Touched by an Angel (1994–2003): Season 6, Episode 22 - Stealing Hope - full transcript
Ricky is a gas station attendant who just lost his job since the station is closing. Monica goes to help with the closing inventory of items. She convinces him that a door closing opens another door, and he needs to pursue his poetry.
It's not fair. You said
I could have a job
as long as I wanted.
At least I'm giving
you two weeks’ notice.
I'm sorry.
Oh, man.
What can I do for you?
Well, I think my baby
needs her oil changed
'cause she's been
wheezing and puffing.
Fine, pull on in.
It's a lovely day, isn't it?
This baby is very special to me.
Is there a particular oil
that you recommend?
Doesn't matter.
It all comes from
the same place.
Oh, really?
I-I thought there was
something about the, uh,
um, what's that word?
Uh, viscosity?
You know, it's a
lovely word, isn't it?
Vis-cos-ity.
Is something wrong?
My boss just told
me I'm out of a job.
Excuse me.
Al's closing this place.
You never know, it might
lead to something better.
I wouldn't bet on it.
His name is Ricky Hawke.
He's very intelligent,
very angry,
and very talented.
Talented at what?
Go in there and see.
This is a joke, right?
No, no, no, go on.
Go in and see.
Go.
Go in. Go in.
"I just got my
two weeks’ notice.
"It's the only notice I ever got
"after 19 unnoticeable years.
“Nobody said, “Take a shot.“
"Well, I don't want
what they've got.
I don't want anything at all."
So, he's a poet.
He's got a lot of potential,
but it's just never
gotten past that door.
Why?
Well, a long time ago,
Ricky built this great
big wall around himself
to save his life,
and now he doesn't
know how to take it down.
He can't knock it down.
He can't climb over it.
All he can do is write on it.
And every poem he
writes is a cry for help.
But he's only 19.
How could someone so
young become so hopeless?
That's what you're going
to find out, angel girl.
♪ When you walk ♪
♪ Down the road ♪
♪ Heavy burden ♪
♪ Heavy load ♪
♪ I will rise ♪
♪ And I will walk with you ♪
♪ I'll walk with you ♪
♪ Till the sun
don't even shine ♪
♪ Walk with you ♪
♪ Every time, I tell you ♪
♪ I'll walk with you ♪
I Walk with you ♪
♪ Believe me, I'll
walk with you. ♪
You guys are all set.
That'll be one dollar.
Just one dollar?
That is a special.
Consider it a
going-out-of—business sale.
No one will miss a
couple quarts of oil.
Hey, Monica.
You're early.
Hello, AI.
Ricky, this lady's gonna
do the inventory of the place
and sell everything
that's not nailed down.
Like oil.
Oil, filters, tires.
I'll be accounting
for everything.
That'll be $19.99.
I got it.
Want me to fill her up?
No gas.
Bathroom this way?
Ricky, you filled up the
paper towels in there yet?
Not the best
graffiti I ever read.
It's called a poem.
How would you know?
You don't go to the
university, do you?
Didn't think so.
Stop posing and
take off the hat.
Thanks.
You want to show Monica
around the place, Ricky?
- No, I got to go pick up Joey first.
- Oh.
Joey?
His little brother.
He picks him up
from school every day.
Got a lot of homework?
Uh-huh.
Hey, do you know
how to invent stuff?
I don't know.
Why?
Well, there's this
invention contest
for kids down at the college,
and the winner gets to
go to a science camp.
And the other kids are doing it,
and I'd really
like to do it, too,
but I don't want
to be any trouble.
So, it's okay if I can't,
but I'd really
like to if I could.
Well, what do you have to do?
Sign up at the college.
You want to go now?
Oh, cool, cool, cool,
cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.
Hey, so did Dad ever
do this stuff with you?
No, Joey, Dad had
other stuff on his mind.
Like what?
Just stuff.
Let's, uh... Let's
get you signed up.
Hi, Monica.
This is Joey.
Ah.
Hello, Joey.
Nice to meet you.
- You, too.
- Sorry we were late.
We had a stop to make.
Yeah, I had to sign up
for the invention convention
'cause I'm gonna be an inventor.
An inventor?
How exciting.
What are you gonna
do? The kid's got brains.
I'll be right back.
So, um, what kind of invention
are you going to make?
Well, I don't know,
but I'm gonna need
a lot of stuff for it.
Ah, well, there's a lot of stuff
you could use around here.
Hey, do you like
macaroni and cheese?
Yes, I love it.
Hey, man, what's up?
Same old, same old.
Looking for action
wherever we can find it.
Where you been?
Wasting my time here.
Al's closing the place,
so I got to start
looking for another job.
You gonna be able to hook us up
- with some gas?
- Sorry, man.
Al's got this lady here
counting every nut, bolt,
and gallon in the place.
Bummer.
Yeah.
Anyway, you guys
better get out of here
before my brother starts
thinking I'm up to something.
See ya.
Hi.
Oh, I was here earlier,
and I lost my student ID.
You haven't seen it
around here anywhere,
-have you? -Uh... Oh, yeah.
I think I saw it in, um,
in the lost-and-found.
Wait here. I'll go get it.
- Oh, great.
- Here you go.
Oh.
You can't do anything on
campus without your ID,
but I guess you know that.
Yeah.
It's just part of,
um, going to school.
Well, thanks.
Um, you should check out
this class sometime.
The teacher's awesome.
What are you doing in there?
I was taking inventory.
When AI says "everything
must go," he means everything.
That's a lovely poem you
wrote on the wall in there.
Who said it was mine?
"Two weeks' notice...
19 unnoticeable years..."
Let me see: you're
19; you're out of work;
and... AI told me.
Hey, guess what?
Monica's coming
to dinner tonight.
Hi, Mom.
This is, uh, this is Monica.
Hello, Mrs. Hawke.
Hi.
Um, I'm working with
Ricky for a few weeks,
and Joey asked
me back to dinner.
I hope you don't mind.
She really likes macaroni.
What kind of work are you
doing at the gas station?
- Oh, well, I'm...
- Nothing.
Nothing always means something.
What'd you do?
I told you, nothing.
AI's going out of business,
and I'm out of a job.
It's no big deal.
He gave me two weeks' notice.
Well, good.
That'll give you plenty
of time to find another job.
What's this?
Nothing. It's just a
flyer from the university.
What are you doing with it?
I haven't the slightest idea.
Why would I ever want to
go to college, right, Mom?
Don't you talk like that to me.
You walk in here,
tell me you've lost your job,
bring some woman home to dinner,
don't even give me a
chance to get cleaned up,
and now you're dreaming
about greener pastures?
I guess your brother
and I don't matter.
Fine.
Do what you want!
Just like your Dad!
She's just worried we're
going to grow up and leave her.
But we won't, right, Ricky?
I'm sorry, Monica.
Have you given any thought
to what you're going to do next?
There's not much to think about.
Guys like me... We
take what we can get.
Is there something
that you'd like to do?
No.
I got you this book.
I thought it might
give you some ideas.
Yeah, well, ideas are dangerous.
Can you keep an
eye on this place
while I go over to Taco Town
and fill out an application?
Well, well.
If it isn't the merry mechanic!
What are you doing here?
Aren't you a little old?
Watch it, buster.
When it comes to education,
there's no such
thing as too old.
Sit down.
Good morning,
ladies and gentlemen.
Some of you have
come up to me recently
with some questions
about the assignment
that's due on Friday.
So! Let me clarify to
you exactly what I want.
I want you guys to
write about a feeling.
Uh, an emotional... reaction
to the world around you.
And it could be about anything.
It could be about a puppy,
a flower, or a basketball game,
or-or a pretty girl,
it doesn't matter.
As long as it's honest.
That's what I'm looking for.
Now, I don't expect you
guys to write like Wordsworth,
but let me give you an example
of what this man could do
with just one moment in time.
Okay?
"She was a Phantom of delight
"When first she
gleamed upon my sight;
"A lovely Apparition, sent
"To be a moment's ornament;
"Her eyes as stars
of Twilight fair;
"Like Twilight's,
too, her dusky hair;
"But all things else
about her drawn
"From May-time and
the cheerful Dawn;
"A dancing Shape, an Image gay,
"To haunt, to
startle... to waylay."
“I won't do it again,
“Love you, with open arms...
“Without fear of falling.
“L have fallen before.
“We learn by failure,
like a baby's first steps,
“Crumbling, getting up,
“Crying as we reach
for the one we love.
And I won't do it again.“
What's this supposed to be?
It's a book of poetry
yet to be written.
Thanks, Monica, but
that's not really my style.
You write on the
walls of restrooms
because you
think it's temporary.
Because you think
your words are garbage,
not worthy of a real
place in the world.
But they are worthy, Ricky.
They are your words.
Your thoughts.
And they deserve
to be remembered.
They need to be written down.
On paper.
I don't write anything
down on paper.
That's a shame.
I'll see you in the morning.
They need to be written down...
I don't write anything
down on paper.
That's a shame... that's a
shame... that's a shame...
Look what you did,
you stupid little brat!
You ruined it!
- No, Daddy, please!
- Shut up!
Just shut up, you stinking kid!
Why don't you use the bathroom
where you actually buy your gas?
Why don't you get a life?
You punk townie.
What actually is
a "townie," Tess?
Well, baby, a townie is
what the college students call
the kids that grew
up in this town.
It's another one of
those cruel words
to make people feel
bad about themselves.
And when people like
Ricky hear it often enough,
they begin to feel that way.
And pretty soon, you don't
even have to say it at all.
Ha ha, that's right, dude.
Ricky...
I told you guys,
no more free gas.
Relax, dude.
Want to do you a favor.
Just made a friend who's
looking to buy some car parts.
The whole car, if you
know what I mean.
Pays more than Taco Town.
Yeah, it'll cost
a lot more, too.
All right, your loss, man.
Let us know if you
change your mind.
Oh! Just the man
I was looking for.
I'm gonna be late for class,
and I don't like to
be late for class,
so I'm going to
make this very short.
You must be registered for
my class in order to attend,
and you're not.
- I was thinking about it.
- That's good.
Think some more. Then
do something about it.
I'm going to let you
attend for one week,
but after that, you
gotta make a decision.
This is gonna be great.
Yeah, she's gonna love this.
All right!
Hit the lights!
All right, get down, get down.
Shh, shh-shh-shh.
Surprise!
No! Don't, no,
no, no... No, don't!
- Please don't hurt me!
- It's us. It's not Dad.
It's okay, Mom.
Mom.
It's okay. It's okay.
God, I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I wasn't thinking,
Mom. I wasn't thinking.
Shh. Shh.
Good morning.
Isn't it a school day?
No, it's some kind
of a teacher day.
Um, where's Ricky?
He had something
he needed to do.
How was your mother's
birthday party last night?
It was weird, but
I did figure out
what I wanted to
do for my invention.
Oh. What's that?
Well, I want to invent something
to make people
forget bad things.
Oh.
Is there something
that you'd like to forget?
No, I was too little.
But your mom and Ricky do.
You know, sometimes, Joey,
you have to remember
the bad things
so that you can learn from them.
Yeah, but sometimes
bad things don't stop,
even when you've
already learned something.
I, uh, graded your
poems last night.
And I gotta tell
you, they are...
For the most part...
Pretty darn good.
There's one, however,
that strikes me as
surprisingly good,
and I would really like
the young man who wrote it
to, uh, to come up here
and read it to the class.
So, uh, Marshall?
Marshall Fuller?
"I won't do it again.
"Love you with open arms,
"Without fear of falling.
"I have fallen before.
"We learn by failure.
"Like a baby's first steps,
"Crumbling, getting
up, "Crying as we reach
"For the one we love.
"And I won't do it again.
Who is that guy?
He doesn't even
go to school here.
You know, I think he's a townie.
What?
Hey, man,
what are you doing
hanging around here?
You trying to be a
college boy or something?
No... just hating
somebody's guts.
Hating their car, too.
Well, it doesn't have to work.
It just has to be some kind
of invention that could
work someday in the future.
They're always
inventing new things,
and they just have
to have someone
to give them the idea.
Hmm, I think if anyone ever
did invent a forgetting machine,
this is what it would look like.
How would it work,
in the future, I mean?
Well, first, you
get some uranium,
and you put it in here.
And then you would
x-ray your brain waves.
Huh. My goodness.
Well, you'd have to
look into something.
What?
Well, I-I don't know, I
don't have that part yet.
But it would hypnotize
you, and then... boom.
All your bad memories
would be gone.
Huh.
Oh, hey, Ricky.
Well, at least they
liked your poem.
I really don't feel like
being made fun of right now.
Well, no, I'm not
making fun of you.
But the truth is, if
you had been enrolled
you would be the
one getting the praise.
Don't you see you
need to get the education
that you want?
I can't just go to
college. It's not that easy.
What am I gonna
do about my mother?
What about Joey?
Maybe the best thing
you could do for your family
is to show them that
someone could overcome
the pain you've
all been through.
Look, no matter what I do...
there's always gonna
be guys like that
who will do anything to succeed,
and guys like me...
who get stepped
on along the way.
Maybe that's why
you can't write down
your poetry, Ricky.
Maybe you were
stepped on as a child.
But you're almost an adult now,
and it's time for you
to learn to stand up
and not allow yourself
to be used in that way.
So that men like
Marshall and your father...
Joey, get out of here.
Don't... talk about my father.
"My heart leaps up when I behold
"A rainbow in the sky:
"So it was when my life began;
"So it is now I am a man;
"So be it when I shall grow old,
"Or let me die!
"The child is father of the man;
"And I could wish my days to be
"Bound each to
each By natural piety."
Yeah?
Hey.
Where is my car?
Oh, man.
Can't begin to
imagine what this is for.
How did you get this job?
What's up, college boy?
You need a ride anywhere?
You liked the mirror, we
brought you the whole car.
What are you guys doing?
Get that out of here.
Shh!
Come on.
Thought you'd be glad,
man. We did you a favor.
Well, don't do me
any more favors.
Get it out of here.
Your loss, man.
Oh, hey.
Hey, hey, buddy.
Hey, where you been?
Doing what I should've
been doing all along.
Looking for a job.
I'm sorry I've been
stressed out lately.
You forgive me?
Yeah.
How's the invention coming?
Terrible.
I'm still missing one
part, and I really need it.
The convention's tomorrow.
Don't worry. You'll
think of something.
Use your imagination.
Hey, did Dad ever
build stuff with you?
No, Joey, Dad was better at...
taking stuff apart.
All right, now go back to sleep.
I got to slip under
the mom radar.
What about this?
They put it on their heads,
and it hypnotizes them.
You don't get it.
Well, you better find something.
The convention
starts in half an hour
and I promised your
mother we'd be on time.
Keep looking.
Hypnotizer... hypnotizer.
Hello?
Hypnotizer,
hypnotizer, hypnotizer...
Hey, that's it.
Where have you been?
Taco Town.
I start Monday. $6.50 an hour.
Oh, Ricky, that's wonderful.
I look terrible.
No, you don't, Mom.
You look really good.
Ready or not, it's time to go.
Well, I'm ready.
- You are?
- Yep. Found just what I needed.
Don't, not, not yet.
I guess I better find the
bathroom in this place
and freshen up.
I was hoping I'd see you here.
Why?
You have some
fantasy about a guy
from the other
side of the tracks?
You know, you
didn't have to lie.
I thought you were cute
before you told me that
you went to school here.
What?
Do you know what I've had
to do to go to school here?
I wash dishes in
the school cafeteria.
My family doesn't
have any money.
I'm just a townie
from another town.
I should've known.
Yeah, um... Marshall's
one of the judges.
Yeah, well, I better
go help my brother
with his invention.
Looks like you're next, Joey.
Are you ready, buddy?
Yeah.
Oh, my...
What are you doing with that?
Oh, isn't it great?
You look into it, and
you're hypnotized.
You got to take it off, Joey.
Why? You said to
use my imagination.
You don't understand.
Wait, you're gonna break it!
Number 12.
Okay, Joey.
Okay.
What are you doing here?
This is my little
brother's invention.
That's my mirror.
This guy stole my car.
- Get off of my brother.
- No, you don't understand.
Don't you ever
touch my little brother.
- Get off me, punk.
- Rick, what are you doing?
What is going on here? Get off.
You stole my car.
Oh, Ricky, no.
No, I didn't. I just ripped off
your stupid mirror
because you stole my poem.
What are you talking about?
It was on the wall.
But I don't understand.
Who cares about a poem?
You stole my car.
I did not steal his car.
Of course you
did. You're a thief.
Just like you been
stealing an education.
Whoa. I gave Ricky permission
to audit the class for a week.
And I ripped off your mirror
before your car was stolen.
I'm calling the police.
Hold it. Wait a minute now.
He's telling the truth.
I saw Ricky take your mirror,
but he did not steal your car.
I also saw the
two boys that did.
One of them was wearing a
blue bandana kind of thing,
and the other one had
on a very disturbing t-shirt.
I've seen those
guys. They're townies.
Probably friends of this loser.
I know exactly where they are.
And when I'm through with them
they will not want
to put their hands
on anybody else's
property ever again.
Fine.
Still having you
arrested for what you did.
You know, Marshall, it concerns
me that you're more worried
about your car
than your conduct.
I mean, did... Has
it occurred to you
that you've just been
accused of plagiarism?
First of all, I didn't
plagiarize anything,
and second, if I was going to,
I wouldn't steal from
some stupid townie
who probably can't
even write his own name,
and third, stealing a poem is
not the same as stealing a car.
Wrong, Marshall,
stealing is stealing.
Forget it.
It doesn't matter.
Guys like me
end up going to jail
for ripping off a stupid mirror,
and guys like him rip off a poem
and end up graduating
from medical school.
Wait.
What are you doing?
Nothing.
Don't you think you've
done that enough?
I'm not in the
mood for a lecture.
I'm not here to lecture you.
I'm here to help you
learn to fight for yourself.
Guys like me never have
a chance, so why bother?
Guys like you... that's
always your excuse, isn't it?
But you know what I think?
I think it's not that guys like
you never have a chance.
It's that guys like you
are afraid to take it.
Back off, Monica.
No.
You can keep running, Ricky,
but everywhere you
go, I'm going to be there.
Why are you doing this?
Because God has
something to say to you,
and when He has something to
say, He doesn't hide His message
behind a door on
a bathroom wall.
He's not ashamed of
the words He has to say.
He can write them in the sky;
He can write them in your heart;
or He can send his angel
to speak them right out loud.
An angel?
You're an angel?
Yes.
Uh, I don't believe in angels.
You have been
too afraid to believe
in anything good in this world.
So... what does He
want to say to me?
He loves you.
What?
God loves you.
God doesn't love guys like...
Guys like you?
Oh, yes, He does, Ricky,
He loves guys just like you...
Tough, angry, hopeless young men
who used to be sweet,
loving, trusting little boys
but who have had the joy
of life beaten out of them.
It's not that simple, Monica.
Yes, it is.
Look at Joey.
He never knew his father;
he was never abused;
and he's free to dream,
free to love so honestly,
free to imagine a
future for himself,
free to invent a
forgetting machine
to help the people
that he loves the most.
But he can't
because you've already become
a forgetting machine, Ricky.
You've put up a wall to block
out your pain and your fear,
but a wall works two ways.
Yes, it keeps things in,
but it also keeps things out
like joy, trust, hope.
You don't know...
what it was like.
That's right. I don't.
That's why the words
need to come from you.
Those poems that
you write are the truth.
Why do you think God put
these things in your heart to say?
He wants you to
deal with your pain;
He wants you to write it
down; He wants you to let it go.
I'm, I'm afraid...
that if I let go, then
I'm just going to lose it.
Yes, you might.
It can be very
frightening to open up
and let out a pain that has
been bottled up for years.
But God is here
and you are safe.
It's okay to write
down your poems.
It's okay to fight
for your dreams.
It's okay to go back now
and bring that little one home,
that little boy with
the crayon in his hand
who just wanted
to write "I love you."
You can't ignore this, Marshall.
This is a very serious charge.
Why would you
believe some townie
who's just trying
to cover his...?
Because I know the
truth when I hear it.
And the truth is,
you stole my poem.
Prove it.
You copied it off the
wall at the gas station.
- Well, is it still on the wall?
- No, I washed it off.
Well, you, you must have
written it down somewhere.
No.
I don't write anything down.
It was there; I saw it.
That doesn't prove anything.
Fine.
Tell you what.
Why don't you recite
the poem for me?
Sure.
Okay.
I won't do it again...
Love you.
Um... Go on.
I can't.
I wrote it about a girl.
It's very emotional.
I can't go on.
That's because
it's not about a girl.
I wrote it...
about my dad.
And I... I wrote a lot more
than the eight lines
that he turned in.
I... I wrote more.
I won't do it again...
Love you...
With open arms,
Without fear of falling.
I... have...
I have fallen before.
We learn by failure,
Like a baby's first steps...
Crumbling, getting
up, Crying as we reach
For the one that we love,
And I won't do it again.
You taught me to lie.
I learned at your feet.
Sh...
She ran into a door.
She fell down the stairs.
Your family lays
scattered about you
Like the pages
crumpled from a book,
The book that I wrote.
I love you...
Daddy.
The book that you
ripped out of my hand...
And I won't do it again.
Never again... Dad, never.
I thought maybe...
I thought you'd
forgotten most of that.
But you didn't, did you?
I am so sorry.
You should never have
had to live through that.
But you were there, too, Mom.
You did the best that you could.
So that's why you guys
never talk about Dad.
He hurt you?
But he never hurt you,
and that is the one thing
that I am proud of in my life.
How could you do this, Marshall?
And what are you
gonna do about it?
Wouldn't have used it
if it wasn't a good poem.
And I wouldn't
have took your mirror
if it wasn't such a nice car.
And if Tess finds your car, I'll
put that mirror back on, I will.
I found it, all right.
It's right outside, and there
are a couple of boys out there
that think differently
about joyriding now.
So, Joey, you thinking
about your next invention?
- Yep.
- What's it going to be?
Something that makes macaroni
and cheese whenever you want.
That already exists, Joey.
It's called your mother.
Will you do something
for me, Ricky?
Will you write down
that poem someday?
Yeah, I will.
|WI||.
I didn't know you
could write like that.
Maybe it wouldn't hurt
if you took that class.
No, it won't hurt,
Mom, not anymore.
I could have a job
as long as I wanted.
At least I'm giving
you two weeks’ notice.
I'm sorry.
Oh, man.
What can I do for you?
Well, I think my baby
needs her oil changed
'cause she's been
wheezing and puffing.
Fine, pull on in.
It's a lovely day, isn't it?
This baby is very special to me.
Is there a particular oil
that you recommend?
Doesn't matter.
It all comes from
the same place.
Oh, really?
I-I thought there was
something about the, uh,
um, what's that word?
Uh, viscosity?
You know, it's a
lovely word, isn't it?
Vis-cos-ity.
Is something wrong?
My boss just told
me I'm out of a job.
Excuse me.
Al's closing this place.
You never know, it might
lead to something better.
I wouldn't bet on it.
His name is Ricky Hawke.
He's very intelligent,
very angry,
and very talented.
Talented at what?
Go in there and see.
This is a joke, right?
No, no, no, go on.
Go in and see.
Go.
Go in. Go in.
"I just got my
two weeks’ notice.
"It's the only notice I ever got
"after 19 unnoticeable years.
“Nobody said, “Take a shot.“
"Well, I don't want
what they've got.
I don't want anything at all."
So, he's a poet.
He's got a lot of potential,
but it's just never
gotten past that door.
Why?
Well, a long time ago,
Ricky built this great
big wall around himself
to save his life,
and now he doesn't
know how to take it down.
He can't knock it down.
He can't climb over it.
All he can do is write on it.
And every poem he
writes is a cry for help.
But he's only 19.
How could someone so
young become so hopeless?
That's what you're going
to find out, angel girl.
♪ When you walk ♪
♪ Down the road ♪
♪ Heavy burden ♪
♪ Heavy load ♪
♪ I will rise ♪
♪ And I will walk with you ♪
♪ I'll walk with you ♪
♪ Till the sun
don't even shine ♪
♪ Walk with you ♪
♪ Every time, I tell you ♪
♪ I'll walk with you ♪
I Walk with you ♪
♪ Believe me, I'll
walk with you. ♪
You guys are all set.
That'll be one dollar.
Just one dollar?
That is a special.
Consider it a
going-out-of—business sale.
No one will miss a
couple quarts of oil.
Hey, Monica.
You're early.
Hello, AI.
Ricky, this lady's gonna
do the inventory of the place
and sell everything
that's not nailed down.
Like oil.
Oil, filters, tires.
I'll be accounting
for everything.
That'll be $19.99.
I got it.
Want me to fill her up?
No gas.
Bathroom this way?
Ricky, you filled up the
paper towels in there yet?
Not the best
graffiti I ever read.
It's called a poem.
How would you know?
You don't go to the
university, do you?
Didn't think so.
Stop posing and
take off the hat.
Thanks.
You want to show Monica
around the place, Ricky?
- No, I got to go pick up Joey first.
- Oh.
Joey?
His little brother.
He picks him up
from school every day.
Got a lot of homework?
Uh-huh.
Hey, do you know
how to invent stuff?
I don't know.
Why?
Well, there's this
invention contest
for kids down at the college,
and the winner gets to
go to a science camp.
And the other kids are doing it,
and I'd really
like to do it, too,
but I don't want
to be any trouble.
So, it's okay if I can't,
but I'd really
like to if I could.
Well, what do you have to do?
Sign up at the college.
You want to go now?
Oh, cool, cool, cool,
cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.
Hey, so did Dad ever
do this stuff with you?
No, Joey, Dad had
other stuff on his mind.
Like what?
Just stuff.
Let's, uh... Let's
get you signed up.
Hi, Monica.
This is Joey.
Ah.
Hello, Joey.
Nice to meet you.
- You, too.
- Sorry we were late.
We had a stop to make.
Yeah, I had to sign up
for the invention convention
'cause I'm gonna be an inventor.
An inventor?
How exciting.
What are you gonna
do? The kid's got brains.
I'll be right back.
So, um, what kind of invention
are you going to make?
Well, I don't know,
but I'm gonna need
a lot of stuff for it.
Ah, well, there's a lot of stuff
you could use around here.
Hey, do you like
macaroni and cheese?
Yes, I love it.
Hey, man, what's up?
Same old, same old.
Looking for action
wherever we can find it.
Where you been?
Wasting my time here.
Al's closing the place,
so I got to start
looking for another job.
You gonna be able to hook us up
- with some gas?
- Sorry, man.
Al's got this lady here
counting every nut, bolt,
and gallon in the place.
Bummer.
Yeah.
Anyway, you guys
better get out of here
before my brother starts
thinking I'm up to something.
See ya.
Hi.
Oh, I was here earlier,
and I lost my student ID.
You haven't seen it
around here anywhere,
-have you? -Uh... Oh, yeah.
I think I saw it in, um,
in the lost-and-found.
Wait here. I'll go get it.
- Oh, great.
- Here you go.
Oh.
You can't do anything on
campus without your ID,
but I guess you know that.
Yeah.
It's just part of,
um, going to school.
Well, thanks.
Um, you should check out
this class sometime.
The teacher's awesome.
What are you doing in there?
I was taking inventory.
When AI says "everything
must go," he means everything.
That's a lovely poem you
wrote on the wall in there.
Who said it was mine?
"Two weeks' notice...
19 unnoticeable years..."
Let me see: you're
19; you're out of work;
and... AI told me.
Hey, guess what?
Monica's coming
to dinner tonight.
Hi, Mom.
This is, uh, this is Monica.
Hello, Mrs. Hawke.
Hi.
Um, I'm working with
Ricky for a few weeks,
and Joey asked
me back to dinner.
I hope you don't mind.
She really likes macaroni.
What kind of work are you
doing at the gas station?
- Oh, well, I'm...
- Nothing.
Nothing always means something.
What'd you do?
I told you, nothing.
AI's going out of business,
and I'm out of a job.
It's no big deal.
He gave me two weeks' notice.
Well, good.
That'll give you plenty
of time to find another job.
What's this?
Nothing. It's just a
flyer from the university.
What are you doing with it?
I haven't the slightest idea.
Why would I ever want to
go to college, right, Mom?
Don't you talk like that to me.
You walk in here,
tell me you've lost your job,
bring some woman home to dinner,
don't even give me a
chance to get cleaned up,
and now you're dreaming
about greener pastures?
I guess your brother
and I don't matter.
Fine.
Do what you want!
Just like your Dad!
She's just worried we're
going to grow up and leave her.
But we won't, right, Ricky?
I'm sorry, Monica.
Have you given any thought
to what you're going to do next?
There's not much to think about.
Guys like me... We
take what we can get.
Is there something
that you'd like to do?
No.
I got you this book.
I thought it might
give you some ideas.
Yeah, well, ideas are dangerous.
Can you keep an
eye on this place
while I go over to Taco Town
and fill out an application?
Well, well.
If it isn't the merry mechanic!
What are you doing here?
Aren't you a little old?
Watch it, buster.
When it comes to education,
there's no such
thing as too old.
Sit down.
Good morning,
ladies and gentlemen.
Some of you have
come up to me recently
with some questions
about the assignment
that's due on Friday.
So! Let me clarify to
you exactly what I want.
I want you guys to
write about a feeling.
Uh, an emotional... reaction
to the world around you.
And it could be about anything.
It could be about a puppy,
a flower, or a basketball game,
or-or a pretty girl,
it doesn't matter.
As long as it's honest.
That's what I'm looking for.
Now, I don't expect you
guys to write like Wordsworth,
but let me give you an example
of what this man could do
with just one moment in time.
Okay?
"She was a Phantom of delight
"When first she
gleamed upon my sight;
"A lovely Apparition, sent
"To be a moment's ornament;
"Her eyes as stars
of Twilight fair;
"Like Twilight's,
too, her dusky hair;
"But all things else
about her drawn
"From May-time and
the cheerful Dawn;
"A dancing Shape, an Image gay,
"To haunt, to
startle... to waylay."
“I won't do it again,
“Love you, with open arms...
“Without fear of falling.
“L have fallen before.
“We learn by failure,
like a baby's first steps,
“Crumbling, getting up,
“Crying as we reach
for the one we love.
And I won't do it again.“
What's this supposed to be?
It's a book of poetry
yet to be written.
Thanks, Monica, but
that's not really my style.
You write on the
walls of restrooms
because you
think it's temporary.
Because you think
your words are garbage,
not worthy of a real
place in the world.
But they are worthy, Ricky.
They are your words.
Your thoughts.
And they deserve
to be remembered.
They need to be written down.
On paper.
I don't write anything
down on paper.
That's a shame.
I'll see you in the morning.
They need to be written down...
I don't write anything
down on paper.
That's a shame... that's a
shame... that's a shame...
Look what you did,
you stupid little brat!
You ruined it!
- No, Daddy, please!
- Shut up!
Just shut up, you stinking kid!
Why don't you use the bathroom
where you actually buy your gas?
Why don't you get a life?
You punk townie.
What actually is
a "townie," Tess?
Well, baby, a townie is
what the college students call
the kids that grew
up in this town.
It's another one of
those cruel words
to make people feel
bad about themselves.
And when people like
Ricky hear it often enough,
they begin to feel that way.
And pretty soon, you don't
even have to say it at all.
Ha ha, that's right, dude.
Ricky...
I told you guys,
no more free gas.
Relax, dude.
Want to do you a favor.
Just made a friend who's
looking to buy some car parts.
The whole car, if you
know what I mean.
Pays more than Taco Town.
Yeah, it'll cost
a lot more, too.
All right, your loss, man.
Let us know if you
change your mind.
Oh! Just the man
I was looking for.
I'm gonna be late for class,
and I don't like to
be late for class,
so I'm going to
make this very short.
You must be registered for
my class in order to attend,
and you're not.
- I was thinking about it.
- That's good.
Think some more. Then
do something about it.
I'm going to let you
attend for one week,
but after that, you
gotta make a decision.
This is gonna be great.
Yeah, she's gonna love this.
All right!
Hit the lights!
All right, get down, get down.
Shh, shh-shh-shh.
Surprise!
No! Don't, no,
no, no... No, don't!
- Please don't hurt me!
- It's us. It's not Dad.
It's okay, Mom.
Mom.
It's okay. It's okay.
God, I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I wasn't thinking,
Mom. I wasn't thinking.
Shh. Shh.
Good morning.
Isn't it a school day?
No, it's some kind
of a teacher day.
Um, where's Ricky?
He had something
he needed to do.
How was your mother's
birthday party last night?
It was weird, but
I did figure out
what I wanted to
do for my invention.
Oh. What's that?
Well, I want to invent something
to make people
forget bad things.
Oh.
Is there something
that you'd like to forget?
No, I was too little.
But your mom and Ricky do.
You know, sometimes, Joey,
you have to remember
the bad things
so that you can learn from them.
Yeah, but sometimes
bad things don't stop,
even when you've
already learned something.
I, uh, graded your
poems last night.
And I gotta tell
you, they are...
For the most part...
Pretty darn good.
There's one, however,
that strikes me as
surprisingly good,
and I would really like
the young man who wrote it
to, uh, to come up here
and read it to the class.
So, uh, Marshall?
Marshall Fuller?
"I won't do it again.
"Love you with open arms,
"Without fear of falling.
"I have fallen before.
"We learn by failure.
"Like a baby's first steps,
"Crumbling, getting
up, "Crying as we reach
"For the one we love.
"And I won't do it again.
Who is that guy?
He doesn't even
go to school here.
You know, I think he's a townie.
What?
Hey, man,
what are you doing
hanging around here?
You trying to be a
college boy or something?
No... just hating
somebody's guts.
Hating their car, too.
Well, it doesn't have to work.
It just has to be some kind
of invention that could
work someday in the future.
They're always
inventing new things,
and they just have
to have someone
to give them the idea.
Hmm, I think if anyone ever
did invent a forgetting machine,
this is what it would look like.
How would it work,
in the future, I mean?
Well, first, you
get some uranium,
and you put it in here.
And then you would
x-ray your brain waves.
Huh. My goodness.
Well, you'd have to
look into something.
What?
Well, I-I don't know, I
don't have that part yet.
But it would hypnotize
you, and then... boom.
All your bad memories
would be gone.
Huh.
Oh, hey, Ricky.
Well, at least they
liked your poem.
I really don't feel like
being made fun of right now.
Well, no, I'm not
making fun of you.
But the truth is, if
you had been enrolled
you would be the
one getting the praise.
Don't you see you
need to get the education
that you want?
I can't just go to
college. It's not that easy.
What am I gonna
do about my mother?
What about Joey?
Maybe the best thing
you could do for your family
is to show them that
someone could overcome
the pain you've
all been through.
Look, no matter what I do...
there's always gonna
be guys like that
who will do anything to succeed,
and guys like me...
who get stepped
on along the way.
Maybe that's why
you can't write down
your poetry, Ricky.
Maybe you were
stepped on as a child.
But you're almost an adult now,
and it's time for you
to learn to stand up
and not allow yourself
to be used in that way.
So that men like
Marshall and your father...
Joey, get out of here.
Don't... talk about my father.
"My heart leaps up when I behold
"A rainbow in the sky:
"So it was when my life began;
"So it is now I am a man;
"So be it when I shall grow old,
"Or let me die!
"The child is father of the man;
"And I could wish my days to be
"Bound each to
each By natural piety."
Yeah?
Hey.
Where is my car?
Oh, man.
Can't begin to
imagine what this is for.
How did you get this job?
What's up, college boy?
You need a ride anywhere?
You liked the mirror, we
brought you the whole car.
What are you guys doing?
Get that out of here.
Shh!
Come on.
Thought you'd be glad,
man. We did you a favor.
Well, don't do me
any more favors.
Get it out of here.
Your loss, man.
Oh, hey.
Hey, hey, buddy.
Hey, where you been?
Doing what I should've
been doing all along.
Looking for a job.
I'm sorry I've been
stressed out lately.
You forgive me?
Yeah.
How's the invention coming?
Terrible.
I'm still missing one
part, and I really need it.
The convention's tomorrow.
Don't worry. You'll
think of something.
Use your imagination.
Hey, did Dad ever
build stuff with you?
No, Joey, Dad was better at...
taking stuff apart.
All right, now go back to sleep.
I got to slip under
the mom radar.
What about this?
They put it on their heads,
and it hypnotizes them.
You don't get it.
Well, you better find something.
The convention
starts in half an hour
and I promised your
mother we'd be on time.
Keep looking.
Hypnotizer... hypnotizer.
Hello?
Hypnotizer,
hypnotizer, hypnotizer...
Hey, that's it.
Where have you been?
Taco Town.
I start Monday. $6.50 an hour.
Oh, Ricky, that's wonderful.
I look terrible.
No, you don't, Mom.
You look really good.
Ready or not, it's time to go.
Well, I'm ready.
- You are?
- Yep. Found just what I needed.
Don't, not, not yet.
I guess I better find the
bathroom in this place
and freshen up.
I was hoping I'd see you here.
Why?
You have some
fantasy about a guy
from the other
side of the tracks?
You know, you
didn't have to lie.
I thought you were cute
before you told me that
you went to school here.
What?
Do you know what I've had
to do to go to school here?
I wash dishes in
the school cafeteria.
My family doesn't
have any money.
I'm just a townie
from another town.
I should've known.
Yeah, um... Marshall's
one of the judges.
Yeah, well, I better
go help my brother
with his invention.
Looks like you're next, Joey.
Are you ready, buddy?
Yeah.
Oh, my...
What are you doing with that?
Oh, isn't it great?
You look into it, and
you're hypnotized.
You got to take it off, Joey.
Why? You said to
use my imagination.
You don't understand.
Wait, you're gonna break it!
Number 12.
Okay, Joey.
Okay.
What are you doing here?
This is my little
brother's invention.
That's my mirror.
This guy stole my car.
- Get off of my brother.
- No, you don't understand.
Don't you ever
touch my little brother.
- Get off me, punk.
- Rick, what are you doing?
What is going on here? Get off.
You stole my car.
Oh, Ricky, no.
No, I didn't. I just ripped off
your stupid mirror
because you stole my poem.
What are you talking about?
It was on the wall.
But I don't understand.
Who cares about a poem?
You stole my car.
I did not steal his car.
Of course you
did. You're a thief.
Just like you been
stealing an education.
Whoa. I gave Ricky permission
to audit the class for a week.
And I ripped off your mirror
before your car was stolen.
I'm calling the police.
Hold it. Wait a minute now.
He's telling the truth.
I saw Ricky take your mirror,
but he did not steal your car.
I also saw the
two boys that did.
One of them was wearing a
blue bandana kind of thing,
and the other one had
on a very disturbing t-shirt.
I've seen those
guys. They're townies.
Probably friends of this loser.
I know exactly where they are.
And when I'm through with them
they will not want
to put their hands
on anybody else's
property ever again.
Fine.
Still having you
arrested for what you did.
You know, Marshall, it concerns
me that you're more worried
about your car
than your conduct.
I mean, did... Has
it occurred to you
that you've just been
accused of plagiarism?
First of all, I didn't
plagiarize anything,
and second, if I was going to,
I wouldn't steal from
some stupid townie
who probably can't
even write his own name,
and third, stealing a poem is
not the same as stealing a car.
Wrong, Marshall,
stealing is stealing.
Forget it.
It doesn't matter.
Guys like me
end up going to jail
for ripping off a stupid mirror,
and guys like him rip off a poem
and end up graduating
from medical school.
Wait.
What are you doing?
Nothing.
Don't you think you've
done that enough?
I'm not in the
mood for a lecture.
I'm not here to lecture you.
I'm here to help you
learn to fight for yourself.
Guys like me never have
a chance, so why bother?
Guys like you... that's
always your excuse, isn't it?
But you know what I think?
I think it's not that guys like
you never have a chance.
It's that guys like you
are afraid to take it.
Back off, Monica.
No.
You can keep running, Ricky,
but everywhere you
go, I'm going to be there.
Why are you doing this?
Because God has
something to say to you,
and when He has something to
say, He doesn't hide His message
behind a door on
a bathroom wall.
He's not ashamed of
the words He has to say.
He can write them in the sky;
He can write them in your heart;
or He can send his angel
to speak them right out loud.
An angel?
You're an angel?
Yes.
Uh, I don't believe in angels.
You have been
too afraid to believe
in anything good in this world.
So... what does He
want to say to me?
He loves you.
What?
God loves you.
God doesn't love guys like...
Guys like you?
Oh, yes, He does, Ricky,
He loves guys just like you...
Tough, angry, hopeless young men
who used to be sweet,
loving, trusting little boys
but who have had the joy
of life beaten out of them.
It's not that simple, Monica.
Yes, it is.
Look at Joey.
He never knew his father;
he was never abused;
and he's free to dream,
free to love so honestly,
free to imagine a
future for himself,
free to invent a
forgetting machine
to help the people
that he loves the most.
But he can't
because you've already become
a forgetting machine, Ricky.
You've put up a wall to block
out your pain and your fear,
but a wall works two ways.
Yes, it keeps things in,
but it also keeps things out
like joy, trust, hope.
You don't know...
what it was like.
That's right. I don't.
That's why the words
need to come from you.
Those poems that
you write are the truth.
Why do you think God put
these things in your heart to say?
He wants you to
deal with your pain;
He wants you to write it
down; He wants you to let it go.
I'm, I'm afraid...
that if I let go, then
I'm just going to lose it.
Yes, you might.
It can be very
frightening to open up
and let out a pain that has
been bottled up for years.
But God is here
and you are safe.
It's okay to write
down your poems.
It's okay to fight
for your dreams.
It's okay to go back now
and bring that little one home,
that little boy with
the crayon in his hand
who just wanted
to write "I love you."
You can't ignore this, Marshall.
This is a very serious charge.
Why would you
believe some townie
who's just trying
to cover his...?
Because I know the
truth when I hear it.
And the truth is,
you stole my poem.
Prove it.
You copied it off the
wall at the gas station.
- Well, is it still on the wall?
- No, I washed it off.
Well, you, you must have
written it down somewhere.
No.
I don't write anything down.
It was there; I saw it.
That doesn't prove anything.
Fine.
Tell you what.
Why don't you recite
the poem for me?
Sure.
Okay.
I won't do it again...
Love you.
Um... Go on.
I can't.
I wrote it about a girl.
It's very emotional.
I can't go on.
That's because
it's not about a girl.
I wrote it...
about my dad.
And I... I wrote a lot more
than the eight lines
that he turned in.
I... I wrote more.
I won't do it again...
Love you...
With open arms,
Without fear of falling.
I... have...
I have fallen before.
We learn by failure,
Like a baby's first steps...
Crumbling, getting
up, Crying as we reach
For the one that we love,
And I won't do it again.
You taught me to lie.
I learned at your feet.
Sh...
She ran into a door.
She fell down the stairs.
Your family lays
scattered about you
Like the pages
crumpled from a book,
The book that I wrote.
I love you...
Daddy.
The book that you
ripped out of my hand...
And I won't do it again.
Never again... Dad, never.
I thought maybe...
I thought you'd
forgotten most of that.
But you didn't, did you?
I am so sorry.
You should never have
had to live through that.
But you were there, too, Mom.
You did the best that you could.
So that's why you guys
never talk about Dad.
He hurt you?
But he never hurt you,
and that is the one thing
that I am proud of in my life.
How could you do this, Marshall?
And what are you
gonna do about it?
Wouldn't have used it
if it wasn't a good poem.
And I wouldn't
have took your mirror
if it wasn't such a nice car.
And if Tess finds your car, I'll
put that mirror back on, I will.
I found it, all right.
It's right outside, and there
are a couple of boys out there
that think differently
about joyriding now.
So, Joey, you thinking
about your next invention?
- Yep.
- What's it going to be?
Something that makes macaroni
and cheese whenever you want.
That already exists, Joey.
It's called your mother.
Will you do something
for me, Ricky?
Will you write down
that poem someday?
Yeah, I will.
|WI||.
I didn't know you
could write like that.
Maybe it wouldn't hurt
if you took that class.
No, it won't hurt,
Mom, not anymore.