when you believe it's true.

When you know it's a lie, it's not lyin'.

- You want a hand up off the floor?
- No.

I like it down here.
There's less tension.

You notice when you're standin' up
there's more tension?

Yeah. A lot of times when I'm workin'
I'm down on my hands and knees.

- What line of work do you follow?
- Yard work, mostly.

Oh. You mean lawns and stuff?

- Maintenance.
- You do lawns on your hands and knees?

- Edgin'. Trimmin' around the edges.
- Oh, yeah?

- Weedin' around the sprinkler heads.
- I get you.

Yeah, I always noticed
how much more relaxed I get

when I'm down on my hands and knees,
close to the ground.

You can get down on your hands
and knees right now. I don't mind.

- No, I'll stand, thanks.
- Suit yourself.

You're just gonna get
more and more tense.

Huh?

- So you're May's cousin, huh?
- Yeah. See that right there?

That's the result of tension, askin' me that.

- What?
- Askin' me if I'm her cousin.

- You know I'm not her cousin.
- How would I know that?

- Do I look like her cousin?
- She said you were.

- She's lyin'.
- Well, what are you, then?

You're really gettin' tense.

- Maybe I just better go on.
- No, wait. Martin, don't go.

Don't go, Marty.

It is blue and Ionely
out there in the black night.

I'll tell you what.

Let's go over to the bar and
have us a little drink. What do you say?

- She gonna be OK?
- Yeah. She's always OK.

She's just takin' her time just to torture ya.

- How will she know where we went?
- She knows. She's got a sixth sense.

Come on, Marty.
Come on. There we go.

There we go. There we go.

What exactly
is the matter with May anyway?

- She's in a state of shock.
- Shock?

- How come?
- Well...

We haven't seen each other
in a long time.

Me and her, we go back quite a way.
High school.

Oh, really? Oh.

- I didn't know that.
- Yeah. A lot of miles.

So you're not really cousins, then?

Well, not really, no.

- You're her husband?
- No.

No.

She's my sister.

- Your sister?
- Mm.

Hm. So you knew each other
even before high school?

No. I never even knew I had a sister
until it was too late.

- How do you mean?
- By the time I found out, we'd already...

you know... fooled around.

- You fooled around?
- Yeah.

Mm-hm.

That's illegal, isn't it?

- Only if you get caught.
- Hey. Who is this guy?

- Is that true? She's really your sister?
- Half. Only half.

- Which half?
- The top half.

In horses we call that the top side.

And the mare is what?
The mare is distaff.

Ain't that the bottom half? Distaff.

It's funny I should remember that.

You fooled around
in high school together?

- Everybody fools around in high school.
- I never did.

- Maybe you should have.
- Not with my sister, anyway.

I wouldn't recommend that.

How could that happen? I mean...

Well, see...

Our daddy fell in love twice.

That's basically how it happened.

Once with my mom
and once with her mom.

It was the same love,
it just got split in two, that's all.

How come you didn't know each other
until high school?

He lived two separate lives.

Two completely separate lives.

He'd live with me and my mom and then
he'd go and live with her and her mom.

Don't be too hard on me, boy.
It's happened to the best of us.

- You never knew what was goin' on?
- No.

Never knew.
Neither did my mother.

- She knew.
- She never knew.

She must have suspected
somethin' was going on.

Well... if she did,
she never let on to me about it.

Maybe she was afraid of findin' out.

Or maybe she just... loved him.
I don't know.

He'd disappear.

Months at a time he'd disappear.

She never once asked where he went.

(horn)

She was always glad to see him, though.

I remember, me and her, we used to go
runnin' out of the house to meet him

as soon as we saw him in the old
Studebaker, drivin' across the fields.

(older man) It was a Willis.

I never owned a goddamn Studebaker.

It was a Willis Knight.

(Martin) How'd you finally find out
that she was your sister?

(Eddie) This went on for years, see.

Honey.

He kept disappearing
and then reappearing.

And... then one day it stopped.

He just stayed home for a while.

He stayed in the house.
He never went outside.

He just sat in his chair, starin'.
Then he started goin' on these walks.

(singing)

He'd go on these long walks and he'd
walk all day and he'd walk all night.

Ellie!

He'd just disappear in the dark.

I remember watchin' him
from my bedroom window.

He'd just disappear in the dark
with his overcoat on.

Where was he going?

(Eddie) Just walkin'.

I was making a decision.

And one night...

I asked him if I could go with him.

And he took me.

We walked straight out
across the fields together.

I remember it was just ploughed
and our feet sank down in the powder.

The dirt came up over the tops
of my shoes and weighed me down.

I wanted to stop and empty my shoes out
but he wouldn't stop.

He kept walkin' straight ahead.

I was afraid of losin' him in the dark,
so I just kept up as best I could.

And we were completely silent
the whole time.

We never said a word to each other.

We could barely see a foot in front of us

and these white owls kept swooping down
out of nowhere, hunting forjack rabbits,

diving right past our heads
and disappearing.

We just kept walkin' silent like that
for miles until we got to town.

I remember seein' the old man in
the liquor store as he paid for the bottle.

Then he came out with the bottle
wrapped in a brown paper sack.

What are you doin'?
Attacking me or something?

He opened the bottle up
and offered it to me.

Before he even took a drink,
he offered it to me first.

I took it and drank it
and handed it back to him.

We just kept passing it back and forth
like that till we drank the whole thing dry.

Finally we reached this little white house
with a red awning on the far side of town.

(older man) # Listen to me, woman
Listen to me

# I want you to understand

We walked right up to the front porch
and he rang the bell.

(continues singing)

I remember gettin' real nervous because
I wasn't expecting to visit anybody.

And then this woman comes to the door.

This real pretty woman with red hair.

And she throws herself into his arms
and he starts crying.

He just breaks down
right there in front of me.

She's kissing him all on the face.

He's just cryin' like a little baby.

And then...

through the doorway behind them both,
I see this girl.

She just appears.

She's just standin' there starin' at me.

And I'm starin' back at her.

Can't take our eyes off each other.

It was like we knew each other from
somewhere but we couldn't place where.

But the second we saw each other,
that very second,

we knew we'd never stop bein' in love.

Boy, you're incredible.
You're just unbelievable.

Martin comes all the way over here,
doesn't know you from Adam.

You start tellin' him a story like that.
Are you crazy?

Are you?

None of it's true, Martin.
He's had this weird, sick idea for years.

It's totally made up. I don't know
where he got it from. He's a bit nuts.

I don't know where he got it from,
but he's completely nuts.

She's a little embarrassed about
the whole thing. You can't blame her.

- Hand me a glass, please.
- You heard that, huh?

Oh, yeah, I heard it.

I heard it, every word of it,
and I followed it very carefully.

He's told me the same story a thousand
times and it always changes. Always.

- I never, ever repeat myself.
- You do nothin' but repeat yourself.

That's all you do. You go around
in one big circle. Round and round.

Did you think it was a story?
Did you think I made that whole thing up?

At the time you were tellin' it
it seemed real.

But now you're doubtin' it
because she says it's a lie?

She suggests it's a lie and
all of a sudden you change your mind?

- Let's go to the movies.
- Nobody is goin' to the movies.

There's not a movie in a hundred miles
that can match the story I'm gonna tell.

- I'm gonna finish this story, OK?
- Eddie...

- You wanna hear the rest of the story?
- Sure.

OK. Good.

- I'm dyin' to hear it myself.
- Yeah.

You think
this is gonna change something?

No.

- Then what's the point?
- It's absolutely pointless.

Why put everybody through this?

Martin don't wanna hear
this bullshit and neither do I.

I know you don't wanna hear it.

Don't try and pass it off on me, Eddie.

You got it turned around.

You got it all turned around.

You don't even know
which end is up any more.

I don't need either of you.

I don't need any of it.

Cos I know the whole rest of the story.

I know exactly how it happened.

Without adding any little tricks onto it,
Eddie.

- What does she know?
- She's lyin'.

Want me to finish it for you, Eddie? Huh?

Want me to finish the story for ya, Eddie?

See, my mother...

May?

My momma, the pretty red-haired lady.

She was. She was...

She was desperately in love
with the old man.

Wasn't she, Eddie?
You could see it in her eyes.

She was so obsessed with him
that she couldn't stand to be without him.

Even for a second.

So she kept hunting for him
from town to town

and following clues he'd leave behind,
like a postcard, a motel matchbook.

He didn't ever leave anything simple
behind like a telephone number

or an address.

Cos, you see,
my momma was his little secret.

She hounded him.

Hounded him for years and years.

And he just kept tryin'
to keep her at a distance.

Cos, see,
the closer these two separate lives,

these two separate kids,

these two separate women got together,

the more nervous he got.

And the more filled with terror

that these two lives
would find out about each other

and his little secret
would devour him whole,

just take him by the throat.

She finally caught up with him.

She just dulled him down.

I remember that day
when we got to that town

and she kept sayin' - she was on fire,
she was crazy - she kept sayin'

"This is it.
This is the place, May. This is the place."

And her whole body was tremblin' like this

as we were walkin' through the streets
lookin' for this house.

I remember
she was holdin' my hand so tight,

I thought she was gonna crush
all the bones in my fingers.

She was so terrified.

She was so terrified
she was gonna run into him by accident,

cos she knew she was trespassin'.

She knew she was crossin'
into the forbidden zone.

But she couldn't help herself.

So we walked all day
in that stupid hick town.

All day.

Goin' up and down every street
in all these neighbourhoods,

lookin' in on every dumb family,

peerin' through all these open windows.

I remember it was exactly supper time

cos everybody was sittin'
around the table havin' fried chicken.

That's how close we were to the window.
We could see what they were eatin'.

We could hear the voices but we couldn't
make out what they were sayin'.

But Eddie and his momma were talkin'

and the old man, he just sat there.

He didn't say nothin', did he, Eddie?

He just sat there in silence,
eatin' his fried chicken.

She's off the wall.
You gotta do something about this.

The funny thing was, almost as soon
as we found him, he disappeared.

She weren't with him
but a couple of weeks.

He just... vanished.

Nobody ever saw him after that. Ever.

And Momma,
she just turned herself inside out.

I couldn't understand it. She grieved
like somebody had died or somethin'.

I just couldn't understand that.

Cos I was feelin'just the opposite.

See, I...

I was in love.

I remember I'd come home from school
after bein' with Eddie

and I was filled with this joy that...

And there she'd be.

She'd be standin' in the kitchen
just starin' at the sink.

And her eyes looked like a funeral.

I didn't know what to say to her.
I didn't even feel sorry for her.

Cos all I could think of was him.

And all he could think about was me.

Isn't that right, Eddie?

We couldn't take a breath
without thinkin' of each other.

We couldn't eat,
couldn't sleep unless we were together.

Eddie's mom didn't know
what was wrong with him.

But my momma...
my momma knew exactly.

Right down to her bones.

She went to Eddie
and she begged him not to see me.

She went to Eddie's mom and begged her.

But Eddie's mother...

Eddie's mother blew her brains out,
didn't she, Eddie?

She blew her brains right out.

Now, wait a second.
Just a goddamn second here.

This story doesn't hold water.

You ain't gonna let her off the hook
with that one, are you?

That's the dumbest version
I ever heard in my whole life.

She never blew her brains out.
Nobody ever told me that.

Where in the hell did that come from?

Well?

Well, stand up.

Get on your feet now, goddammit!
I wanna hear the male side of this thing!

You're gonna represent me now.
You're gonna speak on my behalf.

There's nobody to speak for me now.

Get up.

Well, tell her, then.
Tell her what really happened.

(gunshot)

It was your shotgun.

Same one we used to duck-hunt with.
Browning.

She'd never fired a gun in her whole life.

That was her first time.

Nobody ever told me that.

I was left completely in the dark
on that one.

- You were gone.
- Somebody could have found me.

They could have hunted me down.
I wasn't impossible to find.

- You were gone.
- I know I was gone, God damn you!

I was gone!

But I wasn't disconnected.

There was nothing cut off in me.
Don't you forget that.

Everything went on just the same
as before I left. Nothing changed.

But your mother... Your mother
wouldn't give it up, would she?

She drew me to her.
She went out of her way to draw me in.

She was a force.

I told her I'd never come across for her
from the very beginning,

but she kept opening up to me.

She kept...

See, she... She...

She... She kept
opening up her heart to me, see.

You know, how could I turn her down
when she loved me like that?

How could I turn away from her?

We were completely whole.

What are you doing?

Speak to her.
Bring her round to our side.

Make her see this thing in a clear light!

Stay away from her, now.

What the hell are you doing?
Keep away from her!

You two can't come together.

You gotta hold up my end of this deal.
I got nobody now.

You can't betray me now.

You're my son.

I ain't staying. I ain't.

May?

- Hey, May!
- (May shouts)

The whole place is burnin' down, May.

Wait a minute, May. May?

(horse neighs)

Do you need some help or anything?

I got a truck. I can drive you
anywhere you wanna go.

(horse neighs)

(Martin) Where are you goin'?

May?

You're not goin' with him, are you?

He's gone.

May?

(galloping hooves)

(Martin) May!

(harmonica)

(explosion)